new favorite

It's hard not to notice the smart retailers who've hopped on to what I think is a great marketing trend: commercials with sweet, catchy female vocals. Like the Old Navy one about the sweater? So I was watching TV the other day and a JCPenney commercial came on with this really cool song. I loved it and had to hear more. (Smart, too, for the artists loaning out their songs, right?) Some online investigation pointed to "All That I Want" by The Weepies. I've been hearing talk about them for a while and since I finally found them for myself, I've been playing the running tracks from their website over and over. Thanks to Rafe for buying me the CD today! Cute story about how these two independent singer/songwriters met and formed their lovely little duo. Read it in the "about" section here. "Gotta Have You" (which I would personally like to dedicate to Anna Kate) is a must-listen. DO IT!








And the Old Navy sweater song, by Ingrid Micaelson:

Oh yeah! this one too: the commercial with the "eternity (correction: journey) diamond pendant", which happens to be Catherine's favorite piece of jewelry ever :) The man puts it on his wife's neck while she's sleeping...

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written on Thanksgiving Eve, posted today. Aforementioned CD is on constant play in the mini-van, even though it's a bit melancholy. And unfortunately, "All That I Want" and "Somebody Loved" are on their first album. Yay for iTunes...
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You know you're a teacher when...

You've been sneaking behind your husband's back for weeks purchasing things for your classroom. He doesn't like it because, geez, you're not getting paid very much as it is, and you're going to spend your hard-earned discretionary income on school stuff, really? Don't they provide you with sufficient supplies? Well, yes, but...

One evening, after the kids are in bed, you make a late-night trip to Wal-Mart for groceries and essentials and find yourself in the craft section. "Oooooh, plastic glittery snowflakes! $1.97 for 12! Sweet! When winter comes, I can hang a bunch of these from the ceiling at various heights and make a WINTER WONDERLAND! Now I need fishing line to hang them..." After fishing line and snowflakes are in your buggy, you waltz over to the jewelry aisle. "Oh, look!" You agonize for minutes over which Christmas earrings you could wear this season, yes, dangling from your ears, Christmas EARRINGS. You've spotted some silver ornament earrings but those are kind of small and if you're gonna wear SEASONAL JEWELRY, you might as well commit and make a statement. There are gold jingle bell earrings with red bows, but the jingle might surely get annoying, right there at the ear...Candy canes? No. Santa? NO. You decide on the white snowflake ones because you will get more mileage out of those (the winter season is longer than the Christmas season.) You put the earrings in your buggy--along with a SNOW. GLOBE. NECKLACE--and PAY MONEY FOR THEM, with full intentions of wearing them come December.

What has my world come to?

Here's to you, little friends, Taylor, Bailey, Natalie, John Hunter, Macie, Anna Claire, Madison, Austin, Jenna & Todd. I will be wearing Christmas jewelry this year because, apparently, I think you should have a preschool teacher who wears silly jewelry and colorful socks and a big smile every morning. (Not because I particularly enjoy sporting such things. Except the smile...I like the smile!)

You are definitely worth it.