to keep on the Halloween theme...

I never really got around to documenting last year's costumes. We went for humor last year. We scoped out our wardrobes at Village des Valeurs, and they came together quite nicely with a little creativity, a fabulous wig, and some pillow-padding. I think we pulled it off. The shock-value is definitely there last year as well. Our friends thought we were crazy, but we thought it was sooo funny. Thanks for capturing these shots Alex!

With Halloween coming up, I figured it was about time to scrapbook these photos. So here you have it... yes, we are nuts. The expressions on Pat's face are really too much. He got right into his role as you can see.


I'm kinda inspired to make a book of all Halloweens past. My mom was talking about all the costumes she's made for us over the years, and all the baking and parties she threw for us. I remember some of them, but not all. She was so crafty for her time, before blogs, before scrapbooking, before it was the "in" thing to do. I'm grateful for all that she did for us when we were growing up. She is so creative. Maybe I can dig out the old boxes full of photos and see what I can do. It might be a nice Christmas present.

Anyways.... I'm going on a field trip tomorrow, wish me loads of energy and patience!

Halloween Celebrations Begin

Checking in on an "off" weekend, meaning no work at the library. I have had two days off and it always surprises me just how much I needed them. To sleep in until 9:30, even 10 am, is sooo lovely when you're used to your dreams being interrupted at 6:15. I still can't get adjusted to the earlier school schedule. I hate waking up in complete darkness and fumbling around. I need scolding hot water and extra large coffee and design shows to wake me up and get the happy thoughts flowing.

But I digress.

The real point of this blog entry was to say that we went to a Halloween party last night and it was so much fun. Our costumes were a hit, although very uncomfortable to do anything in!

Yup, so we went all out and made these babies from scratch. We used boxes and covered them with housing insulation, and dryer vents for the arms and legs. We were pretty happy with how they turned out, especially after all the time and effort we put into them. We couldn't stop laughing once we got them on and walked out to show Cindy and Jason. It was worth it, even though we only wore them for about 2 hours, max. I will most likely make a scrappy page soon of the entire event, since I am in a groove lately.

PS - they were based on this. Love me some Flight of the Conchords.
Hope your weekend was fun!

Only Tuesday?

Greetings all. I'm in need of a little pick-me-up, so figured I'd spruce up the blog front with this digi page I made on the weekend. I used a mix of products on here, some from this cool blog, twelvebytwelve designs, which has free (and super nice) kits. Other bits were freebies from 2peas I think.

Anyways, these sneakers have been hanging from a telephone wire near my house for the longest time, and they just get me every time, don't ask why! They make me think of happy things. So there. No other reason.

I am tired, but happy I'm not as sick anymore. I am hangin' in there until the weekend. I am dreaming of Friday. The behavior of my students often feels like a roulette spin, you just never know where it will land... I can't seem to figure out what makes them tick, and it's really getting under my skin. It's a challenge, epseically since last year, though I did have a few behavior cases, they were really mellow compared to some I have this year. It can be very draining at times, but I am trying to be flexible and think of positive solutions. We'll see. One day up, one day down. What can I say?

Other than that, Patrick and are hard at work on our Halloween costumes. We are gonna "rock the party" this weekend. That was a hint by the way, a very vague hint, at the genius behind the design this year...

Cheers maties

slow start Sunday

Slowest start ever this morning. I am sick, oh woe is me. I have a head cold and congestion and sore throat. Just when I thought I had shaken it a few days ago, it's back with a vengeance. Why must I be sick on my only few days off in the entire month? I guess it's my body's way of making sure I get some downtime.

Good thing there isn't much on the agenda today aside from typing a few things for work. I guess I will be in pj's and drinking warm stuff. I'm really glad that I was able to get in our activity yesterday because it was so worth feeling drained today.

jumping into a long weekend

It's finally Friday!! I could not be more exited. My boss at the library called last night to see if either my mom or I wanted to work this weekend - hahaha! Was she joking? That's just about the last thing on earth I want to do. No, I am going to enjoy my time, 3 whole back-to-back days in fall, lovely fall.

We are going to eat at Cindy and Jason's this evening. I have made the strawberry onion salad, yum! Tomorrow we are going to explore Finnigan's market for the first time. It's a giant farmer's/flea market that I've heard great things about. Looking forward to some good finds, fingers crossed. What is it about flea markets - a world of possibility?! Even more exited about the open road with my man. He will make me laugh, and I am in need of some good laughs, just like on this occasion:

Okay, so it makes it waaay funnier if you watch this clip. Oh my how I love the Office.

"This is parkour. Internet sensation of 2004. And it was in one of the Bond films. It's pretty impressive. The goal is to get from point A to point B as creatively as possible so technically they are doing parkour, as long as point A is delusion and point B is the hospital."

Happy Thanksgiving!

one of those days

it's one of those days. one of those no good, very bad days. and i am in no mood for capitals. it started with wanting to cling to covers for sleep, then led to trying on literally ten or more outfits, in complete slow motion, before settling on hoodie and jeans, something to give me some cozy feelings at least. i needed an extra large coffee and drank it all. i was late. i was rushing to pack things for school projects. i had to bring an iron to make wax place mats with my students, and stupidly put it sideways into my bag. about ten minutes later, i discovered a giant puddle on my front bench, right when i was ready to leave. it was the water from the iron, duh, which had soaked all my notebooks and the edges of three library books. great.

i got to work with five minutes, not even, to spare. i realized i had forgotten the leaves for the place mats, which just happens to be the main focus of the art project. needed to improvise all day long. and i won't even get started about the behavior of my class today. they were way, way off, to put it nicely. soooo very draining. some days i feel like i can barely hear myself.

at lunch, the monitor showed up late, so i had to rush to my doctor's appointment (yup, i scheduled it at lunch time so i didn't have to miss work). i waited for 45 minutes and there were STILL three people in front of me - absolutely ridiculous. i had to reschedule my appointment yet again, now pushed to late November. i might as well just not see her at all.

i am so happy to just be in my bedroom now, listening to music and browsing websites and blogs i love. i am in major need of downtime. i am so thankful for my lovely teacher friends - Audrey, Clarissa - for listening and understanding. at least we are all in it together, and it's a big pick-me-up.

i am too tired to workout and have zero motivation, so trying not to feel guilty about that. i will scrapbook instead. i will hope for a much better day tomorrow. i am soooooo looking forward to the long weekend. it's like the best thing i've ever heard right now.

don't worry, being with this guy will make it all better.