"Marley was dead to begin with..."

This might be risky, but I'm going to share something here because it's ridiculously hilarious. You won't think this is funny unless you've known me for awhile.

I sent these videos out in an email, but I don't think anyone could open them. The other day in class I started noticing that some of my kids had worms. I pretended I was taking candid photos, which I do often, but captured the mini-me's on video instead.

I'm so glad I did.

Also, I cannot cannot CANNOT WAIT to read Jacob T. Marley, a prequel to A Christmas Carol!!!!!!! It has the potential to be sorely disappointing, but I think it looks so good!! I'll be asking Pippi for this for Christmas this year.

Goodnight!

Two things I can't get enough of this season...

This Christmas album, produced by musicians at my church.

Each and every song is absolutely beautiful, and it's even sweeter because they are sung by some of my favorite people and dear friends.

You can listen and download it here for $5. Well worth it, I assure you.

Also, I bought a house and moved, as you probably already knew - I love every second of being in this house - it was built in 1928 and is so filled with character. There is much I'd like to do to it, and the fact that it will take me years is going to be an exercise in both patience and stewardship. The only downside so far (and I walked into this knowingly) is that it. is. frigid. in. here.

There's never a point in setting the thermostat above 60, because the house will likely never be above 57 or 58 degrees. And I'm cold natured. Thank goodness Alabama winters are only truly harsh for a couple of months of the year.

So, to combat the cold without draining my wallet trying to heat my house, I've invested in a few pairs of Cuddle Duds. My friend Melissa (whose song on Half Spent, "The Wexford Carol," is stunning!) opened my eyes and my world to these, and I'm forever grateful. Apparently I'm the last person alive to find out about these, but ya'll. They. are. amazing. I got them a couple of days ago and have yet to take them off. I like to sit around in them, like this...

They are so soft and so warm. If you're somewhere really cold or are trying to save money by keeping your heat really low, you need these. I'm wearing them under everything.

Hope everyone's having a warm and peace-filled advent season so far.

Here goes...

As of 3:00 this afternoon, this sign will go from "Under Contract" to "SOLD."

Kind of ridiculous...if you'd ever told me that I would EVER buy a house by myself, I'd have laughed at you.

I can't wait to live in this little bungalow!

I'm taking a day off.

Every so often there comes a day when I just know that I cannot go to school the following day. It hits me that until I have a day off, my being at school is not doing anyone any good.

Today was one of those days - with Homecoming week (which really turned out to be two weeks) and nine-weeks grades behind me, there's not much of me left.

I'm physically sore from being stampeded by herds of middle schoolers at yesterday's pep rally (and maybe also from the students vs. faculty volleyball game), my voice is gone from repeating things like "Don't climb on the windowsill!" and "You only space ONE time after each sentence when you're using MLA style!" and "For the love of everything that's good in the world, DO NOT unzip your pants unless you are in the bathroom!"

So, today I called my trusty sub and wrote my principal a brief note letting him know that I would not be in tomorrow.

I stapled this article to the note. I really did.

Here's a glimpse of why I might need to put away anything flammable that I have access to:

I do exaggerate. They are really sweet kids. I tell them all the time that try as they might, I am seriously more thug than they are. I love these faces more than I can even tell you.

But they drive me to the brink of insanity. Exaggeration...maybe. Or maybe not.

So this weekend, when I'm not passed out flat on my back, I plan to finish off this treat of a book, continue my end of summer summer love affair into the fall, and hang out with good friends at my favorite Greek cafe down the street while it's still within walking distance.

Yes, I might be moving at the end of this month! :)

So crispy, so tender

I've been short on blogging material lately. If you follow Don't Test My Gangster, then you know that either I've quit posting to it or my students aren't saying anything particularly funny this year. Unfortunately, it's the latter, so far.

I don't know if it's the group of kids or if it's me - but the ridiculousness hasn't been abundant this year.

Today, though, I do have something, but as it's too long for Don't Test My Gangster, I'm saving it here.

While we were working on parts of a short story and discussing Rudyard Kipling's Rikki-tikki-tavi, there was one young man who was concentrating particularly hard on his work.

"Gosh, he must really be GETTING internal and external conflict," I thought, as I watched him hover over his desk, head hunkered, eyes squinty with concentration. He was writing ferociously.

This was yesterday. Fast forward to today, when I found this - in his handwriting and on the orange sticky notes he was using....

Last year I found

baked beans on top of my house

and I ate them.

I got butter in my shorts.

So crispy, so tender

Got those BK chicken tenders.

Those crispy crispy bites

inside tender white meat briiiiite.

Got's to get me some,

Got that yummy yum.

CHEEEEEEEESE!

How come turkey bacon isn't crispy

Dad, da, da

Dada, I love to eat pie

Da, da, da, da, da

It helps me fly

Da da da da da

Dadadadadada

Remember how I said that 7th graders' brains are literally always in a really thick fog, kind of like they're constantly smoking weed?

I think I might take a mental health day tomorrow.

Delicious autumn!

Oh how we love pumpkin season. You did know this gourd-ish squash has its own season, right? Winter, Spring, Summer, Pumpkin.... We anxiously anticipate it every year.

~Trader Joe's Fearless Flyer, October 2010

9.11.01

¹ There is a time for everything.

There's a time for everything that is done on earth.

² There is a time to be born.

And there's a time to die.

There is a time to plant.

And there's a time to pull up what is planted.

³ There is a time to kill.

And there's a time to heal.

There is a time to tear down.

And there's a time to build up.

⁴ There is a time to cry.

And there's a time to laugh.

There is a time to be sad.

And there's a time to dance.

⁵ There is a time to scatter stones.

And there's a time to gather them.

There is a time to hug.

And there's a time not to hug.

⁶ There is a time to search.

And there's a time to stop searching.

There is a time to keep.

And there's a time to throw away.

⁷ There is a time to tear.

And there's a time to mend.

There is a time to be silent.

And there's a time to speak.

⁸ There is a time to love.

And there's a time to hate.

There is a time for war.

And there's a time for peace.

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8