Tuesday, December 30, 2014

Long Time No Post...

How many times do I say to myself I need to make a blog before I forget everything I want to journal? A lot of times I assure you.
The Thanksgiving feast went off well. The students seemed to really enjoy it. My mom came and helped me serve the meal along with Kara who had a break at that time and wanted to come see my kiddos since she comes twice a week to my class and helps as part of our Mustang Mentors program at the high school. One little boy said it was the best Thanksgiving ever.:)
Right after Thanksgiving we rushed into Christmas activities. Somehow between the Aimsweb benchmarking ( I was very proud of their progress this semesterπŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒ) and staying on schedule with our curriculum outline we managed to get in some easy fun Christmas crafts and ornaments for the kiddos to keep. There was a lot of sickness that hit our class and school during December-stomach virus and flu were at the top of the list. I managed to escape it but Kara and Kali were hit hard the weekend after school got out for Christmas break. At least it made its rounds early so they could enjoy our Christmas activities.
Our class Christmas party was held the morning we got out early- Friday, Dec. 19. We always keep that party simple and just have breakfast foods. The kids are anxious to get their goodie bags filled with anything from candy to ornaments to play dough to yo-yos, etc. They all contribute to the bag and I fill them. That way they all get the same things and everyone is happy!
We had our Christmas get together with Marty's family at his sister's house in Covington on Saturday the 20th. Kali came down with the awful stomach virus when we got home that night and then it hit Kara got it the following day.:(
We usually try to do something fun and memorable at Christmas and this year me, mom and the girls went to Nashville on Monday, Dec. 15 and enjoyed all the decorations and lights at the Opryland hotel and then saw the Rockettes Christmas spectacular at the Opry House. Kara's best friend from FBLA, Elizabeth, met us and enjoyed the night with us.
When Marty and I married 21 years ago, we had a total of 6 different Christmas gatherings to go to. It was crazy and busy but sadly all of our grandparents have since passed (our 3 grandmothers were the only ones still living when we married). Now things aren't quite as busy and as the kids have gotten older not quite as stressful. The kids seemed happy with their gifts none of which they really asked for as we had said we were keeping it simple since we went to Disney over fall break. It was a good Christmas as always in that we were together and we are healthy. We had our Ward family get together on Christmas Eve, breakfast at Moms on Christmas morning and lunch with the Towater brothers and sisters ( Marty's daddy's brothers and sisters). Then we settled down for a long winters nap.πŸ˜‰πŸ˜‰ at least me and the girls did. Marty and Kirk both went up to our store Imart as it is open 24/7 365 days for the remainder of the day. It was a busy day and people enjoy having a place to stop as they are traveling to fuel up, eat or just take a break and the locals enjoy it too.
We will ring in the new year at home. Kara is going to a sleepover at her BFF twin sisters' 18th birthday party, Kirk is going with friends to concert at Nashville and staying overnight, and Kali is having some friends here for a sleepover. It will be a miracle if I don't doze off before midnight.
January will be busy for us. Starting up second semester of school, me and the girls are going to Florida for a dear college friends daughter's bat mitzvah in mid January and then Marty and I will travel with Kirk to Orlando the last weekend of January to move him in to start his journey as a Disney college intern.πŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒπŸ˜ƒ
Wishing you and yours all a blessed and happy 2015!!! I am hoping to do better with my spiritual walk with Christ this year and do better with staying focused in my prayer and quiet time with him. I also want to live by the motto of "Pray more, Speak less." Happy New Year!!!

Monday, November 10, 2014

"Miss Leigh Ann will you tie my shoes please?"

I picked up Kara at Nashville yesterday after her returning flight from D.C. She had a wonderful trip and made lots of memories. I am so thankful for the opportunities that FBLA has provided for Kirk and Kara over the last few years. They have attended several leadership conferences and have been able to enjoy some of the best cities in our nation and all that they have to offer. They have made lasting friendships and connections that they will treasure always and that may even open doors for them later in their lives.
Can you believe it-Thanksgiving is just a little over 2 weeks away?!!!!! I have lost count as to how many years I have cooked the Thanksgiving feast for my class but I'm going at it again this year. I just love doing it for my class!!!! I don't do it because I'm trying to do something that others may or may not do.I do it because I enjoy preparing the meal.  I do it because I want to do this for my students. I want them to see a turkey on a platter and a big feast and see what it's like to sit down together as our little class family for a meal. I was so blessed and am still blessed to have always had a big feast with my loved ones at Thanksgiving and at various times throughout the year. I know that for some of my sweeties it may be the only time that they have this kind of meal. Sad but true...so next Friday we will be feasting in our classroom complete with our Indian attire. :)
One thing that Kara talked a lot about after her trip to D.C was the Holocaust Memorial Museum. She told of how the room with the 4,000 victims' shoes was heart wrenching. As she was telling me of it, it was like the Lord just bopped me on the head and made me realize how many times a day I am asked to tie shoes and sadly I often deny the request saying "ask a friend, you've been walking through the bathroom and your shoestrings are dirty, tuck them in, you need to learn to tie them, ask your parents to get you shoes will Velcro,etc." I am ashamed of myself. All I could think was what if the last request a child had of me was to please tie their shoes and I denied them? Just the thought of all those shoes of the holocaust victims stirred this in me. So from now on no matter when or where I will stop what I am doing and tie a child's shoes.
Tomorrow is Veterans Day. Our third grade put on a program this afternoon with veterans in attendance. Tomorrow our middle and high school will have their programs. Thank you to my hubby for his service and all of our men and women who serve and have served.
Blessings to all!!!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Kirk is going to Disney!!!!:)

Kirk got the email Monday morning Oct. 20 (the Monday after we got back from our Disney trip)that he was accepted into the Disney College Program! Woo hoo!!! We move him in February 2,2015 and he will live there until August. He is thrilled and we are all thrilled for him!!! His goal is to bust this semester wide open and then get ready for a magical but busy working time at Disney!!! He is taking a leave from his academic scholarship so he will have that waiting for him when he gets back. He will probably just end up with  1 or 2 college courses to take during his leave. The work schedule is so many hours that he doesn't want to overload. He will be classified as a college junior at the end of this semester. Many of you have asked me about the Disney college program. I suggest googling it. I do know that he found out 40,000 applied for the scholarship and only 3,000 were hired-2,000 at Disneyworld and 1,000 at Disneyland. :)
We survived Halloween week! Whew why is it that all holidays seem to go on for days and days....? I am so glad it was on a Friday this year though!!! We had trunk or treats at our church last Wed. Evening, the fall festival at school Thur. night, school parties on Friday and the trunk or treats before high school football game. It was also senior night so Marty and I got to escort our senior girl out on the field as AB club president. It was freezing!!!! So proud of Kara and all of her high school accomplishments. She is leaving this Thursday for a trip to Washington, D.C. for FBLA National Fall Leadership Conference. She is so excited and I'm so happy that she has had such wonderful opportunities through FBLA.
We squeezed in a weekend of camping week before last. It was very relaxing to get away and enjoy the cool nights sitting around the campfire. Now if we could just get back....
November is my favorite month of the year!!! I love Thanksgiving and all that goes along with it. I love cooking for our family add a dish meal on Thanksgiving night and I enjoy celebrating it with my class every year. I'm always exhausted when it's over but I do enjoy it so very much!!!
I had a wonderful phone call from my dear friend Alessia over the weekend. She's been one very busy lady and it was good to catch up with her. She is the one who convinced me to blog.:) be sure
and check her out at www.mrsalbanese'skindergarten.blogspot.com. She has some wonderful tpt creations that are a staple in my classroom. Hoping we get to meet up this summer in Vegas!!!
My sweeties are moving right along with their skills. I am very pleased with the progress they have made. They will benchmark them the 2nd week of December for Aimsweb. I hope they do as well when they are tested as they are doing for me now. :) I am also very pleased with their reading strategies that we have been working on.
Kali is staying busy with school and was excited to receive a purple ribbon in 4H on her speech on her career choice. :)
May you and yours enjoy a blessed and happy November!!!


Friday, October 17, 2014

Fall break-Disney style :)

So we just returned today from our fall break trip to Disneyworld. Fun times! The only thing that would of made it better was if Kirk had been with us. He only got 2 days off for fall break and so it was best he not go this time around. He went last spring with a friend and her family and of course we are still keeping our fingers crossed that he gets a call from Disney soon offering him a spot in their Disney college program. We left last Friday and started the drive down. We stayed in Dothan, Alabama and after the first hotel not working out for reasons I don't care to explain-yikes! We got in  a room about midnight that night and then drove into Orlando Saturday afternoon. We stay at the Shades of Green when we go as it is the military resort there. It is on Disney grounds (across from the Polynesian resort) and we get all of the benefits that Disney guests do plus the savings is more than half on our accommodations and ticket prices. I am so thankful that Disney continues to honor and show their appreciation to our military and their families. There is no way that we would have been able to take our family there for vacay as often as we have been able to if not for the military discounts. I am by no means a Disney expert but please hear me when I say this- DO NOT take young children to Disney expecting it to be the most magical time ever. I see more children having melt downs there than I do with happy faces. This is no joke. There is a time for everything and unless you take an infant because you have older children and no one to keep the baby for you then don't do it. It is simply too much for toddlers and young children. The first time we went Kirk was 5 and  Kara had just turned 4. They made it fairly well but by the last day Kara was wiped out. I can't imagine taking them any younger than that. It is just so much to take in, crowds of people and even in October it was hot! I felt so sorry for the little ones who were having breakdowns and their parents were fussing at them. Oh well that's just my input for what it's worth. On another note, I've heard that the Disney cruise is the best cruise out there and it might be a better option for small children as you have all the benefits of seeing the Disney characters but not dealing with the crowds at the park.
While in Orlando, we met my cousin  Elizabeth and her husband Phil for lunch one day and I also visited with Deanna Jump and her sweet daughter and son in law.  Do you know what I love the most and appreciate the most about Deanna?- she's as genuine as they come. She truly inspires me to not only be a better teacher but to be a better person all together. I just love her to pieces and she has the sweetest family!!!! So thankful for her and all the special teacher friends I have made through SDE conferences.:) so we did a 4 day park hopper and hop around we did. Usually 3 parks a day. We also did the Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party and I highly recommend it for anyone going during fall break. It was a great way to ride some rides that normally had ridiculous wait times in the Magic Kingdom. We started the drive home late yesterday and made it to Atlanta for the night. I refuse to go through Atlanta unless during the night time hours and even at that it makes me a nervous wreck!!! I am thankful to live in my small town. We made it home this afternoon so as you guessed I'm busy washing clothes.:) Kara and Kali took off to the high school football game, Kirk is with friends, Marty is at guard drill and me and my girls-Molly and Mindy have the house to ourselves.
I really did miss my sweeties in my class while off for fall break this week. I am thankful for the break and rejuvenated to see them again on Monday. I have grown so attached to them already and I'm so proud of their hard work and progress thus far.
Hope you and yours are doing well and I hope you live in a place where you get to enjoy the change in seasons with cooler temps and the changing of the leaves. Absolutely beautiful!

Monday, September 8, 2014

Another Monday down...

Woo hoo!
Another Monday in the books!!!! I have really seen in the last week how much the students are catching on to our schedule and our academic skills. They are also doing better with their listening and behavioral skills. :)
Kirk had his phone interview with Disney last week and felt good about it. Now we play the waiting game!!!
Kara had such a fun week with football homecoming activities. She worked so hard on AB club activities ALL week long and lost a lot of sleep. She was a nominee for Miss HHS which is an honor in itself and even though she didn't receive the title she is my Miss HHS. :)
Marty and I left right after the pep rally on the square and took her to Camp Clements in Doyle, TN for her TN FBLA fall retreat. Marty and I stopped and spent the night in Smyrna on way back to break up the drive.
Kali enjoyed all the homecoming fun (as much as she could as a middle school student):) she got to ride in the parade since Marty was driving a truck in it. She's a lucky gal to have been able to reap the benefits of having an older brother and sister.:)
I love my students!!! They bring me so much joy!!! Loving this school year with them.:)
After all my attempts at entering giveaways,I finally WON one! Woo hoo! I won a gift card @creativeteachingpress and I won a camera bag from jototes!!! Check their websites out below!!

Have a great rest of the week!!!
www.jototes.com
www.creativeteachingpress.com


Thursday, August 28, 2014

The touch of a child...

Here we are with 18 days under our belt! Whew! Ok it's caught up with me I'm TIRED!!! I won't tell you what time I went to bed last night-I'll just blame it on the Benadryl that I took because I got stung 3 times by a wasp!!! Yikes!!! Looking forward to a 3 day weekend!!! I'm going to enjoy a Friday night at home with Elijah and Annalesa and whatever movie they want to watch.:)

Kirk is off and running this week with his classes and work. He has a phone interview Tuesday night for Disney program-woo hoo!! Prayers please!!! This is something he has wanted to do since he was little and we went to Disney and he heard about the program. :)

Kara is working parent/teacher conference tonight at school and in full gear for homecoming week next week. She is a Miss Huntingdon High School nominee and of course we are proud as we always are of her many accomplishments. Right after the homecoming parade and pep rally at the court square next Friday afternoon she and I will hit the road for a 3and a half hour drive to Cookeville, TN for her fall state FBLA officer retreat. Kirk will head up earlier that day as he is going to be leading some of the workshops.:)

Kali is adjusting to Faith being gone but it has been very difficult for all of us. I found myself today wanting to ask Kali to invite Faith over for the weekend. :( she was a constant at our house.

So about the title...for those of you that don't know I celebrated the end of the school year this past May by no not getting a tattoo BUT getting a cover up of a tattoo. Yes I said it!!! A TATTOO!!! Believe it or not I was young once :) and after a spring break trip to Panama City one spring break-4 of the 5 of us who went came back with a tattoo. Mine was on my ankle. It was the Greek letters for Phi Mu my beloved fraternity for women. After 25 years of covering it up when I first started teaching, people dropping their mouth when they saw it, or simply adults and children asking what it was I decided I had the nerve to get it covered up and I knew what I wanted it made into-a cross. I went by
myself the Saturday after the last day of school in May and had it done. YES IT HURT I almost passed out while having it done.

So yesterday 17 days into school and not one child has asked me about it. This is after sitting in front of the class reading books, talking, etc while wearing capris, dresses, and skirts that often expose my ankle -UNTIL yesterday and while outside at recess a child came up to me and without saying a word rubbed their hand across my ankle and cross tattoo. People this simple touch of a child was like the hand of Jesus going across my ankle. Each child is unique and special and I know in my heart this child was sent from heaven as one of his special angels. These are moments that remind me The Lord is always near. It sent chills down me. Thank you Lord for children-many who are angels among us. God Bless!!!


Sunday, August 24, 2014

It's ok to stop and take the time to laugh...

It seems so odd that I've we've been in school for three weeks and other teacher/blogger friends are just now getting started. That's the south for you!!! Of course, that just means I'm 3 weeks closer to summer break.:)  I have a really sweet class and I have already gotten attached to them. They are so sweet and loving and are trying so hard to do all the things that we are supposed to get accomplished in a day. I always forget how hard and exhausting  the beginning of the year is for me and the students. Bless their little hearts!!!
My brother in law was licensed as a Baptist preacher this morning and we were blessed that all of my husbands side of the family was able to be in attendance along with my brother in law's family. Blessed to have such a wonderful family!!!
Kali's friend Faith and her family made their move to Wisconsin this week. We have shed lots and lots of tears and miss them terribly.:( praying that the girls stay close and get to visit soon...
A quick story to share that explains the title. One day this week something funny had happened and the kids just went on and on laughing about it. I finally said "ok that's enough it's time to get quiet". A little girl asked "why Miss Leigh Ann we're just laughing?" I honestly didn't have an answer for her but the truth is that I get so caught up sometimes in the stuff that I have to do that I forget that it's ok to take the time to stop and laugh. Thank you Lord for children who can put things in perspective when adults sometimes lose sight.:)

Thursday, August 14, 2014

First day

Today was it-the first day with all 17 of my smarties!!!! The day went really well and I didn't come home as tired I thought I would. :) I really do have a sweet class and I am looking forward to the school year ahead of us.
Kirk starts classes next week and has decided to commute this semester for the 3 days he has classes. He is also applying for the Disney scholarship program and we are all praying he will get accepted into that.
Kara has already hit the ground running with her senior year classes and extra activities. She is one busy girl as always.
Kali seems to be easing back into school without much pain.:) she is not having as much homework as the last two years and I am thankful for that.:) Her best friend since first grade is moving next week to Wisconsin  so they have been spending as much time as possible together. We are going to miss Faith so much. She and Kali are the kind of best friends that actually look alike. Even as her mom, I have to sometimes glance at them more than once to know which gal it is.:) Looks like we will be making a road trip to Wisconsin next summer or at least half way to swap out girls for the summer.
I hope all my teacher friends are having a great year!!!

Monday, July 28, 2014

Summer 2014

Today is it!!!! The last day of summer vacation for me!!! Yikes!!! Where did summer go?
I have inservice tomorrow, Wednesday and Thursday of this week. On Friday, we are going to Fort Campbell to get some things Marty needs for guard and Kara has scheduled a tour of Austin Peay for that afternoon. :)
Kali had a wonderful week at church camp!! The first day of camp the electricity went out due to a thunderstorm and they got to experience real camping.:)
The boys were blessed with the mission trip to Jamaica and came back with lots to share. I hope they will be able to go back next summer as it was mentioned several times how good it was to have some men on the mission trip.
Yesterday I took Kara to Camp Clements for the FBLA state officer meeting. Kirk will go and pick her up tomorrow. I have inservice and I don't think they would excuse me from it to go and pick her up.:)
I am excited to meet my new sweeties for this year!!!! We are going to have a wonderful year!!!!
Thanks to all of you who asked about me and prayed for me during all my doctor appts. this summer. It seems that ulcers are the culprit of my problems. For now, they want me to go in every 3 months to check my blood counts and see if I can get my blood built back up. Of course there is a long list of food and drinks to avoid-basically EVERYTHING good.:) I can do this!!!!!
Looking back on the summer, I don't think I can say that I accomplished a lot. I didn't get all my projects done around the house that I wanted to but oh well there's always next summer.. I spent most of the summer making sure kids got to where they needed to be and we had several fun day trips and a few trips to Nashville for overnight stays. I didn't get caught up on my scrap booking.:( maybe I'll do that Christmas break.:) We will take a family vacay during fall break as that seems to be a good time for us to get away together. As fast the summer went, I know the school year will go almost as fast so I'm going to enjoy every moment of it.
Here's wishing all my teacher friends the BEST year ever!!!

Sunday, July 13, 2014

July:)

Summer is flying by!!! Kara attended the National FBLA conference that Tennessee hosted at the Opryland Hotel June 28-July3. Kali and I went up and spent two nights there and got to see the opening ceremony. It was very impressive with 10,000 plus FBLA members from across the nation!!! Our hotel room had a balcony that opened up for a beautiful view of the Cascades waterfall. It was very relaxing to watch the falls and hear them.:)
Marty and Kirk are in Jamaica on a mission trip with our church. We have been able to Facebook just a little. They are spending a lot of time working at an orphanage and playing with the children. This was Marty's first time to go on a mission trip and I've lost count of how many Kirk has been on. Kara was sad she didn't go this year but June was a very busy month for her and she had several trips then.
I spent most of this week staying busy so I wouldn't dwell on the thoughts of not being at I TEACH K!!! It was the first summer since 2011 that I had not been. I enjoyed the pics though that everyone posted on Facebook so I felt like I was still a part of it.:)
Kali leaves for church camp tomorrow until Saturday. She is excited to get there!!! The boys won't be home until late Wednesday night so Kara and I will have a little time alone. I go back for more tests since week. The last tests still did not show why or where I am losing blood so this week I will have some more and hope to get some answers.
Just a few more weeks until school starts so we are enjoying every moment of summer break until then!!!!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

Even I have a hard time keeping up with our schedules and finally hoping to start feeling better!!!!

I figure the best way for me to keep up with all the comings and goings of my family this summer is to blog about it so it's written down as a journal. Marty and Kirk had a fun week in Washington, D.C. the third week of May. Marty was on a business trip and since I was still in school Kirk got to be his guest. They flew back on a Sunday and that same day I took Kara to Girls State at Lipscomb University in Nashville,Tn. That following Wednesday I took Kirk back to the airport at Nashville to fly out to New Mexico for their state HOBY conference. He had been asked to come by one of their advisors because they had met him at the TN HOBY conference last year and wanted him to help them with getting their state conference up and going. I went back that Saturday for Kara's closing ceremony at girls state. We spent a few minutes together in the van while I drove her straight to Mt. Juliet for TNFBLA state officers meeting. Her advisor brought her home on Sunday night. I picked up Kirk the next Monday at the airport and took Kara back the following day on Tuesday for her to fly out to Europe. She returned a week ago this past Thursday. Since Marty had been at his guard two week annual training at Nashville, Kali and I went up on Wednesday and stayed with Marty that night and Thursday night after we picked up Kara. He gets to stay in a hotel room so we bunked up with him.:) So other than some weekend trips, Marty and Kirk's mission trip to Jamaica with our church and Kali's church camp,things have settled down just a little bit for the rest of the summer.
Marty, Kali and I even managed to squeeze in a few nights camping while Kirk and Kara were away. We enjoyed hanging out by the fire at night, watching movies and going down to the lodge to swim and tan.
Marty will be home Saturday night from his two week camp plus his June drill and we are ready to have him home!!!!
As for me, well I've enjoyed taking my time and sipping on my coffee every morning, doing some reading, and lounging at the pool or lake. After dealing with some physically related problems on and off for the last couple of years that intensified in the last couple of months, I am in the process of getting some tests and procedures done to figure out what is causing me to have these issues plus find out why my blood count is so low. After looking at my CBC count which was so low that it was almost on the count of where they start requesting a blood transfusion,the doctor and nurse both questioned me as to how I had any energy at all and if I had been tired which I replied of course I'm exhausted but I just thought it was because I was a Kindergarten teacher and I've felt this way for so long that it has become normal to me. They've just got to figure out why I'm losing blood and how plus check into some other medical issues. I feel a little liberated now to know that it's not normal and that there is more to my exhaustion than just my work. Looking forward to getting some answers soon and hopefully starting to feel better!!!!:)
I am sad that I won't be attending the I TEACH K!!! conference this summer at Vegas but I needed to be home this summer and it worked out for the best since the kiddos and Marty had several trips planned. Hoping to get back next year and see all my friends especially my sweet friend Alessia Albanese!!! I have met so many wonderful friends through the national and state conferences. They know who they are and are very dear to me!!!
Hope all of you are having a GREAT summer!!!


Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Hello!!!!

Hello! It's Me!!! Yes, I have thought of sitting down and writing a post many times but yikes where does the time go!!! Seriously,we have welcomed in a New Year, celebrated Valentine's, 100th day of school, Read Across America week and St. Patrick's Day!!! We also had a WHOLE week off for a surprise March ice/snow. Luckily, we will still get to enjoy 3 days off next week for a shortened but much anticipated spring break. Hoping for some nice warmer weather-the campground is calling our name!!!
Kirk is loving Lambuth-my college alma mater or should I say he's enjoying the friendships he is making there. :) I can't say that college courses are his favorite although he continues to do well academically. Kara is moving right along in her junior year of high school. She has stayed busy as region 2 FBLA president, student council vp, class officer, AB officer, babysitting, nursery worker at church, church activities and the list goes on... She has been busy helping plan the Junior/Senior prom which is April 17th (her 17th birthday!!!) πŸ˜„We have the dress, the shoes, the hairpiece, etc.:) We have scheduled her senior picture sitting in June. Hard to believe she's winding up her high school years.😳 Kali has been spending every MINUTE possible practicing basketball. She says she is trying out for the middle school team. I'll let you know how that goes...:)
My class has had a productive semester so far and I really feel that they have made great strides in their learning. I really hope when testing time rolls around whether TCAP or AIMSWEB that the numbers and data show it. I know the progress they have made but not sure how things will play out when testing day rolls around... I think this is a worry/concern that all teachers have now. Sad but true. Time is running out and this school year like all the others will soon be a memory. I love my students and can honestly say without a doubt that they are all very kindhearted sweet boys and girls and are well behaved. In the grand scheme of things, that counts for ALOT whether a test shows it or not.
God bless you and yours!!!

Monday, January 6, 2014

Happy New Year!

Wow! Christmas break came and is lingering on. We were supposed to head back today but due to extreme cold we were out today and are out tomorrow. It's always exciting to get the phone call that says no school. I'm just hoping the next time it will be because of a beautiful layering of SNOW!!! When we get back Wednesday, I think it best if we just do a lot of reviewing over the skills we have covered thus far this year. It's difficult to get back in the swing after a few days off much less almost 3 weeks.:)
My family enjoyed a blessed Christmas time. We were all well and that in itself is a gift. Kirk has been home from college and spent a lot of time working at Imart. He will be moving in next week to the Lambuth campus of UofMemphis. Kara has been busy learning how to operate her sewing embroidery machine that she got for Christmas and getting in some extra time babysitting. Kali has just enjoyed being off of school!
Marty and I celebrated 20 years of marriage  Dec.18. We will try to go out and celebrate when it gets a little warmer. Too cold to get out in this kind of weather.
We got to keep our sweeties Eliajh and Annalesa for several days and nights last week while their mom and dad went with our high school band to the chick fil a bowl in Atlanta. There is absolutely nothing that compares to having little ones around. :) they are so funny with their cute expressions and sayings plus I love to rock them and snuggle with them. Yes they are spoiled when they are with us but that's the way it should be!
I have enjoyed my break. I did very little regarding school and I mean very little. I took advantage of the break and used it. Other than running to school the Monday before Christmas to grab all the stuff that I literally walked off and left on our last day that Thursday and make sure I had everything ready for this week (which will have to be revamped anyway due to extra days out), cutting out some laminating that has been in my pantry for awhile, reading a few blogs, doing a little tpt browsing and that's it. That's all I did related to school and you know what I'm ok with that. I am prepared for when I go back and I wanted time with MY FAMILY AND MY CHILDREN.
I am not setting resolutions. Instead I'm going to use a church's sign that I saw and really liked as my motto-"Daily devotion is better than yearly resolution." I am daily devoting some time to bible study everyday. I have done fairly well with this these past few years so hoping to make it my best year yet when it comes to that. I am convinced if I do this then I can tackle whatever comes my way with a good perspective, attitude and smile.:)
Happy New Year to all! Many blessings to you and yours and yes I will be happy to see my sweeties on Wednesday!:)