Where it all goes down Wednesday

     So today for Teacher Week I was SUPPOSED to show you pictures of my classroom. So I went into school today and took my nice new camera and intended to get a whole lot done so I had something new to show you. BUT.... after being there for about an hour and getting a few small things accomplished but mostly making a big ol' mess, we had an EARTHQUAKE. Yep. 5.8 on the Richter Scale centered about 30 miles from my school. My school is near a rock quarry so we are used to feeling some minor shakes when they do blasting from time to time. This shook for a good minute or so, and I thought my Promethean projector was going to snap off. We all remembered our training and ran to stand in the doorways (but I think that was mainly to see what other people were doing). About 45 mins later the buildings were evacuated and we can't go back until risk management inspects the building. When it was all said and done, it was scary but more a minor inconvenience than anything else. No one was injured and our building seemed fine with no visible damage. Some older buildings in the area, including the National Cathedral and the Smithsonian Castle in Washington D.C. did have some damage.

     ANYWHOO... Since I don't have any new pictures of my room, I'm going to show you pictures of what I did instead of working in the classroom.

A friend saw my crayon rolls and asked if I would make her a crayon portfolio like this for her daughter. I found a free pattern here and changed it up a bit to get more crayon pockets.

I didn't have any crayons at home so I put in the color pencils just for the purposes of the photo but it was an epic fail. It holds 16 crayons and computer-size paper cut in half.

This I didn't make but I thought it was worth posting. My cousin is famous across the family for her aprons so I asked her to make me a craft apron for school. I love the bird pattern and the colors. Very my style.

AND if you MUST see pictures of my room, you can check out these posts!

Go to Blog Hoppin' to see who else linked up with pictures of their classroom. I have to say that this is my favorite day of Teacher Week and I'm sorely upset with myself about not living up to my own expectations, but I can't wait to snoop on other people's classrooms!

Random Updates and News

So this post may be a bit schizophrenic but bear with me... I've got a storm of thoughts bubbling around in my brain and have to get them out.

Literacy Lessons Updates:
So today was day two of Literacy Lessons and we discussed the various forms of assessments we would be using on a regular basis with our struggling readers. If you're not familiar with Literacy Lessons, it was created by Marie Clay, a Reading Recovery guru. Basically we will be working one on one with two struggling readers for 30 mins (each) a day on top of all my regular teaching duties. The reading team will really have to step up with sub coverage and whatever it takes to make sure these kids get their individual time every day because we will be working with students who have not responded to multiple and various reading interventions. Literacy Lessons has its own rules and regulations separate from Reading Recovery so I will be a certified instructor at the end of the year. I know the logistics are tough but I am so excited to be a part of this! Tomorrow my assignment is to kidnap (not really don't have a heart attack) two kiddos and practice the testing procedures. Here are the cute gifts I made to give them as a thanks for using their brain over their summer vacation. I stole from was inspired by about 5 million posts on Pinterest (like this one) and recreated it myself.

For the little girl I'm testing:

For the little man I'm testing:

Classroom Updates:
So today I worked in the room for about an hour and managed to sort the boxes by subject. I am OCD when it comes to room organization and there is nothing that IRKS me more than thinking I have found the perfect spot for something and then finding another box a few days later with more of the same item and not having room to store it all together. Today I started unpacking all my miscellaneous "office supplies" like post-its, index cards, and pens. I didn't get any pics today but there's not much progress to see. I'll snap some photos tomorrow.

Fun Crafty News:
I just finished making Mrs. Shepherd's Dr. Seuss shoes for winning my Sneaky Giveaway! I'll try to mail them out tomorrow :) Here is a SNEAKer Peak!

 A favorite Dr. Seuss quote.

The famous last word of the Lorax.

Manicure Monday :P

This week I will be starting my Literacy Lessons class and am hoping to squeeze into my room afterwards on some days. Actually... I'm fairly certain I will literally have to SQUEEZE into my room and I'm deathly afraid of what I will find once I get my booty in there! So to distract myself from the task at hand I've been painting my nails like a 12 year old girl :P. I started with strawberries:

And now I'm wearing kiwis:

Any suggestions on what to tackle next? Starfruit? Pomegranate? I got the inspiration from Cutepolish YouTube videos. I actually had a Hello Kitty french manicure in between the fruit salad but I forgot to take a picture.

Welcome Back...

Seeing everyone's classroom pics makes me that  much more anxious to get back into my room. Especially considered I moved rooms and have over 125 boxes to unpack/sort (I numbered them for the move). My plan is to start going in next week after a class I'm taking ends for the day. I'm very scared about the certain mess that will await me when I open my door! For now, at least I know I have a pretty way to greet my students:

I picked up a cheap wicker wreath on sale at Michael's and basically attacked it with the glue gun. I knew there HAD to be a flamingo on it, and I picked that up on super clearance at A.C. Moore. Everything else came from my craft room junk pile.

Tutorial Tuesday

I recently found this great tutorial on how to make a super cute ruffled camera strap. Because I know that bloggers are obsessed with taking photos of EVERYTHING, I thought there HAD to be someone out there that would be interested in this! So go to The Cottage Home Blog and check out her amazing step-by-step tutorial!

Here is her example:

And here is my stab at it:

I had to take the photo using my phone camera so its not great quality but I wanted to share the full effect. The second lady bug cover you see is one I made for a friend who is a professional photographer. Shhhh! She doesn't know yet :P. Here is a close-up taken with the good camera:

Tutorial Tuesday

So this has NOTHING to do with teaching but it is super fun and easy so here goes. Not too long ago I came across Colette at My Simple Little Pleasures. She is a genius when it comes to nail design and I fell in love with her Water Marbling Tutorials on You Tube. Here is one of her videos:



So it took me a few tries to get it right and the pictures are horrible but here are my results:

The first time I used white, pink, and black swirled together. Here is my second stab at it:

Green, purple (which ended up looking pink), and white.

Let me know if you give it a try. People all over town have been stopping me to ask me about my nails ever since I started this. Good Luck!

Trash to Treasure

This is a project I started about a millennia ago for Oh' Boy 4th Grade's Trash 2 Treasure Party and somehow got sidetracked. Pinterest is probably to blame. Anywhoo... I started with these:

Two milk crates I have had for years. The blue one has been in my family for ages. I even took it to college with me. I use them for everything but I wanted to class them up a bit. So I turned them into these:

I know the picture quality sucks (I'm looking for a new digital camera since mine died any suggestions are appreciated). I spray painted them both turquoise and made basket liners like you see in the fancy baskets at Michaels. Right now they are stuffed with my Target and Dollar Tree finds.

So to sum it all up, this project was not about money saving. These crates are on sale at Target and Walmart for around 3 dollars and already in funky colors. I spent more on spray paint and fabric than it would have cost to just get the new ones. But that's not the point. I had fun and I love the finished product!

Freebies

Hop on over to the Lesson Plan Diva for a butt-load of freebies and a chance to win a $15 Amazon gift card!

Color Pencil Can Craft

I recently spotted this craft on KABOOSE and decided to try it. I started by getting a package of colored pencils, metal can, sticky tack, and some ribbon. The directions call for a coffee can or some other recycled can but I already had this can laying around with no purpose so I used that.

Next, roll the sticky tack into a long strip and press it around the center of the can. I made two rows of sticky tack for extra durability.

Press the colored pencils into the sticky tack covering the entire can.

Last, add the ribbon for a finishing touch. The best thing about this can is that the colored pencils are still functional. Just pull them off when you need them and press them back in when you are done!

Let me know what you think and if you try it!

Cool Kicks

I've had multiple surguries on both my feet so I always wear sneakers to school. Now no matter how dressy the outfit gets--sneakers. Last summer I decided to use this as a creative outlet and this is what happened...