314/365 - Teaching...

I'm pretty sure I need something like this in my classroom. I found it and I love it. It's SO true!

313/365 - Primary Substitute Thank Yous...

I'm still pretty new at the whole Primary Presidency thing. Most days, I feel clueless as to what I am doing or overwhelmed that I can't figure it out. I did suggest, however, that we have some thank yous for all of the subs we have in our Primary. We have a lot of subs too! From teachers not showing up to subs not showing, we're often scrambling at the last minute to get a teacher in every classroom. I thought it might be nice to have a little thank you for those who help us out. I volunteered to make them and keep our closet stocked up.

So, I came up with this...

On the back of the tag I wrapped 6 Lifesaver candies (the individually wrapped kind) in cellophane with some iridescent filler. The message certainly isn't anything original but it was easy and it worked.

I made a basketful of them.

Hopefully that will last us a few weeks and the wonderful people helping out in Primary will feel a little more appreciated.

312/365 - A little taste of Paris...

Ken and I got something in the mail this past week. 

Someone loves us and sent us these...

26 chocolate croissants from Paris!

Made with real butter? Heaven.

We took them out and they looked like this. A little weird but we kept the faith.

In the oven baking.

Hello deliciousness!

They were soooo yummy! They tasted just like they did in France when we were there on our honeymoon. 

Happy memories.

Two thumbs up!

Yep. We sure like them.

Thanks for the croissants - you know who you are!

311/365 - Black Chick...

 

Every day in my classroom I set aside a time where our class sits together and shares. Share time is not show and tell time. Nothing gets brought to class. During share time, each child gets the opportunity to tell something to everyone happened to them or that is important to them. It takes anywhere from 5-10 minutes total but is well worth the time. I love it because it completely does away with 29 little first graders bombarding me with comments and stories every day. They know that share time is coming and so they keep it to themselves until then. It works like a charm.

Today one of my girls shared this with the class.

My mom got baby chicks for us to have. The chicks are really funny and one ran up my mom's arm. One of the chicks is yellow and one is black. We named the black chick Oprah because it's black and Oprah's black too.

Yep. 

She was pretty proud of that name. I didn't even dare ask what the yellow chick's name is. I may ask her tomorrow though... 

310/365 - Fun, fun memories...

I got a text yesterday from Heather, one of my old Color Guard girls, letting me know that she had some pictures she wanted to email me that were taken at a bridal shower they had thrown for me. I hadn't seen most of these girls for years. Most of them are married now and are mothers. I was the Color Guard director for 8 years and had an average of 25-30 girls each year. I met a lot of amazing people and it was a huge part of my life for a long time. Now it's all memories and boxes full of pictures. I'm so glad to have a few more updated pictures to add to my memories. Thanks, Heather!

309/365 - The Franny B. Kranny book has been found...

So about a year and a half ago I posted about a book I wanted to get but really couldn't find. You can see that post HERE. Well, I was ordering a bunch of books off of Amazon for a reading program I use and thought I'd search a little more for the Franny B. Kranny book. I was able to order it out of the United Kingdom and it arrived yesterday. I read it to my class this morning. They all laughed when I showed them the cover.

What do you think?

Any resemblance? 

I am so glad that I was introduced to this book and even more glad I was able to finally order it in. It may become my book to read on the first day of school as my introduction to my new little firsties. I just need to find a bird to add to it...

308/365 - An extended Easter...

The worst thing about a divorce in the family is having to work around who has the kids for which holiday or weekend. For Easter weekend, my former sister-in-law had their kids so our Easter picnic and egg hunt got moved to this weekend. Better late than never, right?

Since my mom is still down with her ankle, her neighbor brought over a wheelchair in case she needed it. The kids immediately found it and wanted a ride. Not sure why their faces are covered. They're in an "anti-picture" phase or something.

My brother Brian ran them up and down the ramp a few times but my dad put an end to it. Also, the rain really kicked up.

We moved on to the kids Easter egg hunt. The rain came down even harder but we all went out anyway. My dad had worked so hard hiding all of the eggs around his yard.

This is how my mom spent her time at the Easter egg hunt. Comfy.

Due to the rain, we had our picnic inside. My brother Clint barbecued hamburgers, hot dogs, and chicken. Everyone else pitched in with food too.

We all just sat around and visited until we ate. I invited Ken's sister Cortnee to eat with us. She came over and joined in the craziness.

I brought several food items but my favorite was my Chinese Chicken Salad. Yum! I was glad that most of it got eaten. I have just enough left over for lunch tomorrow.

Cortnee was not happy about posing for a picture,

and Ken just started getting grumpy.

Brian kept reminding us how many days it had been since he had combed his hair. Yeah... I'm not sure why either.

We had a fun and unexpected surprise. My aunt Susan and uncle Richard stopped by for a quick visit. They live in Missouri but were in Utah for a wedding. We had no idea they were in town. It was fun to see them since it's not often that we do.

So here's my dad (on the right) and his younger brother Richard side by side. Is it just me or do they look nothing alike? I don't think any of my dad's siblings even look related to each other. My uncle Richard looks more like my grandpa. I don't know... I just don't see it.

So now our Easter comes to an official close. My dad had his MANDATORY egg hunt and picnic and was grateful the party went on even though my mom is out of commission. It was an evening full of family, food, laughs and one screaming baby named Chase. It was a great time!

307/365 - Absolutely nothing...

This is basically how my spring break has gone. It has pretty much been all about me being lazy. I've actually enjoyed sleeping in, lying around in my PJ's, eating treats I shouldn't eat, and committing myself to very little. I'm feeling pretty good about my choice to be a sloth. My week off is over and after the weekend, it's back to the classroom. The school year is coming to a close but right now, it doesn't seem fast enough. I may want to stay in my PJ's a little bit longer. I miss my little firsties and am excited to catch up with them when I get back. Until then, I'm going to lounge around a little longer!

306/365 - A performance and a furniture find...

I went over to BYU on Monday to listen to Ken perform a final project.

He did a duet with one of the guys in his Master's Program. They played Stars and Stripes Forever. Ken admitted it was a little cheesy but they did a really good job.

Look at all of the pipes above the organ. So fun!

I tried to get a picture before they took their bow but was unsuccessful. Zachary is a blur but oh well.

On another note...

Ken and I have been going to the D.I. (thrift shop) a few times each week looking for a nightstand. My friend Christa just redid one and it is ADORABLE! You can see her finished product HERE. I decided to try my hand at something and thought a nightstand to match my bedding would be good but I'm not willing to try it out on my own and haven't been able to find a cheap one. Last night we went and found this...

It's solid wood (not laminate or particle board) and we were able to get it for $15.00. I didn't think that was unreasonable. How much can I be out if I completely ruin it? I haven't tried to redo furniture before. I'm thinking I might do it in a dark red and the distress it but we'll see. I may use it as a nightstand and I may not. The legs and feet are my favorite part.

The finish is a little rough,

okay, a lot rough. But since I have to strip it off I don't think it matters very much.

Anyhow, I'm saving this little project for summer break... along with the other 5,000 I'm planning on doing. I'm kind of excited about trying this one though. I hope it's a success!