Good Bye 2014!

2014 was a good year. It wasn't as eventful as 2013, but there were still a few changes and things to get used to. Aaron and I continued to adapt to married life. We worked more on, and almost finished, the main level of our house, and I got my first teaching job!
I'm looking forward to 2015 and the plateauing of our life. No more stressing about job hunting (hopefully ha!) or finding a place to live. We can just live and enjoy life as a couple (+ 2 cats and a puppy arriving in March) for awhile!

I have three main new years resolutions this year.

1.) Drink more water

2.) Be more diligent in planning and making meals. (This was a new years resolution last year, and was a fail, so I'm trying for it again!)
3.) Become a "comment-er" on blogs I read. I am so bad at commenting on blogs I enjoy reading/posts I like.

"Tomorrow is the first blank page of a 365 page book. Write a good one." -Brad Paisley

A Farmer

After I took this photo, Paul Harvey's old broadcast "So God Made A Farmer" came to mind.

Both Aaron and I come from farming families - I love this.

And on the 8th day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, "I need a caretaker." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to get up before dawn, milk cows, work all day in the fields, milk cows again, eat supper and then go to town and stay past midnight at a meeting of the school board." So God made a farmer.

"I need somebody with arms strong enough to rustle a calf and yet gentle enough to deliver his own grandchild. Somebody to call hogs, tame cantankerous machinery, come home hungry, have to wait lunch until his wife's done feeding visiting ladies and tell the ladies to be sure and come back real soon -- and mean it." So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody willing to sit up all night with a newborn colt. And watch it die. Then dry his eyes and say, 'Maybe next year.' I need somebody who can shape an ax handle from a persimmon sprout, shoe a horse with a hunk of car tire, who can make harness out of haywire, feed sacks and shoe scraps. And who, planting time and harvest season, will finish his forty-hour week by Tuesday noon, then, pain'n from 'tractor back,' put in another seventy-two hours." So God made a farmer.

God had to have somebody willing to ride the ruts at double speed to get the hay in ahead of the rain clouds and yet stop in mid-field and race to help when he sees the first smoke from a neighbor's place. So God made a farmer.

God said, "I need somebody strong enough to clear trees and heave bails, yet gentle enough to tame lambs and wean pigs and tend the pink-combed pullets, who will stop his mower for an hour to splint the broken leg of a meadow lark. It had to be somebody who'd plow deep and straight and not cut corners. Somebody to seed, weed, feed, breed and rake and disc and plow and plant and tie the fleece and strain the milk and replenish the self-feeder and finish a hard week's work with a five-mile drive to church.

"Somebody who'd bale a family together with the soft strong bonds of sharing, who would laugh and then sigh, and then reply, with smiling eyes, when his son says he wants to spend his life 'doing what dad does.'" So God made a farmer.

Christmas 2014

It was a special Christmas this year, having all of my husband's family together at one time. The last month for my in-laws has been tough. About three weeks ago my husband's grandpa had a heart attack. A few days after his heart attack, we found out my father-in-law has non-hodgkin's lymphoma. It's hard to put into words the feelings you have after hearing news like that.
I'm so thankful for the last four days, which included laughter and happiness mixed in with a touch of sadness and tears.

My amazing mother-in-law making some amazing Christmas goodies.

'Ticket to Ride' was played religiously. I do think Thing 1 (Lana's term the boys) was having a good time, contrary to what it looks like here!

One side of the table during our big Christmas dinner.

The other side of the table. At least Nathan, Heather, and Aaron were paying attention! :)

I snapped this photo of my grandparents-in-law during our photo shoot. They held hands the whole time.

Aaron and Vernon

Cousins - working together

PC Week 6

My sister and I took a picture of the same type of flower this week! What a coincidence!

Spiky by me

by Kristin

2011-2012-2013 Christmases all wrapped up into one blog post.

2011

2012

2013

It was fun going through the three old Christmas albums I have on my computer and remembering the good times. Aaron and I had a pretty low key Christmas eve this year, hence the time to go through my photos on my computer and make these collages!

We're headed to my in-laws tomorrow for a couple days and then after that I head to my sister's in the cities. Looking forward to the days to come!

(I wouldn't mind if this vacation slowed down a bit, though!)

PC Week 5

Frosted Barb Wire

Yesterday, on our drive home from Nathan and Heather's, everything was frosted white. We ended up taking the gravel road home just so we could meander and enjoy the scenery. I found myself saying "STOP!" every five minutes so I could try a different angle on a different object with my camera. The brakes on my car and Aaron's right foot got a good workout.

Us - 2014

We had a mini photo shoot this December morning.

Aaron and I were in dire need of an "us" photo. I sat down to do our Christmas cards the beginning of December and realized there was not one, non selfie picture of us taken this whole year!

So we trucked on over to our in-laws house and Heather, our SIL, snapped a few. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from the Viggys!

Vacation

The 

kindergartners 

were super excited 

the beginning of the
day, but by the end they
were a bit on the tired and
cranky side! What a stimulating
(almost over stimulating for some)
day it was today! We fit in a small party, 

the kids got to open Christmas gifts from me,
we went to the local movie theatre and watched
'Anabelle's Wish', we played a few games, I got 17 hugs,
and the kids were out the door! The sun is shining brightly
as it makes its way towards sunset, the temperature is a warm 36 
degrees, the snow is melting, my feet are up as I munch on Christmas
treats, and I 
have a full 
two weeks 
of vacation 
coming up!
I'm looking forward to waking up without an alarm, drinking coffee in the morning without
being rushed, working more with the settings on my camera, and spending time with family!
Let the Vince Gill Christmas Pandora station continue!

PC Week 4

'Stubborn'

50 degrees

snow melting

mud squishing

kitties running

nephews playing

sun shining

camera snapping

story telling

mini streams gurgling

pheasants flapping

air-soft gun pellets flying

Is it really Christmas in two weeks? Feels more like it should be Easter in two weeks.

There's nothing like the feeling of being outside in a sweatshirt and rainboots, sloshing around in the mud, after having to wear parkas and snowboots.

Next week it's suppose to be December weather again, and I won't complain, but I sure do appreciate a relief from it!

early christmas present

Oh how I wish there was more to take pictures of in and around our little home!

My early Christmas present from Aaron - a Nikon DSLR camera. 

Okay, in all reality, I say it's from him but I picked it out. And he picked out a range finger for his gun - but it was a Christmas present from me. I guess that's just how our Christmas presents worked this year!

I read through the manual front to back last night. It really does give a lot of helpful information! Especially this tid bit. --> "When framing photographs in the view finder, hold the handgrip in your right hand and cradle the camera body or lens with your left. Keep your elbows propped lightly against your torso for support and place one foot half a pace ahead of the other to keep your upper body stable."

I thought about not putting up a tree. We didn't last year because it's not what Christmas is all about. But, I do love the simplicity and light that this tree gives off. As I sit here in the evenings, it's cozy! As you can see, we only have two ornaments. I decided that every Christmas Aaron and I are together we'll add another one. The branches may be droopin' after 50 years....

Anyways, be prepared to see lots of shots as I try out the settings and explore more with this neat piece of equipment!

A Typical Day

6:15     Alarm goes off - hit snooze
6:30     After hitting snooze three times, finally roll out of bed, shower
6:45     Get ready for the day, let the cats out of the basement
7:05     Wake Aaron up, eat breakfast, start car
7:30     Pull cats out from under the bed, put them downstairs, head to school
7:35     Arrive at school, start computer, get ready for the day, chat with fellow kindergarten teachers
8:00     Kids start arriving at the school, remind kids to head outside - no lingering in the hallways
8:25     Kids come in from outside, bring backpacks into classroom and empty them out, do lunch count, milk count, pledge
8:40     Rug time - go over letters, numbers, shapes, read a story or two
9:00     RTI - kids split into four groups, I work with a group going over CVC words
9:30     Reading, talk about the difference between realism and fantasy, read big book (this week it's Jack and the Beanstock), sequencing, focus letter Bb - "feed" the sound muncher items that start with Bb, adjectives
9:50    Snack, put on classroom timer
10:00  Remind kids they have 5 minutes left
10:05  Recess, walk to the lounge, check mailbox, talk with special ed teacher across the hall about her baby that's due next week!
10:30  Kids come in from outside, start working on handwriting, remind the kids often about the 'hat line', 'belt line', and 'shoe line' of writing
10:45  Brain break, hand out play dough, form letters in play dough
11:00  Math, #11 booklet, go over tally marks, 10's frame, review even/odd
11:25  Lunch, eat school food while going over their handwriting sheets, talk with fellow kindergarten teacher about journaling
12:05  Prep time, make copies for tomorrow, prep for tomorrow
12:46  Journaling based on Gingerbread Man story
1:10    Have the kids get their book bags, work on stamina
1:20    Calendar time
1:46    Rest time, go over the #11 booklets while kids watch Mickey's Christmas
2:00    Gingerbread Unit, read The Gingerbread Boy and The Gingerbread Girl - compare and contrast with the kids, make gingerbread puppets
2:30    Snack and center time, listen to students count to 100, take students pictures to put on the '100's club' bulletin board
2:55    Center time pick up, students get their mail, help student zip their coats, prepare to leave
3:05    Walk kids to the front door and wait with them until their parents arrive, start prepping for RTI tomorrow
3:45    Head home, check the mail, let the cats out, change into comfy clothes
4:00    Grab my computer, sit on the couch and check email, pinterest, blogs, pet the cats
4:45    Wash clothes, play a bit of piano, watch in amusement as the cats jump and tumble at each other
5:00    See what Aaron's up to in the garage, help out when needed (help out as in hold things for him, grab tools, etc.)
5:30    Decide what to have for supper, could make hotdish but decide that the Pizza Corner pizza in the freezer looks easy and delicious
6:00    Call Aaron for supper, eat supper, chit chat about the day
6:30    Ride with Aaron to Alco, pick up garbage bags and dish soap, meander through the aisles looking for any good deals (they're going out of business)
7:15    Sit in the recliner, wrap up in blanket, correct handwriting worksheets from last week, look on pinterest for fun Gingerbread art activities, start planning for next week
8:00    Aaron comes in, he begins watching The Office after showering
8:30    Join Aaron, fire up my nook and browse for potential good books - never actually pick one, just put about five in wish list, pet the cats
9:15    Check email, get ready for bed, pull cats out from under the bed, put them downstairs
9:30    Sleep

PC Week 3

Our Orange Boy by me

Along the Hike by Kristin

Picking Moss Off Rocks by Elizabeth

A few posts back I made the announcements that a German Shepherd puppy would be joining our family this spring! I found out today it may be sooner than we expected. A litter is due in February, which means the puppy would be making its appearance in our home in March. (If all goes as planned.)
I've missed having a dog around - and I am getting so excited! Here are the parents!

On a side note, I rearranged our furniture again today. There's just something about rearranged furniture that makes the room seem fresh and clean. (Maybe because I was able to clean behind the piano for the first time since it was moved in. Yikes!)
Aaron had weekend duty at the plant, so I appreciated the fact that our flooring is old, and I was able to heave and ho the piano around on my own without worrying too much about scratching the floor.

So for my family, that I wish could just drop in for the afternoon to see it, here is the arrangement for the month of December!

PC Week 2

"Sunflower in Winter" by me

"Clematis Seeds" by Kristin

"Pumpkin Pie Everyday" by Elizabeth

Thanksgiving '14 - 2

A glimpse into the dining room at supper time tonight. 

I tried using the panorama setting on my phone - distorts the pics a bit!

I think dinner/supper times during the holidays are some of my favorite times. And no, it's not just because I love to eat the scrumptious food. :)

Everyone's together and the conversation's always good!

Now to look forward to Christmas!

Thanksgiving '14

My stomach is full. My heart is full. And our trunk will be full from the shopping done Friday!

Oh wonderful, Thanksgiving, days.

my opinion

Ferguson, Missouri. To be honest, I just started reading about the shooting yesterday. (Yes, I realize it happened in August...I'm a little behind!) I try not to get worked up about things I have no control over, but I did get a little worked up about this when I read about it.
In a nutshell, from what I read anyways, a man robbed a convenient store, physically assaulted the store clerk, and was walking back home in the middle of the street when the police officer told him to move to the sidewalk. He didn't move to the sidewalk but instead tried to reach inside the police officer's vehicle and started assaulting, physically and verbally, the police officer. Shots were fired, and the man who had robbed the store was killed.
And wow - I can't believe the pictures of the riots and the looting of stores that I've seen in Ferguson because of it. And why? Because a white officer killed a black man.
Let's just step away from the whole racist color issue. Since when is it okay to steal, physically and verbally assault others, and attack a police officer?
I agree with the grand jury's decision to not indict the police officer.
And it's not because I'm racist.

PC week 1

Last Sunday I decided I would do a photo challenge. I would try to be more detailed in my photo taking. Well, it was harder than I thought. I'm in the market for a DSLR camera but still haven't decided if I'll go with Canon or Nikon. So until then, these photos are/will be taken with my handy phone.

Melted snow on a leaf

And my eldest sister also participated! :) Thank you Kristin!

"We had heavy rain last night, leaving delicate droplets on the very tips of branches and leaves."

currently...(november 2014 edition)

<> listening: norah jones holiday on pandora

<> eating: nothing at the moment

<> drinking: a starbuck frappuccino drink from alco. our alco store is closing so everything is on sale. everything, including this drink!

<> wearing: pj's. i'm still in bed and it's 10:38. this week wiped me out!

<> feeling: kind of blah. it'll be that kind of saturday i think

<> weather: my phone says it's 28 degrees with rain possible. icky. which means it'll probably turn to ice

<> wanting: wednesday night to get here fast! we leave for my parents for thanksgiving and i am terribly excited!

<> needing: to shower. kristin and elizabeth, you know what i'm like in the mornings. haha!

<> thinking: i should shower

<> enjoying: the thought that lesson plans are done for next week, the house is clean (was cleaned yesterday evening), and clothes and dishes are washed

<> missing: having a dog around

Unusual Day

Today was an unusual day for me. I cooked AND I baked.

And now I feel sick from eating so many of the bars I baked. Oh well, my stomach needs to get prepared for the upcoming holidays.

When mom was here back in September, she made up some meals for us and I froze them. Today, when rifling through the freezer trying to decide what to make for dinner, I found one of those meals that I had forgotten about! What a great surprise! The hamburger mixture was all mixed up, I just had to add the creamed soups, water, milk, and water chestnuts. Can I classify that as cooking for me?!

The bars I made - Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars. Click here to find the yummy recipe!

Above, is what our days have looked like the past week. I think the snow is here to stay. Makes for some cozy days/evenings in our little house!

Now, I'm off to prepare the Nov/Dec book orders for my kids.

weekend visit & thankfulness

"I wish they lived closer!" is a common statement that comes out of my mouth when talking about my family. But oh, when I really think about it, I'm so glad my parents live as close as they do! 

I could be pessimistic that they live 5 hours away...OR I could be optimistic that they live 5 hours away. 

It's very doable for a weekend trip - and this last weekend they made the trip west to visit us!

We had our first snowfall while they were here.
We played Ticket to Ride.
We had scrumptious meals.

I was reunited with the canine retrievers, Colby and Kiah. I sure do miss having a dog around!

We got our garage door up. Thanks, Will, for the help!

And I feel rejuvenated to tackle another couple weeks of school until our next break, Thanksgiving!

November is often a month that thankfulness is talked a lot about. I really do have a lot to be thankful for. One being - family. My side of the family may live 5+ hours away from us, but part of Aaron's family lives closer (as in only 15 miles away from us closer) and that makes me thankful. Loving the family you marry into is wonderful.

Thanks again, mom and Will, for making the trek to visit us in our sleepy little town!

life lately

It must be the weekend - I have time to blog!

One thing I've learned since I started teaching is even when you aren't there (as in your classroom with your kids) your mind is pretty much always there. I couldn't fall asleep the other night because I was thinking of one of my boys and why it's just not clicking with him. Aaron told me, "just shut your brain off for the night!" I wish I could! Now, as I sit here on Saturday and take a deep breath because there is no school on Monday and Tuesday (hooray!), I'm thinking about a few bulletin boards I can switch up and what in the world I can do with that ugly corner by the sink.

Aside from that, currently:
+ I am looking forward to a visit from my mom and step-dad this Saturday/Sunday/Monday!
+ Christmas music is being played in full force now. (Well, when hubby's not around. Did you know he doesn't care much for Christmas music?)
+ I still wish it would snow...and it looks like my wish might come true! Some winter weather is supposed to be hitting this Sunday night. Maybe my parents will get snowed in here?! ;)
+ Right before the picture below was taken, G&T were running full speed from one end of our house to the other. Why are cats so weird sometimes? I walked out of our bedroom to find the rugs in our living room all pushed up against the wall. Apparently the rugs help slow their speed and prevent them from running into the wall/piano. Anyways, here's a picture of our felines, exhausted from their strenuous exercise.

I will regret saying this...

I know I will regret posting this when February rolls around but, I'm ready for snow! I'm excited to see the white flakes coming down and coating everything that is brown and blah in a pretty, crisp white. My sisters and I used to get so excited when the first snow appeared - it meant we could set up the farm set. I remember doing cartwheels and flips in the living room when we saw that first flake even if it did melt right away!

In honor of my anxiousness (if that makes sense) I'm currently listening to Christmas music and I just ordered some pretty sweaters for winter. I'm also excitedly thinking about the upcoming festivities this month will bring. 

I can honestly say, with the turn of another calendar month, that we are getting into my favorite time of the year!

Glimpse of a past Christmas

Happy Halloween

This made me laugh. Here are a few of my hubby's co-workers that dressed up for Halloween.

TaDa!

Front porch and stone veneer coming next spring.

Also hopefully some landscaping/trees!