Spread the Polish (swap)!

Link up time for the Spread the Polish Swap! I had possibly the sweetest partner and she TRULY knew what I wanted. Allow me to introduce you to Heidi. She blogs over at Mustache Mama. Y'all will love her - go stop by & say hi!

Anyway, with this swap, we were asked to send two polishes to our partner of our choice with their recommendations/favorites included. Well, Heidi said she LOVED anything that was shimmery. Well, that could take various routes, so I chose to do something with glitter. I truly hope she loved it!

On my end, I said that I love reds and corals and oranges... if you know me, you know that this is absolutely true. Heidi did an AMAZING job at choosing out my colors... I'm not kidding. AMAZING.

She sent me one nail polish by Sally Hansen and one by Sinful Colors. The one by Sally Hansen is called Racey Rouge. The one by Sinful Colors is called Hazard.

I think between the two, my favorite is the Hazard! The color is just perfect... peach! I painted my toes with it and it has yet to chip ANYWHERE. Obviously, I don't put my feet through as much as I do my hands, but I ALWAYS have color on my toes. But for this, I painted my fingernails, too. The Sinful Colors dried so fast and only needed two coats to look perfect.

Don't mind how long my nails are... they need to be cut!

She also sent the cutest notepad paper with the polishes (and she has really pretty handwriting!). Isn't she adorable!?

Heidi, you did an awesome job!! :)

That's all I've got for ya. Head over to Carly or Rachel's blog to check out all the other nail polishes people received to see if you can find something you like, too!

Have a good day, y'all!

Sunday Social & Giveaway Announcement

Sunday Social time!

1. 5 items you cannot live without on a daily basis (water, food, shelter, & clothes do not count).
iPhone & Mac, Socks, television, blankets, and my wallet. iPhone & Mac are always on me. If I didn't have Socks to follow me around all day, I wouldn't know what to do. I watch TV like it's my job. You will hardly EVER catch me without a blanket. I carry my wallet everywhere since it's basically my lifeline (chapstick, credit/debit card, stamps, pens, etc).

2. All time favorite book & why.
I think my all time fav is probably The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein. I loved this book because it was written in the perspective of a dog and what a dog might be thinking on a daily basis. It was also probably one of the saddest, yet most heartfelt, books I've ever read.

3. Something you'd like to accomplish by the end of 2012.
I hope to have read a total of 10 books on my book list. I've got SOOO many that they just keep piling up and I need to just read them :)

4. If you could go back and relive any year of your life, which year would it be?
I'd relive my senior year of high school, so 2008. This was when I was graduating one school to go off to another school. I was just starting to date Cody, Daddy was still alive, and I had THE best friends a girl could ever have.

5. What do you wish people knew about you without you having to tell them?
I hate hate HATE when people break a promise. If you break it once, fine. But twice, your word is no longer good to me. I'll, of course, be nice to you, but I won't trust anything you ever say again after that!

Giveaway will be posted Tuesday - hope you're ready for it! :)

PS. Have you checked out the Ohio Meet Up yet?! Click below for more information.

Have a good day, y'all!

Are You An Ohio Blogger? Ohio Blogger Meet-Up!

Hi everyone! Quick post to let you know about a blogger meet up that's going to happen in Ohio! Two fantastic women and myself are putting together an Ohio Blogger Meet Up. Want to know some details? Keep on reading!

Thank you to Nancy for making this fantastic button! I love it so much!

HOSTS: Nancy from Joy of Kindergarten, Debbie from Rainbows Within Reach, and myself (Sara)

WHAT: Blogger meet up for anyone from Ohio (or anywhere else, really!)

WHEN: Sunday, October 7th, 2012 at 1:00 PM

WHERE: Panera at Mill Run (Columbus) - 3625 Fishinger Road, Columbus, OH 43026

WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO: RSVP on the form below (click the link) and show up to have a good time with other bloggers! Don't worry about anything else - leave it to us!

ANYONE from Ohio that blogs can come to this, not just educators or mommy bloggers or fashion bloggers. So, if you're from Ohio, sign up! I promise you'll have a blast and we're going to have some fantastic conversation! There might also be a swag bag involved ;)

Also at this meet up - we'll hand out a list of bloggers and their information (blog names & links as well as social media links) so everyone can stay in touch after the meet up! Please input whatever information you're willing to share on the RSVP form!

Click here to RSVP :)

That's all I've got for now... my life seems to be taking over my hobbies - Pinterest and blogging. I'm busy as butt with schoolwork and with teaching. These next 4 days are going to KILL me. I'm certified to teach PreK-5, yet I'm going to be teaching 9-12 Social Studies! Am I crazy? Possibly! But, I love teaching anywhere.

This weekend, I'll have something FUN up. A giveaway, perhaps :)

Have a good night, y'all!

WHOA! Swamped.

Good golly, Molly! I have been on the move NONSTOP for the last week! While I was in North Carolina, I didn't blog one bit! But, I spent time with lover boy aka Cody! It was really, really good to see him. November 2nd cannot come fast enough :) We stayed at a fantastic Bed & Breakfast. The place was absolutely GORGEOUS and we really had great weather (except for the picture below.. in the morning, it was cloudy but by noon, sunny & hot). This trip couldn't have been better!

Oh, hi boyfriend!

Front view of the house.

View from the side.

Carriage house and pool house - we stayed in the pool house (there on the left)!

Little gazebo/tent thing out back - it was lit up at night.. sooo pretty!

The pool, which we could see from our window :)

Back of the house.

I would ABSOLUTELY stay there again... but I'd love to try out a different room... maybe in the main house! :)

I started my Master's program on Tuesday! It's INCREDIBLY overwhelming and I am already ready for the semester to be over.... is that bad to say?? There's just so much work for these 4 classes and it's all online... with a new system... and I'm constantly tired/lazy so I've got to pump myself up and get myself back in the groove of school without procrastinating. I've gotten bad with that word...

Those calendars are just a GLIMPSE into my life for the next three months. That's all the school work I have. That doesn't include volunteering I'm going to do throughout the week or the sub jobs I'll get.... UH, can you say busy!?

Over this weekend, I've got tonight to do some work (boo), tomorrow to do some more work (boo), and Sunday to hang out with family that's coming in town! But, tomorrow I'm also going out for a friend's 21st! HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTIN! Cannot wait to see my girls and have a good night out with the 4 of us :)

I also subbed today - where? High school art. WHAT!? It was rough, but I remember being in high school and the feelings these kids have (moody, tired, want to talk to my friends, etc etc etc). So, I totally understood where they were coming from but I still had to have them do work. Sorry kiddos! I have never had so much exposure to design elements, design balance, or how to make a ceramic pot. We watched videos all day... not exactly my cup of tea, but hey - you gotta do what you gotta do.

I'm going to learn how to sew so I can make these. Just sayin'. They're hot/cold rice packs. How cute would these be to give as gifts for Christmas to students or to families? I love them. And I love heating pads - perfect for your hands on a cold fall or winter night at those football games!

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Alright... that's all I've got. If you've read along until here... yay for you! You'll wanna come back next week for a FANTASTIC GIVEAWAY. I can't tell you what it is just yet... but I'll be giving away something(s) amazing after I've given you my take on it/them. I just have to find time to get it/them outta the box & use it/them. WOOHOO!

Have a good weekend, y'all!

My First Jobs & New Design!!

Tuesday was my first day of teaching and it was incredibly successful! 1st graders are totally different than 2nd graders (which is what I'm used to) - that's for sure! You know immediately when you see the kids walk in who are the talkers, the helpers, the need-reminding-ers. To see the smiles on faces of students as well as get a few, "You're the best teacher ever!"'s - even though they have NO idea who I am - makes you feel so happy and love what you do even more. There will NEVER be another job where you get hugs by students you have just met but that are affectionate towards you because they trust you. I love what I do, even if it's just to sub for a day. Teachers have the BEST job in the world :)

Yesterday (Wednesday) was my second day of teaching and it was fantastic. This was my first time experiencing 5th grade, but these kids were absolutely delightful. The teacher I subbed for did only Language Arts... now let me tell you, Language Arts is not my strong point. I've always struggled with grammar and so forth, especially in the younger grades. But, this was a simple day as it was only half day, and the lesson, well, I repeated it twice so I got the hang of it after the first one was done. We worked on vocabulary words (moocher, hospitable, and delectable), and then did some free writing. I was AMAZED at the topics that some of them were writing about. There were things from their trips to Key West to when their Grandmas got cancer to being excited because their parents just got engaged. The length of writing for some of them could have improved, but it was a free write so there were really no expectations. I was very impressed with this class and really enjoyed having the opportunity to teach them. Maybe I will again?!

What I am, though, really, really touched by is how fast some students are forced to grow up due to situations in their lives outside of school. I am impressed that some students have gone through hell and back, yet are still the hardest working students I have ever seen in my life. I've heard of students going through 3 years of cancer, battling it until it was gone, and then continuing on. I've heard of students being abused by their mother or father for years, yet still continuing on. These students are the strongest students I've ever seen, and although they were forced to grow up quicker, it only makes them stronger in the long run. I thought I was being forced to grow up when I had to make the quick decision about my father when he was dying, but man, these children around us are growing up faster than I would ever dream of them to. Kudos to those children for taking their situations and making the best of them.

On a more happy note, I GOT A NEW BLOG LAYOUT!!!! I absolutely adore the way it turned out. Megan, over at I Teach. What's Your Super Power?, has a design blog that she's been working with various people from - it's called A Bird in Hand Blog Design. She has been one of the most patient, hard working people I have ever met, especially after dealing with all my requests. She's diligent and quick in her work, all the time making sure that I enjoyed what she was making. I absolutely LOVED working with Megan and I think if you're in the market for a new design, she's your girl.

I'm on my way out the door to go to North Carolina to see Cody for the weekend! I'll likely not post for a few days... BUT, when I get home... you won't want to miss out on what I'll be posting!! :)

Have a good and safe Labor Day weekend, y'all!

Fall Bracelet Swap

Quick post about a Fall Bracelet Swap!

My BPIC (Moe) and her friend are hosting a Fall Bracelet Swap. I chose to join because I'm into all these swaps recently - getting something from someone that has no idea who you are, yet made something for you, is a lot of fun (Especially when they've put their all into making something special for you)! I think you all should join, too! If you'd like to, click here. Tia & Moe would looove to have you.

Have a good night y'all!