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Something About Summer

2016-05-27T06:00:00.000-05:00

It's here.

My 8th summer "vacation".

I've wrote before about how teaching affords you that new year feeling every single year. New students, new strategies, new supplies (!). That feeling will never wear off.

Another feeling that will never fade - the excitement of summer.

8ish weeks of almost not stepping foot inside the walls of a classroom. My last day was one week ago and already I feel like the time is passing too quickly.

For the first time, I'm not taking a million workshops that my district offers - only two that I voluntarily signed up for and two that were mandatory. I passed on teaching summer school but instead signed up for 12 hours of graduate credit so my head will be in the books.

But I still want to make it a productive summer. A fun summer. A summer that makes me feel rested and ready to take on another school year.

Dress: Rent the Runway

The first week has been great - a colleague's wedding, Blues playoff game, dinner with friends, hit the gym 3x, crossed a couple of things of to-do list that have been hanging there for a couple of months waiting for school to let out.

I hope to keep my momentum up all summer long. My goals include:

refinancing the house
going the gym at least 3x a week. I joined the Y in February to take advantage of the water exercise classes. Good for my arthritis!
overhauling our closets
completing my Master's + 30
blogging some wedding/honeymoon details
trying out a few new to us restaurants around the neighborhood

Summertime and the livin' is easy! What do your summer plans include?

Christmas with the Chaneys

2015-12-29T21:15:00.000-06:00

It was my first Christmas as a Chaney!

I'm a big fan of the Christmas season - I don't think I go overboard but I love just about all of it. It starts with the radio station that switches to all Christmas songs right before Thanksgiving. You just can't be in a bad mood while listening to a Mariah Carey chart topper. Perfect for listening during my commute to and from work. Then, it's the decorations, upstairs, downstairs, and outside. Nothing over the top but I would feel remiss if I didn't have holiday decorations up. After that, wrapping gifts, looking at lights, and general merriment round out my December.

Somehow I married a man that's more Grinch than Buddy the Elf. It just isn't his thing. Nor is celebrating his birthday. Such opposites I tell you!

But being that it's our first Christmas as a married couple, we wanted to try and make it feel more special. So we decided to host our families for our first ever Christmas dinner.

I was a little nervous. While I love to plan and prepare for events, the stress is inevitable. Have you seen the YouTube video called, "Company is Coming"?

While I'm not quite on that level, we kept joking through our preparations so we (I) didn't lose my cool.

We even had time to take advantage of the amazing December weather (before the rain and floods) and walk Candy Cane Lane.

Candy Cane Lane is just a couple of blocks from our house. It's a pretty big deal in St. Louis - the houses on a couple of blocks of one street all work together to create a light display for people to visit. The Mr. Potato Head was in our friend's yard.

Christmas eve was spent at my parent's house. My mom always plans an appetizer bar that never disappoints. We also do a secret santa gift exchange. My cousin got a selfie stick as a joke but it turned out to be pretty useful.

Christmas morning was pretty low key. We slept in and I made Pioneer Woman cinnamon rolls. I halved the recipe and made the dough the day before, otherwise there wouldn't have been enough time for them to rise before hanger set in. My first baking project from scratch. NBD.

Side note: We got a new oven! It was one of the first wedding gifts we purchased for ourselves and we love it. It is great being able to cook again!

We opened presents in front of the tree. I got Chris a new winter coat - not really a useful present yet considering that most of December has been around the 50-60 degree mark. Hoping that winter shows up sometime soon. Chris got me a new sweater and a new Blues hat. I've already worn both and love them!

The rest of the day was spent preparing for dinner. It is a Christmas tradition from Chris's side of the family to feast on lasagna on Christmas day. So I learned to make lasagna from Chris's stepdad, Gary. While lasagna can easily be thrown together, Gary makes his own sauce and came over to show me the way. I'm always amazed by people who can cook without following a recipe (I'm getting better at it the more I cook). We would add spices to the sauce, let it simmer, and then taste every couple of minutes or so until we we're happy with it.

It was heavenly. The cheese was so gooey and the sauce had just the right amount of basil and oregano. I'm going to make more this week for my friend who just had a baby. Hopefully her family will love it just as much as we did.

We ate, we drank, and opened more presents.

We were pretty exhausted after everyone left. It was definitely tiring hosting a gathering but I'm so glad that we did it.

How was your Christmas? Did you host your own celebration or did you travel over the river and through the woods? What traditions does your family have? Would love to hear about them in the comments!

Always on My Mind

2015-12-26T21:48:00.001-06:00

It's been over a year since I've last posted. It's not that I didn't have anything to say. There has been plenty going on.

I often would think to myself, "This would make a great post."

But I just never sat down to write. To document. To release all the thoughts that consume me on a daily basis.

I'm still reading blogs on a daily basis, even though some of my favorites have moved on. I enjoy the daily peek into other's lives, the crafts, the recipes, the life hacks, the pretty pictures, the success stories, the struggles...I love it all.

And I want to contribute again.

Helene's blog has really re-awakened the blogging spirit in me. While I don't quite think I'm going/ready to quit my job to blog, I definitely feel ready to post semi-regularly and update things around here. I slapped together a new layout today. Things were looking quite dated. Now I have clean, fresh, slate with some new fancy tools to play with.

Overall, it feels exciting again. Could be the new year on the horizon or just the need to feel heard.

Hope you will stay tuned!

Bloglovin

2015-12-26T20:04:00.001-06:00

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10-10-15

2014-11-05T21:36:00.001-06:00

Well it's been awhile...

But I've been away for a good reason and I'm back to share all the good news.

We're getting married!

That's right. After 8.5 years, Chris completely surprised me with a proposal on a rainy Monday evening before I went to 6th grade camp. While it sounds totally random, we we're supposed to have pictures taken in Forest Park but they got cancelled due to the unbelievable amount of rain we had (seriously, it hadn't rained like that in weeks!) He had even secretly talked with the photographer about the whole thing but he had to scrap it all.

He ended up coming up with something on his way home from work. I had literally been on the couch since about 2pm, napping, when he came home. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. He said he was going to go try on some clothes downstairs and that he'd be back up in a little bit. About 15 minutes later he called upstairs asking me to come help him. I begrudgingly got up to trudge down the stairs, I think I was muttering, "Seriously?" as I walked through the kitchen. As I turned the corner to head downstairs, I was startled by Chris at the bottom of the stairs, on one knee, with something real sparkly in his hands.

I immediately started crying. I'm a bit of a crier.

After that, I really don't know what he said or what I did. I do know I made it to the bottom of the stairs, agreed to whatever he said, and now have a very pretty ring on my finger.

We celebrated by calling our parents and an indulgent dinner out to Maggiano's - fried mozzarella, pasta, cheesecake, champagne...the works. We said to hell with gluten free for the night (well worth it!)

So now it's been almost a month and after exhaustively searching for a venue available on 10/10/2015 - the only date in October my church had available in October (and wasn't available again til May 2016!) we finally have a venue.

I swear if I hear, "October is the new June" or "October is our busiest month!" one more freaking time, I'm going to lose it. I just picked October because it (most likely) won't be a million degrees in St. Louis and it was one year away..a manageable amount of time. I've waited long enough!

We're getting married at the parish I grew up in and partying the night away at Windows on Washington. I'm honestly stunned that we got Windows - it's pretty fancy, but it ended up being the perfect place out of the choices we had. We are definitely pumped up!

I can say that my head is already spinning trying to think about all that comes with planning a wedding - I can definitely say I have been less than productive in the evenings once I get home from work. My Pin-It button has been workin' ovah-time!

Most importantly I need to stay focused on the fact that I'm getting married to Chris - something I've known I would do pretty much a week after we met...there was just something about him. I can't get caught up in all the silly details. My goal for this next year is to just roll with the punches and not sweat the small stuff (something I am notoriously horrible at!) It is going to be tough but I want to enjoy every minute of this next year.

My plan is to try and write a little more frequently - it will be cathartic to get it all out on the blog, instead of constantly talking Chris' or mom's ear off. Or my coworkers. Or just about anyone who will listen.

So what say you? Give me your best wedding/getting married advice. What must I absolutely do? What shouldn't I waste my time on? Give it up people!

Well I'm off to order some napkins that are on super sale on a party website - and so it begins!

The Birthday Haul (and Help from Swagbucks)

2014-09-03T06:00:00.000-05:00

August is a shopping month for me. Every year I try not to go crazy but there is just something about August that makes me go a bit wild in the shopping department. It is just so easy to find great deals and use all of my birthday coupons that just makes me so happy.

I put together a little birthday board to share some of my finds and gifts I received. Chris got me a new pair of tennis shoes that are so comfortable. I'm also loving my purchases from Bare Escentuals - I've been wearing the 5 in 1 Eye Serum on the daily by itself and I just love how bright it makes my eyes look. I didn't think I would like the new liquid foundation after wearing powder for so many years but it is freakin' awesome. It doesn't even feel like liquid on my skin and it covers really well.

Why August is My Favorite Month

As you might be able to tell - I'm in love with navy blue right now, I just can't get enough. And I'm super pumped to wear that cozy aztec sweater as soon as the weather decides to get a little cooler.

While it looks like I might have gone overboard - I was able to pay for a large part of my shopping spree with Swagbucks! It was my goal this summer to earn enough to be able to shop for myself without feeling guilty. I was able to earn a little over $150 in about 8 weeks by spending about 20 minutes a day clicking around the Swagbucks website and watching videos through the Swagbucks TV app. I cashed my Swagbucks in for the $25 Paypal gift cards which are like cash because they transfer to your bank account. So easy!

My next goal is to bolster my Christmas gift budget through Swagbucks - every little bit helps!

Are you using Swagbucks to help get what you want/need? Or did you shop your heart out in August too? I know material things aren't the most important things in life but a little treat once year always makes me feel good.

August will always be my "treat yo' self" month!

Create Your Own Adventure: September

2014-09-01T13:59:00.001-05:00

Alright! I'm getting my butt in gear for September - workout gear that is!

Stephanie, Steph, and Ashley have created the goal setting link up starting this month and I'm going to do my best to participate.

The challenge for September is fitness which is ever so perfect for me because Chris and I are having pictures taken in October and I'd like to at least look semi-presentable.

We've had zero professional pictures taken - I mean why would we? No major life events for us here - but after 8 years and a cute little house together, I'd like for there to be at least one picture of us on the walls that isn't a selfie or include a beer can. I'd like there to be pictures on the wall period. But we'll save that for another month's goals.

So back in July I made an appointment with a photographer who I've been ~~stalking~~ following on Facebook since she photographed my cousin's wedding. Her work is amazing and not cheap. My rationale is that if I'm going to pay for these good-looking photos I better look my best.

Have I gone to the gym?

Maybe twice.

Have I ate healthy meals?

The Wendy's drive thru employees recognize me when I pull up.

It all stops NOW!

1. Track every meal with my Weight Watcher's app - not a morsel of food shall be left out, even if it blows my points budget to smithereens. I will also try to stay within my points budget of 26 points a day. Goodbye Dr. Pepper.

2. Attend Zumba class every Tuesday and Saturday.

3. Go to the gym at least two more times in the week.

4. Continue my gluten free diet and make healthy choices whenever possible (we've got a variety of social engagements this month, I need to stay away from apps and zerts.)

So that's what I'll be doing this month - and hopefully I'll be picture ready come October.

Are you up for a challenge this month? Maybe something small like walking a certain number of steps everyday, parking farther away from the grocery store entrance, or trying a new workout class at the gym. Get to it!

C'mon Get Happy!

2014-08-08T22:22:00.000-05:00

After yesterday's Debbie Downer post, I felt like I had to come back and focus on the positive.

Not gonna lie though - that intruder training was some heavy duty stuff. I spent some time in the classroom today thinking about my options if something should happen and practicing locking my door with a chair - it really works!

But back to the positive. Things that are just making me happy right now:

- Snapchat. I'm new to Snapchat and only have a couple of friends I snapchat with (read my sisters and one other gal) but I really look forward to the silly snaps that come through each day.

- Gluten free living. I'm at about 21 days gluten free and so far feeling pretty good. I've haven't experienced any swelling in my joints but I have had two days of joint pain in my wrists. Which is far better than joint pain everywhere, all the time. Also, I haven't had any stomach issues for three weeks - which in itself is freaking amazing. Not to overshare but I am one of those people that has to go to the bathroom within minutes of eating most meals. Since I've focused on gluten free foods, my stomach has just chilled out and I don't find myself scrambling for a bathroom after meals.

- I also shopped at the "expensive" grocery store this week because I was trying to find a certain brand of gluten free bread and was just amazed at how they labeled almost every product that was gluten free. It was amazing! (Although after the gluten free regulations that were enacted this week, it'll be interesting to see how many labels remain.) I'll have to take on a second job to continue shopping there but it made grocery shopping so much easier.

- My birthday is in a week! I'm turning 29 which really I don't care about, I just want to go out to dinner and go shopping. Things on my wishlist include new tennis shoes, clothes for school, and some makeup.

- Plans! Lately Chris and I have been really trying to schedule more "events" in our lives - seeking out concerts, free events, and just being with friends. Last week we went to Forest Park and rented paddle boats - something I had never done. It was so neat! We also went to the zoo.

This weekend we are celebrating a friend's 30th and Chris is participating in a midnight bike ride through STL.

Have a great weekend!

4E

2014-08-07T22:17:00.001-05:00

It's been quite the whirlwind of back-to-school activity around here -going to meetings, laminating things, participating in active shooter training, and planning out the first week.

Which one of those things doesn't seem to belong?

Who would ever have thought that part of back-to-school activities would include learning how to evade, escape, and engage an "active killer"? (The terminology used during our training). As the title suggests - the 4th "E" is educate - which is what we learned today.

I learned quite a bit today from St. Louis County's Finest, things like:

Active killers have no specific profile - it can be just about anyone. 99% of the time the active killer is known to the victims.
No child has died in a school due to fire since 1958, when 3 nuns and 92 children died in a school fire in Chicago. This incident is why schools are required by law to have fire drills and safety plans.
Interestingly enough, there have been 15 school shootings since Sandy Hook Elementary in Dec. 2012 - "a rate of about one every 5 weeks," according to this CNN.com article. As of July 1, 2014 is required by Missouri law to have only ONE mandatory drill each school year.
There are many more options than just locking the door and hiding when an "active killer" has entered campus.

Overall, our 4 hour training was pretty intense. We worked through four scenarios, three that included hearing/witnessing gunfire from a cap gun - one that looked incredibly real. I can't say that I was surprised by my reactions when faced with gunfire - I immediately ducked for cover/tried to get away. With that kind of reaction with only adults around, I was left asking myself, "Is that going to be my same reaction when I have twenty 6th graders in my care?"

There were a lot of other questions that unfortunately didn't have black and white answers. We're only beginning to scratch the surface of what our protocols will looks with an "active killer" in the building.

While the training today left me more empowered than I have ever been before when thinking about an intruder situation, it also left me terrified.

Welcome back.

How to Organize Your Classroom Using Vinyl

2014-08-01T22:14:00.001-05:00

Disclaimer: I teamed up with Expressions Vinyl.com through their Blogger Partnership Program to make my idea come to fruition. All opinions expressed are my own.

It's August. Again.

It seems like it comes faster and faster every year and summer vacation is over in the blink of an eye.

While I'm always sad for my vacation to end, I do get excited for the start of school. New supplies, new students, new ideas - teachers are so lucky to have a fresh start every year. It's a feeling I'll always look forward to.

This year was the first year I didn't completely take everything of all the walls and completely start from scratch.

Best decision of my life.

Besides moving my furniture back into place, it was nice to glance around at the walls and feel that most decoration was done.

But as I started to look a little closer, there was definitely some wear and tear that was beginning to show.

My once pristine supply bin labels were now peeling, marked on, and just plain sad looking. While they probably could have made it through another year, it was time for a change.

I wanted something bold, big, and colorful. The only thing capable of delivering exactly what I needed was VINYL.

How I didn't think of swapping out my mailing labels for vinyl sooner beats me, since I've literally vinyl-ed just about everything in my house - front door, check. Recycle bin, check. Wine glasses, check.

Vinyl is a great way to organize your classroom because it is inexpensive, durable, and colorful.

I used my Silhouette Cameo but any craft cutter could do the job. Even with out a cutter you could print out letters, cut them out, trace them onto the vinyl, and then cut out the vinyl. That would probably take quite a bit of time but where there's a crafty will, there's a way!

How to get started...

1. Choose your vinyl. Expressions Vinyl.com is my go to source for all things vinyl. They have a great selection of colors and types. I chose their Rainbow theme indoor vinyl pack.

2. Layout your design using the Silhouette Studio software.

3. Cut and size your vinyl to the cutting mat. By cutting down your vinyl to size you are able to cut your whole design at once (in different colors) and save the stickiness of your mat.

4. Let the machine do the work and then weed (peel up the excess vinyl). Ta-Da!

As far as how to apply the new labels...

1. Gather your supplies - labels, painter's tape, and something to clean the surface of whatever your going to apply the vinyl to.

2. Clean the surface. All's I had was an alcohol wipe (from the school nurse!) Don't skip this part because if you do, your vinyl won't stick as nicely and then you'll get frustrated (ask me how I know that).

3. Layer the painter's tape over the vinyl label. I used about three strips of tape.

4. Peel the tape up, lifting the vinyl with it.

5. Press the vinyl to the surface of your object. Firmly rub over all parts of the vinyl - I used a credit card.

6. Peel back the blue tape SLOWLY. I like to peel one strip at a time because I can continue to rub the vinyl down and it minimizes accidentally tearing the vinyl (again, ask me how I know).

Ta-Da!

I think I accomplished big, bold, and colorful!

And then I got crazy with the vinyl. It was literally a "LABEL ALL THE THINGS" kind of moment.

Check it out!

ROYGBIV just makes me so happy.

Team supply bins.

Yep, the pencil sharpeners got the vinyl treatment too!

I actually started incorporating vinyl last year by getting rid of the laminated signs I used to have on the board. Those vinyl words below have lasted an entire school year already and haven't budged an inch.

No more writing the same thing everyday!

Capable, Curious, and Confident are vinyl letters, completed in August 2011

And I'm currently contemplating numbering my desks with vinyl too.

So are you thinking about what you can add vinyl to in your classroom yet? Hopefully the wheels are turning.

Let me know if you have any questions, I'd be happy to answer!

Linking up with: Tatertots and Jello and Monday Made It.