Spring Break Goals

1) Celebrate Ms. S's wedding (tonight!).  Not only am I sure to cry a lot (thank you waterproof {Younique} mascara), but take lots of pictures for her.  My friend Mrs. K took lots of the venue and decor for me, which helped tide me over until the professional ones came six weeks later.

2) Paint our cabinets.  We ripped out our medicine cabinets in our master and had custom shelving built. I'm staining the new cabinets over break to match the other cabinets that I painted {last year}.

We're going to Home Depot tomorrow to get some new paint brushes to complete the project.

3) Paperwork

Between a doctor's appointment, renewing my teaching license, getting finger printed for my license, and updating my passport with my new married name, I've got a lot of paperwork to do.  

4) Family time

I'm helping B's aunt plan her mom's 90th birthday party next month.  We're having lunch on Monday to talk about decor and some of the details.  Plus she won some free leggings at a Lularoe party I hosted, so I've got to give those to her as well.

5) Prep for third grade

I'm redoing my "No Way Jose" game to fit third grade standards.  I know I won't need it until August, but I won't have access to a printer over the summer, so I should start this early.  I'll need to cut out laminate, but that's easily done during a summer Netflix binge.  I've also started mapping out my supply list of what I'll need for third grade.  

6) Finish my mom's album

As part of her Christmas gift, I'm making my mom an album of wedding pictures.  Shutterfly doesn't work well with our professional pictures (they're too detailed, so it comes out pixalated), so I'm using another site instead.  I've got the backbone done, I just want to add in some silly photo booth images as well.

7) Catch up on grading

To be fair, this may or may not happen. I'll probably grade in spurts, meaning three papers and then do something else.  It seems less painful this way.

8) Finish Play Like a Pirate

It's one of the books I picked up at ASCD and I'm loving it.  As I shared on Twitter, it's like having a super nerdy conversation with an old friend. I'm feeling inspired and making lots of notes in my book.

9) Nap.  Every day if possible.  (Day 1 complete).

10) Catch up on blogging.  Between classroom adventures and ASCD, I've got a lot of half started blog posts I need to finish.

What are your spring break goals?

Spring Break Homework

Yes, I gave my students homework over spring break.  

They came up with ideas and were really excited about all their "work".  I shared ideas with a few other teachers and they're making similar ones for their students.

They deserve a break, but I don't want them staying inside for 10 days playing video games. I want them to have fun with their families and build happy memories.  I want to focus on their emotional and social needs, not just their academic ones.

Photography Challenge (Catch Up) and the start of Spring Break

At precisely 3:31 pm yesterday, Spring Break started.  At 3:40, I was in my car.  By 3:53, I had a tall Blue Moon in front of me and four giggly coworkers in our booth at PT's for girls' night.

#feedyoursoul #ladytribe

Glorious, glorious decisions.  I'd like to brag and say we had a wild night, but I was in pajamas by 7 pm and out by 8.  It'd be a long week!

Photography Challenge Recap


Day 5: "Not Mine"

Technically I took this picture on day 4, but saved it for Wednesday.  Tuesday was my work wife's birthday, so I snuck into her classroom before she got there and decorated on behalf of the grade level.  

I did get caught by two other teachers, so I'm clearly not up on my ninja skills.

She felt loved and valued, so that's what matters. 

Day 6: "Spring Is In The Air"

Spring means my allergies are a mess.  We are dealing with some epic winds and drastic temperature changes, which doesn't help.  I'm on a daily decongestant, nasal steroid, and Allegra to keep things contained.

I also frequently wear a face mask while outside, so I decided to have a glamour shoot with my mask.  It's my favorite accessory to any spring day.

Day 7: "Where I'd Rather Be"


First, my bed. We have a new bed and I love naps.  

Second, I wanted to be at happy hour.  As posted above, we made that happen pretty much as soon as possible after work ended.

Third, I want to be on my honeymoon!

In July, the hubs and I are off on a grand adventure.  We'll be visiting some friends in Florida, going to Harry Potter World, and then off to an island resort in the Dutch Caribbean for a week of relaxing and outdoor adventures.  The fur babies will be staying with my momma.  We'll be back in town for a few days before both of us have to return to work.

Day 8: "Hobbies"

One of my hobbies is getting dressed up with my hubby and celebrating.  Tonight we're celebrating a fellow teacher's wedding.  She's one of the kindest people and we're thrilled to get to share in her special day.  We are sharing a table with some other fun coworkers and there's an open bar, so two other hobbies (drinking and selfies) will also be occurring!  

I've cleaned out my phone for the night so Facebook will be filled with pictures tomorrow!

Working on the Wedding

So besides teaching (which is a full time job and then some), I've been doing lots of wedding planning.  It's my favorite way to procrastinate grading!

(Disclaimer:  If you don't want to hear wedding plans, this is not the post for you. I've gotten some negative attitudes lately from others about my excessive wedding posts...and sorry, but I'm not sorry.  After a long, frustrating day at work, I'd rather share my latest craft project then go on some rage filled post about work frustrations.  I'd rather spread love and positivity, which means talking about wedding planning.)

Weddings are expensive (duh) and ours is no exception.  We're within our budget, but stretching out purchases is helpful.  I'm trying to save money with DIY projects (which I love doing) and couponing whenever possible.  I don't think getting something on sale is something to be ashamed of; rather, it's a badge of pride.  Having a year and a half to plan this day means I can slowly stock up on items without racking up credit card debt.  A win all around!

I'm super excited about my wedding because all my favorite people will be in the same place while I marry the love of my life.  It's such a happy time and I'm loving a long engagement.  Having time to craft all these perfect details is keeping my inner bridezilla at bay.  I've been dreaming of my wedding since I was a little girl and now it's coming together perfectly.  More besides this perfect day, I'm thrilled to get to spend the next 60 years with B.  I've got a lifetime of non-cooperation for pictures ahead of me! I'm excited to share lots of details, but I'm not giving away everything.  I want there to be surprises on my wedding day.)

It's been a few weeks since my last {wedding post} so I figured I'd provide some updates.  Apparently it's been a super productive month in terms of wedding planning!  Truly, the only frustrating thing so far was the table arrangement and that was more of a mild irritation.  This is obviously fluid because we haven't even sent out save the dates.  I just wanted to get a rough idea of where we stand.  

Here's what was accomplished in March, thanks to my mom, my maids, and my man.

1)  I met with the florist.  I picked my bouquet, my maids' bouquets, table flowers, and the boys' boutiners.  All is under the budget we set and significantly under what pinterest advised us to spend.  We're still working on the aisle decor, but my venue updated their outdoor garden by adding a fence to frame the space:

They also upgraded the bistro lighting:

And have more upgrades planned for August (new stone wall and a chandelier), a few months before our wedding. I already loved our venue, but these small touches make me love it even more.

2) I met with the photographer. She's amazing. I love her work. I sent her my pinterest board full of wedding ideas. I'm super excited for some of the shots she'll be able to catch of the wedding day.

3) I met with the photobooth people.  We added a sparkly backdrop because a black background with navy bridesmaids dresses simply won't work.  I also worked out a deal for a discount on something I'll use for our favors (it's a secret) but since I've got the time to do part of it myself, they gave me a discount.  They may have been overwhelmed by my craft idea and wanted to avoid that extra work, which is fine by me.  I'll take on my craft project, with my maids' help! 

We decided on an open photo booth, so get ready people! We're also getting digital copies of all the pictures, so that will be a great souvineer!

4) I made flower girl baskets.  I wasn't loving the premade, white generic ones at craft stores (no offense to those of you who did those).  So I bought two Easter baskets (for 70% off), fake flowers, ribbon and within an hour, made two of these:

Total cost? Under $20 for both. I'd call that a crafting win.

On a side note, when I say I made it, what I mean to say is it was a group effort:

Crooksie approves!

Plus I snagged two more large flowers to make into headbands (if that's the route I want to go).

5) Speaking of our flower girls, I asked them both.  Ravyn said yes at Kurt & Olivia's wedding on March 11th while Elsa said yes over spring break when I popped the question with a ring pop.

6) I also found and purchased their flower girl dresses.   I looked at David's Bridal and was once again disappointed.  The dresses were adorable, but there's no way they should take 4 months to make and have shipped.  The sales pressure from the employees was ridiculous and such a turn off.  I ventured to the mall and checked out Easter sales, but didn't find anything I loved.  Despite being months apart, one flower girl is a 5T and one is a 6.  This means, as I learned, one is in toddler sizes while the other is in girls.  It's hard to find matching dresses for both.  I had a few options I liked, but wasn't in love with the prices.  Sorry, but $80 for a dress is a little ridiculous.  

Luckily, I had amazing luck at Target (because obviously!).

While I'm keeping them a secret until the big day, I will share that they coordinate but aren't identical.  I figured since all of my bridesmaids were coordinating and not identical, it was fine to do this for the little girls as well.  Everyone loved them and our girls will be adorable as they skip down the aisle, passing out rose petals. 

Plus the dresses were on sale. Score!  Both were less than the cost of one at a fancy kids formal store. 

7) I've been crafting up a storm on things for the bridal shower and wedding.  I've had coupons and every store had major sales.  I love when the universe aligns to my plans!

In addition to the flower girl baskets, I made custom hangers for the girls dresses:

All aren't pictured, but I made them for my maids, my officiant, my flower girls, my mom, and my future MIL.  I don't know if she'll be getting ready with us, but I wanted her to feel included.


(These hangers will go with my bride one)

Table Decor:

And sparkly letters for my bridal shower:

Out  of respect for B, I've tried to keep the amount of glitter to a minimum at our wedding.  My shower however? Fair game!  All the glitter, lace, polka dots, and burlap I want!  He's very against mason jars as wedding decor (because we've been to lots of weddings with that), so I'm having a few at my bridal shower as a compromise.  I get that pretty rustic look, he gets to not deal with it.  Win win!

8) We also made a rough sketch of the seating chart:

Yes, I color coordinated. No, I'm not ashamed of it. Yes, Chloe helped.  Why would I get to do anything by myself?

9) I worked on our memory table.  We have tea lights (battery operated) and this sign:

I'm in the process of collecting pictures of loved ones who have moved on and framing them for a special place in the reception. I've told everyone who will have a family member honored so it doesn't shock them.  We just wanted to honor loved ones on our day.

(Print from {etsy}, frame from Marshall's) 

10) I made our card box: 

I already had a vintage crate from Ross (a few years ago), so the total cost was $5 (and an hour of my time).  I used white letters from a banner making kit (that was in the clearance aisle of Target) and painted them a soft beige color to tone down the contrast.  I used gold twine and burlap flowers, both of which I had left over from a previous craft project (but available in the bridal crafting aisle of Joann's.)  It took a few tries to get it right in terms of spacing out the letters, but nothing too strenuous.  Plus the letters and flowers are twisted on, so I can reuse the suitcase again.

11) I updated our wedding website with our hashtag (#sommasquad), flower girls (meet the kids), and hotel information because I finalized booking the block rooms.  You can view our website {here}.

12) I ordered the rest of the bridesmaid gifts.  They're all getting earrings from me to wear with their dresses, but I wanted something else too.  They're getting thematic gifts, but each is customized for them.  I'm excited!  

Here they are:

(Did you really think I'd show off the gifts?  At least the wrapping is cute!)

12) I made a sample favor, hated it, and changed my mind.  I like plan B much better!  I ordered favor tags from a super cute shop on {etsy} because while I'm all about DIY, I'm not going to handwrite 140 of these on teeny tiny cards.  The seller sent me a digital proof, I got to pick the colors, and had them at my door within days.  I love etsy (if that wasn't already obvious!).

More importantly, I wouldn't do that to my bridesmaids.  We'll have enough of an assembly line as it is, no need to add that frustration into the mix!

13) I bought my shoes! They were originally $129 (eek!) but on sale at DSW for $49.00 (way more in my budget).  They are super comfortable with a low heel...

but I still bought back up wedding flip flops, just in case.  

The best part? Thanks to my mom's coupon, these were under $5!  

14) I worked on the wedding ceremony with our officiant.  There's a Harry Potter reference. There's some sass. I love what we've decided so far in terms of verbage.

 I quickly realized that things were taking over the living room, so my type A personality got to work:

Yes, there are separate bins for each portion of the day.  Yes, they are labeled with what goes where.  Yes, there is an itemized list for our wedding coordinator of what goes where in the venue.  No, I'm not ashamed of any part of this.  Being organized is calming.  I'd rather do a bulk of the prep work now and enjoy my wedding week as it approaches.

On a side note, our district is giving us November 8th off (election day), so I'll take off Wednesday, Thursday, and the following Monday (and Tuesday) after our wedding.  We also have the entire week off for Thanksgiving for the first time, which is super exciting.  I looked at the calendar and realized I will be working 8 days during my wedding month.  That makes me feel a lot better!

Up next in terms of wedding planning?

We've got to take passport pictures at CVS and make an appointment at the post office to have our forms accepted.  I'm renewing my passport and he's applying for a brand new one.

Engagement pictures are next month.

Once we have those proofs, we'll send out save the dates.

Once we've sent out save the dates, I'll send out bridal shower invites (because it'd be weird if those came out of order.)

Order groomsmen gifts and flower girl gifts. (I've picked the stuff for the girls, I'm just waiting for my next paycheck from TpT to order more wedding stuff.)


In addition to all this planning, I made cute gifts for two fellow brides to be, an ornament for Olivia (with petals from her wedding a few weeks ago), and caught up on grading.  All while battling the never ending sinus infection!  (Seriously, it's week 3 and round 3 of drugs.  I've got the trifecta: ear, sinus, and upper respitory infections.  I've got a referral for an ENT and really ready for all these spring winds to simmer down.)

All this planning is making me want to leave education and just plan events full time!  I think my dream job involves crafting, blogging, reading, planning, and wearing yoga pants full time.  I don't have my dream job...

yet?

Springing Forward to Spring Break!

Ten days.

I have ten teaching days until spring break.  The weekend in between these last two weeks is booked with a wedding, Waffles turning one, dinner with friends, and the escape room.

If we're getting technical, I have nine and one half because field day is the Friday afternoon before spring break.  That morning I'll set aside for retesting, math games, computer practice, free writing, and independent reading...so truly, there's only nine days. 

In that nine days, in addition to teaching, I'll conquer:

-5th grade panoramic pictures (on St. Patrick's day, so there will be lots of green)

-2 different certification meetings (as of right now)

-staff meeting, committee meeting, grade level meetings, reading planning meeting

-a counseling lesson

-hosting a professional development on Discovery Education

-finishing this graduate school class

-SBAC practice testing

-progress reports (maybe?)

Oh vey.

So  when bracing myself for all of this, I think I'll spring ahead to the joys (and goals) of spring break:

1) A mini road trip to Arizona to watch one of my oldest friends get married.  Waffles will go with us, the cats will enjoy some quiet time, I'll see my best friend, and get to have family time.  Win win.

2) Bridal appointments.  I'm meeting with the potential florist, the photographer, and the photo booth company.  Hopefully I'll get to go with our officiant as she picks her dress.  Maybe wedding shoes will be found as well (wishful thinking).  I have a clear picture in my mind...so if these shoes could appear, that'd be great.

3) Doctor's appointment...but I'll treat myself to lunch afterwards!  The doctor is close to Home Goods, a mega Target, and Panera, so this will work out perfectly.

4) I'll finish Binny for Short, which is a YA novel I'm reading for Battle of the Books.  I'll make the teachers guide and matching chronological order sort, then toss it up on TpT to share.  It's been a few months since I've posted any new products (sorry guys!).

5) Supervise the instillation of the water softener (maybe?)  We are waiting to hear back on scheduling an inspection to determine which water softener we should get and hopefully this can be installed when I already have the day off of work.

6) Catching up on craft projects.  Instead of scrapbooking, I've been doing smash books for our relationship.  They're less structured and faster.  I've made a list of pictures to order, but then want to spend a few hours in my creative bubble.

7) Spend time with my future MIL.  She's caught the creative decorating bug (YAY!) and wants help shopping and redoing her living room.  This I can be on board with! I'll be introducing her to the joys of Etsy.

8) Relax.  I'll be doing my fair share of napping and Netflix watching.

But first, I must savor one day at a time.  The rest of today will be spent finishing homework, making a grocery list, cleaning, errands, and laundry.  These activities are necessary but don't fuel my soul, so I'll also be doing some coloring and give myself a pedicure.  Because you know, balance.

 

   

Marching Onward

(Apparently I was so overwhelmed I skipped the February edition of these posts.  Sorry February. Onward!)



Reading... Binny for Short. It's another YA book for Battle of the Books and the last one I'm trying to complete. 

I'm also in the middle of another graduate class (I have three that will be done by May), so when I'm not reading essays, this is occupying my time:

 
I like the authors, so that's helpful.  As an added bonus, I think the information will be useful and the course is all online.
Playing... a game with the online appointment maker.  We switched over our insurance and so far, I'm not impressed.  

Also playing the countdown game while I watch spring break quickly approach.  Hallelujah.

Also playing when will my tax refund arrive? We decided to be grown ups and buy a water softener.   

Watching... well, rewatching Once Upon A Time reruns on Netflix.

Trying... to be positive.  This continues to be a struggle at the present time.

Being a grown up really stinks sometimes.

Cooking... nothing.  I had a really late day (again) and we had left overs.  Thursday will be a dump meal in the crockpot.

Eating... nothing. I'm hungry, but I'm trying to avoid eating.

Drinking..water.  Lots and lots of water.

Calling... no one. I just tried the doctor and it's not their regular business hours.

Texting...no one.  My phone is charging.  I need a new one, but one of my students made some really poor choices this week and stole other students' phones (yes, plural) and a school iPad.  Quite frankly, I'm scared to get a new phone while the student is in my room.

Pinning... wedding ideas.  Specifically table decor and flowers....that's up next on my to do list.

Going... ignore grading for the night. Today was hard enough.

Loving...Etsy.  I've found some way cute wedding purchases there!


Hating... the uncertainty game.  Will my masters +32 be honored with a pay raise? Will the classes be released so I can take the last one at UNLV by May? Will I have to jump through hoops? Will I have to appeal the process? Will I have to join the union to have a better chance at it being approved? Is that even legal? 

(This is what I hated in January. There's still no answer.  I joined the union, I'm enrolled in three classes, and they've received my appeal.  That's all.)

Discovering... fifth grade may not be the grade for me.  That's rough to process, but there's a new crisis each day and it's getting hard to handle. 

Thinking... about bed.  At 7:30.  Today was a beast and I came home to this (chair leg):

Not a happy puppy mom.

Feeling... like I can never catch up. 

Hoping (for)...an easy rest of the week.

Listening (to)...B play video games.

Celebrating... progress.  Not success, just progress in the general onward direction.

Smelling... nothing. Thank you allergies.

Thanking... B for being wonderful.

Considering... trying to find a job that lets me craft things, read books, plan weddings, and drink mimosas while wearing pajamas and/or yoga pants.  Where is that job?

Starting... to realize that I can't trust everyone I work with and that's a hard truth to swallow.

Finishing... the powerpoint on Texas, which is the LAST of the fifty states.  I'm really glad to be almost done with that massive undertaking!

Save the Date

Spring fever has hit early this year and we are all most definitely ready for a break.  

To celebrate making it 3/4 of the way through the school year, I'm pleased to share with you my readers that I'll be having a flash sale at my {TpT store} from March 18th through the 21st.  Everything will be 20% off! 

 

Win some, lose some

Unfortunately, it's felt like the latter part of this statement for most of this month...

The spring break countdown has begun!

Wedding Updates

I have a few friends that are getting married this year, before me, and I'm getting a tad jealous they have lots of the details ironed out.

But...I've got time.  (Right?  That's what I keep telling myself!)

I'm in the process of finalizing the engagement pictures for April. We're looking at Saturday the 16th because the class I signed up for got cancelled, so it's a free weekend.  It's narrowed down to two locations.

I visited my MOH last weekend and she picked her dress.  It is gorgeous (as they all are).  Most of my maids have purchased their dresses and the groomsmen attire is reserved at Mens' Warehouse:

Except they'll have marine (navy) straight ties and pocket squares.  B will be in black with a light pink tie.

I've got a rough timeline for my bridal shower (end of June).

I wrote my first wedding thank you.

I decided on what I'm getting each of my bridesmaids, so it's a lot of searching for the perfect item for each of them.   I found Leah's in New York City, so I just have six more to track down!

I mentioned to my friend Veronica that we'd like her daughter to be the flower girl, but I haven't officially asked the munchkin yet.  Her dad is one of the groomsmen and she's just a spunky little gal, so it's perfect.  Our nephew will be 1 1/2, so we're fairly positive we're going to ask him (his parents) if he can be the ring bearer.  His dad, B's only brother, is a groomsman so it works.

I ordered bridal and wedding thank you's from an {Etsy seller}. I'm super excited about them:

(but you know, with my new last name)

Since our wedding is quite close to Christmas (less than two months), we'll do a wedding shot in our holiday cards and send formal thank you notes.

Other than that...not much has been happening on the wedding front! 

We've got:

A wedding March 11th here in Las Vegas

A wedding March 19th in Arizona (luckily this coincides with spring break!)

A bachelorette party at the end of April at Disneyland

A bridal shower for a work colleague to plan in May

A wedding (or two?) in June

My own shower in July 


Good thing I've got lots of time to plan!