Merry Christmas!

Make a Smilebox greeting

20 Questions - Christmas Style

I'm really getting in the mood for Christmas. Maybe it's just that I'm in the mood for Christmas break. Either way, Amanda had this little Christmas survey on her blog and I thought it would be a fun thing to put on my own. Now you'll know what makes me happy at Christmas time.

1. Eggnog or hot chocolate? Hot Chocolate!! Made better with cool whip and chocolate syrup on the top.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree? When I was a little girl, he just sat them under the tree. Now he only puts stuff in my stocking.

3. Colored lights or white? Only white.

4.Do you hang mistletoe? No.

5. When do you decorate for Christmas? After Thanksgiving. I'd love to say I decorate the day after Thanksgiving but seeing as how I just got the tree up two days ago and we still don't have our outside decorations up, that would be a complete lie.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish, excluding dessert? It's not really a dish served only at the holidays but- mashed potatoes.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Spending every Christmas Eve at my Granny's house.

8. When and how, did you learn the truth about Santa? I can't remember. I was pretty young though.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? White lights, special ornaments that we've gotten over the years, and some random balls. This year I even added a red sheer ribbon around it. It just adds a special touch.

11. Snow. Love it or hate it? Love it!! Especially when it causes us to have a snow day!

12. Can you ice skate? I've been once and that was when I was in high school. I think I was down on the ice more than I was skating. I'd love to try again though.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? My princess ring (that's the type of ring) from my Aunt Susan. I got it in high school and have worn it ever since.

14. What is the most important thing about the holidays to you? Spending time with family and helping others.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? All of them are so delicious I can't choose a favorite.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Christmas Eve at my Granny's house

17. What tops your tree? A clear star with white lights

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Giving

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells

20. Candy canes. Yuck or yum? Yummy

I tag anyone who reads this to put this on their blog.

Christmas Picture Bloopers

Last night, our friends Erika and Courtney came over to take our pictures for our Christmas Card.

Before they got here, I had already figured out that my hopes for a picture of the two dogs sitting in front of the Christmas tree wasn't going to happen. Have you ever tried to get two dogs sit in front of a Christmas tree and look at you?!

After all was said and done, we did end up with some great pictures for our card. You can expect your's soon! I won't share our "official" pictures with you yet but here are some blooper shots. Enjoy!


Everybody is SO not ready for this picture!


Jacob says "What? You mean I CAN'T be in this picture? That is NOT fair!"


Jacob says "I left the animal shelter for THIS?"


Patsy demanding that her stuffed Beagle be in the picture with her.

We all hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Long Overdue Post

I can't believe I haven't posted since July!! So much has happened since then.

Here is just a short listing of things that have happened:

*I finished graduate school! I'm now a Master of Science with a specialization in Elementary Reading and Literacy. I am definitely enjoying my weekends that are not spent writing papers. I'm so proud that I finished and stuck with it even when I thought I couldn't write another paper.

*I took on a new position at school. I am now a 1st & 2nd grade Multiage teacher. This means that some of my students are 1st graders and some are 2nd graders. I basically teach two curriculums at one time. It requires a lot of differentiation and planning. I love it though! I have an awesome class!

*Our little family is still enjoying our own home. I'm still working on decorating but we have actually unpacked everything and even gotten rid of a ton of stuff. You would not believe how much stuff we had that we just didn't need!

*We are excited about the upcoming Holidays. We both love this time of year! I can't wait to get out all of the Christmas decorations, listen to Christmas music, and spend lots of time with family and friends.

*I saved the best for last! The biggest news in our family is that Mary and Charles got married!! They finally tied the knot last Saturday, November 21st. It was a wonderful day filled with lots of love. They are a wonderful couple and we are so happy for them. I can finally call Charles my brother-in-law and Mary "Mrs. Wise". Here are some pictures from their beautiful wedding day.






Have a wonderful Thanksgiving. I'll do my best to update more.

A Whole Bunch of Randomness

I'm really trying to get back into regular blogging - I promise! I'm really enjoying my summer and blogging has been the last thing on my mind. As you may know, Mat and I don't live the most glamorous of lives (which is fine) but I never have much to blog about. Well, today is different! I have a lot to say. Ha ha

First, I don't remember how I got to this blog exactly but please go check it out - Ward 57.
It is a blog created by Liz (who I don't really know but would love to meet) after her husband Dave was injured when he stepped on a land mine in Afghanistan. It tells how he is recovering at Walter Reed (in DC) and how they are doing. When I found this blog today, I sat down for like an hour and couldn't stop reading. Liz and Dave have only been married a year and are now dealing with this. I can't imagine what they are going through and its all because Dave was fighting for OUR freedom. So, show them that you care. Stop by their blog, leave a comment, and remember that there are many other soldiers out there like Dave who need our thoughts, prayers, and thanks.

Now switching directions completely, you have to try this! Go right now, make a bag of popcorn, put it in a ziploc bag, cover it with cinnamon and sugar, and shake it up really good. It is complete awesomeness in a bag! Yeah I think I just made up the word awesomeness. I'm sure that you've probably all made this before but I just did for the first time today. How did I ever live without it?!



Next, I love reading the blog, Jenna's Journey. She hosts "I Don't Wednesdays" in which you list things that you don't do (duh). So, I thought today I would join in on the fun.

*I don't know how I ever lived without cinnamon sugar popcorn. Ha ha.

*I don't have children unless you count my two spoiled rotten dogs.

*I don't like asparagus. My husband and I have this in common.

*I don't eat seafood. When I was a little girl I remember my mom giving me popcorn shrimp and fish sticks but I now hate all seafood. If it swims I just don't want to eat it.

*I don't like snakes, spiders, or bugs.

*I don't drink coffee. I LOVE some of the Frappucinos from Starbucks (Java Chip is my fav) but I don't drink "real" coffee.

*I don't know what I would do without my summers off. Even though I teach summer school, I love my summers!! How do people work at jobs when they have to work during the summer? Ha ha.

Well, I hope you enjoyed "I Don't Wednesday".

Thanks for stopping by and come back soon!

P.S.- How many people have known that "Little" on my blog header is mispelled?! I've had it up for months and I just now realized it. I guess I have to tell Faith (the lady that created my blog design) to fix it because I surely don't know how.

Happy Anniversary to Us!

Mat and I are celebrating our 4th Anniversary today. I can't believe how fast the time has gone by and how much our lives have changed in just 4 years.

Here are some pictures of us. Unfortunately I don't have any of our official wedding portraits on my computer. At least you get an idea of what we looked like on that day.

Our Engagement Picture - 2005

Going into our Reception - July 16, 2005

Cutting the Cake - July 16, 2005

I think this was 2006.

I think this one was the Summer of 2008.

February 2009

ABCs of Me

I saw this on Faith's blog and wanted to do it since I haven't posted in over a month.

A - Age: 25
B - Bed size: Queen
C - Chore you hate: Cleaning bathrooms
D - Dog's name: Patsy and Jacob
E - Essential start your day item: Food
F - Favorite color: Pink
G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Silver
H - Height: 4'11"
I - Instruments you play: Flute and Piano (but that was back in High School)
J - Job title: 1st Grade Teacher; Mary Kay Independent Beauty Consultant
K - Kid(s): None yet
L - Living arrangements: Me, my husband, Patsy, and Jacob
M - Mom's name: Jennie (Mom) and Julie (StepMom)
N - Nicknames: Jess, Jessie, Mrs. Carl (one of my sweet students' name for me)
O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: When I had my appendix removed in 9th grade.
P - Pet Peeve: Slow drivers.
Q - Quote from a movie: "I just did my nails." (Remember the Titans) -- Erika says that is so me!
R - Right handed or left handed: Right
S - Siblings: 2 brothers and 2 sisters
T - Time you wake up: 6:15am
U- Underwear: Yes - that's all you need to know
V - Vegetable you dislike: Asparagus
W - Ways you run late: Pushing the snooze button one too many times; Switching outfits
X - X-rays you've had: wrist, teeth, arm
Y - Yummy food you make: Baked Ziti; Roast I make in the crock-pot; Robert E. Lee cake
Z - Zoo favorite: Zebras and Giraffes and Polar Bears (Okay, I like animals).

Well there you go, the ABCs of Me.
There isn't a lot going on to blog about in our little happy family. We have been doing lots of stuff around the house, I've been busy with graduate school and work, and the dogs have been doing what they do best (sleep). We have a busy few weeks coming up and then I'll be on summer vacation (YAY!).

Hope you all are doing well!

Mary Kay Party!

Most of you know that I'm a girly-girl. I love all things that involve pink, makeup, hair, shoes, and purses. Oh, and there is shopping too!

Today, I was invited to a Mary Kay party (thanks Mary and Lianne!) and I was excited since I love makeup. Then, I was even more excited because I found out that the sales lady (Tracey) was a 1st grade teacher before she started her business. Then, I was even more excited when I got there and she had an incredible attitude and energy.

Long story short, we all had a great time and I knew that I had to host my own party! So, next Sunday at 1pm, I am hosting my first ever Mary Kay "Flawless Face" Party. The best part is - it is at her studio so I don't have to clean up my house!!



I didn't know who all to invite but I want to invite EVERYONE - including my bloggy friends. If you don't live here in NoVA, don't worry, you can still order online. If you would like to come, or order online, email me or post a comment and I'll send you the details (sorry, for security issues I'm not posting them for everyone to see). I would love for you to come!!

Finally a Short Update

What? People would like me to update my blog? I can't believe it.
I haven't had much to blog about or the time to blog so blogging just hasn't been a priority.

Around our house...
*Our dogs have started tearing up our furniture. It started when I was in NC for Spring Break and has gotten worse every day. We now have a torn up chair, a chewed on rug, and a couch that is a little chewed on. We think we're just going to have to crate the two of them all day. Too bad for them but we don't want them tearing up the house anymore. Does anyone have experience or advice for handling two dogs that like to ruin things?

*Granny Hams is now at home and recovering. Thanks for the prayers!

*Spring weather is finally coming. I LOVE Spring so I've been waiting for this. Let's just hope all of the cold snaps are gone. Dresses, skirts, and flip flops here I come. (Yes, Jess is the one writing this - not Mat.)

*Nothing fun and exciting is happening. To make up for it, here are some recent pictures. These are actually the only pictures that I took during Spring Break. Aunt Susan told me she loves the slideshows of pictures so I thought I would post another one of those. Sorry that there aren't more pictures.

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I'll try to be more diligent about updating (but I think I say that everytime I write a post).

Pray for Granny Hams

There will be a more detailed update of my Spring Break later but now there is something more pressing that needs to be put out there.

Mat's grandmother, Granny Hamilton ("Granny Hams"), isn't doing well. She fell a couple of weeks ago and seemed to have recovered from that. However, since going home last week, things have gone downhill fast. She is now back in the hospital and is having the pressure released from her brain today. As I understand it, there is still lots of bleeding into her brain.

PLEASE keep her and our entire family in your prayers today and over the next few days at least.



I love all of my grandparents dearly and am thankful for them everyday but Granny Hams is different. We share the same name (well our middle names) and have always felt a special bond. She welcomed me into her family with wide open arms and even let Mat and I live with her for a year. She took care of her husband for many years while he was battling Alzheimer's disease. She is one of the greatest women in the whole world. I could go on and on about what she means to me but I must teach today so there just isn't enough time. However, I think you get the point.



I'll try to update later when I hear something.

We really appreciate your thoughts and most importantly your prayers.

P.S.- We might not be as close once she finds out I put her picture up. :) Ha Ha!

A Diagnosis

I finally got a diagnosis from the doctor! I got a call a week ago that she had gotten back tests results and I needed to go back in today. Here is the diagnosis that I have been waiting 4 months for: I have gastroparesis. This is a disorder in which the stomach takes too long to empty its contents. A few weeks ago I had a scan done to see if this was wrong. I was really surprised to see the results today. In a normal scan, after 90 minutes, 50% of the stomach contents would be emptied. In me, only 18% of it was emptied. I think that's a little bit of a difference!

Now, to the treatment. I have to drastically change my eating habits. I need to eat 6 small meals a day instead of 3 larger meals. I can't eat late at night and there is a whole list of things that I should stay away from when possible. To help me with this, I have to go to a nutritionist so that we can work on finding things that I can eat and to plan meals. I also have medicine, Reglan, that I can take when needed. I told her that I didn't want to take a lot of medicine because I would rather not rely on this. She finally decided just to give me a very small dose and I can take it when I know that I'll be going out or having a big meal and when I'm not feeling well.

The doctor is also ordering more blood tests to see if there is an underlying cause for this. She says that usually it is brought on by an autoimmune disease, diabetes, or a thyroid problem. However, it can also come on for no apparent reason.

On another note, please pray for:

*Mat's Granny Hams. She fell over the weekend and is in the hospital for a head injury. Hopefully she'll be coming home in the next couple of days.

*Mat's cousin and his wife (Jamie, Lisa, and Andy). Lisa's mother passed away this morning.

*Me. I have been nauseous the past two days. I actually took today off! I thought that I was feeling much better until I had to go to the doctor. I don't think I have enough sick time to take tomorrow off so I'm going to have to rough it.

I hope your week is going well. Do you have any prayer requests?

Two Dog Adventures

Sorry for no update this past week. Things have been busy around the McCarl household. We're finally getting settled and used to having two dogs. We love them both so much but are really different.

Patsy is so sweet, independent, and sleepy. I think she gets that from her Mommy. She is a complete Daddy's girl.

Jacob is active, cuddly, and curious. He is more like his Daddy. Jacob is definitly already a Mommy's boy.

Together, these two make a wonderful pair. They LOVE to play!! They LOVE treats!! They LOVE each other!!

Here are some things that we've been figuring out about our two two dogs.

*We have discovered that the neighbors have a beautiful white cat. Well, she's beautiful when she's not in our backyard trying to attack the dogs. Jacob was very curious about her but when she hissed and pawed at him, he changed his attitude a little.

*Jacob LOVES to be outside. However, he thinks that anytime the door opens he must go out. Last Tuesday morning, Mommy had to chase him around our neighborhood. I was so upset but finally got some help from above. A man down the street was walking his dog and Jacob went to sniff his dog. Then, the man grabbed Jacob and I was able to get him and carry his 34 lb. self back to our house. I was NOT happy!! We now have a trick for getting out the door. Get to the door, throw a treat across the room, and run out the door.

*Toys are for sharing! Patsy has always loved her "babies" and likes to put them where she wants them. Jacob likes to carry them around everywhere. We have had many little "arguments" about the "babies" and who should have them and where they should be.

*The blue chair belongs to Patsy only. Patsy has always loved her chair but now that Jacob is here, she loves it even more. Jacob may sit on the blue couch with Mat or on the black couch with me. That is unless they both want to cuddle with Daddy on the couch.


*The treat cabinet is not safe. Last night, we had friends over for a movie. Courtney came into the living room and had to tell on Jacob. He was seen opening up the treat cabinet with his nose. Now, he loves to do this all the time. Trash cans and food aren't safe either!!

*Pink dog beds=boy dogs and Blue dog beds=girl dogs. Patsy started here with an old comforter. Then, we bought her a cute blue bed to match our bedroom and then Mat's mom gave her an old one from their dog Molly. Patsy loves her comforter which is in the living room and her pink bed. Well, now that she has to share, she would much rather have the blue bed. A girl's gotta have a nice bed.

*Dog baths are fun - not! Well, Jacob loves the bath but Patsy hates it. Jacob is so cute when he gets out. He tries to dry himself off but rubbing up against the towels and the carpet. Patsy would just much rather be dirty all her life. Too bad we insist on bathing her all the time.

*Jacob has severe separation anxiety. Not only does he want to escape when we leave but he always wants to do his loud beagle bark. I hate leaving him because he crawls up in the window and starts barking as soon as I get the door closed. It is so sad to hear! I always want to go back in and love on him.

*Everyone should have at least one dog. We have truly been blessed by all of the love that these two dogs can give. We joke about how we can't imagine our lives without them. We are so happy to have them!

Introducing...

Jacob B. (Beagle) McCarl!

We are excited to announce that we have a new member of our family.

We just adopted Jacob from the Animal Shelter. We had been thinking about getting another dog since we got Patsy. However, it finally seemed to be the right time and we were financially able to take on another dog. On Sunday, we received a call from the shelter that they had Jacob and would put a hold on him until we could get there. We went Monday and visited him. Then, Tuesday we took Patsy to meet him. Today, we went to pick him up and bring him home!

He was recently given up because his first family was losing their home to foreclosure and they couldn't keep him anymore. We're sad to hear that about his other family but are blessed to have him with us. He and Patsy are having a lot of fun together and Mat and I love him already. He is a great addition to our family!

Enjoy the pictures of our afternoon!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I love a Blog Makeover!

Just in time for Spring, I asked my bloggy friend, Faith to make over my blog. Don't you love this new look? It is so colorful and cheerful.

Head over to her design blog and get one of your own. She is so talented and it was a pleasure to work with her. She is such a sweet Christian woman.

Thank you, Faith, for my new blog look! I LOVE IT!!

http://adesignoffaith.blogspot.com/

Dress for Less

Kelly at Kelly's Korner (one of my favorite blogs) is hosting "Recession Fashion - Dress for Less!". I had to join in on sharing my ideas because my two favorite things (other than people) are shopping and good deals. Here are some of the many things I love that are $30 and under.

If you haven't checked out Old Navy lately, go NOW. I was there on Saturday and found so many things I wanted. I had self control though and only bought a few things.

I got this dress in black. It was only $15!! I wore it today with a white t-shirt underneath. I got so many compliments on it. It is cotton and comfortable too. Love it!

While you're at Old Navy, pick up one of these t-shirts in every color. I wear these under a lot of stuff. They are only $5!

Also, try on this dress. I saw it on Saturday but forgot to try it on. :( I want to go back and pick it up. It is only $29.50.

I also love Forever 21. They have cute and trendy stuff for great prices.

This dress is only $22.80 and so cute. I love it!!

You must have jewelry. You can get this set of earrings for $3.80! I love the colors of them.

As you can tell I, I love dresses. I'm so excited that Spring is close because I can't wait to get out all of my dresses. Of course, I have to buy some new ones too. :)

One thing I am having a hard time finding is shoes. I love flip flops but I can't wear them to work. I need some cute Spring/Summer shoes for work. Any ideas?

I hope you enjoyed this post and come back soon. If you are visiting from Kelly's Korner, please leave a comment so I can visit your blog. I LOVE bloggy visitors.

Serious Life Magazine

Go check out Serious Life Magazine. It is written by Brent Riggs (Abby's Dad). Abby is one of the little girls I've been asking you to pray for.

http://www.seriouslifemagazine.com/

Pay close attention to page 177.

And, as always, pray for Abby.

Answers from Q & A

Wow! I have to start updating this more often. Don't I say that every time?

I'm finally getting around to answering the questions from Q & A. Thanks Ann and Patrick for your questions.

Ann asked if I had tried the Wii Fit for weight loss.
I have not tried it yet. Mat actually bought me a Wii for my birthday and grad. school graduation (neither of these occurs until August) but couldn't wait to give it to me. I was going to go out and get one for myself so he thought he better go ahead and give it to me. It is so much fun!! We don't have the Wii Fit yet because all of the stores around us are out. Hopefully we'll have one soon. Our neighbor has one and he's already lost 5 pounds using it. :)

Ann asked what different eating habits I have now.
I am starting out with the basics. I'm drinking water and eating healthier. I am actually thinking about what goes in my mouth which is always difficult for me. Also, I'm giving up fast food. McDonalds and Wendys had become our favorite places to eat. No more of those! Also, I'm trying to eat more protein because that keeps you full longer. My mother-in-law taught me that after she had surgery. Even peanut butter has protein!

Ann's last question was to tell the strangest thing that has happened in the last 3 days.
Well, let's see. I'm a teacher so strange things don't happen. HA!!
Probably the strangest thing that has happened was our dog, Patsy, eating chicken bones (no, they're not good for dogs). We had wings (yummy!) the other night and put the bones in the trash. Well, our little sniffer decided to pull them out and eat them while we weren't here. She's never been too interested in the trash can before so we didn't think about it. However, when I got home, she had trash all over our floor. She was sick all day Friday. I think she was rethinking that decision to eat chicken bones.

Patrick asked about recipes.
I don't cook a lot. I'm learning but I'm not great at coming up with meal ideas or recipes. I love cookbooks that are like "3 ingredients or less" because I don't have to have tons of stuff to make them. I've also discovered the Crock Pot and love it because I can start something in the morning and it is done when we get home. Melodie is a much better cook than me. Fish?! That girl is talented.

Patrick also asked for 10 reasons that he, Melodie, and Jamie (their son) should move up here to DC.
They currently live in Georgia (right outside of Savannah - my favorite city ever!!). But, they are going to move up here soon. YIPPEE!! Here are my 10 reasons they should move up here.
1. Free babysitting. Mat and I will babysit anytime!!
2. Playgrounds and parks. There are playgrounds and parks everywhere up here. Our neighborhood has several and we're right down the road from a HUGE park.
3. Great teaching opportunity. Patrick and Melodie are both teachers. Our school system is the 13th largest school district in the country. We have our own professional development department, get paid a lot more than in Georgia, and I work with lots of awesome people.
4. Great schools for Jamie. Because the school system is so big, we have tons of opportunities for kids.
5. There is never a lack of stuff to do. The Smithsonian museums are free, there are lots of malls, and all of those playgrounds and parks. SO much stuff to do.
6. The Cheesecake Factory! Just this week I found out that the Cheesecake Factory is the greatest restaurant ever. You should move here just for that. Yes, I think they do have them all across the country but our's is the best. :)
7. A great group of friends. We've already pre-selected friends for you to hang out with. We are of course the best of those but there are more.
8. Bad Movie Club. Every other weekend, Mat goes to "Bad Movie Club". Him and some of his friends get together and watch horrible movies. It isn't my kind of thing but you and Melodie might like it.
9. Wii Competition. We can all play games on the Wii. It would be much more fun than me trying to beat Mat all the time.
10. You would give Mat's mom a grandson. She cannot wait until Mat and I have kids because she wants grandchildren. She could be Jamie's adopted grandmother and that would take the pressure off of me and Mat. :)
There are lots of reasons but these are what came to mind.

I think everyone is probably tired of reading so I'll update more later.

Have a great Sunday! I hope your weather is nice like it is here. Bring on Spring!!!

My Weekend

I hope that you are all having a great weekend. Mine (Jess) hasn't been so great. Yesterday, we took Patsy to the vet and then to have lunch with Mat's Mom and sister. I was very tired there and got a stomach ache after eating. However, if you know me at all, you know this is normal for me. I came home and took a nap (again normal) but woke up feeling hot and achy all over. BLAH!!

Last night, things got worse. I laid on the couch all evening and finally decided to move to the bed about 1am. Well, Patsy couldn't sleep and neither could I. We woke up at 2am, 3am, 4am, 5:30am, and finally slept until 9:30am. It was a pretty miserable night. Once I moved back down to the couch this morning, things were the same. I've slept a little on and off. Mat did go get me a thermometer, Gatorade, and soup. I'm feeling a little better since I ate and slept a solid hour. I'm working on graduate school work now and hope that I can get that done.

There is supposed to be snow tonight and tomorrow so I'm praying for that!!

Once I feel better, I'll answer the questions from my last blog post.

Have a good rest of your weekend!

Diets and Q & A

Can anyone else relate to that? Well, if you were in the McCarl house you could. We have decided to go on diets. We could both stand to lose some weight and have tried for a while to diet but it just doesn't seem to work. Now, we are both watching what we eat and will attempt to exercise a little. Yes, Mat is the one pushing for the exercise. My idea of exercise is getting up to let the dog out. Pray that we can keep this up!

Have you noticed that every single post I say I'm going to blog more? What happens? I don't! It seems that something always gets in the way or when I have time there is nothing to blog about. If anyone ever desires to know what's going on I figure they'll email or comment and ask. Speaking of comments, is there anyone reading the blog? I know Melodie is but that's about it. So, to see who is reading and to come up with stuff to blog about, leave a comment and ask whatever you want to know. I'll read all of the comments and answer all questions. I figure this will be something fun that I know everyone will be interested in. If you'd rather email your question and have me answer that way, feel free. My email is jfmccarl@yahoo.com.



Have a great week! I can't wait to see all of your questions and comments!

Valentine's Day - A Little Late

It is about time that I posted something about Valentine's Day!

First, let's start with Valentine's Day - First Grade style. Valentine's Day is a HUGE deal in 1st grade. Even as the kids were coming in, they were asking when they could give out their cards. Because I am the horrible teacher that I am, I made them wait until the afternoon. So mean, I know!

The whole day I was sort of dreading it because this class is very active and not always appreciative. However, they really surprised me! They were all so well behaved and thankful for everything they got. They were saying "Thank You" for every card they got. It made me so proud of them.

I think the proudest moment was when I was giving out the cupcakes that I had made for them. Little A said "This is the best Valentine's Day I have ever had! Thank you so much Mrs. McCarl!". I didn't know what to say. It is moments like that that make it worthwhile to work with little kids all day.

Here are pictures of the amazing cupcakes that I actually made myself.

Of course I got tons of cards and candy from the kids. I also got these from D (have you noticed that I don't put my students' full names?). They are gorgeous and were so unexpected!

Now to the McCarl Valentine's Day. This year, Mat and I decided not to do anything special or get each other gifts. We really didn't have the money to spend. We did get each other cards and ended up going out to a little Chinese place to eat. Oh, the best part, we stopped by Krispy Kreme and got heart shaped donuts. That's a great Valentine's Day to me.

This weekend, we did a lot of relaxing around the house. We were going to waterproof our hardwood floors but realized Sunday afternoon that we forgot all about it. Hopefully we'll get to do it next weekend.

Saturday night, I made these cupcakes for Mat's mom's birthday that was 2 weeks ago. They also turned out being for my father-in-law as well because his birthday is on Valentine's Day. The cupcakes are supposed to look like groundhogs (because my mother-in-law's birthday is on Groundhog Day) but they didn't turn out as well as I had hoped. That will probably be the first and last time I make those. Everything said that they were good though so I guess that is what matters. Thanks also to Mat! He actually made much better looking groundhogs than I did.

Why so many cupcakes you ask? Because I have this:

and this:

I LOVE both of these things. The first is a picture of my stand mixer. I have wanted one these as long as I can remember however the KitchenAid brand is over $200 so I wasn't getting that. At Christmas time, Mat and I were out shopping at Target and discovered this one for only $25!! I had to have it and my hubby loves me so much that he let me get it. I LOVE IT!!

The next thing is my new cupcake holder. It has a cupcake pan on the bottom, another holder on the top (they are stackable), and a cover. It holds 24 cupcakes! This is a must have for anyone who often travels with cupcakes. My students are going to love that I have this. I'm already planning cupcakes for every holiday. :) And, of course, this also came from Target and was purchased by my awesome husband. He is so good to me!!

If you have learned anything from this post, it should be:

1) You need to make cupcakes.

2) You need a stand mixer and cupcake holder from Target.

3) My life is so boring that I am blogging about cupcakes and things I buy at Target.

I hope that you had a wonderful Valentine's Day and are having a wonderful start to the week!!

Happy Presidents' Day!