Ironic

The last two weeks have been a little busy...to say the least. I was on the VIPS luncheon committee, which means I helped plan the luncheon to show our school volunteers appreciation. Two of us had subs in our room on the day of the luncheon and everyone on the committee was supposed to bring all their fake and real greenery and flowers from home. I didn't take any pics of the actual luncheon. :( But it turned out wonderful! We catered from Sweet Tomatoes and had a garden theme with greenery everywhere, a red wagon with a Boston fern in it, my green tricycle with begonias and sunflowers in it, in front of a white picket fence. There's even a garden-y mural on the wall! So pretty!

Anyway, I still have some of those needed items not put away yet.

Then, that same night, I left for our singles retreat. I'm a light packer, but my bag is sitting in my kitchen doorway waiting to be fully unpacked. So far, I've just grabbed stuff out of it as I needed it.

This year, teachers had to do more in our classrooms than normal to prepare for summer. There's some construction going on in our building due to that Bond money from several years ago finally opening up. Yay! Which means, more stuff had to be off the floor, more items needed covered, and more items needed to come home.


Then, of course, the typical items needed to come home.

And, it WAAAS the last day of school and all, so there's all the teacher gifts! :)





Add bills and miscellaneous paperwork on top of that...



So how does the post title have anything to do with this?

I found a business card for Theresa's Cleaning Services in my doorway when I went to check yesterday's mail.

Too bad, I'd have to clean before she could come clean!

Just look at my Green Thumb (HA!)

I decided today was the day to do some more work in my garden. I've been wanting to get out there for awhile...itching to get out there really, but the end of the school year kinda controls a teacher's life. But today was my first day of FREEEEEEDOM and I embraced it full force!

I'd heard about a nursery in town that sells native Houston plants only. I decided that was a wise place to start (well, to go...start doesn't really work since I've been to Home Depot like 50 times...but I'm going to use 'start' loosely here to mean 'start for this particular session of garden work' mmmk?)

Joshua's was great! Joshua himself showed me around and helped me find plants that work for all shade, a fountain and let me meander through on my own, too! He was great about checking in on me occasionally, though. Amazing how a little service gets attention now, huh? Anyway, I digress...I came away with lots of goodies!


The fountain mechanism will go in this pot.

He searched, found and gave me a stopper to go in the bottom of the pot and recommended gorilla glue to seal the stopper. I'd never even heard of it, but tried not to look like a complete idiot (though me asking where to purchase it might have given me away.) I waited to ask my dad (after I'd left Joshua's) if it was gorilla the animal or guerrilla the bad guy. Ha!


One quick stop at Lowe's to find this stuff and I was on my way home to unload!



I'd bought a shovel at Home Depot on Friday and after watering my new plants (they were in the trunk, which equals oven this time of year!) immediately began to tackle the cast iron plants that wholeheartedly earn their name! They can withstand anything! I moved four clumps (groupings? plants? how many of them make a plant? *shrug*) to the brick wall of the condo. They were a little difficult to get up, but more so because I had to use the shovel by the fence area and there just wasn't much maneuvering room. The ground was much easier to dig into than I thought it would be!



I've watered them well and am counting on their reputation to come through the trauma of transplantation!

I came across a few tree roots as I was digging. Some were easier to get up than others. I didn't get any pics...because my camera battery died...and because I was really grimy and disgusting....but man, some of those roots were kicking my tail! Some of them were no where near a tree! So I have NO IDEA how long they really were. I pulled up as much of each tendril as possible....but quickly changed my opinion of the tenaciousness of tree roots. Holy Cow! Tentacle is more like it!

I planted the English Ivy where most of the hard core tree roots used to be.



I'll probably end up buying another flat of it, but Joshua suggested (and it made perfect sense to me!) "Buy a little of several things and see what flourishes!"


This is called "Viola something or other." I didn't get it planted today, but plan to first thing in the morning...when it's not quite so hot! I'm not quite sure where it's going to go...so need to be thinking.

When I transplanted the cast iron plants, it quickly became obvious the bird cage- turned-planter-for-begonia needed to move. This is where I have it now. Buuuut, I plan to put the fountain there eventually (as in tomorrow, if I can figure out an extension cord issue) so it will be moving again soon.



These are a couple of additions from a week or so ago when I stopped at Home Depot to replace my dead plants. I had some English Ivy here before...but it had all died. (I just heard your thoughts. "Didn't she just plant English Ivy? Why did she do that if it was all dying?") I told Joshua that and he said "You have to water the s&*! out of English Ivy if it's in the ground....and you have to water it EVERY DAY if you have it in pots." Umm, yeah.. I hadn't done that. So here's hoping Miss "I Like Things to Be Simple and Take Care of Themselves" remembers to water my English Ivy way more often than I had been.



I started this back in October!

First post
Second Step in Patio Progress
For some reason, I thought I'd posted updates more often...oh well, here's the last one...embedded in another post!

That one wasn't the last one after all! I found this one!

And this is as of today!



More pics coming as more work is done!

Here, Summer, summer, summer! Here, Summer, summer, summer!

Do you hear me calling it?

We have 5 days of school left and, in all honesty, this week has been WAAAAY calmer than I thought it would be. Thank you, LORD!

I'm ready to sleep in, but the craziness that usually happens (crazy kids, crazy meetings, crazy 'to-do' lists, crazy aaaah!) just hasn't happened. I felt some of that last week, but this week has been great!

Grades are posted, 3/4 of my bulletin boards are completely down, totes are collected, my reading center has been looked through with several books weeded out and sent home with students, cubbies are wiped down and cleaned, all excess school supplies have been sent home, textbooks are collected and ready for my AP to pick up for the auditer to come =)

Don't get me wrong. There is still lots to do! Computers to unplug, refrigerator to defrost, oodles of paperwork to turn in to a variety of people, but I'm not feeling overwhelmed!

Whoo-hoo!

Moolah

Sometimes I think it would be okay if money grew on trees.

Sometimes I don't.

Where does it all go?

The List...updated

I missed March's update...and April's for that matter...so I know this isn't the 'end of the month' but I had some catching up to do!

In Progress or Still to Do:

1. Take a self-defense class: I don't know anything else about this one...but doing these updates always gets me motivated!

2. Go to Chicago: I'm not sure this is going to happen...will explain further down. =)

3. Go skydiving: I think I'll do this in July when I'm home for a bit.

4. Go on a mission trip: It's a definite for March 12-19 of next year! Praise the Lord! I will go this summer for a few days to meet the program directors, see the need and make some other connections. Please be in prayer for both of these trips! (Which is why Chicago may not happen!)

5. Figure out why my wifi doesn't work at home: WiFi now works and then I turned off DSL and got Uverse!

6. Use everything in my pantry before going grocery shopping: I accomplished this one (well, for the most part...I allowed myself to go grocery shopping when I got down to only oatmeal left!)

7. Meet Angie Smith: I'm not sure if/when this might happen.

8. Visit Crosspoint Church: I'm not sure if/when this might happen.

9. Meet Brandi and Pete Wilson: See #7 and #8.

10. Re-read the Proverbs 31 woman study...focus hard on the character traits the Lord leads me too: I will be facilitating a study on this over the summer. I'm praying for the Lord to bring specific women forward that want to study this!

11. Go cash predominantly (I'm not sure cash only is even an option anymore: I got off this for awhile, but am trying to get back on!

12. Post more regularly: I had this under the 'completed' list in February...but let's be honest...it needed to move back up here :)



Completed!

1. Pay off medical bills: TOTALLY FINISHED!

2. Re-take the GRE and work towards completion of my Master's degree: I'm set to graduate in December of this year! Whoo-hooo!

4. Plant things in my garden: The pansies didn't do so well with the summer heat, so the begonias are out now!


5. Cook more regularly: I've been cooking each weekend and using those meals throughout the week. I cook some during the week too, but primarily on the weekend.
It's been fun! Here are some pics of my favorite meals!


(I'll have better pics next time...I know you've seen these recently. Sorry!)

6. Meet the first few requirements in Dave Ramsey's list of 'acting your wage' (I'm using my own words here): Yep! :)

7. Pay off Television: Yep!

8. Work out more regularly: Yep!


Rethinking:

1. Take a course on gun safety, get a license to carry a gun and purchase one: This has been temporarily put off. a) It's pretty expensive b) Having a gun in home causes many conversations to happen...

New Items:
1. Research the various programs and begin training for fostering children.

2. Spend quality time with the Lord more regularly.

3. Take more pictures of life as it happens!

4. Write my little Compassion boy more often.

5. Plan fun lessons on the SMART board for next year.

6. Have my neighbors over for dinner.

7. Research the doctoral programs at the various possible universities.

Small Marketing tools

I collect Box Tops for my school and Diet Coke lids for my cousin.

MANY companies sponsor Box Tops for Education. Every Box Top turned in is $0.10 that our school gets. We raised $1300 this year from Box Tops.

My cousin collects Diet Coke lids. There is a code inside that he can input on a website and gain points. I know you can use those points to buy pretty cool things: ipods, cruises, etc. So I collect them for him and either mail them to him or he just gets a LOT from all the family members at once when we gather for Thanksgiving, Christmas, 4th of July, etc.

Any small marketing tools you collect?

Dishwasher or dish washer?

I did some baking last night and loaded the dishwasher with my dirty dishes as I was finished with them. A few things I had to wash as I used them, because I needed them again, but in general the dirty items went into the dishwasher.

Then the dishwasher was full, so I started it.

These were left over.



Today has been busy, so I'm about to go empty the dishwasher from last night's load and refill it with these dishes. A friend of mine has said before, "I'm crazy about a clean kitchen!" I know she would have washed the dishes by hand immediately. =)

What about you? Dishwasher or immediate clean kitchen?

Alyssa's Kitchen Happenings!

I know I haven't posted in forever! Life has been busy and in all honesty, sometimes I just haven't taken the time to type anything up!

I've put up a couple new posts on my cooking blog! Check it out!

I'll work on a real post for here tomorrow!