Attack of the mini kitty!

Many, many moons ago, hubby and I learned that cats love, love, love to climb in real Christmas trees. We ended up having to tie ours to the wall to keep the cat from knocking it over. That was the year we added tinkling bells to our tree to warn us what she was up to. So, we switched to an artificial tree that we will use until it absolutely falls apart. Our cats have never climbed the artificial trees.
Well, they didn't until now... Delilah, the micro-kitty, (full grown, but tiny) has decided that this cheap-o artificial tree just absolutely needs a feline ornament! During our tree set up, we had to repeatedly pull her out of the tree so we could decorate it.

Oh well, I guess it just isn't Christmas without a kitty vaulting into the tree!

Countdown to Christmas

Seems like Christmas is coming up quickly this year. I have completed most of the crafty type items that I was making for gifts this year, so that is at least done. I am really excited about the afghans that I made for my nieces. I hope that they really like them.This one is for my 11 year old neice. She is very into the brown and blues color scheme.

This one is for my 7 year old niece. She is a girly-girl and ALL about the bling! Notice the fun fur mixed into it.

The last thing I have left is to make up and can some cranberry-pear conserve to add to gift baskets if I can squeeze it in. Love that stuff and it is absolutely gorgeous shiny red in color. Perfect for Christmas.

My cousin got married recently and has a new step-daughter, a really nice and sweet kid. I am trying to see if I can work up something fairly quickly for her, so all of the girls will get an afghan. I just wish I had known sooner to start work on it! Maybe I can come up with something nice. I am making large granny squares with unconventional color arrangements, hoping to come up with something modern and cool. I don't know her favorite colors yet, so I am hoping to get lucky!

Our decorating has been incredibly modest this year. We put up our little tree and the boys were really into helping with it this year. I can honestly say that I have enjoyed it more this year for some reason.Took the kids for their annual physical last Friday. Other than DS12 had to get 3 shots and had a hard time swallowing that, all was well and both boys are healthy. DS10 has asthma under control for now and took his one shot well (he was likely grateful to not have to get 3!). DS12 is now 5 feet 7 inches tall! Yikes! He's my big ol' boy. The pediatrician laughs that he was never actually on the typical growth chart, his growth curve hovering consistently way above the norm. DS10 is the opposite. 25th percentile for height, 10th percentile for weight. That never changes with him! It's funny sometimes how the kids can be so different, yet alike in so many ways. It's a hoot!

All packed up and no place to go...yet!

Well, I find myself all packed and chomping at the bit to see my new classroom. I can't wait to put my own personal stamp on it and do all of the fun teacher-y stuff that comes with a new setup. I have been assured that the classrooms are significantly larger than what we have now, so that's a blessing!

I am worse than a kid waiting for Christmas--I just can't wait to move!

The Packing Begins...

New beginnings always generate such excitement and our school's move to new digs is no different. We are all buzzing with energy and excitement to see inside our new building and get our room assignments.

Today, most of us teachers began the task of packing up our rooms in earnest. Of course, we are not taking anything that we will truly need before the break, but the vast majority of things that we use can be packed away for transport to their new homes.

I was amazed how quickly I am getting my room packed up with all of this excitement and energy. It's such a great vibe around the hallways. So, in very little time, I was able to get my room half way packed and still teach my classes. But, boy howdy, did my shoulders and arms ache when I stopped! Those boxes of textbooks are HEAVY! I didn't have to move them very far at all, but I did take them a few feet away in order to stack them neatly.

With any luck at all, I will finish up the packing tomorrow and then the bigger boys can carry the boxes down to storage until they are trucked over to the new building.

The hard part will be waiting through the final days before we can leave!

Another week down...

And two more to go until Christmas break from school. We are getting a nice, long break this year and I have every intention of enjoying it!

It appears that we may be changing locations at our school over the break and the long break will be lovely in that we can do the hard work and still have family time. Family time is actually one of the reasons that this job works so well for us. I can work when my family is occupied with school and/or work and I am available to spend time with them when they are available also. Plus, Fridays are a great day to catch up so that the weekend runs smoother.

So, we are looking forward to the holidays and sitting of an evening, looking at our lovely Charlie Brown Christmas tree. It's definitely not anything that would grace the cover of a magazine, but it's filled with precious memories and homemade ornaments from the kiddos and it makes me feel all warm inside.

We've pared down our decorating so that it isn't cumbersome this year. No huge outdoor light scenes, etc. It was easy to put together and won't be a mess to pack back up. We're sticking to the essentials this year and so far, we've been the happier for it.

I have always been drawn to the idea of living more simply, but I have a way of over-thinking things and making them more complicated! But, this year, it seems like right in the middle of the Christmas season, I have accidentally wandered into a nice, simple solution. I like the way it feels. Now, the question is, can I bring this calmness into other areas of my life?

Christmas Shopping

After being talked into going to Tanger Mall (an outdoor strip mall type place, not a real, indoors mall) in the freezing cold at midnight on Thanksgiving Day with a bum foot and a bad cough, I have actually completed the vast majority of my shopping. I didn't know how it would go, but I had a really good time and enjoyed the company of a friend and my brother.

Granted, like everyone else, we are having to cut back this year (even though our typical holidays look scaled back from what I see around me) so I was looking for a few really good sales to help provide the filler items for my boys.

Most of the stores were running wonderful sales, 50% off, and the like. I did pick up some nice clothes with "labels" that weren't any more expensive (maybe a little less so) than if I had picked them up on sale at Wally World, so that was good. I even came in under my budgeted amount, although I was picky in order to achieve that.

I had already shopped for many of our items back in October when our local "Sock Shoppe," which is a Griffin, GA icon, had a warehouse sale. I got really good quality pot holders, dish towels, etc. to put in food baskets for most of my family gifts. I'll fill in around with pear preserves and pear butter that I made with free pears earlier this year. I also have cranberries and more pears put aside for a lovely cranberry relish that always gets raves.

I will likely give a jar of preserves to my kids' teachers also.

For our parents, I got a great deal on a gown for my mom (and hubby's aunt) and fleece lounge pants that feel heavenly for both fathers. With so many of us cutting the heat back, they should feel really cozy.

Hubby finally told me what he would like, a cd collection of bird songs that he can download into an mp3 player for when he is out birdwatching. So, that will be easy enough.

Now, there is a book I would like to get my Dad and some slippers for my Mom, but that is it for the adults.

I only have to find something for each of the boys that says, "Wow!" I also need a good gift for my brother (20 and in college).

All in all, a frugal season for us. I feel accomplished and we're incurring no debt whatsoever. I'm feeling "merrier" already!

Bronchitis, PANDAS, and Neuromas, Oh My!

Who said that only good things come in threes? Certainly not anyone in our family. Since Thanksgiving Day, I have been diagnosed with bronchitis and a bacterial infection in addition to the neuroma crap that is a day to day aggravation.

DS12 has a flare up of PANDAS (strep antibodies attacking part of his brain) and is major, hyper-emotional right now. We're waiting for the doctor to call in heavy duty antibiotics to help lower his antibody levels. So, we're lots of fun lately.

Actually, the doctor gave me a different decongestant/cough medicine that is working really well. The only real problem is that it absolutely knocks me on my backside. I could sit around all day with crossed eyes, giggling at any and everything. Unfortunately, although my students would truly enjoy it, such behavior is frowned upon by high school teachers. Go figure.