Photos of all 15 ugly Christmas sweater contenders were put into a powerpoint program and this morning each class of students at RMS got to vote on which sweater was ugliest (no faces, just the sweaters and a bit of my skirt, since it was made from sweaters).  I was the winner.  It was lots of fun.  

I left work a bit early to get to my eye appointment in Columbia.  My left eye had been bothering me for about a week...not too bad, a little stinging and feeling irritated.  Since I had the appt. for today, there was no point in even trying to get in earlier. Plus Dennis was off today and could drive me.  I have/had the beginning of a new cornea erosion...which Dr. Cowden made time to "scrape off" so that it didn't end up tearing the cornea, as has happened in the past.  Instead of the past treatment, which was taping the eye shut and wearing a patch (a la pirate) I have a contact (as in lens) patch on the eye.  It is supposed to control the pain better, and let the cornea heal "smooth" instead of bumpy scar tissue, but it is still quite painful tonight.  I declined the offer of controlled substance pain reliever...and may regret it.  Hopefully Tylenol and Ibuprofen will be all I need.  Ibprofen has taken the edge off the pain for sure, and after a night's sleep, it should be less painful tomorrow. In addition to the usual Muro 128 eye drops, I have antibiotic eye drops to put in twice a day.  I go back next Friday to have the contact patch removed. Hopefully it will be healed enough that I can do without the patch, but have been warned that sometimes it takes more than a week to heal properly.  The most frustrating part will be the blurred vision for the next few days.

After the eye appt, Dennis and I ate at Five Guys.  I had the small burger, he had the regular burger, and we split a regular order of fries.  It was a wonderful meal.  I'm looking forward to a repeat meal next Friday. 

Today was the day to wear your ugly sweater/outfit for the contest at RMS.  Tomorrow there will be some sort of powerpoint presentation for all the students to vote.  I'm not sure I'm even in the running.  It is a Christmas print turtleneck under the sweater, plus the skirt is made from sweaters, so maybe there will be points for the combination. 

It was raining when I drove to work, but shortly afterwards, it turned to snow.  It melted for quite a while, but finally started sticking on the grass.  It was very windy, so even though it was only 29, it felt much colder.  Tomorrow morning is going to be very cold, but then it will warm up again over the next few days.  Right now it looks like St. James could have a white Christmas.  

Brenda & I spent the any spare moments we had Monday & Tuesday, packing up and getting rid of anything we could. Today was moving day.  Here is the old office arrangement:That is Brenda's desk, with her chair blocking access to the black metal cabinet (which is now in the bathroom--for extra/emergency clothing, feminine products, and a few supplies).  The even uglier, larger metal cabinet that was in the bathroom is now gone.   My chair back was up against the window.  There is another floor to ceiling window on the right of the "wood" cabinet.   The cot & chairs for students were along the inside wall.  The hallway entrance to my office is at the foot of the cot.

Here is the new and improved arrangement:

Brenda even got a new bigger, better, but older wooden desk.  No blue computer cable coming down from the ceiling.  The cot & chairs are on the outer wall of the office.  There is still work to be done, and some tweaking, but I am very happy to have my back against an inside wall (much warmer) and to be able to see out the window.  It was fun playing games with certain students, trying to convince them the office had always been like this...  The office has more space with this arrangement...mostly because there is one less big cabinet.  

It was a good day to move---we had no computers while the move was happening.  We did it during the AR reward movie, which most students were watching in the auditorium across the hall. Those students who did not meet their goal, were in classrooms reading with teachers who didn't think there was any reason their work should be interrupted by a trip to see the nurse.  

The winter storm with snow is on its way.  It's moving slower than originally predicted, and the cold and rain turning to snow is supposed to start at noon tomorrow instead of the wee hours of the morning.  It's also losing strength as in travels slower, and we are not even supposed to get an inch.  With no accumulation since the ground isn't frozen.  

Yesterday I went to Julie's Christmas party. She's a hostess that puts Martha Stewart to shame.  It was fun hanging out and catching up with friends.  Unfortunately I had to work today (St. James schools got out yesterday) so I was among the first to leave.  I still don't have all my ducks in a row for Christmas.  I feel disorganized and have so many things going on, I am not sure where to even begin...so I wander from project to project and get distracted.  It's not a good feeling.  

Tomorrow is the RMS Ugly Christmas sweater contest.  This year I am participating...wearing the sweater that several students assured me could have won if I'd only been in the contest.  I even have a skirt made from holiday sweaters that I am wearing with my sweater.  

And now I must move on to another project...the Christmas letter.  I have faith that the Mayans were wrong about the end of the world on the 21st. 

Last night was the annual Delano Christmas party.  Lots of fun.  We had leek & potato soup, assorted crackers, cheese & meats, fruit salad, Parker House rolls (I baked them) and pumpkin pie for dessert. We exchanged gifts and KISS Potato Head got a new home with Denise.  She was the original "giver" of this gift, several years ago.I'm not sure she was really happy to get him back.  We had "poppers" earlier in the evening, which is why she is wearing a crown.  She's really NOT royalty.  We played Apples to Apples until after 10 PM.  Which made for an exciting morning for me.  I turned the alarm off and fell back asleep.  When I woke up at 6:35, I barely had time to take Lucas out for potty time, feed the animals, get dressed, take Lucas back out for one last potty break, and go to work. I wasn't late, but it was close. I'd hardly clocked in when I had my first 2 students--one puked on the bus and the other had a bike wreck on the way to school.  It was foggy and misty out.  Places to the north had snow.  Almanac predicts: Snowy periods, cold  for Dec 17-24.  That sounds about like what the weatherman is predicting. 

The really BIG event this weekend was:  JAX IS WALKING!  No photos of him stepping out solo yet, but I'm sure they are coming. 

When we (teachers & staff at RMS) first started hearing about the shooting in CT, I felt very uneasy.  My office faces the bus "drive thru" and has 2 very large almost ceiling to floor windows (single pane, aluminum frame).  I wanted to pull the blinds, but also needed to be absolutely "normal" because the students were unaware of these events.  So the blinds stayed open and I was nervous, sitting at my desk with my back to the window.  It was a busy day, with 5 or 6 students in my office on several occasions.  I know we are thousands of miles from CT, but who knows where/when such a tragedy might trigger a "copy cat" shooter.  I'm looking forward to my desk being moved to the far wall and rearranging my office on Wednesday.  Now more than ever. 

The Farmer's Almanac seems to be agreeing with the forecast for the next few days... "Dec 14-16 Thunderstorms, then flurries, cold".  We are supposed to get thunderstorms tonight and a chance of flurries on Monday.  

Tonight's supper was the last 2 tilapia filets (baked) with left-over green bean casserole and (also) left-over couscous.  Milk & yogurt were the only things I got at the grocery store on the way home.  We still have black beans & cornbread in the fridge for at least one meal this weekend.  

On the MUST DO list for tomorrow:  make trophies for the Kiwanis basketball tournament; work on Jax's Christmas stocking; cut out quilt squares for my mom; write our annual Christmas letter.  If it is raining and miserable outside, getting these tasks done will be much easier.

We are having frosty mornings, which I don't mind.  I love the sunny afternoons, with temperatures in the 40's.  I can't even say that rain Friday afternoon/evening bothers me.  We need the rain. 

Wednesday, Karol had friends over to her house for a little pre-Christmas get-together.  It was fun to catch up with friends I don't see that often. 

Tonight was the Kiwanis Christmas dinner and auction.  It was potluck.  I took green beans.  I'm not sure who provided the ham. There was corn, salad, deviled eggs, potatoes, sweet potatoes and lots of desserts.  I ate too much...that seems to be happening on a daily basis. No one was shy about going thru the buffet line. 

After we ate, Dennis & Dave auctioned off the donated gifts (fund raiser). I got a "perfect meatloaf" pan--which has a "slotted bottom" for the grease to drain down into, a jar of Connie Pirtle's cranberry jalapeno jelly, and some bath salts, lip balm & scented candle.  It was a good time, and there were mostly good gifts.  A few gag gifts, but that is to be expected.  

Yesterday and today morning my office was a vomitorium.  A student stepped into the office, look at 2 kids puking in trash cans, said  "I don't need none of those germs"---and left.  Guess he decided he was healthy and wanted to stay that way. 

It's been 40-ish and drizzly all day.  Now we are just waiting to see if there will still be moisture when the temperature gets below freezing tonight.  No accumulation of course.  The ground is too warm.

The muffins were a big hit at Chat n Chew.  I'll be taking the left-overs to work with me tomorrow.  People in the office will appreciate a home baked treat on a Monday morning.  

This afternoon I wrapped gifts and did some reading.  Listened to Christmas carols and enjoyed the decorated Christmas tree.  I especially enjoyed this song.  https://soundcloud.com/jaime-green-1/happy-merry-joyful#play   Also did laundry and the mundane house keeping chores that must be done.  Ironing might happen later...or not.

Baked tilapia, peas, & couscous with pickled green tomatoes for supper. I tried a grill rub, but it was a bit overpowering for fish. It would probably be good for grilling beef or pork...as in outside on the grill.

Today is the first day of Chanukah.  2nd Sunday of Advent. 

It's been a busy Saturday.  The high was 51 early this morning and it's been slowly dropping. It rained overnight and humidity at 99% all day.  It's 43 now.  Snow flurries predicted tomorrow.  After supper (ham & beans with cornbread) Dennis and I put the ornaments on the tree. Lots of memories, home made ornaments, ornaments given to us by friends and relatives, and ones from places we've gone on vacation.  It hasn't been quite the same without any of the kids to help us this year. Now that the tree is up, I can start wrapping presents.  

I got a crazy idea this morning.   I decided I'd make 4 different kinds of muffins for Chat n Chew tomorrow.  I started with cranberry orange, then lemon poppy seed, pumpkin and finally blueberry.  I thought I had everything I needed, but Dennis made a run to the grocery store for more butter...and got buttermilk, skim milk and eggs while he was there.  He has to make biscuits for "group breakfast" on Tuesday, so now he has all the stuff he'll need for that.

It looks like KISS Potato Head has made a new friend...Mr. Christmas Duck. KPH is quite annoyed with us for not taking him to see the Elvis Impersonator.  He is definitely looking for a new home.

Tonight Dennis, Vicki, Fred & I went to see "Elvis" at the Ozark Actors Theatre.  It was a fun performance.  Great band, good Elvis imitator, with lots of fun songs and good audience interaction.  Elvis and his wife "Marilyn Monroe" live in Rolla.  I'm not sure if all the people were from the area, but most are.  

Dennis spent most of today hanging out with Jax.  Lucky dog.  It sounds like they had a lot of fun.  Jax and his mom...not sure if this was before she left for work or when she got home.   I don't think this "baby proof" gate is going to last long.  Jax is smart and determined.

The local weather forecast is predicting snow flurries on Sunday, the 9th.  We're not exactly in sync with what the almanac said.  We were supposed to get rain, then flurries and cold weather Dec 1-8.  We had a few cold days but it's been pretty mild the last few days.  Almanac has Dec 9-13 with showers and mild.   Oh, well.   It would be nice if we got a good rain at some point.  The Mississippi River is so low that barges are having problems getting cargo down the river.  I heard one report that this year's drought was as bad as the one in 1934.  The wind hasn't been blowing and hopefully changes in farming practices would keep us from having another "dust bowl". 

The basketball season is still young, but so far both the boys and girls (St. James Tigers) are undefeated.  Woohoo!  Went to the boys game tonight, after the Rolla School Nurse Christmas party (after school).  They easily beat Steelville, so it was a good opportunity to get some photos of players who don't usually see much playing time. I do believe our player got a charging foul on this particular play...

Influenza has hit the area...with diagnosed cases showing up in the schools.  Also some nasty stomach viruses--one of the elementary nurses "went down" and was absent today and will probably be absent again tomorrow.  So far RMS has no confirmed influenza, but who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Today was mostly sore throats--lots of warm salt water gargles.  Today a 5th grader told me all about the "automatic bomb" that the United States dropped on Japan to end "the war". 

While I'm working tomorrow, Dennis (lucky dog) will be hanging with Jax while Sara (and Matt) are at work.  Not sure what happened with the regular babysitter, but I'm so happy for Dennis.  Just wish it was me instead of him.  He has strict orders to take lots of photos.

In keeping with the spirit of the season, I'm reading An Amish Christmas.  It's a series of short stories/novellas set in a (fictional) Amish community--very uplifting and positive.