Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

*This was a tag from Susan, my friend from SITS. I was also tagged by Tonya, and I will do hers in a couple of days...

Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?

1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate?
I like eggnog, but not the calories it brings.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
A little of both. Santa will place large items under the tree unwrapped, but the others are wrapped. I love big fancy bows, and pretty wrapping.
3. Colored lights or white?
White lights
4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No
5. When do you put your decorations up?
Usually I get the decorating done the Saturday after Thanksgiving, along with the tree decorated, and Mike usually puts the lights on the house too.
6. Favorite holiday dish?
Yams and I love peppermint iceream, although, I could eat it in a huge dish
7. Favorite childhood memory?
Christmas at Grandma Johnsons. She has been on my mind alot lately, and I miss her waffle cookies.
8. When/how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Fourth grade, and after that Christmas just wasn't as fun anymore, until I got married and had children. I tell my own children that if they stop believing, then Santa stops visiting.
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
No, unless it is from Nana. She will sometimes give the girls pajamas and then we let them open the gift up, so they can wear their new Christmas jamas.
10. How do you decorate the tree?
Mike sets up the tree. Since moving to Arizona, we have an artificial tree. The white lights are already on it, so Mike just puts the thing together. I put the gingerbread men on, the bows, berries, pinecones, and the girls put on the candy canes, and all of the red bulbs, along with their hallmark treasures from Grammy (Mike's grandma) and then Mike puts on the big bow on top.
11. Snow. Love it or dread it?
I miss the snow. We love to ski, and sled. I would love a white Christmas! I do not miss driving in it, or spring never coming.
12. Can you ice skate?
Yes. Another thing I miss about Cache Valley. Ice skating at the park.
13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Probably a kitchen that Santa brought me when I was 4.
14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you?
celebrating Jesus' birth, and teaching the girls that Christmas is about giving, not receiving.
15. Favorite holiday dessert?
Peppermint icecream
16. Favorite Christmas Tradition?
We always have clam chowder in bread bowls, along with Ceasar salad on Christmas Eve. We then have a birthday cake for baby Jesus. For Christmas morning, we all take turns opening presents, that way Christmas lasts a little longer, and we enjoy each other. AND THEN THIS IS THE BEST PART...MIKE MAKES A HUGE CHRISTMAS BREAKFAST AND CLEANS IT UP!!
17. What tops your tree?
a big bow
18. Do you prefer giving or receiving?
Both - I love to find that perfect that you know someone will love, and it is fun to receive a surprise.
19. Favorite Christmas song?
I really like that song "Mary Did You Know?" by Kenny Rogers
20. Candy canes. Yum or yuck?
I hang the things on the tree, but I don't really eat alot of them. I do like those soft peppermint ones. Infact I got a peppermint burn on the roof of my mouth from eating to many the other day.
21. What do you want for Christmas?
A white Christmas, to see my family in Utah, and go skiing.
22. Do you attend an annual Christmas party?
I have missed the last 2 years of the annual facutly party. Other things going on. (Dance recitals etc.)
23. Do you dress up for Christmas Eve or wear P.J.'s?
We wear jeans, and sweaters. We try to be dressy casual.
24. Do you own a Santa hat?
Yes, I wore it to school yesterday, and I was the only teacher with a hat on:( The girls wear the hat on Christmas morning.
25. Who do you normally spend Christmas with?
We usually spend it with family. We do our own Christmas morning at our home. Then in the afternoon we go to Mike's parents home and hang out. We usually don't do a big Christmas dinner. We usually do rolled ham, turkey, and roastbeef with rolls, salads, and junk food. Christmas Day should be relaxing.


I'm just going to leave this open to anyone who wants to play along....I know Tonya just finished a HUGE tag week, it would be fun to hear how everyone else does Christmas.

Our weekend journal of pictures...

Our weekend started with M having her December Winter Ballet concert. This is her 5th year of dance and she is in the intermediate ballet class. She did very well, and is the youngest in her class. She is 9 and everyone else is 12.

Next, came a Saturday of crafting. The girls and I made at least 12 of these metallic bulletin boards with magnets. We bought a scrap of 12 by 10 sheet of metal from Home Depot. We then covered them with cute scrapbook paper, and added a bow. We slightly bent the bottom of the sheet of metal so that the bulletin board can stand freely. The magnets are those clear plastic rocks that you put in fish tanks and we hot glued a magnet on the back it. They turned out darling, and they weren't that expensive to make. Great friend gifts and teacher gift.

Next, came my treasure. This is Goldie! 10 years ago, I refused to pay the $100.00 that ebay wanted for him. I was collecting Beanies back then, along with my mom and sister. I know that Beanies come a dime a dozen now. I payed 50 cents for him out of a vending machine at the pizza restaurant. He even has his plastic hang tag. My husband wants to sell all of my Beanies to a vender now!

Sunday we went to see Christmas lights. This is the next Criswold's house. After we came home watched a Santa movie and had hot chocolate.

Oh how Sweet it is....

Years Ago...Before we moved to Arizona, we would come visit for Christmas, and you could smell the orange blossoms. I just loved that smell. Anyways, last year Costco had a whole bunch of fruit trees on sale, and I bought three of them for our yard, thinking that it would be years before we actually got fruit from our little trees. Well, I was wrong. Our little orange trees are producing fruit, the yard smells sweet, and they taste yummy.

Traditional Black Friday....

Okay...Some of you may call me crazy, but shopping on Black Friday has become a tradition at our home. It all started a few years back, when my friend Tonya and I got up early, and stood in the freezing cold in Marysville, Washington at Wal-mart to buy gameboys for a screaming price. I remember the line was forever long, and past the garden center when we got in line. After we drove to Everett to Toys R Us.

For the last 3 years, my oldest daughter and I venture out into the dark to shop. Three years ago she wanted a digital camera and that was the main shopping item. Since then she looks forward to fighting crowds, freezing cold, and impatient shoppers to find a few Christmas wishes.

Today was no different. We woke up at 2:30 am and we were at Kohls in line by 3:10. The doors opened at 4:00 and I was through checking out by 4:20. The girl in front of us, said that Kohls' lines can be long, so T went and stood in line at Target for us. Our new shopping friends from the Kohls' line joined us, and we all stood in line until Target opened at 6:00. We were right in the front of the line. T and I were through with Target by 6:20. (T and I split up in Target, that way, we were guarnateed some of our wish list items.)

We were home by 6:30, and getting the other girls up so we could all go to IHOP for breakfast. After stuffing our faces with pancakes, we headed to Kmart, where we lucked out, and then off to Michaels and then then the mall.

We got everything we wanted but the lite brite from Kmart, and I think I will head to Walmart to price match it later.

Gratitude...

My first graders have been learning about the Pilgrims and all of the trials that they endured from the time they left England until that first harvest. As we completed our unit this week, I asked each of my students what they were thankful for most, and I was so surprised that most of them said they were thankful for family, friends, school, and pets. One little girl, said that she wouldn't have wanted to be a Pilgrim because the children had to work to hard, and if she had to be a Pilgrim, she would rather be a Pilgrim boy vs. a girl, because the girls in her opinion, had to do more work.

I have asked my own family to list the things they are greatful for this season. As the Christmas lists are beginning to form, I reminded my children that we have a million things to be thankful for and what more could we really want or need. I mean we can always make wish lists, I have my own, and I am heading out into the rain for the traditional Black Friday Sales tomorrow with my daughter; to fulfill wishes.

Here is the Gratitude lists condensed:

M- thankful for his home, wife, children, security of a good job, and hunting.

J- I am thankful for my husband and children, friends, a home, my freedom, my faith, insurance, my education, and my health that lets me laugh with my girls, look at sunsets, and run in the desert.

T- thankful for family, Molly and Sage (our labs), school, our house, electricity, a nice warm bed, indoor plumbing, her contacts

C-thankful for family, freedom, the military, clothes, her friends, i-pod, Dr. Pepper, cheerleading,

M- thankful for her house, her family, her 3rd grade teacher, dogs, flowers, dancing, birthdays, Primary, shoes, webkins

At last the Big Game!!

Today was the First Basketball Game of the Season for the Wildcats! Calla was so thrilled to finally cheer, she's been waiting forever for this day to come. I think there were more cheer moms there supporting their girls than actual basketball fans.





Calla is a flyer and gets to stunt! I hope these 7th grade girls don't drop my girl on her bootie!! She loves stunting and being tossed up in the air.



WILDCATS WON! 34-6

Exactly what is a boogie?

Okay...Something is going around my classroom, and now I have it! I scrub the desks, wipe the sink, and sanitize my hands to the point that I am now the lotion bottle's best friend! Exactly how do you prevent yourself from catching what is going around? Can you over sanitize?

On Monday, this little boy in my class said "Mrs. B, can I hold your hand?" as we walk down the hall to lunch. Usually, I will hold his hand, because he walks much better. But on Monday...I said, "Have you picked your nose today? (which he does constantly) and he says "uh, huh", "Nope, you can hold Kiley's hand." She said "NO! I don't want his snot on me!"

SO...Now that it is finally cooling down, I guess it's Boogie time. (I thought germs didn't like the cold)