Insurance

Health insurance, it's a necessary evil. 

But man! It's so expensive. 

The school district switched insurances last year. Of course the price went up and the quality of insurance went down. 

After talking with several friends who told us we were paying too much for too little coverage and after getting an email telling us what we were going to have to pay even more for insurance next school year and the deductible going up again, I took the plunge and started looking for new coverage. 

We met with a company today. We found coverage that is a bit better than what we have now and SO MUCH CHEAPER. It's crazy! I really wish we had looked into this so much sooner! 

In the last two years my take home pay has reduce considerably even though I technically get paid more a year because of insurance and taxes. Ridiculous. 

I can't do anything about taxes but I can do something about insurance. 

It'll be nice to have a "raise" this school year!

Modern Houses

My mother-in-law, my daughter, and I went to the Parade of Homes in Tyler a couple of weeks ago.  We LOVE going on the Parade of Homes. 

I love seeing:

The paint choices on the wall

The different floor plans

Homes I will NEVER be able to afford

The furniture (though most of the homes are not furnished)

New fans

The tile work

The different flooring 

The outdoor kitchens

The pools (oh the pools!)

The theatre rooms 

I'm not a jealous/envious person but man, what I wouldn't do for a pool and a theatre room!

My favorite house was this gorgeous modern home. Which I didn't really think I was into modern homes. They are typically too cold for my taste but this one... this one was awesome and bold and not too cold! 

The kitchen cabinets are a bold orange. Some shelves in a reading nook were a bright teal. The laundry/craft room was a funky green that I would never have chosen but instantly loved. 

.

So I've been thinking about my house. It's traditional with little modern touches. I'd like to change it up. I'd like it to be modern with traditional touches. 

I've been tired of our bedroom for awhile now so I'm thinking of starting there. It's painted a pale purple but I'd like to make it a more bold purple. My comforter and curtains are already black and white but I'd like to find something more modern. 

So the change begins. 

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day! 

I have had wonderful men in my life! My grandfathers were/are great grandfathers. 

My dad is an amazing man!

My husband is one of a kind. 

I wish there were more men like these in the world. 

It's a tie. No it's better than a tie! It's a chocolate candy tie!

These two are best friends. They get into all kinds of trouble. Grandad's the ring leader! 

Confession

I must confess. 

I'm a librarian in a book rut. 

It's been since Aprilish. I've picked up a ton of books and have stopped reading them for one reason or another. I didn't connect to the character(s), the story didn't grab me, I'm bored, etc, etc, etc. 

So I've kind of given up. 

Nothing sounds good. 

I don't feel like picking up another book and putting it back down unfinished. 

I am reading a Bluebonnet book right now. But I'm reading it because I have too. And when I have to read a book I never enjoy it as much I enjoy one I just pick up and read because I want too. 

So when I finish this "have to" book I am going to find a book to read to get me back on track. I HAVE to find one. I NEED to get back on track. 

I don't feel like myself without a book running around in my head. 

Lunch With a Vender

My SEBCO vender asked me to go to lunch with her earlier this week. I was excited to eat with her. You know, meet somewhere outside of the school/library walls. 

But then I started thinking "I wonder what we'll talk about. Will we have awkward pauses?"

We, of course, chat when she visits me in the library during the school year but we are surrounded by books and interrupted by students and teachers and admin (really when people, young or old, see new books they just want to stop and flip through them). Plus I'm flipping through the books she's brought me. There's not a lot of time for awkward pauses. 

I do know she brings me my favorite candy, she used to be a librarian, and she lives in the neighbor next to my parents in Houston (so I automatically feel a connection with her). 

I also didn't know protocol for this lunch. Do I pay, does she pay, do I offer to pay?

I pondered these things for nothing!  We chatted the whole time about personal stuff and work stuff. We talked about books we've read. She doesn't know much about Twitter so I just had to talk about how much I love Twitter. It was a great lunch and I'm so glad we got together in a setting outside of school. 

(If you are wondering she did pay and I thanked her twice.)

VBS

My friend and I got our room and activities ready for Vacation Bible School at the church building today. 

Our topic if "What We Want Our Kids To Know About Jesus"

Such a broad topic! It took me forever to write the lesson. Normally I write the lesson in March or April so we can find actives and songs but I had a hard time narrowing the topic so I didn't finish the lesson until the first week in June. I was having a heart attack! But it's done now. 

And so is our room! 

Photo Dump: Tyler

We are visiting my in-laws the last part of the week. 

Here's a photo dump:

Cousins!

Brothers, cousins, a dog, & a ball

Gramps' Birthday 

Grandparents

Reagan & I are in Houston the first half of the week (we'll be in Tyler the second half of the week). We decided to visit my grandparents (her great-grandparents) while in town. 

We stopped by my dad's parents on our way into town yesterday. They like to play cards so we played Yancy. 

My papa doesn't know who we are any more but the man beat the pants off of us in cards! He would ask what are we doing this round? And we would tell him what he was supposed to be looking for. I kept thinking when he lays down it's going to be all wrong. But every time he laid down it was right!  I'm not sure what it says about me that my papa can't remember me but can beat me in cards. Ha!

Around last Christmas my dad took a picture of Reagan and Grandma standing back to back, my daughter was almost as tall as Grandma. Yesterday we took a picture of them back to back and as you can see Reagan is now slightly taller than Grandma. 

Today we went and visited my mom's mom. Granny lives in a very nice apartment with a very nice swimming pool. So Reagan and I swam this morning while Granny watched us. After we clean up at her apartment while she fixed us lunch. It was delicious! We left before the traffic got too bad on the freeway.

Now we are back at my parents house waiting for them to get home from work. We'll eat dinner, probably play some more cards and my mom wants me to make her a necklace and some matching earrings. 

All for a good half of the week and a great start to our summer!

End Of Year Report

The librarians were encouraged by our awesome lead librarians to jazz up our End Of Year Report.  We still did the 14 page report but we wanted to showcase some things we do in the library that the report didn't highlight.  So here's my jazzed up EOY report!

https://magic.piktochart.com/output/6219678-carpeoy14-15

Nerd Award

I saw a friends post on Facebook that her kindergartener won the Nerd Award for Intelligents and Hard Work. 

The Nerd Award. 

Is it just me or is that annoying?

Hard work and being smart makes you a nerd? That's what we are teaching our students?  Really?

I love reading, learning and bettering myself. So am I a nerd?

I don't feel like a nerd. Although I'm not really sure what a nerd is suppose to feel like. 

Why do we do that? Why do we label people with such generalities? Athletic people are are cool but intelligent people are nerds. 

I think it's ridiculous that adults, not just adults but teachers who shape our students little minds, are contributing to such labels. 

Maybe I'm overreacting, analysising it too much. Maybe I just need to get over myself and see the fun in the award. 

But I just can't.