Monday Made It: July 27

Well folks, this is my last Monday of summer vacation. I have leadership team tomorrow, Wednesday off, and I return to school on Thursday for the start of the 2015-2016 school year. Where, oh where, did the summer go???

I am linking up with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics for my favorite 
linky party ever!!

I have four things to share with you today. One of them I bought the materials, printed the tag, and assembled it. Another one I ordered. It was handmade...just not by me. I'm the girl from sewing class that created a dress that looked like it couldn't qualify for sack status. In my defense, how was I supposed to control that foot pedal? I mean honestly. I didn't even have a learner's permit yet. That foot pedal was at zero or 900 miles per hour!! Let's just say, my teacher didn't make me wear the "dress." Because the police would have been brought in and we both would have been arrested. ;) The third project also involved sewing; I was the inspiration, and my sweet hubby was the pedal pusher. And the last one, well, I actually made that one all by myself (and no sewing machine was harmed in the making of the project).
Moving on to the projects....

Project number one this week involved creating a sweet back to school gift for my two elementary age boys' teachers. Here are the pics of the contents:




The cup was on sale at Target for $1.80. It is dishwasher safe!!! Woot woot! The cup is filled with-you guessed it- Hershey's Kisses.
All of these goodies were from Michaels. Mr. Sketch comes in fine tip now. I almost had a moment in the Michaels store....the kind that draws concerned stares from non-teacher types. I know you know what I'm talking about! :)  I got the $6.99 markers half off. The pretty note cards on the left were 70% off and the "Happy is this way" notepad was $1.50.


The last group is the "must have," "need it," "I really don't want to buy any of this stuff for my own classroom" stuff. At least that's how I feel about all this stuff. A regular box of Kleenex wouldn't fit into the cutesy basket. I included the travel packs because they are great for field trips and field day. (Don't judge!  I will send in real boxes of Kleenex the first week.)

Here is what the final product looks like in the Dollar Tree baskets I bought:



Now for the happy news! You remember that cute little tag on the cup? It's an editable freebie in Polka Dots Please shop on TpT. It's not too late for you to create these cute cups for your kiddo's teacher!
Just click on the picture and it will take you right over to her store! Thanks so much for sharing Emily!



As many of you know, I am changing schools this year and moving out of a classroom into the media center. In my county, we have Spirit Fridays.              {Anything that allows me to wear jeans gets capital letters. ;)} 
 Anywho, I didn't have any school spirit shirts to wear. So, I hopped on Etsy and found the cutest little shop with the most helpful owner and ah.ma.zing turnaround time! I ordered these on a Wednesday after convo-ing back and forth. I received them on Saturday people. Of.the.same.week. #thisiswhyidon'tsew #somebodydoesitbetter
It helps shorten the shipping time since we're both in Georgia.
 Take a look at this fabulosity!


Mmm hmm. Now you want her contact information, don't you? The shirts were $15 apiece and you get to choose shirt color and fabric color/design. 
Amanda is offering $3 off every purchase of $15 or more through September 30. And if you're wondering, this is not a paid advertisement. I do not know Amanda personally, and I am not being reimbursed for this endorsement. (I sound like an infomercial, don't I?) I would appreciate it greatly if you'd wait one day to flood her with orders. I'd like to get my second order in before that happens. ;) Oh, and tell her Tonya sent you. Maybe I will get a free shirt!!

Okay, you know how in some schools when a teacher leaves a classroom gets raided? All of the good stuff is replaced with broken down, really been used (and stained), and less than perfect items? Well, my new media center had a couple of badly stained parson's chairs shoved in when no one was looking. And now I'm stuck with them. They are stained and a plaid print with roses and gold tones. The school colors by the way are purple and green. I know; I'm just as confused as you are. So, I did the only thing I could. I ordered chair covers. Iron them, slide them on, and problem solved. Right? Um, no. The "one size fits all" chair cover did not fit the chairs. And because they have a skirt that is sewn to the chair, I couldn't flip it up. Enter the wonderful hubby. 
#supertalented #lovethatman
 
I'm not sure how well you can see it, but he added 2" of gray trim at the bottom. He is a life saver for sure!! Now I need to take them to school, iron them, cross my fingers, toes, and tongue, and pray that they go all the way to the floor!! I will post before and after pics. Say a prayer y'all. It ain't pretty to see a grown teacher cry! (I know that I just used improper grammar.) #noneedforagrammarintervention

My final MMI is actually one that I made. All.by.myself. 
I shared this on Five for Friday, so if you've already checked that out this week's class is dismissed for you. Have a great week! Otherwise, keep reading please!

I created a cute sign to break up the endless brown monotony that is the circulation desk. The colors go with all of the other things I've created for the media center including the "Welcome" banner. Each of them is only a $1 in my TpT store. Click on the picture to head on over and check them out.

What last minute preparations are you making for back to school? Or are you planning your last hurrah for summer vacation? 









Five for Friday: July 24

Welcome to my last Friday of summer vacation. Excuse me while I dry my eyes. No, seriously! Where did the time go? I feel like it was just last week when I was packing up my classroom to move into the media center at my new school. Oh well. It must be that aging time warp thing I've heard about.

It's time to link up with Kacey over at Doddle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday.

I am desperately trying to wrap up loose decorating ends in order to have all of the "frosting" (ie all of the decor and cutesy touches) done on the media center so that when we are officially back at school I can work on "baking the cake" (also known as the curriculum). Here's a little more "frosting" from the week.
I intend to post this on the circulation desk. That big expanse of brown certainly could use some brightening up! You can find it in my TpT store for a $1.

I spent Monday and Tuesday attending Blackboard Training. The tech teacher and I will be redelivering training to our school staff. Aye.yai.yai. That's all I've got to say about that.  The presenter was very personable but a bit scattered. It was one of those trainings that leaves you feeling like the contents of the day could have been delivered in an hour and the rest of the time could have been better spent at the local Starbucks sipping a cold frosty confection filled with life giving caffeine. I'm just keeping it real. Now I need to go to Atomic Learning and actually get some training on Blackboard.

We are squeezing in one more trip to Grandpa's house before school resumes for the boys. Their favorite part (besides Grandpa, of course) is the pool!
Love those boys of mine!

Speaking of the pool, everyone needs a pool bag, right?  I found a great one on Land's End that has enough room to fit everything for my family of 5. And I do mean everything!!
                  
This is my eight year old in the bag.
This is my six year old in the bag.
This is the extra large zip top canvas tote bag and is regularly $50.50. I bought mine on sale with an extra percentage off from Retail Me Not...I can't remember what it was exactly. I'm pretty sure I also got free shipping. All in all, I paid around $30 for a bag that will last for years to come! It holds all 5 beach towels, our suits (including rash guards for the boys), sunscreen, and snacks. The bag also has loads of interior pockets in different sizes (goggles, pool toys) and has a key holder fob thingy. Below is the much more professional picture (what the heck happened to my pictures?!?!) and link to the bag. They're having a 30% off sale today!


Like all teachers everywhere, I get a secret little thrill when the school supplies start lining the shelves. Oh, we rarely admit it out loud, but it's true just the same. Moving to the media center means that I don't need those same supplies in the same quantities as before. Insert sad face. However, I have been picking things up for my three boys at various stores when the price is right. I am not even half way finished. Here's the haul so far.
Don't judge, but we reuse scissors every year. I am on the hunt for the best price on glue sticks. Between them, the three boys need about 40. Have you seen Elmer's glue sticks at rock bottom prices (or a great sale price)? If yes, please tell me where!











Throwback Thursday: July 23

I am joining up with the lovely ladies over at Freebielicious for 
Throwback Thursday.
I won't be throwing back very far because my blog is an infant in the world of blogging (seriously...4 mos. old)! However, I do have a great freebie that you may have missed, so here we go!

Click on the picture to head over to the linky.

For those of you that teach K-3, I created a Plane and Solid Shape Review game. You can read about it in detail HERE
Click on the picture to head over to my TpT store to pick it up.


You can read about the full unit Geometry Games Galore HERE. The flash sale is over, but it will be 28% off during the Back to School sale 
on TpT soon! :) 
You can click on the picture to link over to my TpT store.

Now, it's back to the salt mines for me!  I return to work next Thursday, but I have leadership on Tuesday. That means I only have a few precious days of summer vacation to cram in all of the last minute creating, decorating, planning, sleeping in, watching reality T.V., going to the bathroom any ol' time I want, etc.  I better get busy! ;)

Head on over to Freebielicious to check out all of the other Throwbacks. There are some great back to school posts there!

Monday Made It: July 20

It's time for Monday Made It with Tara over at 4th Grade Frolics!
Unbelievably, I only have one more Monday in my summer vacation after today. I return to work officially on July 30th. :( I much prefer the "unofficial" work day. You know, the one where you stop by school, move a few things around, unpack your desk, sip your Starbucks, and then leave after a few hours to go home and read a good book!


This morning's post will be short and sweet; I have two days of training for Blackboard this morning. Have any of you used Blackboard? If so, I'd love to know what you think!

On to the MMI...I finally finished the bookends that I saw early in the summer right here on MMI. I tried to find the original post, but was unsuccessful. If this was inspired by you, please let me know so I can give you credit!!

This is the beginning. The ampersands (love.that.word.) came from Michael's on sale, and the wood was from the scrap pile in the hubby's workshop. Love.that.man!
 A word to the wise- this project used almost that entire bottle of paint you see in the top right corner. The hubby says I should have painted water on the wood first so that it wouldn't soak up so much paint. Who knew?
 I decided to try to paint the edges in a different color. Can you see that edge? Ummm hmmm. I wasn't feeling it either, and I was in too big of a hurry to wait for the paint to dry so I could tape it off to get a clean line. So, I did what any teacher/mom on a deadline would do....

 I painted right over that orange with blue! My need for neatness has been satisfied. Ahhh...
 Next, I Mod Podged the entire piece of wood. Then I painted Mod Podge on the back of the scrapbook paper that had been cut to size, lined it up, and smoothed out the wrinkles using a stiff plastic grocery bonus points card.
 Repeat the procedure on the top and then put a layer of Mod Podge over the whole thing to protect it.  The white film you see will dry clear and make the entire thing a little shiny!
 Attach the ampersands with some good old fashioned hot glue, or you could use E6000. I prefer the hot glue because it's faster and doesn't stink nearly as badly!
 Here's the view from the end. I love the way the scrapbook paper adds a pop of color!
The final product: an inexpensive project that will help you feature books from your classroom library!

If you made it all the way to the end of this post, head on over to my TpT store where my top selling bundle is about 40% off.

How many more Mondays do you have left of vacation? (Just know that if you say 3 or 4, I may have to hate you. Just sayin'!)
Head on over to 4th Grade Frolics to see what all of your blogging friends have been making. You may find something you can't live without!


Five for Fraturday: July 18

Well, I find myself following in the footsteps of one of my favorite bloggers ever- Kristen over at A Teeny Tiny Teacher with a Five for Fraturday post instead of Five for Friday.  Oh well, migraines happen and when they do everything else grinds to a halt. Thankfully, I'm feeling much better today. So here we go!

This will be my view tomorrow. I mean minus the hairy legs because clearly I'm not a guy, and I shave my legs and everything practically all.the.time. Well, at least in the summertime. ;) My little ol' family is going tubing. This will be the first time for my three boys. It's sure to be a blast!! Although perhaps not so quiet and serene as this picture!



I am offering my American Heroes Bundle which is on the largest number of wish lists for almost half price TODAY only! Now is your chance to scoop it up and start getting prepped for the beginning of the year!


Here's a sneak peek at one of my Monday Made It projects.  I need to get busy since I will be tubing tomorrow afternoon! I'm making bookends for the media center. I got the inspiration early in the summer from someone who posted on MMI. If it was you, please let me know so I can give you credit!  I am thinking I will combine paint with scrapbook paper attached with Mod Podge.  It will probably be determined by the amount of time I have to work on it.  Check back on Monday to see the results.



If you've been reading my blog this summer, you know that we are trying to get our house ready to put on the market. Here's an update of the bathroom floor. Projects like this go so slowly when my hubby is working on them in the evening after work when the boys are in bed. However, the end is in sight! The floor needs to be grouted and sealed and it will be finished!  Praise the Lord for a handy hubby!!

Our bathroom only had tile halfway and then carpet in front of the sink. #disgustinggrossandnasty
This looks so, so, so, so (to quote past kindergarten students) much better!

Last, but not least, I indulged in a little back to school retail therapy.  I had some gift cards to Loft and had lots of fun at the 50% off (including sale items) sale. Everything I purchased was on the "clearance" rack except the white cardigan.



For some reason the cardigan looks pinkish...I promise it's really white.  Those white pants are divine!  All of this is totally work appropriate yet comfortable which is an absolute must in my book! I didn't pay 1 red cent out of my own money...woo hoo!! Loft has 60% off online right now. You should check it out. ;)

Then I headed over to Gap because it was right next store with a BIG sale sign in the window. I couldn't just pass that by now could I? No gift cards here, but they were also having a 50% off sale including clearance. I spent $50 there and left with this:
 This is my "Meet the Teacher" dress. It has pockets people. POCKETS!!  Plus, it was only $25. I'm going to throw a light cardigan on with it, cute ballet slippers, and BAM! I'm dressed for the big event. I'm thinking I will wear an orange cardigan. What color do you think would be perfect with it?
 This looks really wrinkly and little out of focus. :(  However, it's in the blue family, has a cute ruffle detail on the bottom, and the collar is rolled a little.  At $7 I couldn't pass it up!
My last purchase needs to introduction. What teacher doesn't love a maxi skirt?!?! They make dressing easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy! Am I right? 
Also, Gap is having an online sale and there's a code on Retail Me Not for an extra 40% off. They have a super cute light denim jacket for 17ish dollars. Click on the picture and it will link you over to Gap.


What are you doing to prepare for back to school?