Room Rehab

I've finally gotten to take photos of my finished room!  There are still a few things I'm working on...some of the walls need a little artwork and I'm looking for the perfect lamp for my desk.  But I can safely say t's pretty well finished.  I've put everything in it's place and I'm pretty happy with the result!

Thank You! (Plus a Thank-You Offer!)

Just a quick note to say....

This little blog has hit the most page views, comments, sponsors, and readers that it's ever had this month!  

I also would like to take this opportunity to encourage you to go check out some of my sponsor's blogs...they're all great, and hopefully you'll find a new blog to read and follow by checking out a few of those buttons on my sidebar!  Thanks sponsors for being awesome...I love working with you!

And as a special thank you, I'd like to offer my Large Ad space for FREE! if you book it within the next week.  Just use the promo code:  BestMonthEver and it'll be totally free!  

(Please note that this code is only good through January 31.  While only 4 spots are shown each month, the code will still let you reserve a spot for free for a future month.  So book away!)

5 Tips for Combatting the Winter Blues

It's about this time of year that I always start to think that I don't like winter anymore.  And we still have a good two months of it left.  It's been bitter cold in Pennsylvania this week.  Temperatures have been below 10 degrees almost every day, and the wind chill has made that already-freezing temp feel even colder.  Mostly all I want to do is stay curled up in my cozy bed with a good book (currently Tina Fey's Bossypants or Mark Batterson's The Circle Maker...yes, I know...very different), a cup of warm tea, and maybe an episode or two of Millionaire Matchmaker (what? guilty pleasure. don't judge.)

But since that's just not a reality (you know, I'm becoming an elementary teacher and stuff...and that requires me to go to school every day...), I've come up with 5 tips for kicking the winter blues to the curb.  

1.  Exercise.

I know, it's hard to do it in the summer when being active practically comes right along with the sunshine and warm weather.  But get those endorphins going!  You'll be more productive, feel better about yourself, and hey...you'll sweat, which means you'll be warm...at least for a little while.

2.  Read.

I'm a teacher, this is an obvious one.  I always find myself watching more TV in the winter.  And the more time I spend zoning out in front of the screen, the more I feel like my brain cells are dying one by one.  If you're stuck inside, grab a book!  I just finished Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling...hilarious.  I highly recommend it.

3.  Pick up a new craft!

Hello...that's what Pinterest is for.  Make something out of that old t-shirt you keep meaning to put in your "donate" pile.  Use up those scraps of yarn or even those cans of left-over wall paint or that frame you don't have a picture for.  

4.  Rearrange.

You all know I'm redecorating my room (I can almost feel you asking "how many times is she going to mention this??  Sorry.).  But rearranging furniture or even accent pieces on shelves or tables can just breathe fresh life into a space and keep everything feeling new.

5.  Try out a new recipe.  

Winter is one of those times of year that I think it's really easy to cook more.  You're home, it's too cold to go out, so why not cook?  Or bake.  Baking is good too.  

(Oh yeah....and that's what Pinterest is for.)

So those are my 5 top tips for fighting off those winter blues.  How do you keep things fun in the winter?  Are you feeling the winter blues lately?

Brad & Nora

I had a photo session with some friends yesterday.  Brad just completed basic training for the Marine Corps, so while Brad is home on leave, they wanted to find some time to do a shoot.  It was my first attempt at a military-inspired shoot, and it turned out pretty well!  Nora in her little peacoat and red hat was just too cute, and looked so good next to Brad in his dress uniform!  It was a lot of fun to get to do some shots with them, and as shoots often do, got my creative juices flowing!

 

You can see more from Nora & Brad's shoot here.

{Pin It} Decor

I'm still in the process of putting my room together.  I decided to go slow with this project, and make sure that I really like everything about my "new" space!  So, I'm fighting the person inside of me who craves instant gratification and just taking my time.  And spending plenty of time on pinterest looking at decor ideas and DIY projects, of course!  So I thought I'd share just a few with you today!

(couldn't find the original source on this, the link just took me to Nordstrom's site...)

via (this blog has the BEST DIY projects!)

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I love some of these ideas, but not all will work in my room right now.  Have any suggestions for decor for me?  You can follow me on pinterest here.

Pray Hard.

Today was my first day of student teaching.  I'll be spending this semester in a 3rd grade classroom and already I feel like I've learned a ton.  

In light of my new "job", I started a new devotional plan this morning, and this morning's devotion talked about prayer and thankfulness.  

What if we just became the kind of women who not only read God's Word and are changed by it, but who are known by our grateful, gracious, thanks-filled hearts throughout the year?

...

Prayer is meant to change us.  And when our prayers are focused on Him, we will most certainly be transformed.

Wow.  After reading that, as I ran my straightener through my hair (God doesn't mind multi-tasking, right?), I just prayed His name over and over.  And you know what?  It set the entire tone for my day.  It was great.  

Going into a brand new environment, especially one where I'm completely the underdog and a future job could be on the line if I perform well is pretty intimidating.  And to top it off, this morning, there was a stabbing at one of the middle schools in my district.  The students involved were ok, treated for injuries, and will recover fully, but it created a whirlwind of a first day.  Our building, a few miles from where the incident took place, was abuzz with wondering if we'd be in lockdown or sent home early, and with trying to keep things under wraps so the kids wouldn't hear anything.  

And if I learned anything this morning, it was to pray.  Pray hard.

Sure, I'm in a public school.  I can't talk about my faith and I have to be careful about what I say to students.  But I can pray God's name each morning, and cover that building in prayer as I walk to my classroom, and silently pray peace and safety over others when incidents like the one that happened today take place.

Because as Christians, we're often in situations where we can't proclaim God's name aloud, but, as my devotion put it this morning, 

do you know that it is your job to glorify God?  We are created specifically to bring Him glory - to reflect Him.  That's why He made us.

Humbling, huh?

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