The Latta Family

In all honesty- yes I post these blog posts, but I do this for two reasons: 1) remind myself of different parts of our life and 2) entertain myself and y'all.  Doug and I are in the process of surviving one of our kids first major injuries.  Yes- they've banged themselves up, had bruised wrists that required a brace, a sprained ankle that required a brace (that we frequently travel with- because while I love her . . . she clumsy), survived a fractured-ish foot.  Our kids had like 6-7 sets of tubes when they were toddlers.  Andrew's torn ACL/meniscus is a whole new . . . . everything.  This post is to help me remember.  Remember this event.  Remember where we started, so I'll be able to appreciate how far we've come. Remember the struggles, so the wins are so much sweeter.  We spent all summer with him working 2 jobs and being gone about 12 hours a day, 5 days a week.  We tried to tell him he had his whole life to work . . . he might want to have fun sometimes.  He a

 I may  have told you a time or two- I am a special ed teacher.  I tend to work with students who have learning disabilities, ADHD, or Autism.  Occasionally I get to talk to the faculty and try to advocate for my kids. When that opportunity presents itself- I like to try to help teachers realize that areas where they struggle and how that feels . . . is how our students feel.  I think it helps people to be more empathetic.  I start this post- to say that I am NOT making light of the struggles that students or adults with special needs experience.  I have experienced something this morning- that made me go, "My God- how do people with special needs do this everyday?!  No wonder some of our kids behave the way they do!!!" I started exercising again.  I started back in April.  One of the women I work with- has a side gig as a certified personal trainer.  I asked her- if she would be willing to help me.  I reached out to her.  She is someone I feel safe with.  I knew she'd pu

 I am having a hard time getting myself in the mood to go back to school.  Between my struggle to sleep without a heavy dose of melatonin and my weirdo dreams- I believe I have some nerves about the upcoming school year.  I went by school today to beg one of our front office staff to print something in color for me- so I can make a super cool bulletin board for one of our hallways.  While I was there a student that I know well was there.  He was telling me a story and I was totally cracking up.  It reminded me that over the years- kids have said some pretty dang funny things to me.   Today's story:  this young man apparently encountered another young man- who just graduated- at the grocery store.  The other young man "was bucking up" and today's young man said, "C'mon man!  Not in front of the steaks!"  I agree.  Fighting should not happen in front of steaks.  Probably keep that kind of activity to the beer aisle, or in front of the paper products.  Defi

 I missed out on being an evil overlord.  Well, maybe I didn't.  Maybe I needed years of being a high school teacher, a wife, and a mother to develop my manipulation tactics?  I am particularly impressed with my most recent  . . . we'll say "handling" of my family.   Many many many years ago, some friends introduced us to the game of Dominoes.  We love to play Mexican Train.   In case you've never played- the overall goal is to place all of the dominoes you selected- in a train/row- so that you have zero points.  We play this game a lot.  During Quarantine- we played every night.  We've been playing fairly frequently this summer.  The trouble is . . . some of my family is VERY competitive.  VERY.  So there's a fair amount of trash talking by those family members.  The other trouble is we have different types of strategies- and sometimes some people don't like the strategy style of others.  In order to combat some of the negative feelings and make our g

 My inner monologue has been real weird lately.  Weirder than even usual- sooooo that's pretty weird. There's this account I follow on Instagram.  The man is a landscaper and makes content showing him edging sidewalks and other areas.  Whenever I watch him edging, it is so soothing.  I mean- look at the before of this spot, it's all overgrown and weedy.                                                                  Now look at it!!  The edges are so straight and tidy.  How productive does this guy feel when he completes this task?!?!?! Look at this edge.  The grass is growing over the timber.  It's all scraggly and messy.   Now look!!!!!! Last one- I promise.  Look at this messy walkway!!!! And now . . . . .  There's just something about the tidiness, the accomplishment that appeals to me.  This has become one of my favorite accounts.  Just watching him make these nice straight lines along walkways and stones.  It's oddly soothing.

 My gardening endeavors feature heavily onto this little spot of the web.  Mostly because I use this as a memory to myself of what worked at what didn't.  What I loved and what I didn't.  What I can look forward to- and what I hopefully do not repeat again.   This years garden situation has been filled with deeps lows of frustration and high levels of love and hope.  This sounds like the beginning of an epic love novel!  I am so poetic.  LOL  Anyway- let me refocus back to the garden.  To start this year- I was sooooo hopeful and CERTAIN- beyond a shadow of a doubt this was going to be my best garden year EVER.  People would stop as they drove by in amazement for this lovely patch of yard.   I began prepping last fall a full 6 months before I planted the first plant- with some top quality manure from a friend's horse barn.  I knew this manure was going to be like magic fairy dust.  It was going to be so magical- that I would simply just have to sprinkle seeds gently over th

 I have just finished my 23rd year of teaching . . . I think.  Or maybe it was 24?  I don't know- that's not the point of today's post.  The point is- I have a lot of summer's under my belt.  Enough summer's that I have a pattern.  Four stages that I go through.   Stage 1: This stage happens the day summer begins for me. I am a whirlwind of productivity.  I cannot be stopped.  It lasts approximately 2-3 weeks.  This year I ran several errands: making deliveries to the Goodwill, Spectrum to return cable equipment, and a variety of other errands I put off during the school year.  I also wrapped up several projects: getting Alexa's new desk done, my desk done, the garage cleaned, shelves hung, the baseboards wiped down, floors mopped (behind the fridge too), and light fixtures cleaned.  Every day- I am a BUSY BEE.  I have completely wiped school from my brain- and ain't no one gonna talk to me about it or think about it or do anything for it.  I forced Alexa to

Clearly this blog is about balance- because my last post was about bragging and this post is not.  I mentioned back in June that I had attempted to get our ice maker repaired - and did so without consulting Doug.  Lord that ice maker has haunted me.   About 2 weeks after it was repaired . . . the motor started making this horrific sound.  Doug was rather annoyed.  I did some Google searching and discovered there could possibly be an ice cube stuck in the motor/fan area, so I grabbed my hair dryer and attempted to melt the cube.  Within a few minutes the motor went back to it's normal quiet self.  All was good again in our home.  We had a working ice maker that didn't make horrendous sounds.  Doug was somewhat satisfied, and I wasn't cringing in guilt and worry that the ice maker would continue to haunt me.  Except it did. One morning a few days later- at 5AM!!!!  There it is went again.  &*%&^  What in the actual, mean spirited world is happening?!  I grabbed the ha

 This is my blog- so I can brag, and frankly these are some things that make me pretty dang impressed with myself.  (listed in no particular order) #1- I have kept my lavender plant alive (barely) all summer so far!!!!!!  Every summer I declare THIS is the summer I will keep lavender alive and every summer it dies within a month.  This summer . . . I am going on 2 months.  I am smugly patting myself on the back right now.   #2- The other night I looked at my family and was like, "Gosh almighty I have to feed them dinner again dammit!  EVERY. NIGHT!"  I had nothing planned- so I had to make it up on the spot.  And guess what- I had everything on hand to make tacos!  What?!  What kind of house- is having ingredients to make tacos a brag- worthy event????  In my house- it's a brag worthy event.  I had the meat (that I could use from the freezer- so I am feeling very frugal), I had tomatoes from my garden, I had lettuce that hadn't gone rotten, I even had sour cream!  Whi

Doug and both kids went to FFA Camp for the past week.  I stayed home.  All. By.  Myself.  IT WAS GLORIOUS!!!! Up until 2020- Doug had gone to FFA Camp every year of our married lives.  Andrew started going when he was 9 years old.  It is literally the funnest week of their lives.  Nothing I ever do- will compare to FFA Camp.  I went to the facility once, shortly after Doug and I were married.  Doug had meetings.  There were no kids there- because it was just a bunch of boring adults, sitting around, talking about boring things.  But still- I was curious and glad for a reason to get out of town.  It was BORING.  I only brought one book.  There was no cell service and no tv.  I sat in a room with a bed and a bathroom for HOURS and I was bored out of my mind, since that book was done- with approximately 2 million hours left before Doug was done with his meetings.  I vowed to never return.    This summer, Camp finally returned- after the COVID hiatus.  Andrew was ECSTATIC.  He talked abou

About a month ago- an Instagrammer that I follow (mostly because I admire her bravery with home decorating, and while I would never do the things she has done in her home, I do like a lot of what she does) shared that she made Cake Mix Pancakes for her family one Saturday morning.  That caught my attention!!!  I mean. . . pancakes from cake mix?!?!?!  YES PLEASE.   Here's the recipe:  1 cake mix of your choice (I chose red velvet because Alexa has been on a real red velvet kick lately- randomly) 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 2 large eggs 2 1/2 cups of milk 1/4 cup oil ** 1 tspn baking powder (the recipe doesn't call for it- but I am going to try it, because these pancakes were very flat) Her husband opened a can of frosting and used that.  I didn't have that, so I made my own cream cheese frosting:  1/2 a block of softened cream cheese 4 tblspns of softened butter 1 tspn of vanilla 2 cups of powdered sugar ** then I had left over heavy whipping cream- so I added that to make th

 Y'all I am feeling so grown up today!!! In fact, I feel so grown up- I keep bragging about it to Alexa, who is completely confused.  She literally said, "Mom.  I think you became a grown up when you had kids. Just saying."  Then she rolled her eyes- as she frequently does when I'm being "ridiculous" (according to her anyway). So- Andrew has gone out of town.  He asked that I go pick up his paycheck and deposit it.  I said, "Sure- but I get a $20 retrieval fee."  He ignored me.  Then I said, "I need your account number."  He replied, "That's a dad question."  Oh my gosh.  What have I done?!?!!  Andrew's complete lack of interest in his own bank account, and his inability to access it is kind of my fault.  Doug and I have joint bank accounts.  I have no idea how to access them.  I haven't for pretty much our entire marriage (21 years now). I have no desire to access them. Doug has tried to show me.  He has encouraged

 I just read the absolute BEST book!   I am a prolific reader.  Mostly I read free romances from Amazon Unlimited.  You know I'm stressed when I'm marathon reading and baking.  A free romance requires literally no thought.  It is 100% escapism.  When we were quarantined- I baked about every other day, and read . . a lot.  I require a happily ever after, interesting, humorous dialogue, well edited, and a little bit of steamy romance.  I do NOT like domineering men.  I attempted to read a book earlier this week and the main male character was HORRIFIC.  I tried the second book in the series- thinking it would get better- but alas, the second book was worse- and so I didn't even bother to finish it.  There's alpha men, and then there's just overbearing, controlling a$$holes.  I don't care for that type of character. However- while I do love a good romance, I also love a good "women/friendship" book.   The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle  by Jennifer Ryan, is

Like many of you- I enjoy wasting time on TikTok.  I enjoy watching: dogs, kids, and DIY, sometimes cooks.  There are a lot of women DIY-ers out there.  Watching their TikTok's has emboldened me.  I have been an assistant and an apprentice to Doug for 20+ years.  I know how to do stuff.  I can work power tools.  I'm not afraid of a saw- hand saws (with no electrical power) or saws that require electricity.  I have a preferred drill.  I can interchange drill bits and hole cutters.  I know the difference between a cordless drill, a corded drill, and an impact driver.  I can use a stud finder . . . about 92% accurately.  I use levels because otherwise Doug will gripe.  I have a self-centering tape measure that has been a total game changer- if you don't have one- you need one.   Because I have become emboldened, and therefore more confident- I want to do things by myself.  I want the satisfaction of knowing- I did this!!!! I did.  All.  By.  Myself.  I didn't need Doug to

This spring was one of the craziest springs we've had in awhile.  I started a "few" too many projects, in addition to a project Doug had going on and therefore our house was topsy turvy more than I prefer.    I am not done . . . yet.  I'm getting close.  If Doug is reading this- he is most definitely thinking "What the what?!  What do you mean, "you're not done???"  You're done.  The bank account and my patience are done."   Here's what we did:  1. I moved Andrew upstairs to the bonus room and moved the bonus room down to his room.  Other than throwing Andrew's stuff up in his room- I've done nothing up there.  And to be honest, I'm not loving his room.  That is about to be my next area . . . but I think I'll wait until he's not home to paint it pink.   The new "guest/craft" room is AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  GAH I love it soooo soooo sooooo much.  It's so much more user friendly, despite being in a

 Ahhh, June.  What a lovely month.  The school year is over, and now I am catching up on house cleaning and finishing up some projects.   This is the first summer in 17 years that I have time.  I have many hours where a kid isn't expecting me to be their "cruise ship director" and notify them of a craft on the east deck, or screen time on the main deck, or snacks on the Verandah Deck.  We have been creeping to this phase in parenting for a couple of summers, and now that it's here, I have to say . . . I LOVE IT!!!!!  Since I can work on a task with somewhat undivided attention, I find myself thinking about my little blog again.  I actually revisited it a few weeks ago and thought, "Dang.  I'm funny!" or "Dang! I remember that!!"  or "Dang- I'm glad I wrote about that- I totally forgot about it."  The year 2021 was one of my lowest numbers of blog posts ever- with only 10 posts.  Except for 2022 . . . where I have no posts.  Zero.