Current Favorites

I've seen a lot of "five favorites" posts lately and I thought I'd join in on the fun!  Here are five of my current favorite things, plus one that I'm not super fond of!

Five: Healthy Choices

I am trying to make healthier choices and I can notice the difference it's making.  I started a vitamin routine with supplements and feel less tired in the morning.  I switched to an organic, coconut oil based shampoo and conditioner and my hair feels softer.  I started doing a coconut oil mask weekly on my hair and using coconut oil on my cuticles and those fine lines that are starting to appear around my eyes.  I'm watching portion sizes and starting my day with a glass of water with lemon.  I picked up a pretty glass water bottle (BPA free) to carry with me to motivate me to drink more water throughout the day.  I'm trying to cut back on soda and ensure that I have a glass of water before I have soda to quench my thirst.  Plus then I won't gulp my soda and can savor it.  We are doing more meal planning and eating at home, which is better for our budget and our waist lines.  Don't worry, we've still got cheat meals planned too!

Of all my healthy choices, I think what I'm most excited about is my water pitcher.  I found one similar to this at Marshalls:

It's great! I cut up some fruit and my water has some natural flavoring in it.  The pitcher lasts for a day or two, which I learned the hard way.  I left  some lemons in there for three days and when I had a glass of water, I felt like I was biting into a lemon.  There was way too much flavoring.  B however thought it was great and had the rest for me.  Lesson learned, there's a time limit!

I've done lemons, lemons and raspberries, and strawberries.  I'm excited to try mint, blueberries, and pineapple.  Any other combinations you'd recommend?

Four: Patio Chairs

My momma is awesome.  When we were visiting her last weekend, she gave us two metal rocking chairs from her patio so we could have more furniture on ours.  She'd inherited them and they didn't quite match with her patio set, so we adopted them!  

B is going to re-spray paint them (a surprise he doesn't know yet!) and I'll be picking up some new cushions at Target later to make them feel like our own.  We eventually want to purchase a patio set where everything you know, matches but that's not high on our priority list right now.  We've got two lime green metal chairs, a small stone table, two folding chairs, one camping chair, and now the two rockers.  I'll be looking for a patio set when it's on sale, but we're living within our means (crazy concept) and it's just not a right now priority.  However, there is a pretty nice hammock on Amazon that I'll be purchasing next pay check because that's a necessity! 

It's ridiculously hot right now (more on that later) but I'm excited for the October through March periods when we can comfortably turn off the AC and sit outside for an extended period of time.

Three: Craft Time

I've somehow managed to lose another glue gun, but I'm still loving craft time!  A few years ago, I made a crayon V for my classroom while binge watching Gilmore Girls one afternoon:

And decided to make a crayon wreath to go with it!  Read more about the process {here}.

I love craft time!  I'll be adding a black and white polka dot ribbon to hang this up in my classroom.  The "dream big" sign is at Target in the dollar spot (although it's $3).  I used a wreath frame, a jumbo box of crayons, and a hot glue gun to assemble this.  Total time? Maybe an hour (after I'd organized the crayons into the pattern I liked).

Two: Being Organized

Last year I really struggled with being organized.  Between moving both homes and schools, I never really fully unpacked.  As a result, I felt disorganized and it was frustrating.  I also lost my planner more than once, so I had to start over.

I vowed this year would be different.  I ordered a teacher planner off Amazon (for the first time in my teaching career) and already mapped out a rough sketch of my long range plans for the year.  I feel ready to start next year organized and prepared, which is a lovely feeling.

I also realized my Jamicure totally matches my planner....oops!  

But hey, I know what I like!

One: Girl Time

Moving to a new school means making lots of new friends.  With teachers, this also often means figuring out the cliques and who really wants to be friends outside of work and who is just there to be friendly.

I've been fortunate enough to find some really great gal pals at work and met up with them for weekly Starbucks dates over the summer.  As an added bonus, two of them have newborns that I get to snuggle with!  

I've also had lunch adventures, some shopping time, and line dancing with my ladies.  It's nice to have girl time.  It keeps me sane!


Um...not acceptable: the heat.

We're having higher than normal temperatures in Nevada.  It's 114 outside today.  Thank goodness for air conditioning!


What are your favorite things?