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December 13, 2015

Christmas Gifts--Easy and Cheap!

Almost every teacher wants to buy a Christmas gift for each one of their students--but with classes of 30+ kids......it just gets too darn expensive!  If you are middle school, high school, or "specials" teacher then you have 100+ kids.....and buying a gift for that many kids is just INSANE!

If you are looking for something cheap (and cute) check out what I made for my kiddos.


Are they not cute?  I mean look at their cheery faces and cute little red noses!!

With a little assembly time and about 10 bucks, you can make these Rudolph suckers for your whole class.

You will need:

  • green construction paper (1 sheet of paper per reindeer)
  • tootsie pops (red and 1 per reindeer) 
    • $2.25 a bag at WalMart with 10 suckers in each bag
  • black sharpie
  • scissors 
  • scotch tape
  • Reindeer pattern

First trace the reindeer pattern on all of the pieces of green construction paper.  You can find the pattern by clicking here


Next, cut the pattern out. This is what takes the most time---those dang antlers and ears are are tricky little things!
Make sure you cut out the hole in the center--this is where the sucker will go for the red nose. I know my picture doesn't show the hole missing---so just don't forget!



Then, fold the reindeer in half and put a strong crease at the bottom (the chin of the reindeer).

After that, open up the reindeer and place the sucker inside.

The sucker straw will poke through the tiny little hole at the bottom of the reindeer (if you look at the picture above--its the tiny hole between the two big holes).

Fold the reindeer with the sucker inside.


Next, use little pieces of scotch tape to to secure the sucker.  I placed the scotch tape on the "cheeks"of the reindeer and on some of the antlers.

Finally, write a message on the back and draw on Rudolph's face!


And.....voila!  A cute, cheep and festive Christmas gift for you kiddos!


November 26, 2015

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Wishing a Happy Thanksgiving to all of my blog buddies and readers!

This cute Thanksgiving clip-art is from Prince Padania

We were supposed to be hosting Thanksgiving at our house with the ENTIRE family....but Old Man winter had different plans for us....



Thanks to this fun little weather system that has brought snow, freezing rain and ice into the state of Kansas....my husband and I are feasting on turkey, mashed potatoes, rolls, sweet potato casserole, green bean casserole, corn casserole, pumpkin pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie dip....ALONE! Our family is stranded in the northern part of Kansas....and weather won't allow them to make the trip.

We will have leftovers for MONTHS!

Hope the weather has held up wherever you all are.....

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

November 1, 2015

Currently November

Happy first day of November everyone!

I LOVE this month!

I LOVE this time of year!

I LOVE linking up with Farley for her Currently! :)


I'm listening to the Chiefs play in London!  Consequently, I am also listening to my lovely husband scream at the television. :) ha!

I am loving that it is November!  This is a special month for my family because we have lots of birthdays (my sister, step-son, father in-law and my husband)!  PLUS this is also our anniversary month!

I'm thinking about breakfast.  Whole wheat toast with Nutella is calling my name! :)

Y'all.....I am DESPERATELY wanting to not be sick.  In the month of October I have suffered through two sinus infections, a cold and a viral and bacterial eye infection.  I have never been so sick....and it is getting OLD.  I'm still taking medication for my eye infection and my second sinus infection. I just want to be healthy again!

Farley's original post said "yummy" at the bottom---so I changed mine to reflect that. :)  My yummy for this time of year is a pumpkin dip I make!  I'll post the recipe later....but it is DELICIOUS!

October 26, 2015

It's here....Popular Purple! :)

So I am pretty excited about this post. :)

You see the other day I got a fabulous gift in the mail..........

This gift just happens to be one of my all time favorite colors.

PURPLE!

Purple.....the rich and beautiful color that reminds me of my precious Kansas State Wildcats!

I needed an excuse to throw in a KSU Football game picture!  Here is the hubs and I at one of the games this season! :)
Okay...another one.  This is me and one of my best friends. :)
Purple....the hue that is apart of my district's school colors. Go Hornets! :)

Curious as to what my gift was???

Well......It was the newest color in the pencil sharpener lineup by Classroom Friendly Supplies!

Now introducing the BRAND SPANKING NEW COLOR: Popular Purple!


Isn't it beautiful?

Doesn't the color just make your heart smile?

If you haven't heard about the sharpeners that Classroom Friendly Supplies makes.....you should check out a previous post I wrote by clicking here.

These pencil sharpeners are seriously amazing!  I used to be such a fan of electric sharpeners.....in fact electric sharpeners were the only sharpeners I allowed in my classroom. However, when I tried the sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies...I became a convert.  I now have nothing but these sharpeners in my room.

The pros of this sharpener are:

Pros:
Sharpens quickly
Sharpened tip is above average for sharpness
Sharpened tip is sturdy
Does not require electricity
Lightweight
Comes in a variety of colors
Durable
Mobile
Easy to dispose of shavings

If you don't believe me.....hopefully the pictures speak for themselves.


If there was a downside to the sharpener.....it would be the lack of directions that come with the sharpener, and the cost.

Thus my cons are:

Cons
Pricey  ($18/sharpener)
Does not come with directions

Now....you are probably thinking...."why the heck does this lady need directions for a pencil sharpener?  How DULL (get it..haha) is she??"

Well...my friends....Classroom Friendly Supplies sends you a part that looks like this:

That part looks confusing....does it not??

Well....after some investigating, I figured out what it was for.  It is a clamp.....so you can clamp the pencil sharpener  to any hard flat surface.


The clamp is a pretty ingenious idea.....but it would have been nice for directions on what the mystery part was called and its use.

It is actually pretty easy to use (once you figure it out).  You simply insert the end of the metal clamp into the hole in the pencil sharpener and tighten the until the clamp is secure.

Excuse my nasty hands....I am constantly having fights with markers....and by the end of the day my hands are all beat up with various pen markings. :(

All in all I would say this Popular Purple pencil sharpener from Classroom Friendly Supplies is definitely worth the investment.







October 2, 2015

Currently October

The beginning of October.....no....it can't be!  Where the heck did the first month of school go?  How does time go so quickly......

Not that I am complaining....because fall is my FAVORITE time of year!  I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this season!

Not only do I love this season....but I also love linking up with Farley for her monthly linky, Currently. (How was that transition....pretty good, eh?.....maybe I should be a news reporter. ha!)



I am listening to the Today show....who doesn't love that show!  Sadly, today's show has a heartbreaking theme as the reporters are covering the mass shooting in Oregon.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all victims and their families.  I can't imagine the pain they are experiencing. 

I am loving this fall weather!  When the the temperatures consistently drop below 75 degrees...my heart is HAPPY!

I am thinking this is my favorite time of year! I love the weather.  I love the colors. I love the smells.  I love when pumpkin everything hits the markets!  Fall is just GREAT!

I am wanting my Gap package to arrive. I have ordered some new work pants---that I desperately need!  I want them here....like...now!

I am needing to return the items I didn't keep in my last Stitch Fix.  If you haven't heard about Stitch Fix....then you need to check into it.  There are tons of blog posts out there about this fantastic service....so I will save you from my explanation. 

I am thinking the FREE meal that Carlos O' Kelly's is giving teachers is boo-tiful!  Not sure what I am talking about...check out my blog post by clicking here.   You have until October 4th to snag this offer! 

September 27, 2015

Free Meal--At Carlos O' Kelly's!

Are you hungry for a FREE meal?!?!

I know that I LOVE free food.....I don't care what it is....if it is FREE, I will eat it! 

Well.....okay, maybe not everything....but you get the idea.

Anyway, Carlos O' Kelly's is running a WONDERFUL promotion for educators all across the United States!  :)


From now until October 4th teachers get a free entree of their choice by simply presenting their school ID or badge.   

How great is that?!?!

I am not lying folks---it is a FOR REAL promotion!  I was skeptical, but my husband (who is also a teacher) and I went there on Friday night and ate for $2.58!  We got two meals, chips and salsa.....and full bellies for under $3!!!

Thank you Carlos O' Kelly's for being so giving and gracious to teachers! :)  

Click here to take you to the informational page on the promotion.  Click here to visit Carlos O' Kelly's facebook page....which also has details on this promotion.  

Happy FREE eating everyone! :)

September 13, 2015

Sunday Scoop



Here is the scoop on my week....


This week of school is full of meetings for me.  Most people dread meetings (probably for good reason) but I actually like going to them....well most of the time. 

This week I am in charge of facilitating our buildings data talks with PLC teams....which I love doing!  We have data talks three times a year after benchmark tests.  The first meeting usually goes pretty fast because we discuss baseline data and set goals.  The teams in my school are awesome and we have really great discussions....plus I get to show them some super corny data jokes and memes....like this bad boy:


I hope I am able to get TWO additional blog posts done this week...because I have TWO AWESOME ideas swimming around in my head.  One is about a nifty way to practice sight words....and the other is how to be an effective leader.  My pastor gave a talk in church today about leadership....and I want to share some of his pointers.....it was TOO GOOD not to share!

I will be happy to download the rest of my Hello Fonts from Hello Literacy by Jenn Jones. I got a new computer last weekend....because my other one crashed and I lost all of cute fonts.  So, I splurged and purchased Hello Literacy's font bundle...225 adorable fonts!  They are on sale now if you are interested....I highly recommend them.

Have a great Sunday everyone and thank you Teaching Trio for the Sunday Scoop linky party!