Why I Love & Hate 100 Yen Shops

We don't have Target, Gap, or Pottery Barn here for me to walk in to and "casually browse," then end up spending a couple hundred bucks I don't have (although there is online shopping....).  However, we do have the illustrious 100 Yen store.  There's one right around the corner from my apartment and all over the island.  They are similar to the Dollar Store in the U.S., but wwwwaaayyyy better.  

Let me illustrate.  Tomorrow, my class is going on a field trip to a Sweet Potato Farm.  The kiddos are going to dig the potatoes out of the ground and will need to bring their own garden shovels/spades.  I wanted to pick up some extras in case some kids show up without some so I drove over to the 100 Yen Shop to grab some.  Not only did I get 5 shovels for 5 bucks, but they are sturdy, metal shovels with spongy grips to keep those little hands callous free.

While picking these out, I realized that my porch plants are in dire need of some soil replenishing.   No problem - bags of soil were right around the corner.

And although I was so excited to find new dog dishes this summer for only $3.00 apiece, the dogs have decided they make better toys than dishes (I've been finding them under the bed).  So, I happened to grab these cuties for only $1.00 a piece, complete with paw prints.

So - you see what's happening here - I go in for one thing and come out with a bag full of items.  Thankfully, I am limited to whatever amount of Yen I have on me (they don't take credit/debit cards), so I can't buy out the whole place.  Additionally, not all items are 100 Yen.  I bought this tray for my classroom for around $2.00.

I also snagged this pretty wooden air freshener.  It smells like green apple.  I think I'll put it in my office at work.

Although the 100 Yen store carries many useful things, such as tools, city-ordained garbage bags (we have to use specific bags), office supplies (gotta love getting white-out for a buck), and dishes, there are plenty of odd items that make shopping in Japan all the more fun.  For instance, this.  I couldn't resist this little guy.  He now keeps my phone company.

The Sniffles

My nose is stuffy and runny at the same time.

I'm hungry, but I feel nauseous.

I've got that annoying cough that comes at just the wrong time.

Ugh.

I hate being sick.

What's in a Name?

I found this salad dressing quite funny.  I mean, it is Japanese salad dressing with the name Mrs. Natalie!  It kinda reminds me of Mrs. Butterworth's with the picture of the woman on the front.

Sneak Peek

Open house is this week and there's a lot to be done in the classroom.  These are just some of the things that have kept me busy at school lately...

Feeding our new class pets

Putting student work on display

Sorting, labeling, and putting books out in the Book Nook

Putting the class contract up for all to see

All Work...and Some Play

In case there is anyone still reading this blog....

I've become my own worst enemy with school starting back up again - I've become the epitome of a workaholic.  Moving from Kinser to Killin has not been easy and has kept me up at school late into the night trying to figure where to put stuff, how to organize with different furniture, and finding that perfect room arrangement.  Since my perfectionistic tendencies prevent me from showing the finished product of my new classroom (I'd like to show pictures that have student work displayed in the room), I can show you the mess that was my classroom about a week or so ago:

However, it hasn't been ALL work and no play.  I've been able to fit in a few fun things here and there.  Over Labor Day weekend, for instance, I went to Jason and Emily's place for a barbecue.  It was a fun evening with friends, kids, and dogs.

Meanwhile, Jackson enjoyed showing off his little sister Grace.  

In the few hours that I'm home, I make sure to take the dogs out for a lengthy romp around the neighborhood.  One night this sweet Shiba Inu followed us all the way back home.  I think he was hoping he'd become the 3rd member of our pack.  Unfortunately for him (and fortunately for Noa), I used great restraint in keeping our pack at a healthy 2.  However, I did make sure he got plenty of water before heading back to the seawall.

After learning how to jump start a car (thanks, Jay!), I got the "Turtle" back on the road again.  I love getting my car cleaned on base.  For only 13 bucks, the car is cleaned both inside and out.  Check out the operation they have going here.  I was in and out in 10 minutes!

Finally, I made it to Okinapa, the annual and very popular wine festival, this past weekend.  Thanks to some pressure from Tom and Jason, I decided to go in spite of my lack of sleep from the past week.  It was a good decision as I had a blast.  Good friends, good wine, good food....it doesn't get much better than that!

On the Move

Sorry for my recent absence from the blogosphere recently. But, I have an excuse: I'm moving....to a new school! Due to low enrollment numbers at my former school, I'm now employed at E.C. Killin Elementary School on Camp Foster. I'll still be teaching Kindergarten, but I'm still in the process of getting my new classroom up and ready for the upcoming school year (it's currently filled with boxes). Pictures will be coming shortly.

Art Showcase

I've always wanted pet portraits done of Sadie and Gunnar. However, I wasn't a big fan of most of the "custom" paintings offered out there. So many of them reminded me of a paint-by-number masterpiece. I wanted something different, but with a little more class.

This summer, I found just what I had been looking for and voila! 

Check out my new custom pet portraits:

Sadie

Gunnar

Jess had one done of Sarge too!

What do you think?

Positive Feedback

I've never been a great test taker.

I think that's one of the reasons I became a teacher.  I wanted to reach kids who were like me and needed other ways to show what has been learned. My goal, in taking standardized tests, is to make the requirement, finish the test, and survive. I know I'm smarter than that, but I am a terrible standardized test taker. I prefer to write an essay or create a portfolio.  But once that answer sheet morphs into a scantron, I'm in trouble.  I read too much into the questions, I  second guess myself, and then I end up questioning each one of my answers. 

Unfortunately, there's no getting around standardized tests in many areas of life....especially when you are a teacher.  This past year, I've had to take a series of tests in order to get my teaching certificate through DoDDS (Department of Defense Schools).  I'm probably going to have to battle these tests for a long time considering the fact that many states do not have reciprocity with teaching certificates and we'll be moving every 3 - 5 years.

 So, imagine my surprise when, while going through the gallons of mail that awaited me upon my trip from the states, I came across this:

And this inside:

What you are looking at is a letter and certificate stating that my recent scores on the Praxis II test fell within the top 15% of scores!  Wow!  I couldn't believe it!

 Guess I must know something after all!

Creative in Colorado

The last stop on my journey in the US was to Colorado where Jess had lots of projects waiting for us to tackle. She described them on her blog, but I have a few pictures to add. 

For example, here is Jess in action, making the headboard for the master guest suite:

Sarge, of course, was always the enthusiastic helper (notice that he's about to give me a big, wet kiss!):

But I think our favorite project was shopping, shopping, shopping!

Or evening walks with Sarge:

Although watching Maggie and Sarge act like wild banshees was pretty comical.  I was able to get a pic of them actually standing still for one minute:

Okay, I guess I can't really decide which part was the best.  There were too many fun parts.

The crazy part of the trip is that we really didn't take many photos - which is bizarre.  I mean, I'm the one who carries around a camera everywhere I go, and Jess is practically a world-renowned photographer*, so I found it strange that taking photos was last on our list of to-dos.  

Thankfully, we were able to get a few that we were both in.  Like the self portrait with the funky sunglasses in Target while we were shopping with Kate.

Jess & Julie (again in Target!)

All in all, it was a fantastic trip, which ended much too soon!

*Vista Bella Photography

Working Hard in NH

I've been in NH for a little over 2 weeks now and working my tail off! The first week here, I taught the 4s & 5s class for Vacation Bible School at my parents church in addition to helping with some home projects and planning a baby shower for Cristyn. This past week, my mom and I overhauled the living room (painted it, cleaned the carpets and furniture, changed the furniture layout, etc) and did more shower preparation. Yesterday, we held the baby shower, which was a success and I started to pack to head out to my next destination: Colorado.

Thankfully, it hasn't been all work and no play. I've was able to fit in some other activities, like visiting my sister up at Camp Berea, taking a shopping trip at Ikea, and riding with my dad on his ride.

Celebrating Anoli's 27th birthday:

Taking a ride on my dad's Gold Wing:

Spending time with my grandparents:

And finally, throwing my pal, Cristyn, a baby shower:

Here she is opening her Japanese-patterned baby sling from yours truly.
Some of the decorations I made - cute, huh?
Measuring Cristyn for the ribbon game
The girls (L to R): Anoli, my mom, me, Cristyn, and Nancy, Cristyn's mom
The proud parents-to-be: Aaron and Cristyn

More travel photos to come!

Down by the Bay

With Noa deployed and my summer break still in full swing, it was high time I take a pilgrimage to the states. First stop: San Francisco to see our dear friends, Herman and Traci.

Traci took me to a bunch of fun, downtown boutiques in the Mission and Haight neighborhoods of SF.  We also ate at a fun little joint called Frjtz (yeah, who knows how to pronounce that?!).  Frjtz is famous for their fries and exotic dipping sauces (I got spicy Thai ketchup) and huge crepes. These were delicious. And even though the temperatures decided to shoot up, we enjoyed our time immensely (photos courtesy of Traci).

Check out the decor at Fritz:

Big, heaping cups of fries:

Yummy, fruity crepes:

Chilling with a Coke:

More travel updates to come!

One More

In between frantic packing, cleaning, and last minute computer updating, Noa and I were able to step out on the balcony and watch the sunset one more time before he leaves for his deployment for the next 6 - 7 months. 

Beautiful.

Conversation

While waiting in line at Taco Bell 

(yes, we have a Taco Bell on the base):

N: What's a fiesta burrito?

J: It's a burrito with a party in it.

N: Oh....

Olé!

Spare Change & Yennies!

Noa and I keep 2 jars on our kitchen counter for spare change: one is for American coins, the other is for Yen.  Since the jars were filled and my trip to the US is fast approaching (read: SHOPPING!), I decided that it was time to cash it in.  Unfortunately we don't have Coinstar machines here, so I have to roll the coins.  As I was separating out the American coins, I realized that we have a slightly different coin system than that of the states: we don't use pennies!  That's right, no pennies.  None.  Nada.  If we buy something on base, the cashier simply rounds up or down.  That's also how we are given change.  It actually made it kind of difficult when I introduced money to my Kindergarten students because I had trouble finding real pennies to show them.

Anyway, I ended up getting $82 out of my jar.  Woohoo!

However, my pockets, my car, and the chair cushions are still plagued with "useless" coins hanging around.  The Japanese coin that is similar to the value of a penny is pictured above.  It is smaller and very lightweight (I swear it is made out of layers of aluminum foil).  And, it is used out in town.  So, I have a second jar with many of these mixed in. This year, I overheard several of my students refer to these coins as "yennies" and I thought it was so cute.  so now I'm not as bothered by these coins hanging around.  At least they have a cute name and don't weigh that much.

Gunnar Tribute

Look who turned 3 over the weekend!

Me?  Three years old? No way!

Although not as photogenic as Sadie (often I catch him with his tongue out or his eyes closed), I'm usually able to catch a few shots of him looking dapper.

Gunnar is a toy dog.  Sadie is a treat dog.  Gunnar will always choose a stuffed toy to play with.  He especially likes these stuffed balls with squeakers in them.  He'd spend all day chasing them down the hallway if given the chance.

Gunnar despises wearing clothes or anything around his body. When I put clothes on him, he gets very rigid and tense.  You can see how upset he is about wearing this harness.

Occasionally, Gunnar will get this pensive look and you wonder what is going on in that little head of his.

Most times though, he's just a regular ol' goofball and follows me wherever I go.  I call him my shadow.  I just love this little guy and all his silly antics.  Happy 3rd, Gunns!