Biased

I know I'm biased... but this child of mine is just about the most awesome thing I've ever seen. 

Dressed up like Cinderella for the first-time viewing of the classic movie.

Certain there is more in the present.

A favorite gift - old-school stick horse.

My heart.

Some Holiday Pictures

Angry Birds with Grandma.

Merry Christmas from this guy...

...and this guy (it still surprises me that my brother doesn't have hair)...

...and this guy.

Violet is loving her princess gear!

Ready for Santa

We are ready for Santa! Cousin Brooke taught Violet all about picking the best cookies. The reindeer have their carrots. The milk is poured. Now all that's left to do is convince this kiddo to fall asleep!

We are ready for Santa!

Brooke instructs Violet in the proper cookie arrangement. 

Finally Ready

So, it's been a while. Sorry. The usual blah-blah of report cards and holiday bustle and stress. But this moment marks an important occasion because I have just finished putting in my grades and I'm officially ready to begin my Christmas break!

This last week of school has been crazy. My parents helped throw an awesome party for the kids and yesterday we all wore PJs and watched the Polar Express, complete with a hot chocolate delivery in the middle of the movie. But due to some logistics, yesterday also meant we had to stay in the classroom all day. We ate lunch in our room. We had specials in our room. Thanks to the nasty weather, we had recess in the room. So it's safe to say I was as ready for the day to be over as the kids were!

Here's a little glimpse into first grade. One of my favorite writing samples, with an excellent illustration. Safe to say I "laft and laft" when I read it.

I watched the Dirty Birds vs-ing [versus] the Giants. My dad and brother cried. Me and my mom laughed and laughed. Soon the game was over.

Last week Matt and I gave ourselves an early Christmas present in the form of Cirque du Soleil tickets. I've always wanted to go and I will definitely be making this a tradition. It was nuts! It's amazing what random talents some people have. Like being able to ride a unicycle with one foot while flipping bowls onto the head with the other foot. And how did they even discover they had such a talent? Hmm. I wonder if I can balance a 40-foot pole on my head and support some other crazy dude at the top (who is also balancing on his head)? Hmm. Let's try that and see.

Violet and her BFF after ballet class at school. Precious!

First photo shoot with Santa - total success! (Sorry, it's a photo of a photo. So lame, I know.)

Now I'm finally able to get my holidays on! I think I'll kick it off with my PJs, a warm beverage, and a holiday movie. See you soon!

About Friday

It's been one hell of a week.

Friday's tragic events in Connecticut were too unspeakable. I'm still processing them. Today I sat on my couch and just cried and cried. It hit close too home as a teacher, as a mother. I've run through the disaster scenarios in my head, trying to figure out where I would hide my kids if something like this ever happened at my school. I know the chances of it occurring are so small... and yet it happens.

I keep thinking about the Christmas presents those children will never open. What will happen to them, all wrapped up in their shiny bows, waiting for little hands that will never eager tear off the paper? Who will clean out their desks?

I know there are probably some people who look at the events in Newtown and think, there's no god. I think of Newtown and I'm grateful there is a God. One who is delighted to be giving His precious babies big hugs in Heaven right now, a God who is devastated to see the suffering of those who had to be left behind for now.

What happened on Friday doesn't make sense. It never will. This world is a brutal place. But my name is written on God's heart. I can look beyond what is happening on this earth with hope because I know my life is already safely hidden in Heaven, just waiting on me to get there. God is faithful. Come Lord Jesus. Good will triumph.

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong, a perfect plea:
A great High Priest, whose name is Love,
Who ever lives and pleads for me.

My name is graven on his hands,
My name is written on his heart;
I know that while in heaven he stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart.

When Satan tempts me to despair,
And tells me of the guilt within,
Upward I look, and see him there
Who made an end of all my sin.

Because a sinless Savior died,
My sinful soul is counted free;
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Praise the One,
Risen Son of God!

Behold him there, the risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless righteousness,
The great unchangeable I AM,
The King of glory and of grace!

One in himself, I cannot die
My soul is purchased by his blood
My life is hid with Christ on high,
With Christ, my Savior and my God
With Christ, my Savior and my God 

Hair Cuts and Holiday Stuff

Today's message at church was right. It's a blink-and-you'll-miss-it time of year. It's so easy to get distracted, to forget what's important. We packed in every minute of time this weekend, and already next weekend is booked to the brim. Here's my way of taking a breath, slowing down.

First time under the hair drying hood!

Friday evening on my way home from school, I was chatting with Matt, telling him how excited I was to be coming home, ready to put on my jammies and chill out. Not 30 seconds after hanging up, I had to call him back with a change of plans. PJs would have to wait; I totally forgot about my hair appointment.

The time had come to break up with my old stylist. Not in a bad way, she's still fabulous. But I just can't make the trek down to Peachtree City to see her. Googling around, I happened upon another stylist who specializes in curly hair, seeing as she's a card carrying member of the curly girl club herself. (I only let curly girls cut this mane.)

So I showed up at this new salon to meet this new stylist,  hoping for the best, and got better than I expected. Not only was Angela great, willing to give me her opinion (I hate it when stylists want me to tell them what to do - um, I didn't go to school for this!), and also willing to go back and make adjustments based on what I wanted, but... they serve free wine. Best hair appointment ever.

Violet and Santa

Saturday morning was my school's Breakfast with Santa event, and this is the first year we actually attempted a picture with Santa. Violet was gung-ho about it until she had to climb on his lap. She slowly warmed up once the candy cane bribe came out, and by the end she was smiling, so I'm hoping for a decent picture. She told him what she wanted for Christmas (Minnie), and told me afterwards in a puzzled voice, "Santa didn't say ho ho ho." Still, I don't think she was scarred for life by the experience, so I'm chalking it up as a win.

All lined up, ready to distribute to the first graders.

Saturday night I just couldn't contemplate cooking, so we decided to go to a little eatery near Matt's office, Wildflour. By day they offer up sandwiches served on homemade bread, but they are starting a dinner menu as well. We walked up and realized we were the only customers. Not a terrible thing, since Violet could literally have the run of the place without disturbing anyone, but still a little awkward. The place definitely had the feel of a lunch joint, even though they were trying to fancy it up with white table clothes and wine glasses. And things are always a little suspect when you are the only customers.

Fortunately, the food was delicious and the dessert (on the house!) was divine. A few more groups came in before we finished and livened the place up, Violet behaved herself, and it was fun to be out trying something new.

My love.

Sunday the weather was so warm that Violet got to play outside a little bit. Despite the mountain of school work awaiting me inside, I tried to let go and just chill for a while. Watching Violet run around, so happy, it makes me marvel. I had something to do with that joyous thing running around the yard with glee. And she's not turning out half-bad, if I do say so myself. I had a little Kairos moment, there in the fresh air.

Bah humbug.

Which is good, because this stack of papers was waiting for me. Oh, how I want to just get through the next two weeks with my sanity and holiday cheer intact. The good news about times like this is it makes me grab hold of Jesus' hand and hang on for dear life. Daily I'm begging Him to stick by my side in a very present way. A friend of mine suddenly lost her father this week and it was a jolting reminder of how life can change irrevocably in the space between one breath and the next. So we soldier on, doing the best we can today, trying to slow down, appreciating this life.

Beard Beats Blog

Matt's annual holiday beard.

Okay, I'm back. Turns out, google (in trying to hawk their google plus facebook wannabe) will give me free photo storage on google plus, AND let me upload every picture I take on my phone (let's face it, the only way I snap pics these days) automatically. Now, while I find it a little creepy that my phone is automatically uploading every picture I take to the internet, google swears I'm the only one who can view them. We'll see about that. But here's the test run, Matt's luxurious winter beard, looking oh so fine.

Best Ah Ever

Violet would like to demonstrate the best "ah" ever. Also, I gotta get this girl to the dentist.

Also, I'm now posting under Matt's name because google/picasa/blogger has decided I'm maxed out on photo storage space and won't let me upload any more pictures to the blog. My husband's account doesn't seem to have the same problem, so I'm hijacking it until I figure out how to solve this little dilemma.

Now Reading

Well, a week back at work and I fell off the blog wagon. I just don't seem to be able to do both - focus on surviving work and have the creative energy needed to blog. Ah well. The Christmas holiday is nigh.

I did, however, find time to read a new book this weekend. Yep, I started it Friday night and finished it Saturday afternoon. Because it was so good. Late Saturday night (well, 9:30 p.m, which is late for us teachers) I texted my neighbor that she had to read it, too, and then left my Kindle out on the back porch so she could sneak over and pick it up.

So, if you're looking for a good book to read, you liked The Hunger Games and need your next fix, you're into dystopian YA, you like reading strong female protagonists, or any of the above combination, may I introduce you to...

Divergent

In this dystopian setting, every 16-year-old has to choose a faction of society to join, each with its own values and rules. One faction values honesty, one knowledge, one courage, and so on. Tris first has to choose whether to stay with her family in the faction where she was raised, or cut ties with everything she knows to follow her heart.

And of course, what follows is danger, bravery, heartbreak, angst, a little bit of unrequited love, and a cliffhanger that will send you straight to book two, Insurgent. (Disclaimer: I suck at book reviews, so just go read what Amazon has to say!)

One of the reasons I like these books is that they have more depth than some of the crap that has topped the best seller list lately (I'm looking at you, Fifty Shades and Twilight - both of which I've read, but only under duress and with mounting disgust (ha! see what I did there?)). Much like The Hunger Games, there's more going on in these stories. Bigger themes. Which trait (honesty, knowledge, selflessness, etc) is more valuable to society? How do the values our parents instill in us affect our choices? Plus it has a strong female character who has to make choices for herself and deal with the consequences (and not the consequences of which hottie to end up with or whether to let her boyfriend whip her in the name of true love - seriously, how does this page-turning crap become so popular?) And I think I'm on a dystopian kick. It's fascinating to imagine a familiar society but with vastly different rules.

But you don't have to take my word for it! (Although if you do pick them up, let me know what you think! And if you have any other recommendations of this genre, send them my way.)

The Holidays are Here

Let it be said that this is the earliest I have ever let the holidays into my house.

I used to scoff at those people who have their Christmas decorations up before the turkey has even been carved. I mean, poor Thanksgiving barely stands a chance sandwiched in between the onslaught of Halloween and Christmas.

But this year I finally wised up and decided to take advantage of my week-long break from school to get somethings done. We started decorating before we enjoyed a Thanksgiving feast with our families, took advantage of the balmy weather to get the outdoor decor up before the cold snap, and finished up today when we went to get a tree.

We keep it simple and classy.

Last year we did the whole Christmas tree farm thing. But this year we decided to skip the trip, as fun as it was, in order to get it all done before I head back to school tomorrow. So while picking out a tree at the local Lowes doesn't have quite the sentimentality of the scenic tree farm, the outcome is essentially the same. We can always do the tree farm experience next year. And honestly, Violet wasn't really into it anyway, so nothing wasted.

Another confession - we waited until Violet fell asleep for her nap to get the tree up and decorated. I know, worst parents ever? But trust me, it was easier this way. And even after she woke up and saw the glamor and glory, she still didn't seem as wowed as I would have expected. So again, nothing wasted.

It has been a wonderful week. I have really relaxed and enjoyed my family and time off. I got a ton of stuff done (doctors appointments, Violet's hair cut, Christmas cards addressed, some shopping done). Violet has been a gem the whole week, no tantrums or time-outs. I finally cracked open my school bag today for a couple hours this afternoon (nothing crazy or anything) so I'm slightly prepared to go back to work tomorrow.

I have much to be thankful for. A husband who loves me and supports me. My family nearby. Wonderful neighbors. A good church. My home to call my own. (When I asked Violet was she was thankful for this Thanksgiving, she said "Violet baby". And I'm thankful for my Violet baby.)

Check Up

Violet had two important doctor's visits this week. We headed to a children's orthopedist to get that pesky collarbone checked out. After another round of x-rays, it turns out that Violet will be just fine (no surprise here). Even though to my inexpert eyes her bones do not look nearly healed enough for the level of exuberant activity she has been exhibiting for the last couple weeks, the doctor didn't seem worried in the slightest. I think we are finally ready to put the entire Fall Heard Round the Mexican Restaurant incident behind us now. Thankfully.

For the other appointment, Violet got her eyes checked. If you remember, she failed the pediatrician's eye screening when she was 18 months old, earning us a one-way ticket to the optometrist. The diagnosis at the time - she'll need glasses. Eventually.

So it was with a bit of trepidation that I took her back this week for another check. Now, don't get me wrong. I wear contacts. Matt wears glasses. Many of our family members have corrected vision. So I'm not surprised if glasses are in the cards for Violet. Eventually. I just really really don't want her to need them now. Because I don't know how on earth I'll convince her to keep them on her face.

Fortunately, the appointment went well. She will still be nearsighted and need glasses, but the doctor thinks we're at least a year away from that. Hey, I'll take another year. And speaking of the doctor, this woman is amazing. Every time I go to this place, I get so annoyed. Their appointments run chronically behind. The staff is meh. It takes forever to see anyone and then half the time I feel like I'm getting hustled to buy a particular brand of lenses or whatever. I'd quit the place in a second except for two important factors. I'm too lazy to find somewhere new (and they're so conveniently located), and Violet's pediatric optometrist is a wonder. How she can get the exam done and information she needs from a wiggling two-year-old is beyond me.

For this exam, she had Violet look at a series of cards with little graphic black and white images on them. After asking Violet what they all were, she held them at different distances and quizzed her on what she saw. My girl passed with flying colors, except for one card. The picture on it was of an old-school telephone. You know, the kind with a receiver and cord and buttons to push. Yeah, Violet had no clue what it was, and didn't seem convinced when I told her it was a phone. "You can't watch videos on it..." was her puzzled reply. Because that's what phones are for, duh. Anyway, it was nice to get both these appointments taken care of with such pleasing results. We are blessed.

 

Cut! That's a Wrap!

Not quite sure about what's happening here...

We've experienced another first! These "first" milestones are few and far between now that I've got such a big girl, but first haircut definitely qualifies.

Maybe I'm unsentimental or have a tin heart beating away in there, but it wasn't that big of a deal. No tears were shed, by either Violet or myself. We did get a little certificate with a lock of hair as a souvenir, so that's cool (or creepy, I don't know). But Violet did awesome for such a new experience, so cross it off the list.

I opted to take her to one of those kiddie haircut places for this first time. I figured there would be plenty of things to distract her if for some reason she decided to freak out on me. Overall it wasn't quite what I expected. When we walked in there was just one stylist working, the place was rather dark and glum despite the blaring cartoons on the tvs at each station. Our stylist was an older woman with hands a bit too shaky for me to have complete confidence. But since all I wanted was a quick trim (and Violet didn't hold her head still enough to get a straight cut anyway) I guess it doesn't matter. Now that she has the first experience under her belt, I can always take her back later for a more official cut and style.

Afterwards Violet was rather pleased with herself and wanted everyone to see her new 'do. And she was super excited to find a gigantic Christmas tree nearby. And yes, this is how my pretty princess insisted on going out to run our day full of errands. At least I was able to explain to her that princesses don't put their hands down their pants and tell everyone in Walmart about their "booty". We'll see if it works.

The princess has arrived.

I got a haircut! And a lollipop!

Shrimp and Grits, Ya'll

I know what you're thinking. Three posts in a row, Kristine? What's going on? Well, that's what happens when this girl is on vacay - time to breath, time to think, time to get the creative juices going!

Time off from work also means I get brave enough to tool around in the kitchen. Usually when it's my turn to host the neighbors, I stick with one of my tried and true recipes that I'm super comfortable with. But today I worked up the nerve to try something new. Two somethings new, in fact.

Believe it or not, I have never cooked shrimp. Or grits. And certainly not the two together. In fact, I barely eat grits. I'm not a Southern girl, it's just not how I was raised. That would be Italian and Swedish, if you don't know. But my pal Emily raved about a super easy recipe that seemed simple enough for even this kitchen klutz. And I'm pleased to report that it was easy. And delicious. And passed the test of my very Southern neighbor. So there you have it. Shrimp and grits, ya'll. Enjoy!

Yum, right?

Lemon-Garlic Shrimp and Grits

1 cup quick cook grits
Salt (I used kosher) and Pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/4 lbs medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 large cloves garlic, minced
Pinch of cayenne pepper (optional)
Juice of 1/2 lemon, plus wedges for serving
2 Tablespoons roughly chopped parsley

1. Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat, covered. Uncover and slowly whisk in the grits, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Reduce heat to medium low and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the parmesan and 1 tablespoon butter. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

2. Meanwhile, season the shrimp with salt and pepper. Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the shrimp, garlic and cayenne, if using, and cook, tossing until the shrimp are pink, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and add 2 tablespoons water, the lemon juice and parsley; stir to coat the shrimp with the sauce and season with salt and pepper.

3. Divide the grits among shallow bowls and top with the shrimp and sauce. Serve with lemon wedges.

Look at the Camera

We finally had our family photos taken, rescheduled post collarbone break. The good news is, we got a few decent shots to put on the Christmas card this year. The bad news is... the magic of looking at the camera and saying "cheese!" seems to have worn off for Violet. She was just not into it this year. Her smile was so forced it became a grimace and her eyes could not find the camera for all the lollipops in the world. So most of our pictures feature two happy smiling parents and one kiddo cutting her eyes off to the side. Still, it's nice to have the moments preserved. And it's really nice to have the Christmas card done!

Do you still send Christmas cards? Is it going out of style? Last year I received fewer cards than the year before, and I'm hoping it's not a trend. (The US Post Office is also hoping it's not a trend, I'd imagine!) I, for one, think it's a lovely tradition and can't wait to see who shows up in the mail this holiday season.

Lazy Weekend

Yesterday was the first day of my Thanksgiving Break. Sure I already have a to-do list planned out of everything I want to accomplish this week (multiple doctor's appointments, a play-date, the obvious turkey and pie fest, addressing Christmas cards, procrastinating about the schoolwork I brought home). But I just couldn't get started on it yesterday. I needed a day, one day, to just lay on the couch and be lazy. So I finished reading this page turner. At times grisly, at times hard to keep up with (SO many characters), it remained fascinating to the last page. In fact, it is one of those books that made me want to learn more once the story was over. It's a true account of the 1893 Chicago World's Fair and simultaneously the story of one of America's first serial killers. Even if serial killing is not your thing (and I sincerely hope it's not), this historical account of life during that time period and the extraordinary effort it took to create the World's Fair will keep you turning the pages.

While I was busy soaking in some history, Matt and Violet were busy putting together an early Christmas present. Violet proved herself quite the handyman!

Holding it steady.

Line it up there...

Yup, it's level!

Three subtleties you might not have picked up from these pictures, but a) my house is messy! b) Matt is growing his traditional winter beard. c) Violet is out of her sling! (It's been three weeks since the accident, so we've set her left arm free and will wait for Wednesday's ortho appointment to see how everything has healed.

Getting Things Done

So we got to cross some items off our to-do list this weekend.

First up, buying a new washing machine. Sadly, ours pretty much gave out on us last weekend, just hours before Violet decided to throw up all over herself and Matt. So we bit the bullet and had it replaced. Merry Christmas to us, right? It will be delivered tomorrow, hallelujah. I got desperate the day for some clean clothes for Violet, so I did coax one more load out of our old machine, but the spin cycle doesn't work, so before I could put the clothes in the dryer I had to play old-school washer woman and wring a bucketful of water from everything. Ah, modern machinery, how you have improved our lives! (Things still on the to-do list - fixing the broken windowpane in our bedroom (thanks golfers) and replacing our toaster oven - things are falling apart around here left and right!)

And this happened:

If you diagnosed a sinus infection/ear infection, you'd be right.

Yes, I'm under the weather. For the past week I've felt a growing pressure in my ears, but my busy life and Matt traveling this past week kept me from seeing the doctor. (I did have my school nurse take a look in my ears.) Finally Saturday night I couldn't stand it anymore. As soon as Violet was down for the night, I hightailed it to urgent care and got myself a little pharmacy. Yesterday was pretty rough, waking up feeling like there was a freight train trying to push itself out of my face. But I'm hoping it's uphill from here.

Finally, we got our family pictures taken! We were scheduled to have them done two weeks ago, but Violet decided to break her collarbone instead. So I'm glad we were able to reschedule. The weather cooperated, my meds kicked in just in time, and we will hopefully come away with a few good shots.

Sneak peek.

All in all, not a terrible weekend. I didn't feel awesome, but we got a lot of good stuff done, and Violet was her happy self. Plus, after Matt being gone for three days last week, it was nice just to hang out as our little family.

Now one more week of school and it's Thanksgiving break! I can do it!