TAAFOMFT -- Fave Friend(s)

The new challenge over at TAAFOMFT is up -- scrap about your favorite friend!  Personally, I couldn't just choose one.  What you see is just the start of what will probably be a multi-volume project that features a cast of 1000s.  Okay, slight exaggeration.  But there are just so many wonderful people in my life -- family, church , college, work, scrapping -- I just couldn't choose one.  But I did put my husband's page first, so I guess he's my favorite favorite.  :)

Originally, I wanted to do this album as a rolodex, but I couldn't find an inexpensive one.  I did, however, have two Real Simple business card holders from Target, and I think they worked out quite nicely. 

Keep in mind that this is just the beginning.  I haven't found pics of everyone yet.  Also, I started putting this together Saturday afternnoon, so it certainly isn't finished.  Please, please, please don't be sad if you don't see your picture here.  Okay?  Okay.

Also, have you heard about the Prima giveaway?  Head on over...it looks fantastic!

Everything's better with chopsticks

I think I'm over yesterday's exhaustion.  It was a great day, though.  I took 27 students to a regional technology competition.  We received two 2nd place and one 3rd place finish, which was not bad at all.  Best of all, they were a great group of kids.  (In my opinion, if you can spend a full day around that many kids -- including nearly 4 hours on a bus -- and never hear the f-bomb dropped, it's been a good day.) 

I wish I could show you a bunch of fun photos from the day, but as it turn out, this is the only photo I took where no students are identifiable.  This was from the problem solving challenge, where they had to make a glider that slid down a string and picked up a pipe-cleaner person. 

But I didn't stop there.  Once I got home, we decided to go out for Thai (too tired to cook...not too tired to drive 25 minutes to the restaurant).  When we got there, we saw a sign on the door that said the restaurant would be closed from March 1st - April 15th while the owners are out of the country visiting family.  Really, really glad we didn't put this outing off until next weekend.  I'm a little bummed out that Thai won't be an option of the next 6 weeks (yes, I'm sure there are other places that serve Thai, but we're fiercely loyal to this tiny business), but happy that they get to visit family members.  Also happy that I had leftover pad woon sen for lunch. 

Funny, I've decided that food is better when eaten with chopsticks.  Tonight Mike made pork stir fry with broccoli, peas, and green peppers.  So yummy!  Soon I'll talk him into making beef with broccoli.  Seriously, giving him a wok a few Christmases ago was one of the best investments I have ever made. 

Also last night, we went to Target to buy season one of Flight of the Conchords.  We watched four episodes tonight, and this is so our brand of humor.  I'm going to be nice and not watch any more while Mike is asleep. 

Two new challenges coming up next week -- TAAFOMFT tomorrow, and Butterfly Crafts on Monday!  I can't wait to share! 

Friday Fill-Ins

1. A cup of tea is nice, but not nearly as nice as a cup of coffee.
2. Color makes a place feel like home.
3. Everything has its beauty pageant. But they should do away with the pageants for little kids.  It's just gross. 
4. Don't you just love the taste of strawberries?
5. Art makes me wish he still sang with Simon.
6. LOL I just noticed I forgot to stay awake all the way through The Soup tonight.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to being finished with TSA regionsals, tomorrow my plans include scrapbooking, and Sunday, I want to write sub plans for Monday!

It's been a long day.  I took 27 high school students to a nearby college campus for a technology competition.  I'm exhausted, so forgive me for being a lazy (but still regular) blogger tonight.  :)

Another one?! You've got to be kidding me.

The morning started with a phone call.  If you're a regular around here, you probably know where this is going... 

Snow day.

Really?  I thought we were past those.  Because I was finally at a place where I wasn't dreading a five-day work week. 

I went to work anyway.  Well, I was at work from 1-3 pm.  I had some students who desperately needed to finish their regional project.  Oh, and the snow had melted by then.  But, I'm going to focus on the positive -- I was able to give attention to a small group of students who would not have gotten nearly as much help from me had this been a regular school day.  Plus, their projects are finished.  So, take that, snow day!

Wonder if I'll get to celebrate Flag Day with my students this year?  LOL

Let's see...what's going on in Bessland at the moment?  (Besstopia?  Bessopotamia?)  :)

• Mike and I watched Spanish language preschool television this morning. 
• Working on projects for TAAFOMFT and Butterfly Crafts.
• Backing up photos on Flickr.  Cheaper than buying a new Compact Flash card.
• We're out of milk.
• Painting my nails a shade of "Pedal to the Metal".
• And a fun pic from last night. 

Mike's crush

A couple weeks ago, I mentioned that Mike has a crush on Bebe Neuwirth.  Yes, Lilith from Cheers and Frasier.  Apparently, she is not only an actress, but a very talented singer and dancer. 

Hmmm...pale, tiny, dark hair...reminds you of anyone...  :)

A few years ago, I found out she would be performing in Cincinnati very close to Mike's birthday.  Guess who got the best birthday gift ever that year?!  :)  The poor girl was suffering from a nasty cold, but she was still absolutely amazing!  Lots of broadway showtunes -- especially from Chicago. 
Mike will be in NYC on a history department trip for a few days next month.  The organizers of the trip have scheduled them to see a performance of The Addams Family on Broadway.  Having never heard of this production, he wasn't too excited about seeing it -- he was afraid he wasn't going to be getting a real Broadway experience.  Wouldn't you know it, while I was looking up a picture to put with this post, I noticed an ad for The Addams Family on the sidebar.  This is because Bebe Neuwirth is Morticia.  Suddenly he's a lot more excited about seeing it...  :)

Oh yeah, and Nathan Lane is Gomez. 

And now I think we will watch Fame (2009) this weekend.  She's in that, too. 

Scrapbook storage and nifty gifties

How was your Tuesday.  Mine was pretty good.  Although I wanted to scream at the weatherman, who tried to say we'd be getting 1"-3" of snow tomorrow night.  Ummmmm....NO!  Fortunately, we switched channels, and the other weatherman wasn't nearly as dramatic.  :) 

Here's a pic of the rack I mentioned in my last post.  I plan on spray painting it yellow and replacing the plastic backing.  But it's the perfect size for scrapbook paper!

And I've received some fun mail this week!  I won a really neat book from Jeannie's blog, and she sent me lots of cute papers to go along with it.  I can't wait to read the book, and to play with the papers!  :)

And Amy sent out the cutest V-Day gifts to the TAAFOMFT gals!  Isn't that little doll adorable?! 

Thank you ladies! 

In Winter Olympics observations -- I think the snow cross might be one of the coolest things I've seen in a while. 

And I think that is all for now.  I'm hoping to catch up on blog reading tomorrow.  Apparently I enjoy letting the blogs gather in hundreds, and only then will I attempt to read them.  :)  Good night, all!

PS - I started writing this post after school, because I told my students I would stay until 4:45 so they could work on a project.  One of them negotiated with me, and I agreed to stay until 4:46:15.  Haha!

Late-nght list

• I am 4-weeks soda-free!  Oddly enough, I really wanted a soda today.  Probably because I have this nasty lingering sinus headache.  But don't worry -- I didn't cave!  :) 
• I'm over halfway through reading Shopgirl by Steve Martin.  Writing, comedy, banjo-playing...is there anything the guy can't do?  :)
• One of my students told me she had a dream about me the other night:  She was in the hall outside my classroom buidling a LEGO robot, and I yelled at her for not working.  Then I punished her by making her build an Obama robot. 
• I went back to the Peddler's Mall on Sunday.  I bought the solid green pyrex dish, a pink one just like it, the J. Peterman cup, and a wire rack that will be perfect for storing scrapbook paper. 
• It looks like we'll have a full week of school!  And it doesn't seems nearly as scary as it did last week. 
• DT introductions are up over at the Butterfly Crafts blog.
• I get to play with a Kindle at work.  So far, not terribly impressed.  Give me a real book any day.  I'm much less afraid of dropping a book.
• I like ice dancing.  I don't get all the negative reactions I'm hearing from people about it.  It's pretty.  Granted, I'm also the girl that thinks rhythmic gymnastics is fascinating. 
• I have a teal pair of tights that just look strange on me.  Now I feel like I have to make them work. 
• And now I'm off to sleep. :)

The Peddler's Mall

Yesterday I spend a couple of hours at one my favorite places -- The Peddler's Mall.  Though I didn't buy anything, I walked out with plenty of eye-candy on my iPhone.  I thought you all might enjoy it.

I'm still pondering the top two dishes in this stack. 

At $3 each, I might be making another trip soon. 

They make great scrappy storage.

Thought these were cute. 

If we needed a set of glasses,

they would have come home with me. 

We don't need glasses, though.

I see lots and lots of Pyrex at the Peddler's Mall,

but this is the first time I've seen this pattern. 

I <3 retro. 

You guys know I like yellow, right? 

This is just cute. 

 Not $30 worth of cute. 

But still cute.

This is either really cute or deeply disturbing. 

I can't decide. 

I mean, I like kewpie dolls. 

But a pile of nekkid kewpies?

I apolgize if this gives you nightmares.

The table and stools.  Love.

This lady startled me.  Seriously. 

I was looking at something,

I turned around, and she was just there. 

It doesn't help that there is a dead

animal hanging from her neck.

Eeek.

I like this black and gray scarf.

Another item that might come home with me.

A J. Peteman wooden cup. 

It's not really from 1903,

but I <3 it because I makes me think of Seinfeld.

We have a friend that is a woodworker,

and writes wonderful J. Perterman-esque prose.

He might be getting this soon.  If it's still there.

Okay, who else was a Brownie?  :)

I might have drooled a little over this handbook.

Don't worry, I didn't get any on the book.

This one was great, too. 

Dates, names...all sorts of info recorded in this one.

Although I never made it to the level of "Girl Scout".

Funny story, I was told they met at the library. 

I went there. 

None of the librarians knew what I was talking about.

And that's the story of how I didn't become a Girl Scout.

Yellow glass.  Pretty pretty.

I really like this cabinet. 

The middle shelf has a spinning hook thing. 

It would be great for storing neclaces.

Not the entire cabinet. 

Just the middle shelf spinning thing.

This just made me smile.

The more things change, right?  :)

Today I slept in...

...and as always, I checked my email after I finally felt like I was somewhat awake.  (I actually stayed up until 2 am last night watching the Winter Olympics -- go me!)  Anyway, the first thing I noticed was an email from Julie to all the TAAFOMFT gals titled "Miss Bekka has been keeping a little secret from us..."  Which is funny, because then I was dying to know what secret I was keeping from them.  (I'm not kidding when I say that I am always the last to know.)  Her email included a link to this post on the Butterfly Crafts blog: 

(Just in case you're wondering, I added the circle to draw your attention to the part of that post I really liked.)  :)

WOOHOO!  And then I checked the rest of my email to see that only one hour or so prior, I had been invited to join the design team!  (Julie -- and I think Chris -- where do you get your mad scrapping news skills?  Haha!)

And guess what.  It's supposed to be rainy next week.  Not snowy.  I am so happy about this!  We might get in a full week of school.  I can't even remember what that's like.   

Have a fantastic Saturday!  I think I might go shopping.  I feel the need to get out of the house and do something fun.  A trip to Walmart no longer counts.  :)

Friday Fill-Ins

Here's this week's Friday Fill-In:

1. Johnny Weir rocks the tassel.  :)
2. I love watching the 2010 Olympics.
3. And the day came when the risk to remain tight in a bud was over, and I could become a flower, I guess I did, but really, this one just doesn't make a bit of sense.
4. Comment to this post if you get an urge.
5. Having sweet dreams on the couch, because that's the only way I can sleep on my back and breathe because of this darned sinus infection.
6. What does it take to get this post finished on 2/19...haha!
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to hangin out with my hubby, tomorrow my plans include shopping (?!) and Sunday, I want to relax!

Being back at work was fantastic...very tired...almost didn't get this posted today -- EEEK!

Have a wonderful weekend!

"He was my cream, and I was his coffee..."

Today I played around with my blog and organized the links over to you right.  I added some favorite blogs, move the TAAFOMFT girls to their own separate category, and also listed the links to some challenge blogs that I like.  While we're on that subject, are there and I'm forgetting that I really ought to know about?  Because I've become slightly addicted to them this week.  :)

I wanted to share a few more layouts that I made before going back to work. (I'm just keeping positive about this -- no news yet, but we have to go back tomorrow. We just have to. It's jeans day, after all.)

I used this week's Pencil Lines sketch to make this layout about my (occasionaly) cuddly Lola.  :)

And I used this month's Scrap Mojo challenge (tell a love story) to make this layout about a girl, a boy, and their coffee.  (Betcha can't guess who the girl and boy are. Haha.) 

Here's what the journaling says:

She always enjoyed her weekly trips to Starbucks, and had tried to get him to join her.  His response was always the same:  "I don't want to become a coffee snob."  Then one day, on a magical coffee run, he asked her to pick up a hot chocolate.  It wasn't coffee, but it was certainly a start.  He loved it, and then tried a sip of her mocha, which he found to be even more delightful.  Soon, he was the one suggesting coffee dates.  Their romance with coffee continued to blossom, and they thought to themselves, "Wouldn't it be lovely to have this every morning?"  So they bought their first bag of coffee, and brought out the coffee maker that had spent years stored in a cabinet.  And their mornings were comlete from that day on.

I also had to use a love quote somewhere on my page.  Here's what I chose:

He was my cream, and I was his coffee --

And when you put us together, it was something.

I just love that quote! 

I discoverd a couple of new (to me) challenge blogs.  The first one is Scrap Fit, and the challenge (or, workout) was to scrap monochromatic in pink, red, or black.  I chose pink.

The other challenge blog I found was Inspired Blueprints.  This is my take on their latest sketch (you might remember the story from one of my "Adventures in Christmas" posts):

Hope your week has been great!  And, I just got word that we're on a 1-hour delay tomorrow!  Yay!!!

Another layout. Still no school.

Day 3 of no school.  Otherwise known at summer break. :P  I've been waiting all day to find out what tomorrow's call would be.  The county south of us (where Mike teaches) opted for a 1-hour delay.  The county we live in cancelled very early in the day.  Which left the county I teach in -- the one north of here.  I obsessively checked facebook and two local news stations throughout afternoon.  Speculation amongst teachers was we'd be in session tomorrow on the Snow Plan (in which buses run, but they stay on the main roads).  I settled down for a nice nap, and a little while later, the phone rang.  Crossing fingers..."Good afternoon.  Thursday, February 18, school will be..."

Please be a snow plan.  Please be a snow plan.

...cancelled."

AAAAAAAACCCCCCCCKKKKKKKK!

I've decided that I will start teaching architecture basics to the cat tomorrow.  It's really the only coping strategy I have left.  And then I'll assign her a cute kitty condo that she'll have to design.  Yes. That will make everything better. 

Okay, I'm exaggerating a teensy bit.  Part of me is actually worried that I've grown a little too accustomed to this way of life -- sleeping in until 7, easing into my day, watching the Winter Olympics, playing with Lola.  I'm not going to lie, there is a part of me that has really enjoyed this break.  But, it's not permanent, and someday I'm going to have to work a full 5-day week.  That seems overwhelming right now. 

Today we did manage to get into town for the first time since Sunday.  We went out for pizza, then to Walmart, which I'm normally not a huge fan of, but I'll make an exception for a situation such as this.  :)

I thought I would scrap more.  Monday's zest for scrapping has dwindled a bit.  Or I was holding back because I was on my last glue runner.  Ha.  I picked up more of them while I was out, plus had some photos printed.  So, fresh stuff to work with.  That usually helps. 

I did get this one finished yesterday.  This is for the new Scrapjacked challenge.  This was taken while Mike was running his final leg of the Bourbon Chase last October. 

And I got a valentine in the mail!  My parents always send me a little something for Valentine's Day!  This year, I got  a pretty pink card, and a cute keychain that hangs on the opening of a purse.  Pretty handy!   Thanks Mom and Dad! 

Oh, and check out Jessi's car that she made for Toyota Racing's Sponsafy Your Ride Contest.  I know she'd really appreciate your votes!  And Sarah's sweet Maui is in a contest, too.  If you organize the results by most popular, you'll see Maui (a cute little white pup looking up at you). 

Hope your day has been great! 

Looks like I'm going to be stuck here for awhile.

So, it's almost stopped snowing.  Well, it's stopped snowing heavy -- we could still see an extra 1.5" on top of the total from yesterday.  And what was that total?  I can't say.  It was very windy, and we had some 1.5' snow drifts.  And some almost bare spots.  I had to laugh, because Mike ran in from shoveling the walk and said, "Take a picture of me jumping into the snow drift!"  I love it when he channels his inner 6-year-old.  :) 

Oh, and we're trapped.  Our hill is covered in snow drifts -- we could get out if we shoveled, I'm sure, but really, where are we going to go?  So I scrapped yesterday.  A lot.  :)  I didn't do much of that on my last snow break.  I'm definitely making up for lost time. 

I meant to scrap this photo back in May, but let's face it -- I was way too busy with, you know, moving and stuff that it just didn't happen.  But I'm really happy with the way this turned out -- definitely worth the wait!  I initially wasn't too enthusiastic about that particular Amy Butler paper (it came in a pack), but now I absolutely love it! 

This was my first amigurmi project -- I made it as a baby shower gift last year, and decided that it deserved its own page.  (Also, if you want to make one for yourself, here's the free pattern.)

I made this one for this week's Scrapping the Music challenge.  The song this week is "I Could Not Ask for More" by Sara Evan (or, by Edwin McCain, my preferred version).  :) 

And I finally did a Sketchy Thursdays challenge!  I had been meaning to participate in their challenges for a few weeks now, ever since I heard about it from some of the Fave Gals.  So it was about time I did so.  It was also about time that I scrapped some of our Munich pics from two summers ago.  Win win.  This is from our trip into Englischer Garten (and I think I even spelled it right -- Mike is the German expert around here).

Speaking of the Fave Gals, Chris -- who also happens to be one of my fave gals :) -- is hosting a nifty apron giveaway over at the Gal Blog today -- definitely worth checking out!  She made the cutest apron, and she's giving it away!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Snow, coffee, fave memory, and some giveaways!

Another snow day!  I'm so thankful I didn't have to drive in this weather -- we had a bit of a white-out this morning.  I'm hoping everyone made it safely to work if they had to go.  It's calmed down a lot since this morning.  I'll give you a weather report tomorrow, after the wind has totally calmed down.

This weekend, we got to catch up with one of our favorite former students.  (Well, technically one of Mike's, since she was never my student...but I got to know her quite well, since she ran cross country when Mike coached).  Janey has been studying in Germany since Fall, and she's back in Kentucky through February.  We had such a great time going out for coffee at Common Grounds on Saturday (if you're ever in Lexington, go there -- great coffeehouse atmosphere) and hearing all about her experiences abroad.  We were treated to some truly hilarious photos from her trip.  Words don't do them justice.  We can't wait until she's back for good in July!

Okay, I'm going to brag now:  As of today, I have been soda-free for three weeks!!!  I'm really not trying to toot my own horn (but it's my blog and I can) :) , but I'm very proud of doing this!  Because, honestly, I thought it would be a struggle to make it through the first week.  But, as it turns out, I hardly want it any more.  Occasionally yes, I crave, but I haven't given in.  I thought going out to eat would be a struggle, but it's been very easy to order a bottle water instead of going for the soft drink!  I'm a girl who loves flavor in my beverages, so I do drink a little lemonade (Simply Lemonade is soooo good), Lifewater (when it's on sale), and I need to break out the tea again -- I love sticking a bag of flavored tea into my water -- tastes very good, even cold.  But, anyway, I hadn't updated you guys in awhile, so I wanted you to know that I'm still on my best behavior! 

The new TAAFOMFT challenge is up today:  tell us your favorite memory!  I chose our wedding, because really, I had been planning on writing down all the little memories since...well...2004.  So what better time than now, right?  I typed out the journaling for you, because parts of the pic are a little fuzzy.

The way you helped me with my dress after we lit the unity candle.  The cake that nearly fell over.  A pizza roll picnic on the floor of the nursery with my bridesmaids.  Doing the "mental picture" thing long before Jim & Pam did on The Office.  Seeing my dad in a tux for the first time.  Realizing that, no, we wouldn't get to eat at our own wedding.  Accidentally catching a glimpse of you in your tux a few minutes before the ceremony.  My Uncle Greg sitting on your side of the aisle.  Almost losing my dress when your aunt stepped on it.  The most awesome wedding buffet ever, prepared by family.  My near-breakdown when the photocopier wouldn't cooperate.  Being told "do that again" the the photographer (I guess we were cute!).  :)  Knowing without a doubt we had made a great decision.

Also, head over to TAAFOMFT for a giveaway from Amy -- she has generously decided to give away 5 prize packs to the people who comment on her post!  And she wrote the nicest thank you to those of you who have particpated in our challenges, or even just keep up with our posts!  You have until the 19th to enter -- if you've never participated with us, this would be a great time to head on over and introduce yourself! 

Also, Sarah wants you to know that there is another great giveaway going on at the Kiki Art blog.  Head over there and leave some love!

Have a fantastic Monday, everyone!

Happy Valentine's Day

I planned in writing a long, heartfelt blog post about how much I love Mike. Instead, I'm blogging from my phone with only one hand, because the left hand is busy holding Mike's hand. We had a fun day -- church, lunch at Arby's, a trip to Michael's, and grocery shopping.

I choo choo choose him. :)

My 5 favorite crushes through the years.

While I will reserve space for my beloved on my Valentine's Day post, I will dedicate the day before to the celeb (and fictional) crushes I've had through the years.  Please keep in mind, I was never the girl who bought Tiger Beat and stuck pictures of cute celeb crushes on my wall.  I didn't have too many crushes, and there are even fewer crushes that I'll admit to.  Keep in mind that I'm an offbeat girl...you will see no Jonathan Taylor Thomas or Justin Timberlake on this list. 

So, here are my five faves ("Why only five?" you ask.  Because that's all I could come up with.)  :)
1. Gus Pike.  Back in the day, I loved watching Road to Avonlea.  I think we subscribed to the Disney Channel just for that show.  Best part?  Gus Pike (played by Michael Mahonen), without a doubt.  Sweet, awkward, adorable Gus Pike. 

2. Jimmy Fallon.  This was the big crush in college.  Adorable, goofy, and hilarious.  And oddly enough he looks a little like Michael Mahonen.  Hmmm...

Oh, and Sarah, I picked out this clip especially for you!  :)

3. Brad Paisley.  I think this one started in high school. He's adorable, and is an awesome singer/songwriter.  And good for him for marrying the equally adorable Kimberly Williams! 

4. Shawn Hunter.  Boy Meets World was such a great show.  Also, the closest I ever came to crushing on the rebelious boy.  :) 

5. Lance Bass.  See, I said you wouldn't see Justin Timberlake on the list.  But, being the offbeat gal, I naturally go for the least popular member of NSYNC (and, perhaps not so coincidentally, the one who at least seemed the least arrogant).  (And yes, I know.)  Anyway, here's my favorite Lance moment:

Okay, now I really want to hear about your crushes.  Come on -- fess up!  :)

P.S. - I'll start by telling you Mike's big crush:  Bebe Neuwirth (a.k.a. Lillith from Cheers and Frasier).  That statement alone deserves its own post...  :)

Friday Fill-Ins and daily things

1. Pickles are really, really gross.
2. I've spent the last three days at home. That's enough for now.
3. The snow is going to return Sunday night, so they say.
4. Part of next weekend will be spent in nature.
5. It's 5:16 PM on a Friday; that means I'm either dozing on the couch after a long work week, or trying to talk my husband into going out for dinner.
6. Inexpensive pyrex is hard to find.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to the Winter Olympics Opening Ceremony, tomorrow my plans include going somewhere...I don't really care where at this point and Sunday, I want to go to church, crochet, and spend time with my wonderful husband!

So yeah, I'm back at school today.  I worked so hard to keep myself on regular schedule, but completely blew it yesterday morning when I woke up at 10am.  I'm not always a creature of habit, but being one in the morning gets the day off to a much better start.  The idea is the less thinking I have to do early in the morning, the better.  :)

 

Here are what my mornings are made of:

• 99 Luftballons.  The song that wakes me up each morning.  (And it reminds me of a great Scrubs moment...)

• iPhone.  The first thing I do when I wake up is check my email.  Obsessive, I know.
• Noxzema.  I occasionally try to switch facial cleaners, but I always come back.  I love the smell.  I know not everyone would say that. 
 
• Aveeno Positively Radient Moisturizer, Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse, L'Oreal Bare Naturale mineral makeup and blush, Jane lipgloss.  So I'll feel pretty.  Oh so pretty.   :)

 

• Luna Bars.  And it will either be Chocolate Raspberry and Nutz Over Chocolate.  I like them both.  One thing is for certain:  it will have chocolate in the name.  
• Coffee. Specifically Starbucks Caffe Verona or Italian Roast. Two cups. Because I need to be perky when I greet my 1st period students.
• Toyota Corolla.  It's a great car.  And it gets me to work every morning.  (Don't worry, I drive an '05.)
• NPR.  For the drive to work. 

I hope you have a wonderful, wonderful Friday! 

Starred Items (Edited)

In Google Reader, I often "star" the blog posts that I really like.  The problem is I hardly ever go back to look at these posts.  I'm a post hoarder.  :)  Last night I looked through this list, because...well....I've had plenty of spare time this week!.  I wanted so share some of my favorite things from my list with you:

• Emma's recipe for chocolate croissants .  Oh my goodness, I MUST try these!  She has lots of great recipes...the whole blog is definitely worth a browse.
• 30 printable valentines from thelongthread.com, just in case time runs out before you can make your valentines (Bekka sheepishly raises her hand...)
• Jen Renee's folded notes.  This made me smile, even though I was never particularly good at folding notes.  And I was a good student who didn't do such distracting things.  :)
• A crochet fortune cookie pattern, and this felt owl brooch linked up over at Craftzine.
• A great look back at a journey to becoming an English teacher.  This is one I need to revisit every month or so.  Made me smile. 
• Lady Gaga wardrobe cookies!  Ha!  Genius.
• How to take real photos with the iPhone.  I use my iPhone camera a lot...some good advice here.
• Brandy's beautiful first quilt!  I refuse to believe this was her first quilt, it's that amazing.  Love those colors!
• Printable paper dolls.  Including Betsy McCall! <---That was for you, Mom!
• A tutorial for a lovely doily pillow. 
• Amy's cute, cute, cute fall mini album! 
• A TtV photography introduction.  Because I seriously had no idea that's how it was done (I, too, thought you needed special film).  I'm on the lookout for a good camera for this project.
• A tutorial for a scarf headwarmer.  This just looks fun.

Oh, and I was right -- we were out for a 3rd day in a row.  And I know I won't be at school on Friday because I'm attending a training.  And snow is in the forecast for Sunday night.  So, happy long weekend to me?  I guess...  :)  [Edited: The training was cancelled.  Not sure if snow day #4 will happen.  I don't really care at this point, because the forecast seems to indicate that we're getting more snow Sunday night.  Also, this is probably a good thing because if we are in session tomorrow, I won't have to leave a sub with my very-well rested (read: hyper) students who are confident they'll be out on Monday.  No one deserves that, but I can deal with it.  :) ]

I have made some use of my time off.  I made this layout for the latest Creative Type challenge -- use type as an embellishment.  So I spraypainted the leftover from a sheet of stickers, and put them on one side of my layout.  I like it, because the Sassafrass stickers look like lined paper in the background, and the layout has to do with the pumpkin carving contest at school.  I thought it was appropriate.  :)  And I included some journaling on the other doily, and tucked it behind the photo.  It was a nice way to make use of my leftovers.  I find lately that I'm less and less of a manufactured embellishement kind of girl.

P.S. - Head over to Sarah's blog -- she's hosting a very fun game today!

Oh yeah! The dress.

I am on day #2 of my snow break.  Whether or not there will be a day #3 is still unclear.  Judging by the condition of the roads at the moment, I'm leaning toward yes.  We are snow weenies. 

Here's the dress I mentioned a few posts back.  I found it at Marurices, my favorite, favorite, favorite clothing store (seriously, they know me by name there).  It fits like it was made just for me!  Thanks for the reminder to post this, Deana.  By the way, being the queen of all things shoes, do you have any shoe suggestions?  :)  I'm still searching. 

Here the pic I took in the dressing room when I tried it on and knew it was mine.  It's just a cute, classic look, and I can't wait to have an occasion to wear it.  And see, Deana, I REALLY need to find some shoes!  :)

Oh, head over to Amy's blog soon!  She's having a huge giveaway to promote her oh-so-adorable etsy shop. 

Last night we watched Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  It was a cute film, and was clever and well-written.  Best of all, I have a new favorite talking animal sidekick -- Steve!...Steve!  My favorite Steve moment from the movie occured in the clip below at 0:45:

Seriously, we kept going back to that clip over and over last night.  Maybe it's the cabin fever setting in...

I hope wherever you guys are, you're able to get out of the house and do fun things.  Think of me when you do.  :)

Snow day, I think I love you.

Massive school closings across the area.  A 5:10 am automated phone call.  The inability to go back to sleep after said phone call.

I love snow days.

This was the view from our porch this morning.

Today has consisted of practicing basic Spanish (Mike is trying to learn), coffee (of course!), Saved by the Bell, fretting about my mom driving home from work in bad weather (she made it home safely, I'm very happy to report), and building an army of tiny snowman.

Yes, an army of tiny snowmen.  I planned to do this when the first snow of the year fell, but the snow wasn't the right kind...too fluffy to pack.  But, this one was perfect.  So I started...I'm not finished yet, but I'll give you a sneak peak of what I've done so far.  (Ha -- I almost typed "snow far".)

Oh, and Lola has a new favorite treat.  It's not exactly snow cream, but at least it's not yellow.  :)

Have a great day!  If you're dealing with snow, I hope you stay warm! 

Thank you notes

I received the sweetest thank you notes yesterday.  I made a penguin for Dan and Stacy's son, Micah, and Linda,the girl they hosted over Christmas. 

These totally made me smile: 

Stacy "warned" me that she wrote whatever Micah said...whether it made sense or not.  :)  I love that kid's imagination. 

Which reminds me that I owe a few people some thank yous myself. Good thing tomorrow is probably going to be a snow day...