Need something to make you smile?

Because boy do I. My Jaguars lost pathetically AND it started pouring on the walk back to the car. I was smart and brought a poncho, but it was one of those Florida storms where it's windy and rainy. Nilda = soaked.

So I decided to look at this spelling test that I graded earlier:

Ignore the backwards six. :) This student is one of my brightest and creative. Spelling tests in my class take a while because I have to work with my ESOL students to make sure they hear the sounds. So I think this little one got bored while waiting for his classmates, because he illustrated every word. I particulary like the hamburger bun and the "hot" pot don't you?

This picture reminds me why I do my job. Because first graders are some of the most creative souls on this planet. So if you need a smile, I hope this helps!

Off to finish watching Once Upon a Time.

Ready for the weekend!

Whew. This was a long week. Definitely one of the longest of the school year so far. I adore my class, but man, those 22 little ones tire me out.

Even though it was a LONG week, it was a good one. Here goes:

1. I participated in a swap hosted by Neely, Erin and Tracy. A fall swap! I adore fall, even if we don't really get one here in Florida. Hello. 90 degrees today! Ugh. Anyways, I got paired up with the fabulous Tiffany over at My Smile Saga. She sent me the best things:

I'll fill you in on what they were next week.

2. My assistant principal did her pop-in observation. A pop-in observation is one where you don't know admin is coming. I haven't had a good observation in over a year and a half and was completely frazzled. But apparently, she loved what she saw because I got awesome remarks. SCORE! Life just keeps cementing that I made the right move.

3. THE JAGUARS WON!

I think it's because I wore my jersey. I'm going to test that theory at the game this weekend. :)

4. I actually made it to the gym this week and did my whole strength workout. I about passed out (kettlebells are HEAVY!) but I definitely felt better.

5. TV PREMIERES! All of my favorites premiered this week. I liked the Big Bang Theory premiere the best, but I can't wait to see Once Upon a Time and Revenge on Sunday!

I hope all of you had a fantabulous week yourself. Enjoy the weekend, wherever you might be! Linking up with Lauren.

FINALLY!

Finally.

Thought I was going to have to burn all my Jaguars shirts. Sell my season tickets. Deny ever being a Jaguar fan. But then...

After two horrible games, my Jaguars did it. WE WON A GAME! No, I am not going to focus on the fact that we were thisclose to losing it. I'm going to focus on the fact that Gabbert and Shorts teamed up at a clutch moment and that my boy Posluszny had an interception:

Source

 

 

I know most of you out there could care less about football, but I've grown up with the Jaguars. I remember the glory season of 1999 like it was yesterday. I just want them to win. Especially against the Colts. :) (Especially since I spent a decent chunk of change on season tickets this year. Ahem)

On top of that awesome win, I finished my plans and printed off my materials for the week. Which means I can spend the rest of my Sunday night relaxing.

What will I do? Read a book or watch the Emmys? Paint my nails? Or maybe go to bed early so that I don't feel like a zombie when I wake up? Decisions, decisions.  I'll keep y'all posted.

Hope everyone had a good weekend!

PS. I'm debating changing the name of my blog to Entirely My Own. It came to me yesterday when I was brainstorming new names. I'll keep y'all posted on that too!

A life update

Life's been non-stop the last few weeks. NON-STOP. Rather, work has been non-stop. I want to write a blog post, but I don't even know what to write about.

I want to spend my weekend doing nothing. Well nothing besides cleaning a bit first. My room is a mess. But lying on the couch, catching up on Once Upon a Time, sounds like way more fun. Doesn't it?

What else do I need/want to do? Sushi for lunch. I haven't had any sushi in weeks, and it's by far my favorite food. I won't be able to go tomorrow, because J and I got invited to watch the Jaguars (hopefully win) at his friend Moe's house. That's guaranteed to be a good time, because Moe is crazy. Crazy in a good way.

I want to go to the new H&M that just opened. Have I told you how pumped I am that Jacksonville has an H&M? It's pretty much the last store that I like that Jacksonville didn't have. Since I can't really afford to buy clothes, I'm hoping to find some cute accessories and/or shoes to jazz up my outfits. 

This week I have lots of things to do including going in on Tuesday for a wisdom tooth extraction consultation. Yuck. I'm not looking forward to it at all! I have had the worst luck with dental issues. Cross your fingers for me will ya?

I just read over this post and realize how random it sounds. But that's how I roll. Once I'm in a random mood, I can't really get out of it!

Happy Saturday everyone!

I need this...

I noticed that Erin at Living In Yellow is doing a really cool link up called I Believe In. Her list is a mixture of hilarious and serious. Which is just like her blog.

Here's my own list:
I believe in... having dessert after every meal.

I believe in... high expectations that are appropriate for my students.

I believe in... naps on the weekends with my kitty.

Source: allonsykimberly.com via Nilda on Pinterest

I believe in... listening to those with more experience than you.

I believe in... spending as much time as possible with those you love.

I believe in... letting things go. Nothing good comes from grudges.

Source: andwhatalicesaw.tumblr.com via Nilda on Pinterest

I believe in... supporting your team no matter what!

I believe in... going to Disney World and letting your inner child free!

I believe in... watching Big Bang Theory whenever an episode is on. BAZINGA!

I believe in... getting lost in a good book.

 

I believe in... friends who can go ages without talking but are there for you in a heartbeat.


I believe in taking chances.

Source: jessicawho.me via Nilda on Pinterest

That's all that I could think of at the moment, but it helped brighten my dreary day. What do you believe in?

Me, Myself and I

You know you want to know more about me! At least that's what I tell myself. :) Here goes:

1) When you're feeling down, what do you do to pick yourself up?

I read a book (usually Harry Potter). I bake. There's something so calming about baking. Plus indulging in sweets is another way I pick myself up! I want to make these next:

Source: marthastewart.com via Nilda on Pinterest

2)  If you had to live in a different time period which would you prefer?
Hmmm. Tough question. I would say the 40s and 50s. Something about the style and history of the era draws me to it. 

3)  What is the most creative Halloween costume you've ever worn?
I've never made my own costume, always store bought. My best costume has been my Belle costume from a few years ago:

4)  Five weird things about you we wouldn't know without being told?
I think out loud a lot! Gets me weird looks sometimes.
The High School Musical 3 soundtrack is one that I always play to pump me up.
I never wear my hair down if I am wearing a black shirt or sweater.
I like going to the beach but not going in the water.
I hated cats before getting my own fur baby Athena.

5)  What would you tell your 16-year-old self?
I was in a college prep program called International Baccalaureate. I felt very average all through out high school, even though compared to the rest of the population, I am not (sorry if that sounds cocky, I don't mean it that way!). I would tell my 16 year old self to not feel inferior to those in her class. I would tell her she is smart and that the rest of her life will be so much better than it is at that moment. Oh and I would tell her not to take Human Geography for her 6th subject!

Those were some tough questions! Link up so I can know more about you. :)

Nail polish swap!

I really need to start thinking of more creative titles for my posts. My brain is just so drained sometimes you know?

When I saw that Rachel from LaLaLists and Carly from Lipgloss and Crayons were setting up a nail polish swap, I knew I had to be a part of it. I adore nail polish, even if I very rarely use it on my nails. I almost always only use nail polish on my toes. Why? I work with children and my hands are forever getting bumped against things. Manicures never last long in my classroom!

Anywho, I got paired with the wonderful Evani, from Simply Evani. I requested coral nail polishes, because those are my absolute favorite. But Evani paid attention to my blog and sent me a surprise in my package:

Along with Essie's Chubby Cheeks, she sent me Essie's Trophy Wife, which is this gorgeous teal color. It matches the main color of my favorite NFL team, the Jaguars. I had actually almost bought both of these colors at different times, but resisted. She also sent me a cute little teacher note attached to some smarties! Too sweet!

So here I am rocking the nails for the Jaguar game yesterday:

They matched my Khan-stache earrings perfectly!

The owner of the Jaguars, Shad Khan, has the most amazing mustache (seriously, Google it!), so a lot of us fans try and fit it into our outfits somehow. The Jaguars even gave fans fake mustaches to wear at yesterday's game! Too bad we lost horribly. So painful watching your team just stink. :(

Whoops, back to the polish. Thanks again Evani for sending me such fun colors! I'll be trying out Chubby Cheeks really soon. Go check out Evani's blog if you haven't yet!

Friday's Letters

Happy Friday everyone! I'm changing it up. Here are some letters to fulfill my Friday.

Dear J,
I freaking miss you. I haven't seen you since Sunday. SUNDAY! Between being sick and work obligations, I've been busy. But I'm tired of not seeing you. I want to spend as much time as possible with you this weekend.

Dear body,
Get over the sinus infection already. Can you stop going in this process: sniffles, sinus infection, scratchy throat, and losing voice. Currently on the losing voice part. Do you know how impossible it is to teach first graders without a voice??? Pretty darn impossible.

Dear Class,
I do love you all and your cute personalities. But there are 22 of you. Other kids will bump into you, please do not scream at them. Also, when I say keep your books in your spot, that does not mean take them with you to lunch.

Dear Rain,
Go away. I cannot have 40 kids in my classroom for recess. Comprende? Plus, it cannot rain on Sunday.

Dear Jaguars,
Speaking of Sunday, I need a win. The whole Jaguar nation needs a win. You SHOULD have won against the Vikings and you KNOW it. My brother and I did not fork over 1400 dollars to sit and watch you lose. I know it's the Texans. I know they are like the greatest thing since slice bread (which is crazy if you think about how much they sucked for the previous 9 years.) You can do it. All in!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend. Cross your fingers that I get my voice back in time to cheer my Jaguars on!
 
Linking up for Friday's Letters!

They weren't even thought of yet...

Like many others, I can remember exactly where I was when 9-11 happened. Junior year of high school. Pouring rain. Had to each lunch inside. Friend, who forgot to do current event homework, comes running to say planes crashed into the WTC. Went to the library. Didn't understand what I was seeing. Bell rings to go to class. Someone yells "Oh ****! Look!" First building falls. Rest of the day is a blur, but I do remember local news saying Disney World was shut down and evacuated.

It still gives me goosebumps. What gives me even more goosebumps is when I have a child ask me why is there a little red, white and blue ribbon next to this date in his planner. A child who wasn't born yet. A child who wasn't even thought of yet.  To them, this date will just be another date in history, like December 7th. They won't understand how much our country changed, because this post 9-11 world is the one they have grown up in.

I will always remember.

Football and Fall

Seriously, whoever says football is man's sport, is deluded. It's the most emotional sport out there. For example, take yesterday's Jaguars game versus the Vikings.

• First Quarter: Jaguars killed it! My whole family and J are on a huge high!
• Second Quarter: The Vikings get close the score and the Jags made a few mistakes. (Ahem, missed pass to Blackmon, blocked point, and fumbled snap!)
• Third Quarter: Wind depletes from under our sails. Jags looking like their old selves. Injuries left and right. 
• Fourth Quarter: 1 minute left, Gabbert leads a great drive and scores a TD with 20 seconds left. Seriously got bruises from all the jumping and bumping my family and J did. That all goes away when the defense let's the Vikings score a tying field goal.
• Overtime: Vikings score. Jaguars get the ball and totally blow it. Final score Jaguars 23- Vikings 26. 

Such a sad game. I really hope they do better next week at the home opener against the Texans.

I will say, football apparently reminded mother nature that it is September. September should mean cooler weather. So this week, we have Florida's version of fall!

Do you see THAT?! Lows in the upper 60s. Highs in the lower 80s. I wore a jacket to work people! I didn't die of sweat or heat exhaustion. Woohoo! It's the little things, right?

Off to take some sinus meds (the only crap thing about the weather changing is it really does a number on me) and relax the night away. Hope you all had a fantabulous weekend! 

So here's more about me...

I hope you get a good idea of who I am by reading this lovely little blog of mine. I try my best to be as real as possible.

So when I saw the Sunday Social this week was all about me an my blog questions, I knew I had to go with it!

1. What is the name of your blog and how did you come up with it??

Laughter, Love, and Necklaces. I played around with names for a bit and this one stuck. It's completely cheestastic to say, but laughter and love are important things to me. I threw in necklaces, because it's something I'm known for. My little girls in my class always love to see what necklace I am wearing next. I realize now it makes it seem like I'm a fashion blog, but I like the name so I think I'll keep it awhile. 

2. What do you love the most about blogging??

I love the connections that you make with people. I have found so many people who share my interests and who I now consider friends. I worry about them when they post something sad and I celebrate when they post something great. My blog friends are definitely my favorite part of this!

3. What are your 2 favorite posts you've written?

Definitely my types of teachers at trainings (which could be applied to any class) and  this random one about my day. My random posts really show my personality I think!

4. What is something you'd want to tell someone just starting out in blog world?

Don't be afraid to reach out. Comment on the blogs you like, retweet the bloggers you read, and share about yourself. The blog world is a pretty welcoming place!

5. Biggest blogging learning experience you've had?

No reply commenter! I didn't realize I was a no reply commenter. I wondered why no one would reply to me and then one day I checked it and changed it.  

6. Give us three blogs we NEED to be following that you love.

Gosh, SUCH a tough question. There are so many blogs I love.

Caitlin over at A Day in the Life She's definitely a kindred spirit and so funny! Absolutely love her. 

Jessica over at Lovely Little Things She just writes from the heart and she has a great attitude towards life. 

Paige over at The Eloping Stethoscope She's so smart and one of the nicest people you'll ever meet! She also designs beautiful jewelry. 

Hope this let you know more about me! Now can't wait to chow down on some dip, wings and potato salad while I cheer on my JAGS!

Lookin' back this week...

Oh thank goodness! It's Friday. Woot. Throw your hands in the air, and wave 'em like just don't care. Ha. I'm so random right now. So let's look back at my top five this week shall we?

1. Went out to dinner last night with my bosses. We hit up the good ole Cracker Barrel and they insisted we request my friend Lauren as our waitress. I didn't argue because a) Lauren is one of my closest friends and b) she is an awesome waitress (she's awesome at a lot of other things too!). We sat there for two hours talking about all sorts of things.

2. I now have 22 students. I don't really like this, but it's really showing me how strong my management skills are. Besides, I couldn't kick out one of my lovelies, that wouldn't be fair!

3.TODAY IS PAYDAY! Chaching! Plus it's my extra money paycheck. I budget fairly decently, but this pay check always has a fun part budgeted. I'm thinking manicure? Massage? Hmmm, I'll decide soon.

4. I made it to the gym! YES. I haven't gone all that often since school started, so I'm glad I actually made it to the gym this week. I'm going tonight to shake my booty in my favorite Zumba class.

5. NFL SEASON STARTED! The Jaguars don't kick off the season at home (boo) so I'll have to wait to go to my first home game as a season ticket owner. They play the Vikings and I really hope they kick their butts!

I really can't complain this week at all. Even though my classroom is jam packed (refer to numero dos above), moving to this school is the best thing I could have done. For reals.

How was your week, dear bloggy friends? Linking up for High Five for Friday with Lauren!

Short weeks are the best...

I'm exhausted. It's only Tuesday and I'm pooped. But bright side? Tomorrow's Wednesday! The week's half way over. Which reminds me...

A few months ago, I started a Love Your Life journal. It's where I listed three positive things that happened that day. Sometimes, life just gets overwhelming you know? It's hard, but it's important to look on the positive sides of things. So here goes!

1. I got my nail polish swap package today! Can't wait to share with you all what I got. Just have to say Evani over at Simply Evani has fantastic taste.

2. I actually made it through my schedule today with only a few hiccups! That means I actually got reading, skills, math, writing and science done!  My kiddos are finally learning the ropes. Let's hope this keeps up with my two new ones that I get tomorrow!

3. Made it to the gym today. YESSSSS! Was it painful? HECK YES! Was it worth it? TOTALLY!

Overall, I'd give this day an 8. Love when my week starts off great! Do you do anything to stay focused on the positives?

I'm a star!

Ha, well not really, but in a way I am. I am guest posting over at Lalalists for Rachel today. I'm talking about my fall essentials so head on over and check it out! If you found me through Rachel, welcome!

If you are off today, I hope you have relaxing day. My plans include some cleaning and then some reading. Exciting right? Enjoy your day!

Summer is over...

Whenever I think of summer being over this song gets stuck in my head:

Love Jon McLaughlin and Sara Bareilles.

In honor of summer, I'm doing the Sunday Social.

 

What was your favorite trip/vacation/activity this summer?

Atlanta. Such a short trip but so much fun.

Favorite outfit look of the summer/clothing item?
 My bubble necklaces! They add such great pop to any outfit.

What is one thing you wish you had gotten to do this summer?
 I wish I would have seen more of my long distance friends. Never really had a chance to do that.  :( Favorite Song of the Summer? "Glad You Came" by The Wanted. It's my gym song. :) Oh and who could get "Call Me, Maybe" out of their heads??? (Plus I love this spoof of it!)

Favorite movie/tv show of the summer?
I didn't go see a single movie this summer. CRAZY! Not sure why but that makes me sad. I did watch Teen Mom though. It's my guilty pleasure and I had to see it all the way through!


 Overall, it was a great summer. I'm just ready for some cooler weather to kick in. So over standing in 90 degree weather watching first graders play!

Sometimes you just need a lazy day...

My plan for today was to be productive. I wanted to organize my bathroom, finish my math plans, and type up the grade level newsletter so I could really enjoy tomorrow and Monday. But those plans were stifled.

Yep, stifled by BUG BITES! Ugh. My ankle got bitten twice in the same spot at two different times yesterday. I woke up today and my ankle was swollen beyond belief. Walking made the bites itch, so I just had a lazy day in front of my TV, where I am finishing HIMYM on Netflix.

The lazy day was exactly what I needed. I've been going non stop since school started. NON STOP. I want to help my kiddos and help the new teachers on my team. But this lazy day showed me I need to take time for myself.

So I set some goals for next week:

• Set an agenda for grade level meetings. They've been getting off track and I've been feeling intimidated and worried about stepping on people's toes. I need to lead. So hopefully the agenda works.
• Go to the gym at least twice, if not three times. I'm going to pack my gym bag and leave it in my car every night. 
• Leave work by 4:30 (except on the grade level planning day.). Balance is important.I need to spend time with J and the other people that I love. 
• Read a book for fun each night and disconnect from the internets. Guys, I love reading your blogs but sometimes I find myself spending hours at night on my computer and that's not good. Here's to going back to reading  for fun. 

So I will let you know how I do. Now off to make an ice cream sundae and finish off HIMYM.