Just Make Stuff

August...

This month...

• We got new floors.
• We went to Home Depot about 20 times.
• We put the house back together.
• Mac got incredibly close to landing the backflip he's been working on for 18 months.
• Sean and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary.
• We volunteered to be the phone bank chairs for a school improvement bond.
• #whitepants
• Mac started his junior year...with a zero period class. 
• I started five classes...on the first day I managed to dance in front of one and sing in front of another. I made sure to misbehave in the other three too.
• Sean started his 16th year of teaching.
• And he ran 130.84 miles.

Family calendar...

The next couple of months are going to be a new level of busy since we added in being the phone bank chairs for the first school improvement bond ever for Mac's school district. It runs four days a week for the next two months...not that we have to be at every single one...just a lot and we need to make sure each night has plenty of volunteers signed-up.

We also still have CASA trainings to finish and it's football season for the cheer team. And you know as teachers, Sean and I never have to bring work home...let alone piles and piles of it. 

Moral of the story, it's going to be a little nuts. That is why we have been trying to plan ahead to be organized.

One thing I decided we needed was a humongous calendar to keep track of it all. I made them for the next three months and had them blown up to 18"x24" at Staples for less than six dollars altogether. I originally made color versions, but those were going to cost way more, so I stuck with black and white. 

Here are both versions in case they might help you keep track of everything this fall...

Download September Calendar

Download September Calendar-Color

Download October Calendar

Download October Calendar-Color

Download November Calendar

Download November Calendar-Color

Last spring Sean painted the door in our laundry room that goes to the garage with magnetic primer and then chalkboard paint in the same color as the walls. That's now home to each month's huge calendar. 

Hopefully it helps us not forget anything we have got scheduled. 

Day two...

Second day of the semester and I feel about six days behind already.

At least this mess on my computer desktop and actual desktop from earlier today are looking a lot better by now.

Group work sticks...

I joked with my students today that some of my fellow professors likely spent the summer researching and publishing academic journal articles, but I spent the summer painting popsicle sticks.

Since I believe in a very active learning environment, I have my students doing a group work at some point during almost every class. As opposed to students gravitating towards the same exact groups over and over, I like to find ways to facilitate more interaction with everyone throughout the semester. This year I started using an idea I saw on Pinterest about grouping students with popsicle sticks that have different colors, numbers and symbols. 

I took the idea and painted 50 sticks with ten different colors so I can get groups of 5 students. Then I stamped 16 different letters of the alphabet so I could get groups of 3 (with a couple extra). The numbers on the stick creates groups of six students working together and symbols makes up groups of four. Students each take a stick and then I tell them what aspect of the stick will be grouping them for the activity. Figuring this out  involved a huge chart and lots of help from Sean.

Colorful popsicle sticks might seem silly at this level of education, but I tried it today for the first time and it totally worked.

In my soul I must be a kindergarten teacher, who just really wants to teach college classes.

Semester #4...

Tomorrow's the first day of my fourth semester teaching and I am officially ready to go.

There seem to be a million details to remember for the five classes I have, but one of the details I still love are little first day of school gifts.  I covered some notepads for my two office mates and the two amazing administrative assistants at both schools I teach at. I have done this before a couple of different ways, this year they are pretty simple though. I did scan in one of the pieces of patterned paper to make the tag.

Here it is in case you love those first day of school details too...

Happy thoughts...

Thursday night is usually the last night of the week I share something around here, so I thought it might be fun to start ending with happy bits from the last few days...

This week it included a custom strand of these Bright Lab lights that I absolutely could not resist.

Seeing the first day of school assembly performance. 

And this dessert tasting plate from the last day of summer lunch Sean and I went to on Wednesday.

It was a good week.

Junior year...

Miraculously, Mac is a morning person...despite the fact that his mom and dad are the absolute worst at waking up. Maybe it's a nature vs. nurture attribute and Mac inherited it from his major morning person step-dad. 

This was taken at 6:38 this morning and Mac could not be more ready for his junior year.

School supplies...

This week we have been collecting up what all three of us need for the new school year.

I need a crockpot to be able to eat soup during my office hours, lots of my new favortite pen and do you think it would be strange for a professor* to walk around with a super cute backpack?

*I am still not used to refering to myself as a professor

Dieting...

I have a strange compulsion...things that I love, like Internet browsing or watching favorite shows recorded on our DVR, can feel like a to do list. Even though they are a couple of my go-to activities when I have a minute to relax, when there is too much of it waiting for me I get stressed by it.

For example, let's say I didn't get a chance to see Instagram for the majority of a day. When I sat down with my phone, it would take forever to catch up. Actually I couldn't even get through it all, since so much was posted, that Instagram just cut off saving it. And then I would be irrationally annoyed by what I didn't get to see.

Am I sharing too much here? Because, I am feeling rather crazy as I admit this. 

Another example is signing into Feedly to read blogs and having 100+ entries waiting from the last few days.

Total unnecessary stress. 

So, I went on a much needed media diet a few weeks ago, knowing full well school days are fast approaching and free-time might be non-existent. I hacked away at what I followed...cutting it in half.

It's been a couple of weeks and it feels great. It is manageable and relaxing. Now it can be a brief escape into pretty pictures and great ideas...just like it should be.

#whitepants

In case you don't remember Mac finding out he made varsity last spring please feel free to click here and watch the video again and again like I do.

We had a barbecue with the football team this weekend (it was very Friday Night Lights) which meant all the girls (and boy) were wearing their new uniforms. The varsity squad wears white, so it's time for white pants around here. I teased Mac that his theme for the year could be #whitepants.

His parent's theme for the year will be #laundry.

Salted S'more

The idea of a s'more on a ritz cracker has been tucked away on my list to try for awhile now. This week I got out the box of social snackers from Trader Joe's, smeared a little bit of Nutella on one side and one little square of Hershey's chocolate on the other. I carefully toasted a marshmallow since I do not like it burnt and gave this combo I try.

Oh my goodness gracious, it was good. 

To Do List Procrastination...

I think I have officially hit a new procrastination low. Instead of tackling the scary to do list I have to accomplish to be ready for the school year, I spent time trying to make cute to do lists for no reason whatsoever.

Here's a PDF in case you want to write stuff down and actually get it done....download "Have To Get This Done Today" lists

114 days and two pillows...

At the very end of April I shared my crazy couch idea...in June I shared that I was looking for a few more pillows...and as of today I officially have a built in couch in the little closet in my craft room. I snapped a quick photo before heading out to run a cheer team booster meeting tonight, but one day soon I will sit in here with some crocheting or magazines or something super cozy and relaxing.

Classrooms...

Two weeks from today I will be teaching four classes...from 8am until 9pm. It's going to be quite a first day. Today Sean and I went over to my office at the state college to hang up a couple strands of globe lights. Last spring, my office mates and I had discussed that we wanted them to make our space cozier than using the fluorescent lights overhead.   

While I was there I wandered around to the classrooms I was assigned. I always used to do that as a student, to make sure I knew exactly where I was going on the first day. Now I want to know exactly where I am going, but also how it's going to look when I get there. And if there is good air conditioning. And how many desks there are. And how the technology is set up. 

I always take a photo too...so I can keep an image of each classroom as I prep for the semester...two weeks from today those seats will be filled and I really cannot wait to meet everyone.

Planner Kits...

This weekend I was fortunate enough to be included in an incredibly special day of crafting to fundraise on behalf of a family who has endured the unthinkable this past year. It was a really fun gathering of old scrapbooking friends, super cute decorations, crafts and delicious food. We got to order up our own grilled cheese sandwiches...I had one with with fresh buffalo mozzarella, provolone and fig spread from Italy. It was even better than it sounds.

I led everyone through a little planner making...right after Stephanie Ackerman and Amy Tan taught adorable projects. I joked with everyone that these three teachers are a case of "one of these things is not like the other". I am not beautiful, tan or incredibly successful in the scrapbook industry like they are. I told them that I might be a little pale and pudgy, but at least I am perky.

I put together a kit of supplies to start everyone in making their own planners. I included the weekly sheets and calendar I use, but then I also created a blank two page calendar that can be stamped and a few new to-do lists.

I made a few extra kits to share here in order to fundraise a little more on behalf of the Bloom Family. Eack kit includes a dozen planner pages, a page template, three tabs to make page dividers with your favorite patterned papers, half a dozen jumbo paperclips with fabric to make bookmarks and an instruction sheet with photos. Each kit will also include additional PDFs emailed to you so you can download and print as many pages as you need.

I am asking for a $10 donation (plus $3 shipping; U.S. only please) for each of the five kits I have. You can purchase one here... 

If they are sold out it would still be wonderful if you could make a donation of any size. I will transfer all procedes and donations to the Bloom Family's YouCaring page.

Lastly, because I cut way too much fabric, I have half a dozen envelopes of extra fabric strips & paperclips to make bookmarks...leave a "pick me" by Tuesday night and I will email the six random winners. Please make sure your comment includes an email address you check often.

Thanks for helping me try to support such a wonderful family. 

Anniversary randomness...

Our reflection as we waited at the paint counter.

1. Our anniversary included unpacking our house after the flooring was done. 

2. That is after we dusted, swept, swiffer sweeper-ed, and wiped everything done with a damp rag. I think -most of the dust is gone.

3. With the school year fast approaching, we ended up at Home Depot getting supplies for the cheer team for the second year in a row on our anniversary. We joked with them (there are a several incredibly kind & generous employees that have arranged donations for the team) that, if we were there next year for our third anniversary in a row, we might need some flowers and candles or something. They told us if we were then around 10pm they could dim the lights for us. 

4. Then we went to two meetings for a school renovation bond measure in Mac's high school district. We are the new phone bank chairs.

5. I had to ask the political consultants, who were about to dive right in, to stop and teach us a little Phone Bank 101. For instance...where are all the phones?

6. You use cell phones. 

7. We then celebrated our anniversary at almost 11pm with a bottle of champagne I discovered and put in the fridge when we were unpacking the house and $34 worth of pasteries I ran out to get at the very last minute.

8. It was a good anniversary.

15...

What made me fall in love with Sean is that he was simply good. He made effortless decisions to always do the right thing. 

What has kept me in love with him is that, no matter how good, he always wants to do better. This past year we have started to discuss possible plans for ourselves in the next few years and I am incredibly eager to become even better together.

Happy 15th anniversary Sean...love you to the moon and back.

From little details like a card to big moments like my renewal vows from five years ago, it means a heck of a lot to have so many anniversary memories saved here...2013, 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008, 2007, 2006, 2005.

It makes perfect sense, right?

I still haven't finished one blanket, but I am on to the next one. 

Distressed Brown Hickory...

The installation crew started this morning and are already halfway done. I am worried that I may never get the layer of dust out of this house again after this, but these floors certainly seem like they're worth it.

Cannot wait to have everything back in place soon...

Summer Book: 02

You can see the rest of this year's and last year's summer books here.