Sweatshirts and Flip Flops an Arizona Christmas

I love Christmas. 

I love the slowing down and just being home. I love the Lifetime Christmas movies that all have the same plot, Christmas romance with someone saving the day just in time. I love the magic of wishes and hopes. I love that it is dark outside until seven thirty and I get to be snuggled in bed under my down comforter. I love going to late night movies and having time to mop my floor and read books that I want to read. I love hearing my children's laughter and talking with my family. We get to just BE. What a gift. I love that our hearts are turned to the Savior. I love this time of year and goal making. I especially love the mild Arizona climate that enables me to be sitting here in my living room, hair in a messy knot on my head in flip flops and a sweatshirt. Did you know that flip flops is not a compound word but sweatshirt is? Yes. I just looked it up to be sure. HA.

Someone chose my little family to do the 12 days of Christmas to. It was so kind. My kids (actually...especially Aydan) ran to the door each morning to see what had been left next. Our home was given thoughtful sweet gifts that brought the Christmas spirit into our home. THANK YOU. Thank you for the Christmas magic. What you may not know is I was totally OUT of Christmas magic this year. Rocky the Elf did not make an appearance and I actually told Ellie who has the heart of a believer that Santa was not real. SO whoever you are, thank you for being our Christmas magic. We needed a little Santa magic! I love to give, I love to help but I have found myself in a position where sometimes I have to receive. I am learning to receive. It can be humbling to learn how to receive and a blessing. I think learning how to receive love, to take it in, and then share it the best we can with others is a universal law. Thank you for loving us. We love and appreciate whoever you are so, so much. 

My kids were up at four thirty! I tried very hard to ignore them but they woke me up at 5:30 and then came and piled on top of me at 6:00 to get up. It was so fun seeing them so happy. I had looked at the presents under the tree. There were three for each of them, plus a gift they had purchased for each other. I wondered if it would be enough. I had a few little surprises up my sleeve from Santa. They were so, SO, happy and it made me happy that they were happy. THEY didn't feel like it was a small Christmas and for that I was grateful. 

I am so grateful to my family, they made Christmas so special for us. I loved being with them! My Mom bought me some much needed tops to freshen up my closet. I am really excited to wear them. 

French Toast Custard

I love this easy to throw together breakfast dish. I usually only make it for Christmas morning breakfast. It is either this or Crepes. Here is the recipe:

8-10 slices of day old French Bread (1 in. thick)

5 TBL butter melted

4 eggs

2 egg yolks

3 cups of milk

1 cup of whipping cream

1/2 cup sugar

1 TBL vanilla extract

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

Confectioners' sugar to dust the top

Brush both sides of the bread with butter;place in a greased 9x13 pan. In a large bowl, beat eggs and yolks. Add milk, cream, sugar, vanilla, and nutmeg; mix well. Pour over the bread. Cover and chill overnight. Remove from the fridge thirty minutes before baking. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for 55-60 min. or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before serving. Dust with confectioners sugar. About 8-10 servings. 

Enjoy! XOXO- The Sunny D

Teacher Holiday Hangover

Spoiler Alert: I am sorry to disappoint you but this hangover I am talking about has nothing to do with alcohol. 

The holidays and teaching are like two words that should go together like puppies and kittens. This time of year requires the professionalism of a CEO and the grace of Jesus. It's true. 

I'd love to outline just one of my days for you: Up at 6 at work by 7:30, teach all day, flat tire, three hours at BIG O tire for the flat fix and an oil change. I luckily had running clothes in the car so while I was waiting I graded a stack of papers and then headed out for a run. I rushed to my daughters choir concert where I barely made it into the wing of the stage where I could luckily slip in because I was staff. I get to watch the concert, run to grocery store to bring treats to my Book Club holiday party. I walked in and was telling the girls about my day and one asked, "Did you have the day off?" 

I WISH. That was AFTER work and my kids were at their Dad's. Add the kiddos into the mix.....crazy town.

Put this on repeat for two straight weeks interchanging different concerts, school functions, church functions, scenarios. There were three nights in a row I wasn't home before ten. It can be challenging. 

Second grade Christmas concert we had a role to play where we walked across the stage in aprons and hot chocolate mugs while the children sang beautifully....amidst cat calls...that may or may not have been family members of mine. Probably. Let's hope. 

Now all of this stuff is fun but it is BUSY and it takes its toll even when you are trying to take very good care of yourself and eat healthy foods, exercise, keep the house clean, work, be a Mom....Oh, and get ready for Christmas!

My cute baby Ellie at one of her choir concerts. She has the MOST AMAZING choir director. Mr. Rittenhouse never disappoints in his concerts. They are amazing! 

I tried. I didn't get Christmas cards out, I didn't make treats for friends at church or neighbors, I didn't buy my friends gifts. I did however work all the way until December 22 and I did my best. I made ONE, ONE batch of cookies. 

I did prep healthy foods which helped me to feel good and have energy!

I did try to release stress by getting some exercise on the regular even if that meant forgoing a date on a Friday or Saturday night to hit the gym. A girl has to function. In fact on this run I hit a mileage high since I have been able to run again at 5.5 miles which felt so good. 

In lieu of a parent gift this year I used the money I would normally spend to buy fabric to make a blanket. Each child in my class helped to tie the blanket and this morning my own personal children and I delivered it to the Child Crisis Center. I had my class make a Christmas card explaining that I wanted them to feel the true spirit of giving and Christmas. I wanted to really teach them what true joy is. We made handmade ornaments for their tree but used craft materials I already had and glitter. They wrapped those up too. 

On the last day of class I had a fire projected on my projector screen and Christmas music. We had a lovely day together. I love that little class of mine. We had a nacho party with a game. As my parent helpers were passing out the nachos I was occupying my class with a game of bingo. It was so well planned and smooth...until a poor child threw up all over the front of the classroom. It was cleaned up promptly and we went on with our party. However, I had not really eaten anything and could not shake the headache and feelings of nausea I was having. School ended, my little second grade cherubs went on their way to their homes and I started to crash. 

It was like the end of a marathon..mile 22 when your IT bands are seizing up and you are just. trying. to. get. to. the. finish. line.

And then all of a sudden you are there. 

I was home by 4:30 and I had such a roaring headache I lay down for a minute. Minute meaning, I didn't wake up until 8:30 the next morning! I ran some errands, got my car washed, (Merry Christmas to me!), cleaned, and crashed again for two and a half hours. I woke up folded laundry, hit the gym and a movie. That is the Holiday Hangover. You think you have the flu too but you are just exhausted. 

I think nearly every teacher I know experiences the "teacher hangover." In order to get over it you have to sleep for at least 12 hours straight, with naps intermittently for then following 36 hours. Then VOILA, you are back to being you! This is why school breaks are necessary and not a luxury. I feel like this for the first 36 hours of every school break. Thank goodness we have them!

I love being a teacher. It is a job that challenges me in SO many wonderful ways. There is continued growth and learning. I love the holidays with my second graders. I love their tender hearts. I love going to the holiday concerts. I love when I stop being busy because I am then able to stop and just be grateful for my blessings, my job, the quiet, the rest, my friends, my children. I literally have awoken each morning with gratitude in my heart and feeling so thankful. I love that. It is really hard to work all the way up until the 22nd of December but I am excited that now I get two whole weeks off. I am so excited for 2018. This last year was so good to me in so many ways I can't wait to see what the future holds. In the meantime though, I will just enjoy today, that it is a slow day, Christmas Eve Day, enjoying church services and my children and family kind of day. 

I hope your Christmas is filled with love, hope, and warmth. 

XOXO- The Sunny D 

2017 Exquisite Growth

The steep hike in Cinque Terre, Italy.....a day to remember forever, a dream to go back.

I saw a question on Facebook that has had me thinking. It said use one word to describe 2017. If I were to use one word to describe 2017 I would say it was: GROWTH. Growing pains are just that, painful. However, they are necessary. I love this picture so much. I love it because it shows all my imperfections but it also shows who I really am. I am someone who is happy, adventurous, not afraid to try new things, go new places, loves being outside, exercising, with the sun on my shoulders, ASU shirt on and really those are just a few things. I am grateful that I KNOW who I am, even if sometimes I forget. It can be easy to forget when circumstances make you question your worth. It is easy to compare. Why compare? Just get out there and kick some tail. 

Never Question Your Worth. Ever. 

The Spider spins its web taken in the Royal Rose Garden in London. 

Another huge lesson I learned this year was to trust my gut. My intuition is very good. Detecting lies is easy for me because I can feel it. I literally get physically sick to my stomach. I can feel the omissions and it seems like that is the most common way for someone to be deceiving. I am not interested in deceit or slight or gross omissions. I feel like when someone doesn't tell the truth, or partial truths, it is because they don't have the confidence to do so. Transparent is how I live my life. I am honest, I am straight forward and I expect the same from others. Transparency in any type of relationship builds respect and loyalty two character traits I highly value. 

St. Paul's Cathedral in London we heard an AMAZING organ concert there on Sunday. My heart was so full. 

I appreciate intelligence and wit. I love a good conversation and witty banter. I love feeling challenged or like I have met my match in a conversation. That is important to me and something I learned this year. I value culture, manners, decency, and morals. I love when I am with people who share my love of music and art. I love when I am with people who I can learn from about these topics. In fact, I have almost an insatiable curiosity at times that I devour new ideas and learning new things. I love it. It doesn't matter the topic. Learning is growth. 

Paris. My true hometown. 

Je T'aime Paris. I long to go back. 

Difficulties. This year brought its share of difficulties. However, for the most part I feel like I tackled them head on. I feel like I am stronger. I did not always handle the difficulties with grace. The curse of the feisty woman. HOWEVER, I am and have learned from those difficulties. I have had a voice. I have made proactive and positive choices. I have moved forward quickly and truly been brave. I am proud of that. I did not do it alone though. I have an army of angels that walk with me in this life,my friends and family. I leaned heavily on them. I relied on the one person I trust wholeheartedly and that is Heavenly Father. 

I learned that every day I have a choice. I can choose to be great, mediocre, or just lame. I can choose adventures. I can be kind and grateful. I can count the good things I did that day instead of beat myself up. I can be and am just enough. 

2017- joy, growth, pain, sadness, love, hurt, hard work, inspiring, adventure, new beginning, fresh start, anew, kindness, friends, family, happy. 

Slay La Vie 2017. Now to slay 2018. 

The Sunny D- XOXO Growth the bitter, the sweet, the reward....priceless. 

It is Good For You

No. I would not rather be cross stitching. The last time I cross stitched it was to pass off a Merry Miss requirement and my Mom was my leader. Now, I am not saying that cross stitching is not a beautiful art form. It truly is, I just don't think I'd rather be doing it. Or have a license plate that says cross stitching defines my hobbies in life. Whatever your hobbies are though, go forth and enjoy them is what I say. I am rediscovering hobbies I love right now and it is absolutely delicious. I am going to the gym again which I had to give up to heal my back after a car accident in July.

 One morning my friend Laura suggested I try some collagen in my drink. It helps with sore muscle recovery. It has zero flavor and you can add it to any drink. Well, in true Sunny D fashion I added it to the best drink in the whole world my good morning Diet Coke. It was a fresh one, I had just gone through the drive through at McDonald's. I was licking my lips ready for my morning cup of ambition. I added the collagen. Not one scoop but two for good measure. I was really sore. The next thing that happened was closer to a chemical reaction science experiment, it began to fizz, and bubble, and rise out of the cup. I stirred..I was NOT losing my diet coke I was going to drink that thing, dang it! I put the straw in stirred it a bit and lifted the straw out to see a globby, gloopy, stringy like booger hanging off the end. It will still be OK. It doesn't have any flavor I told myself. I drank deeply and coughed up what can only be described as curdled diet coke. Which I had to pour out my door. Lost forever with Laura and I laughing heartily. 

The week kind of followed in this manner. I worked very hard teaching my class how to measure objects and what we use to measure. I taught them strategies to measure correctly. For instance, start at the zero, use a ruler, make sure to look at what side you are using inch or centimeter. So, we had the test and here are some of my second graders fabulous answers. I felt as if I had failed them in measurement this week but also love grading sentences so much at this age. Even if it's a lose, it's a win. I mean you know, it's good for you. Why wouldn't it make sense to measure your turkey or feed your bunny carrots? It just does. 

It was my dear Heather's birthday and I was lucky enough to spend the afternoon with her. I love her. Isn't she so pretty. 

I am so lucky and happy. I have a full happy life. I have friends, real ones, good ones. My life is simple and I am in love with it. 

Here are the single ladies...sort of..we had a lovely dinner at Stonebridge Manor. It was so wonderful to catch up and just BE together. I haven't seen them in so long. 

I find myself taking risks I haven't taken in a long time. I feel like I have cleaned out the closets so to speak and it is amazing. It is like life is new and fresh and happy. I feel so open and like a lot of really good things are coming. I had so much fun this weekend at a baby shower for my cousin. I love my family and my cousins so much. We just GET each other. I was with my Mom and sister, Aunt and cousins. It was so lovely. 

I often wonder how I hit the jackpot with friends and family. Things are not always easy and I am continually learning, developing, and growing. One thing is for sure...My life is REALLY good. 

XOXO- The Sunny D