Family Christmas Photos

The day after Thanksgiving, we got dressed and headed to Pennys to take our first family Christmas picture in over then years! We were worried about finding a parking spot on Black Friday at 9 am, so we left at 8:15 am. We were parked and sitting in front of the closed Pennys portrait studio by 8:35. The photographer was excellent and took up in about 8:55. We acutally have some beautiful shots.

Made it

This week went very fast, but that did not stop if from being incrediably stressful.

By Tuesday, my running nose began to turn into a croupy cough.

Des and I have been studying a little bit each night for the law final. While I am not nearly as confident as I was for the midterm, I'll be okay.

I didn't get any of the business letters graded, but I did mark off the ones who didn't turn it in in order to make an accurate negative grade report for them today.

Curves was a success Monday-Wednesday...

I've been in bed since I got home at 5 tonight, other than the trips to the bathroom I haven't moved. Dave was even wonderful enough to make dinner and bring it to me :)

Festival of Lights

Last night, the girls and I kicked off the Christmas season by heading to downtown Riverside for the Festival of Lights. We started at Coffee Bean, then walked through and around the Mission Inn lights, and several little stores in the area. Although it was cold, we had a good time looking at the beautiful display of lights.

Des and I tried on these silly hats in one store--she decided I needed the white bear, I decided she needed the hunting hat. A bit of a funny combination.

Rachel showing off her giant Christmas tree sugar cookie from Coffee Bean. Mercy had her very own too.

In one of the little stores they had a lot of really cute Christmas decorations and ornaments. It was a good thing I left my ATM card at home, or I probably would have bought something cute (like this metal flying reindeer Christmas tree). This store set up picture books around all of their decorations and I LOVED it! So creative.

Success

Today is the last offical day of NoBloPoMo for 2009 and I think I can call my pledge successful.

Although I did miss November 21 (sleep deprived from New Moon opening), I blogged 36 times in the month of November (37 counting this one).

I've averaged 17 viewers per day and totaled more than 675 viewers for the month of November. On average, 1.4 people visited my blog per hour in November. If you compare that to October, only 8 of you visited per day and 412 visited for the entire month!

Now, I'm assuming that many of you (my faithful readers) skim what I write and ignore 99% of it. Hopefully there is one day that I make you laugh... or at least crack a smile. Hopefully you haven't been too irritated at my complaining... or too bored with my boring posts.

Quanity over quality has been my push for November and I've actually enjoyed trying to be creative about what I post.

Thanks for reading friends, mom, and a view strangers (strangers, feel free to comment so I can follow you too).

Ornament 3

As a four year old in 1987, I opened this little mouse. I'd love to say that I remember it clearly, but I don't. However, this is one of my adult favorites. The happy mouse has a flexible leather tail and such a happy face!

oh my

It just occured to me that I have set myself up for stress over the next week... who knows why it is occuring to me now at 9:20 on Sunday night?!?

Not only did I not finish grading all my students' papers (still have 140 business letter packets that have to be graded on a rubric), but I have my law final on Saturday!

My week off was productive for non-school things; everything Christmas related is done (decorating, shopping, wrapping, crafting), my house is relatively cleaner, several house projects are completed, and I was able to spend some quality time with my parents.

This weeks holds...

• a new week at Curves (goal is 4 visits)
• girls' night to the Mission Inn for the Festival of Lights
• massive amounts of law reading
• flashcard making and memorization of law
• Grade Business Letter for at least one period
• the first of three weeks school craziness before Christmas break
• clean the guest bedroom and make it liveable again for my parents for this weekend

Ornament 2

This ornament has been around the block a few times--so much so that it has been hot glued back together. I love that the angel is swinging on the inside!

Melissa and I both have an angel bells from 1993. Our names are written in gold on the front. When it is shaken, the bell makes a beautiful sound.

Decorations

Growing up decorating the house for Christmas was always a treat. My mom had something special for every room, including the bathroom! This is the first year we are in our home for Christmas so I have a LONG way to go before I have something for each room, but for now, here is the start of our bathroom.

It will be interesting to see if this $2 snowman from Big Lots becomes a yearly bathroom decoration like my mom's mini-snowman candles and small metal tins.

I wrapped the picture because I couldn't think of anything else to add without spending a lot of money!

Tis the Season

WOO HOO!!

It is officially Christmas season!

The tree is up, the house is decorated, and I'm ready to celebrate Jesus for the next month!

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!

As I reflect on this past year, I quickly realize how blessed I am and

how many thousands of things I am thankful for.

Not only do I a personal savior in Jesus,

I have a personal encourager and stronger supporter in difficult times.

My family has had a very difficult year, but we are closer than ever.

Although the perfect job hasn't found Dave, Melissa, and Dad, it has not caused major issues.

God has kept his promises and provided for the needs of the family.

Not only do we own the house,

but we've made great progress on turning it into a home for our little family.

The dog that came home unexpectly had become my "baby"

and she provides everyone with such joy.

I am blessed with a career that I enjoy and provides daily rewards beyond the paycheck.

As I complete my second masters degree,

I am thankful for the perservance my parents taught me.

I have found a passion in educational leadership.

Again

HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO YOU AND YOUR FAMILY

First day (of many) of Tears

Sad Day: Thursday, Jan 1, 2009
Today was an awful day. I cried. I cried a lot. I am so overwhelmed by the amount of bug remains that are all over the entire house. I just couldn't handle it anymore. Poor Dad and Dave didn't know what to do with me. What did I get myself into...



As you can see behind me, the gross kitchen floor is gone and the "backsplash" is gone. Dad and I pushed ourself to the brink of death to get the sticky tiles off the floor last night. I was feeling ambitious and began ripping the ugly laminate that was glued to the wall. Dave got the rest of it off after Dad and I went home to go to bed.

I was feeling so overwhelmed that I decided that I needed to go to Target. I walked through the store and decided that I should buy curtains for my new bedroom. Having an image in my head make it easier to find what I was looking for... I just had to decide how much I was willing to spend. After buying other items we needed I headed back to the house. After closing the door to the bedroom, I took off my shoes and got to work making the room look "done." It was fun and I felt SO much better. Curtains and contact paper :) (And, yes, the room is pink).

A look back...

I used my old weight loss blog to document the house-buying and original moving in almost a year ago, and that blog is about to be removed so I thought that I'd move a few of the "good ones" over to here. Should I put them with the original dates? Or current?

My first shower: Friday, Jan 9, 2009
This morning I bathed in the new house for the first time since we moved in last Saturday. Between my dad scrubbing and riding it of bugs and Dave's plumbing repairs, the back "master" shower is useable. I've been making the one mile trek back to our empty apartment to shower every night, but this morning, I woke up and turned on the water in my house! I have wonderful, bouncy hair instead of frizzy, cowlick hair!

The funny part of it (that I can't forget a year from now): It took almost ten minutes to get hot water and the room was FREEZING because it has no insulation in the walls or ceiling and there is a airleak around the new door that Dave hasn't finished yet. Once in the shower, I curled my body under the water and tried to be a quick as possible--the air around me was frigid! After I got out of the shower and wrapped myself in my towel, I literally ran to my bed, dove under the down blanket, and took about five minutes to warm myself up. Dave told me it served me right for begging for a shower for a week, but made me hot apple cider at the same time :)

Thanksgiving Classic-Pumpkin Pie

Although it is Thanksgiving, and typically we overeat to the extreme on this day, I wanted to share my favorite (WW) trick for the day.

One Point Pumpkin Pie!

I love pumpkin pie--so much so that I can't just eat one slice. Regular pumpkin pie is 9 points for an 1/8th of a slice. These beauties are 8 points for the WHOLE THING!! Or 1 point per slice.

Here you go (this is for one, I always double it so that I can eat it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner):

• 15 oz can of pumpkin
• 12 oz can of non-fat evaporated milk
• 3/4 cup egg substitute (egg beaters) or 3 egg whites
• 1/2 tsp salt (don't leave it out, it helps set up the pie)
• 3 tsp pumpkin spice
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2/3 cup Splenda

Combine all of the above and beat until smooth. Pour into a Pam sprayed 9" pie pan. Bake at 400 degrees fro 15 minutes, then lower temperature to 325 and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Make sure knife put into center comes out clean. (There is no crust)

Wordless Wednesday (almost)

12:01 am

November 20, 2009

Cheering abounds as New Moon begins

Ornaments

My Grandma Bennett started a tradition over twenty-seven years ago that has been so incorporated into the Christmas that it is a major part of the season. Every year she picks out a special Hallmark ornament for each of her grandkids.

Each year, when it is time to put up the Christmas decorations, we open each Hallmart ornament from its very own box and original wrapping. Melissa and I played with each of them and each had our favorites. There were even a few of them that never made it back into the boxes because we played with them all year.

The one above I got in 1990. The two kitties sit inside a actual mini-basket on a actual knitted blanket and are playing with the bell in the basket. The bow that holds the bell on has been retied every year (and won't stay tied anymore).

If I had to pick an all time favorite, it would be this one!

Craft Project (take two)

Rachel found this cute craft online and showed it to me (she wanted to make it for me) and I stole the idea! I started with metal cookie cutters. There were harder to find that I thought; JoAnns Craft Store had a set of 40 for $14.99 with mini and regular size cookie cutters.

1. Arrange the cookie cutters into a circle (which I think was the hardest part).
2. Use the hot glue gun to glue the pieces together.
3. Cut wired ribbon in about 3 inch pieces (non-wired ribbon doesn't look as good, tried that first).
4. Tie each cookie cutter together with the wired ribbon and fluff the ends.
5. Glue a mini jingle bell to each tie.
6. For the top hanging hook, tie a piece of ribbon in a loop and cut the remainer of the ribbon so it looks like the ties from the cookie cutters.
7. Tie a regular bow, with short ends, and glue on top of the hanging loop.
8. Glue three jingle bells on top of the bow.
9. Hang up :)

Here is zoomed in version of hanging loop, bow, and jingle bells!
The ties will help the wreath stay together.

This is the mini-wreath I made first (I'm pretty sure I'll be redoing it tomorrow).

sunday night

forgot to blog yesterday.

almost forgot again today.

yesterday I had class from 8:30 til 4:15. I came hope pretty wiped out. Went to Tawni's for dessert. Great talking time...

today I vegged in front of the tv for hours. Enough time passed that I felt bad. Robyn came over, we crafted some more. After cleaning up, I started putting up the Christmas tree. Special ornaments make me happy, I will be posting more about those soon.

for now, off to bed.

Survied

Watching New Moon at midnight was a fun idea; last night we had a blast. I slept three and a half hours last night, got up and went to work at 7 am. I made it all day without yelling at a kid and without falling asleep (got close a few times).

Was it worth it?

Yep! Totally!

New Moon

Tonight at midnight, Des, Robyn and I will watch New Moon with thousands of teenyboppers and grown women who are in love with Edward and the entralling story of teenage vampires. I'm not sure what possessed us to stay up this late, get home at three in the morning on a work night, but nevertheless, it shall be an adventure!

Wordless Wednesday