Thunderstorm

Today was a relatively easy day since half my class was out with a stomach bug (crossing my fingers and toes I do not catch it). I managed to get most of my paperwork done so I could leave on time and before the storms hit. I was stopped at a stop light with this view and thought it was a pretty good view of the approaching dark clouds, and I loved the tree. The storm did finally come, nothing too bad, and now it has stopped and the frogs won't stop singing. For the record, I do not like frogs, but I like that they eat bugs because I hate bugs even more!

Looking Beyond

It has been unseasonably warm lately, and I have been enjoying the warm mornings and sunny afternoons. I'd probably be complaining about the heat in a month or two, but for now, I am taking it all in. I have been enjoying sitting out on the back deck, relaxing, reading, and watching the sky. It is amazing how perfect the world can still be when you look up in the sky. For a moment or two, it takes me away and helps me forget that there is still so much crap to deal with.

“A cloud does not know why it moves in just such a direction and at such a speed...
It feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now. 
But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, 
and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond horizons.” 
~ Richard Bach

Lazy Saturday

I treated us with my favorite breakfast this morning - Chic-Fil-A's chicken biscuit, hash rounds, and sweet tea. Other than that, the day was spent lazing around and ended with us going to the movies to watch True Grit. Late shows are not for me anymore, I think I fell asleep during some parts and I hope I wasn't snoring like the man two rows below us.

Farmville

What do you do after a hard day's work? I come home and tend to my farm on farmville. I have a love-hate relationship with the game. I stopped playing for awhile because I got bored of clicking, then picked it back up when they added more interesting aspects and lessened the need to constantly have to click. It's one of the things I now do to relax and I am glad the weekend is here so I can do just that, relax.

Surprise

I came home from a really crappy day to a package from my sister containing the above treats from my childhood. It was such a nice surprise and really made my day, even though the chocolate balls were stale. :P Thanks Jess!

Exhausted

Today was exhausting. I enjoy my job for the most part, but unfortunately I do not work with a very trustworthy team player so I am often left to handle things on my own. I try to be understanding that life happens but I have to admit that I am annoyed. So dinner had to be simple and while Jason grilled salmon (yes more salmon), I chose the lazy way out for the side dishes: powdered mashed potatoes and microwaved carrots. And at $1 a packet of mashed potatoes, it's a pretty good deal.

New Life

Easter takes on a new meaning when you truly understand spring and the concept of new life as winter turns over to spring. One of the very first sign of spring for me is when the tulip plants start peeking out from the ground. When we bought the house, these tulips were already planted (some in strange spots) and every spring they never fail to appear. I spotted the sprouts today when i got home from work. I can't wait for them to bloom.

For Me

Sometimes we have to do things for ourselves, to make ourselves happy. Every week when I grocery shop, I always eye the pretty flowers on the flower stands. I could never justify buying flowers for myself so I always walk away. Today I decided that I should do something nice for myself. To hell with reasoning. The flowers sit on my kitchen island and they are pretty to look at and make me smile. That is reason enough.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

It was a blah Sunday. I started watching Mercy on hulu and decided to have some of the chocolate covered strawberries I bought on Saturday, that I had bought the groupons for and meant to use them for Christmas gifts but never did. Anyway, 1 strawberry become 2, became 3, became the whole box. They were so damn good but I feel like a glutton.

Bonfire

We went over to Jason's mom's place for dinner and to start a bonfire. We had cleared our garage of all the boxes we had laying around and brought it over to be burned. This was the pile before it was set on fire. Dinner was delicious and the fire was huge. As for me I have been tired all day and am hoping for some restful sleep tonight.

Marshmallow Creme

I had a rough morning, trouble getting up, trouble getting ready, just totally out of it including almost walking out without my purse. It was a miracle I actually got to work on time and in one piece. I was going to make rice krispie treats with the kids for sensory Friday but I forgot to bring the butter and the mixing bowl. Well the lesson had to go on, so I improvised. We used the rice krispies and mixed in the marshmallow creme in cups, and they enjoyed eating it. This is one of the joys of my job, my kids do not judge. They enjoy whatever I do even when I think it's the dumbest idea ever.

Early Spring

The weather has been unseasonably warm this week and it feels like beautiful spring weather. It feels so good to be able to enjoy the warmth of day again. The air is cool, the sun warm, and there is a gentle breeze blowing. Maybe the groundhog, General Lee was right! Early spring here we come. Even the trees are starting to bud and everything is coming to life again. I just hope we don't get a cold snap or the plants will be so very confused.

Let the Grilling Begin!

The weather is finally starting to warm up and grilling season has begun. I love having Jason cook on the grill. It means that I don't have to worry about the main dish, plus when it gets in the middle of summer, it keeps the heat out of the house. Jason grilled bourbon salmon this evening and we had it with a side of Green Giant's green bean casserole. A very easy dinner, hassle free, delicious, and healthy.

Ketchup at Chick-Fil-A

Today was parent-teacher conference evening, so I had to be at work until 5.30pm. I don't mind that there are conferences, just that it kinda sucks when I don't have one parent conferencing and still have to stay. It's not that my parents don't care. We correspond and meet so often, that there really isn't a need for a conference day. So any, late and long days at work are always good reasons not to cook. So I got my favorite fast food, Chick-Fil-A. Can't go wrong with a chicken sandwich, a good one at that. And to my pleasant surprise, they changed their ketchup packets to this really cute dip & squeeze packs.

Valentine's Day

Ah Valentine's Day. The day of love. I was driving to work, stopped at a stoplight by the high school, and saw the boys crossing the street with their flowers and gift bags. It reminded me of my days as a teenager, waiting to see if I would get any surprise valentines. Unfortunately, I did not have any teenage valentines. But I have a forever Valentine now, and I have nothing to complain about. We had our Valentine's day party with the kids, and they enjoyed eating the icing off the cupcakes (oh, to be 4 again), and bounced off the walls. We made these really cute mailboxes last week to collect all their valentines.

All Natural

There was a time where I would scoff at people who talked about buying "natural" products, organic food, etc. To me, it didn't make sense why anyone would spend more to get a product that would do the same thing as cheaper alternatives. I have always been blessed with good health and little to no allergies until recently. Lately I've been paying attention to what I am buying. I'm trying to switch to natural products that use less chemicals, eating food with less processing and additives. I still don't truly buy organic food, but I am more aware of what I am buying and putting into and onto my body. Maybe it's just the natural course of maturing and being more conscious about things. But lately I have realized that we cannot take good health and general well being for-granted. We have to take steps to keep it and these are my baby steps.

Restful Saturday

My Saturday was spent resting mostly in bed and under the sheets. I feel a little bad that I wasted such a lovely day, with it starting to get warmer and all, but my body needed the rest.

Hungry

It has begun. The "I am sooooo hungry" phase of the steroids. I was craving a big juicy burger so we went to Five Guys for dinner. I am satisfied and ready to go to bed, but I have to wait 2hrs before taking my antibiotics and then 10 minutes after that before I can lay down. Working my life around medication schedules is a major pain in the ass!

Pro-Biotics

I really don't have much to say. I am tired and glad tomorrow is Friday. I have been pretty useless all week and I hope to rest up over the weekend. I am starting to feel somewhat better. I can breathe through my nose a whole lot better, I am coughing less and I have not had much chest tightness and trouble breathing. So I am faithfully taking my medication and loading up on pro-biotics. All my students are sick, sneezing and coughing in my face, so I need all the immunity I can get.

Winter Be Gone

This winter seems to be dragging on forever. I used to love the cold, me being the tropical girl and all, the ability to wear sweaters and coats and pretty scarves and hats. After 6+ years, the novelty has finally run out. I am so darn tired of having to make the extra trip outside, in the cold, to warm up my car, of putting on layers of clothing, of skin drying out because of the heaters running and I could go on but you should get my drift now. After mother nature teased us with a weekend of spring like weather, the temps are dropping again. I know that we don't get it anywhere near as bad as the folks up north, but I am done with winter, over it. Now can we get on to spring, thank you very much!

Tired

I am exhausted. All I wanted to do after work today was crawl into bed and hide under my sheets. Lack of sleep is also leaving me emotionally drained. I knew cooking was off my books tonight so I bought dinner and since I was too tired to eat lunch. this was my lunch and dinner. So there, my crappy boring day.

The Climb

Today felt like a continuous climb up stairs without a chance to stop and breathe. I was tired from lack of sleep and all the drugs in my system. The steroids is causing me to go on an emotional roller coaster and I keep having to remind myself that it is just the drug and it will not last for long. But still 17 more days just seem so long to me. I managed to get through work and it took everything in me to not snap at every little thing. And so the climb continues.

Superbowl

Today being Superbowl Sunday, we got wings for dinner. The game was pretty exciting, the half time show sucked and the wings were delicious. I can't complain for a nice end to my weekend.

Nasal Rinse

So the doc recommended I use the Neil Med saline nasal rinse to rinse out my sinuses. Jason uses this all the time but it has always freaked me out, squirting water up your nose, salty water at that. But since desperate times call for desperate measures, I tried it today. It felt a little weird and salty, but it was definitely easier to use than a netti pot. So there, the highlight of my day.

Doctor Visit

This is the waiting room of my doctor's office. His office is old and dingy looking but for an excellent doctor who listens and doesn't rush me, I'll take that over a fancy waiting room. Unfortunately this visit did not yield good news (well good news is relative). I have a chronic sinus infection and inflammation so I am now on 20 days of steroids (really bummed out about this), antibiotics, and a decongestant. I go back in a months time and will probably have to do another x-ray to check if it clears up, if not, a referral to an ENT will be the next order of business. Fun times!

Pandan Cake

This was the highlight of my day. I bought it yesterday when I stopped by the Hong Kong Supermarket. They have this little bakery in the food court owned by Malaysians and I always get my baked goods fix when I go by there. In the summer, I also get my bubble tea fix. They also have the best freshly made mooncake. So I have been craving for this all day and had a slice when I got home. So much for my diet. oh well!

Chinese New Year

Today was an absolutely crappy day but in the midst of the crappy day, I found people that made me realize that the world isn't half as bad as I thought it was and that some of humanity still has some heart and sense in them. I also got to sit with my students and read about Chinese New Year and make lanterns and fans with them. Sometimes you have to look at the little things because looking at the big picture will make you very jaded and pissed off. Today was one of them and I thank God for the little things. So Happy Chinese New Year! Gong Xi Fa Cai! Xin Nian Kuai Le! May the year of the rabbit bring the world peace and love that we all desperately need!

February

I am so glad that January is over with and February has begun. It seems like every year, January is hardest to get through. So here we are in the second month of the year. Unfortunately because we had a week off school in January because of the snow storm, my February holidays have been taken away. I can't complain but this means two months of nothing until we get to spring break in April. I'll survive, it's just going to be very hard!