Christmastime Again!!

Here's just a peek at my home.  I added to my tree topper.  I can't stop staring at my tree. =)

My mantel has to be my favorite part of the house.  I got most of these items at Pier 1's after-Christmas sale.  It looks a bit Grinchy to me. 

Here are some other favorite items around the house:

This is my little one's tree for her room.  And my black tree for my room!  Even though my room does not have black accents anymore, I still love it.

The last stop is my traditional table with my Charlie Brown tree and my treasured Santas, made by my late Gran-Gran.

Merry Christmas, y'all!!  I'd love to see your Christmas decorations.  Stop by and link your blog post in the comments section.

Summer Bucket List

I'm linking up with What the Teacher Wants to share my Summer Bucket List.

School:
I plan to stay away the month of June.  But I'm moving from 2nd to Kindergarten, so I have a new room to set up.  Ironically, it's the same room I had when I taught Kindergarten 8 years ago, so at least I know where my furniture will go. =)  Here's my classroom in 2006:

To get my feet REwet, I'm teaching a 3-day camp for some of our upcoming Kindergarteners.
I host summer conferences.  You can read about my 2nd grade conferences here.  For my newbies, I'll run the conferences similarly (with the exception of the Fountas & Pinnell assessment).

Personal:
Finding the time to read in the school year is SO difficult for me.  I feel guilty spending too much time reading when my little one's been at daycare all day.  I have a couple of books on my list I'd really like to read.  I'm about halfway done with Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series book 2.  I do so enjoy those characters!
I'm quite eager to sell/buy houses during the summer- but not so eager to affect my finances. =)  I'm looking for a house in the same area, with a smaller yard and newer updates.  I just hope to get things before I get back to teaching.

And here's about half of my backyard:

Fun:
I'm a field-trip-fun sort of girl.  I love exposing my 3-year-old to culture.  We've gone to the Center for Puppetry Arts and to see a family musical at a theatre downtown.  We will visit the botanical garden, small wildlife refuge, and lots of library time!  Our art museum is also free after 4pm on Fridays, so we'll take advantage of that!

My parents live about 13 hours away.  My mom and her dog will come visit the WHOLE month of July!! =)  My dad plans to fly in for 2 weekends.  I just love getting to see my parents.
A few years ago I decided to actually cook all the recipes that were in my favorite Southern Living cookbook.  I'm going to tackle the harder recipes this summer.  Yesterday I made a homemade ice cream cake for my 3yr old's birthday.  Fun stuff!

Happy Summering!

Practical Breakfast

If you like to sleep in yet still eat a good breakfast, here's your post!!  I LOVE baked oatmeal.  Honestly, I've been eating it for a couple of years now-- every day!!  My favorite is blueberry, but Lynn's Kitchen Adventures has 15 baked oatmeal recipes.  They are super-easy to make and last me eight days.

Here's the blueberry baked oatmeal recipe:

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl:
3 c. quick cooking oatmeal
1/2 c. brown sugar
2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt

2 T melted butter (I add this to the dry ingredients.)

Mix wet ingredients in a small bowl:
2 eggs
1 c. milk
3/4 c yogurt (I use vanilla Greek.)
2 t vanilla

Add to dry ingredients.  Stir.  Add 1 c blueberries.  Stir.  Pour into large, greased casserole dish.  Bake 25-30 mins.

I buy the frozen blueberries.  You don't need to thaw, and you don't have to worry about smooshing them in the mixing process.

Now I go so far as to even cut the casserole into 8 slices. =)  So, in the morning, I just take out my square.  I microwave for 1 min. (I have a micro-microwave.)  I add a little half-n-half and stick back in microwave for about 20 seconds.  Yummm!!!

Lynn has many other variations if you'd like to experiment.  I got hooked on the peanut butter oatmeal for a while, especially when I added 1/2 c of chocolate chips! =)

I hope this idea can speed your mornings up!

DECEMBER is HERE!!

It's my favorite month of the year!!  Anyone else with me?  My mom has always done up holidays and birthdays BIG for us, especially Christmas.  So I was properly brainwashed. =)

Here are a few pictures in my home.  (I actually cut back a lot this year.)  I bought my house at the wee age of 24 and updated many decorations recently.

Y'all, I just love this plate! =)

 My mom made this wreath for me this year!  I sent her a pin on Pinterest, and she made one for me.

 My mantle holds my Santas in a place of honor.  My namesake, my beautiful grandmother, made these Santas.  They are a treasured memory for me!

 I always liked the ones with children.

 My dad found these for me this year!!  LOL!  He said I really needed to decorate with these.

 I used to keep colored ball ornaments in this, but I found these glittery stick balls at Pier 1 last year.  I do like things that sparkle!

 My house is a bit dark, so it's hard to see the tree.  During the day, I like bright sunlight.  At night, I like lamps and a soft glow.  So photographs are difficult in my house.

This is a new, skinny tree.  I love how narrow it is!

 This is a favorite in my house!  My black tree goes in my room.  It's just beautiful!  My room is green with black accents.  Even though it's black, I've made it pretty girly.

This is my Charlie Brown tree.  It sits on my sofa table for all to see.

Merry Christmas, friends!