Does anyone subscribe to...

Better Homes and Gardens and/or Family Circle? 

I am considering subscribing to both of them. BHG is having a special right now where you can get 2 years (24 issues) for about 12 dollars. Then, you can add on 1 year of FC (12 issues) for just 5 dollars more. It seems like a good deal. Do y'all like the magazine?

Wednesday Wishes [3]

I'm linking up with Brooke again at Bright Wishes to bring you my Wednesday Wishes :] I've been super busy again this week so I  haven't had much time to get on, but I couldn't help but post a few things I've been wanting over the past few days. :)

ONE: A Sewing Machine

I'm in desperate need of a new one. My last one broke a few years ago (It was pretty old and had been messed up for awhile) Since getting Pinterest and everything there have been tons of things I've wanted to make, and I haven't been able to!

TWO: This Adorable Fabric 

If I did get said sewing machine, I would love to have some adorable fabrics like this. I'm not sure what I would use some of them for right now since I don't have kids or anything yet, but there are some great things floating around Pinterest that I would love to make for the apartment.

THREE: An Awesome Lesson Plan Book

I hope to have my own classroom next year (as in August), so I know I will need an awesome way to keep track of my lessons, and so I can continue to have them for the following years without them filling up on the computer. Of course, I would make sure there is a way to actual print the plans and stick them in the book as well.

FOUR: This Amazing Crayon Art 

I would love to figure out how they made this one and do it. I mean, it looks pretty simple, but there is no telling it will actually be when it comes time to make it. I think it's beautiful and would be a wonderful addition to any room.


FIVE: This Giraffe Tattoo

As I'm sure a lot of you have read by now, I love giraffes. I also love what this tattoo stands for. Unfortunately, Michael hates tattoos, and I've already convinced him to be okay with me having two, so I don't think I could get anymore without really upsetting him!


SIX: These Toms

Aren't they amazing? I have a serious thing for the Eiffel Tower, and I think the bow and everything adds such a beautiful touch to them. And I love the colors! I really want to get a pair very similar to these!

Happy Wednesday!
-Tiffany

Head over here and link up for the Blog Hop! Join the amazing hosts' blogs and feel free to leave me some comments! I would love to talk to some new people and gain some awesome followers!

My Late Valentine's Day...

Since Michael and I are doing the long distance thing, this was the first Valentine's Day we were not together. It really was not fun! However, I knew he was coming home yesterday, and that did give me something to look forward to. It had been a whole month, so I couldn't be more excited to see him! He got home when I was still at work, and then the last hour and a half of work seemed to drag on forever. Finally, it ended and I went home to get ready and then he headed over to get me. (He always enjoys picking me up for dates, and I love it, too.) So he shows up to my door with these...

Apparently he had to go to three different places to find someone good ones, and that made me appreciate them anymore. I can't tell you how many times I've gotten flowers in the four plus years that we've been dating. He always gets them for me and I love them, despite them dying. Along with that, he had these.

He knows how much I love chocolate, and he has yet to go through a Valentine's Day without getting me some, which makes me very happy! And the box is adorable, I might have to keep it and figure out something else to do with it.

After we put the flowers in the vase and I showed him some wedding things we made while he's been gone (like the pomander balls in a previous post), we headed off to dinner. We went to Texas Roadhouse, which we don't go to often. It's always packed and super loud, but I knew how much he loves it, so we went there. They have the best strawberry margaritas there, so we shared one. (I say shared, but I drank most of it. He pretends to like strawberry so that we can share). So, then we have a tradition of always going back to his house to open gifts. We've been doing it since our first Christmas together, I think. I got him the new Star Wars movies on Blu-ray that he wanted. Apparently they updated them or something? And a really cute tie that has hearts on it. I also sent him a card on Valentine's Day. And I got...

A beautiful card on Valentine's Day. He sent it through the mail and he wrote a very sweet note inside of it. I keep all of the cards he's ever given me, and I really need to put them all on a ring or something so I can keep them all in one place.

When I opened my gift bag, this little guy was in the top! I LOVE  giraffes, as I said in my last Valentine's post. I sent him a picture on my phone a few weeks ago of this one, and I was so happy that he got it for me! Isn't she adorable? I have a purple one just like her, too. Then, sitting underneath the giraffe was...

drumroll please...

I have ALWAYS wanted something from Tiffany & Co. I mean, my name is Tiffany, after all! Even though I had been telling him this for a very long time, I never expected to get it anytime soon! However, I opened the little blue box, and this perfect necklace was inside!

I absolutely love it, it's perfect! So, he definitely made up for us not being able to see each other on actual Valentine's Day. He's so romantic, and it was a perfect night! I hope everyone else had a great Valentine's Day with the ones they love! <3
-Tiffany

Busy Week...

So, I really meant to post again earlier in the week. Alas, it is Friday and I have yet to post anything. This week was quite crazy with student teaching, so I apologize for not being around too much! I think last year I got pretty spoiled with my second internship. I only had to go all day twice a week, and I was in a very small town. The kids were different there; they had manners and actual respect for the teachers.

Now I'm back in my home town. I knew it would be rough because it was starting to get that way back when I was in school here. I already knew if I ended up working here that Michael and I would not allow our kids to go to this district, but make sure we could afford private school. So, I knew what I was getting myself into. Or so I thought, this has been crazy!

Last week, on Friday, I was taking the students back to the classroom on my own after lunch, which was no big deal at all. Mrs. Koerner had to stay and talk to someone, and I'd already gotten really comfortable in the classroom and with these students. However, as I'm getting to the door to unlock it, I see a girl intentionally kick one of the guys in the privates. I could not believe it! She was already in A LOT of trouble for other offenses. She was already being sent off to alternative school, and then on-campus police officer was going to have to give her an assault charge. Her parents ended up withdrawing her that afternoon, and I think we were all relieved.

Along with that, we were having problems with another girl, we'll just call her "T." She has a problem calling people mean things, and other girls have no problem being mean back. We gave her a big lecture, along with the other girls, on Tuesday, but apparently it did not help. Wednesday when I was about to leave after school, I realized that my lunch bag was missing. I leave it in the same place and I've never had any problems. However, I could not find it anywhere. Mrs. Koerner said she would look again, and then interrogate the students the next day (yesterday).

So, it's the period after lunch and we go into the hallway to monitor. Sure enough another teacher (who knew the situation) found T with the lunch bag on her lap by her locker. So, not only did she take it BUT she brought it back to school where people would see it. We will all pretty upset about that to begin with, but then there was a lunch in the bag when I got it back. It was not mine, and apparently it was not hers either. However, she continued to lie about the whole thing.

Finally by the end of the day we got out of her that she stole another lunch from the band hall yesterday morning. For some reason she put the lunch in my bag and then left the boys' bag in another room. (The poor kid was so upset, thinking he wouldn't get to eat, and his mom had to leave work to bring the poor thing some lunch money). She assured us that she didn't eat the lunch like that would make us feel better. Ultimately, we all still can't stop laughing about it, and I really just don't understand why I kid would steal a lunch box to begin with!

Anyway, I thought you might enjoy hearing my interesting student teaching stories!
Have a great Friday!
-Tiffany

Happy Valentine's Day...early!

I just spent about an hour finishing up my Valentines for tomorrow. Even though the kids can't have parties at school anymore, the teachers are doing stuff for it. I decided to be smart, and instead of going out and buying a hundred valentines at a ridiculous price, I made my own. I made a drawing of a bumble bee and wrote "Bee Mine." Then I made a hundred copies with the school copier on yellow paper. I'll upload a picture on here tomorrow. :]

Anyway, I'll probably do a longer post tomorrow about Valentine's Day, but my parents just returned home and they bought me a gift, so I thought I would go ahead and share that with you guys!

I absolutely LOVE giraffes, and so I think this was the best gift ever. He is so cute and tiny, and I tied the bow around his neck. :] I had a pretty bad night, so it was a good way to make it a little bit better.

Good night, all!
-Tiffany

Sunday Confessions [1]

 So, I was over checking out Alyx site out, and decided I would do her Sunday Confessions Linky Party. If you have not checked out her blog, she's over at Everyday is a New Adventure. She's also from Nebraska originally and she has been through the town in Iowa where I was born several times. So, mostly that makes her amazing.

One. I have not read a REAL book in so long.
What do I mean by real? I mean, not a stupid textbook. Pretty much since I started college I have not had much time to read for pleasure. Sure, I have summers and stuff, but I usually stay pretty busy at that point, too, so I don't get to read nearly as much as I used to. I really do miss it. There are so many books I want to read right now, I'm going to have to try to find a way to fit time in for them.

Two. I'm really in a mood to organize, but I really have nothing to organize...
I know, that probably makes no sense. However, my parents are currently reorganizing their bedroom, and it really makes me want to organize something. Mostly, I've been thinking about how I want my future classroom and apartment to look like. It's driving me a little crazy that I can't just get in there and do it now!

Three. I HATE dress shopping. Seriously.
Yesterday I went out shopping with  my parents, and naturally it took forever. It felt like we went to 3474756459 different stores (in reality, it was about 12. Which is still a lot!). Anyway, I've been starting to look for a dress for the rehearsal dinner. Since we had so much luck with wedding stuff yesterday, I thought that maybe I would have luck with that, too. I did find one I kind of liked, but I don't know. I hate dress shopping!

Four. I keep going back and forth on the theme for our living room.
As we were doing our wedding registries, Michael assured me that I could decide what we did for color schemes in all the rooms and what not, and if we wanted to do an overall theme. We figured out most of the rooms, and decided that we want to do the living room in neutral browns and things. Then I thought of a travel theme. I was super excited about it, and thought it would be great. However, then we went to Hobby Lobby a couple weeks ago, and they have all these incredible lighthouses and nautical themed things. So, now I'm stuck between the two. I really love lighthouses, but I already have some Eiffel Tower stuff. We could use those in our bedroom, though. It's so challenging!

Five. I'm sick of eating healthy food.
I know that's probably awful, since most people would probably enjoy it. I got used to eating whatever I wanted when I was living at school, but now that I'm doing my student teaching at home and living with my parents, they're dieting and I have to eat whatever they're having. I'm getting pretty tired of eating chicken and stuff! I really just want some fattening pizza or Mexican food. Bring on the chips and salsa!

 Hope you're all enjoying your weekends!
- Tiffany

Centerpieces...

So, as the wedding is approaching, (Sure, it's September, but it will be here before we know it) we have been trying to decide what we want to do about centerpieces. At first, we had to make the tall ones too. We bought branches and we knew what we wanted to do with them, but we couldn't quite get them right, and we did not want to spend the kind of money it would cost to create them. Then, out of sheer luck or maybe a miracle, we went out to the venue for a meeting with our coordinator and they had new centerpieces. They bought them from a previous bride and they were PERFECT. Just what we were looking for. As you can imagine, it was a huge relief.

That took care of half of the tables, but we were still struggling for what to do for shorter centerpieces on the other tables. We bought some white gazebos online, (read our Love Story page, and you'll understand why) but we could not quite figure out a way that we wanted them to look good. Well, it just so happens I was on Pinterest yesterday, as I always am, and I ran into something; a tutorial...

I  saw this, and I just fell in love. I looked through the directions and thought, "hey, we could do this." I didn't think it would be too expensive, either. So, I had my mom sign onto Pinterest and check it out as well, and she loved them, too. I think we had pretty much decided we wanted to give it a try. 

We had lots of shopping to do today, and at lunch we sat down to talk about it. We knew we really wanted to do this, but we had six little gazebos we did not want to go to waste either. We came up with wonderful things to do with them, and the plan to make the pomanders in our colors was underway. Of course, we knew it would be cheaper to buy everything in bulk online. We went to Hobby Lobby, and their scrapbook paper happened to be on sale, so we bought what we needed. Then we went over to Michael's to get the punch we needed and we bought one set of the corsage pins, just so we could give one a go to see if we like it.

So, here is my little tutorial for how to make one of these pomanders, though I'm sure my does not look quite as good as the one from the tutorial! 

 What you need: 

4" styrofoam ball - You want to use white, just in case you have some small gaps between the flowers. 

Martha Stewart Hydrangea punch - we got ours at Michaels. It was $9.99, but I had a 40% off coupon through the app on my phone. 

Corsage pins with pearls on the ends - each one takes about 100 pins, they are cheaper to buy in bulk online. 

Scrapbook paper - each ball takes about two sheets of paper. We are choosing to do ours in two different colors, but the tutorial used the same. It's all about what you like. 

So, you have to first punch out all of the flowers from the scrapbook paper. You can get from about 98 to 100 different flowers from each piece of paper, and you need about 180-200 flowers for each ball. Once I was done punching them, I put them in separate containers to keep the colors apart as I went. Then, you have to curl up the ends a little bit, making them go into the center a little to give them a more full look. I did this as I went, though. 

Then, you put two of the flowers together and put a pin in them. Turn them so that they're both showing and looked like a full flower. It was easiest to start by doing a row all the way around the ball like it suggested in the tutorial. Then, you just fill one half at a time. Try to fill in spots as well as you can, though it's okay if some stryofoam shows, because you really can't see it unless you look at it really close. In the end, you end up with this...

 I am incredibly happy with how it turned out. I left some without flowers at the bottom so that it will stand a little bit better once we put it on something. We have decided to put three on each table; two blue like this, and one with browns. We are going to put them on top of different sized vases, and we are going to fill the vases with coffee beans to bring in the brown a little more. Overall, I am very pleased with what we have finally come up with.

Also, I've added this to a link up over at A Simply Klassic Home, so head over there to check out her great blog and other projects people are doing right now.

Wednesday Wishes (2)

So, I was trying to complete something on my 101/1001 list: update my blog everyday for a month. I was doing pretty good for about seven days or so, but then I got tired. It wasn't that I didn't want to write or have anything to write about, but I was exhausted from student teaching. I still am, in fact! However, I am back again, and with another Wednesday Wishes from Brooke over at Bright Wishes. Head over to check out her site and say hello. :]

ONE: Leatherbound Classics Series 

Barnes and Noble has tons of classic titles in these incredible leatherbound books. One of my friends just got ten of them from her fiance for Valentine's Day, and I'm so incredibly jealous. I think they would look just perfect in Michael and my first living room. They are pretty inexpensive, so I will probably start buying them one at a time.

TWO: Nook Color

I have the first generation Nook, and while I love it, I really would not mind having the Nook color. I know that it works better, has more features, and has cuter covers than my nook does now. However, I know it will be awhile before I'm willing to put out the money for it.

THREE: iTunes Gift Cards

I know, I know. Why don't you just hook up your credit card to you iTunes account? There are two reasons I would not do that. First, I'm afraid that I would spend WAY too much money. Actually, I know for a fact I would. Second, I'm not sure how safe it is, at least with my iTunes. It always seems to mess up, especially with my account.

FOUR: Anthropologie Apron

Isn't it just adorable? I  love aprons, and I think it will give me the inspiration I need to work on improving my cooking skills. I really want to start making some of the recipes in my new Betty Crocker cookbook.

FIVE: Organization and Design Magazines/Books

Jen over at IHeart Organizing did a post where she just spoke about magazines and books that would help with organization and design tips. I cannot wait to buy some of her suggestions!

Happy Wednesday!
Tiffany :)

Happy Superbowl!

I can't believe it's already Sunday nights. Back at school, most of the time the weekends seemed like they drug on forever. We didn't go out and do much, so I actually looked forward to going to classes and everything. However, now that I'm student teaching and work from 8-4 Monday through Friday, I can't believe how fast the weekends pass! Now I'm sitting here, wishing that it as Saturday again!

Anyway, I had a decent day. I went to upgrade my phone. I have the iPhone 3GS, and am upgrading to the 4S. They got my money, but they did not have any of the phones in stock, so I don't get it until Tuesday. The AT&T store running out of iPhones, how about that?

Anyway, now that the Giants have successfully won the super bowl, I can head to bed. I have my first observation while I teach tomorrow, and I'm super nervous. Wish me luck!

What did I do today?

That's a great question! Today, we had to run some errands. It seemed like a pretty simple day, right? My parents were going to go weigh in at Weight Watchers and then drop my dad's/my car off for an oil change. They came back home and got me, and then we headed out. I got FOUR new pairs of shoes at Payless for work. They were all on sale, and then they had a BOGO sale, so I got them all for $40, tax included! I was a bargain shopper! Then we headed to Panera for lunch, which is a place we eat quite often now when we go out, since it's pretty diet friendly for my parents.

So, we're done with lunch and about to head home when my dad declares that he wants to go car shopping! I've been using his car to get back and forth to work, since we didn't have a third car and my parents could car pool to work and everything. We had been talking about getting me my own car for quite some time, though. We went to the dealership once right after lunch and we were there for about an hour before my mom and I went home and my dad went out to look on his own. My mom wasn't feeling well, and I just don't like car dealerships.

After I was home for a couple hours, my dad said he was coming by the house in a car he loved and he wanted me to drive it. We ended up having a great salesperson, and he allowed my dad to drive the car all the way from up town to our house. I drove it back and loved it. Before I knew it, we were filling out a ton of paperwork. We were there from about 4 to 8:30, but I finally had the keys to my new car!

Say hello to my new baby! She's a 2010 Chevy Cobalt, and I really love her! I can't believe I finally have my own car! Now, any name suggestions? (I always name my inanimate object that I love. My laptop is Delilah :)

A Day Off...

So, today was staff development in the school district I'm currently student teaching in. Typically I would have to go on these days, but my mentor teacher went a couple of extra days during the summer in order to assure that she had this day off during the year. Thanks to that, we both had a day off today, yay!

Since about high school, I would occasionally go to my mom's office when I had a day off. Her boss loves me, and she works in an office that only has four other women. They all enjoy having me there, so it's never a big deal. Since I knew I had the day off, I told her I would go with her, and I realized that it might be the last time I can do so for awhile. Soon enough I'll be married and probably won't be able to do it very often. Anyway, in honor of my possible last time there, I took some pictures of her little cubicle. Most of the stuff she's had there as far back as I can remember.

See that wonderful picture in the back there? Yes, that was made by yours truly, obviously when I was much younger, though! My mom has had that hung up for as long back as I can remember, and it's always made me smile to get there and see it. See the orange fuzzy man? That would be Hungry Man! He is from Weight Watchers, my parents are both using it to diet, and it's a cute little reminder to my mom when she's at work. I like to give him a new home when I'm there, and today this home was a cup. Isn't he cute? 

 I actually don't like this little plant too much, because it likes to attract little gnats! However, my mom does love it because it's the only plant she has ever not killed. She got it a couple years ago as a gift from an agent. It's called a Christmas Cactus, though it actually blooms in June or July, so I really don't understand the name! Anyway, this year we replanted it in this cute little blue pot, and it definitely spruced it up some! Mom's got a green thumb, now! 

Then, of course, mom has her picture area. As you can see, there is a picture of Michael and I right at the front. I bought her that frame (since it's one of her favorite colors) and she decided that the picture would look good in it. She has our Save the Date hanging there, too, since it's a magnet. She also has a picture of my grandpa and grandma, and the picture in the back, kind of blocked, is a picture of my brothers and I from back when I was in high school. She also has her collection of stuffed animals my dad usually gets her for Valentine's Day. :) 

All of these pictures were taken on my iPhone, so they're definitely not the best. I finally got a case for my small camera, so I'm going to start carrying it in my purse with me. Anyway, that's how I spent my Friday off. Now I'm off to have some pizza. Hope you all had a lovely Friday!

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close

So, I made my 101/1001 list, and one of the items on the list is to see at least three movies a year with my parents. I have always been close to my parents, and going to the movies is one of our favorite things to do together. Of course, this is much easier to do right now since I'm currently living with them and can't spend my weekends with Michael since he's away at school.

This past weekend we went to see Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. We had been wanting to see it since the previews first came out, and it felt like it took forever for it finally to open, and then we waited another weekend. (We never go to a moving on hoping weekend since it's usually crazy, aside from Harry Potter and Twilight).

We knew from the previews that it was probably going to be incredibly sad. Everyone remembers where they were on September 11th, at least from a certain age on, so it is always tough to see movies about it. However, we still couldn't wait to see the movie. I am a huge fan of Sandra Bullock and Tom Hanks, and the little boy seemed amazing from the previews.

I ended up really enjoying the movie, despite crying a bit. It was very tough to take at some parts, and completely incredible at others. It still blows my mind sometimes that authors are able to come up with amazing stories like this. Now that I've seen the movie and am intrigued by the main character, I really look forward to reading the book. 

Has anyone else seen the movie or read the book? What did you think?

Wednesday Wishes [39]

I have decided to join in and do Wednesday Wishes, brought to everyone by Brooke from Bright Wishes, head on over to her awesome blog and check it out!

One: A new journal.
I love all the ones on this etsy, and will definitely be ordering one soon.

 

Two: This Katie Daisy Picture
This is the quote that my site name is based off of, so I would love to have this picture for our first apartment. :)

Three: Some New Scarves 

I have an extreme obsession with them, and I can wear them to work. I love the ones that Wet Seal has right now.