Thursday, December 29, 2011

Season's Eatings!

My parents graciously gave me our ham bone left over after our Christmas feast, and I knew exactly what my plans were for that bad boy: the best ham and potato soup ever made.

Care to take the journey with me?  Okay, let's go!


Here's a shot of everything that went into my soup: the ham bone, a 5lb bag of red-skinned potatoes, 2 cups of heavy cream, a stick of butter, some bouillon cubes, and a can of corn.  Paula Dean would be proud, I know.

So I started by covering the ham bone in water and adding a few bouillon cubes, some garlic pepper, and a pinch of salt.  Then I let it boil until the meat was practically falling off of the bone.


Then it was time to pull the ham bone out and pull as much meat as possible off.  I chopped up the potatoes while the ham bone was boiling.  I chose red-skinned potatoes for two reasons: they're creamier and less gritty (at least from personal experience) than Russets, and as an added plus, I don't have to peel them! :)



So here's what I had after I had added in the potatoes and the ham I got off of the bone.  I let this boil for about 15-ish minutes, until the potatoes were fork tender.  Then the party got started.  I tempered my heavy cream using a little bit of hot stock, then added that mixture back into the soup along with the stick of butter. Paula Dean said so!  :D

The finished product:


And let me tell you, folks, it was DELICIOUS.

I hope everyone is enjoying their holiday meal leftovers in creative ways, too.  If you have a great recipe, share it!

For now, I'm off to slip into a creamy, carb-filled coma.  Cheers!



♥ Marlee

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Christmas craziness...

Merry belated Christmas, everyone!

This Christmas holiday has flown by...I can hardly believe that in just four short days we'll be embarking on a whole new year.  My kiddos will be back in five days, and I'm ready to come at them with some unexpected strategies to curb our talking and lack of focus issues.  Just wait and see!

I hope you all had a lovely Christmas.  Mine was pretty quiet, but lovely nonetheless.  I got some super cute clothes, including a gorgeous deep teal pea coat, an incredibly awesome ginormous tote bag, some pillows (that I desperately needed), a quesadilla maker (holla!), and a myriad of sweets to last me for a good little while.  And that was mostly from my parents (the quesadilla maker was care of my stepbro and his lady).

But what I get every year at this time, even more precious than any gift I'm given, is the chance to hang out and be silly with family.  We laugh, we watch movies, we play games; we make memories.  And I'd take all of that over any present!

Anyway, with New Year's Eve quickly approaching, I have two big things to be thinking about--my dad's birthday, which coincides with our transition into 2012, and ringing in the new year with friends.

So, I'm off to crawl into bed at a reasonable time for the first night since Christmas Eve Eve, as I have to get my sleep cycle readjusted after the holidays

Enjoy the last few days of this year--I hope it's been a good one, and hey, if it hasn't, start making plans to change all that in 2012!

Until next time,
♥ Marlee

Thursday, December 8, 2011

Why am I not sleeping?

I assure you, my friends, I shall be sleeping heartily soon.

I have to say, I'm starting to get a little bit excited for Christmas...my kiddos are obviously geeking out on Christmas break, which is still a whole week away.  We just have to make it through next Friday and then we can go and have our two weeks away from each other and enjoy the season and our families.

Can I just say that I'm still not certain what I'll be making for cookie swap?  My swap is on Saturday, and I've been wavering back and forth...I have a tried and true recipe for Oreo Truffles that is amazing, if not slightly labor-intensive. The upside is that no baking is involved, and it makes a pretty large quantity of truffles.  If I've piqued your interest, you can find my post about Oreo Truffles here.

The other option I have for Saturday is to try a new recipe, though there are some obvious risks in that.  I don't know!  My gut tells me I'll wind up doing my Oreo Truffles anyway.  We'll see, I suppose.  I'll try to remember to take pictures of the spread on Saturday so that I can share my party with you.

Tomorrow is Friday (hooray!) and in the afternoon, we're having a Christmas Around the World celebration.  My classroom got Italy, which I was pretty stoked on, and I feel like our display came out looking pretty awesome.  If I wasn't already up waaaaay past my bed time, I'd share those photos now, but since it is actually slightly after 11 and I do need to be functional in the morning, I'll stop here and promise to share those photos very soon!

I hope everyone is having a great week.  Mine has been pretty great, all things considered.  The kiddos are crazy this time of year, and I figure so long as we can come back each day and try again, we're successful.

I'll post again soon.  Night, friends.

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Sick and tired of being sick and tired.

So, Friday morning, I woke up with a fairly sore throat, and a decent amount of congestion.  Hoping it was only allergy related, I took an allergy pill and went on my way to a workshop that day.  As the day went on, my sore throat wasn't really going away, and I was just getting more and more congested.

At lunch, I got some head cold meds and tried that, along with some throat lozenges. My throat got better pretty quickly, but the congestion remained, and felt at some times as though it was getting worse.  I felt more and more awful as the day went on, but I stuck out my workshop and then went home and pretty much went straight to bed.

Now, roughly 54 hours (and about 5 different medications) later, my congestion is still here, though not as bad, and a new symptom is developing...a cough.

Coughing is one of the worst symptoms next to throwing up guys.

There's no control over it, and it can really start to hurt your chest like crazy.

So I bundled up and threw on my sweat pants and made another trip to the grocery store to get some cough syrup and some lotion-y tissues (my sad chapped nose was screaming for them), and now I'm back at home, without much of an appetite, bundled up on my couch and waiting for something to start feeling better.

All in all, not my favorite weekend.  Didn't get to do really anything yesterday, and then I decided to stay home today instead of going to Raleigh this weekend, so I missed out on getting to go to church and spending some time with my parents.

I'm hoping upon hope that I'll start to feel some relief soon, because if not, then I'll be busy working on sub plans and going in tomorrow morning to set everything up.  And I hate having to have a substitute in my room, especially on a Monday.

So, anyway, sorry to whine and moan for a bit, but I'm starting to get a little bit of cabin fever here, and I'm pretty sure the people at my grocery store are starting to call me "that homeless girl who's addicted to cold medications."

Let's change the subject, shall we?

I'm hosting my first real gathering of coworkers and friends this coming Saturday--my very first time hosting a Cookie Swap!  They are super fun and really great for holiday time, so I'm looking forward to it.  If you've never attended a Cookie Swap before, the premise is pretty easy to understand.  You bake a batch (or two or three) of your favorite kind of holiday treat (cookies, bars, whatever).  You make copies of the recipe to share with others, and then you come and enjoy everybody's treats and get to take home your favorite cookies and recipes!

I have a bit of cleaning to do, especially with my being sick this weekend kind of sucking up all of my energy, but I'm super excited to have some friends over.  Plus, everybody will get to meet Norma!  Yay!

Alright, going to curl back up in bed in hopes of shaking off this...whatever this is.

Have a great Sunday and I'll be back at you as I'm getting things ready for the swap on Saturday!

♥ "That homeless girl who's addicted to cold medications"

Thursday, December 1, 2011

Reaffirmation.

Today has not been nearly as awesome as I would have hoped.

Ever have days like that? 

I don't really want to talk about it, but I did want to look for some visual pick-me-ups that I could share with you.  These were reaffirming for me, so I offer them to you in case maybe you've had a less-than-awesome day recently.



Dumbledore always knows best, guys.

amazing inspirational quotes-09

amazing inspirational quotes-13
This one made me chuckle a little. :)

amazing inspirational quotes-14
Delicious ambiguity.  I pretty much adore that phrase.

amazing inspirational quotes-17

amazing inspirational quotes-25

amazing inspirational quotes-23
Amen.

Well, that was actually pretty fun.  I hope you enjoyed these.  Tomorrow will be better.

Tomorrow will be better.

♥ Marlee

Tuesday, November 29, 2011

Firsts.


So, this weekend, I put up my first Christmas tree.

It's kind of a big deal, guys.

I mean, I've lived on my own for going on 4 years now, but this is the first time I'm ever able to put up and decorate my own tree. (Technically, it's my parents' old tree, but I've claimed her and named her Norma.)

Ready? Okay, friends, meet Norma:

Isn't she beautiful??

I worked hard to make her gorgeous, and I'm pretty proud of this first effort of mine. :) Just assembling the tree was an adventure in and of itself. But now, I'd like to draw your attention to a few of my favorite things on my tree. There are oh so many I could share with you, but here's a start, at least:

I'm not going to lie, my tree topper is one of the things I love the most about this tree.
It normally would cost $20, but I'm pretty sure I scored it for somewhere between $5-$10.
That's the beauty of shopping the after Christmas sales, my friends.

This ornament was given to me by my parents, and it hangs front and center on my tree.
In case you can't quite read it, it says: "Teachers make a difference."
Yeah, my parents are pretty great. I think I'll keep them.

This picture holds a couple of interesting ornaments. The wine glass in the top left corner
reads "Wine a little, you'll feel better!" and my parents picked it up for me when they went
on a vacation to a winery. The other ornament of note is the little white owl. I bought a set
of three of these babies during my after Christmas sale shopping. I couldn't resist! They're just
too dang cute! Also, with shannon*bear being one of my best friends, it just makes sense for
her to be represented on my Christmas tree, don't you think? Me, too!


This last one is special for a different reasons. That beautiful ornament you see in the center of
this photo was hand-painted by my grandfather, Robert Norris. I was allowed to pick any of
the ornaments he'd painted the last time I was up north visiting, and I was drawn to this one.


Pretty cool stuff, eh? Well, I thought I'd invite you into my humble abode to see how I'm getting decked out for Christmas. What's your favorite part of decorating at Christmas time? Share you thoughts!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Saturday, November 26, 2011

Thankful.

Sorry I'm so awful at updating lately. Life is busy over here!

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving holiday. I know much gorging was had here in our household, and we STILL managed to have quite a bit leftover.

I realized I didn't really take time to do a Thanksgiving-y post about the things I'm thankful for in my life, and I hate to miss out on an opportunity to give thanks, so here's my list, albeit it's 2 days late.

Things I'm thankful for:

My family. We are crazy and we nag and fight like other families, but we're also solid as a rock.
My friends. This group has seen some rather difficult changes over the past year or so, but I truly appreciate those friends of mine who have stuck it out with me and continue to be people I can always count on.
My job. It may not be perfect, but whose job truly is? Ultimately, I get to go to work each day and do what I love. And that's certainly something to be thankful for.
My kiddos. They challenge me, they frustrate me, sometimes they even break my heart. But I love them so fiercely that at the end of the day, I just feel blessed to have the opportunity to help them grow as learners.

That covers most of the big stuff...there are too many little things to name right now.

I hope you took some time to really think about what you have to be thankful for. There's more than you mght realize at first glance.

♥ Marlee

Saturday, November 19, 2011

So. Excited.

So, a while back, I won an awesome giveaway on my sweet friend Shannon's blog, shannon*bear. As a result, I won the fantastic layout you all see here on my blog now (care of Sarah from SillyGrrl), I got a large sponsor spot for this month on Shannon's blog (along with all of its perks), and, most importantly...I won a pin.

What?

I know!

But for serious, this pin was the big draw for me to enter this giveaway. It's freaking adorable. So
imagine my surprise when after a stressful day at work on Thursday (not all stress is bad, guys), I came home to find a super awesome stamped envelope containing...

MY PIN!

I was super excited, guys. See?


I'm in love.

It looks perfect on the lapel of my pea coat, and I'm pretty sure I'm going to wear it as much as humanly possible. Thanks, Sara! I love it! :)

That's it for now, friends. I'll post soon about Thanksgiving related stuff, but I wanted to share my awesome prizes with you. I hope everyone is staying warm and drinking lots of hot cocoa and coffee--I know I am!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Bittersweet

A great friend and true pillar in my church and in his community, Chuck Baker, lost his five-year battle with colon cancer this past weekend. Chuck was the epitome of a Christian in so many aspects of his life. He was so involved in everything at our church, and even though he'd been at church less and less in recent weeks, I truly felt his absence this past Sunday.

I'm beyond glad that Chuck gets to chill with Jesus now, and I'm so glad that he isn't suffering anymore...but man, it really sucks to lose someone. Even when you pretty much know it's coming.

So tomorrow, along with my parents and what's sure to be a filled sanctuary, we'll pay tribute to the life Chuck led, and celebrate the end of his suffering.

Heaven has truly gained another angel.

♥ Marlee

If you're interested in learning a little about Chuck's life, his obituary can be found here.

Friday, November 11, 2011

Loyalty, Layouts, and...um...something else that starts with an L?

The grand total of trips to jail last night topped out at around 5, I think.

But the best part was that I came prepared. I lined up allies for this night who promised me they would bail me out, and they came through with flying colors. Every time I was put in jail, someone was either in the process of bailing me out, or had already done it, before I even got down to the jail.

That's loyalty, my friends.

I had a lot more fun last night than I anticipated, actually. I figured it would be hard to screw on my smile after such a long day, but I really had a good time. Playing freeze dance for 3 hours straight is actually pretty entertaining, especially when I get the babies in my room dancing. It's pretty awesome to see a baby catch on to the rules and actually try to freeze when the music stops.

I slept hard last night, though, guys. After working a 14+ hour day, I think I earned it, don't you?

On a totally different note, I won an awesome giveaway on Shannon's blog, shannon*bear, and part of my prize was winning a blog template from SillyGrrl. I'm having minor technical difficulties uploading all of the components, so if you saw the random and misplaced-looking banner, it was because I was only able to upload part of the code. This should hopefully be fixed soon--so keep your eyes peeled for a whole new look here! :)

I'm off to enjoy the rest of this Veteran's Day--remember to take a moment to give thanks for all of the those who have fought and are still fighting to secure all of the freedoms we so enjoy in our country!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

UPDATE!

Fixed the template issue with help from Shannon! Hooray! What do you think?

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

I'll probably spend the majority of tomorrow evening in jail.

No, really.

It's for my school's Fall Festival.  (What were YOU thinking?)

Tomorrow evening is my school's annual Fall Festival, and one of the big draws is the jail.  For a certain number of tickets, students can put any adult they want to into a fenced in cage in one of the hallways dubbed "the jail."  Teachers, administrators, any staff member is fair game.

And let me tell you, some of my boys have been looking particularly excited about putting me into jail.

I can only hope that my kiddos from last year who love me lots will bail me out--it costs the same number of tickets to bail out a person as it does to put them into jail.

Time will tell.

But until that fateful moment when I'm summoned to the jail, I'll be busting a move playing Freeze Dance in my classroom.

'Cause that's just how I roll.

♥ Marlee

Friday, November 4, 2011

Lots of sleep and chicken soup, or how I survived first quarter.

First quarter is always kind of a bear.

I mean, there's so much that happens in first quarter.  You have to get a sense of where your students are starting from.  You have to establish baselines in all the different areas of academics--reading, writing, math skills.  You have to lay down the rules and figure out what the atmosphere of the classroom is going to be.  You  (hopefully) get to know the parents in your room and form some good relationships.  You have to figure out all of the new personalities you have in your room, and how to arrange those personalities in the most harmonious way possible.

Oh, and somewhere in there, you have to teach.

This first quarter has been a good one, really.  We've worked hard.  I have arranged (and rearranged, and rearranged) my desks, and will continue to do so.  I have gotten to know some fantastic parents, who I know I can count on as allies this year.  I've been able to assess students, with help from the awesome staff we have at our school.

And hey--I've even gotten to do a bit of that teaching, too.

Second quarter officially started this past Monday, and we're off and running, again.  I'm looking forward to continuing to figure out who my kids are, and how I can connect with them.

I'm busy, and tired, and pretty constantly feeling drained.

But I'm so happy to be doing what I love.

So, that's the haps for now.  If any of you have wandered my way because of my lovely friend Shannon at shannon*bear, welcome!  Blogging is a hobby of mine, and I try to post on a semi-regular basis.  Feel free to stick around and let me know if you like what you see!

Alrighty, kids.  I'll talk to you again soon.

Until next time,
♥ Marlee

Saturday, October 22, 2011

Open windows, soccer games, and peewee homecomings. (What?)

So I love my kids, and I've always said how passionate I am about them.  Ever since actually becoming a teacher, it's been nearly impossible for me to do what I'm starting to do now--go to their sporting events.  The overwhelming process of figuring things out as a new teacher, and constantly having to adjust to a new school...all of that has stood in my way in the past.  But not this year!  This year, now that I've really found a home that I can settle into, I'm determined to attend more of their outside of school activities.

I've been to one football game, a soccer game this morning, and this afternoon I'm at another football game--a homecoming game nonetheless!  (Do 8 year olds have homecomings?)

Going to games is great for a number of reasons.  Here are just a few:

1. The look on my students' faces when they see that I'm there.  Indescribably awesome.
2. The gratitude from parents who begin to see that I truly care about their kids.  I don't see them as my job.  They are my passion.
3. Getting to see the parents in a new light.  This one is interesting, because I'm so new to the world of peewee sports.  I wasn't involved in them when I was younger, so it's like stepping into a different culture.
4. It gets me some fresh air, and gives me a chance to mingle with people from my town.  If I'm ever going to find, as my friend Robin says, "a good Harnett county man," I have to be out and around them, right? :)

Speaking of fresh air, can I just say that my windows are all open right now?  A/C is off, windows are open, and it is absolutely delicious to have the fall air flowing through my apartment.

Anyway, just wanted to pop in and wave on my way to cleaning and doing some lesson planning.  Sorry for the extended absence.  Hope you're enjoying the onset of fall as much as I am.

I'll be back again, at some point. :)  Until then, enjoy the beautiful weather and I'll talk to you folks another time!

♥ Marlee

Thursday, October 13, 2011

Dirty Dishes

I don't have a lot to say tonight, because I'm honestly just wiped out.  But I've been wanting to share the lyrics to a particularly poignant song I heard recently.  I'm a firm believer in looking for silver linings and counting blessings, and this song just kind of drives that approach home.  Check it out:

"Dirty Dishes"
By Scotty McCreery

Mama hollers, "Supper time,
And don't make me tell you twice,
Wash your hands and wipe your face.
The table's no place for your toys,
And try to use your inside voice,
Don't dig in 'til we say Grace."
So we put down our forks and bowed our heads
And then she prayed the strangest prayer ever said:

"I wanna thank You Lord,
For noisy children, and slamming doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin' all the time,
Draggin' in dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchen...
...and dirty dishes."

We all got real still and quiet
And daddy asked, "Hon, are you alright?"
She said, "There ain't nothing wrong.
Noisy kids are happy kids,
And slamming doors just means we live
In a warm and loving home.
Your long hours and those dishes in the sink,
Means a job and enough to eat.

"So I'm gonna thank You Lord,
For noisy children and slamming doors,
And clothes scattered all over the floor,
My husband workin' all the time,
Draggin' in dead tired at night,
My never ending messy kitchen...

"For my little busy bees
Beggin', "Mama, Mama can you please?"
Always wantin' me to call their name
Loads of laundry pilin' up,
Crayons crushed into the rug,
And those little, sticky kisses...
...and dirty dishes."

Right?  I love that song.  So powerful.  I've been trying to think of my own "dirty dishes" prayers lately, and I encourage you to do the same.  Maybe if I get confident enough in what I come up with, I'll share it here.  For now, I'm crawling back into the world of demigods!

Book nerd, out.

♥ Marlee

PS - Found a video with the song; it's just a montage of Scotty pictures.  It's a country song, so it may
not be everybody's cup of tea, but just in case you want to give it a listen, here it is.  Also, Scotty's album, Clear As Day...is awesome.  And this is coming from someone who isn't at all a country music enthusiast.  Enjoy!




Wednesday, October 5, 2011

So, so tired.

Hello, friends.

I was sitting here, thinking about crawling into bed quite soon, and I realized I haven't popped over here to jot down any of my rambling thoughts recently.  Wanna know why?

I'm tired, guys.

Like straight up, ready to go to bed at 7, BONE tired.  You know that feeling?

It's not a bad feeling at all--especially when you've work to earn it, and I feel like I most certainly have.

But man...I'm tired.  And I'm growing a little tired of being tired.

Life is good--my kids are good.  I've gotten two new students in the past week or so, and that's always interesting.  I love seeing some of kids' personalities change to try to be accommodating and inviting for these new kids who come in.  And so far, everybody is doing pretty great.  Even if we had silent lunch today.

I wish I had more to share right now, but sadly, my life has once again become consumed by third grade.  I love my job so much, but I know that everybody doesn't want to hear about it constantly...and I honestly don't have many anecdotes to share as of late.  I promise the instant I do, I'll share.

I will say, of the two kiddos I shared with you a few weeks back, the young lady is doing pretty well for me.  The little guy, well, I wish I could say the same...he's a behavioral...challenge.  And I'm going to keep at it and see if I can't figure out the key to turning things around for him.

But for now, I'm just going to go get into bed and hope that sometime before Friday I finally feel like I've gotten enough sleep.

Happy almost Friday eve!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Thursday, September 29, 2011

All things considered...

You know what?

All things considered...I have a pretty awesome life.

I have a job that I actually went to school for.  I have a job that I love to do.

I have a job.

I have a great apartment, in a lovely town.  (I really think "lovely" is the perfect adjective for my town.)

I have a lot of pretty great things in my great apartment.  The short list?  A comfy bed, a red couch, a beautiful entertainment center...a FANTASTIC kitchen.  (No really.  It's awesome.)

You know what else?

I don't have cancer or any other disease/affliction that keeps me from living a comfortable lifestyle.

I'm healthy.

It may seem random to take a moment  to realize these (fairly obvious) things.  But for serious...all things considered, my life rocks.

How about yours?

Thoughtfully yours,

♥ Marlee

The Lord your God is in your midst, a Mighty One who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing. ~Zephaniah 3:17

Monday, September 26, 2011

Strength.


I'm lately finding that I have to turn to other things for strength.  And there are a number of things from which I draw strength and just a little bit of lifted spirits.  Here's the short list; the long one would take way too much time to compile.

1. God
2. Family
3. Friends
4. Hot chocolate
5. Laughter
6. My students
7. A hot bath
8. A good book
9. Homemade soup (Well, just about homemade anything)
10. Music

What do you draw strength from?  Share your top ten!

Here's looking at what will hopefully be a week that gets better and better.

Goodnight, friends.  I'm turning in early!  (Another great source of strength--a good night's sleep!)

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Saturday, September 24, 2011

Cleaning, and a little creeped out. (And also some cooking.)

Happy Saturday, everybody!

(Oh, and welcome, Fall--I've missed you so!)

I'm beginning to think that something has changed in me.  I've always been someone who wasn't really concerned with cleaning.  I would pick up here and there when I absolutely had to, but normally, I just don't really care about it.

And then this week happened.

Suddenly, when I'm waking up in the morning, I'm making my bed.

I eat breakfast and clean up my dishes.

I'm packing my lunch the night before, which saves me time in the morning.

When I get home from work, I'm immediately taking out the dishes from my lunchbox and putting them in the dishwasher.

What?

Who?

Me?

And so, here I sit on Saturday morning, after 5 consecutive days of actually pretty diligently cleaning up behind myself, and the only cleaning I have to do is running the dishwasher, doing a load of laundry that includes my sheets, and maybe running the vacuum later.

Holy crap, guys.  I'm becoming a cleaner.

It's hard for me to really connect in my brain that it's not even 11 on a Saturday morning, and my cleaning is done, except for putting things away later.

(On that note, I need to go put my laundry into the dryer.)

SEE?  What was that?!?

It would creep me out even more if I didn't totally feel like I'm reaping the benefits of this change.  I don't have a lot of stuff to worry about in the evenings when I get home from school, and this week that's been more of a blessing than ever.   I'm able to come home, heat up some dinner, and then crawl right into my nice neat bed when I'm ready.

Here's hoping it's a habit that sticks.  (Even though it still kind of creeps me out.)

Also on the docket for today is cooking a new batch of...something...to stick in the fridge (and maybe the freezer) for lunch and dinner stuff.  I went through my pantry and my freezer, and I think I know what I'm going to create.  Here are the ingredients so far:

-4 hamburger patties, which I plan on browning and chopping up
-2 cans of cream of mushroom soup
-garlic pepper
-rotini pasta

Sounds delicious, right?  I figured I could do the meat and the soup and kind of make my sauce just right, then boil the pasta and make some magic.  Here's hoping, anyway...

I suppose that's all for now.  I have some papers to grade and lessons to write, and wouldn't you know, I have plenty of time for both...

...must be that cleaning thing.

♥ Marlee

Thursday, September 22, 2011

When words fail...use someone else's.

This week has been...difficult.  I'm good, work's good, my kids are (pretty) good.  But rather than expound upon my week, let's turn our attention to some wise words from others, eh?

"There is no pillow so soft as a clear conscience." ~French Proverb

"When I do good, I feel good.  When I do bad, I feel bad.  That's my religion." ~Abraham Lincoln

"Every job is a self-portrait of the person who does it.  Autograph your work with excellence." ~Unknown

"A man has to live with himself, and he should see to it that he always has good company." ~Charles Evans Hughes

"Better keep yourself clean and bright; you are the window through which you must see the world." ~George Bernard Shaw

"The only correct actions are those that demand no explanation and no apology." ~Red Auerbach

"It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong." ~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

All good stuff.  Just thought I'd share.

See you on the flipside, kids--tomorrow's Friday!  Yay!

♥ Marlee

Sunday, September 18, 2011

Soup's on! [Update]

Just to cover the bases, here is a handful pictures from before and after:

I try to make my own stock.  It always tastes better!

Aside from the stock/chicken, here's all that went into the soup.

And, here's the finished product!  Looks kind of amazing, right?

It so is!  Guess what I'll be enjoying for lunch this week?  

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend, friends!  I know I will!

♥ Marlee

Good soup is one of the prime ingredients of good living.  For soup can do more to life the spirits and stimulate the appetite than any other one dish. ~Louis P. De Gouy

Soup's on!

As I type this, I'm in the midst of enjoying a lovely bowl of oatmeal on this fine Sunday morning.  I'm staying home, which is a rarity for me on a Sunday, and I decided that I wanted to make some soup.  Ergo, whilst I am enjoying said bowl of oatmeal, I also have chicken boiling on the stove in my awesome soup pot.

What am I making, you ask?  Well, friends, I was digging through my pantry to figure out exactly what my ingredient options are, and then I found a few things that sounded particularly delicious as additions to chicken soup.  Here's the breakdown:

-I'm currently boiling a chicken breast and a number of drumsticks, all of which are skin-on and bone-in. (For the best flavor.)
-The chicken was already brought to a boil, so now it'll simmer for a good while, especially since I pulled the chicken straight from my freezer.
-Waiting in the wings (sorry for that pun), are the following ingredients:
~A can of Cream of Chicken soup
~A can of corn
~A can of cream corn
~Onion powder
~Pepper
~A couple bouillon cubes, just in case

So ultimately I should wind up with some sort of creamy chicken/corn concoction.  I'm really excited about it!  I'll take some pictures later when it's finished and share the end result with you.

Oh and also, to make this an extra productive Sunday, I'm doing a small load of laundry, and I'm grading papers and writing lesson plans today.  I'm like flipping Wonder Woman, right?

Happy Sunday!  What are your plans for today?

See you later!

♥ Marlee

Saturday, September 17, 2011

Confessions of a Book Nerd

I'm kind of a book nerd.

It's something that I'm not terribly shy about, but it's also something that I don't tend to have in common with too many people.  Some of my closest friends understand my book nerd tendencies.

I'm pretty much up for reading almost anything that's well-written.  I tend to read a lot of young adult literature, which I blame on my elementary education major, but I suppose what it really boils down to is that I like a lot of the themes and elements of young adult lit.  I didn't read Harry Potter until I was in college, and that kind of opened up a new world to me.  I discovered another gem, The Bartimaeus Trilogy.

It only grew from there...I worked summers at the Y, and I would check out tubs of books to bring to camp for the kids to read, but I read them just as much as they did.  I read The Spiderwick Chronicles; I picked up and laughed out loud reading Junie B. Jones.

Over the years, I have found and fallen in love with other series--The Hunger Games, The Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, The Charlie Bone series, The Gregor the Overlander series...the list could go on and on.

I also read literature actually intended for my age group, promise!  I actually just finished reading The Help not that long ago (LOVED it!), and I usually am reading a couple of  books at the same time.

This has become much more rambling than I intended.  Let me get to the meat of this mess, k?

I read because, for me, it's an escape.  I love getting totally wrapped up in the world of a book, and just forgetting about my life for a little while.  I spent many hours in the halls of Hogwarts, fought side-by-side with Katniss in the Hunger Games, and had great adventures with Percy, Annabeth, and the rest of the half-bloods as they made their way fighting monsters in Manhattan.

I suppose in the grand scheme of things there are much worse things to be addicted to.

What do you like to read?  Why do you enjoy reading?  It's not everybody's cup of tea, but if you're someone who can proudly wear the title of "book nerd," hit me up.  We have a lot of talking to do!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

A good book should leave you...slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading it. ~William Styron, interview, Writers at Work, 1958

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The Heart of a Teacher

So, last time I posted, I shared some stories with you about funny happenings in my classroom.

Today's stories aren't quite as funny, but they are infinitely more meaningful.  They, to me, truly paint a picture of the heart of a teacher.  Teaching requires the wearing of many hats--you aren't just the students' instructor.  Sometimes you are a parent, a mentor, a counselor, or a cheerleader.  I've only been teaching now for a few years, and I can't count how many different hats I've had to wear.

I'm one of those teachers that always, always, ALWAYS wants to find a way to reach that "unreachable" student.  It's my goal that by the time a student leaves my room, they know without a doubt that I care about them.

This year, I have two students that have recently really caught my attention as needing love.  They need to be "reached" on a level that they don't seem to get outside of school.  For anonymity's sake, we won't call these two students by their names.  Let me introduce you to them, though.

The first of these two students is a sweet young lady who obviously doesn't get a whole lot of positive attention at home.  I can tell this by the choices she makes--she usually will do things to receive negative attention before she tries to earn positive attention.  She would choose it over not being noticed.

Well, I've gotten a lot of great tips from her teacher last year on how to approach her.  I tried to be patient and found myself quickly getting frustrated at first.  Then one day, I took a moment to speak to her alone while we were outside, and here's how that conversation went:

"Want to know a secret?"
- (Confused, slightly intrigued look.)
"Before I knew your face...before I had even laid eyes on you...I loved you."
- (Silent surprise.)
-"Yep.  I thought to myself, 'I'm gonna love on that girl so hard she won't even know what to do with herself.'"
- (Beginnings of a smile.)
-"So look.  I love you.  Even when you mess up, I still love you.  I don't love your choices, but I love you, and that's not going to change, okay?"
-"Okay." (Still smiling!)
-"And the reason you keep having consequences like this for those choices is because I know what you CAN do, and I love you too much to let you make those poor choices.  You're smarter than that!  Do you think you could try to make some smarter choices from now on?"
-"Okay." (STILL smiling!)

Now, our conversation may have been a little longer and a little more detailed, but that sums up the gist of it at least.  For the rest of that day, she was an angel.  She volunteered to help me with just about anything, and it was a welcome change.  Since then, I have ended every day by telling her I love her, just to make sure she doesn't forget it.

Yesterday was the first time she said, "I love you, too."

My heart just about melted, guys.  For serious.   It's about baby steps with this one, and we've taken quite a few over the past few days.

Student number two is a kind of quiet kid.  He's not a very big guy, so he's easy to overlook.  That is, he would be easy to overlook if he wasn't constantly getting into trouble for not paying attention.  If there is trouble to be started, this one is often the one to get it going.  I've been kind of suppressing my growing frustration with him, because deep down, I know that he needs to be reached.  I need to find a way to get to him and have him know that I care.  Because as the old adage says, "They won't care what you know until they know that you care."

So today, on the way out to recess, we had a chat.  I crouched down to speak to him at his level, because this move alone can make kids more relaxed and open to discussion.  And I started the conversation this way:

-"I bet people underestimate you a lot.  Do you know what that means?"
- (Sort of nodding, but mostly because he's not listening and thinks this is the desired response.)
-"It means that people probably look at you, see that you're a little guy, and think you can't do a whole lot.  Does that happen to you very often?"
- (Making eye contact now, he nods.) "Yeah, that makes me mad."
-"I bet.  But guess, what?  I know differently.  You are a smart guy.  I've seen you do math, and you're great.  And you know what else?  You're a lot smarter at reading than you know.  I wish you'd give me a little more effort so that your work can show what you know."
- (Listening, which is kind of a big deal.)
-"Look.  You are smart.  Do people tell you that very often?"
- (Shakes head no.  My heart literally breaks in two.)
-"Well, I'm saying it now.  So hear it.  You.  Are.  Smart.  I would love for your choices to start reflecting that."
- (Nods head in agreement.)
-"So tomorrow, let's start working to make smart choices, okay?"
-"Okay."

I'm not sure that I've totally gotten through to him, but I know he needed to hear what I had to say.  I'm hoping that with a few more pep talks, he'll start wanting to give more effort at school.

I've said all of that to say this: the heart of a teacher must be many things.  It must be bigger than you can fathom, stronger than the hardest steel, and yet soft enough to empathize with students who come from all walks of life.  The heart of a teacher is gentle, but firm.  It's tender, but tough when necessary.

Teaching is hard stuff.

I love my job, and I look forward to being able to share stories about these two kids as they progress over the rest of the year.  Here's to many many more baby steps in the right direction!

I'll post again soon.  Until then,

♥ Marlee

PS - One of my students spontaneously came up to me in class today and said, "Ms. Bourey, I love you!"  This is why I do my job.  (For serious.)

Sunday, September 11, 2011

True story.

One of the coolest things about my job is getting to spend time with kids.  Anyone who has spent any amount of time with kids knows that one of the best things about them is that if they think it, they usually say it.  And because of that, hilarity often ensues.  I thought I'd share a few examples with you tonight.

Story number one comes from the first day of this school year.  One of my favorite books to read at the beginning of the year is called First Day Jitters.  We were having a discussion about what it means to get jitters, and what kinds of things give us the jitters (spiders, snakes, thunderstorms, etc.).  I had a new student come in in the midst of this discussion, so once she was seated at the carpet, I asked her if she could think of anything to add to the list.  She looked thoughtful for a minute, and then said, "I have one."  Her response?

"The po-po."

...right.  So, I wanted to make sure I understood her, so I asked, as calmly as possible:

"The police?"

"Yeah, the po-po."

At this point, I'm not really sure how to respond, so I just say:

"Well, I suppose the police do make some people nervous..."

At this point, I'm hoping we can take the conversation in a different direction, but my new child says, with great emotion:

"Yeah...my daddy's runnin' from them AAALLL the time!"

(Awkward silence in which I debate if I should call child protective services but decide to just move on to someone else's answer.)

----

Another anecdote from the beginning of this school year.  I was giving a classroom tour, and I wanted to introduce my students to my writing center.


One of the things I'm really excited about is finding a repurposed use for my teacher desk.  It merely served as a place where things piled up last year, so I decided this year to find a new way to use it.  Hence, the super awesome writing center.  

I wanted my kids to notice that this was a teacher desk, as I thought they'd be pretty excited about getting to use it.  So during my classroom tour, I walked over to it, patted it lightly, and asked my students what they noticed about this table.  I told them it was special and asked them to tell me what kind of table it is.  In unison, 22 voices confidently said:

"Wood."

Well, they were technically right.

I guess I just need to be more specific when I ask my questions, huh?

----

My job is pretty great.  I hear all kinds of funny things, and I'll do my best to share them with you as they happen this year.  I hope everyone is doing well, and I hope you had a chance to check out Shannon's blog party over at shannon*bear.  There are some really great giveaways going on, so be sure to check it out.  If you made your way here because of my post over there...welcome!  I hope you enjoy reading about my adventures in third grade (and life in general).

Have a great evening--and an awesome week!  

See you soon.

♥ Marlee

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Blog party!

Hello, friends!

I know I've been a bit remiss in updating this thing lately, and I promise that I'll work on fixing that soon. I have a handful of anecdotes to share with you from these first couple weeks of school. Third graders are great.

I wanted to make sure that I alerted you to an awesome blog party happening tomorrow on Shannon's blog, shannon*bear. She recently reached a big goal of gaining 100 followers, and as a celebration of her accomplishment, she is having a series of guest posts, including a little vlog from yours truly. It all starts around 9 tomorrow morning, so be sure to head over that way and check out the merriment. I know I'll be eagerly awaiting my arrival home after school when I can finally sit down and read through everything. :)

That's about it for right now...I'll catch up with you kids soon!

Happy Friday eve!

♥ Marlee

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

25.

So today is the big day.

I've officially crossed the quarter-century mark.

I've felt a multitude of things today...but mostly, I can't help but feel blessed.

Here's the thing. I am in such a good place, and only people who've known me for a while know exactly what I've been through on the road to here. I'm finally at a place where I'm not looking anxiously back over my shoulder. I look into the future and I feel great about what I see. And it feels so great to say that.

Today, I've enjoyed a variety of birthday wishes from many people.

Just before seven o'clock this morning, I got the phone call I always look forward to on my birthday. My parents began this tradition when I left for college. They call me (usually at a god-awful hour in the morning) and they...sing...sort of...in a really...unique...harmony...kind of. It's amazing, and it always makes my birthday start off with a bang. (Today we had the addition of having the Beatles sing to me before they did. All kinds of awesome.)

Shortly after, I got a text from one of my favorites, Shannon. Then another from Ginny a little while after.

I woke up to a smattering of birthday wishes on my facebook wall, which blossomed into a page full of friends and family showering me with love.

All throughout the school day, I was wished a happy birthday by different people I work with, and even was serenaded by a couple people--including the music teacher, who got my kids to sing along. It was pretty great.

And then, waiting for me in my mailbox at home, was a beautiful card from my grandparents in New York. Perfection!

So really, I'm in a really content place. I'm so happy at my job; I work with great people. And my heart is just overflowing with all the love that's been tossed my way today.

There's not much more to it than that. The school year is off to a great start, and I'm so over the moon to be able to watch my students from last year as they grow up. Things are great.

I'll try to check in again soon. Now that we're back into the swing of things at school, life will stay busy for a while, but I promise I'll do my best to come up for air. :)

Have a great night, and I'll talk to you again soon!

♥ Marlee

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Lucky.

I'm so lucky.


Do you ever sit and think that?


Today, I totally felt that way.


Wanna hear about why?


Well, today, our county had the privilege of getting to hear the incredible Ron Clark speak. I was able to hear him speak once about 4 years ago at my senior Teaching Fellows Conference at ECU, and his presentation then has totally stuck with me all of this time. If anyone has ever heard him speak or read any of his books, you know that Ron Clark is one of the most passionate educators that exists in this world today. He never really intended to teach, but once he got a taste of it, he couldn't pull himself away. Hearing him speak leaves you feeling ready to take on the world...and after I left from hearing him speak today, I took a quick second to pop into my classroom.

I spent a few minutes cleaning up, just picking up minor things I'd left laying out. I straightened up my current thinking spot in the room (which changes daily, and sometimes multiple times within a day), and as I was getting ready to leave, I just kind of stood there and took in all of that space.

It's mine, guys.

It's kind of awesome, I know.

Anyway, I stood there, taking in my space, thinking about how school starts in exactly one week from today. And I thought about my job, and how I get to work with kids, and help them learn, and put them on a path to make something of themselves. I thought about how I get to lift them up and love on them, and maybe give a lot of them a place where they can feel valued and safe (for many of them, this is something they don't get at home). I thought about how I can't wait to meet my kids, and how I love them all already even without knowing what they look like.

That's a lot of thinking.

But above all, I was thinking about how lucky I am. I have such a passion for children, and I have such an incredible appetite for learning...and I get to teach kids every day at my job. I get to help them grow in so many ways; I get to develop great relationships with each of them that are unique. I teach them; they teach me. Life is good.

Life is so good, y'all.

So, as I walked out of school for the second time today, I walked out with happiness in my heart. I'm so lucky. And I can only hope that I'll always be able to appreciate that.

"Get over the idea that only children should spend their time in study. Be a student so long as you still have something to learn, and this will mean all your life." ~Henry L. Doherty

♥ Marlee

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Hamburg Song

This song just sums up every little bit of aching that's been coming and going in my heart lately.

Don't you just love when music can do that?

Enjoy, and I'll be back with a more thorough post in a day or so.


♥ Marlee

PS - Home safe, obviously. Just in case you were wondering. :)

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Powerful Stuff.

'The truth is there are a million steps, and we don't even know what the steps are, and worse, at any given moment we may not be willing or even able to take them; and still worse, they are different for you and me and they are always changing. I have come to believe the sooner we find this truth beautiful, the sooner we will fall in love with the God who keeps shaking things up, keeps changing the path, keeps rocking the boat to test our faith in Him, teaching us not to rely on easy answers, bullet points, magic mantras, or genies in lamps, but rather His guidance, His existence, His mercy, and His love.' - Donald Miller, Searching for God Knows What

Nostalgia

We could never have loved the earth so well if we had had no childhood in it. -George Eliot

Today was a nice ending to a great vacation. We headed back to Waynesville to spend some time with Emily and baby Andrew, which was great fun. Babies are pretty much the best, right? After spending a delightful few hours with her, we were able to meet up with Shannon and Andrew for a last visit. That was also a lot of fun, and it was nice to get to see them both one more time before we have to head back home.

After that visit, we decided to take a trip down memory lane and visit our homestead, Western Carolina University. Neither of us has been back since I graduated in 2008, and so much has changed about our campus. It's growing and old buildings have been torn down to make way for new ones, leaving our campus a jigsaw of old and new. Things are so different, but it still has that feel of home. My college days were pretty awesome.

So we got back to our hotel room just before dinner time and decided to just chill out. We've been watching tv, napping, and relaxing on this our last day of vacation. We'll check out tomorrow morning, and then I'm dropping Lesli off in Gastonia and heading back to Lillington. Life will have to resume, and while I'm sad to see our vacation come to an end, I'm so pumped on this new school year. Bring. It. On.

I'm signing off for tonight, and you probably won't hear much from me for a day or so, but take care and I'll talk to everyone soon!

Until next time,

♥ Marlee

Friday, August 12, 2011

Drum Circle

It's hard for me to really capture how awesome being a part of the drum circle tonight was. There's something so incredible and so sacred about people from all walks of life coming together with one singular goal: to make music. There were moments when we first sat down and I was taking it all in where the beauty of what was happening truly made tears come to my eyes. It's incredible, with all of the news of the riots in London, and the wars around the world, and people doing awful, awful things...in all of that, there still exists this incredible witness to the ability of people to just come together. It was joyous and uplifting to see.

Of course, it's just silly to go to a drum circle and sit or stand still.

So we danced. :)

Lesli and I made our way through the sea of people and were able to find some spots where we could just let it all out and have a good time. My legs and feet will be sore tomorrow, but it will be so worth it.

You might picture a specific kind of person in attendance at a drum circle held in the middle of downtown Asheville. You'd be wrong. There were men and women, young and old...we saw people with dreadlocks, people in khakis and polos, people in dresses and shorts and all things in between. It was like a cultural crossroads.

Anyway, I'm going to leave you with a video that Lesli recorded of the drum circle after we had first arrived. This was only into the first hour or so...by the time we left, the whole area was full of people, dancing and/or drumming. It was incredible. Enjoy the video and I'll catch up with you guys tomorrow after our last day in Waynesville.


♥ Marlee

"Music is an outburst of the soul." - Frederick Delius

PS - I'll fill you in on the other happenings of this evening in tomorrow's post. I'm still soaking in the energy from the drum circle for now.

Lazy day.

Hello, again!

Today I'm deciding to forego the vlog, simply because there hasn't been a ton of activity to report to you. We had to get up in time to get breakfast before it wasn't out anymore, so we did.

But we went back to bed when we came back. :) We've had a couple of pretty full days, so we are taking total advantage of this day where we don't have any major stuff going on during the day.

When we woke up, it was more or less time for lunch. (When I say we've had a lazy day, I mean it.) So we ate a little lunch in the hotel room, and then decided to hit up the pool again.

After some great time swimming, we laid out at the pool and followed that up with a bit of poolside reading. It was great to take a few moments to really just soak up being on vacation, especially since this will be my last vacation for a while.

After swimming, we decided to head back to the room and Lesli hopped in the shower. I was planning on showering right after her because I usually can't stand my hair to be unwashed after swimming, but in a crazy demonstration of its utter defiance of the odds, my hair turned out super cute and curly after it dried. So, I decided to opt out of showering for now, put a couple of clips in my hair, and I'm totally happy with it.

Currently, our dinner is cooking in the microwave, and then we move on to our first real plans for this day--the drum circle. Asheville has a culture all its own, and we have some time on our hands, so at the suggestion of Lesli's sister, we're heading downtown to take part in a well-loved tradition tonight. We'll head down in the next 45 minutes or so, and then just take our time exploring downtown and enjoy the evening. We're hoping to meet up with Shannon and Andrew again. :)

Anyway, not too much to report, really. I'm thoroughly enjoying my time out here in Asheville, and I'm looking forward to seeing Emily and baby Andrew tomorrow. It should be great fun.

I'll come at you again tomorrow after we settle back into the room for the night, so until then...

♥ Marlee

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Shannon.

Today we had the privilege of spending some time with my dearest friend, Shannon. I haven't seen her in ages, and so it was a blast to get to spend time together and just hang out.

We ate some great food, watched the beginning of a not-so-great movie, and then just spent time being silly and attempting to make a vlog together. Alas, her computer was not cooperative, but I have a webcam that is generally very reliable, so we decided to relocate and do our vlog from the hotel room. (Longest sentence ever. My apologies.)

So, without further ado, here is the fantastic vlog featuring both myself and Shannon. Enjoy.
(And don't judge. We have too much fun with each other.)


Until tomorrow,

♥ Marlee

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Biltmore!

Today, we spent the majority of the day at Biltmore, having fun and exploring. Here's a brief vlog about today's exciting events, and then I'll post a few of my favorite pictures from the day!



And now for a few pictures...

No really, it was this gorgeous. All. Day.


Lesli and I in front of the house. :)


There's a Tiffany exhibit (like the lamps) right now at Biltmore;
the gardens are arranged in tribute. Can you see the dragonfly? :)


Down at the farm, we made a few friends.


And, we watched the coolest blacksmith ever make this very beautiful leaf you see here. :)

There are many more pictures, and if you go here you can see them all. :)

Alrighty kids, it's getting late and we need to be up at a reasonable hour in the morning--can't miss the free breakfast! :)

I'm sure I'll have more to share about our fun tomorrow with Shannon, so until next time...

♥ Marlee

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

We're here!

Hey there, friends!

We've arrived in Asheville and I thought I'd post a super quick vlog about what we've done so far and what we plan to do while we're here. Many thanks again to my lovely parents for making this happen. It's pretty much the best birthday present I've ever gotten. :)

Enjoy the vlog, and expect more to come (including pictures!)--we're stoked to start our Asheville Adventure!



Until tomorrow,

♥ Marlee

Friday, August 5, 2011

So...yeah...

Hey there,

I've been MIA for far too long, and I apologize for that. I've been spending most of my waking moments in my classroom setting things up, and my other moments I've either been running around with friends or family, or being a slug and being just too lazy to post.

I did, however, want to let you know about something exciting that's coming my way next week.

My parents are pretty much the best ever, and they decided to do something really awesome for my upcoming 25th birthday. So next Tuesday, I'll have my bags in my car and be heading to Asheville for a 5-night stay at a hotel. But I won't be alone--the ever-wonderful Lesli will be accompanying me! I'm super excited.

Here are our big plans so far:
-Swim in the hotel pool...a lot.
-Biltmore Tour/Wine Tasting (heck yes)
-Getting together at some point with Lesli's sister, Hannah, and her boy, Michael
-Spending time with Shannon (!)
-Getting to see Emily and the baby (!)
-Generally being lazy and lounging around

Right?!? Sounds amazing, I know.

But I want to share with you guys as we're having our adventures, so I'm going to take my lappy and try to either post a blog, or upload a few vlogs while we're living it up in Ashevegas, k?

I promise, I won't disappear for a long time again. Promise!

Quickie birthday shout outs to the lovely Sara Yasin, who turns 25 tomorrow; Shannon turns 25 on the 14th!

We're getting old, guys. Crazy!

I'm off--talk soon!

♥ Marlee

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Updates and other stuff

Hey guys!

Here's a quick vlog updating you on what's been happening my classroom this week, along with some information about my newest addiction, Spotify.

Stay cool--it's crazy hot outside!


Later taters!

♥ Marlee

Saturday, July 23, 2011

This is why I'm a teacher...

I'm totally getting geeked up for the new school year, guys.

It's crazy.

One site that I've been introduced to is Storybird, which is a super cool website that lets you build slide show style storybooks. It's so easy, and I'm really excited to show it to my kids this year. In the excitement of checking out how it works, I create a storybird myself that introduces myself to my kids. It's super cheesy, but it was a fun way for me to figure out the website.

Speaking of websites, I totally just spent time tonight revamping my own classroom website, so feel free to check it out if you so desire!

I'm going to try to embed my storybird at the bottom of this post. Check it out!


Talk to you all soon!

♥ Marlee

Friday, July 22, 2011

Uninvited guests and exciting opportunities!

Well hey there, friends!

I hope everyone is staying cool in the midst of this ridiculous heat wave. I know I'm staying inside as much as I can!

I'm nearing the end of my week of house-sitting our here in Raleigh, and I've enjoyed...most of my time here. I got a little unexpected drama in the form of an ant invasion, but we called the Orkin Man and all seems to be well now. Suffice it to say that I wasn't anticipating having to battle an ant army, but I made it through.

We can officially get back into our classrooms on a regular basis beginning next week, and I'm really looking forward to it. I've been looking into setting up a Donors Choose project, but I need a classroom picture before I can move forward.

What's Donors Choose? Glad you asked!

Donors Choose is an organization that allows teachers to create requests for classroom materials and other necessities. Companies, organizations, or just people who care about education can browse all of the projects and donate as they are able--even if it's only a portion of the amount needed. When your project has been funded, you are contacted via email, and then the materials you requested are sent directly to your school. In return, all that I'm asked to do is take pictures of my students using the materials, and to send thank you notes from both myself and the students to Donors Choose, to be sent on to the people who helped make our project happen. It's my understanding that the Donors Choose organization actually will pay the postage for those thank you's to be sent.

How cool is that?!? The work on my end is minimal. All I have to do is dream up what I would love to have in my room that I know will benefit my students, and write up an attention-getting essay to entice people to donate to my cause. Reading through the site's success stories is super inspiring, and I can't wait to start dreaming big and seeing where it takes me!

Anyway, thought I'd let you guys know about that--as I'm developing a concrete idea for what I want to propose, I'll keep you all in the loop and get the link to the project page I'll be developing. Even if you aren't able to help contribute, passing along the link can be extraordinarily helpful.

I guess I'll sign off for now--don't forget to stay hydrated and keep out of the heat!

See you soon!

♥ Marlee

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Extreme Home Makeover! :)

Here's a quickie vlog about my experiences today. In a nutshell, it was hot, busy, and really neat to be a part of. I'll bring you guys something new in a few days--stay cool!


Later taters!

♥ Marlee

Friday, July 15, 2011

Raleigh-bound!

Hi, friends!

Here's a super quick vlog about what's going on in the next few days for me. I'll come at you soon with something more detailed, promise. :) Enjoy!


♥ Marlee

PS - I'm feeling super pretty today. Can you tell? :)

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

It's a Beautiful Day...

Hey there, folks!

I'm seriously at risk of falling asleep right here at my laptop, so I'll be brief. I bring you a (sort of) quick update vlog about how things are going out here in L-town for me. I apologize if it seems a bit incoherent and rambling...as I said...I'm tired.

I hope everyone is doing well! I'll talk to you again in a few days. :)


♥ Marlee

PS - Anyone who's curious about the workshop--Innovative Approaches to Literacy Instruction with Laura Candler and Pat Calfee. Awesome!

Monday, July 11, 2011

Water, water, everywhere!

So, I started upping my water intake yesterday, and let me tell you...my body freaked out a little bit.

I'm hoping today will be a bit easier on me and my bladder.

Today's goal is to finally get my car unloaded so I'm not carting around all of the lovely teacher resources that Lesli gave me.

Tomorrow, I actually head back to see Lesli for a night, and then I'm in Charlotte all day Wednesday for a training with some great people from my school. T he drive back Wednesday night will be long, but I'm excited for the chance to see Lesli again and get to attend this training.

Another exciting thing coming up next week?

I'm going to be volunteering on the construction site of an Extreme Home Makeover house!!!

Right?!? Insane!

But EHM is coming to Fayetteville, and I'm so excited that I was able to be selected as a volunteer! :) I have no idea what I'll be doing, I just know I'll be there helping.

That will also be happening in the midst of a week of house-sitting I'll be doing for my parents, who'll be taking a well-deserved vacation for the week.

But before we get there, I have to get through the rest of this week! Here's what's left:

1. Drop off teacher stuff at school. :)
2. Go to Gastonia--see Lesli--have awesome hanging out time. :) :)
3. Go to Charlotte for workshop--drive home without going crazy.
4. Spend Friday evening with some of the most awesome ladies I know.
5. Head to house sit for my parents on Saturday!

So much stuff!

Here we go.

I'll check in with you guys again soon, promise!

♥ Marlee

Saturday, July 9, 2011

A New Adventure Begins...

Okay, guys...this is another long vlog.

But it's really important. I'm being completely open about a plan I'm putting into place to lose weight.

Ready to hear all about it? I hope so! I'm going to break down the parts of my plan after the video, so check below for the specifics.


My Plan:

1) Drink at least a gallon of water daily. (Increase by 20 oz for every 20 minutes of exercise.)

2) Cut out (or at least cut way back on) processed foods and sugar.

3) Try to eat mini-meals throughout the day. (More raw veggies; fruit only for breakfast or lunch.)

4) No eating after 6:30.

5) Use my walking DVD or walk outside for at least 15-20 minutes at least 4-5x a week.

Goal 1: Lose at least 20 pounds by August 30th, my 25th birthday. :)

Stick around, folks. This is going to be hard, but I'm going to do everything I can to attain my goal!

Talk to you soon!

♥ Marlee

Friday, July 1, 2011

Books, books, books...and also some other stuff

Today I bring you a vlog about the books I've been reading, and the ones I'm continuing to read and explore. This video is the longest one I've recorded thus far, but I hope it's still enjoyable. Please, please, PLEASE do send along any suggestions you might have for books to read next. If you have thoughts or questions regarding any of the books I've mentioned in this vlog, feel free to throw those at me in the comments here.

I hope everyone has an awesome weekend! I'll see you folks next week!


♥ Marlee

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Reflections on a year of learning...

Hi there, friends!


I've spent some time with some great people over the last day or so, and I'm looking forward to spending a little more time with another friend tonight.

What can you do when you're off for the summer but spend some time reflecting and thinking?

I was thinking about how far I've come in thisNumbered List past year, and how many lessons I've learned in this brief window of time. Care to read a few of them?

Well, let's go!

-Denial of a problem (no matter what the size) doesn't make the problem go away.
-It's possible to lie to yourself just as much as you lie to others.
-It's actually okay to put yourself first and make decisions that are a little selfish every now and then.
-Relationships change.
-True friends are interested in meeting you halfway.
-Cleaning doesn't suck quite as much as you think it does. (For serious.)
-Don't allow negativity to bring you down, especially when the source is practically worthless.
-There are plenty of positive people in the world for every negative person that you meet.
-Hard work is difficult, but always worth it.
-Life can always be beautiful. It's a matter of choice.

Lots of learning there, eh?

It amazes me when I think back to where I was in my life at this time last year. I have come so far, and I'm feeling ready for whatever is coming my way next.

What are some lessons you've learned? Do you have a favorite from my list? Share in the comments section below and I'll come at you folks again soon with another blog or perhaps even a vlog. :)

Have an awesome Wednesday!

♥ Marlee