Notice Anything New?

I started this blog design adventure just a few short months ago and it has really taken off.  I mean OFF!

I have been working nearly full-time on it since school got out...and loving it!

I've made new friends and learned so much.

Along the way this little blog has been sadly neglected and I haven't had nearly as much time for blog stalking as I'd like.  But, like they say, when one door closes another window opens.  Or is it when one window closes another door opens?  Or is it . . .?  You get the gist.

As I've browsed and found design kits for others to use in their blog designs I've stumbled upon many bee themed ones that caught my eye.  Many got pinned onto my bee board.

So last night in the wee hours of the night when all the loved ones were sleeping and the dogs were snoring at my feet and beside me on the couch I decided to grab one of my favorite kits and give this little corner of the blogosphere a makeover.

I am in love and I can't help but keep coming back and smiling when I see my little honey bunch.

I've had many clients tell me that same thing after installing their designs and I didn't really get it . . . until now.

I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.  (Misty, you better by happy . . . you pest! lol)

You'll notice I added an email button in case you just have a burning desire to contact me.  Please do!

I've also decided to get with it and add some social links.

And to top it all off I've reached 400 followers!!

You know what that means?

Yeah, I have to take a shower AND have a giveaway! :)

I'm debating on what to do still but stay tuned so you don't miss it!

Expository Nonfiction

Our school uses Reading Street by Scott Foresman to teach language arts.

It's not bad.  Although I thought the stories in our old series were more interesting.  :(

The one thing I like is the amount of nonfiction it includes.

Second grade boys LOVE nonfiction.  (So do the girls.)

As mentioned in previous posts I love the Teacher's Clubhouse for literacy posters and much much more.  But they didn't have one for a genre that our book uses.

So instead of paying them to make one for me I made my own.

It looks a LOT like theirs because I wanted it to go with my other posters so don't get mad at me.  Just click on the picture to grab it.

I found a website I'd never seen or heard of before.  It includes Smartboard lessons for many topics.  Check it out.

University of Missouri eThemes:  your source for content-rich, kid-safe online resources

I am a couple followers away from 400!!  Woo Hoo!

I'll be unveiling a new look for my blog and having a giveaway . . . so stay tuned!

You've Got Mail!

I can't believe it's been almost a week since I posted last.

Time flies when you are having fun doesn't it.

Thank you to all who left the kind words after reading about Sadie's untimely demise.  You'll be happy to hear that the reward has grown to over $7,000 the last I heard.  The police just have to catch the horrible person or persons responsible for this.

We've had some of my husband's family in town this week so I've been MIA.  Plus I've done some flower shopping (half price-woot woot!), blog design, cleaning (a wee bit), laundry (Happy Father's Day honey!), grocery shopping (ditto father's day), walking (gotta lose some winter weight), and a whole lot of lazin' around.

It's so nice to know that if it doesn't get done today it can get done tomorrow.  Sadly, I find myself putting things off all summer with that one.  Anyone else?

I got an order from Oriental Trading today.  (So much better than a bill!)  They had free shipping and had some bee junk stuff I thought I could use.

bee book marks/reading guides
(my kids love these but they tend to disappear!)

bee tattoos for back to school gift bag

busy bee sorting graphs for getting to know each other 

bee pocket chart
(couldn't resist)

dry erase sleeves

bee pencil topper/erasers for on desks the first day of school

 

sight word bingo

Now this box will sit around my house for the next 6 weeks collecting dust and annoying my family until I head back to school.

I am only 7 followers away from 400 and then it's GIVEAWAY time!

My Heart Is Sad :(

Something sad happened right in my own neighborhood a little more than a week ago.

A house just a little over a block from us on a well-traveled road was broken into during the day.  (And the house next door to them was burglarized earlier the same day.)  The burglar(s) ransacked a part of the house but didn't get away with anything because they think the homeowner came home and startled the burglar.

Lucky for them.

Not really.


They lost something more valuable than some stuff.

The tragedy was that the idiot(s) who broke in brutally killed the family's beloved eight year old pet, Sadie.

This is a photo of Sadie that was in the paper and can be seen on posters around town offering a reward to help capture her killer(s).

Click HERE to read the newspaper article.

Most of you who regularly follow my blog know I am a dog lover.  We actually have three dogs.  (We'd probably have more if there weren't laws, neighbors, vet bills, and the hubs.)  I've never imagined anyone breaking in and killing our family pets.  Who could imagine that?

I imagine my pets following the intruder around begging for a treat or bringing over toys with that "play with me" look in their eyes.  Just like Sadie's owners think she probably did until the ransacking began.  Because even dogs know that's wrong.

Or I imagine someone tossing a big juicy steak in and sneaking around while the dogs gorge themselves (like happened to my aunt who lives in the Chicago area many, many years ago).

Did Sadie decide to attack?  Maybe.  Hopefully she did some damage before they did too much to her.

I often worry about my pets being trapped in the house if a fire broke out and perishing but this takes the cake!

My girls are worried about this happening to their best "fur" buddies and are even afraid to have their windows open in their bedrooms.  And they aren't little anymore.

What kind of sicko does this?  And what would this person (or persons) have done if a human being had been home?

I know there are wack-a-doodles out there but this just hit too close to home.

Thanks for listening.  It feels good knowing I could share my thoughts on this.

BTW, the family offered a thousand dollar reward for information helping to find the person or persons who did this and now the community is involved and donations are pouring in to add to the reward.  If the reward goes unclaimed the money will be donated to a local animal shelter.

What To Do When You're Angry!

Wow, I can't believe how close I am so 400 followers.  I'll have to think of something special to do.  (My husband just suggested I could shower!  Har har, honey!  It's summer and I don't have to!  Na na na na na na!)

Seriously I don't want you to think I'm sitting here in my own swill stinking the place up.  But sometimes often when the hubs comes home for lunch I'm sitting on the couch or deck on the computer still in my pj's.  So he isn't looking at me with a whole lot of lust in his eyes.  That's all I'm saying.

So I'll have to do some thinking.  Maybe while I'm in the shower cuz I do good thinking (and singing) in there.  And best of all, during the summer, it's not a quick-I'm-gonna-be-late-for-school shower.  No siree!  It's the-water-tank-still-has-a-bit-of-warm-water-left kind of shower.

Thank you to all who have said they like and can use my little posters for 2nd Step.

Here is another poster freebie for you.  This one kind of integrates the problem solving and calming yourself down steps but also includes reflection time.

Enjoy!