CHRISTMAS CARD 2011

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When I printed these off at Wal-Mart, the photo attendant flipped through the pictures...paused...and stared quizzically before asking:

"Do you guys live in a a garage?"

Umm...no. 

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For anyone who is confused by our Christmas picture, we do not in fact, live in a garage. We took a few pieces of furniture from our current rental home (that is heated, carpeted, and comfortable, I might add) and moved them briefly to our new house (that is currently being built) for the shoot. It is supposed to be funny. 

Please tell me you guys get it. 

My favorite part of the photoshoot was at the very end. While packing up my tri-pod, Andrew's business partner unexpectedly showed up to find Andrew...chillin' in a bathrobe...at a construction site. Ha! 

"So...you guys movin' in already?"

Anyway, happy holidays, folks. See you after Christmas!.

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Love,
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Andrew and Rachel

BE-YOU-TIFUL

At church, I work with the teenage girls. For Christmas, the adult leaders made these signs for the girls as gifts. 

I volunteered to get the wood. Andrew and I happen to have a lot of it hanging around these days. We cut scrap wood and routered the edges to look pretty. 

Understand that I use the term "we" loosely. I have a great fear of tools with the ability to permanently remove appendages from my body. 

Then, I distressed the edges with sandpaper. 

Next, the leaders all met to modge podge the letters on. The YW President had cut them out using her Cricut. 
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(in case you're interested, she used the fonts Rage Italic for the cursive letters and Andalus for the rest.)  

I love the emphasis on the fact that being uniquely you is what makes you beautiful...not by how you compare to others. I don't think young woman hear that enough. 

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Each sign was made using different colors and designs...as if to further illustrate this point. 

Then I took tags with this quote...

(also made by our super creative YW President) 

And tied them to each sign with ribbon.

All ready to go!

I think the girls really liked picking out their own. I thought I'd pass this idea along to others in the Young Women organization for Christmas or birthday gift ideas...or just anyone with a young lady in their life. 

Our inspiration came from here. I'm sure you can find similar ones all over the Internet for ideas.

NINETEEN EIGHTY-SOMETHING

Above, is my husband--as an itty-bitty, wittle cutie guy.
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{Go ahead and say it...all together now:  aww!}
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I keep this photo on my fridge year-round, no joke. It makes my heart happy: the dimples, the pj's, the little clasped hands...

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And it kindles the expectation of one day, having the cutest dang kids in existence. Just look at that beaming, miniature of Andrew! 

ODE TO THE DOUGHNUT

Doughnut, oh, Doughnut
You're wonderful stuff
I love you, oh, Doughnut
I can't get enough. 

You start out as dough
Then you're deep fried in grease 
at this point, my yearning
will only increase.
you're covered with frosting
and sprinkles galore
you're sugar encrusted
I must have some more!

Doughnut, oh, Doughnut
there on my plate
you ease all my sorrows
I think I'll eat eight.
Hang on a minute, 
What's that you say?
my dear friend, the pastry
will only betray?

Doughnut, oh, Doughnut
you've broken my heart
I thought you would love me 
'til death do us part
Alas, you have tricked me,
the results appear grim
Never mind, doughnut...
I'm going to the gym.

--Rachel Ashmore

The result of Andrew leaving town for a week?

Rachel spends her evenings writing love poems to fried, ring-shaped sweets. And speaking in the the third person.

Thank goodness he'll be back tonight.

"SYNONYM" ROLLS

We discussed synonyms in class. Using an idea I found HERE, I introduced the idea of "synonym rolls." I drew outlines of cinnamon rolls freehand with a marker, copied enough for everyone, and the kids listed as many synonyms for assigned words as they could throughout the spirals. 

The finished products were turned in to cookie sheets for "baking."

Lots of comments on this fun, easy bulletin.

IT IS BETTER TO LOOK UP

"At the end of a particularly tiring day toward the end of my first week as a General Authority, my briefcase was overloaded and my mind was preoccupied with the question “How can I possibly do this?” I left the office of the Seventy and entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building. As the elevator descended, my head was down and I stared blankly at the floor.

The door opened and someone entered, but I didn’t look up. As the door closed, I heard someone ask, “What are you looking at down there?” I recognized that voice—it was President Thomas S. Monson.

I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.” (I’m sure that clever response inspired confidence in my abilities!)

But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!” As we traveled down one more level, he cheerfully explained that he was on his way to the temple. When he bid me farewell, his parting glance spoke again to my heart, “Now, remember, it is better to look up.”

As we parted, the words of a scripture came to mind: “Believe in God; believe that he is … ; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.” As I thought of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ’s power, my heart found the comfort I had sought in vain from the floor of that descending elevator..."

--Carl B. Cook

A woman from church dropped by last week with THIS printed talk and a helium balloon (you have to read the whole talk to entirely understand the balloon idea ). 

She is not my visiting teacher and I never considered us especially close friends...but she was there, I am convinced, as an answer to prayer. My heart needed the message, and it provided strength to do hard things.


My favorite passage:

"President Monson’s encouragement to look up is a metaphor for remembering Christ. As we remember Him and trust in His power, we receive strength through His Atonement. It is the means whereby we can be relieved of our anxieties, our burdens, and our suffering. It is the means whereby we can receive the faith and strength to endure all things."

And I love my happy, yellow balloon. :) Isn't that a cute idea?

CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

 MVI_2071 a video by hibbard_ashmore430 on Flickr.

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I went to our house (the one we're building) last week to take pictures of the progress. Andrew was nowhere to be seen...but I could hear a hammer pounding and music floating up from the crawl space underneath my feet.

Maybe I'm the only one who finds this heartwarming, but I wanted to capture what I found below: my husband all by himself, busy doing something manly with tools, with bright and happy Christmas music blaring on the radio.  

I just love that guy.

P.S. Click on the movie to make it bigger.  

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READ-ALOUD BULLETIN BOARDS

Our read-aloud book last month was "Frindle" by Andrew Clements. It is such a fun read, and I love that it goes over definitions and dictionaries. We spend so much time on dictionary skills in 3rd grade that it fits perfectly with the curriculum.

This focus bulletin was easy: colored print-out of the book cover, an enlarged dictionary definition for the word frindle, and a giant butcher paper pen...er...I mean, frindle. I tried to give the cap dimension with white chalk highlights and by curling the paper slightly to look round. 

In October, our read-aloud book was the hilarious, adorable "Bunnicula" by Deborah and James Howe. I wanted to help my kiddos keep the characters straight, so I made this bulletin. I added white vegetables and my favorite quote from the story for good measure. 

Any of you teachers have favorite read-alouds to recommend? Do share!