I {heart} Lakeshore Learning

I can't believe it - it is only 11 am and I have had 2,194 pageviews today! What!!

I am so humbled that I can write and share ideas that teachers from all over can use and benefit from!

Well, right now I am in bed sick with Bronchitis and Strep Throat!! (I also believe that I have the flu even though I wasn't tested for it.) The body aches I have felt in the past 24 hours have been horrible. I am finally feeling well enough to sit up and touch my computer. And once I logged onto my blog and saw the number of pageviews, I just couldn't resist writing to thank everyone!

Yesterday was such a neat day 12-12-12. I wish I could have linked up with Stacy over at Simpson's Superstars to commemorate 12-12-12 with 12 random pictures. But, I was so sick that no pictures got taken... well, except for this one

Nice, huh!!

My son snapped this picture of me at the doctor's office yesterday morning. Me at my finest!!

Okay, on to more exciting things...
I received a question about my classroom, so I wanted to share the answer with everyone!

Here is a current picture of my classroom wall.

I was asked about these frames:

They come from Lakeshore Learning.

You can purchase them on Amazon by clicking here.

There are 12 in a pack (four of each color: blue, yellow, and green) so I bought 2 packages. They have pre-made holes in each corner allowing the frames to be hung vertically or horizontally. I bought inexpensive ribbon at Walmart and tied a loop for hanging.

I also bought Command strip hooks in clear to hang the frames on. Here is the link to order the Command hooks from Amazon:
http://amzn.to/2jnYWE2

Click here to check the frames out!!

Once I am up and feeling better, I have a giveaway that I will be posting, so stay tuned.

Now it is back to bed for me (only 1 hour and 45 minutes before the kids get home from school)...yikes!!

A Teacher's Fashion

This has to be one of my favorite Linky Parties EVER!!!

I love fashion almost as much as teaching!

I am linking up with Jess at From Blood to Books.

Here are the guidelines...
1. Tell me your favorite store(s) that you like to get your "teacher's fashion".
2. What are some of your favorite accessories?
3. What type of shoes do you teach in? (i.e. heels, flats, wedges, etc.)
4. Do you have a "go-to" item in your closet? (i.e. sweater you wear weekly, shoes you wear daily, etc.)
5. Have you ever had a fashion "uh-oh" at school? (i.e. heel broke)


1.Favorite Stores:

I love both of these stores! I can find great deals and I love the mixing and matching available at both of these stores. Loft has a great Petite selection!

2.Favorite Accessories:

I heart my watch! I scored mine from Ebay!

This is not my exact handbag, but close enough. Mine is shiny! I love me some Michael Kors!

I wear lots of jewelry to spice up my outfits. I wear everything from interesting rings, bracelets, earrings and necklaces. This is my newest bracelet. I really like it. It mixes the gold and silver look together in one piece. Check out Sira & Mara for great jewelry at even greater prices!

And of course the Bubble Necklace is popular! I have one in yellow that I got from Ebay. Original J. Crew Bubble Necklaces go for around $150. So check out Ebay instead. I paid under $15.

3.Shoes:

I wear all kinds of shoes to school (except you will hardly ever find me in a pair of tennis shoes at work).

I sport flats, heels, boots, sandals and flipflops. Here are some shoes on my wish list:

I would love to have a pair of these Hunter Wellies! They have a British version, too, with the British flag. How adorable for those living in England!

4.Go-to-Item(s):

Awe...

The Pencil Skirt! I really love my Pencil Skirts! I have the one above. It is on sale now in many fabulous colors - check out jcrew.com!

My other go-to-item...

the skinny belt! I wear these a lot. They give a pop of color to many outfits.

5.Fashion Uh-Oh!

Yes, I had one! Actually is was really funny!

At my old school, we had those tennis balls on the bottom of the chairs.

Well, I stepped right in one with my heel piercing through the hole. I was walking around for a minute or two and was wondering what felt strange, when I looked down, there was the yellow ball.

Ha, Ha!

We snapped a picture of it for the yearbook. I'll have to dig up that picture and post it!

Now it's your turn! Go link up and let us know your fashion must-haves!

Blogger Meetup and Currently

Better late than never...it is after all Aug. 6th.

I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her August Currently.

So here it is:

I guess I better explain the "new stupid laminator" part. Take notice I said "new" - that implies that I have one and need another.

Yep! I do {or did} have a brand spanking new laminator. But after only being out of the box for approximately 20 minutes, it is now in the trash can.

That's right folks - I said TRASH CAN!!!

I should have read rule number 3 in the directions and then read it again and then highlighted it before reading it yet another time!

It says - well I can't quote it exactly because I was so mad that I shredded the directions - do not leave children unsupervised around the machine!

So that precious beast child I mentioned early in the Currently tried to laminate something while I was gathering more items to have fun with laminate! She not only had the laminating sleeve inside out, it was fed into the machine - gasp - open end first {I did read that rule}.

Needless to say, the whole thing got stuck and the release handle DID NOT help. Now melted lamination is wrapped around the rollers and the thing makes terrible noises and once my husband jimmied the thing open it does not function any more...

cue sobbing!!

Now I will HAVE to buy another! I loved that thing - even though it only lived a short life!

Lesson here - ALWAYS read directions thoroughly!!! {And watch your children carefully}

**Disclaimer**
I did not actually leave a 5 year old alone with the laminator. We had worked together on several pages, and when I was sure she had it down (or so I thought) I let her try one on her own. I happened to be looking down at my lap full of pages to see which would be next up and when I looked up as she was placing the film into the machine. It was too late to grab it before it started automatically feeding into the machine. Oh well...



On to a happy note! I had a great time at the Charlotte blogger meet up!

It is so much fun meeting your idols fellow bloggers! We chatted about the Common Core, children {our own}, our classrooms, our favorite blogs - just about everything that long time new teacher friends talk about!
These lady were awesome with a capital A! Thanks Amber and Elisabeth for organizing the meet up.

Check out all these ladies on their blogs:

Amber

Elisabeth

Kathy

And Rebecca

well, you'll have to wait for her to start a Principal's Blog :D

That's all for today folks! Hope tomorrow {and laminator number 2} are better!

Fabulous Finds and a Makeover

What do you think of my little blog "make-over"? I love the soft colors and the uniqueness of it. Hope everyone out there likes it as much as I do!

Today I am linky up with Elizabeth at Fun in Room 4B for her Fabulous Find Friday!

First up this fabulous necklace!

I picked up this necklace from Jeweliq. It is an online company with many gorgeous pieces ranging from earrings to necklaces to bracelets all under $25.


Best of all I paid only $15 for this piece! Everything ships FREE!!

So go check them out - you won't be disappointed.

Next up I spent a little lot more than the necklace for this baby...

I was so tired of how slow and unreliable my old printer was, so I popped into Staples and picked up this beauty!

I am most excited by its wireless and e-print capabilities!

Here I am printing Ginger's Back-to-School Glow Stick Gifts. {Check it out here at Ginger Snaps.}

I love how fast and easy it has been to use! I also love the touch screen on the front. And that it can print 2 sided! It was on sale this week, so if you need a new home printer - go check it out!

Last, I picked up these magnets at Target.

I've seen other bloggers post about them, so when I was in Target this week and saw them hanging on an end cap, I decided to pick them up as well. They will be a fun addition to a word work station!

Okay, now I am off to do some more printing...

ABC's of ME

I have NO idea what happen to my banner that my title used to be in up there - it disappeared - bummer :0(

Today I am linky up with Amy at Second Grade with Mrs. Lemons

I loved how Teri at A Cupcake for the Teacher used the ABC's to tell more about herself.

So...I am stealing borrowing the idea!


A- Age - 30 something


B - Bed size - King {But I still sleep clung to the side of the bed - it's hard to get through a night without 1-3 children, or a pet}


C - Car - Just bought a new Honda Pilot Touring - love it!!!

D - Dogs or cats - ugh - I have two of each!

E - Essential to start your day - iPhone & caffeine {in the form of a diet coke}

F - Favorite color - Black - it is so basic and goes with everything!

G - Gold or silver - Both would be my answer. Lately, however, I wear a lot of gold!

H - Height - 5'1"

I - Ice cream - Ice cream is not my favorite dessert, but I do like Wendy's Frosties and a Mint Chocolate Milk Shake from DQ

J - Job title - 3rd Grade Teacher

K - Kids - 3 {2 boys and 1 girl}

L - Live - North Carolina {NOT native}

M - Magic Kingdom - We heart Disney World!!

N - Nickname - Angie - real name is Angela

O - Only child, I have no siblings :0(

P - Pet peeves - Drivers who leave their blinkers on!!!

Q - Quote from a movie - "Just keep swimming; just keep swimming" {can you name that tune/quote?}

R - Right or lefty - Righty.

S - Favorite season - Fall - I love the colors, temperature, football, and campfires. Plus 4 out of the five of us in my little family have fall birthdays!

T - TV - I LOVE television. My favorite shows: Bachelorette, House Hunters, Amazing Race, Design Star, NY Med (new) and On the Fly (new)


U - Unknown fact - I played the snare drum in high school {while wearing my cheerleading uniform during football games!}


V - Vegetables - Sweet Potatoes


W - What makes me run late - Everything, I can't seem to get anywhere on time :0(


X - X-rays - My teeth, ankle, chest, elbow and my tongue - Don't ask!


Y - Yummiest food - Cupcakes!


Z - Zoo animal - I love seeing the monkeys and polar bears; but my favorite animal is a dolphin!

There you have it! Now you know a little more about me!!

Link up and join the fun!!

On a side note - don't forget to check out my giveaway, it ends Monday at 12:01 am. So hurry up and enter! Click here to go to it!

My friend, Kathy, is having a giveaway also. Check her out at Kathy's Coordinated Class and enter to win $20 to use at Teachers Pay Teachers!! I know I have several things on my wish list at TpT.


I am so excited that the Olympic events begin tomorrow! I can't wait to watch gymnastics {I was a gymnast as a kid} and diving! Which sport do you like to watch?

Newbie Blog Hoppin'

Janis at Grade 3 Is The Place For Me is hosting her very first linky party! And since I just love me a good "party", I thought I would join in on the fun! This linky party is for newbies - like myself - to introduce ourselves and our blog {and hopefully gain a few more followers in the process}.

1. what state you are in I am in North Carolina {i am NOT native though}
2. your current teaching position Grade 3
3. your teaching experience I have taught 4th, K, and 3rd {in that order} over the course of 7 or so years
4. when you started blogging I began in April '12
5. share a blogging tip / blogging resource For newbies out there - be sure to leave comments and link up to blog hops to gain more followers. Also, check out Ladybug Teacher Files for great tutorials.

There you have it!

Be sure to visit Janis and link up!

Oh and don't forget to follow! -->
I hit 100 followers so stayed tuned for a give-away!!

Linky Party

Here's another Linky Party called Currently - Link up at Oh' Boy Fourth Grade!

Link up at: Confessions of a Teaching Junkie