20Something Thanksgiving

Turkey day marked a couple important firsts for me:

• This holiday was the first we've celebrated family-free. The mail has to be delivered even on the day before and after a holiday, so we celebrated with Mike and Ang in Green Bay rather than going ALL the way home. What's better than celebrating with friends that might as well be family?!
• I've never made a turkey before. Okay, so I still haven't made a turkey. Angie took care of it. I'm officially grossed out by skin, meat, bones, etc. That's what friends are for, right?
• This wasn't the first Thanksgiving without my mom's cooking (she is an excellent cook), but it was my first try at her infamous Monkey Bread (see above pic). I did her proud. Although, anything that has more than a stick of butter and some garlic in it has to be good.

Thanks to Ang and Mike for the hospitality and good eats!

Build Me Up

So. . . really bad week all around. BAD week at work (in the running for "Worst Week Ever"). And as if that weren't enough--it's officially winter in WI. Snow. Cold. Slippery. Dirty car. YUCK!

But. . . I'm amazed at the strength I've found this week and the places I've found it in. Anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I'm not exactly the eternal optimist, nor is my glass generally half-full. The following is very out of character.

Good things that happened to me this week

• Bad week = flowers and wine from awesome husband
  (who also had a bad week)
• I work with some totally rockin' people who have given time from their own terrible week to pull me through and build me up.
• Ang got to spend the day at my school on Thursday.
• I have nothing to do tomorrow and plan to spend the WHOLE day in my pjs.
• Got the below email from my dad last night. Guess it explains why I'll probably always be "daddy's girl"
  You know what they say about free advice, it’s not worth much:
  Get it resolved soon
  Do it yourself
  Compromise
  Focus on one item only, don’t let it grow to other things!
  Learning lessons are hard work, this is one of them
  Get it over with before it gets bigger
  The goal is to be a good teacher! (which you are!!!)
  Don’t be aggressive
  Give to get what you want
  Ask for help solving (this will get him)
  Go on from there, and you will sleep better

S' or S'S

Do you ever avoid using things in your writing just because you're not quite sure how to spell them or how to use the correct punctuation?!? As a teacher of the English language, I think I could be sent to the gallows for this confession, but. . . .
When is it S' and when is it S'S?!? Some people say it's never S'S. I think it has to be when the word isn't plural. So Babs's Babble it is.
Off to dinner. And the paper I still haven't written from last week. Guess there's no scrapping tonight. But, do check out my killer page on 2Peas from the weekend.

Dinner Tonight

Instead of making dinner. . . or writing a paper. . . or planning my lessons for tomorrow. . .
I've decided to finally take Ang's advice and start a blog. Totally supportive friend that she is, Ang claims that I'm "quirky" enough to write a blog people would actually want to read. We'll just have to see about that!