Five for Friday {6.26.15} and Sweet Summertime!

Today is Friday! That means it is time for Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching- one of my favorite linky parties! :) I know its late on Friday- but better late than never, right?!

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Did you know my hubby and I started a YouTube channel?! Yeah, it was a leap of faith but totally fun and there is food involved and my husband is quite entertaining... So you should definitely check it out! We have a few videos, but this is my first one I did and you can make it for the upcoming July 4th holiday! 

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We made these amazing pork chops tonight using the Bayou Bourbon glaze from my Tastefully Simple freezer party I had recently and OMG y'all- it was FANTASTIC! Delicious Honeycrisp apples were cooked down and put on top and it was divine.. I'm still drooling thinking about the fantastic leftovers I am having tomorrow- YUM! If you want to order something, my party is open until the end of the month! https://www.tastefullysimple.com/party/5953049/a608a348-da35-48dc-8884-0f6db3c8d80d

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I am obsessed with OITNB, it is a guilty pleasure and the character development has been amazing in this series... I may or may not have watched the entire series in one day- Oh sweet summertime!  Also- completely obsessed with Game of Thrones! Totally not my style, but I am completely and utterly hooked! We haven't finished the current season- so no spoilers! ;)

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I've recently read some amazing books by one of my very good friends. She is a new author and her passion comes through and the books are phenomenal! I look a good girly read, and these are perfect for lounging by the pool or staying up until 4am reading the entire book or laying on the beach with a good book! Picking up the Pieces is first followed by Falling to Pieces- click each book to take you over to Amazon.

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I need to make these... like tomorrow... Sweet Geeks video maybe?! Click the picture to get to the recipe. They are so stinkin' easy, especially for kiddos!

Have a fantastic weekend everyone! <3

Wednesday Happenings- TpT Seller Challenge week 1 & 2, products, and life lessons!

Wow! I feel like I blinked and two weeks of summer vacation have passed! How did that happen?? Can we just hit the pause button please?!

Well- onto the life happenings! Many of you know that I was anxiously preparing and getting super stoked about my trip next week to the ISTE conference in Philly! Unfortunately, the person I was attending with had a medical emergency and couldn't go- so that meant it was a no go for me as well. To say I was sad and disappointed would be an understatement! I completely understand and she is such an amazing woman, I pray she gets better soon because she is in a lot of pain. But the excitement of a new city, fun food, learning opportunities, and the ability to network with 20,000 people was a lot to swallow when you are told you're not going anymore. I was so upset, but thankfully my husband was with me and reminded me of the faithful journey that we are on together. Over the weekend we talked about the need to help each other grow our faith, especially in difficult situations- as we have faced so many this year already. So- I cried, read some bible passages, and moved on. I'm looking at this as an opportunity to get  ahead of the game and get some massive creating done for my TpT store!  Well, you know what they say- make  lemonade, amiright?! And pray....

Since you read through my sob story and are awesome followers- here is a fun and exclusive FREEBIE that I hope you can use in your classroom! I have a couple variations of this in my store and absolutely LOVE my teacher toolbox! I hope you will make one too! (Click the picture to download a copy)

In addition to that product, I also made this amazing Earth Day unit and finally finished it and put it in my store! It was such a labor of love and I am very proud of how it turned out! I hope you will find that it is useful for any unit that focuses on Earth science! This is a great deal and only on sale until midnight tonight!

Also- don't forget to check out my sale that is going on until Friday of all my new products! ;)

Finally- since I was frantically trying to get ready for the trip I am not going on all last week, I didn't get a chance to blog about the AMAZING challenge that a few of my favorite bloggers/instagramers are hosting! The TpT Seller Challenge is a  challenge that helps TpT seller learn tips and tricks to improve their shop and has been such a blessing so far! We are currently in week two, which is Dare to Dream week and I will share that below. But first, I want to talk about week one! Week one was the makeover challenge and we had to choose at least one product in our store to makeover. Let me just tell you how fun and exciting this was! Here is my before and after- pretty big difference right?!

That's because when I first created this item, I was just starting out and had no idea! I have come a long way in my TpT journey and I still have so much to learn!  You can check out this awesome product here and the free PowerPoint that supplements it is located here. 

Ok- this week is week two and our Dare to Dream week. I love this week as there were no limitations, just big dreams! I made some personal and career minded goals that I absolutely needed to write down. Sometimes, accountability and motivation comes from within yourself. You just have to write it down and see it for yourself. I truly plan to check each of these off my list. 

Finish My Masters- I am half-way done and I pray I can make it! The workload is insane and on top of it, I am also working on my Gifted Endorsement too- yikes!

Grow in my faith and walk with God- This is something very important to me and my husband. We discussed it in depth this weekend and how we want to grow. It is so hard sometimes to completely let go and rely on your faith to carry your through. We are working together and helping each other and that is a huge deal for me. 

Inspire other teachers- The amount of inspiration that I get from other teachers is so incredible and I hope that I can/am doing the same for others. I want my resources, blog, and social media sites to create a world of discovery and excitement for new and seasoned teachers alike. It is so much fun to know that someone else used your idea or had a better day because of something you posted. That is big y'all!

Become a full-time blogger- The work that goes into blogging is incredible. However, I truly feel better when I blog! I feel like I can truly express myself when I write- so this is an obvious outlet for me! In addition, I would love to make it part of my career. I know it is possible, I just have to push and pursue!

What are some of your Dare to Dream goals? I'd love to hear about some of yours! 

Monday Made It- *~6.15.15*~

Well- it has certainly been a while since I've last updated! This year was a whirlwind of craziness and change and I felt like it was even harder than my first year of teaching. I survived though! It's pretty amazing when you have a fantastic class of students, they really make these tough years feel great. This was hands down the best class I have ever had- I know that you probably say that every year, but I truly believe this will be my most memorable and amazing class ever! :)

In addition to having the toughest school year yet, I also started Grad school last fall at Saint Leo University and it has been a doozy! Ugh! I knew it would be tough- but there are some days I just don't want to do it anymore, thank God for my husband who is my best and favorite cheerleader!

My husband and I have also followed a dream of ours and created a YouTube channel dedicated to our love of all things nerdy and food related! It's called Sweet Geeks if you want to check it out- I think it is pretty entertaining! ;)

On to other notes- I actually created a Monday Made It for 4th Grade Frolics adorable link up! I had a blast with this last summer, so I am hoping to do the same this summer! Today's is not super exciting, but it was adorable nonetheless!

Ok- you will need a blank canvas (I used an 8x10), a vinyl saying of your choice (I cut a cute one out from my Silhouette Cameo, which rocks!), transfer paper if you cut your own, pretty paper of your choice, and Mod Podge

I didn't take a ton of pictures because it was dark last night and I was tired and forgot... haha! First, take your pretty paper and cut it to fit your canvas. I wanted a little white edge on mine, so I cut my paper smaller. Next, apply a thin layer of mod podge to the canvas and the back of your paper. Apply the paper to the canvas and then apply another layer of mod podge over the top. At this point, it might look as if your paper is lumpy and not sticking, but I promise it will! I thought it wasn't going to work, but I left it to dry overnight and it was completely smooth this morning- SCORE! The mod podge layer is necessary because it gives your vinyl something to stick to. Even if you paint your canvas first, it is best to apply a layer of mod podge over that as well. Let dry overnight and then grab your vinyl saying. Since I cut my own design, I needed to apply transfer tape to the top to transfer the design. Do this carefully and slowly to avoid bubbles and trouble. Finally, peel the design up with the transfer tape and line it up on your canvas. lay it down and use a squeegee to ensure the design gets applied to the canvas. Peel the transfer tape off carefully pulling it straight back, not up. Now enjoy your adorable design! :) Don't be afraid of vinyl! It is fun and so easy to use and always looks so professional!

Taaadaa!!! I'm going to use it for my bathroom once I finish painting it. I thought it would bring a little happiness to our space! 

Thanks for dropping by all! <3