Mixed Up Monday {Finger Knitting Fun!}

Good Monday morning, friends! I hope you are enjoying your holiday vacation or are enjoying your last couple days of school with your crazy little sweeties. Today I bring to you one of my DIY projects. On Saturday, a dear friend of mine came over for coffee and finger knitting. That's right...finger knitting. If you haven't tried this, I encourage you to get to YouTubing and try it out this winter break.

I have decided to make some ear warmers for stocking stuffers for those family members we have coming to visit. What do you think? What kind of crafty stuff do you do when you have time?

I JUST CAN'T STOP!!!!

An InLinkz Link-up

Mixed up Monday {12.15.14}

I know, I know. It has been a while. You know how the holiday season goes. BUSY BUSY! But I am back and ready to roll. New products, new crafts...you name it I am on top of it.

For today's mixed-up Monday I have for you some crafty stuff I am working on.

First up is my pallet. Here I am sanding and brush painting this baby. That was taking waaaay too long so the dear husband allowed me to use the paint sprayer. YEAH! I found a picture of what I hope the end product will look like. Check it out below as well. As soon as this is all dry I will post it up on my wall later this week. Y'all know I have to pretty it up first! :)

What I hope it will look like without the shoe rack

Next I have for you...arm knitting. While I am still in the process of producing these babies, you have to check out the YouTube video below. This lady does an amazing job at explaining how to make these cozy neck huggers. I am thinking quick and easy Christmas gifts for family and friends. BONUS!




I hope you enjoyed this week's version of Mixed Up Monday! More to come...don't forget to link up and show some love for my friends below! :)

Five for Friday {11.21.14}

Hey there friends! Another Friday means another....



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Has everyone's week before Thanksgiving been crazy? I know mine has!

 

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 To start off the week I made my first post to a collaborative blog I am proud to be a part of. If you haven't checked us out yet, head on over to The Elementary Entourage. We are currently talking about Teaching Ideas to be Thankful For. You may see some of your names and ideas there...

 

This week I have made it a priority above all else to meet with my groups in all subject areas. The only way this has been possible is by properly utilizing my SMARTIES Math Rounds Management System and my still in design READING Rounds Management System. The books above have been challenging and engaging for my students. They have loved them, and the connections are flowing! If you have access to PearsonSuccessNet, I highly recommend checking out their Leveled Readers.

Earlier this week Miss DeCarbo over at Second Grade Sugar and Spice posted about her organization methods. If you haven't checked it out, it is definitely worth the read. As I am reading it, I found myself saying, "Hey I have that planner!" Schroeder Shenanigans in Second hit the nail on the head with this planner. It is editable so you can enter your own items and print weekly to keep yourself on track. The title is also editable so if you need it to say something different it absolutely can. I used it this week for the first time thanks to Miss DeCarbo, and I feel like I am already ready for next week, albeit a short week! I still can't function without my EC Planner though.

After using it this year, I am thinking about designing my own for next year so that it includes absolutely everything I need with the ease of the 3-ring binder. Yes, I am already thinking about next year...

This week has been filled with lots of turkey fun, and I cannot wait to continue learning about everything Thanksgiving next week. Next week we will be decorating the halls with our Turkey Disguise writing, completing our turkey craftivity, and I am even considering having parents come in to read Thanksgiving books with their child. All this, and I am still racking my brain to figure out how to bring in global learning...more specifically about our country of study {Greece}. Feel free to leave your recommendations below! :)

My sweet husband is off to Maryland this morning to run the JFK 50! Yes, 50 MILES! I have no words and am at a loss to explain why he would EVER consider doing this, but there ya have it. And all he is leaving me with is his stinking cold! So what will I do while he is gone this weekend?

First, I plan to finish sanding and painting this baby white. You will have to stay tuned to see what I plan to do with it.

Next, I plan on drafting my READING rounds product (suggestions on clipart/design welcome) and shortening SMARTIES to SMART for those who would not like quite as many centers.

All this on top of taking fall photographs of my dear sweet nephews and my three little sweeties and a birthday party on Sunday. Whew! Which reminds me... a friend suggested maybe I should sell my stock photos. If you have been following me you know I love taking pictures. Let me know what you think of the photos I posted on The Elementary Entourage. What would you pay for stock photos?

Fall Favorites Blog Hop

Happy Fall Y'all!!!

I am so excited to be a part of another cool blog hop. In this blog hop I am linking up with some amazing bloggers as we all go through and talk about our Fall Favorites.

I have said it before, but I will say it again... I L-O-V-E FALL Y'ALL!!! While I may not decorate my mantle and go crazy on decorations like my friend, Dianna at Sassy, Savvy, Simple Teaching, I do love everything about Fall. The cooler weather, the jeans and BOOTS, scarves, pink cheeks on my munchkins, and FOOTBALL!!!!! Check out the decorations I typically do around my home. Our poor little scarecrows that symbolize our three munchkins have not held up very nicely, but the kiddos have managed to improvise to make sure they are all out in front of the house for the Fall season.

I have already posted so many of my Fall Favorites from school in posts this week, but I wanted to share my bulletin board with you:

Because I teach at a Magnet School of Technology and Innovation, I am always looking for ways my little sweeties can actively interact with technology. Here, we read snippets of stories and made QR codes. Parents were able to scan their child's QR code during a recent Back to School Night and hear their child reading. Parents were so excited to experience this activity with their child.

My husband is currently away running the Spartan Beast this weekend in South Carolina and all I can think about is a family message board. Fall always means projects to me for some reason. Take a peak at what I plan to head to Lowe's for a little later today or tomorrow...and yes it is because I am procrastinating writing lesson plans!

Thank you for stopping by today to see some of my Fall Favorites. Head on over to my little TPT Store to snag my items during my fall sale. 10% off my products until Monday! Enjoy!!!

{Click on the image above to go directly to my store}

Hop on over to Kelsey's blog at Aloha to Second to see some of her amazing Fall Favorites!