Not in the Blogging Mood

Is it horrible that I don't feel like blogging? I started organizing at 9pm last night and I finished today. I just needed to get rid of some unneccessary things that have been piling up. The Christmas tree is put away and so are all of the holiday decorations. I bought about 15 different sized bins and organized my entire house today. I'm really proud of it! I haven't blogged anything about Christmas so I guess I'll go ahead and start now.
This first picture was taken at midnight on Christmas Eve when Bob drove up from Phoenix and surprised me. I had on sweat pants and a huge long-sleeve t-shirt. Wouldn't you know that he was dressed amazingly well. But, I was too excited to see him to even care that I had just rolled out of bed!
This picture is of our Christmas Day hike. We went on a 2 1/2 hour hike, mostly off the trail. Bob's house sits at the base of a huge mountain so we just walked out his back door and began climbing. Me and Bob before our descent down the mountain. Andrew's quite a good photographer.

My cutie-pie, Andrew. He's quite a trooper and hung with us on the entire hike! It's difficult to get pictures of the three of us. However, this was made even more troubling by the fact that we were somewhat balancing on the edge of the mountain. I was a bit nervous.

In the upper part of Bob's backyard.

Andrew opened his gift from Jim. He got Power Miners Legos and LOVED it!

Andrew was quite groggy Christmas morning. But when I reminded him that it was Christmas Day, he jumped off the side of his bed and stumbled quickly and clumsily into the living room.

Andrew got a haircut today. It has been 6 months since it was last cut.
There is a little catch up of what's been going on lately. I have been busy and haven't really been in the blogging mood; however, once I got started tonight, it just flowed right along. I think it helped that I downloaded all these pictures FIRST and then did the typing. I'll probably keep doing it that way; it's more sensible.

I haven't written anything about Christmas gifts or any other specifics about the holidays. Maybe I will do that tomorrow night...or sometime soon when I feel like writing about it.

For now, good night!

A Surprise Visit

midnightxmaseve
Originally uploaded by jjenrek

I haven't believed in Santa Claus since I was 8. So, imagine my surprise when I heard a noise on the front porch. I resigned myself to thinking it was the ferral cats that sometimes visit, so I raised myself from my resting spot and made my way to the door to shoo them away. Suddenly, the doorbell rang. And there was Bob. With presents for me and Andrew signed "From Santa".
It was a surprise. I had no idea he was coming. We were supposed to get together on Christmas Day around 10 am. Christmas Eve, he was spending with his daughter. He said his daughter knew he was coming up to see me at midnight. That's 100 miles of driving...just for a 30 minute visit so we could be together at midnight...what he considered the most romantic and important time of Christmas.
I was speechless; I still can't stop smiling. And I can't even THINK about trying to sleep! A Merry Christmas it is already!

The Day is Done

I finished my baking and got the kitchen clean. I tried a few different recipes today; my favorite is the gluten-free cookies. The first batch I made was with Bob's Red Mill mix. It was terribly dry. So, I used Pamela's Gluten/Wheat-free mix. They are PERFECT! Soft and tasty.

I also made two kinds of drop cookies with Hershey's Kisses on top: one with peanut butter and sour cream. The peanut butter are by far my favorite. The sour cream ones are a bit dry, and...they taste like sour cream. Not what I want in a cookie :) But, all in all, my baking experience was pleasant. I actually impressed myself with how easily I could whip up a batch of dough and then pop them in and out of the oven without missing a beat. haha.

I put everything into tins and have them packed up to take to Bob's house tomorrow morning. I'm really tired and ready to go to bed but I need to be sure Andrew gets to bed so Santa can come.

Today was a pretty good day but I faced several interruptions from my neighbor. First, she wanted me and Andrew to show her almost-10-year-old how to swallow a pill...so he can take his ADHD medicine. The pill was super small. Andrew is taking some probiotics that the doctor gave him and they are more than twice the size of the ADHD pill the neighbor kid is taking. But, that kid would NOT take the pill. He refused. I became so darn annoyed that I finally told him he had to go home. And...his resistance was not in vain. He actually won the battle with his mother and she once again opened the pill and spoon fed him like a baby.

Later on, she came over again to talk about her job situation. She has lived near me for 2 years and in those two years, she has had over 7 jobs...but she has spent most of that 2 years unemployed! She always wants my advice on why she can't get hired. What am I supposed to say: "Because you smell like cigarettes, you say the 'f' word every time you open your mouth, you have a terrible attitude, you run your mouth too much"? Instead, I just say, "Well, maybe you should look for a job in a different field." It's quite stressful. She wanted me to sit with her outside for hours while she smoked and ranted. I hated to be rude but I was in the middle of baking. So, I listened for about 15 minutes then I excused myself. Of course, she followed me inside the house but she soon went home.

It's hard to understand why some people want to live with so much drama. I feel sorry for her, and for her son...and I am not one that gives up hope for people. But this poor woman doesn't have enough knowledge to break out of her way of life. I wish her the best. And I pray that Andrew and I move.

I'm going to let Andrew open one gift tonight before bed, if he wants to. And then I am going to take a bath and relax. We need to wake up by 6 in the morning in order to open gifts, get dressed, and make it to Bob's by 10. I hope everyone has a Merry Christmas.

It's bittersweet for me, again.

Andrew's Tortilla Bags

I mentioned yesterday that Andrew made lunch for his friends. I was so proud of him. I had taken a nap and the kids were in the living room playing. Everyone was hungry and when Andrew came to me for lunch, I didn't stir. So, Mister Ingenious took it upon himself to make lunch. He told me he was going to and somehow in my deep sleep, I was able to muster up the words, "Don't use the oven or stove."

You must understand that we had nothing in the house for lunch. Not even any emergency frozen foods nor cans of Chef Boyardee. But this little 8-year-old searched and searched through the refrigerator and pantry and came up with a great lunch, which he called "Tortilla Bags". His ingredients were:

tortillas

cheese

lil' smokies

italian spaghetti sauce

onions (which he diced himself)

crushed Ritz crackers

Then he microwaved the concoction in order to melt the cheese, soften the tortillas, and warm the lil' smokies. Here's what he created:

Tortilla Bags

Levi and Andrew digging in: The kids:
Andrew was so excited with his success and was proud that his friends enjoyed it. And, he was excited that I was proud of him. I had no idea he could just whip something up like that. Looks like I have lots of good meals in my future; I can't wait until he learns how to cook healthy stuff!

The Actual Baking Day :-)

So, I'm baking again today. I have found that Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Chocolate Chip Cookies are not that good. So, one of my dear students told me about another brand. I went to Fry's last night and bought the brand she suggested and they are GOOD!!! Oh my gosh, I'm gonna buy another bag today and make more. My Rice Krispy treats have also turned out well and the chocolate-covered peanuts look yummy.
Although I have 4 kids over here in my lowly 900 square foot apartment, they are keeping out of my way...and they serve as great testers for my goodies. I'm going to give the Bob's Red Mill cookies to them as Christmas presents. As Mark, a new blogging friend, said, "Don't throw the burned cookies away, give them to your not so good friends-waste not, want not." So, thanks for the tip Mark. :)
I am really glad that today is much better for me. I was in a funk all day yesterday and I was not productive at all. However, Andrew made lunch for his friends yesterday and I am so proud of him. We really had nothing to eat but he mixed some ingredients and fed the masses. I'll post pictures and tell you all about it later today. But, for now...back to the kitchen!

Baking Day

The doorbell rang at 8:45 this morning and now I hear the sounds of laughter, the piano, balls bouncing, and the almost muted voice of Spongebob on the tv as all the kids begin their play. Yes, I'm still in the bed. I took Advil PM last night at 10:30 because lately I need something to help me sleep. I didn't want to have another night of staying up until 4 am.
I'm mentally preparing my list of baking chores today. And figuring out if I want to shower first or wait until later today. Guess I'll shower later. Wish me luck on the baking. I'm a beginner in this area.

A busy morning already!

The last time I looked at the clock before falling asleep, it was 3:59 am. When I awoke and looked again, it was 7:30am. I made some coffee and tuned in to The Morning Show. Not soon after, Andrew bounded out of bed and into the living room. He took his shower first so that we could begin tackling the day, but his shower was interrupted before he could finish due to his recurring stomach problem.
Since October, he has had bouts with some type of stomach bug. It lasts about three days and he has had five or six episodes since its onset. I decided to take him to the doctor. So, the appointment the gave me was only 30 minutes away so I quickly put on mascara, clothes that would keep me warm, and we headed to the doctor's office. The doctor sent Andrew for blood tests, and yours truly gets to collect a stool sample at my earliest convenience. Dear Lord!
We are home now. Andrew is feeling better, I need a shower, and it is snowing outside. I'm going to get in a good rest before heading to the store to buy the ingredients for our holiday cookies and candy.
I'm sure I'll have more to post tonight.

I had quite a weekend. It started off with Bob coming up for Andrew's Cub Scout Christmas party. The party was at St. Luke's Episcopal Church and the kids did crafts, wrapped gifts, and ate pizza.

Andrew and his scouting friend, Tyler:

Andrew reaching in the prize bag after winning at BINGO:

Andrew and Bob during the pizza dinner:

After the party, we hurried over to Bradshaw Mountain High School to watch the Lady Badgers of Prescott take on the Lady Bears. It was fun to sit in the stands and watch a game with Bob. We never get to do that because he is usually coaching. It will be fun this spring and summer coaching together on the bench!

I had to get a picture to capture our first high school b'ball game:

After the game, we took separate cars to Phoenix. Bob had the dog this weekend so he had to get back home to take care of her. Andrew rode with Bob and I got to enjoy an hour long phone conversation with my mom and dad.

Saturday, we went shopping. Bob had to get a few things for his sister and his daughter. We went to Target because Andrew wanted to get a gift there for me. I was warned that the gift is quite "utilitarian"...guess I'll find out in a few days what new domestic, motherly trait Andrew wants me to acquire. Saturday night, Bob and I watched The Hangover while Andrew watched Thunderpants, a kid's movie about...farting, I guess.

On Sunday, Bob and I went for a bike ride. We took it easy but I was still actually quite scared considering I haven't been on a mountain bike since my painful accident last month. We made it back home safely and Andrew and I rushed to get ready to meet Joyce and Rachel for lunch, my two cousins. It was so good to see them and I really like having family nearby in Phoenix. My cousins are actually my first cousins, once removed. They are my mom's first cousins...and they are the sweetest ladies ever!

After lunch, we went to the Moon Valley Grill with Burke to watch the Packers/Steelers game. It was a really good game. I am not generally one to watch football on tv but I actually cheered a little and Bob caught me clapping a couple of times when the Packers made a good play. It was fun hanging out, laughing, and meeting new people.

Later that evening, it was time to buy a christmas tree. We went to a tree farm over in Glendale and found a beautiful tree. It smelled so good. I've never had a real tree and this was my first experience in picking one out! Sometimes I am amazed at all the little things I have never done before. We put lights on the tree and wrapped some presents.

The entire weekend was fun. Andrew and I came back to Prescott this morning and slowly sank back into regular life. It's nice to be off work for a couple of weeks. I'll see what fun I can get into!

The trouble with this blogging thing...

is that there is a line between what I can disclose and what must remain secret. It would be nice to have an avenue to share my deepest fears and richest dreams...but since this is not an anonymous blog, I have to consider how I look and how my words sound to everyone else. What does a blogger do when she is feeling sad or frustrated? I want to write about it. I want to put it on here and let anyone read it. But, I don't. Instead, I keep it to myself. Or I call my mom. Or I call Kat. But it's not the same as writing it.
In fact, just having this drafted proclamation about the issue is making me feel relief. There is something about the written word that helps me express my thoughts more accurately than speaking, even though this writing must stay vague and uninformational. I'm going to try and sleep now that my mind has slowed down a bit.

Classroom Gifting

Today was a fairly easy day at work. I caught up on a lot of grading, although I still have about 75 essays to grade. I'm hoping to have it all finished by Thursday. In class, we are watching my trademark holiday movie: Elf. Will Ferrel is my one of my favorite actors and I find his "nerdiness" in this film quite irresistible. I was surprised to learn that some of my students had never seen Elf; I hope they are liking it as much as I am.
Tomorrow, we are continuing with Elf and we are also having Christmas parties all day. My morning classes are doing gift exchanges. I decided to have the students that want to participate draw names. They must buy a gift that coincides with the recipients initials. For example, John Brown could get a tub of Jelly Beans. Or, Megan Shephard could get a Messy Scrapbook...you get the idea. For my choices, I found initial gifts of Assorted Miniatures (A.M.) and Jolly Ranchers (J.R.). I put them in cute bags and wrote a little note to each of the recipients. I'm interested to see who chose my name and what gift they come up with for me. Good grief, some kids were saying my initials are M.W. for Ms. Walker. I reminded them my first name is Jennifer; they had forgotten, I guess.
Andrew and I went to the mall after school. I was hoping to find something for his teacher, especially his sign language teacher. Andrew is an amazing signer. He signs most of his conversations with me. And sometimes, when he is really feeling something, he signs with a level of depth and sincerity that only poets can capture. I'm so impressed with his skill and he LOVES the class. But, we couldn't find anything at the mall but I did buy something for my sister. She's hard to buy for; I'll just say that right now! I also found this shampoo and conditioner for men that makes your head tingle. Bob had some like it before (probably a different brand) but I got tihs anyway. He loves the feeling of that conditioner but ran out of it months ago. It will be a good stocking stuffer.
It's really nice to look under my tree and see so many gifts. I still have to buy something for my brother-in-law but I think he is the only one left. Of course, once I mail off the 5 gifts for Janet's family and the two gifts for mom and dad, there will be some bare spots under the tree. But, that's ok...there are still plenty left to wrap. I'm gonna go wrap some more gifts now while I watch the news.
See you tomorrow!

Another Great Weekend!

What a great, relaxing weekend I had! Andrew and I left right after school Friday to go to Phoenix. Bob's basketball team played at 5:30 so we had to rush to get there on time. As we walked into the gym, Bob's was the first face I saw. It was quite a nice surprise to see him in the lobby as opposed to our usual greeting of coy smiles and waves across the gym floor. His JV team won and the Varsity team slaughtered Cactus Shadows, 53-31. The game was great and the girls played well! Afterward, we went to Chili's and had dinner. Andrew must have been tired because he fell asleep at the table. And, I guess we were all pretty tired because we called it an early night.
Bob got up early Saturday morning for basketball practice and I decided to join him a little later. It was nice to get some exercise shooting around for an hour. I did a couple of shooting drills with the girls and practiced on my own a bit. Afterward, we went Christmas shopping at Scottsdale Fashion Square and The Biltmore. I was looking for gifts for my sister but was unsuccessful. We did, however, find some good stuff for Bob's nieces. I also picked out a flannel at J.Crew for Bob. We were really looking to find him a nice argyle sweater but weren't having any luck...until we stepped into Brooks Brothers at The Biltmore. There, we found the perfect sweater: A navy silk and cashmere argyle v-neck sweater with light blue and yellow designs. And, I got to pick out a sweater, too. I got a light lavender cashmere cable crewneck sweater. It is the softest sweater I've ever felt. And...I'm scared to wear it! haha. I'll have to be extra, extra diligent to not get anything on it! I think I'm gonna wear it this week with my gray pencil skirt and black boots. Or maybe my black skirt. We'll see.
Today, Bob had a bit of a cold and I have a headache so after going grocery shopping and picking up bagels from AJ's, we had a relaxing day of doing nothing. I graded some papers, he wrote Christmas cards, and Andrew watched movies on tv. By the time Andrew and I left to come home, I was ready to go to sleep again. But, I made it home, safe and sound, and have been relaxing ever since.
I have my hair straightener plugged up so that I can straighten my hair for the week. Bob isn't crazy about my straight hair but I like it. I get lots of comments on it, too. I am hoping Andrew will let me straighten his hair over Christmas break, just to see how it looks. I am also hoping that I can find a way to make him agree to a haircut. His hair is just so bushy. He absolutely loves it, though. He says he is enjoying his individuality and I am trying to respect that. But, I "not so secretly" want him to cut it! Well, I'm off to straighten my hair. This is our last week of work. My students are watching Elf this week: my favorite Christmas movie!! Then, final exams are Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. After that, it's CHRISTMAS BREAK! I'm really looking forward to a couple weeks off of work.

Hello! I have had quite a day. Despite being plagued with the negative neuroses brought on every month just by simply being a woman, I have made it through the day without saying anything hurtful that warrants an apology from me. Being able to keep my mouth shut and my negative comments to myself is always difficult during this time. To deal with it, I did something I rarely do: I went to my mom for help. She was so great at helping me pull out of the funk. I don't even really know what she said but after talking to her for about 30 minutes, I started feeling better.

Andrew has cubscouts in a little while. I am so proud of him for working hard in scouting. His pack leader praised him for having a lot of intensity. After that, we are going to have a relaxing night of watching tv. I am probably going straight to hell for letting my 8-year-old watch "Parks & Rec" and "The Office". But, we enjoy that time together and we have some good laughs in the process. I'm heading out right after school tomorrow to go to Phoenix to see Bob so I probably won't get a chance to blog until Sunday or Monday. I'll write more then!

"Playing" Adult?

I finally got a picture of me and Bob at the Christmas party. I look at the picture and see myself looking like an adult! It's crazy how I still feel like a kid most of the time. And, if anyone knew the immature thoughts that ran rampant through my brain I would certainly be locked up! I wonder if other people feel that way. Do other people feel like they are "playing" adult, yet still feel childish on the inside? I feel that way quite often. But, here's the picture:


I've been feeeling kinda down all night. I have cramps and it's cold and I got into a brief internal bout with self-pity. But, I'm feeling better now and I am going to go work out and play basketball at the gym. Triathlon season is right around the corner and I am hoping to complete one or two Olympic distance tris this year. So, I need to take every opportunity to increase my cardio health. Maybe I'll write more later tonight.

A Christmas Weekend

I fell asleep while writing this post last night; guess I was a little tired at midnight! Here's the original post, anyway; I'll just finish it this time: It's snowing in Prescott and I'm cozying up with a hot cup of Yogi Bedtime tea and an episode of Law & Order. I've been wrapping Christmas gifts for a while and I have decided that I am not a very good gift wrapper. I wish I knew how to do cool bows and stuff on top but I have never acquired any skills in that type of stuff. I watched a "how to" video on the internet and was able to at least make some curly ribbon bows on some the presents. The wind is blowing so hard. We have a 2-hour delay at school in the morning but with the snow and ice coming down so late at night, it is possible we will have a school cancellation. My weekend was pretty fun. Saturday, we met with the designer for Bob's house remodeling. It's one of those times when I get to practice keeping my rude comments to myself: http://livingrule62.blogspot.com/2009/11/success-is-measured-by-number-of.html



Then, that evening, we went to his work Christmas party. It was at the house of one of his partners in the law firm. The house was magnificent and the party was fun. I always love meeting new people so I had no qualms about not knowing anyone at the party. And, being a high school English teacher automatically makes me appreciated and respected by other professionals. It's one of my favorite benefits of the job. Sunday, Andrew, Bob, and I put up Christmas lights at Bob's house. Andrew said, "WOW! I've never gotten to put up Christmas lights before!" Andrew asks every year for outdoor decorations, but we live in a very small place with no real "outdoor space". Plus, it's difficult to afford all the decorations AND gifts. So, we have always just put up a tree and decorated the living room with coloring pages that Andrew has made over the years. Here are some pictures of Andrew and Bob putting up the train in the upper part of the front yard and of the view from the roof of Bob' house; we had to climb up there to string lights:



On the way home from Bob's on Sunday, Andrew and I spent about 3 1/2 hours shopping in Anthem. His dad's mom sent him money for clothes and we bought him plenty of things to keep him warm this winter, including some really nice gloves. He loves shopping and has acquired a good sense of fashion. In fact, while we were shopping, he asked for a wallet: a real one made of leather, not a kid's fabric one. I mentally checked off the list of possible 2nd jobs I could take so that I can try to afford his teenage years.

Digging Oedipus!

These days at school, I'm reading Oedipus with my Juniors. I just love it and I think most of them are gaining an appreciation for it as well. They loved the organized way in which I am teaching it and we are having some pretty good discussions...although all of them lead the kids back to "OOhhhhh, gross" at the remembrance of Oedipus's incestual affair. I am going to try and create my Macbeth lesson for next semester as structured as this Oedipus unit. I am getting great interaction with the students!
Andrew had cubscouts tonight and we came home afterward and vegged out on the couch for a little while. I keep thinking of things that I want to add to my Christmas list. A bath pillow, for example. I would love to be able to lie in the bathtub and relax without that cold porcelain freezing my shoulders! I guess I better get up and pack now, though. Andrew and I are going to Phoenix tomorrow after school for the weekend. Maybe I'll write more later, if something comes to mind. But, for now, I'm going to get up and do some house work and pack.

My Christmas List

Ok, I've decided to take the plunge and post my "Christmas Wish List". Here goes:

6 months of maid service
scarves
black, brown socks (i have NONE!!)
merrill walking/hiking shoes
harry potter dvd set
harry potter hardback book set
manicure/pedicure
ice scraper for my car
2 pair of winter gloves- functional ones and stylish ones
deep tissue massage
undies
initial coffee mugs from anthropologie
mid-calf black uggs
gift cert for clothes from rei
blush, mascara, lipstick, eye shadow from sephora
dooney & bourke plain brown & black leather purses (no designs!)
car detailing

Well, I guess that's all for now; gosh I didn't even think I really wanted anything until I started making this list! I am mostly excited about what I have gotten everyone else. I will share it all after Christmas!