making things happen in 2014

I recently found inspiration from other bloggers to create a "making things happen in 2014" board on Pinterest.  This board can include quotes, pictures, videos - anything on Pinterest - that will motivate and inspire you to make things happen && do what matters in 2014.   Here's a sample of what's on my board:

I encourage you to visit Lara Casey's blog, if you haven't already, to get super inspired & get started on goal setting! And of course, Emily Ley is an awesome source of inspiration as well.   I encourage you, whether you have 2014 goals/resolutions or not, to create a board.  I've already found myself coming back to it just to read the quotes.  Mine is still a work in progress and I'm sure I'll be adding to it for the weeks and months to come!   Let me know if you follow me on Pinterest so I can follow your boards, too!

Five on Friday

Hello, friends. Happy Friday!
This week was a little less stressed than the past couple of weeks, and for that I am thankful. However, it's also been FREEZING and for that I am not so thankful. Except for the fact that I can pile on fun sweaters and vests.
For today's Five on Friday, I have chosen to post 5 teaching related quotes or "funnies" because lately, I think the weather is making the children go cray-zay, and I've been needing a laugh/reminder of why we're there.   If you aren't a teacher or a soon-to-be teacher like me, I hope you can still think of the little ones in your life & appreciate these. *All from Pinterest*
one

two

three

four

five

Off to substitute this afternoon & then have some Fall Festival fun :) HAPPY FRIDAY!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday!

{one} On Monday morning I set the alarm, had my computer charging overnight, and woke up to tackle the Lilly Pulitzer Endless Summer Sale. You might be asking, "Why did you even bother to wake up early?!" and that is exactly what I'm asking myself too since I could barely see anything on the site until 1:00 pm! I, like other Lilly lovers, wish the Pink Palace would find some other way to put on the ESS that wouldn't crash the website each year but in the end, I am just thankful to have the opportunity to buy new Lilly at such awesome prices! This is what I ended up getting:

Murfee Scarf in You Gotta Regatta

Boardwalk Bikini Top in Bright Navy Swim Party Polkadot The picture is of a different top but the same print! The boardwalk top has a cute ruffle that I love! I didn't get bottoms to match because the site was being so crazy so I'm just going to mix-n-match with a solid bottom.   {two} About a week ago we had our family dinner at work to celebrate the end of summer! I pulled off a Pinterest-inspired cupcake that the kids LOVED. There was almost a fight for the last one. (#1 teacher right here...)

  {three}  Yesterday was my last full day of summer with Steven before he heads back up to school! Bittersweet for sure as he only has one more semester and is excited to be graduating and moving on to grad school. I'm just ready to have him back in Virginia! I'll take a 3 hour drive over a 6 hour drive any day :)

We went out to Beliveau Estate, which is a local winery/bed & breakfast, for a wine tasting and lunch! We were the only ones there, which isn't so weird on a Thursday afternoon, but it was nice to have the space to ourselves! We did a tasting of six wines and then chose Discovery to have with lunch.

  {four} I hope that my fellow teacher/future teacher bloggers are going to be participating in Teacher Talk with Nicole and Jamie!
Although I'm not in my own classroom quite yet, I'm excited to read and connect with other teachers - or future teachers like me. I'm going to tweak the posts a little bit to fit me, so if you're a future teacher don't be afraid to join in! :) Monday's post is "about you - where, what and why you teach"!   {five}  I finally caved and bought a chalkboard yesterday at TJMaxx! I had a gift card that was burning a hole in my pocket and have been wanting a chalkboard for some time.  I was tempted to make my own, but I found one for a good price and couldn't pass it up! I think I'm going to put it in my room. Now I'm looking for inspiration for what to write on it!

This is cute!     Have a great weekend!

{Moments :: Memories}

  This week is going to be a week of change. For my family, for Steven, for me.   I have set a challenge for myself and that is: enjoy each and every moment.  I get too caught up in silly things, such as waiting for an online sale to begin or what posts I might be missing on Instagram that I miss out on moments -- and then, they're simply memories.
The most special memories I have are of moments where I was truly engaged with what was going on. Those are the memories that I cherish, and I want more of them. This week, in which I say "see you later" to my older brother and boyfriend, I am going to challenge myself to be completely involved and engaged with everything happening around me.
Yes, that might mean less time on social media, but I think ahead a week when I'm sitting at home doing diddly squat and I'll have my phone and computer sitting next to me, but will I have those boys with me? Nope. This is their time...not my time.   My older brother leaves on Thursday & Steven leaves this weekend. Challenge: accepted!     Are you challenging yourself to anything this week?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!
Here's what I'm loving...
I'm loving my job. Yes, at times I want to rip my hair out, but at the end of the day I love all those lil nuggets & am so thankful to spend my days with them!

One of our field trips to Mill Mountain Zoo

I'm loving my manicure I got last night at the Ladies Only Cash Mob! Downtown Blacksburg holds cash mobs every couple of weeks & they typically choose one restaurant and one store to "mob"...everyone meets at one spot and they discover where they'll be shopping/eating that evening! They're really fun and a great way to discover a new restaurant or store that you perhaps haven't tried yet. Last night, it was bundled into one location - Polished by Claire V. - and we got mini manicures or pedicures. Gobble Cakes was there with deliiiiciousss mini cupcakes and Beliveau Winery had glasses of wine to sell. Simply scrumptious!

I'm loving July! July has been full of fun adventures, including the 4th, a walking field trip for Free Slurpee Day :) , Friday nights spent on the lawn for the summer local music series and lots more!

Red, white & blue drinks!

'Merican pride, thanks to Rowdy Gentleman & Sweet Tea Monograms!

4th shirt!

"We love slurpees!"

Music on the lawn

I'm loving all of the fun races I've been finding and adding to my list. I love hopping in the car for the weekend and a race gives me an excuse to get out of town & see somewhere new (or sometimes just somewhere outside Blacksburg :))

In Lynchburg - via

In South Carolina - via

For next year:

In Roanoke - via

 

I'm loving the Valencia Orange Refresher from Starbucks! Perfect for these hot, hot days!

I'm loving this quote:

I'm loving this recipe: Veggie-Stack Pita Pockets via Food Network I made it in some pita pockets with store bought hummus, cucumber, peppers, and carrots. SO delicious!

What are you loving this week?   Have a great day!

Happy Thoughts

This week has been exhausting. I had such a good weekend in Fairfax, but when you travel and then jump right back into the school/work week, you don't have time to catch up on anything - especially sleep.
Anyone else feel like they need a weekend to recover from their weekend??
I'm feeling sort of stressed/anxious/unsure about a lot of things. I am turning to these mantras this week:  

{things will work out}

{i have so much to be thankful for}

{all I can do - leaving the rest up to God}

{God has a plan for me -- good things will come into my life at the right time}

{ain't that the truth}

Have a SUPER Thursday!

Stick with Love.

via

  Thank you Martin Luther King, Jr. for all that you did for our country.

Adding a Pinterest Mouseover Button

Hey y'all! Not sure where you're reading from but we are expected to get a lot of snow today! The elementary school I work at has already scheduled an early release. This either means we'll get a a LOT of snow...or no snow at all. We shall see!   Back to business! Recently I've noticed when I place my mouse over a photo on someone's blog, the Pinterest "P" pops up and I can pin that image to Pinterest! I think it's so neat and easy/quick to use. When I'm browsing blogs I'm always seeing cute pictures or fun products that I would like to remember and pinning them is a great way to do so. Clicking the Pin it button will take you right to your Pinterest!   You can test the Pin It button on this quote I made if you would like:

    Here is a tutorial on how to install it on your blog that I found on a great blog - Kevin and Amanda - in case you are interested!   You can also add a Right-click Pin it button if you prefer! You can find that on Kevin and Amanda's blog as well :)   What are your thoughts on the Pinterest Mouseover button? Yay or nay?

Cheers to 2013!

Can you believe it's already New Years Eve?!
2012 was definitely a whirlwind year! Some of the most memorable events include: - Philadelphia Flyers game with Steven - San Francisco with my family and Steven's family - John Legend came to VT - James left on deployment - Week long trip to D.C. with Steven, including Nationals game & seeing Third Eye Blind - Wine Tour with my Dad - Adopting Belle into our family - Moving out of Maple Ridge and into a new apartment with new roommates - VT season opener on a Monday night - winning in OT against GT - Victoria's Secret Pink Party comes to VT - James returns home - Army v. Navy football game - 22nd birthday
Overall, I feel very blessed with everything 2012 brought me, but I'm also very excited for everything awaiting in 2013! The biggest thing I'm looking forward to? Graduating! I'll do a post tomorrow on my resolutions and goals.

  I hope you all have a happy and safe NYE! Thank you for your continued support of my little blog!

Keeping Strength

This quote, which I found on Pinterest, is perfect for something I am working on. Too often I find myself worrying over things that are coming, things I know will happen in the future, such as someone having to leave town, a doctor's appointment or a big test, among other things.  I'm definitely a worrier. I am desperately trying to keep those anxious thoughts from my mind until I need to be thinking about them.  There is no point in me getting upset that someone is leaving in a couple of days when I could be living up the time that we have in those last couple of days. Whatever is meant to happen is going to happen, and while I can't change a lot of things, one thing I can change is my attitude.  I know that God's plan for me is right, I just need to give it time to unfold and make sense.  I need to stop trying to change His plan for me -- I know he won't put anything on my path that I cannot overcome.  Especially because worrying doesn't change anything.  Worrying won't make those "not-so-fun" events disappear, it will only make them harder to deal with. I'm going to (try) and stop my unnecessary worrying because it is starting to take toll on my relationships, health and overall happiness.
This is one of my new year's resolutions!
Any advice to control stress, anxiety, worrisome thoughts? Anything you're trying to work on for the new year?
Have a positive day! :)