Lucky Me

I don't know about you guys, but I am looking forward to 2012 and all of the excitement it may bring.  Of course, after the year I had in 2011, I could use any help I can get!  In an attempt to ensure that 2012 will be better, I will be following the usual tradition of eating black-eyed peas on new years for luck.  Recently, I read about the tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Years, and discovered, that you are actually supposed to eat 365 peas....one for each day of the year!!  Did you know this??  All these years, I've only had a spoonful (simply because I'm not a big fan of black-eyed peas), and that probably only gave me enough luck to last a week...TOPS!  Now, I'm not sure I can eat 365 black-eyed peas, but one thing is for certain - If I'm going to try, I have to come up with a recipe that will make them tasty.  After searching the web to no avail, it dawned on me....I already have one thanks to a friend of mine who makes a FABULOUS salsa using black-eyed peas!  It's super easy, and super yummy.  So, for all of you who are looking for a little luck in 2012, here's how I plan on eating my black-eyed peas this year - Try it out!

White Trash Caviar

2 cans of Black-eyed Peas (drained)

1 1/2 cups of Frozen Corn (thawed)

1 can of Diced Tomatoes (drained)

1/2 medium Red Onion (diced)

1/2 Jalapeno (small dice)

1 small Green Pepper (diced)

1/4 cup of Cilantro

1/2 teaspoon Garlic Salt

1 cup Zesty Italian Dressing

Mix all above ingredients and let sit in fridge for at least 2 hours to "blend."  Before serving, top with small dollops of sour cream and serve with Fritos Scoops (or a chip of your choice).  Try not to devour all in one sitting! (UNLESS you are trying to reach the goal of eating 365 black-eyed peas on New Years Day)

I made mine today, so it could sit overnight in the fridge, and be ready for the snacking tomorrow!! 

YUM!

Here's to an AMAZING 2012!  Enjoy!

Craftmas

As a teacher, one of the few perks you get are wonderful holiday breaks.  This year, I decided that I was going to spend that free time exploring some of the amazing crafts I constantly see on Pinterest.

I know you've seen them.

One such craft, I turned into a gift for my dad.....

Reinbeers.

Once I got that out of my system, I started on the craft I had been DYING to try....T-Shirt Necklaces.  These little babies are SO MUCH FUN and SO EASY TO MAKE.  All you have to do is take a look at this tutorial from Connie at This Old Dress, and get to makin'!!

Check out my "crafty-ness" below!!



 It began with this simple yellow, grey, and white...

Then came a braided "school-colors"....



And then the REAL FUN BEGAN!! 

This beautiful long teal....

The lovely pink.  Isn't that stone to die for???

And the braided turquoise!!

Doesn't it look sassy on???

So much fun!!
 I am sorry to see my "craftmas" come to an end...but I am kind of excited about this new "holiday tradition"
I've created for myself!!  I wonder what I am going to make next year????

December Birchbox

I learned about Birchbox from Kate over at The Small Things Blog, and it truly is the BEST $10 I spend each month.  In fact, I've had such fun with my Birchbox, I bought my best friend Casey a three month subscription for Christmas.  I can't wait for her to get her first box! 

If you don't know about Birchbox, it's a monthly subscription service where you receive deluxe beauty samples.  These samples are fabulous if you've been dying to try something new, or if you need tiny packages for travel.  This month's box was super exciting:

Of my samples, I'm most excited about trying the Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Birchbox Pink (I got a Jouer Lip Enhancer last month and LOVED IT), and the POREfessional pore minimizing primer from Benefit.

Does Birchbox sound fun to you?  Check them out here!

File Cabinet Friday - Teacher of the Year

As a teacher, you are constantly bombarded with children who think they know EVERYTHING. 

Those darling children turn into adults who think they know EVERYTHING.

The following is one of those children, turned adult......who officially got SCHOOLED by his teacher. 

ENJOY!

File Cabinet Friday - Bubble Carefully

Some File Cabinet Fridays need an explanation.....This one, speaks for itself:

(Actual Test by Actual Student)

Monday, Monday....

Here's to a new school year!

(Please excuse the blurry picture)

Back To School

So, it's getting to be that time of year again....Where teachers cry, and parents rejoice.

 

BACK TO SCHOOL! 

 In a little more than a week, my teacher friends and I will be heading back to our classrooms to prepare for our little darlings to arrive.  In order to keep us in good spirits, here's a little funny:

Enjoy your last week off!

Curl-tastic

For those of you who aren't familiar with Style Lush and Food Lush, here's your chance to learn about two of the coolest blogs on the planet.  I have to admit I have been checking out Style Lush almost daily for over the past year, and am always amazed at the fabulous things posted.  They always give great ideas and tips for house, beauty, and shopping.  Lots of fun!  Today, I logged on and saw one of the BEST tips yet!  Are you ready????

NO. HEAT. CURLS.

Yes, you heard that right......curls without a curling iron or rollers.  Check out the post here:

http://www.stylelushblog.com/2011/07/gorgeous-no-heat-curls.html

I've got my hair in the cute updo now, and am anxiously awaiting my "curly-do" later!!  Enjoy!

Confessions of a Shopaholic

They say the first step in getting over an addiction is admitting it is a problem .  So, here it goes....

I am a shopaholic.  I love to shop.

This wouldn't be such a bad addiction if I were a millionaire.  Unfortunately, I have yet to hit the lottery, or find a Sugar Daddy.  HOWEVER, I have found a small solution that helps me to stretch my money just a little bit farther....

Ebates is an awesome website that PAYS YOU TO SHOP.  That's right ladies and gentlemen.  All you have to do is sign up for an account, and then log onto their website before you shop for anything online.  They will not only find coupons for you, but will also give you cash back on all of your purchases (Paid through check or paypal four times a year).  Also, they do promotions with stores and send giftcards and freebies to you when you make certain purchases.  I got a $10 Target gift card the other day!!

Hmm...speaking of that gift card....

Public Service Announcement

Just in case you didn't know:

Shaving and Driving Don't Mix

File Cabinet Friday - Skip to my lou, my darling....

Did you every skip class?

Did you ever get caught?

Did you ever get caught by your teacher when you were walking from McDonald's with a soda on the side of the road?

Well, today, kids from my school can say they have had this honor.  I suspect, over the next couple of weeks, the conversations will go something like this:

Mrs. Shaw's student:  Dude I have a crazy day! I didn't feel like going back to class after lunch, so I left campus.
Friend:  Where did ya go?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, it was HOT, so my buddies and I walked to the McDonald's about 2 miles away.
Friend:  Sodas?  That's cool....
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah, it was real cool....until we started walking back toward the mall....
Friend:  What happened then?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, I see the car go by real slow.  Then, suddenly, the car did a U-turn, came back around and pulled up to us.
Friend:  Was it one of your "homeboys"???
Mrs. Shaw's student:  No.  Actually, it was my teacher, Mrs. Shaw.  I had skipped her class, and she caught me.
Friend:  WHAT!?!?!?
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah.  Normally, she is teaching then, so I don't have to worry about her catching me.  But, apparently she left school early to go pick up some stuff for some stupid club she sponsors.
Friend:  Dude....clubs are dumb.  What did she say!?!?!
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Well, I'm not really sure, because I blacked out when she pulled up and rolled down the window....but, I believe she yelled something at me like, " WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!  WHY AREN'T YOU IN SCHOOL!!!"
Friend:  Aww man...
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Yeah.  It was bad.  I didn't know what to say, so I just stood there.  I mean, she was supposed to be teaching!!!
Friend:  Dude....
Mrs. Shaw's student:   It was pretty bad.  Once I could talk again, I asked her if she had to write me up.  She told me I was lucky that she wasn't on the phone with the school deputy to come get me.
Friend:  You are lucky!!
Mrs. Shaw's student:  Nah man....actually I'm not, cause she did call school and tell them.  They called my mom, and now I'm in some deep @#$@.
Friend:  Oh no!  That sucks.

So yes, after I caught them, I called the school, and reported my "skippers."  I can't wait to see their happy smiling faces on Monday, after they sweat it out all weekend.  Maybe they will think twice about skipping next time....or, at least, they will be a little more discreet about it!!!

File Cabinet Friday

As a teacher, you never know what will show up on your desk at the end of the day.  Wednesday, I got an interesting surprise from one of my students.

BEST COMPLIMENT EVER:

Better RECOGNIZE.

File Cabinet Friday - Parental Advisory

There's an old saying that goes, "The apple doesn't fall far from the tree."  Being a teacher, only confirms daily that this wise saying is true, and today's File Cabinet Friday is the ultimate example.

A friend of mine who teaches at a high school sent me an email correspondence they recently had with a parent that I have to share with you.  This teacher had welcomed some new students in her classroom, and was attempting to re-establish her classroom culture, by adjusting her seating chart.  As she was moving students' seats, she moved a current student to sit next to a new student.  As the current student moved, the teacher overheard the new student whisper to her friend, "I'm going to tease the shit out of this girl."  The teacher, immediately reprimanded the girl, reminding her of the school wide bullying policy, and explaining consequences of such behavior.  Later, she attempted to call the parent, to no avail, and finally sent a simple email explaining the situation, her classroom behavior policies, and asking the parent to assist in resolving the issue.  Below is a picture of the email:

It was a standard email, consisting of two paragraphs....nothing extreme.  But, what you really need to see was the parent response:

The BEST line of this entire email is:  "She isn't in school for moral teaching from her english teacher but an education of a subject for which you went to school for."  Wow.  Unfortunately for Mr. ____, what he lacks in understanding, is that it IS up to the teacher to instill morality and/or support the moral teachings of parents when students are in our classroom.  In addition, it is also a teacher's charge to provide a "safe" learning environment for their students.  This includes an environment WITHOUT harassment and/or bullying.  Only after you establish your culture and community, can you truly give your students "an education of a subject for which you went to school for."

File Cabinet Friday

What an exciting week I have had!  This past Tuesday, it was announced that I was named "Hillsborough County High School Reading Teacher of the Year."  I have to say, I'm quite honored, and think I'm pretty deserving if I do say so myself!  Today's File Cabinet Friday, only serves to support my latest claim to fame. 

Recently, my students read a non-fiction book called,  Getting Away with Murder:  The True Story of Emmett Till, by Chris Crowe.

My students really enjoy reading this true story about a 14 year old African American boy who travels from Chicago to Mississippi to visit family, only to be kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by two white men because he broke a Jim Crow Law in August of 1955.  For the most part, my students are shocked and angered by the events that occurred, and the sham trial that was held, resulting in the two men walking away free, only serves to further there disgust of the ideals of segregation.

After reading this book, I gave my students a quiz that consisted of 10 multiple choice questions, and 9 sentence completions.  Several of the sentence completions asked for students to describe certain characters, or give me their opinions of them, with support from their readings.  For the most part, the students did very well, giving me well thought out, concise answers.  And then I came to the following paper:

Look closely at number 14.  It reads:  "Roy Bryant and J. W. Milam can be described as ___________."  My student filled the blank with:  "buttnugest becuse they are stupid."  Now, spelling aside, the use of the term "buttnuggets" was enough to make me stop for a double take.  Then, I noticed 2 questions down, on number 16, the student decided to use the word again:

The question says, "I think Sheriff Strider ________ because _________."  This student responded "is a buttnugnet to because he locked away whintess." 

Many things went through my head at first, here's just a few:

1. I can't believe he/she wrote "buttnugget" on their paper.
2. I can't believe he/she wrote it TWICE.
3. If you're going to use the word "buttnugget" then you should figure out how to spell it right!
4. Well, he/she kinda makes a point.....they were buttnuggets.
5. Should I mark this right because I'm starting to convince myself he/she has a point?
6. I can't believe he/she wrote "buttnuggets."  TWICE.

Before deciding how to handle the situation, I looked up the "official" definition for "buttnugget."  According to http://www.urbandictionary.com/, buttnugget means: 

1. A piece of poop
2. Someone really mean or stupid
3. A word to replace a noun when no other word is suitable.

After looking up the definition, and carefully weighing my options, I marked both the answers wrong.  My reasoning was, that even though this student had a point, and I agree that all three of these men are "buttnuggets," stating so on a quiz was not appropriate and therefore, they were wrong.  As a courtesy, I did pull aside the student to let him/her know why I marked both of the answers as incorrect.  Surprisingly enough, the student completely understood, but made sure that I understood that they really were "buttnuggets." 

High School.....what fun!

File Cabinet Friday

Wednesday of this week, I was walking down the hallway and noticed something on the floor up ahead:

As I got closer, I realized that it was another wonderful art demonstration from our extremely talented kids!

I particularly LOVE his joyful expression...

...and the amazing detail of the pick in his afro.



Just another shining example of the future of America!  I wonder if behind the desks of great men, afro-men are drawn all over the floor....

I am a Smart One

So recently, my couponing class has finally started to pay off....BIG!  Check out the deal I got today....

Is that my freezer filled with Weight Watcher Smart Ones meals??  Why, yes it is....24 packages to be exact...that, thanks to the gals at truecouponing.com, cost me a whopping $9.23.  Did you hear me?  I paid .41 a piece for those puppies.  Can you buy lunch for .41??  I did today....for 24 days!  How, you may ask?  Well here's the breakdown:

1. Target had these on sale for $1.80 a piece.
2. Target also had a special, that if you bought 7 you would get a $5.00 gift card back.
3. Previously, I had signed up for Weight Watchers coupons from their website, and they sent me an email for $5.00 off when you bought 12.
4. Currently Target has a $5.00 off 10 posted on their website that you could print.

So, I printed 2 of the manufacturer coupons (from Weight Watchers), and 2 store coupons (from Target).  That equaled $20.00 off my purchase.  Bought 24 Weight Watcher meals for $1.80 each.  And, Target PAID ME 3 gift cards for $5.00 each as a reward.  So for those of you who are number people:

Price before Coupons:  24 x $1.80 = $43.20

Minus Coupons:  $43.20-$20.00 = $23.20

Plus Tax:  $23.20 + 7% =$24.83

Minus 3 Gift Cards:  $24.83-$15.00 = $9.83

$9.83!!!

I think that qualifies me as being a "Smart One" as well!

Does couponing sound interesting to you?  Check out http://www.truecouponing.com/ and look for their free training classes, and sign up on their email list!



Why us it that the sunshine is so calming???? Everything in the world could be going wrong...but, give me my bikini, an alcoholic beverage, a book, and some Florida sunshine, and the world seems right again. Its days like this that make me thankful to be a native....bartender, where's my refill???

File Cabinet Fridays

As Valentine's Day approaches, I find student hormones go into overdrive.  Here is a lovely example that was submitted by a teacher after last years festivities:

It looks so sweet...

until you look at the next page:

Apparently this valentine was so funny that the giver lmfao'd with an echo.

That's talent....

But the best part, involved the grammatically incorrect message on the inside:

I guess when there is love, grammar doesn't matter.

With that in mind, I hope you all have a wonderful Valentine's Day!  And, to the wonderful teacher who gave me this week's submission:

Thank yuh for bein there fore me.  Your my lost lady 4eva!  lmfaooo

File Cabinet Fridays

As a teacher, it's amazing the things you find when you clean out your desk and file cabinets.  The other day, I was doing some "classroom cleaning" and came across some funny items.  These funny items inspired me to create "File Cabinet Fridays."  Every Friday, I will be posting some funny things that teachers see on a regular basis.  If you have anything you'd like to see posted, just email it to me, and it will be spotlighted on a Friday!

Today's File Cabinet Friday is something that we found while walking around school.  One of our teachers recently gave birth, and her entire class made her cards.  Her husband was scheduled to pick them up for her, so they were stacked at the front office desk.  While walking by, one in particular caught my eye:

Apart from the misspelling, the picture is quite interesting.  The detail that this child went into is pretty amazing.  I particularly like the pee stain and mom tattoo on the arm.  The bloody sword is a little disturbing, but even Picasso created some unsettling images in his day.  All in all, it leaves me breathless....move over Hallmark, this kid may put you out of business.

Hide your kids, hide your wives, and hide your husbands...

One of the best videos circulating on YouTube last year involved a very funny young man by the name of Antoine Dodson.  Antoine, and his sister were living a quiet existence in Lincoln Park (lovingly call the "projects"), until some psycho climbs into their window and tries to rape the sister.  Below is the actual news clip:

 

As if this clip wasn't funny enough, some very clever "musicians" contacted Antoine, and received his permission to create a song out of his interview.  Below is the catchy piece:

 

Pretty funny if I do say so myself.  Now, you can run and tell that...HOMEBOY!

Swan Dive

Wow.  Last night, I went to see Black Swan starring Natalie Portman, and I still can't stop thinking about it.  I have to admit, when I was watching, I was disturbed and uncomfortable.  It is not a movie for someone who is not open minded or into artistic expression.  It is haunting, horrifying, and simply beautiful.  The music is amazing, casting is fabulous, and the camera work is intriguing.  It's the best movie I've seen in a long time.  Take the plunge!

New Year, New Aspirations

Hello out there in blogging land. This is my "official" first post, on the "official" first day of 2011. I have toyed with doing a blog for years, and as an attempt to begin a new year, and a new me, I have made it a new year's resolution to follow through, and actually do one. I'm not sure exactly what I want to "focus" on with this blog, so I will just warn you, that I plan on it be a "casserole" of information. Daily life ramblings, successes, failures, and goals....all in all, I hope this experience will leave me full, comforted, and ready for a nap (isn't that what casseroles are supposed to do?).