A Ramble of Randoms

When December first started, I thought I had prepared myself for all the busy-ness that was going to happen. Well, I learned one thing [again...every year! I guess it's something I will never really "learn"!] you can't really plan out your end-of-the-year months! The only thing that you can really plan for these months is...crazy. I should just put that in my planner..."Today: Crazy"...*laughs* But no joke, it's been one hell of a ride this month. And it's not even over yet...but I have a few moments to write. I seriously have been meaning to write more in my blog...keep it more up-to-date, but it's more of, "when I get the chance to write, I'll write!"

I don't even know where to start. One person that is on my mind right now is Legend. I know I'm going to cry writing about this, but writing has always been therapeutic for me and I don't ever want him to be forgotten. And "they" say if you write about something/someone they will be immortalized forever. And Legend, you will never be forgotten...like that can even happen in my lifetime, at least.

Legend lived a few short wonderful 3 years. He was a child at my preschool and he was more a quiet one. He loved his skateboard, his shark backpack, his giraffe and his teacher, Mrs. A. He would nap in my classroom at times and he had "his spot" where he would want his bed to be and he was very particular about how it was set up. He had the tiniest shark backpack (which had to face him while he napped) that somehow his mom would miraculously fit 2+ blankets in with a random assortment of special things (one time it was blue party napkins another time his finger skateboards...it was a surprise every time). After nap time he would asked me to help him put his blanket away and as hard as we would try we rarely could fit his blankets in his tiny backpack the way his mom did. He was his teacher's opihi, always having an eye on her and/or always holding onto her somehow...holding her hand, her shirt, her leg.

He would come in my room and dance. His classroom is right next to mine and we have a "secret door" (that isn't so secret since Mrs. A and I like to keep it open during class hours)...and whenever we had music playing (which is all the time) and my class had another of it's many impromptu dance parties, Mrs. A's students would hear and poke their head in my class and join us. At first he would be hesitant to dance, and then he would warm up and you can see him jumping, spinning, holding hands, and twirling with the other kids.

Every morning he would call out, "Hello Ms. Charity" and give me a huge smile all the while clinging onto Mrs. A and whatever toy (most times his giraffe) he had brought with him that day. He was a beautiful boy with a beautiful soul...who unfortunately was born with a rare birth defect that went unnoticed until it was too late. Less than a week ago on December 23 his mom wrote, "Legend was born with a rare birth defect none of us knew about. He had a tangle of arteries and veins in his brain stem which caused his brain to hemorrhage. There was no surgery they could do because of the location so they tried their very, very best to stabilize him, unfortunately they were unsuccessful and he went to fly up to heaven." He was and is very much loved by his family. His sisters doted on him and his family is so close knit.

Legend, you will be very much missed by all those you touched. I will miss you.

Wow, that was hard to write.



I am glad that I am on winter break. More time at the beach for me! I still value my early mornings at the shoreline just watching the sunrise. Since it is winter break, there are a lot more people at the beach when I go. A lot more people with their cameras set up to catch the sun rising over the horizon. And I go pretty early as well. It's always confusing though...it's like the sun has a mind of it's own...there are times where I'll go to the beach at 6:30 and it's still super dark...and other times I'll go at that time and the sun is already up...well, not fully up, but up enough!

It's been too cold to swim in the water, but I will still walk the shoreline with my feet in the water...the ocean water is so healing! I can read all day at the beach...but like I said, since it's winter break, more people...so it's not as calming. But that's okay...everyday is still a beach day to me!



Christmas this year was HOT HOT HOT! We all went to my brother's house to celebrate and one of the first things I said to them was "My days, it's hot!" But the next day, it rained like the ocean was falling out of the sky! You can't really see here, but this is what it looked like right outside my front door. And it was like a waterfall coming down the roof...and I am right by the drain cannal to the sea...and it was like a river rushing by! I love the sound...and if you ever want the beach to yourself...this is the time to go. Not as much people there...and the ocean is a different kind of beautiful! I am so glad that the power didn't go out though! (Although I do enjoy lighting a scented candle when I'm home!)

Well, I decided to change up my fish tank: TankTown. For the longest time I wanted everything (as much everything as I can) to be natural. TankTown (my 35 gallon fish tank) had blue and green marble as "gravel" and treated coral with small kine live plants on them. I wanted it to be a more natural look with driftwood and more plants...so I redid the tank...and I feel like my fish are much more happier!



I had to use a rubber band to hold the plants down until they settle and take roots...should be in a few weeks. But I can't wait until I can remove them! I still like the coral in the tank...but I added a few pieces of drift wood. Changed out the marble completely with a more finer, natural looking gravel and added more plants.



My favorite aquarium plant is the anubias...even though they are slow growing...I like the look of it and once they are established...they look real nice! Plus, when they get bigger you can propagate it! I also added some java fern and water ferns. More bubblers as well and, of course, lots of marimo moss balls (which I also love and have them in all my tanks!) It looks as though my fish are more active and I love watching them explore around the tank and swim up and down and through the bubblers that I placed around the tank. (You can't see the bubblers that I added in the tank since I took this picture before I added the bubblers.)

Oh, and I can't forget! I added another betta fish to my growing fish family!



Meet Mr.Glorious. I met and adopted him while at my favorite LFS. I was there to buy more Zebra Danios for TankTown and I saw him there...and I was thought to myself "what glorious fish!" and I couldn't pass him up! I was meaning to get another betta anyways...and so I did. No, this is not the tank that I have him in anymore. I just put him in there as I prepared his home tank. I wanted him out of his tiny little container that I got him in; he is currently my most active betta fish! I can see him swimming around happily in his tank and exploring his cave and other live plants that I placed in there with him. You can't really tell in the picture but he has a gorgeous, iridescent blue body with transparent black fins and tail. And I think he's quite glorious.

I also brought Mr. Blueberry home from school since he wasn't looking too hot there. Plus, three other betta fish died in different classrooms within two days at the school...and I am not chancing anything with Mr. Blueberry. He was starting to become real lethargic and unmoving while in the classroom...and since he's been home with me he has been swimming around like his old self again. I'm not quite sure what happened in school...but he's going to stay with me for the time being.

On to some exciting baby news! My cousin had her baby, my (sister's) sis-in-law had her baby, and my best friend had her baby! All on the mainland, so I'm super bummed about that...but I'm so excited for them! My cousin and my (sister's) sis-in-law had their baby on my mom's birthday (December 19)...so that was a wonderful birthday surprise and my bestie had her baby a few days ago on the 26th!



My sis-in-law is beautifully pregnant and I get a wonderful happy feeling when I feel Baby PeachNectarine (DollGirl nicknamed her!) kick and move! She had her very successful baby shower and since we all love our tea time, the theme was a "Tea for 3" theme. After our Christmas celebration at their house, all the men got together and cleared out the baby room and put together their baby crib...and I am getting SUPER excited!

And, of course, my adorable baby niece, RocketGirl (who makes 6 months this month) has everyone's attention for the moment! I think that it's so cool that her and her cousin will less than a year apart! And oh my goodness, look at her, she has discovered her toes!

This year for my preschool children's Christmas present for their parents, I decided to do something "easier and faster"...since I knew that a good portion of the children in my class would only be here for a few days before traveling for the holidays. I showed them several projects and the one that they chose to do was the mistle-"toes" feet painting!



I laugh at this because we had just did a paint activity where we went outside and allowed my children to paint their feet and dance on the bike path and grass. And now they think it's the coolest thing to do...paint with your feet! So, of course, they had to choose the painting feet project! I loved hearing them giggle as I painted their feet! We added glitter and laminated it so that it would last longer (and be easier to frame)!



And every year as gift tags I always do the hand print Christmas mitten. I'm real big on saving those tiny handprints and footprint of the children and so I'm glad that they chose the feet mistletoe project. I hope the parents liked it as much as the children did when they saw the final product. They even decorated their own wrapping/envelope for their parents!

Oh, and how can I possible forget?! I went to the Nutcracker ballet this year with two of my friends!



It was a lot of fun to dress up and go with friends. I remember seeing the Nutcracker when I was younger and this one was a little bit different from the one that I remember when I was younger since the one that went to had a Hawai'ian take to it! I should have paid more attention to that because I was quite confused when the turtles and clownfish came out to dance!



But it was beautifully done and I feared to blink my eyes else I might miss something! The Cavalier in Act II: A Lush Tropical Garden was amazing...but everyone EVERYONE did such a breath-taking job! One of the persons that I went with happens to also be my school boss and classroom aid...and then next day in school during our impromptu dance parties you can bet your bottom dollar we were doing our various of ballet dancing with the children! It was an amazing event and I am so glad that I went this year!

Well, enough ramblings for now...I must go and do some productive things today! But here is one more beautiful picture of my favorite beach...doesn't it make you just want to lay down on the powder soft sand and cloud watch to nature's musical sound of the waves bubbling on the shore?!

PlayDate with DollGirl.

Today, my DollGirl came home with me after school. I had planned that we were going to go to the beach, since she is a little girl after my own heart and loves the beach just as much, if not more, than I do! However, it was raining...and we got home later than I thought.

After school, I also have the job of cleaning the school (every extra bit of money helps when you are living in Hawai'i!)...and she so desperately wanted to help me clean. I had told her that if she stayed in my classroom and played while I cleaned, it would get done faster and we would have time to go to the beach...but she really wanted to help me and who am I to deny the help of child wanting to help me clean?! So I let her help me clean. And lets just say, that we did have a lot of fun cleaning...there were a lot of laughs, giggles, and teaching moments...but it also took an hour and fifteen minutes longer for me to finish cleaning. To be fair, I did clock out my normal cleaning time...and just had fun with cleaning with my DollGirl. She loves to clean...more like, she loves to be helpful in any way that she can. I mean, I did get her her own tool set and tool belt so that she can help her dad build and fix things! I also know that she likes being with people she loves and cares for and she loves to learn new things...and so I love that about her. One of the million things I love about her.

Her mom already told me that she was going to come by my house to pick her up at around 6:30ishy after giving the little brother a bath. DollGirl and I got to my house at 5:30. Her mom had sent Mac and Cheese for dinner...and we had to cook it and eat it fast since the little brother is severely allergic to cheese. She wanted to eat dinner at the beach...but I already knew that there was no way that we could have made it without rushing...and so I told her that while the mac and cheese was cooking, we could make berry/mango smoothies and drink it out on the roof top (another place that she enjoys going) as dessert...so we had to eat fast!

As the mac and cheese was cooking I had turned on the music...and I do have a microphone that I am guilty of dancing and lipsyncing to! And DollGirl and I danced and sang to "Five Little Monkeys" and "The Wheels on the Bus" and other kid songs! It was so fun and we laughed and laughed and laughed. While the smoothies were staying cool in the fridge awaiting for our excursion to the roof top, we ate the mac and cheese. I love having conversations with my DollGirl. She is so much fun to talk to. The memories that she remembers is amazing for someone who has only lived 4 years! She recalls so vividly!

On Monday, she had come with me to my favorite pet store and helped me pick out another Betta fish, since my BamBam Jr. died a month ago. I've had him for about 3 years and I was really sad to see him go...so I waited a month to get another one...but when I went to go out to get another one, DollGirl came with me and chose a 1/2 Moon Betta fish. Very gorgeous one...that we are still trying to pick a name for it! (When we decide on the name, he will have his own introducing post!) But she was telling me all the fish in detail that she saw at the fish store...and she was even able to point out the fish that I had!

But while we were eating our Mac and Cheese, she really wanted her smoothie too, and so I told her that if we drink it now, we couldn't go out on the rooftop to drink it...and she said that that was okay...and so we ate our mac and cheese and drank our smoothies...all the while laughing, talking, and singing to the music.

I love that girl, and I always have fun with her. I pray for her everyday. And I love her. I love her. I love her.

Working hard.

This week is Teacher Work Week. It's the week that we get as teachers to fix our classroom and start on our lesson plans for this coming up year. A week? I wish that we could have more than a week, but I am very appreciative for this week. But I do have to say that I feel like I put in more hours on this week for this job than I do on a normal preschool work day. Oh well, that could just be me and how particular I want my room. :)

The first thing that I wanted to do was get all the painting that I needed to get done. And I did a lot of painting! The first thing that I wanted to do was this "easy" job of repainting this toy shelf for the kids. I also plan on putting the fish tanks on this...and don't get me wrong, I am all up for the primary colors, but this...this was something that needed to change. 

I started off with painting the outside black and then then inside the cubbies a sea foam color. I love that color combination! I really love the ending product!

I think that it matches my room sooo much better and I get match it better in the future. The red was just too bright! Because of the humidity it took a long time for this baby to dry! I did a lot of painting this year. I chalkboard painted my door with a trim of this same sea foam color. And I also made four chalk board's to hang around my room.

I hate when my classroom is a mess and I have to admit I was going into anxiety mode during this process! It took forever to take down the bulletin paper because I didn't just want to rip it down and throw it away, it was still good paper and so I wanted to save it all and cut it into smaller pieces to recycle it for artwork.

I decided to use black as the main color for the bulletin boards and it made me sooo frustrated because the boarders that I wanted were out of stock at all the teacher stores here on the island (a down side to living a small island...) but I made due and used chevron strips and polka dots that I had used last year in a different pattern.

Once I had all my bulletin paper up with the boarders I felt like I could now start on the other things that I wanted to do...the details and accents. And most importantly setting up the classroom management part of the room. It frustrates me if there is no order or the management is off in my class.

Oh but first...look at my black mollies and (one guppy) their babies! Aren't the babies SOOOO cute! I love my fish. :)

I love laminating EVERYTHING! I wish that our school had a bigger laminater, but that's okay, because for now I can use my personal one. It gets what I need done, done. :)

Order. See, I like order...:)

Their cubby tags are super cute! I love the accept pieces that I chose for this year...I love the "cutesy" things with adorable faces!

Although, I do like this part of the year where I can redo my room and get back with organizing everything and implement new things...it very time consuming trying to get everything done for the first day of school...and I have to say that at the end of the day I am extremely exhausted...

When I got home I was excited to get a postcard in the mail. :)

The postcard was from 17 year old Katerina and she is from Czech Republic. It had a very sweet message on back about how she knows someone here in Hawai'i and she had met him at a camp where she gave her life to God. That was awesome to hear! On my postcrossing profile, I had mentioned that I love God and I was glad that she was comfortable enough to let me know about that amazing decision that she made.

I also think that stamps that she used are super adoreable and cute...bunnies! You can't go wrong with bunnies! :)

Well, I hope that I'll be able to finish what I need to get done for my classroom by Monday! I'm sure I will, I mean, it does look a lot better than it did in the beginning of the week! :)

Pluviophile

Pluviophile- (n) a lover of rain; someone who finds joy and peace of mind during rainy days.

Right now the rain is falling and the sound of it rivals the love I have of the sound of my beloved ocean waves. It's such a calming sound and I love it. I have a rain canal right outside my place and I can tell that it's slowly getting filled with rain water and the sound of the collected water bubbling down to the ocean adds to this tranquil moment. The raindrops splashing and falling from the trees completes this amazing, relaxing sound that I am in the middle of.  Wow, I love where I live, and I am so glad that I am able to call this place home. 

As I pulled my car into the garage, I sat in my car for a moment just to enjoy the sound of the rain and peaceful moment before entering my "little haven" to complete my checklist of "Things to do before I go to bed." As I am sitting there, I hear my landlady call my name and I look up to see her looking at me in concern as to why am I just sitting there. I just have to say, I have The Best landlady EVER! She is one of the sweetest person that I know...so thoughtful and so caring. She has a cute little dog named Snoopy, and I adore the fact that he knows the sound of my car and he gets all excited when I come home. She had come out to let Snoopy come and greet me. I love that little dog...and I love the fact that he gets so excited when I arrive home. One day, I want to have a dog again. One day when I have a little bit bigger place that will allow me to have a dog (and a cat.)

I love the fact that I am surrounded by amazing people. My Teacher's Assistant (TA) has become like a mom to me. She texted me over the weekend to tell me that she has a 60 gallon aquarium (FULL SET UP) that her son is willing to give to me! (She also offered me a custom built 100 gallon fish tank! I am SOOO tempted! :)) Just give it to me, just like that. How amazing is that! I currently have a 35 gallon aquarium and a 10 gallon aquarium...and I just don't have room for a 60 gallon just yet. She told me that she will keep it for as long as I needed her to. She told me that she believes in me and that I will be able to get a bigger place where I can have all the fish tanks that I want. :) Her son actually was the one who gave me the two that I have now. I love my fish. They are pretty awesome. :) I am trying to see if my sister will take the 60 gallon tank, but I don't want to force her because taking care of your fish and is big responsibility and if she doesn't even know if she would want to have fish, I think that a 60 gallon is a bit to big for a starter. But who knows, maybe...:) But for now, my amazing TA (and friend) will keep it at her place for me. :) No matter how long. She's awesome. :)

A few weeks ago my sister asked my sister-in-law and I if we knew any devotionals that we can recommend to her since she was in-between devotionals. I gave her my two cents, but Amanda told both of us about this Bible Study Journal by Darlene Schacht and it was very interesting and I wanted to give it a try. So I went and bought one for myself and my sister (Amanda bought one for herself and it was being delivered to her already). Mine and my sister's arrived a few days before we were to leave to California, so I decided to wait until after I got back to start it. 

Last week was one of the most tiring, exhausting week EVER! The week I was in CA was super busy (SUPER FUN, but SUPER busy), and then coming home to go straight to work with a classroom full of 2-3 year olds, that was NOT happening for me! I barely got to the weekend before crashing all day Saturday! But yesterday, I was so wide awake with SO much energy, so that was good. I knew I just needed at least one day to recover, and I finally feel as if I can survive life again. :)

Anyways, as I was saying, so Amanda introduced my sister and I to this journal and to be honest, I am pretty excited to start. I'll be starting it today day (at 9:PM actually :)) I still have the DR Journal that I do in the mornings, and so this one I will be doing in the evening. The layout is pretty simple actually and it's really straight forward.

So, all the pages are somewhat like this. I like how they have "3 things I'm thankful for." I think that it's a very good thing to reflect on; the things that you are thankful. When you are having a bad day, it's good to be able to look back and read what you wrote down. 

I honestly thought when I got it that it would be more of a study guide and have verses or what not to reflect on, but I like this too, so that way I can choose what I wanted to study. But in that way, that was a problem. I haven't read my bible in such a long time. I do do devotionals in the morning and I do read the verses that are in my devotionals, but I haven't read my bible Bible. So, I think that it's good that it's going to help me get in the habit of exploring the Bible. After researching and doing much thought, I have chosen the book of James that I would study. 

When I was in the Philippines as a missionary for those 6 months, I remember liking the verses that I read from there...and plus I saw this:

And so I decided to find a study guide/reading schedule of the book of James and I found this:

 

And this is the guideline that I will be following! I made a print friendly version for myself.

 

(and yes, I just realized that I spelled the source wrong :( I found it on Pinterest.com actually and it brought me to goodmorninggirls.org, so your should check that place out if you want to find where I got this reading schedule.)

So, that is my newest journal...and I'm excited! 

 

So now to answer the day 2 of my 30 days of Gratitude:

Day 2: What technology are you grateful for?

Hands down, my cell phone. Which is saying a lot, since I am always getting in "trouble" for not always having it with me! If I leave my phone home, I don't freak out, I just say "whatever" and move on and see whats up when I get home. :) For a long while I had wanted to not even have a cell phone. 

But then my parents became missionaries in a different country. Now my cell phone is the only way that I can get a hold of them. (Well, technically, my cell phone, computer, and/or iPad, BUT....) My cell phone has skype and facebook and can be with me where ever I go (that's if I don't forget it somewhere!) And those are the two methods that my parents try to get a hold of me.

To say that I was in an empty place when my parents left only brushes the surface of how I really felt. June 2010 was one of the most hardest times of my life...well, actually it WAS the most hardest thing that I had to go through (up-to-date). So many things were happening all at once and I felt like I would never stand on solid ground again, and when my parents left, it left me floundering in a whirlwind of chaotic emotions...and I felt like I was going into a dark place and I was scared that I wouldn't have been able to return. (That's where my wonderful sister came and helped me. :) Gosh, I love her!)

And that was when I started to really rely on my cell phone to keep me in touch with my parents. I don't have the most fanciest phone out there, but it is a piece of technology that I will never take for granted because it keeps me connected to my parents. The hard part is, I never know when they will reach out to me, coz I can't just call/message/text/skype them. I have to wait for them to be able to get in a place with service to be able to contact me. The last time I talked to them was more than 2 months ago. The wait to hear from them is killing me. But I have to trust that they are okay.

Another reason why I am grateful for it is, since I live alone now, it makes family seem closer. If I need to talk to my sister for whatever reason, I can call her. Same goes with my brother. Same goes with my best friend. Same goes for my cousin. I like how if I can't physically see them, I can still talk to them and that makes it feel like I'm not so alone in this world. 

So yes, the technology I am grateful for is my cell phone.

My little corner.

Today marks the day where one month ago I moved into "my little corner" of this vast world. A place to call my own. A haven. A secret hide-a-way...well, it's that big of a secret...but I will say that if you don't know where to look, you will most definitely just past by it without even knowing that you missed it. 

Since my [former] housemate is planning to get married [to my BROTHER, no less!]...I had to quickly find another place to live. I have to admit that I was a bit stressed out trying to look for the right place. I knew that I wanted to stay in this area because I liked being close to work, I didn't want to live in "town", and I have grown to love this part of O'ahu. With the help of my sister and her husband [MY amazing brother-in-law!], I looked, inquired, and finally found the place where I felt like I could feel safe at. I haven't lived on my own for a couple years now...and I knew that the degree of my FEELING of safety would play a HUGE role in whether or not I liked the place.

As we all know, teachers don't make the highest or anywhere near the highest paying job...in short. We struggle. Especially if you are single with no second income. So, it's as good thing that I have two jobs. But I love my job, and I'm finding it hard to imagine anything taking me away from this amazing teaching job that I have. That being said, I just wish that they would pay us so that we can actually survive and have fun from time to time! *laughs* Well, no one said that I HAD to live here in Hawai'i and it's ridiculous high cost of living. But I have grown to love it here, so I really wanted to try and make it.

The windward side of O'ahu isn't the easiest place to find a home with the amount of money we make [as a teacher]...however, I was blessed to find this gem of a place. Well, my sister found the place, and when I went to go check it out, I knew that THIS was the place where I wanted to be.

My "little corner" is a tiny 245 sq. ft. studio located near the beautiful, beautiful beach of Lanikai. No, seriously, when I say "near" I mean NEAR. I-can-hear-the-ocean-waves-crashing-on-the-shore kind of near. I love it. At first I thought the "silence" of this place was going to bother me. I hate silence. But its not as silent as I thought! Between the waves crashing in the distance and the ever present trade winds brushing against the trees that surround me it is the perfect nature sound of relaxation. Oh, and guess what wakes me up in the morning! Birds singing. And the sun...I have plenty natural light and I can look out my window EVERY DAY and see the wonderful masterpieces that God creates in the sky. Like I said, I love it.

Originally, I was concerned about how tiny the place was! I have NEVER lived in a place that was SOO tiny! It didn't have a kitchen, but a refrigerator. And when you walk in my front door...let me just show you...come on in! :)

Yes, that is the bathroom! I didn't think that I would like the fact that you walk into the bathroom right when you step into my house! I still don't like it, but it's not as bad. I do love the fact that my sister was able to find a welcome mat that matched my shower curtain! :) Before I share with you the rest of my place...my place is still a work in progress. I am more on point in keeping everything clean! I hate when I see anything out of place...or if my floor is littered with my hair! *laughs* But I still need to decorate and add shelves and what not...but for the most part...I love how my "little corner" has turned out!

I like things nice and organized. And I have to say that I have The Best sister ever! I think she realized that I was overwhelmed with the move and trying to organize everything so she stepped in and while I was at work, she came to my "corner" and organized and fixed everything up! It was a mixed collaboration among my sister, brother-in-law, and I in creating my tiny space. I did research on tiny living and put my input and my sister did the finishing touch on the plans and with the help of my Bro-in-law, made it into a reality!

When you turn left from the front door into another door to enter in the main living place this is what you would see. Downsizing was VERY hard...but it was also very therapeutic since it was cleaning out everything that I knew that I didn't really need. The two things that I wish I could have taken with me was my punching bag and my piano. I was able to bring all my books though! And my fishtank. I actually had a longer fishtank and it worked it great because my friend was looking for a longer tank since she has a saltwater tank with an eel in it. My tank was a 30 gallon tank...this one is a 35 gallon tank...but I love how it was more vertical rather than horizontal. So, we switched tanks...and it worked out perfectly so that my armchair could fit there.

I was able to bring my TV with me...and I use it as my "radio"...and when I'm not, it's always playing music or sometihng. :) My mom made my curtains! I love them! My sister made me my mermaid signs and my brother-in-law made almost everything else you see in this picture. :)

I was so glad that my twin sized loft was able to fit in this little alcove. I all the loft my "bedroom." My brotherIL did make it fore me! And my sister had a surprise for me! She added glitter to the paint...more like a shimmer. I live shiny things and so I was SO glad that she added that! I even have my very own "dungeon"...basically what I call my storage rooms where ever I live [think Phantom of the Opera! *laughs*].

Here is a better view of the kitchenette that my BrotherIL made for me! I adore that magnetic strip for my knives and other stuff! And get this, my BrotherIL even made my counter tops with REAL granite that he cut and shaped himself! I love him! :)

Here's a better view of how that looks. I love how everything works together. My BrotherIL did an amazing job! :)

This is my little study corner. Where I am right now typing out this post. :)

This is the view outside my window. It faces the ocean...and I love it! That is the roof of the garage outside my window and I have take an towel and blanket and just laid down on there and just looked up. It's so relaxing to go cloud watching out there...and the stars. Oh wow! The stars are amazingly bright. What you can't see but on the right there is a pretty big front yard with a nice green lawn, mango trees, herb gardens, flower gardens, a water fountain, and open space where I take my towel to lay down and just read a book out in nature. Well, that's if I'm to lazy to walk down to the beach. *laughs*

Well, that is my little corner...a place where I have grown to love in the short time that I've been here. I hope I am able to stay here even longer. I still have to show you may mini patio/balcony that I am fixing up! :) I love my space. I feel safe here. And I feel closer to nature. I love it. :)

House Cleaning.

This morning, my sister gave me the schedule of Passion Roots, and I saw that for the first couple weeks of October will be super busy, and so I knew that I had things that I wanted to do before I didn't have the time to do it...so I made myself a list of the things that I needed done.

Not everything HAS to be done, but there were somethings that I really wanted done. But I have to say that I got a lot of things done, so that's good. I know that I have today, Monday, and Tuesday to get everything that I wanted done to get done. After that, my life is not my own any longer! *laughs* Just joking...it's still mine, but I know that I will be super busy. It will be wake up, go to preschool work, go to Passion Roots studio, go home, shower, crash...repeat. And if I am lucky, I will find time to eat between goings. *laughs*

One thing I knew that I really wanted to get done today was to clean out my fish tank. To do a full cleaning of my tank. I usually do a full clean of my tank every 2 months. Every month I do a 50% water change and I also change a filter (taking turns with the two filters that I have) every two months. So, it was due a full tank cleaning, and I knew that actually I would have one more week until I had to clean it out, but knowing the schedule that I have I knew that I wouldn't have time, so I decided to do so today.

And you can tell by the millions of bubbles you can see that it was a successful cleaning of my tank. :) I did put in an order at Amazon for more plants...so when that gets here, I'll take another picture of home my tank looks...I like to spoil my pets. *laughs*

Speaking of which, I suspect that my poor BamBam Jr. has FIN ROT! NO!!! Well, I can not be TO sure, but I wanted to treat him so that in case he does have it, he will get better. I was happy when I saw that if I treated him as soon as I notice it, then it's not that bad...I would hate for it to be BODY ROT because all the run has rotted away already! 

My BamBam Jr. doesn't act sick though...he is still super, duper outgoing! But I did ask the person at the pet store if it would hurt him if I did treat him and he didn't have the disease, and he said no...but not to over treat him. I won't over treat him, but I hope that he gets better if he is sick!

Another thing that was on my "to-do" list was to clean and spray paint my shower caddy! It's getting rusty and gross looking and so I wanted to get on that! I also wanted to hang it on a hook on the other side of my shower because I don't like how it's in the way of the cord when I am taking a shower. 

So, I removed everything from in it, and took it outside and cleaned it as best as I could. Took of the rust and all that...and then spray painted it black. I then added modge podge so that it can stay like this longer.

Here is a side view of it...and I love it! It looks more cleaner! But hey, I DO keep my shower clean! *laughs* I do a deep, full cleaning of it every two weeks! :) 

Here is a front view of it. I really like it a lot! And I like how it is on the other side of my tub where there is a lot more room for it. And my shower looks super cleaner because it's not as cluttered with the shower head and stuff. So I hope that it stays like that tomorrow...and not fall down! :)

Well, I was able to do quite a few things off my "to do" list, so I am happy for that. :) What I am going to try to do for this month at least is to force myself to lay down on my bed for sleeping at least by 12. I know that I am going to need my sleep if I am going to be pulling literally all-nighters with trying to balance my two jobs and my school. We will see where it all ends up then! :)