China Glaze

Due to the fact that my job situation is still up in the air, I've had to make some additional cutbacks in my budget this summer. The ideal thing to go was getting my nails and toes done. This was my last thing that I was hanging on to but I ended up with a staph infection in my thumb from smashing it so that made things easier. Let me just add that summer in Louisiana is not the time to be taking a large dose of antibiotic that requires staying out of the sun and makes you have constant hot flashes.

In order to save $$, I've been painting my own nails and toes. I'm an OPI junkie when someone else is doing the work but I've been using China Glaze. The brush is so much easier to handle. I've gotten a little better at it but I still have a ways to go.

My go to colors: Shocking Pink, Rose Among Thorns, and For Audrey

A little summertime violence

In all of my criminal justice classes, we always talked about how the hot weather makes southerners a little more violent than usual. We had an episode out here Sunday afternoon where someone decided to fire a couple of rounds at someone else. Everything ended ok and off to jail they went. The Sheriff's Office is doing a little patrolling tonight so hopefully that keeps the drama to a minimum.

Reading Group is going slowly but surely. I'm already running out of ideas and we're on day 3 tomorrow. Not a good look but I don't have the crutch of a classroom full of supplies so I guess I'll really have to get creative. My student is incredibly bored and doesn't want to be there so that doesn't help things for me. I hate to start off as one of those teachers whose creative juices stop flowing the minute the students are dismissed for the summer but that's how I feel. I need some motivation quick.

Ramblings

One of the things I dislike about myself is the fact that I wait until Sunday afternoon when God and everybody is out at Wal-Mart, Target and wherever, before I decide to finally go. Reading Group starts tomorrow and I may or may not be prepared, ie: I can't find my clipboard, can't remember my student's name (yes just one student and I can't remember, how did I remember 100+ students' names last semester?), don't know if I printed everything and don't really care.

Tomorrow just might be the never ending day. I have class, reading group, meetings at 2 and 4, gotta squeeze in study time for a huge test Tuesday and I have to check up with my insurance company. When hurricane season starts I always call them up and have a friendly chat to make sure I'm paid up, my coverage is what it's supposed to be, and that in the event that my house collapses, they will rent a mudboat and some waders and come on down as soon as it's legally permissible to enter the parish.

Weekend, sweet weekend

I didn't do much this weekend, reading clinic starts Monday and I got a 1st grader which makes me very happy. Anything over 3rd grade freaks me out for some reason but I guess everyone has their preference. I know some of my classmates wouldn't teach K if it was the only job they were offered.

I hit the children's book lottery tonight though. I went over to my mom's and dug in the garage to start gathering books. I had no idea that she had that many. If I do K or 1st I won't have to get anything before school starts and I can just order Scholastic a few times throughout the year.


J commented the other night that I was out of beer and how unusual that was. Like any good Louisiana girl, there is always a Bud Light or 2 in the fridge and most likely something from Abita as well. On a good day, I've also got wine for the none beer drinkers. As far as drinking goes, I don't discriminate. If it's got alcohol in it, it's fine by me. Even though college is over, a good Natty Light or Keystone doesn't bother me. I decide tonight to go to the store and I get my 12 pack and a bottle of Cab. As always, I whip my ID out before they ask. I worked in the service industry and I know how annoying it is to stand there and wait while someone digs for ID. Store Clerk Man stands there staring at me and the ID for a good 2 minutes before I start rattling off the info on my license. He says, "ooh honey you lost weight". I reply, "no, I just had a terrible haircut that made my face look fat." Just ring me up for my damn beer so I can get out of here.

Sun Care Routine

Today after class instead of going home to clean my house or do something productive, I went to the pool. I'm blessed by having easy to tan skin (I never burn) but I am careful in the sun because I spent way too much time in tanning beds (I've sworn off them this year but I still feel the urge). Because of my skin tone, my sun care routine is fairly simple:

I start by using Elta MD on my face every morning under makeup. It was recommended by a dermatologist and is slightly tinted. My second favorite is Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer. Elta MD has spf 41 so it's a little better for summer protection.
Next, I slather on Coppertone Sport spf 70. I like to use the spray rather than lotion, it goes on easier. It's super water resistant and I reapply plenty of times. I use Coppertone Sport for Faces also. If my face gets oily from repeated sunscreen use, I wash my face with an acne cleanser rather that my regular stuff and that usually knocks it out in a day or two.
After I'm done in the sun, I just use a generous amount of Banana Boat Aloe After Sun. It really does help with any redness or slight peeling and it smells just like summer to me. Sometimes I use it the next morning as well. It's also supposed to help extend a tan and for the price, it can't be beat.

First Day of Summer Class

The summer semester is going to be tough. On the first day, we were given 2 assignments. The reading clinic hours are going to work into the specified class time so it's nothing extra thank goodness. I finished my first assignment but I had to stop and watch The Hills and The City. I've always loved The Hills but I do think it's getting time to wrap things up. Speaking of my guilty t.v. pleasures, Housewives wasn't the drama fest I expected. Things were rather calm when Danielle showed up at the benefit.


I've mentioned before that we take a canoe trip or 2 each summer. I've always wanted to go tubing in New Braunfels but found a closer alternative that sounds pretty fun. It's called Tiki Tubing and seems much more relaxing than having to paddle. It's about two hours away from here and it's another hour from New Orleans so that would be a perfect start to a four day weekend. I'm not going to be able to take a major vacay this summer so I'm trying to cram as many little weekend getaways as I can. The planning takes away some of the stress of the fact that I still don't know about a job for next year. I'm not going to allow myself to mention it here anymore, because I truly feel like I have to "let go and let God".