Happy New Year!

Just wanted to take a moment to wish my friends a very Happy New Year! I want to share some of my very favorite moments of the year with you.

Wishing you and yours a very happy and blessed 2008!

A Wonderful Christmastime!

***WARNING---There are tons of pics on this post! LOL***

Yep, we had a wonderful Christmas! We spent it surrounded by family, the best way to spend any day. The celebrations started with Christmas Eve at Troy & Jennifer's. Let's just say it was crazy! We all had a great time!

Afterwards we went to Midnight Mass at Our Lady of Prompt Succor. I lectored, which was a great honor for me. The church was decorated so beautifully!

After opening presents at home on Christmas morning, we headed to Ryan & Lori's. There we had dinner and opened presents with the Lucias. It was a fun, laid-back day.

Now it's time to look forward to the New Year! Here's hoping 2008 will be a great one!

Merry Christmas!





It's the most wonderful time of the year! It's Christmas! I am so excited about the holiday! Christmas does bring out the kid in most of us, and it certainly does in me. I love looking at our beautifully decorated tree and can't wait to open the presents under it. I'm looking forward to spending the holiday with my family. I'm also looking forward to watching the kids with their presents. I think that's the most fun of all!




We've been quite busy during the holiday season. Last weekend we celebrated Justin & Kaitlin's birthdays and went to a wonderful Christmas party at the Joneses. This past Thursday was our CHS Christmas luncheon. Yesterday we got to visit with dear friends at a baby shower. Dad and I have been to two Saints games over the last two Sundays. (We won't discuss today's outcome!) Exams have come and gone, and fortunately I have graded them all!

This year we will follow our Christmas tradition and spend Christmas at Ryan and Lori's. A new tradition we started after Katrina was Christmas Eve at Troy and Jennifer's. Two days of family and food--what else could you want?!

Probably the thing I'm most excited for is Midnight Mass. This year I will be lectoring. I can't wait! We haven't been to Midnight Mass in several years, and I've never lectored on a big holiday before. I feel so blessed to have this opportunity. Blessed--isn't that what Christmas is all about? It's about a baby born over 2000 years ago, a baby who was born and would later die to save the world. The real reason for Christmas is Jesus Christ. He gave us the most important gift of all, the gift of love.

May you and yours be blessed and surrounded by love during this holiday season. Merry Christmas to all!

Life Is Good!

(I have no idea why I can't rotate this pic. If you can help, please let me know!)

Yes, life is definitely good! Things have been going well of late. I celebrated my birthday not once but four times! Yep, you read that right! There were two dinners with friends, a celebration at home, and a birthday pie on Thanksgiving. That's me blowing out the candles on the birthday pie with Kaitlin and Bella. They were great little helpers!


Speaking of Thanksgiving, my turkey day was a good one. Our family, along with Rachael and the kids, had our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at the Lucias. We ate a little earlier than usual since Ryan and Lori were leaving on a cruise that day, but otherwise it was the same comfortable holiday. I just love Thanksgiving! I always have, ever since I was a little girl. I don't know why. I think it just gives me the warm fuzzies. Food, family, and fun--what more could you want?


Now the Christmas season is in full swing. Chez Derb is all decorated and looks great. Most of the presents are bought and wrapped. I've had so much fun doing my Christmas shopping this year. I love shopping for my family and friends! This is the first week of Advent, and it will be so cool to go to church tomorrow and see the Advent wreath. I've already watched Rudolph once, and I'm sure I'll watch it several more times in the next few weeks. I looooove that cartoon! Rudolph totally rocks!


School has been going well. The kids are busy and working hard. They take exams in a few weeks, and I hope they do well. I want them to take their exams seriously. Last night the 8th graders had a dance, and I went. They had a good time. I love to see them outside of class and having fun. There's still so little for our kids to do in St. Bernard. They need more dances like this.


I finally got to crop at Scrappin' Buds last Saturday. They had an all-day crop, but I couldn't go since I was lectoring at 4:00 Mass. I really wanted to go, so I just went after church. It was like a regular Friday night crop. I miss living just 15 minutes from a scrapbook store! It was also the first time in a while that I got to crop with Angela. We had a good time! If you want to see some of my pages, you can check them out in my Scrap in Style gallery.


Tomorrow is the first Saints home game in three weeks. Yay! They play the division-leading Tampa Bay Buccaneers. We really need a win! Last week the Saints played an awesome game against Carolina. They need another performance like that tomorrow. Hopefully Saints fans will be celebrating when they leave the Dome tomorrow night. Look for me on TV in case I get on!


Talk to you all soon!

Happy Halloween!



Yes, I realize I'm a day early, but I know I won't get a chance to post tomorrow. I just love Halloween! Decorating, kids in costumes, sharing treats with my students--what's not to love about it?

Check out my cool pic! That's me at the Scrapbooks Etc. Halloween crop last weekend. I'm wearing my winning costume. I was a giant scrapbook page? Pretty clever, huh! The crop was so much fun. I don't make it out to SBE as much as I used to pre-Katrina, so any time I get to spend out there is cherished. I got a lot of pages done and had a ball.

School is going well. Yesterday was Report Card Conference Day. I saw several of the parents I needed to see, but I wish there had been a bigger turnout. Actually, that's typical of my grade level. Parents really don't stay as involved in their children's schools as the kids get older. It's sad, really. I think teens need their parents as much as the younger kids do.

This weekend is my 20-year High School Reunion! I can't believe it! Time has just flown by! I certainly don't feel that old! I am really looking forward to it. Several old friends whom I haven't seen since Katrina will be in town, and I can't wait to see them. We're going to have so much fun.

If you like scrapbooking and mystery books, then you will love the book I just finished reading. It's called Motif for Murder, and it's by an author named Laura Childs. It's one of a series of Scrapbook Mystery novels set in New Orleans. The heroine is a woman who owns a scrapbook store and solves crimes. I liked this one so much that I ordered the first three in the series. If you've read them, let's discuss!

Enjoy your Halloween! Have a fun but safe time!

P.S. Someone very special is celebrating a birthday tomorrow, and I need to give her a special shout out. Who is it? It's only the greatest little sister ever! Happy Birthday, Debbie! Have a super fabulous wonderful day! I love you!