Redesign

For my 20th anniversary present to myself (August 4), I decided to redo our master bedroom bedding and accessories this summer. It was a fun project, and I tried to do it in a cost-effective way with minimal furniture purchases, sales, and no custom items.

Here is the before:







Here are the after pictures:







I liked the old "cottage" look, but we had had that bedding for almost eight years, and I was ready for different colors. I also wanted to go more tailored and less feminine, so I went with chocolate brown for a lot of the background colors and a more tailored bedding set without any ruffles. I moved out the trunk at the end of the bed,changed nightstand tables, and I also removed the heavy mirror that had previously been attached to the double dresser. Those changes really seemed to open up the space since the room isn't that large. The paint color was left the same as before, but it still feels a lot more airy.

I bought most of the items at discount stores, and I repurposed many things that I already had in the room. Here is a brief list of where I purchased the main items:

Bedding: "Audubon" by Rose Tree, Dillards
Throw pillows: Walmart
Drapes and curtain rod: Target
Burlap tablecloth and side table: www.ballarddesigns.com
Wooden nightstand: Riverside Factory Outlet, Rogers
Botanical wall prints: www.ballarddesigns.com
table lamp: Pottery Barn
vintage books: Friendly Bookstore, Rogers
tabletop frames: Hobby Lobby

I'm happy with how it turned out!

Surgery Complete

Thanks for all the prayers. I finished my oral surgery on my jaw tumor. I am only in minimal pain, but it's hard to open my mouth to eat or talk at this point without causing pain. The surgeon only took out part of the mass for the biopsy because it wasn't what he expected based on the CT scan. He said it is actually more bone-like, and not presenting like a tumor or cyst (which I think is a good thing based on his opinion). He felt that it was going to be painful and invasive to chisel out all the bony mass, and it appears that the five most likely things it could be are most likely benign. So, he felt that less pain right now was warranted, and hopefully, he won't have to go back in again to take out more. Keep praying! Pathology will take 7-10 days.

I'm resting now and trying not to talk too much. I'm on antibiotics and ibuprofin for a week, plus I have pain meds if needed. Hopefully, I will be back to my normal routine in a few days. I will be greatly relieved to get the recovery and the pathology results behind me!

Surgery

School got out about a week ago, and I don't really feel in the summer mode yet. I had to return to school for a full-day conference this week to get my summer professional development hours in, and then I had to go back to school the next day to grade make-up final exams from students who missed the original exam date.

Stuart's mom spent the week at our house, so she helped watch the kids while I wrapped up work duties, and I used the time with her here to do a lot of appointments that were more easily done without taking three children with me! All the kids are out of childcare for the summer, and Arden will return to her daycare/preschool during the first week of August to get back in a routine before I return the following week for inservice days. I took Owen to the pediatrician for a check-up, and both boys went to the dentist and got haircuts.

I had a follow-up appointment on Tuesday with an oral maxillofacial surgeon. After my dental appointment three weeks ago, the dentist saw an abnormal shadow on my x-ray and referred me to the oral surgeon to get it checked out as a possible cyst in my jaw bone. The surgeon did a head CT scan which confirmed that there is a partially solid/partially fluid mass inside my lower mandible in the chin area. It is around 1 inch wide by 3/4 inch thick. It is now classified as a "mixed tumor" and not just a cyst since it is partially solid. It is impeding circulation to my lower front teeth, and two of my teeth's roots are embedded in the mass. I have experienced slight teeth sensitivity in those teeth over the past couple of months, which is a result of the growth. The surgeon said it must come out, and it will be sent to pathology as a precaution. I have oral surgery set up for Friday, June 25, under sedation. I will have the growth removed and end up with about a 2 inch incision with stitches inside my mouth. He said the recovery/pain would be similar to wisdom teeth removal.

Please pray that the biopsy results show a benign mass, so that no further treatment or surgery is needed. Also, please pray the this procedure goes smoothly with no infections, complications, and a fast recovery. I think I will have to wear an external taped dressing on my chin for 4-5 days to support my chin muscles as they heal, since he said he has to cut through them to get to my jaw bone. So, I might not be leaving the house much for the week after surgery!

Goodbyes

We are winding down the school year. Our last "full" week is over, and now we are into the snow make-up days.

Next week we will have four days of class, but two of them are final exam days. Then, we will end with the last two final exam days on June 7 and 8. Nothing about next week will be normal with locker clean out, talent show, final exam review, and all the other scheduling changes that end the school year.

So, I ended this week sort of feeling like the end was near. My students did CD project presentations during the last two days which went along with their literature circle novel from fourth quarter. The songs were fun to listen to, and it was a nice way to end the week. Except that it made me a bit reflective and teary when I listened to some of the sad songs and thought about how my time with these kids is winding down quickly.

I think I'm realizing that the big difference between my former school and my present job is the ability to continue close relationships with students after they exit my class. I don't know what next year will by like, so maybe I will still stay in touch with some of my former students with whom I've bonded this year. However, it seems like it isn't going to be the same. At my former school, I taught upper high school classes, and I taught electives for juniors and seniors. Students could have me as their sophomore year English teacher, then they could take one of my elective classes in their junior or senior year, and I would teach them again. Frequently, that occurred with those students whom I was close to, and it allowed me more time to mentor and teach them. Then, they graduated, but we could still stay in touch via Facebook or email because they were adults, and our relationship could evolve into friendship. I have many 20-something students whose weddings I've attended, Christmas cards I've received, etc. and it is meaningful to me to see where they end up in life and see the full circle of their lives.

Now that I'm teaching such younger students, it isn't the same. They will move on next year and never get to take another class with me as their teacher. Since the district moves them to a different building in ninth grade, I won't be able to pass them in the halls, have them run into my room for advice between classes, watch their participation in pep rallies, or write their college rec letters. So, I feel that my season of influence with these amazing students is coming to a more permanent end.

I hope I said enough. I hope I taught enough life lessons. I hope I shaped their values.

I'll probably shed some tears next week as they rush out of the building towards the sunshine of summer.

I will say a prayer that these amazing students will continue to choose wisely, live lovingly, give generously, and achieve greatly.

I am alive . . . barely

I just want to check in with my five readers (ha!) and let you know that we are alive! I literally have no time to post until school is out in three weeks. I am SWAMPED with end-of-the-year events with my children as well as at my school. I am in charge of a big project for the gifted/talented audit with my school district which is consuming all my spare time at work, and Arden has been sick with a double ear infection, sinus infection, and wheezing this week! We returned today to the pediatrician for the second time this week to find out that her antibiotics weren't helping, and we are trying stronger ones for her ears.

So . . . I probably won't post much, if at all, until after June 8 when I am out for summer. The summer will fly by, as I have meetings that resume on August 5.

Life has been crazy, busy as Stuart is still gone to Camden many weekends, and all my time has been spent trying to keep things running here while he's gone.

Otherwise, we're alive, but tired. I'm enjoying my job, but I will glad when the pace slows down. I will need to figure out how it got so crazy in April and May and try to figure out how to make my life less busy at this time next year!

Roy Arnold Cearley 1939-2010

Stuart's dad, Roy Cearley, passed away early this morning after an 8 month battle with cancer. The link below goes to his online obituary at the funeral home.
Proctor Funeral Home : Camden, Arkansas (AR)

Visitation will be from 5-8 p.m. on Sunday, and the funeral will be at 10 a.m. on Monday. Both events will be held at Proctor Funeral Home in Camden, Arkansas.

We love and miss you, Papaw.

Snow on Spring Break

So, I'm sitting here on an Sunday morning because we couldn't go to church due to the foot of snow outside. Yes, about a foot so far on March 21! Crazy! It was beautiful and high 60's on Thursday and Friday, and the boys went and enjoyed playing basketball at our neighborhood park. I was really getting excited for my long-awaited spring break at that point, as I have a million things on my "to do" list.

Then at school on Friday, I noticed a bunch of my students getting checked out early. I questioned them if they were leaving to travel for spring break, and I heard multiple times that they were leaving early because their parents were worried they needed to leave to beat the snow. SNOW? I couldn't believe it, and I was in denial that we were actually going to have our 5th or 6th major snow since Christmas on the first day of my vacation.

However, nature is stronger than my desires, and snow has been falling pretty constantly since late Saturday afternoon. We were scheduled to have our fence built by a fencing company on Monday or Tuesday, and I am hoping it will melt enough to get it done at the end of the week, but rain is forecasted for Thursday, too. I really want to be home when it's being built. I had planned for the kids to all go to adventure club/daycare on Monday, so that I could go to an appointment and run all my errands. That will probably not happen with the amount of snow that will currently have to melt.

Luckily, Stuart rushed back from Camden yesterday morning to get in before the bad weather hit, or we'd be stuck here alone. I think we'll be making hot chocolate and pulling out the board games later today.

Right now, I'll try to be thankful that we have electricity and heat, and hopefully the snow will end today. I'll probably spend tomorrow doing cleaning instead of errands, and maybe I can get away without the kids later in the week to do some shopping.

Maybe there will be some good Lifetime movies on later. Ha!