Confession

I have a confession to make.........

Ok, get ready for it, I've been listening to Christmas music.  There, I said it, and I am not ashamed. Just in the car, but still listening and enjoying it.   Don't get me wrong, I love Thanksgiving, and this year I have alot to be thankful for, but I also have always thought of Thanksgiving and Christmas as all-in-one holidays.  When you work at school, the breaks are close together.  Christmas always seems like the day we get out of school for than the break.  So I always feel a little ahead of the game.

This year, Thanksgiving seems early too.  And maybe it's because I am in a really happy place this year.  I LOVE Christmas every year and last year was nice that I wasn't working and enjoyed my time home, but this year I am so happy and thankful of where I am at with my job and all.  It was a big year around here.  I went back to work and love it.  I never would have thought that I would be loving working at high school, let alone in the dean's office, as much as I do.  #5 got his driver's license recently, and that of course was a little bittersweet.  My baby is driving.  It's a little scary too, but I have to trust him and let him spread his wings (of course this is in my car, yikes!).  I must say I am enjoying the fact that he can drive himself to his activities.

Now back to the music, let's face it, who doesn't enjoy a little "White Christmas", by Bing Crosby or the "The Christmas Song", by Nate King Cole.  Come one people, we all know Christmas music makes us smile (and sing a little too).  And even though we all complain about how early stores put up Christmas decorations, I always get a little rush of excietment when I see them.

So call me crazy, but I am going to continue to listen and get in the spirit of things, even now.

Fa la la la la, la, la, la.  And yes, I will be dreaming of a white Christmas.

So with that being said (or sung), I will leave you all with a pic of last year's Christmas Tree:

#5 got his Driver License on 11-1-11/Halloween

So, I gave in and did it.  It's official, my baby is now a licensed driver.  It's still a little strange.  I don't think he can believe it either.  Especially when I told him he got to drive himself where he needed to go today.

Here are few pics from Halloween at my friend/neighbors haunted house:

"Bloody Mary"

"B" as Batman

The monsters that were doing all the scaring, inside the haunted house and out

My friend C, at her house.  The lady in white under the black light

The entrance (looking out) from C's front door

I made these for my high school office pages for Halloween

Keep Calm

Some cute "Keep Calm" quotes:

Random Pics

My friends/neighbors have been putting up the annual haunted house and decorating, so I took the opportunity to snap some pics, especially of these two little guys.

B, almost three

G & B

G, six in a few weeks.  Look at that adorable face.

Skulls along the fence

Fence all lit up

Homecoming 2011

#5 went to homecoming last night.  He didn't have a date, but that was just fine with him (and his mom too).  All of his friends met at his friend J's house, as did his sister's friends too.  There were alot of well dressed, good looking teenagers there.  #5 said the dance was kind of boring, but I'm sure he had a good time.  They went to the Olive Garden too.  At least he got to eat alot, one of his favorite things to do.

#5 & D

This is a friend of mine, M, and her daughter, S.  Just so happens that M was #5's kindergarten teacher too.

S's hot shoes that were already bothering her feet.  Wonder how long it took her to take them off at the dance?

And these would be #5's shoes.  This is as good as it gets for dress shoes for him.  Black Nikes.

#5 and S.

#5, the life of the party.

The group.  #5 and the boy on the other end in blue, were each other's "date", since they were the only ones without one.

The guys.

Don't know these girls, but I just LOVED the pink dress.  Very femine, flirty and very flattering.  Very different from all the other girls.  She wore it well too.

These three have been friends since kindergarten.  Just love all of #5's friends.  They are a great group of boys.

Eariler in the day my best friend, came over yelling in the door, "you've got to come out and see M", her daugther.  They had just gotten back from having her hair and make up done for the dance.  She looked beautiful.

Pinterest

Just a couple of cool things I "pinned" on my Pinterest board.  I think I am going to see if my nail lady could do this.

Just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this necklace.  Need to find it soon (or something similar, and maybe not as expensive as this one).

Great quote.  I think I'll print and hang in the house for #5 to see!!!  LOL

Hello, hello, hello..........................

That would be an echo.  Excuse me while I dust off the cobwebs here.  It's been a while, I know.  You all know I went back to work, and just haven't had my camera out lately.  But, now that it is Fall, my favorite season, I've had it out and hope to get more pics and things to post.

I could actually post alot about work, but I think I could get in trouble for that.  Kid's rights and all.  But.......it is definitely an exciting job, never boring and I love it.

I've gone to a couple of local football games and took a few pics of a friends son on the team.  He is really good.

Yesterday my mom came over with these really cute witch shoes.  You can acutally wear them, but this is what I did with them:

#5 attended a baseball camp at Northern Illinois University

My nephew is a freshman at NIU.  Pic of him and my  parents in front of a memorial for the shooting victims a few years ago there.

These pics are from the 1st game played on our high school's new home field

Love to see these players holding hands as they went on the field to shake hands with the other team

This is J, friend of #5 and son of a very good friend of mine.

The final score!  Go Storm! (that's us)

I Really am Trying

I know, I know, I said I was going to try to be better about posting lately.  The days go by so fast at school, that when I get home there's no energy.  I could write about all the craziness at school, but that would be a novel.  It's not bad crazy, it's acutally good crazy, busy crazy.  I think I thrive on the activity.  My horoscope on facebook Friday said this:

"Most people fold under the kind of pressure you've been bravely enduring lately -- but not you. No, you're more than game for this type of thing. It energizes you. Still, a night off wouldn't hurt. How about now?"

Yep, that about sums it up.

I've been a real slacker with my camera too.  Now that the weather is getting fall like, and fall baseball games will start, I will definitely be ready.

I have a bulletin board outside my office that I want to work on and that's what I've been doing at home this weekend.  I found some really cool quotes:

THIS MIGHT JUST BE ONE OF MY FAVORITES: