a few updates

Just because....

1. I keep trying to do my Christmas shopping and I keep finding spectacular sales on things that I want. So I have bought myself several Christmas presents. Friends and family: um... I still have some time.

2. I am loving having a sewing machine. I just recently hemmed, took in, or otherwise altered about 5 skirts that just didn't fit right anymore. It's like a whole new closet without spending any money!

3. I also bought myself a skirt from Fossil (which was on clearance) and since it was SUPER long, I cut it, hemmed it, and made it into a knee-length pencil skirt. Then I used the rest of the fabric to make myself a shirt! I am pretty much a miracle worker.

4. I have made a New Year's resolution (which I started early) to not eat any more processed foods (with a few exceptions). I have therefore been cooking a lot, and find it more enjoyable than I would have thought. I also have become master of the grilled cheese sandwich (gourmet varieties).

5. 4 days of school left until winter break! The last week is always the worst. The kids are ready to be gone, and all have the attention span of a flea. I am giving all of my classes quizzes on Friday. I am mean.

oh, and a favor

my students are working on capstone projects. please go to our class blog and comment on their proposals. ask questions, give suggestions, etc. your input is greatly appreciated.

bulliscapstones.blogspot.com

thanks!

a quick poll

watch these two videos. what school would you rather attend? (or which one would you most likely send your kids to?) why?

Carpe Diem Marketing Video - Final Cut from Nicholas Tucker on Vimeo.

homecoming

This weekend was homecoming at our school, and I had the privilege of chaperoning the dance. (awesome, by the way.) The dance started at 8:00, but two of our Chinese exchange students showed up at 7:30. The concept of "fashionably late" does not translate into Chinese very well.

mad skills

So in my AP class we are trying to figure out whether or not this video is real: (Um... pretty sure it's not. But they were supposed to prove that it couldn't be real.)

Then we headed down to the gym to film some half-court shot attempts so that we could compare them to the youtube video. My excellent basketball skills were captured on film.

happy hurricane

I stopped by the grocery store on my way home last night to pick up some essentials (like double-stuff Oreos). You know, just in case the power goes out or it floods or something. Everybody else seemed to have the same idea, so periodically store management would make announcements about what lanes were open, etc, and letting us know that they hope we have a great weekend and "enjoy the hurricane".

I have Oreos and Gilmore Girls so I most definitely will, thank you.

who wants to see my new house???

Oh, everybody does?? That's awesome.

My building. I live in the back left corner - nice and shady, which means I hardly even have to use my air conditioning. Awesome!!!

The bathroom (before):

The bathroom (now): The yellow is much darker than it looks here. I sewed a curtain to go around the bottom of the sink (it is odd-shaped and there are NO cabinets that fit it properly) and bought gray towels, bathmat, and shower curtain.

The kitchen (before):

Kitchen (after): I replaced the ugly gold knobs with nice sleek handles and painted (gasp) navy blue. I realized halfway through that the color was going to have to stay whether I liked it or not (I do NOT have the energy to paint over navy blue walls right now) but luckily, I really like how it turned out. Yay!

Dining room (before)

Dining room (now): The walls are actually a little darker than they appear in the pic. It's a nice, rich yellow. I can't quite figure out what to put on the windows... Any suggestions?

And my roommate: His name is Elian and he doesn't know it yet, but I have made an appointment to rob him of his manhood. I'm pretty sure we'll both be much happier that way. And by both of us, I mean me and my poor abused pillows. He is sitting on top of the fabric that I purchased that I am planning on using to make a rug. Nice print, huh?

how embarrassing

I am quite possibly the only person in the DC metro area who did NOT feel the earthquake today. The Commando sent me a text asking if I was okay, which I found very confusing.

That doesn't mean I'm not going to post about it!

so close

In about a week, I will offically be a homeowner.

In preparation for the big event, I have NOT:

started packing

started cleaning

looked for a roommate

found movers

but I HAVE:

spent an obscene amount of time browsing paint colors and decorating options.

so much time, so little to do

So you would think that having summers off would mean lots of time for updates and stories of all the fun I'm having. As it turns out, having all the free time in the world can make one a bit lazy. Huh.

But in case you are worried that I have been sleeping my days away, fear not! I am making good use of my summer. Carrie, Mom, Ashley, Bethany, and Mabel came to visit. I ate lots of cupcakes and took them to all of my favorite restaurants.

I made an offer on a condo in a great area out here. Hopefully on July 29 I will be an official homeowner!! Now I need to get Shady out here to help me pick out paint colors. (Pretty please? I'll buy you dinner and take you to get a massage!)

I am still training for the St George marathon, and still hate running on a treadmill. It gets more and more agonizing every week. But even if it kills me, I'm not quitting.

I joined Twitter! So if anybody wants mundane updates on what I'm having for lunch or how many hours I spent at the pool, you can follow me! (I actually joined because there's a whole community of science and math teachers on Twitter sharing resources and ideas for their classes. So my Tweets just might be less interesting to you than what I'm having for lunch. It's a toss-up.)

I have read 2 whole books in the past 2 days, so I am on the fast track to reading more books this year than Ryan. Now I just need to decide what book I want to make him buy me....

so so close

The end of the school year is almost here, and it could not come soon enough.

It's been a long year. I need a break.

But only 6 days left. 3 review days and 3 exam days. And then I am as free as a little birdie.

Hopefully this will be a sumer full of good change. I need it. I have recently been talking a lot with my favorite coworker. (He is not everybody's favorite coworker. Just mine. In fact, a lot of people find him abrasive and rude. I find him refreshingly honest. But that's just me.) He has challenged me to approach next year with more gumption. I think I'm up for the challenge. (That's part of having gumption, by the way. Being up for challenges. And I now have gumption. When I was little my mom told me I could be whatever I wanted to be. And I want to be gumptious. So now I am. (If that's a word))

awkward

We had a new substitute teacher here at school today, so I decided that it would be polite to make idle talk with him. When he told me his name, I thought that he said "Shark". So I went on and on about what an awesome name to have. His name is not Shark. It's something totally boring like "Shawn"' or something. (No offense, Shawn.)

Awkward.

bragging (again)

So today I was at the mall (because that's where my bank is... this just might be the death of me) when I stopped by a little store that sells hair care products. (I am out of shampoo.) I ended up buying over $100 worth of shampoo and other hair products for a mere $18. I'm pretty sure I have magical powers when it comes to sales.

a nerdy story

So we are currently wrapping up our unit on electromagnetism in my class, so we are obviously discussing induced currents. Which means that we are also discussing the meaning of the word "induced". (As it turns out, most 16-year-olds do not know the meaning of "induced". (Definition: to cause or to make something happen, as in "induced labor" or "chemically induced coma") Side note: the "induced labor" example freaked out the boys in the class. They asked me to please never mention labor ever again. I obliged.)

So anyway, our school's theme this year is "make it happen". Our new headmaster is a go-getter kind of guy. So I suggested to the class that we replace our school theme. Instead of "make it happen" it could be simplified to "induce". Great idea, right?

(I don't think the kids took it seriously. So I suggested it to my colleagues. I don't think they took it seriously either.)

physics fail

we watched this video in my class today. is it mean that i find it kind of funny?

favorites

every teacher has a favorite class. Mine just happens to be the last class of the day, which is so convenient because that means I always go home in a good mood. Awesome, right?

So a while ago, they decided that whenever anybody in the class did something awesome (meaning answering a difficult question, stumping the teacher (this doesn't happen very often - what can I say, I'm pretty good) or asking something insightful, the rest of the class starts up a slow clap in celebration. For those of you who do not know what a slow clap is, it is pretty much what it sounds like. You start clapping slowly, then gradually increase in intensity until you have an all-out celebration. (Sometimes this includes banging on the tables, hooping and hollering, etc.) To be honest, it's pretty awesome.

So yesterday was the senior's last day of school. (They're spending the next few weeks doing service projects.) So all of the juniors got together and decided to do the ultimate slow clap in honor of the seniors. So they clapped once at 2:05. Then they clapped again at 2:15. Then once at 2:23. Then again at 2:28, 2:32, etc. until the very last minute of class there was an eruption of applause, jumping, cheering, and congratulating the seniors on successfully completing high school. They thought it was just fantastic that I had no idea why the entire class would randomly clap once while I was in the middle of saying something that was, in all honesty, not that interesting. (At first I thought they were applauding me and was quite flattered. I was wrong.) How is it possible to NOT love these kids? (Answer: it's not possible. Obviously.)

bring it on

So, just let me brag about myself for a minute. (Since I'm pretty good at it.)

The last time I went on a real run was last August. I broke my foot. Then my eyes stopped working and I started slamming into walls and such if I so much as walked briskly. Poor poor me, I know.

Today, I ran seven miles. In a sub-9-minute mile pace. (Just barely. They were something like 8.9 minute miles, but still. It counts.) Not bad after a 9 month sabbatical. And I ran it on a treadmill (with a .4 incline, thank you very much). I hate treadmills. Almost as much as I hate rap music. (Which is a lot, in case there was any question.)

But I have this coworker named Chris. Back when my eyes stopped working, I got lots of pity from lots of people. Pretty much everyone except for him. He made fun of me. Which, in all honesty, is exactly what I needed. Feeling sorry for myself got me absolutely nowhere. And while it's nice to know that people care, having the rest of the world feel sorry for me also got me nowhere. But being made fun of made me laugh and feel like a normal person. And for that, I love Chris. (Don't tell him that. He's all finicky and weird about mushy stuff like that. He won't even admit that we're friends. We are "friendly". Whatever. We're friends whether he likes it or not.)

But I'm getting off topic here. Last week, I was telling him about how I am registered for a marathon in October and was worried that I wouldn't be able to train since I still have trouble keeping my eyes open when I move any faster than a slug. And again, I got no pity from him. (Surprise, surprise.) In fact, he may have thrown something at me and then told me I was an idiot. (Have I never heard of a treadmill? Really?) As much as I tried to tell him that I hate treadmills and lose my sanity after about 8 minutes, he refused to listen. (As much as I love Chris, listening is not one of his strong points.) Instead, he told me that if I really wanted to run a marathon in October, I had to just make it happen. My excuses are lame. I deserve a better life than I am giving myself. I can do anything I want, have any man I want, but I have to stop holding myself back. Blah, blah, blah. Kind of irritating at the time, but totally true.

So here I am, making it happen. I bought myself a nice long playlist of running music for my ipod (meaning early 90's country music), headed to the gym, set the speed to an 8:50 mile, and ran for seven miles. Monday is incline work, Tuesday will be a nice slow(ish) run, more hills on Wednesday, shorter runs Thursday and Friday, and 10 miles on Saturday. By October, I will be marathon ready.

So I hope Mom and Kate are ready to get their butts kicked in St George.

contradiction

Today I charged my Garmin wristwatch, with hopeful anticipation that I will be able to run in the near future. (And by run, I mean run, not run into. I'm already really good at that.)

Today I also turned in my garage key to my apartment office, since I haven't used it in 8 months and it will save me $40/month.

Apparently for me, running is a little more important than driving. (Mainly because I have a personal chauffeur. Hehe.)

augh.

Today is just one of those days. Not one of the good kind. One of the annoying kind.

My kids are whiny. (All 60 of them. If I hear one more complaint I'm going to lose it.)

One of my students climbed out the window when my back was turned. It took me a good five minutes to figure out why everyone was laughing.

It was supposed to be sunny today, and it is not.

I decided to try driving on Saturday, just to see how it went. It didn't go past the parking garage.

BUT I am getting a new roommate today. One that I am confident will soon turn into a good friend. So maybe today won't be so bad after all.

new blog

pintucksandruffles.blogspot.com

Shady will be posting some sewing/crafty tutorials soon. And so will I.

Who knew I would love being crafty?

march madness

Guess who is ranked #1 in our faculty March Madness bracket pool?

(me)

Now my coworkers are trying to get me disqualified since I am a Mormon and technically not allowed to gamble. They are only thinking of my eternal welfare.

Ahem. Right.

and now spring break is over

It was 77 degrees and sunny when we got out of school last Friday. Then the temperature promptly dropped to around 40 and stayed there all week. Lame.

But one of my students became an ordained minister over the break. Turns out all you have to do is send an email. He thinks a physics classroom wedding would be just a stellar idea. I beg to differ.

And now Shady and I are starting our very own sewing blog! I think it's going to be a hit. Any ideas for a name would be appreciated.

spring break

It's finally here!! I had big plans for sitting outside in the warm sunshine reading books.

But today it rained, and it is supposed to snow on Friday. If it snows, at least it could have the courtesy to wait until next Tuesday so we get another snow day. Snow over spring break is entirely pointless.

In the meantime, I am sewing myself a ruffled gingham shirt and striped dress.

great news

So my coworker Chris applied for a grant from our school to take a trip to British Columbia for an 8-day backpacking trip. He found out yesterday that he grant was approved, and guess who he invited to go along with him?

No, not me. He invited Jack.

But guess who invited herself to come along?

Yes, that would be me. Shameless? Maybe. But still pretty awesome.

dear family members (and friends)

Since I clearly have developed a new obsession with sewing (which makes sense, considering it's the only thing that keeps my eyes open), if anybody would like any of the below items (or a tie! i know how to make a tie too!) I would be happy to oblige. (ps - I am planning on making all of the below items for myself, just in case my closet is not quite full enough. But don't worry, Dad. I am still your daughter and frugal as ever, so I am using materials that I already own. Who can pass up free clothes?! Not me. I am, after all, a product of you and mom.)

The petal tank: I could use whatever colors you choose, so if it is too rainbow-y, no worries!

Ruffle scarf: SO cute. And it is impossible to have too many scarves. Especially if you live somewhere cold.

Flower tank: So pretty! There's not much I would change about this one:

Pretty flower shirt (I will obviously make the neckline a little more "modest" so that it covers). I already made this one for myself and am already in love. It makes me feel so pretty:

Don't worry, guys. I do have other hobbies besides sewing. Namely, riding my bike in my room while I jam to "I want to bop with you baby" with my eyes closed. (And just so everybody knows "I want to bop with you baby" is about dancing, and nothing else. And quite possibly the best song ever.) I also enjoy watching trashy reality TV. I have a very fulfilling life, guys.

Dear Ashley,

Here is the prototype for the ruffle skirt you wanted me to make you. What do you think? (My pictures are not as high quality as the one I was copying, but I definitely got a compliment at church today.)

just a couple more

I made some yarn balls to fill the empty white bowl on our coffee table. (It used to be filled with Christmas decorations, and while I fully admit to listening to Christmas music year-round, the decorations just have to go after New Year's.)

I made a board on which to hang all of the pictures of my favorite nieces and nephews. (Don't worry guys, everyone's included.)

A pillow made out of two clearance napkins and some scrap felt. Total cost: about $.50.

And one more pillow, also made from a napkin and scrap materials. (It's a flower. Just in case you couldn't tell.)

Up next:

A slightly toned-down version of this pillow (with colors to match the color scheme in my room, of course)

This skirt: (Is it obvious yet that I love ruffles?)

And a set of individual whiteboards for my freshmen. I've been promising them for weeks to make them some, so that they can solve problems at their desks using whiteboard markers. (Because that is some how way more fun than solving problems using a pencil.) I even told them they could borrow the school's label maker to label their own boards. I'm pretty sure that makes me teacher of the year. (Or a pushover. Definitely a pushover.)

Proof I watched the Superbowl

The Steelers did not win. Joe picked me up for school the next day, anyway. (He's nice.) And he did a really good job of not being grumpy.

oh, and a couple more things

I have been decorating my room.

Like it?

I printed out a bunch of black and white pictures of DC and hung them up over my bed. And I made those curtains. (They're purple. Still trying to figure out my fancy new camera.)
Notice the bedding? I hit up the Macy's sale and bought $500 worth of bedding (coverlet, sheetset, and bedskirt) for $81. Mom, I take it back. I'm glad I inherited your inability to pass up a good sale.

And did anyone notice my nice, fancy roadbike secluded to the corner of the room behind my bed? When I bought him, the poor little guy thought that he would actually be able to explore the HUNDREDS of miles of hilly, green bike paths that Northern Virginia has to offer. He thought he'd be able to ride along the river under a canopy of trees. No such luck. He's just spinning his wheels in the corner of my room. And let me tell you, riding your bike in your room is not quite as much fun as riding along the Potomac on a sunny afternoon.

Then I made a wreath out of a book. (I proofread to make sure I wasn't destroying any hidden literary genius. Believe me, I was not.) Then I painted that book case a dark brown to match the rest of the furniture in my apartment.

what i've been up to

Making this shirt: It began as a long-sleeved blue and white striped tshirt. Now it is a blue and white striped tanktop with a nice pretty flower on the front.

Making this caridgan: It used to be a (very old - so old that Ashley wore it on her mission. yikes) and added a nice blue ruffle from scrap material. So much cuter.

Making this shirt: It used to be a long-sleeved blue shirt that I bought to wear on blue and gold spirit days. Now it is along-sleeved blue shirt with a nice ruffle on the front. (the ruffle is navy blue, not black as it may appear in the picture)

Making a purse: This one was made entirely from scratch. So cute. And small enough that I can't fill my purse with worthless crap that is completely unnecessary yet still fun to carry around. (15 varieties of lipgloss, anyone? or maybe 4 different books, just in case the first three get a litttle dull.)

Making this skirt: It used to have a very large toucan on it. (Yes, as in the giant tropical bird.) It was on clearance, and since I am my mother's daughter I could not pass up buying a $70 for $10. (Thanks a lot, mom.) I wore it once. I received lots of comments on it. I have since learned that having lots of people comment on your clothing is not always a good thing.

Making lots of fruit smoothies. Plain yogurt + frozen fruit = delicious and nutritious.

Wait, did you just say you wanted to see what these shirts look like when I wear them so you can see how much cuter they are when you put them on? Don't fear, my friends. That post will be coming soon.

it's midnight. what are you doing?

I am sitting in bed, reading a book, eating soy nuts and strawberry fruit roll-ups and drinking crystal lite fitness. And thinking about what i want to wear to school tomorrow.

I am an awesome multi-tasker.

my apologies

I certainly don't want to be that girl who brags about how much better her life is than anyone else's. But today, I have a really good reason.

We had two more snow days.

End of story.

Don't even try to tell me my life isn't awesome.

crafty

In addition to my sewing projects, I have also made one of these:

My first pattern was more simple than this one (I needed to practice) but I have four more empty journals just waiting to be folded into something awesome. (I made my first one while watching the Steelers/Jets game last night. Go Steelers. (I have to say that because my ride to school is a die-hard Steelers fan and it's a long walk to work.)

And then I am making this:

To hang in my room on the one empty wall I have left.

And then, to get back into sewing, I am going to attempt this sweater:

I have a sweater with the same general shape. I just need to alter it and add some buttons. I think I can do it. I'll try, anyway.

don't be jealous

But my 3-day weekend just turned into a 4-day weekend.

Snow days rock.

Dear Drivers of DC,

Thanks for being so bad at driving in the snow. I don't think less of you. Schoolchildren all over the DC metro area are singing your praises right now.

Love,

Poodle

ps

After looking into things, it was actually Kate Spade who wanted me to buy that first tank. And she wanted me to pay way more than $50. Silly girl.

adventures in sewing

Look what I made yesterday!!

Awesome, huh? Anthro wanted me to pay at least $50 for it. They clearly have never met me. Otherwise they would know how ridiculous that is.

Instead, I took a blue and white striped tshirt (purchased for $5 at the Gap 3 years ag0) that I hadn't worn in about 1.5 years. I cut the sleeves off, sewed them on the front of the shirt, and viola!! So cute.

Next, I think I'm going to make this one:

Except I'm going to use a royal blue long sleeved tshirt with some navy blue ribbon that I have from a skirt I bought 5 years ago that really looks much better without the ribbon. (You're going to have to trust me on this one.)

Before you know it, I'm going to have a whole new wardrobe without buying a thing!! (Besides a sewing machine, that is.... Thanks, mom!)

3-day weekend

Oh, how I love thee.

I am sleeping in tomorrow. (Probably really, really late. Seems that nothing can keep me awake these days. Not even The Bachelor! It's disgraceful.)

Then I am celebrating Jonathan's birthday.

Then I am making a skirt, a dress, a pillow, and a shirt. (Maybe a bit ambitious for one day? No problem! Because it's a 3-day weekend! So I have Monday, too!)

Or I may get a massage and a facial. Who knows?! The possibilities are endless.

Oh, the glory of federal holidays.

fyi

five people voted on my super awesome texting poll.

every person responded differently.

you guys are no help at all.

want to see the coolest thing ever?

Yeah, I thought so.

You can take a poll with your cell phone! (In my class, they're actually quizzes, not polls, but whatever.) So every kid can text in their answer, and since their answers are linked to their cell phones, I can see who responded correctly and who did not.

Now, suddenly, quizzes are fun! (Who knew teenagers were so easily tricked? Oh, wait. I did.) And, delight of all delights, they are allowed to use their cell phone during class. Remarkable.

You can either click on your preferred answer, OR send a text to 36707 with your preferred response in the body of the text. (Don't worry. It's free)

If you choose the scarf, text the code 10543

If you choose jeans, text the code 20833

If you choose a skirt, text 20838

If you choose a purse, text 25600

Jewelry 25728.

SO. TOTALLY. AWESOME. (If you're a teacher anyway.)

anyone want to hear a great story?

Okay, so maybe it's only a great story if you're not me. But whatever.

So remember how I got such an awesome deal on my flight home that I got to spend eight whole days playing with these little kids? Well, if you forgot, let me brag just one more time that I got quite possibly the best price on a holiday flight in the history of holiday flights. Hehe.

Unfortunately, all good vacations must come to an end. I arrived at Reagan National Airport at 1 am. My keys did not arrive at Reagan National Airport. They stayed behind on the Peterson's counter. (That's the awesome part of the story)

Luckily, I am friends with a lot of superheroes, so I had a slumber party with Stefi (yay for Stefi!)

Then I fell into a deep dark pit called the Flu. (Don't worry guys. Everything turned out okay. I am still alive.)

how was your new year?

Mine was pretty stinkin awesome.

I had the flu (or something that was 50% headache, 50% fatigue, and 50% congestion.) So instead of going out, I stayed in and watched The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. (Parts I and II, for those of you who were wondering. Which is probably all of you.)

And I made a wreath out of a book! It looks much like this:

I think it is beautiful. And it only cost me $1!!! (Oh, how I love a great deal.)

I also made a yarn wreath (mostly because I was envious of the yarn wreaths all over Bethany's house.) It is also beautiful.

So remember when I pretended to hate crafts? I lied.

Happy New Year!