One of Winter’s Simple Pleasures

THIS:

PLUS THIS:

EQUALS THIS:

PURE BLISS!

I LOVE WINTER!

A just in case stocking

As I have mentioned previously, I dream almost every day, and I almost always remember my dreams. Usually they are quite bizarre, and make no sense, but every once in a while an entertaining dream pops in there. Today I had one of those dreams.

First I have to explain something. When I was young my mom started an embroidery business. She could sew any design or logo on your choice of hat/shirt/bag/swimsuit etc. One of the best things that she ever made in my opinion was our Christmas Stockings.

When my mom first made these stockings she used coordinating materials for her and my dad, my grandparents, my brothers, and my sister and I. When Lacey and Karl got married (not to each other, of course) they got new stockings with material that coordinates with their spouses. They look like this:

I love our stockings, they are quite unique. The problem that we are having now is that my mom sold her business when we moved houses. So now we are trying to figure out how to make stockings for the grandkids. It has been discussed a bit in the past few days, which is probably why I had the dream I did today.

In my dream I came home to find that my mom had made me and my husband new stockings. (Yes, you read that right. But no, I am not married!) I told my mom that she really didn’t need to be doing that, and that she should be working on the little girl’s stockings. My mom turned to me and said “I thought I would have them ready, just in case”. To which I replied “Mom, I am not getting married before Christmas. You really don’t need to be working on these right now!” and she once again said “I know, but just in case . . .”

I woke up laughing. I can assure you, I will NOT be getting married before Christmas. I told my mom about my dream and she laughed with me. She knows that there is no reason to make a new stocking, even if it is just in case!

A Cereal Matter

I had never taken much thought to how I eat cereal until I was talking to one of my coworkers this week. You see, I am a big cereal fan. I eat it at least 6 mornings a week. My favorite use to be Frosted Flakes, but over the past year I have switched to Frosted Mini Wheat’s. There are several reasons for the transition. The first is that FMW’s is ranked as one of the healthier cold cereals. The second is that a serving size for FMW’s is large. I like my food. I eat a lot. Therefore, big serving sizes serve me well! The third reason for the switcheroo is because I found that I stay full longer when I eat FMW’s as opposed to FF. So now eat FMW almost exclusively for breakfast.

The fact that I eat FMW’s isn’t the odd thing; it’s how I eat them. After I have a huge serving of FMW’s in my bowl and pour 1% milk over it the real fun begins. I then use my spoon to flip any Mini Wheat’s over that have their frosted side down as quickly as possible. It’s like a race! You see, if the frosted side stays in the milk, then the crisp sugar will dissolve into the milk. I don’t want to drink the frosting from my FMW’s. I want to eat it while it is on the mini wheat! Sadly, each bowl has at least a few mini wheat’s that are unfrosted on BOTH sides. These little buggers are the ones I eat first, reserving the ones caked with the most frosting till the end.

I have had to skip my mini wheat – flipping tradition a few times in the past when I was late for something, and it just doesn’t taste as good! It may be strange, but it is how I like it!

Ketchup . . .or Catsup . . .

Or really, just catch up. I was so determined to have the giveaway as my hundredth post that I neglected to post about several exciting/random things that have happened. Here are a few:

I have officially finished the semester! I had no finals, which was fantastic! Lots of projects, and lots of hard work, but I am done and free (at least for four weeks!) It was a difficult semester, but I made it!

I also finished my time with my 1st graders. The last day was sad and happy all at the same time. Though I will miss their cute little smiles, hugs, and the hilarious things they say, it is exciting to finish this phase of my education and move onto the next. They were such a wonderful class! When I left they presented me with this gift:

This spiffy little gadget perfectly imitates the sound of a whistle when you push the button. No need to put your mouth on that yucky whistle filled with germs from the last time you had a cold (or a substitute) just push the button at recess and the kids come running. I love, love LOVE it! I am sure that it will get much good use! (HA! my dad just walked by and asked me what it was. I told him, and he said he wanted to hear. So I pushed the button. OUCH! This thing should NOT be used indoors!)

Another exciting development is that I received my student teaching placement. I have been worried about it for a long time! I handed in my application in August, and got my placement on December 1st. But it was worth the wait! I will spend the first half of next semester in a 2nd grade class, and the second half in a 4th grade class. YAY! And even more exciting . . . I am going back to the elementary school that I worked with this semester. This is extreamely rare, and I couldn't be more thrilled! I loved the school I was at. The students and facutly were all wonderful! It is just a really great school. I can't wait to start student teaching!

Last night I had an entertaining dream. I was on the Price is Right. I havent watching an episode in years, go figure. Not only was I on the Price is Right, but I made it all the way down to the floor. So there I was on the floor, jumping up and down, squeeling, and kissing Bob Barker on the cheek (he was still the host in my dream). Then they announced the prize I would be playing for, and what was it? A new car? Who would dream about winning a new car? No, I was playing to win a year's worth of groceries. Totally random. It's no car, but still, that would be a cool prize! I don't know what game I played, but I won! Anyone want to make a quick trip to California?

100th Post . . . AND THE WINNER IS . . .

YAY! 100 posts! This blogging thing has become way too much fun! I saw this altered quote on a blog the other day, and it cracked me up! It said:

Life isn't measured by the
number of posts you blog,
but by the number of posts that
take your breath away!

Hehehe, I don't think I have had many posts that have been "take your breath away" quality, but it has been fun! Thanks to everyone who follows and comments!

I was amazed by the amount of interest in the giveaway! I was not expecting nearly as many comments as I got. I wish I could send you all a book, but alas, I have just one set. And it is eagerly awaiting new ownership.

I was very professional. I wrote everyone's name on a slip of paper . . .

Then I put them all in a bowl, which Lacey held above my head while I drew one out (the lovely expression on my face is just from anticipation!)

And the winner is . .

.

Congratulations Melissa & David! (and Brianna and Benjamin!) I am so excited, and I hope you love these books as much as I do! If you get me your address I will drop them in the mail tomorrow.

Thanks again to everyone who entered, and keep your eyes peeled, I will be sure to do another giveaway soon!

GIVEAWAY!

In honor of my 100th post I have decided to do a giveaway. I have never done one before, so bear with me! I tried to decide exactly what I could giveaway, since I am not super crafty and such. I decided instead to give away something that I am slightly obsessed with . . . CHILDREN'S BOOKS! And in light of the holiday season that we are in, I have chosen an adorable Christmas Book Set to go to one of you lucky readers! Included in this set are five paperback children's books including:

The Very Snowy Christmas, by Diane Hendry

Christmas Mice, by Bethany Roberts

Snowmen at Christmas, by Caralyn Buehner

Olive, the other Reindeer, by Vivian Walsh

Mooseltoe, by Margie Palatini

All of the books are new, though I will admit I read each one when the set came (not to worry – I was very careful!) They are all adorable, I found Olive, the Other Reindeer to be particularly entertaining!

It doesn't matter if this is your first time visiting my blog, or if you have been with Kate's Corner from the beginning (all three of you). It doesn't matter if you have kids or not (I don't, and I still love children's books!) Even if I don't know you, don't be timid, just enter! The more the merrier!

To enter: Simply leave a comment on this post. Make sure it gives me a link to your blog. If your blog is private, make sure there is a way that I can contact you if you win. You have until 11:59 PM on December 6^th (Saturday) to enter. I will draw a winner and post on Sunday (my 100^th post!). If you live close enough I will hand deliver the books, and if you don't I will mail them. I will make sure that you get the books before Christmas.

So there it is! PLEASE ENTER!

Yuletide Tag

I LOVE Christmas! It is my favorite time of year. I love the feeling in the air, the charity that comes out. I love that we remember Christ's birth, and I also love all the sense of family and traditions that are steeped into the holiday season. In light of this I decided to start my own tag (who starts tags anyway, am I even allowed to do such a thing?) I decided to call it the Yuletide Tag. So here it is . . .

Yuletide Tag

When do you start listening to Christmas music?

Though I do love Christmas music, I think the day after Halloween is a bit too early to start singing Jingle Bells. I may listen to a song here or there while I am flipping stations on the radio, but I don't really listen to much until after thanksgiving.

When do you put up your Christmas tree?

Any time after thanksgiving, and before the end of the first week of December. It also needs to stay up till New Year's. I love turning off all of the lights in the room and turning on the Christmas tree lights. So pretty, and so peaceful!

Favorite Christmas movie:

How the Grinch Stole Christmas. The original, old, animated version. I LOVE it! I also have to watch Little Women every year at Christmas time. I know it's really not a Christmas movie, but for some reason the two are intertwined in my head.

Favorite Christmas Song:

O Holy Night, as sung by Josh Groban. I swoon every time I hear it! Will you marry me, Josh?

Favorite Christmas Tradition:

Every year my family has always tried to participate in the Sub-for-Santa program, or the Angel Tree. I am a firm believer that everybody deserves something on Christmas, and while I can’t give a gift to everybody, I can do my little part! I love the feeling that comes as we serve others, especially during this time of the year. This is a tradition that I will carry on when I have my own kids!

Favorite Christmas Food:

Peppermint Hot Cocoa, Candy Cane Kisses

Favorite Christmas Book:

Either The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, or A Christmas Dress for Ellen by Thomas S. Monson.

Fun Christmas Memory:

Christmas in Brazil was a very interesting experience. I am use to Christmas in the dead of winter, with lots of snow on the ground. In Brazil, it was the middle of summer, and as hot as could be. Cocoa and soup were swapped for fruit salad and ice cream.

As missionaries, Christmas was one of the days that we could talk to our families on the phone. My family was set to call me at 8:00 pm, Brazil time. We were running to our apartment after having a day full fun and love with some of the most generous people in the world when our cell phone started ringing. I saw it was a number from the U.S. and answered excitedly, knowing it was my family. I was surprised to hear my brother, Karl, and my SIL Liz. I had been expecting my parents. They told me that I was going to be an Aunt for the first time! I was so excited I started jumping up and down in the streets of Brazil! (Most Brazilians sit outside during the summer, so I got lots of strange looks) My companion was jumping up and down with me, even though she didn’t know what was going on. That was a fantastic Christmas present!

If you were one of Santa's reindeer, which one would you be?

For some reason this question popped into my head, and then I couldn’t decide! I would say that I was dasher, since I like to run. But the name “Dasher” makes it sound fast, and I am NOT fast. Plus, Dasher leads the group, and I am directionally challenged, so that would not be a good thing. Maybe Prancer! Yes, Prancer I would be!

I tag anyone who loves Christmas!