The World According to Leslie

You all know I love a good countdown.  I countdown to Christmas, vacation, Friday, the end of the work day…. EVERYTHING!   Well, I think it is part of how I deal with stress.  When I am aggravated about something, being able to countdown to the end of it makes it easier!    So….here are a few countdowns (some are fun/others not so much)! (Some are vaguely close to the real dates….they will get more specific as the time comes!)   5 days until I pick up about 1000 boxes of Girl Scout cookies 8 days until cookie booths start 9 days until my birthday 37 days until the Art Gala and Auction at the Princess’s school ~12 weeks until Spring Break starts (April 18th) ~12 weeks until Easter ~15 weeks until EOGs start for the Princess ~17 weeks until Memorial Day ~19 weeks until school is out!   I’m a little stressed out this year with all the stuff I am doing.  I haven’t been able to scrapbook with my DIVAS since Sept. or Oct....

I have always hated making decisions.   Last night, I made a great one!   After being broken-hearted that I could not make it to scrapbooking, Tony actually got off work in time that I could go. However, after going by my Papaw’s how to get my mom… (She takes his car to him on Fridays.  That’s another story. )…I decided that I would not go scrapbooking. I could have made it for a couple of hours. I decided to spend time with my family.   We haven’t done that in a while. So, we went to the Chinese buffet. After dinner, we went to watch part of the race that is in town this weekend on my dad’s huge TV. My brother and two nephews were there. We stayed until about 9:30pm. Then we left and came home to get some rest.   I wrote my article about my Interpreting career. (When it is posted, I will link it here.)   Then we were all in bed by 11pm.   Now, Tony is already at work.   The Princess is eating breakfast and getting ready...

I have a writing assignment due today. It’s about my career. When it is posted online, I will let you know.     Today is “Favorite NFL Team” day at the Princess’s school.  I had to get her a shirt. It matches one that Tony got for Christmas. Now, they have two shirts that are exactly the same. They dress alike without even knowing it!  lol    I finished reading another book yesterday. If you get a chance, read The Invention of Hugo Cabret . It’s an easy read because much of the story is told in pictures, but it is a great story.    I’m so tired. I feel like I never get any sleep.   Last night we had 11 girls at Girl Scouts again. That STILL wasn’t everyone!   I’m supposed to go scrapbook tonight, but I’m sure I won’t make it. Tony has been getting home late all week. Then I’d have to leave early to get home to sleep so that I can have a 6am alarm tomorrow morning. (These double headers are killing me!)  BUT….no g...

I have been writing all week.   But, that is not all.   I have actually taken time this week to see my parents, supper 2x. I have learned new Nintendo DS games with the Princess this week. (Ok! Not really new. It was Super Mario! LOL) Tony, the Princess, and I played NFL Monopoly last night. Tony beat us really bad, but we played.  (No different that real Monopoly. Instead of street names, it has teams. Houses are “sections” and condos are “stadiums”.)   Tonight, we are supposed to go hang out with my parents, eat supper, and play canasta. We haven’t done that in a long time. So I am looking forward to it.   Tomorrow, I was supposed to go scrapbooking all day with my Divas, but Tony has to work. So, I will not get to go. I know my parents will be busy tomorrow, so I won’t ask them to keep the Princess for me….even if they say it is fine…..even if she helps them more than getting in their way!    So, I will go visit my Divas for a l...

So tonight we have softball pictures and practice if there is time (and an open field)! Then I’m going to join the Scrap Happy Divas for some late night scrapbooking!   It’s our NATIONAL SCRAPBOOK DAY celebration….24 hours of cropping, scrapping, and talking!  (I won’t get to be there the whole 24 hours though. )   Tomorrow morning, we have the Girls on the Run 5K.  We have to be there at 7:30am!  SO glad Tony will be driving!   Our softball game is at 2:15pm.  Then my nephew plays at 4pm.  We will stay to watch him, I’m sure!  I owe him some pizza.  (I’ll tell that story soon!)   Today is Friday.  We only have 25 days left of school!  I’m getting excited, but still worried that I won’t get it all in!     This is going to be another of those BLUR weekends!

I should probably mention that yesterday was my hubby’s birthday!  If you follow me on Facebook, you already knew that!  However, last night, we had an impromptu party.  After Girl Scouts, my parents came over for cookie cake and ice cream!  (Tony doesn’t eat real cake!)   Today is going to be a relatively easy day at work.   I have planned an easy lesson for my kids today because my last class is only going to be in the room for about 45 minutes.  We are having a special WHOLE SCHOOL ice cream party today!  I love my job!  I really love this school!   Tomorrow is going to be a long day.  We have the double-header tomorrow. So we will play from 12:30pm until……  well…. until we are finished!     I hope we have better luck this weekend!   Tonight, while Tony and the Princess are at practice, I think I might go hang with the Scrap Happy Divas for a bit!  I need some time to organize my stuff...

I have always loved to write.  I hope I will always love to write. Recently, though, I have discovered a new love for writing.  By writing on here every day, I have learned that although I don't have absolutely fabulous things to talk about all the time (most of the time!), I love to write about the mundane things that happen in my life.  I just love to write. Last night, I decided that I am going to start a Scrapbooking Blog.  I love to scrapbook.  I love all the tools.  I love the new papers.  I love everything about scrapbooking.  I actually started a new blog on Blogger last night, but then I remembered that Blogger (for me at least) has been having issues posting.  (I am having to use my Windows Live Writer to post right now.)   So, I am thinking about using something else.  When I do start it, I will let you know here.  I’m sure some of you will come with me.   Some of you are probably scrapbookers (paper...

Today, I was supposed to get up and go scrapbooking for 12 hours.  I had been planning to go for 3 weeks.  The 12 hour event is to raise money for "Relay for Life".  All the divas are going to be there. All the divas....except me. This morning, I am so mad, frustrated, aggravated that I can't even explain it. Several years ago, my Grandma Edwards gave up housekeeping.  Her oldest daughter took her in and took care of her.  When that aunt passed, then Grandma went to live with her next oldest daughter.  That aunt lived at the beach.  That aunt passed, but her husband was still alive, so he still had all the stuff in the house (obviously!).  In the fall 2012, my uncle passed.  (I think I posted something here because I sang at the funeral that day!)  Anyways, since November, their kids have been working to get the house ready to sell.  They had an estate sale.  They marked the china cabinet as "Not For Sale".  The ch...

Before I tell why my heart is heavy, let me get some good news out! 1.  Chasity sold over 1000 boxes of cookies!  WOW!  That's a new record for her.  We are excited.  It means she will get a Kindle Fire.  (I think she is going to take my Kindle full time for now and we will share the Kindle Fire!) :)  2. Today is Friday!  That means that tomorrow is Saturday!  I get to scrapbook tomorrow for 12 hours! :)  LOVE IT!  Can't wait to see my triplets! :)  3. Our first softball practice is tonight!  We are going to get to meet team and see how things are looking. Now, for my heavy heart. On Wednesday, I got a message from my mom that my Uncle Bud (my Papaw Paul's brother-in-law) was in the hospital in critical condition.  It wasn't very long until I got a message that said, "I hate to tell you this over text, but Papaw just called and Uncle Bud passed."  :(  So, tonight, I will be getting in a car with ...

A friend of mine owns a Creative Memories business.  (If you need anything, contact her here .) Anyways, she is extremely creative and very talented.  She makes cards and die cuts for all occasions.  Over the weekend, while I was scrapbooking with the Scrap Happy Divas, she said something about trying to get her name out there for people.  She said she has an Etsy shop.  She has Facebook.  (We are working on getting her a website.) :)  Then she said, "...but I've heard that I need a blog.  I don't know anything about blogs.  I'm not much of a writer."  Of course to that *I* said, "I have a blog.  I try to write on it every day.  You design your stuff, and I will blog it for you."  She said, "Okay," but we never set anything definite.  If I do it, I will have a different blog and email attached to it.  However, I will definitely tell you guys where it is so you can find it. :)  I will hopefully find ...

You know, if I had enough people who would do it, I would start a "bloggy party" on Fridays.  It would be called "Fractured Fridays".  It would be where we would share all the randomness in our brains.  :) For today, I am going to give you MY Fractured Friday.  (Maybe one day, I will have people to do it with me.  Any takers?) 1. My birthday is a week from today.  What does any good teacher do on her birthday?  Take the afternoon off and give a test! :)  2. Softball sign ups are now.  The Princess isn't sure if she wants to play because her really awesome coach from last Spring isn't coming back! :(  One of his kids made a traveling team.  One is going to be on a team from a different church (and we would have to play them!) 3. My Girl Scouts planned out most of the rest of the year last night.  It's cool having older girls!  They can help plan things. 4.  Cookies come in on Tuesday!  I am excited! :)...

Yesterday, I spent almost 12 hours scrapbooking with my Scrap Happy Divas.  I love hanging out with these girls!  Scrapbooking IS therapy! :)  While I was there, Tony and the Princess took my car to have the oil changed.  They also washed it.  Since we live in the South, the salt trucks were out like crazy for the past couple of weeks.  We have had "snow" one Friday and "ice" the next!  This week, it's supposed to hit 70!  (REALLY!?!?!?!?)  That's nuts! Today, we had church this morning.  Then lunch at IHOP! :)  Love that place!  Then...grocery shopping.  We went to Sam's Club, first. The greeter at the door said, "Are you paying with cash?"  (Really, do people still carry cash?!)  We said, "No."  He said, "Then the lines are going to be long because the credit card/debit card machine just went out!"  I sent Tony back to the car to get my purse.  The only MANDATORY thing was some chee...

Monday was a day off school.  We celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. day.  (I posted about that here .) Yesterday was a Teacher Workday . Today the students are taking the final exam (last class) that they were supposed to have taken on Friday.  They get out for 1/2 the day.  As soon as I get my grades and stuff in the computer and get a couple more copies made, I am out for the day too.  (I might go have lunch with the Princess, if I can swing it!) Tomorrow begins a new semester.  I get new students.  The students all get new classes, new teachers.  I work in a high school.  We have 4 classes first semester and 4 different ones second semester.  Luckily for me, I only have to tweak what I did first semester because I am teaching the same thing this semester.  First semester, I only had 8 kids in my largest class.  This semester, my largest class will be 14.  That will be the biggest difference for me.  I have ...

I went to scrapbook with my Scrap Happy Divas.  That is ALWAYS very exciting.  We are going to be going to a different location (less than a mile from the normal one) on Jan. 26th to scrapbook.  We are scrapbooking to help raise money for Relay for Life.  :)  When the lady came to pick up our registrations, one of my "triplets" said she didn't know where the place was.  What did we do?  ROAD TRIP!  We, my other "triplet" and I, took her to show her where the place it.  Then we came back to scrapbook some more! About an hour later, a lady (whom I met for the first time yesterday) was talking to her daughter on the phone.  We heard, "They just put out the peanut butter chocolate donuts?"!!  What did we do?  ROAD TRIP! We went to Sheetz (in Salisbury) to get donuts.  Unfortunately, there for 4 of us in the car and they only had 3 peanut butter filled chocolate covered donuts.  There were 5 more people wai...

Last week, Tony informed me that he had to work today and tomorrow.  Luckily, he's in town, and not an hour away like normal.  Unfortunately, the last time he worked a weekend on the job he's doing this weekend, he worked Friday night, Saturday, and Sunday.  They all blended together though because he didn't get off work "Friday" until 2 am Saturday morning.  Then he went BACK to work 8am, and he worked until 3am Sunday morning.  Sunday he went back in at 8 am.  He got off at 5am on Monday morning, took Chasity to school, took a shower, and went back to work until 9pm on Monday night!!!  The GREAT thing about it?  The paycheck.  Saturdays are automatic time-and-a-half.  Sundays are automatic double time !!!  That paycheck was AWESOME!!!  The horrible thing?  We didn't get to see Tony much and he was exhausted the entire week trying to "catch up" on sleep! However, he says that is won't be that bad this weekend....

You know how sometimes life gets a little nuts? You know how sometimes, as women, we don't take time for ourselves? Well, I have found a group of women to hang out with, and it's better than therapy! I have been scrapbooking for about 3-4 years now!! (WOW! Time has really flown!)  Anyways, I started very simply.  I put pictures on a page and made sure there was pretty paper behind it.  Now, I take a little longer because I have been doing it longer and I like to embellish.  A year ago, my friend, who is a  Creative Memories consultant, got a group of us together.  We did not know each other.  The only common thing was our friend.  Now, three of us, "The Triplets" are best friends.  We call each other, have "Girls' Night", and help each other out! When we arrive at the crops, sometimes we have had a hard week (day/month/etc.).  After about an hour, these women have me laughing and crying and everything else.  With my dad ...