It's Beginning to Feel a lot Like Christmas

First off, I know I've been rewriting Christmas songs - and said I'd do it up until Christmas - but now that the stress of the Unit is over....I don't really know how to rewrite them anymore.  I feel Christmassy - I can start enjoying Christmas, so there's no real point in trying to rewrite the songs.  I know, I lasted 3 whole days...not sure how, but I did. *insert sarcasm*  You're welcome, if you were getting tired of them...sorry, if you were enjoying them.

Let me tell you how fantastic and awesome and amazing my evening was last night.  Do you know what I did?  I sat on the couch and watched "Eclipse" with the fam and then I went to bed.  Doesn't that sound just absolutely magical?  Maybe not to you - but after what I've been though the past month...IT WAS!

Now that all that stress is gone, I can now finally start enjoying Christmas.  I'm going to kick things off with getting the 12 days of Christmas gift package out tomorrow.  On Sunday, I went out and did my shopping.  Now, I have to wrap the gifts and get them in the mail.  It was really fun shopping for a complete stranger...I'm excited to see how it was for my partner. 

This year, because I was so darn busy, I did a lot of my Christmas shopping online.  It was convenient and I found some great deals.  The packages are starting to arrive - and it's getting me all excited.  Except for the fact of trying to keep them hidden.  It's really hard to try and hide them from the kids when huge boxes are being delivered.  They are curious - of course.  They're getting to the age where they don't buy that I'm having empty boxes delivered to the house..DOH!  My closest is starting to get a little cluttered - and it's not from my clothes.  Just another week and a half, and I can start wrapping!!!

Well, it's time for me to start getting ready for work. 

Enjoy your day, everyone!!

Till next time.  ;)

JOY TO THE WORLD!!!

Joy to the World

Joy to the world, the time has come

To turn the unit in

I'm no longer filled with constant gloom

Let the celebration begin

Let the celebration begin

Let the ce-elebration, celebration begin

Joy to the world, I finally overcame

I feel like I won the lottery

I can sleep and rest, have my life back again

I am so proud of me

I am so proud of me

I am so proud, yes proud of me

No more do I have to feel the woe

The ending I finally found

Pure happiness and delight inside me grows

I'm singing very loud

I'm singing very loud

I'm singing, singing very loud

Yes, folks, it's official - I AM DONE WITH THE UNIT!!!!  After countless hours of pounding away at the computer, researching, editing, retyping, etc. I am done.  All I have to do, now, is print it all out and turn it in.

Now I can finally have my life back, enjoy the Christmas season - and FINALLY get a good night's sleep.

I want to go on and on about how happy I am - but I have to get ready for work....never fear, though, more celebration will be on it's way soon.

To be continued...



All I Want for Christmas...

Today, I'm going to start with my Christmas song...

All I Want For Christmas

I don't want a lot for Christmas

There is just one thing I need

I don't care about the fact

That I'm not getting any sleep

I just want to call it quits

More than you could ever know

Make my wish come true

All I want for Christmas is to be through

I won't ask for much this Christmas

I won't even ask for snow

I'm just going to keep on wishing

That the unit soon will go

I keep writing with no ending

To my teacher for a grade

I can barely keep my eyes open

I have only two more days

'Cause I just want to sleep tonight

And know that all will be alright

What more can I do?

All I want for Christmas is to be through

That sums up exactly how I feel right now.  I was up until 4am this morning, and STILL I'm not done.  It's do or die time today, though.  Even though the unit is due on Tuesday, I want it finished today because I have to go and print it all out - all fifty-something pages of it - tomorrow. 

I'm going to spend a little while working on it and then it's back to Jelly's birthday.  I woke up this morning and made her pancakes.  We had to do presents and cards, first, because...well, that's how she wanted to do it.  We got her Connect 4 because she LOVES playing it on my phone...yes, there's an app for that.  I figured if I got her the real game, she'd have more fun with the full size version - and I'd be able to have my phone back more often.  WIN-WIN!

She also got a Dora book, a snuggle puppy (a fleece dog), and a bag of Mint Kisses - her new favorite chocolate..LOL.  She got a really cool drawing tablet from her Grammy, $20 from Grandma and Grandad, $20 from Great-Nanny and Grandpa, and some cute cards from friends.  She made out pretty well.

We played a couple of games of Connect 4 after breakfast, and then she wanted to give Peanut and Butter a chance to play...she's so cute.  Right now, she's eating Kisses and drawing on her tablet.  I brought my computer into the living room so that I'm at least in the same room with her.

OK - enough rambling...I. MUST. FINISH. THE. UNIT!!! 

Prepare for celebration tomorrow. 

Till next time!!!

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas

I'm feeling good and rested this morning.  I had a great night's sleep - and now I'm ready to enjoy the day.  Fun things are happening - it's Jelly's birthday tomorrow.  She has no idea - she's bouncing around the house talking to Santa on my iPhone...yes, there's an app for that.  Here in about an hour, the family will be loading up and heading to Oklahoma - to my grandparent's house - to have a little birthday get together for Jelly. 

I haven't seen my grandparents, I believe, since last Christmas.  It's horrible to admit, I feel horrible admitting it, but I'm happy that we get to spend the afternoon with them. 

After the get together, I will be doing a little Christmas shopping - shopping for the 12 days of Christmas blog swap.  I found out who my partner is this morning - so now I can get the gifts.  I'm so excited!!!  I LOVE Christmas shopping - I love buying gifts for people.  This is going to be so much fun.

I'm thinking that tonight is going to be an "all-nighter" in the homework department.  This may sound very, very strange...but I'm actually looking forward to it.  I'm not sure if the excitement of seeing the finish line is motivating me to just get it all done - but I just want to really buckle down and get it out of the way.  I'm so close, yet so far away.  There's still quite a bit to be done - but I think another solid full night of working on it is definitely in order.  I plan on, once again, connecting the coffee IV.  I'm going to put Christmas music on once everyone is in bed and work on it from the comfort of my couch.  That's not usually how I do things - but I work much better when I'm comfortable.  Hopefully the twinkling of the Christmas lights and the music will be just the company I need to help me stay focused.   

I can't imagine what I'm going to do after Tuesday - once the unit is done and turned in.  What will I write about?  If you didn't pick up on the sarcasm in that statement - read it again...and insert sarcasm.  HA! 

Also - in the spirit of the season - each day between now and Christmas, I will be titling my blog after a Christmas song.  I will be writing my own little versions of the song - each day - that should help me get my Christmas juices flowing!!  Let's end today's post with today's song....

I'm Dreaming of a Homework Free Christmas

I'm Dreaming of a homework free Christmas

Just like the ones I used to know

Where the stress level is normal

And the blood doesn't boil

And my motivation isn't dangerously low

I'm dreaming of a homework free Christmas

With every paragraph I write

And may my days then be happy and bright

May my finish line be somewhere in my sight

Till next time.  ;)

I Can Sleep When I'm Finished With This Unit...

This is it - the countdown is coming to an end.  I have exactly 3 days to finish the unit.  Three, event filled, no extra time days. 

Jelly's birthday is Sunday.  Tomorrow it's a party with family.  Sunday it's a party with more family.  Monday I go back to work.  Tuesday the unit is due.  So, how am I going to get it finished?  There's only one thing I can do - work 3rd shift!

I pulled my first "all-nighter" last night.  I stayed up most of the night and then went to work this morning.  Luckily, it was only a half day at school.  I was/ am completely exhausted.  After I left work, I stopped by to see a friend I haven't seen in too long.  I ended up staying there for a couple of hours, so by the time I got home - it was almost time for dinner.  I fought back the urge to pass out on the couch - until after I ate.  Once dinner was over with, so was I.  It was probably around 5pm or so.  Then, I woke up at 7pm - and it's back to work for me!

I'm pretty sure if I was to cut myself, coffee would pour from my veins.  I've been pumping it into my system for days.  I know that drinking this much caffeine is probably dangerous...but it's only for a few more days.  Then I'm switching to whiskey.  Just kidding.  ;)

This whole stress filled, work up until the last minute stupid mess is really my own fault.  I obviously haven't gotten rid of the procrastinator that lives inside of me.  I've known about this unit since the beginning of the semester - 16 weeks ago - yet, here I am, days away from the due date scrambling to get everything finished.  In my defense, however, I've been pretty darn busy!!! 

OK - so it's time to end my sleep deprived rambling and get back to my unit.  I apologize ahead of time for the posts that will appear between now and Tuesday...they will probably just get worse, more random, and ride on the verge of making absolutely no sense whatsoever....but it gives me a break, so I will still be posting.

Till next time.  ;)

My Grown Up Christmas List

In the spirit of the season - and because I'm so tired of writing about school work and stress - I've decided to start writing some fun posts.  Fun to write, hopefully fun to read.  I figured, today, I'd start with my Christmas list.  The list is the top 5 things (in no particular order) I'd love to have - if money was no object and I had the power to transform reality.  Let's get to it....

1.  A New House -This would be my biggie. I want 5 bedrooms - one each for me and the kids, and a home office.  A would also like a "bonus room" that would be my home gym.  I want plush carpet in the bedrooms and living room, tile and hardwood in the bathrooms and kitchen.  I have one of those stupid houses that has carpet in the bathrooms....yes, carpet in the BATHROOM.  Not sure what people are thinking when they do something like that.  Being by the lake would also be nice. 

2.  A Job Offer - Not exactly something someone gets for Christmas...but it'd be nice.  I still have 6 months until I graduate - but it sure would be great to know that once I walk across the stage I don't have to stress about how I'm going to pay back student loans.  Teaching jobs around here are far and few between....I worry that I won't be able to find a job once I graduate.  I would really love to know that after 4 years of college, I won't have to get an office job or work in a grocery store - not that there's anything wrong with that.  I will do what I have to - but you know...I'd kind of like to do what I worked so hard to train for.

3.  A Money Tree - An unpaid internship sure does put some pressure on the purse strings.  I have another month before I get my next payment of student loans - and the well is almost dry.  I'd take good care of it - despite the fact that I have a brown thumb.  On second thought - maybe a money "tree" wouldn't be the best thing....

4.  An iPad - cause they're freaking cool...and I love my iPhone, so I'm pretty sure I'd love to have a bigger version. 

5.  True World Peace - Yeah, I'm no beauty queen, but it sure would be nice if this was a possibility.  I want the troops to be home with their families for Christmas.  I want people to truly be free to practice whatever religion they choose - without persecution.  Countries would run their own business - and there would be no such thing as war or world domination or starving children or abuse or murder or any of the other nasty, terrible things that happen in this world every second of every day. 

So, there's my list.  If I were to sit on Santa's lap - this would be what I'd wish for.  Making a list like this makes me feel a little selfish.  I mean, I have so much - a loving family, a house, food, clothing....life is good.  When I start wishing for extravagant things, I realize that those things really don't matter (except for world peace...that WOULD matter).  Sure the house, the iPad and money tree would still be nice - but I can live without them.  I can live without any of those things....I have truly been blessed in my life.  That's the greatest gift of all.

So, if you could wish for anything - what would be on your grown up Christmas list?

Till next time.  ;)

Oh Brother!

Yeah, another evening post...I'm all out of whack.  This morning I did NOT want to get out of bed at 4am - so I didn't.  I reset my alarm clock for 5:30 - and I didn't have time to do much of anything this morning, except take a shower and get dressed. 

I was up later than I wanted to be last night because I was talking to my mom on the phone.  I love talking to my mom - but she has no ability to take a hint.  I lost count how many times I said "I have to be up at 4am" but at 10pm - she was still gabbing away.  No biggie - it's not often I get to talk to her like that, so I can handle it.

I'm a little ticked off at my brother right now.  I don't see him very much - don't really consider myself to be that close to him.  Truth of the matter is, whenever he and I are in a room together for more than 5 minutes we're at each other's throat.  It doesn't bother me one bit that I never hear from him - but it bothers my mom, and that bothers me.  So, anywho, I just found out that my brother is expecting a baby - well, his girlfriend is - you know what I mean.  The part I'm pissed about?  I found out on Facebook. 

His girlfriend is 17 weeks pregnant - 17 weeks!!!  He didn't call my mom or any other member of the family to let us know - they just plastered it on Facebook.  Now, I'm the world's worst about sharing every minute of my life on Facebook - but even I wouldn't share news like that before letting my family know.

As you can imagine, my mom is really hurt.  She's really done a lot for him this past year - even though he doesn't ever visit.  The only real reason she's spoken to him this year is because he needed her help - which she gladly gave...she's his mother, that's what she does.  As soon as he was out of his mess, my mom stopped hearing from him....and now she finds out she's going to be a grandmother again - on Facebook. 

It's so amazing to me how different members of the same family can be.  There's me - the oldest of six.  My parents are everything to me - I really can't live without them.  Before these past few months with school - not a day went by that I didn't talk to my mom.  The youngest two of my siblings still live at home - and I adore them.  I love having them around.  The middle children - two brothers and a sister - I don't really have much contact with.  They can go months without making a phone call to my mom - she's just not that important to them, I guess. 

You would think in a world full of Facebook and email and texting and cell phones - kids would contact their parents more....guess that's just not the case.  Apparently not with my siblings.  OK - I'm done venting about my brother.

In other news:  I'm still not done with my big project...but it's coming along.  I feel confident it will be finished in time.  It's just the mechanics now - getting it all on paper.  The plan is finished, the paperwork is about half done.  I just have to sit down and not move until it's finished...I'm thinking, hoping even, that it will be completely finished this weekend.

This afternoon was the teacher's Christmas party.  It was a quick little event - some yummy finger foods, a little conversation, and that was it.  I, along with all the rest of the faculty, got a $25 Border's gift card.  A Border's gift card - to me - is one of the best gifts I can get.  Being a book junkie - it's a weakness that I can't overcome - that's been given free money to spend at my favorite store in the whole wide world...well, that's just AWESOME!!!

OK, I guess that's enough bantering on for one evening.  Should probably try and get some more work done - shocker, I know. 

Till next time.  ;)