it wins to be tiny

Despite the fact that people often are off by at least 5 years of my actual age AND I have to make sure I look "grown up" at the elementary school so I don't get confused as a student, looking young and being tiny has quite the benefits!

To name one, I can fit into girl's clothes at Target!  I used to complain about how cute the girls' clothes were these days....until this Fall I actually tried on something cute, and voila!  It fit!  Oh yea...did I mention the cost of girl's clothes keep my bank account super happy? Double win.

Outfit #1:

Here's the first item I bought in October or November of last year (remember...I mean 2012 people).  By the maker of Cherokee. Leopard print dress with purple accents?  You might not be a fan of leopard print....but I sure am!  Paired with leggings and boots... I gotta say I found myself a winning outfit for a night out.

Outfit #2

I just found this dress by the maker of Circo today for #14.99.  Oh jeeez...it makes me laugh at how toddler-ish it sounds "Circo" sounds.  No shame though! I like the combination of stripes on tops and polka dots on the bottom and I love the high-low cut.  It's not too severe of a different from the back to the front, which is fine with me.  Also, it wasn't too crazy colorful like some of the other prints.  Lastly, I like that it came with a belt.  A belt that fit!

Yes, I'm  proud to say I can still wear clothes by the makers of Circo and Cherokee :)   For you ladies out there who have ever wanted to buy these clothes, but felt too embarrassed to actually go through with it...don't be ashamed!  There was no judgement cast on me when I went to try these on.  I say DO IT! 

first favorite of the year!

Happy 2013 friends!  What's my first favorite of the year?

Yes, these pair of compression tights from Target!  Only $19.99 - on sale this week! 

I've been wanting to wear legging type pants to work-out, and I didn't want to wear my cotton leggings.  That's just not appropriate, in my opinion.  I needed leggings that were a bit more snug and had more of a "work-out" feel.  Anyways, I was doing research online and these pants had a price tag I was willing to pay.   I finally got to Target yesterday, and I was lucky to find my size in a section other than where the pants were supposed to be.  It was meant to be!  These pants have a super smooth outer material and a fleece lining.  It's the best combination!

They're SO comfy, I don't think I ever want to take them off.  I'm considering buying another pair while they're on sale. Eek! *I thought I'd throw some Gamma Phi Beta pride when I went running this morning :) *

Like a lot of people, I am trying to start of the new year with healthy habits.  I didn't make any resolutions to go to the gym more or loose X amount of weight - however I just want to maintain my current weight and try to gain the stamina I had for running over last summer.  Going to the gym for me is so difficult once school and student teaching starts.  Luckily, student teaching acts like an 8 hour work out because I feel like I'm standing and walking all day. I've definitely lost the stamina for running since I stopped going to the gym when school started in the Fall.  I went to the gym yesterday, and 30 minutes on the treadmill was enough!  I'd really like to go to Pure Barre again, but it's just pretty pricey for me at the moment.  I need to do something called save more, spend less. It's going to be a challenge, but it's something I'm looking forward to   learn from.  I had to give my 2 weeks notice at Justice because my next two semesters are going to be ridiculously busy, and if I do have free time, I know I'll need it to just rest.  I'm so thankful I'm able to quit my job though (living at home does have it's benefits) - I know some people have no choice.  I truly admire those people who bust their butts at school and work countless, and unpredictable hours to simply make ends meet.  I'm still working at making items for Lovebug Lane though :)  Perhaps one  resolution for this year will be to make enough items for me to sell at a craft fair.  That's something I'll have to think about.  I'll see how much I can get done before school starts up again!

Update: Halfway through Fieldwork :)

So I just finished going through the Sunday papers, and I must say... I love the feeling of looking through holiday ads.  As I've said before, the holidays is truly the most wonderful time of the year.  I realize Thanksgiving hasn't even passed...but I am one of those early holiday crazies! I admit it! 

I was going through the Joann's holiday gift guide...and I found this amazing mug.

I'm crafty and I know it.  Um....WANT! 

Besides feeling excited for the holidays, I've had a pretty amazing first 5 weeks of field work in the kindergarten class.  This upcoming week will by Week 6 of 10!    The first 5 weeks were supposed to be half days, but as always, I ended up staying til 3 a lot of the time.  It was my choice....so I can't complain.  At least staying full days until the end of Week 10 won't seem too long, since I've pretty much been staying full days the past week.  We've already started to plan for Thanksgiving activities and the oh-so-traditional Thanksgiving Feast! I cannot wait to be a part of the fiesta.  The children in my class are so much fun to work with.  They make me cool artwork like this...

Thanks friend!  Yes...we refer to the students as "friends" in class :)

For Halloween, all the Kindergarteners had a Halloween Party and all of the teachers dressed up - including me! It was pretty much a party all day, except for 15 - 20 minutes when we sang songs about the letter H. Letter H was our letter of the week last week!  I love all the songs we sing...I can't wait to hear the letter T song for this week. I have a feeling it's going to be this one :)

Yay for Tiggy Tiger!

Two weeks ago Cody and I also had our annual Fall photoshoot at the pumpkin patch.  Here are just a few pics from the session :) 

Just for comparison, here's our fall photo from 2010 :)   My hair was so short...gah!  So glad I've decided to grow it out long.

Hope everyone had a fun and safe Halloween, and I hope you have a great first full week of November!

Fall again?!

Source: itsacraftylife.blogspot.com via Diana on Pinterest

I wish I could say it was really a happy Fall where I live....except it's just a tad too much like summer still.   It's way too hot and I want to start wearing my boots! My goodness...can't the weather give a boot-loving girl a break?

Since the last time I've been on here I've....

Landed myself a new part-time job here....

It's quite the hootenanny! I've become way better acquainted with that so-called group One Direction and The Wanted.  It's a great working environment and my co-workers are nice, so I feel lucky to actually not despise going to work retail.  I can't lie - the first few weeks were pretty stressful, but now I feel much more comfortable.  The customers are great, and I do enjoy selling clothing that is cute, yet not too grown up for young girls.  I'm not working many too many hours which is good because field work for student teaching is starting up soon!  Also, it's nice to make a little cash when I can...but compared to my last job,I f eel like I'm making pennies! :(   The time to seriously budget and cut down on spending $$ has arrived.  I think of it as learning to live on a tight budget...which is something I really aspire to do - even if I do have the money to spend!  Oh boy...I could lead this into a political discussion...but I won't :) I'll spare you...and myself! 

Aside from my new job, I've been going to class and preparing for my field work for my Special Ed credential program to begin.  I'm SO SO excited.  I just found out I'll be in a Kindergarten class and my field supervisor who will come to observe my lessons was my old 1st grade teacher! How crazy is that?! I will be working at a school close to home and in the same district where I went to school, so I can tell this is going to be a very nice fit.  I'm really hoping I get to use my magnetic letters with the kiddos! I can't wait to do things like this :)

Source: differentiatedkindergarten.com via Aimee on Pinterest

Who's excited to be wear hair accessories and pins, such as this?  Because kiddos love it when teachers wear fun things related to the holidays...  

 I hope teachers and students dress up for Halloween! *crossing my fingers*

hello pretty jar turned into vase :)

Yesterday was another DIY day :)  It all began with an empty glass bottle of this.  A favorite drink of the boyfriend :) 

Here's the vase all cleaned up.  It was nice that the wrapper wasn't glued all the way around.  Only a little bit of glue residue was left, so I used some Goo Gone with a cloth and it worked wonders!  So clear and clean!

Now, once I get a DIY idea in my head I HAVE to get it done right away.  All of  sudden I feel like there's a huge project on my hands, and the deadline is before I go to bed!  I had an idea of what I wanted to do...burlap was a must.  I started looking around on pinterest and I saw that some people wrapped lace around the burlap.  That was my first plan.  My 2nd option was to make cream color yo-yo's and somehow attach them.   Off to Michael's I went...I made sure to print off 2 different coupons I found on the internet.  I love my coupons! I found a roll of burlap{way more than I needed}  for $7 and a package of really pretty off white lace for $3.99.  At the time I was a tad bit hesitant of making my purchase because I didn't know  what I'd do with too much extra burlap and lace...but I figured with a coupon, the purchase made more sense.  Once I got to the register, I whipped out my two coupons (one was 50% off...the other 40% off) and I was told me there was only one coupon per customer.  WHAT THE?!  Why would the website allow me to print multiple coupons at once?  They were both different coupons!  At JoAnn's I can use as many coupons as I want, as long as the code is different.  Needless to say, I wasn't going to just give in and say "Okay...that's fine."  No way jose...I asked "Even if they're two different coupons?"  and the girl was like, "No."   Hmmmm....."Then can you make two transactions?" Yes...I went far enough to ask that because I know some stores will do that to be nice to the customer. The girl said she couldn't.   I knew it would be ridiculous to make a second trip the next day to simply use another coupon, so I just decided to use one coupon.  I wanted to just get my project done.  I left spending a little over $9 and I was beginning to think I could have spent much less money at JoAnn's.  I definitely didn't live up to my DIY thrifty potential.

Once I got home, and I decided to go to JoAnn's.  I had two different 50% off coupons and I knew I could use them both.  YAY! I found my burlap.   Since it was sold by the yard, I could buy only what I needed!  $2 spent on burlap + 50% off coupon....$1 spent on a half a yard.  WIN!  I didn't find lace at JoAnn's....so I decided to look at their quilting fabric squares in cream colors for some yo-yos. I found a beautiful fabric that had  lacy print on it! The lace was no longer necessary.  $1.99 + 50% off ... another $1 spent.  I'm happy.  Here's my receipt upon purchase :)   

$2.36 spent.  I just LOVE that "I'm quite thrifty" feeling :)

Once I got home it was time to get to work....cut the burlap...created 6 yoyos....attached it all.

 Here's the finished product :) 

I just love my new vase! It was so easy, and now I want to redecorate any jar I see!

P.S. I already got my $$ back at Michael's.  Cha ching!

The Nail Files!

It's been quite a while since I linked up with another blog.  Today's link up will be with The Nail Files!  Yay for a link up party that showcases fabulous nails!

You can read the whole story behind these nails two posts before this one :)

the peachy color - "peach" by love & beauty by Forever 21...only $2.50 and it painted very smoothly!

the glitter accent - "Today Was Fairytale" by Deborah Lippmann ..pretty pricey at $20...but I did only 2 coats for great glitter cover

What do you think?  This was definitely pinterest inspired :) 

new designs!

Since summer began I've had my days of uber craftiness and days where I just couldn't craft any long.  It takes quite a while to make one hair piece, and to think about making a ton to sell at a craft fair seems a little daunting.

I've been trying to do something a little different than making yo-yo clips, so I've create a headband.  It's the first one I've ever made and I think it turned out pretty well!  I love the leapard print and I think it would look really good in the fall with brown boots, leggings,and, a cozy sweater.  

Just the other day I felt like crocheting for a change.  I haven't crocheted for quite a while, and I made my first headband within one evening.  I thought I would be a little rusty, but it's like riding a bike.  I actually think I'm better now than I was before.  Here's my headband....it even ties in the back!  My idea is that Fall is around the corner...so it might be a good idea to start rolling them out now :)