I Have Been a Busy Little Bee...I Mean Elf

This month has been extremely busy. I've been grading final projects and finals for my students. I have had several of my student teachers get permanent jobs already. Usually jobs don't come up midyear, but this year, there were several of them that came up, and I had some exceptional student teachers fill the openings. This may sound odd, but I feel like a proud mama. It's been quite busy on the home front as well. As you know, my son got married in June. So we needed to add a new Christmas stocking to our stockings. I'm a little bit OCD about the stockings looking similar and that they belong in the same family. And I had previously made all the others, so I made my daughter-in-law a stocking. Aren't they cute?

Her's is the fourth from the left.

Yah, we don't have a fireplace :( so this is the next best place.

My next project were gifts for my team and my boss. Aren't these table runners cute too? They are so super easy to make, you only need to sew four seams. And sew the button on, but with my sewing machine that is super easy. 

My daughter-in-law wanted a cute apron for Christmas. (We've already exchanged our gifts, so I can show you this now.) So I made her one. I had an absolute blast making this for her. In fact, I want to make another one, it was so much fun. Take a look below.

It's reversible even!

I also made my daughter-in-law a jewelry stand that she wanted, but I didn't take any pictures of it :( but you can see where my inspiration came from here.

Last, but not least, you may have noticed a new blog design here. Thanks to Barbara at Ruby Slippers Blog Designs, I have this darling new design. She was amazing to work with. It was like she was inside my head and new exactly what I wanted. If you're in the market for a new blog design, go check her out, you will love the experience! If I don't post before then, have a Merry Christmas everyone!

Still Here and a Christmas Game Freebie

I'm still here. I'm still trying to balance my life with my new position and all. My husband was so on board with me making a change, but now that he sees how much work I do at home, I'm not sure if he's liking it all that well ;/ But I absolutely LOVE what I'm doing, and I am slowly finding my balance. 

So, let's move onto the FREEBIE! OK, so some of you might think this game is a little on the morbid side, but nevertheless, it's a fun game and the little darlin's will love to play it. I have no idea where this game originated, but it's been floating around my old school for a few years now. If any of you out there know its creator, please let me know so I may give credit where credit is due.

Students roll the dice and put the items on as directed in the rules. But, if they roll a six, everything comes off, including the tree, hence…burning Christmas tree! If you want this freebie, please click on the picture below.

Enjoy!

Don't Eat Pete Freebie

We are partying tomorrow. I made this Don't Eat Pete Game. The little darlin's just LOVE playing it. I love the Melonheadz clip art! Just click on the picture to get your free game. Enjoy!!

A Holiday Linky

I'm linking up with Marie at The Hands On Teacher for her Holiday Linky. If I have one weakness it is Christmas picture books. I. LOVE. THEM. Santa always brought my children a book every year. Now that my baby is 18, you can guess, well, we have a few. I also have another collection of them at school too. Here are a few of my favorite Christmas books to share with my class.

Love Patricia Polacco. This is a story about a boy and his father who find a second-hand tapestry which they want to use to cover up the damage to a wall in their church. There is a lot more to this tapestry, as an old Jewish woman recognizes it, and brings about a true Christmas miracle.

OK, the cutest book ever!! A hilarious series of letters to Santa follows Jimmy's experience one Christmas. He has some outrageous requests.

This is a great book to introduce writing a persuasive letter to Santa or whomever.

Sweet story. Set in the WWII era. A simple story of love and giving during the Christmas season. The art in this book is photocollage and really brings the story to life. The book even shows you how to make simple ornaments for the tree.

I'm sure most of you know about this book. Soooo cute! This book clues us in on just how does Santa get up and down that chimney. 

You've probably seen this all around Pinterest, but if not, this is the book to use for a fun writing activity about how your kiddos would get Santa out of the  chimney.

There are so many more books I could recommend, but I better stop for now.

The Best Christmas Ever!

I have to admit, Christmas is not my favorite time of the year. I'm not really a Scrooge or Grinch, it just seems that the whole reason of the season gets lost each year for me, and it leaves me feeling empty inside. And this year was no exception.

About 6 years ago, my family and I decided to "skip" the traditional Christmas -- no tree, no presents, lights, or decorations. Instead we took the whole family to Florida for a trip to Disneyworld. That was our whole Christmas. It was wonderful! We created a family memory that none of us will forget. It brought us closer together as a family as well. That was the best Christmas ever!