One of the obvious perks of teaching is winter break. My sweet husband instructed me to sleep in every day, watch movies, read books, and simply relax. As tempting as that non-agenda seemed, after only a couple of days of it I started to get restless. Worse, I knew from experience that if I reached the end of the break with nothing accomplished, I’d feel like it was time wasted. Call me crazy…but I have a hunch my many teacher friends will agree. To that end, I tried to balance productivity with relaxation. I got off to a rocky start, fighting a nasty head cold that sucked away my energy whenever I started to get going, sending me instead to the couch for a nap. After I few days of forced rest, I finally managed to make my Christmas break to do list. Here are a few of the accomplishments I’m most proud of crossing off my list:
1. Reorganize the spice cabinent
For the most part I consider our kitchen pretty ship-shape, with the exception of our spices. Every time I reached into the cupboard for the cinnamon or oregano, I found myself spinning the lazy-susan I used for my spices aimlessly, searching in vain for the one I wanted. I decided instead to invest in a tiered shelf. That way I can see all the spices without having to move any around. I put the ones I use the most often at the front. It turned out very well, and looks so much better, if I do say so myself.
2. Give myself a pedicure
Now, I have many friends who swear by professional pedicures, but I had a bad experience once involving an overly enthusiastic beautician and a pair of cuticle trimmers, so I prefer to take care of my own feet. For years I’ve jeered at the “Ped-egg” commercials, cringing at the thought of basically applying a cheese grater to the bottom of my foot. However, I realized there was no other way to remove the horrid calluses I’d acquired this summer (I never were anything but flip-flops from June to September…a freedom that turns the skin of my heels into something resembling elephant hide). After soaking them first in a epsom salt bath, I gingerly applied the grater to my feet, only to be delighted by the way the dead skin just “peeled” away! It’s rather disgusting to discuss I guess, but through the relative anonymity of on-line blogging, I can urge you to go for it! After using all the Ped-egg’s attachments and applying a thick layer of shea butter lotion, my feet felt smoother than they had since I discovered the comfort of my Tevas!
3. Hem my new jeans
Those of you who know me may scoff at the thought of me finding jeans that are too long (I cringe at the thought of all those high-water pants I wore my freshman year of college). I am in the unfortunate position of being too tall for regular length pants, but too short for the longer lengths you can buy in most stores. For years I’ve contented myself with hems that trailed along the ground (hey, at least they weren’t up around my ankles), but recently I’ve tried my hand at hemming pants. I did a fairly good job on my dress pants and khakis, but balked at the thought of sewing through the thick denim of my new Eddie Bauer curvy fit boot-cuts. I was emboldened, however, by my Christmas gift from my parents – a new sewing machine! (I had been borrowing a machine from a friend, and was afraid sewing through jean would break her needles right off). Now, you have to understand something about my childhood. My mom, a former home economics teacher and accomplished seamstress, tried for years to interest me in sewing. I dabbled in it a bit, but was mostly content to let her sew my Halloween costumes and party dresses. It wasn’t until I got myself hitched and began nesting in our newly purchased house that the sewing gene that had lain dormant for so long finally emerged, much to my mom’s delight. I think she was more excited than I was to find that my new machine could make 37 different stitches, came with an adjustable button-hole foot, and included a threader (an ingenious invention, as anyone who has ever tried to thread a sewing machine needle will agree). I’m starting slowly, but after successfully hemming two pairs of jeans I feel emboldened to try something even bigger! Not sure what yet, but it will come to me.
Let me know of your vacation accomplishments…or if you think I’m nuts, tell me all the delightfully non-productive activities you indulged in!
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Around this time of year I find myself yearning to watch holiday movies. I think Christmastime makes everyone feel nostalgic, and, for me at least, watching certain flicks brings back all the memories I’ve attached to them. To that end, I’ve created a list of my favorite holiday films, along with a short anecdote as to why they are so close to my heart.
1. White Christmas
My favorite Christmas movie of all – such an old classic that I just have to watch every year. Seeing Bing Crosby harmonize with Danny Kaye and Rosemary Clooney is a tradition that I just can’t do without. I will confess, the final scene where the troops are lined up to attention to salute their old general as snow starts falling the background never fails to bring a tear to my cheek. I can’t remember the first time I saw this one, but it was probably with my family and grandparents. When we were first dating my now husband told me it was his favorite holiday movie. I think that pretty much sealed the deal. =)
2. The Santa Clause
This one always makes me think of my dad, who has been a firm Tim Allen fan since the very early days of Home Improvement. A warm-hearted tale of a Scroogy workaholic who inadvertently turns himself into Santa, to the delight of his son – what’s not to love about that? I especially love the depiction of the North Pole…because of course elves have little gold flecks stuck to their cheeks, and who else would direct traffic but a polar bear? I think I burned myself out on this one and its several permutations, but I’m ready to give it another go this year!
3. The Polar Express
I’ve always gotten mixed reviews on this rather dark CG flick based on the (also slightly dark) Van Allsburg picture book. People say it’s not happy enough to be a Christmas movie. I think it accurately shows the way Christmas can slowly loss its magic as we grow up, unless we embrace the book’s theme…to believe! Of course the story encourages belief in Santa, while all true believers know that only faith in the Christ Child’s birth can bring true holiday joy. This movie also holds a very special memory for me. I was teaching 4th grade when the movie came out, and we took a field trip to see it. The students were encouraged to wear their most cozy p.js, and bring along their favorite stuffed toy as well. Experiencing the movie through the eyes of my students, some of whom had never been to a movie before, was truly magical.
4. Home Alone
Ok, so maybe it’s because I’m an 80s baby, but I love this silly, ridiculous comedy about a boy who wishes his family away. It has its goofy, slap-stick moments, but some surprisingly moving scenes as well. Kevin’s mother’s tenacious fight to get home to him, and the misunderstood recluse who is reunited with his family…well, I’d never admit to crying while watching Home Alone. One memory attached to it is a cringe-moment…not realizing h-e-l-l was a naughty word (I lived a very sheltered childhood, when the only time I heard the word hell was at church, and how can a church word be bad?) I quoted one of the lines to my brother. He promptly repeated it to my mom, who quickly and painfully taught us (with the help of her wooden spoon) the inappropriateness of using that word casually!
5. Anastasia
So this isn’t necessarily a holiday movie, but I remember it came out around my birthday (I’m pretty sure that’s how my best friends and I celebrated that year), so I always associate it with my birthday. Growing up, I hated having my birthday so close to Christmas (combination birthday/Christmas gifts can turn a child pretty bitter) but this movie marked the turning point where I started to embrace my own birth being so close to the Nativity. Now almost every year I find myself turning it on while I wrap presents, cheerfully singing along to the sappy but catchy tunes. And Bartok, the lovably evil bat henchman, gives some of my favorite one-liners! =)
There are more, but I’ve rambled enough on this subject for one post. Please comment with your own favorite holiday flicks!
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Here it is, the completed list, with notations of course! It is with a great sense of accomplishment that I view all these crossed off items (all my fellow list-makers know just what I mean!) =)
~ Time Well-Spent~
1. Start a blog (have I ever mentioned that sometimes I write things down on a list that I’ve already done, just so I can cross them off?)
2. Go for a long bike ride (once I air up my very flat tires. This goal will be easier now that we own an SUV) Accomplished 1/29/11 in Broken Arrow with my dad, brother, and husband. Happy birthday Daddy! (We surprised him with a visit the weekend before)
3. Find and hike that pretty trail in Devil’s Den that I walked with the CCF youth group (Anybody know which one it is? I remember it followed a creek and went under a rock overhang) Accomplished (sort of) sometime in October…that was a crazy month, so I never managed to blog about this accomplishment. We actually went hiking a couple of times in Devil’s Den…beautiful hikes. However, I never found that elusive trail that I had been looking for. A few weeks ago I was going through some old pictures and found the one of the youth group hiking trip. I could just barely make out the name of the trail on the sign behind us. Lost Valley Trail. Huh. Turns out it wasn’t in Devil’s Den after all. Oh well…guess we’ll just have to plan trip to Lost Valley for this spring…make that next fall. =)
4. Find an enjoyable summer job or volunteer position (part-time of course) I’m going to count this accomplished…though not maybe in the traditional sense. It turned out that once we got back from our fabulous CA trip, I only had 4 short weeks of summer break left (thanks to 10 snow days and school starting a week earlier this year). I ended up employing myself by finding and training our new dog, Elphie. If you’ve never adopted a dog, trust me…it definitely counts as a job (and not a part-time one either)!
5. Complete that unfinished cross-stitch that has sat at the bottom of my craft drawer for the better part of 5 years now accomplished the beginning of June – when I was sitting around, enjoying having too much time on my hands =) I gave it to my mom as her birthday present this year.
~Travel~
6. Take my husband on the Peter Pan ride in the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney World (as well as all my other favorite rides…Pirates of the Caribbean, Soarin’, Thunder Mountain…etc. This is my official 30th birthday celebration – we’re going for Spring Break) accomplished 3/20-3/26 during our fabulous Disney Extravaganza!
7. Hike the Mist Trail to the top of Vernal Falls in Yosemite National Park (Again…but for the first time with Chris!) accomplished 6/24 during our California Adventure!
8. Take a tour of a Napa Valley Winery (I really wanted to put “take a hot air balloon ride over Napa Valley”, but that may be wishful thinking) accomplished 6/21 at a winery in Carmel Valley. So it wasn’t quite Napa…but the over-all experience was far superior I think!
9. Create a travel photo album of all the places Chris and I have visited so far another summer project I completed just before school started…I’m so happy with the way it turned out! Thanks Shutterfly! Now if only I could get them to sponsor my blog…
10. Find a close cabin destination as our go-to place for quick getaways Accomplished December 3-5. Our getaway to Big Cedar Lodge doubled as a short babymoon…details to be recorded in an upcoming blog post!
~Relationships~
11. Write 5 personal emails to friends I’ve lost touch with (since Facebook stalking doesn’t really count as staying in-touch) accomplished just a few weeks ago. I actually ended up calling a few of the friends instead of writing, but I figured that was even better, so I should get extra credit! Most memorably, after emailing a childhood friend that I had lost touch with (she’s not on facebook =)) she emailed me back to say that she is married! I hadn’t even known she was engaged! Amazing what information a little typing can turn up! Speaking of which, I really need to write her back…
12. Spend an afternoon (or at least a few hours somehow) with my brother accomplished in October…sometime (I really should have written these dates down) He spent the weekend with us. We had such a fantastic time…we went on a hike, took him to our Mosaic church service (which he really enjoyed) and treated him to dinner out! It was great to spend some time with just him and us. We’ve also instituted a weekly phone call, so we don’t get too out of touch!
13. Take my mother-in-law out to lunch, just the two of us accomplished 7/20…we went to the Crumpet Tea Room, and enjoyed a wonderful long chat about anything and everything!
14. Take my mom on a shopping trip/girls’ getaway accomplished Labor Day weekend…she went with me to see my cousin in Little Rock. My aunt and uncle met us there too. We had such a great time…especially since my cousin Amy had just found out she was having a little girl, and I had just found out I was pregnant! It was so much fun to be able to share our news in person, and Mom was so excited to tell my aunt (already a grandma of 2 with another on the way) that she was going to be a grandma too!
15. Plan a backyard picnic for Chris and me accomplished 7/19 – the perfect way to celebrate our 2nd anniversary!
~Organization~ (yes, there are still a few things in my life that aren’t as well-ordered as I’d like…)
16. Go through my music collection on my computer to weed-out duplicates and embarrassing songs, and somehow put them into a logical order in playlists accomplished over the course of 3 consecutive snow days(2/9-2/11, aka The Snow Event of ’11)…at least I did something productive!
17. Clean out and organize the garage (one of the few items left on my to-do list from last summer) My dear husband checked this one off the list for me…thanks honey! The garage looks great!
18. Re-organize my file cabinet at school…again accomplished the first week of August…just in time for school to begin!
19. Print/copy/organize all my recipes, new and old accomplished 7/19…though I think this will be an ongoing process, but at least I have a framework now
20. Reorganize and find a storage solution for our ever-expanding collection of DVDs still not complete to my satisfaction, but at least they’re all in alphabetical order 🙂
~Education~
21. Read 3 adult literature books (since I’m now in my 3rd decade, maybe I should read a few things outside of the YA genre) accomplished before the end of June. My picks were The Help, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, and Lady with the Dragon Tattoo. I loved the first two, but the other was just too graphic and disturbing. It drove me back to rereading my favorite series by Elizabeth Peters…nothing like a good murder mystery mixed with Egyptology and a healthy dose of romance to clean the palate after an unsavory book!
22. Read 6 non-fiction books about God and/or marriage (because again, non-fiction isn’t exactly my go-to shelf) the books I chose were When I Don’t Desire God by John Piper, Because the Time is Near (a commentary on Revelation) by John MacArthur, The DNA of Relationships by Greg Smalley, Love and War by John and Staci Eldridge, Love and Respect by Emerson Eggerichs, and Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo (okay, so that last one is kind of weak…but it was very interesting!)
23. Read 3 professional books – okay, again I’m stretching on this one. I had planned to read some professional teaching books this summer (didn’t happen) then this school year. Funny how priorities change though…instead of reading books about my current career, I found myself instead reaching for books about my upcoming career – that is, motherhood. I have What to Expect when you’re Expecting, On Becoming Babywise, and a pregnancy journal all sitting on my nightstand right now. I’m going to count them.
24. Study the new Language Arts frameworks (because I’m so looking forward to re-writing my lesson plans for the year…again) accomplished in Searcy during my second 3 day training in August for Lit Lab. Whew.
25. Write new general lesson plans based on the new Language Arts frameworks (this was too big to leave as only on item) also accomplished during my Lit Lab training. I was paying attention too, I promise!
~New Experiences~
26. Order a dish that I’ve never tried before, but seen on Food Network (in an effort to become more than just a wannabe foodie…) accomplished several times over, in both Orlando and California. The dishes included seared scallop (delicious!), escargot, shallots (which I’ve also learned to cook with), and several fancy sauces that I don’t remember the names of but were absolutely delectable!
27. Cook 12 new recipes (yep, 12…I figure I can average 1 a month, or at least do some experimenting this summer) accomplished pretty much on track…my last recipe was a yummy bacon, potato, and corn chowder! Definitely will be repeating that one!
28. Get a dog (yes Joe, you read right…but remember I have a whole year to do this, so no surprising me with a puppy for Christmas) accomplished 7/18 – still working on helping Elphy adjust to the family, but she’s just cute as a bug and super sweet!
29. Try a Zumba class (though I doubt that my classical ballet training will do me any good at all) accomplished 7/6…I loved it! I kept going up until the start of school, finding out I was pregnant, and dropping into a dead sleep every afternoon instead. I was right…ballet did not help me learn how to move my hips that way.
30. Catch fireflies in a jar (never got this experience as a child growing up in CA and CO…and it’s never too late, right?) Accomplished just before school started…we took Elphie on a walk down a trail by the river. I must say, I think I prefer watching them to catching them. Once I got them in the jar they stopped lighting up. I guess I should have known (insert deep life-lesson here).
So that’s it…30 goals, accomplished while I was 30! I didn’t get to blog about all of them, but I did finish it! Where’s my 31 at 31 list you may ask? Well, I think I’m going to take a break, though my husband has expressed interest in making a “family adventure” list for next year…check back after New Years and I’ll let you know!
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List Lady 