Resolutions and Random Thoughts

Resolutions

1. I resolve only to make resolutions that push me, but that I will be able to keep. Thus, I don’t resolve to lose any weight.
2. I resolve to cook at least one new special something each week. Watch the blog for postings about my culinary adventures in 2006.
3. I resolve to read at least one actual novel (not listen to it) each month just for the hell of it. Okay, okay. I know. This is weak. I should read way more than one book a month. I am, after all, a reading teacher. But, some months it is really hard. Watch the blog for this, too. I will tell you all about my fav reads.
4. I resolve to make at least one LO each month that contains only items from my way-out-of-hand stash. I wanted to resolve to buy less, but that just won’t be one that I can keep. Instead, I resolve to make an effort to use what I already have.
5. I resolve to become a published scrapper (or at least to try to).
6. I resolve to make an attempt to send cards and letters again and in a timely manner. My card habits used to be enough to keep Hallmark in business, and I was notorious for practically sending the thank-you before I even got the gift. Now. . . it’s bad. It’s really bad. There are some people who didn’t even get birthday cards from me last year, and virtually no one who got one on time. (P.S. I totally stole this resolution from Em. It was all her idea.)

Now onto the random thoughts.
I'm doing a circle journal. Scrappers--you know what this is. Everyone else who reads this--I've probably told you about it a million times b/c I'm so excited!

There was this recent post on 2Peas all about Circle Journals gone bad. It was like the equivalent of Jerry Springer for scrappers; lots of people complaining and pointing fingers. I was totally freaked for awhile about mailing my beautiful, brown, ribbon-covered Heidi Swapp album and never, ever seeing it again. But, I've decided it doesn't matter. I'm so excited about having hooked up with some rockin' scrappers and all around cool-chicas via Pea-u-tiful. I've loved reading the blogs and watching the posts on 2Peas. And, it is still truly crazy to me that you can meet people through the Internet (thanks to Al Gore, of course!) that you have so much in common with.

I've promised myself that I will do some school work today (haven't done any yet over break other than updating my resume). My neighbor started his loud-ass snow-blower around 8:00 this morning, so sleeping in was out of the question.

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone. We're having dinner with Miranda and Jb. What are your big, exciting plans?

2005 In Review
JANUARY
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?
If I did, I don’t even remember what it was. Guess I didn’t keep it, huh?
2. Who kissed you at midnight?
Brad, but I don’t think we managed to stay up unti midnight.
3. Did it snow where you live?
It always snows in WI in January
4. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop? No.
5. Big January Events:
Brad’s annual ice fishing trip, I became an aunt to twin nephews

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine? Brad
2. What did your valentine get you? A waffle iron
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class? Of course! Plus, we always had to decorate a special box for kids to put the cards in

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? I married in to it.
2. Did you wear green on St. Patty's Day? No. I dyed my hair green one time when I was a kid.
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day? Went to work, I’d imagine
4. Big March Events:
Went to Texas for a visit and to meet Noah and Chase

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain? I love thunderstorms.
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?
Don’t like April’s Fools Jokes
3. Big April Events:
Nicky and Chris became parents! Welcome, Natalie.

MAY
1. What's your favorite kind of flower? Gerber Daises, Tulips, Hydrangaes
2. Do you like the spring? Yes, but not as much as fall
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers bring..." lots of mud.
4. What would you think of as a spring color? Light Blue
5. Big May Events:
We made an offer on a house the same day we went to see U2 in Chicago

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from school? High school – 1998 College – 2003
2. Did you go on any vacations last June? No. Taught summer school.
3. Big June Events:
Mike and Angie's housewarming, Closed on the house at the end of the month. Chris gets deployed.

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July?
Went to the drive-in with Dan, Amy, and Jen
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month? Nope. Remodeled.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer?
Went to CA to visit my bro, got pneaumonia
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05?
Owning a hosue for the first time.
3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer? No.
4. Did you go to the beach a lot? Once in CA, but no swimming involved.

SEPTEMBER
1. Did you attend school/college in '05? I’m perpetually attending school. Completed 12 credits towards my MSE in ’05.
2. Who is/was your favorite teacher? Myself, of course! But, I also really liked Mrs. Davis (6th grade), and I have to agree with Ang—Mr. Schmitt rocked!
3. Did you like fall better than summer? Of course! Cooler temps and pretty colors.

OCTOBER
1. What was your favorite halloween costume ever? Gumball machine
2. What's your favorite candy? Chocolate covered cherries
3. What did you dress up like this year? I didn’t.

NOVEMBER
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving? Angie and Mike’s. First T-Day without our “real” family
2. Do you like stuffing? Yup.
3. What are you thankful for? Friends, family, Brad’s new job

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas? Yes
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe? No
3. Do you like cold weather? HATE cold weather
4. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10? 8 as an average. We had a 9.5, but many people who we care about had a really bad year. So, it averages to an 8.5.
Big December Events: I turn 26, Brad turns 27. Scott and Char become parents. Hosted -Christmas for the first time. Got diamond earrings. Made the mistake of buying Brad a PS2.

Pea-u-tiful Bloggers, you've been tagged!

Still Scrappin'

You know me. . . Christmas is not my fav time of the year. But, holy man! Have I been cranking out the Christmas layouts. This is probably pretty close to the last of the Christmas pics to be scrapped. Not even close to the last of the Christmas paper.

I am not a patient person. Not one bit. And I've been waiting more than a month for my BG Blitzen. Finally came yesterday, and I put it to good use today!

Scrappin' Away

Did another Christmas LO today. It's so easy to get a ton done when I don't have to work!

Crazy about SEI

I went way over-board on holiday paper purchasing. I have enough to make several entire albums, in fact. Decided on the SEI for today.

Gingerbread YUCK-te

So. . . . I read about the Gingerbread Latte on someone else's blog. Plus, it sounds good. Gingerbread. Yum. Coffee. Yum. I've been thinking about it since Friday. Tried one tonight. YUCK! The most disguisting coffee concoction I've ever tasted. I made Brad throw it away for me while he sat and happily slurped his Mocha Frappacino. DISGUISTING. I'll be visiting Gloria Jean's for a Sleigh Ride Mocha tomorrow. I will give coffee one last chance to redeem itself.

The Day After

I survived another Christmas. This was actually the first time I've ever hosted Christmas. My parents and sister came over from EC for Christmas Eve dinner, and Nicky came with Natalie and her mom. Our little house was full of Christmas cheer. Mom made a prime rib roast, and I added Rachael Ray twice-baked potatoes (My dad wouldn't go so far as to say he liked the potatoes, but he did say, "I respect these potatoes." Whatever that means!) and a salad. After dinner we all put on our pjs to open gifts. Although there isn't really a picture (That's not entirely true. There is one really awful picture) that captures how excited I was, Brad got me the diamond earrings I've been whining about wanting for the past few Christmases.

Picture # 1: The dinner table.
Picture # 2: My parents. They're deep in some kind of important discussion.
Picture # 3: Little Sis got Mom fleecy Snow White pj pants. Looks like a weight loss advertisement, right?
Picture # 4: Brad and me opening our gift from Brad's parents and Grandparents. One sad part about Christmas was that Brad didn't get to see his fam, but we did make plenty of phone calls and promise to go home for a visit as soon as we can!

The morning after. . .

Sunday Brad had to deliver express packages. There's mail even on Christmas day! How grinchy. My sister and I even squeezed in a little time to make a scrapbook page. We headed to Milwaukee after brunch to spend time with the fam Novak.

P.S. I never added another post, but my 2-hour delay on Friday did become an actual ENTIRE day off. I didn't get the Gingerbread Ltte from Starbucks (it's on my list of things to do today), but I did get a Sleigh Ride Mocha from Gloria Jeans. YUMMY!

Further Confessions of a WI Teacher

When the phone rings @ a teacher's house @ 5:40 in the morning on a weekday in the winter in WI, it can only mean one of two things for me--put my pjs back on for two hours or put them back on for the whole day. I hate to perpetuate the commonly held belief that teachers don't work hard / often / much. But, I need to take a chance to brag about this morning's two-hour delay, which will, hopefully, be upgraded to an entire day off later. Big thanks to Mother Nature who delivered some serious ice to the Fox Valley this morning.

This is just what I needed to relieve a little holiday stress. The only downfall--my plans to meet Wendy for a little before-work Starbucks have also been delayed two hours. I've been hearing a ton about the Gingerbread Latte, and Wendy probably dreamt about the Peppermint Mocha. Big apology to my bro. I know I should stand with you in solidarity and give up the Starbucks, but I just can't do it.

My parents and little sis are coming tomorrow for the weekend. This is my first attempt at hosting a holiday. I made a shopping list and cleaned the guest bedroom like a mad-woman last night; I even dusted the ceiling fan. But, I will use the 2-hour delay for reading my February CK, I think.

Holiday Hammered

Here it is, folks! All the Christmas shopping and wrapping I have finished. Please note that the one package that is wrapped was brought to my house by the FedEx man in that exact condition. I'm not sure if it's worse to think that this is all I have finished or that most of my family's gifts could be purchased at the liquor store. Actually, the part that's the worst might be that I'm busy taking pictures of what I bought instead of finishing my shopping.

My BIGGEST Flaw

I've decided if I ever become Effer of the month, my dare would be to scrap your biggest flaw. I could probably make a whole album about my flaws, but I'd have to say my biggest flaw is that I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I want things to turn out just right and get frustrated when the finished product doesn't live up to my expectations. Evidence: I had to do Miss December's dare twice because the first one didn't turn out how I wanted it. (The quote on the first one says, "Who said orange was the new pink was seriously deranged.") Off to scrap. I need to create a masterpiece today to cancel out the other lame page I made yesterday.

Confessions of a WI Teacher

The joke is that June, July, and August are the three reasons to be a teacher, right? I'm here to disagree with that! The best reason to be a teacher is snow days!!!!! We weren't lucky enough to get a full-fledge snow day and had to settle for her close relative--the early release. But it was still awesome. Had the afternoon to do nothing. Took a nap and watched General Hospital. I was anticipating an evening filled with night class, but that was cancelled, too. Too bad, huh? Well, I'm off to do some scrapping before I put my pjs on inside out. The kids say that causes a snow day. Put yours on inside out, too. I need all the help I can get.

Enjoy my winter pics. Brad really is a great sport about getting his picture taken. This is the first time he's used the snow blower. It's probably the last time he'll be excited about it.

Scrappin'

I know 2 posts in one day is a bit much, but I wanted to share the page I made.

Holiday Cheer

I took last week off from posting in honor of my B-day. Happy 26 to me. Enjoyed lunch with Nicky and had a fondue-themed party. Brad had a cold and Mike beat me at Clue on my very own birthday, but, overall, it was still a fun day. Check out the cool t-shirt I got from Ang and Mike! (Not such a great pic, but you get the idea.) My crazy parents sent me a pickle ornament for our Christmas tree. LOL


Sunday, depsite the sub-zero temperatures, we went on a hunt for the perfect tree. Memphis loves the tree farm. He runs around like a maniac, snorting around in the snow. When he gets too far from us, he comes charging back towards us. It's well-worth the trip. Santa was even there, but Brad wasn't a good enough sport to pose for a picture. For now, enjoy the pics. I'm waiting on my Blitzen paper to make the scrapbook page.



Nicky and Natalie are coming over to scrap today. And then we're off to celebrate Brad's birthday with a fancy dinner. He's very excited about dressing up for dinner--how cute.

20Something Thanksgiving

Turkey day marked a couple important firsts for me:

• This holiday was the first we've celebrated family-free. The mail has to be delivered even on the day before and after a holiday, so we celebrated with Mike and Ang in Green Bay rather than going ALL the way home. What's better than celebrating with friends that might as well be family?!
• I've never made a turkey before. Okay, so I still haven't made a turkey. Angie took care of it. I'm officially grossed out by skin, meat, bones, etc. That's what friends are for, right?
• This wasn't the first Thanksgiving without my mom's cooking (she is an excellent cook), but it was my first try at her infamous Monkey Bread (see above pic). I did her proud. Although, anything that has more than a stick of butter and some garlic in it has to be good.

Thanks to Ang and Mike for the hospitality and good eats!

Build Me Up

So. . . really bad week all around. BAD week at work (in the running for "Worst Week Ever"). And as if that weren't enough--it's officially winter in WI. Snow. Cold. Slippery. Dirty car. YUCK!

But. . . I'm amazed at the strength I've found this week and the places I've found it in. Anyone who knows me will testify to the fact that I'm not exactly the eternal optimist, nor is my glass generally half-full. The following is very out of character.

Good things that happened to me this week

• Bad week = flowers and wine from awesome husband
  (who also had a bad week)
• I work with some totally rockin' people who have given time from their own terrible week to pull me through and build me up.
• Ang got to spend the day at my school on Thursday.
• I have nothing to do tomorrow and plan to spend the WHOLE day in my pjs.
• Got the below email from my dad last night. Guess it explains why I'll probably always be "daddy's girl"
  You know what they say about free advice, it’s not worth much:
  Get it resolved soon
  Do it yourself
  Compromise
  Focus on one item only, don’t let it grow to other things!
  Learning lessons are hard work, this is one of them
  Get it over with before it gets bigger
  The goal is to be a good teacher! (which you are!!!)
  Don’t be aggressive
  Give to get what you want
  Ask for help solving (this will get him)
  Go on from there, and you will sleep better

S' or S'S

Do you ever avoid using things in your writing just because you're not quite sure how to spell them or how to use the correct punctuation?!? As a teacher of the English language, I think I could be sent to the gallows for this confession, but. . . .
When is it S' and when is it S'S?!? Some people say it's never S'S. I think it has to be when the word isn't plural. So Babs's Babble it is.
Off to dinner. And the paper I still haven't written from last week. Guess there's no scrapping tonight. But, do check out my killer page on 2Peas from the weekend.

Dinner Tonight

Instead of making dinner. . . or writing a paper. . . or planning my lessons for tomorrow. . .
I've decided to finally take Ang's advice and start a blog. Totally supportive friend that she is, Ang claims that I'm "quirky" enough to write a blog people would actually want to read. We'll just have to see about that!