The Day I Learned the Frankie...

 

So Christmas break has arrived! Hallelujah! It did not come however without me learning yet some other things from my wonderful class. Today, I learned the Frankie! Here is a glimpse of what my class looks like: (please disregard my talking!)

And then there are presents...Kids are precious when they pick out your gifts. They are either really good...or really funny! And I got both this year! Here are the gifts my precious kiddos gave me:

Overall, it was a successful party. My kids are crazy but I love them! We had fun this week watching Polar Express and Recess Kids Christmas. We made fun edible trees made from ice cream cones and icing(which i did not get a picture of! depressing, I know!)  and then I made ornaments with their hand prints:

 I just love Christmas time....especially knowing I have two weeks off to spend with the ones that I love oh so dearly! So get ready for more pics and more posts to come after Christmas! I wish everyone a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

If Santa could afford the world....

Well, it's been in the back of all of our minds for a long time now...Christmas. It's the time that we start getting excited for that Christmas music and getting the decorations out to make our houses feel warm and eventful. It's a time to start making that list and checking it twice and buying for those that you love. Your bank account soon becomes empty and you wonder where all that money went...but you know that it will be well worth it seeing people's faces as they open their gifts.

Our Christmas is going to be different this year. I have not put up a Christmas tree nor any decorations of the like..much to my dissappointment. I have not made a list or checked it twice, nor have I even remotely bought what I wanted to for everybody. It has been really hard to get into the Christmas spirit this year because we have had to make so many changes over the last couple of months. This year, Christmas for us, is getting our house fixed and on the market. And what a journey it's been!

On the upside, we are getting to still visit family (however, it's not the same not getting to go to Ohio and enjoy all of Donna's decorations, or the cold air, or The Ohio State basketball games, and some wonderful friends...nor are we happy about not getting to get everybody exactly what we wanted to get them.) But we are making the most of it and thanking God everyday for the blessings and opportunities He has provided. And this year we are going to make Christmas all it can be. We get to meet the girls for the first time, which I am so excited about! And we get to see Graden all grown up since we have seen him last! We get to see both families and I finally get to see the little belly my sister is slowly starting to get due to a precious baby inside. In all reality we are blessed beyond measure and it has taken me writing this to realize that...maybe soemtimes Christmas shouldn't be focused around all the hustle and bustle of things and just lay back and enjoy the things that you have around you. The family, friends, and wonderful blessings God has created and given. I hope you find the blessings in your life this Christmas...

I've Gotta Peaceful Easy Feeling....

 So we went to the Crabtree Farm and this is what we woke up to! It was beautiful! God answered some prayer with some sunny and 70 degree weather for Saturday! The Prayer Walk was a huge success and we had such a great time bonding with each other and God!

 Kyleigh and I enjoying the scenery and watching the girls give their time and devotion to God. It was such a great thing to witness!

These lovely girls made this weekend a huge success!

 The weekend ended with a renewed sense of self and closer friends!

 This is how we expressed what we gained this weekend....we got that peaceful easy feeling....

Oh, and Boss (a.k.a. Cooper) attacked me with kisses!

I am so thankful to have been able to be a part of this weekend! I am so blessed beyond measure to have these girls in my life! We not only grew closer to God, but we grew closer together as well. We are going to be able to bring so much back with us to share with each other, our friends, and our loved ones. It's such an amazing experience coming close to God like that. I am continually striving for Serenity in my life and I hope that this is a start to a peace filled life where I can let go and let God in everything I do.

Numbers 6:24

How Do You Spell DSi?

If I could post a picture of my students on here I would. I have some characters in my class...maybe one day I will have time to fill you in on all the stories I hear, but here is what I have learned thus far from a girl named Angel in my class...1. How to Duggie. 2. How to properly use 4 letter words (although my mother in law was the one who had to explain that a 4 letter word does not really mean a word that contains 4 letters...story for another time) 3. What a knocker ball is. and 4.)How to administer a knocker ball in one's hair. I think I have learned a lot. The day has come where me, the teacher (imagine that) got to teach her something. Today she walks in my class and comes up to my desk and says, " Mrs. Eastridge, I have a question." Frustrated that she STILL does not know how to use her hand to ask it i look at her sideways and say, "and what is that?" She looks at me intently wanting to know the answer and says,"How do you spell DSi?" Blankly and trying to not be sarcastic...even though let's be honest...I am not too good at not being that...I say, "D-S-i" She then looks at me and says, "Yeah, but I thougth it had letters in it." At this point I am trying not to roll on the floor or make fun of her because she clearly is not thinking about what she is saying....either that or that's my reality for the rest of the year...i choose the first....anyway...I look at her and with each word hold up a finger, "D-S-i, that's 3 letters." She looks at me, laughs at herself, and walks to her desk saying, "Yeah, I still think it has letters." I can't imagine what my face would have been like had I really been able to express the feelings inside of me. But nonetheless i just laughed and moved on...and that is the joy of teaching my friends...

And oddly enough here is my theme for the Girls Retreat this weekend! Boy does God have a sense of humor or what?

On a more serious note, Kyleigh Crabtree and I have been working on this for a while now. Please pray this it goes off without a hitch and that the girls walk away with a deeper understanding of God's word, of their relationship with Him, and their passion for sharing Him with others.

So, that will probably be my next update. Phew...busy, busy, busy...such is life....or life as we know it...

The Turkey Trotted, Then We Ate Him...

Matt and I got up really early so that 
Matt could run the Turkey Trot 5K...

 Little did we know that it started at 8 and not 9 
like we thought...so naturally we were annoyed...
but what can you do? 

Well, when you are remodeling a house 
there is always stuff to do.

So we put the new hardware on the newly 
painted cabinets before company arrived!

Mom and Dad got here about 11:30am. Sydney

and Brutus are always excited to see them!

 And after they came we got the kitchen all done! 

Next step...new kitchen counters...
but we will let the professionals do that! Pictures will 
come soon! So glad to get this part done though!

Then cooking started! I made homemade mashed potatoes. 

Mom made her famous squash casserole and 

of course sweet potatoes while Matt fixed the birds!

 It was yummy! Full belly, good conversation, and 

wonderful company= successful Thanksgiving dinner!

But then we had to top it off with my 
Caramel Apple Cheesecake!

 It was delicious!!

We ended Thanksgiving with a bang...and then 
reality set in...I have to go shopping in the morning!

 As you can tell I am really excited about this venture...

and it got even better after the first store we hit.

 Yes...I looked like a drowned rat the rest of the day...

you definitely didn't need a picture of that...
your imagination will do you just fine!

But it did not make our shopping experience less 
successful...we got so many great deals.

I think we have everyone covered! 

Sure do wish holidays lasted longer than they do, 
but since they don't we cherished every moment together. 

Matt and I feel so blessed to have the family that we do. 

Maybe next year everyone can be together!! Hope you

had a great Thanksgiving too! Love you all...

Painting the Roses Red

 

 Matt and I are almost done with renovating the house so that we can put it on the market. It has been a task. We have done a lot to the house since moving into it 2 1/2 years ago but there is still a lot to do. Who would have thought it would cost so much money? Oh well...such is life I suppose...or life as we know it...