Five for Friday~ 6/26/15

Linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

This week I met up with one of my very best friends to have lunch and cuddle with her super sweet baby boy!  He is absolutely adorable!

My BFF Staci and her beautiful baby boy!

 I also went to a "Paint and Sip" for the first time this week and it was a blast!  I didn't have very high expectations for my painting, but it turned out alright for my first time.

That's me, on the left!

I was craving some good Chinese this week so I decided to make fried rice and sweet and sour chicken for dinner one night!  I got the fried rice recipe from Pinterest and it was absolutely delish!  The sweet and sour chicken was super good too!  I cut the chicken into pieces, dipped them into milk and cornstarch, fried them for about one minute on each side, threw them into a pyrex, covered them with sweet and sour sauce I bought from the store and cooked them at 325 degrees for 45 minutes!  It was incredible!  And my husband and I cooked it together so the process was super fun!

I am finally going to get around to a project that I've been wanting to do for a long time this weekend-- I am going to refinish all of our our doorknobs! Our house was built in the 60s so we have the ugly gold/brass looking knobs and they are in desperate need of an upgrade.  I'm super excited to get it done!

And finally, this week I finished Orange is the New Black!  I began watching it and just instantly fell in love with the characters! I am not so sure that I love how the third season ended, but it just makes me more excited for the fourth season!  I can't wait!

Hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

-Jamie

Monday Made It!

Today I'm linking up with Fourth Grade Frolics for Monday Made It!  I have been a busy little bee lately!  Here are a few of the things I've been working on!

 Father's Day creativity with my little girl!

 My daughter and I made concrete pavers for my dad, father-in-law, and husband for Father's Day!  I sent my husband to see Jurassic Park with his best friend as a Father's Day gift so Livi and I could spend the evening being creative!  It was so fun!

My awesome husband and Livi drawing on Father's Day when we were out at lunch!  Just had to add this one in here because it's so cute!

OUR POOL IS FINALLY UP!  It feels like it took forever but it was totally worth it!  We worked our tails off and now we get to reap the benefits! Finally!!!!!!!!

YAY SUMMER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Capturing Kids' Hearts! - HELP!

Believe it or not, today I actually walked out of a professional development feeling fueled and inspired to improve myself and my teaching!

Today was a fantastic day! Not only is it my second day in a row to blog (Oh, how I've missed thee!), but today I got to attend the first part of the professional development Capturing Kids' Hearts! I have never been before so I was super excited to attend!

I got a call from my principal yesterday saying that a spot opened up and that she signed me up- which is AWESOME- but it was such late notice that I can't find a babysitter for the second and third days of it!  Darnit!  #mommyproblems

So I need some help!!!  What I want is to be able to pick your brains and get some info from you!  I got some really good starter info about CKH, but I want to know more!  Can you help me out??

Haha I love this meme!
All day all I've been thinking about is what I can do to be a better teacher next year!

Have you been to CKH?  What did you learn?  What were your favorite parts?  What specifically do you implement in classroom?  Did it make building relationships with students easier/more meaningful?  Any insight would be helpful!

Thank you!

40 Fridays!

It has been (about) 40 Fridays since I have even logged on to blogger!  

But I am finally back in the blogger-game!

I AM OUT OF SCHOOL FOR SUMMMMMEEERRRRRRRRRRR! 

I literally could not be happier!  I had by far the roughest year I could ever imagine.  Student behavior was awful and I found myself continually trying to connect with the boys in my class all year long with no success.  I truly felt like a failure most of the year, but I am ready to put last year in the past and start anew this upcoming school year!  Despite how hard it was, we had some good times as well!

Creating gas!

Created flotation devices to 'rescue us from Planet X'!

We made GAK!

Many times this past school year I needed to 'escape' my reality- so of course I picked up a good book to help me do it! Here are a few of my faves!  If you click on the book below it will take you to the Amazon review page!

This is an awesome book with a historical side that bounces you back and forth between past and present while a young girl fights to figure out a mystery she has uncovered about her own past!

Similar to Fifty Shades, but I liked it better.

This is a heart-wrenching book that will creep you out, give you the chills and keep you wanting more!  I'll never look at a flower the same way!

Incredible book!  I was so engaged in the story that I didn't want it to end!  Definitely check it out!

This is what I am currently reading.  This is the third book in the Callahan & McLane Series and I can't put it down!  I have read most of her books, including her Bone Secrets Series (LOVED IT!!!) and her Novella titled Veiled.

My best friend moved away last summer and she came back last week for a visit! I couldn't believe it had really been a year since I had last seen her, but it truly felt like no time had passed at all!!!

The biggest excitement in my life right now is that we are prepping our backyard for an above ground pool!  It is a ton of hard work and I am more than thankful for my wonderful husband and his best friend who have done the majority of the work!  Now just to get the ground all nice and level, top it with a layer of sand and then construct the pool! I CANNOT WAIT!!

backyard prep!!!

What our pool will look like!

Now it's play time with my baby girl! Hope everyone's summer is off to an exciting start!