Princess Party

One of the great things about being teacher is having a break in December. This break has been WONDERFUL! I have done lots of nothing, and some other things as well ;-) I invited Maddie and Ivy to spend the night and have a Princess Party. They wore princess pajamas, we watched princess movies, we ate popcorn and had hot chocolate. We even filled up my usually-too-big bedroom by adding two extra sleeping spaces. It was pretty much the coolest thing ever!

Already?

I get called mom all the time at school. Do you remember doing that as a kid? I remember calling my teacher mom once, I was so embarrassed! Now I realize that I didn't need to be, it's a daily occurrence. However, the following incident was a first for me!

Student: Grandma?
Me: Did you just call me Grandma?
Student: Well . . . No . . . I said "Gra . . .mun . . .ooo . . . cookie".
Me: "Gra . . .mun . . .ooo . . . cookie"?
Student: Yep!
Me: (Laughing) Okay!

At the ripe old age of 25 I am already being referred to as grandma!

Christmas 2010 - Part 3

Because we had our Christmas celebration early, it was odd to still have Christmas things going on around me! It made for an even longer Christmas season, which I thought was wonderful!

Teaching 1st grade during December is one of the best parts of my job! I LOVE the energy and enthusiasm that these kids have for the holidays. It is so much fun! We spent our week working hard, and playing hard. We made gingerbread houses out of milk cartons. We didn't use gingerbread, or even graham crackers. I told my kids that it's all about the candy decorations, anyway! (really, I just didn't want to deal with graham crackers for that many kids, but they turned out awesome!)

Wednesday was my last day of school before the break. I was extremely spoiled by my darling students! We played games, read books, watched a movie, and went home for the holidays! YAY FOR CHRISTMAS BREAK!

Thursday my Dad decided that he wanted to take a trip down to Salt Lake. I have gone to Salt Lake numerous times in my life, but never on this:

We took the Frontrunner this time. I LOVE riding trains, so I really enjoyed this. What a fun way to get to Salt Lake, and so much less stress!

We wandered around the Gateway, spent a good amount of time in Barnes & Noble (My next big purchase will be a Nook), and enjoyed the holiday spirit. We went to Deseret Book in downtown Salt Lake to see the art exhibit by Elder Richard G. Scott. It was amazing! What a talented man. I had no idea what an incredible painter he is.

We enjoyed violin music in the Joseph Smith building before heading out to see the lights at Temple Square. It doesn't matter how many times I have seen them, it never gets old.

(Don't we look like the reception bars that are on your cell phone? We didn't do that on purpose!)

After that we met up with Karl and Liz for dinner at Applebees, then it was back on the Frontrunner for the trip home.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day were both very relaxed since we had already done our celebrations. We had a big Christmas dinner on Saturday and invited everyone who didn't have anywhere to go on Christmas to come. It was a wonderful day, and and wonderful holiday season!

I hope you all had a very Merry Christmas!

Christmas 2010 - Part 2

Christmas at our home came early this year. It was the year for my siblings to spend Christmas with the in-laws, so we did our Christmas a week early. It was a fun event, as always. However, this year we introduced many new aspects to our regular celebration.

We had a new, pre-lit Christmas tree, which we all love:

We made a "Happy Birthday Jesus" cake.
The girls loved it!
And it helped them to understand what Christmas is really about.
Plus, it tasted delicious!

The little girls put together a Nativity (with the help of Nana) as Pop Pop read the biblical account of the birth of Jesus. (Notice the flying wise man. He's my favorite)

And we read a picture book that told the Christmas story from the animal's point of view in the stable.

Even with new things, the old traditions were still there. We still had soup for dinner. We still got one present to open on Christmas eve. Like always, they were pajamas. And like always, I love them!

The little girls:

The big girls:

The boys:

We had our traditional Christmas breakfast, followed by opening stockings and presents. I was THRILLED to get brand new faucets for both my kitchen, and my bathroom, plus a new shower head! This is big stuff for me! I am so excited! Sadly, unlike a regular Christmas I had to spend a good part of the day in my classroom trying to get caught up with tests, grades, etc.

Even a week early, it was a fabulous Christmas!

Christmas 2010 - Part One

Because I have been such a blogging slacker this last month, I am going to spend the next three days trying to get caught up on blogging about Christmas. My Christmas adventures started with a party with some amazing friends. The four of us have been friends since 6th grade. We went through our awkward stages together. We went through our boy-crazy stage together (did that ever end? ;-) These three ladies are the ones who kept me sane during High School. We helped each other through our years of trying to figure our where we wanted to go in life. We don't see each other often, but whenever we do we spend the whole time laughing! We are all completely different, but have way too much fun together! Because of a giant snowstorm that ruined our Christmas party last year, this was the first time we had all been together in two years.

Still the best of friends!

And still complete goof's!

I guess we all had a different idea of where this picture was going!

We ate food, and opened presents, watched movies,

tried to find every possible way to use Beth's scarves . . .

Made Reese into a scarf mummy . . .

and laughed and laughed until the wee hours of the morning.

I'm so glad that some things never change!

Mailbag

Dear Blog,

No, I have not forgotten you. I promise. Life has kicked into survival mode as of late. I hope to return more fully soon - say in a week.

Yours truly,

Me

Dear Macey's,

Thank you for once again carrying my all time favorite hot cereal. I may have jumped for joy and called my mom when I found it. You have made breakfast so much more enjoyable for me. Please continue to carry Bob's 8 Grain Hot Cereal for the rest of forever. My taste buds thank you!

Sincerely,

Katie

Dear Christmas,

Please slow down! I am so not ready for you. Though I am thoroughly enjoying all of your bright lights and beautifully decorated trees.

Best regards,

Katie

Dear Cell Phone Store,

I do not like you. I understand that you are busy, and that all of your employees are experts when it comes to the latest technology. But would it kill you to listen to what I want my new phone to be like? No, I am not interested in the coolest new feature. Nor do I appreciate that you are trying to get me out the door with the one phone you have a major surplus of. Yes, I know I am a girl, but that doesn't mean I need you to tell me what I want. Please keep this in mind.

Thank you,

Katie


Dear Josh Groban,

My offer still stands, in case you were wondering. I really think we may be soul mates ;-)

Love,

Katie

And the winner is . . .

Thank you for all of the great recipe ideas! I excited to try them all. Madison helped me pick a winner.

And the winner is:

Congratulations, Christin! I will get your prize to you this week!

Thank you all for entering!