Baby Video

Not sure which is cuter... hubby or Izzy!

Teal-ckled Pink!

My great uncle (my dad's uncle, who also happens to be pretty awesome) gave me such an amazing, and unexpected gift today. While visiting with Uncle Jack and Aunt Lois after work today, he asked me to close my eyes and hold out my hands. In them, he placed my favorite carved duck. His beloved Green Wing Teal. This bird took him upwards of 100 hours to make. This includes hand-carving the shape and then wood-burning each intricate detail of each and every feather. The whole thing is made out of Bass wood and then hand-painted according to photographs. In order to make it look more realistic, Uncle Jack only painted the "teal" feathers on one side of the bird because in real life they don't usually show on both sides while the bird is at rest. He also told me that everything on a duck is curved, except for one teeny, tiny spot just underneath their bill, and so likewise, this bird has only one flat spot.

With all the attention to detail, hard work, and care that went into making this bird, it is beyond special. Quite honestly, I'm at a loss for the words that might express to him how extraordinary his gift is. All I know is that now every time I admire this bird, I'll think of him.

Live Strong

I just want to say that I'm proud of myself for sticking with my new "health-conscious" plan for over three weeks straight. Go me! I had the idea of keeping a food log to try and keep track of what I eat each day, and hubby turned me on to www.livestrong.com. What a cool site! One of my favorite parts is the little "badges" that they reward you with whenever you hit specific milestones. I'm geekily excited to see what happens when I finish my first month. Maybe they'll throw me a party?!

Today, on account of my good behavior, I'm enjoying what seems to be the most delicious glass of red wine... ever!

Snow Day?

I know this is a crazy thing to admit, but I'm not sure if I really want one tomorrow. I mean -- who am I to scoff at a day off? A day to sleep in past 5:15am?  But truly, tomorrow would be a good day to actually GO to school and get things done. It's scheduled to be a 3-hour early dismissal day, which means that I get 3 hours all to myself in the afternoon. However, if there's any sort of white stuff tomorrow morning (the kind that would normally warrant a two-hour delay) they'll have to cancel school altogether! So it's a pass/fail situation. We'll either have school or we won't. I'm letting my snowman candle burn to see if he can lend a helping hand one way or the other. I haven't used him yet this year, so it remains to be seen whether he brings snow or keeps it away...

Baby Lailah is Here!

...and she shares my birthday with me. January 14th is a special day, indeed. Congrats to my dear friend on her beautiful, baby girl!

Oh, to be at the beach!

I've been going through photos from this past year, and it occurred to me that I never posted any pics from our summer vacation in Myrtle Beach! I guess the trip got over-shadowed by my "Little House on the Prairie" trip...

Happy, Happy Birthday to Me!

Lots of people did lots of things to make me feel "lots of" special today! Take a look...

B woke me up to this stunning ring:

M decorated my desk before I got to work this morning:

S gave me this beautiful vintage pin for my coat:

My students showered me with happy wishes
and J brought in a delicious chocolate cake with chocolate icing to share with everyone at lunch.

Just when I thought things were settling down for a bit, B surprised me with flowers after school!

 How cute is this vase?!

A Brisk Walk Outside

Good thing my memory card ran out of space so quickly during my walk this afternoon. It gave me an excuse to go in (even though I felt bad "wasting" the sunshine that was still outside). I'm pretty sure that with the wind chill it was colder than the 35 degrees on the thermometer. My hands were COLD!

The Big 3-0 is Coming

So, this Friday is my 30th birthday, and it feels like it's sorta a big deal. New decade! New expectations! New opportunities! And I'm looking forward to all of it :)

Thus far, the lead-up to THIRTY feels like:
-sipping red wine
-counting calories
-taking multivitamins with dinner
-listening to NPR instead of pop radio
-snuggling on the couch watching TV, and
-going to bed before 10pm.

THIRTY FEELS OLD!

A Handmade Gift

So, one of the Christmas gifts that I made this year was a pillow for my sister. This post is a bit belated because I only just now got the pictures from her. As you can tell from the photos taken Christmas Day, the pillow was an instant success with both E and her fiance!

This last photo she took once she put it in its place at home. I think maybe her kitty was annoyed that the pillow was in her spot on the chair!

Christmas Plantinhas

Not much happening outside, so here's a little peak at all the goodies springing to life inside!

Movie Break

Having a week off with nothing to do motivated B and I to finally "clear out" some of the movies that had been sitting on our DVR queue, taking up space. Good thing our couch is so comfy!

• The Fighter
• Edge of Darkness
• Kramer vs. Kramer
• Monster-in-Law
• Kick Ass
• Inception
• 2012 (but it was too bad, so we gave up and ff through it)
• Brooklyn's Finest
• Invictus
• The Blind Side
• Old Dogs
• Law-Abiding Citizen
• True Grit (the original)

New Post, New Year

I love the feeling of rejuvenation that comes from the new year. This morning I was so inspired to have a fresh start, that I ripped through the rooms in my house, clearing away the clutter. Maybe that will be my motto for this new year: Clear Out the Clutter! Literally and metaphorically.

I hope that this new year brings wonderful experiences and opportunities to each one of us. Happy 2011!