Finals are Over and Christmas is on its Way!

This is what our Kitchen looked like for the weeks leading up to Brian's finals. Also note our dinner just barely squeezing itself on to the dining table. Dinner went about like this:

Me: "Here is dinner sweetie. I'm going to say a prayer."

(I say a short prayer)

Silence

clink of spoon on bowl

patter of furious fingers on keyboard

clink of spoon on bowl

Me: "So how is the studying?"

Brian: "I hate law school"

Ok. Nice chat.

 I just had to get a picture of this...Brian wearing his sweater with his huge books out. Someday I hope it will all be a vague memory.

 But THANKFULLY, finals are over (until next spring when Brian will GRADUATE, and then have to take the bar) and Christmas is almost here. Our stockings are hung by the chimney with care (or thumb tacks) and our tiny little tree is at least adorned with a few lights. There are a few presents waiting under the tree, but most importantly.....

 There are Christmas TREATS!

 These cookies are absolutely delicious. You can find the recipe over at my favorite cooking blog of all time Our Best Bites. I also added some Andes peppermint pieces which I have never seen or used before this year (they are so yummy!). If you like peppermint and chocolate then you will not want to miss these cookies. They are fairly easy and oh so good!

Bring on the pounds, oh Holiday Season, for it wouldn't be the same without them.

I hope you all have a wonderful Christmas.

Pigeons and Friends

This is a pigeon.

But I'm assuming you know that.

Pigeons like cities.

They like to annoy people.

And they like warm cozy roofs of schools.

Especially when the tiles on the overhangs blow off in huge windstorms and they can fly up inside and explore the whole empty space including air vents and the like.

I also think think they like the sound of my voice.

Why else would the pigeons congregate in the ceiling in my classroom and spend the first three hours of the schoolday cooing and fluttering and being an incredible distraction to all my students?

I hope Tom (our building manager) can get them all out. Last year he said this happened and he got six pigeons out of the roof and had to chase them down the hallways at the school and out the door. I can only imagine trying to teach a lesson on metaphor while THAT is going on in and or outside the door of my classroom.

On another note, I got together with some of my best friends in the entire world this weekend. Janie, Amanda, Kati, Annie, and I all had a luncheon (which turned into an entire day, evening, and night) at Janie's house. It was so great to talk about anything and everything with such wonderful people. Janie, Amanda, and I stuck around after the lunch (Annie and Kati had other obligations) and sat on the floor of Janie's living room until 9:30. We didn't even eat dinner or do anything really besides talk and play with Isabelle. It was awesome. I'm glad we are all in the same state, even if we don't see each other as often as I would wish. There is just something about friends that you've known since first grade or before that is simply special. Thanks to all my friends out there, but especially those who still love me even though they know WAY too much about me. I love you all.