Saturday, December 31, 2011

new year's eve


thanks to Lauren from Busy Bee Lauren for finding this little gem
Pretty into these two & this little song
and even though this video has been flying around the last couple of days
I figured there is no reason not to share it again
Happy New Year's Eve!

Friday, December 30, 2011

2011 review - classroom edition

ended my fourth year of teaching with crazy mixed emotions
left my safety-zone of teaching elementary
started my fifth year
and quickly figured out the pro's & con's of teaching middle school
here's looking back at 2011 - in my classrooms
2011 also brought me to one of my biggest grown-up decisions to date -
and with that being said I choose an art integration program
because clearly it was a good fit for me
some of my favorite elementary art projects of 2011:    here   here  &  here
middle school art projects:    here   here   &   here
I'm really looking forward to finishing my year in middle school
but with every new year will bring the start of "job conversations"
will I have one - yes - but where & what?
and when will I know?
but for now I'll keep documenting my journey in the classroom
the ups & the downs
and all the in-betweens

2011 in review - "us" edition

this year was pretty great - here are a few reasons why:
lots of mini-road trips: I loved making these trips our own married-life traditions
 apple hill, daffodil hill, solvang
our home got a major mid-century makeover
started an annual camping trip
we celebrated 3 years of marriage
I turned 27 & the husband 30
and thankfully we have some pretty awesome friends that keep all of our
celebrations so much fun
and I can do this review for one other reason - I started blogging again this year
I've enjoyed this process so much
and when working on this review I have realized how much this blog has grown in 2011
so thanks for all those awesome people who decide to drop by and read what's been going on with me!
up next: 2011 in review - classroom edition

Thursday, December 29, 2011

love handmade gifts

especially when they are sweet
and cake and cute
and the best part - I was given everything I need to start making my own cake pops
unfortunately things in the kitchen haven't been going too well for me
and I've heard these can be pretty challenging 
so we'll see when I take them on
I guess I should finish eating my christmas gift basket first!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

so I might have pushed a lady out of the way for this one

but I'm pretty sure it was worth it
especially for $2.99
Mod Decorator Casserole from '58 - you are mine.

life lately

so the holidays are pretty magical
and exhausting!
so today I am taking total advantage of winter break
my biggest goals include staying in my p.j's as long as possible
do a little pleasure reading
and begin checking out all the photos I've been taking lately
starting with my instagrams -

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

holidays+driving=me

yesterday - san francisco
today - petaluma
tomorrow - not leaving home!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

merry christmas!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

on the fourth day of winter break...

my vacation brought to me:
two whole years since we've adopted our little fur baby - luna
she makes us pretty happy everyday
 today also brought me to a place where I can check off many things from my list
I finished the last of my homework for my second masters class
finished holiday shopping
and little wrapping elves came to help me with all this -
 oh wait, no, it was just me & the husband
on the hard-wood floors getting stuff done
so now my tree looks really full & happy for the next day and a half 
until everything gets transported
once again, by my helper elves
and finally, today brought me MORE pink pyrex
I was thrifting for a reason - presents - I promise
but the problem with holiday thrifting is it is pretty darn impossible to leave behind
those two perfect pink gooseberry fridgies you found
at two different thrift stores
just because you are christmas shopping
so I didn't - and realized that pink pyrex is just loving me right now
but it is time to move onto another color, because my little pink shelf
is now at maximum capacity!
and for tomorrow - well, it will be one of my favorite days of winter break so far
off to the city to get meg!

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

on the third day of winter break...

my vacation brought to me:
a day of designing with a friend
(observing her designing more like it!)
 christmas shopping with the husband
 and yet another pinterest project
hopefully I will have the final piece to share tomorrow
oh, and I finally started water-marking my images
so easy to do, yet somehow it never got done
so now my cute husband can be even happier with me!

'tis the season for giving

especially when you are my husband who is pretty darn thoughtful
I think of myself as a person who cares about others
but I must admit that this guys pretty much always outdoes me
he's the one who will always buy the homeless newspaper
or give our leftovers to the guy on the corner
and when it comes to the holidays
he is no different
one day he decided he wanted to buy some toys for needy kids
and that folks is what we did
after a very careful selection process at Target
here is part of the stash he picked out
as he dropped off the toys he got back into the car and said
"that felt pretty good"
and yes, my heart melted just a bit

Tuesday, December 20, 2011

on the second day of winter break...

my vacation brought to me:
starting a new book
a day of no driving
time to walk around my town
and the best news I've had all week
my lil' sis will be home for christmas eve
and I actually get to spend the day with her on Friday in the city
win win situation.
and while in the holiday spirit
go check out the adorable glasses I thrifted a few weeks ago
over at The Thrift Collective

on the first day of winter break...

my vacation brought to me:
sleeping in
coffee with kelly
holiday shopping
picnic lunches in the park with the husband
thrifting & pink pyrex
and my only homemade meal I will be making for the week
between mis-reading which spices I needed versus what I had
and realizing too late that my canned soup I needed for the casserole
 had expired a few months back
all in all, it fed us for the night
but put me in a bit of a mood
so to recover from that...let's look at all the pink pyrex that now lives together in my kitchen

I must admit I'm not that into pink
except for when we are talking pyrex
all my pieces have been thrifted for bargains
and I feel pretty lucky about that!

Sunday, December 18, 2011

it's the most wonderful time of the year

so this weekend I've learned a few things
#1 How to download and use photoshop actions that are like instagram filters!
if curious - you have to go to Amy's blog for yourself, she has so many great freebies
#2 Just because you see something on Pinterest does not mean you can re-create it!
learned the hard way with one pin
but one I found to be quite successful - as seen with the adorable santa's above!
#3 I am a ridiculously happy person when I know I am on vacation!

Friday, December 16, 2011

just another reason why

this helps make the amount of exhaustion all worth it
and having the next two weeks off isn't bad either

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

double standard

so here's the thing - I typically don't talk about my clothing
yes, I like to think that I'm changing the perception of teachers
and how we dress 
every day I choose NOT to wear a jean jumper with a holiday beaded necklace
but there is just one thing that is always on my mind...
modesty.
and the double standard in the teaching profession
working in my first classrooms at the mere age of 21
how I've dressed has always been a priority
obviously when young you want parents to take you seriously
not to mention your students and other teachers
Seems reasonable enough - right?  Well, here is where the double standard comes in.  I watch every square inch of my skin that is "exposed" to my students.  I wouldn't dare show bare shoulders in the classroom, let alone cleavage.  However, I have found in my many schools that this is where the biggest double standard lies.  For me, a centimeter of cleavage could send the rumor mill running, and I've known many young teachers to be "talked to" over such an offense.  But apparently, if I was older and top-heavy, I could easily show three inches of cleavage without batting an eye.

so - here's my thought
we as educators should always be examples of dressing for the occasion
when the occasion is school - we should dress accordingly
with that being said, I'll keep my constant supply of 
tights, tank tops, slips, leggings, & sweaters
ready for daily use
and continue to become even further out of touch
with what a "regular" 27 year old would find
to be too short...
one final thought on my "proper teacher dress"
there once was a day when a teacher would never be confused with the janitor
I cannot say that to be true nowadays
enough said.

image: me & my lil' sis at our aunt's wedding this past september
alm's park - cincinnati, ohio
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