It's FALL!

I've taken a hiatus from the blogging world for the past few weeks while I've been getting used to being a full time teacher.  Okay... I've taken a hiatus from just about everything other than lesson planning, grading, and other school related things. Until today, my house was a mess, my closet disorganized (if you know me, you know that's a big deal), and the fridge empty.  I have literally come home many a night and had a bowl of Cheerios or Apple Jacks and maybe some string cheese and called that dinner. If it wasn't for some of the frozen meals my dad made and sent home with me when I visited last, I wouldn't be able to even tell you the last time I'd had an actual meal. This first year teacher thing is crazy.  I'm putting in about 50-55 hours every week at school, and then, I'm coming home and putting in another couple of hours at home each night.  And want to know what? I'm loving every second of it.  Sure, there are frustrating moments, when because of my inexperience, I can't understand something, but most days are wonderful.

Anyway, back to the messy house. Finally, today I had time to clean.  And I mean deep clean.  The kind of deep clean where you are on your hands and knees scrubbing the floor and every single crevice you can find, kind of clean. It was very therapeutic, actually. A great way to relieve stress. (don't you feel like telling me, "You tell that floor who's boss, Katie!" ??)

And now that my apartment is clean and sparkly, I get to decorate for fall! I absolutely LOVE fall. I love the smells, the colors, and the crisp air. I love apple crisp, apple cider, getting to wear sweaters and scarves and boots, and getting to walk to school without melting!

While I was decorating, I found some Fall silk flowers in a box, so I put together a quick arrangement for my table. Whatdya think?

 

Notice my cute Fall table runner, too? Now, I just need to replace the scents in my Scentsy warmers to something a little more Fall-like. Right now I have "Fried Ice Cream" which is basically a Vanilla Cinnamon smell, but I'm feeling something more like  Pumpkin Spice or Apple Harvest... Any Scentsy lovers have a suggestion?

 

 

'Til Next Time!

 



First Day of School:

Follow this link to read about my FIRST first day of school as a teacher!

 

Dad's Minnesota Limerick

Dad thought he'd give this Minnesota Limerick thing a try... here's his version!

There was a girl who grew up in Big Lake
Who had a hank'ring for venison steak.
But along came no deer,
So she had to switch gears
And settle for some nice Mallard Drake.

Pretty good, huh? (By the way, guess who the girl who grew up in Big Lake is?)

 

Minnesota Limerick

During one of my Language Arts workshops, a teacher from a nearby school shared that he celebrates St. Patrick's day in his class by having his students write a "Minnesota Limerick." I won't get into it much, since this isn't an education blog, but we were asked to compose our own Minnesota Limericks based on the town we grew up in.  I thought it'd be fun to share my limerick! Enjoy!

There once was a girl from Big Lake.
She dined on nothing but juicy red steak.
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner,
If vegan, she'd be thinner,
But that's not a change she's likely to make.

 

My Heart With You

I heard this song on Pretty Little Liars awhile ago and fell in love with it.  The harmony, the lyrics, AHH! It's just so beautiful, I had to post it!

I had a fantastic weekend spent with my family! It was a perfect way to round off the summer vacation and welcome in the school year.  We went to a cookout on Friday night, went to the wedding of someone who may as well be family on Saturday and then spent today relaxing and watching The Hunger Games!

I hope your weekend was as enjoyable as mine!

 

Famous!

Look what was on the front page of the local newspaper! An introduction to the NEW TEACHERS!

First day of school is one week from today! Eek!

Sister Day!

I'm one of those lucky people to have a sister who I can also call a best friend.  This summer, my baby sister has been a camp counselor at a church camp in Northern North Dakota and finally came home a few days ago.  Luckily for me, her first wish upon her arrival in Minnesota was to pay her sister a week-long visit!

Today, I picked her up in Alexandria (a halfway point between my parent's house and mine) and we spent the day wandering around the cute little shops and got to have lunch with Mom (who works in Alexandria!) We had SO much fun!

Look at our super cute new (almost) matching bracelets!! We picked them up at a little shop called Magpie.

I start workshops tomorrow, but every evening this week will be spent with my sissy! It promises to be a fun week! :)