giving thanks

so we hosted thanksgiving dinner at our house. it was wonderful-uncle steve (my dad's brother), aunty suki and jonathan (yes, his son's name is jonathan too) came over for turkey. the turkey and 8, yes, 8 side dishes came out great. we tried the brown paper bag turkey recipe and boy did it make the turkey juicy! ate *lots* of food and finished the meal with pumpkin pie....mmmmmm...

got to relax on friday and saturday. nothin' like actually feeling like you can relax because the house is clean, laundry's done and there's no school work to do. so much of the time there's always something that needs to be done and i don't feel like i can truly relax because i know it's there, waiting to be "tackled". so what'd i do? i caught up on downloading grey's anatomy songs from itunes, ordered some new christmas lights to decorate our roof line, watched some of my tivo'd shows from like 2 weeks ago and started on a project. can't tell ya' what it is because some people who read this blog will get it for christmas. :)

can't believe it's already sunday...back to school tomorrow. 4 more weeks until winter break. i'm sure it will fly by as it always does. in a way i have mixed feelings about monday approaching. i feel both anticipation and a bit hesitance (because i like the calm right now). like we're right on the verge of it all just coming lose. monday means that the christmas season is really underway (for me anyways. i know that a lot of people kicked their christmas season off by going shopping this weekend. i opted to stay home this year.). the holiday rush is beginning: getting the christmas decorations out, seeing about the firefighters (mmmm-hmmm) coming to put the lights up, going to breakfast with santa, working on orders for gifts that need to be placed in advance so that it'll be ready for christmas, getting the perfect christmas gifts, getting the christmas tree, etc. jonathan will tell you that i *really* get into it for christmas. i'm usually the one outside hanging the lights on the roof, not him! :) and, i will get into it this year as i always do. i think i just like the lull of the leisurely days after thanksgiving, after having prepared for the family gathering on thursday. so nice to just lounge around in pjs!

did anyone go shopping over the weekend? wanna hear how it went. just because i didn't go shopping, doesn't mean i don't like to hear others' victories among the crowds! :)

love it!

check out the civil war video highlights...

thanksgiving eve

still workin' away. been to 3 grocery stores today. cleaned house. did *all* of the laundry. decorated. i am pooped (as in tired). excited for tomorrow though...getting ready to fire up that the lord of the rings dvd, watch the cowboys' game and hang with the fam!!! happy thanksgiving! :)

*way* too much time on our hands...

found myself laughing at this (and seriously needed to laugh after a day like today)...if you need some fun, play it. this one's for big h, whose 2nd birthday party is tomorrow! julie, this is the song from the pinocchio play on our field trip, when the kids were in fun town.

random november thoughts

been meaning to say i've reached my 1 year blog birthday!!! :) YAY! my thoughts on blogging? love it. get to share my thoughts, pics of my family and friends and let my far away peeps know what's goin' on in "big D". thanks to those who have posted comments during my first year, it's cool to read your thoughts on what i write.

so i don't know what's going on in hawaii, oregon, cali, nevada, pennsylvania and all you other states but texas is starting to *freakin* tick me off. all the christmas stuff is starting to blow up everywhere. our subdivision's christmas wreaths and lights were being put up last weekend. a house on the next street has their candy canes and lighted deer in their front yard...candy canes and deer, people!!! starbucks, my beloved starbucks...looks as if either a stocking or santa's red sack exploded with all the red and white decor. do you not like christmas?, you wonder...no, i *love* christmas. just not before my newly 2nd favorite holiday-thanksgiving. yep...you remember my thanksgiving post last year (if not, go back and read it...good stuff :D). thanksgiving's not getting any r-e-s-p-e-c-t around here and i'm getting irritated.

on nov 1st i told jonathan "oooh...{squeals & rubs hands together} thanksgiving is coming!" {eyes wide open and grinning}

thanksgiving is...

family
wheat & bronze turkey candle holders on the table
turkey
grandma powell's sausage stuffing
cranberry sauce
gravy :)
candied yams with the marshmallows on top
green bean casserole
macaroni salad
jonathan's mom's cucumber and tomato salad and baked beans recipe
pumpkin crunch dessert
crisp, cold day
fire in the fireplace
football
jonathan shouting at the tv during the football game
lord of the rings (any of the 3 dvds)
more eating
turkey coma
10 lbs. gained
kai getting a little turkey herself :)

and of course,
reflecting and appreciating my family and friends and all the blessings in my life...

what's your thanksgiving?

firepit season premiere

after much coaxing and giving jonathan crap about the coldness, the firepit was finally brought out (jonathan has been apprehensive about the city's burn ban). it was pretty windy on friday night...but the fire was nice. in anticipation for the fire, i had to buy the stuff to make s'mores and boy was it yummy! cori and i rolled in @ 1am, the guys @ 2. jonathan had a rough saturday morning, but not as rough as jason! jason admitted to falling into his tub and hitting his head as he was on his way to pray to the porcelain god when the guys went in! thank goodness he wasn't seriously hurt.

wit-chay!

tay messin' around with the halloween decorations. she has the hat to the witch decoration that we hang on our door (crashing witch). just a perfect example of how all of a sudden, outta nowhere...she cracks me up!!!

Grey's Anatomy Promo

this totally cracked me up & can't wait for thursday! double click on the picture to watch.

smokin' the singer

so if you've read my nov 1 post, you saw the halloween party pic. yeah, it was an 80's themed party and jonathan and i took awhile to decide what to be (mostly because things were so darn hectic for us both professionally and personally). the "duh" moment we experienced together came when we both entertained the thought of dressing up as 2 characters from {plug in jonathan's overly enthused voice here} "only the greatest film that started it all..." if you know my husband, even if just for a brief moment, you know of course we're talking about star wars. i mean, this is the guy who excitedly told my pal julie (whom hadn't yet seen star wars: episode 2 vs. the umpteenth times he's seen it) "oh man, i wish i were you right now" as the opening preface started to roll accompanied by that infamous tune. yes, we are *passionate* about star wars. anyways...

so we basically decided on han solo and leia less than a week until the party. halloween costume stores were slim pickins and ordering online was pushing a timely delivery as well as laying down some serious cash. so i came across this website that showed how to make leia's white dress. i thought to myself, "hmph, doesn't seem that hard. i think i'll just sew it!" that sunday we took a trip to joann's and boy what a learning experience that was. found the pattern (which was 40% off-cool) and all the supplies noted on the back of the pattern envelope. on the drive home i studied the picture of the dress. suddenly i started feeling nervous. what if this was way more complex than i was telling myself? have i bitten off more than i can chew? jonathan reassured me and said that he thought i could pull it off. glad one of us was confident about it. so i'm reading directions and man are they complicated. i mean, there were sewing words that i had *no idea* what they meant. i had to look stuff up online. i felt like such a bumbler, but just like the turtle in the race was known for...slow and steady always wins, right? :) i immediately gave "mental props" to both my sister and mom for being the master sewers they are. 6 nights of cutting, pinning and sewing later, my leia costume was finished. the singer sewing machine passed on to me from jonathan's mom sure got the shock of its life since joining our house. i'm sure it was thinking, "holy crap, is she really using me to make something other than a simple curtain for her classroom or scrapbook page? i think my motor might start smokin' from the sudden intense use."

all kidding aside, i was pretty pleased with the way it came out. i even added my own touches to the belt! :) jonathan told me it came out awesome. when i put it on and got my "cinnamon buns" made, he got "that look" on his face. as i told one of my teacher friends (whose husband is also a star wars freak), i don't normally indulge jonathan's obsession with star wars to this extent but when jonathan saw me fully made up, i instantly felt like we were on the verge of one of his fantasies being played out (ever see the episode of friends where rachael wears leia's gold bikini?). he kept going after my cinnamon buns, which i immediately told him were off limits at the party. but then, i digress...

i got a lot of compliments on my costume at the party, which was cool to hear after accomplishing such a feat. so, the lesson learned is (yes, there must be a lesson damn it, i'm not only chinese but a teacher as well)... "she who puts her mind to it can conquer the most ambitious endeavor."

miscellaneous

jonathan has this expression to describe people (one of many), "miscellaneous". i remember when i first heard him use it-i laughed my ass off. he was describing a coworker who was so far out in left field and random. come on, you know *those* people, right? for example at your workplace, they're the ones who are doin' their own thing while the rest of you are working in a similar manner toward the common goal. and i don't mean like they're not a team player, i mean that they are just "out there", goin' about things in their unique way, clueless about how *out there* they really are. i work with some *seriously* miscellaneous people. they do things that make me shake my head and wonder, did they really say/do that? miscellaneous.

well, this post will be miscellaneous. just feelin' random i guess.

for one, it's friday bay-bee! you know what that means...josh duhamel drool fest at 8pm. mmmmm-mmm!


i love strawberry margaritas. jonathan says if i get on santa's good girl list i could get a margarita machine for christmas. could you imagine? you might never see me! :) heh, heh...

friends make me happy. {do ya' feel the warm fuzzy?} i have all kinds of friends...teacher friends, neighbor friends, hawaii friends, college friends, etc...so fortunate to have people i can laugh & have fun with. hope you're havin' a great friday...with your friends! :)

*currently rockin' out to: so excited-janet (jackson) & khia

back in action

it's november 1st...thank god. october was not fun, hence my hiatus. could have posted last weekend, but i wanted to shake the bad kharma goin' on in october before i blogged again. yes, i know i'm being dramatic, but you see...that's my thing.

ok. so no BS, october was crazy. a major reason was that the bilingual teacher on my team past away. he was only 38 and had been in the hospital (icu) for pneumonia for 2 weeks. although it was serious, i guess we all thought he'd pull through. needless to say, we (the rest of the 3rd grade team and other staff members at school) had a lot to deal with emotionally ourselves and with the students. it was hard going back to school that monday (he died on a saturday), seeing his classroom and the sign outside his door with his name on it...knowing he was never coming back. i was overcome with the grief as soon as i entered our hall. it was a hard day. i was so thankful that my principal offered to come to our classrooms to explain what happened to jorge. he did an exceptional job explaining it on their level. the kids were so sympathetic and asked really thoughtful questions. we had several counselors from surrounding schools come to help with the students. one student was so upset that she was not fully operational until 1:30 that afternoon. jorge really touched their lives...and mine. i'll never forget how we joked and laughed about teacher-type things, how we'd have our sarcastic rants on really trying days and how he'd come by my classroom to get advice in his "i hope i'm not inconveniencing you" kind of way. i will miss seeing his smiling face and hearing his polite and gentle voice.

there were some other things going on that made october hectic, but i really don't want relive it. so, my plan is to look forward and put that momentum behind me. thankfully with the start of a new month, i think my pendulum is swinging in the other direction. but, before i leave october, thought i'd at least post some pics from some of the things we were up to:

taylor dressed up as princess aurora for halloween

my pretty princess tay

trick or treat!

tay @ the pumpkin patch

all the neighbors @ the flower mound pumpkin patch

festive halloween lights

bounce house fun at the fall fest

part of the gang at an 80's themed halloween party
(han solo, princess leia, al bundy, a rubix cube, egon from ghost busters)