2014 wrap up

Hey Friends... its that time again.. when we go through 2014 and see what happened....

January

I took this pic exactly one year ago... January brought the promise of new things.. although my hubs was still working/living in Virginia...

January Cooper turned 3... finally legal!!

My highlight of February... flowers at work on Valentines Day

March brought a leprechaun to our classroom and he left us clues to find him somewhere in the school... We never found him... but we did find some gold (chocolate)

We also balanced an egg on its bottom for the first day of spring...

April...

Brady turned 7... he looks so young....

it was the two year anniversary of my mom's passing.. so we had to see what a fashionista mom I had...

In May I ran (and lost) for union rep... my devotion to the union remains strong!!!!

In June I said goodbye to my old classroom... 

July.. moved into my new classroom:)

This was a post that was up for looooong time because I wasn't feeling the blog... I was all," noone reads it.. whatever..." then I get two very sweet concerns for where was pooka?? I'm BACK BABY!!!!

September and another equinox... balanced an egg again on the first day of fall....

A SUPER cold Halloween... glad I didn't have to take anyone trick or treating...

 In November I took a break from Groopdealz and made my own banner... I gotta take another break now.. hubs HATES Groopdealz!!!

 A new computer for a hopefully even better blog... 

Happy New Year my friends!!!! 2015 is going to be awesome!!!!!!!

Some SWEET Target Deals....

Hey Friends... its time to start de-hoidayfying the house... So I went to Target and got some SWEET deals... number one.. the wreath with the windows... I got one window from Casey for Christmas and had to get another for balance... Next... the cute little lantern... originally 19.99.. got it for 7.50!!! A lot of the cute Christmas stuff is way gone... but some of the stuff is perfect for some winter decorating...

Now.. I have also been to Hobby Lobby and grabbed this window...

I have told y'all how lizmarieblog.com has inspired me to death... so now when I go out I think about this....

 

and this...

 

We'll get there... one day.....

My best looks 2014

Hey all... I've been at this blogs business for a while now... I've got to have SOME good looks right??? Lets see....
10.

the blanket scarf?? that's what makes the outfit...

ok.. this one is the necklace and the boots....

I got a lot of compliments on this outfit... so I have to put it in in top 10

this one is the scarf and the mixed plaids...

the bun... the confort of the outfit and the bun...

I wore a pair of running shorts underneath so my thighs wouldn't rub together... super comfy....

the necklace.... and the boots

loved this dress... loved the sweater... l=I got alotta compliments on it...

When to have your last baby....

Hey gals... I've been on the hook about a topic that has plagued me for a while... I let go of it, and then I pick it up again... I know I've talked about it on the blog... its having your last baby.... my last baby was born about 17 1/2 years ago... now since that baby was about 5-6 I've always wanted another one... my mom had 5 kids... all of my friends moms had 4-6 children... it was normal..but my hubsband... he barely wanted one kid... we "accidentally" got pregnant with Casey..(accident my ass... I knew what was going on...) and Jack was planned... sooooo... later on, after we'd had Jack for a few years I tell hubs..."Lets have another baby"... he is all like, "HELL NO!!!! and if you didn't hear it the first time... HELL NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!"  He was very determined in his resolve NOT to have another baby... so my sister tells me... why don't  you just have one anyway??? he doesn't need to know... just slip one past the goalie..... so I think about it... and while I"m thinking about it, I read this article about a woman who did just that... she slipped one past the goalie... ended up with twins... one special needs.... and the husband resented this whole thing and ended up having an affair... the two separated and are divorced.. the husband admitted it was the third pregnancy... he never wanted another baby.. now he has two.. and one is special needs..... lt was like divine tintervention... ifd it had been us, hubs would be OUT... he would not have participated in the care of  the child... so I honored my hubsband's request and gave up on the idea of another child and got a dog (or two) to satisfy my nurturing urge.... I've read blogs and articles about women who have had 3-7 k ids and one day, they make the decision to have their LAST baby... if you've had 1 or  21 its not an easy decision... I'm 44... now I'm waiting for Casey to start having babies.... then... and only then... will my need be quenched....

The BEST Christmas songs....

Hey all.. this is slightly late in the game, but I did my worst Christmas songs.. that requires a best list....

1. The Twelve Pains of Christmas.. this is so funny... the voices in the song are hilarious and super relatable....

2. Hallelujah Chorus.. you could listen to this song 10 times in a row and want to hear it again...

 

3. O Holy Night sung by the Celtic Women is wonderful...it is so uplifting...

4. Up on the Housetop.. I never liked this song as a girl, but then I went to my daughters holiday concert and it just kinda clicked..

5. The Christmas Song... but ONLY sung by Nat King Cole...anyone else... notsomuch....

6.Merry Christmas Darling... I have always liked this song.. its like a song meant just for your loved one...

7. This version of "Silent Night" with Enya is so beautiful.. you will never want to hear it any other way...

8.  O Come All Ye Faithful is a great song.. no doubt.. but when you hear this version in Italian... it moves you...

9. The Holly and the Ivy... this is  a relatively new one for me.. I just started loving this song like 2 years ago... but when I hear it.. love...

10.  and the BEST  Christmas song of all.......What Child is This by Andrea Bocelli... this literally makes me cry when I hear it...

So now that the Christmas song period is almost done... listen one more time then wait til next year..:(

Merry Christmas... what do we do now??

Merry Christmas friends!!! I will be posting like a mad fool with this NEW COMPUTER!!! I'm soooooooooo happy!!! My hubs did GOOD!!!

This has been a very merry Christmas I must say.... My three readers remember the tragedy of Christmas 2013 and what has gone into the books as the "Chocolate martini incident"  well not this year!!! I was sober as a judge..(like  a beauty contest judge...not like Judge Judy...) but stayed til the end of my little (not somuch) party and then Jack and I stayed up until 2:30 and watched, 'Its a Wonderful Life" when everyone left... Then this morning, Christmas morning... Jack opened his gift, a pair of 2011 retro Jordans  and I was afraid the whole time that 1. they wouldn't come in time and 2. they wouldn't be the ones he wanted... but he was soooooooooo happy.... VICTORY!!

 

!Now... I have been talking a lot about how bad TV has been... so here are some suggestions to get you through the holidays when TV is horrible...

1. The Dark Matter of Love:  this is on Netflix... a documentary that follows a family of three as they adopt three Russian orphans, a girl of @11, and twin boys @4... a very very interesting view of a complete change in family dynamic....

2. NSF... Work, children, the faint of heart.... Haunted House 2 if you saw "Haunted House" you will LOVE Haunted House 2... it is as raunchy as it gets, trust me.. but let me tell you.. if you have a fear of creepy dolls, this movie will cure it....

3. If you did not get in the Affair season 1 has come to an end and you can now watch all of it on demand... you will thank me!!! I'll be back with more suggestions this week... I hope you all had a WONDERFUL Christmas!!! I look forward to entertaining you a little in 2015:)

The WORST Christmas songs...

Disclaimer: The views expressed by Suzanne DO NOT express the views of the average Pookapookapooka reader....

I love Christmas songs as much as the next gal... but I swear.. sometimes a song comes on and  I have  like a visceral reaction... Here are a few...
1. Santa Baby

especially THIS version... its like nails on a chalkboard!!!

2. And so this is Christmas  I'm sorry.. I HATE this song!! Its depressing....

3.  I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus now I LOVE me some John Mellencamp.. I DO.. but this song.. #1.  how do we know its the dad??? Mom could just be having an affair... did you ever think of that? And now this kid is scarred.... 

4.  I know.. this one isn't that bad.. I admit.. but still.. its not the old Mariah.. its more like, old.. Mariah....

5. The Red Shoes...ok.. this song!! Just slit my wrists and get it over with... I'm sorry about your mom kid.. but this song!!! Its the WORST!!!

6. Grandma got run over...just bad.. there are really no words... just  B A D!!!

7. Auld Lang Syne What is this song about???

8. I want a hippopotamus for ChristmasYou would think this was a joke no my friends... its real... REAL BAD

9. Dominic the Donkey... who wrote this horrible song??? WHY????

10.  You better watch outok.. the song is somewhat tolerable.. but I HATE Bruce Springsteens version... bad.. and when he starts talking to the band? I'm OUT!!! 

What are the Worst Christmas songs to you??

Friday... Hectic Friday....

Girrrrrrrrrrllll...When was Monday? Like a month ago? I swear I dont' even remember it...I am SOOOOOOOOO Happy today is Friday... today is our last day before break.. and I will tell ya.. these puppies are restless!!! Today is pajama day around here and you let a kid come to school in their pajamas and you may as well give them all red bulls and espresso... I don't know whose idea it was to let kids come to school in their pajamas.. someone must have misguidedly thought it would make therm calm.. like right before  bed... I mean, I get the "Polar Express" reference... but pajamas and school... I am on the fence....

Tonight is the night I have been waiting for!!! "Foxcatcher" is finally finally at my theater!!!! I had to read the book just to get a fix... now.. I realize this movie won't be for everyone.. its full of agony.. thats what I love!! Stories with agony!! Give me Scarlett O'Hara any day!!! 

So go out this weekend and have fun before your crazy ass families come over to your house for Christmas!!! 

What do we want for Christmas.. and other things...

Hey Beautiful!! Here I am.. with a make up from yesterday.. here is the reason I missed WIWW...

look at these raggedy pictures!! And the worst part is that it was a cute little outfit... but heres what happened... My hubsband and I were bickering for 2 days straight.. so when we get like this... 

1. I don't clean out the cofffee maker and he doesnt' make coffee

2. He doesn't get up to take my picture... 

3. I go to bed at like 9:30

So I think we both realized the fight was stupid and pretty much just gave up on it... which is good because I swear, with this Christmas break like a carrot on a stick I am reaching and reaching and still it seems in the far distance! As much as I would love to spread good cheer and good will... I don't know if I can do it to the people I see every day... aka my co workers... I've recieved all staff emails about everything from parking spaces, to kitchen cleanup, to how many copies we're printing... its tedious!!! We're all on the edge... but good news... ONE MORE DAY!!! Tomorrow is the day my co workers and I will all compete for worst present of the staff... I won two years ago with a marrionette that was supposed to look just like me..it didn't.... so tomorrow the BIG reveal... what did Mrs.Bruce get for Christmas??? (Target gift card Target gift card, Target gift card)

Again... I tried...

Good Morning Lovelies.... Today's outfit comes to us courtesy of Pinterest... Here is the inspiration outfit...

Now we're not as skinny as the cute model.... but I tried... so in defeat... I give you someone who looks good in anything he wears... Cooper

This is what I'll be doing this time next week!!! Have a lovely Tuesday!!