"I'm not dead, yet! I'm feeling much better!"

If you don't recognize that quote, I'll disown you.
I'm kidding. I work with twelve-year-olds--I'm used to the greatness of days past being an unknown blob next to the glory of the Biebs.
I can't believe I just wrote that.
Or called him "Biebs." The tweens are getting to me, at last . . . 

The point is that I have simply been MIA in the worst of ways. I apologize.  I suppose it hasn't really stopped your life in any way, but I like to think that this little corner of blogsphere is a little something  . . . just a tiny bit. ;} Have any of you ever had days. weeks, or months where you realize that you bit off more than you could chew . . . and then you suddenly are freed from a few responsibilities . . . and your mind and body go into bloody shock, so you almost can't make them function? I'm coming out of the "my gosh I have free time" coma. 

So . . . I think I have pics from Christmas and Easter to catch up with . . . and of the cottage . . . I keep wondering if there's anything else to do to it or if I will ever really declutter all my teaching supplies and make it look SOMETHING like those pretty homes I see in pictures . . . but I just don't think that will work . . . Still, pics on their way.  So, here's a little long-overdue taste from Christmas :]

"Hi, I'm Pipkin! I have to be in the middle of EVERYTHING! NOW LOVE ME!!!"

Navi

Ok, I was SO proud of my little table, especially of those ornaments hanging from the lights--the hubs saw me struggling and promptly perfected them.
Of course, Navi had to photobomb. Cats. What can you do?

Stockings! I loved having a fireplace where we could hang our stockings!

Tree!
Tree shopping this year was less than joyful--I had given Chris a cash limit because, as much as I love Christmas trees, I don't want to pay an arm and leg for one, but what I didn't anticipate was finding 7-8 foot trees for $20 less than our limit. Chris, of course, had to go to the limit and buy an 8-9 foot tree. Oh, and the shop was closing WAY earlier than we had anticipated . . . so we kind of grabbed the first tree and ran. It turned out lovely, though . . .

Our tree is covered in nerd homages . . .and I didn't even feature the Star Wars ornament collection . . .

I will, however, feature our Christmas Star Wars bobble heads I that was ridiculously thrilled with finding for $5 at Target . . .

Dingo love! She was shedding all of her puppy fluff

This is what Shasta looks like now at eight-months-old. She's still working on getting her ears to stand all the way up. I'm know I'm biased, but I'm pretty sure my spastic snuggle-bug is the best pup ever.  And I don't even like dogs.

Like I had said earlier, this year has been pretty crazy, and it might get crazier, but more news on that in a few weeks.
No, I'm not pregnant. I feel like any time I mention anything about plans, I need to clarify.  At nearly every extended in-law family function I'm asked when I'm having kids. They're even pulling the "You're twenty-five, now, and you're not getting any younger" bit . . . they mean it in love but there are other fertile married young folk in the circle . . . ask them . . .
Anyways, that and even my students are asking me about kids . . . Out of nowhere, one girl piped up, "Mrs. B, are you going to have kids?"
"Well, hun, if we prove fertile, yes, we plan on having kids  . . . *strange, trying-not-to-laugh-silence*. . . Dude, awkward questions deserve awkward answers."
One of my male students just about died he was laughing so hard.
All that to say, it seems I have reached a state of maternal ripeness and most people in my life expect me to be bursting with offspring . . . yeah, no.  I love kids; I want kids, but they're not in the works at the moment.
So, news NOT involving babies coming up, soon. Also, I plan on posting some of the crazy things that go on in my classroom.  These kids are hysterical. 

Anyone else getting the "Are you having babies, yet?" drill? Golly gee willickers.