Craft Crazy

There's a couple reasons why I've been so unfaithful to the blogger world these past couple months. Clinicals being the main one and checking of that fall bucket list that I made with Miss Casey is another. The third reason is.......crafting! I swear there's something about Pinterest that inspires me to be the most creative woman on this planet and go craft crazy. Let's just say, I've been appreciating those Michaels' coupons in the Sunday paper a WHOLE lot more than I have in the past! 

A Halloween wreath to hang on the front door!

A decorated pumpkin for our table centerpiece! So simple! Just painted on the circles then added the C for Conley! The bedazzled jewels gave it the perfect touch!

Here's my favorite! All you need is an empty wine bottle, gems, Christmas lights, and a hot glue gun! Glue gems to the wine bottle, add in the lights,  and what do you have? A NIGHT LIGHT! 

I was a little nutty over Halloween this year. I could hardly wait for the Hocus Pocus reruns to begin so I figured what's more perfect than a Halloween countdown? I spray painted a cookie sheet, painted on the letters, then decorated it with some cute stickers/ribbon/letters. (And yes, you read it right. I definitely screwed up the numbers. 14,13,14,13,12- That's what writing a lesson plan, listening to music, and crafting at the same time does to me! Woops!)

I'm wrapping up my last couple weeks with my sweet third graders. I don't even want to think about leaving their sweet faces- they bring way too much joy into my life! Whenever clinicals are over and the holiday's arrive, I'm hoping to write less lesson plans and do MORE crafting! 

I'm off to bed! Night ya'll!

Recipes :)

I have a couple of favorite healthy recipes/meals that are super easy to whip up and I wanted to share them with YOU.

1. Homemade Flatbread Pizza

This is one of my absolute favorites. Ever since my cousin's hubby whipped this up for us, I've been hooked. Not only is a a much healthier choice than your local pizza place, it taste JUST as good to me, if not better! (Thanks Drewbie!) What you need:

1. 80 calorie flatbread

2. 1/4 cup of pizza sauce

3. 1/4 cup of white shredded cheese

4. turkey pepperoni (17 slices is only 60 cals- wowie!)

5. Canned pineapple (two slices cut up-60 calories!) 

6. Heat oven to 375, bake for 15 minutes, and voila- your very own pizza!

2. Fancy Schmancy Dinner, Right at Home!

It's so expensive to get a REALLY good meal out at restaurants anymore. So, my mom and I decided instead of ordering our favorite meal out (Salmon), we'd start cooking it at home. We found out FAST how much better AND cheaper it is to just whip it up in our own kitchen!  What you need:

1. 1 Salmon fillet (you can buy a bag of individually wrapped salmon for the price of ONE fillet you'd order out) About 5 minutes before salmon is done, glaze it with teriyaki sauce- UNBELIEVABLE!)

2. Sweet Potatoe (Takes a whole bit of 8 minutes to heat up!)

3. Broccoli (Takes 4 minutes to heat up. Sprinkle some cheese on there for more taste!)

Anddddddd there you have it! A wonderful dinner at home- and you don't have to tip! (Score!) 

3. Taco Soup (Mmmmmm!)

My mouth is watering just thinking about it! It doesn't help that I just made the soup this morning. It's completely eye balling me from the stove at this very minute! Anywho, if you like Mexican, beans or or a little spice then this is for you! What you need:

1 can red kidney beans

1 can pinto beans

1 can black beans

1 can yellow corn

1 chopped onion

3  16oz cans diced tomatoes with Green Chiles

1 package Taco Seasoning Mix

1 Package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing

Brown 1lb of ground beef (we use turkey beef) with chopped onions. Drain. Season with 1 package of Taco Seasoning mix and 1 package Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing.

Mix together all cans of vegetables. Don't drain any of the vegetables.

Add meat mixture to the canned vegetable mix and heat.

And there you have it! FYI: This soup goes PERFECTLY with tortilla chips! Just add sour cream, shredded cheese, or whatever else makes your little tummy smile!

Enjoy :)

Klove, Casey, and Coffee!

Just wanted to extend my apologies to the blogger world for being M.I.A. My oh my have my days been crazy busy, but I wouldn't have it any other way- I'm doing what I love!

With that said, I couldn't do it without the inspiration and motivation I receive from my loved ones. For example, I've already received my daily dose of KLove Radio, Casey, and coffee this morning- the three things that get me through each and every day.  She got placed at Kellogg Elementary for our level II clinical (lucky girl, absolutely love the school- GO TIGERS!).  It just so happens that I live about 3 blocks away, so we have started a morning ritual where she stops by for coffee and of course, teacher talk! I don't believe there's a better way to start off my day.

For my level II clinical I got placed at Ceredo Elementary which is only 5 minutes from my house- WOOO! I will admit, it's so convenient and those extra ten minutes of sleep I receive each night is just oh so wonderful! It's only week two and I feel like I've known these kids (and Mrs. H) for so long. I've never learned students' names so fast. Maybe it's because every single morning since day 1, I walk in the classroom and all I hear is "What's my name, What's my name, What's my name?" I'm thankful they stayed on me as much as they did, because dag on it....I knew all of their names by day 4! 

I'm teaching my unit in about three weeks! I'm already doing some small groups with the kids, and I have a couple of cute activities up my sleeve for these kiddos. I'll try to post pictures soon! For now...I"m off to school!

Have a great day friends!

Baby Bailey #3

What's more exciting that finding out there's going to be a new addition to your family? You're right, not much! However, revealing the sex of the baby is quite the excitement! My cousin, Rachel and her husband, Drew decided they wanted to do something a little different this time around. (This will be baby #3!) 

 

 On September 10th they had a doctor's appointment to find out the sex of baby Bailey. This is where it gets fun! They had the doctor slip the ultrasound pics into an envelope. They then gave this envelope to a friend who made a cake! Pink on the inside if it's a girl and blue if it's a boy! That evening they had a GENDER REVEAL party for not only family and friends- but for them too! Major kudos to them for waiting hours to find out (and not peaking in the envelope). This was the cutest/sweetest idea I've ever heard of and was such a special time for our family!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Can't wait to welcome "Gracie Lyric Bailey" into our family :)

 

Twenty Three!

I turned 23 years YOUNG a couple weeks ago. My oh my, does time fly or what? I get older each year but that doesn't mean I have to grow up just yet, does it? No way. Forever young, my friends. I felt the best way to share my birthday with you was not through words, but pictures!

I started my birthday "week" out by having dinner with some lovely friends :)

 

 

 

They spoiled me too much. Gift cards for Starbucks, Dollar Tree (every teacher will appreciate this)and Forever 21, fancy wine, sweet cards, balloons, and an organizing dresser stand full of TEACHER SUPPLIES!! I about fell over and went to heaven!

 

 

I received these from my sweet Casey Danielle :) Flowers and another gift card to Forever 21. She knows the way to my heart! Since we share the same birthday, we decided to have lunch at one of our favorite places- fat pattys! Because it was "our" day we chose to eat anything we wanted. Crispy buffalo chicken wrap with fries won us over!

 

 Remember when I blogged about my Georgia trip? Here's the sweet baby I met :) She and Katey made me a "Happy Birthday" sign along with a video of them singing to me! Talk about making someones day!

 

Here is proof that Sunday dinners are the best at my home- Thanks Momma! She cooked my favorite meal and invited the fam over for this and red velvet cake (homemade as well).

 

 

 

Getting pampered by Bray after stuffing my face with cake! I could let her play with my hair for hours!

 Since these boys were in Morgantown during my birthday dinner, they made it up with a little birthday bowling! They're the best. (So is the photographer: Miss Sar Hayton)

 



The BEST part of my birthday? The four of us being together! Huge thank you to my sis for driving in from Nashville and never missing my birthday. Family is everything!

ZUMBA!

 

 

Well ladies (and gents), it's that time again! School's back in session which means it's time for us to come together and shake that weight off- Zumba style!

For those of you who are unfamiliar with this workout, listen up! Zumba is a Latin inspired dance fitness program that has become so popular not only in the US but around the world. Here's a little fact for you: More than 14 million people of all shapes and ages participate in weekly Zumba classes in over 140,000 locations across more than 150 countries.

Something that tends to rub me the wrong way is when I hear this statement: "Zumba isn't a real workout." Whoever says this either 1. Has never been to a REAL zumba class. 2. Has been to a class but SLACKS. As you dance (salsa, calypso, cumbia, meringue, quebradita, reggaeton and samba) you are exercising and raising your heart rate, which means burning calories and fat. All of the moves require FULL body movement so please tell me how this isn't a workout? Those who actually put forth the effort WILL get results and I encourage whoever thinks that Zumba is not a real work out to come to our class because I guarantee you'll leave thinking differently :) (Shewwwww! I feel better now!)
 

Personally, I love to dance and I have my mother to thank for that. If music is playing, good luck trying to get me to sit still or focus :) It's just in my genes! However, just because I like to dance doesn't mean I'm necessarily "good" and THAT is the beauty of Zumba. There is absolutely no skill required in order to do Zumba the "right" way. There is no right or wrong because it's all about YOUR way and your level of comfort. As an instructor, we provide guidance but it is up to YOU to make the moves yours: Own it!

Zumba in a nutshell: Dancing, smiling, and laughing your booty off with some cool ladies for an hour while burning major calories in the process.

Our Zumba classes will be starting back up NEXT WEEK (September 18th).  Classes will be weekly on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:00-7:00pm at the Buffalo Middle School Gym. The price is $4.00 a class or you can buy a punch card: 11 classes for $40.00 which means you get one class free ;) 

You are required to bring only 2 things: Your pretty little smile and your favorite dance moves! Let's have fun!
 
For my viewers outside of this area, head on over to www.zumba.com and find a class near you!

For those wondering just how many calories you can burn during a class go here:http://caloriesburnedhq.com/zumba-calories-burned/

Team Toni!

Good Morning!

Laying heavy on my mind today is a lovely young woman with the name of Toni Black. Toni was diagnosed with stage four cancer of the lungs and brain back in March of 2011.  Not knowing who Toni Black was, I began to follow her story through the news and social media. Realizing that she was 23, the exact age I am today, really opened my eyes and heart. What a strong person to have gone through what she did at such a young age: all with her smile and faith in God. She went to be with the Lord on April 9th, 2012.

For those in the community, I'm sure you've heard of "Team Toni" and/or seen the pink Team Toni shirts that hundreds of us wear. THIS is what it's for! Team Toni is a non profit organization that is allowing Toni's legacy and wishes to carry on. This is where you step in....

I've posted before about volunteering and how much better it feels to GIVE rather than receive and I will stand by this statement again and again. Awhile back my best friend Casey and I felt lead to become involved with Team Toni in some way. After looking through the different options, we felt the "Send A Squeeze" service was best fit for us. Every couple weeks an email is sent to us from Team Toni, informing us of patients/people who need our prayers and their spirits lifted. Their story, along with their name and address is provided to us. Once this info is sent our way, it's then time to get the pens moving and the stamps ready! As Team Toni puts it, "You send a squeeze through a note or card to someone who needs it most, and you’ll be helping the healing from the outside in!"

There are so many different ways you can volunteer through Team Toni. I encourage you to head on over to their website. You'll be able to learn more about Toni and her journey, find ways to volunteer, make donations, see photos/videos, stay up to date with Team Toni events and prayer lists, and much more.

 http://www.teamtoni.org/?page_id=89