Stuff & Things 12/22

So if you follow me on Instagram or if we are Facebook friends, you have already seen this, but I'm sure you'll bear with me because you love me.

This is big news that I can finally share with everyone!

Coming in May 2017...a baby!

I'm so excited for all that 2017 is going to bring, and I'm thankful for a wonderful 2016!

Christmas Fun

I borrowed this from Jenni from Living for the Victories.  It sounded fun, and I needed something to post on this little blog of mine! :)

What’s your favorite Christmas Movie?
I can't pick one, but National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and The Santa Clause 2 are at the top of the list.  I also love the made for TV ones.  One of my favorites is still Holiday in Handcuffs from ABC Family (with Melissa Joan Hart & Mario Lopez), and pretty much any one that Candace Cameron Bure is in on the Hallmark Channel.

Have you ever had a white Christmas?
Yes!  Unfortunately, it has been WAY too long since we've had one here in Pennsylvania.  It either snows before Christmas and goes away or we have a mild winter.  Christmas is the ONLY day of the year that I like snow.

Where do you usually spend your holiday?
At my parents' house

What is your favorite Christmas song?
"O Holy Night" and "White Christmas" (But don't get me wrong, I'm obsessed with Christmas music.

Do you open any presents on Christmas Eve?
No!  Santa hasn't come yet! ;)

Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and depending on what story or song it is, there's Rudolph, too!

What holiday traditions are you looking forward to this year?
Food!  :)

Is your Christmas tree real or fake?
Fake.  But I actually sold it this year because it was too big and complicated, and I hated it.  I plan to get a new one when they go on clearance.  My house is a construction zone right now, so I didn't even bother to have one up this year. My parents always have a real one, which I love and appreciate.

What is your all time favourite holiday treat/food/sweet?
Cookies!!!  And pecan pie!

Be honest, do you like giving or receiving gifts better?
Honestly, I think I like both equally.  Who doesn't like getting presents?!  And I love picking out gifts for others and seeing their faces when they open them!

What is the best Christmas present you ever received?
Wow....ever??  Maybe when I was a kid we got the original Nintendo.  That was pretty awesome.  

What would be your dream place to visit for the holiday season?
Because I do actually like to have a white Christmas, maybe somewhere where there's sure to be snow?

Are you a pro present wrapper or do you fail miserably?
I am horrible.  Gift bags all the way!

Most memorable Christmas moment?
When we were little kids, we had to eat breakfast before opening presents (we still do!).  So my mom would go downstairs and start cooking breakfast, and my brother and I would wait upstairs while my dad got the Christmas records on.  Then he would come upstairs and carry us down one at a time with my blankie over our heads to the breakfast nook so we couldn't see the pile of presents.  I loved those moments of excitement and anticipation!

What made you realize the truth about Santa?
My brother and I always had to wrap our mom's gifts from our dad.  When I was in 3rd grade, we were doing this and even though my mom said not to worry about wrapping her gifts for my dad, we thought we would "help" anyway.  When we got into their closet to get his gifts, we found LOTS of presents.  My mom was so devastated.  They convinced my brother that Santa just needed to drop some off to help out on Christmas morning, but I wasn't a believer after that.  :(

What makes the holidays special for you?
Family, Christmas music, food

Stuff & Things...to Buy Your Child's Teacher

Ok.  I'm copping out here, but today, I was totally thinking about this post I wrote last December.  And I thought, "I should share that for Stuff & Things this week."

And then I forgot that it was actually Thursday.

I was mid-sentence with my students today, talking about what they would be doing tomorrow, and I stopped to say, "Wait, tomorrow is Friday, right?"  Fortunately, tomorrow is Friday.

I digress.

Christmas is coming up, and I have to say that I have had more than one friend who has contacted me over the years and asked what kind of gift they should buy for their child's teacher.  I'm always happy to share my thoughts based on gifts that I have received in the past.

Remember, it is never necessary or required to buy your child's teacher a gift.  But it is a very nice gesture that makes us feel genuinely grateful and appreciated.

Here's my original post.

November Books

I had a really hard time reading this month.  I feel like November flew by so quickly, and while I still do have a few actual physical books on my shelf to read, I just wasn't in the mood to pick up a book.  (Shame on the reading teacher...)

BUT I did manage to get in a few reads, and I'm still on track to read 40 books for the year!

Here's what I read:

Wedding Night by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


It's been awhile since I read a Sophie Kinsella book. I've been having a hard time figuring out what books I want to listen to on Audible, and I decided I just needed a light, fun read. This book did not disappoint. I enjoyed hearing the story from both Felicity and Charlotte's perspectives.


Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I forgot how much I love Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood). I've been needing a break from most of the books I've been reading, and Sophie Kinsella has been just the author I needed. Lots of twists and turns and the usual frustration with some of Becky's decisions, and in the end, a satisfying ending!


The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I read this book in middle school, and I'm not sure I totally "got" it then. Rereading it as an adult made much more sense. It's a good mystery that isn't really easy to solve until the end. I might use this book with my students some day!


When You're Ready by J.L. Berg

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I received this audio book for free from Audible to listen and review. They are testing new versions of audio books with music and sound effects to enhance the listening experience.

This is a romance novel, which isn't my typical genre of choice. It actually had a really sweet story line, and I liked the characters. I also like when they have multiple readers to tell the story. So Clare's portions of the book were read by a female and Logan's were read by a male. But I didn't love the voice of the man who read for Logan. His voice didn't seem to "fit" Logan.

I didn't mind the music in the background of portions of the book, but the sound effects felt fake and unnatural. Sometimes, they just didn't make any sense at all. There's one section of the book where Logan is in Clare's house for the first time. He's looking around at the pictures on display, and there are birds chirping. Birds. There are no birds in Clare's house.

There were times I just wasn't "in" to the story, but I wanted to squeeze in one more book for November, so I pushed on to meet that goal!!



View all my reviews