Monday, December 16, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday

I should be sleeping, but I am too excited about Top Ten Tuesday to make myself go to bed. I am sure that this post could wait until tomorrow and will I grumble about being tired at some point tomorrow? Probably.

I figure that this is going to be a long week. The kids know that Christmas break is so close they can taste it. They know that there are three days of school left. Down fall of teaching them how to read a calendar. So why not find something that makes my *heart flutter* and have that little moment, even if it is past my bedtime.
Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish

I have been waiting for this Top Ten topic for three weeks now! It is "Top Ten New-To-Me Authors I Read In 2013" and I had a pretty good list! Some I will read more books from, and others...not so much.  


  •  Kathrine Applegate – The One and Only Ivan (could any sweeter book be written?)
  • Claire Vanderpool – Navigating Early
  •  Diana Gabaldon – Outlander
  • Ivan Doig – Whistling Season
  •  Ann Patchett- State of Wonder
  •   Stephen Chbosky – The Perks of Being a Wallflower
  •   Jack Gantos - Dead End in Norvelt (Please put my name on the hold list for book two)
  •   Richard Newton Peck – Soup on Ice (Dear Publishing Company, start printing these books again!)
  •  Robert Peck – The Grandma Dowdell Series (would LOVE some more adventures with Grandma)
  • John Boyne – Boy in the Striped Pajamas 
just realized that 50% of my list are YA/Jfic authors and that excites me. I am then able to share with my students books that I think they should read!

     Have you read any new-to-you authors this year?




Friday, December 13, 2013

Traditions

I love traditions! I want more of them in my life and can't wait to start some that are on the horizon. Christmas is full of traditions (even if you don't realize it!) Some die out as you get older and move on into adulthood and some stick around and are passed on to your own.

Here are a few that are done in our family.

This is probably the oldest tradition that we have. I am guessing that my mom started it, but every year we got a "fang scraper" in our stockings. I remember mom asking me what I got in my stocking, and I always seemed to leave the toothbrush out in my excitement of reciting what I got from Santa. She also would ask if I got a fang scraper. Should have been my clue on who really brought it to me.


New pajamas every year. Last year Molly and I decided to skip this one and get each other pjs for Easter. My reason behind the switch was that I had more winter jammies than I did summer and needed to stock up. I don't think either of us really liked this because pjs are back on the gift list!


I am not sure how this tradition got started, but it is one that is just between my sister and myself, although she is cooler than I am and have gotten others calendars also. Each year we buy each other a new calendar. I love this one, because it makes me think of her so often! She always does a good job on choosing a calendar for me and I get excited to see what she picked!

And finally, we watch Emmet Otter's Jug-band Christmas. We are a Muppets family and love Kermit. The story is such a sweet one and a good reminder what friends and family really are.

As I was looking for a picture, just learned that
this is a book! 
What are some of your Christmas traditions? I'd love to hear them and maybe steal some ideas! ;0)

P.S Were you too singing "Tradition" from Fiddler on the Roof?

This has been a Finish The Sentence Friday post. The sentence is “My favorite Christmas tradition is…” brought to you by Finding Ninee.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday

Brought to you by The Broke and the Bookish

I get to participate this week!  Top Ten Books On My Winter TBR is the topic for this still very cold December Tuesday.  Cold weather makes me want to curl up with a book, blanket and cup of warm liquid.


Let's see what I have stacked up! (Sorry I don't have pictures of the books. Maybe when I am older.)
  1. And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini
  2. The Gift by Cecelia Ahern
  3. Winter Garden by Kristen Hannah
  4. In the Company of Secrets (Postcards from Pullman #1)  by Judith McCoy Miller
  5. Whispers Along the Rails (Postcards from Pullman #2) by Judith McCoy Miller
  6. An Uncertain Dream (Pos cards from Pullman #3) by Judith McCoy Miller
  7. A Distant Melody (Wings of Glory #1) by Sarah Sundin
  8. A Memory Between Us (Wings of Glory #2)
  9. Blue Skies Tomorrow (Wings of Glory #3)
  10. Before I Die by Jenny Downham
What are a few titles on your Winter TBR pile?

Monday, December 9, 2013

It's Official

It has happened. I am finally into the Christmas spirit.


Here is what pushed me over the edge...

 
Christmas concert with the girls.

Secret Santa Day #1
 
First ever Ugly Sweater Party
 
How about you?
Are you like this guy?
Or are you more like this guy?
 
 



Saturday, December 7, 2013

*Snapshot Saturday*


Happy Saturday! It is still pretty chilly here and seems to be sticking around for awhile. I feel that if it is going to be this cold, it at least needs to snow. No one asked me though ;0)

Anyway, my *snapshot saturday* is a picture from earlier this week. A few weeks ago I had made a bet with a student on the outcome of the Bronco game and gained myself some tasty cookies. It became a class discussion and I am sure I said some flippant comment about students bringing me cookies. Well they don't take me serious when I try to teach them how to do two-by-two digit multiplication, but they take me serious when I am far from serious.

My sweet little student comes up to me a few days later and asks me if I like raisins. I tell her sort of and her face falls. (Wrong answer!) She then tells me that she got me oatmeal raisin cookies! I quickly told her that I do in fact like oatmeal raisin cookies and her face lite up! This sweet little package is what she handed me!

THEN, I talked to mom last night and get the back story of the cookies. The family was at the store and each child was told that they could have a dollar to get something that they would like. The younger brother quickly picked out his choice and she thought for a second and said, "I don't want anything, just the cookies for Ms.Wilson." Be still my fluttering heart!

The best part about receiving this little gift was the fact that I was having a slight pity party on the side of low self esteem and she changed my day around. Something so simple as a package of cookies with a beautiful green bow tied around it.

What are you going to do today to change someone's day around?

Friday, December 6, 2013

Forbidden Fruit

One of my favorite childhood memories is…ok more than one, would be the time that I spent in the mountains with my family. There are so many stories that I am not sure that I can just pick one, or even remember all the details.

This is what we hoped the mountains would look like!
The moment that the snow was no longer on Lamborn and Landsend, we could head for the hills. Whenever I asked dad when we could go he always told me to look at the mountains, when the snow was gone, then we could go. Then every weekend from that point until the last second we would go to the hills, leaving Friday night after work and coming home Sunday evening.


We were lucky enough to leave our slide-in-camper on private property and this is where we grew up camping until sadly that property was sold.

I learned how to start a fire, was dishes while camping, how to squat behind a bush, that coyotes were more scared of you than you are of them, that rocks can look like bears, not to climb on gates, that it is easier for guys to pee on a fire than it is for girls, what stinging needle is, rotten-meat-dog-farts are the worst, the difference between an elk and a cow, and how amazing it is to just sit and be while in the mountains.

Not THE red gate, but a relative.
Probably the most favorite memory that we get a laugh out of the most is the time that my sister and I climbed on the gate when we were told not to do so. The owner of the property had just replaced and painted the gate that went across the road that lead to his personal cabin. We were told not to climb on it, and I am convinced that if Dad hadn't said anything, we wouldn't have even thought about such a thing. Can you say forbidden fruit? We were like moths to a flame and went for a "walk." This walk ended up down at the gate, which we promptly climbed on. Little did we know and forget that my dad has been paid to stalk and hunt prey. He too went on a little walk of his own through the trees and watched us do the exact thing he had told us not to do.

Once we got our fill of being a rebel, we headed back to camp. Dad was sitting in a chair just chillin. We thought we were in the clear. Wrong again. We were totally busted. That was the last time that my dad spanked me.

Molly or I never climbed on a gate again.

This has been a Finish The Sentence Friday post. The sentence is “One of my favorite childhood memories is…” brought to you by Finding Ninee.

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Top Ten Tuesday

Lists make my *heart flutter* and Top Ten Tuesday is just the thing for me! I found The Broke and the Bookish while I was looking around at other's blogs that are participating in the TBR Challenge 2013. It is book related and strangely enough, I can't really participate this week. The topic this week is "Top Ten 2014 Release I'm Dying To Read." I thought about this long and hard, but I think that I am just in the dark because I don't know any books that will be coming out in the year 2014! I only know of "old" books that I want to read.
So I thought that I would still do a top ten list of my own for this week.

Top Ten Things I Am Looking Forward to in December
  • Winter/Christmas flavored lattes
  • Time with friends and family
  • Secret Santa at school
  • Emmet Otter's Jug Band Christmas
  • Celebrating the birth of our Savior
  • Christmas break
  • Reading cuddled in a blanket over Christmas break
  • Ugly Sweater Party
  • Morgan County Chorales Christmas Concert
  • Getting Christmas cards in the mail
What are you looking forward to in December?