I decorated the Window at Work

Regina likes Flamingos

I tried to make it look like the presents (including point shoes) where under the Christmas tree that's inside the window.

pics from Elaine's Actual Birthday

My boss blew up a balloon for each of the kids and she let Elaine pick out a scrunchie. I'm not sure why, but Elaine picked out a lime green one.

We got Elaine some dollar store coloring books, tiaras and a little dress up skirt. I also got her a book about phonics too.

Reading to her Balloon.

We're holding off on the birthday cake until Florida. We're celebrating Allan, Elaine and Jimmy's birthdays in Florida with the rest of the Branks.

Subtle Changes:

I like how the lyrics were subtly re-worked in this old classic. :) I hear this version on the radio at work.

'Here Comes Santa Claus' by Linda Edar
Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer are
Pulling on the rein,
Bells are ringing, Children are singing,
All is merry and bright
Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight

Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
He's got a bag that is filled with toys for the
Boys and girls again

Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
What a beautiful sight
Jump in bed, cover up your head,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight!


Here comes Santa Claus! Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
He doesn't care if you're rich or poor for he loves
You just the same
Santa knows that we're all God's children,
That makes everything right
Fill your hearts with Christmas cheer,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight You better watch out, you better not cry,
Better not pout, I'm tellin' you why:
Santa Claus is comin' to town

He's makin' a list and checkin' it twice,
Gonna find out who's naughty and nice,
Santa Claus is comin' to town

He sees you when you're sleepin'
He knows when you're awake.
He knows if you've been bad or good,
So be good for goodness sake!

Oh, you better watch out, you better not cry,
Better not pout, I'm tellin' you why:
Santa Claus is comin' to town

Semester Grades are online!

Guess which two of these weren't required for graduation?

Theatre History to 1700: B
Sociology of Religion: C
Personal Finance: C

3 Final Exams tomorrow....

...so I can't blog much.

My semester grades that are complete so far:
Communication: 87%
Spanish: 78%

2 down, 3 to go!

August 9th ...

is when I have my graduation ceremony at UNT!

I met with my academic adviser, Ana, on Thursday between going to my different review sessions. Ana looked at my records and said that I am on track to graduate at the end of next Summer.
This Spring I have to take:
+ Theatre Senior Seminar, at UNT
+ any online class, at UNT (just to get my financial aide)
+ Spanish 4, online at Midland College
+ Statistics, in-person at NCTC (college 10 minutes from my house)

At the end of spring, I have to apply for graduation. I don't have to take any classes this summer at all!! That's when UNT reviews all my transfer transcripts. They'll have all summer to check out my transcripts and then my graduation ceremony will be in August.
[I got lucky that some stupid rule has been erased at UNT. It use to be true that someone's last two semesters of college had to be entirely at UNT to graduate at UNT. Ana said that they nixed that rule and that I have well-established residency at UNT.]
--------------------*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---------------------
UPDATE ABOUT THE VAN: The mechanics said that 3 sensors went off when they ran their diagnostic tests. They replaced the spark plugs and cleaned up some gunk, and that fixed it. But it was fixed late Thursday afternoon...
In the meanwhile, I had to ride my bike to school. I took me about the same amount of time as it did in early October, but this time I picked a better route. I wasn't as tired or frazzled, since I was able to avoid lots of traffic mess. After my review sessions, I rode the bike up the road to work. That only took 30 minutes. (Maybe that's good to know for the future?) By the time I got out of work at 6pm, Jimmy was able to fetch me and the bike with the van.
--------------------*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---*---------------------
All my final exams are Tuesday. My laptop's internet has been acting flaky. Jimmy is working on it. I need to download the "Spanish keyboard" onto my desktop computer, so I can take my Spanish final exam on that one.

Things I should have blogged days ago:

Elaine wanted to learn how to wash dishes...She didn't like that her hands got wet

Pics from Jimmy's birthday (Dec 4th):

Some school stuff... and more

Most my classes don't meet again before the final exams. All the exams are next Tuesday, Dec.11th. Some of the classes have review sheets to pick up on Thursday, so I'll have to go to campus for that. But that's it until the Finals. I'll have some free time on campus between picking up each review sheet, so I'm gonna meet with my adviser tomorrow, to make sure I am on track for graduation this summer. I don't want any misunderstandings or surprises.

I got the sheet from my Communications professor with all her feedback about my speech. She said I read of my que cards a little too much at times, but that I maintained great eyecontact and had an "extemporaneous" speaking style, with good hand gestures. I will have a solid B for this class, like an 86. I don't have to go to this class any more this semester, since I'm not taking the optional final exam.

I'll edit this post and add more after work. Later! -Liss
---------------------------------------------------------
okie doke, I'm back. We had an eventful day today. On the way to drop me at work, our white van's 'check engine' light came on. It's never come on before. (We had some delayed starts before, but Dave said he thinks that it just might need new spark plugs.) So after Jim dropped me at work, he and Allan took the Van to the mechanic. There is no sense in pussy footing around about the van, especially with our trip coming up later this month. The van is at 'Christian Brothers' mechanics. We've used them before and really trust the business. They told Jim that they were gonna start with replacing the spark plugs and then the van might just need "a tune up" (replace fluids, etc). With the van in the shop, my boss drove me home from work.

I have reviews that I have to attend tomorrow on campus, one is at 9:30 (just picking up the review sheet and we're dismissed). Another is at 12:30, where I have to stay for a quiz and then the review. And then another review at 2pm. Since I have such a gap of time on campus between fetching my first review and going to my second review, that's when I'm gonna go meet with my adviser. Tonight I'm getting everything pulled together for that meeting. I want to be prepared. The bummer is that I'll have to ride my bike to campus tomorrow morning. The blessing is that I have the bike as an option! I'm gonna leave my house around 7am, because any later than that and I'll run into all this crazy elementary school traffic.
After my last review, I have to get to work at the shop. The girl who works Tues. & Thursday hurt her ankle, so Regina asked me if I'd be able to cover my co-worker's shift. (I'm trying to make up the pay for the days that she shop was closed at Thanksgiving). It's only 2 miles from campus, so I should be fine on the bike. I pray that by the time I get off of work (6pm) Jim has our van back from the mechanics. I bet my bosses could drive me home from work, if I needed it. I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

some good news: *Drumroll*..... I wrote like 5 perfect rental agreements today. This is the first time I could do it without being told step by step what to do by Regina. I just had Rick check my work after each rental form was complete, and every time I got it perfect! :) I also TOTALLY cleaned up the sewing workstation at work today. Now I know what we have to work with and I have re-assigned homes for the sewing notions. It's a big relief to have a clean work space. Rick is gonna install a pegboard above the sewing machine for me to keep notions in reach while I am working.
p.s. Yesterday was Jimmy's birthday. I'll post pictures asap.

MAIL CALL!

Hola everyone,
We got around to checking our mail from the last few days. We received the kiddos Christmas presents from their Gramps and Nana (my Dad and Carol). They sent each of the kids rolling luggage shaped like an animal. One was a froggy and one was a puppy. Allan wanted both of them, since he likes both doggies and frogs (he calls them 'Ribbits'). He rolled one of them around the house like it was a vacuum cleaner.

Also in the mail, I received the prints of Elaine's school photos. I'm mailing pics to Berta, Scott &Hope, and Dad &Carol some time this coming week. Each family will get a 3x5 and 5x7.

Lastly we *FINALLY* received my results from the Fitness Study I took part in over the Summer. These results are from before I got my job and lost the 17 pounds, but they are still probably a good indicator of my need for more exercise. Since I have no shame, here are the results. I'm kinda proud that even then, I was right on target with eating within the recommended ranges.

Height 171.1 cm
Weight 232.3lbs
BMI 36.0 kg/m2 Rating: Obese class 2 (35.0-39.9) Recommended: 18.5 to 24.9 kg/m2
Waist circumference: 109.6cm Rating: Very high (>110cm or >43.5in) Recommended: <88cm
Disease risk: Very High
Body fat: 39.4% Rating: Poor Recommended: 20% to 32%
Bone density: 1.346 g/cm3 Rating: Normal

Cardiorespiratory Fitness

Max oxygen consumption: 28.6mL/kg/min Rating: *Poor Recommended: >35mL/kg/min *No surprise,with my asthma
Resting Blood Pressure: 124/82mm Hg Rating: Prehypertension Recommended: <120/80> 64.0 bpm Rating: Normal

Glucose and Lipid Panel

Glucose: 112.4mg/dL Rating: Impaired fasting glucose (100-125 mg/dL) Recommended: <100mg/dl
Total cholesterol: 163.3mg.dL Rating: Normal Recommended:<200
Triglyceride: 86.0 mg/dL Rating: Normal Recommended:<150mg/dl
LDL cholesterol: 103.5 mg/dL Rating: Near Optimal (100-129 mg/dL)
HDL cholesterol: 42.5 mg/dL Rating: Average (40-60 mg/dL) Recommended: >50mg/dL

Resting Metabolic Rate: 2495.0 kcal/day

Nutrition Analysis

Total Calories Actual: 2077.8 kcal Recommended: 2044.8 to 2359.4 kcal
Protein: 80.2g or 162.8 kcal = 19.5% Recommended: 20% kcal
Carbohydrates: 252.0g or 202.5 kcal = 57.9% Recommended: 50-60% kcal
Total fat: 84.6g or 202.5 kcal = 24.2% Recommended:<30%
Saturated fat: 24.5g or 63.1 kcal = 7.4% Recommended:<10%>

** I emailed the study's facilitator because I spotted an obvious mistake. There's no way I'm 5 foot 6 inches tall.

All Done!

The flash kinda messes up how this picture looks, but yall get the general idea.

I saw some grades from communication online tonight:
For our speech's Group Grade (what we earned cumulatively) we got an 80. 75 is the average grade for the class, so we did better than some. For my individual participation in the Group Project, I got a 96. I have to attend class on Tuesday to do an extra credit quiz, but that's it for me in this class for the rest of the semester, since I don't need to take the optional final exam.

I dyed my hair RED. It didn't drastically change the color, but there is a definite red tint.

**BEFORE**

**AFTER**
After the pic, I trimmed my bangs too. :)

Almost Done

It still needs touch ups around their mouths and some other little details. But all the girls are drawn into the picture now. :) It should be completed tomorrow night, after I get off of work.

Grades: (All my professors did some grading over the Thanksgiving Break)
I got a 90% on my Antigone essay for Theatre History
I got an 88% on my essay about Mormons for my Sociology of Religion class
I got a 77.5% on my Personal Finance Exam.

Today was the big speech for my communication class. It was supposed to last 20 minutes and we made it to 19 minutes and 30 seconds, so a couple points will be taken off. We were told we had a "strong presentation".

update

I missed it, but I heard about it:
Right before Jim and the kids drove to fetch me from work, Elaine was whining and Allan told her, "Be quiet. Elaine a bad girl." He's really starting to make more sense.

I saw online: I earned an 88% on my Communication exam. That means I get to skip the optional final exam for that class. The final was going to be on a Saturday, so I'd have to miss work. I'm glad it worked out.
I got a 92% on my Spanish reading assignment last week.

We have to re-apply for food stamps. They expire at the end of December. I'm curious to see how my job effects our eligibility. The loans from Hope and Scott, should be counted as *loans* not "income", but we'll see how the govt. looks at it all when they check out bank account records and my income records.

We paid off one of Jimmy's tickets this week (for not updating his driver's license when we moved to this trailer) and we have one more to go. We'll have that one paid off early this coming week, once I deposit my paycheck. This ticket was for driving the Taurus with an out-of-date inspection.
It's so nice to have a dependable vehicle.

I talked to my brother and Berta on Thanksgiving. Mark sounded pretty busy with his girlfriends kids, but we talked for a good 15 minutes or so. He's been really sick with Allergies and the flu.

Dave wanted to come over and take the kids ice skating tonight. But the rinks were closed. I think it'd be fun to go right before we leave for the Christmas vacation. But I bet it's less crowded now.

My craft room/office is a pig sty. Mental note: work on that. I think I'll get more serious about cleaning in here after I've finished drawing those girls. I need to get that completed and to the customer, so they can have it framed by Christmas!

I bought Allan a water-proof sheet for his full-sized mattress. That'll make my life a little more worry-free. He already broke it in last night. ;)

Today was fun at work. My female boss had me hem some of her jeans, then we spent over an hour playing with a Bedazzler. It was a rainey freezing day, so customers weren't pouring in. Regina keeps complementing my sewing abilities. I mended a tuxedo while a customer waited the other day. I got major kudos for that one.

Earlier this week, I had to email the church with our wish lists for the Secret Santas. This year our secret santas don't go to our church, but wanted to help a family anonymously. We were told that they love to shop and all the specifics we can give them will be helpful. It's kinda awkward to try to sum our family up in a few paragraphs, but It'd be hard for them to shop for us otherwise (so says our Pastor's wife). So here's what we mailed the secret Santas:

"Allan
Size: 2T-3T. He'll be a solid 3T by spring.
Shoe size: 9 1/2. He has a few pairs of shoes already, but needs more socks.

Allan is interested in playing with his Cars & Trucks. He loves anything with pirates or swords.. His favorite characters are from Finding Nemo, Cars, and Spiderman. He loves to watch "The Backyardigans" and "Blues Clues" on TV.

Wishes: Allan has outgrown his hooded baby towels, so 1-2 towels for the big boy would be nice. I think he'd like the video, "The Incredibles" since he likes superheroes or the first "Pirates of the Caribbean" movie. He'd also enjoy any Blues Clues video tapes. Allan is rough with his toys, so durability is pretty important. He would enjoy wooden puzzles, sturdy toddler books, or sturdy cars.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Elaine
Size: 5T
Shoe size: 10

Elaine is interested in princesses, soccer & hockey, and drawing/crafts. She is learning to read. She loves watching the "Little Einsteins" on TV. Elaine is still very much into playing dress up and pretending she is a princess or Chef.

Wishes: Elaine asked for nailpolish, a jump rope and a yo-yo for Christmas. Toy food would go over really well. I think she would like the movie "Ratatouille", since it's about cooking. She would also enjoy the movies, "Meet the Robinsons" and "Little Einsteins Big HUGE Adventure". She could use some nightgowns. Any sort of reading games would be great.

_____________________________________________________________
Liss
Size: 16-18 (XL)
Shoesize: 11w

Interests: I go to college full time and I work retail fulltime at a Costume store. In my minimal free-time I work on the kids baby books, take lots of pictures, paint or draw. I love bold colors, polka dots and anything that's retro (1950's) or shabby chic.

Wishes: V-neck work-appropriate shirts. A black button-down sweater. Head scarves. Socks. A Wok (for stir fry). Paper for a 12x12" scrapbook. A Fine Frenzy:'One cell in the Sea' CD. I'd love to receive some Queen-sized sheets that have simple pink roses on them (our bedroom is all mix-matched shabby chic).
_____________________________________________________________
Jim
Size: 2X Tall shirts, 38"x34" pants
Shoe size: 13

Interests: Cooking, Baking from scratch, making pasta from scratch, computers, flying stunt kites, sodoku.

Wishes: He wants a small wooden cutting board for chopping veggies. He also wants one of those magnetic strips that sticks to the wall, to store cutting knives. He'd like metal mixing bowls. He'd like the book "A Year of Living Biblically" by AJ Jacobs. He'd like "The Simpsons Movie". "

Thanksgiving

I made dip for snacking during the football game.

I made this Turkey. It ended up a little dry, but not bad. Jimmy made gravy to help it along.

I've lost 17 pounds since I've had my job (about 6-7 weeks).

Went to the park to wait for Dave... lasted about 5 minutes all the equipment was freezing cold.

Daddy's gloves, helping Allan catch the ball.

Tonight I added another girl to the drawing:

Drawing in Progress

*FAST* update

Elaine isn't sick any more. But I am. I have sinus drainage and fevers.

I bought Allan new socks and underwear.

I worked all day today, I'll work after class tomorrow and work a half-day on Wednesday. The shop closes at 1pm. I get Thurs off from school/work. But I work Friday. I'm glad I put the tree up early, since I normally do it on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

Elaine's class is having a Thanksgiving meal tomorrow. I made a quiche for her to take. ( I was assigned an "egg dish" by the teacher).

Elaine got her report card-
She is "DEVELOPED" in understanding directions, enjoys listening and responding to books, counts by ones to 10 or higher (she can could to 200), counts concrete objects to five or higher, demonstrates safe practices and appropriate use of science materials, makes observations using 5 senses, identifies and follows classroom rules, understands the roles of community workers, uses a variety of materials to create original artwork, uses art as a form of self expression, responds appropriately to fire drill, developed a sense of personal space, expresses interest and self-direction in learning, respect other people's space and personal belongings, shows increase levels of profieciency, control and balance in physical movements, demonstrates increasing ability to use scissors, pencils and art tools, and can start,use and exit software programs.

She ranked as "STILL DEVELOPING" in sharing ideas, taking turns listening and speaking, participating in classsroom jobs, understanding the basic needs of all people for food, clothing and shelter, aware of healthy routine behaviors, beings to recognize and select healthy foods, begins to be responsible for individual behavior and actions, begins to develop friendship with others, and begins to use technical terminology, such as "mouse", "keyboard", "printer" and "Cd-Rom".

Poor thing got a lower grade at making friends and talking about computers... this is OUR kid? lol.

Tomorrow I have a Spanish assignment due, a play review due, and a major exam in personal finance.... so I gotta get back to homeworking.

Put up the Tree

I decided that since we will be out of town for a good portion of December, I would put up our tree a week earlier than I normally do. This way the family can enjoy the tree all together, even if it's at Thanksgiving.

He was actually a good helper this year. :)
She could read his name.

She took a break to eat Alphabet soup...thus the slimey face. But I love Allan's expression here.