My Newest Accessories

Awkward

-Like my newest accessory? ;) I really did know better than to think I could attend a Ranger game in Texas, in May, and not get burned. I knew I needed sunscreen and accidentally walked right on out without it. Trust me, I am suffering for it!

-These bowling shoes from 1915. Women were really expected to bowl in these? They ARE relatively cute in a nostalgic kind of way, but I would SURELY bust it trying to throw a 12-pound ball down the lane in these!! (They were in a display case in the Arlington Visitor Center; kinda cool little place!)

-Dealing with 6th graders. It's too close to the end of the year, and these kiddos are CRAZY! Give me those elementary students ANY day of the week over middle and high school right now. I swear, I leave with a headache EVERY time! It doesn't help that there are thirty kids in every class. THIRTY. 30. thirty. It's like a freakin' cattle drive every class period.

Awesome

-My actual newest accessories! I l.o.v.e jewelry, and now that my twin sister is selling Park Lane, I am rolling in fun, new bling!!!


 -Adele's version of To Make You Feel My Love. Bob Dylan wrote it, and I even kinda liked Garth Brooks' version, but Adele's version absolutely blows me away. I can't stop playing it over and over again! 

-This one's a little embarrassing ;), but it is what it is and I am excited about it! This Friday, I am going to a local liquor store to meet and have my Skinnygirl Magarita signed by Bethenny Frankel! I can't believe I am admitting this, but I have watched her since she was on RHONY and also watch her show Bethenny Ever After. I LOVE her Skinnygirl Margarita, and can't pass up an opportunity for an autograph and picture with her!! 

What are your Awkwards and Awesomes for the week?

A&A Thursday on a Friday

I know this is technically a day late, but that is no fault of mine... we ALL had the Blogger Blues yesterday!!! :)

Awesome

-Wednesday's episode of Modern Family was AWESOME! Hilarious, as usual, but also a very sweet episode. A couple of my favorite parts were when Gloria was saying how nice she is, even when she has to put on her "sugar jacket" (meaning when she "sugar-coats" the truth, haha) and seeing Phil as the bathroom nazi. GREAT episode! Go to hulu.com and check it out!

-Getting to leave work 45 minutes early. 

On an Monday. 

Enough said. :)

-This may be a little awkward, but I love it! I have officially become a Scentsy addict. I received one for Christmas, bought another at a recent party, then received a 3rd for my birthday. My house smells amazing all the time, and the pretty warmers really add to my decor!

-It's the last month of school before summer and my subbing schedule is almost entirely full! :) Plus, all of the jobs are at my 2 favorite schools to work at. I am at one of the schools every day this week and a teacher said to me today, "It's like you're a full time teacher here, Mrs. Martinez!" I WISH!!! The secretary also mentioned that IF I didn't end up working full-time in the classroom by Fall, she had a long-term position that she would love to use me for. It's little things like this that make me feel, hope, and PRAY that THIS IS MY YEAR to find a teaching position!!

Awkward

-Remember Hooty? He died this week. :( I got his chain caught on a file cabinet and walked away, not realizing it. The chain busted and Hooty fell to his demise. I miss wearing my favorite necklace! Luckily, Park Lane Jewelry has a lifetime warranty, so all I have to do is send him back for another.

-All the TEARS on Wednesday afternoon that started once the thunderstorms rolled in. Apparently Kinder kiddos really can't handle it! There were WAY too many breakdowns!!!

-The Kinder kiddos planted different types of beans last week and are watching them grow for Science. One bean must have fermented or something, because a white, gooey substance was bubbling out of it and it made the area by the teacher's desk stink SO BAD. I kept the Scentsy on all day, but it just mixed with the rotten smell and made it worse. I was more than ready to leave that room once the bell rang!!

-A few weeks ago, I changed up my vitamin and medication regimen. I have had a nonstop headache ever since. I can't really change back, and I realize it's probably just my body adjusting to the change in hormones and other things, but I am just so tired of my head hurting. The tension just won't go away, and it is SO draining. Ugh.

I don't wanna end on an awkward, so let's start the weekend off with a photo of me, sis, and a couple of our besties at our birthday dinner! :)

If you like Cinco de Mayo...

If you like Cinco de Mayo ... and wearing sweaters in May.

If you're not much into health food, but you eat it anyway. 

If you like singing in the shower and doing karaoke.

Stop back by here on Sunday, and wish me Happy Birthday. :)

Please tell me that you know you should sing that to the tune of the Pina Colada Song. ;) I am in a stellar mood today, and this silly song is the result. Perhaps that means I am more than a little goofy, but I am strangely okay with that.

The entire point of it was to, of course, acknowledge today's holiday and comment on a few other things going on right now (now onto Awkward and Awesome so I can explain a few)!

Awkward

-So, I realize that for much of the blogging world, you have not been introduced to Spring quite yet this year. In Texas, however, we are used to Spring coming in March and then being kicked out by Summer as soon as the end of April. The hot and humidity are definitely not welcome, per say, but it's something we've come to expect. So imagine my complete shock when I had to pull out a SWEATER and BOOTS on Monday. It rained here for a solid 24 hours and was in the 30s and 40s all day long. IN MAY. IN TEXAS. Crazy. Also awkward because my pups refuse to go outside in the rain. Ugh.

-Going into a middle school to sub on Tuesday, I had the WORST anxiety... I was so nervous... it felt like the first day of school! Why?? Don't know. I have become so used to subbing at another particular elementary school. They keep me busy most days, I've been in nearly every classroom, and I know the kids plus their schedules. I guess the "change" was too much for me, even though I had been to this other middle school before. It was strangely emotional, and just a pretty weird situation. Everything turned out fine, of course, and I had a great afternoon, so all is well. ;)

-I know I promised weekly menu updates on Mondays. First, I really needed a small break from blogging after the A to Z challenge. Second, last week I was a major failure at taking pictures of our food, even though I did cook some pretty yummy stuff! Obviously, now that I have my new camera, you can expect to see much more of my menu! :) Yummy food pictures... I can't wait. :)

Awesome

-Today is my parent's 31st wedding anniversary. Aren't they so cute? These are a few pictures of their early years.




Congratulations, Mom and Dad, I LOVE YOU! xoxo Plus, how awesome was it for them to get married on Cinco de Mayo? Seriously, though, I consider myself infinitely blessed to have loving, giving, and supportive parents who have been together for so long. They have shown me that while "happily ever after" doesn't mean there won't be struggles, finding and keeping the "one" is worth the extra patience. I look forward to the day that D and I can look back over the past 30 years and feel the same genuine, forever love that my parents have for each other.

-Yes, it's awkward to be wearing a sweater and boots in May, but there was a major awesome in there, too. I had recently placed an online order for boots on clearance, and guess when the package decided to show up on my front door? Oh yes, rainy day Monday. :) So I got to strut my stuff in my new boots, even if the weather was extra gloomy. :)

-Some of my girlfriends and I are embarking on our own Biggest Loser adventure for the next 60 days (ok, so the awkward part is I am not starting until after my birthday in order to set myself up for SUCCESS). We are all focused on living healthier lifestyles, but we all need the extra MOTIVATION! Facebook Groups are pretty awesome... we have a private one set up so we can post weights, share struggles, give advice, and just work together on our weight loss. Thank you, Lord, for amazing girlfriends that motivate each other!!

-I am SO excited about celebrating Mother's Day with my MIL on Friday night, then going on a double date with my twin and her man Saturday night, then having a huge Mother's Day/Twin Birthday Bash at my parent's on Sunday. Gotta love birthday weekends!!!

X-rated A&A?

Okay, so it's not really x-rated. Seriously, though, what else am I going to do with the letter "x"? ;) That little cartoon was my best shot, and I am looking forward to what all our fellow A to Z bloggers come up with! Despite all of my online searching, I simply could not find an "x" or even an "ex" word for awkward, so I am just going straight into Awkward and Awesome. Even it's a little bit of a cop-out for A to Z. ;)

Awkward

-Sitting with my 2nd graders for the day while the other team teacher holds a 10-minute lecture with them... entirely in Spanish. The counselor had come in to do a quick 20-minute lesson, and this team teacher had a few things to add. What mostly made it awkward was that I had no idea what she was even talking about. I just kinda sat there and twiddled my thumbs until my kids got up and got in line. I didn't even recognize her telling them to line up. I need to learn more Spanish.

-Hitting my hand somehow and managing to bruise almost my entire left hand. Purple knuckles, tender palm, and everything. A) I bruise far too easily and B) of course it had to be the hand I do everything with. Ouch.

-I had such a blast over Easter weekend with my mom! :) But, let's face it... in the kitchen, it was a Comedy of Errors. ;) Despite how well we normally are in the kitchen, apparently Mom and I can't socialize and cook at the same time. 

So what happened was: Friday night, the cookies had too much flour and tasted more like a stale bread than a cookie... Saturday morning, she asked me to measure out a cup of flour for her pound cake. She thought I measured and  added it. Silly me measured it out, set it on the counter, and got in the shower. She discovered it after the cake had been in the oven 15 minutes. Oops. Re-do! Then on Saturday night, the casserole got pulled out of the oven too early, but it was forgotten when we put it back in to finish cooking. Cornbread casserole doesn't taste quite as good when the cornbread is burnt. ;)

Needless to say, next time I hang out with my mom after a long time apart, I think we will let someone else do the cooking so we can focus on each other. ;0)

Awesome

-I just finished my May menu. :) :) This is my third month of menu planning... you know I love it! Still sifting through my cookbooks and finding new meals... I can't believe I've never utilized these things until now! I will find a way to post or link up my menu eventually... I need to get my honey to help me with that.

-Sitting outside on our covered patio, on the new furniture, listening to the rain. When my hubby got home the other night, we took the pups and a blanket out there after dinner and all snuggled up on the loveseat. It was perfect. :)

-This may be a little bit awkward, but I consider it an awesome. It means my honey is rubbing off on me, and I am okay with that. ;) So, he goes out of town for the day and his flight is super delayed... he won't be home until midnight. I can watch whatever I please on the TV, and what do I spend my evening doing? Watching basketball playoffs and the History channel. ;) The History Channel (along with Discover Science) USED to be my go-to NAP channels. ;) Whenever D put it on, I was sure to doze on the couch or get caught up on my laptop. I was mesmerized by Mounted in Alaska and that new Restoration show. The reason I loved Mounted in Alaska was because of the animals it showed. Of course, I would  rather to see the animals alive and in the wild, but these are some animals I have never even heard of and it was soverycool. 

Rotten and Rad

Time for another slightly strange edition of Awkward and Awesome - this time with cheesy "R" words. ;) Next Thursday's letter is "X", I believe. Ruh-roh. Since A&A is the only "regular" post I really do, I wanted to do my best to incorporate it into the A to Z challenge! It's probably an epic fail due to the cheese factor and not being able to find words that were true synonyms for "awkward", but I gave it my best shot! So, here's to this week's Rotten and Rad?? ;)

Rotten/Awkward

-Walking into our normal Sunday morning bowling and watching a small family stand at the door and inhale bananas because of the "No Outside Food or Beverage" sign. It was serious business, and I just walk right past them with my water, travel coffee mug, and my breakfast shake. Come on, people, it's okay to break some rules. ;)

-Having a different family bowl next to us with the most annoying children EVER! They were like 10 or 11 and the girl was sitting ON the ball return kicking the sides over and over. I am holding my ball, about to approach, and I just turned and stared at her. Straight on, scary teacher stare. It took everything in me not to yell, "No thank you! Walk away until you can behave properly in a bowling alley!!" Needless to say, by their 3rd frame my nerves were SHOT and I was ready to go!

-Wearing my "teacher sweater" last night to the Mavs game. It's the sweater I usually carry with me whenever I sub just in case the classroom I am in is chilly. I thought there might be a chance the arena would be cold, so I grabbed it off the chair on my way out. With 3 minutes left in the game, the people behind me accidentally spilled their "adult beverage" all down my back. Uck. They were more caught up in losing their drink, and I smelled like a bar. Let's just say I did NOT bring that sweater with me to school today. Ugh, gross.

-D and I have been on the hunt for some patio furniture (the "Verniture" has seen it's final days) and we spotted the PERFECT set walking out of Kroger the other day. It was the last one, and it was so perfectly "us" and our style that we purchased it on the spot. I pull my little Honda Civic around front, pop the trunk, and there are our bowling balls from that morning and our washer boards. There is no way we are getting this patio loveseat, table, and 2 gliders in this car... even empty!! We sooo did not think this through! It was an ORDEAL getting it home! I threw all the cushions in my car and left David sitting with all the frames while I ran home to unload and start knocking on our neighbor's doors for help. Our friend saved the day by bringing his parent's truck, but not until D had been sitting outside of Kroger for a ridiculous amount of time. We DID manage to get the table in my car but couldn't get it back out once we were home! Our buddy had to remove the passenger seat of my car to get the table out!

Rad/Awesome 

-Between my sister's new jewelry business and the Pretty Little Lovelies Club, I have aquired some FAB accessories lately. This means I was on the major hunt for a jewelry box that would hold everything and keep it in better condition than my current one. I found a few online, but the price ranged from $100 - $200, and I just can't see spending that money on something I cannot hold or see first. I finally found what I was looking for at Target... for $60! It's perfect for what I need, AND there's a photo collage on the front for me to put wedding pics and photos of our pups. I haven't done that just yet, so no photo of the outside.

-Here's a couple of shots of our new patio furniture; I love it SO much! :) I love that the table has a little shelf under it, even though I am not sure what I will store there. I adore that the pillows and cushions are the same as our wedding colors. One of my favorite features is that the 2 chairs are little rockers/gliders! SO nice!

-We also landed a small deep freeze for our garage for a very cheap price. Some friends of ours were selling it in a garage sale.... DIBS!!! :) I still need to clean it up a little, but our kitchen freezer will be very happy for the breathing room!!


-We scored some free playoff tickets and got to go to the Mavs game last night, sweet! They won, even better! Personally, though, I think one of the coolest things about the evening was the National Anthem. A saxophone player performed it last night, and it was SO neat! No offense, but it was MUCH better than hearing some woman butcher the high notes. Plus, it was different, which I like!

-For dinner last night before the game, I made some extra tasty homemade pizza! My honey went to Jimmy's downtown and bought some fresh dough for me, and I piled it high with yummy veggies! I used italian sausage, mushrooms, thinly sliced red onions, and a little of spinach that I steamed and squeezed the water out of. I also had some skim milk ricotta leftover from another meal, so I dotted that throughout the pizza. Before putting the mozzarella and throwing it into the oven, I sprayed a little bit of light butter on the edges on the crust then sprinkled garlic over that.... yummy, garlic bread crust!!

Loser and Legendary

It's Thursday! Besides being that much closer to Friday, it also means time for another edition of *Awkward and Awesome*! In spirit of the letter "L" and today's A to Z challenge, I tried to adjust the "Awkward and Awesome" title to fit the letter of the day. I know it's cheesy, but those are the only 2 "L" words I could find that seemed slightly appropriate! :)

Losers/Awkward:

-catching just the right spot on the counter to leave a huge, painful bruise on my hip. right where the waistband of my pants sit. ouch.

-watching my dog, daphne, run headfirst into the glass patio door! awkward for her, totally hilarious to us! in her defense, we have had the screen open for the past 5-6 weeks so she probably wasn't expecting a face-full of glass. ba-ha.

-kinda awesome for me, but totally awkward for the fellow teacher it happened to: a colleague came up to me today and told me a student from another class keeps calling her Mrs. Martinez. :) come on, I am a sub and this teacher is around you every day. it DOES make me feel good, but it wouldn't feel so great if I were the teacher on the other end of that. Plus this teacher is over a foot taller than me and we really look nothing alike.

-spending WAY too much time looking for an outfit to wear today. I was attempting to "mix it up" a little, but after all the effort, I ended up throwing on something safe that I generally wear. I WILL become more style saavy, I WILL!

Legendary/Awesome:

-napping on our new hammock. oh yeah! 


-new season of deadliest catch! wow, what they do for a living is so dangerous!  I was on the edge of my seat through the entire season premiere. And D is just happy I will watch a show about fishing with him. :)

-a "just-because" gift from a friend. I love ALL things Mary Engelbreit, and she gave me this at work on Monday. :)

-my new hat I found at Ross for $7. I don't really consider myself a hat person, but I loved it too much! I actually have tried it on and put it back on 2 other trips to Ross. I guess 3rd time really is a charm; I bought it this time!

Today's A&A

Awkward:

-subbing at a school this week where "cowboy steak" was the main menu item. This is just a fancy name for a hamburger patty on steroids that's covered in melted white cheese and bacon. I don't really think that anything with BACON on it qualifies as a "healthy choice." Come on, now.

-finding a note from an old friend hidden in a DVD case that I opened at school the other day. The friendship had a rather awkward, unhappy ending and there were definitely mixed feelings when I read the note. Even though it was sweet, it was still strange. At the time I am sure it was meant to make me smile, but it just made me feel.... weird. Plus, it's probably been there for over a year - since she hasn't set foot in my house in that long.

-zombie dreams. I had one last night and woke up utterly terrified. 

-incessant sneezing. Curse you, allergy season!

-leaving my water bottle in Mesquite last night at the jewelry party. The most awkward part: I drove the 45-minute drive again today to get it. I can't live without that thing! Seriously, it's a problem. ;)

Awesome

-my camera has magically come back from the dead. :) Perhaps I was working it too hard and it needed a break! I have still been taking pictures, but it's a pain to upload them from my phone.... as a result: picture-less posts. Since we're back in business, you should be seeing more photos around here very soon!

-impromptu date night! We went to Logan's - I ordered steak and grilled shrimp... the hubs ordered ribs and chicken. Yes, this was intentionally so we would have 4 different meats. :) Then we just share it all  - mmmm meat ;)

-adult slumber parties! I can't wait to post about this after Saturday!!! One of our besties is having a party out at her home in BFE. All of my besties are coming with their men and their kiddos! It will be a day of grilling out and socializing, then we will all change into our PJs and stay the night! I really can't wait - this weekend will be such a blast!

-So, I've officially decided to give this A to Z challenge a shot. It seems like it's going to be hard to think up posts by the letter, and also a real challenge to post every day for the whole month of April. But I LOVE to write, and I know it will help stretch my creative juices.

-

A&A on a GORGEOUS Thursday!

Well, hello! Wow, it's gorgeous outside! Chillin' on the patio with my laptop as we speak... er, as I type. Nothing awkward about today, so let's get to a few things that are. ;)

Awkward:

-completely flaking out on last week's A&A. But you know, I was with family and got so caught up, I didn't even realize it was Thursday. It wasn't until I got home Friday afternoon, logged onto my Dashboard and saw all your other posts that it even occurred to me! ;) I was getting some totally awesome family time, though, so I hope you all forgive me. :)

-My camera breaking AGAIN! The shutter won't open. :( Funny enough, it was in David's possession when it stopped working. Why is he always the one to lose or break my cameras? ;) Oh well, it just means he gets to buy me another. woohoo. It's really throwing a wrench in my daily routine, though! I am doing a 365 photo project and taking one picture for everyday in 2011. Without my trusty camera, my cell phone is being forced to substitute. Just not quite the same.

-Depeche Mode's "Enjoy the Silence" ringing throughout the 4th grade classroom I taught in on Wednesday. Grrrr.... I KNOW I put my phone on silent!!! Of course, the ringing is followed by a chorus of, "Ooooooh, Mrs. Martinez, we are not supposed to have cell phones!!!". Oops. Kids, I know the rules... it's my stupid phone that doesn't.

-the bug that flew into my Scentsy when the wax was melted, and me not noticing until today when I find a big, black spot hardened among the red of my Perfectly Pomegranate. Ew. Had to heat it, let the wax melt, and fish it out. Ew.

-Our FIOS DVR. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE Verizon FIOS, but lately the DVR is giving me a headache. First of all, the % full gage thingy is wrong. Please explain to me how two 30-minute episodes of Jeopardy causes my DVR to be 86% full. You's a fool, FIOS. Which means that if I have more than 2 hours worth of programming in it, it reads as full and won't record any more. Boo. But today.... ooh, it made me mad. I recorded Top Chef last night and come home all pumped to watch it... All Stars season and they pick the final two for the finale. :) The DVR shows that it recorded a full hour of the show, awesome. BUT right in the middle of the episode, before they present food for the quickfire, it SKIPS straight to judging for the elimination challenge. HUH? I missed a food presentation, a judging, an elimination, the premise of the elimination challenge, AND the twist? Psshh... it completely cut out 25 minutes right in the middle of the show. Curse you, FIOS DVR!

Awesome:

-still lovin' my new, short haircut. Especially with the warm weather we've been having, I love that it feels light and easy!

-Spring nail polish! I am on my 3rd bottle (over the past couple years) of my favorite spring shade, For Audrey. Thank you, China Glaze! I painted mine last week. :) Rachel over at Distinct.Style also posted about her new love of this color - it's just too awesome not to fall in love with it! :)

--double awesome: I received my March "Pretty Little Lovely" and they are the sweetest earrings in, guess what color?? ;) They perfectly match my nails, haha! I love how April over at Funky Vintage Lovely seems to read my mind! For the second month in a row, she has sent me a piece in my favorite "color of the moment". Keep in mind, too, that in the "Pretty Little Lovelies" Club, April chooses your pieces for you. So her uncanny ability to send me probably the exact pieces I would pick myself... well, that is just too cool... and WAY awesome. :)

-I had a ROUGH day on Wednesday w/ the group of 4th graders I had. It wasn't a school I frequent, and by the end of the day I was ripping my hair out. I kept thinking how much I miss the kiddos at the school I am usually at. Especially the 3rd graders. They are TONS better behaved than the older group from the other school. I checked my phone while the 4th grade hooligans were in P.E. and, to my sheer DELIGHT, one of the 3rd grade teachers from my favorite school had texted me asking if I could sub Thursday. :) Oh yes, I needed that! Today was AWESOME AWESOME AWESOME. I love those kids so much, and they really know how to make my day. :)

-Increasing our carbon footprint. :) We are already avid recyclers, and I recently invested in a water Bobble since I refuse to buy bottled water. The hubs has been taking the DART train into work much more often, and we also haven't had the heater or air conditioning on since January. :) Our newest effort is carrying our own bags to and from the grocery store. Hubby LOVES this. HE despises the huge collection of plastic sacks that we've acquired, and it absolutely thrilled to see that supply dwindling with each weekly trip to the market. ;) YEAH EARTH!

-You know how much I love to try new recipes!!! The hubs and I LOVE Mexican food, especially enchiladas, but they can really take a toll on the daily calorie count. SO, I compiled a few different recipes and a few of my own touches to make... Cheesy Chicken and Zucchini enchiladas! The trick I used is to grate the zucchini and saute it with a little bit of onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cumin. Then I mixed it with the shredded chicken and other filling ingredients. So, we still get our Mexican fix, AND there's a green vegetable hiding in there! YUMMY! What makes it EXTRA yummy is that the hubs makes the enchilada sauce for me from scratch the night before... none of that canned stuff thankyouverymuch. :)

Mmmmm, speaking of food.... I am off to make dinner! Waldorf Chicken Salad is on the menu for tonight!

Shoreisms? and some A&A

Let me start this right off with my #1 awkward of the week... the last time I blogged was for last week's awkward and awesome. Am I losing steam or what? Life has been it's own jumbled mess lately, and even when I have a minute, I am having a hard time getting up the motivation to spell it all out for ya. Even when something happens where I think, "that would make an awesome post" or "let me jot that down so I remember to come back and share it", I still haven't made the brain-to-typing connection these past few weeks. Here's hoping that Spring Break will be just the refresher I need to get back on the blogging track!

There should be some blogging fun in store around the 18th, and I am also considering an A to Z blogging challenge in April if I can work myself up to it. I have completely fallen so far behind on the original blog challenge I was doing, that I may just scrap it and start anew in April with something else. We shall see. Perhaps I will change my mind and just catch up over Spring Break.

Okay, moving on. ;) 

Awkward:

-Perhaps this really is the future... how all the kids will be talking before long. As an English major, I really hope not, but it seems Jersey Shore has a further reach than anyone would like to admit. After watching last Thursday's episode, I couldn't keep myself from giggling at some of the ridiculousness I heard.

  --one of the girls describes herself as feeling "hystatic." What's "hystatic", you ask? No worries, she will tell you. ;) "Hystatic is, you know, when you're like, super happy, and like... really happy." Lord, help us all. ;)

  --Mike "the Situation" commenting on their filthy bathroom..."the smell was just permenating through the air... it is just not a good situation." Whatcha say? What was that? Did you mean "permeating"? Or perhaps "emanating"? Apparently it's a combination of both, as the ladies and gentlemen of G.T.L. aren't expected to understand the meaning of words. ;)

-me and the hubs both had weird dreams about cats... the same night. He woke up telling me about his crazy dream and the whole time I am thinking, wow, I had a crazy cat dream too! How does this even happen? We certainly don't own any cats.

-this awkward is my super-duper awkward of the week. I had SUCH an awesome day on Tuesday, and then I recieved this news and it was a huge bummer-bomb on my day. :( I took the 4th - 8th grade Science certification test on Monday. I missed the passing goal by 3 points. Three. That's less than 2 questions. I wish I had bombed the whole thing... but to miss it by 3 measly points??? Brutal. This is the 5th certification test I have taken and the only one I haven't passed, but it stings so much! Even D says not to be hard on myself... it's not like Science is my forte. BUT I can't take it again until May 9th and I was looking forward to using this as a way to make myself more marketable. Job fairs start in April/May and I REALLY hope to find a job in the fall, even with the crazy things going on in all the districts. Grrr.

Awesome:

-trying new things! Perhaps this is both awkward AND awesome because I surely looked awkward doing both of my new things this weekend.

1) First thing, yes, this is a picture of me on a horse! It's definitely not the first time I have done it, but it has been so many years since I have that I don't even have clear memories of riding horses. My bestie's little girl turned 2 this past week and she had a pony party! I got my baby fix AND I got to ride a horse... what a fun afternoon! We will definitely be joining them for "playday" so I can get more practice and maybe talk the hubby into getting up on a horse!

2) I swung a golf club for the first time... ever. :) Hubby was beyond itching to try out the set of clubs he purchased the weekend before, so we made plans to hit up Top Golf on Friday night. It's similar to a driving range, but you are aiming for different targets. It's actually a pretty cool place - each ball has a microchip registered to your name, so you can really tell how far your balls go and all that jazz. I couldn't get any distance to save my life, but I had a consistent, straight swing that kept hitting the same 3-point goal. I will take consistent, that works for me! I had a gnarly blister on my bowling thumb and some stiff shoulders the next day, but overall I actually had a really good time! I don't think I will be ready for a course anytime soon, but I am getting there. Plus, hubby is thrilled to pieces that I might be showing some interest in one of his favorite hobbies.

-another awesome: getting my March menu all planned out. Here it is, in all it's glory, hanging on my refrigerator. :) :) This really makes me happy! Compiling weekly grocery lists takes HALF the time, and I never have to stress about what to make for dinner. It only took me about half an hour and some perusing through cookbooks to get this going, and it's already saving me TONS of time!!!

-after my "bad news tuesday", a good friend called me up to meet her for a few beverages. I LOVE friends that never fail to come to the rescue when I am in a  sour mood. I got to go over to her house and spend time with her and her sweet, sweet little one, and all my troubles just melted away. :) I love moments like that, and I sure am grateful for people in my life that know just when I need it!

-Spring Break is next week. :) Only ONE more day of work until I get a week off AND I get to visit my family. AWESOME. Enough said. :)

-Looking forward to the St. Paddy's Day parade this weekend with great friends! Parade, then hot-tub time at the "Mansion" where friends are house-sitting. Lovely, lovely, relaxing Saturday!

-my final awesome of the week: my fitness pal app on android. This thing is amazing! It's pretty much an online food and exercise diary. The reason I like it so much is because it has TONS of food products and restaurants pre-loaded with nutrition information. So far I have not come across a single food that they didn't have. Plus, it also tracks your daily vitamin intake, water, exercise, etc. It's laid out so beautifully that you can tell, at a glance, if you've gone over the amount of carbs or fats that are part of your daily allowance. You can track either online or on your phone, and when you log onto either, it syncs up automatically (like if you enter your lunch on your phone and then dinner online, it will sync up to show both). Did I mention that it's FREE? You just pop in your height, weight, your weight loss goal, and how long from now you want to reach that goal... this precious little puppy spits out the according calorie count for the day. If you wish, you can even link it to your Facebook and Twitter to announce your progress (I probably won't be using that feature, haha!!). ;) I have been using it just over a week now, and I am LOVING it! It really does give you an accurate breakdown of everything you are putting in your body.

Hope you all have a fabulous Friday!!! What were your A&As of the week?

Awkward and Awesome Thursday

Here we are at Thursday again! It's almost Friday and after that, only one more week until Spring Break! I am finally starting to feel like a human being again after being sick most of the week. I still can't manage to shake this cough, though, and the drainage yuck is no fun either! I have also lost steam on the blog challenge, and I'm sorry about that. It's just that days 16 and 17 are a little more serious and I just haven't been feeling up to it. I may just have to do a mega-post that rolls a fews days into one so I can get back into the groove!

First things first! Let's get to the awkward and awesome:

Awkward:

-starting days with Dayquil and ending them with Nyquil. Living on medication is NO fun... I HATE being sick!!

-still trying to shake my cough from being sick, and hacking up a lung for (what seems like) minutes at a time in the middle of a lesson. The kiddos just stare at me like my eyeballs are about to pop out from coughing so much!

-(this probably borders on TMI, but I am pretty sure the only male that reads my blog is the hubby, so you ladies will have to forgive me!) ...bra shopping. I hate it so much, I never know my real size, and it is the single most frustrating experience EVER. I had to break down and do it this week, and almost an hour into it, I was ready to pull my hair out. Eventually the clouds parted and in a sing-song ::hallelujah:: moment, I found the right size/style for me. But any shopping experience where I break a sweat and have to refrain from using foul language is a not-so-fun one for me!

Awesome:

-even though both me and my man were feeling awful this week, at least we stuck it out together. ;) I pulled the potato soup out of the freezer, and it was soooo amazingly yummy, even after a couple weeks in the freezer. I know you are all sick to death of hearing about this soup, but trust me, it's worth talking about! Plus, it's what my mom always made for us kiddos when we weren't feeling well, so it really hit the spot to have some all ready to go! :)

-shopping with the hubs on Saturday. :) Not only did I have him all to myself, he let me drag him all over town... we had a blast! He was like a kid in a candy store at the PGA golf store. We were there for over an hour and left with some golf clubs and a new bag... success! :) 

-Our other finds of the day were also quite awesome, so lemme share a few! 

I just love Ross. It's such a great store to find a good, cheap deal! In our visit this time, we found a gorgeous wooden cutting board (I have been wanting a nice one for awhile now) and the coolest tea tray for my beautiful cast iron teapot (D got me the teapot for our first Valentine's day together, back in 2005)! I got to use the wooden board to roll out my tortillas this week... it's so heavy and just a good, QUALITY cutting board! I love the different shades of wood in it! And I just a.d.o.r.e. the vintage world map on this tea tray! Together with the tea set, it perfectly compliments the bar area and makes it look so polished!

Another favorite "find a great deal" store of mine is TJMaxx. :) Look at the cute, cute apron Dave picked out for me! I LOVE it! I know the picture is bad, but the sun streaming in behind me hides the fact that I am wearing no makeup, so I am okay with the poor picture quality. ;) Let's just pretend it makes me look angelic, or something like that, k?

-another awesome: notice the sweet little headband in my hair? Can't see it? Here's a better shot of my new, little love:

Just HOW cute is that? I have another in a beautiful kelly green (except it's a sweet little bow) that I cannot wait to sport! I usually don't wear headbands due to the inevitable headache I get from where they pinch me behind the ears. These, however, are crocheted and go all the way around my head... amazingly comfortable and way too stinking cute!

-Speaking of lovely and cute, I received my first handmade "pretty" for the "Pretty Little Lovelies Club" TODAY! I am already wearing the ring and LOVING IT! I love that it's mustard yellow like my headband (can you tell I am trying to add that pop of color to my accessories?? I am sooo in love with this yellow)! Look, it was even packaged all precious just for me! I did a little happy dance at the mailbox when I saw it. :)

So there you have it, this week's awkwards and awesomes! I wish I could promise that I would be back in the next few days to catch up, but I am taking the 4th grade - 8th grade Science certification test on Monday morning... and let's just say I haven't done quite enough studying for it! So, most likely, I will return on Monday afternoon... hopefully with a post that will redeem my poor activity concerning blog challenge! Until next time, then! :)