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Back in 2000 when I got divorced, my attorney asked me if I wanted to take back Fiore as my last name. It didn’t take me long to say no because I did not want to create confusion for my 7 and 11 year old kids. I’ve worked in the public schools and it is just confusing for them and many, in my opinion. That was that. My attorney said nothing more.
After a time, I decided that once they were adults and or married, I would return to Fiore.
Fast forward: I began asking question last summer about how to go about changing my name back. I asked attorneys at first and was finding that the price tag started at $1000. Why in the world would it cost that much? I was asked by several, why didn’t I do it when I got divorced. I explained my reasoning and was told that I could have done it then but waited to change it with the SSA and driver’s license bureau when I was ready. Now is a fine time to find THAT out. Oh well. I wasn’t going to settle for $1000 to have an attorney do this for me so I ventured onto the World Wide Web for some answers. There are so many answers out there I figured this was a simple question and the answers should be there. I also asked advise from a former legal secretary, a couple of people that have their Juris Doctorate degree but aren’t practicing attorney’s, as well as my facebook friends. Boy, did I get answers! I found an awesome website that literally walked me through the process. One of my attorney friends recommended that site as well. I knew I was on my way! This site created those legal-looking forms that I needed to file.
Okay, so I had some answers, I had my forms, now I needed to find out the process itself. Well, I called the Circuit Clerk’s Office many times until I got all of the answers I needed. Every one I spoke to there told me that they could not give legal advice and that I could call Prairie State Legal services for legal advice. I told them (I called several times) that I was not asking them for advice. I wanted to know the procedure, basically, 1) who do I give these papers to, 2) when does it need to be in the paper, before or after, 3) how much will this cost me and who do I pay. Really, that is not advice but just procedural. I started getting answers and taking many notes. I took names and numbers so I would know who to call when I had more questions to get the right answers.
I found out that it would cost $151 to file the papers at the Circuit Clerk’s office. This had to be done before it went in the paper because the newspaper needed a document from the Clerk’s office. Are ya still with me? This is where it gets confusing. So I went to the court house with cash in hand and my papers from that handy website. The gal at the Circuit Clerk’s office must have rolled her eyes a dozen times. I didn’t care…I was saving a significant amount of money by doing this myself. She didn’t like my paperwork. She handed me back papers that were not necessary and then she even printed off a form of her own and had me fill that one out instead. Fine with me. I got an eye roll when she asked if it had been published yet. I told her that I was told I had to file the petition here first. She took my money, some papers, gave me a receipt, and I was on my way to the Daily Journal.
When I got to the newspaper all was well until they wanted a copy of the petition with the “filed” stamp on it. I told her that they didn’t give me one because it needs to be published before it was filed. She said they always have to send people back to the court house for this paper. Oh, I about fell over when I paid the publication fee…$184.00! Yep! It had to run in the newspaper one day for three consecutive weeks. I really wish I had been sitting. I think the lady taking care of me heard my jaw hit her counter when she told me the price. Anyway, thank heavens for plastic because I wasn’t prepared for that price. I left at this point and went back to the courthouse to get the right paper. Yep, back to the eye roll gal. She couldn’t understand why the Journal needed that paper. She said we don’t have a date yet to put on it since it is not filed yet. Seems I was in a catch-22 but I was not leaving there until I got the form I needed. She reluctantly put that day’s date on it, stamped it, and sent me on my way. Back to the newspaper to turn in the correct form. She charged me that outrageous amount I mentioned before and I left.
I was on my way!! Woohoo!! The announcement was to run the next day (Thursday) and the next two Thursday’s. Before I left the Circuit Clerk’s office with the right paper I asked what my next step was. So after the announcement ran for the three times, I picked up the Publisher’s Certificate from the Journal on a Friday, March 2nd, and brought it to the Circuit Clerk’s Office. This trip was full of adventures! I started in the Circuit Clerk’s office, then was sent to Judge Albrecht’s Clerk on the first floor to get a court date. I got there and found out that Ardith is her clerk and she was in a court room. I went to the court room and no one was in there so I asked at the next court room where I could find Ardith. This gal said she is either in the court room next door or in her office. So back to her office I went hoping we had just passed each other in the hallway. Sure enough, her co-workers had just told her that I was looking for her. When she looked at my publisher’s certificate, she said that it was Judge Gerts that does these and sent me to Room 105 for his clerk. Oh my! I was determined so I smiled and headed for another office. After a short wait in this office I scheduled the court date for Judge Gerts to review my petition and make his ruling. I left with the date of March 27 at 1:30 in court room #104.
Now we wait two and a half weeks for a judge to tell me I could take back my maiden name. What choice did I have right? So I get to court at 1:20 on the 28th. Many colorful characters also had court in room #105 on the 27th at 1:30. There were even three that came in with orange jumpsuits on, handcuffs and ankle cuffs on. I simply wanted to take back my maiden name. Since there were attorneys present and detainees present, they got to go first. About 2:10 or so Judge Gerts called my case number and I approached the bench. That Judge Gerts, he’s a nice guy don’t let anyone tell you differentlyasked me a few questions and signed my petition. It was all done! He stated that I needed to get a certified copy from his clerk the next day to change my social security card, driver’s license, and other things. I told her I would see her tomorrow and I left the court room.
It was all official but I needed that proof. That piece of paper signed by Judge Ronald Gerts. I still needed that in my hot little hands. So I waited, what’s one more day in this journey that began mid-February. So on March 28th I ventured to the court house hoping this was my final visit to the circuit clerk’s office for my certified copy of the court order.
Eye roller gal: “That will be $12.”
Me: “Do you take debit?”
Eye roller gal: “No, cash only.”
Me: (sigh) “I’ll be right back.”
I went to Jewel and bought a can of Pringles and got cash back. All this running was on my lunch hour and needed some sort of sustenance. I felt that the Pringles was a yummy choice. I went back to the circuit clerk’s office with cash in hand. I kind of smiled when I realized the eye roller gal had gone to lunch, so a different gal took my cash, gave me a receipt, and the beloved certified copy of my legal name change that Judge Ron Gerts signed the previous day.
It was finished.
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Today I started to plan for speech class. I have taught speech before and it is definitely one of the highlights in my day. I vividly remember speech class in high school. I think I took the class when I was a sophomore. I looked a little something like this back in the 1990s.
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I don’t remember speaking above a whisper my freshman year. I suppose my willingness to answer questions instead of crawling under my desk when the teacher called on me meant that I was ready for public speaking. I was definitely nervous, but the teacher cracked jokes and told us we could go to the bathroom before and after our speeches.
Every time I teach a speech class, I try to think back to how I felt when I was 15 or 16. It’s almost impossible to muster up the courage to stand in front your peers. My second year teaching speech, I had a student who would get up in front of the class, mumble a few words, begin to weave back and forth, and then turn white as a sheet. He would insist that he would be okay and start again. I will never forget this student because by the end of the term, he could stand before the class, speak in a way that most could understand him, weave back and forth (but you’d never know if you weren’t watching closely), and he would just get a little blotchy from time to time. At first, this wasn’t a huge success in my book. I changed my mind when I heard that he was telling anyone who would listen to sign up for speech class. He said that he learned so much and that he was much better at public speaking. He was right. He really was better. He wasn’t ready to deliver a speech to large groups of people he didn’t know, but he was able to stand before a group of his peers without nearly fainting or puking on the front row. This was a huge success and it made me feel great.
Now, back to the planning. We (The English Department) purchased new books this year. The book focuses on communication as a whole. Online I found a listing of each chapter and a brief overview of the information covered. I was pretty impressed with the broad range of information. I thought the book could broaden the horizon of speech class. We could explore the many aspects of communication as a whole. The English Department didn’t have time to order a preview copy before our budgets were do, so we went on blind faith and purchased a classroom set. I was pretty excited.
Then the books arrived.
If you are a teacher, you know that the delivery of ordered materials is like Christmas in July (or whenever the materials arrive – in this case it was June). I eagerly snatched a book from the to-be-stamped-and-carded pile and began to peruse. I breathed in the new book scent and opened the book (the best way to do it is to open to a random page – never start at the beginning).
Huh…these pictures seemed a little dated. The overalls were a definite throwback to my high school days. The blonde girl looked like every blonde girl I went to high school with. I was especially thrown by the bangs on the far right. I shrugged it off and flipped to a new page.
Well, the next random page pick didn’t seem much better. I haven’t seen computers like that in decades. The information was good. The page talks about using overhead projectors instead of passing papers around the room. I like it. Overhead projection does make for a better presentation and I am typically all about going green when possible. The picture still seemed like a pretty bad choice considering the current year. So, I flipped to yet another random page.
Okay, something was up at this point. A VHS Tape? Flip charts? Audio cassettes? I took a poll last year and most of my students knew what a cassette tape was, but had never actually seen or used one. There wasn’t any talk of PowerPoint or Smart Boards. What in the world was going on? I flipped to the front to see when the book was last published: 2001. Shoot. In my rush to find a good book for speech class and still make the budget deadline, I completely skipped over the date last published. Learn from my mistake. Always check the date last published no matter how quickly you need to turn in the ISBN number to the office secretary.
Since then I have been perusing the book and pulling out the information I can use. As it turns out, there are some really good chapters. I particularly like chapters 14-18. They focus on preparing for presentations. No matter who you are and which decade you live in, this information is good. The information in the beginning of the book focuses more on communication in general .While some of the terms are dated, the information is still good. I have decided to use this book and the throwback pictures to my benefit. These photographs definitely bring me back to my high school days. My plan is to share my high school speech class experiences with the students as we go along. Who says speech class can’t have a little history in it?
I’ve made this several times and it is so easy and delicious I thought it was time to share:
Tomato and Cheese Ravioli Soup
Ingredients:
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can stewed tomatoes
1 (14 1/4-ounce) can fat-free, reduced sodium vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon dried Italian seasoning
3 cups fresh cheese ravioli or tortellini (about 10 ounces)
1 small zucchini, sliced
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Preparation:
Combine first 3 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add ravioli, zucchini, and pepper; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 7 to 8 minutes or until pasta and zucchini are tender.
I usually double the above recipe and get the larger can of tomatoes since a full package of ravioli and vegetable stock are already doubled. I have even removed the tomatoes and pureed them in the food processor since some in my family don’t care for the chunks of tomatoes.
The above recipe came from here.
I have made a grilled garlic and mozzarella cheese sandwich to go with it. This is my favorite! Tonight I made the following recipe and it was also very good.
Stuffed Cheese Bread with Herbs
Take a loaf of crusty bread and slice in half.
Scoop out the middle, and save the insides for breadcrumbs for use later.
You will need:
2 tbsp of chopped fresh basil
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tbsp of chopped fresh spinach leaves
1 cup of shredded mozzarella (or your favorite cheese)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup olive oil
salt & pepper
In a bowl, combine the stuffing ingredients and mound into the hollowed out bread.
Put the lid back on the bread to cover and wrap tightly in aluminum foil.
Bake at 350F for 30 minutes. Wait until cool enough to slice.
I changed it a little but you can find the original recipe from here.
I love to try new recipes that are simple and delicious. Both of these are fabulous additions to my recipe book.
I don’t know about you, but I get so excited when I finally get my class lists. Since my day is mostly filled with freshmen, I don’t have faces to put with the names. I learned a long time ago that this is a very good thing. So often, I feel like the students get branded by teachers and administrators. Instead of getting to know each student and putting a face with the name, we are led to believe certain things about them from previous teachers.
Some things I have heard:
- He is nothing but trouble.
- Good luck getting her to be quiet.
- Did you know that she’s been to juvie?
- Just get him to pass. You don’t want to meet his mother.
- He’s quite the athlete.
- Did you have her older brother? He was such a great student.
I know that my co-workers are just trying to be helpful. I’ll be honest, I’ve done it too. What are we accomplishing though? We are allowing the kids to be labeled and then we are forcing them to carry those labels from year to year. The best thing about teenagers is that they are in a constant state of evolution. They are trying to figure out who they are and who they want to be. In essence they are a whole new person each year. By forcing them to carry the previous year’s labels with them, we aren’t allowing them to grow and mature. As I prepare for the upcoming year, I am reminding myself that no matter what I hear about the eighth grade version of a student, no one has met the ninth grade version yet.
This is my first major DIY Project. One I did from floor to ceiling. I thought it was only appropriate to showcase it as my first blog post. Project dates: 9.29.11 to 10.3.11
Had to start out with some before pictures. Can you see that it was not a desirable room to to be in for anything, especially laundry, ironing, folding clothes, hanging clothes. That is about to change!
First order of business was to empty the room. Remove cabinets that were being relocated, remove doors that were being painted, and remove the laundry sink. The old washer and dryer went to the curb. There was grime, dust, and dog hair caked on the floor underneath the old washer and dryer. We lived here for seven years and had never cleaned nor seen under these machines. That hideous wallpaper, yes those were squares of contact paper that were maybe 12″ x 12″. Such a pain in the butt to remove.
The next step was putting down the backer board. It was screwed right to the floor. The mortar would adhere the tiles to the backer board. One person at Lowe’s had me convinced to go with the ready to use mortar (no mixing necessary). The next day I was back at Lowe’s and the two guys there that day convinced me otherwise so I bought the powdered mortar and the large mixing drill bit among many other items. So my neighbor and friend Andre’ helped get me started with putting down the tiles. He had done flooring before so I found that extremely helpful. He showed me the right consistency of the mortar and then he was in charge of cutting the edge tiles since I wasn’t very good at that part.
After the tile was down and set, it was my chance to get the walls completed. I cleaned up the tiles and readied the walls for paint. Needed to mud some areas as you can see how the lovely wallpaper came off and took some wallboard with it. Once that was done, I painted, nailed the base trim, attached the bead board, nailed the chair rail. Also painted the cabinets and the removed doors white.
I was very pleased with how this turned out and the new washer and dryer hadn’t even been delivered yet.
The next part was my favorite part I think. Grouting. I watched professional and non-professional YouTube videos. They were so helpful. While I watched the pros do it, I realized that was best case on what I wanted. As I watched the DIYer, I imagined this was how it was going to go for me. I liked this part, did I mention that? Right. Then that night I cleaned the grout haze and installed a new ceiling light. Nothing fancy, just didn’t want to have the circa 1968 light still in this bright new laundry room.
Frank’s Appliance Center delivered the Whirlpool Duet Washer and Dryer on Monday morning as planned. I reinstalled the laundry sink when I got home from work at 4:45 that day. Put down a rug, rehung the doors back on the cabinets. It was coming together very nicely.
Mindy saw this ladder idea from someone’s blog. I just loved the idea. I hang a lot of clothes to dry and this was perfect. Didn’t want to see the plastic coated wire shelving in my beautiful new laundry room. I got an old wooden ladder from a friend but as I was stripping that I realized that this laundry room has nothing rustic or old in it. I decided to make my own ladder. Off to Lowe’s again for some dowels, 1×3′s, screws, and yellow paint. A couple of nights later I hung the pictures, the ladder, and the ironing board hanger.
It is so nice, bright, fresh, and new…I just love my laundry room. After the washer and dryer were delivered, my roommate and I sat against the wall and just watched the first load wash for about 30 minutes.
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