Back to School

This really feels like the first real week of school, which it is.  DH was on vacation last week so that changed what I did and when.  He's back to work though & today is the day that DD goes to Grandma's for the entire day. 

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I was a good girl and got everything ready last night.  I even have my extra lesson plans printed out for the week & in a binder!  As soon as DH is done, I will get cleaned up & ready to go.  So hooray for the BBR!  I too think that the BBR is the most important routine.  Even though I do not generally have a lot to do in the mornings before work, I always feel more relaxed when I've done the BBR.  I just need to remember that just because it is called a Before Bed Routine doesn't mean that I need to do it RIGHT BEFORE bed. 

Right now I am being very naughty -I'm sitting in jammies drinking my tea!  Not dressed to the shoes (yet) because I really don't want DD to wake up just yet.  I know, I know, I should get dressed to my shoes as soon as I wake up.  I'm sure some day when I grow up I'll be able to pull that off!

Now, where did I leave off on Babysteps?  I'm also wondering if anyone else needs a year to make it through the Beginner's Babysteps or if I'm the only one?  I'll ponder that some more while I make another cup of tea!

New Year, New Routines

Fall has always seemed to me a time of new beginnings, more so than January 1. Probably the influence of going back to school! So its a good time to think about starting over. It has been far too long since I used my CJ. I have no excuse -it's right there next to my email! I think it may be time to tweak it a bit. S&S just doesn't happen for me in the morning, so I will try it in the evening.

On Monday, I took a break from all my housework. I was tired of feeling like I wasn't accomplishing much, and what I did do was immediately undone by someone else. You know what? The house fell apart. The dishes somehow never even made it to the kitchen. Those dishes that did make it to the kitchen were unceremoniously dumped into the sink, and or any other available surface rather than the empty dishwasher. Clothes and books lay where ever they hit the floor. Obviously, I had been doing more than I had thought!

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Since yesterday was a short day for me, I tackled the kitchen while DH did the LR. Within an hour I had my shiny sink back. I still need to mop the floor, but that can certainly happen later! But my kitchen is clean, which means I'm much more likely to cook, and my LR is clean so I'm much more likely to relax!

Dalai Lama Poster

Sorry, I couldn't resist sharing this! I just found this cool poster -maybe I'll get one for my classroom :)

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Pamper Time!

I decided that since this was my last week before classes started, I would give myself a pamper mission each day. So far I have:

• Green Tea Sugar Scrub Facial (the green tea stained!)
• Long soak in a heavily scented & oiled bath
• Went to bed BEFORE 11pm
• Satin Hands session
• Dinner out with my mom & sis

I still have a few days to go, but its been fun! What is your favorite way to pamper yourself and when was the last time you did so?

End of the Summer

Today is my last official day of summer vacation. Of course, I've been going in all week to get my classroom ready before tomorrow so that I can devote all my attention to my new assistant. So it is time to reflect on the past 2.5 months.

Did I get everything done that I wanted to? Not even close. The boudoir project is still unfinished, but all that's needed at this point is the fun decorating stuff. I should be able to make inroads on that now that the basement is in shape so that DD can be down here with me while I work on it.

My house isn't nearly as decluttered as I would have hoped. But the good news is I'm usually just 15-20 minutes from my home being Visitor ready.

I'm ready for the final coat of paint on DD's table & chair set. Once that is done she will finally have some furniture that is designed specifically for her.

I wasn't able to write as much as I would have liked. After our vacation, I lost my momentum for both blogs and lenses. Strange how working out of the home meant I was able to get more done!

I've had more hugs & kisses than I thought possible from DD. When she isn't tired, DD is a very sweet & affectionate young lady. Who loves puppies and her baby dolls.

So although not what I had planned or envisioned as a summer, it was still pretty fantastic!

Once school begins it will be back to the BabySteps. Will I ever make it past the 10th step? Stay tuned & find out!

My Life in France

No, its not MY life in France, but Julia Child's life in France. You see, I've become a huge Julia Child fan. But it didn't happen until after she passed away.

Some of you may already know that in a previous life I was a bookseller. It was while I was "on the clock" that I noticed a stack of the Julia Child biography Appetite for Life on a table. Probably happened right after she passed away. I had heard that she was a spy during WWII, so I was intrigued by the book. I picked it up and after browsing through a few pages, I knew I had to read it.

Of course, I loved the book and regretted that I had paid little attention to her while she was alive. I decided to rectify the matter by buying a copy of Baking with Julia. It wasn't until much later that I learned that she hadn't actually written the book, just wrote some copy & put her name on it. I didn't care, because with this book I learned to make "The Cake". That is what we call Boca Negra, a killer flourless chocolate cake recipe.

I had left the world of bookselling when I learned that there was a new Julia Child book out, entitled My Life in France. It was to detail Julia's years in France. I loved this book as well and it pushed me into purchasing a copy of Mastering The Art of French Cooking .

Finally, my DH brought home an advance copy of the book Julie and Julia -the story of a young woman who gives herself a year to cook her way through Mastering The Art of French Cooking . It was only recently that I finished reading this one. It is a fun tale, but didn't capture my attention the same way that Appetite for Life or My Life in France did.

Now of course, the movie of Julie and Julia is about to be released. It is actually a combination of My Life in France and Julie & Julia. I'm not much of a movie goer (two movies seen in a theater in the last 3 years) but I actually may make an effort to see this one!

Jumping Back In

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I never expected to lose momentum from going on vacation, but that is exactly what I have done. I think I need to back track a bit to the baby step where I lay out my clothes before going to bed!

Not all of my clothes have made it down to the new space yet, but the clothes that I regularly wear right now are all down in the new boudoir. It is much easier for me to put my clothes away when they are a mere 10 steps from dryer to storage!

School starts again in 3 weeks, so I have to get back into the saddle. I'm not behind, I'm just jumping in where I am!