Summertime!

Almost a month ago now, we put these things up...  School is now out, that means that summer is finally here!  We are ready to enjoy both of these things as well as many other things having to do with both summertime and the lake... BRING ON SUMMER! :-) 

Easter gift from a student!

This was so cute, I had to take a picture of it to show you.  It says, "I'm 'Hoppy' to Have YOU!"  She put Easter cookies inside.  She's such a creative little girl!  She also LOVES Pinterest!  

Thank you for the great gift, A! :-)

 

New grill!

We bought a new grill on Saturday.  Our old one had seen better days.  We had a four burner and needed that size for when Will's large family comes during the summer... but they didn't have any four burner grills of the brand we wanted.  SO, it was either three or six burner.  Here is our new six burner CharBroil grill.  Will put it together yesterday and we had sirloin tips last night for dinner.  YUMMY!

 

We LOVE it!  :-) 

End of the year presents for fellow teachers!

So, I saw this ecard on Pinterest here:

http://www.pinterest.com/pin/243827767296185778/

...and thought how fun it would be to give out eye shadows at the end of the year to my colleagues. After all, we all do feel a little more human in the summer time, don't we?!  Since we coupon so much, I had more than enough for all the female staff at our school.  :-)  

The BEST part about it... they were ALL free or we were paid to take them out of the store.  

Gotta love it! :-) 

Here is what I came up with!  Most of the teachers LOVED the surprise gift!

 

End of the year gifts!

So, again this year my teaching partner and I made these WORDLE gifts for our fourth graders as end of the year gifts.  

The original post with directions can be found here:

http://teachlakelove.blogspot.com/2012/06/going-away-presents.html

Originally, for the past two years until this year, we had mixed 3rd and 4th grade homerooms, so the 3rd graders would write down character traits about their fourth grade friends/classmates.  This year was a little bit different for me because my class was 4th grade only.  I came up with the words for each of them.  

*One trick that isn't included in the original post is how I went about it this year.  I typed their name about 12-15 times like before, and typed the words 3, 4, 5, or 6 times each.  After I finished a Wordle and printed it, I simply pushed the back button on the web browser and then the forward button.  ALL of the words you had typed are still there.  I changed the name and some of the words, but also kept some the same.  I also copied and pasted some of the different words (typed multiple times) into a Word document for easy access when I would need that set of words again.  I did ALL of the girls first, then did ALL of the boys next, making it easier to keep some of the words the same.  For example, I kept "sister" for all of the girls, and "brother" for all the boys, since none of my kids are only children.  :-)  

We bought the frames at the Dollar Tree and used bright colored scrapbook paper that I already had to back them.  

ENJOY!  

Inspiration

So, I know it has been FOREVER since I have posted on here.  Today, while on Pinterest, I came across an amazing teaching blog that I just couldn't stop reading, Ashleigh's Education Journey. Here is a link to her awesome blog!!  

http://www.ashleigh-educationjourney.com/

Needless to say, after reading post after post, I am inspired to start posting again.  

Thank you, Ashleigh, for the encouragement!  

Stool makeover!

This is something else that I have seen on Pinterest and have been wanting to do.  I finally got to this, also this summer. 

 

I don't sit often while teaching, but I do use this quite often during spelling pre-tests and spelling tests, etc. 

 

This is what the sad looking stool looked like before...

 

 

The lake is by far the prettiest thing in this picture.  It was pretty awful looking.... but it had served the purpose.  So now it looks like this...

 

 

So, now it is pretty while serving its purpose instead.  :-) 

 

The polka dot fabric is actually a bandana from Hobby Lobby that I had left over from the curtains I made. 

 

In case you were wondering about my curtains I made, here they are. 

 

 

 

I folded over bandanas and stitched them so they slid onto curtain rods.  I love them!  They were fairly expensive to do.  To buy enough for my four wide windows, it was about $30.  As I mentioned before, I bought them from the Hobby Lobby website.  This is the second year I have used them and I am not even close to being sick of them.  I still love them just as much as the first day they were up. 



Toolbox makeover!

I had my husband buy one of these for me at Lowe's when I saw it on Pinterest.  I had been wanting to do a makeover for awhile.  I finally got to it.  :-) 

 

This is what it looked like before...

 

 

 

I put duct tape on the outside part, and added polka dot shipping/packing tape to the fronts of drawers.  I got that at Target.  It is clear with black polka dots.  I used my new label maker to make the labels for the drawers.  Here are some pictures of what it looks like now.  :-)  

 

 

It is in front of the window in my classroom so the light comes through.  I love it!! 

 



Student mailbox revamp with binder clips!

I needed to do something about my mailboxes.  My parents bought them for me about 8 years ago and they were looking a little... haggared.  There had been lots of layers of labels.  I saw an idea on Pinterest and adapted it to what I wanted to do (and had time for).  

I had been wanting to get a label maker for quite a while now, so this was the perfect time to get one.  They are about $20 at Wal-mart.  

 I made labels to go on the front of binder clips.  On the top of the binder clips, I added some polka dot Smash tape to each. This is the tape I used...

 This is what the labeled binder clips looked like...

I was happy with how they came out.  I then took the plastic parts off the mailbox and covered them with purple duct tape.  I slid them back on, then put the binder clips on and it looked so much better!  Fairly simple fix!  

 

Great student teacher present!

I did not make this for a student teacher, although it would be a great gift for a student teacher or someone that is going to be a teacher.  

I had a wonderful Ed. Tech. last year who is taking classes to become an elementary teacher.  This is what I did for her.  :-)  

 In the top picture you can see what I made to include the best.  I covered a clipboard in duct tape.  I had a ribbon hanging from the metal part at the top with her name on it.  Part of her duties last year included carrying around a clipboard, so I wanted her to have a cute one! :-)  

My classroom is a polka dot theme, so before school started I had made one for myself.  Here are pictures of how it came out...

She loved her basket of goodies and her new clipboard.  What teacher (or teacher in the making) doesn't love school supplies??? :-) 

Christmas presents for students!

Last year, I had 32 different students, so I wanted to do some that wasn't too expensive (about $14).  This is what I came up with...

 I bought the candy cane looking crazy straws at the Dollar Tree (I think there were 6 in a package) and boxes of hot chocolate at Wal-mart.  I cut out around the Christmas labels (while still on their backing) and punched a hole in it.  I also carefully punched a whole in the hot chocolate packet.  If you do this, be very careful not to puncture the packet.  I then used ribbon to tie it all together.  They really liked them.  It didn't take too long and it didn't cost too much.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This year, I only have 17 students, so I did something that cost a bit more (about $23).  The weather had been bad and I had a lot going on, so I had one night to buy everything and put it together, along with everything else that had to get done.  I got everything at Wal-mart.  I got boxes of hot chocolate, small Christmas jigsaw puzzles, sliding picture puzzles, yo-yos, and bags to put them in.  This year's group LOVES puzzles!!  I wrote on the bags in Sharpie before filling them.  They were excited to get a "bag of goodies"!  :-)  

4th grade pen pals from the other side of the country!

Below where this picture is taken, are pictures of all of my students' pen pals.  

We began having pen pals from California very close to the start of the school year.  My students are LOVING it!  What a great thing to get to know more about another place, different people, and learn the value of handwritten letters.  They get SO excited every time we get something in the mail from them.  Last Monday, we received a box from them containing a fleece scarf from each of their pen pals.  The students made them for the friends in Maine in hopes to keep them warm during our very cold Maine winter.  They cut the fleece into a scarf size strip then cut slits on the end and tied knots in them.  This is a picture Mrs. Gomez took of the fleece before her students made them... 

 There were all kinds of fun designs; camo, pink camo, black with brightly colored peace signs, butterflies, flowers, and others.  

We wanted to send them some "snow" from Maine, so we sent them some foam snowflake ornaments.  The students each added a design in glue and then we added glitter to them.  The students added their pen pal's name, their name and the year.  

I can't wait to see what the rest of the school year has in store for us!  Maybe we will continue our classes being pen pals after this year as well! :-) 

Towel rack makeover!

We were given my grandfather's old chrome towel rack, it is decades old and had seen better days.  The rubber feet on the bottom were all cracked and ready to fall off and the towel rack itself had some rust spots on it.  I wanted to see how it would look redone and it was well worth the try.  My husband took off the feet and used a wire brush on it to get the surface rust off.  We used Rustoleum metal primer spray paint first.  Then we used this:  

This is the same spray paint we used on the doorknobs and hinges.  It came out great.  We bought black rubber feet at the hardware store.  The whole makeover cost a few dollars.  Here's the result:

 We love it!

Easy FREE deal this week at Rite Aid!

The easiest deal this week at Rite Aid is 2 Reach Toothbrushes for FREE.  They are normally $4.99 if I remember right.  They are on sale for $2.99.  You will get a $2 +up reward for each.  The limit per Wellness card is 2.  There are $1/1 Manual Reach Toothbrush coupons on coupons.com.  Print two and use them to get 2 free toothbrushes this week.  This sale ends Saturday night (7/20). 

 

*You will have to pay out of pocket $4 plus tax, but then you will have two $2 ($4) +up rewards to use starting the morning after you buy these for the next two weeks.  Be sure to use your +up rewards within your two week window.  On the bottom of you receipt you will see the dates your rewards are available, and when they expire.  You do not need to have your receipt to use your rewards.  Your card holds the information and they will be automatically deducted next time you go.  

A couponing example with the breakdown :-)

This is an example couponing at Target yesterday. 

 

 

I got all of this for LESS THAN A DOLLAR before tax.  Here goes...

 

• I had a FREE coupon up to $9.99 for the Dove Body Wash received in the mail.  It was only $5.04 but it took off the entire $9.99.  So that almost $5 was used toward other things in this picture. 
• Windex Touch Up- $3.49 with $1/1 MQ. (from coupons.com)  (Not that great of a deal but I needed it. I love this stuff.) =$2.49
• Loreal Total Repair 5 12.6oz shampoo- $3.99 then used a $2/1 MQ and $1/1 TQ. = $0.99
• 2 Pantene (one shampoo and one conditioner)- $3.49 each then used BOGO FREE coupon (up to $4.99 it took the whole amount), then used a $3/2 TQ catalina.  =Free with a $1.01 overage 
• 2 Campbell's Go Soup- $2.49 then used $1/1 MQ (campbells.com) and a $1/1 TQ.  = $0.49 each
• Always Pantiliners- $0.94 and used a $1/1 MQ  =Free with a $0.06 overage. 
• 4 travel size Loreal shampoo- $0.97 each then used 4 $1/1 MQ =Free with a $0.03 overage for each.  (COUPON NOW EXPIRED as of 7/13/13)
• Vlasic Relish- $0.89 then used a $1/1 MQ from vlasic.com =Free with $0.11 overage. 
• I also bought a bottle of water to drink on my way home.  It was $1.49 + a $0.05 deposit. 

 

**All MQ (manufacture coupons) are from the newspaper unless otherwise noted.  All TQ (Target coupons) are from target.com unless otherwise noted.

**At Target "overage" can be used toward other purchases.  Be sure you buy enough to still be over zero with counting the overage. :-)   

 

Hope the breakdown helped! 

 

So... all of this for less than a dollar... :-) 





FREE is the best! :-)

So, my husband and I went on a few shopping trips this week to Target and Rite Aid and we ended up getting all of this for free...

 

 

 

$112 worth for FREE! :-) 

 

If I do say so myself, I think we're getting pretty good at this coupon thing! :-)  It's all about matching to sales and stacking coupons!

 

We also got some more things at very discounted prices.  :-)  I don't mean to brag, but it is just so much fun! 

 

**I got overage on a lot of these items, a little on some, but a lot on others, especially the Dove body wash (almost $5) and the Playtex (almost $4).  So, that overage paid for more items than are in the picture as well.  :-)

 

**EDIT-- I just realized while looking at my receipt that the Campbell's Go Soup wasn't free.  It was at one point, but the price went back up to $2.49, so they were $0.49 each after coupons. 



Hats!

I have been relaxing, trying to feel a little better.  Usually while I watch TV, I crochet.  
So... while I was laying low tonight, I made some baby hats.  :-) Here they are!

 

 



Our NEW Bathroom!! :-)

We LOVE how it came out!!  :-)  We got a lot of the décor  (including the curved shower curtain rod, towel, shower curtain, rug, trash can, tissue box cover, soap dispensers, etc.) as wedding presents (thanks to our teacher friends, my aunt and uncle, and our sister-in-law and niece) from our registry at Bed, Bath, and Beyond.  We put down red oak hardwood floor and subway tile from Lowe's.  We updated the knobs and handles as well.  The showerhead, faucets, all towel rods, toilet handle, toilet paper dispenser, etc. were all Pegasus brand (in oil-rubbed bronze) from Lowe's. All trim (crown molding, baseboard, shoe kick, door trim, corner trim between the tile and sheetrock, etc.) also came from Lowe's. 

 

Yesterday I scrubbed the sink, toilet and shower/tub.  They had all been sitting through a construction zone as the bathroom was being worked on and they were pretty dirty from that.  It took a lot of elbow grease, but they all look great! 

 

I still haven't put anything up on the walls,

but I will be soon.

We are beyond happy with the results...

here are the pictures! 

 

 

 

 

 

Please let me know what you think! :-)