Happenings

Here's what we've been up to lately...


* A spring break trip to Oak Island, NC where I got to see my parents' house that's in the process of being built. I had never been to this part of NC and it was so fun to finally see it in person instead of just imagining it! I absolutely love the island and the little town, Southport, that's nearby.

The house will be finished this summer and I can. not. wait. to hang out on the deck and soak up this view..

 Looking forward to making some wonderful memories here with my family in the years to come :)


* An Easter egg hunt with my kiddos at school..

Man, those kids are crazy for some candy. It was so funny to see them run after the eggs as if their lives depended on it.

And celebrating Easter in Boulder with family and friends..

I just love Easter. Not only because of what it represents, but also because it's the day Paul and I got engaged. This year was extra special because Easter was on April 8th, which is the same date Easter fell on when we got engaged 5 years ago.


* The CSU-P spring football game..

My parents came down from Boulder for the weekend and Paul's parents came up from MO. We had gorgeous weather which made for a perfect day to watch some football. It definitely got me excited for football season..only 4 more months! It was so fun to have our parents here for the weekend. I know I've said this on here before, but I just love that my parents and Paul's parents are such great friends. Paul and I feel so blessed by that.


* Blue Tie Gala for the Pueblo Child Advocacy Center..

This was a fun event that we went to with some of the other coaches that Paul works with. Not only do I love an excuse to dress up, but this event was for a cause very close to my heart-supporting victims of child abuse. I've seen enough from working in the school district this year, to know that child abuse is a very real problem that affects way too many children. Please pray for those affected.

I love seeing the hub all dressed up :)

* Getting ready for the end of the school year (3 more weeks!) and Pre-K graduation. I can't believe we only have 3 weeks left. Tami and I have been working on the kids' portfolios and the slide show for graduation. I'm so excited for summer, but truth be told, I'm really gonna miss these kiddos.. 

Well, that about sums it up. It's been a great Spring!

Spring Has Sprung

Happy First Day of Spring Everyone!

The temps are rising, the flowers are budding, the days are getting longer.....and I'm loving every bit of it. 

So, in honor of this lovely season, it's time for another addition of Things I'm Loving Right Now.

1. Arnold Palmer (the drink, not the golfer)

For those that don't know, Arnold Palmer=1/2 lemonade, 1/2 iced tea. I've been drinking these everyday. 

Y'all know how much I love iced tea anyway, but add a little lemonade to the mix, and nothing is more refreshing on a warm day. I really like the Gold Peak tea and the Newman's Own lemonade, but nothing beats the homemade Arnold Palmers that my dad makes :)

2. Reading on my back porch after school

Last week the temps were in the high 70s/low 80s. It was so gorgeous! Combine that with an extra hour of sunlight (thanks daylight savings!) and a good book, and that's what I call a great afternoon. I just finished The Kite Runner and now I've moved on to this one. It's pretty good so far-a nice, light read.

And speaking of books, that brings me to number 3.

3. The Hunger Games-the movie

via

I seriously can't wait for this movie to come out. I've been counting down the days (3 more left!) I loved reading these books, and the best part is, so did Paul. He's looking forward to the movie just as much as I am. I think I see a date night in our near future!

4. Pretzel M&Ms

I have nothing else to say.

5. Essie nail polish in lilacism

I am just loving this color for Spring. It's the perfect shade of pastel purple and I think it's so cheerful.

6. L'OREAL tan towels

I'm not usually a big "self-tanner," but on a whim, I decided to try these, and I was pleasantly surprised. They're pretty much fool proof-no weird orange streaks for me!-and they leave you with a subtle glow. Just enough to make a few of my co-workers ask if I had gotten some sun.

7. Spring Break

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Next week is my Spring Break and I can. not. wait. I'm going to Oak Island, North Carolina with my parents to check out the house they're building on the beach. I've never been to that part of NC, so I'm anxious to see it, and the progress on the house. I also get to see my sister!!! I haven't seen her since her wedding in November, which is way too long. I miss her. I'm so looking forward to a relaxing week with family!

What are y'all lovin this Spring???

Dr. Seuss Day

Today is Dr. Seuss's birthday!

We had fun celebrating in my class all week long.

We read a different Dr. Seuss book each day and then did an activity to go along with it. 

Some of the things we did were so cute that I just had to share.

On Monday we read The Cat in the Hat and then the kids made their very own hats. They even cut them out all by themselves  :)  Once they were finished, we did a little parade around the school so the "big" kids could see. 

I wish I could show you these little darlings' faces. They are so sweet!

We made these Thing 1 & Thing 2 characters (also from The Cat in the Hat) out of the kids' hand prints.

I found this idea on Pinterest via this website. So stinkin cute!

On Tuesday we read One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish. 

I found these printables on this website and had the kids practice their counting with colored goldfish crackers. Then they got to eat them, yum!

Wednesday was Bartholomew and the Oobleck. That book is a long one. A little too long for my kiddos, so we kinda had to paraphrase. They loved it anyway and LOVED getting their hands dirty in the Oobleck.

This stuff is so cool; it acts like a liquid when it's being poured, but it feels solid when you touch it.

Here's the recipe: add 1 cup water to 1.5-2 cups corn starch and stir until smooth. You can also add a few drops of food coloring, but we opted not to. 

And of course, Green Eggs and Ham on Thursday. 

We decided to do deviled, green eggs. It was fun for the kids because they got to make their own. They each got two halves of an egg and then they mixed up the yolks with some mustard, mayo, and food coloring. For the ham, we put a few drops of green food coloring in a ziplock bag, added deli ham, and shook it up.

Not gonna lie, it looked so disgusting.

But I was so proud of my kids because they ALL tried it. And guess what?  They loved it!!! They seriously scarfed it down haha.

Such a fun week!

"Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You."
-Dr. Seuss

10 on 10 :: February 2012

I decided to participate in 10 on 10 today. 

Take ten pictures on the tenth day of the month to find the life and beauty among the ordinary things of your day...

Sounds fun to me, wish I would have thought to do one in January :)

I started off the day with my trusty old flatiron. I've had this thing since college (can you tell?) and I love it. I even got a new CHI for Christmas last year, but for some reason, I can't seem to part with this guy.

Fridays are "jeans day" at work. Yippee! I would wear jeans to work every day if it were allowed.

My usual breakfast...whole wheat english muffin and unsweetened iced tea. Doesn't look too appetizing here, haha

The preschoolers don't have school on Fridays, which means Fridays are our plan day. Today I worked on my assessments all. day. long. 

The new plastic bowls I bought at Target to keep in the lounge for lunches. There are never any dishes or utensils in there. I've been known to eat soup out of a solo cup.

Look who I found snuggling on the new bed when I got home from work.

We met our friends Megan and Dusty for pizza at Angelo's. Yum!

Then to Mugsy's for Margaronas!

Ready for bed in my heart jammas.

And it wouldn't be a Friday night without some YouTube videos.
Well, that's Paul's motto anyway.


Happy February Tenth!

Insta Weekend

Last weekend Paul and I went up to Boulder to celebrate the end of recruiting season, my birthday, and Super Bowl.
Here's a little recap of our weekend, Instagram Style!

On Saturday, Paul and I drove up to Boulder. A big storm had come through the day before and they got over 2 feet of snow. I just love those Flatirons all covered in snow.

On Saturday night we met our friends for drinks at one of my favorite spots in Boulder, Half Fast. Love these girls!

Sunday morning before Paul and I headed over to the Steele's for their annual Super Bowl Party, we made a stop at the liquor store to stock up before the big game. So many choices...

Have you ever done one of these grids for a football game? It's so fun! Everyone puts money in and then you divide all the squares up evenly. At the end of each quarter, if the score matches up with one of your squares, you win a portion of the money. I won the first and second quarters woohoo!

Shots after the third quarter...

A little Kings Cup after the game.

At midnight, Rachel and Lyndsay surprised me with a bottle of vodka and a giant cookie cake for my birthday.  They know me too well ;)

On Monday, we met my parents for a birthday lunch at Ruebens (yum!) before heading back down to Pueblo. And when we got back to our house, our new bed had arrived. Yippee!

Such a fun weekend with family and friends! Another birthday in the books. I was sad to see it come to an end, but when I got to school on Tuesday morning, this pretty pink bag from my co-teacher and these sweet cards from my kiddos were waiting for me  :)

    

Love!!!

King-Size

So Paul and I have been living in our condo for 7 months now. When we signed the lease back in June, we told the landlord that we wanted to lease it until January and then go month to month because we didn't know how long we would be living in Pueblo. We figured that by January we would either be moving to a new town, or staying in Pueblo for a while and therefore buying a house here. Either way-we would know for sure.

Famous last words. January came a lot quicker than I ever expected and our situation is no more clear than it was last June. Thus the "on the fence" life we've come to live. (I don't know why I always think a definitive answer is going to come to us in January haha.) The problem with being "on the fence" is that I am positively pining away for a real life, big girl house. I've never had one. But the housing market in Pueblo is NO BUENO (as the locals would say) and I just know that the second we buy a house, Paul is going to get a job that sweeps us away to a new town and leaves us with a house we can't sell. Yikes. Just the thought of that terrifies me. Which is why I'm chaining myself to this condo until further notice. Thank goodness our landlord is so accommodating. And really, this place isn't half bad. It suits our needs just fine.

Well, not only have I been pining away for a house, but for new furniture too. Most of our decor is a hodge-podge of items we've had since college. But I made a rule for myself a long time ago, that I would not buy new furniture until we buy a house. I don't want to buy furniture to fit a condo that we live in for a year and then have to/want to buy new stuff when we move again. Plus, moving is so hard on your personal effects.

*Ok, pause a moment. This is what it's like to live in my head. I am a complete and total over-analyzer. All the "what ifs.." and "maybes..." I mean, it's exhausting. *

Anyway, the point of this whole story is that on Saturday, with Paul's help, I ignored all those little voices and we bought a new king-size mattress! I could not be more excited because let me tell you, we needed one!

Here I am trying it out in the store.

Like a cloud!

After laying on approximately 50 mattresses, we decided to go with a knock-off Tempurpedic. I was very confident in this decision until I had this exchange with my brother...

 Haha this cracked me up! 

Cue the over-analyzing. Thankfully, we have 30 days to bring it back if we decide we don't like it (always appreciative of the escape clause) but I don't think it will come to that. Truly, I think we made a great choice. It should arrive in a week or so, and I'll be waiting on pins and needles until then!

Cheers

It's been a long time ol' blog and I've really missed you. I'm sorry I've neglected you in favor of earlier bedtimes, wiping little noses, singing silly songs, COR, and just plain vegetating on the couch with a beer (whew, this teaching thing is exhausting, but oh so rewarding). 

I promise to pay you more attention in this new year, and I promise to lay off the beer.

Oh, who am I kidding?

Cheers!  :)