New Year....Fresh Starts!

Hello Everyone! I'm linking up with Amanda over at Teaching Maddeness for her Resolution Solution Linky Party! I love the fresh start that a new year brings and as a teacher. I feel like I have two fresh starts each year! Back to school time in the fall always feels like a new year and I always set goals at that time as well as the beginning of the new year. Anywho....like all of you, I have some resolutions....lots of them! Let's start with school.....:)

School Resolutions: I don't have a lot of school resolutions. I have been trying to stay on top of things since I started working at a new school in a new subject and a new grade level this year! Here are a couple of things I do want to work on though!
1. Grades: I really want to try hard to stay on top of grading this year! I also want to post at least two grades per week. I have really been struggling with grading papers and entering grades lately!
2. Behavior Management: I have been using Class Dojo for behavior management in my classroom but haven't been as structured with it as I would like to be. I plan to revamp the way I use it and use it more effectively in 2013!

3. BLOG: My last one is taking more pix of what's going on in my classroom and posting more on this blog!

Personal Resolutions:
I have lots of personal goals for this year! Maybe by sharing them I will be more likely to try sticking to them.....MAYBE! :) Here they are.....in no particular order!
1. Get Healthy: I struggle when it comes to eating and exercising....just being honest! I am a sugar addict! I absolutely love sweets...:) About three years ago, I decided I was going to drop a few pounds and exercise, and I did just that. I did it with walking and water! I drank mostly water and walked most every day and I love about 30 pounds! I did really well that year until I started back to school in the fall and life got crazy! I have managed to keep most of that weight off but am ready to try again! I am planning to do the water/walking thing again! A big goal for this year is to be able to run a 5k....toward the end of the year! It has been a dream of mine for a while now!
2. Pinterest Projects: I have been pretty good about trying some of the things I have pinned, but my goal this year is to try at least one new recipe per week as well as one of the housekeeping tips and/or crafts I have pinned! I have over 5,000 pins so I will never get to all of them, but I can try more that I have been! You can see my boards here!

3. Home Improvement: My dear hubby and I have been working on remodeling our mobile home for a while now. We have completed a couple of rooms....my son Dakota's room, and my craft room. We are currently redoing the siding on the outside of our home. My goals for this year are to build a new screened porch to extend our living space, as well as totally gut our master bath and redo it! I also hope we can put in new walls and floors in our dining and living rooms. And....I would really love to complete my little library space that I have created. I want to build in floor to ceiling bookshelves along one wall to house my HUGE collection of books!
4. ETSY Shop: This last goal is to open an ETSY shop and sell handmade items as well as vintage items. I absolutely love to treasure hunt for vintage items and I also love crafting. I decided to try and make some extra money by opening an ETSY shop. Do any of you shop ETSY? If so, what do you shop for? I hope to have it up and going before summer, but realistically, it probably won't be! I can't wait to begin this endeavor!!! Wish me luck! As soon as it's up and running, I will share on here so you can check it out!

Well, that's all folks! Thanks for sticking with me through the whole post! I appreciate it oh so much!  Have a happy and blessed new year! 

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Productive Days...:)

Don't you just love a productive day? I know I do....and today was one of them! I got so much accomplished! First, I was able to take my classes to the computer lab today so we could do Discovery assessment 2 make-ups. I only had a few in each block, but it is just easier in the lab. It also gave us a chance to visit a fun website while the make-ups were being done. I let my kiddos go to edheads and choose from 3 activities to review some of the units we have covered or are currently working on. They LOVED it! When everyone was finished with make-ups, I let them have the last 15 minutes to visit A Kid's Heart and play some fun Christmas games. 

Once I got each class started in the lab, I was able to work on transferring a ton of documents I had saved on my laptop to my flash drive and organize them into folders. I find so may awesome things online and save them, but I'm always in a hurry and don;t take time to organize them on my flash drive. I was thrilled to get that job done!

After school, I was able to get all my Discovery data recorded and ready for our data meeting after school tomorrow as well as update my RTI data. 

Well, anywho.....my first block earned their last cupcake for their Sweet Rewards, so I went by the store and got what I needed to bake their cupcakes for tomorrow! 

Here's my Sweet Rewards board earlier in the year!

They are going to be so excited! I let them vote....cupcakes, chocolate chip cookies, or brownies. 

Well, cupcakes won, but lots of kiddos wanted the other options, so.....lucky me found a mix that was brownies topped with swirls of chocolate chip cookie dough....so I made cupcakes and brownies/cookies! Now, they can have a choice.....:)

MMMMmmmmmmm!

So, while I was baking, I made grilled cheese and soup for supper and then finished all the dishes and cleaned the kitchen. Then, I sat down and made myself go ahead and type up my after-school tutoring progress reports that are due Friday. They are done and e-mailed! I am almost all caught up! Hopefully tomorrow I can finish lesson plans and grading and then I can totally enjoy the weekend. I am excited....my sister, nephew, and I are going to Tallahassee to spend the weekend with my daughter. We are going to shop till we drop and then go look at some fabulous Christmas light displays! 

Here's one from last year....they do a patriotic light display complete with music on the radio. The lights change and flash with the music.....gorgeous!

Same house....different music!

I can't wait!!! Well, it's almost 11pm....past my bedtime, so I better hit the sack! 5:30 will be here before I know it! Have a happy Thursday...:)

Be Blessed!

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Christmas...:)

I decided to feature my Christmas decor today! I absolutely love Christmas and decorating for Christmas! I wanted to share some pictures I took around my house! The first few are in my kitchen. The kitchen is my favorite place to decorate each year....probably because it is so bright and cheery! It is all decked out in gingerbread and sweet treats! Each year I add a little more to my collection....come take a look around!

The top of my fridge!

The Cookies sign is a new addition this year! It makes me smile...:)

My kitchen tree....all decked out in sweet treats!

Top of my cabinets...gingerbread houses and train. The garland has candy and peppermint lights.

Area by my stove...my mother-in-law made the gingerbread girl for me years ago!

Another cutie made by my mother-in-law!

My coffee/hot cocoa area. I love it!

A closer view....:)

Yankee Candle gingerbread carousel and in the background a ceramic gingerbread muffin pan!

A little cutie I picked up at the Dollar General this year!

This is the buffet in my dining room....complete with a few miniature nativities.

My china cabinet....with a little Christmas decor.

Next up are some pictures of my snowman collection. This started several years ago with the teacher snowgirl you will see in one of the pictures. She has apples on her dress...you can't miss her! Anywho, my favorite aunt bought her for me when I was in college to become a teacher.....and that started the collection! I have surrounded her with several little snow students...:) Some of these were gifts and some I bought myself, but each one is near and dear to my heart! Take a peek.....

I love the snow family....a Secret Santa gift at school a few years ago!

Two of these three cuties were Secret Santa gifts as well!

My cutie teacher snowgirl and her students.
I love the one with the red and green hat....he has a huge head and little body!

A couple more cuties....the one on the right is a snow globe!

You can see books by my favorite author in the background here!

More sweet little snowmen. The one in the center was a gift from my daughter...:) I love them all!

This is my largest and he springs up and down! Don't look at the dust on top of my  media cabinets....LOL!
I had to hold the camera up high to snap this one and I didn't know the top was so dusty!

Frosty's hat...:)

Not the best picture, but this is the cabinets with the snowmen inside.
They light up and look so pretty with all the snowflakes, snowballs, and fake snow surrounding the snowmen!

My Santa I've had since my kiddos were small, along with a few new Christmas novels....:)

My tree covered with sentimental ornaments....we love reminiscing  over them each year!

I love this antique bowl sitting on top of my Christmas Carol books...it has 2 scenes from Dickens on it!
I found it at a flea market a couple years ago and fell in love! I have a large collection of the Christmas tree jars you see here as well....all found at yard sales & flea markets for next to nothing! The pedestal one in this picture is my favorite!

Well, that's it for now...I hope you enjoyed the tour! Next year I hope to have my library area finished so I can decorate it! I have big plans for it involving book page ornaments! I can't wait...:) I plan to feature my favorite aunt's house soon. It is just gorgeous! Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Be Blessed, 

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Finally Friday & Birthday Display Linky!

Hello everyone! I am so excited....it's Thursday night, which means tomorrow is Friday! 
Woo! Hoo! Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but I am so tired and can't wait to sleep in Saturday morning! Sleeping in for me means I lay in the bed until 7:30 or 8:00 and then get up and laze around for a while before being productive. The last two Saturdays I have been at workshops that started at 7:30 a.m.! I thought this Pooh Bear was too cute...:) Don't you just love him? Who couldn't love Pooh...:) Thinking of Pooh makes me think of my daughter Miranda.....I've always called her Randa Pooh. My precious girl is turning 23 next week! Where oh where did the time go? This seems like a good segue to lead me into my next topic which is the birthday display linky I'm joining! 

I'm linking up with Erica over at Blog Hoppin' for her Birthday Display Linky. I've shared my birthday board before, but I'm sharing again for this linky! The board on the left is my Sweet Rewards board. I didn't have a picture of the B-day board by itself. 

I made the banner myself....the fabric has sprinkles all over it in my colors....Turquoise, green, orange, & pink! It is too cute...:) I made the letters on MS Word and laminated them. They are just taped to the banner.

I give my kiddos their favorite candy for their birthday along with this card (below) I designed on Vista Print. I actually had a student with a birthday today. She bought me the cutest little owl candle votive cup. I wish I had taken a picture of it....I was going to but totally forgot! Maybe tomorrow....anywho, I told her that was a first for me....a student bringing me a present on their birthday!  She is such a sweetie! I have another student birthday tomorrow and Saturday! I have their goodies waiting on them...:)

I hope you enjoyed....be sure to stop by anytime!

Be Blessed!

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Teddy Turtle & a Beautiful Rainbow!

Today I want to share my classroom pet, Teddy Turtle. Teddy is red-eared slider and I have had him for about 8 years. I got him during my first year of first grade. We had a bear theme that year, thus the name Teddy! He has so much personality for a turtle and is very interactive with the students. Speaking of students, they LOVE Teddy every year! Even my sophomores at the high school loved him last year and I had to fix them a feeding schedule so they could have turns feeding him. They were too funny...:) In 5th grade, my Lab Assistant in each of my 3 blocks feeds him. They are only allowed to give him 3-4 reptile sticks since he gets fed three times each day. They sure do love him though and each of them are waiting patiently for their turn to feed him! He has had lots of artwork made especially for him this school year and you can see it displayed under and above his tank in the third picture. In the second picture, you can see him waving at my finger I tell the kids he is waving, but in reality, this is what they do when they "like" another turtle....lol! 

I just had to share the beautiful rainbow I saw on the way home yesterday. Luckily my hubby was driving and I was able to snap some pictures. It was just gorgeous! The pictures just don't do it justice...:) I hope it brings a smile to your face like it did mine! I watched it all the way home and was reminded of  God's promise to us....:)

Well, I'm off to the high school for some Friday Night Lights!

Be Blessed!

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