Snow Day

Not sure we we had a snow day on Thursday, but we did. I hate thinking about how long we will be going this summer, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't need it. With progress reports and deadlines at school I have felt a bit overwhelmed. Here is the lowdown on what I was able to get accomplished today:

• 8:30 - wake up and get ready (this means my fav black workout clothes and a bit of makeup)
• make the bed (praise the Lord- I love it when the bed is made)
• before 10:00- clean the house, use my new vacuum, read the Bible (trying to start this more often), give the beagle a bath, and eat breakfast
• 10:00-12:00- eat lunch, watch the Olympics, research for the classroom, catch up on my fav blogs
• the rest of the day: nap, laundry (all of it clean folded and put away thank you very much), read a "for fun' book, walk with my friend, blog
• dinner at Oxmoor and my new Winter Olympic Wii game with the hubby- life is good

Not a bad day if I do say so myself. and I feel refreshed and ready to go again.

Show me your collections

seashells from our honeymoon


Over at Kelly's Korner today's "show us your life" is show us what you collect. I bet you will never guess what I collect. of course it has to do with the beach. I collect seashells. Ever since I was little. I love looking for the most beautiful and unique shells. When my parent moved out of their house there were buckets of seashells. Every room in my house now has seashells. Expect my hubby's office. And if I could have seashells in there I would. But he isn't the seashell fan I am.

seashells from when I was little

collecting seashells with Dad at the beach last summer. never too old for that.

Wordless Wednesday

The view on my way "home" this weekend. "Home" is Georgetown- where I only lived for a year- less time then I have lived here. But nonetheless "home" to me because that is where my mom and dad are.

Student Quotes:

Student quotes of the week- they are in rare form this week:

• Me:You know if I ever where going to teach fifth grade again it would be next year(they always ask me if I will move up to 5th).

Student: Would we have to reflect? (he hates to reflect - aww poor guy)

• Student: My house is like the wild. We have to hunt for food, and my sister is like a squirrel, she buys food and hides it so we won't eat it (this kiddo is one of 5)

Teal or pink?

May brings one of the best Kentucky traditions. The Derby. How can you not love the Derby? We have started to go to a charity Derby Eve party that requires me to look and dress a bit nicer than my daily "teacher wardrobe" of dress paints, tee shirt, and jean jacket. So, this is the time that I will take to look for and find a new, fun dress to add to my wardrobe. It is my once a year dress. Hence the reason I only have a few dresses in my closet. I have been looking online first because I'm not a big shopper most of the time. I have this problem: I go shopping for a specific thing. I spend hours shopping. I find nothing. I am frustrated. OR... I go shopping just because. I really don't want to waste the money on clothes. I find everything that I love. Now you know why I don't really enjoy shopping. I hope you can sympathize. My next problem is I can never decide what to wear or buy. I found these 2 dresses at one of my fav little stores (that I shop a only on special occasions) General Eccentric . I can't decide. Keep in mind I may need to wear a cardigan over it. You never know what the weather will be like in early May. I know I don't always get a lot of comments, but I would really appreciate your opinion. Please don't make me go shopping. Teal or pink?

Who knew?

My momma has hidden a secret from me. She has a talent I never knew about. My momma is a closet crocheter. Who knew? She has been asking me to take a class with her, and while I would love to it is difficult when we don't live in the same city. Well, she didn't even need to take a class. She bought a book and started whipping out scarves like a mad women. Now I am the proud owner of; a blue scarf, a black scarf, a green scarf, a UK blue and white scarf, and after our trip to the "yarn store" a soon to be blanket.

Help me please!

Being a teacher has many perks, but it comes with downfalls too. And one of those downfalls occurs this time of year- every year. It comes in the form of those sweet little girls, smiling and holding out their cookie order forms, asking you "would you like to buy some cookies". How do you say no? I can't do it. I am a sucker (plus, I mean those cookies are yummy). I have a rule that I will buy one box from any girl scout in my class. So, this week I received my first box and here is my truth... in 2 days I ate a sleeve and a half of cookies. That is bad, and I promise I have worked out extra to make up for it. I have also made a promise to myself that I will not go near the cookies again in such a manner. Please pray for me- I may need help with this one, because they are (if I haven't mentioned) so good.

Seaside Retreat

I really enjoy painting my house. That isn't wired is it? When I was in high school I would stay up till all hours painting and rearranging my room (I was a rebel I know). If I didn't love my sweet students do much I would consider a career in interior design. Since I have been married I will only use one specific collection of paint. It is the "Seaside Retreat" collection at Lowe's. Only Lowe's- no where else. I even have a huge collection of the little paint swatches here at the house. They come in handy when someone calls to ask an idea for paint colors (this really has happened) and I even have colors picked out for a kid's room. Now, I know that many of these colors can be closely matched with other brands, but for some reason in my twisted mind I enjoy the fact that my living room is painted a shade called "picnic basket" and my bedroom is "porch swing". I love the names. They make me feel more "beachy". I am convinced that all people who own beach houses select these colors and I must be a part of this clique- so in my mind buying the paint makes me one step closer. I suggest the next time you are trying out new paint colors to give the "Seaside Retreat" a go.

Lent is here

Lent is officially here. For those of you who don't really know what Lent is: Lent is a 40-day liturgical season that begins on Ash Wednesday and concludes at the Great Vigil of Easter. Sundays are not included in the 40-day count because every Sunday is a joyful celebration of Jesus' resurrection. Typically you are supposed to give something up during this period of time. For the past several years in lieu of giving something up I have made a point to go out of my way to do something nice for someone else for the 40 days of Lent. I have already begun to prepare this year with a yummy plate of cookies for my co workers (if all this snow would go away so I can get to work to share them). I love to do this, as the purpose is to give up something important to you, as Jesus gave his life. I think it is also important to remember that He also gave so much to so many. So, I challenge you, to not only give something up, but give something to others.

The Vacuum is here!

Do you hear the angels singing? The much anticipated vacuum has arrived! See here to remind yourself of the anticipation of waiting for a new vacuum. After three weeks of waiting and a couple of grumpy phone calls to Hover my vacuum arrived on Friday! I tried to remain calm, made dinner and relaxed for a bit, but then I could no longer stand it. I drug the vacuum out of the box, put it together, and gave it a whirl. Ohmygoodness! Because I think I can be honest with you I am going to show you a picture. Please don't judge me.

I know, it is completely embarrassing- I am a clean freak (I clean all the time- I swear) and even though I knew my old vacuum wasn't great I had no idea it was this bad. We (even Anthony) were mortified with the results of the quick vacuuming job I did in the living room. Well, after seeing that I had to roll up my sleeves and really vacuum everything I could find. By the time I finished I was feeling much better. I highly recommend this vacuum to anyone with animals. It has so much suction it virtually pulls itself. It does great on my hardwood floors too! And the attachment tools get all the hair off the furniture too. Best of all I have vacuum marks again!

Wordless Wednesday

My hubby's idea of making the bed (this is actually more than he normally does and since he gets up after I am gone I don't have much of a choice. If you know me, you know this drives me crazy!

This is my idea of making the bed. I think we all agree this is much better!

Happy 5th Birthday Gracie!

We celebrated Gracie's birthday this weekend. Yes, she is just a dog, but we still feel the need to celebrate because she is our very special dog. Here are some pictures from her fifth birthday. I made her homemade dog treats and let her lick the bowl. The treats were made of carrots, bananas, and peanut butter.
Then, when we went to Starbucks we let her ride with us, as she adores riding in the car. The guy at the drive thru asked if we wanted a "puppy cup". we had no clue what that was but said yes anyway. It is actually a shot of whip cream in a cup and she loved it. This also makes me feel a bit better for supporting Starbucks. I may spend $3.71 once a week on a cup of overpriced coffee,but it's ok because they gave my dog whip cream in a cup for free.

We are married...

We aren't really mushy people around here and so we had planned a simple Valentine's day: church, relaxing on the couch, a yummy dinner at home (I made him steak, and homemade mashed potatoes), and then a trip to Starbucks. Our plans changed a bit though. Last weekend our priest called and explained that the Bishop was coming to church to do a special "World Marriage Day service". He wanted us to be a part of several couples who would stand up and represent marriage and diversity in our church, No big deal. Right? Besides you can't say no o your priest. So, our day began with our regular Sunday breakfast, then off to church. We found out once we got there that we would be renewing our vows... not what we had planned, but nonetheless a special morning.

Here is a picture after we left church- we looked very different from our wedding day 4 years ago (note the lovely zit that has decided to take up residence on my forehead). But I digress again. I'm glad the morning took the turn that it did. Sometimes the days that don't go as planned are some of the best.

Here is a picture of our original Valentine's Day plan. I love my orchid and Starbucks.

Cardboard Testimonies

I saw this on a blog that i recently stumbled on, and have quickly become intrigues and enjoy the daily updates. Kelly posted an absolutely amazing post the other day and I had a chance to watch the video that goes with it the next morning. Let's just say it took me a while before I could put my mascara on. It is called "cardboard testimonies". This may not be new to you bit it is to me and it truly touched my heart. Please watch the video below. It left me pondering "what would my sign say?" all day today. And so, after much thought here is my cardboard testimony (although not on cardboard- because I don't have any).

Front: thought I was in control and had my life all planned out.
back: realized that God is in control He has a plan for me.
YouTube - Cardboard Testimonies

This is why I teach

My kiddos surprised me with this sweet homemade card this past week. I thought they were writing a thank-you note for a substitute that donated hermit crabs to our class. When I began a mini lesson after indoor recess the kids gave me the card and I set it to the side thinking it was the thank you note. They insisted I look at it. So sweet! There are days when I feel very unappreciated at work. This made me realize that the kids realize I work hard for them, and they are grateful. That is all that matters to me!

Theme Night

Being a teacher I think I can say I love themes. Hence the need for a beach theme classroom and a shabby chic themed home. So, I had mentioned the other day to Anthony that I had been missing Jamaica and we should have a Jamaica night. We went there 2 years ago, and I can't stop thinking about it. Yesterday we had to run to the grocery store when we were out and Anthony started collecting things for a Jamaica night. We had: yummy pineapple, a pina coloda (with the Jamaican secret, a shot of dark rum), Jamaican jerk chicken, and Bob Marley music. We already decided that next time we will have to break out he space heater as well as pictures from Jamaica.

Toothpaste Battle

We have been running low on toothpaste and I bought more last weekend. As this week went on though, I noticed Anthony was still using the same tube. Well, me, being a bit competitive figured I could use it just as long as he could. I would not be the one to open the box and use the other tube first and I squeezed and squeezed on that tube. I thought for sure this was Anthony's goal too. We also do this with the dog food. Whoever feeds Gracie as the food gets low in the container tries to leave just a few pieces so the next person to feed her has to get the bag out and refill the container. For some reason we are easily amused by this little game. But, I digress. The other morning when I was taking a shower Anthony came in the bathroom to brush his teeth. I saw him open the new box and I declared "Yes, I win". He looked at me as if I was crazy. "I win", I said. "You opened the new toothpaste first!" He told me that he hadn't been playing in my secret game. Bummer! But I am convinced that he was totally playing along, and just said he wasn't because he lost... and I won!

Adoption

I have wavered back and forth about this post, and have actually started typing it several times. Anthony and I have talked for a while now about adoption. This is something I always thought would be a possibility, although I also have to admit it is one of those things I never really thought would happen. Well, after a long time of talking we took a small step on Tuesday. On Tuesday we went to an informational meeting about the Kentucky foster to adopt program. We have looked into several adoption options and feel like this is what is right for us. After gathering all the information we decided to sign up for the training classes in May. We want to take the time between now and then to talk and pray about the situation. I truly believe that God has a perfect child in mind for us and I know he will lead us down the right path to find him/her.

White Walls- check

When I get something in my head I have to do it. I told you earlier about my idea of a white bathroom. Well, last night I started to paint. Since we had our home built I have to be honest that the paint that the builders used STINKS. Because of this it took me longer than I thought it would have to finish it. Nonetheless, I persevered (I'm sure that surprises those of you who know me:))until around midnight. Here are the before and after pictures.

25 Things to be thankful for

When I was a teenager I remember a book around our house called "1,001 Things to be Happy About". It was basically a book about all the small things in life we have to be grateful for. Everything in life, even the small things should be appreciated to the fullest. I think it is very easy to get caught up in the hustle of life and forget the small things. I have been thinking about the small things lately and how blessed my life really is. So, here is my list of some of the small things I am grateful for (I could really go on forever). If you are a fellow blogger I challenge you to create your own list of the small things you are grateful for in your life.

1. snuggling with Anthony
2. Gracie's "nose kisses"
3. a fire on a cold day
4. the sweet things my students say
5. the last few seconds of quiet in warmth in my car in the am
6. long baths
7. a good book
8. my sweatpants
9. dinner with mom and dad on a random week night
10. long walks with a friend
11. sunrises out the bedroom window
12. feeling the sun
13. open windows on a breezy day
14. crawling under crisp, clean sheets at the end of a long day
15. sitting on the kitchen counter helping mom bake
16. the smell of dad's homemade spaghetti sauce
17. sitting in the big chairs at Starbucks and having date night with Anthony
18. watching a storm roll in over the ocean
19. working in my small vegetable garden
20. seeing the sun through the stained glass at church on Sunday mornings
21. painting
22. my fuzzy slippers
23. vacuum lines
24. daisies and sunflowers
25. swinging in my hammock swing

1Timothy6:17~As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy.

White walls

I'm getting the urge to do some sort of home improvement. Since we built our house I can't do a lot. Since moving in though I have managed to come up with the following projects: landscaping the back yard, helped tile the kitchen black splash, helped put chair rail in the dining room, painted the living room, fining room and powder room. So, now i am thinking I want to paint the guest bathroom white. I have wanted to paint a room white for a while. I wish it could be the kitchen, but it won't look right in this kitchen. Anyway- I digress. I know white is a boring color- something that my grandma calls the only true color to paint walls (whatever that means) but I have decided it have several good features to it. 1. You can add color in fabrics and knick knacks 2. It allows for the use of different patterns to be used. 3. you can be more bold in accent choices. and 4. it is done in lots of beach house pictures I have seen. Here are some inspiration pictures. I hopefully will get around to this on Sunday. I will take a before and after picture and share with you.

Music for the mood

Certain moods require certain music selections. We all probably remember a favorite mixed tape or a burned cd for a road trip or a special someone. Lately I have a few of my favorites in my car cd player. Jimmy, Dave, Zac, and Bob. Four of my favorite men. I also (yes this shows I am getting older... or should I say more mature) enjoy some NPR and Christian radio. All of this gets me through the days. And at school I play a bit more Bob, some Jimmy, Ziggy, and a lot of Jack for my students. There is a song for every occasion. Most of all I love that in sharing this music with my students gets them loving it too. The other day one of my boys was singing a Ziggy Marley song while he was walking down the hall. So sweet!

A Home in the rocks?

I am filling my need for warmth with my new issue of Coastal Living magazine. This is one of the small splurges I have. I normally think having a subscription to a magazine is 1. a waste of money and 2. a waste of paper. However this magazine is not either one of those things. I get at least an hour of peace, relaxation, and day dreaming each time the magazine arrives at the house. I get super excited when I find it in the mailbox around the first of every month and try to lock myself away in a hot bath or cozy chair to savor each and every page. It's like a little piece of everything I love rolled up into a hundred or so page magazine. This month (so far) this is the article that has really caught my eye. With such a crazy work week and hectic schedule I think we could all benefit from a place like this. Check it out here: http://www.coastalliving.com/homes/home-on-the-rocks-00400000062911/ :be sure to note the beautiful views from inside the house, and let me know what you think!