Christmas Traditions in the Classroom

This has become a Christmas tradition in my classroom. I love to see how it turns out every year.  My kiddos did a fantastic job coloring each section this year! I bought this Andy Warhol inspired Christmas Tree mural several years ago. There are a bunch more murals on the site. I might have to buy another one sometime. 

Having fun!

Too much thinking

I really shouldn't stay up late.
Especially when I'm alone.

Too much time to think and overthink things. But then I guess it is also a good time to pray about it.

Wishing my copy of "When people are big and God is small" weren't in storage in CA. I really need to read that book at least once a year. Fearing what other people think is not something you stop doing easily. Here I just had a nice evening with friends and now I sit here remembering things I said throughout the evening and start worrying about what they thought when I said it. If a friend of mine were telling me this I would be reassuring them that what they said was ok, but it is hard convincing yourself. Have you ever noticed that?

So, what do you do? My initial thought...

I have no idea.

But when I sit and think about it I know that I need to pray about it and let it go. I would know if I had said anything really wrong. And when I think about it I know I didn't. I know that God has put these friends in my life for a reason. If I really did say something dumb they would let me know. But if they really do know me they would know that I didn't mean anything by the things I said. It all comes down to the fact that I may have said a few things that were embarrassing and I don't like being embarrassed. They have probably forgotten about it by now...they are probably sleeping by now. Which is what I should be doing.

Ok, going to bed now. Time to stop thinking about it. Sleep will help!

Grandma

Grandma and I showing off our White Elephant gifts. 

I've been trying to get my grandma out of the house a little bit more. Hard when it is so cold outside. She doesn't like to be cold. Here we are at our church Christmas party. I have to say that I think she is adjusting well to my Grandpa being gone. I know that it is hard for her at times. I'm excited when I can take her out to do things since she is stuck at home alone all day long while I work. The biggest outing will be in a few weeks when I take her in California with me for Christmas. That will be a big adventure...I haven't told her yet. I know that sounds terrible, but she is such a worrier that I was afraid she would be miserable for a month. Miserable with worry for a week and a half is much better...hopefully. I'm prepared for the fact that she may be very mad at me for just buying her a ticket. But in the end I think it is the best decision. She needs a big distraction from the first Christmas without Grandpa. And my mom and I need her around so we don't worry about her the entire time I'm in CA. Praying that God keeps us safe and healthy while we travel.

Oh Grandma

Oh the things that happen when you live with your grandma.
She used so much bleach to clean her kitchen towels that I had to open the front door so I could breath. Did I mention it is 24 degrees outside? But breathing is important. :)

Fun lettering!

A friend asked me to write some song lyrics for her to frame. I think they are from a Chris August song. I write it three ways to give her some options. I love doodling with words!

The last one is with a metallic pen. I love it, but it needs a simple frame since it is so busy. 

I love this kind of doodling! It is so relaxing to me (I know I've said that a lot on here). 

Good Motivation

Well it hit me hard today that I have got to get in better shape than I am right now. I'm going to be trying on bridesmaid dresses at the end of the month! So I brought out the dreaded 30 Day Shred dvd. Kinda proud that I made it through all three circuits! The funny part was that when I did jumping jacks near the touch lamp it kept turning on and off. Hahaha!!

Mist vs. Midst

       I'm so glad the Lord guides us to reread things! I'm constantly having to reread things.
       This morning in my Bible reading I was reading things all wrong. And I'm sitting here thinking to myself "That is strange. I don't remember reading or hearing that before." Not that I'm this great mind that remembers all I've read or been taught in scripture. But this stuck out to me.
       For whatever reason, ok I know it was the Lord, I went back and read the passage again. I had to laugh when I saw how I had read it wrong the first time. Luke 4:30 says, "But passing through their midst, he went away." What I initially read was, "But passing through the mist, he went away." Just a little different. I must be watching too much sci fi. Ha!
       Reading through the passage and a study guide I do believe that it was a miraculous escape from those who wanted to kill Him (Jesus). This wasn't the time God had prepared for Jesus to die. But I'm sitting here picturing in my head Jesus standing at the edge of a cliff, a mist forms and Jesus floats away in the mist over the cliff... I have a strange imagination sometimes. Anyway, it is amazing what a difference a few letters make when you are reading. And that wasn't the only thing I misread this morning.
       So all that to say, I'm thankful that even through our faults God teaches us and allows us to see His truth.

{Day 14 - Memory}

Obviously I'm not doing this picture thing is every day! I've been slacking off. 

I have so many fun memories that I randomly chose one. This is from college when my friends and I saw Wicked. I was totally obsessed with Wicked. I have to say that seeing Broadway musicals is one of my favorite things to do. 

This was such a fun night! We got dressed up and drove down to LA along with a bunch of other TMC students. I miss these ladies so much! We all had so much fun with each other. I love being able to keep up with them on facebook. So thankful for the fun memories I have from college. God sure is good to me! 

Cling to the Right Thing

Phil 2:14 "Do all things without grumbling or questioning."

I've always heard this verse with the word complaining instead of questioning. I was thrown off when I read it this morning. But when I think about the word complaining it really is questioning. When we complain we are questioning God's plan. Ouch! I'm continually telling my students that God has a plan and His plan is perfect. That is an easy thing to say and not as easy to live by.

Complaining = questioning

So how do we live out Phil 2:14? Well, we have to continue reading.

Verse 16 says "holding fast to the word of life..." 

If we cling to Scripture the grumbling and questioning will diminish because our eyes will be in the right place. When we grumble and question then our focus is definitely on ourselves. "I'm not happy" "I want this" "Why can't I have (you fill in the blank)?" These things are essentially telling God that His plan isn't good enough. If God can create the entire universe in 6 days wouldn't you think that His plan for you and me is thought out and perfect in His eyes? Sometimes I just want to smack myself on the head and say, "Come on, think Jamie!" This should be so obvious, but we/I so easily forget. That is why clinging to scripture is so important.

{Day 13 - Animals}

The 2nd title of this post is "Gus Gus."

And there is no picture...you will understand why in a minute.

A week or so ago my mom and I discovered a mouse in the house. She saw it and I heard it run along the baseboard behind me. You should have seen how fast I moved across the living room. My feet did not touch the ground for a few hours after that. I'm creeped out enough by mice in cages that ones around the house like that make me shiver all over. My pastor here left a mousetrap for me in my mailbox at school because he heard our story. Still dreading the idea of using it. But I really don't want mice in the house all winter. (more shivers!) Mom and I named it Gus Gus.

Well, Friday morning I got up a little early and decided to make my coffee and breakfast before I read my Bible. For some reason it seems cozier to read my Bible with my coffee. I needed to wash the pan that I heat my water in so I went to the sink. There was dirty water left in the sink from the night before, which is unusual because my grandma is really into having a super clean sink. I stuck my hand in the dirty water, pulled the plug and as I was taking my hand out saw something floating. Praise the Lord I did not touch it!! Yes, low and behold Gus Gus drowned in the sink. (I'm shivering again!) I was completely grossed out and almost screamed! My hand had been in that water! I turned the water on super hot and dumped a bunch of dish soap on my hand and scrubbed hard. So nasty!
Disposing of the mouse was so hard, but I knew I had to be brave and do it. Ugh! It was already on a plate that was in the sink so I dumped it in the garbage can. Yuck yuck yuck!! Then I filled the sink with super hot water, dish soap, and bleach. I hope I never have to do that again.

Everyone keeps telling me that where there is one mouse there are more. So I have to be brave today and set the trap from my pastor. So not looking forward to catching anything.

{Day 12 - Friends}

God has been so good in blessing me with wonderful friendships. I'm reminded of how much God cares for me when I think back on the friendships I've had over the years. There have been seasons in my life where God has placed the exact friend that I needed right then to encourage me and point me to Christ. One of the things I'm the most thankful for in my friendships is that even though I'm not the best at long distant friendships we are able to pick up where we left off when we do talk or see each other.
I have to say that the friendship I'm the most thankful for is from my sister. Growing up we got along ok. We didn't fight all the time like some siblings, but we weren't super close. What's funny is that when I went away to college our friendship clicked. I love my sister so much. I'm so proud of the amazing woman she has become. I love talking with her, shopping with her, watching Doctor Who with her, and our random usies (is that how you spell it?).
Julie, you challenge me to walk closer to the Lord, make me laugh, and bring so much joy to my life. You are beautiful on the inside and out. You are my best friend! I love you!

{Day 11 - Make up}

I don't wear a ton of make-up. In fact today I was a little lazy and only put on eye liner and mascara. My other make-up is pretty basic and a little goes a long way. My sister got me into Sephora make-up so it is a good thing a little goes a long way. What's funny is that at the moment I'm more excited about what I use to take off my make-up. A cousin here in Wisconsin (there are many of those around here) got me hooked on Norwex. I co-hosted a party with her so got a bunch of free stuff. They have a make-up removing cloth that is amazing! It takes my eye make-up off really fast. I hate using oily eye make-up remover so this cloth is wonderful. I'm totally sold on it.

{Day 10 - Something you hate}

Chalk is totally comes with my job. When I first started teaching I loved chalk! Now... I can't stand it. I'll only use I if I absolutely have to. This is all of the chalk I have in my classroom, and after I took this picture I threw it away. Ha!

Here are my top 3 reasons why I greatly dislike (aka hate) chalk:

1. It gets everywhere - gotta love it when you realize that you have chalk dust on your pants and you don't know how long it has been there! 
2. It dries out your hands - I want to wash my hands every time I touch the stuff! 
3. I lose my voice when I use it on a regular basis - true story! When I first started teaching I would lose my voice by the end of each week. It took me a long time to realize that it wasn't from talking too much. It was from the chalk! The year they put a white board in my room I didn't lose my voice once. Crazy! 

In my current classroom I have a white board as well as chalkboards. Instead of using chalk I use chalk pens. True it takes me longer to clean it off, but it is SO worth it! 

{Day 9 - Love}

First real snow fall today! I loved how soft the snowfall was as I walked to school this morning. It was beautiful! It snowed for several hours this morning and the ground was completely covered. This California girl is pretty excited about the snow. I love my eskimo coat too! There are so many people who are dreading this winter because of how bad last winter was. I'm praying that I don't lose my joy over the snow. Growing up in CA I haven't had a lot of snow experience. And I totally have a winter bucket list started. :) A few people have even mentioned the possibility of a snow-day tomorrow! Can you tell I'm a little excited about it all?! 

(Wow, I completely rambled in this post! Obviously I'm a little excited) 

{Day 8 - Smell}

This is my current favorite smell. I've been diffusing it in my classroom for the last several days. I love that I can smell it as I'm walking in the hallway toward my classroom. Hoping that it helps my students and I not get sick too much as the weather is getting colder. We'll see if it makes a difference. It couldn't hurt to try. 

Generally I'm one who loves burning candles, and I still do. But the smell from the diffuser is even better than the candles. I'll still burn candles because it has a cozy feel, but the essential oils definitely work better than the candles. 

{Day 7 - Somewhere you've been}

I really love traveling. Near or far I'd go anywhere. Even a quick road trip is enough to help my travel bug. I'd have to say though that going to New York City was a pretty fun trip. I went there with my college choir. It was so incredible. Had fun in Central Park and went to see Mary Poppins on Broadway. My choir also sang in Carnegie Hall. That was pretty incredible! I'd love to go back someday. I think it would be fun to see everything decorated for Christmas. Who knows. Maybe someday! 

{Day 6 - Shoes}

I love my boots! And I love the fact that it is cool enough to wear them! I'm going to try to remember this feeling because I may change my tune in a few months. Did I mention that we had snow flurries a few days ago?! I was just as excited as my kiddos at school. 

{Day 5 - Funny}

Locked out of the house. :) don't worry I really am laughing. 

The key is on its way. 

{Day 4 - What I'm listening to}

I love music! And I totally go through waves of what I listen to on a regular basis. I listen to worhip music consistently, with a splash of Broadway, jazz, classical, and country. 

Since I've moved to Wisconsin I've really loved listening to my group. I miss these guys a lot. Back home we led worship every Sunday night. It has been so nice to be able to listen to our favorite songs since I've been away. So glad they humored me when I asked if we could record some of the songs we sang together.

 

{Day 3 - Happy}

Hard to choose a photo of what makes me happy. I mean just one photo. Here are two...ok it's actually 4. My SF Giants made me very happy this week. They won the pennant and are going to the World Series! I was pretty happy. Totally jumped around the living room cheering. My mom was quite entertained. 

Fall is another thing that makes me happy. Pumpkins, leaves, colors. I love them all!

{Day 2 - Fun}

This is one of the things I do for fun. I love taking scripture, song lyrics, and quotes making them fancy. As I've posted before doing this is relaxing and keeps my eyes fixed on Christ. 

Photo-a-Day {Day 1 - Selfie}

I've been trying to figure out what to blog about lately and found this fun photo-a-day idea. Technically it is for the month of May, but it's my blog I can blog what I want to! Hmmm...I should write a new song! Sounds catchy! I ended up changing the list slightly because I realized that day 6 was "Man Candy Monday." Didn't quite want to go there. Lol! So here is my list. 

1. Selfie
2. Fun
3. Happy
4. What you're listening to
5. Funny
6. Shoes
7. Somewhere you've been
8. Smell
9. Love
10. Something you hate
11. Make-up
12. Friend(s)
13. Animal
14. Memory
15. Favorite movie
16. What to look forward to
17. Sweater weather
18. Fall favorite
19. Something new
20. Wish
21. What you did today
22. Motivation
23. What makes you confident
24. What you're doing tonight
25. Flower
26. Dream 
27. Smile
28. Water
29. Scarf
30. Warm and cozy

Here is my selfie. I took it a few weeks ago. It was a beautiful day and I had the day to myself. I drove to Marinette and went winter coat shopping. I would have taken a new selfie today, but it is a bad hair day. Woke up too late to make my hair look like I wanted it to. Oh well, I like this pic. 

Grandma's Birthday

I really enjoyed planning my Grandma's 90th birthday party. 

This was one of the pinterest ideas I found and was able to do as a decoration. It was a very fun puzzle. And even better my grandma wanted to put it up on her living room wall to keep looking at it. That meant a lot to me. My grandma can be very hard to please so when she wanted to put it up at home I knew she liked it.  

I copied a bunch of pictures in black and white and glued them down. 

The key though is to make sure you copy different sized pictures. I needed several small pictures to cover up little spots. A couple of them had people cut out, but the goal was to get a bunch of pictures of my grandma. 

The brown paper was paper that came in a package I got not too long ago, but you could use wrapping paper as well. 

Eric Carle, Flags, and Pete the Cat

 I love doing projects with my class! I'm thankful that we have an art teacher at our school, but I can't help but plan other art projects throughout the month. There are so many amazing ideas. The first couple weeks of school I read a bunch of Eric Carle books so my class. My 1st and 2nd graders loved them. They especially loved the amazing artwork that Mr. Carle creates for his books. So I just HAD to come up with an art project with painting tissue paper! It took us quite a while to get it finished because I only had a few kids paint at a time. But they painted large pieces of tissue paper red and blue. After they painted they used a popsicle stick to add lines or swirls to their paper. It turned out really well! I was so excited at how well my students did on this. Deep down I was afraid it was going to be a disaster. But they took their time and were very careful. 

I chose to have them make flags since we read about flags in history during the first couple of lessons. They had to remember how many red stripes to put on and how many "stars" (we just painted dots) to paint of the blue. 

When they were finished I let them use the scraps to make whatever they wanted. 

I made Pete the Cat rocking in his school shoes. :) 

Fingerless gloves

Look at what I made last night! 

I've been itching to work on a craft project of some sort and decided to try these last night. I found the pattern at Crochet Dreamz. I sat down with my mom to work on them and ended up figuring it all out on my own. They aren't exactly the same size, but hey it was my first try! My grandma has a bunch of yarn that she never uses so I think I'll make a bunch of them! I might even add a button to them like the pattern showed. I'm so excited to finally have some free time to craft! 

Looking forward to making more! 

More doodling

Sorry to keep posting similar things. I've just loved doodling lately. I find it so relaxing and it helps me keep my focus on Christ. 

Lunch break doodling

It has been a long week. Not sure how I would have made it the last few days without the Lord. 

I need some serious crafty/artsy time soon. In the meantime doodling during my lunch break today will have to do. 

The car, the "late" night, and the hearing aids

     Ha! That post title sounds like it would make a funny children's book! Kinda wish it were a funny post. But it is more of a vent. I have to admit. This has been a rough week living with my grandma. Monday I was all ready to go to a new Bible study I was joining at church and got home to find out I couldn't use the car, which technically wasn't her fault but frustrating none-of-the-less. Tuesday I was majorly scolded for getting home late and making her worry (...it was 8:00 when I got home). And today I was told that I don't like living here, because I told her I didn't like having to yell at her when she isn't wear her hearing aids. Don't worry, I'm not yelling because I'm mad. Yelling so she could actually hear what I was trying to tell her. Her hearing is really bad. Even with her hearing aids she is in a major habit of saying "what" after you say anything.
     Tuesday was the hardest. I was pretty steamed after our conversation, but I kept my cool and firmly but calmly stood up for myself. So thankful for my Dad and sister who talked me through it afterwards. They helped me focus on the truth and to calm down a little.
     After the comment from her tonight I asked my grandpa if I needed to talk to her about it. He didn't think I needed to and he reminded me that "Grandma is of the old school and she still sees you as a little kid." He told me that was just going to have to get used to her because she isn't going to change. As frustrating as that is to me I do agree. She turns 90 next week and is definitely set in her ways. I told him I understood, but also said that I was still going to stick up for myself if I need to. His response: "good!" Love my grandpa! And my grandma too even if she exasperates me at times.
     In the long run, I know that God is teaching me a lot through this experience. For one thing I'm impressed with myself for actually sticking up for myself. I am so not a confrontational person. I can think of many times when things were said to me that I didn't agree with and I didn't stick up for myself. I say I'm impressed with myself, but I really do know that it is the Lord. Thankful that God gave me the words in the moment and helped me remain calm.

Evidence of Fall

I'm so excited for fall! 

No more nails

Goodbye cute nails! 

Someone lent me an extra guitar and I'm determined to learn!

Fall is coming!

I have to say it! I'm super excited that fall is coming!! I'm seeing hints of it in the trees here in Wisconsin and lots of fall pins on pinterest! Yippee!! I love fall. Happy colors, happy smells, pumpkins, sweaters and scarves. Its just all good in my eyes!
One of my students pointed out the window to the class that one of the trees is starting to change colors. (too bad we were in the middle of discussing something completely different) I love that I can see and feel the change of the season here in Wisconsin. You don't have that feeling as much in California. That was definitely something that made me interested about living here. As hard as it is to be away from my family and friends in CA it is nice to have the little blessings like the changing of seasons.
Thanks Lord for loving me!

Be Still

I have a tendency to worry about things. And since moving in with my grandparents I've seen where that worry comes from. It is definitely in my blood. My grandma is a major worrier. There are things I don't tell her until just before it is going to happen so that she won't spend days worrying about it. In a way I think it has helped me to see the amount of worrying she does. Because of it I think I've started to worry less. Seeing how miserable she can make herself feel makes me realize how much I do not want to live my life like that. 

It is so wonderful to know that I don't have to worry about things. God is on my side. I just need to be still and let Him take care of things. So often I look back at things I've worried about and realized there was nothing I could have done to change the circumstance. 

So let go of the worry and be still. 

In Christ Alone

It it easy to try and find hope through other things. But I have to remember that those other things will fail me at some point. Only in Christ can we have everlasting hope. He will NEVER fail us. 

Cooler weather is here!

Well I was able to take the car this morning and have some much needed Jamie time!! It occurred to me this week that I really do need to schedule in some time I be alone. Thankfully my grandparents let me use the car this morning. So I drove to Marinette in search of a winter coat. It is only the middle of September and already I could tell that the coat I had wasn't going to cut it for much longer. It has been in the 50s and breezy for the last few days. Walking to work has been cold. Doable, but cold. Especially with the thin coat I have. 

My first stop was to McDonalds for some coffee. :) Coffee is the most important part of some "Jamie Time." I knew I wanted to look for a coat at Shopko but I thought I try a thrift store first. I'm so glad I did! Look at what I found for $10!! I love it!! I did end up getting a heavy coat and Shopko as well, but this one is adorable and perfect for church and work. Yay! 

Sunrise

The other day I was randomly thinking about how much I missed seeing the sunrise in Rincon Valley when I got to work. It was always so wonderful. Then this is what I saw when I walked out my door to walk to school! God's creation is so awesome!!z

Necessities!

My best friends at the beginning if the school year! Those and mucinex d. What would I do without them?! Thankfully I think my first cold of the school year is almost gone.

Lamentations 3:23

Had fun with the chalkboard in my bedroom this weekend! 

A little late, but worth it

Well, homesickness finally hit. The week before I started at work was a hard week. I was missing my family and friends a lot and struggling with living with my grandparents. It seemed like my independence had been taken a way to a certain degree. I'm not used to not having my own car and going places when I wanted to. Suddenly I was being told I couldn't go places because I wasn't allowed to have the car. There were about 4 days that were a huge struggle.
But, God knew exactly what I needed. Surprise, surprise. The Thursday of that week I joined my new church family on a camping trip. I was a little nervous about the camping part, because let's be honest I'm not much of a camper. But my mom's cousin invited me to sleep in her camper with her family so I thought I could handle it. It was the weekend I totally needed. I went 4-wheeling, canoeing, played games, fellowshipped, and enjoyed a warm campfire. But I have to say the highlight was the quiet mornings on the dock with my Bible and my coffee. Right away the first morning in my quiet time I was reminded of how God was taking care of me and listening to my cry. Psalm 116 was the next chapter in my Bible reading and it was exactly what I needed to hear.

1I love the Lord, because he has heard

my voice and my pleas for mercy.

2Because he inclined his ear to me,

therefore I will call on him as long as I live.

3 The snares of death encompassed me;

the pangs of Sheol laid hold on me;

I suffered distress and anguish.

4Then I called on the name of the Lord:

“O Lord, I pray, deliver my soul!”

5 Gracious is the Lord, and righteous;

our God is merciful.

6The Lord preserves the simple;

when I was brought low, he saved me.

7Return, O my soul, to your rest;

for the Lord has dealt bountifully with you.

8For you have delivered my soul from death,

my eyes from tears,

my feet from stumbling;

9I will walk before the Lord

in the land of the living.

1st Day of School

A couple pics from the 1st day of school! 

Walked to school! It doesn't even take an entire song to play on my itunes for me to get to school. I live really close! 

Oops accidentally cut off the 'f'

I guess thats what happens when you are taking a selfie with a chalkboard! Ha! 

Flowers from my family. :) Such a wonderful surprise! 

The 1st day of school was fantastic!! 

Grace

My Classroom

Well, the last few weeks have been a whirlwind of events. The biggest thing has been school starting. The first week went really well. I'm still getting used to the school and the crazy schedule of teaching a combo class on my own, but it is coming along.
Here are some pics of my classroom. Still not a huge fan of the green room (mainly the green part of it) but I guess I'll just have to live with it. :)

I love this board! 

I love the number line above the whiteboard! I put it up there and use it almost every day. 

Look how clean my desk is!! Wish it stayed like that. :) 

It turns out I'm not using this area exactly as I thought, but it is still useful. My kids are using those desks for "Word Work" in our Daily 5. 

This is my favorite part of the room. But to me that is no surprise since teaching reading is my favorite part of the day. Working on collecting more books.