Tacky Christmas Sweater party

Derrick and I held our first party ever 2 weeks ago and it did not disappoint. It's rare that he is off on weekends and on a weekend that nothing is going on - we took advantage and invited all of our friends here in Austin and the turn out was great:) We did a Tacky Christmas Sweater theme and had quite the snazzy ensembles. We woke up at 8am on the morning of and worked our butts off till 8pm when the party began. Derrick also cooked and prepped some stuff starting 3 days before! It was insane how much work and effort goes into a party but everyone was so appreciative:) We had too much food, too much alcohol (well... let's be serious - that's not possible), and you can never have enough decorations! Below are some photos!

The hosts with the most:) Don't mind Derrick's goofy smile

The full outfits --- classic. And what is that orange can of Keystone he is holding? Oh ya know... they only made a couple hundred orange cans in the nation and Derrick found one in his box! You win... pride. It took the place of baby Jesus in our nativity scene... no joke

Nick, Michelle, and Geoff - Derrick's cousins plus girlfriend that helped us out a ton preparing!

Friends and co workers:)

The cousins

Michelle, myself, and Chloe - friend and coworker

Alex and Danielle - went to college with both of them and Danielle is a sorority sister of mine. Hand made sweaters - and yes, his lights up

Kelly and Mark - co worker - and yes he is wearing a dickey under his white sweater... classic

Michelle, Courtney, Alli, and Sara - minus Michelle the other 3 girls are my 'group' here plus one missing - we do wine nights, bachelorette nights, etc - love these girls

We are so lucky to have neighbors we get along with and love to hang out with - Laura in the green lives below us, Derrick, myself, then Laura's fiancee's sister Rachel and their friend Blane

The food and drinks:

Grandma's mexican dip which was a hot commodity, and lil smokies

cake pops, chocolate covered strawberries, wings, spinach dip, cold taco dip, cheese and crackers, popcorn, nuts, tooo much!

yep there was more in the next room: gingerbread house (of course), veggies and dip, pumpkin bread, meatballs, candy

drinks: champagne, champagne and cranberry juice with frozen cranberries (called a poinsettia I found out!), champagne with raspberry liqueur and frozen raspberries, and in the crock pot - hard rock apple cider - a yummy hot drink with apple cider, tequila, grand marnier, cinnamon, and nutmeg - super popular

more drinks: wine, eggnog, more wine, and soda for those not drinking (they did not get opened... we still have them)

We also had 3.. yes 3... cases of beer! We had about half of that leftover. All in all - a fabulous party. Not too much clean up and yes I am still consuming the left overs!!

Travel bug

Guess who's flying today?!?

You know you're a teacher

Below is something I found on facebook and copied onto my blog. In italics are my responses:)

HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU'RE A TEACHER? by Jeff Foxworty
#1 You get a secret thrill out of laminating things. oh yes - things look so much brighter and better!
#2 You walk into a store and hear the words, “It’s Ms./Mr. ____________ and know you have been spotted. - always... the best is when I'm out to dinner
#3 You have 25 people who accidentally call you Mom/Dad at one time or another. - daily... constantly... half the time they don't even realize it
#4 You can eat a multi-course meal in under 25 minutes. - 4 different things in 20 minutes flat
#5 You’ve trained yourself to go to the bathroom at two distinct times of the day, lunch and planning period. no... never can I do this -- I go 4-5 times a day but I'm a super speedy pee-er and wash my hands back in the room
#6 You start saving other people’s trash, because most likely, you can use that toilet paper tube or plastic butter tub for something in the classroom. last year I ended up with 4 ... yes 4... huge sterilite tubs FILLED with toilet paper tubes
#7 You want to slap the next person who says, “Must be nice to work 7 to 3 and have summers off”. - shut it
#8 You believe chocolate is a food group. if you only knew...
#9 You feel the urge to talk to strange children and correct their behavior when you are out in public. I don't actually speak to them but I do think things in my mind
#10 You think caffeine should be available in intravenous form. absolutely - thank god for starbucks across the street
#11 You spend more money on school stuff than you do on your own children. used to -- thankfully not anymore at my new school
#12 You ask your husband or friends to use their words and explain if the left hand turn he made was a “good choice” or “bad choice.” yes I say use your words frequently
#13 You find true beauty in a can full of perfectly sharpened pencils. oh man... you have no idea
#14 You are secretly addicted to hand sanitizer. - YES YES YES
#15 You understand, instantaneously, why a child behaves in a certain way after meeting his/her parents - AB-SO-LUTE-LY

Kids calendar

For the holidays this year I had planned on doing a simple votive candle holder from my students to their parents. It's quick and easy and cute. Well... a friend send me this amazing idea and I just had to do it. Little did I know it'd create an immense amount of stress and 1 too many gray hairs added to my head but man... did it turn out adorable.

The gift is a calendar for the parents -- with their child's hand stamped each month and the handprint turned into something different. The front cover is laminated with a title page on the front and a sweet poem with their childs picture on the back. I took a picture of each month and then the finished product -- how cute is this!?! Remember... I cannot take any credit for this idea!

Front cover

Snowflake

Heart

Leprechaun

Umbrella

Tulips

Butterfly

Fish

Sun

Apples

Jack o lantern

Turkey

Santa

So do the math... 12 months, 20 kids... it was a lot of painting, stamping, organizing, and book binding but so worth it in the end. I hope the parents like it!!!

Recent runs

I completed the turkey trot in OH over Thanksgiving and then a week later did Lights of Love here in Austin with 2 girls from school. We ran at night through a neighborhood that was... slightly... decorated for Christmas. Could've been better but it was a fun run and my own personal best time of 23:14! Below are some pics from the runs:) Mom, I found 1 of Darrell so I posted it.

Me crossing the line -- brrrrrrr

Darrell crossing the line

Crossing the line - yes I know it says 23:18- that was the time clock from the time they beeped the start... I didn't cross until a couple seconds after that - the girl to the left and behind me are who I ran with from school:)

I think I look pretty pro in this pic:) Thanks Mom and Nikki for dressing me!

Lights at the Park

Derrick and I bundled up (yes it was 45 degrees and I wore my ski jacket, Ugg boots, and a ski hat) and took Mia to the park to see what I thought were the 'Lights at the Park'. Little did I know the lights don't exist anymore... just the gigantic amazing tree. It still fabulous and it took us 30 minutes including driving time from the time we left to the time we got home:)

Below are some pics of the huge lit of tree. It's not really a tree but really lights strung to a pole in the shape of a tree. All of the vendors and people are under the tree and you are supposed to look straight up and spin around. It made me dizzy after a half spin!

Take one

Take 2

Standing in the middle and looking straight up

Christmas decorations during the day

I love our Christmas trees this year. They turned out awesome and the trees themselves are both gorgeous! We bought 2 live trees :) One themed fancy tree for the living room and one fun, rainbow lights and all of the ornaments we had growing up on the other one in our spare room. Below are some pics:)

All of the things for this tree were bought the day after Christmas last year. It's nuts how cheap things are! I decorated this whole tree for probably $50. 500 lights, ribbon, star, tons of ornaments, and lots of those sticks to add dimension - love it

I bought clear ornaments and Derrick stuffed them with gold, purple, or a combo of both ribbon

Love the stick thingys

Made these out of beer bottles, tacky glue, and yarn. They are part of our unfinished centerpiece for the coffee table

Our 'mantle' - we don't have one but this looks beautiful. I love it! The nativity scene my grandpa made and then 2 reindeer and hurricanes filled with ornaments

Got these ornaments in the dollar bins at Target... some are rubbed off with sparkle but you can't tell

Our tacky tree:) It's cute too

Nighttime photos to come!

St. Jude Carol of the Bells

The little girl, Lucy, that I have blogged about and I have her button on the side of my blog is featured in this video a couple of times:) so sweet - she is in the red, green, and white striped shirt

New Years Resolution

I cannot believe it but NY's is just around the corner... as in 19 days... yes folks that's right in 19 days Christmas will have come and gone 2012 will be arriving in just hours. SCARY!


I'm not normally a big NY's resolution person ... most people pick the same ol' thinkg - work out, lose weight, blah blah blah. I can only remember 2 NY's resolutions that I have ever done and was successful in both - 1 was eliminate soda... it was pretty easy since I rarely drank it anyways but I did eliminate it. The other was my first year teaching I opted to eliminate ALL negative statements towards my students. Meaning rather than saying - Sally, you should not be talking right now - I would say wow, look at everyone working so quietly. It's funny but Kindergarteners want to please you so much that that little spin on words can make such an impact. I wasn't ever a very negative person to start with in class but this really made for such a better atmosphere. I have continued this resolution as best as possible but of course every year - a fresh new start requires some negative words to get them to realize their consequences and choices.

So this year I have thought up my resolution. I want to read the classics. The Great Gatsby (read it senior year in HS, couldn't tell you a thing about it except that apparently it has a ton of symbolism that I never noticed), The Scarlet Letter, Wuthering Heights, and A TON more! On my Nook that Derrick got me for my birthday they were almost all free a couple weeks ago which started the idea. I downloaded them all and they are all waiting to be read. I started the Scarlet Letter on my flight back from OH over Thanksgiving but have gotten too busy to keep going much further. I'm about 1/4 of the way done. I can't wait to read all of these though - they are classics for a reason!

What's your NY's resolution?

Tacky Christmas sweater party!

Next Saturday, the 17th, Derrick and I are hosting our first party:) We finally feel that we know enough people to throw a party that would be worth while and a good time. What better way to ring in the holiday season than with a Tacky Christmas Sweater party. It's been a fun hunt for us but I have finally found the outfit for the party. I'll take pictures actually in it at the party but until then just know... it will not disappoint. We have been doing the shopping for the party for about 2 weeks now and we will have tons of food and drinks! Our menu includes: veggies and dip, spinach dip, taco dip, my grandma's yummy mexican dip, cheese and crackers, 2 different kinds of meatballs made by Derrick (1 fancy kind with bacon and lamb and the other plain), wings, lil smokies in bbq sauce, strawberries dipped in white chocolate with green sprinkles (get it - so cute), pretzel sticks dipped in chocolate and sprinkles, red velvet cake pop dipped in peppermint chocolate, and possibly pumpkin bread because Derrick has been craving it. Y-U-M! Drinks include champagne with a splash of raspberry liqueur and topped with frozen raspberries, champagne mixed with a splash of cranberry juice and topped with frozen cranberries, eggnog, wine, beer, and a hard rock apple cider which is served warm and it is a combo of apple cider, tequila, grand marnier, nutmeg, cinnamon - sounds dangerous yet delicious on a cold night:) Our trees are decorated, the apartment is almost done (pics to come) and we are so excited! Hopefully we don't have TOO much food left over because I leave for Florida to spend Christmas with Derrick's family 4 days later!! Below are 2 photos of our shopping thus far!

Our alcohol section - partially


Our food section tossed in the corner of the apartment next to Derrick's bike and yes that is a baby gate... for Mia when we keep her sectioned off in the kitchen.

Random thoughts

Haven't had one of these in awhile ... lots of random things going on in this brain of mine

• I'm working on my National Boards for school - it's not that its overwhelming because I'm only doing 1 part of the 4 parts this year - next year I'll complete the other 3 as long as I pass this 1 - so it's not overwhelming but it is tedious.... the paper is constantly rewriting what you already wrote -- c'mon... oh well it will hopefully be worth it in the end
• I found this awesome website with FREE yep you read it right FREE music downloads - and they are premixed by DJ's. The site is rockmyrun.com and they are organized by type of music and how long they are. l-o-v-e
• I just got back from Ohio last Saturday for a quick 4 day (gosh I can't believe I was there for 4 days) stay... it was quick... busy... family filled... and crazy. Needless to say I really enjoyed the Sunday I had at home with Derrick... waking up at 10am and setting up our Christmas decorations was awesome.
  

• This weekend... tree time! 2 trees to be exact - 1 themed and fancy and the other 'tacky' and all of our childhood ornaments and of course colored lights! Photos to come!
• I recently became obsessed with GoodWill. I went there to scope it out for a tacky Christmas sweater (we are hosting a party... more to come on that) and although I couldn't find even one I did find a TON of designer and expensive with tags clothes. I went to the one by my school which is definitely a different group of people so the things they drop off are amazing. I got 2 adorable dresses totaling about $200 for $15 and then a shirt from Anthropologie with the tags still on ($90) for $5!! Also snagged an adorable big summer purse for vacations ... I cannot wait to use it! Below are my adorable dresses:

• Starbucks cup is back - I love their holiday cup. It brings me PURE Christmas happiness
• Mom got me this awesome hat for Christmas - how awesome is this sock monkey hat!?

• I got to see Abigail finally while in OH - she is beyond beautiful

• Mom taught me how to knit in OH -- I had a great concept of it ... until I got home and decided to start over... I need my mom to show me how to start it again - ugh! To make it better though I taught Derrick on Sunday and it was hilarious to see a guy, watching football, drinking tequila, and knitting:) love him

Shew --- up and coming pictures from OH visit and our Christmas party!