Weather related

I've noticed so often how my mood is soooo weather-related. If the sun is shining, all is right with the world. When the clouds scud across the sky, my mind gets cloudy and blah as well. WHY???? This drives me CRAZY!!! And you'd think that by recognizing it, I'd be able to fight it. Well, I can fight it, but I don't always win the fight.

Break from school begins... NOW... Yay! I'm liking the classes I'm teaching better than I did in the beginning, but it's still hard. Teaching is HARD. It seems so easy when you are on the outside looking in. But it's not, not if you really want people to learn. Everyone who reads this (unless you are a teacher) is probably thinking, "yeah, well how hard can it be, you have a week off now!" And sure, I have a week off. But I can tell you that I've got class work to do for at least two or maybe three of my days off, between grading and organizing and getting lesson plans together.

I'm going to try to get back in the groove for blogging. I don't know why it's become less of a habit than it had been. But yeah, I've got big plans for this week, and blogging is one of those plans! And my first step is to clear out all of these papers surrounding my computer. So let me get on to the task at hand... as soon as I have my tea...

What Now? What Next?

I'm about to make a wish.... or maybe not. I can always only wish for one thing, for happiness, and it gets boring after awhile.
I'm teaching now. Yes, I love it and Yes, I hate it. I'm too nice, the kids walk all over me, I know that. I can't be mean, I don't even want to be. I don't want to change who I am; I just want them to learn that learning is a good thing, and I want them to listen to me because they SHOULD and because they will learn something. It hasn't happened that way yet.
And I'm SO TIRED. I have so many things to organize and think about. But actually, I find that they are pretty good when they get to cook, it's only when they have to do other things that they are bad.
Oh... did I mention that I'm the cooking teacher? Which doesn't just mean lesson plans, it also means getting to the market every few days. I'm TIRED!

But first -- as for what's next?
The cooking and teaching isn't going to last long. It's a temporary job. And I have another application out, for a job that would make decent money, but more manufacturing/factory based. Do I really WANT this job? I don't know. I want something stable, though, and this is a stable field - the oil industry. Can I even DO this job? I'm not sure about that either. But I had some whispers from the universe, that maybe, just maybe, it's something that would work for me. The timing would be right. The money would be great. It's a definite maybe. So? We'll see.

My summer of ART AND FLOWERS

Hi all, long time no see!

I know, I know, I haven't written anything in ages. I haven't given up on blogging... although by this point, you may have given up on me! But I guess the explanation is that I've been so busy doing things, I haven't had the time or energy to write about them. But things are starting to settle down, and blogging is still something I like to do, so I'm trying to sit down now and actually write again.

The summer was amazing - I hope yours was too?

The bad thing, of course, was being laid off from a job I loved. But I wasn't "too" sad, because I had the whole summer to look forward to! So I set a bunch of goals for myself... things I'd always wanted to accomplish... and I did them.

I had an amazing garden. Well, not so many flowers, but plenty of veggies. We planted heirloom vegetable seeds, and I've saved seeds for next year. I wasn't sure it would be worth the cost, but I think it was. Even now we're getting string beans. The Zuchini was amazing. I didn't love the tomatoes, I have to try a different variety next year.

In the art side, I painted all summer, and the grand finale was a local art show I participated in last weekend. I even sold a painting!!! I was really excited. It was a skull on a pink background with flowers, a small canvas, and it went for $10. I was happy with that, because my only goal was to be IN the art show, and I didn't expect to sell anything. And no, it wasn't bought by a friend - it was a random passerby.

While I painted, other people wanted to paint as well... my husband has been painting with me. In fact, he's been painting even when I can't now! He loves it too :D and the kids too. Well, not MY kids. Nick likes to do three-dimensional work. Frank likes to play music. But their friends have come over and painted with me. And other friends of mine have joined us too.

I had other goals, as well. I looked for a new job. I had afternoon tea almost every day, sometimes alone, and sometimes with guests for a tea party. I started a book club, which was originally meant to be for the summer only, but everyone is enjoying it so much that I'm gonna keep going. This month, we're reading "The Alchemist" by Paolo Coelho. I always wanted to be in a book club! (If you are local, and want to join, give me a call! The more, the merrier!)

I didn't excercise as much as I should have, but I did manage to survive our week-long hike of the Appalachian Trail, and had a great time doing it - and lost 10 pounds! (Which may have been put back on, I don't know. I need to hike more!)

I survived the House Boat on Smith Mountain Lake. And had a good time at the beach house in Chadwick.

The summer flew by. And now, fall is upon us. I wasn't sure what I'd be doing for a career this year. Turns out that the school I was a secretary at needed a long-term sub in the cooking class, and they offered it to me. It's not as much money as I was making as a secretary - and it's way more work - but it's fun. I'm teaching high school kids, and although I have a lot to learn, I'm gonna get there. Eventually. (I need to toughen up some, that's for sure.) (But without being mean. I need to find that balance.) So I can teach cooking probably until next January... and then? I guess another summer of ART AND FLOWERS!!! lol :D I really thought that by this point in my life, I'd be settled. But I guess that's not my destiny. As long as I've got SOMETHING, I should be fine.

So tonight's a Friday, and I'm having my tea, and looking forward to painting tonight with some of my friends. I'll write more soon... maybe even tomorrow AM!