The World According to Leslie

I had planned to say something about the ban on travel that President Trump put into place over the weekend. I had planned to say something about the anniversary of Trayvon Martin's death and what his parents are now doing to help us remember him. I had planned to talk about a lot of things that happened nationally over the weekend. However.... I have decided that it's not time for me to talk about that yet. It's time for me to talk about what happened to my family over the weekend. First.... On Friday, the Princess had an ear infection. We know this because the stuff was draining from her ear. She has a hole in her right ear drum from when she had tubes from age 2-6. (It wouldn't come out and they had to go back in to get it. It left a hole.) Anyways, I dropped her off at school and called the doctor. They told me they didn't have anything available for us to come in on Friday. I wasn't very happy (or polite) when I asked them why they even tell peop...

A little bit ago, I had to Google "how to get dried crayon out of fabric". I found a lot of solutions. However.... I didn't try any of them. I asked my mommy instead. Mom said to put dish soap or laundry soap on it and scrub it down. Then dry it. I'm thinking that sounds crazy...... HOWEVER.... I did it and it worked. I used the blue stuff (actually generic blue dish soap)--you know the kind--because my laundry soap comes in pods. I already had red crayon streaks in The Princess's brand new khaki Girl Scout Cadette vest. I did NOT need to have a pod explosion when I tried to open that! I guess you're wondering how I got melted red crayon streaks on The Princess's brand new vest, right? I heated up the iron. I got the patches ready to put on. I laid the vest on the towel on the table. I ran the iron over the right front of the vest. And.....  MELTED RED CRAYON! I totally blame my mom! It's HER iron! But, I helped put the crayon o...

One day.... 24 hours.... 1440 minutes.... 86400 seconds..... No matter how you figure it, one day is not that long. It really is amazing how so much can change in 24 hours. About this time yesterday morning, my mom called me. The she was a little frantic on the other end of the line. The conversation went something like this.... Me: Hello Mom: What are you doing? Me: I'm at home. (Said because she called my cell and not my house phone) Mom: I was on the phone with Lisa. She said she was in the middle of the road. I heard a noise. I yelled 'Lisa, Lisa,' and she didn't answer. Finally, she said, 'I've just been hit.' She was at a meeting for work at the DSS place on Cabarrus Avenue. You know where that is, right? And she was going to get food over by Big Lots. I don't know where she is for sure. Can you go find her? Me: I'm gone! I'll call you back. Then I grabbed my water and ran out the door. (I try to never leave home wit...

I am a lot of things....as we all know. I always have plenty that I can be doing, but sometimes I don't get it all done. One of my favorite things to do is teach. I feel that I am called to teach. I have taught Sunday School. I teach Children's Church. I have taught high school English. Actually, last year, I covered a maternity leave for a teacher in a 7th grade ELA class. Since my licensure is in English 9-12, I can teach middle school or high school (without having to take any extra classes/tests!!)!!! Now that I'm not teaching full time, and I'm a substitute, it leaves me with time on my hands. Over the years, even when I was a full time student and full time teacher (with very little "extra" time on my hands), I have been a tutor. The best part about being a tutor is I get to set my schedule. I get to work when it's convenient to my family and me. I get to be where the Princess needs me to be, but then I get to work with students who nee...

Today is January 20, 1017. Around 12pm EST, in Washington, D.C., the United States will have a new President. We will have a new President. I will have a new President. Whether you (or I) voted for him or not, he will be our President. As you know, I keep my political thoughts to myself (most of the time). He will be President for at least 4 years, maybe 8. We have to support him and believe that he's going to do what's best for our Country! Today, I'm watching ABC News. It's what I watch every morning while I'm getting ready. It's what I've watched for years. You can hear as you listen to the reporters that some of them are excited about the events of today. You can also hear the disapproval of the new President in the voices of others. I know that news reporters are supposed to be neutral no matter what, but it's interesting to listen to. I'm sure that it's happening on CBS, NBC, FOX, CNN, and all the other stations too. I have watched ...

About 5 minutes ago, I published the post Making Room for God's Plan , I got a phone call. The previous day, I had applied for a job at a local Charter school.... teaching English. I hit publish on the post. Seriously, no more than 5 minutes later, the phone rang. They wanted to interview me. It was the shortest interview in the history of interviews. It only lasted 10 minutes, max! I left feeling pretty confident. However, now, I'm in the waiting game.  I don't like that game.... so..... I always find things to do while I wait. Here are the things I'm doing. Over the next few days, I'm going to give you more information about all of these things (like links to how to find me and things like that)!!  1. Substitute Teacher--I am working in the same county where I live and where I used to work. Last year, I covered two long term (8 week) assignments at two different schools. I usually work about 3-4 days a month. I'd love for it to be more. If you are a ...

About 18 months ago, on June 10, 2015, I did something I didn't really want to do. I walked out of my job for the final time. I had resigned (effective on the last day of school) a few weeks earlier. I didn't want to do it. My flesh was terrified. I'm sure I've shared that here. Tony and I had discussed it and prayed about it. We felt it was the right thing to do. We knew God would supply. He has. We have not gone without anything we have needed since I resigned. When I left the classroom that day, I was leaving a classroom I had been in for 3 years. I had been teaching a total of 4 years. I had a lot of stuff. When I say a lot of stuff, I mean a LOT! I put all my files and notebooks and books in crates and boxes and tubs. It took me 2 loads with the seats laid down in my minivan. For the past 18 months, all of that stuff... all the boxes, all the crates, all the tubs.... have been sitting in my office floor. If I needed something from the office, I had to move 4...

All week, the weather forecasters called for snow. Some called for 4"; others called for 8". In reality, according to the weather reports this morning, we got about 2-3". A "cone of warm air" snuck in and pushed the higher totals of snow to the north. Surprise! Surprise! It snowed more to the north than at my house!! Well, at least we got snow! It's beautiful outside! It is still snowing a little bit now. That will all be gone before noon today. I went out on the front porch earlier when I got up to get some pictures. It never fails when it snows that someone decides to walk through MY snow!!  It's MY yard! It's MY snow!  But, someone always walks through it before we get outside. That's why I went out earlier for pictures. :)  I got ahead of them this time. :) I am a "snow-fectionist".  I want the snow to stay pretty and pristine without footprints in it. I always ask Tony and the Princess to walk only on the sidewalk ...

I live in NC! I live near Charlotte.  Sometimes we get snow.  Sometimes we get ice. Sometimes we get rain. Sometimes we get nothing! For the past week, the forecasters have been predicting snow. It's supposed to start late this evening and go into the morning tomorrow. Some say 2-4". Others say up to 6". Me? I want as much snow as possible!  :)  I love snow!  The only difference in this year and all the previous years is that I get cold now. Actually, I stay cold now. I wear hoodies and long pants all the time. I wrap up in blankets when I'm on the couch. I freeze often!  I used to make fun of people who were cold all the time. My sister is one of them. I think I may still be warmer than her, but I'm cold all the time. That does NOT mean I don't want snow!! Living in NC, people go nuts when they hear about snow!  The hardware stores have lines of people getting ice melt, snow sleds, and shovels. Grocery stores have people lined thr...

Yesterday, our schedules around here got back to normal. Tony went back to work. I went back to the daycare (but only for about a week). My friend I have been covering for is supposed to be able to come back next week. :) The Princess went back to school. After school, the Princess and I went to the gym. She's wanting to get healthier and get her knee back in shape. I need to get back in and get back to working out. I have not been sitting still, but I have not been to the gym since June 8, 2016. :(  Our summer schedule was crazy and then I got sick. Once school started, I was at the daycare and subbing. It has been one excuse after another. So... yesterday, the Princess and I went. We were there a little over an hour. She completed a circuit on the machines and did 3.5 miles. I did 5 miles at the gym (6 miles for the day)!! That's a good start.  We're planning to go back today after school too. :)  I think she enjoys it.  At least, I hope she does...

It's official!  We have made it out of 2016!!  There were some good things that happened this year. On the other hand, there were some bad. In the public eye, we lost a lot of good people (or at least good actors/actresses/singers). The funniest thing I saw at the end of 2016 was the guy who started the GoFundMe page to protect Betty White from death. I'm not sure who he was planning to pay off, but I guess it worked.  Now.... what's he going to do with any money that people donated?  In our family, we had quite a few doctors visits, ER visits, and hospital stays last year. Mom started it in February. She took a fall at work and it cut her knee pretty badly.  She's still suffering the effects of that fall--her knee still hurts horribly. Then I got sick over the summer. The doctors found the aneurisms behind my eyes. They never figured out why I am having headaches, but as my Dad says, "If I had a head like that and it didn't hurt, I'd have it checke...