Back to Class

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Well our Teacher Work week was not as productive as I had hoped simply because of obligations that required us to be in other places besides our classrooms (e.g. in-services, trainings, etc.) I am glad to say however that I had a pretty successful Open House. 14 of my 16 students showed up and most of those came with their supplies. This allowed for me to get everything put away prior to Monday morning.

Thanks to Reagan at Tunstall's Teaching Tidbits, I came up with a new system for my families. For the most part, the parents complied with my instructions and the sorting and structure worked fairly well. Of course you'll always have those who choose to do their own thing and well, I worked around that.

I altered a couple of her stations, but overall kept the same idea. I believe I'll learn from this experience, tweak the system and use it again next year.

Here was my setup:

Station 1: Student Folder
Parents picked up their child's folder, filled out the remaining forms, and compiled all of their signature pages into the folder. (Most parents did this...some had to be redirected despite my GIANT sign.)

Station 2: Supply Drop Off
This worked pretty well. It was an easy way for me to get the new students involved while their parents filled out paperwork. The students seemed to enjoy sorting their supplies and for me it was a big help. A couple of parents wanted to simply put all of the supplies on the counter or their child's desk...::sigh:: However, once redirected, this was corrected.

Station 3: Backpacks
Students found their backpack hook. It was here that they left their backpacks and placed their binders.

Station 4: Meet the Teacher
At this station the parents asked any questions they had, handed in their folders and were offered a little treat.

Overall this was a successful evening. Like I said, I have a few tweaks to make but ultimately I'd say it was a positive experience for everyone.

I'm always trying to make improvements. As a parent/guardian, are there any particular things you like to see at your school's Open House? Any ideas for making a "meet the teacher" night more successful?

New Territory

This week has been challenging for various reasons. Open House has come and gone and the first day of school is just around the corner. I'm exhausted and school hasn't even begun! I've also been on an emotional roller coaster this week...I'm not sure if it's the hormone surge from the fertility meds or a change in the weather but it has been tough and after reading Elena's blog (baby Ridley bump) this week it appears I'm not the only one trying to push through these last few days. It was as if she and I had been living with parallel emotions this week. In order to keep face I've been trying to focus on the great things we've had going lately.

Over the last couple months we've been working towards one of our goals. My husband and I have been praying to move for quite some time. I would personally be fine with moving into another house but my husband (who up until the last few months did not want to even consider moving) compromised with the "I'll move if we can build." Okay. That settles it. The search for land began. We've been eyeing properties for quite some time and either the price wasn't right or the amount of property wasn't to my husband's liking.

Then a gift fell from Heaven. Pardon the theatrics but the way we came to learn about this particular piece of property, the way the loan and funding came together and the land itself were truly gifts from God.

I now present to you (now that I can officially do so) the piece of land that we'll eventually build our dream home upon.

You're looking at a beautiful view that backs our 28.4 acre track. I will have a deck that allows me to enjoy the scenery.

Since making the deal official we've been scoping out floor plans. It's a bit overwhelming but super fun at the same time! We've also been looking at various decorating and paint pallet options. Here are a few ideas we're quite partial to...

[Living Room]

Neutral Living Room

We have dark brown living room furniture but I love the color pallet and we could make it work with our current furniture.

Twig Curtains

 

[Kitchen]
Should we decide to build a home that allows for an informal and formal eating area, this is an idea that I adore. I love the big windows and the comfy seating.

Informal eating area

Kitchen with Island (and Double Ovens of course)


 

[Master Bedroom]

Paint Pallet

[G's Big Girl Room]

I've been eyeing lots of mermaid related themes for G's big girl room. This is just one of the ideas that I really like...I do think I'd probably opt for a slightly softer color scheme though. You can see more mermaid theme ideas here.

Mermaid

[Laundry Room]
I've never had a "laundry room". In college our washer/dryer sat in the kitchen. Currently our machines are housed in our basement...not the most convenient of situations...so when I saw this laundry room design I instantly fell in love.

Laundry Room

These are just a few of the ideas I've pinned to my various New House boards. While this girl dreams of many things, I can focus on the tasks at hand and maybe, just maybe, even more wonderful things will follow.

Any insight or advice about building a home would be greatly appreciated!

Linking up with The Farmer's Wife and September Farm for this week's Oh Hey Friday.

Thoughts for Thursday

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It's very probable that I'll be preparing for and/or in the swing of today's Open House at the time you're reading this. It's the day when I meet my new little ones and meet the families of those I'll be interacting with throughout the year. I'm very blessed to work for such an amazing school. While I know you'll think I'm biased (and quite frankly I am), I can't help but feel I work with one of the most wonderful groups of people that could possibly exist. Our administration is unlike any other and the sense of family and community are felt from the moment you walk in the door. It's this feeling of pride that gets me heated when our ability to educate is attacked. The saddest part is that we're not even battling the national politics. The damage is being done on the home front.

This evening we've been asked to attend a very important meeting where we'll find out the results of an exhaustive Efficiency Study requested by our town's board of supervisors. I am still in awe of how little some of the members and some of our own community think of the importance of education and the funding that is necessary to ensure that our children have what they need.

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I don't know what this evening's meeting will bring but I've prayed for our county and our school system. It's hard to see something I'm so passionate about being 1. taken for granted 2. underfunded and 3. under scrutiny. It's as if these people have forgotten that these children are our future and it's quite evident that they have no regard for the fact that someone, at some point in their lives, took the time to teach them, guide them, and encourage them to become something.



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I apologize for the rant...it just hurts my heart. However, I will proceed on. Come what may we are educators. Our hope lies in the future of these little faces that enter our doors. Our joy comes from revelations and the smallest of successes. We are blessed to play such an important part in the lives of those that have the potential to go on and change the world.

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I want to thank those of you who are invested in your child's education. I thank you for supporting your community's schools and teachers. Thank you for promoting, advocating, and hoping for a future. (And thanks for tolerating my vent session.)

I'm linking up today with Natalie and Annie for Thoughts on Thursday. I hope you'll join us!

Tasty Tuesday: Firehouse Chili

So once upon a time this lucky lady fell in love with an all American hero. If someone had told me that the man I'd marry would be a firefighter, I would have walked away and never thought twice about it. I was going to marry a youth pastor, or a Christian band drummer...instead, I fell in love with a man who not only shares my love for life and Christ, but he has a heart of service...he is a firefighter.

My firefighter in action.

While his shifts can keep him away from home 24-72 hours at a time, there are some wonderful perks to the job. He has a great fire-fightin' family and I could not ask for him to be in better hands. Those guys have one another's backs, no questions asked. Another perk is that they inspire him to cook...which aside from the grill, is not something he's ever really done. I thought I'd share one of his personal recipes with you.

My firefighting hubby makes a mean chili. It tastes great and freezes well. I will say it has a bit too much heat for our toddler but she enjoys the grilled cheese that we make to go along with it.

Firehouse Chili

1 can red beans
1 can black beans (rinsed)
1 can chili ready tomatoes
1 can Rotel
1lb ground beef or turkey
1tbsp chili powder (more or less to suit your taste)
dash (or two or three) of hot sauce
2tbsp sugar

Brown and drain the ground beef. Drain the beans. Combine all ingredients into a large pot. Heat on medium until the chili begins to simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Cook on low for about 30 minutes.

Enjoy!

Linking up with Kate and Emily for this week's Tasty Tuesday!

Oh Hey Friday!

::tears:: My summer is over. ::more tears::

I've had some wonderful memories with my itty bitty and I'm slightly grieving all of the time I'm away from her during the day. I hate the thought of how much I'm missing...so I try not to think about it.

I love my job. While being a mom is the most important job I'll ever have, I also know that I've been called to teach. I feel so blessed to be able to do so many things that I love.

For this week's Oh Hey Friday! I thought I'd share a few reasons why I love what I do (this is actually reinforcement for me as I get back into the swing of things but hopefully you'll enjoy them as well.)

OHF 1
Ever since I was a little kid I loved buying new school supplies. There is just something so nostalgic about a brand new box of crayons. I've made a couple of trips to the store, and while I'm trying to really limit the amount of money I spend on teacher/student supplies this year, I can't help but add some things to my classroom supply arsenal.

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OHF 2

I love new ideas and great resources. I adore TeachersPayTeachers.com and the amount of free resources that can be found there. This week the site was running a sale and I purchased two great products. I have some foot work to do but once I get this "All Done!" center completed I'll be golden. I bought the remaining supplies I'll need and I am slowly getting it put together while putting my own spin on it. A huge shout out goes to Miss Kindergarten for making such a wonderful resource! (Hopefully I finish this sooner rather than later and will be able to show pics of my completed project.)

OHF 3

Not only did I enjoy buying new school supplies as a kid, but I loved going school clothes shopping. We were given a modest amount to spend and it was ours to do with as we saw fit (with parental guidance of course...they refused to let me spend $100 on one pair of shoes.) It's been a long time since I treated myself to some new clothes. I figured now would be a good time since I've not only lost weight but I've been cleaning out the closets as well.

You can see some of the items I purchased here. I'd still like to add a "teacher" shirt to my wardrobe...here are a couple of ideas that I'm considering.

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Add caption

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OHF 4

Another project I look forward to at the beginning of the school year is coming up with a simple little goody for the kids at Open House. This year I ran across this cute (and inexpensive) idea and ran with it. I made up my own label and stapled them to the gummy packages.

OHF 5

Finally, I adore my school and I adore my kids. I take my teaching very personally and I hold myself to high standards. I not only teach academics but I teach social skills, self confidence, self-worth, compassion, mercy, etc. Academics are very important but I take a personal interest in also cultivating good citizens out of these tiny people. They are our future. These first grade little minds that I help mold each day have the amazing potential to make wonderful, beautiful change in this world. After all, I see some of these kids more in one day than their own parents. Every moment I have with them is important and precious and every year I go into the new school year with this in mind: Each one of these students were placed in my room for a divine purpose. I am the teacher that has been chosen to impact their world and what I do with our time together means something.

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Linking up with September FARM and The Farmer's Wife for OHF.







Thoughts for Thursday

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I had something completely different prepared for today, but last night my heart was led in another direction. I was reading through the end of One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp and I suddenly had to pause as my eyes soaked in this verse...

"I will bless you...and you will be a blessing."

Genesis 12:2 (emphasis mine)

Today I'll be saying goodbye to my sweet summer and begin the tasks of a teacher once again. This summer has been filled with odds and ends, both family and work related, and while there were some long days, these last couple of months have gone by in the blink of an eye. Suddenly the fact that life is truly but a vapor made a solid connection with my heart. I got to thinking (which isn't that what Thoughts for Thursday is all about?) about the immeasurable blessings that I have received, not just over the last couple of months, but years, and then daily. Every day I am blessed to an incomprehensible degree.  

Just take a look...

A best friend who'll run after my dreams with me...

I get to be married to the man who truly is my best friend, the love of my life and a dream come true.

A little red haired, blue eyed itty bitty to call my own.

A beautiful family

Generations of strength and support

A God-art sky

A job I love!

Of course there is not enough screen space in the world to capture all that I'd love to share. I can't overlook my amazing church family or the other friends that we hold so closely to our hearts. These things don't even scratch the surface.

In One Thousand Gifts she goes into detail as to how we are given all blessings in order to be blessings for others. We are to empty ourselves in order to fill others...and yet, in doing so with the love of Christ, we will never feel depleted. God continually restores us...even in the midst of wait and heartache. He willingly fills our lives so that we can then pour out His love to others. Every act of service is testament to God's goodness in our lives. The joy found in our service to others can be found in simple tasks...even the things we do without thinking such as wiping a snotty nose, washing dishes, opening a door for another, bringing a meal to a shut-in...the list is endless. There are numerous ways everyday that we can pour ourselves into others. While not everyone will appreciate our service, God takes note. It pleases Him to see His children "spread the love."

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We're only given today and we have ample opportunities to make the most out of what may seem the mundane. I challenge you, along with myself, to selflessly pour yourself out. Bring your reservations to the feet of Jesus and take advantage of the opportunities presented to you to bring some goodness into the life of someone else. Make it a family affair. Teach your children the truth behind less is more and the joy that comes from giving. Change starts here. How will you be a blessing today?

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Linking up with Annie and Natalie for this week's Thoughts on Thursday.



Tasty Tuesday: Cheddar Ranch Burgers

This is my first Tasty Tuesday post and I'm so excited.  I love swapping recipes and thanks to my blogging buddy over at It's a Girl's World, I've been inspired to join the link up.

We love ranch on most things...pizza can no longer be eaten without it. If this weirds you out I'm guessing you've never tried it but, I digress.

The other night we decided upon hamburgers for dinner. It was a beautiful evening for grilling and we couldn't pass up the chance. The scene then became "comercial-esque". I took one pound of hamburger,   a packet of Hidden Valley Ranch and some cheddar cheese...sound familiar?

I stumbled across the original recipe on the back of the ranch packet and thought I'd give it a try. We were not disappointed.

Cheddar Ranch Burgers

1 lb lean hamburger
1 packet of ranch seasoning
1/2c shredded cheddar cheese

Preheat your grill.
Combine all ingredients in a medium sized bowl.

Form into 4 hamburger patties.

Grill until they reach your preferred temperature.

These were super simple and lend themselves to be very versatile.  We plan to add a little bacon or liquid smoke next time. These would also make great sliders.

I hope you'll join me, Kate and others for this week's recipe swap.