October 15th Week

Monday: I don't understand why people have to have conversations IN A DOORWAY. Why?

I have been catching up on knitting dishcloths. 

I like the Stained Glass Pattern because it uses less yarn and I am able to use partial skeins. 

I am also allowing myself to throw away small amounts of left over yarn. I keep thinking I might find a use for them, but I never do. 

Tuesday: I had a student tell me today that his mom said "The people who take you outside are dumb". He means me and the other aide; we do PE and recess duty. I asked him why she said that. He said she said "For making you wear a coat"! The temps have been in the high 30s, low 40s with 15 mph winds making the feels like temps in the 30s. We just want to keep these kids warm and safe. When I mentioned this conversation to the teacher I was told this student says his "mom said" a lot. Most of the time it isn't true.

Wednesday: We had a two hour early dismissal on the third Wednesday of the month. That was today. The teachers work on curriculum and the aides go home. I am thankful for the two extra hours at home, but these days seem harder than a regular full day. We have to get all 68 students through the bathroom during the 30 minute recess because they board buses shortly after recess. Today was especially challenging because there was a sub for the other aide. It was her first time subbing in our building this year. She doesn't know the routine or the students. This is the first time we have had an early dismissal when the students had to deal with coats. The other early dismissals where during the times when we had excessive heat days and the students spent recess in the air conditioned library. It is much easier to corral one classroom at a time when they are all in an enclosed space. 

Our district offers flu shots to employees every year. That was today too. They also offered the Tdap vaccine so I got both. Glad today is over.

Thursday: I was brought up to do the best you can at what ever it is you are doing. When I began working I was taught that you were ready to work at the time you workday/shift started. That didn't mean walking in the door at that time, or driving into the parking lot at that time. Not getting a cup of coffee or fixing your hair or whatever else. It meant at your desk or work station ready to begin work. Break times are meant for you to take care of personal things - use the restroom, make a phone call, smoke, take a quick walk, but when your break is over, you go back to work. 
 I have watched the work ethic of my co-workers change over the years. They come racing into the parking lot 5-10 minutes late daily. They come sauntering down the hall when it is time to get their students from me only to veer off into the office leaving me, and their students, standing in the hallway waiting for another 5 minutes. This makes the students restless and me late for my next duty. It happens all day long. What kind of message does this send? I think the students learn that being on time is not a priority and I feel disrespected. If teacher one is late coming to get their students from bathroom break, then the next class doesn't get started on time and don't finish on time leaving students still in need of using the bathroom when the third class comes which puts them behind and that teacher is also late which puts me behind going to cover the office for the secretary's break, which makes her late coming back because she does, and should, get her full break time. But, that makes me late to my next duty. And, it dominoes down throughout the day. Every day. It affects my math RtI student time, my break times and my attitude. When staff take their breaks I don't know what they are doing because I am working. I do know that when their breaks are over they are then going to the restroom, or making a quick copy of something or something else they should have been doing on their break. When the secretary comes back from her break she heads right to the restroom. I have talked to the people involved and my principal, but nothing ever changes. Our school is dirty because the custodian is not doing his job.
I have showed these two pictures before - cereal on the floor on a Monday left from the Friday before, and an very full trash can, which is in the front lobby of the school.

The next two are new, I took them yesterday. It looks like some kind of jelly like substance - maybe from a student's PBJ sandwich. It has been there ALL WEEK!




This is near the restrooms - the red tape on the floor is where the girls stand to wait their turn. This smear of whatever is getting stepped in and smeared into a bigger and bigger mess all through the day.

Our custodian was given an award at the end of the last school year for being a great employee! 
I guess if you get rewarded for a job not well done why would you bother to do a good job.

Friday: On to nicer things. I brought in some plants last weekend due to the threat of frost. We did get frost so I am glad I brought them in. I have tried to over-winter geraniums before without much luck. I am trying again. I know it is still early and even if they do not survive the winter I am enjoying them now. One has 3 stalks blooming, the other has some buds that will open in the next day or two. So cheerful. I like chickens, in case you didn't notice!

Saturday: A day filled with cleaning, organizing sewing stuff (hopefully), resting, changing the screen protector on my phone. When I replaced my phone this summer I immediately ordered a case and glass screen protector. So glad I did. I have dropped my phone a couple of times and it has been protected. I use my phone a lot at school - I have alarms set for every change I make through-out the day - every 20 minutes - because I do not like to be late and I don't want to be disrespectful of someone else's time. I also don't like to carry a purse so my phone is often slipped onto a pocket. Last weekend my screen got scratched, badly. I think my key chain did that. Anyway, the scratch turns out to be a crack. 

I ordered a new screen and hope to get that replaced today. I got a couple of bubbles in the first screen I installed so hopefully this time it will go better. 
Edit: It did go well. We will see if it stays bubble free.

Then I decided to do this:

I didn't think to take a picture until I had already emptied two shelves. This is an old shelving unit that was given to me. It is old and the finish is in bad shape, but it works great for storing my projects. 

I worked half a day to get it unloaded and the pieces moved up stairs. At least 10 trips up and down the stairs. That corner now looks like this...

Empty and clean. While I was taking things off the shelves I got to thinking about them. I have projects that are just kits/not started yet 

and others that were started and then forgotten.

I will be re-evaluating what I found and deciding if they still need to be my treasures or moved out to be treasures for someone else. More to follow. 
Right now I will be re-hydrating and resting.

October 8th Week

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Monday: No school for me because of the Columbus Day holiday. Husband needed to get mineral blocks for the cows so we stopped for breakfast at the restaurant that we think has the best biscuits and gravy. Yum! When we walked into the restaurant we waited several minutes to be seated. While we waited two gentlemen who were finished walked up to the register to pay. The four of us were standing there when the cook poked his head out of the kitchen. Quickly the waitress came scurrying out. She wasn't too happy, seems cook interrupted her smoke break by telling her there were FOUR people waiting. There were, but I guess the two gentlemen didn't count since she said "Oh, there aren't four people here, you already ate". She complained about having to stop her break when she seated us, when she brought our food and when we paid. I am not a smoker so I find it hard to understand that need. 

I finished the alterations to the first surgery cap I made for my SIL.

I am trying it on here. 

And, I have 

cut out 

finished another surgery cap. 

This is one for her to try since I altered the first one a little and made a new pattern from that. This colorful cat print was also used in a baby quilt I made for her daughter 25 years ago. I wonder if she will notice. 

I will get them in the mail tomorrow.

Edit She did notice! 

Once I get it perfected (they did fit perfectly) to her liking I will start making ones with the fabric she provided. 

Tuesday: Family drama continues. My poor husband is so stressed with trying to 'fix things' that were done incorrectly decades ago. It amazes me how one person can cause so much misery and stress for those around them.

Wednesday: Work drama continues. 

Students, staff, it is never ending.

It was a rainy day, but this is what I saw on my way home...

The picture does not do it justice, but, the sky was beautifully blue. The rain clouds were moving out and fluffy white clouds and sunshine were moving in. I tried to enjoy the moment and forget about the day.

Thursday: The weather was sunny, but has turned cold with strong winds. Students came to school today in flip-flops or sandals. I am warm blooded (thanks menopause that is never ending) but even I needed a jacket today. And, speaking of menopause, I have been dealing with the effects of it for about 10 years. Just when I think the horrible hot flashes are ending, they come back with a vengeance. I tried hormone replacement therapy, but didn't get much relief and decided the cost wasn't worth it.

Friday: Still cold, but the rain held off until after recess. I am so thankful for that. Inside recess is hard! These kids need to be outside where they can burn off that excess energy. I know some of them were cold because they had on sandals and shorts! Parents, summer is over! 

Dress your child appropriately or at least in layers that they can take off if needed. The heat is not on in our building yet, and won't be for a few more weeks.

Then this afternoon this happened..

...you can imagine the excitement this caused!

Saturday: I have a long list of things I want to get done this weekend and I don't feel like doing any of them. It is still chilly, but now the sun is shining. 

I need to get outside and do some tidying up. I moved some plants into the garage Thursday evening because there was a frost warning. Glad I did because we did get frost. And, I have lots to do inside to keep me busy all day.

Turns out I was just feeling restless all day and could not settle on doing any one thing. I got some house chores done and knit several dishcloths, but that's about it. My mom and I both find the dishcloths make nice little gifts along with a nice lotion or bath gel at Christmas and I usually make around 40-50 each year. I have 37 right now so I need to get some more made to hand off to her at Thanksgiving.

Quilt Retreat is coming up starting the 25th so I went through my projects to see what I can take to work on. I feel guilty starting more projects.
 I feel like I should finish things that have been started. But I really want to start something new! Most of my projects are at a stage that don't make it practical to take to retreat. Some need more fabric, some just need borders cut, some just need quilting. I usually plan to take 2-3 projects and I still haven't settled on any. I might start something new. Sometimes there isn't enough room to really spread out to cut with a larger cutting mat and ruler so I would like to have the fabric cut so I can just start sewing. I need to settle on a couple of projects and start getting them ready.

Sunday: It was our bi-weekly trip to the farm store and W-M this week. Last week it was Aldi. We like to go early in the morning since there are fewer people out at that time, but we have noticed the last few weeks that the shelves at each store are not fully stocked. We end up leaving without at least one item on our lists. And, at the farm store making the popcorn is a higher priority than the customers waiting to check out. Oh well, guess that shows where I rate.

Week of October 1st

Monday: No word today about the lunch issue. I think I will just start taking my lunch. I stocked up on some packaged salads and fixings to make my own this weekend. Last year Husband bought me a Stanley thermos for coffee or hot tea that I think will work well for soups when the weather cools off. I also have stocked up on trail mix, nuts and other snack type foods.
There have been things going on at work that I find distressing and frustrating. I feel like some of the changes being made are not benefiting our students. Besides academics many of our students need to learn social skills. Social behavior is something that we have been told to work on this year, even building time once a week for teachers to work that into classroom instruction. But, I feel like it isn't being reinforced throughout the day. Something happened yesterday that added to my distress about it. My principal was instructing a co-worker and I about some changes she wants us to make during lunch dismissal and recess that I don't agree with. My co-worker responded in a way that totally threw me, opposite of what her and I have been talking about for weeks. I feel like I can no longer trust or believe her.

Tuesday: Dentist day. Looking forward to getting the tooth fixed, but nervous about the procedure.

2:00 - Tooth is fixed. I was so nervous about needing a root canal, but the hardest part was keeping my mouth open that long. It is a lengthy procedure and when he told me there are three roots  to the tooth my heart rate might have skyrocketed, but I had not discomfort. I love my dentist for that. He always makes sure I am comfortable.
As a treat after going to the dentist I visit the women's clothing resale shop in that town. I always find lots to try on, but usually only a few garments end up fitting well. Today was a good day. Ten items, 5 20% off.

Three tops with 3/4 length sleeves and a sparkly sleeveless blouse, a pair of burgundy corduroy pants and a pair of light twill pants.

The dark blue fair-isle knit cardigan, a light gray zip-up hoodie, a embroidered red zip-up fleece, and a light weight, long sleeved denim shirt for my mom. I like buying resale items because I don't care if I am wearing the latest fashion, usually these clothes have been laundered so I know they won't shrink or fade, and occasionally I find something that is new - like the corduroy pants, they still had the original tags on them.

My work area, where I spend about a total of 1 1/2 hours of my day, is very warm all year round. The hallway/lobby area, where I spend 2 hours of my day, is cooler (sometimes cold) in the winter since there is a wall of windows. Then I spend about an hour outside for recess and PE so I need layers. These tops and jackets will work well. We are encouraged to not wear jeans, but we don't have an enforced dress code. While leggings are acceptable, I am not comfortable wearing leggings in public, but most of the other staff do. So I was very glad to find the pants. I have a hard time finding pants that fit me well.The last pants that I bought for work are really starting to show wear along the hem lines. They will probably become capri length pants next Spring.

Husband is about to finish harvesting for this year. He finished beans last week and has been working on corn.

He will likely finish this field, the last one, today. He still has the field work to do - chopping stalks and working the ground. Our Texas relatives are suppose to be coming this weekend and want to 'help'. Since this isn't something they know how to do I am concerned that they won't be much help. Maybe the husband can mow my yard! That would be a great help to me.

Wednesday: Crops are all out, field work has started. Very windy today.

Thursday: So glad today is over. It is a Friday for me since there is a Teacher's Institute day tomorrow (aides don't work, also don't get paid). I need a break. There was much disrespect - hitting, pushing, spitting, belching in my face (intentional), food and lunch trash on the floor, peeing on the bathroom floor (again, intentional), pulling on hoods, throwing of rocks, jumping on the bus seats. And, that was only some of the issues I faced today! Windy again.

Friday: Technology is great...until it isn't.

Our computer has been dying a slow, agonizing death for a while now. I used to think it was bad internet service, but we switched providers this summer on the recommendation of several of my friends who were very happy with their provider. Well, we had good days and bad days of connectivity (is that the right word?), but after the last week of mostly bad days I began to think it was more than the internet connection. Especially when I could still open websites with my tablet. Our computer is over 7 years old. We got a new one today. All the data was transferred from the old one and we are up and running. Turns out that I think the problem was mostly the old computer. I haven't had any issues with connection since I got this one up and running. I was able to get Internet Explorer up and going and found all my husband's bookmarks, but so far I am unable to find mine that were saved in Firefox. But, I had saved a lot of them to my tablet so that will be ok. Rainy off and on all day which put a stop to the field work. That's ok, though, Husband needed a rest.
Of course, getting a new computer did not improve our TV reception.

We have an antenna, no satellite service. It seems we lose the signal right at the good spots, but hardly ever during the commercials. We just aren't ready to pay for TV service. My son got a Netflix subscription when he lived at home. We had bought a smart TV without really meaning to, but we liked the picture display and the price was good. Anyway, apparently you can have accounts (or whatever they are called) with one subscription. I have been catching up with some shows I like to watch, but had missed the beginning or several episodes - Father Brown, Dr. Blake, Miss Fisher. For some reason I like the British shows.

EDIT: We are learning and getting more comfortable with the computer everyday. And, it is very clear that the problem was the computer, not the provider.

Saturday: I attended a local quilt show with my quilt buddies. We always have a good time. The show was well organized with many beautiful quilts. I only took two pictures...

I have been working on a 365 Challenge for a while. I keep thinking maybe I should just finish something with the blocks I have completed and just be done with it. Then, I see one in person and am inspired to keep working. I was admiring this one and mentioned how lovely I thought it was to the lady standing next to me. Turns out she was the maker of this quilt. We had a nice chat.

I took this one to show my husband since he likes the red, black, gray, white color combination. I does think it is a nice quilt.

Sunday: A lazy day. Dreary and rainy. I am just puttering around, not really settling on any one thing to work on even though I have several projects I could be finishing. I finally decided to sort some of my saved quilt/knit/craft patterns. This is something I have been wanting to do to better organize my sewing room anyway.

I like to sort by project - Knit Binder - scarves/hats/mittens, sweaters, ornaments, etc. Quilt Binder - scrappy, Log Cabin, Stars, Patriotic, etc. You get the idea. I had printed some patterns that needed to be inserted into page protectors, sorted and inserted into the binders. Good to get those put away. Makes it much easier to find what I am looking for.

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