My reward

Why, oh, why am I SUCH a procrastinator? I am currently rewarding myself by allowing myself to complain on this blog. Minimized on my screen is the very little amount of work I've done toward a 20+ page literary analysis on Common Core Curriculum (what's that, you ask? If you are in education, you get it!) due in two weeks for one of my grad classes. I have read all of seven sources and have, oh, like 20 to go with nothing actually on paper yet. It's not like I haven't had two months to do this...and I wait until the last minute on Thanksgiving weekend. Oh, yeah, I also have five other assignments due for my other class next weekend. Don't you hate it when you totally know your personal flaws and still succumb to them?

Back to work.

Thankful, Day 2

Keeton:
Um, I thank you for, I mean thankful for my family.

Ella:
I'm thankful for my world.

So, Keeton is a copycat and Ella is gearing up for a pageant response...

Thankful, Day 1

Thanksgiving is 16 days away...I can hardly believe that! That means our annual Christmas tree hunt is in 18 days (remember the tree trauma from a few years back?). I thought it would be fun to ask the kids what they are thankful for each day and post their responses here. All wording is in true Ella & Keeton language!

Ella: For my family.
Keeton: Um,my teacher?

I bet tomorrow we will have more certain responses!

Avoidance

Jeff is working late tonight--day 2 of his new job and it's "Family Reading Night", so he gets to meet all the curious parents wondering who the new guy is! I am leaving for a business trio Thursday to Las Vegas and SHOULD be packing, but I really don't have a clue what it is that I should pack. All the sudden, my closet seems full of all the wrong things. So, I am avoiding the task!

The simplicity of 10 years

Wow, where has 10 years gone? I guess that it is s testiment/compliment to my hubby that 10 years doesn't seem like an eternity, right? When we got married we were young, and by today's standards, we were really young--22 and 23. I was right out of college and Jeff, ever the Peter-Pan, was wrapping up his teaching degree. Our first apartment had one couch (new--I can remember AGONIZING over what piece of furniture we could afford to buy and deciding a couch was probably a necessity), a wooden chair, a 27 in tv on an old tv stand, a hand-me-down table and chairs, and our bedroom furniture. That's it. Man, life was so simple. Now, 3 houses (4 if you count the addition/remodel) later, with more furniture banished to our basement than we owned in that first apartment, I can't help but think the oddest thing that 10 years has taught me is that when it really came down to it, that first year--the simplicity of that first year, without all the "clutter" of life, was so foundational in our marriage. Heck, we didn't even have cable--way too expensive! While I am certainly proud of our accomplishments that have brought us where we are now and while I love the life we've built with our kiddos, I think it's important to remember where we started and fall back on what we built with so little else to fill up our hearts.

Happy 10 years, Jeff--Love you!

Last weekend's photos

Here are some pictures from last weekend. We had three days off and it was a true "Indian Summer" type of weekend. Lots of sidewalk chalk, blingy pumpkins with Grandma, and raking leaves. By the way, I don't think Keeton has ever had the fall-leaf experience. He was 10 months old when we moved to our last house, which had no trees!

I need a hobby...and time...

You know how I said we are all so busy and I can't even keep up with myself let alone everyone else? You know how I haven't really even cleaned the house we moved into four weeks ago? And that part about how I usually work at least 10-11 hours a day? So, I think I need a hobby. Really. Not a crafty hobby, but a physical one where I can take out some tension--a kick butt type of hobby. Now, I played tennis, ran and danced (in my more fit days). Those are NOT contact sports--I was never one for getting hit, punched, kicked, pushed, etc. So maybe this is a mid-life crisis? I need ideas for something to do (and I need ideas for when I can do it). My co-worker suggested I take up running again--he figured they make cute running shoes so I'd go for that. Point well taken. Any ideas are welcome (cute shoe wear is a plus)!