New Year....New Blog!

I am so looking forward to what this year holds! I know it is going to be the best one yet...:) My dear son, Dakota graduates high school this year and we will be going on a cruise to the Bahamas for his senior trip in June....right after my 44th b-day and his 18th and just before my dear hubby's 46th! I can't wait!!! 

The Carnival Fascination!

Wow....time flies! Dear hubby and I celebrate our 25th anniversary in October this year too! I'm hoping we can get away for a short trip somewhere.....anywhere, but I'm thinking maybe Savannah! I think 25 years deserves a special get-away! Anywho, another fun thing this year holds is working on opening my ETSY shop and keeping up with two blogs! Yep....I started another one to focus on my home life. I love this blog and keeping up with what is going on in the blogging world for teachers, but home is where my heart is...:) I hope you will come visit me there too! 

You can visit me at Life On Willie Mae Lane if you want to! 

I'll still be blogging here too, but I am going to stick more to school and science here...:) So.....I hope you all had a wonderful first day of 2013...and for those of you who have to return tomorrow.....I'm sorry! Just kidding....I am sure you are getting ready for routine again and looking forward to seeing all your "kiddos"! 

Thanks for being my bloggy friends and as always.....

Be Blessed!

...

Snowflakes for Sandy Hook & A Fun Linky Party!

Today when I was looking for some snowflake patterns for my kiddos, I stumbled across something awesome! Sandy Point PTA is asking students across the country to make and send in snowflakes....the more unique the better! They are trying to create a winter wonderland with as many snowflakes as they can collect to welcome the students to their new school after the break. You can read more about it here and get the address to send them in. We are doing this in my class and I will send them in over the break. It is the least we can do, and it is an awesome RACK for my kiddos to be involved in! I have been wondering how we could help and this is perfect...:) There are lots of different snowflake patterns on the web, so if you are still in school, please take the time to join this worth cause!

Last night when I was blog hopping, I stumbled upon this fun linky party while visiting Mrs. Hacker at Just a Primary Girl.....and just had to link up! Christina from Bunting, Books, & Bainbridge is hosting it....go check it out for yourself! Oh....and please pay a visit to Mrs. Hacker! Share the love...:)

Well, I have quite the story for this one! Several years ago....maybe even the first year I taught first grade, one of my sweet kiddos brought in something they thought was really cool to show me and their classmates. The special surprise was................ready for it...................a dead ground mole in a plastic baggie!!! Eeeewww......I know! Well, it was the last day before Christmas break and you all know how crazy, busy that day is, and we forgot all about it! I never gave it another thought. Fast forward two weeks.....I come back from break....we always come back a day before the kids....and I don't notice anything strange or different at all! That is, until I was cleaning out the student desks so I could rearrange the seating for the new year! Needless to say, I reached in to swipe everything out of that desk and all of a sudden a horrible smell hit me in the face.....yeah, you know that smell! Rotting flesh is not a smell I care to be so up close and personal with! It was fine in the baggie until the juicy rodent was disturbed....I know, dis....gus....ting! I thought I would throw up! Well, I got it out of the classroom and scrubbed and sanitized that desk, but the smell lingered for a good two weeks!!! I will never forget it....and I make sure I keep any "surprises" my students bring in on my desk now! GROSS!

Be Blessed!

...

Sandy Hook, Secret Santa, & Scoot

I'm sure all of you are feeling the same way I am tonight....full of sorrow for the lives lost this morning at Sandy Hook Elementary in Connecticut. I didn't hear about it until just after I sent all my kiddos off after school. Heart wrenching.....:( I am so sad for the families of the children and the staff members, but also for the school "family".....as they lost 26 members of their family today. I can't imagine how life goes on after such a tragedy. Each person affected by this senseless act is in my thoughts and prayers. May God provide the peace and comfort they need.

Anyway, I had a really good day up until that point....

Secret Santa started today and I got the sweetest...no pun intended...gift! A gingerbread house kit! I can't wait to make it...:) I love Secret Santa....it is so fun picking out special little gifts for someone and also to get special little gifts every day for 5 days! My kiddos were so excited when Mr. Johnny (one of our custodians) delivered the package to me. They couldn't wait for me to open it! Isn't it adorable..:) I will post pics when I finish it!

I also had this sweet surprise in my mailbox today! One of our school board members always gives ever employee (admin, teachers, aides, lunchroom staff, custodians, and bus drivers) in the district a small gift....this was a nice metal tin full of yummy chocolates! 

 I know why it's called a sampled now! As you can see, I sampled several pieces! LOL!

After work, I had to run to Wal Mart and pick up some quick foods for my hubby and son to have over the weekend while I'm gone to Tallahassee to visit my daughter Miranda! While I was there, I spotted a pack of these.....

I have been looking for some so I can make some of these.....

Aren't they just adorable? I saw them on Pinterest! I'm hoping to find some things to put in them this weekend at one of my favorite stores.....

And....to finish up this post, my kids got to play SCOOT today. Mine really love it and it gets them up and moving! You can find the document and directions to play here. You can use it in so many ways...today we used it to review physical science vocabulary. I typed up the definitions and placed one on each desk and the kids had to write the words for each definition in the boxes. Sometimes I type up questions....either multiple choice or true/false and they write the answer in the box. Have you ever done this with your class? If so, please share how you use it...:) 

Well, I better head to bed....it's 11:30 and I need to be up around 6 in the morning! 

Count your blessings tonight and please remember Sandy Hook students and workers in your thoughts and prayers! 

Be Blessed,

...

Fall is In the Air.....Finally!

Wow! It's been a while since I posted! Like everyone else, I've been super busy. One thing I did was decorate my home for Fall. I just love Fall....it's my favorite season...:) I know this isn't school related, but I just felt like sharing! These pictures were all taken in my dining room. The first picture is my dresser turned buffet. Above the buffet is a picture of the nativity. I leave it up year round because it is so pretty. I bought it a couple years ago from Kirkland's. My daughter used to work there and when this $60.00 picture got marked down a couple days before Christmas, she snagged two of them for me for $8.00 each! I gave one to my sister. I have my big family bible my mama handed down to me there in the center as well my husband's late grandfather's pocket watch under the glass dome. All of the apothecary jars get filled with seasonal items, and the vase gets a new arrangement with each season as well. The smallest apothecary jar (which I got at the flea market for a whopping $1) gets filled with seasonal candy! It contains candy corn and pumpkins now, but during the summer it had salt water taffy in it! The second picture is my summer buffet, I did replace the red flowers with white hydrangeas after that picture was taken though. This will change a lot when I decorate for Christmas! I can't wait to share it with you...:)

This picture is of my lazy susan which I found at a yard sale for $2 a few years ago. It is a nice, sturdy, solid wood lazy susan. I gave it a new chevron stripe paint job over the summer. It didn't turn out exactly like I wanted, but I'll repaint it again one day! I love the pumpkin on the left....it is clear, orange glass and the stem is glass as well. I found it at Target a few years ago and fell in love...:)

This last picture is my china cabinet. It is filled with loads of beautiful pieces of china and crystal that I have collected or had handed down to me over the years. My favorite aunt (mom's sister) is always giving me pretties to add to my collection. If you click on the picture and enlarge it, you can see my gorgeous Hammersley Victorian Violets teapot in the top right corner. It is one of my most valued possessions....and was given to me by my favorite aunt...:)

Well, if you're still reading, I hope this didn't bore you to tears! I was just enjoying the touch of Fall in this hot  Florida air and the smell of caramel pecan in my warmer and wanted to share...:) Hope you are enjoying Fall in your area! Speaking of Fall, Friday evening is the Fall Festival at my school! I'll share pictures over the weekend....igf I remember to take some in the craziness of the evening...:)

Be Blessed!

...

Randomness!

Well, it finally happened....my allergies hit me full force yesterday! That's what I get for being productive and cleaning out and organizing the shed! I needed to get to my fall decor though and decided to clean and organize while I was at it. I have yet to put the fall decor up....I have felt too bad! Anywho.....I had to stay home today and have been miserable all day! I have been taking Zyrtec and Benadryl in hopes of this mess improving before tomorrow! I have been doing a lot of this.....

and this......

Hopefully I will feel better for tomorrow! I do not like to miss work....too much to teach and not enough days to do it!

I am a little disappointed that nobody has linked up and shared their teacher bag yet. I was so looking forward to seeing some of the bags other teachers carry. I need to come up with something lots of people can link up with I guess. It was my first one so I wasn't expecting too much...:) It's not too late though, so if you didn't see it, go check it out and link up! You can read about it here!

I titled this post randomness because I really didn't have a definite plan when I started it so it is truly random! I wanted to share a cute pic of my daughter Miranda at the FSU/Clemson game Saturday night. She is the one in the FSU shirt! She is with a couple of friends and FSU's own Garnet & Gold glitter guys. 

These two guys paint themselves garnet and gold and cover themselves in glitter for the games. They do a great job getting the crowd excited! They are too cute....they must have developed a love for glitter in elementary school! I don't know where they get all that glitter but they must pay a fortune for it every year. I read that it takes about 3 pounds of glitter each per guy each game! I recently found out that these guys always come from the Baptist Collegiate Ministries organization which makes me love them all the more...:) You can read about how they are selected here. 

Here's a better picture of them.....

Anywho....I know this was a totally random post! I was just in a random kind of mood I guess...:) I'm off to go cook some supper.....mushroom swiss muenster burgers and fries! I am so hungry since I haven't really eaten today. My sweet hubby ran by the grocery store after work and picked up stuff for me! Have a wonderful week!

Be Blessed....:)

...