2012 New Year Resolutions

Today marks the last day of 2012, and it is so hard to believe it is over.  It's been a great year, so many fabulous things have happened.  So here is a final recap of my resolutions for 2012 and how I did with them:

1.) I will maintain a healthy lifestyle.   I really slacked off with this one once school started...  :(

2.) Once a month, I will donate to an organization of my choice.
January- Money Donation to Relay for Life for our 2nd grade fundraiser.
February- Money Donation to the Empty Bowls Project of Monongalia County (a school fundraiser as well)
March- 2 1/2 bags of clothing and shoes donated to the Goodwill
April- Goodwill donation
May- Goodwill donation (gotta love moving!)
June- Cory's Kidz $10 donation in honor of a high school classmate that passed away. RIP Joey Burkland~~~~
July- $20 donation towards spay and neutering of stray animals in OBX
August- Goodwill donation and $30 donation to Cameroom Football Development Program
September- $5 donation to St. Jude's hospital and purchase from Pura Vida bracelets, which proceeds go to providing full time jobs to folks in Costa Rica and helping clean the shorelines.
October- 2 shirts purchased with all proceeds going towards Breast Cancer Awareness
November- $10 Red Cross Donation to Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund
December- $20 donation to CFDP for Global Giving Day

I really, really enjoyed this goal.  It feels great to give something to someone or an organization.  I will probably continue this resolution in 2013.

 3.) I will pay off my credit cards. It's a work in progress.....as always. Haha.

And this last goal is just for this blog: ~I will post on my blog at least twice a month.- So far, so good!!! (Except for February! Hey, its a short month!)


Now, out with the old resolutions and in with the new....... to be continued......

Harry Potter themed bathroom ~ Near Completion

So I decided to do our Master Bathroom in a Harry Potter theme, and God love my hubby for putting up with my shenanigans.  :)

It all began with Pinterest (as always).  Kori had sent me a pin of a toilet vinyl with Harry Potter reference.  I got on eBay, and purchased it (in addition to a vinyl quote to go above our headboard). 

Then, Kori found potion label print outs on Pinterest, and printed me some.  I went to Michael's and got these cute potion bottles for 99 cents each.  I spray painted a few and then had to Harry Potter Wikipedia the colors of a few others that I didn't spray paint. 
While at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter last March, I purchased Dumbledore's wand and added it to the potion shelf.  Finally, Kori and I made Snitch ornaments before Thanksgiving.  I removed it from my tree and added it to the shelf. 

And lastly, I ordered another vinyl (this time from Etsy) that is for the Platform 9 3/4 in which students catch a train to Hogwarts.  I first intended on finding wooden letters and painting them, but didn't have luck and just purchased this one.  Also, as a bonus, they sent Harry's glasses and scar mini vinyl, which I put above the light switch. 

 

Overall, I am very happy with my bathroom.  It's not too-much-Harry-Potter-craziness, but just enough.  I would like to get one more thing for the bathroom via Etsy...

All I have to say is:  Thank you Pinterest, Etsy, Kori, and my hubs.....I couldn't do it without you all!!  :)

30 Days of Thanks

I'm a little late in posting this- In the month of November, I took Facebook's 30 Days of Thanks challenge, in which each day in the month you post what you are thankful for.  Here is my list:

30 Days of Thanks
1:  Patience
2: "Almost Heaven" Amber Ale
3: Family and Friends
4: Football
5:  Sweatpants and Hoodies
6: To live in a free country and have the freedom to vote.
7: Pinterest
8: Toby
9:   My home
10: Sunshine and Red Wine
11: Our Veterans
12: Pandora Boy Band Radio
13: My job
14: My students
15: My coworkers
16: To have a break off of school
17: Free 50 yard line wvu tickets
18: Kitties- Ziggy, Cleo, and Mario
19: Kori and our many shopping sprees.
20: The friends, family, and pets that I have love and lost
21: Life lessons
22: Family traditions
23: Family time
24: Seat warmers
25: My Keurig
26: Pizza
27: Diet Coke
28: Chocolate
29: Today is Thursday and our Thursday show line up
30: That this is over.....

At times, it was really hard to pick something to be thankful for because it may have been a bad day.  Overall, it was very fun and I would do it again next year!

DIY Roasted Red Peppers

Fall is my favorite time of year for many reasons.  I love the cooler weather to wear sweaters/hoodies, the leaves changing colors, pumpkin beers, pumpkin breads, and the list continues...

I also love the thought that red peppers go on sale for 10 for $10, because this gives me a chance to make roasted red peppers to last me all winter to add to meals.  It's also a great gift idea.  So, I decided to make some for my BFF Kori.  Here is a step by step tutorial with pictures:

 

Roasted Red Peppers

Preheat oven to broil.

Lightly coat the peppers with a coat of vegetable oil and put on a pan.

Place in the oven and keep a close eye on them, turning them when they become charred.

Once charred on all sides and tender, remove and immediatley place in a glass bowl.  Cover with plastic wrap and leave for 15-20 minutes. 

After 15-20 minutes, peel away skin (using a paper towel helps), and take out seeds, stem and ribs.  I like to cut them where the ribs are.  Finally, store in an air tight container. Fill container most of the way with olive oil.

I put mine in a Mason Jar and used a decorative cupcake liner, added a tag, and there's my gift!

FYI- A pint size Mason Jar will only hold about 3 average sized peppers. 

Celebrating Veteran's Day

Today marks the holiday in observing our Veterans.  I am thankful to all of the Veterans. For without them who knows just where we would be.

I thank the men and women serving today, I thank the men and woman who plan to serve in the future, I thank the men and women who have served in the past and I especially thank the men & women that paid the ultimate price for this country. Thank You and God Bless You.

Both of my grandfather's served in the military. 

My grandpa Bill was in the Korean War.  After he passed away (not from serving- medical issues), my grandma gave me one of his dogtags. 

My other grandpa Ron served in the Navy.  He went when he was 17 years old and was stationed in Okinawa, Japan. 

On a side note, Kit-Kat won the Candy Bar Election!

Candy Election

HaPpY HaLlOwEeN!!!

Today in school, my students participated in our primary election for our Candy Election.  It's the Chocolate against the Fruit/Chewy candy.  We made a list of all the types of candy that falls under that category and then voted on one from each.  And the winner is......

Kit-Kat vs. Starburst!!

It was a great activity for Halloween!  Students will write speeches as to why their choice of candy wins!  I will share with you the final results! 

Sometimes, teaching can be so fun!!

Ghetto Bedford

For the last 3 years, my family has gone to Bedford, PA to stay in a cabin.  The first year we celebrated my dad's 50th birthday, second year was my mom's 50th birthday, and this year was my sister's 30th birthday!   We went this weekend and had so much fun!  I call this blog "Ghetto Bedford" as an inside joke about my dad's reaction when we found out we were going there for his 50th birthday.

Since when we go it is someone's milestone birthday, we create a PowerPoint slideshow of their life.  It was my turn to make Kara's slideshow and I am so proud of myself because I did it!  I have never done a PowerPoint slideshow before, so I was quite impressed with myself (there was even music in it!).

Some things that we do in Bedford, is see the windmills, Gravity Hill (Google it), shopping, have bonfires, and drink.  This year was really no different. We went to the Johnstown Flood Memorial, drank Sam Adams Octoberfest out of a pumpkin keg, Kara and I sang and danced to New Kids on the Block, did some antiquing, played "Name that Tune 80s Style", created Bendaroos, drank, had a bonefire, grilled out, and drank some more.  One of the best part about Bedford, besides the breath-taking view, is that we always come home with delicious Delmonico steaks.  :)   

It was a nice relaxing few days away from work.  Here are a few pics from my mini-vacation.

The amazing view from the deck!  I watched the sunrise twice- no photo could ever capture its true beauty!

The windmills on our way in.  This was a cluster of them by the road.  I like the rustic meets modern look of this picture.

 



Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire

Another tradition that my BFF, Kori and I do every year is attend the annual Pittsburgh Renaissance Faire in New Stanton, PA.  We dress up, drink at the Pub, and have a blast!  This was my 6th year attending the faire, and every year is just as fun as the last. 

I was really excited this year because I got a new costume.  Here are a few pics. 

They have the neatest shops and gift ideas.  I got Toby's dad a family crest picture with the history, and my sister a candle that is actually a moisturizing lotion.  It's a great place for families, or 2 pirates trying to get some ale!  Huzzah!!

New Year's Resolution Updates

I can't believe it is almost the end of September. Crazy to think that only 10 months ago, did I compose these resolutions. Where does the time go??? Here is my New Year's Resolution update...

1.) I will maintain a healthy lifestyle. The exercising has not been happening, but I'm eating good. So technically, that is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am eager to try out the walking trail by my house, but I need a buddy, because I've heard horror stories if you go by yourself. I'm making good choices in eating, so I'm still succeeding at this goal.

2.) Once a month, I will donate to an organization of my choice.
January- Money Donation to Relay for Life for our 2nd grade fundraiser.
February- Money Donation to the Empty Bowls Project of Monongalia County (a school fundraiser as well)
March- 2 1/2 bags of clothing and shoes donated to the Goodwill
April- Goodwill donation
May- Goodwill donation (gotta love moving!)
June- Cory's Kidz $10 donation in honor of a high school classmate that passed away. RIP Joey Burkland~~~~
July- $20 donation towards spay and neutering of stray animals in OBX
August- Goodwill donation and $30 donation to Cameroom Football Development Program
September- $5 donation to St. Jude's hospital and purchase from Pura Vida bracelets, which proceeds go to providing full time jobs to folks in Costa Rica and helping clean the shorelines.

 3.) I will pay off my credit cards. It's a work in progress.....as always. Haha. Balances are still low, even though unexpected purchases always come up! LoL.

And this last goal is just for this blog: ~I will post on my blog at least twice a month.- So far, so good!!! (Except for February! Hey, its a short month!)

I am doing good with my goals. I would say my weakest is the credit cards. Hey, what can I say!? This girl likes to spend money! LoL.

FYI Note: Today marks the 7th Anniversary of Toby and my first date. We went to TGIFriday's and then saw "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"

Tomorrow I will be going to the Pittsburgh Renaissance Festival with Kori, which is a yearly tradition. I am very excited about it and will post about it before the end of this month! Until then! ~

My Best Friend's Wedding

Wow, what a busy, busy month is has been.  Between weddings (yes, mulitple), a bachelorette party, and school starting, I can't believe it's the end of August already. 

On August 11th, we had Kori's bachelorette party in Marietta, Ohio.  Kori had no idea about it and we had a blast!  We went to a Mexican resturant for dinner, stayed at an amazing hotel, and went bar hopping and dancing.  It was so much fun!

Then finally, on August 18th, Kori's big day came!  Being the Marton of Honor, I was by Kori's side all day, and was so nervous about my speech!  As mentioned in earlier posts, Kori and I have been friends for 22 years.  We have been through everything together.  She is such a special person in my life.  As I had been practicing my speech, I would always cry.

Needless to say, not even 20 seconds into my speech, I got emotional.  I totally winged my speech and made it short and sweet.  Then, I gave my speech to Kori to read at her own time.  LoL.  Oh well, nobody remembers speeches anyways. 

All in all, it was such a beautiful day.  The ceremony was great, reception gorgeous and fun!  The food was delish, decorations outstanding, and everyone had a wonderful evening.  Here are a few pics:

I was snapping pics as the photographer was too- this was a photo where Kori posed for me.  LoL. 

This was the gift from all the bridesmaids.  A bottle of wine for each occasion- First fight, First Anniversary, First dinner party, First baby (which was beer for Andrew), First Christmas, and Wedding Night.  Also, there was a bottle of wine from each bridesmaid with a note from each attached.

I got the idea from Pinterest and actually, the labels came right from there.  The crate was from Michaels and I stained and painted their name.  Last, but not least- the sign.  It totally descirbes thier relationship and love for football.  I found that at Wings at OBX.  It was very appropriate for them.

 

Life's a Beach

This past Sunday, Toby and I returned from our trip to Rodanthe, NC from a week's vacation.  It was the first time that we had been to Rodanthe, but we have previously stayed in Nags Head (aka OBX) years before.  Rodanthe is just about 30 miles South.  My mom, dad, sister, her boyfriend, and his mom, dad, and aunt all went.  It was a lot of fun and our house was very nice- and more importantly, right on the beach! The only bad thing was the mosquitos!! They were horrible and I guess that area is known for them being bad because the sound and ocean are so close (less then 1/4 mile apart) and because their are a lot of swampy areas. 

So for this post, I decided to do somewhat of a photo diary, showing some parts of my trip.




This is my favorite part of being at the beach- sitting in a beach chair, with a beer in my hand, soaking up the sun.  I did this daily.

On Tuesday, everyone but my mom, sister, and me went on a deep sea fishing trip- or as Toby likes to call it, "Puke Feast 2012".  They were 35 miles offland and EVERYONE got sick.  They ended up catching 4 big tunas (which were delish).  So they had to get up ealry and leave by 4:30am.  This was the only day I got to watch the sunrise and I captured this beautiful picture before the sun appeared.  After the sunrise, my mom, sis, and I walked the beach, went shopping, and had lunch at a great restaurant called Top Dog Cafe ~ I highly recommend it if you are ever in Rodanthe.

On Thursday, we went to Cape Hatterass Lighthouse.  This is my dad's favorite lighthouse and is the tallest in North America.  I have climbed it 3 times now, but this was my first time with Toby and it was a stuggle.

 Here is a picture that shows the narrowness of the stairs, and there are 257 stairs in total, with 8 landings for breaks.

Here we are on a break on one of the landings.  We were sweating like pigs and Toby was not sure he could make it.  The heat index was above 90 degree Fahrenheit in the lighthouse that day.

This is the light that they now use in the lighthouse.  In 1999, the lighthouse was moved more inland, with fear of the shoreline rising and damaging the lighthouse.  I think then, they got rid of the original light and replaced it with a new age spotlight.  I'm not sure whether or not the light is on each night...

We made it to the top!! (Ignore my hair blowing- The wind speed was 25 mph at the top!)

It was a wonderful trip and a nice relaxation.  I must say though, I was very happy to be home, since we were only in our new home for one week, and then we left again for a week. 

The house is coming along good.  I will post pics soon.  I still really can't believe we are in it!   

FiNaLLy!!!!

After 108 days of waiting, we FINALLY closed on the Morgantown house on this past Monday, July 16th!!!!!

On Friday, July 13th (hence the date), we closed on the Waynesburg house.  We were supposed to close on both houses, but the guy buying the Waynesburg house decided to buy a car during the loan process.  The had to re-send his loan to underwriting, and we waited for 4 hours until he was clear to close.  We closed too late on Friday to close on the Morgantown house, so I packed up the cats and took them to my grammy's house in Wheeling for the weekend.

I stayed the weekend in Wheeling, because I was in a friend's wedding- which ended up being very nice!  I was a bridesmaid in the wedding, and the bride and I had been friends since before Kindergarten!  It was great spending the weekend with her!  We even had a bachelorette party that Thursday, in which we went to a Paint 'N Sip then a slumber party at her sister's.  Here is a picture of my painting (I was really tipsy, so I'm not a fan) and the bride:

It was so much fun!!

But the point of this post, is to announce, we are offically residence of 197 Eastgate Drive in Morgantwon!!!!  It has been a long and trying time.  I'm still in shock that we got the house with all the shit we have gone through.  Unpacking has been weird, I can't remember all the stuff I have or which boxes things are in.  LoL. 

So we will be settled in our house for one week, and then we are off to Rodanthe in Outer Banks!  haha....We never stop! 

More posts on the house to come.....

Tantalizing Trilogies......

I am still currently sleeping on an air mattress in the Waynesburg house, but I have started my summer job- working at a coffee/tanning/video lottery place.  We just opened last Wednesday and since business has been slow, I have been doing a lot of reading (and tanning).  So here is a post of my most recent reads, which both happen to be trilogies.

The first trilogy I started was "The Hunger Games".  I began reading the first one in April, but with me still being in school, barely had time to read.  I have finished all 3 books now - "The Hunger Games", "Catching Fire", and "Mockingjay"- and was rather intrigued by the plot. 
In a nutshell, "The Hunger Games" is a futuristic story in which a large area is divided off by sections, or districts. There are 12 districts, and a main hub known as "The Capitol".  Each district is responsible for producing some kind of good to The Capitol.  Since all of the goods produced are sent to The Capitol, food and other goods are very limited- kind of like rations were back in the Great Depression. 

So, to entertain The Capitol and also provide food source to a certain district for a year, they hold an annual event called "The Hunger Games".  Each district sends 1 girl and 1 boy between to ages of 12-18 to fight for them in the Games.  The names are drawn for a hat- per say.  They fight and kill until 1 remains, and whatever district they are from, gets food for a year.

Being that it is a trilogy, many events happen......but as I was reading, I couldn't help but wonder if this is what America will be like in the future?  The government controlling everything.  I know we live in a free country, but who knows when our freedom could be taken away from us!?  I do find that most Americans take everything for granted.  We are not appreciative of basic necessities. 

Take for example, last weekend, we had a horrible storm and many people lost electricity, some of which still do not have it.  As I log onto Facebook, all I see is people bitching that they do not have electricity, and I couldn't help but think that electricity is a luxury!  Yes, I'm sure it is bothersome not having it, because we were fortunate enough not to lose it, but can't people make the most if it?  Enjoy your family, without the TV or video games.  Camp out and live in the wilderness. Make the most of it!  Oh, I'll stop......point proved.   (:     But it was a great story line, and I highly recommend it!

Now, from one extreme to the other- the next trilogy I have started is "Fifty Shades of Grey".  Hmmmm.....were do I start with this one.....

A girl named Anastasia interviewed a billionaire entrepreneur for her colleges' newspaper.  His name is Christian Grey and he is hot.  They go on a date, and eventually Ana finds out that he is into kinky things- chains, whips, gags, the whole nine yards.  He even has a playroom with all of these things and many more in it.  Well poor little Ana is a virgin.  She loses her virginity to him by "vanilla sex"- plain bed sex- no toys involved.  He wants her to be his submissive, as him being the Dominant, by signing a legal document with rules and limits outlined.  Being that Ana has never even had sex before, she questions it and wants to get to know Christian better personally.  After many weeks, she finds out that he had a crack whore mother who allowed her pimp to beat up on Christian, putting cigarettes out on him and he still has all the scars.  His mother died, and Christian was left with her dead body for 4 days....wow.  He gets adopted by a well-to-do family, and then at the tender age of 15, ends up being a submissive for an older women, who just so happens to be his adopted mother's friend.

This is all a lot to take in for Ana, although she enjoys the sex, but they compromise on things, and end up really caring for each other.  Then, the plot thickens......an ex-sub has gone crazy and is looking for Christian.  And many more mind-blowing things....LoL.

I have read the first 2 books so far and they are very good- not just the sex scenes, but the many sides of Christian Grey (hense the title - "Fifty Shades" meaning the many different sides "of Grey").  It is intriguing to hear of his Dominant/Submissive lifestyle, but also very sad to hear of his uprising.  As a teacher, I may witness neglect of a child, and I cannot imagine what that must be like, but to hear how this man deals with his emotions is unreal.  It is a must-read!

Waiting is the Hardest Part...

It has been a long couple of weeks. As I mentioned in my last post, our closing has been postponed. For the last 3 1/2 weeks, the only things in our current Waynesburg house is an air mattress, 2 fold up chairs, a small TV, and our 3 cats. We still are not sure when we will be closing, but here is the story... The kid that bought our house changed the type of loan a week before the original closing. He changed to a USDA loan, which is government approval. And the government is known for taking their jolly ol' time. His loan officer didn't sent all his necessary tax information, which lengthened the approval time from two weeks to four. Meanwhile, all our belongings are still in the Morgantown house. We have been paying weekly rent to continue to store our items in the garage. So the builder of the Morgantown house has been rather difficult- not signing an extension and putting the house back on the market. Needless to say, this whole process has been a COMPLETE NIGHTMARE!! Toby and I have no idea what is going on because both of our Realators really lack in the communication department. So, the second-2 weeks approval time for this loan ends tomorrow. Our extension on the new house ends on Friday, and our loan expires next Monday. Pretty much, if we don't close by Friday, we are royally f***ed!

Paint 'N Sip

On Saturday, my mom, her friend Toni, and I went to a Paint 'N Sip Session.  Paint 'N Sip is a painting class in which you pay and bring your own bottle of wine.  They provide your canvas, paints, brushes, and snacks.  The sessions are in a beautiful Victorian house on Wheeling Island.  It is offered on Wednesdays, Fridays, and Saturdays and each day has a scheduled painting.  The paintings vary from a coffee cup, birds, flowers, trees, martini glass, etc.  So, you pick your favorite painting, schedule, and paint 'n sip! 

It was a very fun experience and while drinking wine, it makes mistakes a lot more forgivable!  We scheduled for this because I was going to be in Wheeling for a friend's shower the next day, and the scheduled painting was a peacock- which is a favorite of mine!  We are already planning on attending another.  Here is my finished project:

Take a Deep Breathe...

Today marked a rather upsetting day for Toby and I. We found out we will not be closing on the 31st for our current house in Waynesburg. This wouldn't be a big deal, but if we don't close on time, we have til June 11th to remove all our possessions from the garage in our house in Morgantown. And there is a chance the Morgantown house owners will not want to wait around for us. I am a nervous wreck and must remember one thing- Everything's Copacetic!

Boxes, Boxes, and more boxes!

After many countless hours of packing and boxing, we are officially out of our house in Waynesburg! Well, all of our belongings are in our new house's garage and we cannot move in until next Friday. The only thing in our Waynesburg house is an air mattress to sleep on (borrowed from my dear friend Kori), a TV, and minimal food to survive on for four days. My wonderful parents came down last night (Friday) and we loaded the moving truck and it took 4 hours. Then, this morning, my parents, Toby, sister Kara, and Toby's friend Mike moved the belongings from the truck into our house in Morgantown and it only took 40 minutes!!! We kicked butt! Everyone loved the house and Toby and I are very eager to move in on the 1st. We have been through many obstacles in this whole process (and most of them are silly obstacles that people can take care of with common sense!). I am hoping to get one more post done before the end of the month, but if not, please excuse me! It's been a crazy month!!!

197 Eastgate Drive

I know I am cheating on my blog by doing 3 posts in 1 day, but I must meet my resolution!

The lack of my blogging is due to my CrAzY life!  With Florida and Kori's shower over, now is the next chapter in my life.  As soon as we came back from Florida, our house in Waynesburg SOLD!  YEAH!!  However, this created a panic on finding a house in Morgantown, or at least an apartment to move into until we found our dream home.

Well, luck was with us, and we found our dream home!  It all happened so fast, but Toby and I instantly fell in love!  Its a ranch style house - I never thought I would like ranch houses, but I am a fan- 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, walk- in closet, double decks, 2 car garage, 1525 square feet, and 1925 unfinished square feet in the basement.  The basement is what sold Toby and I on the house.  It is humongous!  It is studded and ready to be finished, which would be a nice project for us.  Quick frankly, we did so much work to our Waynesburg house (installed hardwood floors in downstairs, refinished hardwood floors upstairs, painted every room), that I cannot imagine us moving to a house and not doing anything.  Toby already has huge plans for the basement, being that it will be his "Man Cave" with a bar and big TV in the future. 

The house is open concept and has a beautiful kitchen!  Stainless steel appliances and breakfast bar.  The basement has 3 rooms- one big open family room, an under the garage storage room, and a room that I anticipate to be an "In-Law Suite".  If Toby and I have a baby, I know my parents will be down all the time!  (:

We only have 1 curve ball- after the house was inspected, the craw space under the basement has potential for mold growth, which is very strange being that the house is brand new.  We have asked that they take care of that problem and give us some type of warranty.  We haven't heard back from them, but are assuming they will agree to our request. 

Here it is- the future Swango residence as of June 1st!  Let the packing begin!!

My Best Friend's Wedding

No, not the movie- My best friend of 22 years, Kori, is getting married in August and I am her Matron of Honor.  Last weekend, we had her bridal shower and it was utterly fabulous!  Prepared mostly by myself and Kori's sister, I must say I am relieved that it is over. 

I had been planning this shower since October, and with the help of Pinterest, got some great ideas.  The shower had an "Old Meets New Theme" being that Kori and fiance Andrew dated way back in Middle School.  I had done some antiquing and eBaying.  We had vintage table clothes and potted herbs as the table arrangements. Favors were a test tube filled with homemade bath salts and a tea bag- with a note saying to relax with a bath and enjoy a cup of tea!  Gifts included antique ring holders, perfume bottles, tea cups, candles, Fiesta tea cups with saucer, bath salts, and homemade jellies.

The menu was simple: Chicken Salad croissants, Veggies, Fruit, Cheese, and a variety of Trifles for dessert (S'mores, Heath Bar, Raspberry Cheesecake, Strawberry Cheesecake, and Banana Split).

We kept the games simple also.  At each place setting was a picture of Kori and Andrew with thought bubbles.  Guests were to fill out the thought bubbles and Kori picked her favorites.  While the gifts were being opened, guests played bingo, filling out their bingo board to the gifts she thought Kori would get.

Overall, everything went great (minus the rain and forgetting cups!).  Kori appreciated it all, and I believe all the guests did too! 

Now, I have another friends shower to do in June.  It never ends!

Below are a few pics:

Lemon Hand Scrub (Thanks to Pinterest!) and an antique ring holder was just one of the many gifts guests had to chose from. 

A few of the potted herbs that were on the tables and given as door prizes.  I found some very unique herbs- Apple mint, Thai basil, Hot spicy oregano, and the usuals- dill, parsley, sweet basil, rosemary, lavender.

The place settings with utensil containers made by Kori's sister. 

Toby Popped His Cherry

While we were in Florida the first week of April, Toby's cousin, Wayne, convinced him to get his first tattoo.  And surprisingly, Toby accepted!  I have been asking Toby for years to get a tat and he always refused. 

So, Toby and Wayne got matching shamrock tattoos.  Toby created the design and since it was his first, Wayne said he would get the same thing.  I couldn't let Toby get one without me, so naturally, I got one too.  I now have 4 and already have plans for more.  LoL. 

                                    Toby and Wayne's tattoo

My new collection- The date is our wedding date.  I've always loved dandelions in that stage.  To me, it reminds me and youth and making wishes.  I wished for the man of my dreams many times, and on 9-26-09, my wish came true!

New Year Resolutions Update

As the third month of 2012 comes to a close, I would like to reassure myself of meeting my new years resolutions:

1.) I will maintain a healthy lifestyle. 
With this beautiful weather we have been having, I have been walking/running 3-4 days a week.  I am also loving the Nike Training free iPhone app.  It allows you to target certain areas and gives a wide variety of work outs.  Yes, I have had maybe 2 weeks throughout this year of not exercising, but we all can have a break.  I have been eating good, with the usually once a month gorge on chocolate (Thank you Flow....LoL.).   

2.) Once a month, I will donate to an organization of my choice.
January- Money Donation to Relay for Life for our 2nd grade fundraiser.
February- Money Donation to the Empty Bowls Project of Monongalia County (a school fundraiser as well)
March- 2 1/2 bags of clothing and shoes donated to the Goodwill

I have not donated to the Cameroon Football Organization yet, but I do plan on it soon.  Actually, the founder and I have talked about fundraising activities for my school next year.

3.) I will pay off my credit cards.
Capital One and Discover balances are down by 70% then they were in December.  I would like to extend this goal to our Care Credit card too.  Thanks to my lovely cat Ziggy for needing a teeth cleaning and tooth extraction, that bill has gone up.

And this last goal is just for this blog:

~I will post on my blog at least twice a month.- So far, so good!!! (Except for February!  Hey, its a short month!)

On another note, no house news for us.  :*(

Heading to Florida next week for Spring Break, so more posts to come!!

The Joys of Teaching

As March approaches, I realize how much I have been neglecting my blog. But as my students and I celebrated Dr. Seuss's 108th birthday today, I had a delightful day.

In school, my 2nd graders have been learning about the continents. When I was in college, I went to a training that taught different things using movement and song. We learned a continent song that teaches the locations of the continents on a map. I taught this to my students and they instantly (and hopefully forever) remembered where they were located on the map.

For a final assessment on the location of the continents, students were to trace a template of each continent, label it, and glue it onto a paper in the correct location. The students were given no resources to use, just their previous exposure to the song. I was so pleased as I walked around the room to see the students singing the song and doing the movements to find out where to glue a certain continent.

Teaching is a rough and time consuming job (I know, we get the summer off. But all summer long, I am doing things to prepare for next school year. And no, we don't work 8 hours a day 5 days a week. We usually work 10-12 hours 6-7 days a week!) but the reward of seeing something you taught them, is more rewarding than any money can buy!

When One Door Closes, Another Opens...

And I'm back in my groove of not posting very often. The title of this post pretty much describes my last month.

Toby's job has relocated him to Morgantown, WV which is also where I work. Actually, Toby's office and my school are less than 1/2 mile away from each other. So due to his relocation, we have decided that it would be in our best interest (and less gas and wear on our vehicles) to move to Morgantown.

So this past month, we have put our house on the market and have looked at about 11 houses. One door closes, and another opens to house viewings. We found our dream home, but unfortunately can't do anything about it until we get an offer on ours. We have had six showings of our house. All of which love our house and the upgrades we have done, but still are going to "look around". Aka: not put in an offer.

So as time passed, our dream home is now under contract. I have been so depressed this week since we found out on Monday that it is under contract meaning it is probably sold. We haven't found any other house that even compares. The worst part is, the view was something you don't find in Morgantown and you could see windmills on the hillside- which is something my family is obsessed with.

Good things happen to those who wait...... But how long do I have to wait!?

Pin-Spired

I have been addicted to this website - pinterest.com, which people post pictures, crafts, recipes, and everything else in between!  You can re-pin pictures onto your pin-board.  I saw this idea which involved gluing crayons to a canvas, and then use a hair dryer and melt them down onto the canvas.  I immediately fell in love with it, because you could call me a Crayola girl.  Every year for Christmas since I was 3, I've collected the Crayola Christmas ornament.  (Ironically, they started creating ornaments in 1987, which was when I began my collection.)  I also love their crayons, and being a teacher, I go wild when they are on sale at Wal-Mart for 10 cents at the beginning of the school year and stock pile on crayons!  (You never know when they will quit making them, right!?)

So I purchased a 12x12 canvas at Big Lots for $5, grabbed my hot glue gun and began creating this art.  I decided that I would take it to school for my students to see, so before I melted the crayons, I added my name.  I am very excited to see my students' reaction!  I know they will love it and want to do it too!  Here are pictures of my art creating process:

Supplies needed:  Canvas, crayons, hot glue gun, and marker (optional)

I measured out for the spacing of the crayons and decided of the color order I wanted them in.  Then, I carefully hot glued them to the canvas.  Surprisingly, I didn't burn myself with the hot glue!  I usually do....

The final project!  It has a yellowish tint due to the flash and angle of the picture.  But the canvas is white, the same as the first 2 pictures.

Happy New Year!!!

"We will open the book. Its pages are blank. We are going to put words on them ourselves. The book is called Opportunity and its first chapter is New Year's Day."                -Author Unknown



As 2012 approaches, the resolutions begin.  I've never really been a fan of resolutions, because they never last for me past February.  Prior to 2012, I started to think of some "goals" for the upcoming year.  I am calling them goals, because those are more reachable and realistic for me.  I have narrowed it down to 3 vague goals (with an extra added just for this blog).  I have made them vague because I feel that it is more stressful when they are too specific.  My goals will also be an "I will" statement- this makes it more of a promise to myself. 

My Goals for 2012...........

1.) I will maintain a healthy lifestyle.
With this goal, I will exercise on a weekly basis, eat healthy, and live as stress-free as possible.

2.) Once a month, I will donate to an organization of my choice.
This goal is the most specific I will get, but it allows for flexibility.  As stated, once I month I will donate something (be it money or materials) to an organization of my choice.  For the month of January, I will donate $30 to the Cameroon Football Development Program.  This was started by an old friend of mine to help people in West Africa.  His vision first began to use his assistance to allow fresh water for villages in West Africa.  Now, it has branched  off to teach students in Africa, and include sports programs and technology.  For more information, or to find out how you can donate, check out their website:  http://www.cameroonfdp.org/

3.)  I will pay off my credit cards.
I'm not going to say specific amounts of how much I owe, but I will pay off my Capital One and Discover card.  Let's just say, I charged Christmas gifts, and will often by myself things while out shopping for gifts for others.

And this last goal is just for this blog:

~I will post on my blog at least twice a month.
I have only seemed to post while I am on breaks from school, and I would like to be more regular with my posts.  I have thought of some things to write about and have really enjoyed my blog so far. 



So these are my goals for 2012 that I know I will follow (I must stay positive, right?).  I plan on updated my goals throughout the year in a post to prove that I am following them.  I hope all of you make goals, and stick to them!  HAPPY NEW YEAR!!