WHAT I'VE (RE)LEARNED



I have 2 weeks at my new job as an Instructional Aide at East Junior High under my belt. By day 2, I had my schedule memorized.  I was quickly reminded of the layout of the school from the 30 plus years ago that I attended my sophomore and junior year in the building. That was the easy part. I soon found out that I had some cobwebs to dust and rust to knock off to get the thinking gears moving. The gears need a little more oil but they are running smoother. I've relearned how to take notes. Within my notes, I learned from Health class, how to eliminate stress/stressors and applied it to my real life. I learned how the United Nations operates and about the different economies in the world from Government class and that 12.3cm = .000123km in Science class. I learned that the absolute value of |-3×6| = 18, (because -3×6 = -18, and |-18| = 18). I don't recall learning about absolute values way back when and if I did, I certainly didn't ever apply them anywhere. I also got to define the word aphrodisiac. After a few, um, um, lets see ... I think I pulled out a junior high explanation. Until next time ... Stay Calm and Learn On. (I'm thinking about getting a chain for my reading glasses. What do you think?)

MONDAY FUNNYS

 

Love has 4 letters, but then again so does beer.

 

Q: What is a man's idea of a balanced diet?
A: A Budweiser in each hand!

Beer doesn't make you fat... it makes you Lean...... on tables, chairs & random people.

 

I was drinking at the bar last night, so I took a bus home...That may not be a big deal to you,

 but I've never driven a bus before.

 

Boy: "I love you so much, I could never live without you."
Girl: "Is that you or the beer talking?"
Boy: "It's me talking to the beer."

 

If you put root beer in a square cup, do you get beer?

 

... LAST BUT NOT LEAST ...

Life and beer are very similar .....chill for best results.

 

ARTS-N-CRAFTS-N-BEER



You're never to old for an Arts-n-Crafts day. One rainy Sunday afternoon my daughter Prairie and her boyfriend were inspired to create on canvas and it didn't take long for me to join in on the fun. What started out as 2 dimensional paintings, turned into 3 dimensional wall art when my daughter suggested adding the faucets under the beer taps. The subject can't be to big of a surprise to anyone. How does the saying go ... "art imitates life".

LABOR OF LOVE



They say giving birth is a "labor of love". I say being a homeowner of a log home is a "labor of love". I often think I'd rather push out a kid then do the maintenance that goes with log home living. Don't get me wrong, I love my home. But every spring when it's time to wash the dust off the inside walls from heating with our fireplace during the long cold winter months in Wisconsin, I moan and groan which is more than I did giving birth to my children. To top it off, this was the year the outside needed to be stained. I swear I was still scrubbing the stain off of me from the last time ... just kidding about that part. It's been 6 days of moving scaffolding, an extension ladder, a step stool and tying myself off to hang from the roof ... that part probably isn't OSHA approved, but the job is complete. Next time this needs to be done I'll be ... let's just say older. This is where that other "labor of love" comes in handy. Hey, kids ... come help Mom stain the house. I'll make you cookies.

 

PS. (Although I did all the staining myself because my husband claims he doesn't know how to use a paint brush, he was responsible for pressure washing the logs and doing most of the ladder moving. He was also close by to call 911 when I was tied off hanging from the roof.)

THE END & CHAPTER ONE



It's "The End" of my "Summer Reading". I didn't accomplish my 3560 pages as I projected, but I did read 2033 pages that totaled 6 books and I'm happy with that. I had a fun filled summer that kept me too busy to reach my goal. I always have grandiose plans of reading, doing yard projects and traveling in my 83 days off. Before long I'm sleeping in late, going for bike rides and sitting around a campfire. That's when I realize, that's what summer is all about. So as I shelf my books and spend the last of my summer savings, (on house stain for one of my grandiose plans), I look forward to "Chapter One" as the school year begins. This year I will be in a new position at East Junior High working as an Instructional Aide. I'm excited and nervous and will probably learn more in the classroom then I did the first time around.

THE VILLAGE

We call ourselves "The Village". This picture only represents a small part of us. We consist of 5 couples, 12 children and their significant others, 5 grandchildren, 4 yellow labs, a black lab, a rabbit and an assortment of cats. Our family trees create an orchard within our Village. I like to think of us as an apple orchard, but others would probably say we are more like a field of nut trees. Either way, we don't mind. Together we have attended sporting events, dance recitals, fairs and funerals. We've celebrated birthdays, holidays, graduations and weddings. Some of our favorite memories are made on the days we get together for no reason at all. We all have wishes, dreams and "bucket lists" we share. Life without this bunch would be like sour apples instead of apple pie ala mode.

 

Photo taken at Grand Rapids Lions Club at Kolor For Kids 5K Run/Walk benefiting The Children's Miracle Network. We represented "The Village Women".  

BARGAIN

Today I bought 12 tubes of ChapStick on sale for $9.80 at Target and they gave me a $5 gift card which makes each tube 40¢ each. A bargain ain't a bargain unless it's something you need ... and I need 12 ChapSticks.

SUNSET

BUFFALO THEORY

 

A herd of buffalo can only move as fast as the slowest buffalo, much like the brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells. The slowest buffalo are the sick and weak so they die off first, making it possible for the herd to move at a faster pace. Like the buffalo, the weak, slow brain cells are the ones that are killed off by excessive beer drinking and socializing, making the brain operate faster.

The moral of the story: Drink more beer, it will make you smarter.

CUPCAKE PHOTOGRAPHY

 

There's rarely a time that I don't have a camera with me. If it isn't my DSLR then it's my point and shoot that I always have in my purse. Somewhere in time I began taking photos of my food. After all, the making of and serving a plate of food is an art form in itself. (I'm seldom in a restaurant that has their food plated like you see on the Food Network ... like never.) Chefs consider themselves artist as much as photographers do, so why not preserve the masterpiece before you devour it. Today I had the opportunity to take a cupcake photography class at our local cupcake shop iSparkle, https://www.facebook.com/isparklecupcakes. The instructor, Spyros Heniadis, https://www.facebook.com/selfhelpphotographer was patient with our blank stares when asked technical questions. He worked one on one sharing his knowledge to enrich our quirk for food photography.  The class was a success for me as I had several "ah-ha" moments ... and we got to take our "models" home. I just had another "ah-ha" moment ... I'm going to take what I learned today and use my favorite beers as my "models".