new year, new blog

ok.  so i didn't create a new blog because it's a new year.

i HAD to make one!  when i tried to upload my pictures about my last road trip, blogger said i was out of space for photos!  but if i wanted to purchase more space, i could do that!  no thank you, blogger, i will stick with the free plan.

so here is my new blog.  i'm not settled on the design of it, so it will be a work in progress for a while.

i'm going to try really hard to be a daily blogger again.  i really miss it when i don't blog.  

i'm also going try really hard to take at least one photo a day for the entire year!  i almost did it once before, but i missed a day late in the year and just quit.  that was stupid!

so here is the start of my new year.  (all of the photos are courtesy of my new iphone!)

the inlaws came over for new year's weekend to celebrate our christmas together.  we had a great time.  we played games, watched football and ate  A LOT of food!  

saturday afternoon we had craft time!  it was so cool.  i was just planning on my niece, natalie, and i making the craft. i never dreamed that anyone else would join us.  boy was i wrong!  in the end 10 people made these adorable snowmen!  (craft idea from my amazingly creative friend, angie!) the table was an absolute mess, and i loved it!  creativity was everywhere!

 aunt carla, natalie, caitlin, caleb and grandma making snowmen!

(daryl's face is in the picture because he was at the other end of the table playing a game!)

 aunt dana and whitney making snowmen

 caleb decided to make a snowman to help him pick up girls!  he's going to put a little sign in his snowman's hand that says "can i have your number?" and set it on his register where he works when a "hot girl" comes in!  hahahahahaha!  i love it!

 caleb's snowman is the one in the middle!

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tropical snowgirl

 this is my snowgirl!

 colby's snowman!  i love the mitten idea!

 spencer eventually decided to join us after he finished playing catan with daryl.

 my mother in law drew my name for christmas and she gave me these super cool sock monkey slippers! talk about happy feet!!!!

 we even had extra dogs at our house!  smudge had boomer and spike to play with all weekend!  spike didn't care for smudge too much because smudge wouldn't leave him alone. spike even opted NOT to go outside with the other two!

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sunday afternoon nap

 once all the fun left, spencer and smudge crashed!  poor little guys played hard this weekend.

then monday it was back to normal.  the boys and i went back to school while daryl had his usual monday off. thank goodness my students were pretty mellow.  i was tired all day!  it was so hard to get up early after staying up late and sleeping in for two weeks.

i didn't do any school work while i was on break, so monday night it was back to grading papers.  smudge thought he'd help make my job go a little faster by destroying some of the papers!  he jumped up in my lap, snatched a paper and ran!  nerd dog!

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students, MY dog ate YOUR homework!

today was a crappy day at work.  i hate having my (or any other teacher's) teaching ability based on one set of test scores.  if you go to the dentist and he teaches you exactly what you need to do to have healthy teeth, and then you go home and don't do what he says and then you go back to the dentist and have cavities, does the dentist get blamed?  absolutely not!  enough said.

so when i got home, i just wanted to be alone and pout for a little bit.  i went to my room, crawled in bed and played chuzzle on my phone.  i was enjoying the peace and quiet when suddenly it was interrupted by pounding on the kitchen door.  this is what i found:  two little boys and a dog standing there yelling, "open the door! let us in!  he just ate poop!" (no, the dog wasn't yelling.  he was yipping!)

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let me in!  i just ate poop!

 (this crazy, out of focus picture just seemed to fit this crazy little dog!)

quote of the day:  "every piece of the universe, even the tiniest snow crystal, matters somehow.  i have a place in the pattern, and so do you." ~t. a. barron (writer)