Christmas Lights 2013

Hello Friends!

I can't believe Christmas is really over... I absolutely

LOVE the holiday season!

When I was younger my mom and I would drive around

our little town with hot chocolate and caramel popcorn

to see all of the Christmas lights. My fiancé

and I have continued the tradition! This year

we ventured out of our neighborhood and headed to Arvada, CO.

Just as we were getting ready to head out for the night

we saw a house with beautiful Christmas lights highlighted on the news.

So, we quickly mapped out a new route and headed northwest!

 

Some of the pictures below do not do the houses justice, but

I wanted to share them anyhow because they were

so beautiful in person!

 B. E. A. utiful! I love how the lights outline every inch of this home.

 

I absolutely loved how these homeowners made snow ice from lights

and fluffy cotton in the front yard! 

 

These lights had a lot of movement! There was a

train that circled the entire house, a Ferris Wheel (to the left),

and a ski lift that lifted stuffed animal bears from the ground

to the roof of the house.

 

 These lights were set to music!

 

This was the house we saw on the news! This picture does

not do it justice, so we decided to take a video of the house as we drove past.

It was absolutely stunning!

 

Last, we got our dog Bentley a Candy Cane Bone for Christmas!

He wasn't quite sure what to do with it at first. Now we

have to take it away from him so he will go to bed!

 

Hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

 

Parent Volunteer Gifts

Hello Friends!

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

I apologize for being MIA recently. The month of December has to be

one of the busiest months of the school year for me.

Everyday it seems as if I cross one thing off of my to do list

and add three more!

Anyhow, I now have a few moments of free time to blog. I might add

that I am multi-tasking as I am blogging

while watching the Denver Bronco game!

 

Below are some pictures of the parent volunteer

gift I made for my wonderful and amazing

parents I have this year!

Do you notice how many baggies there are?!

I have LOTS of parent volunteers this year!  

{The Elf hat and Elf feet are from Krista Wallden... ADORABLE!}

 

Candy Cane Popcorn

Click Here for the recipe!

 

I typed the recipe and added a little color and a cute border.

Then I printed the recipe on cardstock paper and laminated it. I put the recipe

card along with a little baggie of the candy cane popcorn

in a decorative snowman or penguin gift bag

I got from Target.

Next, I attached a cute little "Thanks for "Popping" in!" tag.

{I saw this idea on Pinterest awhile ago, but I can't seem to find the original pin.}

Finally, I attached the tag to each baggie with fun holiday ribbon.

 

CLICK HERE

 to grab both freebies!

 

 

Winter Break is Here!

 

Enjoy!

 

Follow ME on TpT

LIKE me on Facebook

Five for Friday {Linky Party} December 6th

Hello Friends!

 Hope you had a great Friday. This week absolutely flew by for me.

I am linking up with Doodle Bugs for the weekly Five for Friday.

1. Conference Week Survival Kit

This gift is from a teacher parent of mine! I think it is

ABSOLUTELY adorable!

I have the MOST amazing parents of my students this year!

My kindergarten families have been so supportive.

I have amazing parent volunteers, as well as, parents that

send little gifts to me on regular school days just to say Thank you!

I really appreciate the family involvement and support

my kindergarten students receive at home.

2. Scholastic Book Club

Scholastic Book Club

I love books and it just makes my day when the new

scholastic catalogs arrive!

I recently had a parent offer a gift for the classroom and I think

this simple gesture is so kind!

It makes me smile and the students LOVE reading new books!

3. Pentatonix: Little Drummer Boy

If you have any sort of social media I'm almost positive you have

already seen this video, but I love it so SO MUCH

that I had to share it with all of you!

Here is another great song maybe you haven't heard them sing yet!

Pentatonix - Royals (Lorde Cover)  

O.M.G. I am obsessed! ;)

We Are Young - Pentatonix (Fun Cover)

 4. Teachers Pay Teachers {Cyber Monday Sale}
Here is a shout out to Teachers Pay Teachers!
This past Monday was the annual Cyber Monday and Tuesday Sale.
I have some amazing followers that came out in huge support of my store.
To say thank you is not merely enough.
My life truly has changed since joining TpT. I know there are those haters
out there who simply don't understand it yet, but I hope
they too someday will understand the greatness behind the whole idea of TpT.
I bought my first product from TpT two years ago from the
Top Seller herself the inspirational Deanna Jump.

After purchasing this packet I was hooked!

A year later my full time teaching job was cut to part-time. We had

just recently purchased our first home

and I didn't know how we were going to

make ends meet with my small teaching salary now being cut in half.

It was then that I decided I needed to just TRY!

I became a premium seller and haven't looked back since.

This is the first FREEBIE I posted on Teachers Pay Teachers.

This seems a bit silly to me now, but it does offer a variety!

This is my first paid product I posted on TpT.

This packet has since been one of my top ten selling items.

How Teachers Pay Teachers has changed my life!
Not only has TpT provided me with financial security.
TeachersPayTeachers has...
1. Inspired me
2. Made me a BETTER Teacher
3. Challenged me to do more for the students in my classroom.
4. Given me a creative outlet
5. Allowed me to connect with teachers around the world.

I am so THANKFUL for Tpt!


5. Sorting Long Vowels
We are reviewing long vowels this week during our reading instruction.
Here is a LONG Aa Vowel Sort FREEBIE!

CLICK HERE to get this FREEBIE!

Follow me on TpT

LIKE me on Facebook

Winter Writing and Phonetic Spelling

Hello Friends!

Yesterday we had a pretty good snow storm that

we woke up to. The kindergarteners

were CRAZY excited, so I decided to veer from the

lesson plan just a teeny, tiny little bit!

In writing we are really working hard on stretching words

and spelling words phonetically.

I gave the students a blank piece of white paper

and they could draw anything they

think of as a winter day!

The final step was the students needed to label their picture

by stretching the words slowly and writing

the sounds they hear.

 

Here are a few examples of the finished products!

I think they turned out pretty cute myself!

 

Like Me on FACEBOOK

Follow Me at my TpT Store



TpT Winter Holiday Book and a FREEBIE!

The Teachers Pay Teachers Winter Holiday

Grades Pre-K and Kindergarten 

Tips and Freebies Book is here!

Click HERE to grab up this goodie!

 

This packet is jammed pack with lots of winter tips

for the classroom, as well as, just as many FREEBIES!

 

Here is my freebie that is included in the packet.

My students love LOVE playing the

Spin, Read, Color! Sight Word Game

Click HERE to grab this FREEBIE!

 

Enjoy!



Thanksgiving Birthday and Husker Football!

Hello Friends!

I hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving!

I spent it with may family in my very small hometown in Nebraska.

Yes, we are HUGE Husker fans! GO BIG RED!

This year my birthday landed on the big Husker game the day

after Thanksgiving. While the game turned out to be somewhat of  a

disaster.... YIKES! My family and I still managed

to have a great time celebrating with a

red and white Husker theme!

We were all decked out in Husker gear as well!

A teacher parent of mine got me a Husker cup

similar to the one below.

My fiance got me a Husker Hat!

This was not easy for him being that

he is a HUGE CU fan.

 

Now it's time for Christmas!

 Our Christmas Tree and decorations are up

and the Christmas music has begun!

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

 

 Graphics by SPC

 

 Creative Clips

 

 

 

 

 



Veterans Day Freebie

Happy Veterans Day

to all of the men and women in our armed forces!

Thank you for fighting for our freedom!

Click on the picture to save this freebie.

Follow me on TPT

Like me on Facebook

Follow my Teachers Notebook Shop



Happy Monday :) Diwali Activities, Veterans Day and a FREEBIE!

Hello Friends!

 

Here's to a happy Monday!

Let's get this week started off on the right foot!

Starbucks

Iced Coffee

This is sure to satisfy my morning coffee craving!

 

Happy Diwali!

This packet is perfect for teaching your young learners about

the traditions of Diwali, The Festival of Lights.

CLICK HERE to get this packet!

 

Veterans Day is almost here!

I have a packet that is perfect for supplementing your

Veterans Day Social Studies unit.

CLICK HERE to get this packet!

 

 

CLICK HERE to grab a November freebie!

 

Follow me on TpT



Five for Friday {Linky Party!} Halloween

Hello Friends!

Hope you had a very Happy Halloween!

1. Christmas has ALWAYS been my absolute FAVORITE holiday,

but I must admit Halloween is quickly becoming

my second favorite holiday! This year we hung candy corn lights,

replaced our outside garage lights with ORANGE bulbs,

and we carved two LARGE pumpkins! {Not Pictured}

 

2. With the last few days of my Fall Break coming to an end

I am trying to squeeze in EVERY MINUTE

to check things off of my TO DO LIST!

As I had everything spread out on  my living room floor

my pretty kitty Maddie became SO interested

in what I was doing!

3. My adorable little puppy absolutely LOVES

playing with, chasing, and chewing plastic containers!

He gets VERY UPSET if you try and take it away!

He sounds scary, but he is completely harmless!

 

4. I haven't made this dip in so long, but it's a favorite of mine!

So easy to make. It's a twist on the traditional

7 Layer Mexican dip

Ingredients:

Chili Powder

Red Pepper Flakes

Hot Sauce

Onion

Garlic

Shredded Cheese

Olives

Turkey Meat

Green Chilies

Tomatoes

Lettuce

Whipped Cream Cheese

 

5. Jack-O-Lantern Pizza is a tradition now!

We had some left over Halloween candy this year and I can't

decide if that is a good thing or a bad thing.

I guess it depends how you look at it right?!

{I do love LOVE chocolate!}

 

I have linked up with Doodle Bugs

CLICK HERE to link up!

 

Follow me on TPT

Like me on Facebook

 

 



All Treats Halloween FREEBIE!

Happy Halloween Friends!

I have a special ALL TREATS {NO Tricks}

freebie promotion for today only!

This is a sight word packet that I use all year in my classroom

as a Literacy Center Work Station!

My students absolutely love the two activities in this packet.

 After downloading the packet I ask that you

please leave honest feedback and rate this packet.

Thanks so much!

Have a safe and Happy Halloween!

 

 

CLICK HERE to grab this limited freebie!

October 31st, 2013

Flash Friday SALE!

Happy Friday!

It's Fall, Friday, and I'm having a FLASH Sale

at my TeachersPayTeachers Store!!

 

Some items are up to 50% OFF!

CLICK HERE to find Fall and Halloween packets!

 

Have a great Friday and thanks for stopping by!



Five for Friday {Linky Party} Monsters!

Hello Friends!

Yesterday was our last day before fall break and the kiddos

have been squirming with fall break fever

for the past TWO weeks. :)

(Not to mention that it snowed again Friday. Then

began melting... SOOO

we weren't able to go outside for recess. YIKES!)

However, the students were very excited and engaged with our

1. Go Away BIG green Monster activity!

This activity incorporated

Reading, Writing, Sentence Structure, Color Words

Retelling, Multi-Step Directions

and Fine Motor exercises.

This was a Pinterest inspired activity!

 

 2. Here are the final products!

 

 

CLICK HERE to grab the FREEBIE!

 

3. Do you see all of the teeny, tiny pieces of paper?!

Times that by ONE HUNDRED and you will have a small

idea of what our classroom looked like

after we finished cutting!

Our classroom was a DISASTER!

If you know me very well you know that I have

CRAZY OCD! And that and being a kindergarten teacher

doesn't always make things easy... Therefore,

I have learned to let go and be okay

with making complete disasters through the learning process

for the sake of the students' kindergarten experience!

I then teach the kiddos how to be responsible and respectful

of our classroom and the importance of

cleaning up our messes!

A common quote of mine...

"Oh my goodness! Our room is a disaster!!"

 

4. And we ended with a group picture!

 

5. Fall Break

My fall break is officially here!

Our school is on a transitional calendar which means our school

year is divided into three trimesters.

Our breaks don't exactly line up with the end of each trimester,

but we are fortunate to have a two week fall break,

two week winter break, and a two week spring break!

It's the perfect calendar!

 

I celebrated last night with warm Apple Cider...

and fell asleep on the couch around 8:00 p.m.!

CLICK HERE for cider recipes!

I have linked up again with Doodle Bugs!

Find me on TpT

LIKE me on Facebook