Time.

I think back to when I was an elementary school student and it always seemed as if the year was eons long. Now that I'm a "grown-up" (a term that I use loosely-mostly because I feel that it is rigid and boring) I feel that time passes far too quickly.

September marked the start of my first year of teaching where I purchased LOTS of things and set up my classroom. Today I tore all of that down and put it all into the same boxes that I felt like they just came out of. It was tough to do, mostly because I could hardly grasp how fast this year came and went.

Here are some things I learned through this far too short of a year:

1. This really is what I want to do with the rest of my working life (I hit that awkward post-grad phase where I thought "wow! I just spent a lot of money on a degree, what if I don't like it?" Fortunately for me, I found that it's a really swell thing to do everyday.

2. Send what you can to print shop because you probably will run out of copies. At which point you may need to talk one of your really amazing team teachers into letting you "borrow" some.

3. Flexibility is a must.

4. Think on your feet.

5. Laugh, a lot.

6. Enjoy them, save the cute notes, funny pictures, because some days when you feel overwhelmed with grading, or packing or whatever, you will look at them and laugh, smile or cry.

7. Set the bar high.

8. Ask your students about their events (boy scouts, swimming, soccer, running, etc). Try to attend them.

9. Take care of yourself, go to the gym (or not, like I did...)

10. Don't be afraid to ask questions. I asked a lot, and learned a lot from them.

11. Welcome lent items (but maybe make a list so you remember who to return them to).

12. Show your students you care, they care too.

13. Reflect, think about what you can do better next time, next minute, next day, next class, etc.

Okay, so I have a lot more, but this is all I want to share for now.

Keep it real.

Day 3, Part I

This morning I woke up so sore... I feel like a wimp for saying that my 5 pound weights are kicking my butt this much, but I'm seriously considering buying 3 pound weights- Jillian Michaels uses them, so why can't I?

Day 2

Today, I mostly had a sore back and arms- but I managed to stick with the program. Surprisingly, the workout seemed to pass by more quickly today!

Everybody is doing it..... Day One

Alright, today I jumped on the Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred bandwagon.

When my cousin and I turned on the dvd and it said that the workout was only 20 minutes, I thought "how hard can this really be?!?"

Famous last words....within minutes of starting, I was already sweating a ton and could barely lift my wimpy 5 pound weights.
By the end of the workout I felt like I couldn't lift my arms...

I'm hoping that by posting on here I will be more likely to finish this adventure...

Living Room Reveal

We started with a living room that looked like this:


**Please note the semi-frightening nature of firetruck red, mustard yellow and lavender colors...






Now it looks like THIS:






I think my favorite part of this project was how I managed to be a total cheapskate and still make it look fabulous!

The-down-to-business-cost-break-down:

The super cute TV stand cost me $35 dollars (it was originally a light blue)
3 cans of spray paint to make blue TV stand black. $0.97 a piece for a grand total of $2.91
Coffee table: Free, thanks to Uncle Cal for saving that from the ditch!
Stain to beautify the coffee table: $7

Couches: Free- Thanks, Uncle Jeff!
Decorative pillows: Free- Thanks to my repurposing of pillows from college
Blanket: 14.99
Fabulous beige rug: $94

Mantle Decorations:
Curly willow: free- Thanks to my fabulous friend's family.
Mirror: Used to sit in my parents' bathroom before they remodeled it, we were able to have it cut down for $5
Glass votives: $13.99

For a grand total of $172.89 without the paint!

This new and improved room makes me want to break out in a cheesy smile, mostly because I love it so much :)

Found: coffee table

My cousin's dad found this lovely coffee table for her for FREE (my favorite kind of price). Sometimes when things are free they aren't in the best shape....our gem had neat features like the name "BRETT" carved in it. Thank goodness for sandpaper.





Today we did a little refurb project on it, sanded it down with coarse, medium and then fine sandpaper to ensure that it was nice and smooth, which made it look like this:



We then used a wood conditioner (because it is not hardwood) and let it sit for about 10 minutes before applying the stain.

Here is it all finished up, looking pretty great :)

New Digs

My cousin posted on her blog about the new place. You can check out a few more photos on her blog.


My cousin and I are moving into a house that HAD (I really like that I can use past tense here) a downstairs that looked a little like this:



this


and this



Over the last few days my mom and I have been working on painting it a beautiful color called Roman Plaster- its made by Behr- in their Ultra Premium Plus line. I highly recommend it- primer and paint all in one. Makes for easy coverage of fire truck red and mustard yellow (one coat plus a little touch up in places).

It is looking really beautiful, but its not quite finished yet... stay tuned :)