Bless her heart

You know in the south, people use "bless their heart" when they just really don't know what else to say in certain situations and it doesn't mean it's bad or good. One part of my job is that I turn in all the time that the instructors do in my department and it's about a good 70 instructors. So when I am doing payroll, it takes me about three days, not that it's a tedious task to do, but that I want to make sure each person is getting all their hours turned in and that they are being turned in on time. After doing that, I go back and re-check just to make sure I'm not under paying or over paying anyway.

Well, one of my adjunct instructors came to me after she got paid and said that she needed to talk to me about her pay. At that point, I was nervous because I never like to mess up with people's pay and I do know that we are human. I stopped doing what I was doing and listened to her when she said that she got her check and it was more than what she was used to getting. She then said to me that she think I over-paid her and that she has more money than usual and didn't know what to do with all that money. I keep a log of all hours I turn in and how much I turn in every other week, so I said to her that I will check the records to see how many hours were turned in for her.

We both agreed that she worked a total of 22 hours and that is what I had on record for her. I said, "There it is, 22 hours on the dot." The little lady then said, "This is a mystery, I can't explain it." I then asked her if she was at the meeting where it had been announced that all adjuncts got a raise. She said, "No, I didn't go to a meeting....A raise, you say?" I said, "Yes, you all got like 4, maybe 5 dollars an hour raise." She said, "Now, that explains it, cause I thought I was gonna have to cash my check and bring the excess to you."  Bless her heart!!

Lovingly yours,

Powerful message

When I went to Sunday School yesterday morning, our teacher brought out a really powerful message. She said that God could not have only placed you in the position at work you are in just to get paid, but that he could have placed you there to either be a witness to someone or get witnessed to.  She then said that God could places us in positions until he is ready to position us somewhere else maybe bigger and better. WOW. I sure am glad that I don't know everything and that I am always eager and ready to learn more about the greatness and goodness of God.

Lovingly yours,

School Daze

The classes I am taking are some really hard classes and these days, I've been in a daze over them. I could be wrong but I believe that my Wednesday class is trying to set us up for failure. Would an instructor really do that? See what had happened was........we took our mid-term exam for my Law & Society class on Wednesday, October 13, 2010, but on Wednesday, October 6, 2010, my instructor said that we would do a review of the exam. Instead of reviewing, she just handed us a three page review sheet. I glanced at the long list of questions and said to myself that some of this stuff we haven't gone over yet. Before anyone could raise their hands and mention this to the devil, she said, "I know that we haven't gone over some of this material but you can go home and read the chapters and come back next week and take the exam." WHAT THE HECK!!

So, let's get this straight....I'm suppose to go and read this stuff and then study for the exam!!! YOU ARE THE INSTRUCTOR, YOU TEACH IT, I LEARN IT. Some of the readings are difficult to understand and then we go into the classroom and ask questions about what we read. We didn't get a chance to ask any questions regarding the readings that were just thrown at us, neither did we get a chance to have her to explain it to us. She also told us that on the mid-term exam, there would be two, yes, two essay questions on the mid-term and the rest of it would be just matching definitions to the answers. Sounds pretty simple, huh? Until.........the night of the exam. When 5:30 came, the instructor said for us to remove everything from our desk and all we needed was something to write with. Now, how many essay questions did I say that she said would be on the exam? TWO! When I looked at those 9 pages of stuff, can anybody tell me why was every question in essay format?

No, you don't have to do a double take because you read it right. EVERY QUESTION was in essay format. Not only that, every question had several questions within a question. My mind just wasn't prepared for that because I'm like if you knew all the questions would have been in that way, just say what you mean and mean what you say. Don't come up here the night of the exam and spring surprises on us.  On that Thursday after the exam, one of the ladies from my class e-mailed me and said....WHAT WAS THAT ABOUT LAST NIGHT WITH THE EXAM? I didn't have an answer for her mainly because I was still in shock my own darn self.

Lovingly yours,

Mixed Feelings

Is it selfish of me if hubby wants to do something and I don't? Well, in this situation, I'm just gonna have to be selfish. Hubby wants us to be foster parents and he hasn't said I was being selfish, but we can't always give in to what the other person wants. He has voiced his concerns that we would make excellent foster parents and I wouldn't doubt that we would not but I also mentioned to him that even if I wanted to, that time is not of the essence right now. He says that he doesn't want to pressure me but yet he keeps asking me if I've thought about it or not. I told hubby that I did think about it but not how he wants me to think about it.

I'm at a point in my life now that I have patience for our kids, and a few of our kids friends, mainly because their friends know I don't take no junk and they know the rules when they come to our house and they know where I stand on things. I am trying to go to school and patience for other children would definitely be an option. Our daughter is a senior and everything that goes with being a senior, such as the teenage drama and I want to focus on her and make sure she is doing everything she needs to get that diploma and then make sure my son get that bonding from hubby, now that he is high school now. I do feel that bringing a foster child in our home, especially at this time, is just not a good idea. I feel that he or she would not get that loving motherly and fatherly attention that a child deserves. Some of my fears are what kind of child would it be? Does he/she steal? Lie? Run-away? Curse? Fight? Uggghhhh, too much stuff to try to think about or deal with.

I don't think it's selfish of me to have waited until both kids are in high school for me to go back to school and do something for myself that I've wanted to do and putting it on hold again will just keep delaying me. Our children won't be children forever and then I will just have a job with nothing else to show for my life. Does it sound like I'm talking about me, me, me and I, I, I? Well, hubby should understand what I've been telling him and if time permits after all my schooling is over, we can consider the topic then. But in the meantime, I will just be selfish cause I am liking life just the way it is.

Lovingly yours,

Religious views on religion

We were talking about Religion in our Constitutional Law class and what was constitutional and what wasn't. I know I have to learn the stuff to pass the test and the class, but that doesn't mean I have to agree with it. What that being said, my opinion is just that, my opinion. My instructor doesn't care one way or the other what my, or any one else's opinion is on the situation, as long as you follow what is being taught. I can dig that.

I can't understand how one doesn't want prayer in school because it is said it violates their constitutional right when the Bible says to pray without ceasing but yet they want to use the Freedom of Speech clause to cuss on television even when it's a family show. The system is all screwed up everywhere. One girl had so much to say when this topic arose in class and each person has the right to believe in whatever and whoever you want, but one thing I do know that people think differently but I still believe in One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism. That's what I've grown up to believe all these years and if I've been taught wrong, blame it on the a-a-a-a-alcohol!

So the instructor asked the girl who was asking all these questions, "What does that have to do with what we are discussing in class?" That was kind of a low blow but she wanted the instructor to justify that her beliefs were right and the book was wrong. It could very well be, but just because they are my beliefs don't mean you have to believe in what I believe in. I know I wasn't created from no darn monkey but if the question is asked on a test, heck yeah I'm putting that as the answer because that's what they teach. Just because I deal with things doesn't mean I have to agree with it. Now let the church say Amen.

Lovingly yours,

Deal or no deal

We are suppose to take a lunch here at the college, even if you do like me sometimes and go and sit out in the car and do homework. It doesn't matter if you play hopscotch or hoola hoop around the campus, your lunch is your lunch and one can do whatever the heck it is you want to do on your lunch. The deal is that if you don't take a lunch, that you can then leave an hour early on that day or another day, or however you and your supervisor have it worked out, but you can't work overtime.

Well, when my car had been out of commission for three weeks, I didn't take a lunch on any of those 14 days and not only worked through lunch, but didn't get to leave early either. So my boss and I had talked about it between ourselves that when my car got back up and running, that she wanted me to use those hours (along with lunch) and just take off at the end of the day each day until all my hours had been used up. She asked me if I thought this was reasonable and I said yes. To be clear on things, I asked her if I would be leaving at 3:00 everyday for the next 14 days instead of 4:00, she said yes.

When the beginning of the week came, I shut down my computer and was ready to leave at 3:00, then on Tuesday, then Wednesday, but on Thursday.....that's when the trouble came. My boss came to me and asked me how many more days did I have to leave early. I told her that I just started on Monday and that I had Thursday, Friday, and then all of the following week and then a few extra days to get to 14 days. She said that a few people had been asking why I was leaving at 3:00. I told her that it was none of their business and that she and I had discussed it. She then asked me to tell her again why I was leaving early. I gave her the look as if to say, "Are you for-real???" I said, "Remember when my car was down...." and that's all I got out and she said, "Oh I remember now." I asked my boss if it was a problem that I was using up the hours that were due me and if so, to let me know now. She said it was not a problem and that she just wanted to know what to tell people.....this is what I wanted to tell her to tell them, "Stay in your lane and let me do the driving in my lane and now here is a broom so you can sweep around your own door". But I said, "Tell them, you got this and it's personal and we have already discussed this." She said she didn't think about that at first.

Yeah right. My mind was saying that she felt that she needed to have a reason to validate things to others to make herself look good. You are the boss. Handle it. End of discussion.

Lovingly yours,

Going back in time

Our 17 year old daughter tells me that she doesn't want to grow up and that it is a fear of hers to turn 18 and then 19 and then 20 and so forth and so on. I told her that life happens and it is just like an energizer battery and that it keeps going and going and going. She says that she enjoys being a child and doesn't want to enter the adult life.

So while we were just sitting in the living room, chillin' and watching television, our 17 year old says to me, "Mom, why don't you read me a bedtime story like you used to do when I was younger?" My reply, "Child, now I end up in bed before you do now." We laughed and then she said, "I want to go back in time where you used to bathe me and tuck me in at night." My reply, "When I washed your booty, it stayed clean, now that you are washing it, ain't no telling what kind of crust has grown on it." All we could do is laugh and she said, "Mom, you are so hilarious, now can you pick me up and carry me?" My reply, "You have lost your everlasting mind, you will break my arm and my back." She fell out on the floor and laughed. Laughter and then more laughter.  Life,I tell ya,  it's all about living.

Lovingly yours,

Help Wanted

Here is the situation. I think I do my job very well and I have it down to a science. I could do it with my eyes closed. That's how down pack I know my job. Well, my boss came to me and said that she think I needed help with my job. She said that she thinks we need a part time person in the evenings after I leave to help out with this and that. I don't mean to sound ungrateful but I really don't need help with what I do. Even with the jobs that seem difficult, I've created a system where it's really not so difficult and it works for me. She says that with me in school, that she doesn't want me to get too bogged down where I can't focus on my school work. I am trying to understand where she is coming from. My hours will not be cut and my check will still be the same but if I pass off work for someone else to do, then I won't have nothing to do.

I'm sure many of you are probably saying that you would love extra help doing what it is you do. It's not that I wouldn't mind extra help....if there was something for the other person to do. I have a routine going and it works. I'm saying now I have to pass off some of my work to someone else and then still be productive all day. I am appreciative of what my boss is trying to do by helping me try to succeed in classes but I hope someone gets what I'm trying to say without sounding like I am unappreciative because I'm really not.

Lovingly yours,

The ban has been lifted

Our 17 year old daughter has this really loud friend who just gets on my nerves every now and then, but she and my daughter are really good friends and enjoy hanging out with each other. Some time back, I let her friend come over and stay the night but then she wanted to come and try and disrespect me in my house. Oh heck nall! So I told our daughter that her friend would be banned from coming to the house for a minimun of 6 months until she realizes she can't come to my house and do what she may get away with at home. I am the same way when our son has friends over as well. Our house, our rules. I can't change our rules because someone else comes over, that would be unfair to our kids. When I say calm the noise down or whatever it may be, that's exactly what I mean.

Of course my daughter said it was unfair that I banned her friend, but I told her that I would consider letting her friend come back when she learned how to act when she comes over our house. I don't know if my daughter told her that or not but lately, the friend would tell my daughter to tell me hello whenever they talked over the phone. I said hello back. So our daughter and her friend have been working on the Senior Council at school getting ready for homecoming. They had to be at the school cutting and putting up decorations and such, so our daughter comes to us and said that her friend will not have a ride home one evening and wanted to know if she could come home with us and just stay the night. I agreed but told our daughter that she know how I am and I don't want no mess. She said that her friend has learned her lesson and won't do it again.

Sure enough, when hubby went to pick them up from school, they walked in and said good evening and asked how was our day. The friend was so respectful and mannerable and she wasn't as loud as she normally is. She came in and helped our daughter do this and that and was just a nicer person. As for as the ban........well it turned out to be 18 months when I finally let her back in our house.

Lovingly yours,

Priceless

Hubby took our daughter to school on this beautiful Saturday so she can help with Senior Council. They are working on homecoming stuff. She will be at the school until about 10:00 p.m. tonight. Price for that - gas to get her there.

Hubby then took our son to the barber shop to get a haircut. Since they left so late, they will probably be there about 2 hours. Price for that - about $10.00.

Me at home with nobody here, and nothing to do, and plenty of movies to watch in peace while I sit in my pajamas - PRICELESS.

Lovingly yours,