Ice and Snow

Wow...where to begin! So, on Monday I heard on the radio on the way to school that there was going to be some very cold weather that night and possibly sleet/snow mix. Jokingly, I told a couple of my teacher friends to get their calling trees ready in case we would get a call that school was cancelled for Tuesday. Sure enough, the call came early Monday evening that school was cancelled and it was so fun to text my other teacher friends the good news! So exciting!! We had no idea however that we wouldn't have school Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, OR Friday! Every afternoon around 3-4pm, my principal would call me to tell me that school was cancelled again the following day. Weird! The temperatures have been in the teens and 20s- Brrrr! The roads are a complete sheet of ice. So much so, that Drew even went up into the attic to pull down his old ice skates from his hockey days. The streets have such a thick layer of ice on them that it makes for a perfect ice skating rink! We saw another kid down the street skating while pushing around a hockey puck later in the day too.

Here are Drew and Brisket sitting in front of our icy street.

I was brave enough to venture out in the extremely cold temperature too.

I had to see my husband skating on the street!There he goes! Such a pro!!
This was an on-purpose belly slide. Why? Because he's Drew.

Sweet hubby with his ice skates.

Somebody else has become a part of our family (oh no...did I just put that in print?!?)...the stray cat that we have been feeding, Bruce. We felt too sorry for it being out there in these frigid conditions and are letting it stay in the house while it's so cold/icy/snowy. What??!! It keeps me warm!
These are pictures from my phone and not as good as Drew's camera. These are from this morning--it's been snowing all through the night and morning and we have accumulated several more inches of snow!

You can't even tell where the road ends and yards/sidewalks begin.

Drew drove to work this morning in this!

I've been cooking a lot of meals, baking, and making lots and lots of hot tea and hot chocolate! Drew made me lots of warm and beautiful fires in the fireplace until we ran out of fire wood. I'm so thankful for a warm and cozy home to stay in.

What I Bought!

So...the trip to Dillard's (and Macy's) was successful!! I ended up buying the cute flats with the broaches AND the sweater wrap! I had enough money on the various Dillard's gift cards to completely cover the cost of the shoes except for 36 cents! I love it. They looked SOOO cute on and were so comfortable that I just had to get them. Plus, I couldn't find the same boots I had posted about earlier even though I still want them terribly--I'll just have to wait to get those another time. When I asked the shoe store lady if I could try the flats on in my size, she told me they had a size smaller and a size bigger but not my size--of course--but they were able to order them to be shipped directly to our house for free in the right size and I can't WAIT to get that package! Then, feeling on a gift card high, I realized I had a gift card for Macy's and never shop there either, so while I was at a mall that had one...why not go?! I found the perfect black sweater wrap that will go with everything and look super cute and comfy. I gave the cashier my Macy's gift card and found out there was only 3 dollars left on it-bummer! But, I had a birthday visa gift card that covered the remainder. Happy Birthday Me!! Thanks for all of your input and trust me...I will get those cute boots and wear them with the black pants just as soon as I can either scrounge up some more gift cards or find a way to move things around in our new budget! Hmmm...maybe we can live off of ramen noodles (Sarah-I can still hear you calling them Raymon Noodles!) for a month to move money from "grocery budget" to "Tara's cute boots budget"??

Dillard's

It's Martin Luther King Jr. Day and I have the day off! What am I going to do? Shop of course!! However, when you are on a budget, it kind of puts a wrench in the 'ole shopping habit. I think I've found a way around this though...I searched through my purses and have found about 3 different gift cards to Dillard's!! So, this calls for a special trip to the Northeast Mall to get rid of my gift cards at their Dillard's! I have done a little online pre-shopping and have my eye on these three items:Aren't these riding boots beautiful?! I love the lighter brown color too and have a knock off Dolce and Gabana purse from NYC that would look fabulous with these boots! I might even get daring and wear them with skinny black pants/leggings because I have seen lots of people wearing this brown color with black pants and it looks good but goes against everything I have ever been taught about brown and black not going well together--I might push the envelope if I get this pair of boots though!!Then there are these little jewels...I have been wanting these ever since I first laid eyes on them when I was in College Station shopping with my mom on my birthday...in October! So, 3 months later here I am still drooling after the cute flats with the precious little broaches on top! At the time, I got a pair of black shoes that look very similar with a black broach on top and wear them ALL the time. These are a gold/silver color that would probably go with anything--but are they too close to the gold Tom's I just got for Christmas? Lastly, I would love another long-sleeved wrap like this one. I got a black wrap like this from Nordstrom Rack when I was getting my sweet hubby jeans for Christmas and didn't realize until I got it home that it was 3/4 length sleeves. I still wear it and love it and it even looks cute over a long sleeved shirt, but I would love another one with legitimate long sleeves so that I can wear it over cute sleeveless and short sleeved shirts and not look ridiculous in the winter.

So, I need help here!!! Which one should I get?!?

Calling All Crafty Friends

So, my friend, Lara, had a brilliant idea and I just wanted to share it with you! She thought it would be a blast to get some girl friends together to make a craft once a month. We'd meet at someone's house that is willing to host and the host would be in charge of leading the craft that month. The host would need to send out an email beforehand, letting everyone know what supplies to bring to make the craft and it would need to be under $10-$15. She has been wanting to make one of those infinity scarves with a cute broach on the side. Other ideas?

*yarn wreath (Kacie, please?!?!)

*coffee filter wreath (I guess I am in a wreath phase)

*rosette headbands

*decorative pillows

*coasters

The possibilities are endless...anyone interested to join in the fun? What a great way to get to hang out with and meet new friends! I love it!!

Potluck and Graduation

What a fabulous weekend! On Friday night, Drew and I hosted a Thanksgiving Potluck at our house. We invited 4 other couples: Danny & Sarah Kenyon, Cody & Lindsey Carver, John & Deborah Perkins, and Tony & Lara Larson. Everyone brought the most delicious items to the feast! We had cranberry salad, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, salad with Sarah's green goddess dressing, stuffing, beer bread, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and apple cider drinks to top it all off!! Drew and I attempted our first turkey with success! Thank you Popeye's (and mom and Diane)!! Haha! We bought a cajun turkey from Popeye's that you just take home and bake for about an hour and a half after thawed. I borrowed Diane's portable roaster and just poured a cup of water in the bottom to make sure the turkey stayed moist. It got great reviews from our guests of it being moist when most had only had dry turkey in the past and that it was flavorful! I highly recommend this turkey to everyone. Sorry I look a little bit hagard in this picture...I haven't quite figured out how to clean house, cook for guests, and look cute by the time guests arrive. Thankfully I was able to accomplish 2 out of 3 of those...can you guess by the picture which skill was left by the wayside?! Drew cut our turkey for us with a new electric knife I got for the occassion. I asked him if he wanted to watch a Youtube video or something to learn how to cut the turkey and he asked me, "Did the pilgrims have youtube videos?!?" and then just went for it! I think he did a great job...bones and all! We had a great time visiting with everyone and Drew even made a fire for us to enjoy after dinner. Thanks to everyone who came!!

On Saturday, we went to Kellye's graduation at her cosmetology school, Ogle! Here she is pictured at her station all decorated up for the big day. So cute!!

Cindy (aunt), Kellye, Diane, Ken, Drew

We are so proud of Kellye and can't wait to see how God will use her in the future! I have heard this girl has mad skills with updo's so if you are in the market for a smashing look for your next party, wedding, or prom...Kellye Branch is your girl!

Who's Paying For My Botox?!

What a day! And, I don't mean that in a good way. Warning: venting session ahead! These Kindergarten kiddos are about to be the end of me! I think what people should really call me is "Person who molds kids into decent human beings" rather than "teacher." Today I had two students pushing each other in the lunch line. One student lied about it. I watched a student take a pink eraser out of another student's box when they weren't looking and watched him place it in his own box very quickly! I had one student make fun of another student because he didn't have very many books in his book box to read...why does this constitute making fun? That doesn't even make sense! I had a fun activity planned for the end of the day: cutting open pumpkins and exploring what the insides look like and feel like while they pulled out the seeds. I had 3 boys that didn't get to participate in this fun activity as a consequence for all the craziness they chose to do throughout the day. They just had to sit and read books to themselves/watch us with interested eyes. Sad!!! I should start charging students money everytime they make me put up with that kind of behavior! Why? A) Because I would be rich! and B) Because I could pay for Botox Treatments...Look at the horrible frown lines I am getting from these kids causing me to make this face so many times throughout the day!

Not to mention the therapy I have go through after days like this...today's therapy was fantastic, but there wasn't much left by the time I got home. (Yes, I ate these in my car.)HELP!!!

The Fire is So Delightful

Yesterday was the most relaxing and wonderful day EVER! I spent the majority of the day in my flannel pajamas that I had pulled out for the colder weather recently. My friend, Patricia, a Kindergarten co-teacher, texted me on Saturday to tell me that she just saw a new Blue Bell icecream called Pumpkin Spiced Pecan that she knew I would probably "need." Aren't friends that know you fabulous?! I told Drew that I needed it badly! So, yesterday while I was taking a long Sunday nap in my flannel pajamas, Drew went to get firewood and surprised me with the Pumpkin Spiced Pecan icecream!! Am I married to the best husband ever or what?!? Let me tell you...that icecream is delicious! I think I have a new favorite. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing, watching football, and playing with our sweet/crazy dog Brisket by the fantastic fire Drew built for us in our fireplace. Oh! and pictured with the icecream are two new favorite pumpkin scented candle finds! On the left is a Paula Deen candle that was given to me as a birthday present from my Kindergarten room mom and the candle in the tin on the right is called Pumpkin Clove from Target that Lara Larson gave me for my birthday and it smells wonderful as well! I had given this same kind of candle away as a prize at my last Bunco party and wished I had won it myself...but once again, what are good friends for? Knowing you wanted that candle and giving it to you for your birthday of course! Thanks Lara!