Snow Day!!

Every child dreams of it when they are in school. Every teacher wishes for it once in a while, and today, our wishes came true - we had a snow day!! This is the Magnolia tree in our backyard (taken yesterday).

This morning at 6:30 am my phone rang, and my friend informed me that we would be operating on a 2 hour delay schedule (which for us means, come as close to regular time as possible). So I got ready and got in the car. It took 45 minutes to get to school (a commute that normally takes 20). Once I arrived, I saw a 'no school' sign by the main entrance. I ignored it and walked into the office, where teachers were gathered around - smiles on faces - discussing the decision that had just been made that school would be canceled for the day. Since I was already dressed & ready I stayed for a while & worked - then came home.

With this extra day, Tim took me out to lunch. Then we went to the grocery store, came home & I made Chicken Chili. It turned out to be very yummy & now I have enough soup for 2 more dinners & lunches!! I also took the opportunity today to take a nap & decorate for Christmas. Whew - a lot of work for one snow day.

Tim & I are about to begin a tennis match on the Wii (his new toy) so I'm off to go bond over video games with my husband! :) Happy snow day to all!!!

Thanksgiving In Review

Here are a few photos from Thanksgiving, taken by Tim. We were in Idaho to visit our families & had a wonderful Thanksgiving meal with our loved ones. Dad barbequed the turkey this year and it was delishious! Everyone pitched in and brought dishes for dinner, even me! :) Nana came from SC to visit too, so that made it even more special. Our voyage home was exciting - what normally takes 7 1/2 hours turned into 10 1/2. The good news is we returned home safely. I have some other photos from early morning shopping on Friday - but will wait to post those when I get them from Andrea (hint, hint). :) Hope you all had a blessed holiday.

4:51 am

Today started early - 4:51 am to be exact, hence the title. We picked up Nana & Laura at 5:15, and were on our way.

Andrea had packed 'shopping bags' for each of us complete with water, snacks, sweet card, and a note pad. Thank you Andrea!!

Our first stop was Starbucks. Then we ventured to Target & stayed in the car until the line cleared...or so we thought. By the time we got in line, we were wrapped back around halfway to the parking lot!

After we conquered Target, we hit Old Navy. Found fabulous deals there - then went to the mall. That too was a success & Nana & Laura spent way TOO LONG in the Disney store. Although, the did complete Christmas shopping for both of the girls.

It was a great time - & the nap this afternoon also helped. Thank you Andrea, Nana, & Laura for a wonderful time together. I love you all so very much.

Kelly, Andrea F., Kim, & Kathy - it was very nice to run into all of you too!! Maybe we'll see each other again at Christmas.

Happy Friday all!!

Christmas Cactus

Three years ago, one of my students gave me a Christmas Cactus plant in memory of my grandma who had just passed away. I remember crying every time I looked at the plant for the first week I had it. The students' gesture was almost more than I could handle at the time. When she gave it to me, it was just a small stalk with a couple of flowers on it.

Over the next year, I watered it often & hoped that it would bloom. It did not.

Then last year, after finding a new pot for it's home and a window sill to sit in, it bloomed. I was THRILLED!! After it finished blooming, it bloomed again, then again! (I think it was making up for lost time...).

Just a week or so ago, it started again. I love this plant, as it represents something very special to me. I can't get over how beautiful it is when it blooms. 

Circle Journals, Take 2...

Last year, Erin introduced us to the wonderful world of circle journals. We had girls from Oregon, to Idaho, to Arizona involved in what was suppose to be a nine month circle of passing journals. Well, nine months turned into a year and a half, and some of the girls are still finishing up their last one.... but I'm not here to mention names (don't worry Andrea, your secret's safe with me!!) :)

So, my friend Kristi decided we should do it again, but with a smaller circle. This time, the circle journals are going from Oregon to Arizona and back. These are photos from Erin's CJ. Erin is a masterful scrapbooker and I LOVE her journal. She sends to me & now it's my job to scrap in her journal themed, 'what makes my house a home.' The book is adorable & her pages are full of beautiful LO's and color schemes. So cute.

I decided to copy Andrea's idea from last time (surprising) & I made my book with my wedding photos. I was never brave enough to scrapbook my wedding, so I thought I'd let these girls do it for me. I included 75 wedding photos for them to choose from - yeah, I know, but I wanted them to have choices... :)

I can't wait to get it back. We just passed for the first time at the beginning of the month. I need to do Erin's and get it ready to pass to Amanda in just a week and a half - my goodness how time flies.

Just thought I would share with you another one of my current projects. 

Updates!!

Two posts in one day - (& a weekday at that) - wow! Thank you to Tim who updated my banner with stamps that he created - isn't he the best? You can see other thoughts & info he is sharing on his blog - it's on my sidebar called 'The Blue Fishbowl'.

I've also added two of my friends from growing up, Andrea & Kelly. I read their blogs daily & thought it was about time I link them to mine - welcome girls! :) My newphew, Eli, has also been added. So many changes in one night!

I even did laundry, ironed, cleaned the house, and emptied the dishwasher tonight. Oohhh, and made hummus to take to school tomorrow - whew - no wonder it's bedtime. Nighty-night!

Hooray for the Sun!!

The sun came out today - it DOES exist!! *I knew it.* Although, I did spend most of the day in a classroom without windows, but the two times today I did come out of my classroom, I saw the sun and it made me smile.

After school today, I went to the gym and stayed on the Elliptical machine for 30 minutes - that's a record for me. I've been increasing my time by 5 minutes each time since last week. I also signed up to play 'a game' at our gym where I have to go at least 3 times a week and if I do, I could win a prize. So I thought, why not, I'm trying to do that anyway - it's just extra motivation. Feel free to check up on me & my progress.

Happy Tuesday all!

My First Pair of Galoshes

Okay, so I've lived in Oregon for almost 10 years, and just last weekend, I purchased my first pair of galoshes. I wore them to school the other day, and the kids LOVED them. I had comments from every classroom about how cute my boots were - teachers liked them too - I think they're a hit! :)

With our current weather, it just made sense to buy a pair of these rain wearing boots - thank you Target for once again providing me with a fun (& useful) item. Gotta love Target!

Hope your weekend is dryer than mine... 

Happy Birthday Melia!!

Today is Melia's 2nd Birthday. We just returned from her birthday party a little bit ago & had a blast. Laura did a wonderful job of making Melia's birthday so special. She made the Nemo cake herself - I was very impressed!!

Tim taught me a new trick so that I don't have to do 15 posts to show pictures (thank you, Tim!!). So here you are, my first attempt at a collage.

Several of Mia's friends came to the party & she & Nellie had a blast entertaining everyone. Grandma (my mom) came from out of town & bought the girls these adorable outfits yesterday for the party - so cute!!

My nieces are such a joy - I'm so glad that we live close enough that I get to see them on a weekly basis. Happy birthday Melia - we love you!! 

Less Formal...

Okay Andrea, this is us on a less formal day - which I guess, most of them are compared to our wedding day. :) This was taken at the pumpkin patch 2 years ago - one of my favorites of the two of us. 

My Girls...

 

Wedding Photos

My friend Andrea requested a wedding photo this past week, because she's heard about Tim from my blog, but has not met him. So...per her request here is one of my favorites (it wasn't too hard to convince me to post a wedding photo - I still love them!!) :) Tim is almost a foot taller than me - although you can't really tell that in this photo - in some of our 'kiss' photos, it's evident!! Enjoy. 

Weekend Review

This weekend we hosted a pumpkin carving party, and attended another one. Friday night, I made Pumpkin Bars (they were delish!) and we had a few friends over for some pumpkin fun. This photo is the result of that fun evening. Several of our friends brought over tasty fall treats as well and it was a wonderful evening filled with laughter, pumpkin seeds, and the warmth of friendship.

Saturday, I cleaned the house, we went to the grocery store, ran some errands, and then went to a Harvest Party. Tim carved two pumpkins at this event (I was still finished from the night before). When I say Tim carved them...I'm using that term very loosely. He LOVES to do the pumpkins and carved 4 this weekend alone. He makes a drawing on paper - then draws on the pumpkin, then turns on his magic. His pumpkins are always very artistic and inventive. In fact, last night, he had several people watching him instead of doing their own - they were very intrigued with his process.

Today, we went to a new church (we are currently church shopping) and after church went to lunch with some friends. After lunch, my good friend Amanda came over & we worked very hard on our circle journals. I'm happy to report that mine is now ready to go!! I also finished a purse this afternoon. I figured out that if I'm going to make all the purses I need for Christmas gifts, I need to finish one a week - whew - good luck to me!

This evening, Tim & I have been relaxing. He made a wonderful dinner (he's just the best...) and now I'm shifting my thoughts to the upcoming week & preparations for that.

I hope you had a wonderful weekend too - happy Sunday! 

My girls

This should be picture of the year. Uncle Tim captured this sweet moment this summer while the whole family was in South Carolina visiting Nana for the 4th of July. We had a blast. Everytime I look at the photos from that trip, I return to this one again and again - I love it!! Two little girls in swimming suits, with lunch pails, overlooking Lake Murray - adorable.

Ode To Broccoli

This past summer I thought I would plant myself a little garden. I started from seeds that Tim gave to me & I planted Broccoli, Squash, Cucumbers, & Lettuce. No cucumbers came up, the lettuce was fine, the squash plants never produced, so this weekend when I was pulling out all of my disappointing vegetables, I realized that the broccoli had produced one broccoli. I was so excited - I ran in to show Tim. We decided to document the evidence & then promptly after this photo was taken, I ate it. :) It was delish - I LOVE broccoli (I know, wierd, but true) so I've decided that next summer, I will try again....maybe I'll get two broccoli's. 

Up, up, & Away (Take 2)

Here is the other 'good' jump photo from this weekend. Okay, on the count of three...JUMP!!! 

Up, up, & Away

Andrea & I got 'a little carried away' with ourselves this weekend. Some inspiration from our other friend Andrea's blog - we thought we would try a jump photo. It only took about 20 shots to get two good ones, not too bad...

I've been teaching non-stop today - after school, I taught a piano lesson. Then I came home to eat a quick dinner and went to teach Kindermusik for a friend of mine who needed a sub. Just got home from that & I think I'll go retire to the bedroom...must be ready to teach again tomorrow!! 

Ta-Da!

Here it is - my first attempt at 'the clutch you'll never give up'. Thank you Andrea for your one on one knitting tutorial. Your check is in the mail...

I've already begun clutch #2. Hopefully the second of many more Christmas presents to come - don't worry, I won't tell you who's getting one - don't want to ruin the surprise!! Andrea, I think I'm going to need A LOT of help on this next clutch - you'd better come back...

Matt, Andrea, & Ethan left today - I'm a sad, sad girl. I must say that having them surprise me was one of the best things ever - I loved it, I just don't love it when they leave. Nevertheless, thank you so very much for coming - & just so you know, the sheets are clean if you'd like to come back...

Happy Monday all!!

Thursday Afternoon...Thursday Night...

Thursday after school, I decided to go to the grocery store & come home to clean the house (a chore that needed to happen asap). Thursday evening after I finished all of my tasks I was minding my own business, watching TV & relaxing on the couch. Friends was on (gotta love the Tivo) and my cell phone rang - I noticed that it was almost 10:45 & Andrea's Cell was calling me. I paniced, wondering what in the world was wrong - and why was she calling so late? Here's the conversation:
J: Hellooo?!?
A: Hi...
J: Are you okay?
A: Your garage door is up.
J: WHAT? No it's not...what are you talking about?
A: Go look outside, your garage door is up.
J: Shut-up, no it's not...what are you doing?
A: Serious - look outside & check your garage door
(At this point, I'm a litte freaked out...)
J: If I get up off of the couch from underneath my 'lovie' you're going to be in trouble
(I walk to the window & peak out the front)

**It was there that I saw Andrea standing in my driveway waving at me.**
J: AHHHHHH!!!

**End of conversation - because I dropped the phone & ran outside.**

So...that was my wonderful weekend surprise! Matt, Andrea, & EE came to visit. Tim was in on it with them - so they all had a great time surprising me - and of course, I LOVE it. Anytime they want to do that - is fine with me.

This would also explain why we had 1 pair of shoes in the entry way Thursday afternoon, and by Friday morning - it looked like above. So fun!

I will post some more pictures of our weekend adventure tomorrow. G'night.

A Rose By Any Other Name...

...is called a cat toy. Yes, this is Nellie with a cat toy in her mouth. Last night, Laura & the girls came over to visit me for girls night. After an evening of shopping & dinner out, Nellie & Mia settled in for a showing of Beauty and The Beast (and a little cat toy snack). Later in the evening Mia took the cat toy & beat every surface in the living room with it, including her sister. :) Funny little darlings.

After bedtime, Laura & I had a great heart to heart on the couch in the living room. It was a wonderful evening - love my girls.