Merry Christmas...to ME! :)

Need a self esteem boost?  Be a teacher.  Of young children.  They think you are cool.  Even though they have told every teacher so far in their lives that they are their "favorite," it will NOT stop them from telling you too!  Someone took my class for awhile the other day and this is what I came back to: Christmas Cards!  Here are some of my favorite little clips.  I changed some of the spelling and punctuation for readability, but some of them were just too funny to change.  

"Dear Miss Waite,
I hope you have the best Christmas ever cause you're a good teacher."

"Dear Miss Waite,
I hope you have the best Christmas ever and get the best gifts ever too.  Merry Christmas Miss Waite!  Hope you'll be lucky.  You're a good teacher.  I would never have one better.  You got me to understand everything.  Thanks.  You're the best teacher ever."

"Dear Miss Waite,
You are the best.  You are so nice.  And really funny.  Thank you for all your help in school."

"Miss Waite,
You are the best teacher.  You have been taught really good."

"Dear Miss Waite,
You are the best teacher in the world.  If I move before the school year ends, I will want you to come with me."

"Dear Miss Waite,
You are the best teacher ever.  I love division, and math and I love multiplication too.  I love spelling and every week I've got 100%.  Exsepted last week and I love it."

"Dear Miss Waite,
You are the best teacher ever!  I'm so glad you are my teacher!  I love what you do.  You make school so much fun!  I love that you're my teacher.  The day I saw you I knew you were going to be a great teacher."

"Miss Waite,
Thank you soooo mutch for being a great teacher.  I love how you are always so nice, happy, and cheerful.  I am so glad you are my wonderful, joyful, fun 4th grade teacher."

"Dear Miss Waite,
Thanks so muhch.  You help me with everting.  When are you going to give me your phone number?  Merry Christmas.  What do you want for Christmas?"

"Dear Miss Waite,
Thank you for theaching me my homework, thank you for having partys."

"Merry Christmas Miss Waite,
I hope you have a great Christmas.  I like talking about sports with you."

"Dear Miss Waite,
Thank you for a really good year!  I hope you have a good Christmas!  Thank you for teaching me some really cool stuff!  And all the experiments."

"To Miss Waite,
You are a good teacher.  I hope you love all of the presents I've been giving you like the ortimints and the chockloates and the bool full of candy."

It's days like that that make me realize that all the craziness and stress are worth it--even if my "best teacher ever" is only until they get another teacher next year.  :)
If I could have put Taylor's pop up snowman on here, I would have...

A Christmas Glow....or flame....

Last night we had a fantastic Christmas party.  We decorated sugar cookies, made snowflakes (someone knew how to cut angels and reindeer in hers!!!), had a yule log (on DVD, of course), and played games.  It was late by the time we got to bed, so we didn't clean up much.

I decided to clean up the apartment when I got home today.  As I vacuumed, I decided what I really needed was another cup of hot apple cider.  I put the tea kettle on (Thanks, Emily, for leaving it!) and continued vacuuming.  Suddenly, I head what sounded like a shot.  I glanced up at the kitchen where it had come from only to discover that a plate of sugar cookies near the burner had overheated and shattered and all the little snowmen and Santas and holly and bells were on fire.

I had immediate flashbacks to my last kitchen fire (Believe me, I haven't had one in at least a decade!).  Of course, I had been very ill-prepared the last time, so I thought about the special FHE I had inspired afterward.

Baking soda....Baking soda....I rushed to the cupboard.  No baking soda.  Other cupboard.  Hmm...Baking powder.  Was that a flame extinguisher too?  I decided not to risk it.  Finally!  I found it,  that beautiful orange box.  I dumped it on the plate of burning cookies.  Nothing....

Of course.  Of course, it would be the box with less that a teaspoon left.  Fridge!  I knew there were two boxes of baking soda in the fridge.  Oh....why didn't we clean out the fridge????  The flames were getting bigger and in desperation I thought, "Well, it's not technically a grease fire..." and dumped a mixing bowl full of water on the flames.

And we all lived happily, ever after.