Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas from Julie and Andrew!  It is December 21 and I have just come up from wrapping gifts.  I am tired, a little crabby, and overwhelmed by what I still have to accomplish in the next couple of days.  Once I sat down to update this blog, I realized how silly it is to feel that way.  I am so blessed!  I have an awesome family, very good taste in friends (yes - all of you!) and a life filled with happiness and good memories.  It is so easy to look at what we don't have and dwell on it.  I could wish for a lot of things - more money in the bank, a 50 lbs slimmer body, a housekeeper (how cool would that be?) but the truth is I have everything I need and then some.  It won't matter if the ribbon exactly matches the paper, or if the gift tag coordinates.  It won't matter that some of the chocolate covered pretzel rods have an extra bit of almond bark hanging off of them.  It won't matter if we wake up on Christmas morning and there are shoes, clothes, mail, and everything else from the day before on the floor of the living room. (OK, I really do want a picked up living room on Christmas morning)  It doesn't matter - the people are the ones who matter.

I want to take this opportunity to thank everyone in my life - my child, my parents, my siblings, my friends, and colleagues for their love and support throughout this trying year. There were many a night I went to bed worrying about what might happen the next day, but it was all ok!  I have emerged on the other side of this trial and, I think, survived.  I have a few more gray hairs, a new financial goal, a master's degree, a healthy and happy son, and a job.  And you all - I have you all.  Just Julie is only the beginning - there is more to come - and I hope to experience all of it with you!  Have a blessed holiday - a restful break (sorry if you don't get a break), and a Happy 2011.  Wow!  Where does time go?  Until next time - Julie

Holiday Open House

Holiday Open House 

Please join me in my classroom at 

Kirksville Middle School  

Room W-3  

Food, Fun, Friends & Necklaces 

Wednesday, December,15 

3:30 – 5:30 

Friday Night!

Hello Friends - It is Friday night and I am exhausted.  Why am I so exhausted?  I am happy to report that there is a Christmas tree in my living room, but there are no decorations!  My life is a race from Monday morning.  By Friday, I am lucky to be able to take my shoes off before I am comatose! Going to bed early will let me get up and start with gusto in the morning.  I got the rest of my necklace supplies today, so I intend to start creating again tomorrow and Sunday.  I am going to work on some special gifts for special friends and then plan on an Open House at my school on December 15.  Hope everyone can be there!  I might have some new posts later this weekend because I have some new designs to try.  Oh, one funny thing happened this week!  At our school we have these positive office referrals which we use praise students that do good thing.  These students are always called to the Asst. Principal's office having no idea why they have been summoned.  Then Mr. Corbett commends them on their good work and calls their parents.  I got called to the office on Thursday.  I didn't think much about it until a colleague came in and asked me if everything was ok.  I answered yes and she told me she had heard Mr. Corbett on the phone with a parent and she heard my name.  So now I am FREAKING out because I haven't even been a bitch lately, so I had no idea!  I go down there and he pulls out one of these positive referrals and calls my parents!  Honestly, he called my parents - who loved it!  Just when I thought it was going to be one of the worst weeks ever, it turned out to be really great. I guess that's just the way life works sometimes.  Thanks Marcia and Shawn!

Have a great weekend.  I am hoping to be in the Christmas spirit by Sunday night and singing Christmas carols while making necklaces.  Until later - Julie

Thank You!

     This post is quite late - for that I apologize.  Last Monday was amazing!  I am so honored to have friends that support me in everything I do.  I have ordered more supplies for more necklaces and plan to have an Open House at school sometime before Christmas. I am open for suggestions on future designs too.  I haven't had any time to create over this weekend, but I look forward to beginning again soon.
     As for the holiday, it was awesome.  I didn't have to cook anything, for that I am thankful!  We spent the weekend with family - family that we didn't really know very well until a couple of years ago.  The thing about family is that you don't really have to know them well, it is a bond that is instantly there.  Our time was relaxing, fun, and restful.  I got to go shopping, something I haven't done in a long, long time.  Of course, I couldn't go crazy, but I did get some Christmas gifts completed and got a couple of things for myself.  I have hope that December will be a better month - I expect it to be better.  We need to be at the end of this long tunnel that has been life for the past two years!  Hopefully by year's end Ron will be employed, Andrew will be having a great season on the basketball court, and I will be less stressed.  I'm not saying that as a New Year's resolution, but am trying to find all the positive energy I can.  We need it!  Hope you all had a blessed Thanksgiving!  Until later - Julie

First things first!

I'm a mom.  It is my most important job and I have loved almost every minute of it.  It has been Andrew and I on our own for 12 years and he is a good kid.  I take pride in that.  Of course, Ron deserves credit too, a lot of Ron is in Andrew.  Anyway, I have put that first since the day he was  born!  All along, I kept thinking that I didn't have time to do anything else.  That changed somewhat when I started working again when Andrew was 3, but that wasn't really for me - it was something I had to do to pay the bills. The first time I really did something for me - and me alone - was joining the Community Choir.  I credit my parents for that because it was as large a commitment for them as it was for me.  I then began to see that when I took time to do things for me, I became a better person.  It gave me an outlet and an identity other than "Andrew's Mom", although that is still my favorite.  My singing has become a much larger part of my life than I ever dreamed!  Thanks to my friend Rich for that.  From that came the courage to enroll in grad school, something I thought I would never do.  Not only did I succeed, I enjoyed it!  Thanks to my friend Dianne for that.  Now I do other things that are JUST for me, and I love it!  I am first and foremost Andrew's mom, but I am also JUST JULIE!  Thanks to my brother Rob for the logo.  Until next time,  Julie

Plugging along!

It seems I am living from Friday to Friday.  We wake up on Monday morning and it is a race until Friday.  This is an example of "Be careful what you wish for!"  Even Andrew would like things to slow down a bit, but no such luck!  I made about 20 pendants last night during Glee-my feeble attempt at multi-tasking.  I will add a couple of new pictures of the large ones.  I am excited about having a display at the Mocha Hut on Monday from 4:30 - 6:00pm.  Come see me!  I have had a request to add pins to some of the pendants to make broaches.  What do you think?  Let me know - I am open for suggestions.  I might even be ready to try some photo tiles.  Again, thanks Natalie!  I am no longer sitting around wondering what I should be doing.  Now if I could only stop all the snacking................one thing at a time I suppose.  Have a great end of the week!  "Till next time - Julie

Today was a good day. I enjoyed a morning with a lovely group of people working together for a great cause! I sometimes forget that there IS life outside of school and that I need to get out into it occasionally. I was then able to go home and snuggle in for the rest of the cold day. A pan of chili, cozy fleece clothes, and the challenge of creating Kirksville Tiger designs for necklaces rounded out my day. I ended up with the satisfaction of knowing I did it. I still have some "tweaking" to do, but I like what I did. Joys? A comfy, cozy home that I enjoy being in, something fun to occupy my time, a downstairs space for Andrew to play his video games, (away from me :) and good health. Until later - Julie

Friday Night!

Finally, it is Friday night. I have just spent 3 hours creating 4 new designs for necklaces. These took so long because I had to create the image - I am not a graphic designer, so I think I will focus on the pre-made ones for a while. My personality, however, challenges me to make new things work. I am not like a normal person though - I am driven to make it work before I get up from the job. This is good and bad. Good because I usually get things done and I don't quit until I am satisfied. Bad because I might spend hours and hours and hours. On the positive side, I haven't thought about my stressful week in about........3 hours! Now I am off to bed because I need to be ready for my day early tomorrow. Joys? Andrew loves basketball! My new hobby, heat, and an evening at home (even though we didn't get home until 6:30.) Until next time!

One Step Forward, Two Steps Back

Today was a downer - no getting around it. If I begin to feel like I MIGHT have it all under control, reality rears its ugly head. Every year I think, "Maybe I need a different job." This was one of those days. I work pretty hard - honestly I do - and yet the rewarding days are few and far between - more so each year. Whiner? Yes. Having a pity party? Yes. Immature? Probably. But looking at it from the standpoint of taking care of myself -- I don't know what to do differently. If I didn't put time, sweat, and tears into my job, then I would feel like I was a hypocrite asking my students or son to give 100%. I might be happier though - I find that ironic! Anyway, surely, SURELY tomorrow can't be another day like today. Joys? Singing. Monday at practice I got to that place where my voice is all warmed up and just appears to take on a life of its own. That doesn't happen every time anymore, but when it does I feel invincible! Andrew is loving basketball, and I had a potato with butter and salt for dinner. Sometimes that is all one can ask for. And...............yes it was real butter. I would rather eat nothing if I can't have real butter!

My Weekend's Work

So I have a new hobby - and I really enjoy it! I ordered supplies this weekend to make 100 small and 40 rectangular necklaces. I have started slow, but have had a wonderful response from family and friends. I am cautiously optimistic that I might be able to get some extra Christmas money AND create some of my gifts to other people and save myself some money. These pictures don't do them justice - they are not cloudy and filmy, the light from the camera did that. I am drawn to the vibrant colors and whimsy. Right now, it makes me HAPPY!

Let's Give This A Try Again!

Ok - Let's try this again. I am going to make an honest effort to really begin to blog on a regular basis - maybe every Friday. I am inspired by Missy B. and Natalie M. I am also going to use this as an outlet for my new hobby - also inspired by Natalie! I am making necklaces and plan to sell them! Pictures will eventually follow - but I hope that I find this fun, rewarding, and challenging. Teaching school is challenging, but it is the STRESS kind of challenging. This should be more relaxing! Until next time!