Yums in the Classroom & the Kitchen!

Say "synonym rolls" five times fast. 

Impossible, right? Okay.. maybe not impossible, but rather difficult.  I made you do that for a reason.. read on! Read on!

While grading the last benchmark, I realized that my students struggled identifying synonyms in context. Yikes! I had a few ideas brewing in my head, but thanks to this delightful pin... my plans changed!

Luckily, fall is the perfect time to whip up a fresh batch of Synonym Rolls. It was the perfect attention-getter and way to spend time reviewing synonyms and using a beloved thesaurus.


As a class, we defined synonyms in our vocabulary notebooks. Then, we took the "boring word"said and thought of OTHER ways to say said. After creating quite the list, I introduced the rolls. Their assignment was to write the main/boring/overused word in the middle of the roll. Then, along the spirally goodness write words with similar meanings.


It was a great way for me to meet with small groups and talk about using a thesaurus and what synonyms really are.


For example: We picked the boring word "mean" for one roll. One student said, "Well, my sister is mean.. so can I add sister to my roll?" This sparked another discussion about what synonyms are and what they are not. 

Now, each of my students has a piping hot batch of synonym rolls waiting for them everyday on the wall outside our classroom!

And since it seems I'm only thinking about the sweet treats department, I have to include one of the recipes I'm preparing for my upcoming small group meeting (at out little apartment for the first time!)

The Picky Apple is a brilliant blogger who posted a recipe for Pumpkin Crunch Cake. Since there are only a few ingredients in this dish... let's cross our fingers I don't mess this one up. (Also...I will make a different desert for Josh as the pecans will kill him)

It's past 9:00!? How am I even awake? It's bedtime. Plus, I've begun to italicize one too many things in this post. Time to depart. Enjoy the weekend!

The Brain

So much on my mind! Scientific method, the 8 characteristics of all living things, showing Christ better to my kiddos who may know nothing of Him, benchmarks, personal narratives, getting a phone that allows me to make calls, new episode of The Office on hulu, creating an FCA sign up letter (yeah, I am going to get an FCA going!), types of sentences, talking to the Apple store people tomorrow and NOT telling them I dropped my phone in a pool this summer ...  obviously my priorities right now are blogging, watching Modern Family, and crafting.

Soon, my weekend will consist of more procrastinating and pinteresting! <--that reminds me...I have to fit in alliteration before I test next week. EEK.

Until then, remember this!

Sunday Funday

I vote we add one extra day in the weekend. We can call it "schmatterday". Then, I will have enough time to lay around and be productive.

As of yesterday, my jewelry storage changed. I have always been a "hang the necklaces from the vanity, and have bowls of earrings and bracelets" kind of girl. Until we got this furry thing called a kitten. She doesn't seem to care about the amount of money whatever she is batting around cost. Nor does she care when my favorite pair of earring studs gets sucked up by the vacuum. So I had to do something. And that something needed to be crafty.

First, I went to Pinterest...the place where all good ideas begin. That is where I found this idea:

So I took a little trip to my local Wally World. My shopping list included the following:
3 bamboo cutlery trays
1 can primer spray paint
2 cans of spray paint
1 box of rubber coated hooks
....and...drill bits. Because we bought a power drill a while back without drill bits :)

First, I primed each tray with white primer since the bamboo was a brown color. Then I painted with the lovely jade color. It took about 3 coats to get it just right.

Then I laid out all my jewelry to choose places for all of it to hang and put in the hooks. Lesson learned: drill pilot holes FIRST. Then screw in hooks :) Much easier on the wood. 

And then to the hanging...I REALLY wanted to hang them in a straight line down the wall (like the example picture). Unfortunately, for the bottom one to not allow the necklaces to touch the ground, the top tray would have to be out of my reach :( (Really genetics? Thanks alot.) So, my husband helped me come up with the alternative.

Sorry the pictures look a little cramped..it isn't exactly spacious in my little walk-in. Yes, I had to hang the trays-turned-jewelry cases in my closet. This is also an attempt to keep the cat AWAY from the necklaces.

Just installed some hooks along the bottom to make room for the long ones.

Problem solved? Hopefully.... :)

Hoppin' Around

I definitely haven't been doing much blogging or crafting lately, but this so-called-thing called "school" started. It appears to have taken a hostile takeover of my life. It's also rather selfish and requires a lot of my time! Oh well, I don't mind a bit. Considering I have had ample time all summer to craft and lounge it's about time I got my bum in gear!

Since I'm putting 'doing things for myself' on the back burner for now ... I'm going to participate in "Teacher Week!" Blog Hoppin' is a blog dedicated to great teaching ideas from a variety of teachers. This linky party seemed like all the rage in teacher blog world. It sounded like another bandwagon was calling my name. And you might as well know my stance on bandwagons--so once again... ALL ABOARD!


Tell us a little something about you...
Howdy doody! I'm Beth. I'm a 6th grade teacher in the "exciting" town of Sikeston (yes for the millionth time--the home of Lambert's). I have lived in Missouri all of my memory and I kind of like it. Don't be fooled, I'm not a farmer nor do I know anything about farming. The "howdy doody" was more a fun way to say hello. When I was little, I wanted to work at McDonalds so I could play on the playplace on my breaks. Lucky for me, I can play on some of the recess equipment on my breaks (mainly the swings). I also used to think that when riding in a car, the people on the other side of the road were the 'white people' and we were the 'red people' due to the headlights and break lights. I have since learned differently.


How long have you been teaching?


This is my second year teaching! Last year, I was right where I am this year...figuring out how 6th graders work. Thankfully, I have gotten some 6th-grader things down...as well as a handle on my classroom management (what they say really is true--you just have to get through your first year). It wasn't the easiest year by any means. :) Now, I'm a second year teacher and it's full steam ahead...


What are you looking most forward to this school year?


Everything! I'll be honest, it doesn't take much to excite me. I bought new colorful post-its the other day and I was on cloud nine. Being in a great school district and school has me excited about absolutely everything (and just being blessed enough to have a job overwhelms me). I'm love my school and the people I work so closely with. My school is really focusing on instruction - HOW to teach content BEST. And that is really what I want to use this year for anyway! It's a whole new year...and each day is a new day. I'm pumped about the conversations and learning experiences that we'll have in my classroom!


What do you need to improve?


Everything! I have a long way to go until I reach "master teacher" status (and a degree or two). I've got a lot of work to do and soo much more to learn. This year has been a little easier adjusting to since I do have some experience, but it's still a new adventure everyday! In a way, I love that I don't know much because it gives me more drive to learn more. On the flip side, I can't wait to be the one giving advice to new teachers. For now, all I can say is ... write everything down (copies to be made, grocery lists, tv shows to watch, student quotes and funny stories, dismissal changes, books to read, etc.) It's impossible to remember everything..  sometimes it's impossible to remember anything. 


What teaching supplies can you *not* live without?


Post-its! I literally have every size you can imagine. Scratch that, I love all pads of paper regardless of the sticky-factor.


Coca-Cola! (I refer to it as "Coke", but I don't want people getting the wrong idea!) I prefer a large coke from the gas station.  It will probably be what kills me...and for now I am okay with that.

BOOKS! I am slowly becoming addicted. My classroom library has grown significantly since last year, thanks in part to very generous donors (smile). And I have finally begun letting my students 'check-out' books from my library. Not gonna lie--this stresses me out at times. I like the way a new book looks, smells, feels. And on my selfish moments (like when I get a book turned back in crumples and torn), I think maybe I shouldn't do the check-out system. But what's the point of buying/earning books if not to stimulate my student's love and enjoyment for reading?


Thanks for reading :)

Monday...Enough Said.

Sunday Smiles

Linky Party: Top Ten! (Or Eleven)

The Teaching Theif has begun a linky party (the usual) -- "Top Ten Teacher Must Haves." So here I go:

10. STARBUCKS Coffee Frappuccino. What a genius idea it was to invent a Starbucks in my fridge. My 7:00am - 8:00am is accompanied by this.

9. VERA BRADLEY Villager Tote. No more carrying papers out the door, dropping them, and a few flying away. True story.

8. SHARPIE PENS. Fell in love with these last year. How perfect is it to have a sharpie AND a pen all in one? Pretty perfect.

7. POST-ITS. Great for kid thoughts and for my thoughts! I have them stuck in just about everywhere. They even spill over onto the inside of my apartment cabinets.

6. PEDICURE. Just got mine done on Tuesday...very last minute. Better late than never. Seriously.

5. CAMERA. I try to photograph everything. My freshman year in college, I took 7,959 photos. Not lying. 

4. COKE. Caffeine only affects me when I don't have it. And that is pretty much never.

3. SWEATPANTS. The bigger, the better. Enough said.

2. ANN TAYLOR LOFT 15% off teacher discount. Way to go, Ann Taylor. You are pricey, but good to me at the same time.

1. E-MEALZ Meal-Time Makeover. Without this $5 a month service, Josh and I would be eating repeat meals weekly (and they wouldn't be very well balanced). E-mealz is my dinner-making lifesaver. Not only do I spend $40 or less on my five dinner meals, I don't have to figure out how to make them every night! If you're a working girl with a hungry hubby...check it out. <3

0. (Yes...I am including a zero). SUPPORT. Without my husband's, family's, friend's, and co-worker's support, I would not be able to do the job that I do. Thank you for letting me vent, cry, and laugh with you.

When All You Need is a Hobby Lobby and a Pair of Hands

To continue the last post:

My classroom is finally complete (ask me if this is totally true in about 2 weeks)! I have really enjoyed getting to do more projects to brighten up my room and make it more of a reflection of my kids (and me). Here's what I did:

First I met up with Martha Stewart and her Tissue Paper Pom Poms. And the truth is you can pop these suckers up pretty quick.

All you need to create these paper masterpieces are:

Tissue Paper (not the cheap stuff as it tears easily)
Thin wire
Fingers
Scissors
More fingers

Martha gives a pretty good step-by-step process of how to do this one right. Check out the final product!

I really like how they all came out a little bit differently.

For my next project, I wanted to recreate something I REALLY wanted to buy on Etsy (the price is ridiculous). A Rainbow Drizzle. Wasn't quite sure if I could pull it off.

For this project all you need is:

Canvas (I used a 16x20)

Crayola crayons- 64 pack

Wood glue

Hairdryer (or heat gun)

Coca-Cola in the background is optional.

First, you have to choose what order of colors you would like. I wanted the same rainbow effect seen above, but in the opposite order. 

Next time I would really like to try using only crayons in the same color group (like all reds, all blues, etc). The same Etsy shop has a similar drip that is called a Sunset Drip. Anyway. 

After choosing the color order, all you do is glue, wait 24 hours, and blow dry! Definitely be sure to concentrate the hairdryer towards the bottom of the crayons instead of the top, or your crayons won't melt correctly. You can also use the hairdryer to aim where/how far your melted wax goes. 

Here's how mine turned out:

I would like to thank Martha and this Etsy shop owner for all of their inspiration :)

To end this annoyingly "DIY" blog with a little light heartedness (and truth), here is Taylor Mali on "what teachers make." It just makes me laugh (and tear up a little). Excuse the few moments of language.

Too School for Cool

So...as much as I love summer break (and as much as I may regret this by December), I have been to my classroom just about every day for the past three weeks. I have LOVED getting to re-do my classroom. I really felt like in order to create a whole new (and very different) year for myself, that I needed to strip the walls bare and try again. And I'm glad I did!! A new 5th grade teacher inspired me to hang up curtains on my white walls and what a burst of color it added! Take a look:

 And my brain is exploding with hundreds of other ideas. I found this free printable and hope to do the same with it:

Cute huh?

And with my last free week, I plan on making these and hanging them from my ceiling:

Find this on my new guilty pleasure, Pinterest.

ALSO, I recently ordered this from an Etsy user and have been waiting rather impatiently to get it in the mail:

And when all else fails, I will look over and see this sitting by my desk:

So will these new things lend themselves to a better year? I don't know. But they definitely help my mindset. Here's to year 2. I'm like a pro........right?

But tomorrow?? I'm not going in and my mantra will be this:

:)

On Earth as it is in Heaven

This is a blog I found a few weeks ago. Katie from Amazima ministries gave up her life here in the states to live in Uganda and adopt 14 little girls. Her story is one that brings tears to my eyes! Read it here: The Journey.

I Thee Wedd-ed

One year down. A lifetime to go {God willing}. 


I cannot believe that Josh and I will be married a year this Saturday! It disappeared from me! That 'newlywed' thing is now over...right? Maybe not to those who have been married ten, twenty, thirty, or forty years, who probably grin and say, "Oh, you have just begun!" I must say, it certainly doesn't l feel like it is over. And to be honest, I pray it never does feel that way. I fully intend to hold onto this 'newlywed' feeling for as long as possible :)


Not going to lie...God's grace was necessary, essential to living this year {much like every year, except this one was just a little different}. In fact, it seemed like any moment we had the thought, "Hey...I got this marriage thing down. I'm all good!" we were reminded just how much we needed Him. Once we thought we could do it on our own, there He was reminding us that apart from Him, we could do NOTHING. 


And this thought makes me wonder, really wonder, how anyone can do marriage without Him. How?? How do they sacrifice and forgive? Without Christ as my example, I would be totally lost (and to be brutally honest, even WITH Him as my example, many times I am lost). And believe it or not, I have been asked by several people how I KNOW my marriage will last. A totally honest, raw question. The first time I was asked it {"But Beth, how do you know you will be with him the rest of your life? How do you know you won't fall out of love?"}, I stumbled over my words. Then I really thought about it. How do I know. How do I know??
                     Because Christ will never leave His church. There may be times of painful distance and tragic backsliding on our part, but He will never leave His wife. He will never just get too frustrated with His church, pack up, and move out. He keeps His promises. He will never just "fall out of love." Marriage is a display of that! It puts the glory of Christ's covenant-keeping love on display. And He is my example. And, thankfully, He is Josh's as well. 


C.S. Lewis says in Mere Christianity something about this "falling out of love." He says:
                        "Being in love, is a good thing, but it is not the best thing. There are many things below it, but there are also things above it. You cannot make it the basis of a whole life. It is a noble feeling, but it is still a feeling. Now, no feeling can be relied on to last in its full intensity, or even to last at all...In fact, the state of being in love usually does not last...But of course ceasing to 'be in love' need not mean ceasing TO love. Love...is a deep unity, maintained by the will and deliberately strengthened by habit; reinforced by the grace which both partners ask and receive from God...They can retain this love even when each would easily, if they allowed themselves, be 'in love' with someone else. 'Being in love' first moved them to promise fidelity: this quieter love enables them to keep their promise. It is on this love that the engine of marriage is run: being in love was the explosion that started it."


So...when that day comes, IF it comes, I can know that I will still love and choose to love this guy. And I trust that He will too (He already puts up with WAY to much from me, Paha). 

I am so thankful for my husband. Thankful that God knew five years ago when two people/kids met on a college campus, and became friends, that He had a plan for their lives. To use them for His glory to-geth-er. I like that word -- together. 
And Saturday I get to eat that top tier of wedding cake. And this time, I WILL remember what it                                                        tastes like.

Calendars and Maps

When I look at the calendar, I am overwhelmed at the year that has passed. A good overwhelmed. Maybe just whelmed actually.

Why? Because this time last year I was in the midst of the chaos that is planning a wedding and the anxiety of beginning a whole new life. We already knew a month before that we would be moving to Sikeston as I had signed a teaching contract for the upcoming school year (SUCH a blessing!). At the same time, Josh had no prospects at having a job, much less a job in the ministry. It seemed for a time that we had gone into this whole getting married thing blind...with very little assurance. 

Little did we know that once I met a co-worker, Josh would be offered a job, or that after four months of discouraging church searching, we would find a precious gem - Trinity Baptist - with their sweet people who pour themselves into newcomers like they have been there for years. We also couldn't have imagined my car (purchased outright by my parents) would be totaled the night before our wedding, only to be replaced by insurance money with a much more reliable Honda (Josh's family are big on Honda's, so we joined in the Govier tradition). Finally, I had no idea just how hard this first year of teaching would be and just how much my faith would be sifted.

The Lord proved Himself over and over again when He didn't have to. All this just makes me throw up my hands and cry, "Why would I have EVER doubted You?!" Why would I take my eyes off of my Jesus? And I have learned the lesson {again} that if there is anything to fear, it is to be only HIM.

Gloria Dios.

Here I am.

So here I am.

An official blogger. I'm not really even sure how to do this. My life really isn't all that exciting and, after abandoning a blog I had through college, we will just have to see how this goes. All I do know is that I like to write. And the Lord, by His grace, has certainly given me things I can talk about :)