BUSY DECEMBER ADVENTURES. . .

I cannot believe that I haven't stepped a proverbial "foot" into the month of December on this blog yet. I am here, however, to rectify that claim.

Proverbial "foot" now stepped. . .

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December is typically a very busy month for me as a teacher and person (my birthday is on the 26th!), but the month is usually a quite busy one for most people.

Let me list and post pictures of some of the highlights of the past fifteen (well, a few more) days:
The pictures for most of these are on the blog below. Scroll down and don't miss them!

Down below I have also posted a great Holiday cake recipe. Really, the cake is a hit anytime, but it is called the "Heaven in a Bottle" Cake, and it is made with Irish Cream. You don't even have to like Irish Cream to like this cake. It really is a winner regardless, and it is good anytime of day - morning, afternoon, and evening. Try it, and I think you'll like it! It's an easy cake as well!

* Fondue Princess had her little baby boy Bodhi! That actually happened at the very end of November, but I have been so negligent I haven't written about it yet. I am nonetheless totally thrilled! Fondue is such a wonderful person, and she will be a phenomenal mother. She already is! Isn't he cute?

* Went to a student's Quinceanera (Hispanic "Sweet 15" Tradition/Ceremony/Party for Girls). It was simply lovely, and I have included a picture of my student's gorgeous lavender dress up above. It is almost like a wedding except it celebrates the girl becoming a woman and being "betrothed" to Christ. This Quinceanera was especially uplifting because it had a strong Christian theme. Some Quinceaneras are just huge birthday parties akin to America's "Sweet 16" birthday parties, but this one was focused on my student's Christian faith.


* Attended the first of several Faculty Christmas Get-Togethers. This one was given by our Principal and was a full seafood or steak dinner at a local seafood restaurant on him (the school). It was nice visiting with other teachers outside of school. I wish I had ordered the steak, though. The seafood was a little greasy, but still tasty just greasy. No pictures on this one.

* Went to see a grand Christmas Show/Spectacular with three students and one of my Resource Teachers. The teacher was able to get six free tickets because she is good friends with the main lead/host of the show, and the students were rewarded for their hard work and good behavior. It was a great show and really put you in the Christmas spirit!

* Had a wonderful Saturday lunch at a nice restaurant with two fellow teachers. One of the teachers is pregnant and expecting in January (Jan. 10th to be exact). She is so gorgeous and actually involved in Figure Sports (modified and more feminine competetive body building). She looks great pregnant. There seems to be a lot of the pregnancy "bug" going around. Late Winter/Early Spring was a busy time for many LOL!

* Attended our high school's Winter Formal Dance. It was a great time! I love to dance, and I took my dog Riley as my date. No kidding, but he spent most of his time in my classroom while I worked on lesson plans for while I would be gone to the next event.

* Went to a Literacy Conference in Charleston, South Carolina and loved every minute of it! It was a great conference, and Charleston is such a fabulous city. If you've never been, you must go! It is a city full of history and lovely character. You always feel as if you've been transported in time. I've included some pictures of that as well! We took a carriage ride (a can't miss), a neat historic walk, and a tour of the Old Exchange, Provost, and Dungeon. The pictures of the trip are great. Lots of fun! I work with such great people!

Well, those are the highlights so far, but there is more to come. I have three Christmas parties this coming week, and, guess what? Green is coming for another visit, and we're going to visit Charleston ourselves! It should be fun!

More to come later. . .

Don't forget to enjoy the pictures down below for now. I posted them under a different date, so the writing would come first!

DECEMBER PICTURES SO FAR. . .

I wanted to put these pictures in order, but Blogger is a bit particular about how these are posted. The pictures cover all the things mentioned in the post above, but not necessarily in that order.

By the way, the temperatures here the last few days have been in the 80s. Oh, it has been wonderful, but it is getting colder as I write this.

Also, did you think I was kidding about bringing my dog to the Winter Formal? Well, he is a male, and he was a hit! Everyone wanted to "meet" him! LOL!

"HEAVEN IN A BOTTLE" CAKE

Here is a great "anytime" cake recipe, but it is especially wonderful at the Holidays and a big hit at Christmas get-togethers and parties:

Another interesting note is that when I went to find a picture online to post here with the recipe, I found this picture, her recipe, and her baking experience from another Blogger right here at Blogger.com. To give proper credit, her blog is Texasjoy.blogspot.com/2007_04_01_archive.html . Isn't that neat? Apparently, this Irish Cream Cake recipe is quite a popular one. I found it all over the web!

"Heaven In A Bottle" Cake

1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/2 cup finely shredded coconut (optional, but so good)
1 (18.25 ounce) package yellow cake mix
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant vanilla pudding mix
4 eggs
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup water
1 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur

Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt (or hole in the middle) pan. Sprinkle chopped nuts and coconut evenly over bottom of pan.

In a large bowl, combine cake mix and pudding mix. Mix in eggs, 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup oil, and 3/4 cup Irish Cream liqueur. Beat for 5 minutes at high speed. Pour batter over nuts and coconut in pan.

Bake for 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the cake comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes in the pan while you prepare the glaze. To make the glaze, combine butter, 1/4 cup water, and 1 cup sugar in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil and continue boiling for 5 minutes, sitrring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat and whisk in 1/4 cup Irish Cream.

Invert the cooled cake onton a serving platter. Prick top and sides of cake. Spoon glaze over top and brush onto sides of cake, until the glaze is absorbed.

- Recipe taken from Susan Wiggs' novel THE WINTER LODGE, p. 189-190

DON'T I LOOK LIKE A GINGERBREAD HOUSE TOO?

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

I like what Christmas Treat I am!

Besides the emotional context of the quiz,

I kind of look like a Gingerbread House, don't I??

LOL!!!

Thanks to JLee for another great little quiz!

LONG LIST of QUESTIONS

Basics
Birthday: Dec. 26, 1970 (I missed Christmas by a few hours!)
Height: 5'8"
Weight: I'm comfortable sharing a lot, but my actual weight, I am not.
Hair: Brown
Eyes: Hazel (Sometimes they look blue, sometimes green.)
Any piercings?: My ears - That's all!
Tattoos?: No - Don't want any on me! You can have them, but not me.
Any siblings?: One Brother, One Stepbrother
This or That: Both
Hugs or Kisses: Both - Any and All!
Coke or Pepsi: Pepsi (Vanilla Pepsi was my favorite, but they discontinued it! Hmph.)
Chocolate or Gum: Give me a break - Chocolate!
Friends or Family: Both (But mostly Friends)
Quad or Bike: Bike (What exactly is a Quad? A four-wheeler?)
Cats or Dogs: Dogs!
Love or Money: Love first, but you've got to make money to live, so. . .
Summer or Winter: Summer
Hot Tea or Iced Tea: Both depending on my mood
Movies or Reading: Reading
Beach or Lake: BEACH!!! No question!
Sleeping or Eating: Sleeping, but I do love eating too.
Green apples or Red apples: Green
Guy or Girl: For what? Guy, I guess?
The Simpsons or South Park: The Simpsons, without question.
ICQ or QIP: What is this???
Hook-ups or Relationships: No doubt - Relationships!
Brother or Sister: Brother!
Jeans or Shorts: When? Mostly shorts in Summer
Warm or Cold: Warm or Warm days with Cool nights
Milk or Water: Milk in my Coffee!
Day or Night: Both depending on the activity
New or Old: It depends!
Internet or TV: Why decide? I like both.
Shower or Bath: Shower when I'm in a hurry - Bath when I can take my time.
Car or Boat: I love boats!
Hip-Hop or Rock or Other: Other - Jazz and Contemporary Christian
Chinese Food or Spanish Food: Chinese
Christmas or Easter: Christmas
Flashlights or Candles: Candles!!!
Gold or Silver: Gold
Money or Gold: Money

Favorites
Color: Crimson Red or Chocolate Brown with Ice Blue
Day of the week: Mostly Friday, but also Thursday
Number: 7
Month: May
Time of the day: Evening
Season: Summer and Fall
TV channel: Fox News, ABC, and CW
TV show: "Smallville," "The Office," "Lost"
Drink: Starbucks' Green Tea Lattes or Frappucinos
Tooth Paste: Colgate
Game: Baulderdash
Website: www.TheElijahList.com
Cellphone Company: AT&T
Chocolate Flavor: Dark
Letter of the Alphabet: W
Flavor of Gum: Spearmint
Worst Time of the day: Morning - Getting up
Worst Day of the week: Monday

Have you ever..
cheated?: No
been cheated on?: No, not that I know.
been in love?: Yes
been on TV?: Yes
stolen anything?: No
been on stage?: Yes
passed out?: No
had surgery?: Yes
broke the law intentionally?: No, never
had a friend pass away?: Yes
been lied to?: Yes
been dumped?: Yes
dumped someone?: Yes, in college, but it was amicable.
had your heart broken?: Yes
been in love?: Yes
said I love you?: Yes
said I love you and meant it?: Well, Yes
wanted to tell someone you loved them but never have?: No
forgot someone's name?: Yes
cried over a boy or girl?: Yes
saw someone die?: No, not the actual moment of death
cut your own hair?: Yes
tried to be like someone else?: Unfortunately, Yes, when I was younger
ignored a call?: Yes
got revenge?: No

Do you..
do drugs?: No, never have
get drunk?: No
dance?: Yes!! I love to dance! I've got rhythm, and I do Praise and Worship Dance to the Lord!
play an instrument?: Jimba Drum
swear?: No
smoke?: No
get motion sickness?: No
wear contacts/glasses?: Yes, glasses
get good marks?: Yes, I try to.
watch cartoons?: No, not in a long time
drink milk?: Yes
write poems/stories?: Yes
take a particular medicine?: Yes, Insulin for Type 1 Diabetes
go to psychologist?: No, but I have a wonderful Christian Counselor who I would recommend to anyone.
have a pet?: Yes - A dog!
are you allergic to something?: Yes, seasonal allergies
play an online rpg?: No Way! I'm not into role-playing games.
get online on MSN a lot?: Occasionally
Google a lot?: Oh, Yes!
have fights?: No Way!
read magazines?: Yes
read comics?: No
how many hours do you sleep?: About 7
how frequently do you go to hairdresser?: Not as much a I would like - Every 2-3 months or so.
get along with teachers?: I better since I am a teacher, and I work with teachers.

Music
What's your preferred genre of music?: Jazz and Contemporary Christian
All-time favorite band/artist?: Sade, Seal, Third Day, Jason Upton, Margaret Becker - too many to list
All-time favorite song?: There are so many!
rock?: Not really
blues/jazz?: Oh, Yes!
classical?: Yes
rap?: Some
pop?: Some
country?: Not really
emo/screamo?: What???
heavy metal?: No Way!
techno?: Some
reggae?: Some
r&b?: Yes

Do you believe in..
God?: Absolutely
aliens?: No
ghosts?: Yes
afterlife?: Yes, Heaven and Hell
yourself?: Yes
astrology?: No
karma?: Somewhat

THANKSGIVING CHALLENGE!

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

"How Many Things Are You Thankful For?"

This is an activity that I made my students do in class yesterday. I set the timer for ten minutes, and every student had to write out as many things as he or she is thankful for in that time span. The record for the day was 113 things, but the average for all the students was around 60 to 80! That was wonderful! I was very pleased! I wish I could display for you the glows on my high school students' faces when they finished. Thinking of our blessings makes us feel real joy.

Not to be outdone for thankfulness and praise, I'm going to do the same thing. I've set my clock timer, and I'm going to write out/list what I'm thankful for too.

Why don't you join me in this activity? Set your timer (or just look at the clock), and write/list for 10 minutes. Either do this as a post here on my blog, or take it back to your blog and run with it!

You'll feel so good after doing it, and you'll be reminded that we really do have a lot to be thankful for!

My list is in RED! [My list is in no particular order. Just as they come to mind.]

What I'm Thankful For:
My Lord Jesus Christ
Prayer
My teaching job
My students
My fellow teachers Kelly, Jen, James, Lisa, Dianne, Mel, Jan, Gina, Roxanne, Ms. Sarvis, Frank...
The teaching list goes on, because I have so many people I love at school. . .
My car
My Westie Puppy Riley
My great neighbors Marty, Glen, Tiffany, Deborah, Dwayne, Johnny
My Mom
My Dad
My Brother Sam and Sarah Neil
My New Friendship/Romance with Green
My Faithful Friend Jen
Jen's Family Ken, Linda, and Kenny
Ken and Linda's culinary skills (Yum!)
Infants and Babies - Bodhi!
My Counselor Susan
My Dearest Friend and Prayer Partner Aimee
Aimee's family - Makenzie, Laney, Erin, Patrick, Gucci
My New Friend Brenda
My Home
Warmth
The Ocean
The Beach
Sunshine
Being able to walk
Having my sight
The Bible
Speaking in Tongues
Authentic Laughter
True Joy
New Friends
Awesomely enjoyable books
My MP3 Player
Great Music
Contemporary Christian Music
India Arie
Seal
Sade
Lisa McClendon
Erica Badu
Aeishya Woods
Thoughtful Conversations
Prayer (Again - it's that important!)
Great Questions
Love
Passion
Affection
Dreams
Hope
Kisses
Hugs
Smiles
Planning for the Future
Making Money
Having a Savings Account
Starbucks!!!
TGI Fridays
Awesome Restaurants
Delicious Barbecue
Holiday Parades!
Christmas
Thanksgiving
Macaroni And Cheese
Turkey
Cranberries
Dressing
Bread Pudding
Tiramisu
The Olive Garden
Lovely Fall Days
Tenderness
Understanding
Compassion
Pretty Jewelry
Reading the Scripture
God's Eye on Me (and You!)

Well, there you go, or, rather, there I go with my list!

It's not a complete list, because I can still think of more to say, but in ten minutes I think that is pretty good.

I'll spend the rest of the day thinking about what I wrote and all the other things I didn't write but wanted to!

I hope you do the same!

Now: Get to it!!! Start doing your list!

GO ON!

Happy Thanksgiving!

OUR WEEKEND IN PICS

As requested, here are pictures of our weekend.

The roses were a dozen gorgeous red ones that Green carried with him all the way from Boston to my door in South Carolina. WOW! Dreamy. . .

The picture of the food on the table is a special dinner that Green cooked for me. Actually, we worked on the meal together, but he orchestrated the whole fabulous meal and cooked the main dish which he featured on his March 19, 2007 blog post. It's called Chicken with Hollandaise Sauce. I encourage you to check it out. Green is a great cook. He also made another meal while here. Another WOW!

From the start, Green had confidence that our first face-to-face meeting and the whole weekend would go well. I was the one who was more nervous. As it turned out, it went fabulously. It was one of the best weekends ever! We both enjoyed one another's company immensely. We are A LOT alike in many ways. E-Harmony did do a good job!

I'll write more later, but right now, Green and I are trying to "talk him back" to Boston. It's 8 p.m., and he has been on the road since 7 a.m. this morning when I left for work. He still has about 8 more hours of driving time to get back to Boston. I still can't believe he had the fortitude to drive all this way to see me, but HE DID!!!! The Biggest WOW!!!

I'll keep you posted. . .