Pleasantly Suprised

I survived. Much better than I thought. I was dreading presents. I was pleasantly suprised. Both the in-laws and my side followed through with our request-gift cards to Menards for basement completion.

Last year we kinda got the shaft. We got bikes from my parents, which is cool and what-not, but pretty sure they've been ridden like 2 times. I suppose it'll be nice when we have kiddos in like 25 years and they wanna ride on the back. From his mom and her husband we got....A pig. Really, a pig. They butchered a pig for us. We got 200+ lbs of pork. I'm not a big pork fan. I like sausage links/patties for breakfast and pork loin. That's it. I detest pork chops. A year later I still have TONS of pork. Plus we had to pay for the processing. That was more expensive than the pig. So not what I wanted or expected.

So when I get what I asked for, you get a happy gal!

I'm "late" and have no idea when I will be un-late. I won't take a test. It's a waste of time, money and always a huge let-down, no matter how much I tell myself to not get my hopes up. At least another week, before test-taking is even a remote idea.

Off to be domestic, I'm going to try and make cake balls. Ever done it? Me either. Wish me luck.

Christmas Dread....No, Christmas Hope

I never, in a million years, thought that I would say that I've been dreading Christmas. Not the actual season. I've relished the parts of Christmas. Christmas music, baking, shopping and wrapping presents, deciding who to trick with gifts.

All of those things are helping me to escape the dread that has come with this year.

Thanksgiving with my family was horrible. I never in a million years thought that I would have more fun with my in-laws than my own family. NEVER! But, I did.

Now, tonight and Saturday I have to spend with my family. I have to pretend like everything is ok. I have to pretend that I want to be there. I have to pretend that it doesn't bother me that my brother's gf is pregnant. I'm praying she isn't showing yet. I have to pretend that my feelings haven't been hurt by my mom over and over these past couple months.

I'll pretend and get through tonight, so I can celebrate at Candlelight worship. So I can open gifts with my husband and my dog tomorrow morning, so I can laugh with my in-laws tomorrow, so I can get great Christmas decorations at great prices on Friday, so I can enjoy Christmas!

Because if I can't enjoy it, I will be sad and I will cry and I don't want to cry.

I want to laugh, smile, pray, sing, celebrate!

So I will!

Merry Christmas to you and yours! Blessings on your family as you celebrate the birth of Jesus!

Love,
Becky (and Nick and Sadie too!)

I've decided I maybe need a fun and cute new name for my blog. I'm not a mom yet, so all those cute names are out, plus you've taken them all. I'm a teacher, but that doesn't define my whole life, neither does wife or sister or friend or blogger. All of those parts make up my whole.

Do you have any ideas? Any creative jucies out there that you can pass along to me?

Me in a Nutshell-
love pink,
like to read,
love friends,
dog and hubby,
fertility struggling
country girl
Kindergarten teacher
Husker fan

If you can come up with any creative names...that haven't been taken, Write me a comment, and if I pick yours, you'll win a fantabulous prize....$$ to Target and a few other small suprises!

I will also have a prize for the runner-ups. You will get an entry for
1. Giving me a new blog name.
2. Posting about this on your blog and commenting that you did.
3. Follow me and commenting that you did.

So you have 3 chances to win and the possibility of having credit for coming up with my blog name.The contest will end on December 29th at Midnight, just in time for me to reveal the new blog name for the new year.

Almost

My hubby helps out a lot. He's so good at helping with laundry, taking out the trash, doing the dishes, making something for me, fixing anything, putting something up for me. With all these things though.....He has one major, but minor flaw.

He can't finish a task. The laundry-can collect it, sort it, start it, switch and start a new load, but leaves the load in the dryer for days, until I get it out to fold it and he puts it away. The trash- gathers it all from the rooms, takes it out, puts it in the garbage, but can't for the life of him, put a new liner in the cans. He will leave the drill on the table for weeks after he does something for me.

There are so many more examples. I'm constantly picking up and putting away after him. Some days I want to scream, some days I'm so grateful that I have him to pick up after. All days, I pray that he won't be the only one I'm picking up after and will be so grateful when I have another one to pick up after.

An Open Letter

Dear Kindergartners,

I know you're excited for the holidays. I get it. I remember being 5. Going to see Santa at the mall, writing him a letter, making him cookies, secretly shopping and making presents, going out at night to look at the pretty lights, listening to Christmas music, decorating the tree. It's all exciting. Heck, it's even exciting for me 20+years later.

But come on, I need some quiet. I need a break. I have you for 32 more hours this week. There is still a lot to do. I've got requirements that I need to meet. I still have to teach with all the excitement.

So, lets make a deal. You behave for the next 4 days. You listen when I'm talking, quit yelling across the room, and quit singing the same dang line from the same dang song 50 times and I will promise you we'll have fun! We'll watch some Christmas movies, make some Christmas crafts, have some Christmas treats, open some Christmas presents even! But you gotta give me a little bit of peace. I don't think I've got enough Aleve or Diet Coke to make it through the week if we don't have a little peace and quiet.

Thanks for your consideration on this matter.
Sincerely your teacher,
Mrs. Dittmer

I hate the flu and all that goes with it. BLECH! I stayed home from school today and will stay home again tomorrow. NO FUN! I'm hoping that by tomorrow, I'll feel better and can maybe do a few things besides lay on the couch all day, drifting in and out of sleep.