Europe :)

I had a few frames in the closet, dusty and unused, and some extra wall-space. I decided to print a few European beauties at the photo lab to make me happy when I walk in the door.

I relived some of my favorite Spanish moments searching through pictures, and after narrowing down the selection, I went to picknic.com to make them "sepia." I think they will look great in our entry-way and compliment the other achitectual photos we have. :)

The first is of la Cadetral de Barcelona and the other is of la Catedral de Girona. Both were taken in 2008. Gotta love!

1/2 done!

I can't believe this school year is half over... I swear each year goes by faster than the last. Doesn't that make me sound OLD! ;) ;)

Today was a good day-- seeing some of the new kids and beginning TPRS anew (the way I teaching Spanish using storytelling) is so refreshing. When I have really good days like today, it reminds me to keep my chin up on the days that are long, political, challenging, and tiring. When I have a good day I try to think about the reasons why is was good, so I can replicate it as many times as possible. When I think about it, many of these "good-day traits" can be applied to life in general. And I'm sure you notice some of the same things at your job, too.

I know it's been a home-run day when...

1) I smiled more and didn't take myself too seriously.
2) I spoke slower, checked comprehension more, and as soon as I thought everyone had it, I checked again.
3) I took the time to look everyone in the eye when I talked to them. No excuses.
4) I told a few jokes and laughed at myself... even when no one else did.
5) No one left the room without being successful at something.
6) I turned misbehavior into a teachable moment.
7) I didn't expect perfection of myself--- or anyone else.
8) I flew by the seat of my pants and left "the plan" behind to teach "what came up."
9) I "P" on the kids (Teacher talk for "personalize." ;))
10) Great answers are followed by everyone bursting into applause on command! (this is great fun and I suggest you try it!)

Have a good night everyone!

RIP Munk

Today as I organized my closet, by color and style, coordinating all of my clothes (quite the task I might add), I noted that it was quite quiet in the living room. I came out to find Luna in the act of murder.... in the first degree...

After cleaning up the "guts" from the floor (I'm sure most of which were digested, especially because of Luna's hacking), I decided to question the guilty party. She seems innocent, but we all know she's been caught red-handed... Have a look at the video.

Luna(tic)

So, I've come to terms with the fact that we have a weird little doggie. She isn't photogenic at all, and for the first few months of owning her, I tried DESPERATELY to capture an adorable Luna picture that would sum up her cuteness....and I couldn't do it. I went through tons of frames, using treats, trying different lighting, and they all looked awful. She either had devil eyes (blue) or she was making a goofy face and looking away from the camera. I haven't taken many Luna-pics in a while because it was altogether frustrating.

And then it hit me...that's her charm. I saved the all pictures to my computer, and after looking back at them, and knowing her better, there are a few that I feel completely and utterly capture her personality and show a different kind of "Luna cute." She's not your typically glam-dog, but she sure is a goof that makes us smile.

Here are some favorites...that completely sum up our dog. We've captioned them with what we summize she is "thinking."

One-dog staring contest.


Don't mind me...I washed in with the tide...

I think I just farted...


A little to the left...


See this croc? It's MINE.

Oh Luna.... :)

Home face-lift, part 3

This past weekend we also updated our kitchen shelves! I gathered a few inspiration pictures from online of the types of items we wanted to add to the shelves to compliment our new, "Snearly" letters.

AFTER:


The picture art was from Charlie's cousin for our wedding, and the candlesticks were from Wal-Mart. The flowers and greens I had around!
Cost: $10

So this is a very small part of our home, but worth noting because I got SUCH good deal on it!

Despite the fact that our apartment does have a lot of storage, not everything fits in the cupboard. Since we tend to buy in bulk, it's even more jam-packed! We didn't really have a good, accessible place for our lunch boxes...we just kind of threw them on top of our cabinets, sort-of into a basket. It was really, really gross looking. I always wanted something nicer, but baskets are really, really expensive!

BEFORE:

AFTER:
That's when I stumbled upon an amazing 75% off sale at BB&B...and yes, they let you use your 20% off coupons. That's 95% OFF!!!!!!!

I found these amazing woven baskets (they are very flexible), and picked the 3 of them up for under $10. They are amazing quality.

Cost: $8 (Major score)

I hope at least someone enjoyed this...lol. It was fun to make. Is it weird that this is how I relax? ;)

Haiti

When I hear all that is going on in Haiti, it reminds me that our daily inconveniences are nothing compared to what these people are going through.

I watched a woman on TV today be pulled from the rubble of a building...she was without water and food for six days, crushed by giant boulders. She was discovered by a Haitian rescue team, and with the help of American rescuers, was saved. When she was pulled from the debris, she began to sing and thank God...it was pretty incredible and moving to watch. I'd like to think that all of us have that kind of strength, but her optimism was just so overpowering. When a reporter asked her if she knew she would live when she was trapped inside, she laughed and said, "Sure, why not?" When we all face adversity, may we all have the same strength. I know for a fact that there are smaller things that make me get far more upset. Pretty humbling, huh?

While it's hard to watch so much destruction, it also makes me feel proud--of our world--to watch so many countries come to the aid of the Haitian people...the US, Israel, Germany... just to name a few. In a place where medical support is scarce, and even the saved may die because of medical complications and wounds, the outpouring of help is beautiful. For that I am thankful.
This week our Church gave 100% of everyone's tithe to a rescue team in Haiti. These people are in my thoughts and prayers.

Home face-lift, part 2

So the saga continues on to the living room. I have to say that my three trips to Wal-Mart were beyond scary, and I really do DESPISE that store. The customer service is awful, my hands always feel dirty when I leave, and it abuses me, but I love it anyway because it's so darn cheap! Isn't there therapy for this? LOL.

I've always loved our living room. It wasn't bad before, but we lacked a lot of key pieces of furniture (like end-tables) to make it complete. So, thanks to "Santa" and Wal-to-wall-old-farts (worst/best store ever), and Target, we made it work!

The little details make a difference, wouldn't you say?

BEFORE:


AFTER:

How we made it work...

1) Plants :) I don't have a green thumb (at all), so I went to Lowe's for some hearty, can't-kill-'em-if-you-try type plants for the living room. We put one on the coffee table and the other on the side table in a red vase.
Cost: $15 (plants and vases)

2) End tables! We put one by the long couch that was a Christmas gift from my mom (it works perfectly) and moved the other one from our bedroom becuase we got a new end-table in there. Ta-da!
Cost: $0



2) New throw-pillows! These totally change the room. It's hard to tell from the pictures above, but new throw pillows add a lot of pizazz and make a tired room happy. Not only were our old pillows stinky (thank you to the many faces who have napped on them) but they were also flat... I suppose that's what happens when you buy cheap stuff. Oh well...I can't say we spend much money this time, either! Wal-Mart was having a roll-back on their pillows, so I got 2 red accent pillow for $4 each, and two ornate pillows for $10 each. Aren't they pretty? They reminded me of Spain, and they add a lot of texture to the room.
Cost: $28 (this was the splurge!)


Still more to come!