This Week...

*This week, I turned 27. I am another year closer to 30- yipes. Part of me feels like my life is SO "behind schedule," yet I wouldn't have changed many of my decisions in the past. It is really difficult to be waiting, constantly, and wanting my life to be fulfilling in every way. I really need to not compare myself to others so much in this sense! I also need to remember more often that I should be patient with life... it only comes one day at a time. But yeah--I'm working on it. :)
*This week, my sister and her boyfriend brought me a cheerful bouquet of "birthday week" flowers. They sit beautifully on my table and brighten up the entire room.
*This week, I was surprised by, and sang to by, a group of Junior High students. They gave me a box of Cheez-Its (my favorite!) and a chocolate cake to share with my students. It was very thoughtful- and both cake & crackers were delicious!
*This week, I drove up to Flagstaff and had a wonderful dinner at Red Lobster with my parents, sister, and aunt. (Yummy crab alfredo and cheddar bay biscuits!)
*This week, I was invited to attend a Family-Child-Support meeting on behalf of one of my students. It was very insightful as to the home dynamics, and how it impacts my kiddo. I enjoyed the meeting, and am very flattered that they included me as one of the team members.
*This week, I am closer to deciding finally, that I will not be returning to Sedona Oak-Creek School District next school year.
*This week, my stepdad's mother passed away. Helen Lockwood Smith was content, at peace, and very excited about seeing people she loved in heaven. We are sad, but this has been long-accepted by the family, and by Helen herself. We have family in town this weekend, fortunately she got to be with 2 of her kids when she passed. 7/1/1916-3/13/2009. We will always love you, Helen. You were a very remarkable lady!
*This week, school ended for 9 days and the exhausted teachers are now rejoicing that we are on Spring Break.
*This week, I want to clean out my house, organize, and donate a lot of the "things" I don't use or need. Donating them to the One Hockersmith Garage Sale fund, to help raise money to cover the vet bills of my cousin's dog (named "One"). I just have way too much "stuff" for one single person, it's totally unnecessary.
But... I won't start any of that until tomorrow... or maybe the next day!

*This coming week is Spring Break, but I don't intend to do much other than relax & clean. I will probably go up to Flagstaff in a couple of days. The price is right, for spending a few days with my parents and possibly my family down in Tempe.
*This coming week.... I want to sleep. Rest. Lounge. Slug. Be lazy! :)

Have a good week, y'all!

Entertained & Upside-Down

-ʇxǝʇ spɹɐʍʞɔɐq & sɹǝʇʇǝן puɐ uʍop ǝpısdn ǝdʎʇ oʇ ʍoɥ
¡¡ƃuıuıɐʇɹǝʇuǝ ʎɹǝʌ 'ʎɹǝʌ sı ʇɐɥʇ ǝʇısqǝʍ ʍǝu ɐ punoɟ


ןɯʇɥ˙sɹǝʇʇǝןuʍopǝpısdn/ʎɐןd/ɯoɔ˙sǝɹıʍuǝʌǝs˙ʍʍʍ//:dʇʇɥ

Junior High kids WILL work for food! (So will teachers!)

Rewarding 10 of my 12 participants in the "Resource Reading Rewards" program:

Since I began working with students aged 12-15 these past 4 years, I have since learned that they will do anything - anything - anything for food. Carrots & ranch, Potato chips, Cheezits, Granola bars, teacher-pot-luck-leftover Corn Pudding, Tootsie rolls, Grapes, Clementine oranges (my recent FAVORITE).... You name it. They'll eat it.

It has been such a good motivator for the tasks that challenge my special education students the most. Tasks such as IGNORING the (roar outside the window) construction confusion despite severe having ADHD- such as TRIPLING their assigned reading goal(s)- such as PERSEVERING in each & every task thrown at her despite having documented Mild Mental Retardation- such as attending a class knowing he will be socially isolated but also knows that he desperately needs to arrive for academic support- and namely just for their beautiful smiles that greet me each and every morning... So we created a Reading Rewards "plan" that those that succeeded in effort & attitude would be able to vote on a Made-by-the-Teacher dessert at the end of the month. We targeted February for our first monthly Reading Rewards program.

This afternoon, I photographed a girls' softball game for yearbook, went to the grocery store, scarfed a quick bagel for dinner, and I have been baking for the past 3 hours. Then I cleaned up and began a little laundry.

These kids work hard, and have shown me this month that they are willing to work hard at their tasks. (You will notice that 2 of my "program" students have not chosen to work hard; demonstrating poor attitude, laziness, and manipulation. Thus, they are not included. They will receive verbal praise on their good moments but I need consistency and maturity before dispensing sugar to them.) I also am rewarding my 5th & 6th graders who also have worked hard in their own respective academic, social, and emotional challenges. My students work hard- every day. It is worth it to me to spend my only hours at home baking for them, 1 night a month. If they're willing to work really, really hard for an entire month- and SUCCEED at it, then I can certainly donate an evening baking them COOKIE DOUGH CUPCAKES.

They really are the easiest things in the world to make!

What you need:
1 Box cake mix (I used white cake mix)
+ ingredients found on label of cake box
1 package of pre-made cookie dough that is already pre-sized (I used Pillsbury Ready to Bake Chocolate Chip)
Paper Cupcake holders

What you do:
Fill cupcake tray with paper liners. Fill each liner 2/3 full with your favorite cake batter. Drop your favorite cookie dough (~1 T., or 1 section of pre-made-cookie-dough) into the cupcake batter. Bake 15-17 minutes in a 350° oven. Top with buttercream frosting, chocolate shavings and a chocolate chip.

For the buttercream frosting, this is what I made:
Buttercream Frosting
2 - (1-lb.) pkg. Powdered Confectioners Sugar
1 cup butter, softened
1/4 - 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream or half and half
1 T. vanilla

In large bowl using a hand mixer or a stand mixer, cream butter. Slowly add powdered sugar and blend well after each addition. Slowly add cream and beat faster until you get a light and fluffy frosting. Add vanilla and beat until blended.
*I definitely wait until both the cupcake is room-temperature and much cooled down before frosting it. I also differ from the recipe (above) in that I used a mini food processor to blend a bar of solid Dark chocolate (broken first into chunks) and some powdered sugar (abt. 6 T.) into a semi-fine powder. I then whipped this into my frosting batter with the hand-mixer. I loved the way it looked all blended together, and it tasted SO GOOD.

Also worth noting- this recipe makes a LOT of frosting quantities! (Recipe from weblog BigRedKitchen)

So... I baked an additional cake, a standard traditional classic plain basic American yellow cake, so that I could use up the remaining frosting. I will put it in the teachers' lounge tomorrow, with "TGIF" lettering spelled out in chocolate chips. I enjoy baking & cooking, and spring is a very difficult season for teachers to function in. Kids have allergies, hormones are RAGING, and kids are tired of being cooped up all winter. Plus, we're exhausted and counting the seconds left until spring break. Everyone wants to be outdoors and free from walls & windows. So a special thank-you is nice to receive. And sadly, so rare in the lives of teachers.....

Two great desserts in one & several happy teenagers*!!

*As I firmly do NOT believe in children receiving sugar at school**- these guys truly did earn a special treat. I've been really proud of their accomplishments despite the several disabilities that they face in their daily lives.
**Readers, please note that they WON'T be getting this much sugar (from me) until just before the last bell rings at 3:10 m!! I'm not going to create, then have to take care of, their hyperactive teenagerness! :)

TGIF!
Have super weekend(s)!

PS-
After a life-long detest-ation of all things Jim Carrey, I was sent a video that actually might meet the bare requirements of my being able to tolerate the man.
I think I like it because a) I know the words to the song already ("Across the Universe"/Beatles fame), b) He can't make obnoxious facial distortions while singing to retain some decency, and c) the conductor dude is the actor who plays Billy Something-Other in movie "Love Actually"-one of my faves, d) the people around him are reacting positively to Jim's behavior, and e) I don't know- it's just funny!?! He fills me with irritation, annoyance, and my skin wants to crawl when I see his picture or hear his voice, typically. His movies are not ones that my money fund, whether they be in theaters, video stores, or in printed publications. Anyway- I was sent the link & I clicked it with slight trepidation, expecting the usual shudder. I did find myself enjoying this- not for voice quality or anything, though. It's a real 'thing' for me to be able to use the words 'Jim Carey' and 'funny' in the same sentence! So that's why I added a "PS" tonight. Ok. Who'd ever think I'd blog about Jim Carey!? I'm done.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UX-D2dfGdhE

Minor Changes

Good morning and Happy Sunday,

I have made a few (minor) changes... I added a "Family Silhouette" picture to the very bottom of my layout. This is supposed to depict the combined families of Epperson & Smith, as a result of my parents' marriage. My sister and I on the left, My parents in the middle, and my stepsister Stephanie & neice Rebecca on the right side. I saw the idea posted on another persons' blog and thought it was really cute. It's a little different with mainly adults, as the silhouette options for the kids (jumping, giving "peace" signs, etc) were adorable.

I've been in Flagstaff for a few days now, as I had taken off Thursday & Friday from work to do some observations of other Special Ed programs. It was a beneficial observation, and I had a great day with the kids there. One of them, K, nicknamed me "Mr. Green Furbio." The teacher, Molly, is "Red Furbio," and I was wearing a green sweater. Having now Googled what a "furby" is, I hope that K doesn't think I look like one!! I have been assured by the wonderful staff working with K that the nicknames are only given to people that he likes! The program was for Autistic High School students, and was highly customized and very well-staffed. I loved observing their program, and can only hope to work among such caring and giving staff members one day. It was amazing- despite their obvious (and sometimes not-so-obvious) challenges, these students are so gifted in other areas.

I'm helping my mom with a few projects around her house, and otherwise am enjoying a quiet Sunday. I have been inexplainably dizzy for the last few days, and spent much of Friday sleeping- but I woke up today with the dizzy feeling much lessened than it had been! Peter fixed us a delicious breakfast and now here I am.

Have a beautiful day, folks!

100 Questions - Insomnia

(for the record, tofu completely grosses me out!!)

Time begun: 1:42 am

1. Do you sleep with your closet doors open or closed? My bedroom door itself is open, but the bathroom door (leading to the living room) is usually closed.

2. Do you take the shampoos and conditioner bottles from hotels? Sometimes they have miniature bottles of actual brands.

3. Are you afraid to fly? Nope

4. Have you ever stolen a street sign before? Nope

5. Do you like to use post-it notes? Yes, I use them several times a week- at home, at school, in the car

6. Do you cut out coupons but then never use them? I never have been a big coupon-user, but I am slowly getting into the system (stressful economy!) I can spare a few minutes to cut paper & save myself some money. No excuse not to!

7. Would you rather be attacked by a big bear or a swarm of a bees? Which one am I likelier to survive?

8. Do you have freckles? Just a couple

9. Do you always smile for pictures? Usually, when I know there is a picture being taken.

10. What is your biggest pet peeve? Dishonesty, Manipulation

11. Do you ever count your steps when you walk? No- but the house I grew up in had 18 steps on its stairs.

12. Have you ever peed in the woods? Only when camping, and sadly, it has been a few years since my last opportunity.

13. Do you prefer the beach or mountains? I have regular access to mountains, so I would say beach!

14. Do you ever dance even if there's no music playing? Sometimes- but only when alone!

15. Do you chew your pens and pencils? Nope

16. Favorite reality TV show? I don't really watch any regularly anymore. I love Travel Channel, though.

17. What size is your bed? Full

18. What is your Song of the week? "One Song Glory" -'Rent' musical

19. Is it okay for guys to wear pink? Sure, why not?

20. Do you still watch cartoons? Not really.

21. What's your least favorite movie? I absolutely, absolutely hated "Sideways." There are others.

22. Where would you bury hidden treasure if you had some? In the bank. :)

23. What do you drink with dinner? Trying to drink more water & milk on a regular basis.

24. What do you dip a chicken nugget in? Ranch dressing.

25. What is your favorite food? Anything of the Thai food category, Cheese enchiladas, Irish cheddar & aples, Starbucks' caramel macchiato...

26. What movies could you watch over and over and still love? "Roman Holiday," for starters.

27. Last person you kissed/kissed you? Sweet Sayde, my dog.

28. Were you ever a boy/girl scout? Yes, until sixth grade.

29. Would you ever strip or pose nude in a magazine? Uh... no!!

30. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone on paper?

Wrote out a reminder note to a student last Friday.

31. Can you change the oil on a car? Nope- I prefer someone trained does it.

32. Ever gotten a speeding ticket? Ugh. Yes.

33. Ran out of gas? Never since the day I came frighteningly close to it almost happening, when I was at least 4 miles from a known gas station, in the middle of the desert in May.

34. Favorite kind of sandwich? BLA(vocado)T, Monte Cristo

35 Best thing to eat for breakfast? Bagel with cream cheese, apple & cheese, breakfast burrito, bacon on special occasions

36. What is your usual bedtime? Sometime between 10 & 11 typically.

37. Are you lazy? Definitely sometimes, that is for sure. Its important to let one's body & mind rest & relax.

38. When you were a kid, what did you dress up as for Halloween? Dead bride, Dorothy (Wiz of Oz), jester, 20's flapper, Venetian gondolier...

39. What is your astrological sign? Pisces

40. How many languages can you speak? Just English ("Yo quiero Taco Bell?")

41. Do you have any magazine subscriptions? Nope- I'd rather get mags from bookman's very cheaply

42. Which are better legos or lincoln logs? I like them both

43. Are you stubborn? I can be

44. Who is better...Leno or Letterman? I don't watch either, as I do not find either to be entertaining in the least little bit.

45. Ever watch soap operas? Not anymore, but did watch "Days of Our Lives" many years ago.

46. Afraid of heights? Not really, unless it is windy or weather-y.

47. Sing in the car? Almost every time I drive (again, when alone)

48. Sing in the shower? Sometimes (really depends on my mood, I have to be super-excited, etc)
49. Dance in the car? Not often- I'm usually driving myself around & need to be focused.

50. Ever used a gun? No- and I don't plan to anytime soon, either!

51. Had picture taken by photographer? Yep

52. Do you think musicals are cheesy? Not usually, I actually enjoy them a lot!

53. Is Christmas stressful? It can be. Mostly its overwhelming when people lose sight of the important things and get so focused on the unimportant & irrelevant. Or when money is low...

54. Ever eat a pierogi? Love them! My favorites are the cheddar & onion flavor.

55. Favorite type of fruit pie? Strawberry rhubarb, though I admit it has been a long time.

56. Occupations you wanted to be when you were a kid? Teacher. (Never wavered!)

57. Do you believe in ghosts? Not at all.

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes, from time to time.

58. Ever have a Deja-vu feeling? Yes, from time to time.

59. Take a vitamin daily? Yep.

60. Wear slippers? As soon as I walk into my front door & take off my regular shoes.

61. Wear a bath robe? Yep.

62. What do you wear to bed? Tonight, a henley thermal and yoga pants

63. First concert? Five Iron Frenzy & Reliant K. One of my college roommates' brother was involved with their tour somehow.

64. Wal-Mart, Target or Kmart? Target whenever possible. I loathe Wal-Mart!

65. Nike or Adidas? Neither? I like Rocketdogs!

66.Cheetos Or Fritos? Cheetos unless I have bean-dip to go with the Fritos

67. Peanuts or Sunflower seeds? Salted & oiled pumpkin seeds instead?

68. Ever heard of the group Tres Bien? Nope.

69. Ever taken dance lessons? Yes.... blush. I sucked at it, big-time.

70. Is there a profession you picture your significant other doing? Not my official SO by any means, but could see him doing EMT or Police work. (He is a firefighter with training in emt)

71. Can you curl your tongue? Yup.

72. Ever won a spelling bee? No... I can't spell out loud very well. I have to see it written or write it myself.

73. Have you ever cried because you were so happy? On a few occasions, yes. My best friends' wedding, and my parents' wedding.

74. Own any record albums? Actually, yes. Someone once scored a record of "Sound of Music" soundtrack at a garage sale once, and gave it to me.

75. Own a record player? No- can't listen to record in #74.

76. Regularly burn incense? Never have. It tends to give me a headache.

77. Ever been in love? Yes.

78. Who would you like to see in concert? Josh Groban-again, John Mayer, and anything BROADWAY! (Rent, Lion King -again-, Les Miserables, etc.)

79. What was the last concert you saw? Unprofessional- the students' christmas concert in December. Professional- Josh Groban, last March, with my cousin Jenny.

80. Hot tea or cold tea? Cold, please. Even better- Thai iced tea!!

81.Tea or coffee? BOTH!

82. Sugar cookies or snickerdoodles? I love me some snickerdoodles! So fun to bake, too.

83. Can you swim well? I'm okay... I don't think I'll be drowning any time soon.

84. Can you hold your breath without plugging your nose? Yes, though I don't do this.

85. Are you patient? Usually. Sadly, my patience gets all used up at school sometimes and I have very little left for my family/friends at times... Working on that.

86. DJ or band, at a wedding? Depends on the "vibe" of the wedding.

87. Ever won a contest? Not really, that I can remember right now.

88. Ever have plastic surgery? No- and never will.

89. Which are better black or green olives? Green, and straight out of the jar with a fork, please.

90. Can you knit or crochet? Crochet, yes. It is a fun, mindless, relaxing, productive, inexpensive, and time-consuming hobby.

91. Best room for a fireplace? Master bedroom.

92. Do you want to get married? If I meet the right man, perhaps so, yes.

93. If married, how long have you been married? N/A

94. Who was your HS crush? There were a couple...

95. Do you cry and throw a fit until you get your own way? No- what purpose would that serve?

96. Do you have kids? If my dog counts, I have my Sayde.

97. Do you want kids? Obviously not today - but very hopeful to have some in the future.

98. What's your favorite color? Red, like a deep red wine color.

99. Do you miss anyone right now? Yes. Sigh.

100. Did you watch Next Great American Band on FOX? Watch the what? No?

Time finished: 2:18am

Thanks for the day off of work, Abraham Lincoln!!

New layout- wanted something that hinted at spring! (At least online, if not yet outside!)
A very, very fun 3-day weekend was had.
I spent time in Flagstaff, Prescott, Scottsdale, and eastern Phx.
Went to Fashion Square & the Renaissance Festival.
Spent time with my beautiful sister.
Pictures coming soon... most likely!
Went to Trader Joe's.
Got some delicious Asian Pears!!

For now... bedtime. I will be glad to sleep in my own bed tonight.
Gotta return to work in the morning!
I am determined to do this with a smile. :)

Beautiful day made even more beautiful with the cancellation of school!!