Grandpa

This morning I was thinking about what my blog topic would be. I considered showing you all my coffee table inspirations, or possibly revealing the kitchen updates, but then I went over to my grandparents' house. At exactly 2 o'clock the song "Hark the Herald Angels Sing" filled the room. I told Gpa it was time to take down his Christmas caroling clock. He agreed, so we took it down, and somehow it ended up going home with me. That's how my grandparents are. You have to be very careful complimenting anything in Gma's home because you'll walk out with it. Hence the reason I now have a Christmas carol clock. This post is not about Christmas or carols, but it is about a clock. 

Before going on, there are a few things you should know about Gpa.

1. He is 74 years old and a substitute teacher. I think he does it so he can get out of his "honey do list."

2. He loves his grandchildren very, very much.

3. He used to tell us to be careless instead of careful.

4. He once was sent out for Dunkin' Donuts, and returned with cinnamon sticks from the store because those are the type of donuts he dunks in his coffee. He didn't realized there was a donut place called Dunkin' Donuts.

5. He is proud to be the #1 Grandpa in the world.

Gpa has always loved clocks. There are clocks in every room of their house, but don't expect to know what time it is because none of them are set the same, and half are out of batteries. Combine Gpa's love of clocks with Gma's love of garage sales, and somehow he ended up with a random clock that he didn't need. (Because he needs the other 30 clocks that are scattered around the house.)
At one of our family gatherings he decides he is going to hold a good ole fashioned raffle for the clock. He figures the grandkids would want it for our rooms. Let me be clear. This isn't a digital clock. It's not an alarm clock. It isn't a small desk clock. It's an antique wall mounted grandfather clock. Exactly what everyone between the ages of 14-25 would long for.
After we'd eaten, Gpa announces his raffle to the family.

Gpa: You all need to take a number from the hat
Us: Why?
Gpa: So you can win the clock
Us: You're giving away a clock through a raffle?
Gpa: Yes, so take a number
Us: I'm pretty sure we could just decide amongst ourselves who would want the clock
Gpa: Well, that wouldn't be fair. Take a number

So we pass around one of Gpa's baseball caps filled wih little pieces of paper. Once everyone has their number, Gpa reached into the same baseball cap and pulled out a number.

Gpa: 17
No response
Gpa: Who has 17?
Looking around confused and starting to giggle
Gpa: Look at your numbers! Someone has to have 17!
Us: No one has 17.
Gpa: Oh
Pulls another number from the same baseball cap.
Gpa: 25
Us: An eruption of laughter
Gpa: Who has 25?
Us: No one has 25. If you keep pulling numbers from that same hat, none of us will have them.
Gpa: What? This is how raffles work.
Us: You have to choose the number beforehand or make another hat with new numbers.
Gpa: Well everyone put your numbers back in the hat, we'll start over.

At this point we are all laughing hysterically. Finally all the numbers are collected, redistributed, and Gpa is standing in the middle of the room again with a hat full of numbers.

Gpa: What am I supposed to do now?
Us: Say a number
Gpa: That's what I did last time and you all started laughing at me.
Us: That's because you were pulling numbers from the same hat we were.
Gpa: Well where am I supposed to get my numbers?

Mom finally explained to Gpa what was happening, and they randomly picked number 14. This number belonged to my cousin's boyfriend. He's 17 years old, a baseball player, and was so thrilled with the clock that he gave it to my aunt.

The whole family is going to Arkansas soon for a family party. I'm most looking forward to the hilarious blog material Gpa will provide.

Jenny

Shady Shade

The Nester often calls her window treatments, Mis-treatements, which I think is quite clever. Her windows always end up looking really cute and classy. This is the redneck cousin of them. They probably only see each other at family reunions, and even there they are too embarrassed to admit that they might possibly be related.

I had a problem. There is a street lamp right outside my bedroom window. It kindly lights the streets, but doesn't differentiate between the street and my bedroom. The light just streams right through my bamboo blinds, and into my sleep. I dealt with it by piling pillows on one side of my bed for a few weeks. Then one day I was organizing my linen closet, and found a random pillow case that didn't have a twin. That's when I did this. 

I used the pillow case as a window shade. The way my bamboo blinds hang, I can't put a normal roller shade behind them. Someday I might have curtains, but for right now, this works. 

What's even better is how I hung it in the window.

It just took a binder clip.

And some Scotch tape.

Okay, who's ready to hire me as their interior decorator, now? I'm going to go on a first come, first serve basis. ;)

Jenny

A Typical Day

This week's Show Us Your Life (hosted by the adorable Kelly @ Kelly's Korner) is about a typical day. One of my 50 in 500 goals is to chronicle my day in photographs, so I decided that today would be the day to accomplish this goal. It was more difficult than I realized to document my day, and I forgot to photograph a lot of parts. Sorry, internet. I'll try harder.

I usually wake up between 5:30 and 6. Lately it has been closer to 6 with a lot of snoozing in between.

This is my morning hair. I can't believe I'm posting this, but it's for your entertainment.

I eat cereal, take care of Kody, get ready, grab my lunch and I'm out the door by 6:45. Ideally I get to run by Starbucks or Quik Trip for coffee, but that is a rarity.

I arrive at school around 7. I spend the time before the kids get there checking e-mails and getting things ready for the day. I usually make a To-Do List similar to this one. I have a notebook full of them, and this one happened to be the first page. Today's wasn't a neat list, it was a web. Sometimes I web, sometimes I list, and sometimes I choose not to make a To Do list because they make me feel bad about not getting anything done.

I spend my day teaching English. The kids walk in at 7:20 and classes begin at 7:45. I teach from 7:45 - 10:40, then lunch, back to class until 11:30. From 11:30-12:20 I have a team meeting. We discuss student interventions, contact parents, etc, etc, etc. From there is study hall, and finally from 1:00-1:40 I get a "personal plan" time, which is when I get to grade this stack of papers. 

(Usually the stack isn't this large, but I collected a packet from them yesterday.)

Sometimes I discover interesting papers like this one.

Apparently it went through surgery before it made it to me.

I teach one more hour before the kids leave at 2:45. The earliest I can leave is 3:15, but most days I'm there until about 4 pm. Today though, I left at 3:15 because it is Friday!

Today my sister-in-law, Cash, and I walked downtown to get some stuff from the baby store and a coffee from Whistle Stop. Usually I would walk Kody or go to Jazzercise at 4:30. (I made my goal of working out 5x this week!!!)

On a typical day, I would then go home and clean, read, watch TV, shop, work on school stuff, or hang out with this girl. In general, Mondays I do house stuff, Tuesdays I hang out with friends, Wednesdays I work late, Thursdays I go to Bible Study, and the weekends change.

I try to be in bed by 10, but that doesn't always happen. Even though I'm in bed, I don't necessarily go to sleep. I usually stay up reading until at least 10:30 if not later. (Depending on the book.)

This weekend, I spent Friday night babysitting. 

We danced.

Made cheese dip.

And they straightened my hair.

This morning vs. Tonight

(Sorry about the flash, I was in a hurry.)

Did you catch the outfit change there. That happens a lot in my life. I also ended up with a pirate beard from Riley's stage make-up. I'll save that photo for another day.

XOXO, Jenny