A glimpse into what it is like to live in our home just this moment.
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| photo cred: Tribune |
Intentional Outdoor Hours: 571+ hours (of 1000)
Some big 'ole snowflakes this week! So pretty!
Reading By Any Other Name by Jodi Picoult. We stopped by my friend Renee's bookstore (The Laurel & Leaf Bookshop ) to drop off her secret Santa gift that was delayed for our book club Christmas party (love you!) I picked up a Christmas rom-com novella while I was there - I chose The Christmas List by Maren Moore
Listening to Christmas music 24/7 and when not Christmas music, I'm finishing My Friends by Fredrick Backman
Christmas movies watched: Christmas with the Kranks, The Naughty Nine, Elf
Christmas prep:
- finished addressing the Christmas cards (finally) and got them all stamped and closed and sent!
- printing our neighborhood thank yous to hand out for their lights and decorations that make our neighborhood so lovely this season
- Brandon put up some Christmas lights over the garage, yay!
- Celebrating St Nicholas day (one day late)
- 12 days of Christmas dress up for the babies at their Pre-K
- hanging up Christmas cards received from family and friends (thank you for sending them). Violet has taken the task of hanging them all up for me!
- finished the ordering (mostly) of gifts that need to make it through the mail before Christmas eve
- updated my budget tracker and feeling pretty okay about how things are going - I think it's going to be alright timewise.
Marco antics: sitting with the kids' shoes filled with candy for St. Nicholas day, hanging off of our bear mount, writing potty-themed lyrics on the toilet paper, sitting in Olive's babydoll high chair eating marshmallows, drawing silly faces on the eggs, hiding in Violet's cardboard gingerbread house display, and trying to fool everyone by dressing up like a Little Debbie Christmas tree cake and asking "Is it cake?" (I will never stop laughing at this)
A deer for Daddy! Brandon, Grey, and Pappy went out hunting on Sunday and B got a nice 8point buck. Hooray for a full freezer and we are shipping the head (and the TWO OTHER HEADS) to be European mounted. Yes, you read that correct - I have had two deer skulls in my deep freezer for months?! God bless hunters' wives, honestly.
Confirmation class for Gemma, one more lesson closer to getting confirmed this spring! Gem also did her acolyte duty this week and Violet did it with her so she wouldn't have to fly solo. #sisters
Trying to just knock out one single item from every category each day. LOL FOREVER. Did I do one extra school task (like grading/ filing/ email)? Did I do one home chore (laundry/ vacuuming/ cleaning)? Did I do one Christmas action item (card addressing/ present ordering/ planning)? Then okay, as long as I can do one of those things every day - I'm not fully submerged yet. I'm still doggy-paddling over here!
Clapping for Gemma and the Jr high chorus at their winter concert. They sounded beautiful (and looked beautiful). I have never been to a school concert for my kids that I didn't get choked up. Every.single.time. These young people out here singing and learning the arts makes my heart sing and my eyes water. (thank you to all the educators teaching kids creativity and spirit and the arts - I appreciate you!) Gem stayed after her chorus part to take photos of the band concert for yearbook too. This girl - she does it all!
Looking for my glasses. I really should probably be wearing my glasses everyday...I mean I can see just fine but for a crisper view of the world (LOL). I do not want to wear contacts (which makes Brandon crazy) but I just want to open my eyes and see like I always have but 40 is putting some strain on lots of my body - eyes for sure included!
Giggling and retaping many times Violet's How To video for her writing class. She chose to Make a Breakfast Sandwich and at 9:15p at night this week, we filmed the steps and laughed the whole way through (taking a multiple takes) and then Grey added some humor to the end of the video and the three of us were cracking up in the kitchen way past a school night bedtime.
Full blown panic when I was notified that my paperwork is not up to date for the state ed department. Real true desperation for a few hours thinking that I was going to be in real trouble with my teacher certification. And then I had so many people step in to help me and support me, I was overwhelmed with appreciation and relief. Thank you so much Loni (for talking me back from the ledge of doom), Ella (who said, "I will literally start taking online courses in your name if I have to?!"), my former principal who searched high and low and to the ends of the internet for answers for me, Nina who emailed and called on my behalf, Barb who sat me down and walked me through the process like I was a little child who needed cared for (I did! omigosh, how I appreciate your patience!), and my former universities who were so quick to respond and helpful. Yeesh. deep breaths Tab. Everything has been submitted and now we just wait for the state to finalize.
Eating peppermint and candy canes every day. Kids are concerned that I have a real addiction but peppermint is bringing me so much joy! I have been enjoying peppermint creamer in my coffee and we pack candy canes in our basketball games bag for the bleachers.
Time with family and friends. God bless those football seniors who showed up (in the snow!) to Violet's indoor soccer game to cheer her on - she appreciated it so much and felt like the coolest 'little sister' having her football buddies cheer for her (you are the sweetest - DJ, Cohen, and Dawson!) Grey went hunting with Chum early Saturday morning.
Teaching a full week while the kiddos are already bouncing off the walls for holiday vacation. The elementary school students continued learning about Chile and the Moai of Easter Island. My Expo students finished up week 1 basic vocabulary. Spanish 1 finished Capibara con Botas, took their final book test, and started on their RAFT projects. Spanish 2 continued practicing quehaceres vocab and using Deber as their target structures. My Spanish 1 and 2 students are all practicing the Spanish Christmas Carols to prepare for the upcoming caroling at Patriot Manor Nursing Home and/or the Senior High Christmas assembly!
Sporting with a basketball practice for Violet (but Rusty tags along) and an indoor soccer game for Violet and her Sparks team. Gemma had three basketball practices and three basketball games. It was our turn to provide away game snacks on Monday so we sent clementines and granola bars for the girls. Grey had two basketball practices, three basketball games, and a basketball tournament at UPJ (they earned champions again!) Grey also had his sports massage with Miss Emma this week. Brandon worked the concession stand at the JV basketball game for our volunteer duty for the basketball boosters and the kids buy chuck-a-ducks for all of our halftime games!
Making crack chicken sammies, sheet pan kielbasa, tortellini, veggies, buffalo chicken dip (to eat at the school during chorus concert/basketball game night), Pioneer woman lasagna (small batch at 10p for the oldest athletes), meatloaf with roasted carrots and potatoes (I can never make enough! We always ending up wishing we had more!), frozen pizzas, sheetpan chicken fajita rice bowls, I made a batch of strawberry cake mix cookies (Brandon and Gemma ate most of them straight out of the oven!) and I made some peanut butter & oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. For breakfast on Saturday I made Fruity Pebble muffins.
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