Bucket List

I was listening to WAYFM on my way to work last week and they were talking about Bucket Lists.. It got me thinking of the movie, The Bucket List and how I  really loved the concept.

First of all I love making lists. Secondly, I love crossing things off my list even more.. :)

Regardless, it got me thinking of what I would have on my list... so why not make one. :) So here goes....

Marriage
Children :)
Win a teaching award
Get a tattoo
Inspire someone...
Take a month vacation..
Visit Alaska
Own a boat
Scuba Dive
Doing all I can to make sure tons of kids have Christmas presents
Being able to donate at least 10,000 to a charity I believe in.
Help out with Extreme Home Makeover
Be a tourist in Central Park

Man, that's really short... I'm super late so I don't think my mind is thinking clearly...
Anyone have anything they think I should add to mine? Or anyone have anything super cool on there's that they would like to share?!

Crafts, crafts, crafts....

Okay- so I'm starving from barely having any food today so I must stop blogging and relax with dinner and Modern Family- new episode comes out tonight! Woohoo!! Before I go I wanted to post a few more of the crafts that I was able to complete this weekend.. Including my very own craft area! Yay :)

A old Lego/ car track storage table my mother gave me. 

 and now....... a storage area with a chalkboard top :)

 an old vase, with glued on pencils.....

 and now......... a pretty vase for flowers that you can put in the classroom. I think the measuring tape around the middle adds a cute touch. It also looked very pretty on my crafting desk :)
Sorry the picture isn't the best! 

 3 old frames from goodwill.....

and now...... two chalkboards and one bulletin board in crafting area. :) I just used chalkboard spray paint and pink spray paint. :)






AND LASTLY!!!!!!!

I will be welcoming a new roomie in October so I needed to get all of my "crap" aka crafting stuff out of her room and I simply had no where to put it. My overly organized self wanted it all together so I decided to make a crafting area!

I moved the storage racks I have in my garage that holds my teaching loot and household items to the right. Took some pink paint that I had around the house. Used the chalkboard paint in the background just for added fun! Then I hung the new items added some extras and hooray!!!! A crafting area :)
I have to say I am very happy with the end results.. I can put all of my items in one area.. Enjoy!!!

Corn and Carrots

I love veggies. Now- fresh veggies are always the best, but most of the time my corn or carrots come from a can. If you look at the can it really is a pretty thing. I've always wanted to use them for something so in my garage I would clean them out and store them. Now don't worry- I'm not a crazy can lady.... I just thought "let me collect a few and try to find a use for them". I also did this with corks- which as you know I have already found a use for! :)
So, I collected a few.. cleaned them, ripped the labels off and decided I would make a pretty pen holder.
Now I was going to use just one- then it hit me.. I could totally put them together!!!

Just your simple cans...

I took some scrapbook paper I had around the house. Cut it to the size and super glued it on the can.

I covered all five in different scrapbook paper- already looks cute!

Then I tried a few different combinations and came up with this one. I did need to eat corn for dinner last night to put the last one on top! :)

ALMOST final product.. I didn't get to take a picture with the last can on top. I decorated in cute "teacher" scrapbook paper. then I loaded it up with pens and other things my students will need in the Writers Workshop area in our classroom. I think it looks super cute and it was so easy to make. Yay! One of my favorite things about this is you can use it on it's side- like in the picture. OR you can put it up right! Double cute!!

 I will post a final picture tomorrow. :)

I wish we had 5 day weekends...

I have sooo many new things to share! It was a very busy weekend full of projects and being sick. Probably to many projects and not enough sleep- hence still being sick! Boo! BUT, I am very excited to share all my new items asap... Must get some sleep tomorrow so I'm ready for school tomorrow.. Promise to write tomorrow- Stay tuned!!


UPDATE: Totally broke my "No spending" rule this weekend... I couldn't help it- I became inspired... but my wallet is probably not happy.. :) 

End of the week update:

It's FRIDAY! Woohoo :)
Day 5 with my No Shopping rule. I can successfully say that the only thing I have spent money on all week is photos from Walmart of my kids in my class- for my classroom. A bagel- if I didn't have it Wednesday morning I wouldn't of been able to make it through the day. Lastly, McDonalds this morning- but it was a good cause.
Now, I know I wasn't giving up spending money in general all week- just clothes, accessories and household decor etc. But, it's nice to know that I've only spent about $15 dollars all week! How much have you spent?!

I think I may give myself another week of my no spending rule... Let's see how it goes :)

Next update:I did the Drive Thru Difference this morning.. I decided I would stop at the McDonalds in West Palm by my work.. As I was driving up I had the nervous butterflies in my stomach.. I get them every time for some reason. I'm waiting in line, I'm ordering and no one was behind me!!!! I was so upset bc I didn't even want the McDonalds- I just wanted to make a difference. Right as I'm getting my credit card back- I was super bummed- a lady pulled up behind me. I quickly handed my card back and asked the teller if I could pay for the women behind me. She looked at me and gave me the sweetest smile, she was obviously familiar with what I was doing... Which is AMAZING!! That means people are doing it :) Anyways, I paid for both of us.. drove forward.. and I'm anxiously watching in my rear view window for her reaction... As I drove off I could see her reading the letter the teller had given her.. I'm so thankful I got to see her smile and talk with the teller about the situation. I instantly started to cry. It was such an over whelming experience... I didn't talk to her, she didn't say thank you. I just knew God put her behind me this morning for a reason.. He used me to get through to her!! I held on to that feeling all day and I am still consumed with happiness....It was a really good day.. Hope yours was too!!!

Here's YOUR chance to make a difference...

I'm always looking for ways to change the world.. Being one person its hard to change everyone... But what if you could make a difference in just one persons life.. YOU CAN!

On Friday, you can make a difference and show a stranger that you care about them. It might just be the thing that lifts them up on a bad day or gives them hope when they feel like there is no where else to turn. Please consider joining WAYFM and myself in doing the Drive Thru Difference. It's the simplest way to give back to your community and to make a difference in someones day. This little act of kindness and love will impact people and point them to Jesus. <3

Here's how it works:

• PRINT out this note explaining why you did what you did in the drive thru.
• VISIT a local restaurant or coffee place or whatever, with a drive thru.
• ORDER your food and then when you pull around to the window offer to...
• PAY for the car behind you.
• GIVE the person at the window the note you printed out. They will give it to the car behind you.
• THANK God you were given a chance to touch a life.

I can't wait to send out some love and eat my Egg McMuffin on Friday morning. I hope you will do the same and let me know how it goes! Happy Hump Day :)

It's the simple things that make ya happy...

I was getting super annoyed that I didn't have a place to store all of my headbands.. so I made one :)
I love random craft ideas and I truly love being able to find a use for the corks I've been saving! Yay!
Such an easy project and it holds about 8 headbands..

**Corks will be painted a light blue eventually :) Yay!

Weekly Challenges- No Shopping!!!!

I will not shop at Anthropologie this week!!!

I have a serious case of the "impulse shopper syndrome." I will go into Target for toothpaste and come out with over $100 in goodies.. Recently money has been a little tight and when that happens you really sit back and realize what you are spending... WASTING... your money on. I sometimes spend so much money without even realizing what I'm spending it on.. Do I really need that colorful binder, the US Weekly, or those pink socks? NO and NO and NO! It's time to stop shopping when I'm bored, or sad, or just going out to buy something to buy something!! So ridiculous. Does anyone constantly do this or is it just me!?

So this week I vow not to buy any personal items- clothing, hair accessories, jewelry.. etc.. As well as no home decor purchases... To some this sounds very easy, and I truly hope it is.. but I have a feeling it will be harder then I think- especially when the weekend comes around.

Thankfully today I didn't do any shopping so I'm already one day down- 6 to go!!! Haha Wish me luck!!

Strength

Anyone can give up, it's the easiest thing in the world to do. But to hold it together when everyone else would understand if you fell apart, that's true strength.” ♥

Thankful

Happy Sunday! It's 9/11.. A day filled with such sadness.. I'm a firm believer that tragedies happen so that something good can happen out of it. I honestly must believe that in order to move on from all of the tragedies that have surrounded me this last year.
Thankful for today and for all of the good things that are happening in my life.. I will be spending it on the couch being sick with Madden.. Still very thankful.









"I wanna get serious for a moment.."

You can't win them all :)

Okay, so I wanted to share something that made my heart so happy today. If you read my blog from this morning I gave myself a daily goal to encourage all 21 of my students and 3 adults.


When I arrived at school I was still thinking about the word encourage... I decided to use it for my morning writing. The topic was... "Who encourages you...." As you can see from the picture.


So I wrote it on the morning letter with the definition of encourage: to inspire with confidence; give hope or courage to
Most of the kids quickly got to work and when they left to go to fine arts I told them to leave their writing journals open on their desk so I could read their amazing work....  Now I know this isn't the best picture... But, if you look closely it says... (I fixed his spelling for you below)


"Trey encourages me"
so Miss Poundstone tries but no use. My friend Trey is the one who encourages me. He has been with me since kindergarten, first grade, and second grade.... 


I just about died laughing....  at least I TRY to encourage all of my students.. Doesn't mean I actually do it :) 

All in all I had a great time with the kids- I do believe I successfully encouraged at least 20 of them :) Happy Friday!!!!!!  

Make today count...

If you do anything today, anything at all- encourage someone. For the most part we see the same people everyday. At home, at work, doing our daily routines. Have you ever thought to stop and say
"Hey how are you?"
"You are doing a great job"
"I appreciate you and what you do"

We truly never know what is going on in someones life. I have personally put on a smile and a fake attitude more times then I would like to admit..  My point is... you never know how much that person could use your inspiring words at that moment, that second. 

My Daily Challenge: encourage all 21 of my students today and at least 3 adults. Wish me luck!!!

This is one of my favorite websites... a whisper between kisses it encourages and inspires me everyday... <3  Enjoy!!!

                                  

A year from now you may have wish you started today...

I always set goals.. give myself deadlines... write down my dreams and passions...
What I don't always do is follow through with them. Time for a change...

I'm giving myself a new 30 day goal...
Keep posted for more :)

New Start- New Day- New Life....

So a long time ago I started to blog.. well life eventually got in my way and I simply forgot how much I enjoyed it. I just re-did my blog.. deleted old posts... time for change... Stay tuned!!

Paint can do wonders.

I love that I'm the type of person that decides to paint my bedroom at 5 o'clock and by 6 I already had one wall done. I painted my bedroom a dark, deep blue when I moved in about five years ago. I recently painted the rest of the house lighter shades so it was definitely time to change up the bedroom too. I only finished two and a half walls today, but I already feel better and more relaxed... Can't wait to finish :) I totally recommend running to home depot, grabbing a color and just doing it! Try it :)