Melted Snowman

Ok, first of all, I live in Florida. So the idea of even having a snowman is a little crazy. Maybe a snowman built out of sand?

Yeah, that might work. But in all seriousness, it gets cold down here, but not that cold. We think it's cool when there's ice on the ground from an overnight freeze. And I might break out the credit card once a year to scrap that icy stuff off my windshield. Otherwise, it's mainly wet and windy. I think that's why I love to incorporate snowmen into my Christmas decorating. Makes me feel like I'm celebrating the winter months like everyone else up north.

Anyways, back to the topic at hand...

Melted snowmen.

While visiting my mom the other weekend, I noticed she had an ornament laying on her kitchen counter with what looked like salt & peppercorns in it. Now, I learned a long time ago that my mom is a little on the odd side and comes up with some of the wackiest ideas. When I asked her what it was, she told me it was a melted snowman. I guess she got the idea from a coworker of hers who saw it on Pinterest (examples here and here).

I told her that it didn't quite resemble a snowman. Her reply? "That's because I'm still missing the nose!" But of course! A little bit of orange would convince me that it was a snowman! But, you know what? She was right. All it was missing was the nose...

She used sea salt instead of table salt to make the ornament. The sea salt helped the peppercorns and clay stay more towards the top. Plus I think it looks a little more like snow, don't you? We both agreed that filling it up about a third of the way looked the best. As mentioned, peppercorns were used to represent the coal that you use to make the eyes and mouth. Mom bought a little bit of orange clay and made it into a carrot shape before dropping it into the ornament. I love the simplicity of it! Sure, you could add buttons, a scarf, twigs for arms, and a top hat. I think if I were going to add anything, it'd be the twigs. It might help it look more like a snowman. The other stuff? I think it would just clutter the ornament.

Mom loved the ornament so much, she even decided to make a miniature version:

Isn't the baby snowman cute?

I swear my mom comes up with some of the wackiest projects, but they almost always turn out looking great!

Are you crafting any ornaments this year? Or maybe you're making the gifts this year from scratch? I'm looking into mason jar gifts this year. Anyone else have a love for snowmen? Even the melted kind?

Wet Money

So, I'm sitting down last night trying to get things ready for school. Of course I'm looking for any distraction to keep me from the task at hand. But, the Hubby was pretty adament about me getting stuff done so that I could make it to bed at a decent hour. Being the obedient wife that I am, I told Dan that there was clothes in the washing machine that needed to be put in the dryer that I couldn't possibly do with so much school work that needed to be done.

 

Couple minutes later, I'm being asked if I've been looking for $16.37. What? Again, he repeats the amount and says that it was in the washing machine.

 

Now, first of all, I don't normally carry cash. I make a point not too. It's easier that way when my students ask to borrow money for lunch. No joke.

 

So I'm sitting there racking my brain as to (1) why I would have had cash in a pant pocket, (2) when the last time I actually bought something with cash and (3) how that purchase would have amounted to $3.63.

 

Then it hits me! My stepdad gave me a twenty to buy milk and aluminum foil while we were in town for Thanksgiving. (Got to love those last minute items!) I guess I forgot to give them back the change. So, I snapped a picture of the money with my phone and sent it to my mom.

 

 

And this conversation happened...

 

Me: Look what we found in the washer! Lol. Took us forever to figure out what we spent $3.63 on...then I remembered Paul gave us money to get that gallon of milk. So we owe you some soggy bills :)

Mom: Please dry and iron first

Me: I don't iron. I'd be happy to throw them in the dryer though :)

Mom: Lol I forgot

 

 

Yep. That's my mom.

 

I should preface that I really don't iron if I can get away with it. If anything is wrinkled, I simply through it in the dryer. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn't. But, my clothes are nice and toasty which is always a plus in the winter time.

 

There was no real point in sharing this story except that I found it really funny and thought that others would find it funny too. We all need a little laugh on the Monday following a holiday break. At least I know I do!

Thanksgiving Recap

Happy Saturday all! I hope everyone is recovering from their turkey coma and Black Friday shopping. I thought I'd stop by quickly and share our Thanksgiving. And to make things easy on myself, I thought I'd just share the photos we took via Instagram.

We left off on Tuesday, so I'll start with Wednesday. Dan got to have Wednesday off (I swear, this past week has been crazy in terms of his work), so we slept in a little bit. The original plan was for me to ride into Orlando with him, drop him off at work, then go to my mom's house to start prepping food for Thursday. But, sleeping in sounded like a much better idea. We eventually made our way to Orlando around lunch time. And we were welcomed by this:

Yep, you counted right. Seven. Seven turkeys thawing out. And yes, they are on a towel sitting on the floor. How else do you thaw out seven turkeys? Why seven turkeys? Well, only 2 were actually used at the dinner at my mom's house. The other 5 were cooked at our place and then taken to other people's homes. Mom baked two (one for us and one for the VFW) and my stepdad smoked four (one for the VFW, one for my sister, one for us, and one for a family friend). The last turkey was saved in the fridge for my stepbrother to come pick up and cook at his house. I should also mention that my brother-in-law works for a grocery store and can get turkeys really, really cheap. 

Once Dan got over the rafter of turkeys (did you know that a group of turkeys is called a rafter? we didn't - learned something new!), we settled in and started prepping food. Of course potatoes had to be peeled...

....onions and celery had to be chopped, and boiled eggs had to be peeled. Basically anything that we could do to make mom's job easier on Turkey Day. At some point we had to stop our prepping and run an 8th turkey up to my mom's office for a colleague. And when we got back, my sister and her family were at the house and my niece wanted to help prep food too. Her "help" consisted of watching me chop onions and laughing at how badly the tears were streaming down my cheeks.

After we said our goodbyes...

...Dan and I ran out to the mall to pick up a couple Christmas gifts. I packed our bags for this trip and forgot to pack the Hubby a jacket. I did, however, remember to pack myself two jackets. So he ended up with my purple hoodie. Needless to say, Dan wasn't thrilled by the color, but was thankful for the warmth.

When we got home, I helped mom clean up a little around the house while Dan watched t.v. and played on my iPad.

Thursday morning we woke up, got dressed, and had a small breakfast. My brother-in-law was already over and helping my stepdad smoke the turkeys. We headed over to my in-laws to have an early Thanksgiving lunch with them. Dan had fun visiting with the cats.

And the cats had fun sniffing the turkey...

After lunch at their house, we headed back over to my parents' house. We still had to cook the macaroni & cheese dishes. As those were cooking, the rest of my mom's family arrived. Mom pulled out the deviled eggs that I had made up the day before. They are my annual contribution to the Thanksgiving dinner. 

And within a couple minutes dinner was served. There was so much food, it was on 3 different countertops!

If this picture of Dan is any indication, the food was good!

To help him shake off the turkey coma, my niece asked him if he could start a fire for her. She wanted to roast marshmallows. So Uncle Danny's boy scout skills were put to the test. He didn't disappoint. 

While the fire was getting started, my niece caught the smallest frog I have ever seen.

She named him Fred the Jumper. Pretty appropriate, don't you think? My nephew wanted nothing to do with the frog or the fire. He was pretty content playing with toys and making up songs.

After dinner, dessert, and fire roasting, the Hubby and I headed back to our little apartment. We fed the cats their "Thanksgiving dinner" and called it a night. We thought about going out for Black Friday shopping, but Dan got called into work Friday. So, I spent a lazy day around the apartment catching up on t.v. shows and hanging out with the cats.


I hope everyone else enjoyed the holidays! Any fun stories to share?

Weekend Adventures: Family & Break

I love that word, don't you? Break. Thanksgiving break. A time of much needed rest before the craziness of December falls upon us. I'm pretty lucky to work in a school district that allows us to have the entire week off. Other districts in the area are in school today. Me? I'm still in my pajamas. And when I finally get around to changing my clothes, I'll probably put on another pair of pajamas. No shame.

Anyways, I thought I'd catch you up on some of the things that have been going on since school let out on Friday. First of all, Friday was a crazy day! I had a meeting in the morning and then came into my classroom half way through the day. We finished the chapters we were working through on Thursday, so I didn't see a point in starting a brand new concept before a week-long break. So, the kids got to watch a movie. Don't judge. At least the movie had something to do with the content. I thought the kids were going to be bored with it - a National Geographic film on Pearl Harbor. But they were mesmerized! And, some were even brought to tears when the survivors were telling their stories. Definitely going to show this one again.

Friday night we took our new roomie on a car tour of our area. Let's just say, where we live, there are more cows than people. That, and a whole lot of golf carts. The hubby and I planned on going to a local park (the same one we went to see fireworks in July) to see their Christmas lights. But after getting home from the little tour, we both sat down and never got back up. Oh well. Maybe next week.

Saturday we slept in a little and then headed into Orlando to spend some time with the family. Well, I spent some time with the family. Dan had to go to a BLS class to recertify. Meanwhile, I got to spend time with the nieces and nephews at my parents' house.

{my sister and the youngest nephew}

{my niece, the artist}

After Dan got done with his class, we went out to dinner with an old friend of his from the church we use to go to. The two of them get together whenever he's in town. I, on the other hand, hadn't seen him in 5 years. I was looking forward to catching up, but soon realized that I probably should have let the boys hang out by themselves. It was nothing but cars, trucks, and racing. I literally maybe said a total of 10 sentences the entire night.

Sunday, Dan had to go into work. (Notice a pattern here? I feel bad that he's not getting much of a break. Work is really killing him lately.) Mom and I went out to my sister's house (the one pictured above) and the three of us went shopping. I'm glad my sister was able to go because she helped us pick out clothes and things the kids would appreciate for Christmas. Here are some things that I saw along the way that I loved:

{skirt / table cloth / colored glasses / owl pillow}

Ok, so I know the outfit is your classic "teacher's outfit," but I love it! The best part about the glasses - they're plastic! And I have a thing for owls, and this little guy was too darn cute! Ok, enough exclamation points...

By the time we got home Sunday, it was pretty late, but I had caught my second wind. So, I pulled out the Christmas decorations and started putting together the tree. Too bad one strand of lights was burnt out... womp womp. We decided to call it a night and pick up another string of lights when we went grocery shopping.

Monday, Dan finally had a day off! My mom met us up at our place and we headed out to one of my favorite flea markets, Webster.

There's technically two sides to the flea market. My favorite has to be the Westside. That side has more of the collectibles and antiques. Seriously my idea of a good time! Hands down, my favorite piece of the day was this guy:

It's a Lane's cedar chest. At least that's what the inside says. I tried doing a Google search to find a similar piece, but had no luck. The closest I could come to was this. It looks like it's been painted. Most cedar chests are simply stained wood. And, as you can see, it's missing a couple of pulls. The pull for the bottom drawer & one pull for that middle drawer were sitting inside the chest itself. But there were two holes in the middle drawer which led me to believe that one knob was still missing. The guy wanted $80 for it. Considering it had been painted and missing a knob, I thought it was too much. But, we didn't bother haggling because we both knew that we had no way of getting it home. Cedar chest on top of a Kia...yeah, that would have been fun!

I came home empty handed this time. But mom left with a few more Christmas gifts for the grandkids, so I think the trip was a success. After mom went home, Dan and I both fell asleep on the couch. Two hour nap on a dreary Monday afternoon? Yes please! Eventually we got our lazy butts off the couch and went shopping. A couple hours later, the Christmas tree was officially lit!

This year we decided to put the tree in the dining room. We moved over the buffet and removed one dining chair to make room. We still have to put ornaments on the tree, but we'll get to that some night this week. At least it's up! Oh, and you'll notice I finally hung up the broken mirror that I mentioned here. I spray painted the inside black, but am second guessing my ability to write something without it looking sloppy. I'm still trying to convince the Hubby to let me chalkboard it so that I can always erase my mistakes. I'll keep you posted!

So, that's the first half of my Thanksgiving break. Today I've got the apartment to myself, so I'm doing a little bit of cleaning, a little bit of tv watching, and a whole lot of being lazy. This afternoon the plan is to do a little bit of school work - but we'll see if that happens. I've got laundry calling my name, and right now that's screaming a louder than papers that need to be graded.


What about you? Do you have the week off too? Or maybe you decided to take it off anyways? What sort of plans do you guys have for the holidays? 

Year One

Daniel,

I can't believe it's already been a year since we said "I Do!" Time sure does fly. This past year has been full of both ups and downs, and I am so lucky to have you by my side to experience all of it. You are my best friend and I can't imagine my life with anyone else.

I'm looking forward to tonight's date & crossing my fingers that your anniversary gift comes in the mail today (even though you've already guessed what it is). I'm glad you liked the "bonus cards" that I've been sending you throughout the day.

One year down, many more to go! I love you! Happy anniversary!

Hannah

P.S. Just so everyone knows, "bonus cards" is nothing raunchy. I had a hard time narrowing down the card I wanted to get Dan, so I picked the sappy one and took pictures of the two humorous ones that I liked and sent those pics to him throughout the school day. :)

Monday Blues

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Normally Mondays don't bother me. Sure, I hate waking up early on Mondays. But once I'm up and moving, I'm good to go. I always pick on my students about how tired/worn out/sleepy they are on Mondays. Mondays don't phase me.

Except today. Today I am beyond tired. I felt like I was on stage all day in my classroom. My throat is sore from talking so much. I really need to work on creating more "discovery" lessons so I don't have to do all of the information loading... Anyways, today has just been one of those days, you know?

I feel like I've got a headache coming on. Maybe it has to do with the fact that I tried to wear my hair all down & cute with a headband. But still, I hate starting off the week with a headache. Because usually headaches turn into migraines. And then I'm down for the rest of the night.

Not to mention my body is sore. And I have no idea why. It's like someone decided to use my legs as punching bags last night. Maybe I can convince the hubby to give me a massage?? Yeah, right. It's Monday - he's been moving boxes all day. His body is probably worse off than mine right now.

I hate to sound like such a Debbie Downer. But today has really gotten to me. When I came across that image on Pinterest I thought it described what I'm feeling/thinking perfectly and I wanted to share. (sorry, I wish I had the original source to the image above, but whoever pinned it before me didn't link to it....one of my pet peeves...)

See, tomorrow, Tuesday, is our first anniversary. So I'm definitely looking forward to a dinner date tomorrow night with the hubby.

And then Friday.... well, let's just say it has turned into a movie day in the classroom thanks to a lovely half-day meeting that I was just made aware of 2 hours ago. And then, a week long vacation! I cannot wait for the mental break from school. I just wish Dan were off all week too. I guess that's what happens when teachers marry people who aren't teachers, huh?

Anyways. I'm not really sure what the point of this post is except to share a quote that really rang true for me today.

Anyone else out there having a crummy Monday? Or maybe you're looking forward to the Thanksgiving holidays as much as I am?

Friday's Letters

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Dear readers, this edition of Friday's Letters is special - I've got pictures! Normally I don't stress with uploading pictures, but I've really enjoyed this past week and thought I'd share. :)

Dear Hubby, I'm glad you got to enjoy a relaxing birthday. You picked an awesome place for dinner. The garlic knots...to die for! We definitely have to go there again one of these nights.

Dear students, thank you for not embarrassing me in front of your substitutes this week. It's nice to know that I can leave for 2 days and come back to a pleasant note and my room in one piece. Dear Mo, thanks for calling me and telling me my name was on the Social Studies list. I'd much rather be in the meeting related to my actual content than a meeting related to English. Dear Social Studies peeps, those two days were so much fun! Not only was the break from the classroom nice, but you guys always know how to keep things entertaining. Social Studies > English. Hands down. Dear Quickfire, your food is AMAZING! I'm so glad we stumbled upon your restaurant - much better choice than the Burger King we initially pulled over for. Us Social Studies people loved you so much, we came back on day two. Would recommend you to anyone! 

{Bacon Chicken Ranch Flatbread - DELICIOUS!}

Dear Florida weather, I am seriously loving you lately. Not too hot in the afternoons. Nice and cool in the evenings. When I got to school this morning you had left a little present on the fences. Not sure we're ready for ice just yet...

Dear Thanksgiving break, you are only 1 week away! I'm so excited! Dear students, today you blew me away! I figured the last thing you wanted to do after your quiz was jump into another lecture. I was hesitant to do a brainstorming activity with you, but you guys were great! And believe it or not, you guys knew a whole lot more than you gave yourselves credit for. I'm looking forward to the conversations next week. 

Dear roomie, (who is moving in this Sunday) please bear with the Hubby and I as we adjust to living with someone else. I know it's only a temporary thing, but we've worked hard to make our apartment as welcoming as possible. Please don't judge our cleaning habits or lack of cooking skills. And please don't judge our cats when they have "accidents." I promise - you won't have to clean up after them.

Dear Hubby, can you believe that we'll be celebrating our first anniversary on Tuesday?! Where has the time gone? Seems like only yesterday we were saying "I Do."

I hope everyone has a good weekend!

Liebster Deja Vu

So, it looks like I've been nominated for another Liebster Award. Considered me flattered and shocked! Especially considering the little blogging hiatus I've taken lately because of school. This time I was nominated by the lovely Lauren over at Life As A Labeth. 

Basically, I write 11 facts about myself, answer 11 questions that Lauren asked, create 11 new questions, and nominate 11 other blogs to receive the award. Considering it's only been 2 months since the last award, I'm going to skip creating questions and nominating others. But, you can head over to this post to see which lovely ladies I nominated back in August, as well as the questions I answered last time.

11 Facts About Me

1. I suffer from migraines. They started back in 10th grade. They suck. But I've learn to accept they are a part of my life. I actually feel one coming on now...probably why it was the first fact that came to mind.

2. I recently lost a fight with a jar of peanut butter. Well, technically, my big toe lost the fight. And really it wasn't much of a fight. It was like a drive by shooting. Jar of peanut butter fell out of grocery bag right on top of toe. I don't think I've let so many profane words slip through my mouth before. I'd share a picture, but I don't want to gross anyone out.

3. I hate shopping for dresses. Especially dresses for Christmas parties. I've got a wedding to attend at the end of this month and the Hubby's company Christmas party two weeks later, and I've got nothing to wear. And last weekend's hunt turned out to be a bust.

4. I'm not registered with either political party. Technically that's called No Party Affiliation. I don't know why that shocks people. I do tend to lean more towards one of the major parties, but I honestly don't like being labeled. I'll chose the candidate who most closely aligns with what direction I want to see our country go in, regardless of the party they represent. The only downside is that Florida is a closed primary state.

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5. I never thought of myself as a "cat person" but I'm starting to think I am. We've got two now, which is the limit at our apartment complex. But, that doesn't stop me from oohing and ahhing over the kittens that are up for adoption at the pet store. Dan swears that if I could have, I would have taken all 5 cats we were playing with last weekend.

6. I have the weirdest skin. I seriously start having reactions and I don't know what caused them. And they itch so bad! Even popping Benadryl every couple of hours doesn't help.

7. I was a little blondie growing up. And so was Dan. We both have much darker hair now. My hair was curly. Dan's was straight, but his brother & mother are both on the curly side. My dad is strawberry blonde. All of that to say that I secretly hope at least one of our children will have curly redish hair.

8. I make a mean macaroni & cheese. And I have no shame - I use the blue box kind (or blue bag if we're going fancy and baking it). Mac & cheese is seriously my go-to-food when nothing else sounds good.

9. I still don't get all the hype about iPhones, iPads, iPods, etc. The only benefit to the iPad that I've noticed is that it's smaller and lighter than lugging around a laptop. But other than that, I still prefer my laptop computer.

10. I'm swear I'm blind. Though not nearly as bad as my mother. My contact prescription strength is -4.75 & -5.00. Yep, that bad. My mom? -7.50 in both eyes. Plus, she wears reading glasses. I'm sure I'll suffer the same fate.

11. I hate talking about myself. Coming up with these lists are always hard. Without prompting, I never know what to talk about. So sorry if these "facts" seem totally random. But I guess that's the point, huh?

Answers to Lauren's Questions

1. What is your guilty pleasure movie that you could watch 39840 times in a row?

I could probably watch the Harry Potter series on loop and not get tired of it.

2. Did you have the names for your kids picked out before you even knew you were having them? If you don't have kids, do you have names already?

I have names that I like. But I haven't narrowed it down to anything. Even so, almost any name I mention, Dan vetoes. When we finally do have kids, I'm sure it'll be quite the debate.

3. What is your favorite holiday drink/snack?

Considering Halloween was just last week, my favorite would have to be those pumpkins that are kinda like candy corn, but soooo totally different.

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4. How addicted are you to Pinterest?

Let's see... I have 59 boards and 5,491 pins. I dunno. I don't think that's too bad, do you?

5. If you could be an animal for a day, what would you be?

As boring as it sounds, some kind of cat. Whether domestic or more exotic. Why? Cause I wouldn't mind all the cat naps throughout the day.

6. What is one irrational fear that you have?

I always worry about my husband when he's driving. He's got a two hour commute to work. And it's not that he's a bad driver, it's the other people on the road that I worry about.

7. What is your favorite blog to stalk read?

Hands down, Young House Love and Bower Power. Sometimes I secretly wish that I was part of their circle. Please tell me I'm not alone in this.

8. Do you feel obligated to match your clothes all the time? Even pajamas?

Um, around the house, not so much. But if I go out in public, yes. I live in a very small county and there is always the possibility of running into a coworker or a student when out and about. Last thing I need is people whispering in the hallways about what Mrs. C was wearing at Wally World over the weekend.

9. If you could have any pet in the world without having to worry about safety or money issues, what would you pick?

I think I'd still go with a cat. Either that or a rabbit. I use to have a rabbit. Ok, maybe rabbit. But cats like to cuddle in your lap and keep your feet warm when you sleep.... nope, its still a cat.

10. What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Um... that's a tough one. Usually I just go off of recommendations from other people. Then, when I find an author I like, I tend to read all of their books. Some of my favorites are Tom Clancy, Nicholas Sparks, & J.K. Rowling.

11. What is one thing you could never live without?

My husband. Seriously, he is my rock. I don't know what I would do without him.

Thanks again to Lauren for the sweet nomination!

Twenty Five

Yesterday we celebrated your nephew's birthday, and I know you were pretty disappointed that the plans we had made for your birthday had to be changed.

But today is YOUR day!

Today you get to choose what is on the agenda.

You can eat whatever you want. 

Go where you want to go.

Take a nap.

Relax.

Whatever it is you decide, we'll do. Together. Because I wouldn't want it any other way.

I love you!

Happy Birthday!