Weekend Coffee Share, Change Adds Up!

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at My drink is chai tea today, though I indulged in a cup of coffee earlier in the week. Mmmm, it was good!

This past week seemed so busy! I prepared and received my formal observation Friday. I feel it mostly went well. Still, I kept thinking of additional things I could have done. Such is the plight of someone with a mind like mine ! #overthinker

Yesterday was my son’s birthday. My mother and I treated him to dinner at a Mexican restaurant called Peppers. The steak quesadilla was the bomb! My mother told them it was my son’s birthday, so after a while, the wait staff came around making noise and started singing, giving him the sombrero treatment. Such fun!

Time flies. We might as well enjoy it!

Yesterday evening, I saw that there’s an opening for my content area at an online teaching company. I don’t know if I mentioned this, but I have been wanting to make a change in my career. This may be the change I’m seeking. So, I applied when I first woke up this morning. It’s an extensive process, but I did it! Now,  we’ll see what happens!

Just in case, I shopped around the other night and ordered a pant suit for interviews. In order to effect change, one must start making moves! It is arriving in a few days. What do you think?

To think, I haven’t been on a job interview in about 24 years. Yikes! I am open to advice, for sure. I’ve taken the first steps, and now I’m getting ready for the next!

Chris and I will be attending a baseball game tonight. That’s exciting too, because he really enjoys baseball. It’s so fun to see! I’ll share about it next week.

I’m on the sofa with my cell phone, and Bixby is beside me. He’s quite happy with me because I just shared bits of my apple.😀♥️

Ears ever alert to outside noises.

Well, that was my week in a nutshell! I feel older as my son gets older, but let’s just think of it as another reason to celebrate! It also means my summer is getting closer. Happy smiles all-around!

Have a blessed and peaceful upcoming week.

Weekend Coffee Share, Time is a Torpedoing Train

****Please forgive me for my late posting. Time got away from me this weekend, quite coincidentally! ***Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer, Blog Home. Join me with your favorite morning beverage. Mine is chai tea with a little bit of creamer and cinnamon. It’s a beautiful sunny day!

I slept late and woke to have some stretches and breakfast. Then, I immediately started looking at teaching materials for my upcoming teacher observation next week. Yes, a lot of teachers deliberate over their lesson plans, but even more of us stress a little bit over that formal observation. Not only that, but it’s an indicator that this school year is moving towards an end. Time flies.

The end of a school year often brings a lot of changes, usually several teachers will change grade levels or some will be leaving for another school or another job. This is a job that brings a lot of changes. In addition , this year’s students will soon be moving on to the next grade and have changed immensely since the start of the year. Change is a part of growth. My own son will be turning 28 this coming Friday. It boggles my mind! Not only that, but my father will turn 80 in May, which is right around the corner.

Some say that time is a thief, but I would like to believe that time, while bringing lots of changes, is always bringing us new gifts. Each new moment is another precious gift, and we need to enjoy them all.

I’m trying to ramp up my French speaking lessons and planning which outfits to take to France. Of course, I am so excited to be visiting my first European country! I was searching for a top to where to dinner with Chris on Saturday and it took quite some time, since I had squirreled it away somewhere to have it ready to take to France. I finally found it, and we ate a delicious dinner at Carrabba’s.

Maybe a trip to Italy will happen someday? For now, I’ll deal with the good things that are coming up soon!

***I was going to post this Sunday, but a planned girls’ brunch fell through, which led me to sleep late. I had lunch at my mom’s church, where I know lots of people and stayed a while to talk. It was a good time, but I had to get groceries and gas after. I guess I lost track of time, but I did find a little time to relax!***

Have a great week, everyone!

Weekend Coffee Share, Old Dogs

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer, Blog Home . It’s quite a beautiful, mild Saturday. The early temperatures were in the upper 50s, so hot chai tea was my drink of choice.

The biggest goal of today was getting Bixby clean and groomed. He is a “grumpy old man” and gets snappy in uncomfortable situations, hearing the sound of clippers being one of them.The last time he was groomed, they left the job unfinished. Sadly, he does seem more skittish with age.

He doesn’t like getting bathed, but he took it in stride!

My friend agreed to come over and groom Bixby, so I bathed him 1-2 hours before. He was a good sport, and the bath went well, but I knew grooming might be trickier. The aforementioned groomer who didn’t finish the job said he had snapped at her. We paid the full price for an unfinished job. We had to do something different this time.

My friend has five dogs and regularly grooms her own, so I knew she’d be the best choice. Still, he snapped a few times and got that look like he wanted to bite.  She made a muzzle which kept him still long enough for her to shave his butt and back legs and trim his fluffy tail. It was actually mad at in places, which probably made it painful when it was brushed out.

Despite the stops and starts, he looks so much better! I wish there was a solution for older dogs from a rough background; I swear he must have PTSD from his first three years of stray life and subsequent time in a shelter surrounded by other troubled dogs. He seems to be doubly exceptional as a grooming customer.

He now has a good trim and will look much neater for a while!

When Bixby would snap, my friend said he wasn’t doing that to bite, he was just talking. Of course, what he was saying wasn’t very nice, but she was so patient!

That was much of my Saturday. I did some morning yoga, which felt great! After Bixby’s grooming, he felt better and I sat down to paint with the garage door open so I could feel the breeze. Later, I’ll be going to dinner with Chris, always a fun event with top-notch conversation and laughs!

Sunday will bring more relaxation and of course, grocery shopping, so nothing too exciting. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Weekend Coffee Share, Life Springs Forth

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at   Natalie the Explorer, Blog Home .  It’s a beautiful day outside, and it feels like the temperature is in the 80s!

It’s been a hectic week as I and my yearbook staff worked hard to get the book finished.  My eyes were tired from the screen time all week! Wednesday and Thursday, my one eye was terribly red from allergies and too much screen time. I suspect I also may have scratched it in my sleep. Friday, I worked a lot to get the yearbook edited and stopped a little after 3:30. My eye was already looking a little better.

This morning, I woke up and my eye wasn’t red anymore. Hallelujah! I received the needed content for one last page, and that was it! The yearbook is done! Now we  wait about 6 weeks to get them back.

I also took a ride on my son’s bike today. It has a seat and thick tires like those on a beach cruiser. It’s quite comfortable to me, so I borrow it from time to time. It’s was such a nice ride on this sunny day. I’m so glad I did that!

Moving on to Sunday…you may or may not know that sometimes my Coffee Share post takes me two days to write. 🙂 Well, this morning I moved quickly with a small petite dejeuner, as the French call it, and woke up with a cold chai latte. Chris met me at Church for Easter service, and it was beautiful!

He is risen indeed!

I attend a Presbyterian Church that has a female pastor. I’ve always found the sanctuary beautiful; it lets in so much sunlight, perfect for an Easter Sunday! Of course , the music was beautiful. A visiting brass section accompanied our choir. After the service, Chris and I discussed going to my mom’s church and surprising her, since they start an hour after mine. Doing so would get us there after their service started, though.

At my church

Nonetheless, we decided to drive over there together and quietly sit in the back until it was done. I used to attend that church, and it brings back so many memories!

Of course, she was quite pleased to see us there! I also got to chat a little with people I haven’t seen in quite a while. Afterward, we went back to my house. Once my mom got there, we feasted on a barbecue lunch that Chris and I picked up at Bono’s last night after eating Thai food. It was an enjoyable Easter with my loved ones! I only regret that my son had to work.

Thanks for joining my Coffee Share. Have a happy Easter, if you celebrate, and a wonderful week ahead!

Weekend Coffee Share, This Time and Era

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at Natalie the Explorer, Blog Home . My morning energy is sponsored by a chai latte. If we were having coffee, I’d tell you about my stress-free week.

This past week was my Spring Break. The weather has been great, mostly in the eighties and sunny except for yesterday, which was just a blip on the map of my lifetime. We walked Bixby in the rain, with his raincoat of course, a small inconvenience traded for the pleasure of getting outdoors.

He hates wearing clothes, but Velcro keeps the raincoat in place, and once we were out in the rain, it seems like he was glad to have the coverage.

All other days this week started with sleeping in and waking without an alarm. I mentioned some of my activities in last week’s coffee share: visiting the Monet immersive exhibit, getting my hair styled and highlighted, meeting up with an old friend for lunch, and working on the school yearbook. All of which was not stressful.

I also got some down time by watching Netflix. Two of my current favorites are Loudermilk, but she gets downright serious at times, and Resident Alien, 👽 an interesting dark comedy. I I love the characters in resident alien, and it takes place in Colorado which provides beautiful backdrops.

St. Patrick’s Day was the day we went to the Monet immersive exhibit, which wasn’t crowded at all. We didn’t celebrate St Patrick’s Day in any other way then wearing a green shirt, but it seems a lot of people in our city were out at the beaches area. Of course, we had the PLAYERS Championship going on too, which probably provided a lot more crowds at the Beach area. However, that night there was news of a shooting out at the beaches.

https://jaxtoday.org/2024/03/20/jax-beach-police-seeking-videos-from-shootings/ Details can be found at the link. Many say our town is just going downhill and violence is just spreading to places it didn’t inhabit before. Others say the crime couldn’t happen in Miami Beach, which established curfews for Spring break, so it came here. The shooting is believed to have taken place within a group of older teens and kids in the lower twenties.

All I can do is pray for our youngsters growing up in this world and era. I can also refuse to be an armed teacher (as they keep trying to create such laws). Would you care to pray with me and stop the blame game? We want the violence to stop.

My prayer is for the Lord to enter the hearts of our lost children. Please help just one to be a good friend, to say, “No, this is a bad idea.” Please stay in the hearts of parents who have to say, “No, you can’t go there, ” who have to search a bedroom and have difficult conversations with their own children despite being tired, feeling beaten down by the world or lack of support.
Please strengthen the hearts of the innocent who showed up in the wrong place and those who want to believe in the children who are our future….to continue to try to mentor and advise without giving up.
Help us to not just pray for change but to safely bring about change, to reflect faith in our eyes and not distrust, to know when to take the risk, and to lead by example. Amen

On that note, Holy Week and Easter are coming soon. I look forward to these events, as hard as it is to go through the Good Friday story again. What ever you celebrate or believe, have a great weekend and a peaceful week to come.

Writers Workshop–Cheese a la creme

I’m posting in response to a writing Prompt that was shared at the website of John, which I found through the pensivity 101 blog.

Prompt: If you could take a pill and then eat all day without absorbing calories or nutrition, would you? What would that food be?

My answer: yes …oh, heck yes! My choice would be dessert foods! If I could eat these all day without suffering any consequences, I certainly would be eating creme brulee and cheesecake! I’d have to have chocolate cheesecake, blueberry cheesecake, strawberry cheesecake! I’d have to start with the creme brulee, though, because it has special memories for me.

Creme brulee reminds me of going to Savannah with Chris, December of 2021. We went to a dessert place after dinner because I knew they had creme brulee. You see, I had researched it, since it was a long while since I’d had it. We walk through a lot of the historical area of Savannah, something I have not done before. So, I introduced him to creme brulee, something he had not tried before.

We shared a piece, since we both try not to eat too much sugar. We also had to share fork, which we didn’t mind. 🙂  The little dessert bakery was so crowded and we waited in line, but it was worth it. There wasn’t a table for us once we got our creme brulee, so we went outside. We stood on the street corner sharing our creme brulee and feeding it to each other with one fork. It was so romantic! He approved of the treat, it probably doesn’t love it as much as I do.

I’d love to be able to eat as much crème brule as I want, without worrying about feeling bloated later or getting too much cheese that might upset my stomach or cause my skin to break out later. Oh, what a wonderful day it would be, following a creme brulee meal with three different types of cheesecake! I finished on some homemade cheesecake once about 15 years ago, and felt sick even tho next day. So, an opportunity to do this without repercussions would be heavenly!

Ah, memories! Check out the original post at The Sound of One Hand Typing .

Savannah visit, 2021.

Weekend Coffee Share, Immersed in the Moment

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at   Natalie the Explorer, Blog Home    My morning beverage was hot chai tea, but the weather warmed up quite quickly today.

Yes, the temperatures got up to the low and mid 80s today. Spring seems to have sprung! The birds were chirping, these were honking loudly as they flew over head this morning and the Sun was shining through my window. It didn’t bother me at; I slept plenty late, and all of that was much better to wake up to than my usual morning alarm.

Spring break has started! I came home after work yesterday and settled down for a nap just to wash away the stress of the week. I didn’t sleep though. 🙂 This coming week, I’ll be working a little on the yearbook as the end of the school year is coming up; even sooner, the yearbook deadline is coming up. I already worked on a little bit of it yesterday.

Sunday afternoon, Chris and I look my mom to the Monet Immersive exhibit in downtown Jacksonville. It was amazing and beautiful! Chris loved it, as I knew he would, even though he would enjoy the impressionist art so much. Mom loved it, of course, and was so glad I invited her. There was beautiful artwork and moving projection of many of Monet’s paintings accompanied by sound. Not to mention, we learned a little about his process, his, stages, and his moods.

Artwork, music, and fascinating projection of art history made for a great weekend activity!

Colors, colors, colors!

Of course, we visited the gift shop (Mom and I both got scarves), then stopped at their lounge where French music surrounded us, and Mom ordered “The Water Lily Harmony.” 

What excellent afternoon! This week promises a hair salon visit, lunch with a friend, a massage, and possibly a trivia night. I wish you all a happy Sunday and an even better week to come!

#Writephoto “Whiskers” (Slightly bizarre)

Photo from the Write Photo blog

(c) Pamela Schloesser Canepa

What strange alternate universe

Makes us wake up looking

Like the things we love?

A fitful sleep brought me

To a morning where I awake

With whiskers!

Thank God I never

Got a hairless dog!

My lovely dog 🐶

*Written in response to this week’s Write Photo prompt, shared at https://wp.me/p1mNOd-2qN

Three Things Challenge, What’s happening

Here, there, everywhere

Sometimes he lies around here.

Like a horse fallen asleep mid-gallop.

Sometimes I catch him lying there…

In fact, it seems he is comfortable everywhere!

Such has been my weekend. Laying around with allergy and sinus issues, my dog has kept me company. I’ve certainly caught up on some sleep!

What’s happening? Not much today, and that’s okay!

Weekend Coffee Share, Short on Time but Not Work

Welcome to my Weekend Coffee Share, hosted by Natalie at  Natalie the Explorer, Blog home   I’m having a Zen energy green tea with honey. Grab your favorite morning beverage for a chat!

Lately, I’ll often start my morning with some stretches, so I put my yoga mat directly in the sun in my living room this morning. After a few stretches, I just lay there feeling the sun’s warmth. Bixby often does this as well, sitting or laying on the mat we have by the door. Animals are pretty smart and seem to know natural ways to find comfort.

Of course, he came over and snuggled up so I would pet him. I didn’t mind that at all!

It has been a terribly busy week, despite being off on Monday. Thank goodness for that day though, since it was another day to sleep in and relax. I painted a picture for Chris, because he is moving to a new rental house. I got him a floor mat last time, but I wanted something a little more personal this time. He has seen a photo of this and loves it.  I plan to give it to him tonight, since he is taking me out for a steak dinner.

I’m not sure if I’m good at painting, but I love blending colors!

So, when Monday left and Tuesday arrived, I was up early to make it to teacher training that was way across town, where we sit in hard chairs in a school’s media center for training. At least we can collaborate with other teachers and get ideas. Did I mention, it’s fairly quiet in there?

Back at work Wednesday, and we had another meeting at planning to talk about getting ready and increasing instruction strategies for upcoming State tests in the spring. Yes, if you’re thinking there’s too much testing, I agree. *This is my opinion and not necessarily that of my employer* (So the obligatory disclaimer states). This boils down to more things and more ideas to plan.

Let’s not dwell on the Spring bug that seems to make some students much more easily distracted. Middle schoolers are quite changeable from one day to the next. I always hold out hope that the next day will be a better one.

Thursday and Friday also seemed extremely busy.  I was planning to go to the gym after work Thursday, but I ended up doing yoga with a DVD at home instead. It’s important to decrease tension and stretch out the stress that can affect one’s legs, back, neck, and shoulders.

This morning I woke up and took my time before getting out of bed.  I searched a Bible verse for today.  My childhood upbringing included instruction from the Bible, so it is quite familiar to my heart. I won’t pretend to understand it all, but the overall message appeals to me.

“She is clothed in strength and dignity, and she laughs without fear of the future.” Proverbs 31:25. What a wonderful goal! I need a lot of strength for my job and personal life, in addition to dignity in a job where kids show disrespect way too often. There are still some appreciative kids and rewarding moments, but society is accepting a lot more from kids these days. Things change, as you may have noticed. I won’t insert my opinion here.

Screen shot of one of my French lessons. 🙂

At least I can still look forward to my visit to France in June! My lessons in French still continue. I’d love to visit a “musee du chocolat!”

That’s this week in my corner of the world. Have a great weekend, everyone!