Inspirations...

As I was running on the tredmill, my ipod began playing a very familar song and I felt a smile instantly begin to spread across my face. The song was "You Gotta Be" by Deseree. The song has special meaning to me because my mom used to play it for us every morning before we left for school, but as a listened to it tonight I realized how truly uplifting the words are.

Take a moment and listen to the song and let the music take your mind. What's your inspirational song?

Graduation

It’s hard to even believe but after 7 years of school I will be graduating with my Masters in Education/Elementary Teaching Credential. WOW! However, although my LAST day of class is this coming Tuesday I still have quite the hefty to do list before I can apply for my credential. I am posting it here as a reminder to myself of what I need to get done within the next week, my personal goal is to be finished by this coming Friday.

My To Do List:

1. Write a 700 – 1050 word paper on an Ethical Issue within my work setting

2. Attend class Tuesday and present our Mock Action Research Paper

3. Finish & Submit TPA 3

4. Finish & Submit TPA 4

5. Finish & Submit my log of observation hours, along with signatures, descriptions and demographics.

6. Obtain & Submit my CPR certification

SO much to do SO little time! But I can do it! Right?!? =/

Shopping...

Shopping is a wonderful and terrible hobby of mine, which I never ever want to give up. However, during my student teaching, continuing into now I do not have the money I used to have to spend on clothing. So I have been trying to only buy things that are on sale.
I have done this little juggle more than a few times =/. Maybe I should become a personal shopper, than I could shop all day long but with other peoples money? Although would it be as much fun if I weren't getting anything for me?
Picture found here.

Last week at Target, I found quite a few wonderful items on clearance:

This beautiful blue sweater was on clearance for $6.24, and I justified buying it because I can wear it to work too =)

This beautiful gray sweater was on clearance for $6.24 too. I couldn't believe it. I remember seeing it for full price which was $29.99 but I just couldn't justify spending that when my closet was already full. Guess that's the benefit of wearing an extra small, sometimes they still have some left on clearance =). This is the item I was the most excited about. I have been eying this dress since it first came out in the stores but it was $39.99 and like Brian enjoys reminding me I don't NEED anymore dresses. However, finding it on clearance for $9.98 I just had to have it!

Where do you find the best deals on clothing? Any helpful hints for deals on jeans?

I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes from Sex and the City:
“Carrie: Honey, if it hurts so much, why are we going shopping?
Samantha: I have a broken toe, not a broken spirit.”

Save the Dates

FINALLY, almost all of our Save the Dates are in the mail. They were quite the process to get done. I spent hours on the phone with my mom and sister picking out the "perfect" picture and Brian came in and said no to everything we had picked out. So we started over again and ended up with the Save the Date we ordered. We only have a few left to send out because I am waiting on addresses from Brian. I can't believe the wedding is only a little over 6 months away...

P90X

I recently started a new workout regime called P90X. My future sister in law, Deeanna, mentioned a couple months back that she had bought the DVD's but with 3 kids under 3 (she is a saint of some sort, I don't know how she does it) she hasn't had much time to try them. However, the other day she called me and asked if I would want to do them with her Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings from 5:15 -6:15am. We started last week and let me tell you, it is a GREAT workout. I am still sore from last weeks leg workout. It also gives us some girl time every other morning to catch up on what's going on in our lives. Oh and a huge added bonus we motivate one another to get up and workout. Has anyone tried it? If you haven't you definitely should!

Projects

My, oh, my I am behind on my blogging. However, I have good reasons. Since last time I wrote a "real" blog, we have done SO many things:

1st, I finished student teaching. It was such a fantastic experience and I feel so lucky to have been placed at such a wonderful school. I still think about all my students everyday and I hope to be able to sub for them a couple times before school is out in June. These are my wonderful 3rd graders:

OH and on a side note, I finish my credential/Masters program January 26th =)! Yay!

We've also been doing ALOT of work around the house (and by we I mean Brian). First he decided it was time for the lineloum to go, so he tiled the laudry room and both guest bathrooms.

They turned out beautiful, so much pretier than the old linoleum. Would you believe me if I told you it was his first tile job?

After tiling those areas he moved onto our Master Bathroom/Closet area. He was only supposed to be tiling the floor, however in the process of tearing out the linoleum he found mold. So I came home to this:

Needless to say I was a little shocked (major understatement). I was in a state of panic, it was overwhelming and neither of us had any idea what we were doing. SO we went to Home Depot and bought a book, Tiling for Dummies, and we ended up with this:

I kinda LOVE it. Two shower heads and two cubby holes. It's perfect. The bathroom and closet floors also got retiled.

So as if that wasn't enough work. Brian decided that the wood floors we had been talking about doing also needed to go in before Christmas. Being that we were having Christmas Dinner for 20 people (more on this later), I no doubt panicked. However, they too turned out beautifully! We put them through the kitchen, family room and down both hallways.

Before:

After:

We still need to get a rug but I haven't decided one yet. Any suggestions?

Well I am SO behind in posts and I have SO much to tell everyone about but it will have to wait because I have to finish some homework tonight, so in the meantime here is a fun post that I found on one of my favorite blogs: There Are Angels Walking Among Us Disguised As Moms, check it out if you don't follow her already.

1. Do you find it gross to share drinks with family? Friends? No, I share drinks with my friends and family alike. I guess the germ gene was never instilled in me =)

2. What have you learned this year? (Didn't see a question of that weight coming, did you? At least not for #2.) Hmmm... I have so many things this year but I guess the most important lesson I have learned this year is that I have the power to make things happen on my own.

3. When do you dismantle the Christmas decorations? Well I would prefer to leave Christmas up until New Year's Day BUT my fiancee doesn't like the clutter so they came down the day after Christmas this year.

4. Something you wish to accomplish before the end of 2009 is:Well since it is 3 days into 2010 I hope there is nothing left =)

5. How do you feel about winter (after Christmas)? Ummm.... I LOVE it if I can be home. Being out and about in the rain and the cold is not exactly my favorite thing. I am a summer girl

6. Have you participated in after-Christmas sales? I have not, I never have any money let after Christmas, no actually I usally get everything I want for Christmas so there is no need to shop after Christmas

7. Do you have plans for New Year's Eve? We celebrated NYE with our second family, a close group of my friends from sorority.

8. Is there anything special awaiting you in January? Yes! I will be officially done with school on Januarary 26th! YIPEEE!

9. If your life this year was a movie, what category or genre would it be? (Romance, Comedy, Drama, Thriller, Suspense, Farcical, etc.) I would have to say a Romantic Comedy

10. How much time per day do you spend blogging? Please be honest!! Well lately I haven't spent anytime but I am hoping that I can get back to it in 2010.

11. Who runs your household? It is most definitely a joint effort. We're still working out the kinks but we are slowly getting into a routine...

12. Share one hope/dream for 2010! I am going to run a half marathon ... Wish me luck =)

Happy New Year Everyone! I'll be updating on everything ASAP!