The holidays are here!!

Christmas is one of our favorite times of year. Given our elation over the approaching holiday, Jerome and I did not hesitate to get started on the holiday decorating. Saturday evening we decided to go get a tree at good ole' Home Depot, and then we spent the rest of the night decorating and listening to holiday music. This year we swapped out some of our previous ornaments for some new bronze and burgundy ones, and we were very pleased with the results! We also made sure to get out all of the holiday candles, which I must admit, is probably my favorite part of this season!

Jerome's putting the lights on our tree

The finished product

Love the festive candles and floral arrangement!

Our mantle (a.k.a the piece de resistance!)

Today we continued the holiday decorating by tackling the outside of our home. Jerome usually handles this on his own, but I decided to "fill up his love tank" and try my hand at light hanging. I wasn't too keen on touching the sometimes spider and insect ridden shrubbery, hence the "fabulous" green gloves, but I gave it my best shot, and managed to put lights on the trees and hedges.

Jerome handled the major structure of the house. I'll post some final product pics later, once the sun goes down!

Thanksgiving 2009

Jerome and I have many things to be thankful for this year. One of those things is our wonderful families. This Thanksgiving, Jerome and I decided to skip the two meals and hours of traffic on the freeway that this holiday usually offers to us, and we spent the entire day with my family at my sister's home in Menifee. Jerome's parent's decided to skip Thanksgiving plans, since all the siblings would be away at their significant others' families. This allowed us to truly relax and enjoy our holiday without having to rush between two places. The day was very mellow and relaxing, which was perfect, considering how hectic everything has been. My sister and her husband, Ernie, provided a delicious meal and a cozy home. Here are a few pictures we snapped during the day:

My brother Jeff, his wife Jodi, my nephew Dakota,

and two nieces Savannah and Georgia

My brother Jeff, me, and my sister Jackie

With my sis

Jackie and I with Dad

Two of my favorite people!

The hubby and I

Three pups waiting anxiously as Ernie carved the two

turkeys. They were hoping he would drop some meat on

the floor....

Quite possibly my new favorite dish- Brussels Sprouts sauteed with

bacon, cranberries and a little onion. I had never had them until this year,

and I am hooked!

An array of desserts

Overall, it was a great day, and we look forward to seeing everyone again soon!

Fall Table Setting

During one of the many trips we recently took to Target, Jerome and I scored this pretty berried wreath full of Fall colors for less than $2! We weren't quite sure what to do with it, but given the great price, I knew we could figure something out. We placed it on our dining room table, surrounded by some festive gourds (purchased at TJs) and candles to make a perfect harvest table centerpiece! I've never been in to decorating the table for the holiday or season, but I love the look of this, and I hope you do too!

A New Use for Kale

Trader Joe's has done it again! They currently have bunches of Flowering Kale, which happens to be one of my favorite plants! Cut the stems short and it makes a beautiful, simple yet sophisticated table arrangement. I seriously love it, and I hope they keep it in stock for awhile!

Wigs and Wine Party

Our friends George and Vanessa are getting married on November 21. As a fun alternative to a traditional couples shower, our friends and fellow wedding party members, David and Dana Fiori, threw the happy couple a "Wigs and Wine" themed couples shower. The gathering was full of yummy food, great wine and fun games.

The guys celebrating their win at "Wedding Taboo"

The ladies toasting their losing game!

Jerome and I both donned wigs from the props used at his work. I wore a long, dark wig, which had people dubbing me as a missing cast member from the Housewives of New Jersey. It was a total trip back to my old days of actually having hair that color! Although it looked pretty good, I definitely do not have any plans to go back to that color any time soon! Jerome sported a chin length wig that had him resembling Owen Wilson in The Royal Tenenbaums.

It was fun seeing all of our friends and their hair alter-egos, and we look forward to continuing the celebration (sans wigs) when the big wedding takes place next Saturday!

Jerome with the bride to be

Melissa, me, Elise and Dana

Pamela Masters Photography

Back in August, Jerome and I had the pleasure of having some portraits done by my amazing friend, Pamela Masters. Pamela and I have known each other since the 3rd grade, and through the monster that is Facebook, we were able to re-connect. Jerome and I, along with Louis and Lola, met up at the Viceroy Hotel in Santa Monica to do the shoot. Pamela and her assistant Anne were incredible! I have to admit that I was not used to posing for the camera, but Jerome was totally hamming it up. I wanted to just take a moment to thank Pam for the beautiful way she was able to capture our love and family on film. The pictures came out so beautiful and we couldn't be happier. If you haven't done so, please check out the link to Pamela Master's Photography. I highly recommend her for any special event or moment you hope to capture! From our shoot we have so many favorites, but I thought I'd pick a few to share. Thanks again Pamela!!

Kindergarten Cop meets the Sour Patch Kids

My 20 Kindergartners and I on our field trip to the Aquarium of the Pacific

So, it's been ages since I last posted, and the reason being is that I have been swamped with work. Thanks to the many prayers and the amazing support of my Principal, I was able to return to my school, Fryberger Elementary in Westminster, as a Kindergarten teacher. I had been praying for an opening in Kindergarten. It is a grade I have always wanted to teach, and the kids are so "cute", that I thought it would be the perfect next step for me. Wow! Let me tell you, the kids are cute, and I am definitely starting to enjoy this new grade level, but man, do they run me down! They have so much energy! From 8:00am when school starts until the last bell rings at 2:00pm, they are "on". I have a very eclectic bunch of students, some of which I refer lovingly to as the "Sour Patch Kids", because "first they're sour and then they're sweet". Have you seen the Sour Patch Kids candy commercial where the little sour patch cuts the girl's hair off, and then hugs her? Yep- that describes some of my kids to a T. They will

draw on tables, pull hair, pinch, poke and do a million other irritating things, for which they will be punished. Afterwards, they come and hug me after or tell me I'm beautiful or that they like my outfit. I guess they're working on their brown-nosing skills early....?

These past few weeks (OK, 2 months) have been quite an eye opening experience. Everything I thought I knew about classroom management, and teaching in general has been totally flipped upside down. The good news is, I'm starting to get back in to the groove of things. And, as it turns out, I'm really loving this new found world of tiny desks, jumbo crayons, ABC's, and 123's. I hadn't posted any pics of my classroom yet this year. I had to switch to a portable classroom this year, which has been both a blessing (a/c and endless bulletin board space) and a curse (only 1 cupboard and TONS of spiders lurking in every corner). Jerome and I (OK, mostly Jerome) worked hard to create a "zoo animal" theme.