Kids say and draw the funniest things...

Drawn by one of my kiddos...how cute is this???

This is a picture of a cat for me. Cute!

This picture is from one of my students currently obsessed with whales. She says she drew it freehand, but I saw her trace it. :)

This one totally made my day. :o)

Okay before I begin this blog...I am SO NOT GOOD with formatting blogging stuff. I wanted my pictures at the END of my blog but I can't seem to make it happen! I need to take a blogging class! So the ABOVE pictures are some my kiddos drew...now...you can proceed to the rest of my blog EVEN THOUGH the pics are NOT where I want them!

So yesterday I was having a pretty crappy day. I woke up in mucho amounts of pain AFTER sleeping 10 hours. It was not pretty. I came in to school to have to deal with an issue that I was not in the mood for....so...I was cranky. Yep, Miss Netteler was CRANKY!

I have a small mailbox in the writing center. My kiddos can write me notes during free time. So yesterday, I read the notes...and I have to say...they made me happy. :) I love my kids!

So here is a sample of what I read yesterday to cheer me up (if unclear what the word should be, I put the correct word in parenthesis)

"Dear Mis Nettler I rilly whant to have a clas pet"
"Miss Nettler I am said (sad) now." (which makes ME sad that she's sad!)
"Dear Mr. (yes MR) Netteler, you rock. I say you are the best teacher ever."

"Hey Ms NEtteler, you are the best teacher ever"

"Can I come to your house sometime"

"What is your favorit food."

"We have a mrbte prte" (He means we are having a marble party on Friday)

"I love owre clas."
"Dera M.s Nettler I wan to laren (learn) a bowt wals (whales)"

"You are a very very very nice teacher."
"Daer Miss. Nettler, Did you like my danse at hte foot ball game?"
"Dear Mrs. Nettler you are a grat techer. I want to now (know) do you go to god fathers?"
"You are the best techer."

"Dear Ms Nettler do you lick (like) my pitcher I wen to larn a bowt walse (whales)"

"Dear Mis Nettler you are a grate techer you are asume (awesome)."
"Dear Ms. Netteler you are the best teacher ever."
"You are the nicest 2nd grade teacher."

"I like you." (this one made me laugh A LOT)

"I like you, you are nice." (and this included an adorable picture of me and her)
"Dear Mrs. Nettler the rain was weird at the football game rite?"

Obviously we need to work on things like...SPELLING MY NAME RIGHT! But otherwise, these are good for a laugh!

Ho Hum...

One thing I have learned in life is that God does not follow my plans very well.

Okay, well...I'm kinda glad b/c HE DOES know a lot more than me! I'd have screwed things up for sure if it were up to me.

Change in the air...

Well, normally I do not blog about serious stuff. I like to keep things light and funny. But tonight, my heart is heavy. There's a change a comin'. Tonight, I'm being totally transparent. I've been wrestling in my spirit over where the next phase of my life will be. Let me share first my devotional the other night. This is out of the book "My Utmost for His Highest" by Oswald Chambers.

Title: Called By God
Scripture Reference: "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying; 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?' Then I said, 'Here I am! Send me'" Isaiah 6:8
Synopsis: Isaiah overheard God saying "who will go for us?" The call of God is not just for a few, it's for everyone, but not everyone has the "spiritual ears" to hear it.

(Quoted from the book) "Remove the thought from your mind of expecting God to come to force you or plead with you. When our Lord called His disciples, He did it without irresistable pressure from the outside. The quiet, yet passionate insistence of "Follow Me" was spoken to men whose every sense was receptive (Matthew 4:19). If we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us face to face with God, we too will hear what Isaiah heard- "The voice of the Lord." In perfect freedom we too will say, "Here I am! Send me."

I've been undergoing a spiritual battle of sorts...where is the next step? Where is God sending me? I am spiritually restless right now. I almost feel like a wanderer. I am, for the first time in my life, not involved in a church (though I faithfully attend and love my church). My ministry is in the classroom and I believe will continue to be, but there is something else that God is calling me to. Tonight, something I had already been feeling as a possible next step was confirmed. Events over the last year or so are starting to make sense and pieces coming together. I can no longer fight it.

Right now all I can do is rest in the arms of my precious Savior and say "Here am I! Send me."

And I'll just end with this, if what I am feeling is what God is going to do, well...all I can say is NEVER say NEVER! ;o) (and no, I'm not referring to Justin Bieber!)

I need patio furniture....

I'm sitting on my deck doing my nightly relaxation ritual with the animals. I'm also lesson planning, because a teacher never stops working. Milo is entertaining himself by dropping his ball off the deck and then running below it and getting it. It's pretty humorous to watch. Braxton is chasing bugs as usual. And Sammy is in time out in the house b/c he ran off again (which he ALWAYS does). Actually last night he climbed hte fence so I dont know why I even let him out.

I'm sitting on my rump on the hard wood of the deck. Next year, I'm so buying patio furniture! THis is not comfy to say the least.

Today I had to compete with an arachnid. My students know what that is because we just learned about them last week. Yep, I had an 8 legged critter on my ceiling all morning. I've learned, the hard way, that that arachnids will get the full attention of 20 7 and 8 year olds long before the teacher will. UGH. So I was cool with the arachnid on teh ceiling. It disappeared about halfway through the day and I was fine with that. Out of sight, out of mind.
After school, I had planning with the other teachers. I got back to my room about 6 pm. I had a tshirt lying on my desk. I lifted it up...and BAM there's the arachnid! I literally SCREAMED. I mean...LOUD. The funny thing is, I even joked with a couple of kids about how that spider was probably in their backpacks. Lo and behold, it was under my tshirt. LOVELY!

It's dead now.

OF course two weeks ago, I found a toad in my classroom. If I had kept the toad like my kids begged me to do, the spider would not have been an issue. Maybe I should find a toad to keep the arachnids at bay.

Speaking of bay....I REALLY miss the show Switched At Birth (if you dont know why bay reminds me of that, then you dont watch the show). I hope it comes back on next season. I always get in to shows that never air again after one season. It was actually a really good, mostly family friendly show.

Well, I got nothing else ror the night. OH WAIT YES I DO! ...speaking of arachnids! Last night I had a dream that I was covered in spider webs and spiders. I woke up and JUMPED out of bed and threw my covers off. I'm pretty sure I screamed. I think freaking my kiddos out last week with the spiders is coming back to haunt me.

Well, g'night folks.

On a roll...

I'm on a roll. I am going to write about pretty much nothing for the 3rd night in a row. I know that makes everyone extremely happy.

I learned a random fact today. Here it is. Are you ready?

Women blink twice as much as men.

Don't you feel more educated now? I sure did. I learned that at the chiropractor's office. I actually learned a lot of useless info, but that's the only one I can remember now.

I had a training today that took me out of class for half a day. Oh.my.goodness! I was SO sad to leave my kiddos! I had a couple in tears! I'm like...I'LL BE BACK TOMORROW!!! It made me happy that they love me so much (and I love them) AND the sub said they did fantastic! (which I knew they would b/c they're awesome!). Seriously...I am so blessed...these kids are awesome.

I've started something new the last couple of weeks. When I get home from school, instead of going right to more work or just vegging in the recliner, I go outside and sit on the deck. I let the animals out and watch the cats chase bugs and I play fetch with Milo. I'll bring my dinner out there and eat or even grade papers or lesson plan. This has seriously reduced my stress level TONS! I may come in and go right to work, but I am much less stressed. Yes, it takes time out of my evening, but it's so worth it. Plus, it's good for the animals to get out and play and run. Now, if I could just figure out where the mooing is coming from! There have got to be cows somewhere close by, but I can't figure out where they would be!

I think I'll close today's blog with a Marti's Top 5. Back in the Xanga days, I would do a Marti's Top 5 about once a week. It would vary week to week what that top five category would be Time to get back in that habit. So here it is:

Marti's Top 5 Movie Picks-

These are movies I could watch over and over and never get tired of.

1. Anne of Green Gables

2. 13 Going on 30

3. Parent Trap

4. Beauty and the Beast

5. Home Alone

More than you ever wanted to know about Marti...

Here's the dealio folks.... 25 random things about me. Enjoy :)

1. I love the taste of Theraflu. I wish I could find something that tastes like it without the medicinal effects. I'm a closet Theraflu junkie.
2. I love my cats more than most people.
3. I sucked my thumb until I was a teenager. Sometimes, when I'm really, really sick, I wake up sucking my thumb without even realizing it.
4. I am deathly afraid of all natural disasters, to the point of near hysteria. I'm much better than I used to be though.
5. I am addicted to Febreze. At one time I owned 18 cans.
6. I am a ridiculously fast reader if I am reading something that interest me. I can sit down and read a fiction book 400 or more pages in a day. The problem is that I read so fast, I dont remember most of it two days later.
7. I dream in color...often action type movies.
8. I hated my job last year and prayed that it would be better this year. If this year had gone like last year, it was going to be my last year. Thankfully, this year is so much better and I LOVE my job!
9. I have a very hard time letting people go that I love, even when they do not reciprocate. I'm a bit too forgiving.
10. I was made fun of more than most people (including my family) realize when I was a kid. Kids were cruel. It is my mission as a teacher to make sure none of my students are ever made fun of.
11. A pet peeve of mine is repetitive noises. DRIVES.ME.CRAZY
12. Another pet peeve is stupid girls who fall in love every other day with different guys (all losers) and then whine and boohoo about how they're fat, ugly, not good enough, or the guy is a loser, blah blah blah and then they turn to God for a millisecond until another loser comes along and the the cycle starts again.
13. I live in pain 24/7.
14. I still dream of being in full time ministry someday.
15. I want to be a college professor when I grow up.
16. I have no desire to birth my own children...adoption all the way!
17. I own more blankets than any single person should own.
18. I developed carpal tunnel from sleeping with clenched fists. When I'm stressed I have to sleep with wrist guards to stop from doing this.
19. I love my family more than anything in the world, even my cats!
20. If a great guy came along, but didnt like cats or was deathly allergic, I would not date him.
21. My dream is to be proposed to at a St Louis Cardinals baseball game.
22. I want to own a home and have every room decorated in a different decade style of furnishings.
23. I can't pee in the middle of the night in the dark. I have to have a light on. I was scarred by a movie when I was a kid and even though I know nothing will get me, I still have to have the light on.
24. I drink pickle juice out of a glass.
25. I would like to learn how to play the bassoon and oboe.

Most of you are now saying...WOW...Marti needs psychiatric help! :) That's okay! I love me just the way I am!

Football and randomness

So I have made the decision that I need to start blogging again...regularly. I was reading some of my earlier blogs (from myspace over 2 years ago) and I loved blogging then...I need to get in the habit again. So here goes...

LIFE....

Friday night I took Excedrin PM for the first time ever and I've been suffering ever since. I have had CRAZY ridiculous dreams for 3 nights now. I hope tonight I can sleep without insanity going on in my subconscious.

There is an all day marathon of Dr Quinn Medicine Woman on GMC today. I have been watching it on and off all day. I love this show and I'm still going to marry Sully someday. Who cares if he's married,, has 4 kids and old now.

Friday night I went to a Nixa football game. It was entertaining. I am such a people watcher...always have been, always will be. I noted a few things of interest (to me).

1. The only thing that has changed since I was in school 13 years ago...the teenagers wear less and they have cell phones.
2. The difference between Sikeston and Nixa is that in Nixa you dont have small girls dressed ridiculously like cheerleaders dreaming of the only thing in life they think they can be (a Sikeston cheerleader). It was kinda refreshing.
3. I will never understand women who wear short skirts and high heels to football games (or any sporting event for that matter).
4. I loved watching the game!
5. Nixa takes band so much more seriously than Sikeston did. They have an awesome band and you can tell the kids really enjoy it.
6. It was cool going to the game as the teacher this time. It's like you're a celebrity when kids see you. I love the sense of belonging to my community as well. I saw a plethora of people I knew and I'm just part of the community. I haven't felt htat way since high school. It's nice.

So that's about it. Nothing exciting in my life to speak of. Just another day in the life...