Please Tell Me I'm Not the Only One!

Are we all at this point?
Please tell me that your classroom has invaded your home, too!?!
I have so much to do- and no direction-
seriously
none.

First let's address the obvious chore ahead of me-

cutting out that pathway of lamination that is consuming our living room.

My alphabet cards could not be cuter!!! ( thanks to Katie from Queen of the First Grade Jungle)

(Those pennants spell Word Wall- except mine is Word All- because I have apparently lost a "W" somewhere.)

There is also an arrow pointing to the laundry that is not being done because of all this other stuff.

I still have three sets of shelving to paint black.

I have to paint this black still- I am going to use clear shoebox containers instead of the colored bins (i think).

These cups still have to be labeled. (Ya'll are going to love the post on these cups!!)

This glittery foam will become some sort of cutie patootie shape to bridge a gap in my board corners.

See the gaps in the corners? I made the border with material (much cheaper than ribbon)!!!

Just ironed the sides...

and I was able to staple it on the board over the pink material.

I bought the "paisley" material today- I am thinking curtains for back door...

Containers for white rice- I still have to type alphabet and K sight words to put inside. Darn you, Reagan!

And even though I have all of this to do- what did I do instead?
I "bedazzled" my toolbox...see the little rhinestones....

(Totally not related) Ya'll are probably wondering what is up with the Santa on the door!?!?!
It's a looonnnnng running joke in our family- he has been up there, going on three years.
He got overlooked when we were putting away decorations one Christmas...
and now the MR and the Littles AND the neighbor's children make it a point to position
him in different ways.
If you will scroll back up, you will notice that he is covering himself-
The "ta tas" that he is covering are supposed to be his buttons. The whole family is warped!

Tomorrow there is a meeting and then someone has to light a fire under me!!
Parents will be in my room Monday evening!!!!

Wish me Luck!

Easy Peasy as Mac & Cheesey Linky

Happy Sunday~!

I wish this Sunday were a happier one for me-
 but it is not so.

I go back tomorrow.

I'll pause while you wipe your tears.



Thank you- I can feel your support.

I am actually not required to go back until Thursday-

but I have things to do in the room- as we all do-
I know you feel my pain.

And since we are  all going to be uber busy during our daytime hours
we all need our evening hours to go smoothly-

So I decided to start a linky that will help our evenings out- just a bit.

It's the Easy Peasy as Mac & Cheesey Linky...

I'm a cornball, I know-
but I got several emails from bloggy friends who tried the
Turkey Roll recipe and loved it!
Some even sent pictures! (Jennifer K. your Turkey "burritos" looked yummy!!)

I consider this to be "our" linky, but since it is going to live
on my blog I ask only a few things. Three things to be exact- remember?
This is Easy Peasy as 1, 2, Threesey! (Ok that was a bit much, I know).

First- make sure it's EASY! Minimal prep and cook time.

Second- add a recipe with common ingredients ( if we are going to
eat it, we should be able to pronounce it)

and

Third- Pictures are completely optional- but we all know that we
are senseory motivated creatures- so if we like the way it looks, we'll try it.
I do ask though that even if you do add pictures to be sure that somewhere
in your post you have all the info in one place so that we can easily copy and paste.
Example

1 cup blah blah blah
1/2 tsp barbity blarb blarb
a dash of bleepity bleep bleep

Cook on ????  for ????

(And please be sure to credit the chef if it isn't your original recipe).

I look forward to trying lots of deliciously easy recipes!

Excuses, Excuses

It's Thursday- what is Squirrels doing post on a Thursday?

There aren't any WTH?'s  in the title.

She didn't ask "Are you freakin' kiddin' me??!?!?

This must be an honest to goodness
academic-
educational-
gonna walk away with knowledge-
growing experience-
right up there with professional development-
post!!!




Nope.


It's not.

I never made it to school today.
Why?
I found out that there are two in services that I wanted/needed
next Tues and Wed and I HAVE to stay all day Mon to get
my stipend- and we are required back on Thursday-

and there is a whole lotta difference between
I am at school because I have to be and I am at school
cause I wanna be-
you know what I am talking about, right?

Well this week was optional-
and I opted out!!!

So while I was grocery shopping today, I thought to myself
"Self, if you don't go to school today, you are not going to have pics to share!"

And that would make me a fibber!
I am A LOT of different things
a fibber is not one of them-
so instead I took some shots while cooking dinner.

And I thought-
some people probably already make this or some variation of it-
but I'll share it and all the mommy teachers in teacher blogland
will say
"Oh, Squirrels! Thank you for your recipe idea-
you made my day easier today!"

Ok- you probably wouldn't say that-
but it's true-
we are all getting so close to being super-er -er
busy-
so here's an easy dinner-
It is one  of the Littles Favorites and it is sooooo easy!!
Turkey Rolls!




 Yes, it is Stove Top.
I make a phenom cornnread stuffing for realsies-
but remember we are in a (semi) hurry.
Pour stuffing in bowl. Add One and Half cups of Water. Microwave One minute.



 This is Smoked Turkey from the Deli.



 Spread stuffing on Turkey.


 Roll it up (hence the name- Turkey Rolls)


 Add them to the casserole dish- I dump the extra stuffing that didn't fit into the turkey around the sides.
(This could be the only recipe with the word "dump" in it).


 Shhhh.... Quiet now-
don't EVER tell my grandma that I bought premade gravy!! Well I am sure there are other things that would send her over the edge- but she would definitely  frown upon gravy from a jar !!
(Look at Truman "I want gravy! I want gravy!")


 Poor it on top. Oven like 15 mins on 425.


 I totally cheated on the green bean casserole, too.
I mixed all the ingredients, mic'ed it for 3 mins, stirred it, poured on more french fried onions and slid it in the oven for the last five minutes that the turkey rolls were in-


YUM!
Now those are for realsies mashed pots-
I can't skirt any corners on those-
I do have standards people!!!

Now see-  you have an easy dinner to have next week-
The potatoes take the longest.
(We had cranberry sauce too- but I was embarassed at how
badly I had mauled it, trying to get it out of the can- so I decided
not to photograph it!!)

Someone should start a "linky" of easy recipes for the busy teacher.
And when I say easy,
I mean
I need to be able to pronounce all of the ingredients and there shouldn't be more than
about 5 or six of them!

Maybe I'll do it-
who knows

On to other things- kind of related to teaching
I did hit the DOLLAR SPOT today

DEAR TARGET,
YOU ARE EVIL- MOVE THAT DOLLAR SPOT!!!
YOU ARE MILKIN' ALL THE TEACHERS DRY!
Signed
Duck

(Giggle, Giggle, Quack)

hee hee

I got my wallet


I would have never found if it hadn't been for Holly and her B.
(They MUST be Secret Squirrel Shoppers).

I did get three pocket charts,
two bingo games
and 7 books! They are kind of like the Step into Reading Books-
a couple of them are a little over where we are-
but darn it- those books were under a dollar!!
Those words cannot remain unread-
Heck even if I read them once- I have gotten my money's worth!!!

Okay- well today was day two of
my walking routine-
a little over 4 miles-
I am pretty proud-
good thing my other hobbies allow me to sit-
because after I "Face Time" the MR and ask him to move me from this chair in the office
to Comfy chair up front, I won't be able to do anything that
requires standing or walking!

Have a Fantastical Friday!

WHAT THE HECK!?!?!? Wednesday

uuuToday was the first day of the rest of my life!
Well, yesterday, was too- but then
won't tomorrow also be....?
I never got that saying-

Anyhoo-
I looked through some albums
(no vinyl)
photo albums-
you know,
those books that we used to put our
pictures in?

I used to be obsessed with getting
them developed and arranging them into the
the albums in the EXACT order that they were
taken so that we could remember every single moment
of our lives...

FOREVER {er er er} that was the echo.

But those days are gone.
I now move pictures to disc and it seems
like the only ones I print are of my students for
displays.

I was looking for pictures for the the Tell Me More Linky. Waa.

WHAT THE HECK happened?

I was a hottie!
I so see why the MR fell so quickly in love with me!

And I never exercised.
I ate like a horse.
I drank like sailor on shore leave.
After Chickadee- I went right back to
the way I was
(body-wise, not lifestyle habits)

Five years later-
I have Middle Little-
go right back

Three more years
Littlest Little-

right back

It has been these last two years.

Maybe because they are more independent and I dont have to chase them.
Maybe it's because I quit smoking.
Maybe it's because  I find naps to be such a beautiful thing.
Maybe it's because I am addicted to blogs!

(It is not because I am old. It is not because I am old. It is not because...)
I am willing that to be true.

Either way-
I grabbed my phone, downloaded an app
(Map My Walk)
Put on my shoes and took off-

4.6 miles and an hour later- I thought I was DYING!!

WHAT THE HECK was I thinking???
But I did it-
and I am going to do it again tomorrow
and the next day
and then a few more days after that
and then I will probably slack off
(like I do when I start something new)
and who knows, I might give it up all together-

But darn it, I did it today!
Gotta start somewhere!

We also went to the pool today-
You know it's hot when the pool isn't even refreshing-
it was like bath water-
a cool bath
but still bath water.

While we were there I saw
THE COOLEST GRANDMA EVER!
I didn't get a picture of her-
although I now wish I would have
I would also have liked to have gotten her
mailing address and birthday.
This woman NEEDS to be recognized!!!!

WHAT THE HECK makes this granny so special???

Not only did she get her grandlittles together
and haul their rascally booties to the pool when it was 100 degrees....

Not only did she pack a cooler
(that I watched HER carry down the hill)
filled with capri suns, waters,
(and what looked like cherries but I could be
mistaken)...

Not only did she do all of this

She sat in a lawn chair the whole time fanning herself.
She wasn't even wearing a bathing suit!
She didn't even get in!
She did move her chair to a shaded area at one point
but it was still almost 100 in the shade!

I told the littles how lucky those OTHER kids are
cause there is no way in HE** their nana would ever
do that for them!
I WOULDN'T DO THAT FOR THEM!
I don't even know MY own grandlittles yet-
but I can tell you this-
I wouldn't do it for them either!

She better get AWESOME presents on her birthday!!!!
---------------------------------Me!-----------------------------
So Holly sent me a picture today-
and I cannot wait until tomorrow- cause I am going to Target!

WHAT THE HECK is up with the woodland creature explosion???

Whatever caused it is fine by me!!!
Loot at this:

I am totally going to get one tomorrow!
If my Target doesn't have them- I will be ordering this one!
There appears to be lots of them for all of my friends though-

My friend Lorraine, who is doing a Peace and Love Theme this year. (She's a Fabulous Fourth Grader)

My friend Heather from Peacocks and Penguins- very cute.

My buddy Farley- she loves her some staches!

And of course, I can't leave out Reagan!

I might buy them all and change out by the season
hmmm....there's a hedgehog too-
what season would the hedgehog be?

My only problem is that to get to the accessories,
I have to pass the DOLLAR SPOT-
Will I be able to resist the temptation?
Will I have to stop?
How much will I buy?

Tune in tomorrow to see the bags that I
sneak in and hide from the MR
only to pretend in a week that
"Yes, dear, that bag has been in the office
FO EVA!"

Well a WTH Wednesday wouldn't be complete without a
check of what searches I am showing up on

Youtube put your hand in your sock???

 KPM PRISON CUT BACKS???
I have had some behavior problems- but they aren't THAT bad!!!
And apparently, Going Nutty is a good place for jokes?

What did the squirrel say when....??

Well?!?! What did he say???

 Looking for  a candle warmer from Target? Here's the place to be!

 And finally- planning a TN family getaway- come to the Lost Sea- home of the sarcastic squirrels!!!

Tomorrow morning is a working morning in the classroom-
be prepared for lots of pics!
Have a Thrilling Thursday!

Tell Me More Linky

Tell you more???
 I feel like I have told ya'll everything already!!!
Okay- maybe not everything-
I don't have access to pics of when I was a wittle ska-whirl
(except for those
few that you have already seen)
so I am starting from when
the MR was just the BOYFRIEND

First- me before becoming a baby factory-

That's me on the left.

This is me and Rick Astley...ha hah- "Never gonna give you up. never gonna let you down...."
nope that's the MR (in his pre MR years)

This is shortly after we became the PARENTS

That's me and Chickadee- she was such a happy girl-
I was 24. Love love loved being a mom!

That's him- also loving being a parent- even when we had to play "Where's the baby?!?!?" Do you see her???

We took her to DC-
This is when we were those young parents.
We heard "Your baby lost her shoe" in EVERY language that day!


Chickadee gets a little bigger.... blah blah blah

Chickadee is around two now-
I have changed my hair a little-
He is still "Rick Rollin'"

Even then- he thought he was hilarious!

There she is !
Aw- that hair was UNRULY!!!!
Can you see who she is holding? Look how pretty and bright he was:)
Can you see what is hanging on the closet door? (Check out How this squirrel got her name in the archives)

SUPER FAST FOWARD!!!!
Chickadee has grown 5 more years!
J. is the littlest little at this point- he doesn't understand that the
great big belly he is leaning against contains the NEW littlest little!!

I absolutely loved being preggers!

Right after we found out that #3 was coming, we bought a home.
My oldest son had a HUGE obsession with Bob the Builder-
here he is building our fence with the MR.

Wow- this is the last picture that was ever taken of the three of them together where at least two were smiling and no one was giving bunny ears to anyone.
That was 8 years ago.

Somewhere in all that craziness, I went to college, got my degree student taught and landed a K job for three years- then three in first grade.

Everyone already knows that I am a weirdo-
this will drive it home:

I can't touch chalk.

My feet can't touch other people's feet. No footsies for me- icky ka ka!!

I freak out when my socks get wet- they have to be changed immediately!
THANK goodness it's summer!

(Wow- I am starting to sound like a cuckoo bird)

I will drive an extra mile to turn at a light vs. having to make a left hand turn without one.
The littles have been known to say, "I wanted ice cream...but it's on the left- maybe next time."

No one else can touch my bar of soap- BLECK! Don't get my soap dirty!!!

I LOVE boiled peanuts- everyone else in my family hates them and can't stand to even
look at them!!

(I'm trying to think of some stuff that won't make me weirder....I can't think of anything!!!)


I leave you now with one of my FAVORITE pics of Littlest Little-
he will absolutely die if he finds out I put it on here- but I figure what the heck-
what's he gonna do? tell on me????
His not-so-little booty and chubster legs kept him from being able to walk until he was almost 14 months!!!!

 Can't wait to make the rounds and get to know you all a little more too!


Head over to Amy's to link up!