Feel Good Friday!

Happy Friday!  We're in the home stretch!  

Things I'm feeling good about....

• ONE MORE WEEK! 
• Finally having a break after about 12 or so jam packed days and nights.
• Doing some solid Amazon ordering yesterday.
• Not even close to being done with shopping, but have good ideas and I think I can knock it out this weekend.
• Pizza Friday!  We have ZERO food in our house.  I must go shopping this weekend or my children may starve..haha!  Thank goodness we got holiday gift deliveries of cookies and fruit last night, so when we got home at 9:30, that's what we ate for dinner.  Chocolate chip cookies and tangerines are a nice combo!

How about you?  What are you feeling good about?

Today's song...

Grievance Thursday

It's Grievance Thursday!  We are just about a week and a half away from the official Festivus!  The annual airing of grievances!

Air your grievances!  Let me tell you mine.....

So, I've told you all about how my in-laws are taking us all to Hawaii this summer.  We are staying at this incredible villa on Maui.  It's beautiful.  It's all my father-in-law can talk about.  We're going to do this, we're going to do that, blah blah blah.  Then last night he calls to tell me that all the flights are open to Maui from Southwest and I should hurry and go book my flights.

Wait.  Hold up.  What??????  I have to pay my own way to get there????  Quick Southwest search is a cool $5K for the four of us to get there!  WHAT?????  

Now I don't want to appear ungrateful.  At. All.  However, at NO POINT has anyone indicated that we had to purchase our own transportation!  I don't have 5 grand laying around to buy airfare.  And furthermore, as wonderful as this trip sounds, I don't know that I would have committed to it if I knew I had to pay my own way to get there for the four of us!  

So....now I don't know what to do.  And I'm annoyed.  I think that's a pretty solid grievance.

And...I made a poor shoe choice this morning.

What about you? What do you have a beef with?

Wordy Wednesday

Tasty Tuesday - Christmas Traditions

Cookies?  Ravioli?  Do you have a food tradition for the holidays?

I'm in two cookie exchanges this year and I'm not allowed to choose which cookie I want to make for one of them.  I made white chocolate/cranberry biscotti one year and they won't let me make anything else since that year.  I'm hoping to do some baking this weekend.

Also, we make homemade ravioli every year for Christmas.  Mr. Cal's great grandma Esther used to make them every year, then grandma Opal made them every year, now we've taken on the tradition of making them each year.  I'm treating myself this year to a Kitchen Aid pasta roller attachment to make life easier.  They are on super sale today at Macy's.  

What about you?  Do you have a holiday food tradition?  What's your fave Christmas cookie?

It's Monday! I need some motivation!

Happy Monday!  I'm SO tired!  I've been non-stop since about last Tuesday and when I finally got home last night around 6, it hit me like a truck.  I had a fever, chills, etc.  And, as predicted...I have a cold sore.  The last few days have been exhausting, but so worth it.  You saw my table and pics with Sister Mary Jo from Thursday.  Friday we spent all day working on our Holiday Lights booth for the village of Homewood.  Look at all that cider/juice!!

Friday night we served hot cider and hot chocolate and had a bake sale at the event.

Later Friday night, my son had a hockey game.  My in-laws went back home to Arizona Saturday morning (they have been here since June), so we said our good-bye's.

And then yesterday we wrapped and sorted over 100 presents for the four families we adopted....

Feel Good Friday!

Hey!  Happy Friday!  What are you feeling good about today?

Last night's Advent Dinner (the reason why I wasn't there in the afternoon) was so nice!  I host a table each year at this event and it's one of my most favorite nights of the year.  While the purpose of the evening is to "unplug", take a step back, enjoy an evening with friends and remember the reason for the season, it's sort of an unspoken "competition" of table decor as well.  Here was my table...

And....our guest speaker was Sister Mary Jo from Marian Catholic.  She was a bit famous last year for throwing out the first pitch at a Sox game and ROCKING it, which led to her being nominated for an ESPY award from ESPN.  She's just as adorable in person as she appears to be!  

Super fun!  Anyhow, today we have two other events.  We adopted four families from the South Suburban Family Shelter this holiday season.  Everything has to be wrapped and delivered to the shelter this weekend, so we are finishing up our shopping and wrapping today.  Tonight is also the big tree-lighting in Homewood.  We have a big booth tonight where we are selling baked goods, hot chocolate and hot cider.  It's a big money maker for our organization (St. Joe's Athletics), so it's an all hands on deck type of thing.  Everything needs to be set up and ready to go by 4:30.  Busy day!

Hockey and picking up our tree are also on the agenda this weekend.  

I love this weekend every year!  What about you?  What are you feeling good about?

This or That Thursday

Real Tree or Fake Tree

Hot Chocolate or Eggnog

Family or Friends

Cash or Material Gift

Home or Travel

Snow or No Snow

Christmas Story or Home Alone

Singing Songs or Listening to Them

Giving Gifts or Getting Gifts

Mariah Carey or Michael Buble'

Wordy Wednesday!

Today's holiday song is chosen by Mrs. Estrada!  Suzy Snowflake 

Giving Tuesday

I totally forgot to do this yesterday.  I'm going to feature a Christmas song every day until break.  Today's is my all-time favorite holiday song.  The Christmas Song by Nat King Cole.  It's always been my favorite. 

Today is Giving Tuesday.  Following in suit from Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Cyber Monday, etc.  Giving Tuesday is where you GIVE to a good cause.  Today during all lunches, Bobcat Pride will be collecting change, etc. for Giving Tuesday.  All money donated will go to the Frosty Friends program in Beecher.  Winning class gets a Class Clash point for HoCo!

In the spirit of Giving Tuesday, I have a little challenge for you.  It's a December kindness challenge.  Do Good December!  See how many you can do.  They don't have to be day specific.  Meaning, if it seems appropriate to do the 22nd on the 4th, so be it!  Document it and if you do more than 10, there will be a prize on final exam day.  I've included two different ones for you to pick from.

So, on the first calendar, today's RAOK is to give someone a compliment.  Find someone in class and give them a compliment.  Document it in a Google Doc or Sheet and you've already got one done!

Back From Break

How was your break?  What are your goals for the week?

My break was good.  For the first time in a while, I really felt I needed the time away from here and it served me well.  Got lots accomplished, had fun with family and friends, shopped until my bank account screamed at me to stop, watched a movie, and decorated for Christmas.  Good stuff!

Goals for the week - Get through it!  I am out Thursday afternoon and all of Friday for some Homewood/St. Joe's stuff.  Lots to work out before those days arrive!

What about you??