Bathing Suits: Prepared for the Worst; Expecting the Best

   I made the decision to get fancy and splurge on a bathing suit this year. I always get at least one new suit each year, but I usually do my shopping at Target. However, after a couple of bathing suit vs. big wave incidents, I've decided to spare my fellow beach lover's eyes and buy a bathing suit that is not so easily removed (or at least mis-placed). Don't get me wrong, I love my super-cute $30 bikinis, but they're not durable enough for the ocean's waves. And if I'm at the beach, playing in the ocean is exactly where you'll find me.

   This is how it went down: I went to Olive Garden to meet some friends for lunch. I ate a lot. I mean A LOT. I had originally planned to have soup & salad so I wouldn't be ginormous when I went suit shopping. But as usual, my stomach grew when it was time to order and I skipped out on the light idea. Once I was sufficiently over-stuffed, I decided it wasn't the best idea to go shopping for a swimsuit. Then I had a "better" idea; I should still go swimsuit shopping. If I could find a swimsuit that I was happy with when I was swollen on bread sticks and pasta then I should be happy with it when I'm not swollen on bread sticks and pasta. And so I went, and I'm glad I did.

   I found the little number at Dillard's. It's made by Hurley so I know it's well-made and durable. It's also really comfortable. It's a royal blue classic halter and bikini bottom. It looked decent then and it looks better now.

A Passion Renewed: Reading

   I am not a reader. I am a reader who knows I shouldn't read. Okay, what I'm trying to say is, I LOVE to read! I love it so much that I don't allow myself to do it very often. It's kind of like someone who loves chocolate. They could eat it all day, every day, but they don't because they know it's not good for them. Reading is not good for me. Reading is not something I should do if I want to accomplish anything else.  Once I start reading, I lose all desire to do anything else. I don't want to sleep, I don't want to eat, I don't even want to bathe(TMI?). I just want to sit in my chair covered with a blanket and read my book. Hence, why I try not to read. Well, I'm fine as long as it is just one book--not a series. If it is just one single book then I can read it in a day or two and be done with it. If it's a series, then I'll be going on a week-long hiatus. Most people won't notice if I don't pick up the phone or text them back if it's only a couple of days (since that's pretty much the norm for me anyway). However, it's a lot harder to go undetected for a week or so.

   Jenna gave me a five-book series to read a couple months ago. I purposefully waited until spring break to read them since she said they're quite addictive. She was right; they are amazing. It's the Fever series by Karen Moning. Soooo good!!! They can be a bit risque, but they're addictive! Highly recommended!

I Knew This Day Would Come....

...I just hoped it wouldn't come so fast. As I was putting my hair into hot rollers last week, I noticed a very light hair. Immediately I went into denial mode because the sun is shining more and my hair is lightening up. However, I knew it was what I thought it was, but I would not let myself think about  it. So I did what every woman whose not ready to begin the aging process does: I pulled it out and tried to pretend it never happened. (I did put it in the cupboard for further inspection for when I was feeling more up to dealing with the situation.)
  
   My denial was blown out of the water today. I found ANOTHER one. Awesome. I have grey hair. What's next--wrinkles?

    For those of you that are reading this and wanting to say, "get over yourself". Sure, I'm being vain. I like looking young. I like having smooth skin and colored hair. I can't help it, I've had it all my life. And truthfully, this is the first time since I was in 10th grade that I haven't highlighted or dyed my hair. I was so happy that I went back to my natural hair color and was trying to have long, healthy hair by not putting chemicals in it. So much for that. :(

Germination

   Anyone who knows me know that I LOVE gardening. I love watching my plants bud, grow, and bloom. I love the satisfaction I get from knowing it is because of my care that it is alive and growing.
   This year I bought about 15 packs of seeds and planted about 100 cups worth. I figured this would cut down on flower costs and be a fun little project. I have everything from dahlias to chinese lanterns. After growing for a little over a month, I planted quite a bit this weekend.
    I have a cut-flower garden  in the backyard by the deck that I am crazy-excited about! I love fresh bouquets and plan to have quite a few this spring/summer. Those flowers range from 4-2.5 feet tall.
    I planted morning glory around an unsightly stump and for ground cover around my bench. Hopefully both will turn out well!
   I still haven't figured out where to put my chinese lantern, poppy, balsam, and english daisies. I may have overdone it with the variety of flowers. Better to have too much than too little, though.  Here are a few pics.

My morning glory that will eventually cover the stump with big blooms

Morning glory (excuse my shadow)

balsam: their new home is tbd

April Fools

  Happy April Fools Day! My homeroom orchestrated an April Fools prank on me today. No one showed up. When I got to school, none of my students were at their lockers, none waiting for me to open the door, none greeting me in the halls. Gotta say I'm pretty proud of them for actually sticking to it and not telling me about it. (They're 7th graders so I fully anticipated someone to spill the beans.)
   However, one of my coworkers filled me in on the prank so I could counter their's with one of my own. We just finished up standardized testing this week and I promised that if we had perfect attendance during the two weeks of testing that I would bake some goodies for them. So I loaded up an empty baking dish and headed to school. When they all came back to fill me in on their prank, I pretended to be irate because I baked for them and no one showed up so I gave all the goodies away. I even had the fake pan as evidence. Pretty good stuff!

My empty classroom

Their Imaginary Goodies

Coupons: Crashing and Burning

   Recently, I decided to take on the art of couponing. I call it an art because it is. After reading some of my fellow bloggers' tales of saving quite a bit of money, I decided I need to get on that train. I decided to limit it to just grocery shopping until I got the hang of it, and I dove right in. I read countless blogs, researched tips, and scoured the newspapers.
   I decided to stick with Kroger because (a) I have a Kroger card, (b) it is closer than most of the other grocery stores, and (c) they always have an insert in the paper. After looking through the paper for several weeks, I found that I had no interest in most of the items on sale. I am trying my best to eat [more] healthy, and the items on sale weren't meeting those standards.
   Many of the couponing blogs I read warned about the wording on the actual coupon and/or the inserts.  I found it to be very confusing. The insert would quote a price and below the price, in small lettering, was "when you buy any 10". I take that to mean I have to buy 10 of the items to get that price. That presents a problem for me: I have an incredibly small kitchen with a scarce supply of cabinet storage and an even lesser supply of pantry storage. I can't buy items I am not going to use in the next two weeks + what I am actually going to use in those two weeks because I don't have anywhere to put it all.
   From what I have gathered, couponing takes a tremendous amount of planning and organization. I wouldn't consider either of these to be a strong-point of mine. To say the least, it seems almost impossible. So I have given up--before I have even used my first coupon.
   If anyone out there coupons, PLEASE post some tips for me because I'm lost.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

   I normally detest Valentine's Day. Truthfully, I think it's the lamest holiday. Ever. I know what you're thinking--you must not have a Valentine, and that's why you hate it. That's not the reason. I feel that it's a marketing scam to sell a bunch of candy and flowers at a time when the demand for them is low. Flower prices go up in the winter; they're scarce. Candy sales go down at the start of the New Year due to resolutions being made. Also, I would much rather get flowers and/or candy on a random Monday than know that I am getting them because it's what is expected. That's just me. I know plenty of women--and men--that truly look forward to Valentine's Day. Maybe some people just aren't as skeptical as I am. Good for them!

   I say normally, because this year is different. I have no idea why I feel so differently about this habitually dreaded holiday, but I've actually been looking forward to it. Maybe because I'm not shoving the "no gifts of any kind" line down some poor, all-to-willing guy's throat. Whatever the reasoning, I have been excited about Valentine's Day. Several of my students have adopted me as their Valentine and I've fully restocked  my  Reese supply (I know, I know!!!). I even made decorations for my classroom and hung them around the room. And I have to say, I've thoroughly enjoyed myself today. Maybe there is something to this holiday.

   Happy Valentine's Day to everybody!