Welcome to the HOP!

Hello everyone and welcome to the HOP!  I'm so happy to be the first stop on Conversations From The Classroom's very first HOP celebrations!  So, since you are here, I'd like to share a little bit about myself!  

The Best Days

I'm a wife, a mom, and a full time teacher!  I've been teaching for 24 years in the same county.  I have been at two different schools within this system.  I currently teach 3rd grade, but have taught 1st-5th in self-contained classrooms and I spent two years in my schools Science Lab, teaching all grades for one period a day!  That was a great time to really practice those science inquiry skills on a daily basis. 

I also enjoy photography!  One of the greatest times I've had taking pictures had to be when my oldest son and I went on a mission trip to Denver.  We visited The Garden of the Gods and the Olympic Center before heading home.  Here's a few cool pics!  

Without a doubt, that mission trip was one of the most amazing times I've ever had learning about the world around me.  I learned what homelessness really is, how people are still people and loving them is key!  Here's a lovely lady I met.  She is Sioux and she opened my eyes to the truth about Reservation life.  I now long to go to a Reservation to work with people there!  

Teaching is so important to me, and it has opened up my life to so many ideas, thoughts, and emotions as a person.  It also makes my creative juices flow!  So, before I get to me giveaway, here's one more thing about me!  I LOVE to sew!  I learned when I was 14 years old and still love to create my own clothing!  Here's an outfit I made.  I made the shirt last year and the skirt this past summer.  I fell in love with that butterfly fabric!  It encompasses so much about me-color, nature, and fun!  

Now to the GIVEAWAY!!  WHOOT!  I have picked three products to giveaway.  I feel they show off my creative side!  The first two are writing based-one primary and one intermediate!  I have also picked one of my literature based products-Reading Response Pages: Any Book Literacy Pages Exploring Character Development!  Here's how this will work. Simply reply below with YOUR EMAIL and primary OR intermediate in the comment.  You can comment in any additional way you like!  

  

I will pick three winners from the comments below.  Please note, due to Blogger issue, I can't reply to any comments, so, email is the only way I can contact you!  :)  While your here, be sure to follow me by clicking the Follower button in the bar below or on Blog Lovin' or any of the other Social Media sources!  Winner announced on February 3rd!  (And you can all win because I'm having a sale too!)

Now, HOP on over to our next stop, ZIPPADEE ZAZZ!  Don't stop until you make your way all the way back to my blog!  That way you will know you have completed the HOP!  

Why Every Teacher Should be Wearing LuLaRoe!

Hangin’ out today because I’m off due to Hurricane Matthew.  I figured today would be a great day for a 5 For Friday post.  I figured I would talk about IT!  Have you heard about IT yet?  Have you tried IT yet?  If you haven’t, this is your chance to win IT!!!  IT is LuLaRoe!  LuLaRoe is a clothing line developed by a woman who was raised in a household that valued self-sewn clothing.  A family who was looking for quality clothing that didn’t break the bank.  She was also looking for a way to help working  women who had too much to handle to constantly go shopping to look for those deals.  Within all of this, an idea grew to a business which grew into a brilliant ray of sunshine in many women’s  (and now men’s) lives!  Here we go with the 5 reasons you should be wearing LuLaRoe! 

                                                   QUALITY!  

As you may know, I sew.  Honestly, I don’t pay lots of money for clothing unless the quality is there.  I know what to look for after years of doing this myself.  The thing about LuLaRoe-this is TOP QUALITY for a very valuable price.  Let’s break this down.  Most really quality knit material runs about $12.99+ a YARD!  There are at least two yards in a pair of leggings, due to length.  That is $25.00 a pair if I were to try and make them myself.  Guess what you pay-$25.00 a pair!  Simply doing that math show’s the level of commitment to their price line.  Yes, they are making them for slightly less, but probably not a ton less! 

MATERIAL! 

It is like butter!  I am not kidding you!  The level of quality of the material allows it to be soft to the touch and   thick to cover! This is the real deal!  You don’t have to worry about skin showing through on leggings.  That’s the nicest part!  You are covered all the time!  And, like butter!  I’m not kidding!  They are the softest clothes I’ve every owned!

VARIETY!  

These are most of the leggings I own personally!  That's variety!  

LuLaRoe limits their items per material type!  I only have one pair of leggings that I’ve ever seen anyone else wearing.  That is because the company was still in the taking off stage and there were less people buying.  It is this pair of leggings. 

Notice my top, that is my PERFECT TEE!  The wind is blowing a bit, so it is swinging out.  Otherwise, I LOVE this top!  So, another way you can add variety is mixing patterns!  I’ve always been on the conservative side,  so mixing patterns was not easy for me!  But, I LOVE this variety!   And, that’s not all for variety!  There are so many wonderful styles and I haven’t even tried them all yet!   I haven’t even tried more than leggings, the tops, and my maxi’s (which I LOVE)!  Yet, the variety is there with dresses and skirts of all types!  And, with more variety choices, you can dress them up or dress them down!  Here’s an example of a dress-up leggings look. 

I have also worn my tiger ones with a red urma to football games at my son’s high school! My fun, swirly multi-colored leggings I’ve worn with my BB-8 t-shirt!  Anything goes! 

EASE OF SHOPPING!  

This is completely TRUE!  You can shop from the comfort of your own home, literally!  The consultants  post their products on their Facebook accounts.  There are many kinds of consultants, but I have to say, my main consultant, Emily Goodyear is the BEST!  Her site is super easy to use. You just enter her store, click on photos, got to albums, and there is all of the information you need!  She organizes her items in these albums by type-leggings, Nicole dresses, Sarah tunics, etc.   Once you are in the album, you can click on your size range and see what she has.  If you see something you LOVE, you type SOLD and your email.  She will send you an invoice to purchase and then send it right to your house!  AWESOME!  You can also host parties on your own personal Facebook or even at your house, if your consultant is close!  There are Open Houses where consultants open their homes so you can browse their stock!  This is all super exciting and super fun!  And, you look great too!

COMFORT!  

And I mean COMFORT!  Between the awesome fabric and the terrific style you might as well be wearing your pajamas to work!  I’m serious!  I look forward to Wednesday or Thursdays when I wear these outfits to school because I feel so relaxed and comfortable, like pajamas at home.  Yet, it doesn’t appear that way at all!  I look great!  Yet, totally comfortable! 

So, now you know about IT!  If you haven’t had a chance to experience LuLaRoe, here’s your chance!  Use the Rafflecopter below to enter the chance to win a FREE pair of leggings!  You need to use the sizing chart below to determine which size leggings you want to try for.  Then, enter the contest on that size!  Both sizes offer the same exact chance to win, so you don’t need to complete both Raffelcopters, only one!  I will then email the winner to get your address!   I will then send you your free pair of leggings!

**VERY IMPORTANT-YOU MUST LEAVE YOUR EMAIL ON MY FACEBOOK POST ABOUT THIS BLOG POST SO I CAN CONTACT YOU IF YOU WIN!**

a Rafflecopter giveaway a Rafflecopter giveaway

This contest is open to all.  These leggings are a random pair and will not be exchangeable for any reason.  If you do not provide your email address as directed in the blog post, there will be no way to contact you to mail you the prize.  Please be sure to do provide your email on The Best Days post on her Facebook account.  LuLaRoe Emily Goodyear VIP and The Best Days are not responsible for lost or damaged products in connection with this contest.   

Relax-Just Do It!!

Today I'm linking up with A Grace-Filled Classroom to talk about how teacher's relax!  Now, if you asked my husband, he'd totally tell you I don't!  He'd say I work too much, I'm on the computer too much, I just am "too much"!  Now, I beg to differ!  I do know how to relax-SOMETIMES!  Anyways, here a few ways I like to relax!

Today, after a crazy week of computer stuff, I decided to do one of my most favorite activities to relax-SEW!  I am currently working on a Kwik-Sew pattern of a dress.  I have never used Kwik-Sew before and I was really nervous about how this dress would fit. 

I took this picture during the time that I was totally nervous that I would NEVER wear the dress!  The pre-complete dress just didn't seem to fit.  Then, I got past the not-put-together stage and tried it on and it ROCKS!  I'm actually thinking about using it for my first day of school dress!  Even though some of this can be frustrating, it is very relaxing.  I do love to press the edges to the crispness that it takes to make it truly lovely.  I love the successful feeling of a finished garment.  I love the hunt of the fabric search, the brainstorming of the finished product.  It really is a completely amazing, relaxing process from start to finish!  Each year I post the dresses I have made. You can see the last two years here and here.  

Another way that I relax is to knit.  I haven't been doing it long and I am so glad that I did finally learn.  I was at our County Fair volunteering in a booth in the Craft Tent.  Each day there were ladies there just knitting.  I talked to them a few times and they were very nice and encouraging towards learning.  My last night of volunteering I told them that I wasn't going to leave until I learned! They were totally excited for me to stay and learn.  That night I picked up how to knit and PEARL!  Yes, there is a difference.  It was really fun!  Since then I have completed a scarf and I am slowly completing a prayer shawl to use when I am in Church or school and get cold.  

This is my favorite spot in the whole world! Doesn't it look like a Monet painting!

As far as a whole family event goes, camping is our true relaxation!  In Florida it is too hot to camp in the summer.  We head out in October for our first camping trip to Fort Wilderness (a.k.a. Disney).  This trip is relaxing a different way!  We spend lots of time with our Church friends.  It isn't until Thanksgiving, or sometimes Christmas, that we hit the real relaxation.  We LOVE our State Parks and this is when we hit those up.  We get our camper set up and hit the trails!  My younger son and I hit the trails and bike till our bike butts hurt!  My older son and husband hang out and enjoy the campground and people in it.  This is the most amazing way to relax!  I long for this time all year!  

From my love for the camping outdoors, I found another great way to relax-Birding!  It started with simply taking nature shots to then needing to learn the names.  Plus, my sister got involved in Eagle Watch, and, bam-the two merged!  So, to get away from the rat-race of day to day life, about once a month we hit the local hot spots to check on our eagle babies and, if we are lucky, some other awesome birds, such as the redheaded duck that come to our area. Again, we have to wait until it cools off for the birds to come, but once they are here, it is a great way to relax.  

This was an amazing day of birding in the "not wild"!!

One thing that I never thought would come out of relaxing is a TpT product.  When I was teaching first grade, I wanted to help my students understand the nature they were seeing around them.  From this, Bird Migration:  What Birds Do When They Fly South was born!  

Why not!  I was able to use the pictures I took while birding and, then, learned more about the birds I was watching!  It was really a fascinating product to create!  So, I challenge you, what could you do with your hobbies to create!  To teach!  To inspire!  Leave me a comment sharing your ideas!  And, check out some of the other great posts on the Link Up also!  

I Made it Monday: Sewing Summer in Review

Last year I shared with you how I rediscovered sewing.  This summer, I hit it hard!  It was so relaxing to just sit and sew my summer away.  It may have taken me a couple of weeks, but I'm through wearing all of the outfits I made this summer!  I documented each one because so many of you wonder what I make!  So, here they are!

Butterick 5982

I wore this the first day of school and to a number of weddings this summer!  It is just a fun dress!  

Top Simplicity 1430 Skirt 2451

This was my second day of school outfit!  I purchased the material at Walmart.  They have invested in really well made fabric from Waverly.  Don't be afraid to buy from them-I have yet to find a bad fabric!  

T-Shirt New Look 6735  Skirt- Simplicity 1560

I fell in love with this fabric at JoAnn's.  It is a simple skirt to make!  It only took about 2 hours.  The t-shirt was easy too, but the material stretches really badly.  Plus, somehow, in the wash, it gained a highlighter stain!  It is now an around the house shirt.  I purchased a t-shirt to wear with the skirt.

Butterick 5466

Just the skirt!  It was another Walmart fabric find.  I really fell in love with this fabric and then I found the cute t-shirt with the cut out!  Simple and fun to wear!

Simplicity  1699

I almost trashed this dress!  It just didn't come out right and it took me a number of days to get it to fit right.  Then, it just was blah.  I added the orange trim after seeing a number of people do this with the dress.  Cute sweater to cover up the sleeves I don't like.  Then it worked!  Needless to say, so did everyone else!

Shirt- Simplicity 1462  Skirt- Butterick 5466

I really enjoyed making this shirt.  It does have  slide zipper that is invisible.  I've never done that before.  I love the opening at the top and it is a very nice shirt.  The skirt is the same one as the straight paisley.  I added a couple of inches to it.  I should have ironed the hem too!  

Simplicity 1883

This is another dress I almost gave up on.  I didn't like it at first.  In fact, I've used this as an example when I taught "Failure leads to Success".  The zipper is not exactly something I'm proud of.  But, again, everyone liked it!  May have to fix the zipper!!

Butterick 6168

I really love this one.  It is fun and easy to wear.  The skirt if full but flattering.  I wish I would have stood straighter for the picture because it does look very nice!  It is exactly the color on the cover of the pattern because it was a great color for me!  Thank you Butterick for the suggestion!

Butterick 5982

This one I LOVE!  And so did everyone else! It is our school colors as well, which made the kids love it.  I took the view with the multiple skirts and cut one band in half.  Then I used those to make the stripes at the bottom.  I eliminated that much (8") off the bottom and sewed the bands on.  Otherwise, the dress is exactly the same as the pattern!!  Easy too!

Shirt-Simplicity 1430  Skirt-New Look 6899

This is my go-to skirt!  So simple, so easy, but the pattern has the wrong material amount listed for my size!  So I always get a little extra!  The shirt is the same as the green one I wore the second day.  All I did was change the band color to highlight the cream in the skirt.  They I used a bow from another dress pattern to create the bow for the shirt.  LOVE  IT!

Shirt - Butterick 3383  Skirt- Simplicity1560

This is the same skirt pattern as the green and blue paisley from the first week.  It is a different view, a kick skirt style.  The shirt is a simple tunic, but I added two inches at the fold.  This allowed me to do a front pleat.  I also added the same brown color from the skirt around the neck and arms as a highlight. I found this look on Pinterest and liked it, so I modified it for this top!  It does have a jacket, but I didn't stitch the sleeves down and, well, it's still too hot for a jacket.  This will move nicely into the fall and winter months in Florida!  

What do I do with my scraps you ask?  Well, I found something to do with them too!  This is just one of the outfits I made in doll sized patterns!  It was fun sharing these with a special friend for her 7th birthday!

So, that sums up my summer sewing!  It was fun to wear all these great outfits but even funner to know that it cost me a fraction of the cost it would to have purchased all of this. Plus, it was therapy!  No need for a therapy when you have a sewing machine!  

I Made It Monday!

Today starts the 2^nd week of school for me, and, as I intended, I am writing a blog post.  However, it is NOT the topic I meant it to be.  This post was supposed to be about my classroom theme, not what I did all summer!  But, alas, I left my phone at school with ALL the pictures on it that I needed to make the post work!  So, instead, you get "I MADE IT MONDAY"! 

Lots of bloggers share "Made it Monday", showing off all the goodies they made for their classrooms throughout the summer.   I’ve decided to show you what I made to wear in my classroom for the school year!  This summer I rediscovered the seamstress inside of me!  I must say, it was like having therapy!  And, I look great to boot!  That’s a win win!

Here’s how it started.  I was in our local Walmart ALONE and decided to go down the newly reinstated material and pattern isle!  I started looking through the pattern book and, to my surprise, was amazed by the very stylish  patterns that we in it!  One of the reasons I stopped sewing was because the patterns were not keeping up with the fashions of the time!  These new patterns were awesome!  It just so happens that the next day I was speaking to my mother.  I asked where the closest JoAnn’s was, and she informed me that it was out in the community I worked in.  The very next day, a Monday, my son started his summer session at his school –in that community!  It was lining up perfectly!  I hit JoAnn’s and came home with material to make two skirts and a shirt.  That very afternoon, skirt number one was made, and the rest is history!  So, without further delay, here we go!

This picture comes first because it is what I wore today!  I had my son take some shots of me in the back yard.  It is McCall’s # M6706 (skirt) and #M6708 (jacket).  The red shirt is store bought.  It was very fun to wear, but the skirt took a while to sew. Lots of straight LONG lines!  I got lots of compliments on it!

These are two of the skirts I made with New Look pattern #6899.  The brown one is the first skirt I made this summer. The other is rigged in so many ways that it made me realize sewing is like riding a bike! (The pattern lies about how much you need, so I had to add some fabric here and there to make it work!)

This is the shirt from the same New Look pattern (#6899) and a skirt to go with it.  I’m not thrilled with the shirt, as it is a little large for me.  But the orange sweater I have will go with it and cover it up enough that I will be fine.

This is the first dress I made.  McCall’s patterns were on sale that first week.  I really love this dress.  It is fun and I love the pockets.  It was actually very easy too! McCall's M6506 with a smaller collar.  I actually took a lot off of it!

This skirt is a fun pattern but it lies. (McCall’s pattern #5430)  It says “one hour skirt!”  It took me six hours between the pressing, the sewing, and adding a self-slip! But, I love it!  

This is just a fun picture of the other dress I made, McCall’s M6503 .  On Friday night my Church’s youth group had a scavenger hunt based on Where’s Waldo!  I was the Pink Shopping Lady!  I added the boa and hat just for the event!  This is the dress I wore the first day of school as well.  It is cool and pretty at the same time!  In this heat, it is a plus! 

I did make a pair of pants, which, honestly, are in the wash right now!  They aren’t my favorite, but they work with a long shirt!  I have 3 more dresses to make (I’m hoping to make one over this long weekend coming up) and a skirt as well.  I did get material and a pattern for a winter jacket.  I need to pick out lining and hope for weather cool enough here in Florida to be able to wear it.  We usually get some cold fronts that are worthy of a good winter coat! 

That’s may fashion show for Make It Monday!  Now, if I could just remember my phone, I can post what my classroom looks like this year!