Five Question Friday

1. What's the best Christmas present you've ever received? I would have to say my Cabbage Patch Kid when I was 5 or 6 years old. He was exactly what I wanted - a boy, bald with brown eyes. I loved that doll. I'll have to dig out the picture of me with him still in the box on Christmas morning.

2. Worse/Funniest White Elephant gift I've ever received? Nothing stands out in my memory.

3. Is your Christmas tree plain and simple (white lights and matching ornaments) or is it wild and crazy (colored lights with lots of ornaments collected over the years)? I like simple and classy. I would do white lights with red bows every year if it were up to me, with a few traditional ornaments on the tree (ones my Gram made, ones we made as kids, ones in memory of loved ones, etc). But, I don't have my own house yet so I have to do it the way the 'rents want.

4. "How" do you iron your clothes? The old fashioned iron/ironing board, the shower, back in the dryer, etc. Depends. With the new washer and dryer, I've been really good about getting clothes out of the dryer when they're dry... leaving the majority of my clothes not needing ironing. I've been known to hang things in the bathroom during a hot shower and just Wednesday night I pulled out the ironing board and iron...

5. How much baking do you do for Christmas and what are your "must make" items? I always make peanut blossoms - the peanut butter cookies with hershey's kisses in the center. Other than that, I usually make sugar cookies and decorate them but that's not necessarily every year. I have some ideas of traditions I'd love to do with my own children one day, but that will have to wait I guess. :)

5 Question Friday

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie? I’d say the peanut butter cookies with a Hershey’s Kiss in the center. It’s not very Christmasy, but it’s the only time of year I make them!

2. What’s your favorite holiday movie and why? I can’t pick a favorite. I love Rudolph because I have been watching it for decades. Christmas Vacation is special to me because Chevy Chase reminds me of my Uncle when we would spend Christmas with him and his family. I also had my Gramma sit down and watch the last Christmas she was here for. Elf is special because we saw it in the theatre the day after Christmas – something we never do as a family, and haven’t done again since then. A Christmas Story is just plain amazing – and it is on every Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in our house for the full 24 hours that TNT airs it.

3. Is there a gift you have bought for your kids but wished you hadn’t after they opened it? N/A

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment? Probably the kitchen – and I should probably go clean it instead of posting this.

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays? Michigan to see Tim & his family last year forThanksgiving. Or to Florida for Easter my freshman year of high school.

it's back! for today anyways...

1. What movie do you love to quote? If you're around me for more than a few minutes, chances are I will quote one of the following movies: Dumb & Dumber, Christmas Vacation or Elf.

2. Have you ever ridden a motorcycle? Yes - but nothing exciting. My aunt & uncle came down to my parent's house one afternoon a few years ago on his Harley and I happened to mention in passing I had never been on one. Scariest experience of my life... and he only went about 25mph.

3. What's your favorite thing to do on a rainy day? Sleep. Although lately it would be school work, then sleep.

4. Do you prefer a bunch of small gifts, or one really big (expensive) gift? My family has never been big on gift giving, so it doesn't matter much to me. My parents informed me this week that their gift to me this Christmas is going to be new tires for my car, and I was super excited. Opening gifts on Christmas and my birthday isn't what my parents have made those days about.

5. Do you ever lose track of days and end up somewhere wrong? Not yet! Even on crazy schedules with elementary schools. A few years ago I split a 5 day rotation between 4 schools and not once did I ever make a mistake. Great, yes... but I'd love to have a good stry to tell! :)

I have fallen in love with this song from the first time i heard it today.

5 Question Friday

Happy July!!

1.) If you were given the opportunity to bungee jump, would you? Um...... NO.

2.) Would you rather go to the movie theater or drive-in? Drive in because I have never been!

3.) Do you have your groceries delivered? No reason to have them delivered, unless laziness is a reason! I think it is a great thing for the elderly or disabled or if you have 50 kids and can't get to the grocery store... but otherwise I don't see a need to have your groceries delivered.

4.) Eyebrows: Do you wax, thread, pluck or stay au naturel? Try to stay on top of plucking, but if I get really behind I get a wax. Au Naturel would mean uni-brow in my case!

5.) Would the people you went to high school with be surprised by your life today? Seeing as I was a band geek and turned out to be a music teacher, I would say no. :)

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Wednesday already! I feel like this week is flying by! Last week was super busy, it seemed to drag... but of course my first official week of summer vacation and I don't know where the time is going...

Here's a list of what I'm lovin - I'm going to be boring this week and make it a picture-free post!

1.) Since school is over I have spent Monday and Tuesday deep cleaning the house. Monday was the kitchen, living room, dining room and bathrooms. I try to help my parents out by pulling some weight in the cleaning department, but usually don't have time or energy during the work week. What a difference it makes having all day, every day to make things tidy. All that to say, this week I'm loving all things Swiffer related!

2.) I'm certainly loving the warmer, summer-like weather.

3.) I'm loving that this weekend is 4th of July and I will be spending time with family!

4.) I'm loving that 5 weeks from today my twin nephews will be here for over a week!!!!!

5.) I'm loving that tonight I get to meet with my advisor to set up my classes for this fall that will go towards my Master's degree!

6.) I'm loving still being on a school schedule and that sleeping til 7 or 7:30 feels like sleeping in! (This usually only lasts a week or two... the late nights catch up to me quickly!)

7.) I'm loving a clean bill of health from the doctor and a 10-15lb weight change (lower!) than a year ago!

8.) I'm loving that my time in New London is D O N E and I'm on to bigger and better things :)

9.) I'm loving that a new baby is going to be joining our family in a little less than 10 weeks!

10.) I'm loving my precious puppy probably a little more than I should now that I'm home every day. :)

Hope you're having a happy hump day!

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

I can't believe the day is nearly over. This has been such a busy week and it will continue to be busy until Sunday afternoon. I think at that point I will truly feel like school is out for the summer! My list is short but here's what I'm lovin'!
Days til summer vacation: ZERO!!! School's out for summer!!!!!
Speaking of school being out - this song has been playing over and over in my head!

THIS GUY graduated from my alma mater tonight! I couldn't be more proud!! How cute is he?!

I've been loving reading memories of my former student, Ruben... who sadly, passed away after a month long battle with a rare form of brain cancer. This guy was really one in a million... he was a beautiful soul and will be missed each and every day -

5 Question Friday!

1. What is your favorite summer time activity? The things I love about summer are - being able to wake up and not having to get in the shower and out the door 6 days a week, family get togethers and BBQ's, travel to see family and friends and just sitting on the front porch rockers until all hours of the evening enjoying a margarita!

2. Do you have one laundry sop you stick to, or do you buy whatever is on sale? I usually buy either Era or Tide. Tide is so stinking expensive... but it smells so stinking good! I've been using coupons to buy it at BJ's Wholesale so it is a little cheaper... but it still kills me sometimes to buy it!

3. What is your favorite dinner to make in the summer? I LOVE to grill out in the summer. I'm gonna go with either honey balsamic chicken or a burger... with a huge green salad, corn on the cob and.... a margarita!

4. Do you have any talents? No hidden talents that I can think of... other than worry like a pro about things that are totally out of my control! ha!

5. If you could instantly be an expert at something, what would it be? Why? I would LOVE to be able to be a talented photographer and have an eye for those amazing pictures that photographers have! Either that or I would be a mind reader :)

it's Wednesday - here's what I'm lovin!

it's Wednesday and you won't hear any complaining from me! here's what i'm lovin:

Gotta start with the school count down - after today (which is field day) we will have just THREE (technically 2 and a half but who's counting?!) days left this year!
I went to Yankee Candle last night and this is my absolute favorite scent! I completely burned the one I got earlier this spring and we have company coming this weekend so I had to get another one!

Speaking of company... I have been on a cleaning frenzy since this weekend, so I thought I would share some of the cleaning products I have been loving lately! First up - these pledge wipes. I love having the polish and the rag all in one wipe!
My dog sleeps in my room... and the carpet is beginning to smell like dog. Yuck. So, to freshen things up, I sprinkle this on the carpet before I vacuum and it lasts for a few days. i LOVE it!

For my windows and mirrors I use Windex Multi Surface. It smells so delish!

and for the bathroom and kitchen i LOVE these wipes... they not only smell lemon fresh but they are bio-degradable!

And some GREAT news! I have officially secured an internship for the fall. I will either be here at Great Neck Elementary School (where I interviewed AND where my cousin's daughter Haley will be in the 3rd grade)...

Or at Quaker Hill Elementary School (which is where my niece Briana is and will be in the 4th grade)...

Or here at Oswegatchie Elementary School... which is where I spent grades Kindergarten through 6th grade! Of course, it didn't look like this... but it is still MY school :)

A few years back my town voted to consolidate 5 elementary schools into 3... and they tore down the existing buildings to build new ones. No matter which school I am placed in, it is less than 3 years old and completely state of the art. I. AM. SO. LOVING. IT!!!! :o)

five question friday -

ho hum. another friday. 2nd to last friday of this school year. really experiencing mixed feelings about the end of this year. i digress. on to 5 question friday:

1. How close to your childhood dreams is your life now? Relatively? Here are the things I used to dream about when I was a little girl: being a teacher, getting married and having a family. So, I guess you could say 1/3 of my dreams have come true? I just got done stalking a friend of a friend on facebook who is a good 12 years younger than me... she is getting married and i was looking at her wedding shower pictures... and let out the hugest sigh i have ever heard and caught myself... I do long for those days... and hope that I am lucky enough to experience what it is like to have a bridal shower or feel a baby move inside me... but until then, I just keep dreaming.

2. What is one must have item for the summer? family BBQs. :)

3. Did your parents make you stay up on school stuff during summer vacation? Ok first of all I was SO confused with this question. I think I have it figured out. When I was young, summer was time for hard play and sleep. It wasn't until high school that they implemented a summer reading program. We had to read a book (The Hobbits) over the summer and were going to be quizzed on it the 1st day of school. I think I got a 13 on that quiz. Meh.

4. Do you can or freeze fresh produce? I haven't made a habit of it, other than blueberries. They freeze so easily. I do plan on going strawberry picking soon and make jam, which i will freeze. I'm looking forward to that! Other than that, all of our produce from the garden is consumed or given away.

5. Do you get ready for the day 1st thing in the morning? If it is a school day, yes. Typically in the summer I will get ready if I have somewhere to be or have a lot to do. If it is a weekend I usually just relax and get ready for the day mid to late morning.

Have a wonderful weekend :)