december in instagram - photo dump! [#12DC]

I've been linking up with #12DC all month, and today's prompt is my favorite: PHOTO DUMP!

Mr. Q and I at my work department's Christmas party - 

isn't my friend's tree gorgeous (and aren't we cute)?

A few shots of our Christmas tree - this year I went with silver, white,

burlap, and just a few touches of red.  My inspiration was It's a 

Wonderful Life.  I'm still working on some DIY decorations and hope

to have a mini home tour up next week - hopefully before Christmas!

My little Mason snow jars make me so happy - the mini pinecones

are from Breeze's wedding and I've been holding onto those mini

jingle bells for the perfect project.

There's my SIL rocking out at her music school during 

our little town's Christmas party.

The Christmas cards M. Q wanted, and my favorite holiday treat.

We did get one snow day, and icy weather made roads treacherous.

Guilty pleasures:  Hallmark Christmas movies (did y'all watch 

Christmas in Conway?) and chocolate peppermint cookies 

from Cooking Classy.

A little reindeer pin from my co-worker and my current favorite

thing from the shelves of Target - this snowglobe reminds

me of Clark Griswold's Christmas tree.

I'm displaying Christmas cards very simply this year on our memo board.

Here's another shot of our tree at night time.

I love the huge snowman at the mall, and listening to the Vince Guaraldi

trio while wrapping gifts (love my Peanuts wrap from Hallmark!)

A Month of Gratitude: Things I'm Thankful For This Week...

I think that taking at least a few moments each day to reflect on what I am truly grateful for this month is putting me in an all-around better mood.  I feel like I am greeting people with a more cheerful disposition.

I'm thankful for my husband.
Mr. Spin's love for me is so loyal and devoted.  I've been under the weather lately, and I am a grumpy sick person.  He never acts annoyed or frustrated when I'm being a big baby, just takes care of me.  He is loving and patient all of the time; it's simply amazing and I feel like I fall so short of deserving him.

I'm thankful for our home.
We are lucky to be able to live in our townhouse; it became available at just the right time.  Setting up our first home together has been a labor of love for Mr. Spin and I, requiring both teamwork and compromise.  Luckily, our decorating styles and work ethics when it comes to chores aren't too disparate.  I am so thankful to live so close to the school where I teach- not having to be in the car for two hours each day is allowing me to live a fuller life (although I am much less in-touch with the top stories on NPR!).

All dressed up for Halloween!

I'm thankful for my students.
This week, out of curiosity, I counted how many school days are left in the semester.  It's less than 40!  I am going to be sad to see these guys head over to the Center for Applied Technology and Career Exploration in January.  They are the nicest group of kids I've ever taught, the most voracious readers, and they've really been troopers as we've transitioned from A/B to semester block scheduling.  Last week, one of them made the comment that they wish I could go to the Technology and Career center with them, as their math teachers are doing.  Part of me really wishes I could, when I think about how much they are going to grow between now and June- 90 days in the classroom is such a short time with these amazing young people!

Portfolios chock full of writing from the heart!

pump it up playlist

This is the playlist I'm making while Mr. Spin drafts his fantasy football team- do you need some music to pump you up today?

Pump It Up!

Mr. Spin's Work Shower

Mr. Spin's colleagues invited me to come to their office one day a few weeks before the wedding for a couple's shower!

There was lots of yummy food on pretty cake stands (that I wanted to steal...)

Spin works in Customer Service for a home decor company and most of his co-workers are female and awesome cooks!

Some of our gifts.  I was overwhelmed at his co-workers' generosity!

Delicious homemade cake!  I loved all the purple.

We had a great time!