This is the day that may be almost perfect.

Rainy and 70 degrees.

Airing out the house.

Baking chocolate-peanut butter cookies.

The smell of last night's lumpia still hanging in the air.

Reading for FUN instead of for school. ;)

Cuddling with my puppies.

Got the key to my classroom this morning.

Got to tutor and shop and do housework and have my visiting teachers over...so it wasn't a WASTE of a day!

It's just been a good day.

I love summer. I plan on enjoying every last minute of the next week and a half until school starts!

This is the day we finished some BEE classroom stuff...for someone else.

My super-creative best friend has been helping me SO MUCH with my own classroom stuff, so it was the VERY LEAST I could do to help her get some things together for her out-of-state boyfriend's first year of teaching, too!  You know, men need help (usually) with the cutesy stuff.  Besides, he had a LOT less notice than I did, and starts sooner, and has NOTHING and NO ONE to help him otherwise.  So I felt for him.  :)

Anywho, his room is bee-themed.  Found some great links on Pinterest but we also wanted to add a few "special touches" that would make it look like he knew about the job waaaaaaay before he did and was totally prepared for it in every way.  :)  PLUS, he's with firsties.  Gotta make the room cute for them.  :)

So, here are some pics of what we've been up to.  When possible, there is a link beneath the picture for a free download via MediaFire.  MUST GIVE CREDIT to Connie Prince for her amazingly perfect "Bee Happy" digiscrap kit that I used for the cutesy stuff (it had a few nice, manly elements that worked well, too...that perfect, not-too-girly bee will pop up everywhere.  :)

BEE magnets out of some leftover Sculpey clay, wire, and magnet buttons. :)

Some random stuff--like that binder--if you find ANYTHING yellow and then put some electrical tape around it, you have instant bee stripes!  (Trash cans, binders, pens/pencils, etc.)  Also, found that "solar daisy with bugs" (bees) at Dollar Tree a while back...glad to have a use for it!  :)

Lindsey made this cute, not-too-girly name plate to hang on the door, in lieu of a wreath.  :)

"BEE-days" board, 11x14, to put in a frame to make dry-erase!

Blank visual schedule cards for the whiteboard--prints 4x6, cuts down to 2x6, laminate, then add in with dry-erase marker the times and subjects/activities!  

A simple lil' border for stationery.  :)

Some "Pringles-sized" bees--cut, laminate, and use for decor, names for attendance/lunch count, labels, or whatever else strikes your fancy.  :)

A Newsletter Template, bee-themed, of course!

For more BEE-themed  ideas, check out my Pinterest Board. :) All sorts of goodies and links to things you can buy from Amazon, Oriental Trading, etc.  I especially recommend investing the $5 in this Teachers Pay Teachers file--it has 85% of EVERYTHING you'd need for your room, bee-themed--labels, calendar numbers, a "how we get home" board, desk nametags, a "where are we?" board, numbers and letters, etc.  We thought we'd have to do a LOT more work, but these are the cutest bee-themed classroom printables we came across in our days of searching and at $5, you just can't beat it. Print, cut, laminate, and you're done.  :)

Sure is easier to find stuff for him than for my LEGO theme! But it'll work out.  Just glad we were able to help him out some so he's not quite SO alone and rushed this time of year!

This is the day I make freezer jam for the first time ever!

My mother-in-law gave us mango...a LOT of mango! Like, 17 mangos. And they are ALL ripe, like, yesterday!

So we ate some. And we saved some to eat in salads or just on their own later. 

And we froze some. 

And we dehydrated some.

And I made my first-ever freezer jam...all mango-y goodness.

And I still have a few more mangos to cut up! Tomorrow. :) Good thing we LOVE our mango around here. :)

On that note, does anyone have a tried-and-true mango salsa recipe?

This is the day I made something awesome...and then screwed it up. :/

4th grade is our state history year, and my friend suggested I make a big Indiana rug to use with geography in my classroom. Definitely a winner idea, unlabeled of course so I can use it to quiz them! :) So I started by getting a cheap rug from Walmart and some chalk, carefully outlining my state borders, rivers, and cities.

Anytime I messed up, I just smudged the chalk away with my fingers and started fresh. :)

Then I took bright glow-in-the-dark fabric puff paint and outlined my state. Used Walmart paints for that, and Dollar Tree colors for the rest. That was my first mistake. Anyway, blue for the waterways, red for state borders and compass rose, and yellow for major cities.

I ran out of blue really fast...

Then I let it dry for a bit. The dollar tree paints bunched up in droplets so I kept having to add more...

Then I had to move it...because if you have dogs or children, you can't just leave it in the middle of your floor!

Major drippage--all from the Dollar Tree paints. My Tulip puff paint held up well.

The yellow is sinking in and the red is dripping and I just want to cry. But I won't. I'll bike to WallyWorld tomorrow and pick up new paint and try to salvage it somehow.

At least the kids won't care. Just me. :/

Update: I think I've fixed it well enough no one will notice or care!

P.S. That is on our queen sized bed, to give you some scale of how big it is!

Today is the day I wasn't as out of shape as I thought I was. :)

I tutor a girl who lives a mile away. I say "tutor," but it's kinda a mix between tutoring and homeschooling, with a sprinkle of para work (I was her para last year in school). We hang out for two hours a day and I LOVE it. She's the coolest.

And a mile isn't that far.

But I still drive half the time anyway.

I bike the other half.

Since Paul is in Chi-town (none of the natives call it that but I still like to) this week, it's a biking week. I get on the bike and I push off.

I push and push and push.

I struggle!

I *sweat.* 

It's hot out, and uphill most of the way which is hard in my cruiser, but still...

I made it to her house in only a minute longer than usual, and I'm thinking I'm pretty awesome and also a little out of shape at this point.

We head down into the basement, and I can feel my legs just wanting to collapse.

IT'S ONLY A MILE!!! :(

This doesn't go away.

I think about going to Steak N Shake last Friday and wonder if the effects are long-lasting. :)

When all is said and done, I head back home.

I make it halfway before I literally can't bike one more foot. I decide to walk it to the gas station (a mile out of my way) and check the tires.

Now, normally I fill it up to 55 PSI, which is in the acceptable 40-65 PSI range for my tires.

My front one was at 29.

My back one was at 10.

I felt SOOOOOOO much better about myself! :)

And the ride home was cake.

(Ish. That two miles from earlier did me in for the night!)

The nice thing about where I live is that there are neighborhoods close by, and a biking trail through meadows and by ponds, and I'm almost exactly a mile from tutoring, from the gas station, from my bank, from Walmart, from the school I used to work at, and from the local snow cone place.

Guess what I will be doing tomorrow when I recover? :)

I'll take pictures.

This is the day I get the rest of my classroom stuff, even though I still can't get in.

I sure hope I can get in soon, though! Classroom stuff is taking over every part of my home and it is driving us ***NUTS!*** I'm hoping this week sometime??? Maybe by Saturday I can have my classroom decorating party??? Please pray for me. :) I don't know how much longer we can live like this:

In other news...

I love Extra dessert flavors! They are (slowly) helping me wean off so many sweets.

Polymer clay is quickly becoming a new favorite medium. The girl I tutor made these beads this week during our arts and crafts time! I will be making many more treasures and will share as we go.

I have another craft to share but it has to wait 'until after my sister's birthday...just in case she reads this in the next week. :)

"Healthy" chocolate peanut butter oatmeal is my new favorite thing. It's actually a *lot* healthier than it sounds. :) And it tastes like I'm eating a no bake cookie for breakfast every day. Win!!!

This week was entirely too hot. It needs to cool down about 20 degrees. Obi and Voodoo agree!

That is all.

This is the day I figured out my lunch count. :)

Seeing the space has made such a difference! I won't have much wall space, so a lot of bulletin boards and such wont do me much good. And while the room is plenty big, it's also not *ever* gonna be big enough for all those ideas and people! :) But I finally thought up a system for lunch count that goes along with my theme AND takes up almost no space--it's stacked vertically, see?

There are other dots on the back for names. They'll all go in a basket by the clip chart and it'll be part of the morning routine. Whew! Cross one more item off the list!

Just in case you're wondering, here are some other things I've been up to:

Whole class reward system...made out of these:

The dogs like the cheese balls as treats! :)

Differentiated work for early finishers and a file to find make-up work. :)

Book hospital, to go in the library for torn books.

My reminders board, to go by the door--I'm always forgetting things in the rush of the end of the day! And homework will be written on there, too.

Other than that, I've been working on parent flip books for open house and, of course, finally looking through my books (now that I have them!). Lots to do, but it's coming together, and that makes me excited!

It looks awesome when everything comes together:

This is the day I see my classroom for the first time.

It's not quite ready for me to move in yet, but they were nice and let me in so I could take some pictures and measurements and grab all the teacher editions...got a bit of work to do now...and the room is a bit of a fixer-upper yet...but I saw it! And I can't believe it's mine!

My monster teacher desk! Lol. It's too big to move!

My initial sketch of how I *think* I want things...subject to change!

My homework now...and for the next month at least!

If you don't hear from me in a while, send up a smoke signal or something... :)

Salmon Penne

Paul and I were blessed to score a gift card to one of the more upscale restaurants in town, a little French place called Bistro 501. I've been there a few times before, and I love trying new dishes out. Well, this time I ordered a dish that wasn't bad, but it was the first time I've eaten out and thought, "I could do this, and better!" So I give you my own copycat-but-slightly-improved salmon penne. It's not too expensive, but not super cheap either. It's not the fastest recipe, but it's not too long or hard either. This is a great go-to recipe when you want a date night cook-in, to impress the in-laws, or just are craving something fresh but still very filling thanks to the pasta. Paul agreed that this was awesome and better than Bistro's...and he's not one of those husbands that says things like that all the time to be nice, so consider that my first testimonial! :)

You will need:

1 box penne and water to boil :)

1 bunch asparagus, ends cut and cut into penne-sized pieces

6 tbsp butter

1 lemon, halved

4 small salmon filets, boneless skinless and thawed if frozen (I think it's a pound or so)

8 Tbsp sundried tomato pesto--bought a small jar at Walmart in the spaghetti sauce aisle, worth every penny!

4 Tbsp butter

4 Tbsp flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder or 1/4 tsp. minced garlic

2 c. Milk

LOADs of dill!!! Loads. As much as you like. :)

1. First, get the water boiling in a large pot for the penne.

2. Melt 2 Tbsp butter in a medium sauce pan and then add your asparagus. Stir just to cover with butter, then squeeze half a lemon into the bowl. Stir occasionally as you sauté the asparagus, about 5 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, lay out the salmon on a greased cookie sheet and squeeze the other lemon half over the filets. Sprinkle with about 1/4 tsp dill and a bit of pepper. Broil for 5 minutes.

4. By this time your asparagus should be done. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl for later. Rinse out sauce pan and get it ready for your white sauce! Melt 4 Tbsp butter on low-medium heat.

5. While that's melting, take out salmon and flip. Spread 2 Tbsp sundries tomato pesto on each filet, or just until top is covered. Return to broil for 5 minutes more--remove from oven when timer goes off and set aside!

6. Add penne to boiling water and cook according to instructions.

7. To melted butter in sauce pan, add 4 Tbsp flour, 1/2 tsp salt, garlic powder, and dill. Lots of dill. I probably started with 2-3Tbsp and then added some more at the end! Whisk together and cook for 1 minute or so.

8. Add in 2 c. milk and whisk. At first the bits won't seem like they're mixing, but when it's close to boiling you will notice it blend smoothly and start to thicken. Stir constantly, and boil for about 30 seconds or just until it starts to thicken. 

9. Add sauce to noodles and stir. Add any extra dill, if desired.

10. Stir in asparagus. Flake salmon into large chunks and then stir into noodle mix.

Makes at least 8 servings...more if you're not pigs like us...and takes about 45 minutes from start to finish. 

Enjoy! Serve up with a homemade baguette and some fresh fruit and baked Brie for a true French experience! :)

Indy Zoo!

We took advantage of a long weekend and went down to the Indy Zoo! It's not bad...a little pricey, but definitely an all-day experience! We got to feed a giraffe, pet a shark, and if we had the energy we would've raced a cheetah. :) Definitely got me on an animal kick--I bought 20 books about animals from Goodwill this morning! :)