Wowsers, a Month, woops!

So yeah, we all know by now I am not exactly timely with the blogging or email responding...time to get over it. What's taken up my time you ask? Well, figuring out how to become an academic again has been a part of it. :) I've been reading up on textbooks I'll be using to help TA two different pre-service teacher classes. One helping them write resumes, philosophy statements, etc. and the other discussing multiculturalism in the classroom and yes, you will see gender & racial bias even in the teaching world, sorry to burst that bubble.

Oh yeah, also been becoming an amateur antique junkie preparing for a garage sale for my family. But whatever does one do with the knowledge that Beleek china from Ireland is worth 3 times more than a simple Crown Staffordshire or Royal Albert teacup? Really? Although, we did find out my father's obsession for keeping random antiques every now and again finds one that's actually worth something. We have this wooden bucket, yes, a wooden bucket, that turns out to be a 19th century flour bucket worth, hold onto your hats, $360. It's a bucket...of wood. But the garage salers had fun asking what things were. :)

Speaking of which, each of these trucks you see in the background, believe it or not they're worth between $75 and $350 a piece. Go figure.













Went to another wedding, surprise surprise. It was fun, though! Paul was in the wedding and wonderful Kim let us crash at her condo, which was so much more fun than the hotel! We even got to shop for material to make a Wendy costume for her for Halloween (boy that girl has faith in my sewing abilities). So here's a pic of Paulie and me at the wedding, we somehow can only take goofie pictures, as well as my favorite picture of the wedding party. How fun?! Oh yeah, and I made the skirt. I couldn't figure out something to wear so I decided to make something a few days before the wedding. Love it or hate it I'm proud of it. ;)

So there you are, a little update if you will. Just random 'it's summer' tidbits, enjoying my last couple of months without a job. Oh yeah, and I get to see the chiropractor a couple times a week now cuz sadly Chrissy got rear-ended and I was in the car with her and got a whiplash. Chrissy possibly cured her migraines though! (Keep fingers crossed.) Yeah for insurance! :)

Worth The Wait!

Ahhhh!!!! I get to go to school! I get to go to school and GET PAID FOR IT!! Ahhhhh!!! *happy dance*
So, because of a fantastic assigned advisor at MU I have now been offered full-time assistantships for the Fall and Winter semesters at MU. I emailed her a few weeks ago and let her know I couldn't attend unless I had a GTA position or something and she made it happen - all while she is researching in Japan! I can't wait to meet her. :)
Here's the scoop: I will be a Graduate Teaching Assistant for the Education Dept. in the Teacher Development Program (essentially the kind of coursework you take to become a teacher) so I might actually know a bit about what I'm doing even! However, they pieced together some assistantships to make it a full one (so I could have tuition waiver, a stipend, and health benefits, yeah them), so I'm actually going to working for four different professors in three different courses throughout the year.
There, my lovelies, is the news! I'll be working my tail off and not have a clue what I'm doing to start off, but I get to work on my PhD, yeah! (The poor cat is in a foul mood because of all the jumping and such I've been doing today .) :)
Oh yes, I'll be continuing my stay with my family for an undecided period of time since the stipend is not by any means an enormous amount and I still have bills to pay. So, if you need me I'll still be in the same spot.
Yeah!

A Decision....Sort Of

Well the news finally arrived from MU and I was accepted! That makes three PhD programs that are expecting me this Fall and, let's count, only one that's offered any kind of assistance (a whopping, hold your hats, $1,000 from SLU). The MU program is what I'd prefer to do - closer to people here, in my Master's field so will take less time, has more job opportunities later, etc. However, something about a part of the office being moved out of state (yeah, I don't understand) meant no assistantships for new students - thanks oodles. So, I'm in the process of trying to find any kind of assistantship on campus that could cover tuition expenses, which is sort of hitting dead ends at the moment, so cross those fingers or say a little prayer for me (your preference). ;)
In other news, Ashland (my old job) really wants me to come back to that position. Flattering, completely, good idea, I don't know. The school is so mold infested I'm sick all the time and how on earth does one take on that kind of load again AND work on their PhD? I barely did the first. But, I love those kiddos and they're willing to work around my possible college schedule somehow so we'll talk options at least.
So there is the big news...I still don't know what I'm doing. Surprise, eh, not really. Just more researching, emailing, talking, and waiting. Seems to be the way of things when you want to make a change of some sort that involves money.

Self Distraction

Yes, I have been informed that this blog is not updated. Well, that's what happens when you're trying to distract yourself from the fact that time keeps passing and information is still not being given to you. So what have I been doing? Well, sewing, making presents, packing for EER teachers who are getting moved, having a garage sale, taking Sam to see another college, going to a frisbee tournament with Paul, and seeing Beth and Jacob, yeah! See, have to keep myself distracted. ;) Here's a few pictures as proof in the pudding:

A baby sling I made for Suzanne's baby shower.
Cabbage Patch = baby stunt double ;)

A Mother's Day purse for...of course...Mom

Drew's 26th Birthday party at Red Lobster

Paul Placed Poodles Perfectly Pleasantly

Okay, so according to MU I should know a smidgen (sp?) about my future either today or tomorrow. If it actually answers the question "What am I doing in the near future?" it will be quite surreal, let me tell you. My interview about the advising position went just peachy. The women who work there just genuinely love working together and were incredible to talk to, so if nothing else it was just a pleasant interview - we all need one or two of those to keep us going. :) So yes, I'll be twiddling my thumbs here for a bit.

In other news...I just made my first poodle skirt! (Paul obviously helped.) Chrissy (teaches elementary music) needed one to direct her 5th graders in their 50s themed musical so guess who got the job. She hasn't tried it on yet...*bites fingernails*...but I think it looks cute, don't you?

Oh yes, and back to the "whatsawhosit" saga, my mother and I did a marathon clean and organize to sell some of those "thingamawhatsits" yesterday and nearly finished it. Talk about girl power...and how filthy we were! The best part was when I had to ask my father to remind me what some of the things were and two parts he couldn't even figure out. I guess you could play the whole: If you can tell me what it is (or be really convincing) you can have it for free!
OOoooh, idea! I'll take some pics of the mystery items, post them on here, and see if any of you smart lads and lasses can tell me.....so stay tuned!

Waiting, Waiting, Waiting

Now we all know I have no idea what my near future is bringing until I hear about $$ from colleges. So, MU said I'd know by the first of April...ha! Now I should know by next week - sigh. (SLU has long since put me in hold, by the way.) In the meantime, MU wants to interview me for an Academic Advisor position in the Dept. of Ed. Okay, why not, is my feeling. But here's the kicker - I'm being interviewed by one of my former student's mothers! Doh! Now how do you play up your best traits to someone who knows when you're full of it? Talk about an interesting interview...I'm hoping for a call on Wed. saying I have funding so I can cancel the interview for the next day. Well a girl can hope. :)

As for Easter, an Easter without small children makes for a unique Mosley experience where the older kids (17-28) have to find Easter eggs with clues in them inspired by my mother's most recently read book, the Divinci Code. Lol..well when my parents finally stopped laughing turnabout was fair play and we gave them harder clues, yeah! Paul had to admit he'd never been involved in the parental egg hunt, but it was amusing to say the least.

Oh, oh, oh, and I saw the officially neatest male living establishment I've ever been in! Yeah for Patty & Darrick! Their new house defies the standard that men are slobs, it's neater than my old apartment! Really messes with the old image of the boys' house where the deck fell off, stair rails were missing, a doorframe or two was busted, random stains littered the carpet, and walls had unknown substances about. Yeah for clean boys - you could teach some more a lesson or two!

Well, back to waiting, sewing a poodle skirt, and figuring out how to interview with someone you know. Never dull I tell you, never dull. ;)

Amish Paradise....Menonnite Actually

Show of hands, how many has ever been to a Mennonite Auction? Well I can officially add it to the list of fun and random things I've done. I went with my father and his friend to a plant & veggie auction down in Versailles run by the Menonnites. What an experience! First of all I was the most "scantily" clad lady there wearing...gasp...shorts! But no one seemed to mind. It was actually quite fun. No where else have I interacted so freely with Mennonites - they seem to keep to themselves often when you see them at the bulk food stores or randomly elsewhere. Not here, guess it's because they are more on their own turf and are used to others coming into the auction. Either way, it was a hoot, and we got some beautiful flowers for a great price. Although, I must say, if you think auctioneers go fast, you've never seen a Mennonite auctioneer. I have grown up around auctions, live with an auctioneer, and I have never, ever seen an auction go so fast. I really had to pay attention to keep up with it all. Talk about moving product - whew! Not to mention, talk about a place where it doesn't matter if you lock the car, leave your purse, or even let your child roam free. I appreciated the simpleness and genuineness of it all, not to mention how such a strongly opinionated/moral group of people have no judgements of the rest of us...they were truly sweet people. I only seem to strengthen my love for the country as I find new experiences amongst it. You should check out one if these if you ever have the chance! (They actually have them about three times a week during peak growing seasons.)

George W. Stole My Internet!

So...maybe I don't have proof of that statement, but it's quite a coincidence that while the president was in town our Cable Internet could not connect, so we'll blame it on him. Because no sooner had he left town then, voila!, we had internet again. It's a conspiracy, we'll go with that.
And yes, the Commander-In-Chief did in fact grace Jefferson City with his presence today if you were not aware. I believe they said the 4th president to visit the city since 1900. Not too shabby for our little capital I guess. It was one of those whirlwind tours that was basically to make him look good because he was talking about Medicare, which is important yes, but why exactly here? Yeah, I don't know. But wow does that make excitement in this town.
He had a panel "discussion" at the brand new Performing Arts Center which was rather dull until he got to his last two panel members. An older lady who is just a sweetheart and a crowd favorite and an older man who refused to buy a suit just to meet the president...lol. They were a riot! Very polite, but truly representatives of the down-home, genuine people I love about this area. Can you tell she was awesome??

It was really only her and the other gentleman that made the President look good, and they were just being friendly. :)
So that was my day really. The news took over the t.v. for most of the day with live coverage of his motorcade and such. I didn't venture into town because for a few hours you couldn't even cross the bridge, let alone go anywhere, and he's not one of my favorite Presidents anyway. ;) But I get to go substitute in the gifted program tomorrow which actually had to cancel classes today because they are held in the new Performing Arts Center of all random places. Thus many of the lessons I'm sure will end up in a discussion of today's excitement. Oh well, the joys of subbing!

Ecclectic Tidbits to Catch Up

Well, so I haven't posted anything in what, 5 days? Sigh...I'm working on it. But honestly, would you all read this everyday anyway? I don't think so. So we'll call it even. This post I thought could just be some snippets to ponder/intrigue as nothing exciting is really going on with me right now, just waiting to hear about my future.

Did You Know...
1 ...that research is showing that our entire body function requires iodine to work properly? No one ever told me that one. My nutritionist has been looking into it and look who's sick all the time lately because she's iodine deficient. Yup, you guessed it. Seems you can also have too much in your system, but believe me I'm not there.
2 ...that toxins in your body can be released through your feet? Turns out our largest pores are in our feet and holistic scientists have developed a way to use a foot soak accompanied with a device producing a type of energy to detoxify your body. Anything from getting rid of a cold to getting rid of years of built up crud from working in a toxic waste plant. (Of which many people cannot be rid of because it is too painful to detoxify their system with drugs, etc. because the organs cannot handle the process.) (Sorry Whit - it had to be done.)

3...that analyzing the sound waves put off by our body and producing a complementary sound can do anything from stopping someone from bleeding to death to removing zinc metals from the body (which by the way seems to turn one's hair red as it leaves the body). How interesting!
---That's the latest and greatest from my trip to the nutritionist. Never a dull moment with her!---
(Though one must realize that many of these great discoveries will be poo-pooed because of people who put out bogus versions and call it the same thing...sadness...or people who are scared of "non-traditional" medicine.)
4...speaking of which, ever thought of the fact that homeopathic or holistic medicine/prevention is called "non-traditional" when in fact it is based upon traditions much older than those used by "traditional" medicine? Now that's one to ponder.
5...they have found what they believe to be the lost tellings of Judas. As archeologically and historically interesting as that is, my mother had a valid point. What amazing things will it really tell us besides about the society at the time? It can't so much clear up any questions because there is no way to know whether Judas is telling the truth or making himself look the way he wants himself to look. And, if it shows that Jesus planned Judas to commit his sins as a great scheme, does it really make any difference? What needed to be done was ultimately going to be done, either way.

6...there are such things as "Cargo Cults" in the South Pacific that pray to Gods that look like American Navy sailors believing they will one day come back with cargo planes full of goods for them? All because of the American's usage of South Pacific islands during WWII and our impact upon the natives who had never seen such people or things before. (Thank you Smithsonian magazine.)
7...I love to learn new things?! Well if you didn't know that one you must have an idea by now. I could continue the list of interesting things I've learned simply because I've been laid up with a sinus cold for a few days and had some time to do some reading. Amazing what a little down time will do for a person!

Well, I really must get back to work cleaning. Seriously, with this family there is no end to the stuff I can find to throw away, give away, or sell. One could almost make a living just doing that if they'd let me. ;) Hope you enjoyed my random tidbits. Of course, you may not all believe or agree, but that's the joys of friends!

The Best Pets Ever!

Okay, so it's been determined...when I get a puppy it's going to be a Labradoodle! If you've never heard of this adorable breed you are missing out. It is a cross between a Labrador & a Poodle, obviously. There can also be Goldendoodles (Golden Lab & Poodle). Not only is the name just wonderful but they don't shed, they're hypoallergenic, and they are great around kids. What more could you want?! Not to mention, do you see how cute they are??? Let's add another picture, just to make you think...

Oh yes, but the buck doesn't stop there...I've found my perfect cat too! The Maine Coon Cat. Not only is it's fur incredibly soft and easily manageable but they get along with everything from dogs to babies, are not constantly seeking attention, and are just big good-natured goofballs with fur. Oh yeah, and did I mention they can easily be trained to a leash?! Yeah for Maine!

A Whatsawhosit?

It's amazing what one finds when one lives with ADD packrats. That's right, people who keep everything and also have a lack of attention span...makes for an interesting combo. Just so happens my father and brother both have this crazy combination which actually leads to some interesting finds for me.
You see, I have been helping my father clean out his garage/shop since he finally realized he could never find anything and hadn't actually seen the floor in half a decade. Trust me, that's no exaggeration and this building is about 1000 sq. ft. My brother's room is actually incapable of even being entered for the last decade, but that's a whole other story.
Anywho, so we've gotten about halfway through the process in the last month (yes I said month) and here are some choice unique items found along the way:

- A large computer box of rotting bowling pins (my brother's actually) that smelled atrocious! Who knew bowling pins would rot? A show of hands, please.

- A selection of fly swatter handles and tops all neatly packaged in a convenient carrying case (seriously the funniest site ever).

- A dead mouse killed not by natural causes but most probably by my father crushing it as he stepped on something above the poor rodent since he could never step on the floor before...and the mouse was dangerously close to a solidified pool of house paint, oh what a mess that could have been.

- I kid you not, 10 pounds of work gloves, assorted shapes and sizes.

- Over 3 dozen funnels that he refuses to get rid of: they're all useful...sigh.

- A self-made concoction that I'm afraid to think was used as one of those walking on nails experiments.

The list really could go on and on, but you get an idea. I've learned that many things that look incredibly pointless actually have a valid purpose that you might pay $10 for at the hardware store - who knew? And I seriously mean pointless looking items. I know my way around a hardware store remember, I worked in one. ;)

So if you ever need some random bit, screw, device, tool, or concoction check with me first. We've discarded (well, having a garage sale cuz he can't just toss them) a normal garage full of items but still have about 5 garage fulls left he wouldn't part with. Seriously, name it, we'll have it or can make it - it's crazyness! I always told my boss at the hardware store he'd be out of business if my Dad ever cleaned up his shop...that was no joke. Off to the land of bolts, nuts, and sawdust....*cough, sneeze*.

A Priceless Gem

So obviously I'm still working on being consistent with this blog, sigh, I know, it will happen at some point. But wow, what a weekend! My mother went to her 40th high school reunion in a little town of Buffalo, MO at which time I also got to see my "celebrity" uncle (he's the county judge so everyone knows him) and the hands down most amazing man I have EVER met. (Who just so happens to be my Great Uncle.)
Why on earth is this man so amazing? Well books wouldn't even cover it all, but here's a glimpse. He is the most moral, down-to-earth, intelligent, resourceful, and kind man I've ever known. He is 86 and just now beginning to show signs of wear but still has an amazing strength behind him that propels him to just get up and walk all over town every day even though he has poor vision from years on a motorcycle and a trick knee from falling 30 ft off a ladder last year..lol. His life is so full of stories that just this weekend my mom, little brother and I sat him down and put 6.5 hours of stories on tape and only scratched the surface.
The man grew up during the depression on the family farm, has riden a motorcycle since the age of 15, was a motorcycle cop for a couple decades, elected sheriff at age 60, served 3 tours of duty...voluntarily...turned down the offer of West Point at least twice, turned down officer stripes at least a couple of times (when they let him), was part of the Airborne strike of the Battle of the Bulge, developed his own method of photography out of scrap parts which is beautiful, traveled the states on a whim on his Harley his entire life, was a bachelor till he was 40, could talk anyone out of any wrong doing with no hint of force, and somehow managed to gain the love of everyone he ever gave a ticket to or put in jail. Oh yes, and did I mention he was the most eligible bachelor in Pittsburg, KS for too many years to count (and he had no idea nor interest either...lol.) Seriously, I can't even begin to relate what a man he is...but a couple pictures are always fun. :) Obviously the two above are when he was younger on the police force and the bottom is him just yesterday with my younger brother and I...though the picture shows NOTHING of the spirit you see immediately when he speaks. I wish everyone had the opportunity to know him. He's one of those amazing rare people that you know immediately has done nothing but actually make the world a better place to live in, just because he knows no other way. Oh yes, as for the shirt he's wearing, it's him on a Harley that says "My Heroes Have Always Rode Harleys". It was a present from someone in town after he was put on the front page of the paper for his service and Harley devotion. He's so modest, though, it was the first time he wore it, just so he could tell us the story about it.

Getting With the Times

So it seems a number of my friends have blogs, since my friend-base is rather spread out. Thus, I've decided to join the revolution and try, key word try, to keep up with my own blog since I seem to be horrid at responding to emails. Hope this helps keep everyone up-to-date and feeling loved! Let's see, to start with, here's my latest crafty creation! What once was a pair of pants that I didn't like the fit of too much is now a funky skirt that fits great - woohoo!