My First Classroom

My first year as an official teacher has begun! I feel like I have put in enough hours and realize that no one understands how much teachers have to do until they do it! I met my students last week and open house and we have already been through 2 days of school.  I can already tell I am going to fall in love with my class and not want to let them go at the end of the year.  They are all precious and so sweet!  A funny comment from a student was, "Are you Mrs. Brown as like in the color?"

We began the first day with the book First Day Jitters, and afterwards we talked about certain jitters we had about second grade and about their new teacher.  It was so funny because they were scared I was going to be really tall with brown hair because my name is Mrs. Brown!

I thought I would put some pictures of my classroom, since I have spent numerous hours working on it, I thought I would let everyone see! I didn't actually go with a "theme." I love bright colors and my two favorite right now are red and turquiose, so I decided to go with those and throw in some popcorn elements for Open House. Please note: I took these right before Open House,

some things are not completely how I would like them but it's a start!

My desk area

Mailboxes and storage

Large bulletin board

Classroom Library and Word Wall above

(the library took me foreverrrrrrrr!)

For Open House every table had a table sign so the students

and parents could read directions. Every student received a

"Second Grade First Day Kit" and a bag of popcorn!

Daily Calendar Area: not finished.

View from the front of the room

Side view from the back of the room

Another view from the front of the room

Our 1st Anniversary

A year ago from today I married my best friend.  First of all, this year has been amazing and has flown by.  In a year we have lived and moved out of an apartment, bought a house and are currently in the process of making it our own.  We have been blessed with new friends that we go on double dates with, a new Sunday school class, and many memories with both sides of our families. 

To celebrate our first anniversary we shared gifts. Seth bought me a pandora bracelet with too many charms to start off with! They were books; since I love to read, a camera; because I always have one with me, and a locket with the key to his heart. I was shocked because he picked out such a great gift! I got him a weed-eater to go with his lawn-mover.  I think he enjoyed it because he immediatly ran outside to test it out. 

 

After the gifts we went to the Capital Hotel  for our anniversary package. We had our wedding reception there and what is more special than to spend our first anniversary there as well! We were greeted with a bottle of champane, warm chocolate chip cookies, and a letter from our wedding coordinator.  We went to dinner at Ashley's where our menu said "Happy Anniversary Mr. and Mrs. Brown."  The food was mouth-watering! We ended our meal with our cake-topper for dessert.  Our pastry chef Tandra Watkins re-created our cake topper from our big day so we did not have to have freezer-burned, year old cake.  I cannot wait to go back next year, I'm sure it will be here before we know it! (We tried to sneak in the room where we had our first dance and re-live it but it didn't quite work out hehe)

Book Review: The Noticer

My mom gave me this book she picked up in the airport and I highly recommend it. It is The Noticer by Andy Andrews. Andrews is a New York Times best selling author of The Traveler's Gift.(Which is now on my reading list)It could be classified as an auto-biography and part-fictional. I would describe this book as seeing the glass half full because Andrews is an optimistic. It is a story of a man named "Jones" who shows up into various peoples lives and gives them a little key to life many people oversee; perspective.

The setting is Orange Beach, Alabama- which is one of my favorite places on Earth. This is an inspirational, quick read. I hope you read and enjoy! Happy Reading!



"If you are breathing, you are still alive. If you are alive, then you are still here, physically, on this planet. If you are still here, then you have not completed what you were put on earth here to do...that means your purpose has not yet been fulfilled." (The Noticer,84)

These are a few of my favorite things...

I haven't been blogging and updating like I would like to but I am kinda stuck because we do not have interenet right now and I am consumed with back to school stuff! But...I have a new look for our blog!

Now on to the post...

This summer, I have created a reading list of blogs I read and follow. They, along with pinterest, have given me many inspirations for decorating our new home and for school projects. A few weeks ago I read a post on a blog (but I can't find It now) that had her favorite things of the summer. So I decided to steal the idea and make it work for me!

These are a few of my favorite things of summer '12...

PINTEREST: I am sure this is many of your favorite things as well. I no longer waste as much of my time on facebook but now on pinterest. (Soon my fb will be deleted) My favorite categories are DIY & Crafts, Education, Fitness, Gardening, and Home Decor. Seth says I'm addicted! Here are a few of my future projects I wish to tackle. 

Transforming an old dresser into a TV Stand.

I have a dresser from an old furniture

set, and I have permission to do whatever with it.

So, I am thinking painting it a shade of white.

For our long hallway I have thought about doing some neutral strips.

We have a blank wall in our kitchen and I cannot find a painting I like within the budget and I certainly do not have time to paint one.  So, my exploring has led me to these two choices. I am leaning more towards the vintage door if I can find one!

                                                   
MY COFFEE BAR: I love coffee and cannot get my day started without it. I saw on pinterest where a busy family created a coffee bar where everything is all together and ready to go. This summer I have enjoyed my coffee in the early mornings out on our new patio. Lately, it has been way too hot in Arkansas for the patio but hopefully this fall I'll be back out there again.
                                                     

My inspiration from Pinterest

(It is still a work in progress because we haven't put in the backsplash)

MY SEDA FRANCE CANDLE:  (Japanese Quince) I love candles! Seth says candles, books, and resale items have become my collection. I love having multiple candles burning in the house, I think they give that homey feel that everyone loves. My favorite candle is the Seda France Candle in Japanese Quince. We were given one as a house warming present from the O'Neals and I fell in love. I found out they are hard to find and better to order online. I found one in a little boutique in Springfield, Missouri when I went up for a wedding but haven't been able to find one since. I plan to order soon! Here is a place to order online if your interested! http://www.sedafrance.com/category/Japanese-Quince-Collection

GARDENING: I tried to have a green thumb this summer by planting around our house. I love sunflowers and have loved them since early childhood- I remember having a sunflower bedspread when I was younger! They were the flower for our wedding and they make me think of summer. I planted a row along our brick wall in the backyard and had only one mammoth survive. The squirrels and birds like the baby sprouts. Oh well-I learned my lesson and will try again next summer.

                 

Here is the process of the Mammouth (it is 6 feet tall!)

RESALE STORES: another addiction is buying things at resale stores and redoing. I love the antique/old feel for decorating the house and it's fun to do as well. I recently bought these items for a total of $2.00 and remade. (the frames were 50 cents and at target or walmart they would have easily been $5.00-$10.00) a pretty cheap hobby! I also found some light fixtures we needed for a ceiling fan and I found them for 50 cents as well! I don't even want to look what price they would have been at Home Depot or Lowe's.

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens, brown paper packages tied up with strings, these are a few of my favorite things.

(The Sound of Music never gets old)

If anyone has any home decor blogs they read please

comment- and what are some of your favorite things of summer '12?

Until we meet again...

Benton High School Sophomore Cheerleaders 2012-2013

I was given the opportunity to photograph the Sophomore Cheerleaders for the Panther Football Program.  My favorite hobby is photography.  I am not a licensed professional or anything, so it is all for fun!

These girls are beautiful and I wish them the best of luck. I hope they enjoy their first year in high school.  GO PANTHERS!

Summer Reading

It's been a few weeks since I have been able to blog. (We do not have internet at our house) I will eventually be posting pictures from Jenny's Graduation party and some of my photography.  Life has just been so busy.

I know the saying is that teacher's get their summers off, but in reality they do not between workshops and preparing for the next year. Well, at least not first year teachers who are extremely excited! I last blogged that I was going to be teaching third grade in the fall, well I will be moving down to second and I am beyond excited!  I have been in second 3/4 of this past school year and now I get to officially teach it!

I've been browsing a lot of teachers blogs this summer and they have given me so many ideas and motivation for the fall. I came upon a few blogs that talk about summer reading for teachers and I have tons of books that have been recommended and given to me, so I have decided to challenge myself to read 30 books in 30 days! Crazy- right?! Well a few of the 30 are not educational but I haven been meaning to read for awhile. For instance, The Hunger Games, which I haven't had the time to read yet.

I have always loved reading, and I am the type of person that I start a book and will be up until 3:00 am to finish it...it could be an interesting 30 days! I'm blogging about this to keep myself accountable. I'm on day 5 and so far I'm on track! So my question for you all is what are you reading right now and what books do you recommend?