the disturbers

"of happiness are our desires, our griefs, and our fears"~according to Mr. Samuel Johnson. I would add going abruptly back to work after Christmas on a cold morning to that list. Next year, I'm taking the 26th off.

But. Traffic was non-existent today and, with only two of us at school, we plowed through a ton of work.

Carried that over into tonight and finished packing. All that's left are the bits/bobs that I need for the next two days!! Very excited that I will soon be living in civilized autonomy again. 

memories of merriment

Santa got stuck in the chimney.  

While I now have decades of cosy Christmas memories, today is going to be in one of the top five forever. J & I were awake a couple of hours before everyone else, so we just snuggles by the tree. I had coffee, he built some elaborate construction with geometric blocks and we talked.

While I got some thoughtful, and useful, and extravagant gifts~this group gift of fake snowballs is probably the best thing ever! We had at least one lively round of pelting each other while the baby stared in wonder at the madness over her head. 

Bulging stockings! My favorite part of Christmas. Outside of lefse. And carol singing.

The dawn.

Part of the carnage.

And then we needed to be amped up by the sugary goodness of Monkey Bread before round...four? five? I forget how many segment of gift openings we did.

The full carnage.

Sweetest little tote bag!

the eve of merry

Santa's on his way... 

CupKate's first Christmas~she already ripped a gift open last night and utterly delighted with the process. I imagine she'll be a pro by the end of tomorrow. 

 It's not a true winter holiday until the lefse is baking.

We had Christmas dinner tonight so we can be lazy and simply enjoy tomorrow and eat the leftovers. 

 A sweet little elf appeared after bathtime to shoe me her fancy pjs and her ballerina ornament.

And then a wee Santa appeared. (The hats stayed on about 30 seconds.)

Tomorrow promises to be a lively day.

Wishing everyone some cosy, some merry, and something delicious to eat.

visions of sugar plums

A decadent gift from the west coast branch of Dunstons. 1/3 of these are mine~come on by and I'll share.

Part of the gingerbread village under construction.

Building goes slowly when the workers keep eating the materials.

If you've got to pack during the holidays, may as well wear a tiara during the final stages. 

My walking buddies. Such lively conversation happens while we're out/about. I treasure each walk and am stashing all these memories.

Massive onion rings for dinner!!

A quick stroll around the Wegman's square.

I should stop taking these photos, but he slays me. Vanilla ice cream absolutely thrills him, but he is so intense while eating his cone.

Next year I'm skipping buying gifts and just handing out bags of marshmallows~it's what makes them ecstatic. And now that we've watched The Grinch and opened a couple of presents, it's time for a long winter's nap and all the festivities of the Eve.

moon magic

Utter exhaustion, but with red lipstick and green earrings tackled the last day of the term. My exams got graded, I generated report cards for the whole school, and got next term's grading system set up. Also had a lot of impromptu meetings as the four of us administrators had the school to ourselves and could actually finish conversations.

I laughed SO hard at this gift from a colleague. She didn't know the entire saga of my lunatic landlady and candles/garlic. I am sitting burning it tonight to celebrate the first day of winter. I am so over communal living.

I tried taking photos of the moon as I got home tonight, but none of them turned out. But. This is exactly what it looked like. So glad the storms lifted so we could see it. Did I mention it was freakishly warm today?

One more set of piano lessons tomorrow and then it's all gingerbread houses and sugarplum crafting and lots of Christmas cuddles with some darling Littles.

lily pad

There are still Christmas miracles...people kept saying to not worry about finding an apartment~like it's an easy thing. Maybe it is for some people. But for me~low-income (for this region), massive student loans, no full-time job for almost a decade, and with really no rental history for two years?

I don't look good on paper.

Fortunately, I found Brooke three weeks ago~a realtor who took up my cause and pledged to find me a home. Unfortunately, she was headed out of the country for a trip. But she turned me over to Ms. Serene.

Who didn't really do anything for two weeks. But. She persisted and worked on my behalf and this afternoon? I turned in my deposit. 

I'll post my own photos once I move, but this place has all my requirements and many more perks!  My non-negotiables are a W/D in the unit and a bathtub. My preferences are for a gas stove and a top floor. I got all of that, plus a balcony, covered parking, AND a fireplace. (not real.) It's also right on one of the new Metro stops, so my commute just got a whoooooole lot better. And I'm 17 miles from my sis. And, there are two pools and not many children in the complex, so I'm gonna go ahead and invite my Little right on over for summer fun.

Movers are booked and I'm almost packed. And now I can exhale into a steady life~with my final exam given today, I am down to one full-time job and soon, I will have a home of my own for a year. It's glorious to contemplate some stability in my life.

well feted

 With these red kitten heels, even this introvert was excited for our faculty party tonight.

We went to the exquisite Lebanese Taverna

The puffiest bread I have ever eaten~it was so hot, steam poofed out when you broke it.

I didn't catch the name of this dessert (and it's not on the menu), but it was non-sweet and feathery light. Drizzles of rose water and pistachio crumbs added an interesting finish.

One of our teachers 'dabbles' with baking. Uh-huh. Chocolate peppermint cake. Just a joyful evening with colleagues. And yes~people photos are coming.

you're welcome

It just seemed like a day that needed a pun. 

Trying out a kicky lipstick. And yes, I have PLENTY of time to safely take selfies while sitting in traffic.

Arrived to find that it was cookie exchange day. Had a hard time avoiding them all~especially these lovely little homemade crepe/pancakes with honey/butter to drizzle upon them.

Practicing deep breathing as I wait for housing to appear.