Christmas Decor- Inspiration

This is our first Christmas in the new house (he still really needs a name), so I am having a blast decorating it for the holidays. It is also exciting because I am hosting Christmas for the Harvard family, so somebody besides Brooks, Woody, the dogs and me will see it! I am keeping up with my green and neutrals theme, so these wonderful pictures have been great inspiration for getting my tail into high gear.

Simple and Natural Table Settings

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Christmas Card Display (I won't go into why you haven't received mine, but IT IS NOT MY FAULT!)

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Simple Wrapping Paper with Greenery

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Christmas Mantle 

(Without stockings for little ones to pull down)

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Chalkboard Art

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Bowls of Ornaments

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Hopefully, I will have some pictures of the house to share with you shortly!

4 Days (And a slight vent)

Four days until I am out for Winter Break. (Although my husband and co-workers say it is really 3 days since we have already woken up for today.)

(Totally applies to two weeks off for Winter Break)

I need a break. In the worst kind of way. I am the most non type-A, perfectionist person...except when it comes to teaching. I want to do the best job, and sometimes I tend to make my life (and my students' lives) miserable trying to achieve the impossible. It is hard to accept that sometimes I will bomb a lesson, I will let students down, I won't get everything done, lessons will be too hard, lessons will be too easy.

I have to realize that my job isn't always to cram a standard down their throat, but might be to try to teach them about kindness and how to treat others. (Maybe I need to teach myself this too...) To keep my spirits up for the week, I thought it might be nice to share a moment that reminded me of why I love my job.

{Class was watching a black and white clip in their Social Studies class)

Sweetest Child "S": Wow, what was the world like when it was all black and white?

Class: Yeah! When did our world turn to color?

Maybe my job for today is to teach them about camera technology.

Thanks for reading my vent :)

Thanksgiving Break

Lot of pictures, not too many words....

We are really into boxes 

We are still working on smiling

Cousin photo op...

(Jake, Maddox, Woody, and Marrell)

And lots of playing outside...

Brooks attempting to ride a five year old's skateboard down a hill. Don't worry, he ate it.

When we returned to Atlanta, I tried my best to get some photos for our own family's Christmas card. Eh.....

We were really over smiling.

I have so much to be thankful for it hurts! Hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving as well!

I am here.

Struggling, but here.

My friend, Catherine, gave me a great suggestion- For your third trimester, you should be able to go on maternity leave. I've got two weeks until my third trimester (cue panic), and would feel much more comfortable relaxing on my couch than teaching up until my due date.

In other random news...

This bathroom.

I know, right? As much as I love, adore, and am so appreciative of our new home, it is without a tub. And did you know that a tub is in the top five mandatory things all pregnant women need. I took two baths a day while I was at my parents' house over Thanksgiving. Now I will close my eyes, and imagine that I am in the above picture. Ahhhhhhhhhhh

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And after I got out of my tub, I would put on this outfit with my perfect, un-greasy ponytail. The poncho would perfectly cover my bump and bum.

Awesome. Back to reality....

Word.

Melt my heart. The large dog is our Scout. Brooks adopted her in college shortly before we began dating. Then Senior Harvards adopted her. She is going through a rough time health wise, and it did my heart good to spend some quality time with her.

Will return soon with Thanksgiving pictures. (I put them all on Husband's computer...whoops.)