Us at the moment and a home run Taffy Apple Recipe!

Okay......I've been feeling quite random this week, so I thought I would dedicate the first part of my blog to what our house is like right at the time I'm blogging......

Here's yours truly.....Makeup worn off, eyes bloodshot from lack of sleep......oh, and look who hasn't taken their lanyard off from work yet. My apologies to Margie for the hair and makeup. I really did put an effort in earlier this a.m., but just didn't maintain it for the posting. I'll try harder.

To the left and right is Brody-man......yep--at 10:10 p.m. Me thinks that he does not need a nap anymore at the sitters. He makes it through the weekends just fine without a nap these days. I just can't convince her yet that he doesn't need them. Two hours of peace for her =Late nights for moi. Oh well......that's how we Bledsoes roll. Brody was really in a dancing mood tonight. I think the dusty rose carpet makes such a dramatic (gag) backdrop for the photo. Oh, Oprah..Ty...anybody---please have your people call my people so we can arrange a extreme makeover, design on a dime, whatever..........just help this decorating challenged female!

So--back to our "at the moment" blog....Below is my dear Kyla.....relaxing and reading--what she loves best. She has been tired and sore lately. I think some change is going on in...and I'm not talking Obama change. I'm talking pre-adolescent-hormonally-driven-hurry up and get here so the roller coaster ride of hormones can stop-type change. Yes--I just earned Mother of the Year for sharing with the blog-world about my preteen princess........

Oh.....and here's my middle guy doing what he does so well....going to sleep on cue. He is my first to sleep and first to rise. Isn't he so sweet? The more photos I see of his Uncle Goob, I see so many similarities!

Noah and Kyla both brought home great report cards today. They are great kids, and we need to tell them that more often!

Finally, there is Annie. She has become our resident deer chaser. This past week, we have averaged between 3-4 deer in our yard, with a record breaker on Saturday (seven deer!). Annie runs out there each morning and lets them know who's boss. We love watching the white tails bounce to the "forest" in our backyard. So cool! BTW, Happy First Birthday, Annie! It was sometime this month--we're such good dog parents....

Okay, that's all I have for my "at the moment" blog. Pretty boring.......except for that 80's retro dusty rose carpet that I know you all are just wanting to snatch up and take home. ARGHHH! Someday when I have paid all my pipers, I too, will have cool carpet. Yeah.....uh huh. Read on if you want a good taffy apple recipe...or not.So, I have been searching for the perfect taffy apple recipe.......and I think I found it! You can find it here. These really turned out and it didn't take long. Do I really need to tell you that they are 765 calories and 27.7 grams of fat???? YIKES! I think the 3.3 grams of fiber cancels all that out! The kids had fun dipping.....and yes, the kitchen started out clean and sanitized, but you know what happens..........The marshmallow thingy is something that an old schoolmate's grandma did and still does. I always liked the marshmallow embellishment (so add another 30.6 calories to the above total), so I thought I'd do the same. I ran out of apples before I ran out of taffy, so my dear sweet hubby ran outside in the dark and picked apples. A risky thing, if you ask me--those apples fall easily at this time of year when the limb is shaken. Add apples falling in the dark...fortunately, no head wounds:).

Noah wants to take the apples to school tomorrow. I'm sure his teacher will really appreciate the sticky mess.

I don't have much more exciting to report.........I spent the weekend (Sat. and Sun) in my classroom rearranging, reorganizing, pitching things, etc. I love doing that.....er...in my classroom. I'm not so good at that at home. My poor students and custodian never know how they will find their classroom. I'm known for rearranging it more times than, say, I wax my eyebrows in one year. I rearranged my classroom this time to make my room more "Mimio friendly". Through the generosity of our community, our school was able to purchase several Smartboards for the Jr. High and High School, and Mimios (portable interactive devices similar to Smartboards) for the elementary. I have had the Mimio in my room to try out. Oh my word, it is so cool! I used it this morning with my students and they were so engaged and loving it! I'm going to try to do a math lesson or two on it and then need to pass it on to my colleagues so they can give it a whirl.

Happy Fall!

I'm back......I'm refreshed....I'm grateful.....I'm sounding sappy! This past weekend, I went on a little adventure with gal pals to Galena. To have four days and three nights to oneself and be surrounded by such hysterical women is short of magical! I definitely encourage all woman-folk to get their heads together and plan some "away time" to just be you. I was "Just Tricia"....(go ahead--frame your face with your hands all you Will and Grace fans) for a whole weekend.

While in Galena, we attended their annual "county fair" which was a craft expo. Sherri and I encountered some re-enactors while we were shopping around, and of course, saw it as a photo opp! I look like an idiot in the pic because I was so humiliated from what I had done to the poor manly man standing next to me. See, when the woman got ready to snap the pic, I felt I was much taller than the man, so I did the stupid thing of crouching down to even out the height. Yeah. Blue uniformed man says out the corner of his mouth, "You don't need to do that". Yeah--embarrassing for him--and me, of course!. He still rested his hand on my shoulder. Sherri's man looks like he's fixing a grundy.

A hysterical part of the craft show is a booth which is full of faux elderly hotties. They truly look real...The faces are made out of wood, they all have moles with hair sprouting out of them, and some have cigs hanging out of their mouths. So funny! We only saw one sucker carrying away a new friend at the tune of about $370! Yikes! Here is a pic of some real hotties checking out the faux hotties. Don't they just sparkle?

The biggest thing I learned this weekend was how to kick back and have fun again.....and that I have lost touch with my inner feminine. Margie and Lindsay did a wonderful job of helping my reconnect with beauty lost (through taking care of children, teaching, daily grind, etc.) by giving me a much needed makeover Saturday night. Margie worked tirelessly in waxing my eyebrows away. We giggled as she ripped the wax off and it (the wax) looked like a new species had been created! Then, she used some really dull shears (mine that I carry around) to cut me some great new bangs. Kate's comment was priceless....After one eyebrow was done, she exclaimed, "You don't look as scary, now". Yes, one could take that many ways, but I understood what she meant. The funny thing is--my class has been really good this week. Could it be connected to their newly waxed teacher?

I'm so grateful to my hubby for taking care of the kids and all their activities while I was gone. He makes it seem so effortless and doesn't complain. My pals updated him via cellphone throughout my makeover. Isn't technology grand?!

....I wanted to update you all on the fort that Jamie and his brother are building in the backyard. To all you men (and women) out there that don blaze orange at this time of year, it will look like a glorified deer stand. To us, it is a work in progress and a retreat for the kids. They are so excited about it! Jamie, Curt, and Jamie's co-worker, Chad have been the force behind the fort. Check out what they have done so far.. That's Jamie, Brody, Curt, and his son, Jeffrey on the top deck (about 20 ft off the ground--yikes). The left and right pictures are views from the top! Jamie and Curt even lifted an old wooden bench to the top level and attached it there--so cool! I will get new pics up when they get more work done.

Finally, I had to throw in some pics of the boys at swim lessons. They are doing incredibly well! Noah was a full bred doggie paddler when he began, and now he is swimming full strokes the entire length of the pool! He has really come along! Brody has gone from class clown to swimming like Nemo! He started out in a class, but we soon realized that Brody needed, say, more one-on-one . He was not ready for a class format. Brody is now going underwater, reaching for dive sticks, swimming underwater, etc. He has no fear--a good thing and not so good thing!

Whew.....Our house is feeling a bit chilly tonight.......I think a frost is around the corner???????

Signs of Fall...and a failing van (sniff, sniff)

Just checking in to let you know there is still life here in blogger world. The rat race of life is spinning entirely too fast and my eyelids have increasingly become heavier and heavier each night (and I would be a big dreamer to say that ONLY my eyelids are heavy....). There are many signs of Fall in the air (the big sign is the runny nose triggered by corn and soybean dust--the only drawback to living in the midwest in October).

This week is Homecoming week at school and each day is a predetermined theme to dress up. Monday was THE BEST! Jamie called me at 5:30 a.m. to tell me to unplug the computer due to an impending storm. I woke up to RAIN, THUNDER, and LIGHTNING! Why was I so excited, you ask? Because Monday was PAJAMA DAY! What better day to be able to wear pajamas to work! I LOVE MY JOB! There is usually a pajama day each year at school during homecoming week. Even before I was working fulltime, it seemed like I was doing medical leaves or subbing on pajama day. For the past four or more years, I have utilized Pajama Day as a reason to buy one set of new jammies each year. Ambitious, aren't I? This year, I found a gown that had toad/frog funnies all over. Then I purchased scrub pants to wear underneath. Was that not the most comfortable outfit ever? The secretary commented I looked like I was a patient from a mental ward......no comments, please........

Tuesday was Hat Day. I paid homage to my hubby's job and wore a conductor hat. Today was sport day.......ahhhh, a great excuse to wear jeans and a baggy Pujols jersey. Tomorrow will be the day of all dreads......CRAZY DAY! Yeah, as a student--this one is fun. As a teacher who is trying to put a little bubble of academic proportions in their brain for the day----not good. There are many days of craziness in class---now some has made a proclamation for Thursday to be an official CRAZY DAY.....condoning fauxhawks, mismatched patterns (a nightmare for overstimulated ADHD'ers), crazy socks, weird glasses, hats, and...I know my little "trinket girl" (she brings something everyother day that is small enough to sneak in class, but big enough to distract her......I have quite a collection in my drawer of her items. Maybe I'll e-bay those along with my recess duties) will come with 101 rubber bracelets on her arm......

Enough of life on the school front........let's now turn our attention to our blessed van....oh how she is failing in her old age. She has already lost her memory. We noticed that when her gas gauge quit working about four years ago. She just couldn't keep track of how much was in her tank anymore. Now we have to "remember" for her by keeping track of her "levels" (miles) before she fails on the side of a road with no warning. Oh.....and her driver's side window. It plumb froze up and quit rolling down on us. She's just burned out on the side. We have made accomodations for her by opening the entire door when driving through our beloved Wendy's or Mickey D's to retrieve our food. They all know the red van has to go a bit farther past the window to open the door and stretch an arm around to grab the food. Oh, and my ever so strong hubby turned the fan from defrost to dashboard, and the knob broke right off. Now red princess needs the aid of the mighty Craftsmen bran RoboGrips to get her to switch between defrost and vent. My friends laugh at her because of her quirks (actually, they laugh at me--but she can handle it better). Her pwer door has been so good to us, but has now become quite arthritic. It needs support and a gentle hand to help it close. Yes, my princess is getting old. Did I mention she was born in 1999? Did I mention we have lived in more homes in the six years we have actually had her? Yes, sad. Good 'ole red (van) has seen Pine Street house, Brick house, and our latest (and last) house. We are trying to be gentle with her to get a few more years out of her--one year and seven months, to be exact. I asked the doc (mechanic for all of you struggling through my parallel) to give her more time. I need her around a little longer. He had the audacity to laugh and walk away. We are now on a mission to prove him wrong. I will drive her till her last breath........

Okay--put the kleenexes away---it's only a van:).

I am loving this time of year! Lots of Fall festivals.......and with those festivals come....mouse droppings! Yes, there......I said it. I'm not saying festivals have mouse droppings. Just this time of year....we face more signs of extra life in our house. The critters are seeking shelter from the big machines..seeking warmth.....seeking food......and I have no mercy on them! If they were smart, they wouldn't leave their evidence anywhere in my home. We have arsenals of rigged traps (doritoes glued to the bait holder) through our home. Okay--only in one place--for now. Jamie will be put on stronger mouse detail this weekend. He just doesn't know it yet. I could tell a hilarious mouse story with Jamie and Noah as the main characters........but--I want my friends to still come to my house......so I will save it..........

Could Brody be the next Jamie?

So...today my class and I were engrossed in a book about apple trees, etc. I turned to the page with the deer, and we talked about how deer love apples. One cute little guy...we'll call him "Bobby" gets real wide-eyed and shoots his had up in the air just busting at the seams to share his story. I'm thinking it's going to be a cute story about deer eating apples of his grandma's tree. Nope....He said, "My mom and dad shot a deer once, and then they took the bones and guts out and hung up the boned head and skin on the wall. Then we caught the eyes on fire. It was real cool". He sat back down with a smile of satisfaction, that for at least that part of the day, he was engaged in learning......I, on the otherhand was cracking up on the inside thinking, "I bet Nora (who teaches in Chicago) will never hear a story like this one......."

Update on Brody. The massive baseball on the front of his already large forehead is really looking better. Before I took Brody to the sitters today, Jamie was giving him a talking to. I think he told him seven times...."No riding trikes into trees". Now, I think that is calling the kettle black, because..........years ago when a little boy named Jamie was about, let's say....fifteen, he had a run in with a tree......with something much larger (and more expensive) than a trike. Yep, Jamie's parents were out of town....so Jamie decide to take this sweet looking car (okay--not the exact one......but it is a Ranchero) on a joy ride. Jamie got as far as, well, his street, when he spun out, fishtailed, and ran into the neighbor's tree. Oops. He hurried the car back home and then heard the cops out looking for these "hoodlums".....When the cops stopped by Jamie's house to ask none other than Jamie himself about the incident....Jamie, sweet little Christian kid....pointed the cops down another street and replied, "they went that way". Yep. Jamie is telling them this all while he is standing in front of the part of the car THAT HIT THE THREE.....while TALKING-no, LYING TO THE COPS! Eventually, Jamie was found out and taken down to the Public Safety Building and booked. He had to call his grandparents to come get him because his parents were gone to a PRAISE GATHERING. So where am I headed with this story? Nowhere. Just wanted to make a connection between Jamie's collision with trees.........and Brody's. Oh boy......I have a long way to go as a mother of Brody if his childhood is going to parallel his father's.

I best be going. Brody is running around the basement pretending it is a cloth and is "cleaning" everything because "Me-Maw (my mom) is going to come on Tuesday at 2:00". He made that all up........but I find it funny that even though he is pretending company is coming, he is mocking his mother by cleaning like a madwomen to prepare for company. So funny!

ER squared.....plus pineapple tidbits of my life

Hello Blogworld! I'm so sorry for the l-o-n-g sabbatical I took from jotting down moments from our scampering here, there, and everywhere life. It's the beginning of the school year...yada...yada....y-a-d-a.........

My boys have been busy....in the ER. Yep. I remember when I was younger, my dad always commented on how his steering wheel had a certain "pull" to it whenever he drove by a Dairy Queen. Well, our steering wheel has a certain "pull" to it whenever we drive by a doctor's office or hospital. Let me explain for a quick moment....

The night before my brother's wedding two weeks ago, Noah started coughing so I gave him atreatment @ 9p.m. By 11 p.m., the boy was retracting, wheezing, whistling, and whatever else he could do to create his own cacaphony of sounds that send his mother into adrenaline overdrive.....with a sprinkling of spastic colon.

By midnight, Jamie and I decided Noah needed more than the treatments. We took him to a local ER. To make a long, boring, predictable story short....Noah spent four and a half hours in the ER receiving breathing treatments, X-rays, and a scrip for steroids. We got back to the hotel at 4:30 a.m. Noah continued to struggle to breathe. My tummy was in knots ...which led to me to life in the bathroom with my own issues......that's how I respond to stress--yippy for a clean colon!

By noon (we were to be at wedding for pics at 2), Noah said, "Mom, I don't think I can make it to the wedding". My heart sank. I pleaded with him to go at least for the ten minute ceremony and pictures. He told me he just didn't think he could breathe and walk at the same time. My heart sank and my stomach cramped. I gave him his next dose of steroids. By 1:45, he had perked up enough to go to the wedding.

We made it to the wedding, but boy, did we look rough! Noah fell asleep on the ride there...hence the bedhead look in the photos. After doing Kyla's hair and messing with everything, my hair needed attention---but just didn't get it..very evident in the pics.

Noah made it through the ceremony and said he wanted to stay for reception. He did really well at the reception. We got back to hotel, and he started wheezing again. To make another long story short...he developed bronchitis and had to stay home two extra days after the wedding.

In a quiet moment while giving Noah a treatment in the middle of the night...it hit me. I don't think he will be fortunate enough to outgrow the asthma as Kyla did. I know things could be much worse, and we're okay with a life that includes asthma.

I received the ER bill this week--yowza! I think we will forever be indebted to the medical facilities. We just like to sprinkle our love all over those places....

Okay......Bledsoe boy #2 and his ER visit. I asked Jamie to pick Brody up from the sitter this p.m. so I could stay a bit longer at work. Jamie called me back a little bit later and asked if the sitter had called me. I told him she hadn't. Long pause....He then explained to me that Brody had a very large "goose egg" (the size of a baseball) on his head with a big scrape. The story is a great lesson (for all you teacher readers out there) in force, incline, momentum, and Newton's First Law of Motion: Brody on trike with his buddy Rylie standing on the back. They go down a hill......and sideswipe none other than a TREE at the bottom! The sitter said he cried a little and that was all, that is why she didn't call. When I heard the concern in Jamie's voice, I called the doctor (4:55 p.m.) for their opinion. The sweet nurse, said, "If it were my son, I'd have him go to ER and get a CT scan to make sure there is no skull fracture". I teared up instantly. Another long, story short--Brody's CT scan is normal. Praise God!.......To the left is the what the contusion looks like from the front. It's starting to turn blue. At the bottom pic, this is a profile pic. Look above the eyebrow--it is not normal for his forehead to be that far out over his eye. This kid has one big noggin......He now looks like something from Stargate.....

Okay....so this post is getting long and drawn out.......Time for some tidbits (you know...like pineapple tidbits...in a can).

*I LOVE Fall! Our apple trees our so full and I have been making apple crisp more than cooking dinner (my husband will agree).

*Jamie, his brother, and a co-worker have been busily working on what the neighborhood perceives as a "glorified deer stand", but we KNOW it is going to be an awesome two story play house for the kids. I will blog and photog that in the near future.....

*Tricia is loving her class and all their funny quirks...although they may not be loving back as 14/17 students had to change their cards today--yikes!

*Coffee is the new water.

*Jamie got away for a day to play in a softball tourney with church. I'm happy to report--no injuries!

*Kyla took her first modern dance class at the dance studio she does ballet and jazz at.

*Noah is a reading machine! He read 178 pages TODAY. I lOVE that!

*Our laundry is still the next worst thing aside from taxes.

*I have approximately 24 library books that are beyond past due and will have to mortgage house again to bail us out of those fines--oh yeah......can one get a mortgage anymore????

* Speaking of mortgage, my brother and his wife still have a very nice home on the south end of Oneida for sale. Check it out here.

*Noah had his first soccer game Saturday. He loves that sport!

*Noah and Brody are doing so well in swimming!

*Chocolate is the new Prozac

*ROWVA High School band kicks my morning off with a smile when they march by my classroom window early in the morning--I LOVE...LOVE that Fall sound of marching bands (especially when they're as good as ours).

*The van is still running......

*I am not running....blech!

*Lack of sleep causes one to look older than her brother....according to my boss. Nice.

*I met a new dentist. He examined my teeth. He said we will be very good friends.

*I still have a new bathtub.....that is still in the garage.....

*Barack still scares me. Ike scares me. Power bills scare me. $76 gasoline charges scare me. Hollywood scares me. Mice with beady eyes scare me. My to-do-list scares me.

*My ramblings.....................scare me.

Wedding Pics!

We just returned from the windy (and at times typhoon-like) city of Chicago. My brother, Ryan, married the love of his life, Ashley this weekend. Brody was the ring bearer, my brother, Rob, was the best man, Chloe (Rob's youngest) was a cute little flower girl, and the four older ones (Rylie, Kyla, Madi, Noah) did readings of poems. It was a beautiful day with a lot of celebrating.

All of us midwestern Illinois folk did agree that we could never live in the city. Traffic was never fun, and none of us had much patience to deal with it. Brody actually sat still for 90 minutes without complaint when Jamie was trying to get into the city Thursday evening for rehearsal. Amazing!

I don't have time to blog too much as I need to get ready for school, so I will post the photos and then blog later.

Yes, there are a lot of pics of Chloe and Brody--they were too cute. Also, the middle cousins (Noah and Madi) had some time with the camera taking photos too. Very funny! Finally, we really need a new camera! Jamie seems to disagree with me (maybe he needs a new contact prescription). The photos are grainy and out of focus. Our point and shoot camera is nearing its final days. God rest its merry soul..........

There is music that goes with the picture video, so you may need to turn my playlist off (scroll to bottom of page). I didn't download any music....just used what came with the computer....I will have to work on downloading more music if I'm going to make these videos more often...... Click on the arrow to start the picture show.

Rain, rain.......and bulletin board thieves

Gustav has arrived! I wish I could have scrapped my lesson plans today and allowed my students (and myself) to just curl up with blankets and bean bags and read, read, read. I love rainy days....when I'm at home.

I don't have any pictures to post because Jamie has the camera with him at the moment. I will definitely have some cute ones for ya by Monday! I know you are on the edge of your seat, just waiting for that day to arrive (snicker, snicker).

I stayed late and worked tonight at school.......my, how time flies when you're trying to do lesson plans for one day! I think it was 9:30 by the time I got out of there. I will not be at school tomorrow, so I left my sub a 4 page dissertation on how our day goes in First Grade. My teacher friends and principal were laughing at me. I wanted to create a warm welcome for my sub. So, I stole a beautiful silk Autumn floral arrangement from our sweet nurse's office so my room would be gussied up just right for my sub. I wanted to "borrow" some other things from around the offices and classrooms, but some people just don't handle that type of thing well.

I have been known to "borrow"...okay, err, steal some things from faculty and staff before. When I was doing a medical leave at Wataga, I really needed a bulletin board, buy didn't have the creative energy to do one.........I remembered this really cute bulletin board that our fun Special Ed. teacher had just taken a lot of time putting up in her classroom. It was a turkey with separate feathers to hang. After she left school one day, I stayed after, took her turkey down, and moved it over to the hall by my classroom. The next day, she walked by my bulletin board, and commented on how crazy it was she and I had the same bulletin boards! I was so laughing hysterically inside! It took a few minutes while in her classroom before she realized I HAD HER BULLETIN BOARD! After I was done with the medical leave, I subbed in that same special ed "turkey" teacher's room. It was winter and she had a real cute penguin and igloo bulletin board up. I took all the penguins and stuck their heads in the "snow" and igloo, or had them sledding off the top of the igloo. I think she gave up at that point and left it that way.........

I have to say, thank goodness for the Republican National Convention this week. My "Obama TV channels" have quieted some. I can't really recall the last time I saw him on T.V. Mrs. Palin sure has taken over Obama's airwaves for a bit. I like that she is calling him out on his hollow "change" platform. Stay tuned............