Spent TOO Much Already

Been shopping two days in a row. I've spent too much money. I've eaten way too much. There is a reason it's good to only have breaks once in a while. If you're too busy working then you don't have time to spend money and gain weight!!!! And to think, it's only day two of spring break. Yikes!!! Spending time with my family and boyfriend...priceless. Ha ha, y'all saw that coming.

I LOVE Cranberry Orange Muffins

As I mentioned many moons ago, my family and I are HUGE fans of sports. And when it is that in between when football is about to finish and basketball is midway done there is a lot of overlapping. So needless to say that we have had TONS of get togethers revolving around sports. Usually each of us bring a dish to share. Translation: run to the nearest store and buy, buy, buy. Since yesterday's was last minute we all decided to buy something to bring. We headed over to our Super Target to get our food. I was in charge of dessert. Target makes delicious cakes. I am not at all a buttercream fan but Target makes a yummy kind. Wasn't in a cake mood so I wandered over to their donut and sweet bread display. The Target Lady said she was about to take it all out so whatever we could fit in a box she would mark down for $2.29. YAY! My sister and I jam-packed 2 boxes of delicious sweets. And luckily, there were 3 huge cranberry orange muffins just for me!!!! Don't worry...I haven't all 3. I'm going take my time so I can make them last.

You Be The Judge

Ok guys, here are the pictures of my centerpieces for my cousin's wedding. Be gentle. Remember it's my first time. But...according to her I may be getting some calls for flowers. She seems to think it may be a good side business which is exactly why I bought a house with a room I could convert into my craft room. Why not make a little money for doing the arts and crafts I love?


I ended up making all 12 vases. I started at about 6:00 and finished at about 1:30 in the morning. Now I see why florists charge so much. Not that I have a right to call myself a florist.

I'M GETTING MARRIED!!!!! Sort Of...

This Saturday marks my second summer wedding in three weeks. The first was fun. It was out of town and my family and I had a blast. The second wedding will be here in town and a very small affair. My cousin will be marrying her husband through the church and after she will have a small reception.

I suppose this is the part where I rave and rant about myself and how I am so crafty. I make my own jewelry, invitations (sometimes for other people), cards, scrapbooks, baking and now you can add florist. Yes that's right! Some how I went from providing input on what kind of flowers my cousin should have at her wedding as centerpieces to MAKING the centerpieces. And the thing that gets me is that she never asked me. It was all insinuated. I wouldn't have minded doing it at all. But she never really officially asked me.

As a result, I've created a fictitious wedding between Nina Garcia and Gino Emanuel over at the Knot.com. (I apologize if you are reading this and are an employee of The Knot. I love your website but thought it was unfair that you can only join if you are getting married.) How did I come up with those names? Nina is the nickname in Spanish for godmother and Garcia is my last name. Gino is for MANU GINOBILI and Emanuel is Manu's real name. (Manu is a nickname for Emanuel.) Note: I am obsessed with the San Antonio Spurs and in love with Manu Ginobili in case you didn't know. So there you have it...a fake bride and groom. I did it to get inspiration on how to approach my cousin's centerpieces. I have a general idea and started on prototypes yesterday. Well just the vases. Not the actual flowers because those are fresh flowers and I won't get them till Friday.

I've had a small panicking voice in my head since then. My cousin is very...particular and I fear her opinion on this. I mean come on...it's her wedding and I don't want to ruin it. She's been sweet telling me she has complete confidence in my judgement. In fact yesterday she used the words "creative genius". O.M.G. what pressure!!!! So I will do my best. No, I will try 150% because I want her to be happy. I'll take pictures for sure and post them. Y'all will be the judge.

YET, I can't help but wonder (paging Carrie Bradshaw...), if I do pull this off I guess I'll have something else to add to my creative portfolio. Flowers by Patty. Nah...it'll have to be more creative than that!

Last Days

So here I am enjoying the last days of my summer vacation. This summer I'm a bit sad about summer vacation coming to an end. I know what you're thinking: "Duh, Patty! You're sad because you have to go back to work." Although this is true there is a different sadness to it that I can't quite put my finger on. (Wait, did I say that right, Jen? You know how I get my sayings all mixed up.) I've narrowed it down to a few possible reasons. Maybe if I ramble about my thoughts one of you can pin point it for me. Sort of like free therapy!

This summer I moved into my new house. (Yes, yes, I know I haven't posted pictures. So sorry. Will get those up soon...guess I better take them first!) I've officially lived here for a little over 2 months. A few of you were on the emotional journey with me of trying to find the perfect house for me. Now that I'm all moved in I feel like I'm leaving my child behind whenever I leave it. Then there is the addition of my boyfriend living here to add. I have to say that I've definitely had to adjust to that but things are going good.

Moving to my new house also brought me closer distance wise to my sisters. They both live out where I do and I've become closer to both. I spent so much time with my older sister and her boys. Have to say that right now I'm going through withdrawals because the boys have already started school, and my sister and I are both teachers so we start soon. My other sister and I talk on the phone more often. She's a crazy gal and cracks me up.

This summer I got the calling. I am FINALLY ready to leave the classroom. In 2005 I graduated with my educational leadership degree and passed my certification test to become a principal. Of course you have to be an assistant principal first but I hadn't heard the calling. And I felt like I needed to be an exceptional teacher myself before I could lead teachers to be the best they could be. Well this summer at a leadership conference I sat among assistant principals, principals and counselors. We held conversations and I have to say that I could hold my own. I was knowledgeable and had great input. Although I heard the calling too late and didn't apply for any assistant principal positions, I have applied for a couple of literacy coach positions available at some schools including my school. The thought of leaving the classroom deeply saddens me. But I have a passion and love for curriculum and feel that by helping teachers I'm still helping the students. I have to say that not being a classroom teacher feels like part of my identity is being taken from me. Also, if I were offered that position at another school then I would leave behind all the great people I met when I moved back home.

I will admit that there are some definite ups to going back to work. I do love my job. And if it is God's will for me to remain in the classroom then that is what will happen. I will gladly remain in the classroom. I have many things to be thankful for. A family I actually want to spend time with and miss, a job in a time when things can be uncertain, a boyfriend that loves me unconditionally, and now my very own house. I guess this was the summer of all summers and I'm sad to see it go.

Opps I forgot!!!
I have a fear...that this year will not compare to last year. I had the perfect class, with the perfect teaching situation with my co-teacher, the perfect student intern, perfect parents and perfect co-workers. Last year Jen and I carpooled and we had a blast. I'm sad to let all of that go and to be disappointed this year. So I guess I'm sad and afraid. Great!!!! Now it's two emotions. I'm a mess! :)

Happy Birthday Mikey!

My handsome and sweet nephew, Michael, turns 11 today. I'm so sad because he's growing up so fast. He'll be in middle school next year. I remember when he was born... But he is still a great boy.

Happy Birthday Sweetie!

Happy Birthday from your Nina

My godson, Matthew, turns 8 today. He is a character. He cracks me up but also makes me want to kill him. He fits right into my family. I think we'll keep him! Ha ha!

Happy Birthday Matthew! You're getting so big now.
I love you,
Your Nina Patty

Happy Birthday, Daddy!!!

Today is my dad's birthday. Everyone knows I'm the biggest daddy's girl so really there aren't words to express what my dad means to me. I'm just so grateful to have him in my life. Happy birthday, papi.

Happy Birthday Sister #1

Today is my sister's 41st birthday. Yes that's right! My sisters are both 40 for about a week. My parents were busy people. Ha ha! Well anyway, I hope you had a great day! Lucky for you, you were off from school (like Bonnie).

Sorry Sister...I know you wanted another picture of you but I forgot which one.

You Either Think...

You're either on my side or my nieces's side.

If you're on my side you crack up everytime you see the Old Navy commercials with the mannequins.

If you're on my niece's side you think they are creepy.

Patty vs. Vanessa

Who do y'all agree with?

My Sports Made Me Soooooooooo Sad

Those of you that have been reading my blog for a while know that I LOVE the San Antonio Spurs. At 5:43 today I received a text from the Spurs (yes, I subscribe to their texts) that Manu Ginobili will not be playing for the rest of the season or for the playoffs. This is so devastating to me and makes me so sad. And as I mentioned yesterday I'm slightly in an emotional funk as it is so this is not helping the situation. If you want to know how deep my love for Manu is just click on his name in the label cloud.

For those of you that don't know, Manu Ginobili is my favorite Spurs player. This year he's been battling injuries and he was finally back after missing 19 games. He was even in the starting lineup. Every year for the playoffs I wear my Manu jersey pin. I made it myself out of crafting foam. Yes I'm a dork but my kids love it.

The Spurs are even a part of my family. Horacio is now a Spurs fan and a HUGE Manu fan. And the Spurs have brought my dad and I closer. Not to mention that it helps keep the tomboy in me happy.

It truly is a sad day for me. Just know that I take my sports very seriously. I blog about the Dallas Cowboys and their struggles but I love the Spurs and how they truly represent the definition of team. Sure there are better players than Manu but he along with the other members make a unique and inspiring team. I'm extremely sad right now.

Happy Birthday Sister #2

Today is my sister's 40th birthday. Ha and since she doesn't read my blog I can tell you how old she is. Hope your day is wonderful.

Thank You All So Much

So this is my first post since turning 30. I have to admit that it wasn't as bad as I expected. I think that has something to do with how great people were. I had an awesome time at my party. Many friends and family came and I am glad I was able to share the day with them.

My weekend of partying started on Friday. My co-teacher had a great celebration planned for me. She left a note for an all out announcement over the school's PA system. I was horrified when everyone heard I was turning 30. Then she brought cupcakes for the whole class. She also managed to have my class make cards. Below are some of their cards. Lastly, a student and his mother from two years ago brought in home baked cupcakes for my class. She makes the best yellow cake and chocolate frosting cupcakes.

Saturday was a very busy day. Not only did I have party stuff to take care of but I also had my great friend, Edie, here and got to spend time with her. She drove in from San Antonio. A best friend indeed. There was a lot of food, talking and music at my party and I think people had fun.

Edie and I

Jen, Bonnie, and I

Horacio and Michael wearing a vest for me.

Apparently this is what my 4 year old niece, Veronica, thinks I look like.

These are a few of the cards my kids made me. My three loves: Little Miss Sunshine, San Antonio Spurs and bees.

Day 2 of being 30 is going great.

Wii Tournament

My nephews got a Wii sometime last year. I have to say that I'm not that great at it. I may LOVE sports but I'm not great at sports. Today we had a tennis tournament. I lost my first game to Vanessa. I won my second game against Matthew (who is seven). And then lost the third game to my brother. Even though I sucked at tennis I had a great time. This is why I love to hang out with my family. We're silly but fun.

2008...The Best.Year.EVER!!!

Note: I started this post on New Year's Eve but haven't gotten around to finishing it until today. Super sorry!

As I mentioned in my previous post 2008 has been my best year ever. I have so much to be thankful for. So many amazing things happened in both my professional and personal lives. Here are some random but meaningful things that I'm grateful for in 2008.

• A whole year with Horacio - My baby and godson is so handsome and awesome. I'm a better person because of him.
• Best class ever...2B - I truly have a great class. They are brilliant, kind, attentive, and amazing. I'm so sad to only have them for 4 more months.
  
• New friends in the blogging world and online - NaBloPoMo 2008 introduced me to many new friends. I've also made some great friends online. And I've met some awesome people through current friends and family.
  
• Carpooling with Jen - Jen and I have been carpooling since September. I enjoy our drives to work and home. If either one of us has to miss my day just doesn't go the same.
  
• Co-teaching - I am having the best experience sharing my classroom with another teacher. I have become a better teacher because of the opportunity.
  
• The Summer Olympics and Argentinean Basketball - It was exciting to see Michael Phelps win all his metals. Also, Manu played for Argentina. Let's just say that even though I had to wake up at strange hours to watch them play it was worth it. Manu ended up getting hurt but I have to support my man's decision to play for his country.
  
• Love - The potential for love made 2008 a great year.
  
• Twilight Saga - I fell in love with Edward. It was a great read and I got many of my peeps to read it too.
  
• The Sex and the City movie - What can I say? The movie was as great as the series.
  
• Shopping Spree - I don't like to shop for myself often but when Avenue opened in town I went crazy. Now I feel great in some awesome clothes.
  
• New found hobbies - I bought a Cricut machine and now I found a new love for card and invitation making.
  

So there you have a few reasons why I will miss 2008. I hope this means 2009 will be even better.

The Best Christmas Ever

Hands down Christmas 2008 has been my best Christmas ever. Actually, the year 2008 has been my best year ever. I'll write a post about my favorite 2008 moments next week. Today I want to dedicate my post to the reasons why I had the best Christmas ever.

1. Presents: giving and receiving. I have to begin with my class this year. They are the most observant and thoughtful class I've ever taught. They listen to every word I say. All of the gifts they gave me were things they heard me say I loved. Also, no expense was spared when it came to their gifts. I didn't get them anything amazing but they were all so grateful and thankful. My favorite student gift: a San Antonio Spurs ornament. Then my friends and family also gave me many thoughtful gifts. And I was happy to give many gifts to all my friends and family. My favorite family gift: a tie between a framed picture of Horacio (He looks adorable). and my cousin gave me all the Scrubs seasons I didn't have. 4 in total so now I have all 7.
2. Family: I've been lucky enough to spend lots of time with all of my family. I am including my cousins as well as my nieces, nephews, and brother and sisters.
3. Karaoke: Everyone knows that I'm a huge fan of karaoke. Last night at our annual Christmas Eve Party other people actually joined in on the singing fun. I have to admit that even though I wanted people to join in on the fun I was a bit reluctant to let go of the microphone. In the end, karaoke was a HUGE hit.
4. Shopping: I am not a shopper at all. Wait! Let me rephrase that. I am not a shopper during the holiday season. I hate to even shop for myself. I currently owe my brother and parents their Christmas presents. However, in a strange moment of weakness I headed out for a day (yes, a whole day) of shopping with my cousin Mary and her boyfriend's cousin, Robert (Please see bullet number 5). I ended up having so much fun with them. And I managed to buy some last minute gifts.
5. New Friends: I've met a couple of new people over the break. Robert is one of them. He's funny and a good guy so I'm excited to take a road trip with him and my cousin and her boyfriend. I always have a great time with Ben and Mary so I expect nothing but the same this time around.

So there you have it. My best Christmas ever. I hope y'all had a safe and very Merry Christmas!!!

Mr. Kitty aka Optimus Prime, Santa Baby, Octopus, Bad Kitty, Jinxy

A couple of weeks ago my dad was cooking out for family night. On this night a stray kitten came to hang out. My mom loves cats. She's taken care of her share of fuzzy critters but her numbers have dwindled. My niece Vanessa begged us all night to take him in. All of us said no for different reasons. Yet the kitty seemed to adopt us. So now we have a cute, sweet, crazy, and mischeivious kitten living with us.
Except...
He has no official name. I wanted to call him Edward or Jinxy. Vanessa, wanted to call him Santa Baby, and my brother wanted to call him Optimus Prime. Needless to say that he still has no name. So I've come to call him Mr. Kitty and my nephews call him Optimus (my four year old niece called him Octopus thinking it was the same as Optimus). And Vanessa still can't decide. So I guess he better respond to all of them.
Mr. Kitty is very, very bad. Just today he tried to trip me, almost tore my favorite shirt, attacked my trash can, made a mess with the toilet paper, and tried to use my laptop. Bad Mr.Kitty! Ha it reminds me of that book Bad Kitty. So cute. But you've got to love him.

Update: Mr. Kitty attacked my foot again. Bad Kitty. I was on my way to get some banana-nut bread I baked yesterday. He must want it all for himself.

Ok, Ok, Jen...I'm Spoiled

Note: I began this post on November 20th and am finishing it today.

Today when Jen was dropping me off there was a HUGE dog outside. Since I live at home I called my dad to come help me. Of course my dad bundled up (it was cold) and he came out to shoo away the dog and help me carry in my stuff. Unfortunately, by the time my dad came outside the HUGE dog was gone. But it really was there, ask Jen.

Today, December 3rd, my dad was cooking out for dinner for our family night. It's not really all that cold here so it wasn't a big deal. Of course Patty has a special request. My hamburger patty has to be made in a pan outside. I hate the taste of grill marks. Yuck!!!
Also, when I got home I had two bottles of Dr. Pepper on my nightstand. I know y'all are thinking: "so what?" but they are football shaped Dr. Pepper bottles. He brought my mom one at the beginning of football season and wanted one ever since. So he remembered to buy me two.

These are just a few examples of how my dad spoils me. My mom spoils me too. Jen and I have huevo con chorizo burritos every Friday. Yummy! I love being at home.

Almost Didn't Make It

Hello everyone!!! I almost didn't make it today. Last night I spent the night at my sister's in anticipation of today's shopping day. We woke up at 3:30 and headed to JC Penny. There was a Little Miss Sunshine stuffed pillow/animal. Sadly, they didn't have any so I almost left empty handed. I managed to buy 3 pairs of shoes. I'm so excited about them.

Our next stop was Michaels. I own a Cricut machine and they had many things on sale I needed. Then I went ahead and spent a BUNCH of money there. Two hours there can total up to lots. And it doesn't help that I shopped with my sister. She's as compulsive as I am. I bought gifts for my co-workers, students, and friends. I am so eager to give them away.

Our final stop was Target at which I spent a BUNCH of money also. I don't need to go into detail but I am a DVDaholic so I bought many movies. It was also at Target that I decided to sell out...I bought something I said I would never, ever own or buy. I bought a rolling cart. You know...the ones that teachers use to haul their crap. YUCK!!! But with the holiday season coming up it always comes in handy. Yeah, yeah, Jen...I bought one. We made it back to my sister's house at about 10:30.

After some breakfast at home we headed back out to our final destination, Hobby Lobby. I was actually looking for left over fall stuff but it was all sold out. Needless to say I still managed to buy some Christmas items.

The rest of the day I spent at my sister's taking a nap, finishing my party invitations, playing the Wii with my nephew, watching the Spurs win and making smores. My sister and her husband have a fire pit so we sat outside talking and bundling up. Horacio, Vanessa and Cruz made out there as well as a couple of my sister's friends.

I must say that my Thanksgiving holiday has been absolutely amazing!

Nappy Nap

Today after our half day release I headed home for a nice. long nap. I know that most of you might be thinking: "Doesn't she have more important things to do?" The obvious answer is no. I'm not married and I don't have any children so I take good care of myself. Hence, my mission to take a nap today.

So you ask: "Are you well rested?" The answer is a big NO. My two nephews, Michael and Matthew, spent the night last night. Matthew actually went to school with Jen and I today. Anyway, when I got home I got into my comfortable clothes and went straight to bed actually thinking that my nephews would let me sleep. But noooo...they were yelling, playing, and watching TV loudly. After asking them to be a little more quiet I somewhat drifted off to sleep. However, about 10 minutes later Vanessa, Cruz and Horacio came over. What's a girl to do? I'm a good nina, so I played with Horacio. I actually laid him next to me trying to get him to sleep but he wasn't having it. So I had to get up and play with him.

So no nap...just me still tired and hanging out with my family. I guess that's still a plus. Oh yeah...and the Spurs are playing. Woo hoo! I guess my second wind just kicked in!!!