I've Been Blogging A Lot Lately...

...in my head. It doesn't work when you just say what you want to write. It doesn't just type itself and appear here as envisioned. So here's what I've blogged about:

• The play
• Baking
• My new TV stand
• Our secret wood stashes
• A lot of other random nonsense like Laundry, sweeping, dogs, etc.

So, here in the morning hours when I should be putting grades in the computer for midterms, but then I realized I have one more week until midterms, I think I will slack and share a bit of all my randomness.

Christmas! It came - we got spoiled - it went. Art bought my Christmas at Spoons n' Spice, I bought myself a new mixer and pots & pans (thanks to our parents, I didn't actually buy these items, I just did the shopping) - I got spoiled. However, I think the expectations on my frequency of cooking have been raised.

My favorite part of Christmas was the dogs opening their presents. Lulu gets SOOOO excited. I was going to make a cute video of all their presents, but in my slacking I'll just put one of the parts on here. (Ok - no video, it crashed. I will try again when I'm done slacking. Just trust me, it's cute.)

Other randomness - I've been doing some baking (as usual). I made a cake for my friend Judy for her birthday, some Baby Shower cupcakes for another friend, and a birthday cake for M. and Sarah.

On Judy's cake I tried frosting embroidery for the first time. It was kind of like painting on a cake. She's an artsy person so I thought it suited her...

Somewhere in there I baked some delicious french mint cupcakes which I don't think I took pictures of... oh well.

The play! It's coming so fast! (March 31 and April 1). I have never done so much choreography in my whole life. The longest conversation in this play is about 30 seconds - the rest is singing and dancing. yikes! I think we're a little over half way and we've done some big numbers. But the last 6 songs have all 170 kids on stage - that should be fun!

I was going to put a picture up of my new piece of furniture that Art built me - but he said 'no' because the feet are not on it yet. That kid is a perfectionist (not that I'm complaining). I'll attempt to describe. He made a simplistic mission style cherry TV stand (shaped like a buffet) - that he stained a natural color so it will darken up and show all the grain lines that he book matched and framed in his cuts..... Nope. Description doesn't do it justice. It's lovely, and SOOO heavy, and I'll post a pic when it's all the way done.

What else?

- Cupcakes blogs are the ultimate time waster

- French Mint is officially "Heaven in a Spoon" (Think frozen minty Grandmas Andersen pie)

- I can now officially make Italian Meringue Buttercream and Swiss Meringue Buttercream and they are SOOOO good. I think I prefer the swiss.

- I have 13 out of 25 Bird Girl headpieces made.

- I have to figure out how to make a growing feathery tail, on a low budget.

- Rudy believes going to the park is the only important purpose in the day.

- I love my husband

- I love my Mom and Dad and I know the church is true...

ok, that means I should stop. There I did it. Actual - not mind-written - blog post.

I am sOOO not my mother, in some ways.

In other ways, like where we store our fat, our need for a treat after all meals, and our obsession with sprinkles, we are just the same.

However our major difference lie in two of her favorite things, wallpaper and decorating.

She loves wallpaper. From one vantage point in her house you can count 6 different patterns. My walls are all solid lovely colors - not a stitch of the sticky stuff in sight.

As for decorating, this too she does to the 'enth' degree. I remember in my teenage years being on the phone with someone (this is back in the prehistoric years when we had a phone, attached to a wall, with a cord - and at our house it was a very long, stretchy, tangled cord - all surrounded by a decorative phone shelf complete with seasonal tiny knick-knacks)... Anyhow, on the phone one day I walked as far as the cord would stretch counting pumpkins (it was pumpkin season). From one stretch of the phone cord I counted 116 pumpkins!! (All of various forms, materials, sizes and shapes). When I decorate for 'pumpkin season' I hang a fall towel on the front of my stove. (A towel purchased by my mother). But it is the 'holiday season' when you truly see the difference between my mother and I.

She starts about 10 seconds after the Thanksgiving pie is put away, and continues the process until New Years (I say the process continues because she can't stop buying more adorable festive decor and shuffling it into the mix.) She has trimmed down the stuff - it used to be something like 25 giant rubbermaid boxes - and now she's down to 15 (I think she just packs it better). With all the 'stuff' she decorates EVERYTHING. There is not a room that doesn't have some sort of festive garb.

Now, for those of you who don't know my mom you may be envisioning piles upon piles of plastic tackiness. This is not the case. Though hard to admit, her house is beautiful... magical... during Christmas. People come in and smile because they can't help themselves. At night, it sparkles in every room. It truly does embody the Christmas spirit.

Perhaps it was years helping her unpack, unload, mess-up, and then put-together the house; perhaps it was the massive project of putting it all away; perhaps it's the lack of visitors - either way, I am SO not my mother when it comes to Christmas decorations.

Yesterday (half-way through the season) we finally got our two boxes out. We went and picked out a wonderful smelling tree. Art put on the lights - we moved no furniture. I put away my 10 'general' knick knacks. I dusted my shelves and spread out my small little pile. We do gather an ornament each year so we enjoy pulling those out and remembering our choices. So, after 2 hours (including the trip to JoAnn's for more lights, a garland, and our first creche (Art picked it out, it's cute)). Now the house smells lovely, the tree sparkles, and it is beginning to look a bit like Christmas.

If it weren't for the pine tree in the living room, you might not notice it was Christmas at our house. But as I've learned, Christmas is not in the decorations - but it does glitz up the place a bit!

Weekend Escape

This weekend we had the chance to meet our friends that moved to Phoenix, in Zions. We were so excited to see them and have a weekend away!We had such a fun weekend. Marissa (who I used to teach with) and her husband Luke came up from Phoenix and Marissa's sister Laura (who I was friends with in high school) and her husband Tyler (and their two kids) came down from SLC.

Their family 'owns' a cabin at Zions Ponderosa. Well, cabin is not exactly the right word. It was more of a mansion. 6000 sq. feet. 6 bathrooms, beds for everyone you know. It was a beautiful house with a great kitchen and great room and a huge wrap around porch.

To give you an idea of how fun it was... I didn't go to bed until 1:00 in the morning! We stayed up late Friday night chatting and laughing. (There were three educators in the room, there was a whole lot of school talk).

Saturday morning we got up and went on a hike to Cable Mountain. Unfortunately it was chilly and 6 miles, so the whole group didn't quite make it. Only Luke, Marissa, and I made it to the overlook and it was absolutely amazing!
It started snowing while we were hiking. It got colder and windier the closer we got to the cabin, by the time we got back we were freezing and starving. We had a little lunch and then decided it was cake time. It was Marissa's birthday last month but I couldn't exactly make her a cake if she lives in another state. So, I decided I better take a cake to Zions. Which I am proud to say we FINISHED! It took all day, and a late football/Mexican Train game, but we got through it.

One of our funnest moments was when Talmage (Laura's son) convinced us all to play Sardines. 6 adults and 1 5-year old. Needless to say, it was hilarious. Tal didn't quite get the game at first and wanted to shout "I found them!!!" instead of hiding, but he quickly got the hang of it. He even was the winner when he found Art hiding in the cupboard under the sinkt. There was a great deal of giggling, and a bit of groaning.

Sunday morning we woke up to beautiful snow! We laid around and ate some breakfast, then realized the snow wasn't just beautiful but sticking and falling fast. Art and I packed up and got out the door about 11:15. It was a tumultuous drive home. We drove 20 mph a lot of the way and ended up stopped at the top of a pass after the whole mountain became covered in jack knifed semis. Finally we got through and made it home, in 7 hours. But it was worth it! Thanks for the great trip Marissa and Laura!

update

The play has begun.

170 little dancers and singers.

1 down, 32 dances to choreograph and learn.

5 Bird Girl headpieces made, 20 more to go.

Yup, I love this stuff - sometimes I just need a reminder.

On another note;

It's the end of the term!

30 journals, math notebooks, math journals, Read-O Boards, and Interconnections notebooks to grade and get in the computer. Yeah!!!!

30 report cards to fill out

30 SEP's to prepare for

Oh, and we're building a Box City - in the next two weeks.

And, I found the perfect house in Logan, for such a great price - we just have the little problem of owning a home here, not having jobs there, having to live here until June... but it's so perfect! It has a two car garage AND a shop! That means you don't have to store wood in the living room, and kitchen, and shop, and guest bedroom. And, you can let the dogs out of the house directly into the backyard. I ask so little, I just want it now!

So, that's the update - exciting huh?

I really cook!!

The other day I took some leftover cupcakes to school and someone said,

"Do you guys just live on cupcakes and frosting?"

NO! (though it does sound good)

I had to explain that my husband doesn't even like 90% of my cakes and frosting, so there is definitely a need to cook.

So I thought I better get photographic evidence... Sunday Dinner

All from scratch, all very yummy.

And yes, that's a pie. It's the only 'treat' he likes!

Note to parents...

It was midterms last week. I have been answering emails and notes and phone calls since. (Apparently we are meaner in 5th grade than in 4th)

And then I recieved this email, I have taken out names (not that anyone reads this at my school, nor that you would know them, but I did anyway)....

Note to parents.... please take a lesson from this one...

Ms. Reina

_______ came home today with his mid-terms. To make a long story short he cried pretty hard (please don't ever tell him I told you that). It was a FANTASTIC Love and Logic moment. His grades were, well needless to say, terrible. I couldn't have been happier. Before you think me an animal of a mother; I just have to say that he excels at everything he does and I have been hoping for some time that something would be hard for him so that he could learn early on that it's not always that way. Initially he felt very hopeless and said "well, this is what I"m going to get". After some discussion he made the decision that it would be best to make an appointment with you to try to clarify the grades and do some problem solving with you.

I LOVE THIS MOTHER, and more-so I love her child. He's one of my best students (he went out of town,it's hard to catch up, she's vowed NEVER to take her kids out of town during the school year again) I have to keep reading this when I get all the rest of the emails stressing about every little point.

Welcome to 5th grade, it's time to learn responsibility.

Back at it again....

I've been thinking about blogging for the last few weeks, but I've had a terrible cold. And when I have a cold I find that a very good excuse for slacking on things - like exercising, planning, grading, and blogging.

I'm officially over the cold (thank heavens - knock on wood - PLEASE not again!), so it's time to get back at it.

That would be fine and lovely except it's not that easy.

You see, just about the time I get the school year really moving along, you know when the children are trained and doing what they are supposed to and you kind of have a clue about what you are teaching.... well, about that time every year is when I begin the play. (duh duh duhhhh - sorry that's just the sound effect in my head and my edit button doesn't click on until 6)

This year we are doing Seussical Jr!

It's an adorable play with SO MUCH cute music and lots of fun familiar characters. I am excited because it has such a great message and those are always my favorite productions.

We are also excited to be performing at Olympus High School this year! We were hoping to go back to Evergreen, but they were lame about sharing their stage and could only give us a date in November. (I would have been putting on the play in 2 weeks - yeah, I don't think so.)So we went to Oly and they were SO nice and helpful, so we're taking the show on the road. (We actually rehearse in our own gym until the last week then we get 5 days on the actual stage to build the set and rehearse - it's awesome! (note sarcasm)).

Tomorrow the auditions begin, which means I get to hear 150-200 kids sing and dance their very best in hopes of scoring the elusive JoJo part. It's great fun, and really hard.

So my point here (there is one), I now have a new reason to slack - it's play season. But I will try hard not too, because I love reading blogs and I feel like I should write one, just to be fair.