Five For Friday and Ending my Blogging Hiatus!

This whole blogging thing isn't exactly working out. I definitely just disappeared for oh-almost-half-of-a-year.  :( It's not that I forgot...It's just that I was totally annoyed with my computer and didn't feel like dealing with it, but now I have no excuse because I FINALLY have a BEAUTIFUL NEW laptop! I think it will be too hard to update you all on the past 5 months, so let's just join the "Five for Friday" party and talk about the past week instead... :)

Today, the Chocolate Dudley himself and I returned from the vet (per the usual), only to find a package from DELL awaiting in between our two side doors. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! I have been waiting and waiting and waiting for several months for a brand new laptop, but kept putting off ordering a new one due to the expense. I have to say, Windows 8.1 is quite different, and it's going to take a bit of getting used to, but so far so good! By the way- I am writing this post, while LAYING DOWN in bed and the computer is UNPLUGGED! Can you believe it? I forgot what this was like! No more overheating and shutting down if I ever so slightly move the power cord just one millimeter!

 I am no longer a stay-at-home wife/ Dudley-mom!  THANK YOU, GOD, I am BACK at SCHOOL! After having the whole year off, and after the incredible disappointment of the California adventure falling through, I am extremely grateful to be working in an elementary school again this year!  I don't have my own classroom, and even though I would really love to have that again one day, I am ECSTATIC about my new position! I'm working as a part-time literacy aide in a first grade classroom, and get this- the school is less than 5 minutes away! How amazing is that?!?! It's like a dream come true after teaching in a district that was an hour away.  I love that I can now feel part of my OWN community, and I don't have to leave the house so super early every morning only to be disappointed that I am still one of the last arrivals at school.  Hooray! The other fabulous part about this position is I am working in one and only one classroom.  I am so happy to have a batch of my own students that I can bond with and inspire!  Check out the beautiful bouquet of "Happy Back to School"/ Belated Anniversary flowers from Mr. Samuel...

 

Even though I am back working, I have to say, I really am still LIVING the LIFE!  Since I only stay at school 'til 11:30 each morning, I have plenty of time to hit up the beach while the summer weather sticks around. Check out the pictures below from this past week, on the first FULL day of school for first graders!  Those poor kiddos had a longer day than me! It's very strange for me to walk out in the middle of the day.  I feel guilty and as if I'm sneaking out... Can I really just leave and walk out like that?! So far this new schedule has been the perfect mix- allowing me to participate in my passion, but also stay super stress-free!

 

First graders are waaaaay different than the third graders I am used to, but that's pretty obvious isn't it?  I have met some cuties who are already melting my heart! Here are some funny first grade observations I have made so far...

1. First graders are big into hugging, especially when sad, and love to sit on adults' laps. So incredibly sweet!

2. They're criers. Many of them miss mommy and daddy during the first week or so, and some completely panic after leaving a teddy bear on the bus. Precious!  (I definitely had my fair share of criers in third grade too, though).

3. They never know if they brought their lunch to school or if they are buying hot lunch from the cafe, even though they peaked in their lunchbox an hour beforehand during snack time!

4. Many of them panic when asked to write their last name, despite the fact it is spelled RIGHT in front of them on the nameplate on their desk! Haha!

5. The fact that vowels make more than one sound is a totally foreign concept to them, and writing the lowercase alphabet is just plain tricky! :)

Due to observation #5, I found some very useful tools on Teachers Pay Teachers that I'd like to bring into the classroom once I officially begin working with small groups. Check a couple of them out...

I plan on printing out this great Alphabet Chart included in "Phonics Charts for Guided Reading and Writing" by Haley O'Connor. It's super cute and FREE! The resource also includes charts with digraphs, blends, vowel teams and r-controlled vowels!

These short vowel songs sung to the tune of "BINGO" by The Crazy Schoolteacher should also be useful to some of my kiddos as they aren't so hot with their vowel sounds. This resource is F-R-E-E as well, and great news- The Crazy Schoolteacher also has a Long Vowel Songs freebie!

Last but not least for today, the classroom teacher I am working with has a great little set-up for student work that needs to be turned in.  Next to the basket she uses to collect completed work, is a sign and a bucket of yellow highlighters that remind children to highlight their NAME on their papers.  This is a strategy I could for sure bring into an upper elementary grade as I know all too well how my third graders (and fourth) consistently skipped writing their name on their work, which can be very frustrating! I wish the picture below was from the classroom I work in, but this Pinterest photo will have to do instead.

This photo is from Pinterest, but did not link to a website. If you are the owner of the photo please contact me so I can give you credit! :)

Enjoy your LONG weekend, everyone! If you're interested in linking up to the party, click on the "Five for Friday" button at the top of this post!

XO <3, C

March & Moving On

Soooooo...it's March, and here I am still in New Hampshire.  I repeat, I am STILL in NH!  Everything about California completely fell through.  Everything.  After many  months of anticipation and freaking out with excitement, we were told the trip was CANCELLED.  I thought I'd be sitting here updating you with all of my road trip and SoCal adventures, but nevertheless, I am not, and instead I could talk about the freezing cold weather that will never leave...but I guess I won't do that either.

We found out this disappointing news ONE day before we were supposed to leave.  By that point, everything was pretty well set and planned.  All of the motels were booked, and I had detailed typed notes about each of the cities we were going to visit on our trek out West. I was so stunned when Sam told me the news that day after work.  For the first minute or so I stared blankly, until the news processed, and then I burst into tears.

This was supposed to be our big adventure before starting a family! This was my chance to live in a completely different place without the hassle or more permanent decision of moving. I was going to soak up the sun, EXPLORE, and visit with Kayla and Andrew.  The news broke my heart.

The first week after the blow was tough. Honestly, I was pretty depressed, and felt like there was nothing I could do to cheer myself up. Luckily, day-by-day life went back to normal.  I unpacked my suitcase.  I cancelled each motel.  We (or Jeff) ate our road trip snacks... And oh yeah- Sam and I booked tickets to St. John to visit his sis, Sophie, and Mom and I reserved tickets to Savannah...

Yup, thankfully the two loves of my life were ready to cheer me up with new adventures to look forward to!  Thanks, Sam and Mom!  I am really spoiled. :)

Keeping busy, trusting there must be a REASON our San Diego adventure was cancelled, and looking forward to two vacations has helped me move on. Lesson learned- Nothing in life is ever certain, but it's still important to take a chance.  I have no regrets leaving behind my past teaching position for SD, because it was the push I needed to make a change for many other reasons.

Now let's move forward to what is CURRENTLY going on.  I linked up to Farley's Oh Boy Fourth Grade Currently "party" again.

listening- Anything Could Happen and Best Day of My Life have helped to boost my spirits this past month.

loving- Downton Abbey!  I'm sad to say my DVR deleted nearly all of the episodes I had recorded, so I just HAD to go out and buy not only Season 2 but Season 3 as well. I couldn't even think about joining a waiting list at the library.  I am not that patient!

thinking- I was exhausted when I filled in the above chart last night.  I was up way too late working on a new TpT product.  I have been exhausted in general this whole week as I have been pushing myself to stay busy, workout, and be highly productive.  It's been a successful week!  Can't wait to continue planning my St. John and Savannah/Charleston vacations! This will be our 3rd time to St. John, so I'd like to experience new parts of the island and check out St. Thomas for the first time.  If I get my new passport back in time, I'm hoping we can ferry to the British Virgin Islands. I'd like to visit "The Baths" on Virgin Gorda.

Amazing, right? "The Baths" are huge boulders on the coastline that form small pools of water and caves. Love it!

wanting- WARM weather and spring! Enough.Said.

needing- I still need to head back to yoga. At least I've been doing well with "gyming it"!

????????- A dog, pearls, and Peppermint Patties is my ANSWER to my own secret question.  Can you guess what it is?  I'll let you know soon..

Alright, PEACE OUT, CUB SCOUTS!

XO <3, C

PS One day, Sam and I will take that road trip I planned. The only difference- we won't be staying at Motel 6s. :)

Five For Friday & I'm Still Alive...Again!

Oh man oh man.  I know I wrote that blog post entitled "I'm Still Alive" about 2 months ago, letting everyone know I'm still here and blogging...hmm.  I guess that didn't work out to well.  This time, I am really trying to get back on the blogging scene though.  I swear!  Christmastime just became very busy, even for me, Miss I-Only-Sub-Now. :-) 

I'm feeling a little overwhelmed with where to start with this blog post, because a lot has happened in the past 2 months since I last wrote, so I thought I'd link up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for her Five For Friday linky (Sam hates that word...linky). This way it's okay to be totally random.  Plus I've secretly always wanted to join this link-up!

 

Last week, our family celebrated Sam's 29th birthday.  I can't believe he's 29!  God, he's SO OLD!  (I'm only saying that because I turned the same age 16 days before him).  To celebrate, we went to one of my favorite restaurants, Agave, with a large group of friends and his co-workers for some Mexican.  We had such a fabulous time!  I also made him Funfetti cupcakes, of course, because those are our fave!  This time, I tried something a bit new...

As you can see, they were stuffed with Oreos, and there was really no science behind it.  Just plop them right on top of some batter, and cover them over with more! MMMmmm!

Here is the birthday boy, himself! :-)

Saturday morning we received an unexpected snowstorm!  We ended up with about 7 inches. Poor Dudley has been so cooped up lately due to cold weather & icy conditions, so we decided to take a walk during the storm.  We went right over to Dudley's favorite place, large fields owned by a private school, where he could run around to his little heart's content. We were SOAKED by the time we arrived home.

I came down with the flu on Monday, which doesn't make for a very interesting week to share with you.  It was AWFUL, but really only for 1 day.  My fever climbed throughout the day and topped off over 103.  Sleeping wasn't fun at all, but luckily the next couple days I was only feeling a little off.  Definitely a far cry from my 10 day fever with mono last year, and for that I am THANKFUL!  Even so, just being trapped in the house for the past few days has already made me develop a case of the winter blues. 

I did get a chance to book a few more hotel...okay, motels, for our cross-country road trip that is coming up very soon!  Yup, we have a START date for our trip to San Diego...finally!  After we received the start date, I was able to start to break down our road trip day by day, and then start the motel reservation process.  Right now I only have one more to book for the way out there. We still aren't sure where we will be living once we arrive, but it could possibly be in La Jolla.  More exciting news on this subject- Mom is coming to visit us in March, and G & L, our family/friends, will be house-sitting and STAYING at our house while we are gone!  Hoooray!

www.roadtripusa.com

We'll be taking # 6 to Atlanta and then heading to San Diego via #10.  Can't wait!

I recently uploaded a couple new products to TpT.  One has a Valentine's Day theme, which I will share later, and the other is very chilly...

The Blustery Blizzard focuses on nouns, verbs, and adjectives, but since many find grammar to be a bit dull, it is very HANDS-ON.  There's only so many grammar worksheets and workbook pages a child can take!

Partner up your kiddos and provide them each their own mat and set of WINTERY-themed word cards! Next, your students will take turns rolling a 6-sided die and use the key on the activity's instructions to understand the meaning of each number they roll. Some numbers will prompt them to choose a word card with a certain part of speech (NOUN, VERB, or ADJECTIVE), which they must place on the correct section of their sorting mat. Other numbers will prompt students to remove a word card from their mat or skip a turn. If they roll a 5, WILD, they're able to choose any word card to add to their sorting mat!  The object of the game is to be the first student to have all of his/her cards sorted correctly.

 I would love for you to take a look at my grammar activity at my TpT store here, and I hope some of you will find it useful in your classroom!

Well friends, that just about finishes up my "Five For Friday"! Cheers to the weekend!

XO <3, C

I'm Still Alive!

Hey everyone,

I've been wanting to post something new for a while now, but miraculously I been SO BUSY!  It's hard to imagine how busy I am considering I'm not working full time, but there hasn't been a dull moment around here in a while!  There is too much going on to explain everything in full detail, so instead I'd like to make a list to recap the past month:

-I have been subbing a fair amount.  Usually 2-3 times a week.  I typically go to the same PK-2nd grade school, and I am really loving it there.  I feel like I've been there enough to now feel comfortable in the building and with knowing my way around.  Most of the children recognize me, know my name (or some version of it, hehe), and say hi to me when passing by.  I have learned many teachers' names, where their classrooms are, and some of the routines and procedures of the school.  I am starting to feeling at home there, and I am incredibly thankful for that!

-A few weeks ago, I hosted a Stella & Dot trunk show party.  I was a bit apprehensive about this because I didn't want any of my invitees to feel they were being conned into purchasing jewelry.  I thought the party would be something to look forward to and keep me busy since about a month ago I was feeling bored and lonely. 

I'd say the party was a success!  A small group of friends attended, and it was nice to have a relaxing "Girls Night In" filled with yummy appetizers, a wine cocktail, and fabulous jewelry!  The S&D stylist who attended the party is super nice, and because of her, I am now thinking about joining her team and becoming a stylist  myself.  If all goes as planned, I would consider registering and hopefully hosting my own trunk shows this spring after returning from California.  Hopefully, my very good friend, K, and I will find a way to embark on the S&D endeavor together, although we're not sure it is possible to sign  up as a twosome.  Wish us luck, and let us know if you want to host a trunk show!  We need some very kind and thoughtful friends and family members to help us launch our "store"...hint..hint.. ;-)

a. Bardot Hoop Earrings, b. Eden Bangle, c. Janie Flower Studs, d. Garden Party Chandelier Earrings

Above you will see my Stella & Dot purchases.  Well, I guess they aren't technically considered purchases because I received them for free thanks to all of the points I earned from my friends' purchases!  Thank you, friends!  I did receive a couple other pieces for free as well, but those ones are gifts for certain special people. :)

-The night of my jewelry party I decided we absolutely MUST paint out kitchen.  The house was almost immaculate at that point.  Every room had been dusted, vacuumed, scrubbed, and organized for the trunk show, and less than 12 hours later, the whole house was torn apart.  Yup, the following day Sam agreed to my idea, and we started knocking down beams and tearing bead-board down! I have to admit, the demolition phase was the best part!

Since then, we have been busily at work, in a complete rush to finish the job since we are hosting Thanksgiving in 2 days! EEEEk!  Luckily, we FINALLY completed our 2nd coat of paint on the walls last night, and boy, do I feel RELIEVED!  If anyone saw my Facebook status the other night, you know how incredibly overwhelmed and frustrated I was!  I plan on doing another blog post soon once all of the final details are complete, so you can see our kitchen's transformation.  Until then, the only other piece of info I'd like to add is I ADORE our new kitchen wall color!  Any guesses on the shade we chose?

-The weekend after the S&D party, Sam & I joined our friend, M, and several other friends on a private tour of Flag Hill Winery, and it was AMAZING!  I've been there a couple times before, each time learning and picking up on new information about the wine-making process.  This time, we had the opportunity to wine taste in a room all to ourselves!  We were given a checklist of the wines, spirits, and liqueurs we were able to try so we could take notes as we went.  My new favorite (still second to the Apple Cranberry Fruit Wine) is the Red Plum Fruit Wine.  So sweet, incredible, and delicious, people!!! Too bad it's seasonal only. :(

-My last new bit of information is I signed up for and began YOGA!  I thought about trying yoga for a long time, but never felt comfortable going ahead with it as I hate trying new things on my own.  Recently, my tension headaches came back with a vengeance! Out of nowhere, I was clenching my jaw every day, all day, even in my sleep.  My head, jaw, and neck, throbbed for almost a month straight, when I finally decided enough is enough! I forced myself to go to yoga all alone and discovered I really enjoy it (so far at least).  In fact, going on my own wasn't a big deal in the least bit!  It gets better though, after trying out a couple classes I discovered a friend of mine, L, was also looking for someone to go to yoga with!  PERFECT!  Hopefully we can keep it up together. :)

Adios chicos and Happy Thanksgiving!

XO <3, C

P.S. My tension headaches disappeared after the 2nd yoga class! :)

A Chocolate Dudley has been SKUNKED!

Well friends, it is safe to say I had a smelly boy on my hands last night!  As many of you already know, the inevitable happened.  A certain skunk that lives under the next door neighbor's shed sprayed his cutest victim yet!  Yup, The Chocolate Dudley himself was sprayed. At 6:30 PM. Right before we were about to set out on the road. To drop Dudley off with my parents. So Sam and I could spend the weekend in Boston.  MAJOR disappointment!

Sam was busy sanding the trim in the downstairs bathroom, while I was FINALLY finishing up a Thanksgiving Creative Writing Project (Can't wait to share it later this weekend!), when Sam smelled something a little odd.  He poked his head outside to call Dudley in, and the D-man was no where to be found.  After a bit of calling, Duds made his way up to do the deck, foaming, frothing, and drooling!  My gut instinct was to take him in the house because hello?! there was a skunk outside!  Within about 2 seconds, we quickly realized the house was the wrong place for Dudley!  He had already been skunked!  

We tied poor Dudley to the deck railings, gave him a bowl of water in case he wanted to rinse his mouth out, and then I called the emergency vet.  Their number is posted to our fridge because I call them at least 3 times a year, which may seem silly, but most times I contact them he ends up needing a visit and prescriptions.  This time the vet was extremely helpful over the phone, and provided us with a recipe for de-skunking.  Keep this handy, everyone!  It helps very much!

Mix the following:
-1 quart of hydrogen peroxide
-1/4 cup of baking soda
-1 tablespoon of dish detergent

Sam and I hosed Dudley down, and used a loofah to work the frothy suds into his fur and skin.  Afterwards, we had to let the concoction sit on him for about 5 minutes until it was time to rinse, towel dry, and then repeat.  We bathed him two times, which really did the trick!  This was the very first bath he disliked, and the first time he didn't pounce on the hose.  :( Instead, he cried while we rinsed him as he was shaking from the cold.  This broke my heart.

I'd like to say he has learned his lesson, but honestly? Of course he has not!  He thinks all furry animals are meant to be played with!

Now it's up to  Sam and me to take care of this skunk.  We heard through the grapevine a sock soaked with gasoline can be dropped into a skunk's burrow to encourage the skunk to find a new home.  That sounds great and all, but just one question- How will we put it there without getting skunked ourselves?!

 One sad and chilly puppy.

 Still drooling, but not nearly as much since we had rinsed his mouth out by this point.

Thank you to our neighbor who gave us a bucket of supplies and bottles of hydrogen peroxide!  Dudley's eyes are fine now.  Who needs Saline Solution?

XO <3, C

Happy Campers on the Cape

How was everyone's LONG weekend? 

Sam, Dudley, and I had an awesome weekend camping with my parents at Nickerson State Park on the Cape.

These two pictures were taken soon after first arriving and setting up our little two-person tent.  You would think the tent would be perfect for Sam and I, but be aware, Dudley slept in the tent with us!  We ended up being quite cozy, which made for a bad night sleep on the first night.  At least we were toasty warm, even when the temperature hit a chilly 39 degrees on the second night!

We began our first day of camping by heading out to lunch, and then taking a walk around the park.  Dad stayed behind as he preferred to hang out by the fire with Marshal, who very much enjoyed his "camping" kennel!

 My beautiful mum was bundled up for Arctic temperatures on our walk and for most of the long weekend!

We took the Flax Pond trail and discovered the beginnings of beautiful fall foliage!  The only problem- keeping Dudley out of the water so we wouldn't be sleeping with a wet puppy that evening!

 You can bet Dudley wanted to keep trekking through the grass towards the pond,...

 and of course Sam kept us entertained the entire time!

The first night we hung around the campfire, dining on homemade soup, cornbread, and apple crisp!  Yum!

Dudley enjoyed relaxing by the fire from a distance.  Maybe because he once burned his nose on a campfire when he was a puppy?

The following day, we made the drive out to Provincetown.  We lucked out with the weather!  What a gorgeous day!

Unfortunately, this was the only whale we saw as all whale watch trips were cancelled due to rough waters. 

Instead, we had an absolutely delicious lunch at the Lobster Pot.  The restaurant reminds me of The Lobster Pot in Bristol, RI where Sam and I had our rehearsal dinner.  I highly suggest the bread bowl of clam chowder!  Amazing!

 After lunch, we took a few more touristy photos.  Here you can see Mom, Dad, and Dudley as "the cat"! We shopped around a bit and may or may not have picked up a Christmas present for a certain someone.  Of course, we could not leave without purchasing some delicious homemade fudge!

Since the whale watches were cancelled, Sam wanted to check out the Pilgrim Monument.  This was his first trip to P-town and The Cape so the two of us went to the top, while Dad hung out in the car, and Mom watched Dudley outside the monument museum. The Pilgrim Monument was built in the early 1900s to commemorate the Pilgrim's voygage to the New World.  It was built on The Cape because the Mayflower first landed in Provincetown.  The Pilgrims actually spent a bit over a month exploring Cape Cod, before they finally sailed on to Plymouth. 

Much to our surprise, we noticed a little (and sleepy!) fox hanging out in front of the monument.  It seemed to pay little attention to the visitors walking by. 

After hiking up the ramps that covered 116 steps, we made it to the top of the monument.  The view was gorgeous, and I loved seeing ocean from almost every angle! 

Dad wanted to stop by a beach on the way "home" from P-town so Sam could see some beautiful Cape Cod dunes.  We ended up missing the beach Dad wanted to visited, so we stopped here, at Pilgrim Heights, instead.  The Pilgrim Spring Trail begins at this location, and even though we didn't have a chance to take it, I was excited to learn the trail has a special marker pointing out the spot where it is believed the Pilgrims first discovered fresh water.  

We finally made it to a beach just before sunset.  Sam, the dogs, and I were the only ones interested in playing!  Sam and I explored the dunes, and then let the dogs out for a quick break from the car.  Again, we had the challenge of keeping D out of the water!

The second evening was a bit more chilly!  We enjoyed steak, beans, and s'mores while hanging by the fireside!

Above is the view of Flax Pond across the street from our campsites.  I'm thankful for the beautiful long fall weekend spent outdoors with family! It was great to show Sam Nickerson State Park, where my family and I have made many camping memories, as well as create new memories with Sam and my parents!

Dudley, who enjoyed himself very much, was all tuckered out on the ride home. 

Talk to you soon, friends!

XO <3, C