I Made It To The Finish Line!

I worked my last day as a full time lunch lady yesterday! This balloon and a card was tied to my doorknob when I got home. It was from a lovely and thoughtful neighbor. 

My last was a summation of the whole year, just weird and uncomfortable. Back in February, a coworker I really liked and got along with, quit and got a better job. She was never replaced because they said it was too late in the school year to do new hires, so instead we got a long term sub. 

Last month, another co-worker up and quit and she was not replaced, not even with a sub, so it was basically me, the manager, assistant manager and a sub for the remainder of the school year feeding 500 kids or more every day. I have to say it was the worst year working I've had yet and there have been some bad years prior. I kept my spirits up and gave 110% every day, as usual.

Last week, when I got my evaluation from the assistant principal, I told her I would not be returning next year and yesterday I talked to the principal and told her the same. I thought word had gotten around that I was leaving, but I guess not. (I've been telling people since the first week of school. lol). I also took the time to say goodbye to the 5th grade teachers because their students were in kindergarten when I started working there. They were all shocked to learn I was leaving. 

So, the day ended just like every other day, and on my way to clock out, my assistant manager handed me this tote bag, and a card signed by 3 people with 20 bucks inside. That was it. No balloon. Not even a donut or a cupcake and definitely no hugs.

I will hand in my official resignation in a couple of weeks after I make some calls to HR and the retirement board to see what's going to happen with the money they've been taking out of my paycheck and to find out if I can donate my 20 sick days to anyone who might need them, (as I won't be getting paid for them, sadly). Since I fulfilled my yearly contract, I should be getting the rest of my amortized pay as well as continuing my medical benefits until August 31st. Sometime in July I'll have to call a marketplace agent and sign up for medical benefits through there. Not looking forward to that at all! It will be a year before I can sign up for Medicare, something hubby is in the process of doing now. It's a very confusing nightmare and not at all cheap by any means if you want good coverage. 

So that's that. I hope to be blogging more now that I'm not working and feeling mentally and physically distressed on a daily basis. It's time for me now! 

This N' That.

Being a child of the sixties, the image the sun with a face on it has always appealed to me. I think it was because I remember those bright and colorful pop art hippie posters from back then. Hubby and I were out and about hopping from yard sale to yard sale yesterday as there were many happening throughout our community. We hit one one very early and saw this giant metal wall hanging. I snatched it up and handed over $20 before I could change my mind. We thought it would be great to hang over our fireplace.

Once we got it up there, however, we felt it was too overpowering and you couldn't see the detail of the words that were cut into it.  So, after taking the above photo, I though we should try it on the big wall just to the left of the fireplace and swap it out with the painting.

That seemed to work out much better.

It's definitely a focal point. We're enjoying the new look. 

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Friday night there was some excitement down the street. I was in bed and never heard anything, but I got a text from a neighbor and went outside to see what was happening. A house down the street was fully engulfed in flames. This house has been the subject of much speculation because questionable activity has been going on there for a couple of years. Those of us that live nearby affectionately call it "The Crack House." Across the street are some homes that back up to another neighborhood and people have been seen coming over the back fence of one of those homes and going into this house, presumably to buy drugs. I was told that two people living in this house called 911, hopped in a car and fled. So, no telling what was going on in there that started this fire. Needless to say, there isn't much left of the place now.

The chimney fell down into the backyard which you can see is filled with trash.

Our town doesn't have a drug task force, so calls made to the police were a waste of time and callers were referred to the Sheriff's office. They said to take photos of suspicious activity, (basically do their work for them). so nothing ever happened because nobody wanted to get caught taking photos. Our homeowner's association wasn't very helpful either even though many covenants were broken, including multiple cars parked on the front lawn at any given time. 

They had dogs that didn't make it out. One was a pit bull that got loose one day and charged at me and Zoey. I cursed a blue streak at the owners. Yeah, not too sorry those people have been displaced. 

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Things with our new addition are going well. Manny makes us smile every day. He has run of the house now and so he gets into everything. It's like having a toddler around. 

He likes to sploot!

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And now for some really big news.

The Friday before last was a big day where Megan works. Kevin Smith, (of Jay and Silent Bob fame),  stopped by the studio. He wants to bring back the cartoon, Masters of The Universe. They posted some photos on Twitter.

See that group shot in the upper left?

Look who is in it!!!

How exciting is that?

I got a great text from Megan Friday night saying that last week was really good. The studio has discovered her strengths and she's now working on projects better suited to her wheelhouse. She sounded really happy. I'm so thrilled, I cannot tell you, plus she's coming home for a visit next week. We can't wait!

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Things at my job are going better as far as all of us getting along. Hooray! It sure makes for a better day. Last week though, it was my turn to be at the register. I don't do very well on it as I get overwhelmed very easily. I have tried to be excused from it, but the principal wants us all to rotate. She won't let my manager have any leeway as far as taking me out of the rotation, which stinks, but oh well. It's in my job description, so I have to suck it up. My brain can only handle so much input now that I'm older and with only one register and kids coming up on both sides of me, it's a whirlwind. I feel close to having a panic attack at times. Luckily I only have to do it once every 5 weeks. I am super thankful to have Monday off as I could really use the break. I have Friday off as well because I need another crown. I broke a tooth last week eating some glazed pecans. Argh!!!

Hoping all is well with my bloggy friends. Have a great Sunday!!

Furry Friday!

Zoey was happy to see her dad last Sunday. He was gone for 5 days, off to Texas to help our daughter find an apartment near her new job which she starts this coming Monday. Prior to leaving, he carefully studied google maps and visited every website of every apartment complex in northwest Austin area, looked at their floor plans, prices and photos. He printed out info on his favorites and went with a plan.Turns out Megan and her best friend/roommate had done their homework as well and they had a list of features that were important to them.

Hubby got to San Marcos Wednesday evening and first thing Thursday morning they hit the road and headed to Austin. Megan's BFF's mom drove them all up there on the main highway. It took about an hour. They visited two complexes and one fit all their criteria, so they applied for a nice second floor unit with a balcony.

Megan's feet in the pool at the apartment complex.

The complex is within walking distance of Megan's job, it's clean and the grounds are well kept. There's a pool, exercise room, community area and laundry facilities onsite and even concierge service if you need it. They also have 24 hour security and the gates are closed at night. It was a day well spent and the girls were excited.

On Friday, just hubby and Megan drove up there again, but this time they took an alternate route, one Megan would be comfortable driving and they made good time. They spent the whole day exploring the area, checking out the local supermarket, library, bank, etc. Everything was close by and convenient. The area is more residential and not so city like which Megan liked.

She emailed the animation studio and asked if she could drop by. They told her to come on over and she and hubby got a tour. Hubby had to sign a non-disclosure form, so he can't talk about anything he saw there, but he said it was all amazing! Everyone was super nice and they all can't wait for Megan to start. Hubby said it was totally her environment and her people. I can't begin to tell you how proud I am of my daughter!

First meal cooked at their new place.

Hubby returned on Sunday and by Monday the girls found out they were approved for the apartment. Hooray! Megan loaded up her Fit with everything she could cram in there and they headed up to complex to get the key. They spent the whole day up there and unpacked all the stuff that I had sent out with hubby which included two big bags full of Dollar Tree items, everything from a potato peeler to Band Aids. I raided my own closets and packed pots, sheets, peanut butter, anything I thought they could use. They said they had a blast unpacking it all. Then they went grocery shopping and they even cooked their first meal in their new place, a pizza.

Hopefully all the big stuff will get moved in this weekend. Megan's BFF has a brother and lots of burly cousins that can help. If not, it may have to wait until next week, but regardless, Megan will be staying there even if she has to sleep on the floor for a few nights. I can't wait to hear all about her first day of work.


My first day and this past week of work was not so spectacular. Although we are less one mean person, we still have a very big personality in the kitchen. A person that likes to be the center of attention, thinks she knows better than the manager and talks behind her back all the time. She acts like she owns the place even though she only worked there 5 months of the last school year. She's been showing our new girl everything down to the tiniest detail, not realizing that this person has worked for 4 years at another school and already knows how to do everything and probably better than Miss Know-It-All. Despite that, the new girl has been polite and has been shadowing her for a week. We are all hoping the new girl comes around and realizes that Miss Drama Queen is not all that and tires of her constant negativity. The manager has done nothing to reign her in, so I'm hoping she shoots herself in the foot eventually, which she sort of did the other day.

She misplaced her phone and just about accused us (most likely me) of stealing it or playing a practical joke on her. I just about had a fit and did not appreciate that accusation one bit. She plays country music on a portable speaker through her phone and she knows I hate country music, so she probably assumed I took her phone, but as it turned out, and to no one's surprise, she was actually the one that misplaced it. I made sure to tell her I would never do such a thing and I also told her that if she had bad things to say about the manager, I didn't want to hear them as the manager is not only my boss, but my friend. She never apologized for having a come-apart that day and the next day she was very quiet and didn't play music at all. It was the best day there so far. If she doesn't quit, get fired or transfer, it's going to be a very, very, very long year.

I'm so happy it's Friday ya'll. Have a good one!

The Muffin (above) and Mister. 

Big News!

The past couple of weeks have been a whirlwind. In my last post I wrote that Megan had completed an art test for the animation studio. She submitted it and was waiting to hear back. Well, they contacted her and wanted to interview her via computer which they did a few days later and Megan said it went extremely well. They said her submission was one of the best, they liked her versatility and ability to work fast. They said they'd let her know the following week if she got the job. Great!

Well, she got an email the NEXT DAY with a job offer! OMG, this was really happening! She was overcome with emotion, feeling so validated for getting a legitimate job in the animation industry without a fancy and expensive art degree. This was a direct result of complete dedication to her craft and I can't tell you how very proud I am of my daughter. It surpasses explanation. 

The start date is Aug 19th, so the first order of business was to find an apartment. Hubby, Megan and I studied maps of the area around the studio looking at all the named apartment complexes, checking out floor plans, prices, etc. We studied the area and looked at where grocery stores, banks and restaurants were located. Hubby took lots of notes and headed out to Austin on Wednesday. On Thursday they ventured out and toured a few places, but decided on one particular apartment complex. It's a gated community with nice amenities and it's within walking distance of the studio. Megan and her BFF submitted applications and they should find out very soon if they were accepted. Hubby said there shouldn't be a problem and if all goes as planned, they should be able to move in next week.

On Friday, hubby and Megan went back up there to visit the studio and they got a tour. They said it was amazing! Megan found out that she'll be working on a new project that will keep her busy for the next 6 months and they said they can't wait for her to start. Everyone was super friendly and the environment was so "her." Hubby had to sign a non-disclosure agreement which means he can't talk about anything he saw, but he assured me that it was all very awesome.

My little chicky is on her way!

Meanwhile, back at the Clamco ranch.....

Megan's room was suddenly empty as hubby had taken as much of her stuff as he could fit in his van. All that was left was her floating desk which she couldn't take anyway because it needs to be mounted to the wall and that's probably not a good idea in a rental situation. I couldn't bear to see her desk there without her sitting in front of it so I had to figure out what to do with it. I was going to make her room into a guest room, but I didn't want to buy another bed, nor did I want to move the daybed out of my office because it was bought for that room and everything in there goes together.

My current office/guest room is all white and turquoise.

So I decided I would move out of my office and into Megan's room, leaving my office to become strictly the guest room. It occurred to me that Megan's desk would make a great place for me to set up my paints for painting rocks, so I got busy.

It's still needs some tweaking, but so far it's not too bad. The only issue I really have is that the whole house fan in the attic is directly above this room and the hum kind of makes me crazy. I'l probably have to put a radio in there and play it on low.

The Muffin is very confused. lol She no longer has room to spread her fury self out before me. I will be on the lookout for a small little sofa or comfy chair for the room which she will probably claim as her own. Other than that, I don't really need to buy any more furniture. 

Hubby comes back on Sunday. We all miss him here.

I started back to work on Monday so that's been keeping me occupied. We got the kitchen all cleaned up and we attended too many long, very long meetings. The kids come back on the 14th.

And so goes the new normal.

Wednesday Odds & Ends: Updates

                 She Puts The "M" in Clamco.

On May 18, 2010, I started this blog and my very first post, "The Braces are Off!", was about my daughter Megan. Here we are 9 years later and she is preparing to leave the nest. She has been doing a lot of adulting in the way of getting her finances in order, working on her resume and applying for jobs in Texas. Unfortunately, she just got an email today notifying her that she did not get a job she applied for last week which is a big disappointment. It was a computer tech job in the school district and it paid very well. Hopefully she will find similar opportunities soon. Please put some positive vibes out there for her. I know they will help.

Yesterday she started packing some of her art supplies and stopped because the reality of it all started to hit her and she got a little misty eyed. I assured her that everything would be fine, but also said that she can always change her mind about leaving and that would be okay too. She will always have a home here with us for as long as she wants or needs it and we will support her decisions and give her that soft place to fall. We are going to miss her terribly, but we know she has to make a life for herself independent of us because we are not going to live forever. She's been spending a lot of extra time with us these past couple of weeks. She even comes along with me when I go grocery shopping. She asked me how to pick out a good cantaloupe. lol

No pollination. No Representation.

Remember those raised beds we built and the veggies we planted?

 Well, here's what they look like now. Pretty good, right?

Wrong. 

This is the one and only veggie we have so far.
One lone yellow squash.

All these cucumber flowers and no cucumbers.  

It has been suggested that I hand pollinate with a paintbrush or a cotton swab. Really? I've never had to do this before when I grew a garden. Our tomato and pepper plants have zero flowers. It's very sad. Alabama has two growing seasons so we may have to try the second one. It's hot as Hades here with serious humidity and no rain. I'm sure that's not helping. I remember reading that tomatoes and peppers like hot days and cool nights. It doesn't get below 80 this time of year. 

Meanwhile, It's a Good Year for Crepe Myrtle

We have four crepe myrtles on our property but this is the first year we've really got to see them in their full glory. In previous years they never bloomed well because of all the trees we had. Since we have more sun now, they really look great. Also, we learned how to prune them the way southerners do. You see they jokingly call it "crepe murder." Basically you top the shrub clean off and in the early spring you will drive around and notice all these bare sticks everywhere that were once pretty flowering shrubs. By some miracle, they sprout at the top and burst into an array of beautiful blooms. Here's a small one in our backyard. We have this purple one, a pink one and a white variety. They remind me of lilacs but without the scent. They're pretty much everywhere here. Very pretty. 

You can also see that the grass is still growing. Our backyard improvements have really turned out to be successful. We haven't gotten to the sliding glass door project though and it's looking like it won't happen this summer, unfortunately. Our focus right now is on getting Megan to Texas. A month after that I will be back at work. Summer is flying by!

Home Alone.

Our pets have never been left alone here before. I hired a friend of mine to pet sit for us for when we'll be away and she and her daughter came over to meet the fur kids yesterday. They all responded well to them, even Mister, the shy one. That was a relief. She will need to come here 3 times a day, but I told her that if she wants to hang out here, she can. Her daughter likes Manga and Megan told her she's welcome to read anything in her room. (Megan is leaving behind most of her things until she finds an apartment). I also left instructions on how to use the TV remotes and told them we have Netflix, Hulu and Prime. That got them excited, so I'm pretty sure they'l be spending some time here which is great for the pets. I'm going to leave popcorn and drinks for them as an extra added enticement. lol  I have more anxiety about leaving home and my pets than I do about Megan moving away. Hubby wants to be able to travel more so this is a test to see how it goes. I don't know if it's my age or what, but I really have no desire to go anywhere. I'm content here in my town on the bay. Meanwhile everyone is going to foreign countries or taking cruises. I enjoy looking at their pictures, but I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. I'm good. 

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Happy Hump Day!

It's Here! It's Here!

Well, I just finished up my 3rd year working at my current school and my fourth year overall as a lunch lady with this school district. Wow! It seems like just yesterday that we made The Big Move down here. This past week was not too bad as many kids left early with their parents right after graduation and award ceremonies. Thursday was their last day and yesterday was mine. We cleaned up the kitchen and stowed all the supplies, carts, utensils and such, away until August. So today is my official first day of 10 weeks of summer break! Woo!

After giving it a LOT of thought, I have decided to stay at my job. I haven't been called to interview for the other job prospect, but it's just as well. I might as well say now that it was a full time job at the library where my daughter works and that's how I knew all the details about it. The more she told me, the more I thought it was not a good fit. I'd be stuck behind the circulation desk with not a lot to do. I'm quite certain I'd go mad working 8 to 5 with no summer break.

The atmosphere now is much better at my current job, (not perfect, but much better), however anything can happen over the summer. We usually find out in late July or early August that people have given their notice and aren't coming back for the new school year. It's possible my boss might be one of them, who knows? This year was even more stressful on her than it was on me. I wish I could tell you all about it, but I can't. Maybe someday, after I retire, I'll write a book called The Lunch Lady Diaries. lol

In the meantime, I will be busy doing all kinds of things now that I have unlimited free time! Hubby and I are planning to put in some raised beds for a veggie garden, I have a rock painting class to prepare for, multiple pet portraits to paint and a daughter to relocate. I'm also getting a crown on another tooth, and I have to schedule an eye checkup and a mammogram. We still plan on putting in a back door which was supposed to happen over this long 3-day weekend, but it's been postponed. Hubby needs a little break. He's been working super hard and the heat here has kicked in making his job more difficult. Now that school is out, he doesn't have crossing guard duty, so he can start his grounds keeping job earlier and be done by 2:30.

As I mentioned, I'm doing another rock painting class at the library for the summer reading program. Their theme this year is "A Universe of Stories." I started painting some example rocks to show the kids and finished two last weekend. I plan to make at least 6 and they will be raffled off at the end of the class.

Beam me up Scottie!

Have a great Saturday and enjoy the long weekend!

The Final Stretch!

Only one week left of school! Hallelujah! The kids are bouncing off the walls, the teachers have a glazed-over look in their eyes and the lunch ladies are so ready to be done with cooking. It's like when Dorothy finally makes it out of the poppy field and can see Oz just up ahead.

 "You're out of the woods, you're out of the dark, you're out of the night. Step into the sun, step into the light."






Next week there will be lots of class parties, graduations and such. as things begin to wind down. Thursday is the last day for kids and Friday we have to clean and pack away stuff for the summer.

It's been a stressful year and I have suffered with major anxiety that stemmed from a particular situation, one which I cannot talk about, but as of yesterday, the situation has been resolved and it's like being able to breathe fresh air for the first time. Now I'm reconsidering leaving. I'm hesitant as to whether or not I should accept a chance to interview for this other job that I applied for and the more I hear about it, the more I think it may not be a good fit for me.

It's a very non physical job and there is a lot of boredom associated with it which I'm afraid will drive me insane. It also involves dealing with the public which I'm not sure I'm prepared to do as I have been working in a controlled school environment for 12 years. The job has good medical benefits similar to what I have now which covers me, my spouse and my daughter, but I would be basically starting over and subject to being terminated without reason, whereas I am now tenured at my current job and they can't just hand me a pink slip without prior warnings. I also love having my summers off. This is a tough one. My gut is telling me to stay, but that could be my fear of change. (ya think?) What would you do?

Furry Friday!

I feel as happy as Zoey looks that this week is over!

Only 9 more cooking days left and one cleanup day and then I'm done! Hooray!!!

On Tuesday I cooked my last tilt skillet meal for the year and that was cheesy chicken. Yesterday I made up 75 chef salads which we offer as a lunch alternative on Thursdays.

In my last post I hinted that I was considering another job. I'm applying for it this weekend and, if I'm lucky, I might get an interview. I can't say what it is yet because I'm very superstitious, but I will definitely let you know if there's some good news. In the meantime, if you can send some good vibes my way I would really appreciate it!

Last Sunday hubby wanted to get a little more sod for the backyard since it has taken so nicely. He put another row in right there in front of his feet. You can see it's a bit yellow, but it greened up a couple of days later. It's really coming along nicely!

While we were at the home center, I saw a table and chairs that I thought would be nice for our future patio, so we bought it and I considered it my Mother's Day gift. We put it in place and enjoyed sitting there for a couple of hours relaxing and eating snacks. The chairs are comfortable and my feet even touch the ground. I like them because they don't need cushions which are expensive and a pain to figure out how to store in bad weather and over the winter. Now we can invite people over, sit outside and enjoy our beautiful backyard. 

The plan for this area is to remove those two windows on the right and replace them with a sliding glass door. The logistics are complicated regarding getting the door delivered. Hubby wants to have it delivered to the store and rent a truck to bring it home, which is actually cheaper than the delivery charge. The door he wants is only sold online, not in the store, and they want $300 for delivery! Anyway, he's confident he can tear out that wall and rebuild it with the new door in about 3 days. After that, the patio will go in and we'll have a nice clean and level area for the table and chairs. I'm really looking forward to the convenience of being able to step right out into our backyard without having to walk all the way around the rear of the house. It will also be so much easier letting Zoey out.

I spied this pretty green lizard on the house the other day. Isn't e pretty? He was checking me out. lol

And here is the water tower all finished. There's a guy up there putting the finishing touches on it.

It looks great and it's been so much quieter now that the generator isn't running anymore.

I hope all you moms out in blog land have a nice Mother's Day. Hubby made reservations for brunch at my favorite restaurant so I'm looking forward to that. Have a great weekend everybody!