Made it Monday!

This is my first "Made it Monday!" I'm pretty excited.

 

 I made something yesterday that I'm pretty proud of. I created my own lesson plan book. To be honest, I was searching on TPT yesterday for lesson plan pages, and I even purchased a lesson plan book created by someone else, printed it off, and bound it together, yet..It just didn't work for me. What was I thinking? I needed to just create my own. 

Here are a few pictures of some of the pages I created:

As you can see I've got this pink and purple polka dot theme going on..which is so me. The one I purchased was black and white..so not me. I'm really happy with the results. I've printed out all the sheets and I can't wait to bind them today or tomorrow! There are many sheets in this including student info sheets, favorite websites, birthdays, everything! It's so fun! I also love the font I chose, there are little hearts throughout. :)

If you like my lesson plan book, feel free to stop by my TPT store and check it out! 

Happy Monday Everyone!

Linky Party!

I have to admit, I've been an absolute sucker for these linky parties, but I can't resist, they are so fun and a great way for newbie bloggers like me to link up with others! I really enjoyed this one because everyone can get to know one another better! Yes we are teachers...but what else makes us..US? Well, Amy at Step Into 2nd is having a great linky party. Check her blog out here: 

So get to know me a little bit better..:)

1. I'm from the beautiful state of Maine. I'm from rural Maine and I absolutely love it here. I wouldn't want to live anywhere else. I love being in the outdoors and getting my hands dirty. I love camping, kayaking, and gardening! Yes, I have moose in my backyard...it's really no big deal.

2. I am engaged to my best friend, Jason. Jason and I have been together for a little over 3 years now. Jason proposed to me in March and surprised me at school! He always told me he would surprise me and catch me completely off guard. Jason is a State Trooper and in the Marine Corps. He was in Afghanistan for a year and returned in February! It was a tough year without him, but we did it!

 My sister and I at the homecoming waiting for Jason!

 Jason and I! We haven't seen each other for a year. Really happy!

 Jason with his fellow Troopers. :)

My ring! Exactly what I wanted. :)

3. Jason and I have two dogs together. Timber and Boone. They are our "boys" as we call them! Timber is a German Shepard and Boone is a Yellow Lab. Boone is 2, Timber is about 5. 

 Boone when he was just a little puppy!

 Now he's all grown up!

Timber, he is the keeper of all bones and toys...he has sharing issues.

4. My sister is my best friend. My sister Hillary is about 3 years younger than me. She is WAY different than me, but we balance each other out quite nicely. We sometimes still bicker but we do it with love, of course. I can't imagine my life without the love of a sister. She is something special.

 Hill and I in front of my house a couple summers ago. Timber is pretty happy!

My sister got this tattoo on her upper back...enough said. :)

My mom..she's also my best friend. We can have more than one. :) 

5. I love to READ. I am a book worm. I'm a series reader, meaning, I get absolutely obsessed with characters and all I want to do is continue to read their journey. Series I love include: Fifty Shades of Grey, The Hunger Games, Twilight (YES!), Harry Potter, and Matched. I also love other books..these are just a few favorites! :) 

6. I graduated from the University of Maine at Farmington. One of the best experiences ever, I loved it and wish I could still go back somedays (not because I don't love what I do..I just love going to school and miss taking classes) which is why I'm looking into starting my masters degree courses!

My Sister, Mom, and Dad!

Alright, 6 is enough. I hope you've enjoyed!

One Lovely Blog Awards!

As I mentioned earlier, I needed to search and find 15 new blogs to give this award to! Well I've done some searching and I've found 5 new(er) fabulous, fashionable blogs! *Okay fine, I've changed the rules a little bit, but I had a hard enough time finding 5! I think 5 will suffice. :) Here are the rules for this award!

There are a few rules to receive this award:

~ Follow the person(s) who gave you the award.

~Link back to the person who gave you the award.

~Pass this award on to 15 new bloggers!
*Do the best you can...I did 5! :)

Well here they are, enjoy and check them out!

 

 

A few updates and random ramblings..and a new award!

Happy Thursday everyone! I've been a little busy this week. I had the opportunity to substitute for summer school. It was so much fun. I was able to work in the special ed classroom (which is what summer school mainly is here) and it was a nice change to do something different. I really enjoyed being back in a classroom, doing what I love.

I've also been busy trying to sell somethings on eBay. I'd like to make some extra cash selling a few of my Coachs and Dooneys. We shall see how that goes!  You can check them out here and bid if you're interested!
Dooney & Bourke Hobo Style Purse!
Dooney & Bourke Bucket Purse!
Coach Hobo Style Purse!

Here are a few things I worked on the other day when I went into school:

I have some fabulous book boxes for my students. Many people don't use these I've noticed in the upper grades, but I love them! I hate having my students stuff their nice books in their desks where they, unfortunately, get crumpled and ripped! I don't know about you, but my heart breaks when I see a brand new book I purchased for our library and the cover is all bent up. I bought these book boxes from Really Good Stuff last year. They are durable, colorful, and large enough to fit many notebooks and books! Last year I laminated little s'more looking labels (my theme last year was 'Camp Cayer!'). They were so cute, however, when I wrote the students' names on the s'mores they would eventually wipe off. I decided to create my own labels this year, perfect 3x3 squares on Pages and then copied them on card stock and laminate! Their names are typed this time, no more re-writing their names over and over again. I know this sounds like a simple thing, but it is such a time saver! Here they are:

 

I bought this little shelving unit last year at Walmart! It was so inexpensive and durable. To the left and right of the book boxes are other shelves I purchased at Walmart. They were 15 dollars and easy to assemble! They come in white, natural, and black! I would highly recommend them if you need more storage.

 Here is one close up! How cute? They fit great!

As you can see, I love owls. One of my mom's best friends (MARIE!!!) who I had a chance to substitute with this week surprised me today with this cute cup! How thoughtful, it really made my day:

I was so happy to see I now have 21 followers! How exciting? Thank you everyone who has decided to follow my blog! I'm also thrilled that I have been awarded a new blog award! 

The One Lovely Blog Award. Love it!

 

Thank you Vicky! You can check out her blog here: Keep Calm and Imagine

There are a few rules to receive this award:

~ Follow the person(s) who gave you the award. DONE!

~Link back to the person who gave you the award. DONE!

~Pass this award on to 15 new bloggers! 

(I will do this in my next post..because I need to find 15 new bloggers!!!) 

Well everyone, thank you for reading my very random Thursday post. I hope you all are having a wonderful week! 

Newbie Blogger Linky Party!

I've been enjoying all these newbie blog linky parties! I hope that this inspires more people to follow and find my blog. I've enjoyed finding other teacher's blogs by searching these parties! So Janice at Grade Three Is The Place For Me!  is throwing a blog hop. How fun! Go and join the blog hop, link up your blog, and answer these questions on a new post! :)

1. What state are you in? I am from the beautiful state of Maine!
2. What's your current teaching position? I am currently teaching 5th grade!
3. What's your teaching experience? This will be my second year teaching. I taught fourth grade last year and was moved to 5th. I'm not doing a true "loop" with my students, however, I am excited to have some of the same students!
4. When did you start blogging? I starting blogging this summer! I've always loved looking at peoples' blogs and finally decided to create my own and join in on the fun.
5. Share a blogging tip! My blogging tip is, if your going to blog it's important that you are happy with the way it looks! You shouldn't settle for a blog your half proud of to call your own. I would recccomend The Honey Bunch Blog Design to help you design your blog just the way you want it! You can find them here:

Bulletin Boards in Progress

Something I worked on these past couple of days are my bulletin boards. I searched through sites for some wonderful ideas, and one that I loved and wanted to try was the big gumball machine. It just clicked for me with the dots and color already in my classroom, I just knew it would be fun! Here are a few pictures of what I've done so far. It's not complete yet. I still need to create the turning knob on the gumball machine which I will use aluminum foil. Also, I need to put the lettering up for, "WELGUM TO MISS CAYER'S FIFTH GRADE" something like that. :) Anyways, please take a look.

I had two small bulletin boards right next to one another so I made it into one large bulletin board! :)

Love the border :)

So, with some measuring, and drawing, we (my awesome mother) and I created the gumball machine. I chose to laminate the red parts of the machine and just leave the white part. We actually had to double the white part so the blue bulletin board paper wouldn't show through. It looks like a more solid white now!

I then created a circle template on my computer, copied many different colored copies on various colors of construction paper, and wrote all of my students names on them. I included myself and my wonderful Ed Tech. After all, we are all one big family. :) I then laminated the "gumballs" to make them shiny!

A tip that everyone should know, is to TACK up your display before you get the stapler out. If something is a little off, it's easier to move when all you have to do is pull a tack up. Once you have everything just right, get the stapler out and just staple away! :)
I'll post later when I have the whole thing completed, I was just too excited to wait. :) I love it!!

A few things I still need to do:
1. Finish bulletin boards
2. Create new book box labels (for each student).
3. Create name labels for desks.
4. Go through my curriculum a bit more.
5. Choose a beginning of the year whole class reading book. (any suggestions)?
6. And so much more I'm sure..I'm not too stressed about it though. :)

One last thing I'm really excited about. My brand new faux leather PINK desk chair. I'm calling it the princess chair. Too much? :) Nahh. I really needed a new chair and found this one at Staples. I walked in, sat in it, and instantly knew, it was mine. It is now happily sitting at my desk. I miss it already. I look forward to having a wonderful year with it.

Well, Happy Saturday everyone! I hope you've enjoyed. Thanks to all the new people that have begun following me!!

One word..FABRIC! :)

I wanted to post a few more pictures of the progress I'm making in my classroom decor! I've gone in here and there for the past couple of days and I wanted to share a fun tip if you didn't know about it, you can start doing it!

Have a dingy desk? A drab filing cabinet? Want to make those extra desks in your classroom into a cute usable "table?" One word, FABRIC! I get my fabric at our local Mardens where you can buy the fabric .99 a yard or 1.99 a yard.

Don't mind my clutter, this desk was just a normal brown desk. I considered it just there, it didn't make a statement! Well, the easiest solution is to get some fabric of your choice, trim it to the correct length and width, and tack up with upholstery nails.

I chose these white nails so they blended with the fabric. :)

Another use of fabric in the classroom. If you have a filing cabinet that isn't in the best shape and some of the paint is chipped, or it just looks dingy, make a runner with the fabric and run it along the top! Instantly brightens up the classroom!

Whenever I have extra desks in the classroom, I create a table cloth with the fabric and drape it across the desk I have to create a more usable table! Perfect! :)

I hope this little post about the use of fabric has been helpful! Enjoy!