Resolution Check- Garden Style

First things first- we are not just tilling up the ground getting ready to plant.  We're tilling in between the rows to aerate the soil.  Our plants are small still because we got them in the ground late.  But we already have a few teeny tiny tomatos and we're super excited about them! 

Also, we are also NOT organic gardeners. Don't give me the what for because you see the bug powder on the plants.  I know bugs need food too, but not the plants in the garden- they're for people.  I am, however, sharing my cherry plums and my mulberries with the birds so there.  Feel free to reject my tomatoes and life-changing pickles when I try to share if you're an organic, crunchy type of person.  It won't hurt my feelings.

I don't know why it looks like I've got bucky beaver teeth?!

I don't know why my butt looks so big... wait, yes I do. 

A Thankful Heart

I should be thankful.  I should be much more thankful than I am.  Mostly I complain and gripe about not having this or having to do that.  I wish the day away instead of living it.  This week a few things happened that have made me realize this and choose to be thankful. 

1.  TJ and I have instituted "porch time."  Every night after Faith goes to bed we sit on the back porch and hang out.  No, no DVR-ed Tosh.0, Deadliest Catch, or 19 Kids and Counting.  Just me and my beloved and iTunes.  If you could bottle contentement it would be sitting with my smokin' hot husband on the back porch. 

2.  Our wonderful friends and godsons came to visit us while they were in town.  Seriously l.o.v.e. those people.  Two of the most honest, real, down to earth people we know.  And they always choose to make time for us even when they've driven 8 hours to see their family.  We love them.  And their precious boys.  At one point I had our two godsons and Faith on my lap just cuddling.  I was in heaven.  And it made me a little baby crazy.  (The baby craziness may also be attributed to porch time with my smokin' hot husband.)

3. Today my class performed for their parents.  My classroom was chocked-full of principals, book buddies, parents, little brothers and sisters, and grandparents beaming with pride over their little ones.  I cried.  Twice.  Which is nothing new if you know me.  I love my job.  Even when its hard.  And this year its been hard.  I had daddys walk up to me with tears in their eyes, hug me, and thank me for what we accomplished together this year.  A bear hug from a grandpa.  A moma told me to kiss my baby for her.  And when the parents cleared out we just danced.  Danced our hearts out in my little corner of the world. 

A thankful heart prepares the way for the Lord.  Fall on me, Jesus. 

Resolution Check

Disclaimer:  I know that alot people couldn't give a care about my resolutions.  But at the end of the year I want proof to know how things went.  And this month has been full of resolution-busting activities. I want to make note of that too.  For myself.  Sorry you have to drag through it with me.  Such is a life of a blog stalker.  You have to take the good with the bad.
1. Invite someone over to the house, at least once a month. We've had two huge get togethers in the past month at Casa de Aragon.  They were really fun.  TJ's grandparents and great aunt and uncle came from out of town and we had a BBQ here.  It was simple food, but we had a lot of fun listening to stories and seeing TJ's grandparents get to have fun with their sisters.  Tomorrow night- our super good friends are here from San Antonio and they're coming over with our extra-cute godsons.  Yay!

2. Start playing guitar again.  Teacher Talent Show.  It was a lot of fun.   I was going to do The Letter by Joe Cocker, but I ended up doing a EWC song.  Singing in front of people stirred something in me.  I know I'm not good enough to really do anything with my voice, but I would like an outlet to be able to sing/chord out songs on the guitar somewhere.  It just is a big part of who I am.  I've been singing in some form or fashion since Miss Kathi formed "Higher Ground" when I was in Jr. High.  Since we've left 12 Corners I've really had no outlet to sing or play.  I realized how much I missed it the other night.  I'm trying to figure out a way to solve that problem.

3. Lose weight. Screw it.

4. Start a blog. Done.

5. Get a camera that doesn't make me cuss everytime I pick it up. Nada.

6. Complete lesson plans weekly. 10 more days of school.

7. Grow a garden. Planted and growing.  Some plants have bit the dust, so we're going to have to replant cucumbers and a few other items. 

8. Be consistent with getting my hair did. Getting your hair done is expensive.  And sometimes its hard for me to justify spending around $100 to get my hair cut and colored when we need ump-teen things around this house.  But God blessed me last month.  Just as I was getting down because I didn't want to put out the money to get my hair colored people started complimenting my hair color.  Alot.  Like when you go to work after just getting it done.  I know it sounds CRA-ZY Jesus freak of me, but I wonder if God did it just because he loves me?  Could be.  I'd like to think so.  Now I just need a cut and I'll let summer do its thing with the color.

9. More water, less Happy Hour DDP.  Going well.

10. Decorate our bedroom. We painted our headboard white to go with the "theme" I'm liking right now AND  got new curtains that I don't love, but they'll do.  It was presentable for TJ's grandparents, but I'd like it to be a little more put together.  Good things take time.


In all, I'd say a successful month. 

A Few Tasty Tidbits

Here are a few little know facts about yours truly:

1. When TJ's not home on the weekends I sit around all day then stay up REALLY late cleaning up the huge mess the day has left. 
2. I really love being a country girl.  Do NOT tell my daddy.
3. I don't wear makeup because I don't know how to put it on.  And if I was rich I'd employ someone to come to my house and do my makeup and hair everyday before I went to work.
4. I make a menu for our house and buy groceries ONLY for the menu.  I hold the menu near and dear to my heart and get a little crazy if it somehow gets off kilter.  One time TJ used the wrong beans for a meal and I came unglued.  It was ugly.  Even my friend told me I was WAY outta line, but it was MY MENU!  I am not that crazy about it anymore, but don't push your luck.
5. I never make the bed.  EVER. EVER.  Over-rated and a waste of time.
6. I had to delete two games off my iPhone because I may or may not have been addicted to them. 
7. I kill ANY spider I see.  I do not give it two thoughts.  I don't really care if its good for flowers, the environment, etc.  They give me the heebies.  Anyway, TJ is arachnophobic so its really my wifely duty.
8.  I've only ever kissed one guy in my whole life.  And I still think he's the greatest ever.  The bunker pants don't hurt either.
9. Sometimes I fast forward to the end of one of the shows Faith likes so I can hear the song.  The Hotdog Song at the end of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse is really fun to dance to!
10. I would employ the person in #3 to do my hair as well.  You know me.  No explanation needed.

Have a great day, folks!

May Day

No one really celebrates May Day anymore.  I don't really remember talking about it at school when I was little either.  But since I'm a champion for the underdog holidays (I also celebrated National Grilled Cheese month, but who wouldn't, really?) we celebrated today in my class.  We made May flower baskets for our book buddies.  We snuck down our hallway, well, how sneaky can a line of 24 giggling 5 and 6 year olds be, to the big kid hall.  As we got closer one of my little ones whispered, " When do we start tiptoe-ing?"  I know, precious, right?  I had instructed them that when I knocked and hung our bags on the door that we needed to "scurry away."  I tiptoed up to their door, knocked, hung the bag, and turned around to my wide-eyed students and said, "Let's go!"  They couldn't hold it anymore.  They started laughing, yelling, and running away!  Around the hallway, through the bathrooms, they were OUT OF CONTROL!  They just couldn't handle their excitement anymore.  I just laughed and laughed!  They were so excited they just completely forgot any instructions I had given them.  I finally rounded them back up and started back down the hallway.  They were all wide-eyed and giggly as they got on their buses to go home.  I loved my job today!