The DOA Diaries

I've thought about this for a while, but just this week I haven't been able to get the idea out of my mind.  I am a daughter of an alcoholic (DOA).  I believe it has had a huge impact on the person I am today and the challenges I have dealt with in my life.  Lots of bloggers have had confessions of sorts about their "secrets" or  "truths" and this is mine.  I am writing so that others will know they aren't alone and so that I can get it out and document where I have come from.  It's something that effected my entire family and in which my father was not completely to blame.  And so I am going to start the DOA Diaries.  A biweekly/monthly series- whichever I can fit in with life as a teacher!  It will cover dark topics and won't be all that cheerful, but it's reality and what so many other people are going through in silence and shame and fear.

Let's start with the poem that got my brain turning and started this whole idea.

FOOD. MUSIC. MEMORY.

She says: Cupcakes. Brownies. Pies. She says:
Remember this. Bread. Stew. Sauce. She says:
All that time. She says: singing. All I taught
you. She says: Crayon. Alligator. Boy Scouts.
She says: Baseball. Soccer. Track. She says:
I was there. Remember?

I say: Shouting. Silence. Shouting. I say:
Remember this. Scotch. Vodka. Kahlua. I say:
Cupcake. Meatloaf. Sauce. I say: Singing. All
you would not tell me. I say: Crayon. Dancing.
Guitar. I say: Belt. Hairbrush. Hand. I say:
I was there. Remember?

Susan Marie Scavo

Susan Marie Scavo is a Certified Archetypal Therapist and Teacher of Teacher of Archetypal dreamwork. To hear her read several of her poems visithttp://www.northofeden.com/videos/susan-marie-scavo-reads-poetry

Take from the blog: http://barbarashoup.blogspot.com/2009/01/poetry-friday-food-music-memory.html


http://www.pinterest.com/pin/504543964474549939/

Here's my version, inspired by the above poem.

She says: Christmas.  Dinner.  Sunday breakfasts.
She says: Remember.  Fishing.  Long drives.  Mushroom hunting.
She says: Our baby girl.
She says: Plaid shirts.  School programs.  All I did for you.
She says: Playdoh.  Movies.  Candy.
She says: Volleyball.  Your first job.  Cars.
She says: I was there.  Remember?

I say: Yelling.  Hitting.  Crying.
I say: Alcohol.  Pot.  Beer.
I say: Fishing.  Mushroom hunting.  Feeding ducks.
I say: The baby you always wanted.  The life you forced us to live.
I say: Drawings.  Art.  Stories.
I say: Tears.  Hyperventilating.  Begging.
I say: I was there.  Do YOU remember?

My Classroom AKA My Second Home

My computer area.... those three letters are the wall are from my friend who was my Secret Santa one year at our previous school.  All were written in poem form and incorporated clipart of my favorite things.  They also gave much needed encouragement.

Close up of my teacher randomness.  The pink box holds a four year old chocolate Easter bunny... too cute to eat!

My teacher resources and attempt at organization.

Front of my desk with my remade wood box!  The red line on the floor is duct tape marking off the do not pass area for students. 

My view of my desk.

 Framed crayon letter K from my bestie Sarah.  Basket at the bottom holds my clipboards, basket on top holds "quiet animals" which I used to pass out to my quiet students when I pulled groups.

Turn in tub and carpet squares on part of a shelf I bought from Menards for $9.97!!!!

 My classroom- desks set up in 3s (I don't have a class, I'm a special education resource teacher.  The most students I have at one time are 20-30 for Success for 30 minutes, but with the back table and the desks and a few carpet squares all are happy!)  That is the rest of the green shelf!  I use it for my Smartboard projector because the kids kept moving the cart and the table it was on last year.... this thing totally stays in place.

Doors labeled with paper cut with my Silhouette.

Cubbies for student work.  Baskets on top holding materials for reading groups my assistant and I have during intervention time, and whisper phones.

Reading area.  Green line indicates that students may go in this area.

I love this!  It's a spinning book rack I got from a friend.  It holds all my leveled book sets!

Well- that's the best I've got of my room at a glance for the time being!  I didn't want to overload with photos!  That brown wood cabinet is actually full of drawers that I have labeled and organized with materials!  It's a hot commodity.  As is my semi circle table in the back of the room that I brought from my previous school. :)

There's a Giveaway Goin' ONNNNN!!!!

Hey ya'll.  I'm advertising this month with Maria @ Agape Love Designs!   I'm a little late on this because live has been CRAY ZAY lately, but there's a kinda super awesome giveaway going on over there! 

Winner takes ALL, and here is what YOU could win:

~ $50 Shop Credit to Snappy Design Signs

~ $15 Shop Credit to any 1 of Agape Love Design's Current Sponsor's Shops

~  Custom Poppy Headband

~ Felt bow hair clip in choice of red, yellow, goldenrod, teal, light pink, maroon, or gray

~ Avon Mega Effects Mascara

~ Personalized wire name bracelet with choice of charms.

This giveaway is open to Residents of the US and Canada Only.  Apologies to all whom this excludes.

Head on over to Agape Love Designs to enter!

http://www.agapelovedesigns.com/2013/08/august-group-giveaway.html

Facebook Linky Party!!!!

Hey everybody!  Welcome to my little random place in this world on Obsessive Creative Disorder!  In addition to this blog I have an etsy shop titled "A Place in This World".  It is full of little hair pretties and handmade jewelry and brooches.  I am adding more felt bow clips to the shop shortly!  In the meantime feel free to message me if you are interested in them for $2 a pop.  I just started back to work teaching after summer break so excuse the absence and randomness for the time being.  My blog follows all of my crafting randomness and my adventures as a 30 year old trying to figure things out and tame my three ring pet circus! Thanks for stopping by!  Leave a comment with your page, shop or blog so I can follow you too!

Please be sure to follow the rules!

1. First "Like" Each of the Hostess's Pages: Agape Love Designs | This is My Life | A Place in This World | Becoming Fabulous | A Little Piece of Me It is preferred that you "like" from your personal account as business pages dont "count". Each host will be visiting and following several pages as well.

2. Link up YOUR Business/fan page!!

3. Share this post on your facebook pages and encourage others to link up! The More links, the more exposure you get!

4. Stop by a few of the other pages linked up and let them know you are stopping by from the facebook fest & tag one or two of the hosts when you do so!

Please "like" the hostess' facebook pages linked in the first 5 spots, then link up your FACEBOOK pages only! Thanks!

Sneak Peek of my Classroom- FINALLY

So we started school this week.... I cannot even begin to count the number of bruises just above my knees from running into student desks LOL.  Here is a peek of my classroom... only two pics... then my phone died!

These are my classroom rules in my insect themed class (idea was found on Pinterest!):

These are reading comprehension skills posters with matching beanie babies!  Also found on Pinterest and purchased on Teachers Pay Teachers!

(The wood treasure chest I purchased unfinished at Joann's with a 40% off coupon and stained and sealed myself... it now holds prizes for my kiddos)

I also had this box that a friend gave me last year when she was moving on to another school.  It was too plain for me and needed a makeover!

Before starting I noticed a BUNNY in my back yard (teacher ADD).

 I decided to paint it red and put chalkboard paint on the back that will face the classroom and on the drawers!

 I also decided it needed a ladybug to complete the theme...

I took it to school and absolutely love it!  I have drawers labeled with what is inside and wrote my name on the back!

This is Charlie between coats of paint drying lol.

I promise to post more pics next week!  It was the first week back and things were INSANE!

Ballerina Doll for my Niece

So my little niece Emma loves all things pink, princesses, ballerinas, and crazy lol.  For her fourth birthday, I asked her what she wanted and she told me, "A ballerina and a car that goes backwards and forwards."  I took care of the ballerina part for her :).

(This is a typical self selected outfit which I would totally wear at 30 if it came in my size.)

I was originally going to make the doll form as well... but then I found a muslin doll form at JoAnn's that was ready for personalization so I snatched it up!  (I didn't take a picture and can't find it on their website).  The doll unfortunately had wires inside of it's arms and legs for posing so I performed a minor surgery and extracted all wires!

Back view:

To make the hair I wrapped fleece around the head, secured with a hair tie, and sewed around the hair line.  I then covered the hairband with a coordinating piece of elastic that matched the straps of the top I created.  After I secured the hair, I just took my scissors and cut long strips out of the fleece left over (I also trimmed off some excess so that it had an even end.)

To make the top I just wrapped fleece around the body to determine the size and then stitched the back.  I did end up cutting down a little under the arms.  I also added on the straps.  Everything is stretchy and four year old friendly since I eventually plan to make her more clothes.  The tutu was made using pinterest tutorials for a normal sized tutu- it took about an hour to make!  ACK!   The face is hand painted with fabric paint.  And the necklace is made of glow in the dark beads, but can be taken off and worn as a bracelet.

I couldn't figure out how to make shoes... Emma then requested "shews" so we are using these socks!

I spent $3.99 on these.... they wouldn't transfer for ANYTHING.  Thus why I had to hand paint.

Emma LOVES her doll.  She takes her everywhere.  It really only took me 2 hours start to finish and I am so happy with the end result!

The Lost Post about Gift Exchange December 2012

Hello!  So, I keep participating in this Handmade Gift Exchange hosted by Linda @ Craftaholics Anonymous.  She hosts twice a year- July and December.  Apparently, the pictures I uploaded from December never made it up on the blog... or if they did they have gone MIA.

I wanted to share them with you now as I am soon going to be posting the pics of the current exchange as well!

My lovely partner in the exchange told me that she loved to cook, travel, read, and go to concerts, as well as the color green so I created the some gifts that I thought would cater perfectly to those things:

Bottle Necklace: inside the bottle is a map of where she is from cut from an atlas, the key says "journey".  On the top of the box it says "So that no matter where your journeys take you, you'll always be home."

Satin flower hair clip

I found this box at JoAnn's!  It was just the plain brown paper mache, but I painted it and distressed the edge to look like pages.  The ticket on the front was supposed to be "Life is a beautiful journey" in French because she said she wanted to travel to France one day.  I roughly translated journey though, but it comes across about the same!

Not pictured for some reason lol, is an apron I made for her where I hand painted one of her favorite phrases which mentioned something about taste and a letter for her first name.  I also used a vintage gold toned fork and bent it into a recipe card holder :).

More pictures of the most recent exchange to come soon!  Hope you can join up next time!

Things I've Said to My Dogs

So... with two Pomeranians and a cat as my only companions in this house I talk to them A LOT.  Like... yell out the back door while the neighbors are outside and probably think I am talking to another human or have totally lost my mind.  Here are some things I have said this summer to my dogs in particular:

1. Don't be a bully!
   
   
   
2. I hope she kicks your a$$!
   
   
   
3. Don't get in the litterbox if you aren't going to clean it!
   
4. You PEED the bed?!?!?
   
   
   
5. Charlie come back you have a stick stuck to your butt!
   
   
   
6. Leave the cat alone you punka$$!
   
7. Seriously?  You are going to get eaten.
   
8. Have you lost your mind?
   
   
9. You are not a cat! (to dog sitting on the kitchen table) You need to be doing dog things!
   
   
10. Stop dancing in the water bowl!

So you're single... and ya gotta eat...

Hard to believe I'm a teacher if you follow my blog because this girl has failed at blogging and documenting adventures this summer!  Why?  Well, simply put I'm not happy with changes that are being made in the world around me and I've spent this summer trying to find myself and my new happy again.  And with 13 days left until back to school... I have a to do list a mile long.

ANYWAY!

So... you're single?  Me too.  Like... epically.  So... I also HATE doing dishes... and considered a dishwasher... they are EXPENSIVE and I have beautiful handmade wood cabinets that would have to be hacked up... SO.  Here we are at my current point.  If you go to the grocery store for a single person it is really uber easy to just live off of frozen pizzas and tv dinners.  But honestly, tv dinners suck.  Like... is that really real meat?  Because it takes like really gross lol.

Here are some of my current faves and saves from this summer that any single girl or guy needs to try:

I am SUPER picky about my meats.  These are AMAZING.  You microwave them for like 3 minutes and they are to die for and perfectly seasoned.  There are times where an edge is hard from being overcooked, but it is really juicy and tender.  And low calorie!


This is also available in brown rice... I love both.  It has two servings in the little bag... you use the microwave again obviously.  I eat one serving and then roll up the top of the bag, put on a clip, and refrigerate for the next day.  I sometimes put a dash of chicken bouillon powder in for flavoring... probably only half a teaspoon for the entire bag.


Now for this one both Birds Eye and Green Giant have some single serve steamed veggies.  Green Giant have a butter sauce and come in little plastic trays.  Birds Eye comes in mini single serve bags and have no seasoning.  I prefer Birds Eye at this point because there is more variety- I love the peas and corn!

I discovered that a single chicken breast, a single serve peas, and 1/2 a bag of the rice makes a meal around 320 calories... HELLO!  And it tastes great. :)

P.S.  The chicken was under $7 at Kroger.  The other two are cheap too... somewhere around the $2 range.

Cleaning of the mind, home, and body

Hey guys!  So... as we all know I am a teacher.  Like I live it, breathe it, sleep it... I leave most days between 7 and 7:30 during the school year and get home around 6:30 or 7.  If you are wondering contract hours are 8:15-3:45.  I however live more than 20 miles from where I work and it takes me 40 minutes to get there and then another 40 to get home... sometimes without traffic I can make it in 30.

Anyway- so what's my point?  Well, back when I had a one bedroom apartment with immaculate closet space and numerous closets at that I had everything neatly organized at all times.  Enter present day in my three bedroom house with the world's tiniest closets.  You would think spare rooms would mean more organization... no, my brain cannot form to the new spaces except to fill it with more junk.  So, it is my goal to start tomorrow to make the "crap" room back into a craft room, instead of the random landing place for crap.  Then to whip the spare bedroom into shape to look like it is ready for a guest.

As I sit here, still awake at 3am and in serious need of a regular schedule, I am considering all of the thoughts running through my head.  My goal is to clean up this house and then attempt to get myself back on track with some regular exercise and better eating.  A clean house is definitely the first must though as I am distracted by it with every single sense.  Hopefully, the furbabies cooperate!  I cannot tell you the last time I really sat down and MADE something.  There is just too much clutter and chaos for it right now!

"Coffee" Date Friday

Well... of course if you were going to meet me to chat over a drink it probably wouldn't be coffee...  It would be a soda or some fruity icee like drink... or if I had to suffer through the coffee smell of a Starbucks it would be the only coffee free drink on their menu :).  Then we would start with you finding out about my total  distaste for coffee... including its smell.  You would probably think that's odd since I'm a teacher and I hate mornings... but I'm a weird one :P.  I'm sure you would get a good laugh out of it.

Depending on my mood I would either be wearing one of the may cute dresses I have a closet full of or just a pair of jeans and a tshirt with some kind of coordinating jewelry.  I would be showered, with my hair smoothed and combed to the side and my makeup completely done like every morning. because. I. can't. leave. the. house. without. any. of. these. things. :)  I would tell you about how Macey has woke me up barking every morning around 8 because the neighbor is reroofing his house and garage.  It keeps me grumpy and off schedule which is why I was up until after 3am Friday morning unable to sleep.

I would share with you that my friend who I used to teach with is in the hospital still, recovering from sudden heart failure and that she was without oxygen for 7 minutes and remembers Heaven.  There would probably be tears in my eyes because she is an amazing human being and lights up a room the minute she enters.  Everyone who has ever met her is so thankful for her miraculous recovery that continues every day.

I would tell you about how I prayed long and hard and turned over a big decision in my life to God.  How I feel saddened and upset still by knowing that I will no longer be in charge over several of the children I have had for the last two years next year.  I asked to move from special education to a fourth grade classroom position, but did not get it.  I looked online at the school I student taught at and contacted someone else about possible openings.  I felt like I needed a change.  But God turned me in a different direction.  The openings in the school I student taught at were filled by the next day, openings were offered to others, and when thinking for a long time I realized that it might be okay to try out this new change and see how everything settles next year as so many other things change in the education world.

I would ask you if you had any summer plans and share with you my hopes of going on adventures to Metamora, Nashville Indiana, Bargersville, and hopefully to discover a few other new places.  I'd tell you about how I just went to Midland Arts and Antiques for the first time and how HUGE the building was.  It was full to the brim of old stuff and odds and ends that were mostly priced insanely high.  I might even tell you about the lady that followed me to find out what perfume I was wearing and where I got it from LOL!

I'd tell you that in reflecting last night I realized this year has been a hard one.  I lost a dear friend and former coworker to cancer, a former student to Cystic Fibrosis at only 15, had one of my "work mama's" retire, lost my cat of 17 years, and have had difficult changes take place in my school life that are still seeping to my core.  This year has been rough- but I feel like my faith in God has grown stronger and my patience with myself.  My house still looks like a beginning of hoarders :) not really, it's just clutter that needs put away, but I would not even try to convince you that I've become more domesticated or grown up.  I still consider microwave mac and cheese a meal.

Anyway, when we were all done I might give you a hug... We would make plans to meet up again over the summer sometime and to keep in touch.  We would smile and wave and drive back to our little lives to cook up new adventures for the rest of the day.  And I would be thankful for having yet another amazing friend.

And... btw... I cannot figure out how to embed my pins now so that this has pictures.... :(  Anybody got any hints to help a girl out?

I'm linking up to Alissa @

http://ragstostitchesblog.com/category/coffee-date/

Free Printables From Moi :)

Click and save the above images to print for your own PERSONAL use. 

Images should print out at 8.5 x 11 size.