Flat and About to be Flat Tire

This morning when I was driving to work I heard an extra clickety-clack. I pulled over, zipped up and hooded up, got out and looked at my tires. Couldn't see a thing. Later when I was parked at the admin. building I came out to go to lunch and sure enough my back right tire was flat as a pancake. I called Sarah because I was supposed to meet her for lunch. Then I called Ford Emergency Road Service. They said it would be an hour so we drove up to Rally's got a Rally combo and by the time we got back the guy was there. Good timing. So he changed the tire, Sarah and I switched cars and off I went. She called me from the tire store. There was a hunk of metal in my tire and then a nail in another one. So I needed 2 new tires. Good thing the last time I had a flat a couple of months ago I bought the replacement insurance on all tires. It was only 30 bucks to replace 2 tires! But, man on the coldest day of the year. I'm just glad it happened at the admin. building.
A freak day off school yesterday. It was 45 degrees but school everywhere except in the city schools was cancelled. So I had school but everyone else was off. They said the bus drivers got out but called in saying the back roads were solid ice. It was all that snow and then the rain on top. You would think the warm temps. would have melted the ice but I guess it wasn't enough time. Then this morning ALL the roads were icy but they didn't cancel.

I Have Been In Bed All Weekend

Stuffy nose, watery eyes, coughing, sneezing, nose running, tempature of 100. Just don't feel good. I am staying home today in hopes of getting better. I send my sister a picture of me in bed with my "vicks' scented kleenex and the sunlamp on me. She sent me a picture of her under the palm tree in Florida-- No fair! I told her I was hopping on the next plane out of Bishop and to pick me up at the airport! I wonder if they went? Well that's all for now, I am going back to bed!

Just A Plain Ole Cold

I hope it doesn't turn in to anything worse. I still haven't gone to the store to get the Zycam. I'm not really feeling all that badly, just a runny nose, coughing some and my head is stuffed up. I'm thankful I don't have that horrible flu everyone has.
We are getting some snow today. Probably a couple of inches. Enough to get the snow blower going Tonight we are going to a basketball game that has some old timey professional stars playing against each other. Its a fund raiser for the Flint and Detroit schools. Anyway, my boss, Jeff Grayer, who is a former NBA player is playing. Should be fun.

It Starts With a Tickle

In your throat, doesn't it? I'm getting sick I can feel it coming on. Stay tuned.

I decided to make a list of books that I'm reading this year. Inspired by Sistopher Marlene. So far in 2008 I have read:
Playing for Pizza by John Grishom
4th of July by James Patterson
T is for Trespass by Sue Grafton
The 5th Horseman by James Patterson
And 1/2 of my new Amy Grant Book but I won't count it until I'm finished

Bought a new coat for work today. Eggplant, like my car. It's real pretty and I think it will be warmer than the leather coat I've been wearing. So of course I had to get new gloves too. They had eggplant colored leather gloves, but I thought that would look too ghetto, so I just got some black leather gloves.
All for now, going to go take vit. C and echinachea (sp?)

Sleeper

So I took Alyssa to see the new Veggie tale movie and she fell asleep. I guess that was her review. Actually, she wasn't feeling too good when I picked her up. Probably should have left her home. I thought it was cute. The popcorn was good, the pop & the milkduds as well.

A Good Excuse to Clean

Having people over is a good reason to clean your house. Sarah's Radio Shack peeps are coming over for a belated Christmas pot-luck tonight. (Well, appetizer pot-luck actually) Man, you start cleaning stuff you never even knew you had. You also find out that places like under the stove or fridge are really, really dirty! Or how about on top of the fridge? Yuck. I love the smell of a clean house though. It's so worth the effort. I made Kristen's Southwestern Tortilla roll ups and I'm also making the ham and cheese pinwheels that I made for the family Christmas party.

One of the girls is supposed to bring the board game, Imagine Iff. It's really fun...

It's simple! Just imagine what the other players are most like. Keep choosing the most popular answer to win the game. All the players write their names on the erasable game board. Fill in empty spaces with names of people. For example a question might be: Marlene is most like a bananna, orange or kiwi Whichever answer is most popular wins points for who ever guessed it.

January 19th Means

Apparently I am half way ( in the year) to turning 50. I guess I will have to:

Change the name of my blog
Start buying gray hair coloring
Keep taking my calcium
Apply for an AARP card
Get a Big Boys Senior card
Watch the weather channel
etc... You get the picture.

Happy half way birthday to me.....

Follow Up

Yesterday Sarah and her cousin Mike went to go finish up a few jobs that were remaining. They had to go back over to the house on Milbourne (where she was held at gunpoint). The girl that was with the hold-up guy came walking out of the house next door! She seemed to recognize Sarah and the Scooby van and walked away quickly while continuously looking over her shoulder. Well they high-tailed it out of there and called the cops who never came in time. But they wrote down the address and we are going to call it in on Monday.

On a lighter note Bailey and I went outside to watch the Renee's take down their Christmas lights. The kids came out and we chatted and just stood in the sun until it started to cloud up and cool off! The sun was really warm and it felt so good with the sun on our faces.

A Very Frightening Day

I should not have said what I said yesterday, nothing new under the sun. The impossible happened. Sarah was held at gunpoint and robbed while doing work at a house in Flint yesterday. She was getting something out of her van and the dude walked up and grabbed her by the shoulder and said "hey." When she turned around he had a gun pointed at her head. He only took what was in her pockets: phone, keys, camera, & a pocket full of change. As he started to leave he said, "get out of here, " she said to him, "I can't you have my keys!" He then replied, "shut up or I'll shoot your dog." Who was just standing there being his calm self. She just walked away and then remembered she had an extra set of keys in the van. She got Bailey in and drove off. She ended up at a fire station, pounded on the door, because of course in Flint even the Fire stations lock their doors. They called 911 for her, she called me and then waited for the po-po. When the po-po asked for her ID she couldn't find her wallet, so we're not sure where that is. She didn't remember giving it to the guy. She was pretty shook up by the time she got home. We went to the hardware and bought new locks and security lights because the guy has our keys and maybe our address. The po-po said , "don't let it stop you from doing your work, it's a one time thing." That is about the dumbest thing I have ever heard. WE are thanking God that she got out unharmed!! And I was thinking that maybe just maybe Bailey being the calm kind of dog he is just might have saved his skin. If he was aggressive he might not still be here.

Just Like Soloman...

there is nothing new under the sun. Or so it seems.

Actually, we have been busy at work with our new program at one of the high schools. Wow! Very scary. In Flint they have combined the 7 - 12th grades into the H.S. That makes 1500 students at the school we visited. We are presenting a motivational program that would give incentives for excellence in behavior, attendance and grades. (All stuff they should be doing anyway) Yesterday we spoke to the 11th and 12th graders, which was the smallest group of all. I asked one of the teachers if they were all there. She said yes this is a small group. Why I asked? The answer, because most of the kids drop out by 11th grade. There are only 100 in 12th grade in a school of 1500 students! Sad. The disrespect of the students would shock and scare you. On a happier note I saw several of my old third grade students! What a trip. They are now in H.S. and WAY taller than me. I received hugs and warm receptions, and it was fun to talk about old times with my former students. Many of them seemed to be doing well - that made me feel good.

Back to Work

With a 8:00 a.m. meeting no less. Ah well. I did finally get to scrappin. Yesterday. That is pretty sad. But I did get 4 pages mostly finished. I say mostly because I needed a glue stick and I need to make some letters on the Cricket. ( Hi Renee) Oh my gosh I'm watching the news and Hillary has taken to crying on tv......
Ok sorry about that I just couldn't help but make a comment. Whew I just got back from Niki's basketball (bb) game. It was very exciting, right down to the end. They won by 3 points! It was a pretty rough game.
Let's see what else. Not too much else. Oh yeah, it was 60 degrees today!! No sun, but we'll take the warm weather.

Last Day of Vacation

The Good, the bad, and the ugly
The good= a hot cup of Christmas brew
The bad= My last day of vacation
The Ugly= I woke up at 6:00 a.m.

I sure don't know where all my vacation went. I had alot of stuff planned that I never even got to. I think I'll see if Renee is scraping today. That might be a fun way to spend MY LAST VACATION day.

Snow Day

Yesterday was a snow day (not for me - but anyone who was supposed to go back to school.) I decided to take little sis Alyssa sledding. We bundled up and headed to the sledding slope at Elms Rd. Park. Nothing like what I remember of Hines Park or Kensington. But, a good size hill for a 6 year old. (and 49 year old) We met the Aurands there and had fun taking turns on the various sleds, etc. that we had. Neighbor Elissa said to me, "look what I have--an old fashioned wooden sled!" "Old fashioned," I exclaimed. I then proceeded to "school" her on the benefits of the wooden sled. Anyway, I was brave enough to jump (more like fall) onto the blow-up raft type thing that we had brought and slid down the slope. I was extremely frightened when it started going sideways. I managed to stay on to the very end. We all had a ball but soon headed in for some hot chocolate because it was freezing cold!
All that sledding reminded me of when dad used to take us sledding when we were kids. I loved to go to Hines, one time I remember that brother Rob went so far he went in between the hay stacks they had for stoppers and flew into the parking lot road, that was scary. I also remember going to those mountainous slopes at Kensington. Talk about frightening!! Those things were MAJOR horror runs.

HAPPY NEW YEAR ~ 2008

I am enjoying the morning - quiet, I love to be up by myself. It's just me and Phoebe (Bailey's sister.) I already put the mushrooms in the crockpot and I'll be starting the marinade for the chicken satay skewers soon. Later I'll be putting together the ham/cheese pinwheels and the brushetta. Isn't that a weird combination of food? Just a few easy appetizers, I really didn't want to fuss.
Well, we really got our fair share of snow. I haven't seen the amounts yet, but it looks to be 6 or 8 inches, AND there is supposed to be snow showers, blowing and drifting all day. The kids are supposed to go back to school tomorrow but I predict a snow day. Last time we only had 5 inches of snow and there was a snow day. That would work out well for me because I am supposed to pick up lil sis Alyssa tomorrow and take her sledding.
Happy New Year One and All!