Thanksgiving this year was a great time spent with family. We had a ton of fun eating yummy food and I of course taking pictures. Here's a slide show of all of us having a good time. Johnny made sure to show all of us his Pokemon cards. It was pretty neat. Everybody helped (except me who kept taking pictures).
I got an e-mail from Olympus (my camera maker) about using the food setting to take pictures of Thanksgiving dinner. So I had some fun! Here's all of the food. It was very yummy! Thanks to everyone especially Kami who makes it all happen.
Saturday, November 29, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
All the little things....
My thankful/grateful list is always different from the norm and what people are used to... but if you know me than you know that's me in a nut shell :) so why would this be any different right?
The last week and a half has made me so grateful that I have learned enough about myself to know when it's OK for me to react and when I need to put up my walls and go close myself in a room before I react. I don't think I've ever had so many issues and buttons pushed, throw in a couple very mean/rude people and no one can believe that I've been able to stay as outwardly (relatively) calm as I have THIS week. So that's a happy accomplishment for me. A year ago I probably wouldn't still have my job for the way I could have reacted plus I would have gotten kicked out of church!
It has also made me so grateful for my wonderful teaching companions. I don't know what I would do without Cindy and Anita. They are patient, kind, considerate, upbeat, a shoulder to cry on, friends to laugh with, and they are always building me up. We are never (that I can remember) condescending to one another, we finish each other's sentences, we have fun together, these two ladies would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them. I love them for helping me be the best I can be, having a positive attitude, and being my confidants when I need them to be. I couldn't have hand picked two better friends!
I am also grateful for girls nights out. These are really things that need to happen more often, we had such a great time! I'm so grateful for Wendy being my "mom for a day". We both really needed that. I'm grateful she thinks enough of me to even offer that. It was such fun to spend time with women I greatly enjoy doing "nothing of consequence".
I'm grateful for a couple amazing men that run the school. These two have no idea how much I have come to depend on them. I count on them coming in my classroom unannounced. I count on them pushing me to be the best teacher I can be. I LOVE teaching their kids (it honestly challenges me to do better (at least in my head)). I am constantly amazed at how much they do. I honestly feel like I wouldn't be the teacher I am today without their guidance, leadership, friendship, help, and support. We've had our rough times (especially them dealing with my stubborn personality) but I'm ever grateful for them not giving up on me and having seeming endless patience!
I am grateful for this particular bunch of first graders. They have come so far so fast. They are further ahead than any other group of children I have ever taught (and that only has a little to do with me). They are so willing to learn (even if sometimes they forget how to listen and follow directions and drive me crazy!) They are patient with me when I loose the math tests, they laugh at me when I'm frustrated and tongue tied reminding me to lighten up, they are so eager to learn more, and best of all they give the BEST hugs.
I am also grateful for one particular amazing lady that I know. She can do anything. We don't have to explain how we feel, even though we often do because we just "get" each other. We really are the same in so many ways. She's been my inspiration for keeping my cool and not killing (only figuratively I don't think I would ever actually cause anyone bodily harm) a great many of my co-workers this year. She's another one that has made my year so phenomenal. She's not only a great co-worker but my personal fashion designer, emotional advisor, and one of my dearest friends.
I'm also grateful for my blog... I know you may be thinking ...dumb...go ahead you don't have to agree. But honestly, without this thing I would have so many things bottled up inside me! I also wouldn't have a list of people whom I don't know personally, but LOVE them already through their blogs. It has opened up a new world to me. One where I don't feel lost on my own little island where no one could possibly know how I feel but where I feel a part of a group of people who share my feelings about life in general among a myriad of other topics.
Finally, I'm grateful for my family that I've "adopted" as my own. It is so nice to spend time with you knowing your not judging me on what I say or how I say it and that your not offended because you know me well enough to know that I would never do anything to hurt my friends and family! Thanks for sharing you, your house, your desserts, your kids, and most of all being there for me to share all the "juicy gossip" that we mostly make up for something to talk for hours about ;) You have no idea what a highlight you are in my day!
OK so I know I used the word finally up there, and my first graders will tell you that word means "the last thing" but please note that I am of course (and I say this on a daily basis) grateful for my husband, my family, my dear friends, the gospel, and the presence of God's tender mercies in my life. These people know me best, and love me anyway. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have each one of these things in my life.
Alright, Now I want to hear some of the "not so conventional" things you're grateful for!
The last week and a half has made me so grateful that I have learned enough about myself to know when it's OK for me to react and when I need to put up my walls and go close myself in a room before I react. I don't think I've ever had so many issues and buttons pushed, throw in a couple very mean/rude people and no one can believe that I've been able to stay as outwardly (relatively) calm as I have THIS week. So that's a happy accomplishment for me. A year ago I probably wouldn't still have my job for the way I could have reacted plus I would have gotten kicked out of church!
It has also made me so grateful for my wonderful teaching companions. I don't know what I would do without Cindy and Anita. They are patient, kind, considerate, upbeat, a shoulder to cry on, friends to laugh with, and they are always building me up. We are never (that I can remember) condescending to one another, we finish each other's sentences, we have fun together, these two ladies would do anything for me, and I would do anything for them. I love them for helping me be the best I can be, having a positive attitude, and being my confidants when I need them to be. I couldn't have hand picked two better friends!
I am also grateful for girls nights out. These are really things that need to happen more often, we had such a great time! I'm so grateful for Wendy being my "mom for a day". We both really needed that. I'm grateful she thinks enough of me to even offer that. It was such fun to spend time with women I greatly enjoy doing "nothing of consequence".
I'm grateful for a couple amazing men that run the school. These two have no idea how much I have come to depend on them. I count on them coming in my classroom unannounced. I count on them pushing me to be the best teacher I can be. I LOVE teaching their kids (it honestly challenges me to do better (at least in my head)). I am constantly amazed at how much they do. I honestly feel like I wouldn't be the teacher I am today without their guidance, leadership, friendship, help, and support. We've had our rough times (especially them dealing with my stubborn personality) but I'm ever grateful for them not giving up on me and having seeming endless patience!
I am grateful for this particular bunch of first graders. They have come so far so fast. They are further ahead than any other group of children I have ever taught (and that only has a little to do with me). They are so willing to learn (even if sometimes they forget how to listen and follow directions and drive me crazy!) They are patient with me when I loose the math tests, they laugh at me when I'm frustrated and tongue tied reminding me to lighten up, they are so eager to learn more, and best of all they give the BEST hugs.
I am also grateful for one particular amazing lady that I know. She can do anything. We don't have to explain how we feel, even though we often do because we just "get" each other. We really are the same in so many ways. She's been my inspiration for keeping my cool and not killing (only figuratively I don't think I would ever actually cause anyone bodily harm) a great many of my co-workers this year. She's another one that has made my year so phenomenal. She's not only a great co-worker but my personal fashion designer, emotional advisor, and one of my dearest friends.
I'm also grateful for my blog... I know you may be thinking ...dumb...go ahead you don't have to agree. But honestly, without this thing I would have so many things bottled up inside me! I also wouldn't have a list of people whom I don't know personally, but LOVE them already through their blogs. It has opened up a new world to me. One where I don't feel lost on my own little island where no one could possibly know how I feel but where I feel a part of a group of people who share my feelings about life in general among a myriad of other topics.
Finally, I'm grateful for my family that I've "adopted" as my own. It is so nice to spend time with you knowing your not judging me on what I say or how I say it and that your not offended because you know me well enough to know that I would never do anything to hurt my friends and family! Thanks for sharing you, your house, your desserts, your kids, and most of all being there for me to share all the "juicy gossip" that we mostly make up for something to talk for hours about ;) You have no idea what a highlight you are in my day!
OK so I know I used the word finally up there, and my first graders will tell you that word means "the last thing" but please note that I am of course (and I say this on a daily basis) grateful for my husband, my family, my dear friends, the gospel, and the presence of God's tender mercies in my life. These people know me best, and love me anyway. I don't know where I would be if I didn't have each one of these things in my life.
Alright, Now I want to hear some of the "not so conventional" things you're grateful for!
Saturday, November 22, 2008
THE MOVIE
***I am actually going to talk about the movie and specifics... if you don't want to know then don't keep reading***
Alright, so I think I've decided that I liked the movie. Yes that movie... the one that everyone is talking about and seeing. Last night a few of us got together and went to see Twilight. I don't know if you ever felt awkward (like I did) while reading the book because of the situations Bella gets herself into but I don't know that you could not feel that way during the movie. Honestly, there were moments when I was laughing because it was so awkward.
Jasper... WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT? He had the weirdest facial expressions which lead to more awkwardness... Because I was expecting him to help control the mood not make everything more wierd! I was not impressed with the way his character was portrayed.
Edward... Ok how close they got to this poor guys head on SO many occasions got to be very awkward... this could just be because the theater screen was HUGE but honestly, I like my space and felt very much "in the way" and "please back off a little" for a good portion of the movie.
Carlisle... What's up with him looking like he's 14? I know they all stay young... but I thought he'd look A LOT older than he did.
Kids... There were an extremely large number of children under 10 in our showing of the movie... some that I know and are in 2nd or 3rd grade. I think this played a large part in me feeling very awkward. This is not a movie for the under 13 (more like 16) crowd.
There were some things that were GREAT about the movie. There were even a few parts that I liked even better than in the book.
First, I was in excellent company. Thanks to Lindsay, Wendy, and Josie for coming! You guys definately made it well worth it! :)
Then was Alice. She was amazing, very true to character, and I LOVED her hair. Don't be surprised if I have a similar looking cut in the near future. (at least it will be easy to find a picture of!)
Next was Jacob. I was really worried about his character when I saw the person that was supposed to play him, but I thought he did a really good job for the whole 5 minutes he's in the movie.
Charlie also played his character extremely well. I loved when Edward came to take Bella to play baseball and he was cleaning his gun. It was great!
I also loved the choice of lines that they pulled right from the book. However, it did mean that John's theory won't happen. You still have to hear Bella's thought process through the whole thing. And let's be honest, for those of us not in high school (figuratively or in reality) she is really whiny!
So I'm sure I'll see it again, and now that I know what to expect maybe I'll find more reasons to like it(can you tell I'm still not sure what to think?)... and hopefully there won't be any 8 year olds in the room the next time around!
Alright, so I think I've decided that I liked the movie. Yes that movie... the one that everyone is talking about and seeing. Last night a few of us got together and went to see Twilight. I don't know if you ever felt awkward (like I did) while reading the book because of the situations Bella gets herself into but I don't know that you could not feel that way during the movie. Honestly, there were moments when I was laughing because it was so awkward.
Jasper... WHAT IN THE WORLD WAS THAT? He had the weirdest facial expressions which lead to more awkwardness... Because I was expecting him to help control the mood not make everything more wierd! I was not impressed with the way his character was portrayed.
Edward... Ok how close they got to this poor guys head on SO many occasions got to be very awkward... this could just be because the theater screen was HUGE but honestly, I like my space and felt very much "in the way" and "please back off a little" for a good portion of the movie.
Carlisle... What's up with him looking like he's 14? I know they all stay young... but I thought he'd look A LOT older than he did.
Kids... There were an extremely large number of children under 10 in our showing of the movie... some that I know and are in 2nd or 3rd grade. I think this played a large part in me feeling very awkward. This is not a movie for the under 13 (more like 16) crowd.
There were some things that were GREAT about the movie. There were even a few parts that I liked even better than in the book.
First, I was in excellent company. Thanks to Lindsay, Wendy, and Josie for coming! You guys definately made it well worth it! :)
Then was Alice. She was amazing, very true to character, and I LOVED her hair. Don't be surprised if I have a similar looking cut in the near future. (at least it will be easy to find a picture of!)
Next was Jacob. I was really worried about his character when I saw the person that was supposed to play him, but I thought he did a really good job for the whole 5 minutes he's in the movie.
Charlie also played his character extremely well. I loved when Edward came to take Bella to play baseball and he was cleaning his gun. It was great!
I also loved the choice of lines that they pulled right from the book. However, it did mean that John's theory won't happen. You still have to hear Bella's thought process through the whole thing. And let's be honest, for those of us not in high school (figuratively or in reality) she is really whiny!
So I'm sure I'll see it again, and now that I know what to expect maybe I'll find more reasons to like it(can you tell I'm still not sure what to think?)... and hopefully there won't be any 8 year olds in the room the next time around!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Lots of Cool Contests!
Check out Skip to My Lou for an AWESOME contest and great Christmas card ideas. I can't believe how gorgeous they are. While you're there sign up to win a free design! Also take a look around there are tons of great ideas on this site! (I wish I would have known about this before attempting my own "scratch art" and 4 coats of paint! Now we know how to make it work... dish soap... so clever!)
Also Tip Junkie is having the 12 Days of Junkie Giveaways. This is in promotion of her Mom-prenuer Shop-a-thon that my college roomie Nivette is participating in with her Lovedove Designs. Check them both out and get entered!
Calling All Ladies
Alright. Ladies it's offical. We are having a girls night out on Friday November 21. We will be headed to see Twilight. It will be the 7:00 (that's NV time) movie in Mesquite. I hope you all will join us, the more the merrier! I will try and get theater info so you can pre-buy your tickets. Hope to see you there!
Albertson's
Ok so this morning we were both up bright and early. We decided to just head to St. George this morning. I'm not going to list everything we bought because I'm lazy and it would take forever! Just know this...
We spent 111.48 and saved 140.58. This does not include our last $15 off our next purchase that we recieved on our final trip.
We did have to go to two different stores to get everything we wanted, but it was so worth it. I bought all the supplies we're going to need for our christmas gifts to our co-workers (not guys its not going to be anything grand...but it will be yummy!) and all the cookie dough we'll need in first grade and in our primary for christmas time. YAY! I feel like our pantry is stocked for a very long time and that We're only going to have to buy milk, yogurt, and eggs.
We spent 111.48 and saved 140.58. This does not include our last $15 off our next purchase that we recieved on our final trip.
We did have to go to two different stores to get everything we wanted, but it was so worth it. I bought all the supplies we're going to need for our christmas gifts to our co-workers (not guys its not going to be anything grand...but it will be yummy!) and all the cookie dough we'll need in first grade and in our primary for christmas time. YAY! I feel like our pantry is stocked for a very long time and that We're only going to have to buy milk, yogurt, and eggs.
Sunday, November 9, 2008
Our first shot at Grocerysmarts
Well, we've been very aware of grocerysmarts for a while now. A couple of months ago I met with Shantell from The Obsessive Shopper and she explained to me how it works. So this month having a substantial amount of coupons thanks to Bob saving them for us (THANKS SO MUCH BOB!) we decided to try it out. Smiths is having their "Mega Event" and sales on a lot of things that we normally eat. So here's what we got and what we spent. You may want to try it out! We're headed to Albertson's on Monday to try again!
3 boxes of Cereal (Cheerios and Lucky Charms)
3 boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola bars
1 pk of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
1 Box of Betty Crocker Potatoes
1 Duncan Hines Cake Mix and 1 Frosting (gotta stock up on desserts for when its our turn! ;) We're starting to have quite a supply and variety to choose from... now the Frei's won't get bored with us, or at least our desserts! Our lives aren't nearly as exciting as the desserts.)
2 pk of C&H Sugar
1 Daisy Sour Cream
1 Breyers Ice Cream
1 Bag of Tyson Chicken Patties
1 Bag Totinos Pizza Rolls
2 boxes Pillsbury Toster Strudels and 1 box of Toster Scrambles
1 Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl
1 pk of Duracell D batteries
1 box of Orvill Movie Theater Popcorn
1 Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter (the big container)
Thats 23 items that at full price would have been $71.72
We saved $12.25 from manufactures coupons, $25.76 from our fresh values card so we spent a total of
$34.95 which means we saved $38.01.
It was actually really fun to figure out and do. If you want to start doing it for your family check out my blog roll and click on "The Obsessive Shopper". If you're not going to do it and get the Sunday paper, save and send me your coupons! :) Then I can save even more!
3 boxes of Cereal (Cheerios and Lucky Charms)
3 boxes of Quaker Chewy Granola bars
1 pk of Betty Crocker Cookie Mix
1 Box of Betty Crocker Potatoes
1 Duncan Hines Cake Mix and 1 Frosting (gotta stock up on desserts for when its our turn! ;) We're starting to have quite a supply and variety to choose from... now the Frei's won't get bored with us, or at least our desserts! Our lives aren't nearly as exciting as the desserts.)
2 pk of C&H Sugar
1 Daisy Sour Cream
1 Breyers Ice Cream
1 Bag of Tyson Chicken Patties
1 Bag Totinos Pizza Rolls
2 boxes Pillsbury Toster Strudels and 1 box of Toster Scrambles
1 Jimmy Dean Breakfast Bowl
1 pk of Duracell D batteries
1 box of Orvill Movie Theater Popcorn
1 Land O Lakes Spreadable Butter (the big container)
Thats 23 items that at full price would have been $71.72
We saved $12.25 from manufactures coupons, $25.76 from our fresh values card so we spent a total of
$34.95 which means we saved $38.01.
It was actually really fun to figure out and do. If you want to start doing it for your family check out my blog roll and click on "The Obsessive Shopper". If you're not going to do it and get the Sunday paper, save and send me your coupons! :) Then I can save even more!
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
Bond Passes!
Question - Littlefield Unified School Dist. 9 Bond
Total
Number of Precincts
1
Precincts Reporting
1
Total Votes
557
BOND APPROVAL, YES
303 54.40%
BOND APPROVAL, NO
254 45.60%
http://resource.co.mohave.az.us/File/Elections/Results/results(13).htm
It's about time!
Total
Number of Precincts
1
Precincts Reporting
1
Total Votes
557
BOND APPROVAL, YES
303 54.40%
BOND APPROVAL, NO
254 45.60%
http://resource.co.mohave.az.us/File/Elections/Results/results(13).htm
It's about time!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
Lovedove Designs
My college roommate has started her own business. I'm not one to just support people because I know them and like them. But the things she makes are so adorable. I've actually ordered a couple of items from her for some of my friends that had twins.
These are the CUTEST baby items you've ever seen. They are great gifts for all of the expecting moms in your life (and if your anything like me the list of expecting moms you know grows daily)! Let me know which one are your favorite. Then I'll know what to get you when the time comes. Please check her out at http://lovedovedesigns.blogspot.com/.
These are the CUTEST baby items you've ever seen. They are great gifts for all of the expecting moms in your life (and if your anything like me the list of expecting moms you know grows daily)! Let me know which one are your favorite. Then I'll know what to get you when the time comes. Please check her out at http://lovedovedesigns.blogspot.com/.
Extreme Makeover Home Edition
So, this family is auditioning for extreme makeover home edition. They have been in contact with the producers of the show and one of them was in town to shoot a more "professional" version of the audition tape... (I'm now positive this is the one they show you on TV and I always wonder... how did they do that so well). Anyway, the story is she does a ton of things with scouts, training leaders, etc, etc. So for the audition tape they needed 100 scouts and leaders. John, being the faithful scout leader that he is rounded up his boys and headed over. (Unfortunately this all was happening on Tuesday when I have stuff after school for FOREVER, so I got to go too. Lucky me!) They asked everyone to be ready to go at 6:00 so of course we got there a little early... and nothing was going on... at all. Two of the boys and John and I hadn't eaten dinner so I sent John around the corner to McDonald's for some cheeseburgers. After he got back and we ate, I chatted with some friends about the family, since I didn't know them. I guess they have 4 children and the dad is a police officer. 2 of their children are in wheel chairs and they live in the house in the picture. I did notice a ramp up to the front door, but I can't imagine that inside it is big enough for 1 let alone 2 wheel chairs. The mom used to have to drive the two children 5 hours away 2 or 3 times a month so she's a stay at home mom. I genuinely think that this family deserves it. Hopefully ABC will make a good choice and pick this family for Extreme Makeover Home Edition.
As you can see we started out with daylight... but ended with the whole scene lit up by police cars. On the way home we saw that gas was $2.99 at Shell, and John just couldn't pass that up... The shell station is where Dairy Queen is and I wanted ice cream, so we treated the boys to ice cream as well. They were great... on the way home I was praised with comments like "You should always come to scouts" "you're so nice" "Thanks so much. This was so fun!" I was glad I could go and help out... and maybe even get these boys to like scouts a bit more.
As a side note... I left my Debit card at Dairy Queen and didn't even notice until Saturday... AHHH!!! At least they still had it, I'm such a space cadet lately!
As you can see we started out with daylight... but ended with the whole scene lit up by police cars. On the way home we saw that gas was $2.99 at Shell, and John just couldn't pass that up... The shell station is where Dairy Queen is and I wanted ice cream, so we treated the boys to ice cream as well. They were great... on the way home I was praised with comments like "You should always come to scouts" "you're so nice" "Thanks so much. This was so fun!" I was glad I could go and help out... and maybe even get these boys to like scouts a bit more.
As a side note... I left my Debit card at Dairy Queen and didn't even notice until Saturday... AHHH!!! At least they still had it, I'm such a space cadet lately!
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