Rylie Harper Green

Rylie has arrived! Phila was at her usual check up on Monday, and they sent her to the hospital. After 19 hours of labor, sweet Rylie made her debut at 8:10 Tuesday morning. She weighed in at 8lbs, 7 oz, and 21" long. She is of course the sweetest, most beautiful girl ever. I'm not biased, she is truly gorgeous. ;) I promise to post pictures!

Waiting for Rylie

Hi all! Many of you have been asking me how Phila is doing, and of course how sweet Rylie is doing. Both are doing well, but both are ready for Rylie's arrival! Phila had an appointment on Monday to see how big Little Miss is. Unfortunately, Rylie did not cooperate (she gets that from her Daddy), so they had to guesstimate. It looks like she is gonna be 8-10 lbs. Wow! Rylie is in position, and ready to go. I hope she hurries, I can't wait to meet her!
I'll post pictures of the shower soon!

Busy Bees!

This is one of my favorite times of the year. Not for the weather, I hate winter and can't wait for the spring! No, I love this time of year because it is so busy! This is the time when I start looking at my kiddos in class and plan their programs for next year. This is the time when we think about spring field trips (I invite everyone to check out Morgan's Wonderland in San Antonio, especially Erin!), fundraise for Relay and the 3 day walk, gala committees begin to meet, and we plan our end of the year parent program. There are always baby and bridal showers, family and friends birthdays, and all kinds of parties. It's time to spring clean, which leads to some great garage sales! I spend all winter dreaming, and all spring planning. Does anyone else feel this type of spring fever? Let me know what y'all look forward to!

Live Your Best Life

Yesterday I was lucky enough to enjoy a great lunch with some great friends. While we were enjoying some fabulous fixin's from Ada Lou's, we discussed all the usual things - houses, decorating, shopping, relationships. We each had much to say on each topic, of course. One of my favorite points of the conversation came at the end. We talked about heirlooms we've inherited from dear family members, like my beloved Aunt Shirley dishes. We mentioned how we don't use them, how we save them for "special" occasions, even though we'd like to use them more. We all agreed that we would use our nice things. Why should we wait? Isn't every day special in some way or another? The Queen of England is not going to visit my house. Why should I save my dishes for her? If she does, will she know if I ate dinner off those plates the evening before? I don't think so. And why would she care anyway? One of my favorite Oprah moments came from a show a few years ago on this same topic. For me, the golden line was "Live your best life now." What's the point of having things if not to enjoy them? So last night, when I ate dinner, I drank my iced tea from a fancy glass. I think the Queen would approve.

Life Is A One Time Gift

I just stumbled upon this, and think it's to good not to share. Hope everyone has a fabulous 2010.

"LIFE IS A ONE TIME GIFT"
HANDBOOK 2010

Health :
1. Drink plenty of water.
2. Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a beggar.
3. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.
4. Live with the 3 E's -- Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy
5. Make time to pray.
6. Play more games
7. Read more books than you did in 2009.
8. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day
9. Sleep for 7 hours.
10. Take a 10-30 minutes walk daily. And while you walk, smile.

Personality :
11. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
12. Don't have negative thoughts or worry about things you cannot control.
13. Don't over do. Keep your limits.
14. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
15. Don't waste your precious energy on gossip.
16. Dream more while you are awake
17. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
18. Forget issues of the past. Don't remind your partner with His/her mistakes of the past. That will ruin your present happiness.
19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone. Don't hate others.
20. Make peace with your past so it won't spoil the present.
21. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
22. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn. Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime.
23. Smile and laugh more.
24. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree...

Society :
25. Call your family often.
26. Each day give something good to others.
27. Forgive everyone for everything.
28. Spend time w/ people over the age of 70 & under the age of 6.
29. Try to make at least three people smile each day.
30. What other people think of you is none of your business.
31. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

Life :
32. Do the right thing, the right way!
33. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
34. GOD heals everything.
35. However good or bad a situation is, it will change..
36. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
37. The best is yet to come.
38. When you awake alive in the morning, thank GOD for it.
39. Your Inner most is always happy. So, be happy.

Things I've Heard or Said Today

"Don't lick the milk off your tray."

"Why is there a pull up in your copier?"

"Wow, 2010 is supposed to be the year I find true love!" Response - "Did they clarify? Love from a puppy or love from a man?"

"Sweet! I have chocolate on my desk, but the kids are being so great today I won't need to eat it!" 15 minutes later - "Do you have any more chocolate?"

"Don't step in that pee puddle!"

"Did you make the pee puddle?"

"The water fountain is not a shower."

"We don't pee on our friends."

"I told him no, no, no, but he just said yes, yes, yes."

"We can't go outside without our clothes on."

This is why I love my job. :)

Oh my...

Who needs a 3 day weekend? (You can't see it, but my hand is raised very, very high).

I'm Gonna Be An Aunt!

Okay, so that's old news, but Jacob and Phila found out today what they are having. It's a girl! Thanks, y'all, for giving me a sweet niece to love and spoil! And, sorry Phila, she is definately getting the Wonder Woman onesie! If she's anything like Jacob, she'll be a chunky monkey. In a Wonder Woman onesie. Can we say Adorable?

Lessons Learned

I once thought that everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten. I learned to share, I learned to read, and I learned to CYA if you think you're about to get in trouble. Recently I've decided that I've learned some pretty valuable life lessons as an adult. Here's a brief run down on what they Don't teach you in kindergarten -
* Sometimes bad things happen to good people. Even if you CYA, you may still get it. The thing to remember is God won't put you through something He doesn't think you can handle.
* The Beatles were wrong - Love is not all you need. There are many more crucial aspects to a relationship. If even one is not there, no matter how much love you have for each other, it's not where you need to be. True story.
* You don't always have to share. Sure, it's good to share, but I do not share my food (unless I'm full), and you better not even think of touching my quacamole.
* When one door closes another one really does open.
* Friends matter. A lot. Don't take them for granted, and don't let them slip away when you start a new relationship.
* Pedicures are a gift from God.
* You get what you pay for/put in to it. Both sayings are amazingly true.

These lessons didn't come easy, but I love my life today, and it's because I learned them. If I forgot any, let me know!

House Update

Okay, just for those of you who are wondering how it's going... The house is about half painted! Yay! And you know me, every room is a different color. I've ordered the french doors that will go from the living room into my bedroom. Jacob and Dad get big points for ripping out a couple of awkward closets. Next projects are the two bedrooms, then I'll move onto the biggest one - the kitchen. I hate my kitchen, so that one should be a lot of fun. I'm sore from reaching high to paint, and I never knew I'd have so much fun ripping wallpaper border off the walls. It's a lot of work, but I'm loving it!

Isn't It Funny?

Isn't it funny how your life can become completely derailed? I've been thinking tonight about how my life has completely changed paths several times. It seems like everytime I seem to think I know where I'm headed, I get lost and walk through the wrong door. Maybe not the "wrong" door, but a door that leads to a room I certainly didn't expect to be in. And so I settle in the new room, get comfy in that room, get up for a drink of water and go through another door. I don't know if that happens to everyone, or if it's just me. I don't know if that will ever stop, or if it's just life. I do know some rooms I've been in were really cozy. I also know I'm ready to truly settle in a room for awhile. It feels like whatever path I'm on has a few loose pavers!

Prayers, Please!

Hey everyone. One of the sweetest and craziest ladies I know just found out she has cancer. She's going to need a lot of prayer and support right now. If you have a quick second, please use it wisely and ask God for a little blessing on her behalf. I know she appreciates it. And if anyone would like to join my Team Steph team for the Race For The Cure, just let me know! Thanks!

So Much For Holding Out

I give. I joined Facebook. I'm already a little aggrivated, though. I can't figure out how to see pictures on my computer before I download them. Ugh! Oh well. :P

My New Home

I finally did it. I bought a house here in Lockhart. It's great, and perfect for me. It has two bedrooms, one bath, and only some remodeling to do. I think the best part is that I know I can do this by myself. It really is great, did I say that already? If anyone wants to paint, let me know! ;) As soon as I get all moved in I'll post some pictures.

Whoo-hooligans!

Wow, what a day! After yet another l-o-o-o-n-g inservice meeting, followed by a quick lunch at my desk and a short couple of hours scrambling to get things finished, the year has finally begun! Carver had it's Meet the Teacher "night" this afternoon. I LOVE this day! It's so much fun seeing my students come back. Their little faces are always excited, and it's fun for us and the parents to watch them run and explore. This year I have some repeating students, some new students, and some that have moved on and into general ed. That is always especially exciting. They always come visit us, after they've visited their new classroom. I love to hear them talk about how now they're big kids! We also have a motor lab this year, that is conjoined with my room. We will have way to much fun in there! I like Meet the Teacher night so much that I joined Maddy, Beck, and Eric for theirs at Blanco Vista as well. Beck and Eric are in the same class, and our old friend Jude is across the hall. I wish all 4 of them the best year ever!

OMG!

My mom is on Facebook. No worries, I'm still holding out. She is on it all the time. It's crazy. She has become like all my crazy friends, and has a one track, facebook mind. :P

Goodbye, Summer.....

I woke up this morning singing. It wasn't joyous singing, but the opening song to Grease 2. "I gotta go back, back, back to school again..." (Be glad this is the internet, and you can't actually hear me!) For me, summer is officially over. Teachers started back today, while the lucky kiddos have 2 more weeks. I always look forward to the start of a new school year (such promise!), but always mourn the loss of long, bright, empty days. I try to pretend like it's not really over, filling any spare time with trips to water parks and theme parks. So, if anyone is up to a trip to Fiesta Texas or Schlitterbahn, give me a call! To my fellow teachers (congrats, Erin!) welcome back! This year will be the best one yet!

It's Not Easy Tryin' To Be Green, Either

I have a complaint against our wonderful baggers at the local HEB. Before anyone strikes me dead, I realize this is not against ALL baggers, and that most are quite brilliant at the job. Unfortunately, those are not the ones who bag my groceries most of the time.
I have been using reuseable bags since the first edition ones came out several years ago. I give them as gifts even. My question is why do we use them, if the bagger puts almost every single item in it's own plastic sack before placing it in the reusable bag? I understand meat, no complaints there. I can vauguely understand cleaners (although I believe the odds of them exploding in the four block drive back to the house pretty small). But a pie crust? How will the thin plastic sack protect it from the evils of the world? Vegetables, that are already in their own veggie plastic sack (which I reuse as trash sacks as I cook)? Cereal, for heavens sake? Seriously?

Prayers and Praises!

God is so great! A good friend of mine has a mother in law who is dire need of your prayers. She is first on the list for a new liver, and needs it yesterday. On Sunday I recieved an update that she was not doing well, and things were very worrisome. I prayed, my friends prayed, my family prayed. Multiply that times all their friends and family - it's safe to say there was a lot of prayer involved! Well, if you ever wonder if prayer works, think of her! I just got an update that she has taken a turn for the better, and the doctors still believe she has a very good chance. Yay! Please continue to pray for her, that a liver comes in quickly. Also, please pray for their family, they could use the support right now.

It's Not Easy Bein' Green

All I can say is, for shame, Lady Gaga, for shame. Mrs. Piggy's gonna kick your Kermie covered bootie.