Here today, gone tomorrow!

That's the fun part of Christmas money and gift cards...it burns a hole in my pocket until I use it all and use it for FUN stuff!! Shopping with no stress about the pocketbook...it doesn't get much better!

This year I scored a $40 gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond and $25 Visa card from parents in my room as TEACHER GIFTS!! Hello - awesome!! Then, I got a $50 gift card and $200 in cash from family to blow. Needless to say, I was set! And my first mission was to turn this guest room that somehow became a dog room back into a guest room!! Seriously, this is where Kevin slept when he was in trouble (the doghouse) and apparently Jax uses this bed all day to look out the window for me (see how spoiled he is? I leave the blinds up enough for him during the day! ha!)

Before: After: (thank you Kohl's...the sale even threw in the sheets for free!)
Next on the list...work on the guest bath (aka Kevin's bath that is slowly transforming to a Razorback bathroom). I am trying to do it subtly without just big HOGS everywhere...so here is the new shower curtain with Razorback red in it.
And then, to bring in the Hog theme...this is what holds up the shower curtain:

I still wasn't finished spending freely...I got some Bath & Body Works stuff (great sale, LOVE that store), 2 CD's, and my Boxer calendars for the year. Woo-hoo!

THANK YOU to everyone who contributed to my spending FUN!! :-)

Storybooks

Remember those top secret Christmas presents that I was working on using the computer? The ones I wanted so badly to share with you but couldn't because family reads and the surprise would be ruined...well, here they are! I made scrapbooks on-line for my Mom, Bubby and Autumn. In my opinion, waaaay better than making them a scrapbook the old fashioned way. There is no way I could've had the time needed to make 3 separate scrapbooks the old fashioned way!

These are great gifts - especially for those of you with kids. Grandparents eat up anything revolving around their grandkids!! :-)

Autumn's book was a smaller size and was more personalized to her. The text I typed might say, "We are so proud of you." This is an example page from her book... And this was her cover:
These are pages from Mom and Bubby's book. I made one book for them and had it printed twice. If you decide to do this, it is easy!! There are lots of sites that you can do this on. I really like the one I used with Creative Memories because it really looks like a scrapbook and has lots of scrapbook features. Give yourself a several hours to make one if you want to do it right. First, I picked all the pics I wanted to use and put them all in one file. Then, it was just dragging them to where I wanted and picking the page design I wanted to use. After I designed all the pages, I went back and added text. I waited a day and proof read everything, because if you type a mistake, it prints.
See how the colors are coordinated, but you can pick different layouts?Here is Mom and Bubby's book cover:
(My favorite picture!!!) If you want the link to this website, send me an email. I will hook you up with my BFF, Michelle, so she can get credit for any purchases. You know she sells Creative Memories...gotta give her a plug here! (Or maybe she will leave a comment with easy instructions, because I always have to ask her the name of the site!)

Back again!

I am finally home again after burning up the Arkansas highways some more for the holidays! I am tired of being in the car for sure!! I took Kevin back to camp today after getting to be with him for 2 days, and I'm not going to lie to you. It was a little bit hard to leave him. I cried...a few times! :-) But, it's all for the best...luckily, we were never sad at the same time, so the other one could hold the sad one up! Funny how that works...anyway, we know how blessed we were to be together and with our families for Christmas.

On a cheerful note (cause you know I don't like to be sad for long...I'm about to take it out on this house and give it a good scrubbin', then I'll be fine! ha!), here are some of our Christmas favorites this year.

Kevin's favorite moments were our car rides together because it was just the two of us (isn't he a sweet one! hee-hee!).

My favorite moments were playing guitar hero with his nephews. That was FUN! I want one of those games!! I went from 21% on my first try to 70% by the end of the day!! Pretty good progress. Although, I am horrible!!! ha!

My other favorite moments were out riding the horses on Christmas day with my nieces. You knew we'd have to get horses in sometime!! :-) It was so COLD, but I still loved it! My feet stayed on the ground, and I took pictures. But, Autumn just had to dare Kevin to ride and call him a chicken. So...he can't resist a dare and rode Shena! She's not always nice, but he didn't get thrown! ha!
Favorite presents...

My favorite presents were my Dr. Pepper PJ pants (How AWESOME!! You know how much I love DP!!!), my Christmas money, and a book from Mom called Old Dogs are the Best Dogs. Of course, after 2 sentences, I cried! Kevin's favorite presents were his BB gun (he was like a little kid and wanted to immediately go outside and start shooting things!!) and his Christmas money. Can't wait to hear about everyone else's holidays!!

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

From the whole clan...even the cats! :-)

Griswold Kind of Christmas

Dad had the great idea to drive us all (me, my bubby, his wife, their two girls, Mom and Dad) to Granny's for Christmas on Saturday. We had all spent the night at Mom & Dad's the night before & it made more sense than taking 3 cars AND a lot more fun!

All aboard the Griswold RV Christmas train!!!!

Now, there are many fun moments that need to be written down and remembered about this trip. But, first you should all know that we cheered and clapped when we made it to Granny's driveway. On this 2 hour drive, we had no heat and it was COLD. We were all covered in blankets...except Dad...the driver in the front had heat. Ours was escaping through the vent that we very quickly discovered was missing a screw and wouldn't crank down! ha!

When we were within 45 minutes or so of our destination, we noticed we were losing speed...hmmm? Not going over 45 mph and cars passing us left and right. The adults noticed a puttering kind of feel to the RV. Many "think we are going to make it" looks passed between the adults!!! But we made it & after we opened gifts, Dad left with Uncle Terry to work on the RV, so we could make it home safely. So, imagine being 2 hours away and 6 of us at Granny's house wondering if our ride was going to be repaired or if we were stuck....stuck in itty, bitty Piggott!! Dad fixed it and we were all saved...saved to ride home in the even colder weather with no heat! :-) But it was FUN! I vote we take the RV every year.

My favorite moment was when a car blocked dad from making his turn and we all asked where he was going he said, "Some *#*hole cut me off & I missed my turn!" Autumn whipped around QUICK and pointed her finger at him and said, "I can't believe you just said that!" You probably had to be there, but we were all rolling!!

Thanks Dad for getting there and back safely! I loved having a Griswold kind of Christmas!

It's Santa!

I've been traveling Arkansas again since Friday, so I'm going to backtrack and tell you about Friday first! :-)

Friday was a good day!! I had my most successful school Christmas party in 11 years of teaching - awesome room mom this year!! AWESOME! We had a craft station, a game station, and a food station. They rotated through in small groups and PARENTS ran each station - fabulous!! Plus, I got some really good teacher gifts! ha!

At 2:25, I breathed a sigh of relief that I had finally made it to Christmas Break! Woo-hoo! Two weeks off!! I loaded up all my loot and headed out of town. Stop 1 was the Christmas program at John 3:16 Ministries....and guess who was Santa for the kids???

Recognize that face? hee-hee! Kevin made a great Santa!! One kid was in such awe that he just stood in the aisle jumping up and down! ha! It was a great program and a good start to a holiday filled weekend.

After the program, I headed to Mom & Dad's to spend the night...tune in tomorrow to see pics of our Christmas Adventure...and an adventure it was!

Cranky

I am in a funk...a cranky funk...and I am going to let it carry over into tomorrow so I can be a "mean teacher" because my kids were horrible for the sub today! Why am I cranky you ask? Oh, let me count the ways...

1. I suck at crafts. How do people wrap presents with all those cool bows and ribbon? I thought I would try it today. It looks like a 10 year old wrapped my presents!

2. Christmas planning...urgh! It stresses me to even think about it. Usually it isn't such a big ordeal but with Kevin getting to come home for two days (but with restrictions) and me wanting to be where he is, well, it complicates things. Of course, there is the big question of what to do with the dog...you know, my spoiled, rotten, high-maintenance, dog aggressive, separation anxiety, scared of storms dog? Yep, gotta figure out what to do with him....jeez! I know there are those of you that are saying he is just a dog - board him or have someone come over and throw some food his way, but I refer you back to separation anxiety dog. Plus the fact that he is not just a dog to me. He is my only companion in life that has never, ever let me down. So, I try to return the favor.

3. Then, there is my class. I got a 2 1/2 page email from the sub today. The sub that I made special arrangements to have so they could have a nice day. I should've just left it to the system and let them have any old sub. This sub is a parent of one of my kids and was mortified at their behavior. They were so disrespectful. Oh....they will regret coming to school tomorrow, I promise you that! I can't believe how they acted.

4. And, lastly, let's just be honest for a minute. I didn't play hookie from school today to go Christmas shopping. Today was Kevin's court date for his DWI. I mean, I didn't come out and say to everyone (some knew) that he got arrested for drinking and driving, but I hinted at it. And, you had to know something serious went down for me to finally give him the ultimatum of 'moving out and it's over' or 'going to rehab'. So, today was my first time in a courtroom. I didn't like it and don't ever want to go back. He got a hefty fine, a choice between 10 days in jail or 20 days of community service, a 10 hour class on alcohol and self-help, and 2 year suspended license. Good times! You know I HATE drinking and driving, H.A.T.E. it! And, I am all for consequences for your actions. But my palms were still sweating and I was still nervous for him because I love him. Do I love him enough to drive him around for 2 years? Well, yes, of course I do. As long as he also rides a bike some and walks some! :-) Live and learn.... It could have been so much worse. He could've killed someone that night. That is something he couldn't live with and neither could I.

So there you have it, my very solid reasons to be in a cranky mood. Don't tell me to cheer up...I will tomorrow at 2:25!!

Randomness...

*Got my Christmas cards finished tonight and will have them in the mail tomorrow! Yay! The mail is so exciting this time of year!!

*For some odd reason as Jax has gotten older he has become afraid of thunderstorms. And this is really strange - months ago, a tornado hit close to our house and me, Jax, and the cats all hid in the closet ...well, every since then, when it storms, Jax hides in my closet! An 80 pound dog!! ha! Today, it stormed while I was at work and he drug all the clothes that were in the floor of my closet out and had them all over the bedroom. I had to laugh because I bet he spent most of his day in my closet! He's such a big baby!

*And, to keep with the random theme - here is my new favorite saying : Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's learning to dance in the rain.

*Oh, here's one more - Sandy, one of my bff's, saw this today and thought of me and Kevin - Loved you once, Love you still, Always have Always will - Awwww!

*One more thing - I just realized it has been 2 years since I last smoked!!
WOO-HOO!

Told you it was random....

Christmas Chores

This is Jax telling me to STOP making Christmas presents that take hours on the computer (I'll explain later - remember, family reads), STOP addressing Christmas cards, and STOP putting Christmas stuff out and just pay attention to him! So, that's what I'm about to do!! (after blogging of course!) :-)

You will be relieved to know, I brought the Christmas tree in from the garage tonight and a few other things but not an ALL-OUT decorating fest like I normally do!

Here's the proof and yes, she is leaning. I'll deal with that later! ha!

And I need to puff her up a bit, but I refer you back to Jax's sad face. I gotta hurry and get to the couch with him! ha! It will wait!

My favorite new item this year is a gift from one of my student's last year.
I love it:

Christmas Spirit

That's what I'm missing this year...where is it? It is December 4th - I usually decorate the day after Thanksgiving for Christmas. Haven't yet this year and am actually contemplating NOT decorating this year! GASP! I have always decorated...what the heck is going on? You know what is really sad about it? My tree is wrapped in plastic in the garage completely decorated!!! All I have to do is carry it in, unwrap it, and plug it in. Presto! But, I just plain don't feel like it. I'm not sad. I'm not having a pity party that Kevin isn't here for Christmas. I just don't have that excitement that it is almost Christmas. Maybe it's money? I am bummed that after not charging anything for over a year and a half, I've had to charge. That sucks. But would that zap my Christmas spirit? Come on folks! Help a girl out....tell me something, anything to do to put me in the mood for the season!!! (Anything but Christmas music...I'm not one that can listen to Christmas carols! Bah-hum-bug! huh?) HELP!

Thank you, Thank you, Thank you, and whew!

First, thanks for my Best Buy, Wal-Mart and Barnes & Noble gift cards! I had fun spending them ALL yesterday & still have $8 left at B&N. Exciting stuff! Have I mentioned how I love gift cards? hee-hee! Later in the week, you'll see what I spent my Christmas money on from Kevin's Mom! :-)
Second, thank you to Kevin for this WONDERFUL cajun meal last night! I know I've said it before and I'll say it again ~ that boy can cook! This is shrimp creole and boudian ~ YUM!!
Next, thank goodness I finally have a new washer!!! As of this morning ~ no more laundrymat or leaking washer...isn't she purdy? This washer apparently does it all and saves on energy and water. I know one thing, she has a BUNCH of towels going right now and is SUPER quiet! I have days of laundry piled up from not having a washer, so I'll see how it goes and give a full review! ha!

**Lastly, I must put an end to the wondering and the guessing. I wasn't ignoring your pregnancy questions, I just honestly wasn't sure! Yep, we were in the midst of a pregnancy scare! I have taken 3 or 4 tests (who's counting? ha!), and I really think that it is just the new pills my doctor put me on. I won't go into all the girly stuff, but I am not pregnant....YET! :-)

Ropin' Good Christmas

This is Autumn, my niece, ropin' Dipstick (her first pony) while riding Sergio (her other pony). She's not rotten or anything...ha! What's a Christmas without some horse action?

I.HEART.GIFT.CARDS!!!!!

Gift cards are the bomb!!! I spent today shopping for FREE! And, I haven't even spent all my cards or Christmas money!! I tell you ~ I am just giddy like a kid! LOL! Look at all this stuff!!! And, I only went to Kohl's and Target today (two of my favorite stores!). I went to Kirkland's too, but they were cleaned out big time! I'll try back later in the week! :-)

I don't think anyone should think gift cards are a lame gift to give...they make me extremely happy! I am getting to re-do the bedroom and bathroom and have money for other stuff too! Here's today's haul: (that I almost left on the counter at Target! HELLO? My brain was already shopping at the next store I guess. Luckily, I ran into family while shopping, and they chased me down to give me my loot! Thanks Kayce!)

I got the new comforter set (at Target for just $100!!) and it has the comforter, bedskirt, and pillow shams! 2 new scrapbooks (Kohl's on sale $10 each!), a picture frame, new wallet (I have a wallet fetish...but that's another post! ha!), bath towels, bath rugs, sweater, pair of black pants, and 3 packages of socks!!! YIPPEE!

Now, this weekend I am going to Barnes and Noble, Best Buy, Wal-Mart & Petsmart to spend the rest of my money. Oh, and Lowe's for paint...we (or probably me since it's my bright idea) are going to paint the bedroom. Ahhhh! This is fun!

Oh, another good part of gift cards for Christmas is that everything is on sale, so you get twice the stuff!!

THANK YOU to everyone who enabled me to shop today!!! BIG HUGS!! I had a blast!

Posing Family Pics from Granny's on Saturday

...more to come later in the week! :-)
Merry Christmas Eve Everyone!!

Happy Holidays Everyone!

Our Christmas card this year...It says

"Not a creature was stirring

Not even a mouse"

Love, Lori, Kevin & the fur kids

MERRY CHRISTMAS & HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I hope everyone has safe travels and peaceful family time!

WOO-HOO! Let the break begin!!!

It's here! Christmas break officially started at 2:25 pm today!! YIPPEE!! I have to say for a short week and having the holiday party, my kids were pretty well behaved! And, the parent support at the holiday party was just amazing! I am really in heaven at this school! My room mom (I love saying that b/c I never had one!) ordered pizza, a talent show, a holiday pictionary game, and a craft. It was awesome! You see the kiddo's had a blast! This morning, all the 3rd grade teachers took a different country, and we made the kids passports. They traveled to each room (country) and got their passport stamped and heard about Christmas in that country. That really made the morning fly by! It was lunch before I knew it! :-)

I feel like I've already had Christmas ~ look at this loot! ha! Seriously, I have never had parents put so much thought into their teacher gifts. My kids know me well too! I got some cool gift cards (Starbucks, Barnes & Noble, Blockbuster, and even Petsmart!) I got a neat cool keychain with a dog on it, kitty wearing a Santa hat earrings, and one kid even remembered my pets and got them treats! See how well they know me!! Can you see the cool cross I got? Now, for all the parents who haven't bought their teacher gift (or you can put this away for the end of the year or Valentine's day), I think my best gift was simple and a great idea! One parent put a Blockbuster gift certificate with some microwave popcorn and a little teacher notepad and wrapped it all in a big bow! How cool is that?

Ok...I must go relax now! After all, I have 2 1/2 weeks OFF!!!!! HO! HO! HO!

Busy week ahead...

It's gonna be a wild, busy week!! But you know what keeps me sane? I have 2 - count 'em - 2 workdays left!!! Then, a VACATION!!!! YIPPEE!!!

Our Christmas work party was today ~ a happy hour of sorts. We did a "dirty Santa" ornament exchange. It was a blast! I laughed so hard at times that my cheeks hurt! Aren't those moments the best??? Got home and Kevin had dinner ready...even better! :-)

Tomorrow, the kids (our 3rd graders) are having a poetry slam. (We've been studying poetry this month.) It should be fun too! I have to stay after school for an after school program I volunteer with...and then, Wednesday is the Holiday (aka Christmas) party. My room mothers have planned a talent show! LOL! Oh boy...an hour before dismissal on the last day before break...this could get wild! But ~ I'll have two and a half weeks to recover! Go ahead and hate me for a minute... I completely understand!

Going to snuggle up with Kevin and watch some tv! :-)

Holiday Meme...it's my turn!

Ok ... I've been putting it off, and I even like these questionnaires! ha! Here goes:

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? both - depends on the gift
2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial
3. When do you put up the tree? Usually the weekend after Thanksgiving...
4. When do you take the tree down? Almost always the day after Christmas b/c I get tired of looking at it! ha! I have even taken it down Christmas night before...bad, I know!
5. Do you like eggnog? yes
6. Favorite gift received as a child? would have to be my chalkboard ...oh, or the year we got the Atari
7. Do you have a nativity scene? no :-(
8. Hardest person to buy for? my dad and now Kevin's dad too!
9. Easiest person to buy for? My niece...anything with a horse and you are safe!
10. Worst Christmas gift ever received? a freakin' fishing pole! (from an old boyfriend - I later dumped him! ha!)
11. Mail or email Christmas card? Oh...I LOVE making and receiving Christmas cards!! Mail is the best this time of year b/c I don't dread going to the mailbox!
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? The Polar Express
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Usually October and November - I try to be done the first part of December
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don't think so...but I am not going to say that some haven't ended up in a yard sale....
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? all of it...the turkey, the pecan pie, the dressing...all of it!
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? clear
17. Favorite Christmas song? Away in a Manger
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Burn up the roads - gotta go to Mom's, Granny's and Kevin's families now too. Although when we have little ones, we want to wake up Christmas morning at our house
19. Can you name Santa's reindeers? It's Monday and my kids were extra hyper today...I'm not even going to try! ha!
20. Do you have an Angel on top or a star? I always had an angel until this year and with the new tree a star looks better
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? morning
22. Most annoying thing(s) about this time of year? rude people and traffic! urgh~

Holiday Checklist

My holiday checklist got a BUNCH shorter in the past few days (actually yesterday - I took the day after the concert off! There ain't no way this teacher could hang out until midnight and get up at 5:30am. I am not as young as I use to be! ha!)

Anyway...I spent the day FINISHING my Christmas shopping...yep, finished!!! I have $8 in my checking account to last until payday, but I'm finished shopping, all my bills are paid, and here's the best part - I didn't charge one single gift!!! Woo-hoo!! I also finished the Christmas decorating inside and outside AND made the Christmas cards. That is top secret though until they go in the mail! ha!

Now, if I can just make until Friday, I'll be laughing! My final is Thursday night!!! urgh! Nerves...I've been studying a bit every night. Well, the past two nights! ha!

Gotta run - Kevin gave me 10 minutes and my dinner is ready. A man that cooks is SOOOO nice!!

Bunch of Nothing...

Not much happening here except I am still sleeping with my nose covered in Vicks and a breathe right strip....is there any relief for this cold thing going around? It won't go away!!!

Simba has currently moved to bringing in moles instead of snakes. And, he is at least killing them first! This is an improvement, because the moles have been destroying the yard. So, for once, I am happy with my fat hunter cat! ha! And, if you haven't seen one in person, moles are funny looking!!

I have pretty much finished decorating for Christmas on the inside of the house. This weekend, I need to decorate outside. I don't put lights all over the house, just the front porch, front door and wreathes on the windows. I should be able to knock that out!

My final for my master's class is one week away. I HAVE TO STUDY!!! I need to start now...but I procrastinate on these things!!

This weekend, Sunday will be a big day in LoriLand!! First, I have the honor of being invited to watch one of the kids in my class in her Christmas program at Church. She is a doll, so should be fun. Then, I get to see Keith Urban in concert that night with my Mom and sister in law. Go ahead-hate me-I get it! After all, it is Keith Urban!!!