The end of a perfect Thanksgiving week!

Do I REALLY have to go back to work tomorrow? I know, I know...I'm a teacher and I shouldn't complain about the fabulous holidays I get. The downside to these great breaks--it makes it SO MUCH HARDER to go back. You're probably rolling your eyes at me right now unless you're a teacher. It's good to know that some of you understand how I feel. :) I will say that this break was exactly what I needed. It was relaxing, fun and productive all at the same time. I have all of my decorating, wrapping, and card-sending completely finished, which is a really good feeling. I worked at MINT a couple of days, which I always enjoy. On top of that, I was able to spend time with my family in Collinsville (previously posted), and last night my dad's side of the family had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house. Everyone, minus Kristen (who had to work all day:( ), was able to be there. I missed Kristen, but I won't go there right now...

My mom not only hosted and prepared the dinner, she also very creatively decorated the house. She made everything very festive. Above, you can see that Mom made everyone a name label for our seats. I also took a couple of pictures of the table decor, which was very "Thanksgivingy". I loved it. Needless to say, I ate WAY too much this week, but it was Thanksgiving so calories don't count right? Even if I did gain a couple (or 6 or 7) pounds in just a matter of 4 days, it was totally worth it. :)

I was surprisingly somewhat calm with my camera this weekend, but here are a few pictures that I DID take.
Henry's buddy this weekend was my cousin Jake (who is obviously sporting the "no shave November" look). Here's a picture of Jake and Henry teasing each other. Oh, and of course that's my Aunt Stephanie in the back.

Henry loves playing outside.

Henry and his other buddy Trey, or "Fray" as Henry calls him (also sporting "no shave November") walking in the "woods" behind my parents' house. I think this made Henry feel very masculine. He kept telling Trey that he wanted to "Go to woods. Find a deer."

Sounds like another hunter-to-be in the family!

I hope your Thanksgiving was fantastic! Can you believe it's the last day of November? Weird.

NOW what?

Whether we won or lost, I was always a fan.

I'm going to miss him.

Happy Thanksgiving to all, and to all a good night!

Happy Thanksgiving friends!

Mom, Dad, and I spent the day with my mom's family in Collinsville. Kristen had to work all day, and Heather and Trey were with Trey's family. They were missed, but I'm slowly learning how to function in life without my sisters. ;)

I don't know if it was just because I was particularly hungry today, but this very well may have been one of the YUMMIEST Thanksgiving dinners I've had. Everything was fabulous. The day spent with my family was great. The only thing missing from this nearly perfect day was a nice lengthy nap. Maybe tomorrow!

Below are some pictures of several (though not nearly ALL!) of my cousins. Top R picture: me with 3 of my first cousins, Adelia, Lisa, and Monica. Bottom group picture: me, Adelia, Tiffany and Candace (Lisa's children), and Brooklee and Amberlee (Monica's children). The center picture is of me and my Mamaw. I don't get to see her nearly enough, so I treasure the time I AM able to spend with her. She lives in assisted living in Meridian. She often shows the beginning stages of Alzheimer's, so while it's difficult to see her in this state, I value the time I get to see her. Thankfully, it was a good day for her. I think she enjoyed getting to see everyone.

Rob, Henry, Heather, and Trey (yes..Kristen's working AGAIN this weekend!) are coming tomorrow, and we're having Thanksgiving dinner with my dad's family Saturday night.

Until next time...

allow me to introduce...

My new niece and nephew, Jean, Jr. and Joy!

Well...

Not really.

In case you can't tell, I discovered a website where you can upload pictures of you and your significant other and see what their children will look like. I don't seem to have a significant other these days, so I took it upon myself to see what Heather and Trey's children will look like.

Aren't they beautiful little creatures? :)

HAHA!

What do you think about my little new baby Jean, Jr.?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

What do you think about my little new baby Joy, Jr.?
MakeMeBabies.com - What will your baby look like?

Click HERE to see what YOUR children will look like!

Wow, I really do have too much time on my hands this week! :)

2 posts? In one day?

Blogging is something I enjoy doing especially when I have extra time on my hands. Fortunately, time is something I have a lot of this week! Enjoy post #2 of the day.

This is Thanksgiving week. It is a time to spend with family and friends and reflect on the important things in life. For me, it's a time (as I previously posted) to express my appreciation to those most important to me.

In addition to the important people in my life, I also have several possessions which I consider to be of utmost importance. These are the things in life which will forever hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. Allow me to share some of my most valuable possessions.

1. This dress. Perhaps you know the story about it and if not, you should click here and read. Mom smocked this dress for me (obviously when I was just a wee little girl). Looking at this dress hanging in my closet makes me smile, and while I'm not sure another "Laura" will ever have the privilege of wearing it, it will forever be a special dress to THIS Laura!

2. You know who once owned this little bitty rocking chair? My Dada. He was born in 1917, so I'm guessing this chair was made about that time. Before his death, I remember seeing this chair in my grandparents' garage and commenting on how much I liked it. Nana and Dada insisted that I take it, and I didn't argue! How special it is for me to have something that belonged to my precious grandfather so so so many years ago.

3. This is my "piddow" (translation: "pillow" ). Nana made this for me when I was a baby. Apparently I had to have my "piddow" in order to sleep. Now my piddow rests in Dada's rocking chair. Maybe one day I will have a daughter who will appreciate this precious pillow.

4. Quite sometime after the pillow was made (my college graduation to be more specific), Nana made me a Tshirt quilt. She asked me to chose some of my favorite sorority Tshirts. (Let's be honest, while college shirts may have significance, how often do you really want to WEAR them after college?). She ingeniusly used these tshirts to make a quilt! She spent weeks and weeks on this blanket, which was given to me as a college graduation gift. It's one of my favorite gifts ever. I actually sleep with it every night. It's cozy, is filled with fun memories, and was handmade by one of the most important people in my life. (She stitched her name and the year on the back, making it even more special).


5. My birthstone ring. This was given to me by my aunt and uncle as a highschool graduation gift. I wear it as my "everyday ring," and hope to one day pass it down to someone special!



6. Last but not least, here's my best buddy. I realized today just how happy I am to have him. He was gone ALL DAY getting groomed, and I absolutely hated being at my house without him. I called 2 different times to see if I could come get him early because I was missing him so badly. Pathetic? Maybe, but I wouldn't be who I am without this little guy! :) (Doesn't he look handsome with his new cut?)

'Tis the season to be thankful!

so far today...

I have:

1. slept in.

2. taken Max to get groomed.

3. gotten a new cell phone (mine died last night. I don't want to talk about having to come up with money for another one).

4. watched a Lifetime movie.

5. wrapped most of my Christmas presents.

I have NOT:

1. showered. :)

A great start to what I hope to be a wonderful LONG week!

Nothing sounds more thrilling to me than sleeping in as late as I want tomorrow...and the next day..and the next, etc. I'm so excited about having this week off I could just cry.

It was a busy weekend here in Vegas. Friday after school I celebrated our upcoming week-long break with my friends Heather and Hope. Nothing is better than Tipico on a Friday afternoon!

My sister Heather got here Friday night and we spent the day Saturday doing a little shopping. We also went with my parents to the MSU basketball game Saturday night. We didn't make it to the football game earlier that day, but both the football and basketball games were WINS!

I love my sister.

Sunday afternoon I was honored to be invited to help my buddy Camp celebrate his 3rd birthday! I took several really cute pictures from the party, but I emailed them all to Katey, and since it WAS her child's party, I'll let her post the party pics! :)

I did want to show off a couple though just so you could see him. I sure do love that child.

Can you tell how old he is???

me, Camp, and sweet mommy-to-be-again-Katey. She is such a great mom to that boy. Can't wait for baby no-name Overstreet to be here in a few weeks!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAMP!

3 cheers for Alexa and Michael!

My dear friend Alexa and her boyfriend Michael got engaged last night! Alexa and I are high school friends, college roommates and sorority sisters. We go way back. :)

Congratulations to you both! I couldn't be more thrilled!

(Thanks for the picture, facebook).

Raise your hand....

IF YOU'RE GLAD IT'S FRIDAY!!!!

WOO HOO!

TGIF!

a child who really understands Thanksgiving...

Tomorrow is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Right now I am guilty of feeling tired, frustrated, and I'm running VERY low on patience.

However, what you're about to read made me forget these feelings and focus on what REALLY matters right now...being THANKFUL.

I gave my students a Thanksgiving activity today. As you can see below, they were given a turkey and 4 feathers. On each feather, I asked them to right ONE thing they were thankful for. For 2nd graders, I felt as though asking them to write 4 things would be sufficient. (I was expecting most of them to say: "family, friends, teachers, school, etc." and be done with it). I didn't expect most of my students to write more than a couple of words on each feather. What this particular little boy did amazed me. He took the time and thought about the LITTLE things in life for which he was thankful. Reading this almost made me cry.

Take a look.

(The last 3 might be my favorites. In case you can't read it, it says "I am thankful I have bones. I am thankful for my name. I am thankful my dad preaches").

Precious isn't it? I love that child.

advice?

So, MSKS and I are heading to the 'Ham in a couple of weeks to visit Claire and go to a fun Christmas party. I can't wait.

Problem: I'm very pale. The simple solution would be to visit the tanning bed a few times, but since my mom's scare this summer, I vowed not to go to tanning beds anymore. I use Jergens Natural Glow, which I really like, but it's just not enough. Heather recently got spray tanned, and loved it. She said it looked fabulous. So I ask my readership 2 questions tonight:

1. Have you ever had a spray tan?

2. What did you think?

I just don't know WHERE to get it done here, or IF it would even be worth it.

Any tanning advice you may have is needed. Thanks.

up and running!

I've mentioned before about my friend Heather's painting business, Polka Dots and Curly Q's. We've now started a blog to make ordering easy! It's still undergoing some work, but check it out! We will be posting examples of painted Christmas ornaments soon! Let us help you with your Christmas shopping!

another tag and a HAYRIDE!

My oldest friend MSKS has tagged me with the "Kreativ Blogger Award," and here's what she's insisting I do: list 6 interesting things about myself and tag 6 others to do the same. Now, other than the most personal things about me, it's difficult for me to come up with 6 more things to share. I'll do the best though. Allow me to go ahead and apologize if some of these are repeats.

1. As a child, I shared a room with both of my sisters (not at the same time-i went from sharing with K to sharing with H). I had to hold their hair in order to go to sleep. It was a security thing for me. My childhood friends can attest to this as well. MSKS used to hate it when I spent the night at her house. :) I still find hair-holding comforting. Is that strange?

2. I can't remember the last time I had fast food--I mean REAL fast food (burger, fries, etc). I would rather waste calories on mexican.

3. Tulips are my favorite flowers.

4. I already have my Christmas cards written on, addressed, stamped, and ready to be mailed. Again I ask...is that strange?

5. I used to DESPISE leopard printed clothing. I now own 2 leopard print shirts, a clutch, and I'm on the lookout for some leopard print flats. I'm sure it's just a phase. I seem to have lots of those these days.

6. I have never kissed a boy under mistletoe. I sorta want to though. Could this be the year? ;)

....Ok...I did it...

I think I'll tag: Heather, Candy, Meredith, Katey, Emily S., and Emily R.

Onto the next subject for the evening...

(The "foam finger" was one of his favorite gifts! He loves his bulldogs!)
Henry celebrated his 2nd birthday (a few weeks early) by having his friends and family over for a hayride! Kristen and Rob went above and beyond to make this fun for Henry and he had a blast! HAPPY (EARLY) 2nd BIRTHDAY SWEET HENRY!

Oh the joys students bring to the lives of teachers...

Below is a scanned portion of one of my students' reading tests. Please read the sentence carefully. (I sure do hope you can read it!)

Notice anything unsual about it?

Did I give the child credit for the sentence? Absolutely.

That was my laugh for the day. Hope it brightens YOUR day too! :)

P.S. Henry's bday party was yesterday...I am hoping to have a party post up TONIGHT!

yuck yuck YUCK.

I am home from school sick today. I woke up in the middle of the night just not feeling right. I will spare the details, but let's just say that it was a good thing there was a garbage can close to my bed and an even BETTER thing that I made it to the garbage can in time. Ugh.

Is it nice lounging around in pj's and having a break from school? Always. But this is not exactly what I had in mind.

Yuck.

7 more days AND COUNTING.

You may be wondering...7 more days until what??

THANKSGIVING BREAK my friends. I am a teacher, and we teachers countdown to every single holiday. And let me just tell you, it's time for a break! I get the entire week off, and I'm looking forward to a little R&R with my family. I totally can't wait.

My Christmas blog layout may be causing some of you to believe that I may have forgotten or overlooked another very important holiday that falls at the end of this month. Don't worry though. I love Thanksgiving, and I find that it's important to take that special day every year to reflect and thank God for the really important things in life. (I was just so looking forward to making my blog "Christmasy", and I want to be able to enjoy it before Christmas is over!).

Anyway, I am very aware, possibly more aware than ever, that there are MANY things for which I should be thankful. I make my "thankful" list every year, and for the most part, it stays about the same year to year. This year, though, I find myself being MORE THANKFUL THAN EVER for all I have been blessed with. Sometimes it takes going through tough times to realize all of the GOOD things in life, you know?

So, while this list IS very similar to last year's, it has its differences. I am 100 times more thankful for the following than I was even a year ago:

1. My parents. They're just fabulous. All of the time. Period.

2. My sisters. Sometimes I still want to hit them :), but I love them more than ever and I'm so blessed to have them. (It's funny how often I get asked "so, which sister are you closer to?" I couldn't choose one over the other even if I HAD to. I talk to both of them daily and can't imagine otherwise).

3. Henry. I love him more everytime I see him. I can't imagine having my own child one day and loving him/her more.

4. My brothers-in-law. I'm pretty sure I would be friends with both of them even if they weren't married to my sisters.

5. Max. He's tested me more these past few months, but it still makes me happy to see his tail wagging when I get home from school everyday.

6. My friends. I have so many best friends, who have all played a huge role in my life. Never will any of them know how much their friendship has blessed my life. The fun thing about all of my friends...they're ALL so different from each other! In fact, most of my friends aren't even friends with each other. I can't wait to have them all in the same room at the same time--heaven. It's been during this past year, when I have truly realized...I DO have the best friends in the entire world! What have I done to deserve them? I'll never know.

7. My job. How terrible would it be to wake up every morning and dread going to work? I'm glad I have a job that I actually enjoy. (Even though I AM SO READY FOR THANKSGIVING BREAK...Have I mentioned that already??). I'm surrounded by wonderful people who encourage me daily.

THANK YOU GOD FOR ALL YOU HAVE GIVEN ME!

What are YOU thankful for this Thanksgiving?

Tag...I'm it!

I've been tagged by Maggie Ethridge to do the following:
1. Choose the 4th picture folder on my computer
2. Choose the 4th picture
3. Explain the picture
4. Tag 4 people to do the same.

So, Here you go!

The 4th picture in the 4th folder on my computer is this one of me and my dear Shannon. It was taken last month when we got together in Birmingham for a little shopping. Fun times! I love her.

Instead of me narrowing down 4 people to tag, consider ALL of you tagged...