December Recap

A recap of our December...


Around our house:












Our Christmas Bags:

Remember how B and I have exchanged our gifts to each other in brown bags for the last few years? (If not, you can revisit how that tradition got started here). Well, this year our brown bags got an upgrade, courtesy of my seester!


I had seen the idea for fabric Christmas bags here, at How Does She (an awesome blog that I love to stalk!), so I talked to my seester about making them (she has gotten really good at sewing cute bags) and she offered to make them for us!


We headed to the fabric store, picked out some cute fabrics, and got them done that evening after dinner. They turned out so cute and there was so much room for our presents (even the ones that were huge and bulky)!


Here, see for yourself....


Here's how she made them (with some pinning, turning, and cutting help from me!)...

Thanks Jenny, we LOVE them!




Christmas Eve with my fam....

Maddy...

Hudson...

Both of these cuties...

It was such a fun night! I can't believe I neglected to take pictures of the Phase 10 smackdown that I dealt out to my family! It's a good thing that my memory is like a steel trap and I will NEVER forget the first time I actually won that game!!!

Christmas Day with B's family...

This year my MIL was quite the tricky lady.



I know, I know, she looks all nice and sweet (and she really is), but let me tell you.... she has some wicked tricks up her sleeve!

Case in point, the gift card incident.

This year I thought I was crazy when I opened an old college textbook (make that a CRUSTY old college textbook!) called "The Physics of an Atom." I really thought to my self, "What the French, Toast!" I know I looked completely confused (believe me, I felt confused) and wasn't really sure what to say. I mean I wanted to be polite and all but I wasn't really sure how, it was a PHYSICS textbook, I have never done anything with PHYSICS!

Then, as I turned the book around for B to see the cover, low and behold, a gift card fell out and that nice MIL of mine started to laugh. I admit, it was pretty hilarious and clever too, so I figured I had better watch out for her!

Fast forward to the next surprise present - a jar of dried beans - and again, the total look of confusion. Seriously, how come I didn't learn my lesson from the first time? I was wondering what in the world I was going to do with a jar of dried beans (that wasn't even full) and I was shaking the jar at B, when all of a sudden, there appeared a gift card at the top of the beans.

I told you she had wicked tricks up her sleeve!

We all had a really good laugh but I vow never to look confused again - even if the gift is really, really weird!




And that is a recap of our December! Hope yours was great too!

We miss our family and friends that are far away and want you to know that we love you and think about you often. Here's to a terrific 2011 for all of us!

Sing with me

Pause the music player at the bottom so you can keep the tune in your head while you sing...

Kirsten's Version of "Jingle Bells!"

Dashing through the door

Christmas is on it's way

the days will quickly go

laughing on their way.

The boxes must come down

we'll decorate tonight (NOT!)

the ornaments and shiny things
will dress our house up bright.

Oh... December Days, December Days

they fly by in a haze

the hardest thing for me to do

is to avoid the craze.

December Days, December Days

I want to use them well
if anyone knows how I can
please leave a note and tell!

So... with all of the busyness of the season how are YOU managing your December Days?

Hip Hip Hooray, it's time for a vacay!

'Tis the season of thanks, and as I have mentioned before how grateful I am for my fantastic career. Well, today I am also really grateful that I get the entire week of Thanksgiving off from that wonderful job!

I appreciate the time to enjoy the beauty of the season, to get things done around my house, to visit with friends and family, to relax, to do whatever I want!

It's day #1 of our Thanksgiving break and today I: helped a friend rearrange her classroom, had lunch with B, cleaned my house, and done laundry. Productivity feels great!

And although this is a week away from school, I am committed to spending some time on a large work-related project that is never really complete... you know, READING!

Ah, the bliss of time off in the fall!

Murphy's Laboratorium of Madness

I always liked Halloween as a kid, but I have just recently realized how much fun this holiday can really be as a grown-up.

Don't get me wrong, I love the other holidays we celebrate during this time of year, but I just clued in to the fact that Halloween is a holiday with NO EXPECTATIONS.

There are no dinner commitments, no balancing schedules, no rushing around trying to find the perfect present for someone you love. Halloween is whatever you want it to be (with the bonus of candy being doled out freely by everyone you know!).

So, in light of this recent discovery, B and I decided to host a little get-together. You know, an evening of friends, family, food, and fun. However, there was one tiny requirement for all who would attend... COSTUMES!

Fun photos from the night:

Some of the ways I spooked out our house:

What a great night!

Ahhhh... cool, crisp air

All I have to say is YEAH for cool, crisp air! It's one of the things that I love most about fall!


Other things I love about this time of year...

And this year, I am really excited to "get my spook on" in October!



Check back to see how that goes!


Now the question is...how long have we got until the cool, crisp air changes?

Who knows... this IS Texas! So, I'm taking advantage of this cooler air and snuggling down into a nice warm blanket tonight (dreaming of ways to "spookify" my house!).

P.S. Any great and budget friendly ideas for "spookification" are welcome!

Happy Birthday to me!

What a great birthday I had this year! I was overwhelmed by how many people even cared.

Thank you to everyone for making birthday #34 a day in my life that I'll always adore!

Thoughtful gifts:

Dinner with my family (on Sunday):

Maddy entertains us:

Dinner with the Murphy's (on Monday):

Happy Easter

"Without Easter, there would be no Christmas."

I love this quote from Gordon B. Hinckley because it reminds me of ALL the amazing things that the Lord has done for me - for each of us - and for all that He blesses me with each day. We are so loved by our Savior and by our Heavenly Father and the evidence of their love is all around us.

Starting today, I will do a better job of stopping to smell the roses, hearing the birds, appreciating the beauty of the world I live in, giving thanks for the people who bless my life, expressing gratitude for the freedoms I enjoy, and recognizing the eternal love my Savior has for me.

After all, Easter is a time for renewal and rebirth, so it is the perfect time for me to be recommitted to living a life that follows the example set by Jesus Christ.

Happy Easter!

Great Holiday Reads

At Christmas, I'm always asked for good holiday books for children (might have something to do with my occupation or it could be that I am known to be a bit of a book freak!).

So I've posted some book suggestions that I think are great. If you have time, check out one or two (or three or four!) of these fantastic reads, cozy up on your own (or better yet with someone you love), and enjoy a good book.

Oh yeah, with my list comes a rule: the term "cute" is NOT to be used to describe these books. It's Murphy's Law (and now you know along with all my students). Cute is for puppies, kittens, and babies, not for books! There are way too many other descriptive words to use for such treasures!

Now, enjoy!

Picture Books
A Little Bit of Winter by Paul Stewart
A Shepherd’s Gift by Mary Calhoun
Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera
Auntie Claus and the Key to Christmas by Elise Primavera
Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson
Christmas Cricket by Eve Bunting
Going Home by Eve Bunting
Great Joy by Kate DiCamillo
Homeless Christmas Tree by Leslie M. Gordon
How Murray Saved Christmas by Mike Reiss
I Spy Christmas by Walter Wick
If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff
Night Tree by Eve Bunting
Olive, the Other Reindeer by J. Otto Seibold
Room for a Little One by Martin Waddell
Snowballs by Lois Ehlert
Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner
The Bear Santa Claus Forgot by Diana Kimpton
The Christmas Candle by Richard Paul Evans
The Christmas Cobwebs by Odds Bodkin
The Donkey’s Christmas Song by Nancy Tafuri
The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry
The Jolly Christmas Postman by Alan Ahlberg
The Little Match Girl by Hans Christian Andersen
The Littlest Angel by Charles Tazewell
The Mitten by Jan Brett
The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg
The Tale of Three Trees by Angela Elwell Hunt
The Twelve Days of Christmas by Jan Brett
Too Many Tamales by Gary Soto
Who Was Born This Special Day? by Eve Bunting
Wombat Divine by Mem Fox
ANYTHING by Robert Sabuda!

Poetry
Amazing Peace: A Christmas Poem by Maya Angelou
Christmas Is Coming by Charles Ghigna
Christmas Presents by Lee Bennett Hopkins
Do Rabbits Have Christmas? by Aileen Fisher
It's Christmas! by Jack Prelutsky
The Night Before Christmas by Clement C. Moore
The Night Before Christmas, In Texas That Is by Leon Harris
Under the Christmas Tree by Nikki Grimes

Chapter Books
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Christmas in Camelot by Mary Pope Osborn
December Secrets by Patricia Reilly Giff
Horrible Harry and the Holidaze by Suzy Kline
Mr. Putter and Tabby Bake the Cake by Cynthia Rylant
Nate the Great and the Crunchy Christmas by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Nate the Great and the Snowy Trail by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat
Santa Claus Doesn't Mop Floors by Debbie Dadey
The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson
The Case of the Christmas Snowman by James Preller
The Dog Who Thought He Was Santa by Bill Wallace
The White House Christmas Mystery by Carole Marsh
Who's Stealing the Twelve Days of Christmas by Martha Freeman

Christmas Parties - Blogland Style!

Welcome to our Christmas Open House!

Come in and look around.

After your visit here, check out these great spots for more splendid Christmas ideas:

Kimba's Holiday Open House
Julia's Hooked on Houses
Thrifty Decor Chick's Christmas Tree Par-tay

(Just be careful of B.I.C.S. You know, Butt-in-Chair-Syndrome).

The Living Room

ideas in the living room:
* create your own cloche with a cheese tray dome
* use large vases or jars for jingle bells or ornaments

The Kitchen

ideas in the kitchen:
* use a fun, non-traditional color scheme
* use a tiered serving dish as an ornament tree
* frame gift wrap and ribbon for easy wall art

The Den

ideas in the den:
* use children's literature in a variety of places
* have a central theme (ie: snowmen) throughout the room
* hang stockings on front handle of fireplace door

And finally...

Find ways to emphasize that Jesus Christ is the reason we celebrate this season!

Thanks for stopping by for a visit.

Don't forget to sign "the guest book" before you go
(This means leave a comment my silent friends and family!)

Merry Christmas!