Being creative for Christmas!

I really have enjoyed being creative, whether it is with food, crafty stuff, decorating, or whatever! For Christmas I decided to make a menu for the whole day for Chris, since we already had our Christmas celebrations with our family!

So I started our morning off with mimosas, waffles, and scrambled eggs!

Ellie then enjoyed opening up her stocking! It was pretty funny and she enjoyed the treats she got.

 Yummy mussels for lunch! I whipped up some lemon pasta to go with them!

 Then, I've always wanted to make a cake to celebrate Jesus' birth, so I did with my new Bundt cake pan! A wonderful Red Velvet Bundt! I served it with some cream cheese frosting too!

It really has been a wonderful holiday season and really enjoyed doing this for Chris! It's been a wonderful week off from work and I'm looking forward to having another one off! I will continue to relax, but have some things on my to-do list also!

Here we go..

I am really going to attempt this again..a year ago..geez! But that is life! So, I am going to do my best to post things on here that I do, the cooking, crafting, gardening, working, loving, etc...Don't get your hopes up, but I'm going to try.

Really, really, try!

Christmas Time!

Our beautiful Christmas tree! I didn't realize how many snowmen ornaments I have! It sure is fun to look at. I also love the fact that you can see it from all over the house, due to how open our house is.


A view into our dinning room!

It is fun having a stairs, I've always wanted to decorate the stairwell for the holidays!

Not only has it been like Christmas unpacking everything, it has been a blast decorating for Christmas!

Our New Home!

God has taught me to be very patient..for 2 1/2 years to wait to get a new home. We were blessed to have a place to rent during that time, but it was sure a growing time too. I've been made to realize how the little things are so special and what is truly important. It has been hard and not what I thought, but what we have now is so wonderful. I think that is life, you go on a roller coaster ride to be stretched and taught things so you can be more like Christ and to really get a grip on what to focus on.

It is amazing how waling into our new house how it just felt like it was meant to be. We really lucked out by moving into a great neighborhood too! One of the first things I noticed was that people wave at you when you walk or drive by. They even roll up your trash or recycling bin when they've come around to pick it up! They even have potlucks once a month or so for all the neighbors to get together to have that community aspect in the neighborhood.

I've always wanted a window above my kitchen sink..I do now. It's fun to look out at my future garden, Ellie checking out her new big backyard, and the birds..making sure they aren't getting into my flowers and veggies that are growing! The dinning room is dreamy, with the two french doors that open up to the side yard. That is where Chris and I set up our hammock. It will be a place that we'll truly enjoy laying on a nice day, taking a nap or reading a good book!

5th Anniversary!

My husband Chris planned a trip for us to go to San Diego for our 5th anniversary this past weekend! It was a wonderful weekend. We enjoyed eating at several yummy restaurants.
Gaetano's Italian Restaurant was a place we randomly found while stopping in Alpine, CA to miss rush hour traffic. It was a yummy place and we enjoyed a pizza with pepperoni and shrimp on it! Then we got to our hotel room and hung out with our friends Katie and Jeremy who came along with us. Chris got a dozen red roses for our hotel room, it was very sweet and romantic of him! Our hotel room was very nice and it out looked the golf course. It had a nice patio where I spent some of my time reading. There were a lot of bird of paradise around the patio so I had many hummingbirds come to visit. Oh, and our hotel room was 311, which is our anniversary date! March 11th!

The first morning I went to check out the place while the guys were out golfing. I got a mocha from their Starbucks coffee stand and checked out the spa, pool area, dinning area, and tennis courts. It was a really nice place and hope we will get to go there again in the near future. Later in the evening we all went out to get appetizers and drinks at En Fuego and then enjoyed a yummy italian dinner at Il Fornaio. Then we had a fun time going to the heated pool and Jacuzzi when we got back to the hotel.

Sunday I got up early to go to the spa to enjoy a wonderful massage and facial! They were wonderful and I felt like mush afterward. Katie and I then hung out by the pool after we had a yummy breakfast. I took an hour and a half long nap after that..I was totally relaxed from the spa. That evening we went to Jake’s Del Mar a popular fish and California cuisine restaurant for dinner. The tomato soup I had was to die for and I had a great seafood pot for dinner. Everyone had something great to eat, we couldn’t complain. To end our evening we hung out by the fire pit and enjoyed a drink and each others company.

To conclude our trip we took a drive to Pacific Beach and had breakfast. Chris and I then got smoothies to enjoy while walking down the boardwalk and the pier. It was fun watching the surfers and we were amazed at how busy the beach was for a Monday. It was a wonderful weekend and I’m very grateful to be married to such a great guy. Looking forward to many more wonderful years together!

Funny thing..

It's a funny thing that I seem to always come back here in February and post a blog that I'm going to try to be better at this..but then another year passes by and I haven't written a darn thing!

Well, I certainly hope to be better with it. I gave it a fresh new background in hopes that will pull me back here. Life is good, have a great class this year..still madly in love with my husband.

I hope soon in life I will have more exciting things to write about then the everyday things..we hope to get a house or some new dwelling place. We plan to travel this spring and I hope to have stuff to share about that trip- we're going to celebrate our 5th anniversary! Wow, 5 years. Then it will be summer and who knows what that will bring..trips, maybe a summer job, and who knows what!

I'm just glad because I got pretty sick this past week and so glad to be feeling better now. Not 100% yet, but so much better than before. Okay, it is time for me to get ready for bed and start my work week!

Hope to come back and write soon!

Hello

A goal of mine..even though it's already February, is to be better about writing here and posting pictures of things that are going on in life!

I'm really going to try to be better..because the last time I wrote here was last year in February!

Life is busy

I haven't forgotten this lovely blog..plan to be better at it, like I've said in the past.

I want to get some pictures taken of my garden in the backyard. There is so much coming up and several of my freesia are ready to bust open! It's exciting.

Will be back to write more soon..feel so bad that I've not written here since December! Yikes!

Sometimes with my job I wish I could get a glimpse into the future to really see how my students will turn out.

Today was just one of those days with my job, where my heart just sank because I just want the best for them and want to teach them the simple importances of life. It's just hard because I want them to succeed and be respectful. It's just hard because I know I might be the only one in their life showing and teaching them those characteristics..it doesn't set in as quick.

Oh, poor Picky-Picky

I have been reading Ramona Forever to my class for read aloud. Today I read the chapter where Ramona and Beezus find their cat, Picky-Picky, who has passed away. I couldn't help but tear up since I know what it feels like to loose a pet. I even knew that the part was coming up because I've read the story before, but it just hit me today. A few other students in my class were a little teary. Two girls got me a kleenex, one for my eyes they said and one for my nose. Then we had to pause and talk about all of our pets and ones that we still have and the ones we don't have anymore. I just love those moments of teaching, were we connect and that they see that I have real feelings, and can relate to them. Even if it's me just being sappy about a children's book.

For the rest of the day, I found several random notes on my desk from several of my students saying,
'I'm sorry you've lost your dog when you were young, I lost a dog too'
'I think your are great Mrs. Allen,'
'I know how you feel, I lost my dog last year and it was really sad,'
'I think you are the best teacher ever, I really mean that, you are'
'I am glad you have Ellie, I like the name Ellie'
' I like that you read, You're the best!'

Now, if that can't make your day, I don't know what will.

Hello November!

I am amazed that it is already November! I sure can't wait until it really feels like Novemeber outside- it's been way to hot! Life has been quite busy and I can't believe how bad I have been with posting here. I need to make sure to be better with it, just like I'm trying to be with working out. I'm doing good though with that! I've been doing yoga, weights, riding my bike or a cardio work-out a couple of times a week! Chris and I are trying to be in better shape by Christmas and motivate each other to be on top of it! Ellie even seems to want to do yoga with me, since she always goes a lays on my mat. It's pretty funny.

We love Ellie so much and she loves us too. She always wants to be where we are. For example, when we go to sort the laundry, you'll find her there too!

I am also excited that my garden is coming along, I have a few seedlings coming up and I also have some herbs planted in some pots on our back porch. I will be planting lettuce and some other things this week as well. It's always fun to see what all comes up in the spring! I have planted some of the same things, but some new flowers this time too.

Yay!

I have rosemary, sage, parsley, thyme, and basil! Sure is fun to add to your cooking!

Lastly, Ellie would like to say hi and wish you a great week! I do too!

My Classroom

Here we go again! I am so happy to be in my third year of teaching and teaching 3rd grade for the second year now. I feel so much more organized and know what to expect! In the picture above is me showing off the beginning process of setting up my classroom. This has been the third year in a row that I've had to move my classroom, I'm hoping I won't have to anymore now!

Here is my awesome classroom tree that my brother Jeff painted for me! I’ve always wanted it painted on the wall, but didn’t get around to it until now. I had a paper trunk in the past, but this just looks a million times better and more realistic! It’s nice to have such an artistic family. This tree changes with the seasons. Soon it will be having fall leaves by the end of this month. It's a lot of fun and I like to give it a personalized touch with my students help! Each apple on this tree has one of my student's name on it, I have 21 little apples in my class. 8 of them I had when I taught 1st grade, so that's a lot of fun! It's really cool to see how they have grown academically and that I get to help with that again!





This is a picture of my workshop board that I change every week to go with the story we are reading, math we are working on, and many other activities for my students to do independently during reading group time. I am all about reinforcing things and giving them as much exposure to it so they can master the skill. You can also see the homey touch I like to add to
my classroom. I have a classroom job that is a gardner, they are the ones responsible and who oversee the plants and make sure they are watered weekly. I want my classroom to be as welcoming and enjoyable place as possible for my students to learn and comfortable.


Lastly, I will end with another view of my classroom. This is my classroom library area and my desk. I have tons of books on other bookshelves just ready to be read by my students. I have to pillows on the floor under the tree that you can't see, that my students ask everyday to go sit down there and read. I had to start making a list of who's next to sit down there. Can't beat a class that loves to read! I think it is going to be a great year! I already feel like we have connected with each other and that the respect is there. They know what is expected of them and know what the consequences are if they break those expectations. I feel that I keep learning new things and know what I show implement and do to makes my students have the best learning environment possible. I want to make sure that I teach them the best I can academically, yet make sure that they learn life skills and relationship skills that will better them for the rest of their lives. I am excited to watch them grow! It is the greatest to be giving tons of hugs, notes that say 'you're the greatest teacher ever', and that they are so happy to be in my class. It's pretty nice to have kids say they are sad to go, that they want to stay at school. It is nice to be in a profession that is so rewarding. Believe me, you will be hearing plenty more!

Hello..I'm alive.

I have really been bad about writing here. I have decided that I need to try to make it a weekly goal to write here at least once. So, I plan to update this blog this weekend with pictures of my new classroom, stories of the beginning weeks of school, and other life happenings!

So.. stay tuned..I will be posting soon and more often!

Happy 2nd Birthday Ellie Bea!

Ellie had her 2nd birthday yesterday, June 18th! I can't believe how time goes by so fast! She had a nice day..we gave her little surprises throughout the day. Her first one was a fun toy her cousin Molly has, it's a log that you hide three little squirrels in it and she has to get them out. She wasn't sure of it at first, but then got the hang of it. She loves it when the squirrels have their tails hanging out to get them. Then, she got a bouncy Kong bone that I put the special dog peanut butter on it..she licked it clean! She still is licking at it when it doesn't have anything on it any more. Then she got a little bit of vanilla ice cream and a walk around the block when it was cooler outside to end the day! We love her tons! She's so much fun!

Happy Father's Day!

Chris and I had a nice evening with my parents and my brother for Father's Day at their house. My mom cooked a yummy dinner of BBQ steak, potato salad, and cucumbers and tomatoes. I'm very grateful to have my dad and to have had such a nice time with him and my family!

Fun times! Great Memories!

This past weekend Chris and I headed up to Sedona for our friends Jeremy and Katie's wedding. It was a lot of fun. It made me think back to our wedding and all the fun time planning it and how beautiful it turned out. It was a nice garden wedding and their reception was outside as well. It was very romantic. Chris was the best man and he gave a very nice toast. We all had fun dancing and just spending time with our friends.

There is just something about being around your friends and people you get along with that give you a natural high of happiness and just make you want to plan more and more times of getting together with them. It's really fun and it's nice to know that these are friends of ours that will probably be friends for a long time and that is nice to think about and look forward to seeing our friendships grow even more.

Another year ending..

My second year of teaching has come to an end. It’s exciting to say that I’ve taught longer than a year and that I’ve grown from so many experiences and situations. Growing is good. Not only did my class make me grow this year, I had to deal with others that made me grow. I’m happy with how this year has gone; I’ve really seen my class grow and I grow as a teacher and a person. I know that there will be some that will hold onto the memories and things they learned this year and experienced with me. But, I know that their will be a few in time that I will fade out of their thoughts and memories. Hopefully, that won’t be the case, but I do hope that I have given them something that will go with them for the rest of their life. Not only did I teach academics, but I taught life skills.

I thought of being many different things when I grew up, but I’m glad I chose to become a teacher. I know it’s what I should be, but most of all, it’s what I want to be.

Something that made me smile

On my way home today from work, I stopped by Safeway to grab a few things. While I was in the produce section getting some tomatoes, one of the workers was stocking the area and smiled and said hello to me. I say hello back and then he told me the offer on avocados. He paused and then said, "You look like a teacher." I smiled and said, "Well, actually I am, I'm a third grade teacher. He's like, "Wow, really?You just look like a patient person." I smiled and agreed that you have to be one when being a teacher. But how random this was, it came from nowhere.

I must of looked extra teachery today. If teachery is a word... I don't think it is. :) I'm glad to be a teacher and now I know even strangers can tell I'm one too! haha

Grow Grass Grow

We have been working hard in our backyard to prepare the ground for planting grass seed. Chris has been work really hard all week and has a pretty sore hand because of it. He got a new tool to help loosen up the ground since it was so hard and compacted. I've been helping him break up the dirt clumps, lifting up the dirt with the shovel and raking in the mulch and then this morning I raked in the grass seed with the mulch. This is round two for planting grass seed, we tried a few weeks ago, but nothing really came up. We realized we needed to give it a little more T.L.C. because there hasn't been grass in the backyard for over 2 years. The ground got to compacted and hard, plus needed some good mulch added into the soil. We are crossing our fingers!

I am looking forward to the completion of our backyard, even though it's going to take a few weeks for the grass to come up. But, I have gotten some more seeds to plant in my garden area, cosmos, zinnias, corn, and sunflowers. It's fun gardening and doing improvements around the house. I will keep up posted on our grass! Say your prayers and cross your fingers for it to come up!

I was told a story once, about a boy who was on a beach throwing starfish back into the sea. A old man came up the boy and asked him what he was doing. The boy said to the man, 'I’m trying to save them.' Then the old man said to the boy, 'They’ve been here awhile, I don’t think they’ll make it. 'The boy replied, ‘As long as I save one of them, I will be happy.’

I put a lot into my job, a lot that produces an ample amount of joy and tiredness. But I wouldn’t change a thing. I see how what I do has changed some and how the respect has been built within my students, some it has taken them longer than others. I feel that I have saved a starfish this year, actually a few. And that makes me happy. That is why I keep wanting to come back, even after the bad days, hard days, and certainly the good days.