Blood. Sweat. And Bruises. And Splinters...

Have you ever walked through the mall and looked in the a store's windows? You probably have a million times, but I bet you never think about what goes into those windows. The ridiculous displays that sometimes look like they were just thrown in there. The odd things hanging from the ceiling. The mannequins that look like they woke up and put one of everything on. And then... when you come back the next week to return whatever you bought on a whim, they are totally different. Well that's what I do. Only for one store though, but it feels like I do it for all over the stores, at least, we're the only ones that do it as often as we do. It drives me bonkers. 


I just changed the four mannequins on Tuesday, and they had to be changed again on Thursday. Along with all of the posters and odd hanging pants and lamps that I put up last week. Let me tell you, those lights in those windows GET HOT. They never get turned off. This week the company (which shall remain nameless, though there is a bird in the title) decided we needed to have 6 hanging pieces of low grade plywood and put a sign on it and hang jeans from it. WTP!!! (What the Pajamas!) That's not even the half of it, but I'll leave it there for now.


I decided it was a good idea to have an Amp'd (energy drink) last night to make sure I was awake. Well, I sure was awake with the nasty headache it gave me. I got off work just after midnight, but didn't fall asleep for 2 hours despite how cruddy I felt. I woke up with the headache too, at 630 with the darn dog barking downstairs non-stop in single barks. She's 14, she doesn't know what she sees or hears, she does what she wants (sound like a old lady in your life?).  I was supposed to make my famous pudding cookies for my fiancee today for his birthday, but that's not happening. He's got a raincheck. I'll have to post some pics and the recipe next week when I make them. They are the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I've run into yet!




Those of you that are Snugglie Bag fans, I added 5 to my Etsy store this week. Here's a pic of one that had this fabric I was dying to use!

I'll probably have more up there mid-week, too. I need to get some more boy colors up there!

And onto everyone's favorite part, the freebie! This is number 42 for those of you that are counting! Click the preview below to download!

Your template will not have the white border seen in between the photos. It's only there so you can see that there are spots for 3 photos. Don't forget to check my older posts for more template freebies!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!! Thanks for stopping by!

Finished Cataloging!

WHEW! That was a lot of books! Some of them were from when I was a kid... and that had that old book smell from being in a box for a while... you know the one. I just want to febreeze them (which I probably will everyday when they get in my classroom, especially since 5th graders don't quite get deodorant...)


Here they all are at my LibraryThing account... All 282, so far. I'm hoping for some donations from friends and will probably spend time at Goodwills and on eBay looking for more. I'll hit 325 before school starts easily.  I spent most of the day on eBay I think, because honestly, I can't really think of what else I did besides take Puddles to get her plug tightened. Puddles is my car... my 99 Acura that has been making little oil puddles in my driveway. What were YOU thinking? :0)


I would love to read "Number the Stars" by Lois Lowry with my kids. Since I'm only teaching Reading and Math, there's not much room to teach the Holocaust and I think it is a subject that doesn't get enough attention at the younger ages. Hopefully, I'll be able to win a set of the books on eBay that won't break the bank.


More on classroom library organization: I am NOT, I repeat NOT putting those darn envelopes and loan cards in all of those books. That's just ridiculous! Instead I'm doing this:
Each student will get a card similar to a library loan card. It will have their name on the top (I'll pre print them)
Each time a student wants to check out a book, they will write the name of the book on their card and take a due date card (just like the ole libraries used to do). They put their card in the loan box and wa-la! I don't have to make 282 cards and glue in 282 envelopes! Thank goodness!


Creativeness time... I have another freebie for you guys!!! I think my head is bursting at the seams with them. I made template 40 and 41 at the same time and the numbers got all screwy, but don't worry you are getting two different ones. Here's template 41:

Click Here to Download!

And of course that awesome font is from kevinandamanda.com

I think my next post will have a helping of "Noodles" :0)

Thanks for stopping by! Enjoy the template :0)

Darn you eBay!

It's more of darn those snipers! (Last minute bidders) I was bidding on several things from one seller (punctuation posters, parts of speech, types of sentences, you get the point) but I had to go to work while they were ending and I literally missed two of them by combined 50 cents by a bidder in the final minutes. AGH! I won two but I wanted them all for combined shipping deal! Now I'll have to spend like 4 times as much to get the same thing at the teacher store... I wish there was a Goodwill for teacher stuff. I would live there.


Anywho, I have begun to catalogue all of the books in my classroom library! I sat and put in the ISBN numbers for a lot of books, only 174 so far have had working numbers. Some older and less popular books don't show up but oh well... I thought about paying to get a nice little barcode scanner and program to do it, but someONE (*cough* my better half) decided that I shouldn't spend my money on it because I'll just use it once. So I am using Librarything, it's free. Click here for a peek at my classroom library. I can't find all of my Goosebump, Boxcar Children, or Babysitter's Club boxes! I found only a few of each and I know we had a ton more!


I also made three more Snugglie Bags today! Boy colors today, here's a peak at those:

And what you've all been waiting for I'm sure....today's freebie template #40

Click the preview to download!

I hope everyone has a great hump day :0)