"It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"



Merry Christmas from the BP!

Reasons why I love this time of year:
-Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate from Starbucks (if you haven't tried some, get some...I've had two in one day even)
-Swiss Miss Hot Chocolate in a Christmas mug at home
-Enjoying time in my sweats or fleece penguin pj's on the couch watching Christmas movies
-Christmas Music!! I highly recommend Michael Buble's new Christmas CD...even my 12 yr old students love him.
-Wrapping Christmas presents
-The movie Christmas Vacation....love it!
-Fleece slippers
-Looking at Christmas lights (for all family readers out there, I do enjoy this, just not in swirly neighborhoods, packed 10 in a van, for 30 minutes...I DO get car sick)
-Receiving Christmas cards (Thanks Jana, Lauren, and Libby...others, feel free to join the movement)
-Anticipating snow days (I'll give that some time)
-And the true reason to celebrate; the birth of or our Savior

Time to get back to watching Polar Express and sipping hot chocolate!!

The Turning of a New Page

Change: verb (used with object)

to make the form, nature, content, future course, etc., of (something) different from what it is or from what it would be if left alone: to change one's name; to change one's opinion; to change the course of history.

 

(No, I'm not changing my name, I'm always changing my opinion, and would like to think I occasionally change the course of history.)

 

A very big, exciting change happened to Tracie (owner of the BP*...aka- my landlord).  Her man got down on one knee and they will be tying the knot in May!  He'll be moving into her place...surely you see where this is going.  Change and a dis-banning of the BP.  We're thrilled for Tracie and Gordon, and this was a long time coming, so luckily I had a head's up to this change.  (Tracie knew I needed that due to my lack of love for change.)

 

The BP has been my only place of residency since graduating from college and opening the door to the real world and it's been a great place.  It's always been totally worth the 25 minute commute to work in order to live with these fun girls.  Jessica and I have begun the hunt for a new place and after some major strike outs...let's just say the house I found for us to look at had both of us scared to get out of the car in the daylight.  She said she needed to teach me how to use the "street view" on google maps.  We think we've found what could be the BP2.  So as much as I hate change, I think I can handle having a dishwasher, garage to tuck Lola the Corolla into, and master bedroom w/ bathroom and walk-in closet.  Now don't get me wrong, the original BP will always hold a special place in my heart.  :)

 

Here's a quote from one of my all-time favorite books, "So Long Insecurities" by Beth Moore. 

 

"God uses change to change us.  He doesn't use it to destroy us or to distract us, but to coax us to the next level of character, experience, compassion, and destiny.  How will we ever change if everything around us stays the same?  Or what will ever cause us to move on to the next place He has for us if something doesn't happen to change the way we feel about where we are?  God is thoroughly committed to finishing the masterpiece He started in us (Philippians 1:6) and that process means one major thing: change."

 

So I must say, I'm embracing this change and preparing to turn the page to a new chapter in life.  Congratulations Tracie and Gordon!  Feel free to still call it the BP :)

 

* Bachelorette Pad

A Day of Craftiness

As previously mentioned, DIY projects aren't always my thing.  However, this day of craft for the Sauder girls was very successful, if I do say so myself.  (Which I do.)  Crafty Barbie had seen the idea of making headbands on pinterest.  Which I hate to admit, I don't really even understand, but I've heard it's the newest, coolest thing.  So over Thanksgiving, my mom, The Kid, and I crafted it up. 

It's not very often (like never) that I'll use this blog as a platform for my wonderful "how-to" segments.  So pull up a seat and take notes.  First you buy some of your favorite fabrics, elastic, and any buttons, gems, or bling you want to accessorize.

You'll need a hot-glue gun, sewing machine (for basic sewing), iron, and some patience :) It helps to have a template, or a strip of fabric, cut out that fits around your head to use to cut out your fabrics.  After cutting out your strip of fabric, use the iron to crease the edges up to make it easier to sew. 

Honestly, this is when I'd pass the ironed strip to my mom for her to sew, so I'm not quite sure how to sew it.  Just run that strip of fabric through to sew the ironed edges down.  Next, sew in a piece of elastic to connect the ends of the strip. 

Finally you get to bedazzle the headband with flowers and buttons or jewels.  For this you take a different colored fabric strip and roll it up or fan it out how you like it.  There's really no right or wrong way to create the flowers.  You just need to hot-glue the fabric as you go to keep it together.  Then glue that to your headband.  Enough of me trying to explain this....check out pictures.

Mom with a finished product



The cheetah line



My day's worth of crafting


Now some of you lucky readers out there might be receiving one of these priceless, beautiful products for Christmas....so act surprised :)  Put your sweats on, get some yummy hot chocolate and stay in for a day of crafts!

Tis the Season

I just couldn't bring myself to title this post anything related to "Thanksgiving" due to the fact that it is now officially December. Crazy.  So know that this post is all about Thanksgiving, nothing about the Christmas season really.  A very deceiving title. 

With that out of the way, Thanksgiving break was great!  Yes, I can say 'break' because a joyous privilege of teaching little rugrats is that I still get multiple days off for Thanksgiving.  I personally apologize to all those out there who have "real jobs" and only received one day off.  I don't think I could ever work year round....not made for me. The Sauder clan, including Jana and Cade, who you'll be seeing many pictures of, made the trek down to Tulsa to be with my mom's side.  What a great time of  food, laughter, and even some daring Black Friday shopping!  This was really my first official venture out on Black Friday.  We went to Wal-Mart late Thursday night for me to get a new TV and Jana to get a little kitchen for Cade.  Notice our different seasons of life? :) We joked with Jana that everyone else waiting in line for these kitchens would be parents of girls....she didn't seem to mind. Cade is at the age where "imaginitve play" is important, so kitchen buying we did.  My mom still has a little kitchen that we all played with growing up and this entertained Cade for hours.  So I guess getting him is own kitchen for Christmas was not such a ridiculous idea.

Isn't he so cute!?

I'm going to interrupt my Thanksgiving post to brag on the cutest, smartest little boy ever.....Cade of course.  His latest thing is knowing people's names and giving kisses!  "Genchie" (Gentry) is one of my favorite words of his right now.  Whenever I enter the room he says it, so this solidifies the genius that he is.  Some adults can't even say my name.  We're not talking a basic "Mary" or "Sara", people.  Genius.  He's also very into giving long, almost seductive kisses....on the lips :) And when you laugh about it he just wants to pull you in and give you more. So cute!

Here are some pictures from our time in Tulsa and Great Bend.


Money-Manager Barbie balancing the checkbook...didn't know people still did this.




Cade and Aunt "Genchie"




Technology savvy Grandparents have a TV that plays 3-D movies
Three Blind Mice?





Even "Papa" enjoyed 3-D!



Cade is becoming quite a Momma's boy as he and Jana are best buds



See what I mean? Genius.




The Sauder girls




Grandmama made us all scarves to match our colleges




Cuddling with little Cader



A little out of order, but here's the Thanksgiving table