Last Day

Today is the last day of summer vacation. Well, the last day for teachers in my county, anyways. The students still have a few more days to sleep in. And our neighboring counties all have a couple weeks left (we go back pretty early).

How am I spending my last day of summer? Why, in my classroom of course! I've already been by the school every day this week: twice to work in my room and once just to drop off some paperwork. Even though we get a few days of pre-planning before the kiddos show up, I don't always feel like its enough time to get everything ready for that first day of school.

This year will be my 5th year teaching. It's crazy to think that I'm not a "newbie" anymore. But I don't quite feel like a "veteran" yet. I still feel like I don't know what I'm doing some days. But I'm looking forward to the upcoming school year.

The curriculum for my AP course has gotten a total face lift, so that should keep me on my toes in the Spring. I went to a summer institute in Tampa last week so I could learn all about the new changes. I'm hopeful that it will mean diving into history more and less about simply memorizing facts.

Between three sections of APUSH and being junior class sponsor again this year, I'm sure my plate will be full. As if I wasn't sporadic enough with my blogging throughout the summer, I'm sure it will be worse once the tardy bell rings. History has confirmed this. This is me warning you apologizing now.

Five Things

Inspired by Katie's "Five Things at the Bottom of the Bucket" post, I thought I'd share five things from my bucket list. Five things that I think I'll do some day. Five things that are always in the back of my mind. Five things that, if money and time were no issue, I'd dive head first into.

Five things.

RUN A 5K

Some may laugh at this, but a 5K sounds like a daunting task to someone like me. First of all, I'm no where near being in shape. Regardless, even when I was at my best physically, I could never run a mile without stopping. I was always considered a sprinter. I guess playing softball and only have to run 60 feet at a time will do that to you. So to run 3.1 miles....nonstop....sounds near impossible to me. One of these days I'll be able to do it. And when I can, I'm hoping that these 5Ks are still around.

LEARN HOW TO SEW

My grandma can sew. My mom can sew. Me? Not even close. I can thread a needle, but that's about it. I seriously regret not paying more attention when mom tried to show me how to sew a button. That's a skill I've come to realize living on my own that could come in handy. But its not just simply sewing a button. I want to learn how to create things. I've been pinning a lot of cute DIY projects that require a sewing machine and a basic knowledge on how to operate one, and I'm sad that I can't even attempt these amazing ideas.

TRAVEL

About a year and a half ago I shared my travel bucket list. Dan and I made a pact at the start of this year to travel and explore new places. One new place a month. Twelve new places this year. Even if those places were right in our backyard, if it was a new experience to us, we'd count it. So far we're doing pretty good. Some months we haven't been able to travel and other months we're able to go to multiple locations. But I'm including this bucket list item again because it's something I always talk about when our conversations drift off to our future. Sure, I'd love to visit Europe. Sure, I'd love to visit some amazing island paradises. But, really, I know those are long shots. What I really want to do is travel around the United States and learn about the history of our country first hand.

GO BACK TO SCHOOL FOR MY MASTERS

This is something I've been debating back and forth. Not so much the fact that I'd like to go back to school. Its more about what I'd being going back to school for. Do I study History? Social Science Education? Educational Leadership? School Counseling? Whenever I think I've made my mind up, I change it again. There's no rush on the decision - we'd like to be debt free and in a home before I even consider cash-flowing graduate work. But it puts a smile on my face to think about going back to this beautiful campus and continuing my education in the place where it all began.

{UCF College of Education - source}

GO TO THE OLYMPICS

Obviously not as an athlete. But every other year when the Olympics roll around, I always dream about being at the opening ceremonies. It'd be even cooler to travel to another country and experience a new culture all at the same time. There's only one dilemma (besides the obvious of having the money to go) - winter or summer Olympics?

So that's it. My five things. What are your five things?

Friday Favorites

Recently I have come across articles, videos, and photos lately that have left an impression on me. So, I thought, why not share them? Even better, why not try to turn this into a weekly thing?

A few bloggers that I follow do something similar where they periodically share things they have found around the internet with their readers. And, you know what? Those are some of my favorite posts! They help me discover new bloggers, look at things from a new perspective, and introduce me to ideas that I would never have discovered on my own.

So, the plan? Every Friday (talk about accountability!) put together a little wrap up of the things that have put a smile on my face throughout the week in the hopes that they will put a smile on your face too.  So, without further ado, the first Friday Favorites.....

this amazing speech given by a Georgia Tech student

a mother's take on teenagers and social media

this amazing house for sale in a nearby neighborhood that I will never afford

(doesn't stop the dreaming though!)

the idea that every class, not just every student, has a unique personality

one blogger's take on Miley Cyrus and her VMA performance

an elementary school teacher's list of ways teaching has ruined her

a fun take on Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs

this master bedroom paint job has me itching to get into our own home so we can fix it up

the 21 true struggles of Floridians who move out of state

thoughts on living in a 24/7 world and how that applies to students and homework

Pretty Changes

So, I've been contemplating changing up my blog design for some time now. However, switching to a one-income family and being on a tight budget made buying a pre-made or even custom design a little out of reach. I don't know why I never bothered to search around for free backgrounds and templates... uh duh!! 

In my searches I came across Blogaholic Designs who provides free templates and backgrounds for Blogger. I fell in love with the Megan design...

Blogaholic even provides really easy to follow instructions on how to install the backgrounds. Hey, if I can do it, you can do it!

After changing up the background, I realized that I needed to update my social media buttons to reflect the new colors of the blog. Searching around on Pinterest, I found these pretty floral buttons from My Favourite Things.

Aren't they cute?? Even though I don't have a lot of social media outlets attached to this blog (I try to keep a lot of my personal stuff private in case students somehow come across this little blog of mine), I'd love to interact with you through Instagram and Pinterest.

I hope you guys like the new changes as much as I do!

Liebster Deja Vu

So, it looks like I've been nominated for another Liebster Award. Considered me flattered and shocked! Especially considering the little blogging hiatus I've taken lately because of school. This time I was nominated by the lovely Lauren over at Life As A Labeth. 

Basically, I write 11 facts about myself, answer 11 questions that Lauren asked, create 11 new questions, and nominate 11 other blogs to receive the award. Considering it's only been 2 months since the last award, I'm going to skip creating questions and nominating others. But, you can head over to this post to see which lovely ladies I nominated back in August, as well as the questions I answered last time.

11 Facts About Me

1. I suffer from migraines. They started back in 10th grade. They suck. But I've learn to accept they are a part of my life. I actually feel one coming on now...probably why it was the first fact that came to mind.

2. I recently lost a fight with a jar of peanut butter. Well, technically, my big toe lost the fight. And really it wasn't much of a fight. It was like a drive by shooting. Jar of peanut butter fell out of grocery bag right on top of toe. I don't think I've let so many profane words slip through my mouth before. I'd share a picture, but I don't want to gross anyone out.

3. I hate shopping for dresses. Especially dresses for Christmas parties. I've got a wedding to attend at the end of this month and the Hubby's company Christmas party two weeks later, and I've got nothing to wear. And last weekend's hunt turned out to be a bust.

4. I'm not registered with either political party. Technically that's called No Party Affiliation. I don't know why that shocks people. I do tend to lean more towards one of the major parties, but I honestly don't like being labeled. I'll chose the candidate who most closely aligns with what direction I want to see our country go in, regardless of the party they represent. The only downside is that Florida is a closed primary state.

{source}

5. I never thought of myself as a "cat person" but I'm starting to think I am. We've got two now, which is the limit at our apartment complex. But, that doesn't stop me from oohing and ahhing over the kittens that are up for adoption at the pet store. Dan swears that if I could have, I would have taken all 5 cats we were playing with last weekend.

6. I have the weirdest skin. I seriously start having reactions and I don't know what caused them. And they itch so bad! Even popping Benadryl every couple of hours doesn't help.

7. I was a little blondie growing up. And so was Dan. We both have much darker hair now. My hair was curly. Dan's was straight, but his brother & mother are both on the curly side. My dad is strawberry blonde. All of that to say that I secretly hope at least one of our children will have curly redish hair.

8. I make a mean macaroni & cheese. And I have no shame - I use the blue box kind (or blue bag if we're going fancy and baking it). Mac & cheese is seriously my go-to-food when nothing else sounds good.

9. I still don't get all the hype about iPhones, iPads, iPods, etc. The only benefit to the iPad that I've noticed is that it's smaller and lighter than lugging around a laptop. But other than that, I still prefer my laptop computer.

10. I'm swear I'm blind. Though not nearly as bad as my mother. My contact prescription strength is -4.75 & -5.00. Yep, that bad. My mom? -7.50 in both eyes. Plus, she wears reading glasses. I'm sure I'll suffer the same fate.

11. I hate talking about myself. Coming up with these lists are always hard. Without prompting, I never know what to talk about. So sorry if these "facts" seem totally random. But I guess that's the point, huh?

Answers to Lauren's Questions

1. What is your guilty pleasure movie that you could watch 39840 times in a row?

I could probably watch the Harry Potter series on loop and not get tired of it.

2. Did you have the names for your kids picked out before you even knew you were having them? If you don't have kids, do you have names already?

I have names that I like. But I haven't narrowed it down to anything. Even so, almost any name I mention, Dan vetoes. When we finally do have kids, I'm sure it'll be quite the debate.

3. What is your favorite holiday drink/snack?

Considering Halloween was just last week, my favorite would have to be those pumpkins that are kinda like candy corn, but soooo totally different.

{source}

4. How addicted are you to Pinterest?

Let's see... I have 59 boards and 5,491 pins. I dunno. I don't think that's too bad, do you?

5. If you could be an animal for a day, what would you be?

As boring as it sounds, some kind of cat. Whether domestic or more exotic. Why? Cause I wouldn't mind all the cat naps throughout the day.

6. What is one irrational fear that you have?

I always worry about my husband when he's driving. He's got a two hour commute to work. And it's not that he's a bad driver, it's the other people on the road that I worry about.

7. What is your favorite blog to stalk read?

Hands down, Young House Love and Bower Power. Sometimes I secretly wish that I was part of their circle. Please tell me I'm not alone in this.

8. Do you feel obligated to match your clothes all the time? Even pajamas?

Um, around the house, not so much. But if I go out in public, yes. I live in a very small county and there is always the possibility of running into a coworker or a student when out and about. Last thing I need is people whispering in the hallways about what Mrs. C was wearing at Wally World over the weekend.

9. If you could have any pet in the world without having to worry about safety or money issues, what would you pick?

I think I'd still go with a cat. Either that or a rabbit. I use to have a rabbit. Ok, maybe rabbit. But cats like to cuddle in your lap and keep your feet warm when you sleep.... nope, its still a cat.

10. What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

Um... that's a tough one. Usually I just go off of recommendations from other people. Then, when I find an author I like, I tend to read all of their books. Some of my favorites are Tom Clancy, Nicholas Sparks, & J.K. Rowling.

11. What is one thing you could never live without?

My husband. Seriously, he is my rock. I don't know what I would do without him.

Thanks again to Lauren for the sweet nomination!

Life Lately

So I knew come August that this blog would take a back seat to all things school. I just didn't realize how true that statement would be. I love being able to catch up on my blog reading over my lunch break or while waiting for the Hubby to get home from work. But I simply have not found the motivation to write anything. Maybe because school has started to encompass everything I do - but by the time I get home, I don't want to think. Well, think too hard anyways. So composing and editing a blog post seems like a daunting task to someone who simply wants to veg out.

But, I thought I'd give it a shot tonight and see what happens. Much last the last time I posted (nearly a month ago!) I figured I'd fill you in on what's been happening lately. I apologize if it seems a little all over the place - I'm just adding stuff as it comes to mind.

First off, this is the first time blogging from my new school-issued iPad. I wasn't sure how I'd like the thing. And I'm definitely still learning the ropes. To make things easier on myself, I decided to purchase a bluetooth keyboard out of my own pocket (this one to be exact). I tried using just the touchpad features, but after a couple weeks, I was still struggling with it. I type so much faster, so I'm really glad I decided to invest in a keyboard. I'm excited to see how I can incorporate this new technology into the classroom next semester. Let's just hope I have this thing figured out before January! 

I should also mention that due to the fact that this is the first time blogging from the iPad, I'm not sure I'm up to tackling inserting and linking images tonight. So please forgive me for the boring and bland post.

I mentioned last month that the Hubby had a couple interviews lined up for EMT positions. One of them fell threw. Luckily that wasn't the one we were crossing our fingers and saying prayers for. That interview went well, but the Hubby made some simple mistakes during the practical exam. The examiner asked him how long he had been out of school - over 2 years - and said that his skills just need some practice. But they liked Dan enough to offer him a Volunteer position to work on his skills with the potential of moving to part- or full-time in the future. Althought it isn't exactly what we were hoping for, at least this means he's got his foot in the door and can refresh his knowledge from hands-on experience rather than simply from his textbook. This place that he's working with seems great - the people really seem to take an interest in their employees. We're both really hoping that in the not-too-distant future Dan can quit his current job and work solely on EMT stuff. Not only would he finally have a job that he loves, but it would bring him closer to where we live too, which is a big plus!

I tried a new food! Its not too far of a stretch, but it was still enough to impress my friends and family! My best friend has become a Pampered Chef consultant and has hosted a couple of parties. At the party, she showed us how to make chicken fajitas (with onions & peppers) using only a stoneware dish and a microwave. Let me tell you, it was delish! The fact that I requested it as the dish at the party that I hosted floored her. Hannah, asking for onions and peppers?! Insanity!

In other news, we've officially lived in our apartment for over a year. It's kinda weird since the last couple of years I've become accustomed to moving, but its also sort of nice not to have to worry about boxing up all of our stuff. I think the cats are grateful too.

Speaking of cats... we're battling fleas again. We have tried everything to get rid of these things. Is it legal to shave your cat?? I wouldn't. I'm not that cruel. But believe me, it has crossed my mind.

Anyone else loving the new fall season on tv? There's nothing worse than the months between seasons when all you have to watch are reruns. Grey's Anatomy. Revenge. Once Upon A Time. Castle. DWTS. NCIS. Hawaii 5-0. Bones. Glee.... Love them all! Know what new show I'm loving too? Revolution. It's interesting. I'm curious to see where they are going with it.

Ok... iPad update. Something wonky happened and it wouldn't let me view what I was typing anymore... weird. So I've officially switched over to the desktop. Like I said, still learning. But, that means I can add links to stuff without accidentally clicking on the wrong hyperlink. Hooray!

The first 9 weeks of school is officially over. Students are getting their report cards tomorrow. I'm anticipating phone calls and emails from parents. Yay me! Luckily, I've gotten better about taking daily notes about most of my students so that I'm more prepared for parent conversations in regards to student performance. It's time consuming, but it's definitely a CYA maneuver, if you catch my drift.

Also in regards to school, I finally signed off on my evaluation from last year. That's right. A whole nine weeks into school and I'm finally being told how my performance from last year measured out. It's a good thing that my job doesn't rely on this evaluation or anything. I'm only an annual contract teacher. So it isn't like they can just turn to me one day and tell me they would prefer not to renew my contract. I'm not going to get all political, but I'm just going to say that this new evaluation system (which is based on student scores for students I've never even laid eyes on) is whack. Hopefully they iron all the kinks out of it soon. There's nothing worse than being evaluated on a system that your administrators and district personnel don't even fully understand and being told that your job and paycheck depend on it. Someone remind me again why I got into this profession... cause it certainly wasn't for the money. And it certainly wasn't for the political malarkey that we have to navigate.

And while we're on the topic of politics - anyone else sick of the ads yet? Living in a "battleground state" its been nonstop since before the primaries. Even my Facebook seems to have taken a political side. I don't know how many times I have clicked to remove the political ads, but they still seem to pop up in my newsfeed. And always for the same candidate. Seriously? Why not show both sides? Heck, why not talk about the fact that more than 2 people are running for president and there are many different viewpoints out there?

In happier news, the Hubby's student loan has officially been paid off! Wahoo! That's the first check off our debt snowball list. Next up, my car. We're anticipating it only taking about 5 months. Then we'll move onto his car, which should take another 9 or so. After that, we think we'll save up some in anticipation of starting a family before starting to pay off the student loan that was taken out in his dad's name. Even though we still have a long road ahead of us, we're definitely starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Ultimately the fact that we have a plan is what is the most reassuring. Even if the plan changes from month to month in terms of specifics, just having a goal in mind is what keeps us going.

It looks like the instagram feed in the sidebar has officially bit the dust. So I'm just going to take it down for now until I have time to look for an alternative replacement. In the meantime, you can follow what's been going on with us - my username is @hannahco11.

I really wish I could join in on the Pinterest challenge this time around. I love being able to link up with everyone and meeting new bloggers (you can see my old challenge entries here, here and here). But honestly I don't think I'll be able to get a craft done this season. But I am looking forward to seeing what everyone else comes up with.

Well, I just heard the door open, which means the Hubby is finally home from work. Time to start making up some dinner - my stomach is growling! So until next time...

M.I.A.

That's how I've felt these past two weeks. Missing In Action. I still can't believe it's been two weeks since I've even checked on this little ole blog. I started to feel so out of the loop. But work kept calling me away from the computer to do other things. Honestly, there is still quite a few things left to do on my school to-do list, but my mind needed a break from it all.

So, since I've been out of the loop, I thought I'd catch you up on some of the things that have been happening around here.

• Our school's football team has been ranked #1 in the state, which is a pretty big deal around these parts I guess. Not a big football fan myself, but still pretty proud of the kids.
• This week is homecoming week. Tonight is the bonfire pep rally. You can see I'm not participating.
• There will be some jumping-for-joy in our household next month. Why? The Hubby's student loan will officially be paid off!!! We're both crazy excited! After his loan is gone, we're going to be focusing on paying off my car, which is next in our debt snowball.

{source}

• The Hubby is still making his way home from work. He may be okay with these two hour drives, but they are killing me. Considering I be home as early as 4 o'clock, having to wait until 7 makes things a little difficult in terms of planning dinner. Let's just say that my stomach is starting to talk to me.
• Speaking of the Hubby, he's got a milestone birthday coming up in about 5 weeks. He'll officially be a quarter-century old! We're not planning anything too big, probably just dinner out with family and close friends.
• Also, one more Hubby related item: He's still working his butt off trying to get hired on as an EMT anywhere. He tested with a nearby county last week, and he'll be testing with another local county tomorrow morning. We're crossing our fingers for the department he'll be testing with tomorrow, but honestly, at this point, anything closer than 2 hours will be a blessing. Both positions are part-time, but it will get his foot in the door, which is the best we can hope for right now. So, prayers and finger crossing is going on in our household tonight.
• Oh, and speaking of birthdays, there are a lot of "Big-0" birthdays coming up on my side of the family. And my mom has gotten this grand idea to host an "O" party in honor of everyone's milestones. I think we have someone turning 60, 50, and 40 in the next couple months. My cousin just turned 29, and I think my mom is trying to lump him in with the rest. But the irony of it all, she wants to host the party on the Hubby's birthday. She seemed excited when I mentioned that it was his birthday, but then really disappointed that his age wasn't even close to an "0" birthday. Ha! That's my mom for ya.
• We've been trying to incorporate more healthy foods in our diet. The easy choices for us seem to be fruit, so we've been making a lot of smoothies lately. Dan's favorite is the peanut butter & banana smoothie. He added a bit of ovaltine to his to give it more of a chocolate taste. The other go-to favorite is a simple strawberry banana smoothie made with orange juice. Yum!

 

• In other news, this girl will soon join the Apple club. Yep, I will soon be the owner of an iPad. Well, more like borrower. Our school is getting iPads for all of the AP students and their teachers, which means I get one! Still not sure on the exact date of delivery, but it should be in the next couple of weeks. I'll finally get to see what all the fuss is about. So I've been researching some apps for the students to use next semester when they get their hands on their iPads.

{source}

• I noticed the Instagram widget on the sidebar seems to be on the fritz? Not sure if its a temporary thing on their end. But if it's not up and running soon, I guess I'll have to take it down.
• An update to the situation I mentioned 2 weeks ago: They still haven't found the scumbag.
• The first 9 weeks is ending in exactly 2 weeks. Which means I will have to have grades finalized here soon. And considering the size of my to-be-graded pile on top of my never ending to-do list, I'm not looking forward to this. Still need to make a semester exam on top of everything else too.

Well, I think you're officially caught up. I know, nothing glamorous or exciting. But what can I say, we're your pretty average couple doing pretty average things. Jobs, debt, technology, birthdays, health.... all part of the equation. I'm just hoping that it won't be another two weeks until my next post... there is still that challenge thing that keeps hanging around. I swear, I'll finish it eventually. Maybe over Christmas break... if we're lucky!

What have you guys been up to? I've tried to catch up on all the blog reading I've been missing.

Hobbies

#23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.

So, I tried really hard to come up with 5 hobbies. But, honestly, I don't really have time for hobbies. That, and when I do actually have free time, I revert into a hermit and stay indoors relaxing. Now, if you had asked me back in high school, I would have been able to add softball & photography to this list. But  I don't have time for either of those things now. Four hobbies was all I could come up with...

Blogging I love that it gives me an outlet. I love connecting with people across the country, and even around the world, who I would not have otherwise met.

{source}

Thrifting Finding a great deal seriously gives me chills. Taking something old and re-purposing it into something useful is my idea of a good time.

Surfing Pinterest So, I'm not sure if this really constitutes as a "hobby," but it is something I like to do in my free time. Since we currently live in an apartment and can't really do may DIY projects, I like to live vicariously through others on Pinterest. I like to think I'm doing research for our future home.

{source}

Dreaming Again, not sure if this is really a hobby, but it is something both the Hubby and I like to do together. A lot of our conversations revolve around our dreams and future plans. Usually we start talking about money and how much longer it will take us to pay off our debt. Then it transitions into what we want to do as soon as we are out of debt: House first? Family first? Can we afford for me to be a stay-at-home mom? After we talk through all the possibilities, we talk about the things we'd love to have in a future home and the places we'd like to travel.

Quick Update

We made it safely back to Florida after our weekend trip to Atlanta to help my brother in law move into his first home. If you follow along on Instagram, you got to see some of our adventures from this weekend.

Anyhoo, I wanted to stop in quickly and share another quick blog update with you guys. I've been dying to revamp my blog design, but I don't really know much HTML, nor do I want to shell out the cash for someone else to do it right now. But, I came across this pin for free social media icons from Carrie Loves, and I decided I'd  change things up a little bit and swap out my old icons for some nice, dark gray icons. I used the same steps for installing them that I used the last time (which you can check out here).

So, if you're in the market for new social media buttons, be sure to check out these cute options!

I'll try be back later with a photo of the new homeowners sometime this week.

Liebster

When I first saw this as the title of Sarah's post, I was intrigued. What the heck does that mean? That can't be English, right? Well, it's not English. It's actually German. I typed the word into a translator and this is what came out:  sweetheart, beloved person, darling, beloved, affectionate, loving, favorite, preferred. What an awesome word!

What is even more awesome is the fact that the word Liebster is tied to an award. A blogging award given to up and coming bloggers with less than 200 followers. And Sarah over at The Sweetness of Laughter nominated me to recieve the award! Consider me sincerely flattered!

Rules of Liebster

1. Each person must list 11 things about themselves

2. Answer the 11 questions the tagger has set for you plus you MUST create 11 questions of your own for the 11 people you will nominate with this award, which brings me to rule 3

3. Choose up to 11 bloggers linking them to your post

4. Go to their page and inform them of their nomination

5. Absolutely NO tag backs

6. Remember to ONLY tag bloggers with less than 200 followers

11 Fun Facts About Me (answers to Sarah's questions)

1. The first blog I read was Young House Love. My best friend's wedding photographer posted a link to YHL a few years ago on her Facebook page, and I've been hooked ever since!

2. My favorite season is probably Fall. I love the break from the Florida heat.

3. The sound of my husband's heartbeat/breathing when I lay my head on his chest has got to be my favorite sound in the world.

4. Favorite high school memories would have to be the numerous afternoons spent hanging on in the parking lot after school.

5. The book I've read the most? Does my history textbook count? I don't even know how many times I've read that thing. Especially considering I'm teaching from the same book I used in high school 7 years ago!

6. My best friend is my husband. But, my best female friend would have to be F, who was my matron of honor. (obviously that's  not her real name...)

7. Never! I would never in a million years agree to go sky diving. I have an immense fear of falling. However, the hubby has always wanted to go sky diving, so one year I surprised him for his birthday with a trip to an indoor sky diving facility. I did do that, and I loved it.

8. I don't think I've ever sang in the shower, but I sing in the car all the time!

9. Ice cream or Froyo? Can I say neither? I'm more of a sherbet girl. Yum!

10. I've never had braces, even though my dentist threatened me with them.

11. Haha! This is an argument I've had many times with people. Toliet paper folded over!

Now, the fun part! I am tagging....

Cassandra at 25 in my 25th

Lindsay at Lindsay's Library

Ashleigh at Made in Morningside

Kristin at Our Washington Life

Ashley at Perfectly Average Girl

Alyssa at The Bee's Knees

Kim at Typical Kim

Questions for my nominees

1.  Why did you start blogging?

2.  Favorite president, living or dead?

3.  Where's your favorite place to go on a date?

4.  What is your guilty pleasure?

5.  What blogs are on your daily reading list?

6.  Pepsi or Coke?

7.  Cats or dogs?

8.  If you could do something else with your life besides what you currently do, what would it be?

9.  What would you do if you were gifted a million dollars?

10. If your life was a song, what would the title be?

11. Would you rather have super strength or super intelligence?

I'm excited to see everyone's answers! Thanks again to Sarah for the nomination! :)

The End Is Near...

Where did July go? More importantly, where did summer go? Seriously. I feel like school just let out like a week ago. And here it is, the middle of July, and I have to report back to school in two weeks. Two weeks! It's sort of bittersweet. On the one hand, I'm going to miss being able to sleep in and work on little projects around the house. But, on the other hand, I'm glad that I'll be back into a somewhat normal routine.

I went back into my classroom for the first time this summer on Monday. If you follow me on Instagram, you already know I'm planning on doing a rather large paint project in my classroom. 

I'm hoping my mom will be able to get a day off of work to help me with the large majority of it. I promise to share pictures of the finished product. I'm just crossing my fingers that it'll actually get done. I'm planning on spending some time over the next two weeks cleaning up and organizing my classroom. (Let's just say, spiders have made their homes in every nook and cranny....)

Anyways, the main reason of this post is not to share the fact that summer is almost over. I'm pretty sure everyone has realized that already. The main reason for this post is that as summer comes to an end, so does the frequent posting on this blog. If last school year is any indication, I'll only be on here a couple times a month. As much as I love being able to post daily, I know that it will be practically impossible to maintain that while also keeping up with lesson planning, grading, and actually enjoying life.

Now, that isn't to say that I'm going to disappear completely. I started this blog a little over a year ago to be able to share projects with our family and to also share the things we learn about both life and ourselves along the way. I'm still planning on finishing the Thirty Things challenge, though I'm really doubting that I'll be done by the start of school like I was planning. And I'll try to keep up with the Friday's Letters posts, because I think they are a great way of wrapping up the weekly happenings. 

I really do love being able to express what I'm thinking and feeling on this blog. It became a bit of a mental break from school stuff last year, and I'm hoping it'll be the same sort of escape this year. So please don't feel like I'm totally disappearing. It's just that writing blog posts won't be on the top of my priority list for a little while.

Challenge Favorites

The last Pinterest Challenge (hosted by Sherry, Katie, Kate, and Michelle) was amazing! I feel like these challenges are great ways for smaller blogs - like this one - to get more traffic (450+ pageviews for one post?! New record!). Not only that, it takes the inspiration level to new heights. It's one thing to see things on Pinterest. But to see that other people have tested out those pins and to see that it's actually possible to recreate these amazing projects is inspiring.

So I thought it might be fun to do a quick recap of my top 5 favorite challenge projects that I came across and share them with you for some weekend reading. Let's get started!

I think my hands down favorite project is from one of the hosts of this season's challenge, Michelle. I absolutely LOVE her mod podged Atlanta skyline. Reminded me of our trips to Atlanta. I may have tried to convince the hubby that we needed one just like it. And he may have said I was a little crazy.

How pretty is that table? Maria from Our Lake Life hand painted the inlay on their patio table.

This faux-pallet art is so simple, but that's what I love about it. Some wood, paint, a stencil, and a little sanding. Check out Sam's instructions over at The Junk House.

We've all seen the EAT kitchen signs that have been popping up all over pinterest and etsy. But I love how Kara created a WASH sign for her in-progress laundry room. The metallic finish on these is gorgeous. I might just have to get crafty and make a similar project for our tiny laundry room.

Last, but certainly not least, Diane at In My Own Style shared her tips for creating a cute chalkboard sign for any event. Now I'm wishing I had an event to test out this project myself!

Did anyone else participate in the Summer Pinterest Challenge? What were your favorite projects? I for one am seriously looking forward to the next one!



Thirty Things Update

I've officially made it a third of the way through the Thirty Things challenge. Only 20 more to go! But, considering I've only done 10 in one month, I need to kick it up into high gear if I'm hoping to have this challenge done by the time school starts in August.

Here's what I've managed to complete so far....

      1. List 20 random factsabout yourself.
2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears.
3. Describe your relationship with your parents.
4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could.
5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?
6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced?
7. What is your dream job, and why?
8. What are 5 passions you have?
9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how.
10. Describe your most embarrassing moment.
11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have.
12. Describe a typical day in your current life.
13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have.
14. Describe 5 strengths you have.
15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why?
16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments?
17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at?
18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive?
19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why?
20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood.
21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first?
22. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10 years? 15 years?
23. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them.
24. Describe your family dynamic of your childhood vs. your family dynamic now.
25. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat?
26. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong?
27. What is your favorite part of your body and why?
28. What is your love language?
29. What do you think people misunderstand most about you?
30. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for.

I'll be back in a little while with another challenge post. But, in the mean time, anyone else completing this challenge? Leave a link to your blog in the comment section - I'd love to follow along!

Pinterest Gadget for Blogger

Source: codeitpretty.com via Hannah on Pinterest

I wanted to pop in quickly and share another blog feature that I stumbled across today. I noticed on another blogger's page the fact that they had some sort of gadget in their sidebar that featured their most recent pins on Pinterest. Immediately my thought was "I want one!!"

So, I searched around on Google and realized that the specific gadget I was looking at was only for WordPress blogs. Boo! But... more searching and I came across this incredibly helpful blog that has everything you need to know to install your own Pinterest gadget on your sidebar.

If you'd like a Pinterest gadget for your sidebar, check out Code It Pretty's tutorial here. And, don't forget to check out the IE9 bug fix that she talks about here - otherwise IE users will be able to see the pins in your sidebar, but they won't be directly linked to your pinterest page.

Happy pinning!

Happy

Time for another Thirty Things post. On the agenda today:

#5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?

1. My Husband

2. Our Pets

3. Our Home/Apartment

4. Summer

{source}

5. Blogging

At first I thought I would write little explanations for each one, but then I realized that each of these are pretty self explanatory. What makes you happy?

In Case You Happen To....

....notice a few errors or typos in the blog posts with week, please bear with me. Last Friday I wrote a post for every day this week in anticipation of being at a Common Core Standards workshop this week. My plan was to proofread the posts the night before they went live, since I pre-scheduled when they would post. However, it doesn't look like I get wireless access in my hotel room, so my plan has back fired. Right now I'm using the Blogger app for the first time (so hopefully this works as planned) on my phone.

So, if you see typos, rambling sentences, or something that might say {link} or {insert}where I'm suppose to go back and add something, just ignore them for the time being. I promise to fix them Thursday night when I'm finally back home.

Also, I'm not sure if this app will let me moderate comments or not. So if you're not seeing your comment show up,I promise its not because I'm ignoring you.

Here's hoping your Monday has been better than mine!

A Typical Day

Up next on the Thirty Things Challenge.....


#12. Describe a typical day in your current life


Considering this is summer, and I'm a teacher, I don't think any day could really be described as "typical." Even though I'm technically on summer vacation, I signed up to do a couple of workshops throughout the summer to earn a little extra cash to help with our debt snowball. But I figured I'd play along anyways and chronicle all of the things I did one day this week. I chose Wednesday. You'll have to excuse the fact that I forgot to snap pictures along the way.

5:30 AM - First alarm goes off. Hit the snooze buttons multiple times over the next hour.

6:10 AM - Hubby finally rolls out of bed. I can hear him fixing his typical bowl of cereal and turning on the morning news. He also feeds the cats.

6:30 PM - My final alarm goes off on my cell phone. I roll out of bed and head to the bathroom to start getting ready. Eventually the hubby and I are dodging around each other while both getting ready in our master bathroom. Showers, shaving, deodorizing, and getting dressed.

6:55 AM - I head out to the kitchen and make up my bowl of cereal and pour my glass of milk. I notice Cruz trying to "play" with our fish and it reminds me to feed the fish for the morning. As I'm getting ready to sit down and eat, the hubby kisses me goodbye and heads off to work.

7:30 AM - I turn off the TV and the laptop, put away my cereal bowl, and head to the bathroom to brush my teeth and spritz on a little body spray. I fill my cup with some ice water, grab my purse and head out the door.

7:40 AM - Get in car. Call hubby to say hi. Arrive at the workshop in about 5 minutes.  (I love living so close!)

Until 11:45 AM - Work on the day's assigned tasks. This particular workshop focused on curriculum mapping. We managed to finish our maps yesterday, so we started working on adding primary source reading passages to our units.

11:45 AM - Head home for lunch (another perk of living close!). Made up a batch of ramen noodles. Unhealthy choice, but its the only thing that ever sounds good when I'm getting a headache, which had been trying to form since about 10:00. Got an unexpected call from my sister who lives in Georgia. Turns out she's in town. We made plans to meet up tomorrow around lunch time. Decided to start a load of laundry before heading back to work. Realize its raining outside (welcome to Florida!), so I grab umbrella and head out the door.

12:45 PM - Head back to work and continue working on our tasks. There's just 4 of us from the Social Studies department there, and we have an entire classroom to ourselves, so we tend to get a little off topic. But, considering we're still getting everything done and on time, we're not too worried about it.

3:00 PM - Time to go home. Turned on the news and started catching up on my daily blog reads.

4:45 PM - Was feeling really tired and wanted to take a nap. Texted the hubby to tell him so that he wouldn't call me on his way home. Crawled into bed. Then, got a text from my mom about some recent family issues (not going there...). Which led to a phone call. Which led to me not being able to sleep.

5:30 PM - Opened up the laptop again. Continued reading some of my favorite blogs and played on Pinterest for a little while. Found the tip about the instagram widget in the comment section on YHL and was suddenly in the mood to do a little blog revamping (added the widget, wrote post about it, created a new blogroll page, & streamlined sidebar).

6:15 PM - Hubby's finally home. Make up some dinner with the hubby's help. Rotate laundry and start a new load. Decide I'm not in the mood to fold laundry, so I add it to our pile of clean clothes waiting to be put away. Empty the dishwasher and reload it. Clean out the litter boxes. Feed both the cats and fish. Take call from my stepdad regarding the earlier call from my mom. Meanwhile, hubby applies online for another job.

Not quite like this....

8:10 PM - Settle onto the couch with the laptop and turn the TV on. Restaurant Impossible is playing in the background. Get sucked into the Living On Less than $28,000 A Year Series. Start writing this blog post. 

11:20 PM - Realize I can't add photos to this post from the laptop and need to get on the desktop. Realize its way too late to start that task. Hubby starts bugging me to go to bed.

11:30 PM - Crawl into bed. Rub on a little Vicks to help with the tail end of a cold/cough I've been fighting. Hubby falls asleep quickly.

11:50 PM - I finally quit playing solitare and put my phone down. Time to go to sleep.

I'm off next week, then back to work for another workshop the following week. It seems this summer I have every other week off. But that's fine. By the end of a week off I'm ready for something to keep me occupied.

What are you guys up to this summer? Do your schedules change depending on the time of year? Anyone else participating the the Thirty Things Challenge?