Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Wisdom for Wednesday-Working things Out

Welcome to another week of:



I had a dear friend of mine get me the book called Jesus Calling by Sarah Young.  It is a devotional book for each day.  It is absolutely one of the best devotional books that I have read.  Each day after reading the devotional, I am always saying that is soooo true!!  So this one was the other day.  It went on to talk about how we should stop trying to work things out before their times have come.  We should accept the limitations of living one day at a time.  Instead of dwelling on things and trying to work it out ourselves, we should ask God whether or not it is a part of his agenda for us today.  If it isn't then we need to release it to him and move on about our day.  Wouldn't that be so much easier to release it to God and move on about our day?  If we don't do that then we allow little things (that aren't God's plan for us that day) to take up our  time and energy.  I personally need to be working on letting those things go and letting God take them over because I often dwell on things and it would be so much easier to let him dwell on them for me.  :-) 

Have a great day! 



Monday, March 28, 2016

Meetings


Today we had a teacher inservice day and my mind is just racing about different ideas and schedules etc.   I decided that this blog post is just going to be about some of the quotes that I've seen about teaching that I like, otherwise I think with the way my mind is racing, this blog would be very random.  :-)  

Here they are:












Finally-this one is more serious because we all know that we went into teaching because we care about these kids!




Have a great day!


Saturday, March 26, 2016

As Random As It Gets...

Hey there! 

I hope you are enjoying your (hopefully) long weekend.

So thankful for the reason we celebrate Easter! 
He is risen indeed!

Pinned from here.
 Kristi and I are getting ready to go to our very first teacher-blogger meet-up. We are so excited to get together with other Big Heartland Bloggers for a day of fun. 

I made these business cards on Vista Print:
 

We are also trying to come up with ideas on what we could take for the goodie bags at the meet-up. 

What would you love to get???

Here's my new foundation routine... 


I warned you this was random...

I had snapped the picture for my fashionista niece to show her what I had picked up at Sephora, and when I went back through my phone looking for pictures to blog about...well, now you understand. 

Our Spring party day started with birthday donuts from one of my sweeties...yum!

We were only mildly hyper after that.   
Funny story about that crazy day...they had to squeeze me in at the doctor's office. It was right in the middle of the day, so my principal covered for me from 11:00 to 1:00 and the kids were at lunch for 30 minutes of that time. When I got back and said something about how fast I was only being gone 2 hours (30 minutes driving both ways), he said, "I've only been here for 2 hours! I'm exhausted!"

Welcome to my world, welcome to my world! ;-)

 Since KU plays in the Elite 8 today...

These were a couple of my cuties decked out in KU for the Sweet Sixteen game on Thursday. 


 It was a struggle coming back from Spring Break...especially since I hadn't planned on being there (my shoulder surgery was post-poned) and it was a short, crazy week with the party day. 

Here's hoping I feel a little more prepared for next week!



Monday, March 21, 2016

Sunday-Monday Scoop

I have linked up with the Sunday Scoop with Teaching Trio.


Well, mine is the Monday Scoop!  :-)

3 things I have to do:
1.  Clean my house-yes I just got off of Spring Break so you would think that my house would be clean.
2.  Catch up on work at school-How can I already be behind???  Today was just the first day back from Spring Break.
3.  Get some sleep-I know that I had all of Spring Break to rest and sleep, but unfortunately I haven't been able to sleep well.  

2 things I hope to do:
1.  Take my dog for a walk and walk every day this week-I have decided that I need to make myself exercise more than I have been so my goal is to do some walking every day this week.  My dog will love it if I do this!

1 thing I am happy to do:
1.  RELAX-I love having down time and being able to relax!

Have a great day!



Friday, March 18, 2016

Spring Break -- Picture Overload!

It is amazing how much time I have to take pictures when I'm not teaching. Ha!

I decided to document my Spring Break day by day...on Instagram (which you may or may not have seen since I hear they are doing things differently now). 
#NotHappy 
#ICanDecideForMyselfWhosPostsIWantToSee 
#IfIDidntWantToSeeTheirPostsIWouldntFollowThem

 So if you want to see my IG posts, you'll need to turn on notifications from me.

Anyway...spring break started a little early for me as I headed off to the Big 12 men's basketball tournament.

We are blessed to have friends who get us tickets every year. Love watching my Jayhawks!

#IHateSelfies

Day 1 (of my official Spring Break):

I wisely decided that after two weeks of doing nothing (fighting a cold/virus thingy), I should start a 5 day fitness challenge. 

I couldn't walk normally for three days. Ouch!
I also got carried away my first time shopping at Academy Sports and Sephora.
Day 2:

I went to work. :-(
 
But thankful my daughter helped me prep for next week's 4 day sub plans...I'll be out for shoulder surgery.
 Day 3:

More work...but not much. 

We are in the process of choosing a new reading curriculum for next year and who has time to look at samples during a school day?
Day 4:

Oh, the day I've waited all year for...official kick off of the NCAA basketball tournament!

FB frame--check!

Brackets complete - check!
In case you're wondering, Crystal's Upsets is doing the best...almost perfect. #ShouldHavePickedYale

Day 5:

Yes, I did complete the 5 day challenge.
 If you're looking for a good one, give Fitness Blender's Strong and Lean challenge a try. Today was another buns and thigh workout...hoping I can walk tomorrow. :-)

Have a great weekend!
I'm headed to the couch for another day of basketball...
LOVE MARCH MADNESS!


Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Wisdom for Wednesday-Just Breathe

Thanks for joining us for another week of:



All I have to say to that is AMEN!!!!!!  I just wish that sometimes the controlling side of me would let myself do that and know that God's got this and will take care of it for me.  Whether it be that I'm busy or if something isn't going right in my life, I need to remember to just stop and breathe and remember that God will take care of it!

Here is a song that I love that reminds me of this saying as well:


Have a great day and remember to just breathe!



Monday, March 14, 2016

Spring Break!!!

I am officially on Spring Break now and I have to admit that I am being lazy today!  My mom is coming down today and will be here for a couple of days.  I asked her what she wanted to do and I loved her answer.....NOTHING!!!  So, it sounds like she will be ready to be lazy with me.  I hear my couch calling us and maybe a few good movies!  LOL!  I do have things that I should be getting done and some major spring cleaning to do.  Maybe that will occur when she leaves, we will see.  I usually feel guilty not getting things done and just relaxing, anyone else feel guilty like that?  

It has been rainy the last couple of days here and today the sun popped out and it is supposed to be 80 degrees outside.  YAY!  That is my kind of weather.  My mom and I will definitely have to sit outside a little bit to soak up some sun.  

I hope if you are on Spring Break, you are enjoying it and getting some much needed rest!  

Have a great day!



Friday, March 11, 2016

A Look Back...

I'm not too good with anniversaries…

In fact, when someone asks how long I've been married, I look at my husband to answer. Truth! 

The other day I started thinking about when Kristi and I started this little blog and TPT business…and realized we had missed our FOUR year anniversary. Ha! I thought it only fitting to post our first blog post to celebrate…and maybe some of you are new enough you haven't heard this story. 

Originally titled Super Teacher and her Sidekick from 2/20/12:

Ok, so there is much debate about who is the Super Teacher and who is the sidekick, but we thought letting you in on this little inside joke would be a fun way to introduce ourselves…

Crystal says: A few years ago, I had returned to school to finish my teaching degree and was looking for a place to do my student teaching. I had been the secretary at my children’s school, but I wanted to branch out and make some new connections. I had heard great things about a nearby school and knew the principal from when I was in high school many – yes, many – years ago. I called him and he set up a day for me to observe in the building.
My first stop was Kristi’s classroom. It didn’t take 10 minutes to know that her classroom was the place to be! She was so animated and engaging that the students seemed to hang on her every word. It was also obvious that she loved those kids. That was important to me because when I worked as a secretary, my eyes had been opened to realize that not all kids were loved and cared for like I love and care for my own children. I wanted to be that person that they could depend on to be there every day and to love them. Anyway, I knew that I wanted to student teach with Kristi! The teaching program I completed would not allow us to request a specific teacher, only the building and the grade level. I turned in my request and began to pray. I had a couple of friends from church that knew Kristi, and they told me she didn’t want me (some silly reason of having the load of a combo class that next year – ha, ha)!
Kristi says: Ok, so as I have my principal come to me again after telling me that I would be teaching a combo class for the very first time in my life, he asks me if I would like to have a student teacher for a semester.  As we all know, having a student teacher usually means more work—more paper work, documentation, and time.  I’m thinking: Are you kidding me?  On top of a combo class, you want me to take on a student teacher? This poor student teacher is going to come into this combo class and see me try to teach it for the very first time.  Is this really going to be good for a student teacher to see???  

Anyways, some of the other teachers in the building knew Crystal and told me how wonderful she would be, so with hesitation, I agreed to have her as my student teacher as long as she knew that it would be an unusual year and I couldn’t promise that it would be smooth.  She accepted—being the kind individual that she was.  It did prove to be an extraordinary and awesome year.  Crystal came in ready and excited to teach!  She was awesome….she was dedicated, worked hard and her love for kids shined.  She helped me throughout my first year with a combo class.  The year with the combo class proved to be a great, smooth year since Crystal was with me.  She was definitely a blessing!  The following year, she was hired on as my co-teacher!
Crystal says: Okay, fast forward to present day. So just before Christmas break, Kristi is showing me all these educational things she is thinking of doing that week and I say, “I don’t want to grade all that!” So that evening I tell my sweet husband about the conversation. He says, “You two really balance each other out. She is like the over-achiever, the super teacher, and you are…” He wisely stops himself and says, “This is not coming out right, is it?” Um…you think?
I was not really offended because Kristi is an amazing teacher. She puts in so much extra time to make her lessons interesting and engaging. She has the BEST classroom management I have ever seen (hope she will plan on sharing some of her great techniques on the blog soon)…some in our building even call her the “child whisperer.” In my mind, she is definitely the super teacher and I’m the sidekick – trying to learn as much as I can from her!
Kristi says: Crystal is definitely the Super Teacher in this scenario.  She loves kids and has so much excitement for teaching.  Every day she comes in with a smile and eager to get the day started with the little ones.  Her classroom is filled with excitement, involvement and kids who are eager to get into her class.  All the students love her and she has a great way of engaging all of her students in her lessons.   On top of all of this, her organizational skills are amazing!!  I, myself, have to try hard to keep up with her, due to her organization.  She is always on top of it and ready for the month or should I say the year…..I am constantly out of breath trying to stay at her speed and be as organized and ready as she is on a daily basis.  My co-teacher has come in and taught me so much about ways of teaching and working with a variety of students.  So, I would have to say that I win on the debate of her being the Super Teacher and me the sidekick!  
And so the Super Teacher debate continues… J
Thanks for checking out our blog. We have much to learn about blogging, but we are self-confessed blog stalkers and finally ready to take the plunge and join the fun!
Kristi and Crystal



Me again--in the real present day (March 12, 2016). Even though we are at different schools now (and I miss seeing her everyday), I will forever be thankful to Kristi for helping me get started in teaching AND for the friendship we have enjoyed. Thanks for taking this walk down memory lane with me. ;-)




Thursday, March 10, 2016

Wisdom for Wednesday --- Forgiveness

Good morning! 

This is a rerun from February 25, 2015. Let's just say I needed to hear it again and leave it at that! ;-)

Happy Hump Day!

I was just happy to be back at work! Yesterday I spent the day taking my son to doctor's appointments and tests on his knee. He injured it Monday during a basketball game. We don't know anything yet, but I'm hoping it isn't anything too serious. For now he is wearing a brace and on crutches. Ugh! The errands and running around wore me out…I'll take teaching any day. :-)

Well, let's get to it, shall we?




I love, love, LOVE this quote! 

I know it is so true of all that we have heard before, but stated so simply it is just…well, convincing.

Many years ago, I studied forgiveness and the bitterness that comes from the lack of it. I was led to…because of things I saw. I don't want to get too personal here, so I will just say that I have seen unforgiveness and bitterness--up close and personal. It has touched the lives of many people that I love in a whole variety of ways. It has made me want to never hold onto something and allow it to take over my life…to steal my joy.

Here's just one of the verses that has stuck with me on this issue of unforgiveness and the resulting bitterness:

Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.
Hebrews 12:15 (emphasis mine)

I hope this is just a good reminder for you. But if you are struggling to forgive, maybe it can be an encouragement to "just do it." 

Have a blessed day!



P.S. Pretty cool that my son just finished basketball season this year after that knee injury, surgery, and recovery! Praise the Lord!

Monday, March 7, 2016

A Mixture of Things!

I have a variety of things to share today, so I had a hard time coming up with a title for this blog post. So, this blog has a mixture of things that I am sharing.

1.  I want to share a story about one of my sweet girls in class.  She told me that she was going to have to leave the next day and be gone from school for a little while because she had an eye appointment.  I always tell them that I don't like them leaving because I miss them and their smiles.  She came in the next day and showed me the picture below and said to me, "Mrs. Torrey, I'm going to put this on my desk when I leave and that way when you look at my desk, you will see me smiling.  That way you won't be too sad."  Isn't that precious!  



2.  Reading-Today, I was so excited because if the kids get their work done early, I have choices that they can do.  One of them is reading of course.  As I walked around the room today, I noticed that every student was reading when their work was completed.  It is so exciting to see them choose to read as a choice!!


This one is taking an AR test on the ipad after reading her book.  It is a test that asks questions over the book she has read.



3.  Art-I will have to admit that art is not one of my strong points.  Therefore, when I come across something that is easy for me to show/teach the kids-I love it!  I found these cute Leprechaun drawings from First Grade Blue Skies Now Soaring in Kindergarten.  It was easy to follow and the kids had a great time.



I hope your having a great week so far.  We start with our parent-teacher conferences tomorrow night.  When are your parent-teacher conferences?  

Have a great rest of your week!

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Some Super Seuss Silly Fun!

Well, I couldn't think of a synonym for fun that started with s...

Guess I'll leave the alliteration to Dr. Seuss!

We had dress-up days all week to celebrate Read Across America week. One of my coworkers found a fun app to frame our Seuss photos. Check this one out:



On Friday, we had our big celebration! 
We divided our K-2 students into 5 groups and rotated them through fun learning activities. I did my favorite...
 

Any excuse to eat Goldfish crackers...
I found this animated read aloud of the book on youtube. 



Much more interesting than me reading! 
Then we completed our graphs and answered questions about them.

Last night was our last basketball game. :(

 We had hoped to be playing tonight in the sub-state championships, but it didn't work that way. I'll miss these girls! 


With no seniors and a record of 17-5, I'm excited to see what we can do next year though!

The disappointment of the season ending made me go digging up old pictures. I've been coaching these girls since my daughter was a 1st grader (she's a freshman now)! 

Here she is:


She is still that intense about the game! :-)

Have a great weekend!
 

P.S. My son's team is not done yet, playing tonight for the sub-state championship!

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Wisdom for Wednesday-Storms

Welcome to this week's:



We received this during the week as an email that came from a blog by Carol Moehrle.  I wanted to share it because I thought it was some good wisdom!

The energy of a storm can be violent. Storms can come from the wind, rain, snow or ice. As much as we may try, we can not stop these environmental storms. We may hope and pray that they don't hit us, and we may worry and fret until we are making ourselves sick. What we know is that we have no power over the weather or the storm it may bring. Our worrying will do nothing to ease the storm or make it go away.

Spending your time and energy worrying about a storm can leave you exhausted and spent. This worrying can deplete you of the calm, positive energy you need to deal with the outcome and the consequences.

Just like environmental storms, we all have internal storms from time to time. These storms may be family issues, or issues at work, and just like the environmental storms, we have little control over calming them. The only thing we can be totally confident about is our ability to take responsibility for keeping ourselves calm.

Practice calm in your life. The storms will ultimately pass.

Have a great week!