In Just 4 Days...

Wow. It's Sunday. That means tomorrow is Monday. That also means the next day off of school that's not a weekend is Christmas Break. I wonder if I will make it that long!?!?!?!?!

You see, in the life of a teacher, sometimes the only thing that keeps you going are those days off. Not the normal Saturday and Sunday, but the week days that you get off. You know, the ones that you can sit at home and watch The Price Is Right in your jammies, followed closely by some "Who's the Daddy" talk show. Oh, those days off.

We're at the end of some of those days. With getting Thursday and Friday off for Thanksgiving, I was very excited about a 4 day weekend. Now I'm sitting here trying to figure out where it went. Here's a run down of what might have happened:

• Got up at 4:45 am Thanksgiving morning to be at Meijer by 5:15 for the
• Got home at 7, baked for 2.5 hours then found some zzz's for a couple more hours.
• Flat tire in Dave's car
• Dinner at Dave's sister and brother in laws.
• Dinner at my sister and brother in laws
• GOT HUGE NEWS ABOUT SOMEONE GOING SOMEWHERE TO DO SOMETHING
• Up at 3:15 Friday morning to start the madness
• Kohls, Meijer, Menards, Kohls, ABC Warehouse, Wal-Mart, Home Depot, Office Depot, K-Mart, Hana Yori, Michigan
• Got home about 6, went back to K-Mart
• Went out with sisters, step mom, Hannah and nephew Sat morning to an undisclosed location! :)
• Yard work with family-goodbye final lingering leaves!
• Over to a friend's house last night
• Up to drop off kids this morning
• TV quit working-had to do some switch-a-roos
• Rearranged living room
• Almost time to meet the fam for Diane's B-day dinner...which we are only almost a month late for.

Whew...and I wonder why I feel like I haven't rested. We've been busy!

So Many Reasons To Be Thanful!

It's Thanksgiving. The day the nation sets aside for family, friends, laughs, food, and giving thanks! I often get caught up in the hum-drum of everyday life, where it's easy to complain and criticize. It's easy to take for granted the people that surround us and the life we live.

I have so many reasons to be thankful. Here's just a short list of some of my top:

• My family and friends who love me-unconditionally!
• I have a job that I love (most of the time!)
• Dave-who is my best friend even when we don't see eye to eye
• My house that provides me comfort with heat and furniture
• My paycheck (although very small) which allows me to eat and take care of myself
• Hannah and Caleb who remind me what it's like to be a kid and who always forgive me for the mistakes I make while I still learn the best way to be a step-mom
• My dad and Diane who I know will always be there for me when I need them...whenever I call.
• Keely who I see as the strength of the family, who is there ready to listen or laugh, who loves me and always offers to do anything I need.
• Kim and Glenn who are always there, just a phone call away. They listen and teach Dave and I daily what marriage looks like and should be.
• My grandparents who mean the world to us-'nuff said
• My Gramma who turned 91 yesterday and answered the phone sounding like she was 30
• The fact that I am able to get out of bed at 4:45 am, go to Meijer and wait in line for 45 minutes, get home at 6:50, make chewy pumpkin caramel bars and spice cake whoopee pies all before 8:15 am (as I am typing this.)
• The face that I live in America and that means I get to choose--on a lot of different levels
• Dave and both have cars that provide us with transportation (even if they are loud and sound like a jet plane!)
• My friend Lisa--who is just now learning just how beautiful she is, both inside and out and how strong of woman she is becoming!
• God-whom I know NEVER LETS GO OF ME!

My mind is twirling with thankfulness today. I wonder what the world would look like if it were Thanksgiving everyday (minus the Turkey and stuffing of course!) If we all stopped complaining and criticizing and just took a minute to be grateful and give thanks for the gifts before us. Wow. In my mind that could be really powerful!

Maybe I'll start something.

2, 3, 5 and -1

2-pairs of socks

3- pairs of pants

5-layers on top

-1 - how many points ND lost by! Bummer.

But, we had a blast!

The Final Product!

For those few (very few, I'm sure) of you that have been following the painting class progress, the final product is ready for display! Now, it's not Monet, but I'm pretty okay with it. I'm especially proud of the bird that I painted all on my own...(unlike some other people who also attend painting.) Marilyn did draw it in for me, but I applied all the paint! Watch for it to be coming to a gallery near you...hahahaha!

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I love Christmas! I love putting up the tree and decorating the house! I just love it! Our happy little home has officially been "Christmased" for the season! Here's my list of reasons for doing it so early:
1. Because I can...'nuff said.

2. Caleb and Hannah really wanted to help and they just happened to be here this weekend!

3. Since we are going to FL for XMAS, we are losing valuable tree admiring days at home.

4. It makes pretty colorful reflections on the white living room wall.

5. We can use that as our light when we are watching tv instead of using the light bulb wattage.

6. I can sing Christmas Carols as much as I want and it's okay because the decorations match the mood.

7. We always (as much as I can remember) had to wait until the middle of December to put up the decorations when we were kids.

8. It's a great reason to clean the corners of the living room that normally get skipped.

9. We can actually walk all the way back to the far wall in the basement now that the Christmas totes are out of the way.

10. It means Christmas break is even closer than it was before!