A Crafty Giveaway

Remember how I wrote all about being crafty in my Currently post?  Well... that continued today.  I headed back to work today and on my lunch break I ran into Hobby Lobby to get supplies to make my monogrammed long sleeved tee!  I put the kidlets down tonight and got busy with my Silhouette machine.  Here's what my finished shirt looks like {insert proud self patting on back here}.

Soooo...  I decided to try a different kind of giveaway this time.  If you like my shirt and you want to have one... I'm going to give one away!  Just enter below...  it's going to end Sunday night so that I can have some time to make it and mail it out!  Good luck my peeps... may the force be with you :)

Talk to y'all soon!
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Hello January

It's January and a whole new year!  Hot dog!  I am optimistic about 2014.  I am hoping that it is a great year for me and my family.  I don't really do resolutions so much...  but this picture that I found on Pinterest made me smile.  I think that it's a great reminder of how I'm hoping my year will be!

Because it's a new month... it's time to link up for Farley's Currently!  So... here goes:

1) Listening to a silent house.  M1 had a sleepover at a friend's house last night.  M2 had a cousin over here last night, but he went home with a sore throat after midnight...  It's a temporary silence, but I'll take it!
2) Loving my time off for a multitude of reasons, but I actually had a chance to be "crafty" -ish!  I get frustrated with myself on Pinterest b/c I often lack follow through.  I pin tons of things but don't ever go back and make them or see them through.  Well this week I went back through my "For the Home" board and found 2 ideas that I wanted to try out.  I wanted to do a burlap bedskirt in my guest bedroom and also learn how to do monograms on my Silhouette.  Here are my 2 projects from this week... .what do you think?  If you don't follow me on Pinterest...  you can find me HERE!

3) Thinking that January will be a very hard month and I hope I handle it with grace.  January 5th will mark one year since I delivered Frances.  I must confess that I am much less angry now, but I am not 100% yet.  I don't know how long that will take, but I am a work in progress.  I am thankful that I had the chance to hold her and thankful that I can go to her grave when I need a place to get away.  So I am giving myself some grace this month... but also hoping that other mothers who may be hurting will find hope in my journey and struggle.

4) Wanting.... nothing at all that I can think of.  I am a minimalist anyways and I don't need much to be happy.  My list is quite short actually: my boys, my husband, coffee! :)  Santa was good to me though with gift cards for local shops and a day at the spa in Savannah!
5) Needing to lose some weight and start taking better care of myself.  I don't have a specific number really, but I definitely found solace in food and drinks this year.  I don't know if it was grief or the severe depression, but somewhere along the way ... I lost me!  We'll see, but hopefully the old me is still in there somewhere {and she has a bunch of clothes in the closet waiting, ahem}.
6)  Favorite January memory... a super nervous boyfriend asked me to marry him on New Years Eve 2001... and I promoted him to husband!  Golly... that was 12 years ago!

I hope that your January will be amazing.  I head back to work tomorrow {the mourning has already started}.  Happy New Year bloggy peeps... talk to y'all soon!

My One Little Word for 2014

Holy cow, Batman... tomorrow is 2014.  I must confess that New Years is one of my favorite holidays.  There is something refreshing about the idea of a fresh start... even if it is just a day after the previous year :)
I'm linking up with Denise over at Sunny Days in Second Grade for My One Little Word for 2014.  What did I choose?

I choose balance.  It surely is a struggle... this business of being a mom, teacher, and wife.  I must confess that I am not always good at any of them.  So.... my word for 2014 is balance... and to hoping that I can find a way to be better at it.  Have you picked a word for 2014?

Happy New Year my bloggy peeps... I hope that is will be one of the best years yet... talk to y'all soon!

The 100th Day is Coming... Yeehaw

Christmas has come... and Christmas has gone.  I think I have successfully taken down all of our Christmas decorations... except my wooden wise men... they're still chillin' on the mantel.  (note to self: take down the wise men).  The New Year is upon us... only a few more days until 2014.  Guess who will still be writing 2013 for awhile.  Yep, this chick.  My brain sucks at change... just sayin'

We have to go back to work on Thursday.  This has been officially the shortest Christmas break in the history or EVER!  That being said... I have enjoyed every.  single.  minute.  I have slept in most days.  Had coffee every.  single.  morning.  I have watched way too much HGTV, read cookbooks, and enjoyed my children.  I just keep thinking... we get a day off in January for MLK and also have a week in February for winter break {don't throw anything at me if you don't get that break, too}. The kidlets come back on January 6th and that is our 92nd day of school.... that's right... it's all downhill from here folks!  I finished my 100th day pack just in time.  You can click any of the pictures to check it out!  This pack also includes instructions for using an Aging Booth app (for apple or android).

I decided to use my own personal kidlets to experiment on.  They giggled and cackled for a long time after they saw themselves as old people.  I just can't wait to take pictures of my firsties when they come back.  I don't know if I'll print them out in color... or I might just test them out on the copier.  I made papers for them to write on, questionnaires to fill out... and lots of other ideas!  My plan is to hang up their pictures, matted onto black construction paper and pair it with a piece of their writing.  It is going to be uber-cute!!!

  Well, I'm going to call it a bloggy night for now... company coming over for a UFC fight.  I'm pretty pumped about the chili bar, the chips & salsa, plus some sushi!  Hope y'all have had an amazing Saturday!  I'll talk to y'all soon!  

PS... the app is available for apple or android.. .in case you wanted to check it out and try it, too!  

I Should've Worn My Elastic Waistband Pants

There... I said it... I should've worn my elastic waistband pants to dinner yesterday.  I maybe ate too much.... twice.  I love carbs...and they love me!  I hope that y'all had a very Merry Christmas.  I enjoyed the day with my peeps and watching them squeal with delight as they opened their gifts.  I have been collecting their presents since September... so I was pumped to watch them all be opened in like 2 minutes! They are efficient... what can I say? :)

My kiddos are off playing with their new tech devices and I am starting to think about taking Christmas stuff down.  I know it seems soon, but we go back to school on the 6th and I don't want the decorations looming over my head...  I also thought that the 2 days of planning were going to be so awesome.  I was picturing myself chillin' in my classroom... organizing, writing lesson plans, cleaning, getting materials together, etc.  Well, we got an itinerary in an email and it looks like I'm going to have approximately 1 hour to myself.  Sigh.

Ok... enough about me... how was your Christmas?  Do you leave all your decorations up for awhile... or do you go ahead and start dismantling early?  When do you go back to school?    What was your favorite Christmas present that you received OR gave?

If you're in a shopping mood... my peeps and I from over at the Primary Chalkboard are all doing a sale.  You can visit any of our TpT shops and receive 20% off... starting today and running through the 29th.  I am shopping for 100th day things, reading comprehension packs, persuasive writing help, and some seasonal type things... OH... and clip art {always the clip art!}

Well, I'm gonna head out to grab some Starbucks (yesterday was hard w/o my "fix") and see what deals I can find at Hobby Lobby, TJ Maxx and some boutiques here in town!  I will talk to y'all soon!

Charlotte's Web... Finished

I am so pumped to finally be finished with my Charlotte's Web pack.  I added a few extra things at the end and I'm so glad that I did.  I really do love this book.  My boys saw me reading it and my youngest kept asking me if I was at the part where Charlotte dies yet.  He has seen the movie and knows the ending obviously... but I still got choked up reading it.  It is just a great book.

I added an interactive notebook page and a spider craft... didn't plan on doing those when I started this a few weeks back... but I like the way they turned out!

If you read Charlotte's Web with your kidlets... you won't want to miss out on this pack!  I included comprehension questions (and an answer key for each chapter), graphic organizers for each main character, favorite character graphing activity, informational passages on spiders and pigs, and so much more!!!

I hope that your Christmas break is off to a FAB start!  I can't believe that tomorrow is already Christmas Eve.... I still have more shopping to do, y'all!  I am dreading it.  My mother in law is having the kidlets over to make cookies... and I am going to brave the mall by myself for those last few things.  I know it's not Thanksgiving anymore... but I am seriously so thankful for each of you who come hang out with me here and over at Facebook!  I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas... and I'll talk to y'all soon!  <3

Five For Friday {Christmas Break...Woot}

Chiming in here for the Five for Friday post...  just chillin' on my couch!  That's right... I'm on Christmas break, y'all!  If you're reading this... chances are... you are also on your couch...  enjoying the first few hours of Christmas break!!!  Yesterday was day 90 for us... that's 1/2 way done!!!  It's all downhill from here...

This week was a crazy week.  This is my 12th year but every year it takes me by surprise.  I was driving to work earlier this week and I looked up at the moon and actually thought, "Man... that's a beautiful moon!  OHHHHH NOOOOO... that's a full moon."  .... and the kids didn't disappoint.  Game on little humans...  they have kept me on my toes all week.

 Yesterday was a hard day.  It marked the one year anniversary of the day I found out that Frances didn't have a heartbeat.  I didn't tell anyone that it was the anniversary until later in the day... just needed to get through work.  A co-worker brought this down to me this morning.  Said she had ordered it a long time ago, but for a myriad of reasons... didn't get around to giving it to me until yesterday.  Y'all... that was a God thing!  No other possible theory fits!

My M1 and M2 at karate.  They really love it.  The hubs signed them up and he loves to go watch them practice.  I love having a few quiet minutes after school.  Then I run home, straighten the house, and try to make a plan for dinner....  ahem, a loose plan for dinner!  Let's keep it real...  y'all want Little Caesars for dinner?  Why don't we go get chips and salsa wasted?  Kids... y'all just want a bagel?  

I'm stalking my summer vacation at the beach.  Straight up STALKING!  Love a good countdown app!  We may have booked our 2014 week back in August.  We are READY!  

 Remember above... when I mentioned loose plans for dinner?  Yeah... I actually love reading cookbooks.  Ironic... since I don't actually cook often... {or even that well}.  This lovely book was a gift from our school nurse who also love the Pioneer Woman cookbooks.  Made my week!!!  <3 her!!!

A sweet co-worker came down this week after school.  I had brewed coffee {if you brew it... they WILL come}.  While she was visiting... she asked if I had any thoughts on homemade ornaments.  I asked her if she had ever made the borax ornaments (for lack of a better name).  I quickly described it... told her it definitely works & gave it my seal of approval.  Side note: I used to make these every year when I taught 4th graders.  She took some pictures of her 2nd graders in action & sent them to me. {she's sweet like that}.. 

 So you need some Mason jars... or she used glass beakers.  You also need some pencils, fishing line, pipe cleaners, Borax, and access to boiling water {she used my coffee pot to do this}.

 The best part... you can totally do this one day... let them form overnight... and VOILA!  Great for people on a time crunch!  I've never made these with my personal little humans... but thinking we might give this a go over Christmas break.  I think they would LOVE it!

 Here's an image of one with fully formed crystals.  So pretty... and really fascinating I think.  The recipe and instructions can be found HERE... but there are several others... mostly all saying the same thing though!

I hope that you are reading this... relaxing at home... enjoying the first few hours of your break.  Hoping to blog more this week since I can actually have a few coherent thoughts!  Talk to y'all soon!