Freebie ~ Folder Game Labels

I was going through my "Back to School" folder on my computer and found these labels that I made to organize my folder games.  I love free downloads, so I thought I'd share this one with everyone!

Here's the link to the PDF on Scribd: 

http://www.scribd.com/doc/98605691/Folder-Game-Labels-Avery-5160

This is my only photo of my folder game organization and it's pre-label days, but it does show how I have them sorted into baskets from Target (of course).  

For the most part, my folder games are the Evan Moor Take It To Your Seat center activities.  I have pretty much all of the reading and math activities for third grade.  I put mine in manila envelopes that I have laminated to keep them study.  It works really well in keeping all of the papers and pieces together.  (Small pieces are in plastic baggies within the envelopes.)  I do have some hand-me-down activities from my aunt, which are in just regular pocket folders.  

I went through all of my folder games and placed the labels in the upper right corner.  For each one, I have labeled the general subject, such as reading, math, language, spelling, vocabulary, or phonics.  Then, I specify the skill for each one.  For example, a math folder might be labeled "Subtraction w/ Regrouping" or a language folder might say "Action Verbs."  I found that labeling makes picking the activities a lot easier since many of the titles don't indicate the specific skill.  

The label download is for Avery 5160 labels.  Those are pretty standard size address labels, so if you're looking for a generic brand that's the number to look for.  The font that I used is from the very awesome site kevinandamanda.com.

Happy labeling!

Behavior Management {Revisited}

My clip chart, minus the clips!

It was pretty much exactly this time last year when I was researching behavior systems for the coming school year...  (You can read that post here...  It's actually one of my most popular posts ever!)

I apologize in advance that this post is going to be kind of a rant...  Sometimes I "think out loud" on my blog.

I used the clip chart system last year and overall I liked it, but I really struggled with staying consistent with it.  I feel like sometimes the day gets too crazy and I forget to reward students for their good behaviors.  Does anyone else feel that way?  I think it just needs to become more of a conscious effort for me.  

For this coming school year, I'm considering what behavior management system I would like to use.  I know that this new class is going to be mostly boys and that they need a lot of structure and consistency.  While I really did like the clip chart system, I have a very strong feeling that unless I get super consistent with it, that system just isn't going to be effective with this new group of kids.  

My previous behavior system was an adaptation of a system I observed in at 5th grade classroom in college.    in a pocket chart, each child began the week with 5 stars.  They got one warning for misbehavior before they had to "pull a star" and at the end of the week the number of stars that remained determined the amount of extra recess they got.  (This class didn't get a second recess in the afternoon like we do.)  

I ended up adapting that to be more on a daily basis, since adding extra recess every Friday just became too difficult.  Eventually it got cut to 3 stars a day...  Pull one star for a warning, pull 2 stars and lose 5 minutes of recess, and pull all 3 and lose all of recess and complete a "think sheet" that goes home to parents to sign.  It was super easy for me to manage and the kids were so honest and self sufficient they'd be pulling their own stars when they knew they had messed up!  (How's that for management?!?)  

The only problem?  No rewards!  Now, we had plenty of rewards for good behavior as a whole school, but I really didn't have much going on within my classroom.  Other than getting all of recess, the kids that didn't pull stars didn't really get anything out of it.  I think sometimes kids get over-rewarded and we shower them with too much for just doing what they should do regardless, but at the same time I think they should get something out of it.  

So, I'm debating.  I'm leaning more towards going back to the star system for this group of kids and then using the school-wide ticket system for the rewards part.  (Unless our PBIS team happens to change things up a lot...)  

I'm also one that makes adjustments to my behavior management system as I get the know the group of students.  I had one year where I think I tried 3 or 4 systems with a group of kids before I found something that was halfway effective with them.  (You know that group of kids...  The group that causes you to consume what was probably an unhealthy amount of ibuprofen because you have a raging headache at the end of each day and hate the teacher you are with them.  Thankfully, I've only had one of those years.)

So, there are my thoughts on behavior management!  I feel like I'm not going make a firm decision on this until I get back to school and we start our inservices.  Thankfully, I'm pretty much prepped for both systems!

Banned

June has been an expensive month for me.  I had a lot of additional expenses that are out of the norm...  Garage sale, moving, throwing a bridal shower, and attending showers and bachelorette parties.  I'd made myself a budget to go off of each month to help build up my savings a bit faster, but that pretty much went out the window this month!  I think we all have months like that, though, and that's why you've gotta have a little cushion with your finances, right?  ; )  

Anyway, I've decided July is going to be a month to be pretty strict with my spending.  I'm hoping to go out of town at the end July and if I want to have some "fun money" to spend on that trip I need to be good between now and then!  

I know it's kind of a long shot, but I'm banning myself from pretty much all non-essentials for the month of July!  No clothes, no makeup, no jewelry...  Until the end of the month or until I make a trip out of town!  It's going to be a challenge for me since I loooooove shopping and it's something I do when I get bored.  I'm hoping that the fact that I'm going to be super busy for a big chunk of July will help me out!  I also know that I need to reserve some of my budget for back to school items and some of the items I want for the start of the school year.  

On my final note, here are a few of my last purchases before the big ban...  Nothing too crazy, though!  

jcrew.com

J. Crew Tippi Sweater in Succulent Green - Yes, another Tippi!  I love these sweaters and I've been watching the sales for months waiting for the right time.  I've wanted another Tippi in a bright color and thought that this shade of green was wonderful!  I'm sure this won't be my last Tippi purchase, but it'll be a while before I get another one.  These sweaters are cute, versatile, and comfy...  A total teacher essential!  I have two already, plus one of the Factory versions, Thandie.

sephora.com

Buxom Beach Bound Lips & Lashes - I spotted this little sampler at Sephora when I was there with a friend and resisted the urge to get it.  Then it haunted me for the next couple weeks!  For some reason I really wanted to try these two products from Buxom.  I've become a fan of little trial sampler packs like this...  They're usually found around the checkout at Sephora or Ulta.  I love trying new products, especially higher-end ones, so this is a totally appealing concept for me.  I'd rather spend $10 on a few small sizes and know I like something rather than drop $25 or $30, hate it, and feel total regret.

drugstore.com

Revlon Colorstay Nail Enamel Top Coat - I told myself no nail polish until September, but I ended up snagging China Glaze's "Flip Flop Fantasy" with a coupon.  I found a base and top coat in a while back when I reorganized my nail polish and used it a couple times...  Let me just say it was complete junk.  My nails chipped the next day!  (It did this with 2 different brands of nail color as well!)  I was super ticked because I loved the colors, so I decided to break down and purchase a new top coat that I'd seen recommended a few times.  So far so good!  I do want to get the base coat at some point, but for me the top coat is the higher priority.

The Balm "Hot Mama" Blush - I've been on a major makeup kick the past few months...  I blame the fact that I discovered there are so many beauty-related You Tube videos!  I've been eyeing Nars Orgasm blush for a about a year, but I told myself I wouldn't splurge on that one until I made it through some of my other blushes first.  I'd seen The Balm brand of cosmetics on the Birchbox site and then saw a video the other day saying this blush is similar to Nars Orgasm.  I had a couple Amazon gift cards, so I decided to grab it from there and give it a try!  I don't have it yet, but I've seen tons of good reviews, so I'm pretty sure it'll be a winner!  (The price difference between the two is about $9, but on Amazon and with my gift cards I spent less than $4 on Hot Mama.)

Today will be a total day of temptation...  A friend invited me to join her this afternoon and run to Ulta, Victoria's Secret, and TJ Maxx!  Temptation will be looming at every corner!  

I'll probably be making some school purchases at some point soon, so I'll be sure to show those as they come along!  

Happy Tuesday!

It's Time for a {Blog} Makeover!

I've been thinking recently about how this blog has evolved over the past year or so since I've really gotten into blogging.  It was originally intended to be just teaching and classroom related material, primarily used as a tool for a workshop I taught last spring.  

Since then, several things have happened...  First, I've discovered a lot of new blogs to follow.  My blogs pretty much fall into three categories:  Teaching, fashion, and home decor.  Those really are my three biggest passions and I've been inspired by others' blogs to share my own input in these areas as well.  While I still want my main focus to be on teaching and providing advice and resources for teachers, I do want this blog to be a creative outlet for all of my passions.  

I decided that this week I'm going to work on restructuring this blog a bit to reflect on all of those areas of interest.  It's not going to be a dramatic makeover of anything (I already changed the look a few months ago), but I am going to tweek the way I organize things and change up my tabs so that you can refer to these different topics more easily.  

So, keep a lookout for the changes!  I want to try to share all of my favorites in the areas of teaching, fashion, beauty, and maybe even decor on here!  Be watching for some new things in the coming days!

Classroom on a Budget

This is a post I've been meaning to do for quite some time now, but I just haven't...  As I'm just beginning to  have time to think about next year, I thought this would be a great time to share with you some of my tips for  putting together a classroom on a budget!

One thing that I'm really big on is creating a comfortable classroom environment for my students and I to enjoy. After all, it's where we'll be spending the majority of our time for nine months! I don't have the perfect classroom by any means, but overall I am pleased with how it comes together year after year.

I've had a few people ask me (most recently my student teacher) how I put everything together and if I spend a lot of money on my classroom. I'd say the money spending comes in waves. My first year I was trying to put together a classroom after not having a real job for about 8 months. (I was babysitting on the side and had graduation money to help pay the bills, but I pretty much had no extra cash for my classroom.) I will admit that during that summer before starting school I used my credit card to make a lot of my school purchases that I felt I needed to make before school began. I was actually able to pay all of it off with my first "big girl" paycheck, so I really don't consider that to be a bad decision. They key was to get creative and to prioritize what I needed immediately and what I could wait on.

Keep it simple and organized!

My best advice for new teachers (particularly those straight out of college) is to work with what you already have. (Sound familiar?)  I brought a lot of my old dorm storage, decor, and furniture into my classroom. Decor items like area rugs, shelving, lamps, chairs, and pillows are super cheap during back to school time and really make a classroom feel like home. After having spent 2 years in the dorms and 2 years in a little college apartment, I already had pretty much all of those items on hand. Most of those items I already had and didn't want in my home anymore (I was trying to grow up in my home decor). The custodians in my building are super awesome and shampoo my area rugs each year so they've stayed in great condition over the years! No extra money spent!

A chair from my college dorm days, clearance pillows, and a spray painted  Goodwill side table help to create a little reading area.

If you don't have that kind of stuff laying around, back to school sales are the time to get them. Dorm decor is pretty much ideal for a classroom and is already starting to pop up in stores. The stuff is really cheap (kids can be hard on stuff) and honestly most of my stuff has survived 5 years in my classroom. I also love the bright colors and that you can very easily coordinate your decor. It's also good to get creative with the items you find. For example, I use those plastic shower caddies for extra writing supplies.  Stores like Bed Bath & Beyond always have coupons that are great for grabbing these sorts of items.  Target and Wal-Mart also tend to have really good prices and colors on these sorts of items.

$3 plastic cubes make great shelving!  

Thrift stores are also great for classroom supplies. They're definitely hit or miss, but I've had some good success finding small furniture items and books there. If you have a Goodwill or DAV in a nice neighborhood, hit it up! (Rich people tend to donate nice items to their local stores!)  I have one Goodwill store that I always hit up first because it always seems to get the nicest stuff. I've stocked up on chapter books in like-new condition for as little as 10 cents each and have also found brand new educational posters for 25 cents a piece.  At another Goodwill, I found that furniture and large items tend to be very cheap.  Remember my $2 chair?  

More college dorm decor...  This was all stuff from my college roommate's room that she now uses in her 2nd grade classroom!

Garage sales are also a good place to look for items for your classroom. Once again, children's books can be picked up for very low prices and if you're buying large quantities you can always try to negotiate with the seller. Sometimes you have to look at the potential an item has and think about easy fixes that can make it work in your classroom.  You never know when you might hit the jackpot and end up at a teacher's house.  (My principal gave me the green light to take the leftovers from our giveaway table at school and I ended up selling TONS of teacher stuff in my garage sale last summer!)

Toy bin from the children's furniture section at  Target!

Depending on the type of posters you want to have up in your classroom, making your own is always a great option.  Now, this can get expensive, especially if you're a perfectionist like me...  If you add in the cost of poster boards, colored paper / cardstock, printer ink, etc. it may not necessarily be cheaper, but at least you can customize things to your needs and wants.  I searched online for posters from stores or ideas from other teachers and then made my own.  Certain things I prefer to make myself because I want the content to be specifically tied to our state and grade level standards.

Making your own posters is a great way to customize the look and content to your needs.

If you want to do a classroom theme, choose something that can translate easily to another grade level or that can be used from year to year.  My first few years I did a star theme in my classroom.  I chose this because I figured it would still be appropriate if I moved up or down grades and it was super easy to incorporate this theme on a budget.  My school has done building-wide themes the last 4 years and I've also tried not to go overboard with theme decor.  I try to limit my spending since I lot of this stuff is just used for the year and then ends up in storage.  

If you're just starting out, remember that putting together your classroom is a process.  Throughout my first year I was constantly changing things around and buying new items as I figured out what worked.  Figure out what your priorities are to get the year started and then make a list of other things you may want later on.  Some stuff that I thought I needed or wanted, I ended up not needing after all!

Do you have any suggestions or tips on how to put together a classroom on a budget?  

Please share in the comments below!

What Would You Do With $100?

For the past several years our PTA has been kind enough to give (reimburse) each teacher $100 for classroom supplies.  I wasn't really expecting it for the coming school year, but when I popped into the school a couple weeks ago and was talking with my principal he mentioned that we would be getting this money again!  Yay!

I've done a really good job of not spending a lot of extra money on school items since last summer.  I felt like I went a little crazy last summer, so I tried to cut back on school spending this year.  With the exception of about $20 on a book and some reading spinners, I really didn't spend anything on school stuff this past year. Now, of course, that doesn't include stuff like pizza parties, Christmas gifts, or craft supplies that I purchased on my own, but as far as decor and books I really kept it to a minimum.  

Since I wasn't planning on having that $100 to spend, I was really going to try to get by on prepping for the coming school year on $50 or less.  It's not like there's much I really need for my classroom, but I do have a couple things that are necessary and a few wants as well.  I'm trying to hold out for Mardel's Teacher Appreciation Sale (usually at the middle or end of July) and either make a trip to Mardel or hit up their online sale.  Lakeshore also typically runs a good clearance sale around this time, so I need to check out their site as well.  

So, my question to you is...

What would you purchase for your classroom if you had a $100 budget?  

What are your must haves?

Would you splurge on anything special?

Before I share the things that I'm considering getting I want to hear from all of you!  Please let me know in the comments what you would get for your classroom!

June Birchbox and a Bath & Body Works Spree!

I'm still working on getting settled into the new place, so blogging hasn't been my highest priority the last couple weeks.  I went to an ELL conference on Monday and Tuesday (more on that later) and I'm now working on throwing a bridal shower for my former roommate!  I'm catching up on a few shows on my DVR ("Design Star", anyone?) and thought this would be a good time to share my June Birchbox and my most recent spree at Bath & Body Works' semi-annual sale!

The Birchbox

This month's theme was "Jet Set" and overall I was pretty impressed with this box.  I think at this point it would take a few months of bad boxes to get me to cancel and so far I haven't considered that.  I had 5 items in my box (2 of the same thing).  

By far the best bargain is the FULL SIZE Stila One Step Bronze.  They retail for $36 each!  I was super excited to get this one since this is something I probably wouldn't normally purchase for myself.  I haven't tried it yet (I did test it out at Ulta), but I've seen a few people online mention they mix it with their foundation.  I have some parties and stuff this weekend and think I may try it out for a little added color and glow.

The other item I'm liking is theBalm Stainiac "hint of tint."  It's intended for cheeks or lips.  The consistency is a gel, which I actually kinda like, but I definitely prefer it on the lips and not so much on the cheeks.  I liked the color it gave my lips and it really did stay that color most of the day!

I haven't tried the other items, but I'm excited to!  I received 2 Comodynes Self-Tanning wipes, which I'm thinking about trying out tomorrow.  I have some parties this weekend and a little extra tan would look good, but I want to try it a day or two ahead in case I need to do any color damage control!  I've also got a mini Luna bar and a sample of Taylor Swift's Wonderstruck perfume that I'm looking forward to testing out soon.

Bath & Body Works - The Semi-Annual Damage!

Last week on moving day my friend and I decided to take a break from that to hit up the big Bath & Body Works and White Barn at the mall.  I had a gift card and a coupon, so I decided that this was going to be my time to do some serious damage there!  In cleaning out my bathroom stuff and moving, I realized I have made progress in using up my supply of things from there, but I still have too many sprays and lotions from there.  The main thing I needed was shower gel since I use those almost daily.  I also wanted to stock up on summer-y Wallflowers (and whatever else I found to be a good deal).  

Here's what I ended up getting for a total of $21.68 out of my pocket.  (My gift card and coupon saved me $35.)  

• 1 large metal candle holder
• 4 oz. Peach Bellini candle
• 4 oz. First Bloom candle
• 6 total Wallflowers in Peach Bellini, Pineapple Orchid, Flower Shop, and Winter
• 2 2-packs of Scentportables in Fresh Linen and Peach Bellini
• 3 shower gels in Aruba Coconut, Bali Mango, and Apricot Vanilla
• 3 hand soaps in Fresh Picked Peaches, Fresh Picked Cherries, and American Berry Pie
• 2 Liplicious lip glosses in Paradise Pineapple and Amazon Coconut
• 1 body spray in Be Enchanted

According to my receipt my total savings (not including the gift card and coupon) was $99.63!  I'm obviously well stocked up and have decided I'm on a Bath & Body Works shopping ban until fall!  It's not like there's going to be anything I need from there between now and then!

Have you picked up any goodies lately?

Remember Me?

I was thinking it had been forever since I'd posted, but I guess it was just Thursday...    Maybe not quite forever, but it's been over a week now!

I spent all of last week sick, which was a complete bummer and messed up my entire schedule for trying to get packed for my move.  What began as a normal allergy cold evolved into the cold from you-know-where and I ended up with an ear infection!  Ugh!  I haven't had one since I was probably in elementary school and I honestly can't remember the last time I had so much pain like that.  I'm one of those people that never goes to the doctor unless I'm really super desperate and I made a visit to my doc to get some meds for my ear.  I'm allergic to pretty much every med under the sun (part of why I don't usually bother going to the doctor), but I was able to get on one of the few antibiotics I'm not deathly allergic to and I'm feeling much better.  I'm still not at 100%, my ear is still stuffy, and I am still feeling more worn out than usual, but I'm greatly improved from my condition last week!

Now for my move!  The whole sickness thing really hurt my plans for getting packed early, so I've been running around the last few days trying to get things ready.  Since I'm downsizing to an apartment for a year or so, I'm putting a lot of my stuff into storage at my aunt's house since she has the extra space.  We actually teach at the same school and she lives not super far from there (not far when you consider my drive), so I can pop in or have her bring me things as needed.  I swear I've dropped more money on plastic bins and tubs in the last week than more people spent in 10 years, but I'm pretty well organized now!  In going through my basement I found about 3 or 4 boxes labeled "crap" (yes that's what they said), so my goal was to weed through those boxes and not have to resort to just throwing junk in boxes at the last minute.  (Seriously, it was some of the most random junk...  Expired coupons, makeup, college papers, birthday cards, cassette tapes, etc. all in one jumble.)  It feels good to have a lot of that junk more under control and hopefully I will be more motivated not to just shove things into drawers and boxes and think, "I'll take care of that later..."

I'm more or less moved into my new apartment now.  It's definitely going to be an adjustment going back to apartment living, but I think I'll like it just fine or a year or so.  I'm working on getting things unpacked today and then will go over to the old place tomorrow to work on cleaning.  I'm hoping to share a few pics within the next couple weeks.

So, you may or may not be hearing from me much in the next week or two, but I promise I'll be around more once things settle down!  I'm going to an ELL workshop put on by the state department of education on Monday and Tuesday of next week and hope that I'll have some things to share from that!

Happy Friday! :)

A Few Summer Faves

I'm really not a fan of summer or extreme heat, so it's probably a good thing that I don't have to work full-time during the summer months.  In addition to reading blogs, I've been really into watching You Tube videos on makeup and beauty.  I've always loved makeup and that kinda stuff, but I feel like I've gotten into it more so in the past year or so since Ulta and Sephora opened in town.  I love those stores and some of the deals they offer!  I thought I'd share a few of my new favorite products for summer (or year round).  During the school year I'm a fan of having a makeup routine that's easy and fast, so a lot of these products are great for speeding up the getting ready process as well!  These are actually all products I've used during the school year as well, so I can also testify to their lasting power!

Benefit POREfessional

sephora.com

I went to Sephora looking to try a primer a few months ago.  My skin can get really oily as the day goes on and I noticed as spring arrived that my foundation wasn't staying put very well.  I was led to this sampler pack which has a full-size POREfessional and then trial sizes of the Erase Paste and Girl Meets Pearl.  I wasn't totally convinced on the primer until the weather really began to heat up, I had no A/C in my classroom, and my makeup was still looking decent by the end of the school day!  I actually like all three products.  I happened upon this set on clearance the JC Penny's Sephora and got 2 for almost half price!  

Clinique High Lengths Mascara

sephora.com

I can't remember what mascara I'd been using, but I was having issues with it flaking off all over my face midway through the day.  Super attractive, huh?  I have so many freebie mascaras that I think it's been over a year since I've had to actually go out buy mascara by itself.  I pulled out this one from Clinique and I've really enjoyed it!  The wand looks a little crazy, but it goes on quite nicely.  It makes my lashes took nice and it actually stays put all day.  Double win!

Revlon Lip Butters

revlon.com

I'd really done a good job at not purchasing any new lip products for a really really long time and then I started hearing about these.  I picked up one in Strawberry Shortcake and started using it a ton.  I used an Ulta coupon while they were running a buy one get one half promo and ended up getting the second one free.  I'm not a huge fan on lipsticks, but I do like some color and so these are a great middle ground.  

True Blue Spa - Tahiti, Sweetie

bathandbodyworks.com

There aren't a ton of repeat lotions that I feel like I have to repurchase, but this is probably my favorite.  It smells fresh and a little bit fruity and it's super moisturizing.  It's great for showing off your legs in the summer as well as when your skin gets super dry in the winter.  You can get it at Bath & Body Works (and hopefully I can get a deal during their upcoming semi-annual).

Fun, Bright Nail Polishes

image via Pinterest

I'm actually on a nail polish purchasing ban until September because I have wayyyy too many!  I used to absolutely hate nail polish on my fingers as a kid and even up until a few years ago wasn't a huge fan of wearing it except on my toes.

Here are a few current favorites:
Turquoise & Caicos by Essie
Tart Deco by Essie
Camera by Essie
Shine of the Times (topcoat) by Essie
Pink (871) by Sinful Colors
24/7 (820) by Sinful Colors
Peace Out Purple by Color Club

You can probably tell I'm an Essie fan.  It's just become that way in the past year, but I really like the colors, quality, and that Ulta runs some good bargains!

Do you have any great products for summer (or other times of the year)?  
I'd love to get some suggestions for new things to try.  (Maybe after my ban is over!)

Currently-- June!

I've had a lot of fun doing the Currently posts, so here's another one for the month of June!  I know a lot of people are getting into the travel mindset with summer break, but traveling is pretty much the last thing on my mind right now.  I'm hoping to make a small road trip later this summer and maybe another one or two in the fall, but other than that, I probably won't be going on any large vacations for quite some time.  Oh well!  I've been on more trips than normal (for me) in the last few years, so I guess it's time for me to maybe take a little break and put my money elsewhere.

For my Wish, Went, Want chose Boston, NYC, and Washington.  I have good friends that live in Boston and Washington and I would absolutely love to go visit them sometime soon.  I've only been to the east coast once when I went to NY last year and I've never been west of Colorado, so both are areas that would be fairly new to me!  

Join the party and link up over at Oh' Boy 4th Grade!  

To Do Tuesday

I must admit, I haven't done all that well in the past week with meeting all of the things that were on my to do list...  The garage sale and that whole ordeal ended up being much more of a time and energy suck than I thought, so I was pretty much just in survival mode from that.  Then, I ended up getting sick after going to the Rick Springfield concert with my mom the other night.  The concert was outside and was awesome, but we sat right behind these three ladies that smoked the entire time!  I have really bad allergies and asthma that's triggered by smoke, so I've been sick ever since!  Ugh!  I've been pretty useless for the last few days and have doing a whole lot of sleeping and TV watching.

Here are the to dos for the next week:

• Pack, pack, pack!  I'm moving in a week and a half!  I've done a lot of going through boxes and sorting stuff, but not really any packing yet.  
• Wedding shower planning.  I'm throwing a wedding shower for my roommate in a few weeks, so I've got some planning to get done!  First on the to do list is getting invites designed and sent out!
• Paint my $2 chair and nightstand.  I've made it as far as picking out the color I want, now it's just a matter of getting the color purchased and getting the actual painting done.

I feel like getting those things done will be quite the accomplishment.  This doesn't even include all of my other moving-related tasks I need to get done!  As you can tell, school is totally not on my mind right now.  I keep running across cool ideas online and just save them for later... Not now, though!

*sigh*  

It's going to be a busy one!

Success!

The garage sale was a success!  I didn't have super high hopes for this year's sale because I wasn't selling as many large items, but I ended up exceeding my hoped earnings by over $100!  Yay!

I spent yesterday being lazy since the last 5 or so have been super busy.  I finally ventured out to TJ Maxx, Target, and Big Lots to pick up some home items and a few essentials.  I sold some of my hold kitchen items in hopes of making enough money to get some new stuff.  Being the bargain shopper than I am, I had to shop around and do online research in order to get the best deal possible.  My big buy of the day was a new set of pots and pans (goodbye $40 Wal-Mart set from college) from Big Lots.  It's a Kitchen Aid set and I saved $50 off the price of the exact same set from Target and Bed Bath & Beyond.  I'm super excited to have some new, nice items for my kitchen!

I'll be spending the next week and a half preparing to move.  I'm hoping to still have some time to blog, but we'll just have to see if that happens.  I'm so not focused on school right now, so it's hard to me to want to blog about school and teaching when that's totally not where my mind is right now.  Anyway, I hope you all have a fabulous Monday!  

I Have a Confession... This Is My Obsession!

I found this linky a week or so ago and then ended up not having a chance to write my own post.  Then today I saw another person link up, so I decided I'd go on and write my own post!

This one is hosted by Living a Wonderful Life, which is another great blog for teachers.  Be sure to visit her blog and link up!  If you click on the pic below you'll be directed to the linky!

1. My first confession is actually one that I think I've mentioned before...  I'm pretty much addicted to the show "Degrassi" which is a Canandian teen drama on Teen Nick.  I started watching it back in college when I was babysitting late on weekends.  I didn't have that channel for a few years, but once I got it I was instantly sucked in again and have been ever since!  Those Canadians know their drama!
2. I love makeup!  I'm totally one of those girls that won't go out without at least a little bit on (at least enough to smooth out my complexion).  I love buying makeup and trying new things.  It's funny because I've recently been into watching beauty and makeup related videos on YouTube and at the same time I've been trying to cut back my spending in that area.  It's still been super fun trying some new looks with what I already have.
3. I'm obsessed (OCD obsessed) with things coordinating and matching.  I've always been this way with home decor, classroom decor, and clothes.  I will go out of my way to make sure things match.  I've had to make a conscious effort to be less that way since matchy matchy isn't really the thing these days!  I'm getting better in some areas at least!
4. I'm an obsessive bargain shopper.  I'm not that way with groceries and that kinda stuff, but when it comes to decor, clothes, accessories, and makeup I'm pretty much at the top of my game.  I will "stalk" items  and watch for sales and coupons before committing to make a purchase.  95% of the time it pays off and saves me a lot of money!
5. I'd choose to drink Mountain Dew  or Pepsi over water any day.  I know, it's horrible.  I'm a particular fan of Diet Code Red and regular Pepsi and I have to seriously limit my consumption to about once a day.  I really could drink those two all the time.  
6. I love K-State football.  I love college football in general and during the fall I keep my TV tuned to games all day long.  No other team tops my Wildcats, though!  My love for them is pretty obvious as soon as you walk into my classroom.

So, what are your obsessions?  Link up and tell us!