I've Been Boo-ed.....Take 2!

Ok....so my blog buddy Crystal from
 Boo-ed me several days ago and I am just now getting time to pass it on! 
 Thanks again Crystal!

Here are the rules:

If you've been booed, copy and paste the above pic and these "rules" into your post.

1.  Give a shout out to the blogger who booed you and link back to their site! DONE!

2. Share 3-5 October activities, books, products (yours or someone else), or freebie(s) that you love!

Ok...so this is the part I'm not going to complete...sorry! If I had time, I would look up some awesome activities, but I just don't. Sorry....please forgive me...:) I teach 5th grade science and I really don't have time to read Halloween stories and such. I know, I know.....so sad! Not really though because we are always doing fun things in science. I am doing an activity this week that you might consider kind of Halloweeny...:) We are making density towers! Steve Spangler has some awesome Halloween science activities too! 

3.  Share the Boo love with 5 bloggers- make sure you check this link to make sure you don't boo someone again:



And don't forget to tell them that they have been BOOED!

The Bloggers I'm Boo-ing are:

Mrs. H from
Tonya from
Susan from

Michelle from Mrs. White's 5th Grade Class

and last but not least.....

Sandy from Fearless in 5th!!!

4.  Link up {here} so that others can find you and read about your October ideas!  And while you are there... check out the other great blogs!

Until next time.....

Be Blessed!

...

Busy, Busy, Busy!

That should say....I'm having one of those months!!!

Busy doesn't even begin to describe life lately! I am so ready for my 4-day weekend coming up...:) I love this time of year....4-day weekend on October, then Veteran's Day in November along with a whole week off for Thanksgiving, and before yo know it, it's Christmas break and two weeks off! It does make for a long spring though, especially April and May with very little time off! None the less, I am totally ready for some time to chillax!!! How about you? Anywho, random is what this post is today....I think I just needed a few minutes to de-stress before I resume grading papers and entering grades....BTW, I strongly dislike report card time and parent conferences! I especially dislike it right now since literally everything is happening at once and I have no time to complete it all. I love sponsoring my son's senior class, however, it takes an enormous amount of time during certain times of the year.....like the next 2 weeks...homecoming! 

We are doing a "Back in Time" overall theme and our seniors chose Stone Age. We are going with a Flintstones theme and it is super cute, but man is it a LOT of work! Skit practice, banner, and float, not to mention, my Dakota made the Homecoming court as a King nominee! That means a new outfit for me since I escort him during Bear Growl the night before the big game! I'm also a glutton for punishment and am doing after-school tutoring 2 days a week for an hour and a half. I have 7 4th and 5th graders, and although they are good, it is just more to do and keep up with. I know this will all calm down soon, but right now, I feel like I am going to spontaneously combust! 

I think I need to read this.....LOL!

Well......if you're still with me, I am sorry about my rant! I'm just soooo tired, but it's all good! I will make it through...:) So, I thought I would share some pictures of some new things in my classroom and a few changes since the year started. The first one is a picture of my Class DOJO reward system. My kiddos absolutely love Class DOJO and in all honesty, so do I! It has been such a positive addition to my classroom. Sorry about the glare!

Next up are some pix of my room....

Well, you aren't going to believe this, but on top of everything else happening, we got a call late evening yesterday from my husband's aunt saying she thought we needed to take his mom to the hospital. She was having some pain and tightness in her chest and her blood pressure (usually normal) was sky high! I was literally in the middle of this post when I got the call! So, needless to say, we rushed to get dressed and go get her and take her to the hospital. We spent a looong and miserable night trying to sleep in uncomfortable, hard, little chairs. I had to find some things online on my phone to e-mail to my fellow 5th grade teachers this morning so they could have copies run for the sub to have something to keep the students busy today today. I am so thankful for awesome lessons and worksheets found online in a pinch! I am so mentally and physically exhausted, but I still have to finish putting those grades in that I didn't get to put in last night! My hubby brought me home a short while ago. He got a shower and went back to be with his mom while they continue to tun tests and try to find out what's going on. I have got to work tomorrow....it's our long day....parent conference night. I feel like I have been hit by a truck! 

But.....my daughter and mother-in-law are ok, so life is good and I am blessed! 

Hope you are too....:)

 

I've Been BOO-ed!!!!!

I am so excited! My blog buddy Crystal from

sent me some Halloween love and BOO-ed me! I was sure hoping to get to join in the fun! I wanted to thank her and let everyone know I will be doing the requirements to accept this asap, but it might be a day or two! I have been insanely busy and  I know the next two weeks will be C...R...A...Z...Y since homecoming is coming up soon and I am a senior class sponsor. On top of all the normal class activities....float, banner, and skit, my son was nominated for Homecoming King and will be participating in extra activities for that! Don't get me wrong, I'm looking forward to all this, but this week is when all grades are due because report cards will go home Thursday and that's a long work day for me because it's parent/teacher conference night! At least I have a 4-day weekend to look forward to...:) Thanks again Crystal!

...

I'm Beginning to Think a LOT about Christmas....

Don't ask me why....and I'm certainly not rushing it (although I do LOVE Christmas), but I have been thinking about Christmas a lot today! It started earlier when I was eating dinner at my mom and dad's house. I was talking to her and telling her I wanted to come up with something to give all my students this year. I always bought my firsties something....sometimes a Christmas book from Scholastic, sometimes a small toy. This year though, I have over 60 kiddos! I am trying to think of something inexpensive, simple, & cute that I can make or put together. I found some cute ideas on Pinterest......but none of them are quite what I'm looking for! Any ideas? 

So.....anywho, after a delicious bowl of chili, I came home and found this awesome deal for a free Elf On the Shelf and the book for the first 5,000 teachers who enter! It is from this site.....The North Pole Playground. I rushed right over there and joined up so I could enter! Too cool....I hope I get one...:) Do 5th graders still believe in Santa? It's been a while since I had a 5th grader of my own!

This is a pretty cool site....go check it out, join, and enter to receive your own Elf! 

I was also trying to think of a way to incorporate science with Christmas and I came across some awesome ideas! I will definitely be doing the Christmas Chromatography (see pic below) activity with my kiddos, as well as the Case of the Christmas Cookie! They will love it....and so will I! I'm hoping to think of a small gift that is Christmasy (is that even a real word?)....and scientific! 

Christmas Chromatography!

And....since I am on the topic of Christmas......don't you just love these commercials?

And these movies?

Christmas is going to be here before we know it folks! What are you planning for your kiddos.....or for your families? Please share your ideas...:)

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!

...

Apple Dumplings for the Cure!

I just had to share the yummy apple dumplings I made this morning! We are getting an early start to fundraising for the American Cancer Society's Relay For Life that we will participate in next spring. To celebrate Johnny Appleseed's birthday, we had an apple theme smorgasbord today. Everyone who wanted to participate brought in an apple dish of some sort. There were yummy chicken salads with apples in them, several desserts, ambrosia, and pulled pork that was cooked in apple juice....I think. Everything was very tasty! I made my apple dumplings....they are always a hit when I make them. They are best hot out of the oven with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top! No ice cream today, but they were still good! Here they are...:)

If you would like to have the recipe, leave me a comment!  So, does your school participate in the ACS Relay? If so, I would love to hear some of your fundraising ideas....:) This is such a worthy cause....cancer has taken so many lives. Last year at this time, my father-in-law was battling lung cancer that had metastasized to his brain. Unfortunately he lost the battle exactly four months after he got the diagnosis. He passed away on December 1st.....my heart still aches over the loss my family suffered. I know many, if not all, of you have probably lost someone to cancer or know someone who is currently battling it. The Relay for Life is such a fun way to raise money for the cure. If your school has never participated, you should check into it....:) I can't wait to find out the theme for out October smorgasbord! Too fun...:)

Thanks for stopping by!

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....:)

...