What I Wore: First Day of School

I started school this past week at the Art Institute! It's so exciting--so far, I am just loving it, it is everything I could ever want, and it's just so much fun! Anyway, my dear husband is such a sweetheart, and reminded me that it was my "first day of school," so just like back in elementary school, we needed to take pictures. :)

This is my lovely school pack I got for my program--when they told me to go downstairs to pick up my "supply kit," I had no idea I would be receiving an entire suitcase!

 It came with all sorts of goodies--I'm so excited to start using them! :)

Well, I'd better get back to work--I have some homework I need to finish--can you believe that? I have homework again! I'm such a nerd, I love being in school! :)

Sunday Sweets #12--A Little Bit More

What I love about first grade: CHRISTMAS!! There is no Hum-Bug or Scrooge on the planet that could resist the urge to smile when surrounded by 20 first graders filled to the brim with Christmas cheer. The second we got back from Thanksgiving Break it was Christmas to them--EVERYTHING IS CHRISTMAS!!--it's a blast for sure. I'm SOOOOOOOOOOO ridiculously excited for Christmas now! You see, Christmas through the eyes of a 6-year-old is the best kind of Christmas there is, hands-down. :)

So, last week as we celebrated Christmas in our little class, the kids wrote their letters to Santa; since it was a writing activity (don't worry, we are still learning, even with the hype of Christmas surrounding us), I had to read and check off all the kids' letters. This one cracked me up:

Dear Santa,

I hope you have a Merry Christmas! This year I'd like a Lalaloopsy or a camera or a puppy or new Christmas tree or a panda Pillow Pet or an Ipad or a new dress or a necklace or a trampoline or I would really like a panda Pillow Pet because I already have the puppy Pillow Pet...

This continued on for quite some time, but I'll skip ahead to the best part--at the end of her letter, she had written then following:

I'm giving you a dollar this year.

When I inquired about the dollar, she explained, "Mommy says that Santa is really poor this year, so I'm giving him a dollar to help out."

AWESOME! That totally made my day--even a 6-year-old is aware of what's going on to a point, and is aware that her Christmas may be a little smaller this year, but isn't discouraged by that fact, and is still enjoying it to its fullest just as she has every other year. I laughed as I continued reading pages and pages of Christmas gift requests, until I got to one of our students--now, this kid and I have been struggling recently. He's not a bad kid, but the past few weeks he has ignored anything and everything any teacher says--he refuses to do any work, and just pouts in the corner. I've been worried about him, because he's not always like this, but then again I figure that every kid handles the excitement and anticipation of the holidays in their own way, and maybe this was how he showed it.... but then I read his letter--it was the shortest one in the class, so I thought he was just trying to get out of the assignment, but when I talked to him he very sincerely explained that he really only wanted one thing:

Dear Santa,

I like your reindeer, Rudolph is my favorite. I would please like a blanket for Christmas. Thank you.

All he wanted was a blanket--not an Ipad or three pages of ridiculous 6-year-old requests, just a simple blanket. This boy, as I have come to find out, is the middle of several young children, in a family who is not at a financial high point. One day for Show-and-Tell, he brought in a new coat and proudly displayed it to the class, explaining that he had gotten it from the Bishop's Storehouse (a welfare program of the LDS Church). He was so excited and so proud of his new jacket, but it broke my heart--no 6-year-old should have to face the harsh  realities of life, at least not for a few more years, but here this little boy does every day and doesn't ever complain. And all he wants for Christmas is a simple blanket to keep him warm! It made me, once again, realize that Christmas isn't about all the decorations or finding the perfect gift for that special someone--not that those things are bad, I revel in them every year--but at the heart of it, Christmas is, well, about something more.

[http://pinterest.com/pin/41306521551924312/]

In the words of the wonderful Elder Jeffrey R. Holland,

As happens so often if we are not careful, the symbols can cover that which is symbolized. In some of our lives the manger has already been torn down to allow for a discount store running three-for-a-dollar specials on gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

I do not feel—or mean this to sound—like a modern-day Scrooge. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh were humbly given and appreciatively received, and so they should be, every year and always. As my wife and children can testify, no one gets more giddy about the giving and receiving of presents than I do.

But for that very reason, I, like you, need to remember the very plain scene, even the poverty, of a night devoid of tinsel or wrapping or goods of this world. Only when we see that single, sacred, unadorned object of our devotion—the Babe of Bethlehem—will we know why “tis the season to be jolly” and why the giving of gifts is so appropriate.

It is for this baby that we shout in chorus: “Hark! the herald angels sing Glory to the newborn king! … Mild he lays his glory by, Born that man no more may die: Born to raise the sons of earth, Born to give them second birth.” (Hymns, no. 60.)

Perhaps recalling the circumstances of that gift, of his birth, of his own childhood, perhaps remembering that purity and faith and genuine humility will be required of every celestial soul, Jesus must have said many times as he looked into the little eyes that loved him (eyes that always best saw what and who he really was), “Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.” (Matt. 18:3.)

Christmas, then, is for children—of all ages....

"Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before! 'Maybe Christmas,' he thought, 'doesn't come from a store. Maybe Christmas... perhaps... means a little bit more!"

(Elder Holland's excepts come from an address given to the Religious Instruction faculty at Brigham Young University, December 12, 1976; as well as from Dr. Suess' How the Grinch Stole Christmas, New Year: Random House, 1957).

The First (Grade) Thanksgiving

What I love about first grade: HOLIDAYS! I wish adults celebrated like kids do, because seriously--how much fun! For Thanksgiving the kids all dressed up like pilgrims and we had a Thanksgiving Feast!

My little pilgrims, singing their lovely holiday songs. Carolyn, I posted this especially for you--enjoy. :)

"Thanksgiving comes to us out of the prehistoric dimness, universal to all ages and all faiths. At whatever straws we must grasp, there is always a time for gratitude and new beginnings." 

~J. Robert Moskin

I am Thankful...

So, the weekend before and week of Thanksgiving, I found myself glued to  a sewing machine, embroidering logos on these shirts for Timpview's Marching Band Trip to Hawaii (personally I think my mom and I should have gone as a reward for doing all those shirts--130 shirts by the way, front and back, in only a few short days--be impressed).

Monday night we didn't go to bed--it was AWFUL--staring at an embroidery machine that long does things to the mind... anyhow, Tuesday morning I debated about calling in sick to work so that I could stay and help my mom finish the shirts--I know she could have used the help, but I needed to get out of the hosue for a few hours (it was only a half day at school), and I felt bad leaving the kids on their last school day before Thanksgiving. When I got to school, I seriously doubted my decision--the kids were OFF THE WALL! Holidays do that to first graders, I'm afraid it will only get worse until Christmas is over, but more on that later... I was about ready to cry from lack of sleep and hyper-active 6 year olds. Then something miraculous happened...

The kids had to write a page about what they were grateful for--most papers consisted of things like "I am grateful for chocolate," or "I am grateful for Recess," or "I am grateful for Christmas and presents and candy," you know, the important things like that. I had to go through and grade their papers, which allowed me to discover these lovely things:

 

And suddenly it was all worth it. This is why I love my job. <3

U of M

During my stay in Michigan, my brother-in-law took me on a tour of the University of Michigan's campus--and on such a beautiful Autumn day, what could be better??

I LOVE how many trees are in Michigan!

We even got to check out his genius labORatory:

On a side note... can you believe that he is part of the Literature, Science, and the Arts?

And we took a stop at the Law Library:

If I were to give in and go to law school, I would definitely want to go here--who wouldn't want to study in a library that looks like this??

Of course we took my adorable little niece on our little stroll--and she was so well behaved!

Okay, now this picture is just for fun--remember how beautiful the law school is? Check out the business school--nice contrast, don't you think? :P

Oh how I love Michigan in the Fall!

What I Wore--Back to School!

Okay, so I grew up, became an adult, graduated from college, got a real big-person's-job, and... went back to the First Grade!! Haha, that's right--I graduated from college just to go back to elementary school--how awesome is that? I officially got a job at my Alma Mater, Wasatch Elementary School, working with the most adorable first graders on the planet. Today the girls were fighting over who got to sit by me at lunch--so much love. <3

So, now that I have a REAL job, I have get to dress up for work every day! I just LOVE back to school shopping (even if it's just from my own closet).

Like the headband? My TinkerMama made it--and we are busy at work making many more for my shop--soon to come! :)

I just LOVE Fall colors--LOVE LOVE LOVE!!!

Oh, and can't forget my $4 dollar Payless Shoes:

September means...
School,
Effort, and
Play.
Trying your best
Each hour of the day,
Making new friends
Being good as you can
Exciting discoveries,
Reading books with a friend.
~Boni Fulgham

The One and Only Feature!

What an honor! Today I was the one and only feature over at Crafty Geordi (check it out HERE!)--seriously, I can't tell you how exciting that is for me! Thanks so much Christine--I am completely overwhelmed, that was so sweet of you--thank you thank you!

GRADUATION!!!

This weekend I officially graduated from BYU!! Okay, technically I was already graduated--the diploma has been sitting on my shelf for the past four months--but it really didn't feel all that real until I donned the cap and gown--then suddenly it hit me. It was awesome--seriously, I didn't expect to have so much fun, but I did! It was one of the best days of my life. :)

Okay, to be honest, here is my favorite part of the entire day: for graduation, my absolutely AMAZING and talented mother made me this BEAUTIFUL dress!

and I made a few accessories to match:

and since during graduation only your shoes actually show under the graduation gown, I made some nice bright shoe clips to match my new dress:

and they even kind of match with the BYU gold and blue graduation gear.

That amazing mother of mine:

The ceremony went surprisingly well--I rather enjoyed the speakers, especially the Dean of the Humanities college, who focused his words on forgetting--at graduation they are always focused on what we need to remember, but he reminded us that the ability to forget is essential to. In the words of Borges,

"To think is to forget--to forget differences, generalize, make abstractions..."

Amazing.

After the ceremony the graduates all headed out the tunnel to say goodbye to our professors--I was so excited to see Dr. Tate there! It seems like I haven't seen him since our wonderful times in London--he is such a wonderful WONDERFUL teacher!

Then back into the sunlight--where I suffered the most epic fall of all time--okay, maybe not the best, but it was pretty awesome. Too bad it didn't occur when I went up on stage to get my diploma... anyway, I limped around and finally found my family, where my amazing parents were waiting to greet me. <3

And my wonderful grandparents--I walked today just for you Grandpa! <3

My Aunt Jeanmarie, Uncle Jim, and favorite cousin, Andy--I was so excited they came!!

It was surprisingly a ridiculously sunny day... :)

After pictures were taken and congratulations were said, the parents took me out for dinner at Outback Steakhouse--I couldn't believe how much I ate, but then again, it was basically my first meal of the entire day! (I was slightly stressed trying to get to graduation on time). Plus, the food was beyond delicious, so it was well worth it.

What a wonderful day! I love school, and I am so proud of my accomplishments, but the most important thing that the day reiterated for me was how wonderful my family is--thanks guys, I love you!!

P.S. Even after the fact graduation continues to bring joy to my life--this post was featured by Christine at Craft Geordi--and the one and only feature that day to boot! :)