Happy New Year! Wishing you all the best.

No resolutions for me for the new year. Only plans. The word plan sounds so much better don't you think? :-).

Christmas that was/a look back

Our Manger came

from my grandmother after my grandfather died. We have added to it. A horse - just because, animals from Africa in honor of S2's trip, the angel pig from Hallstatt Austria, the moose for my husband who would love to see one in the wild, and the yellow lab in honor of Bella. This scene makes me smile whenever I look at it.

Yesterday, I spent part of my time

trying to figure out directions for making an ebook reader cover. Could not make sense of them (will blame it on my cold :-) so I decided to make a cover for my cell phone. Took awhile to figure out even that but came up with a padded cover that is closed by a loop of ribbon around an old button. With the red fabric it is easy to find in my purse. A bonus!

I had to come up with some cheap Christmas gifts this year.

The boys had asked for cash but I wanted to add a few more things. To maximize the amount that we could write the check for I had to be creative. I bought a few gifts for cooking that I knew that they would like and I made pillow cases. Cheesy astronomy ones for the grad student who lives to look at stars. Striped ones trimmed in denim for my fashion conscious youngest. The denim was recycled from an old pair of jeans of mine. They were pleased.

We took a hike to the old Crozet Tunnel on the

Augusta County side (the tunnel is blocked in the middle) two days before Christmas. Crozet was an important fixture in our area. A gentleman who came from France and was instrumental in the railroad industry in our area. There is also a local town named after him. S1 has been on this hike a couple of times and as it is too cold for snakes this time of year I thought that it was the perfect time for a hike. The two of us braved the cold and had a wonderful time.

Merry Christmas!

We are finishing up the preparations. Rolls need to be made and the dinner bought for tomorrow. Wishing all of you a wonderful day tomorrow.

One gift finished and given.

A lined apron for S1's girlfriend. She likes to bake. This project made me realize how much I like to sew and that I need to do more of it.

The sewing machine

has been working overtime. Taking photos to show later. Crafting finished. Now just the wrapping and mailing. One son home; hopefully another tonight. Don't forget to watch the lunar eclipse tonight!

An early gift arrived today

in the form of another day off from school. Christmas break has officially started.

Snow Day

was called by the powers that be today. Yipee! I have shoveled part of the driveway, put up some outdoor lights (before the snow really got started), done some baking and talked to S1 who is now enroute from Chicago to Dulles then on to southern VA where he will spend time with friends. "Mom, just 15 hours ago I was with palm trees and the lows in Hawaii were in the 70's." I told him that the snow was a present just for him, haha.

A Different Kind of House Plant

We are getting ready for a snowstorm that should stroll in tomorrow morning. All of the Christmas items that the children have made were sent home today as well as the gifts that they made their parents and the books that my coteacher and I have gifted them.

I brought home the class plant to hopefully keep it alive until a warm day in January when I can take it back to school. In October I had the girls that were hanging around my table at school plant pumpkin seeds from a pumpkin that had been carved for the class. The result is fabulous. I know that it will get too big for the pot eventually, but for little money I have a great house plant.

Study Hard And Good Luck on Your Tests

We are patiently waiting for you to come home.

The little one likes to get

very close to me when we talk. Most of the time she will cup my face in her hands while she talks to me. It is so sweet.

Today, while we were waiting for her Mimi to come, we talked about how we will have 2 weeks of no school at Christmas time. She took my face in her hands and asked "Will we come back to the same school?" Yes I replied. "Will we come back to the same class?" Yes was the answer again. "Will we have the same teachers?" Yes was the answer to this final question. A huge smile appeared on her face. Then Mimi came to pick her up.

I love my job.

I enjoy working with children and at the same time contributing to the family coffers. For me going back to work when the boys were in elementary school was a very personal choice. When my brother-in-law passed away at an early age I knew that I needed to work.
1. To have a current work history - just in case I was ever in the same situation as my sister-in-law (who luckily had just started working at the time).
2. To send our boys to college and make life a little easier. They went through a lot of awful haircuts by me as well as wearing of used clothing, used Christmas gifts that were smartly redone. Never a complaint. Which says a lot about them.
3. To have more social contact.

I knew that I would get a job at this school someday and worked hard subbing, volunteering, taking extra classes etc. in order to get it.

And as I said in the title, I love it. I enjoy it.

But there are some days when the house calls. And I look around longingly as I leave our home. Little projects call to me. A messy kitchen says "clean me." My violin says play me more. And the dogs look at me woefully from their crates.

I sigh when I lock the door behind me-get into the car and go to work.

It is Snowing!

A very light snow but enough to coat the grass. My walk tonight was a quiet one. No one else was out.

We bought our tree today - long before the snow started. At a little store nearby. Bella came with us and behaved quite well when the tree was loaded. There was a large concrete turtle there which reminded me of the ones you could ride on at the Buffalo Zoo when I was little.

Chili Lights for the Kitchen

Found these at the grocery store today. Fun to have in the kitchen.

So much of creating

is prep work. The pages of an old book were folded to make an angel. Headbands made out of light bulb cutouts are getting ready.

Why am I cutting the light bulbs out you may ask and not having the children do it? I have approximately 75 minutes for instruction. And with the headbands I'm hoping to do patterning tomorrow. With each child individually. During that 75 minutes I will also referee a few disagreements. Possibly help a child get dress up clothes on (though I am having older children help the younger ones as much as possible). Redirect some children to other activities. Remind children to be a good friend. Remind children that we do not say potty words at school. Tell a couple of children to not chase each other. Remind children that we keep our kisses for home and mom and dad. Listen to the 2 or 3 groupies that I have, while simultaneously trying to keep an eye on the child I'm working with, keep that child engaged and remark on someone's art work. I will give permission to children to use the bathroom and possibly have to walk a child there. I will also keep an eye out for a child that is not engaged - who may seem a little sad or not feeling right.

That is why I cut the light bulbs out. There just isn't time for the students to do it.