It's back to winter here in Irish Country.  Last night I almost lost control on black ice on my way to Bible Study Fellowship.  I hardly ever have that happen and it was scary!

Today Michelle and I have dentist appointments, then in the afternoon I see the doctor again about my thumb.  It's not any better, still painful and tingly.  I really don't think it's arthritis!

Michelle and I cut out her dress - that would have been on Friday after I got home from subbing 1/2 day.  That went pretty well - I had to teach her about how you line the pattern on the grain.  She didn't like that part.  And cutting around the notches.  I don't think the home ec classes in middle school use patterns anymore - just kits the kids sew up.  So they don't learn the things that we learned in sewing class.  But that was Friday and no progress has been made at all since then.  I could sew the thing up in a day, but I'm not going to do that.  Maybe we can work on it a little after the dentist this morning.  We'll see.

Saturday I sat at a booth in my capacity as a master gardener intern at the Kids Alive Science Fair held at the downtown library.  We gave perennial seeds away to kids and talked to them about planting seeds and gardening.  It was fun.

Tomorrow Michelle has a second ultrasound.  I'm going with her so I can watch and find out the sex of the baby.  It better be a boy since we hit the infant section of Fields and their big closing sale.  Got great deals though.  Cute stuff.

Just read the last book in the Mitford series.  Jan Karon is so good at giving the gospel in her books and she makes Mitford seem so real!  Mom and I have been there - when they were traveling in their motor home we "camped" with them once in the mountains of North Carolina.  We rented a cabin in their park.  So we drove up to the town of Blowing Rock, NC.  It is a very charming town.  The Episcopal Church is quite lovely.

Michelle and I went fabric shopping yesterday because she wants a maternity dress and no one seems to sell them anymore.  Plus, she's so tiny she's hard to buy for anyway.  So we went to JoAnn and I'm still reeling - $15 - $30 for a pattern?  They "discount" them 40 - 50% but that's still outragous.  Guess it's been a few years since I went fabric/pattern shopping.  And I thought prices were out of line back then.

No way is it cheaper to sew anymore.  Not with the sales that stores constantly have.  We were able to find some nice poplin on sale for $2 a yard, so with the thread and ribbons it needed the cost came to just over $20.  Not bad, but half of that was the pattern.

It's always a revelation to get a peak into my daughters brain.  Many of the dresses pictured she'd say things like "I like the style but I really don't like that color."  As if she couldn't buy the pattern because of the color choices they had made.  I kept having to remind her to just look at the style, that she'd be picking out her own color.

And that was the other thing.  I remember being overwhelmed by all the wonderful fabric choices and wondering if I couldn't make a couple dresses out of one pattern using different fabrics because is was so hard to choose.  Not anymore.  There are lots of choices if you want to quilt, but sewing a non-formal dress?  Choices are really limited.  Probably because they've priced sewing clothes out of the market for most people.

So today we're cutting out the dress.  I prewashed the fabric last night.  Lord, grant me patience while I teach Michelle how to do this!  This is usually when we get in a big fight.  I will bite my tongue and let her do it.

I'm on a new med for my bad thumb.  The old one wasn't taking the pain away and it's been two weeks now.  Time for a different drug.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Since I directed the orchestra last week I thought this was appropriate:

  C, E-flat and G go into a bar. The bartender says, "Sorry, but we
don't serve minors." So E-flat leaves, and C and G have an open fifth
between them. After a few drinks, the fifth is diminished and G is out
flat. F comes in and tries to augment the situation, but is not sharp
enough.

  D comes in and heads for the bathroom, saying, "Excuse me. I'll just
be a second." Then A comes in, but the bartender is not convinced that
this relative of C is not a minor. Then the bartender notices B-flat
hiding at the end of the bar and says, "Get out! You're a minor and the
seventh minor I've found in this bar tonight."

  E-flat comes back the next night in a three-piece suit with nicely
shined shoes. The bartender says, "You're looking sharp tonight. Come
on
in, this could be a major development." Sure enough, E-flat soon takes
off his suit and everything else, and is au natural.

  Eventually C sobers up and realizes in horror that he's under a rest.
C is brought to trial, found guilty of contributing to the diminution
of
a minor, and is sentenced to 10 years of DS without Coda at an upscale
correctional facility. On appeal, however, C is found innocent of any
wrongdoing, even accidental. The judge rules that all contrary motions
are bassless.

Apparently I'm a Bedlington Terrier.  This is a fun personality test to take, plus it's got a really funny video at the link.

Relaxing?  Garden Club?  Enjoyable?  I should be so lucky.

No, instead I spent the entire morning in the OB/GYN emergency room.  Michelle was having bad cramping.  So she called the doctor and they told her to hei thee to the emergency room.  The baby's fine, she wasn't in labor but she does have a bladder infection so it was a good thing we went.

I was exhausted by the time we were done.  I took a nap for an hour, then went to my hair appointment.  Dinner was in the crock pot, otherwise we might not have eaten. 

So I think I will opt out of subbing tomorrow and stay home and catch up here.  I think I may end up with a cold or worse if I don't.  I can tell the signs by now.

Hope all is well with you.  Other than that, my life really is boring.  I need to get out and walk, exercise, do something good.  I think I'm depressed.

I finished another really good read while in the ER.  Really well done and different.

The book I was reading the other day:  Gilead, it's excellent.  I really really enjoyed it.  Highly recommended.

Today I was the main entree for the pre-algebra/algebra students at MHS.  They chewed me up and spit me out.  I wrote a bunch of them up - I'm amazed they get any return subs at all.  What was sad was that probably half the class was trying to learn while the other half thought it was zoo time.  I was told that this is normal behavior for that particular class.  I wouldn't teach in an environment like that.  I don't know who's to blame:  the teacher, the administration or the every child left behind act that decided that every child in this state needs to pass three years of math before they can get a diploma and they have to go through algebra 2.  I'm sorry.  That's just not realistic.  I'd like some of them to try to sub in one of those classes for a day.  Then maybe we'd see some changes.

At least I'm off tomorrow.  Garden Club.  Relaxing.  Fun.  Enjoyable.  Sure am glad I can do things like that. 

I'll take time for some visits now.  I hope you put the teapot on!  I'm on my way!

I don't have to sub until 11:29.  1/2 day, math.  I held out until a math job came through.  I did like the music job though.  But all that had been available yesterday and this morning were middle school or special ed jobs.  I declined.

Yesterday we drove up to visit with Ken for awhile.  Took him out to dinner.  Now that he's on the no meal plan he really appreciates that.  He's been working hard at the library, doing research for his history classes.  When he complains his dad and I just tell him, "You picked that major."  I know.  We're very understanding and compassionate!

The progressive dinner and white elephant party was a blast.  We got rid of two household items that we no longer use and gained a bank-safe, child size.  We put that in our toy collection.  For the grandkids. 

It's been rainy here.  How wierd is that for January?  I'm afraid we're in for an awful February.  We'll see.

Got to accomplish a few things before subbing.

****  Edit   *****  Apparently I need to clarify something.  The young man came to school as a caveman because he was a school mascot and they were having a "motivational seminar" later in the day.  He was not in violation of the dress code!!!!  LOL

Saturday!  A no-stress weekend planned.  We have a progressive dinner tonight with our Sunday School class.  That's one of those events where you travel between courses - one house hosts the appetizer, then the salad, then the entree and finally the dessert.  We'll also have a white elephant gift exchange - I'm sure I have two things in my house that I can wrap up to gift away that would be worth a few laughs!

I just watched March of the Penguins last night.  How fascinating is that?  I'm amazed that any of them survive.  I'm glad I'm not an emperor penguin!  Geesh!

I had a lot of fun at Kohls yesterday - cleared out their 80% off section of infant boys clothes - got about 5 outfits for less than $20 total.  Not sure what they cost because I got a few other things as well.  Tons of stuff, $50.  Gotta love those clearance sales!

We had one of the worst waitresses ever at lunch yesterday with my lunch bunch.  I got there a little late (I was at Kohls after I subbed my 1/2 day) and the other two had told the waitress to come back when I arrived.  I arrived but the waitress didn't.  I think we waited 1/2 hour for her to take our order.  She didn't bring water until after our entrees were served and brought the salad after the main dish.  We only gave her a 10% tip and I think that was generous.

I got a call in the morning to sub at a new-to-me high school for orchestra!  That was cool.  I got to direct the Grieg piece, Song of the Mountain King.  I had to lecture one snotty young man who told me that he couldn't follow my baton (an ink pen) because I was directing a section too slowly.  I told him he was wrong, that a good musician could follow any conductor.  That was just one block, then they stuck me here and there for the next few hours.  I sat in a homeroom class.  One of the students came dressed as a Caveman, with a big maroon wig, tribal markings in the shape of an "M" on his face, maroon-tinged skin.  He left his club at home, for which I was grateful.  Those of you who live in the area have probably figured out which high school I was in.  They were having a "Motivational Seminar" in the afternoon.  Let me translate for you:  they had a pep rally.

Why can't they just call it that?  I was trying hard not to laugh but wasn't very successful.  After the homeroom I got to sit at a little desk by one of the doors and make visitors sign in as they entered the building.  They got every penny's worth of pay out of my body! 

I reading an interesting book (don't I usually).  This one I may be highly recommending when I get through it.  I'll let you know.

No earth-shattering news, just checking in.

To answer questions, yes, Ashley Smith had a drug problem.  That was a point of commonality that helped her to reach Brian.  It is truly an amazing story of redemption, in many ways.  She was able to talk to him about faith, chemical dependency, paying for your actions, taking responsibility for your crimes.  Things she could talk about since she was already a victim of violence, having lost her husband to a murder a few years before.  One the the things she kept telling Brian was that he couldn't kill her because her daughter needed a living parent.  She was able to reach him by relating to him in ways that I certainly never could have.  Our God is truly awesome.  Her response and obedience to God definitely saved her life and probably saved the lives of many more people. 

I subbed today.  Geometry.  I don't think he knew he was getting a math sub, so he left very blaaaa lesson plans - have them read the next chapter kind of thing.  So, you know me, I lectured them the material.  I'm sure he'll be OK with that.

Tomorrow I have to make some phone calls.  Those kind of annoying household calls that I dread making.  Calling the insurance company to find out how to submit Michelle's claim from when she injured her foot in Idaho this summer.  She finally got a bill, but only from a collection agency.  We called and they sent a bill from the hospital.  I'm still befuddled as to how the collection agency could get the correct address and the hospital couldn't.  So now penalty fees have been added and I'd like to help her fight that.  Any suggestions?  Our first go-round with them didn't go well.  The "lady" got really snippy with both of us.

Then I have to call the mortgage company and find out why the extra escrow money didn't get put back to principal.  Where did it go?  This is one of the reasons I'm glad I don't have to work full time.  All of this crappy stuff takes time during the work day!

I can sub in the morning, half day, so they probably won't use me.  I'm going to meet my "lunch-bunch" tomorrow - we haven't met since December and we miss each other!  They are good women.

I'm going to host a stampin-up party in February.  That's one of those fun craft parties where you make greeting cards and other fun items using rubber stamps and ink pads.  I love to get home-made cards and they are a lot easier to make in a group!  Wanna come?

I finished reading (started last night) Light On Snow by Anita Shreve.  It's our February book-club book.  Thought provoking.  Should be an interesting discussion.

Went into the city yesterday, taking the South Shore train with a group of ladies from the Ladies of Notre Dame club.

We're standing in front of Sue the dinosaur.  I couldn't take pictures inside the exhibit, but it was really interesting.  I got a set of headphones so I could here the information at each stop.  That was worth the money.

We had lunch at the Corner Bakery, which is located inside the museum.  I'm glad that museums are outsourcing their food - let the professionals do it since they have experience and their food is consistently of high quality.

After the exhibit we took a bus to State Street and did a little shopping.  I got a great fuchsia hat from Nordstroms Rack.  What a fun find!  Got some California rolls from the Marketplace at Marshall Fields (soon to be Macy's - waaaaaa) and took that on the train for the return trip home.  The train trip takes 2 1/2 hours, which is quite a long trip.  Good thing there are bathrooms on the train!  There were a couple of little boys on the train.  One was right in front of us and he kept turning around to show me his plastic robot.  I forget what he called it.  I told him he should name it Bob and his mom laughed.

In the current installment of Day's of Michelle's Lives, Sam is now telling Michelle that he doesn't want her, only the baby.  Sometimes I feel like I'm living inside a pin-ball machine:  I'm the ball and I just keep getting hit around in arbitrary directions by big arms.  She was very upset yesterday, as well as confused.  Can't say I blame her.  I feel the same way.  Keep those prayers coming!  Please!

I read the story of Ashley Smith, the woman who was held captive in Atlanta last Spring by the courtroom killer.  Her story is not at all what I expected!