Thankful....

This post was set up to post on Thanksgiving... but it didn't (weeeeird!). But,  I wanted to post it anyway.   I hope that you enjoyed your Turkey Day with your loved ones! 

I am thankful for my best friend, who gives me genuine & unconditional love every day- my husband. 

I am thankful for my wonderful family- all of the love they give, everything that they have taught me and fun times that we have together! 

I am thankful that Greg has such a great family and that they have welcomed me into it with open arms.

I am thankful that I have people in my life to guide me and provide me with encouragement when I need it. 

I am thankful to have my faith. 


I am thankful for prayers that are answered.

I am thankful for having a job doing what I really enjoy.

I am thankful that I have great friends who are supportive and always a good time! 

I am thankful that I have roof over my head. 


I am thankful for my cute dog, Kelso- even if sometimes I want to knock him out! 


I am thankful for the sun shining.


I am thankful that my husband has a job that he enjoys. 


I am thankful for laughter. 


I am thankful for my health.


I am thankful that I love in a country where I have freedom to make my own choice. 


I am thankful for my education.


I am thankful for all of the opportunities that I have been given. 


I am thankful for forgiveness for the things that I have done wrong.


I am thankful that I have the ability to share my thoughts and views.


I am thankful that I have food in my fridge to eat.


I am thankful for DVR, so that I can watch TV whenever I want (haha!)


I am thankful that listening ears for bad days are only a phone call away. 


I am thankful that I live in a safe place.


I am thankful to have things to be thankful for. 

Oops, I broke it.

A few weeks ago... this happened. 

Worse part was that I did it... I broke Gregorian's Xbox, bad! Red Ring of Death bad, which means there is some sort of hardware malfunction..blah-bitty-blah-blah-blahhh!

When it happened G was in the garage doing other manly things. I immediately got this "Oh dud!" feeling in my stomach and got a little panicky... how was I supposed to tell him that I broke his beloved Xbox? So I pulled myself together and went down to the garage... poked my head in the door and said "I think we have a problem... the Xbox is flashing red." He replied with, "Are you sure?" paired with a drained look on his face. I just muttered, "Ugh, yea. I'm sure." Then, I pulled my head back inside and went upstairs until he came in to look at it. 

I don't think that he was too upset that I broke it. But more disappointed that when it broke he wasn't playing one of these awesome games.... 

       

Rather I was watching Season 1 of.... 

That's right. I gave his Xbox the Red Ring of Death watching, Glee!

But, sanity and balance has been restored in our household because the Xbox was shipped back this week and it has been fixed. Now, everyone is back to their happy and videogaming has resumed.

Who-o-o.... Who-o-o...

One day Greg sent me this...

I am a night owl (hence the title of this blog, get it?). Greg is not. He goes to bed around the same time every night.  I also have a small love for television, which doesn't help me get to sleep any sooner and DVR has only made this worse! 

I knew that it bummed him out that I would stay up and not go to bed the same time that he did. But, I thought..."He falls asleep in like .25 seconds...he doesn't even know the difference if I'm there or not...noooo biggie." When he sent me that comic, I felt bad and realized it was a biggie. Then we talked about it and everything was good. I started going to bed when he did but the problem was....I would just lay there wide-a-wake.I tried reading... no dice. I still would not get tired and struggle to fall asleep. So... we figure out a solution so that we could go to bed at the same time and I could eventually get tired and fall asleep. 

Here it it! A few days later, Greg bought this & hung it up in our room... 

Now... I watch TV in bed, cuddle with Gregorian and fall asleep like a baby! It is wonderful... but,  not as wonderful as my husband! I LOVE HIM! 

"Miiissssss Jammmmiiiieeeee!!!!!"

Before I started substitute teaching this school year, I worked the a year and a half at a popular educare (education/childcare) school. The children's ages at this school range from lil' babies, 6 weeks old, to kindergardeners. I taught preschool and pre-kindergarden while I worked there. The first school year after college graduation I started substitute teaching then when summer (full time unemployment...ughhhbuhhh) came rolling around I started working at above mentioned educare school.

I love working with kids and even know this was not the "full time teacher job" I was looking for... a part of me fell in love with that place. The school...the kids...the staff. The worst part about my job was that it was a pretty far drive and my hours were totally awe-fulll! But hindsight.... those things didn't matter, really. 

Tonight- I was reminded of all the wonderful parts of that job. I went back to my educare school for their "Thanksgiving Pot-Luck Feast" and it was like I never left. It felt good to be greeted with big smiles , "Miss Jammmiiieeee!" coming from all directions and huge hugs. One lil girl, who I adore, ran up to me and as I knelt down to hug her she just pressed her cheek to mine and kept saying, "I miss you, I really, really miss you". I think at that point my heart skipped a beat. I know that to many this seems very exaggerated and over-the-top... but it's true. Children make my heart melt! That is how I know that I am in the field that I'm supposed to be in. Granted- jobs are hard to come by and the money isn't the best... but frankly- I do not care. I know that my heart is in the right place and that in time my "full time dream job"will come.

It seems like it doesn't matter how long the time goes by I always feel good being back at that school. It's familiar and comfortable for me and I think anyone in education can tell you, our job is emotional. So to go back to a place where you feel good

I sat down to eat our "Thanksgiving meal" with a girl I used to work with and I can not even explain how much I enjoyed talking to her. Just shooting the breeze about life in general. During the time I worked there I think I might have taken for granted my co-workers and not embraced the friendships that were right there, every Monday- Friday.  I think it's easy for many of us to automatically put a label on co-workers, I know that I did.  It's also comforting to know that even know I don't work there anymore I still have people there who care about me and support me. I also got invited to the Holiday Party... I mean come on, they really love me there! (haha!) Which is good because, I love them back. 

Alex P. Keaton, Teen Wolf, Marty McFly...

... all characters who were played by Michael J. Fox. 

Last night I had the privilege to hear him speak to a sold out crowd of 3,500 people at my college alma-mater, The University of Akron. And- let me tell you... it was engaging, humorous, heartfelt and defiantly inspiring. 

When I was in college I was in a sorority, Delta Gamma. Along with The Office of the President of the University, Delta Gamma was honored to sponsor this evening which we refer to as, A Lectureship series on Values and Ethics. Last year, Colin Powell was the lectureship speaker and two years before that Queen Noor of Jordan was the honored guest. Being a DG has many perks and Lectureship is one of them! Knowing that I am part of an organization that is so committed to instilling quality characteristics in collegians and inspiring so many to DO GOOD in their lives is a wonderful feeling. 

Ok so... now that I've rambled about that. Let me get back to last night...

I wasn't too sure what to expect from it all. How long would he speak? Would he talk about his acting career? Discuss his Foundation? Would I cry? Would I laugh? Would he answer questions? Discuss his book? Would he sit or stand while he was speaking? 

As you know, Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with Early Onset Parkinson's Disease about 19 years ago. He shared with us last night that when he was first given the diagnosis the doctors told him that he had about 10 good years left to work. He has surpassed that expectation, at this point, by almost 10 years. He isn't flying around with Doc Brown in a Delorean anymore but he is still acting here and there and most importantly working hard to help those with Parkinson's and find quality treatments and a cure. 

He shared childhood memories, the highs and lows of Hollywood, how he came to peace with having Parkinson's and charming stories of his wife and children. He made it clear that you have to life your life one step at a time and anything that you put your mine to, you can accomplish. He spoke to the large crowd as if he was sitting at Starbucks talking to a group of 4 or 5. It was one of those, "I'm so glad that I go the chance to do this" nights for me.

While he was speaking he said something that clicked with me and so I wrote it down in my program so I would remember it correctly to share with you: 

"Answers aren't going to fall from the sky. We need to get ladders to go up and get them."

I am grateful for the opportunity to be inspired... so, to Michael J. Fox- THANK YOU!  And for everyone else... go get your ladders and make something happen! 

Someone likes my smell!

We have had Kelso for 2 months now (can't believe that!) and when we adopted him they told us that it helps to calm them down if they have things that smell like their "people".  So... Kelso has 2 shirts that we put on his bed at night to help calm him down so that we can all sleep. 

Let me tell you, it might sound totally goofy, but it works like a charm. Look.....

... he is passed out and snoring... loudly! He also dreams sometimes when he sleeps... it's funny! His legs move like he is running and he makes barking/howling noises. I can imagine that Kelso's dream land is filled with squirrels running everywhere, an unlimited supply of raw-hides and it probably rains peanut butter drops! 

HAPPY FRIDAY,  EVERYONE!

Today, we salute you...

I substituted today and just like every other day I arrive at school at 7:50. But today- something was different... there were a lot of children walking to school and the parking lot was nearly full. Strange! So, I parked and walked into school and then soon realized that is was Donuts with Dad's Day! It was sweet to see the kids eating donuts with their dad's and grinning ear to ear. Then later in the day I couldn't help but think- "Darn those donuts and all that sugar that has the kids all hyped up! Bahhhh!"

But the more important thing... HAPPY VETERAN'S DAY! A very heartfelt THANK YOU to all the men and women who have served or are currently serving to protect our Country and freedom. This morning at school we had an assembly outside and all of the students and teachers gathered around the flag pole. There were also Veteran's who were related to the students there. The sun was shining and it couldn't have been nicer out.

The Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts lead the entire school in The Pledge of Allegiance. One of the students father spoke a little about the history of Veteran's Day. There were a lot of thank you's said and rounds of applause given to all of the Veteran's for acknowledge them for their service to our Country. The second grade students sang "The Star Spangled Banner" and my eyes started to well up. I just can not help it... I am a sap. A huge, stinkin' softie! The immediate pride that I felt for my Country was overwhelming.

I have always considered myself to be a pretty patriotic person (I usually get goose bumps during any song about America and more than 50% of the time shed a tear or two- really.) But to see young children, who really have no idea what is happening in Iraq and Afghanistan or the impact of any of the other wars our armed forces have been involved in, belting out The Star Spangled Banner with the biggest smiles on their faces simply, melted... my... heart. Which then sparked my next thought of how many of the young children in American have mom's or dad's who are serving overseas or stationed somewhere else in the Country and away from them. It truly is such a honorable sacrifice and commitment. Now, don't get me wrong I've always know that... but something about today and seeing those smiling singing faces just sparked something in my heart.

So with all of this said- THANK YOU, TO THOSE CURRENTLY SERVING... MILITARY VETERAN'S... YOUR FAMILIES ...

Happy Crafting: Clothes Pin Photo Wall

My husband and I bought out first home this past summer. We closed in April and then waited 3 long months to move in! In the end it was so worth the wait... I love owning a home and having a place to decorate and organize anyway I want to.

I am a picture-a-holic, admittedly, and any one who really knows me can attest to that. When we moved into our house I wanted to hang picture frames everywhere I could, especially in the hall way that leads to the bedrooms.  I thought it would be like a walk down memory lane every time you walked down the hall. But, Greg wasn't too keen on the idea of having holes in the wall and it kinda would "clutter-up" the place. So I came up with an easy solution to have the pictures I wanted in the hall way with out it looking "cluttered-up" and putting holes in the wall.

Blog friends, I present to you.... A CLOTHES PIN PHOTO WALL!

Ok, so this may not be the first time you have heard about or seen this... but I was impressed with how this turned out that I thought I would share.

Here is what you'd need to create this:
- Clothes pins 
- Paint
- A paint brush or sponge
- News paper
- 3M Command Picture Hanging Strips 
- Level 
- Tape measure 
- Pencil 
- Pictures! 


*I don't have pictures for all of the steps and I'm sorry about that... but you are big kids and super smart so I'm sure you can figure it out!*

1. Using a level and a tape measure mark (with pencil) on the wall a little dot or X to show where you will put the clothes pin. I suggest spacing the marks about 5 to 6 inches (depending on picture size) apart so that the pictures do not over lap when you hang them.

2. After you have decided how many clothes pins you will be hanging on the wall take your paint, paint brush/sponge and number of clothes pins... lay them out on the news paper and paint them. *NOTE: Do not paint on the side that the 3M strip will go on. It will not stick as well and this also gives you a paint free surface to lay the pin to dry.

I suggest waiting 30 to 45 minutes for the clothes pins to dry, so grab a snack and watch a rerun of Friends or The Gilmore Girls that you have saved on your DVR.

3. When the clothes pins have dried take 2 of the 3M strips and cut them so they become about 1/4 of an inch wide. Peel and stick a piece that you have just cut to each of the non-painted side of the clothes pin. Then stick another piece that you have cut to the spot you marked on the wall earlier.

4. Clip the photos that you have decided to display and clip them into the clothes pins. Then simply match each of them up to the 3M strip piece that you have already stick on the wall.

5. Give yourself a pat on the back for a job well done and enjoy your new,  simple, very affordable (easily under $10- depending on the cost of getting your pics printed), self-made, "un-cluttered" photo wall!

After I hung my pics up I just thought the wall needed a little something more and I found the sign at Target (love that place!) for $15 and I think it works like a charm. For me, it gives the photo wall a title, a statement that the pictures I chose capture.

This idea could be easily adapt to other rooms in your house too. Like the kitchen- you could hang some pins to keep your shopping list, recipes or coupons on. A craft room would be another place that this might come in handy. Here you could display ideas torn from magazines or small swatches of fabric. A child's bedroom would be a fun place to have some pins too! Kids love to display art work that they have created and this would be a great way for them to do that and change it as often as they wanted. Plus, it is such a simple project that they could even help put it up!

HAPPY CRAFTING! 

Green Day once said, "Do you have the time..."

And the fact of the matter is that in the last week I have not had the time. Especially, to blog about not having time. But this morning I found myself with some and so here I am! Aren't you thrilled? :o) I am!

One would think that I would have oodles of time because I don't work everyday. But, I'm a busy girl with things to do. Ya know- I clean, cook, grocery shop, wash clothes, fold clothes and then finally put them away. Then it seems like by the time I have that done I get to do it all over again. But- the best thing about having time during the day to do all of this stuff is that when Gregorian gets home we can eat dinner together and just enjoy the evening. -Delightful!-

Outside of regularly scheduled housewife things, I have been working hard on getting my ducks in a row for some fundraisers that I will be hosting in December. So, this past week I designed all of the flyers for both events. Called a thousand places for donations and wrote donation letters addressed them and those will get send out today... It's all very exciting! Check out all of these flyers...

I am a big advocate for charity and donating to those who are less fortunate. In the past few years I have becoming very involved with fundraising for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. There is something about St. Jude and their mission, values and vision that I simply connect to. They never turn families away because of their inability to pay for treatments and procedures. I like to do fundraisers for them during the holiday season to benefit their Thanks and Giving Campaign. The motto for this campaign is, "Give thanks for healthy kids in your life, and give to those who are not." It actually brings tears to my eyes just typing that, ohh boy! I just couldn't imagine having a child, like one of my nieces, who wasn't healthy and needed an organization like St. Jude. I am blessed to have healthy children in my life and therefore I give- I give to those who need it. I give to St. Jude because they give. They give hope. They give life.

I encourage you to take time and think about donating to a charity that is close to your heart this holiday season. Choose a charity whose mission, values and vision truly touch you... it fills your heart with joy and that is the best gift- ever.

If you would like more information on the fundraisers that I am hosting in the Northeast Ohio area or would like to donate please contact me at JamieCashWatson@gmail.com with St. Jude in the subject.

Potluck Posting!

Hello internet world!  We haven't spoken in a few days and it's not really like a whole lot has happened. I would like to call these postings "Potluck Postings"... ya know, a little bit of this, a little bit of that. So let's have a quick recap of the last 4 days....

HAPPY (belated) HALLOWEEN!

I love halloween! This year I was very excited because we finally had a house and we could sit outside with our dog, Kelso, and pass out candy to all the cute lil' kiddies! But ... it just so happened that my sisters city did trick-or-treat the same night as our city did it. So in keeping with our halloween tradition we went to my sisters to trick or treat with our nieces. I wish I had pictures to share... but I dropped the ball with pictures this year and did not take a single one ... BOO! 

In preparation for halloween I spent most of the day Friday making costumes for my husband and I. They turned out alright... Greg was an XBox "red ring of death" and I was a cupcake. The cupcake didn't turn out as well as I had hoped for the amount of time that I put into it. But.... oh well it was fun anyway! 

NOVEMBER...huh?! 

I can honestly not believe that it is November! As I sit here I'm trying to think about where October went... and it just seems like time is flying by. There are a lot of things that are coming up in November that I'm very excited for. Like.. this weekend we are going to the Browns game. My family is coming over to our house for the Ohio State football game next week and probably the most exciting thing in November is THANKSGIVING! 

This year Greg's family is coming into town from Florida to celebrate Turkey Day with us! I am very excited to have them come and stay with us for a few days. But with any holiday hosting gig a lot of nerves come attached. This will be the first "holiday" that we host at our house. I am sure that soon I will make a cleaning check list and a to do list of random odds and ends that need to get done. I sat down today and wrote out who would all be coming to out house for Thanksgiving and it totaled at like 25 people! YIKES! But really... the more the merrier! I love to have people over so it will be wonderful I'm sure. 

"FILL IN THE BUBBLE COMPLETELY TO ENSURE YOUR VOTE COUNTS"

Yesterday  I took my time filling in all of the bubbles on my ballot. I'm not going to ramble on and on about this... but I did want to mention a lil' something. I'm not one to get involved in heated political discussions, push issues on people or sick 10 campaign signs in my yard. But- I will vote. Every time. 

What I think and how I see things might not be the same as you... But the big picture for me is- at least we have the freedom to choose. I educate myself and vote for who fits how I feel. Naturally, there will be times when people (especially with politics) do not agree and won't always "win". But I will always, always, always support the political leaders elected. I can choose to put up an argument, stomp my feet, shake my finger  and blahh blahhhh blahhhh... but, the way I see it is, me being a turd about it is not going to change who holds the office. So... vote one day and wake up the next a proud American and press on with life. Sounds good? Ok! 

LET'S END THE POTLUCK WITH... DESSERT!

Here is a little something sweet to end this potluck with. On Saturday, Greg and Kelso sat at the window and squirrel watched together... it was so cute!

1, 2, 3...AWWWW!