anticipation

I am waiting on a baby in 2012, not my own baby but his arrival will mean that I will be putting on my "teacher panties" for the next eight to ten weeks. It will also mean recording grades, filling out report cards, organizing parent conferences, recess duty on snowy days, recess duty on snowy days and more recess duty on snowy days. Please don't read me wrong, I feel it is a great honor to be able to teach these kids, even for a short amount of time. Here's something I've found out; my progression a a substitute teacher has helped me to be a better teacher. Dealing with the behaviors of autistic kids has given me more strategies and options for dealing with regular kids. I will still need to say my daily prayers for patience and guidance thought.

mileage and mya

It was a beautiful, bright, sunny day. The temperature reached 60 this afternoon and I took advantage of it by walking 5.17 miles in the hood. While I was walking I met a real sweetheart, a black lab named Mya who is staying with her "human" grandparents for a couple of days. Anyway, I enjoyed walking in just a sweatshirt and scarf. Outlet shopping tomorrow!!

plain and simple

I'm going to stop hating George Bush in 2012. I think he personally caused the Iraq war and was responsible for killing thousands of people and I think he should be put on trial for these crimes but it's time for me to release this hatred and move on. As a Christian I can't live with hate in my heart. I have already started. Last week Jenna Bush Hager was on the Today Show and I didn't switch the channel.

it's over

I 've started packing up Christmas stuff (decorations) and lugging them upstairs to the attic. I think I will wait until tomorrow to tackle the tree. Santa was good and I am very appreciative of my loot. This year I got:

• a diamond necklace from hubby
• a Brighton bracelet with a snowflake medallion which I plan to wear as my signature bracelet through January
• a Vera Bradley IPad cover
• various gift cards

I don't ask for any new clothes as practical me, I like to shop at the after Christmas sales. But not today, it's too crazy out there, even at our "little mall." Later I will wrap up on the couch and continue to read Washington on my IPad. Oh, I got a really, really soft throw too!

under the weather

I've been on the couch pretty much for the past two days suffering from the flu bug I guess, although I dutifully took my flu shot this year. I am thankful that I have time to recuperate now before Christmas gets here. I have been doing my share of reading, watching politics, knitting a fancy headband and making a pair of mittens (I use old wool sweaters) for my dental hygienist. I have an appointment on the 28th. I have the best dental hygienist in the world! I'll post a pic of the mittens when I have them finished, until then, here's a pic of the amaryllis I have blooming.

cookies

I'm out to buy more candied fruit today, we're making more leb cookies tonight. Why? Hubby has been eating them like crazy and we only have two bags left. Plus we like to have extra so we can give away a bag or two at Christmas time.
I pray for the eleven people who lost their lives in the snowstorm that covered the Midwest.  What a sad Christmas it will be for their loved ones. Dear Jesus, Please hold them in Your almighty hands and fill them with joy and peace knowing that Your Son was born at Christmas but he also died at Easter to save us all. Thank you for Heaven and thank you for the real reason we celebrate this season, Your Son's Holy Birth!

rubber glove count: four pair

I worked this morning in the Autistic Room; plenty of wet britches but that's okay cuz I wanted to see my little friends one more time before vacation. While I was out, I finished all of my Christmas shopping and now I can wrap presents the rest of the day. I don't get too fancy with wrapping and I usually use stick-on bows... love being home on a rainy afternoon. I might watch Mr. Popper's Penguins, I loved it as a book; I hope the movie doesn't disappoint!

potato soup

Occasionally I like to share recipes, not because I'm a great cook, but just because I find one that tastes good. This potato-bacon soup recipe is easy (except for frying bacon, I use my mother's technique of flouring it first to cut down on the splatters) and the ingredients are things you already have in your pantry or refrigerator. I am thinking maybe adding clams to this recipe and serving it for New Years.

Potato Bacon (Clam) Soup

8 slices bacon, chopped ( I use more)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 1/2 cups potatoes, cubed ( I used maybe three or four medium-sized spuds)
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 cup sour cream
2 cups milk
Salt and pepper to taste

Fry bacon till crisp. Add onion and saute 2 to 3 minutes. Drain. Cook potatoes in 1 cup of water for 10 to 10 minutes. I used a masher to smash them up somewhat although the recipe does not say to do this. Stir in soup, sour cream, bacon and onions. Add milk gradually, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper. Heat to serving temperature. DO NOT BOIL.
Now I'm thinking maybe using the crockpot next time.

fruit

 I eat only fruit in the morning, oranges, bananas, cherries or any fresh fruit that's in season. Someone told me (or maybe I read it in a magazine) that prunes are especially good for you. Because they are a dark fruit they have a lot of antioxidants, potassium and fiber in them. So lately I have started each morning with a serving (five or six) of prunes. And maybe this is TMI but I always eat them "Rainman" style, straight out of the can with a toothpick!

facinating

I realize I overuse that word when I am posting about books that I am reading, maybe I should just use very good once in awhile. The Man in the Rockefeller Suit by Mark Seal is a very good book. I am halfway through it and hope to finish it today. I hate to leave "very good " books unfinished even overnight. On my new IPad (a birthday gift) I have Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M. by Sam Wasson. Only so-so but maybe it will pick up as I get more into it. I also have the book, The White House by Vicki Goldberg which I pretty much finished in one night as I am a big history buff and The Idiot's Guide to Algebra Practice Problems by Jane P. Gardner because I want to keep my skills sharp.

decorations

My wreath wasn't looking very festive so I added some ribbon 50%  off at Hobby Lobby. What a deal! The holly trimmed from my bush in our front yard appears on our mantel this year.

The deer were purchased from Kohls several years ago. Since we have numerous "real" deer in the woods behind our house, I like to use them in my Christmas decorations.

third grade

I was called early this morning to sub in third grade. The teacher left a huge pile of work. I just love it when they do that because it keeps the kids busy and I get to blame the teacher. So we read and checked out new library books from the school media center. We played math games on the SmartBoard and practiced their Christmas musical. We had a phonics lesson on "ou" and "ow" and a worksheet on plants and energy. Here's a cute math game to teach rounding: Pass out number cards, 0, 10, 20, 30 to 100. Pass out nine sided dice. With a partner the kids take turns rolling the dice. If the number is 14, they pick up the 10 card. If the 10 card is missing, they can turn the number into 41 and pick up the 40 card. Play continues until all the cards are gone. The kid with the most cards is the winner.

westminster

Over the weekend I visited the Westminster campus and snapped a picture of a very famous church. St. Mary the Virgin Aldermanbury, designed by Christopher Wren in 1667. This church was taken apart stone by stone and rebuilt on that campus in Fulton, Missouri to commemorate Sir Winston Churchill who made his famous "Iron Curtain" speech there in 1946.

sell the house

For years I have wanted  a house with a river view. These houses rarely come on the market in this town but this past week a realtor called to tell me about a perfect little brick rancher on a very desirable westend street with an amazing backyard river view. The house is small and needs updating and that's fine. Most of these "river view" houses were built many years ago and anytime you buy a house you always want to make it your own. But, do I really want to give up my big house for a small one. I love my walk-out attic  and my downstairs exercise room.  I love my over-sized bedrooms and my new stone patio which overlooks the woods. And the creek where I hunt for arrowheads, I couldn't do that anymore. Plus, we would really miss our four garages. No, we are not hoarders but we do have three vehicles and a boat. I'll probably never get another chance at a little brick rancher with a genuine river view but I think I'll have to pass on this one.

the little mall

I call it the little mall because that's what it is but we are very fortunate to have it as lots of little malls just like it have closed due to the downswing in the economy. There are three department/anchor stores, Dillards, Penneys and Sears. Then there are dress shops, candy stores, sporting goods and even a Golds Gym in one corner. I walked over four miles there yesterday and now have huge blisters on both of my feet. Maybe that is due to changing to a different pairs of walking shoes which was a big mistake. I took a mental survey while making the rounds: The stinkiest store would be Victoria's Secret, smells like cheap perfume. The prettiest storefront is Bath and Body Works, lots of shine and glitter; and the busiest store has to be Hallmark, pretty obvious at this time of year. I love Hallmark ornaments and have collected quite a few from students over the years. Here's a picture of the oldest Hallmark ornament that I have. I received it from a little boy named Marc during my student teaching days. Wow, that goes way back. It's a golden dove and I always place it at the top of my tree.

walking

Yesterday I walked on the treadmill for 53 minutes, a total of three miles at an incline of 6 to 7. Supposedly I burned 511 calories. I also did some upper body weight training. Today the roads are cleared of the ice and snow so I feel like making my way to the little mall on the other side of town to do my walking. Even at Christmas time it's not very busy and easy to get around. I'm going to try to do four or five miles. I only wish I could be outside but the temperature is 13 degrees and that's too cold for me. We have a red-tailed hawk that has started to visit us. I saw him yesterday in our backyard, I hope to get a picture of him soon. He's quite large and a very handsome bird.

the ugly cookie

Last night Hubby and I ate leftover chili and baked leb cookies. Last year's batch was very good but lacked in candied fruit as he only dumped in one cup. This year he make sure to put in plenty fruit and walnuts and pecans. So how did they turn out? Not the greatest I'm sorry to say, and I've never seen an uglier cookie. We choose not to ice them as we've found they freeze better naked. Next year instead of our grandmother's recipe we might just choose one from the Internets. Here's a five generation picture that I display in my dining room. That young girl is my mother, the little boy is my oldest brother, my grandmother and her mother are standing and great, great grandfather is seated next to my mother. My grandparents were German Lutherans. I love this picture as it really shows my mother's 'Mona Lisa'  smile.

Leb Kuchen

Yesterday while Hubby mixed up a huge batch (12 cups of flour) of leb kuchen. I did some decorating. Since both of our grandmothers came from Germany, this is a cookie that we both grew up with. No picture of the finished product yet as they are still resting. Yes, the cookie dough has to set overnight. He uses a combination of both recipes and they both say to do that. So this weekend we had a fun trip to Kansas City to see family, got some decorations up and of of course, the leb cookies are waiting to be baked.

I know this doesn't show much effort but I have accumulated lot of Christmas decorations through the years and this wreath made of jingle bells is one of my favorites. This year I put it on my pie safe which sets in the corner of my kitchen.

little by little

My rose bushes has been trimmed back, some over-grown crepe myrtles have been dug up and Christmas garland decorates our doorway. Okay, most of this has been done by my amazing hubby but it has helped to raise my spirits and besides that, he's going to fry fish for dinner tonight. Yes, I know I have a keeper, I love him so much! Even though I feel depressed inside I'm going to try not to let it show on the outside. I think that's called "compartmentalizing." Is that a word? I should not feel bad about my wonderful life. God has given me so much. Please help me be more mindful of this.