Brekkie?!

As the parent of a Make-A-Wish recipient child, I whole heartedly encourage you to go have a bagel and shmear at Einstein Bros today (through the 8th) for .99 and donate the difference to Make-A-Wish.

Pretty Please.

GO WINGS!!

TONIGHT!

The Red Wings won their eleventh Stanley Cup against the Pittsburgh Penguins in Game Six of the Stanley Cup Finals with a score of 3-2.

I talked to V twice during the game. She was in the minority as a Wings fan, but she persevered and cheered for her team... and voila, we came out on top!

So let's hear it loud and proud...

HEY, HEY, HOCKEYTOWN!!!

PROPS!

Great Grand Bloggie Props go to...

my Brother In Law, Steve, for the correct answer to the origin of the post titled: "Krysta says, "Make it grow!""

It comes from.....

"FernGully: The Last Rainforest"

And this is Krysta

It's one of our all time favorite family movies.

Thanks, Steve, (and probably Isabel too) for enlightening the world!

Can't I be Peter Pan?

When I was little I wanted to be Nancy Nurse, the Candy Striper from the Golden Book I loved. I nursed all my sick stuffed animals back to health and had some very fuzzy bandaids (and a few bald stuffed animals). I have an odd font of knowledge of medical stuff. Probably because my mom was a lab tech all my life!

Late in elementary school, being a teacher sounded dandy. In sixth and seventh grades I opted to go read stories to the 1st graders instead of recess or "Girls Shop" class. When I was 13 I started tutoring within my congregation, doing child care on sabbath mornings too. The Director and my supervising Teachers took me under their wings and taught me how to guide the students on my own. I was a natural... and I was hooked.

In high school I wanted to be a musician, a singer/teacher whiz-bang combo. So I sang! A lot. When I moved away from home I made an income singing.

I went to college for Early Childhood Ed with a minor in Children's Lit. I still sang. I still worked retail sales. The day of my wedding I got a job as the Director of a private Day Care Center, two credits before I graduated. I loved it. They loved me. Less than two years later the market changed because of Headstart openings and I was out of a job... in Tuba City, AZ. (Basically, nowheresville) *sigh*

I also worked retail through much of this, being everything from a clerk at a temporary Christmas Ornament shop, to an Assistant Manager at a leather goods and luggage store. Through all of it I have also taught in some capacity. From teacher's aide, to music assistant, to the teacher of a 1,2,3 split classroom, adult ed, advanced language, ESL, Archery instructor... I teach. Well, I taught.

I've been a floral designer, the Assistant Manager of a movie theater, a tour guide, the board member of a national organisation and have worn many more hats, too.

My most rewarding and challenging role has been only one: Mom

So now, as I close in on another cross roads, when both kids are out of the home, I am once again asking myself...

What do I want to be when I grow up?

Ok, I like by BFFs answer when he said he simply refused to grow up. On the other hand, he has an education, a professional position he finds satisfying and an income upon which he can live.

I want at least two out of three!

Hear ye! Hear ye!

Today is Tim's Birthday!

My nephew Hunter's 13th birthday was yesterday...

(and he didn't pick up his phone when I called)

Airman V's 19th birthday is Monday, June 9th

This is an old pic, but they do adore each other!

*****

And lastly this morning before the sweatbox and I get better acquainted yet again...

A better picture of the Serviceberry tree that Joshua and Ryan helped me plant.

Hope it's a great day for ya!

Krysta says, "Make it grow!"

YAY! I did NOT get called in today. Instead of sweating my heart out, I spent my day feeding my soul ~ with my hands in the dirt.

Here's a pic of MOST of what I brought home (1st trip), ready for planting! Trip #2 added 4/8 packs of annuals, 3 cu. ft. of peat moss and a new pot. J and Ryan also brought home a big bag of mulch. The guys also helped dig the holes for the tree and lilac.


The PINK pot...

The PURPLE pot...

Both! :) (Don't tell the bunnies: the snake is plastic!)

Pansies out, Petunias in...

New lilac bush...

The new tree is in there somewhere!

The pansy's new home...

All in all....

1 Serviceberry tree
1 Lilac bush
1 Speedwell
1 Coneflower
1 Delphinium
5 Deep Fuscia Petunias
8 Dark Purple Petunias
5 Purple Alyssium
3 Dusty Millers
5 Pink Annuals (Mixed)
5 Purple Annuals (Mixed)

And a partridge in a pear tree!!

~~~~~

And now, as promised, my other garden oddity...

It's currently occupied by a family of chickadees. There's nothing funnier than watching them go in and out of it. Makes you want to sneeze!!

V titled this post: Props to anyone who knows where the quote comes from!

Inhumane

I hate being "on call". It means that I can't make plans with my family or friends. Even my own person plans, like gardening or grocery shopping, are not scheduled for on call days.

See, I get angry when those plans have to be cancelled. It'd be great if I could just "go with it", be happy about having a paycheck at all, small as it is, and not be disgruntled, but that doesn't seem to be what happens.

Then there's the times when, a day ahead they tell you they probably won't need you so you actually make plans... and you call in 2 hours before the on call shift (as required) and they call you in! Grrr.

So Friday night was one of those and I got called in from 6-close, which is usually 10pm though we lock the doors at 9. I wore linen capris with a light 3/4 sleeve shirt and a matching hemp belt over the shirt. The thermostat at the store was set at 67. Sounds comfy and potentially even chilly, oui? HA!

I walked in to a sweatbox. The temp in the store was 78 degrees!!!

We had customers complaining about the heat, people refusing to try on their clothes, and a line of more than two had people walking out because it was too hot to stand still while holding their items. My face was sweaty and I felt a trickle run down my back more than once. I had to wash off what little makeup I wore because it was too humid and I looked a hot mess. Each employee took turns running for a quick sip at the drinking fountain in the back room. AND we were consistently busy! Heaven knows those shoppers must have been desperate for their purchases to have braved the sweatlodge our store was. Blech.

I asked to open the stock room door so the thermostat would get a more accurate reading (part of the problem is that the thermostat is in the cool, windowless back room). Nope, security risk. I asked to call home and have the industrial fan brought over. I got laughed at. Did my manager think I wasn't serious?! Fool.

For the hour after we locked the doors until the store was put back in order it got even warmer. I brought my bottled water onto the floor with me.

So Yesterday... I worked 4-close. Anticipating the heat I wore a sleeveless shirt and a linen skirt with my hair up and nothing but mascara for makeup.

Once again it was nauseatingly warm when I walked in the store. With one difference... in a vain attempt to cool the place down the thermostat was set to 45 degrees!!

Temp in the store? 78

Our returns rate has been higher because people haven't been trying on their clothes; so you'd think the company would be interested? Nope. Not so far as I can tell. The heating and cooling people have been there several times trying to figure out the problem. My understanding is that they've contacted corporate about a solution. My guess is that it's caught in corporate red tape or they think we can tough it out. Umm, it's only Spring! Can you imagine what Summer will be like??? I mean seriously people... there ought to be a law!

Oh and yeah - I'm on call from 1-6 today too. AHHHHHH!