It's My Pity Party! And You're Invited!

This is how I feel today:

I have had it up to my fevered forehead with being sick. I've discovered that working at an elementary school is like working in a petri dish of disease. I do my best to wash my hands frequently and take the proper precautions. But I suppose a child sneezing directly in my face is just something I can't easily avoid.

Colds and fevers are just the pits. My body aches when I move; it aches when I don't. My throat is scratchy (which was my excuse for getting popsicles along with cold medicine today). My head feels fuzzy and dizzy. And I've given up on my nose. It's runny but also stuffy, which makes it impossible to blow. The tissue is just lodged up my nose for good. I'm the portrait of beauty.

Gerrit's Turn

This is Gerrit. I was also working on a project along with Cassie's painting. I had read an article on ESPN about people who decided that instead of paying a lot of money for sports merchandise, they could make it themselves. So I thought I'd try it. I found the Twins 1961-65 logo on www.sportslogos.net and set about to put it on a zip up hoodie. I'm not a seamster by any means as I'm sure you'll notice, but here is the finished product. I like it and it's a lot cheaper than anything I could have purchased.


In case you're wondering, since this is for personal use and there is no consumer, there are no copyright issues. OK, I'm done.

Painting is My "Art's Desire"

So, it won't be in a gallery any time soon, but I enjoyed painting this tonight:I laid around the apartment today whining, "I'm booooored." I had flashbacks to being eight and my mom saying, "It's okay to be bored." Instead Gerrit said, "Do you want to go to a craft store?" Yes, yes I do. And for the low, low price of $8 we both found things to do! What a great deal for these tough economic times! I'm no Bob Ross, but I do love a blank canvas and a clean brush. *sigh*

Eight is Enough

On top of working as a Para at the elementary school, I also work for the before and after school daycare. Since we were on Spring Break, the daycare went on lots of field trips to make the break more fun for the kids. On Thursday, we made a trip with the kids to the park in the big mall. What made the trip extra special is that Gerrit got to come be a chaperone. We were assigned to the eight kids in the Kindergarten and 1st grade group.

OH. MY. GOSH.

Perhaps you're thinking that eight kids isn't that many. I mean, Jon and Kate Plus 8 do this everyday. Let me tell you....we are not Jon and Kate. And at this age, they wander off and we can't strap them into a stroller. The whole day I was yelling, "EVERYBODY GRAB A HAND!" (They didn't get the "BUDDY CHECK!" concept.) At lunch I prepped each kid on what to do if a stranger talks to you. I religiously counted the kids before and after every ride. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8. onetwothreefourfivesixseveneight. 1-2-3-4-5-6-7......ohmygosh......phew....8. I was counting to eight in my sleep that night.

We went on ride after ride after ride. One little guy in particular was a bit frightened of the water log ride. We'll call him "Jimmy." But by the end of the day, Jimmy conquered his fear and decided to go on it. Gerrit asked if Jimmy would like to ride with me on the ride. Jimmy said, "No, I want to ride wif you because wew best fwiends."
Another little boy (we'll call "Tony"), claimed he wasn't scared of that ride or anything else. Jimmy said, "You gotta be scawed of someTING." Tony said, "Well, I'm scawed of someting, but I'm not tellin'." Tony then whispered to me, "Want to know what I'm scawed of?"
"Yes, what is it?"
"It's ninjas."
Yeah Tony, I'm pretty scared of ninjas too. :)

Towards the end of the day, we all got slushies. Everyone's teeth and tongue were either blue or red. Even Gerrit's:
I took many adorable pictures of our little group, but since they aren't my children, I don't feel right about posting any pictures with their faces in them. However, as hyper as they were all day, this is what they looked like on the ride home:And this is what Gerrit looked like when we got home. Rough day? Now he knows why I'm so tired when I get home from work. He can't wait to chaperone again sometime!

I'm Just a Little Ashamed....

....to admit that I am emotionally devastated by The Bachelor. I have fallen victim once again to my reality television addiction (it's a disease!). I have many choice words for the Bachelor, Jason. But at this time, I will just say that he is a bad, selfish, mean man! If it's any comfort, I'm going to seek help since I clearly have a problem. Admitting it is the first step. But right now, I just need to be alone with some chocolate. I don't want to talk about it....

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

Last weekend, my family had the pleasure of celebrating my Grandma's 80th birthday. All of my immediate family and most of my extended family was there. We only get everyone together about once a year for different ceremonies. It was great to be together to celebrate our wonderful, sassy grandma.
My sisters, Carey and Courtney, and I were in charge of decorations. I was supposed to provide the vases for the center pieces since I have many left from our wedding. I HAD ONE JOB! and I forgot them....yeah, I'm mad at myself, too. But no worries! It all worked out. We bought out the Dollar Tree like nobody's business.
Martha Stewart a.k.a Carey, provided a hat-making craft for the 2 dozen (no exaggeration) great-grandkids at the party. Here are my favorite little people wearing theirs:

Aubrey, 7.

Sophie, 4, didn't want to wear hers or look up for the picture. It had been a long day!

Jozie, 2.
Owen, 1 1/2
My mom Denna, Grandma Rosalie, and Aunt Dawn. This is how I assume I will look in the different stages of my life. Actually, this is how I HOPE I look. You can't go wrong with pretty and tan!
My sisters, their families, and Gerrit and I all stayed with my Uncle Dwight and Aunt Carol. They certainly took in a crowd and we were so thankful to them! They've always taken us in when we visit. And they didn't deny us this time even though our crew has grown so much! I think we can safely say that Guitar Hero was the highlight of our stay. Gerrit was loving his life. We even got my dad to play a song or two. But our biggest accomplishment was getting Carey to play (to her horror), though the room had to be cleared before "the diva" set stage in private.

This is my aunt and uncle's dog, Rudy. He's about 4 pounds. I am not a dog person, but I love this one with all my heart. If he had snuck into our car, I would not have returned him. I'm not even sorry.

This is everyone who made it to the party. My grandma and grandpa started quite a little tribe. All together there are 7 kids, 19 grandchildern, and 28 great grandchildern. Of course that doesn't include the 14 spouses to the respective kids and grandkids. That's almost 70 people! Whew! The baby I'm holding here is the youngest great-grandchild, Ozzy. He's the son of the oldest grandkid, Jake. I wanted to take Ozzy home, too. Grandma, we love you special. Thanks for being your wonderful self. Thanks for teaching us how to crochet, to notice the small things (like a seashell), to say what we mean, and to "love special."
Love,
Boo-Boo a.k.a Cassie, grandkid #13

My Funny Valentine

So yesterday, I was on my way to my friend Molly's house for a lovely V-day brunch. I got a few miles down the freeway when I heard a terrible noise coming from somewhere on or in the car. I thought to myself, "That doesn't sound healthy. I will calmly pull over at my earliest convenience." In reality, I was a little panicky! But I was soon able to pull over to a somewhat spacious shoulder. When it was safe, I got out and walked around to the passenger's side and saw this:Awesome. This is shaping up to be a really great day. I called Gerrit to let him know of my plight. Unfortunately, neither of us has experience changing a tire (especially not on the freeway!). So, I called a towing service. Actually, I had to call three different numbers to get someone to answer! In the meantime, Gerrit came to wait with me. My hero:In total, the flat tire/towing experience lasted about an hour and a half. I missed brunch. :( Sorry girls! But I got to be a damsel in distress and Gerrit got to rescue me on Valentines' Day.

In the afternoon, Gerrit and I exchanged small gifts (including Mary Poppins for me!) and spent time relaxing together. We didn't want to deal with the crowds who would be out and about. We had breakfast for dinner. I made cinnamon roll french toast (real yummy), and Gerrit made scrambled eggs (he's a pro). But my body didn't want breakfast for dinner and I was sick for the rest of night. Again, awesome.

Flat tires and flu-like symptoms aside, it was a good day. I hope your day was good and that you felt loved by someone in your life.