Lauren

I don’t know if he’ll see this, but have a very happy birthday, Mark!

One of our stops this weekend was a place called Thrift World. It was a really big building, so nothing was crowded and they had a huge selection. I am a big fan of thrift stores, but of course I freak out inwardly about bed bugs being there.

I found two things: a sweater for me and a jacket for Lloyd. One of my favorite things is to walk by the sweaters and try to guess if they are made of natural or man-made materials. I saw one and thought it must be wool….. and it was cashmere! It’s a drape-y style that is too short to wear in public, but it’s just right for lounging at home and petting my super-soft sweater! New, it would have cost well over a hundred dollars, I got it for four. (No photos – Lloyd has my iPad now. I did upload the following last night, though.)

Lloyd’s jacket is a triumph! It’s a Beyond Clothing military-grade wind shirt that is water repellent. It is super-thin and has a stowaway hood, and it can pack into its pocket. I just picked it out because it seemed so light and useful, but when I looked it up online, this thing is crazy. It’s part of a clothing system to keep you warm and dry in the wild …. and I got it for eight dollars! Here are some photos of it on websites:

So, all in all, I am pleased with the haul!

I am so grateful to have friends who are social, and who keep me in mind. Left to my own devices, I would sit in my house all day and never see a soul. I do like solitude, but being around people makes for a more well-rounded mental state.

This weekend, I went with some friends (Rachel, Beth and Michelle) to an air b-n-b in Iowa. (You were missed, Deborah!) We got there Friday night after Beth drove in three hours of WIND, and got home Sunday afternoon. It was delightful! We were in a little town called Lake View that has a handful of very nice shops, and went to another town a half-hour away to visit their stores, too.

At the house, we made all our food and it was delicious. It was just nice to sit around and visit, and to not be at work or at home. I’ll try to post some pictures of the house later, but I’m running a bit late. (I have some Future Posts about some of the stuff, too.)

Happy Tuesday!

I just took some stuff down to the basement and found a nativity plaque/decoration that I bought back in October when I thought, “This is ridiculous. Christmas is SO FAR AWAY.” Erm, I’m glad I saw it or I would have forgotten all about it.

My classroom eases into Christmas. We really focus on Advent at the start. I get things out little by little, so we don’t have any tree up or lights out just yet. (We’ll get the tree next week.) Part of it is to help them focus on the Real Reason for the Season, but the other part is that I don’t want to get tired of Christmas stuff by actual Christmas.

At home, though – we are totally decorated. My corner tree is plugged in. (No ornaments, though.)

I can’t tell this story well enough to make it as funny as it was.

Things to know:

1. I have a boy in my class who is very quiet. He also doesn’t like fruits and vegetables very much. No worries – he’s always good about trying a bite. He’s good as gold.
2. We have three tables at lunchtime but only two teachers. I spend my lunch monitoring the manners at two tables.
3. On this day, my own table was having troubles and the unmanned table had three children who kept shooting me Knowing Glances, so I knew they were up to no good. Quiet Boy was also at this table.
4. To make sure everything was on the up & up, I put an iPad facedown in the middle of their table and hit ‘record’. When they asked me why, I smiled and said, “I just need to make sure everyone is using their good words.”
5. When lunch came to an end, the children were mostly dismissed, but Quiet Boy was still at the table, taking bites of his salad and shuddering each time. I told him he could be done if he wanted, but he shook his head. The tortured grimacing and swallowing continued, and I kept telling him, “You do not have to eat any more of that salad. Don’t you want to be done?” He shook his head each time. Ok. You do you, kid.
6. Later at nap, I reviewed the audio footage. The Glancing Children had cleaned up their act – their conversation was silly, but not bad. Then I heard Quiet Boy say, “I’m gonna eat all my salad. I love salad. I love it.”

What?? It was hard not to bust out laughing at nap. His brain might love salad, but his mouth does not.

Lloyd and I went our separate ways for Thanksgiving. He went to Missouri and I went to Colorado. He enjoyed spending time with his parents, and maybe someday he’ll tell you about it.

I drove out to see my Dad. I left mid-afternoon on Wednesday and stopped when it got drove the rest of the way on Thursday. We had a very nice time – plenty of food, good visiting, and he even let me just sit around and do nothing, which was a blessing. We made an apple pie with apples from his tree, and I got to crash his Saturday-morning breakfast group, a bunch of very nice guys.

I drove home on Sunday and the weather was a little tricky – a fair amount of fog and some snow and a wee bit of ice. Traffic went pretty slow, which made it bearable. Anyway, home safe and sound, with a new week coming up that i am completely not prepared for. Yay!