Blast You Snow and Ice

So this morning I went to clear the snow and ice off the car in order to take it to the dealership to get fixed. After letting it run for a half hour and scraping for a half hour until I thought my fingers would break, my ice scraper did break. Frustration. Much irritation. I was going to take a picture of it to enhance my post, but I just didn't have the patience. Now after taking it in to the dealership and waiting over two hours for it to be fixed, I am home and in a very blah mood. It's almost time to drive to Edwardsville for class, a trip that takes an hour and a half in good weather.

Let's all take a moment to feel sorry for me.

Done.

Thank you for your kind attention.

Felt!

Polly had a fun idea to start a Christmas tradition this year that included the entire family. She and Greg supplied a 20 dollar bill for everyone; we drew names and then were off for in groups of two or three for two hours to spend the money on the most thoughtful gift possible.

Greg drew my name, and he did a splendid job. After meeting back at the house to quickly wrap the gifts and eat some Pizza Hut, we opened. In my package was a mountain of felt, several embroidery flosses, five fat-quarters of fabric, and a bite-sized Milky Way and Smarties. Total amount spent: exactly $20. What a perfect gift, especially the felt. Now I have pretty much every color, and I love just looking at it in tidy rainbow order and thinking about all the fun projects ready to be made.

Hoop #34,212: School Externship

Check, and done!

Today I finished my time at the elementary school. I'll miss some of the kiddos, but mainly, I'm just excited to be moving on.

Hoop#34,213: Medical Externship

Beginning January 12, 2009

Jingle All the Way

This past weekend, Jenna and I joined my dear mother on a Christmas bus trip to Chicago, organized by the United Methodist Women. At 7:30 Saturday morning, we were seated on the charter bus with 50 other women on our way to a fun day.

Bus activities included many games with the opportunity to win prizes. As you probably know, I am a very poor sport when not winning, so I was determined to come out on top at least once. After game one, I was not a winner, but I managed to hold myself together. After game two, my patience was wearing thin. I finally won game three! We arrived in the big city at about 10:45 (long trip). We shopped around for the rest of the afternoon and found a few things, including a lovely pumpkin-colored coat. If I'm good, it will appear on Christmas morning. Overall, the trip was a success. Vanilla Bean Counter wasn't there, making it a more pleasant experience for all. (I mean that in the kindest way possible). Jenna was a good sport about the whole thing, and we're still friends. Jon G. was thrilled to have me and Jenna around for the weekend.Next road trip: cousin's wedding in six days. We're off to Indiana.

Things I Learned at the High School

Today I went to observe the SLP at Springfield High School. What a strange experience it was. I learned a lot.

1. At the high school level, SLPs are more like LD teachers.

2. Students with cognitive disabilities think my teeth are shiny. (I had just brushed them.)

3. At some store in Springfield (most likely) an adorable pair of red boots are available that I covet very much. Similar to these:
4. Some SLPs still use oral motor therapy and don't know that it has been shown not to work.

5. Students are very tall compared to a stumpy gal such as myself.

6. The high school may not be the place fore me.

Spanish Alphabet Letters

You probably know that my latest obsession is felt. If I could have every color of felt in the world, I would be overwhelmed with joy. I've been working on a felt alphabet series that is turning out so cute. They feature bold brown letters, adorable little cutouts, and words embroidered in Spanish (very fun!). Hopefully browsers on Etsy find them to be as cute as I think they are.

Shopping Cart Fun

My Friday routine usually includes grocery shopping, which often irritates me, depending on how busy the store is and if they have everything I need. This past Friday, I had a new, and extremely positive experience. I used a mini-cart for the first time. (I just tried to find a picture of one on Google Images, but no luck.) If you haven't seen them, they have two small baskets, one on top of the other. They are much shorter than a traditional shopping cart, and the baskets aren't as deep. For gals such as myself who do not like maneuvering a big shopping cart or carrying very heavy things in a basket, this was the perfect alternative.

The point of this story? More stores should get these new small carts.