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| I can't bake cookies.
There you have it.
Yes, I can read. Yes, I can measure. Yes, I can mix ingredients. Yes, I know what kitchen tools to use (most of the time). But for some reason the baking experience of cookies is absolutely dreadful. I just tried to make snickerdoodles. Everything seemed fine until I put them in the oven. They completely lost all shape, didn't raise, and on top of all that . . . I gave them an extra minute and now they are stuck to my pan in a nice crispy layer. I double checked my recipe and from my recollection, I added all the ingredients. I think it is just me. Cookies are my nemesis.
I am looking for some way to overcome this. I think I should just stick to other desserts. Stephen votes for more practice. I guess I'll have try again tomorrow. I need several dozen for this weekend.
Any no fail recipe suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
P.S. I did score some points on my cookies . . . the dog loved them!
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| Life is busy . . . right now I am surrounded by piles of papers. Most are graded, some are waiting for my attention. The report cards are slowly but surely being completed. Three more assessments to give then the lovely report card comments. Apparently in the midst of all my grading, I needed a slight reality check.
It's hard to believe that over the course of this school year, all of my students have developed in their reading skills. As we continue to progress some of our normal classroom procedures to practice our letters and sounds have been replaced with newer more difficult tasks. Yesterday the letters decided that they wanted to be remembered. Apparently we have not sung the alphabet enough lately. So as I was adjusting the magnetic pronouns, the letter Z ( a heavy duty card hanging on my wall above the chalkboard) decided to get my attention. He jumped off the wall and hit me squarely on the nose. I have never been attacked by a letter before . . . honestly I had never even considered the possibility. After pausing to make sure I was not bleeding, I stepped back and laughed.
The remainder of the day followed in a similar manner. The letter J was sitting on the chalkboard ledge and kept falling onto the lap of one of my students every time I walked by it. The third time it happened, he sighed, and rather than return it to it's original position, he quietly stood up and placed it on the table. "I think the letter J will have a harder time jumping off this table now." He was so proud that he used a word with the letter J in his sentence.
So even though my class has moved on and is demonstrating success as we read poems and stories in our anthologies, we all still appreciate the importance of letters. Letters make words, words make sentences, and sentences are the way we communicate our thoughts. I will be sure to value each letter, especially "z" over the next days as my faint nose bruising fades!
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| My four wisdom teeth are officially out! I really don't remember much. We we joking about removing my four front teeth when I lost consciousness. It was actually the best nap I have had in a long time. Things are still a little groggy . . . I have a very short attention span . . . the smallest details are taking all of my attention. . . I have already eaten the largest Jamba Juice . . . I spilled much of it down my face and shirt w/o even realizing it . . . I nod off and sleep hard for 2 minutes at a time . . . my tongue is tingling . . . the dentist said he saw my nerves but didn't nick them . . . I should have a functioning lower lip . . . Stephen is making me take drugs . . . I am spacing out . . . we'll see what tomorrow brings . . .
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| I had today off to celebrate President Lincoln's birthday. However, I have not yet had time to celebrate due to my chaotic afternoon.
I was quite productive this morning and was really looking forward to getting ahead of the week. However as of noon today, my productivity declined . . . FAST.
It all started with a lunch date with Kristen. We planned to meet at 12:30. I arrived a few minutes early and decided to make a quick call. However, it was a little warm so I turned off my car, but left the keys turned enough so the air would be on. I finished my call, checked the time, and went inside.
Kristen offered to drive and I willingly jumped on that b/c I would prefer to ride in her lovely new car than drive my stick shift. We drove to Subway, grabbed lunch, and made our way to a park. While we left the parking lot, we noticed a Fire Truck with the firemen helping some poor soul get their keys out of the car. How can a person do that anyway? Don't you just put them in the same place every time you leave your car. That's what I always do!
After lunch in the park with some beautiful sunshine, we returned to my car. I dug through my purse to grab my keys, however they seemed to be avoiding capture. We heard the jingling so I knew they were in there somewhere. I pulled out all of the keys that were in my purse . . . school keys, USB keys, church keys . . . but no car keys. That's funny, I knew they were in there. I walked over to my car, just to see if somehow they were in there and yes they were. Right in the ignition where I left them. So now I have a problem . . . with an easy fix.
I called Stephen so he could bring the spare key that rides around in his truck. This was going to be an easy solution because he usually works in the Ripon area. Today he was in Riverbank, but said he would be able to get there in an hour. No problem, I can read a magazine in the office for an hour then carry on with my list of things for the day. Stephen pulls out his key chain and goes through his millions of keys (ok maybe only 50). For some reason, he does not quickly exclaim, "I have it! I'll be there soon!" Instead I hear, "Morgan, the key's not here. We must have taken it off when we switched cars. It's probably at home." Ok I can deal with that. Kristen offered her car so I could run home, grab the key, return to my car, and continue with my plans.
I took Kristen's brand new car and the next 15 minutes were the most stressful of my life. I have never driven a brand new car, let alone a friend's brand new car! I was so tense. The brakes were touchy, the accelerator even more so! Why do big trucks spit little rocks at new cars that don't belong to you. My driving consisted of hands at 10 and 2, avoidance of any big trucks, careful merging, looking everywhere in case of potential blind spots, etc. I was gripping the wheel so tight that I could feel my heartbeat in my hands. But I made it home. It was actually a beautiful ride.
As soon as I pull into my driveway, I immediately remember another small hiccup in my day. How am I supposed to get into my house? My house keys and garage door opener are locked inside my cars. Our hidden key was getting rusty so I took it inside over the weekend to clean it. It was sitting on the kitchen counter. All my windows are closed and locked. Seriously how much worse could this get? I am now locked out of house and home. Stephen is still in Riverbank. My car is still in Ripon. My day is still ticking away from me.
Next plan . . . check with the in-laws. I know I gave them a spare key during one of our trips back East. All I have to do now is get the key, so I can hopefully find the spare car key, so I can get my car, and carry on with my plans. I run to their house and we check the key basket. A key to David's house, a key to Pam's house, a key to church, a key to everything . . . EXCEPT my house and my car. Great! Now what?
We decide that we must break into my house. Dad and I take pliers, a screwdriver, and two hangers. We check the windows and decide that the kitchen window is the best option. I watched in fascination as he skillfully pries the window up, slips a hanger into the crack, squeezes the window lock, and easily slides the window open. (Not until now did I really think about how easy it appeared to be. Maybe we need to get new windows so entering our house and ultimately robbing us is not so effortless!)
I crawl in through the kitchen window over the pile of dishes that was on my afternoon to do list. All pride is gone by this point as dad and I walk through the house. My piles of grading, my dirty floors, my greasy counters, my disarray of mail . . . Anyway, we start to search for the car key. I am talking to Stephen trying to come up with some places to look. If this were a perfect world, the story would end here with me finding the key, getting my car, and finishing all tasks. But no . . . we DO NOT find the key.
So I return to Ripon in the brand new car, with pliers and a hanger, so Stephen can now break into my car. He plans to meet me there at 3:00. That gives me 20 minutes to carefully and stressfully drive back. I return the keys to Kristen and wait. During this time, an ambulance crew is inspecting the grounds. I sit by my car playing on my cell phone waiting. They look at me a few times, but never say a word. I wait and I wait and I wait. Finally 30 minutes later Stephen pulls up. "What took so long?" I ask. "I almost ran out of gas so I had to stop and the lines there were eternal and everyone in front of me wanted a lottery ticked and I had to get a receipt for work and now I'm here." If he would have run out of gas that would have made this the world's most outrageous story EVER!
Anyway, he gets to work with the hangers and plans to pull the keys out of the ignition and through the door. How exactly? I don't know. I am not one to keep my mouth shut when I don't understand so I voice my concerns and share the "better" way. The ambulance leaves quietly and moments later we have a surprise visitor . . . a police man! "Did you lock your keys in the car?" (Obviously!) "Do you want me to call the fire department?" Stephen quickly says no for which I am so grateful. He can handle it no problem.
Stephen ends up getting the lock up and opens the passenger side door. When I reach in to grab the keys I then realize that the radio is on. That's funny. The air is on too! That's right . . . I left my keys in the car so I could have air while I made a call. Now I bet my battery is dead too!
I anxiously turn the keys and my car starts no problem. Yeah! It is now 3:50 and I have time to get to the bank and at least one store before dinner. My day is somewhat salvaged.
But the drama is not over yet. (As I write I realize how ridiculous all of this is . . . but it makes me laugh so I continue!)
While picking up items for an art project, I remember that Stephen needs socks. Easy enough . . .I'll call him really fast, find out color and size and get home. Where is my cell phone? It isn't in my purse anywhere. My keys are in my hand, but no phone. I must have left it in the car. I check out and head back to my in-laws to return the pliers.
When I get there, Mom has a message for me. "Your cell phone was found at Kristen's office." What? How in the world? I had not even fully realized that it was gone or I probably would have been retracing my steps all around the store and bank.
So to end my day, I must meet Kristen to retrieve my lost cell phone.
And now I am home. It is 6:53 and I have accomplished very little. What have I learned? Apparently, I was not supposed to do much work today. I lived a great story and now have shared it with you. If you made it all the way through this novel, I applaud you. If it made you laugh, great. If nothing else, I have this story documented so when I think it was a crazy dream, I will know that it really did happen. Now I think I will have ice cream to celebrate my day off . . . Happy Birthday President Lincoln!
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| Here I sit on the computer typing away like I have nothing better to do. What should I be doing . . . PACKING!
Stephen and I leave for Maryland tomorrow morning, yet I am completely uninspired to get up and do anything. My house needs cleaned, clothes need washed, gifts need organized, and I need sleep. I am leaving my students with a sub for 2 1/2 days and due to my paranoid state of mind and over prep, I have prepared a 10 page document for her. The question is whether or not she will feel incompetent when she gets the "book" to read! I was at school for 11 hours today . . . it was a rainy day which meant all indoor recesses . . . and on top of it all my students knew how to make me want to leave by disobeying every direction possible. I tried to explain that I had a big trip, but all they could think about was the gift that I had for them at the end of the day. (Things were much easier when they couldn't read the labels! At least they're learning.) I must say that despite the rough day, I am so proud of my kids. They know Luke 2:8-14 with ease and are making great progress on the long vowels. They are still working on "The Little Drummer Boy" but definitely know when to play pa ru pa pum on their drums.
So here I am still . . . typing away . . . Stephen's sleeping . . . TV is on . . . exhaustion is setting in . . . and I must get going.
Here's to packing . . .Here's to Maryland with snow (hopefully) . . . Here's to vacation. . . Merry Christmas!
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