Good Bye 2013.....

2014 is almost here and thinking back on 2013, it was a good year.  I'm hoping 2014 will be better.  I've gotten my planners almost halfway finished and I've gotten a good start on organizing everything!  Tomorrow, sometime, I'll post my 2014 Resolutions-as soon as I figure out what they will be.   Good Bye 2013, Welcome 2014-please be gentler than 2013.....

2014 Travel Planner

I went shopping today to get things for my 2014 planner since 2014 is right around the corner.  I'll be using more than one planner; right now I'll be using 4 Planners: At Home, Travel, School, Diet.  I'll also be using 7 Journals: Quiet Time, Daily, Blessings, Diet & Exercise, Health, Prayer, and Art plus a Smash Book (my personal offline version of Pintrest).  I'll Blog about all of these at some point and post things from time to time.  I'm thinking about getting another Journal for my personal journey through my coping with Endometriosis beginning in January 2014 with my surgery. Here's a look at my Travel Planner I made out of River Song's Journal that Travis gave me for Christmas (he says I'm a Geek, at least he isn't calling me a Nerd lol)

Here are some general pictures of my main travel journal for the basics to get me where I need to go.

 




I will be color coding things, I'll put up a final list later, so I bought some pens and pencils and such.  I did see a set of pens made in Germany that are $25 I want to save up for.  Below are pictures of some of my goodies.  I'm still working on storage so a lot o them will be in the target bag for awhile.

 Pens, Pencils, Writing Instruments

The Hello Kitty pens are sparkly & write really well; they were only .50  at Target

I like these because there is glue on one end

 

 Other items to use with my Travel Planner specifically 

These are sticky notes in match book covers.

These are for use in all my planners as well as in my journals

Travis gave me these for Christmas!!!!! He knows me too well!

These go from 1-6.

     

These also have a sheet of pink and purple in the pack

 

These have a sheet of blue and green in the pack also

  

I bought two of these, one specifically for my Travel Planner

I had these, most are from when I taught 4K & had to make my own center games 

Mini Envelopes, blue & green, from our wedding reception

I had these mini stickers in a box with all my sticky notes

 Of course there is storage/organization

I love yellow, and bought this in the spring at Hobby Lobby; just because I liked it

I also have a blue basket that I am still organizing items into.

I also piked up some accessories

I love using wooden pencils and colored penils so I picked up a good sharpener to keep at home

I love the happy colors.  Also, I decided to buy hair bands instead of spending almost $4 for 3 book bands

                            

And of course, what's a new year without new school toys?

I got the small notebook out of the $ bin at Target and I picked up some new Dry Erase markers since mine are drying out

 Here is a look at some of my Journals and finished Travel Planner

This is my Blessing Journal; Every day I write down 3 good things that have happened.

My Smash book I bought the beginning of last school year to put things in I want to keep but wouldn't put in a scrap book. Things I want to reference later.

My Travel Planner with the pens I keep in my purse.

 Here's a look at my Yellow basket with some of my items, all ready for use!

Right now I'm keeping my stickies in a 31 mini zipper pouch, but I'm going to be moving to something bigger soon.

School Journal/Planner

This is what I have now; what I was using through the semester that ended yesterday.  It's just a small leather bound three-ring binder I bought two years ago to take on job interviews with teaching samples.  I have month dividers with calendars I printed from publisher at home where I record whose class(es) I was in each day.  I'm actually going to be using a thicker binder next semester.  I have a teal, I think it's 2", from when I was teachings in 2005-2006.  It has a clear front and back covers that a decorative sheet can be slipped into.  Other than the monthly dividers I'm already using and page inserts with school rule information I haven't really decided what I'm going to do, but I don't want it boring on the inside; I don't want it wild and wacky either.  I'm wanting dignified, lady-like, and calm, it is a (substitute) teacher's planner and hopefully I'll have a classroom in August and continue using it as a teacher.  Any suggestions would be helpful because this is going to be a work in progress probably until I retire (or get too busy to bother with it anymore).

 

2014...Ready or Not

Time to get ready for January and all it's stresses.  I'm not being pessimistic, we were promised that January would be a disaster scheduling wise.  To help me handle the extra stress without having a total melt down the second day of school I am revamping the planner I use for School.  I'm in the process of designing pages to add to what I already have; boy have I been having fun playing with excel (which is fun considering I don't feel like getting out of bed).  Needless to say they're colorful and fun!  I've set a definite bedtime of 8 pm beginning in January, so I've fixed my pages so I can't do anything after 8 pm.  

    Also to help with the stress I found a thing last year, I think it was on FaceBook, that was 50 Ways to Take a Break, so I'm going to pick one a day starting January 6 (if not sooner) and then journal about that day's Break.  It'll be interesting to see how many different ways I can do one suggestion.  At least with this the only problem I'll have is deciding which to do.

Best Day Ever......

 I went to Spartanburg this morning, picked up some makeup so I'd look half-way decent over the holidays.  I also picked up a bottle of OPI's Nail Envy, my Aunt Becky uses it and she had my cousin use it before my wedding this past summer.  I had no idea there were so many different types. I decided to try the kind for sensitive and Peeling Nails so that will be its own little blog later 
 I also stopped by Barnes & Noble for a Peppermint Hot Chocolate and saw a book I couldn't resist Who's (oops)Whose Grammar Book Is This Anyway? I felt like I was in jr. high school diagramming sentences, something today's kids should have to do.  Proof I'm a teacher.
  I finally got the mud room and my closet straightened up, and my gluten free food a safe distance away from Travis' which is full of gluten.  The Living room and Bedroom are disasters (we aren't even going to bring up the craft room); So Friday my project is the bedroom.  Saturday I have to bake, but I still haven't decided on a dessert for Sunday.  I've narrowed it down to a few things 
 I also purchased a new lunch bag this morning.  I ordered it in  turquoise. It sould be big enough and easier to carry.

With all the excitement I didn't get to OWH's midweek thrown down, maybe tomorrow after school (it's a half day). The card is Kids Love and I have just the stamp to use. I'll post a photo by Friday morning.

More Trouble at school...

I had a salad at school today for lunch, which is normally what I've been eating at lunch, but yesterday I finished up my salad dressing so I got dressing from the cafeteria.  Not good.  My stomach has been bothering me since 4th block and I've had a headache since 2:45 that is just getting worse.  Once day I will get this gluten and dairy thing figured out and will have food stored in the freezer that  I can just heat up if I don't feel like cooking.  I like Gluten-Free Living, EatingWell, and (my favorite) Tea Time Magazine because they are either all gluten-free or have yummy gluten-free recipes.  Hopefully this will all be out of my system so I can enjoy the Army-Navy game Saturday, I'm thinking about making a gluten-free pizza Yummy.

GO NAVY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hearts and Happiness

Operation Write Home's Mid Week Throw Down-Valentine's Day/Love Card

Disappointments

Well, I thought I'd stick around and see what happens with Soldier's Angels.  It's supposed to get better and from what I've heard and seen since November 1 it isn't.  I won't go into details, heaven help that gets out. But I will give my opinion, Heaven help that I think on my own and actually can make decisions and form opinions myself.

For starters, if your all volunteer group is having to spend their own money each month to send letters, cards, and care packages to military and their families why would you tell them they have to pay more to continue spending their own money and then give away prizes to some when they do pay the donation (fee if you're in reality).  This whole fee thing is really a side issue for me. My main issue with Soldier's Angels is that of the past 6 and a half years I have been volunteering with them (and loving it, the writing and sending packages to the soldiers) I've had communication issues 4 of those years.  I have had so many problems getting in touch with people about concerns or questions I've had.  It's been one big scavenger hunt.  I haven't even known if my area have a community Network person since 2008.

Now we are told there are over 2400 soldiers needing to be adopted, some of those have more than one verified angel plus the angel they had before November 1 and that leaves how many troops without even one Angel for support.  Over the past 6+ years I have watched Soldier's Angels grow beyond the scope of what I believe it's able to take care of.  Was this the reason we have to pay at least $1 a month to actually be able to do what we like? I do not know, there has been A LOT of secrecy and we tiny little angels who don't know haven't been able to voice our opinions without the Angels in power, from my personal experience it was the founder, blasting us for not supporting the troops and if posted on Facebook they were deleted.  It appears we are allowed to have an opinion as long as it is flattering to Soldier's Angels.

I hope with all my heart that this monthly payment either goes away completely or that it becomes optional.  If it doesn't my heart probably will break because I don't know of a legitimate reason to pay to volunteer with  group you spend hundreds of dollars of your own money a year to help lonely strangers halfway around the world.  This breaks my heart, even now that I've been sponsored for a year because the Chaplain Support Team, Letter Writer Team, and the TLC team seem to be the only things functioning at the moment.

Beginning in 2014 I will be making cards for Operation Write Home, sorry but this Christmas all the adults stateside will be getting store bought cards.  They do ask for donations but that is because it takes money to send the cards over to the troops.  I will be using my last year with Soldiers Angels to find a new group to volunteer with-barring of course a miracle happening for me to stay with them and I don't see that happening.  I know God can do anything, but I don't see the current heads of the group or the founder changing the way they are doing things, in secret.

As I said, this is my opinion and so be it if I get kicked out of SA now for having it.

Down Days and Mini vacations

I received a letter that as of yesterday, October 31, 2013, I am no longer a permanent sub at the high school so I'm home this morning.  Instead of getting to see happy faces and help teachers I'm dealing with the depression that goes with being unemployed and feeling like I'm not needed.  I stop short of saying I'm not wanted because I have had several teachers tell me they want me to be their sub if they have to be out.  I was doing a lot better the past couple of months. Even though I was just a sub I was going to work every day and if I wasn't assigned a classroom I was helping a teacher.  This wasn't just the teacher asking if I could make copies for them; I would go find teachers to help.  You know the teachers who don't have planning periods, the teachers who need copies for class but there is a line at the copier between classes, the teachers who have to have copies to use for class and there isn't enough time to grade everything and put the packets together for class. If I had more than one free period I wasn't just twiddling my thumbs, unless I had a major migraine but I still did some things for a teacher those days.  Now I wonder if maybe I shouldn't have just read a book instead of doing other things to feel like I earned my pay every day.  So now the depression issues I had last year with being unemployed are back :-(

Then there is the whole Soldiers' Angels mess.  I decided to hang around for a year, thanks to the sweet Angel who paid my "fee" for a year so I can keep volunteering.  After the past few days I'm beginning to think it was a mistake and I should have just been kicked out for not paying.  I recently changed my email address thinking it would be easier on everyone to have an email that didn't have Thibodeau on it, I was wrong.  I got an email at the address I still get SA information at wanting to know my email address.  the whole name change threw them off even though my name has been changed on the forum and the Approved Angels page since I got married.  My name on all the paperwork to re-verify is Blythe, however I had to add Jennifer(my first name) to get the email address I wanted. Even though all my paperwork says Blythe, the Jennifer in my email confused them so much they had to email me to ask about my email address. And now on facebook we are still being told to ask yet more people questions about teams we're on.  I thought all this was going to stop, I was told by Amy communication would get better.  I was going to stick to it for the troops, but this is causing me as much, if not more, stress than school is and stress is the reason I've been having migraines.

I also wanted to have a Bible Study about advent for the girls (starting tonight) and asked about time that would work best for them so I'd know the time to tell them. The only person who has responded is my sister-in-law Savannah.  Everyone else's lack of response tells me they don't want to get together if the get together happens to be a Bible Study.

But I want to end this on a positive note, I'm taking a card class Sunday at Michael's which is my mini vacation and then next Saturday I'm taking two card classes at Michael's. Hopefully they will help take the blues away.  Advent is here so hopefully this picture will change things around, but if you've every suffered from depression (and I'm sure anyone with Social Anxiety Disorder has at least once) you'll know it may take awhile.  So here goes my first try of being positive this month.

Happy Advent Season!!!

Chronic Migraines

After several weeks of horrible migraines I finally got to leave school early yesterday so I went home and had to take two of my prescription migraine pills.  I also took my preventative medicine.  I stopped taking it in August because i'm so tired during the day and I wasn't getting much sleep once the sedative wore off.  I took half of one this afternoon, but I'm still having bad headaches.  Hopefully I can figure something out.

Something else that's been bothering me is seeing photo posts on Facebook about how upset people with chronic illnesses get when someone tells them get well soon.  My opinion...I have gradually gotten to the point where I'm furious at seeing these now. I have to deal with chronic medical issues and I feel so much better(emotionally at least) just hearing I hope you feel better or find a get well soon card in the mail because I know they care and want me to be better even if it's for a few hours.  Knowing what it's like for me I try to send "get well soon" notes to encourage others who are going through something similar and I have to say that seeing things like this up as often as I do makes me feel like I've been slapped in the face for trying to encourage someone, whether that was the person I sent a note to or not.  I have days where I have to fight to make it through school before I can rest and deal with the physical pain and I have to say it's depressing having my parents and husband be the only people who want me to feel better.  I do know there are some people praying for me, they find me at school or send me a note to check up on me every now and then. I guess I feel like no one really cares about me.  I know I'm sick a lot and most people think it's trivial, but a lot of days I feel like no one really cares and a get well card or something special ( which I usually get in mail from my best friend in Florida who shouldn't be spending money on me or I buy myself) would really mean a lot.  I see others facing similar medical issues who have friends who seem to be bending over backwards to do things to make them feel better and feel loved.  The only people who seem to do that for me are my husband and my parents.  I've had to deal with my chronic issues alone for 31 years before I met Travis, I guess I'll keep doing it without friends, it just makes me sad to think about.

See What Happens....

I don't have Celiac's Disease so I'm going to an allergist because something is obviously wrong.  I tried eating one or two pieces of toast a day, but something is still messing up my stomach. For now it's still try it and see what happens (at least if the next couple of days aren't school days). I'm also still having a lot of migraines nor have I been sleeping well lately.  I haven't felt like working out lately but I really want to get started.  I like staying healthy and in shape.  

The Dr. also stretched my esophagus and it's easier for me to swallow small pills now (I haven't tackled the bigger one yet).

What a week....

I've finished all the wedding planning, I just have a few more things to get done.  I have 3 more weeks of teaching left and then it's 2 weeks of movies; movies I get to choose :-) I'm a lot stressed with everything I have to do and my craft time which is how I normal relax and blow off steam is non existent right now.  There are days I wish I could just take my giant Peanuts coloring book (from when I was 3, I don't still have it but it would be fun!) and box of crayons to school and just color lol

I'm starting a new diet tomorrow for a few weeks, fruits, vegetables, and water.  Something has been making me sick lately and I find it hard to believe it's ONLY gluten.  I think my thyroid is starting to get off too.  It may just be stress (and I definitely have a lot of that) but I'm sick and tired of being sick and tired! The hard part of figuring out what's wrong is lack of time and resources to actually do it.  I've been wanting to take a course to be a certified nutritional consultant and I think I'll do that soon.

Spring is Here?

It doesn't really feel like spring, more like late October.  Right now I'm becoming more obsessed with healthy eating and I really want to go to a Farmer's Market-despite the fact that I really want pizza and burgers, and hot dogs, and stuff I just can't eat without having an allergic reaction or getting a migraine.  Since I'll be getting married in a couple of months I have to figure out where to buy what I can handle for the best price.  Which is why I can't wait to go to a farmer's market and spend some time this summer canning for the winter; did you know that yellow #5 (I think is the number) is added to pickles!!!! Yes, I'll be pickling my own hopefully this summer.  I want the headaches, pain, and breathing problems to stop without my dying of starvation-is that really too much to ask?  Project #1 (after getting out my sewing machine) is making grocery bags, I have my patterns and some material already.  I have several different styles I like plus there is an insulated one.  I like my 31 bags, but there's something about making a bag with the print you want that makes limited shopping more enjoyable, and I do enjoy grocery shopping!!

Spring is...

Spring is just around the corner! I can feel it peeking out at me from behind a tree.  I'm so excited about gardening season, it's almost here. Time to pull out my cook books-all the gluten free ones I've been collecting since two Doctors put me on the diet in the autumn.  It's been really hard, financially, but with thoughts of my own garden I have a new excitement and hope I will actually be able to eat foods that won't make me feel yucky.  I'm also trying to save up for canning supplies and refrigerator storage for when I can start harvesting.  I have both on our wedding registries and I'm super excited.

I have managed to purge my crafting supplies of seasonal things I don't like and haven't used in years, especially Christmas.  I bought a ScrapRack and I have most everything on it, I ran out of pages and dividers, but those should be in Wednesday-along with a small travel box so I can carry my things from house to house until I get married this summer and aren't commuting back and forth anymore.  If I like the small box I'm going to get a bigger one. They look great for car travel because it's plastic and the top can be used as a lap desk.  When It comes in and I use it I'll let you know my opinion.

Nail Polish and Sewing Patterns

I went shopping yesterday and found nail polish the exact color of my going away dress for my wedding in June.  It was the exact color of the dress! But alas when I painted my nails I didn't think they looked that great, at least not for a wedding :-)

I also found some patterns for clothes and bags for the honeymoon (and after) on sale for $3.00 a pattern.  I'm so excited!!! I can't wait to set up my sewing machine and start sewing!!

2013

It's been awhile....and I'm getting ready for a wedding!!! So I may not be on here much.  I'm doing a fairly good job of keeping a record of my diet and exercise-just not exercising nor eating very healthy :-(  My New Year resolution for the year is to read all f Agatha Christie's books in the order that they were published and I've finished the first two.  This may take a few years.  I also want to purchase hard back copies as I read them to have my own collection, but the only "original" cover hardback editions can be bought on Great Britain's Amazon site :-(  All things considered 2013 has been pretty good so far :-D