Honored to Be Crowned Honorary Queen of TBA!!!

Yes, yours truly was crowned the honorary Queen of TBA.  Click HERE for the link.  At the time I had 458 teaching blogs...now it's up to 472!! (by the end of the day it may be higher!)  So, you may be wondering how in the world do I manage it...I DON'T!!!  Well, here's how I try to manage it...Google Reader is my best friend!  You can make folders; so here's what my folders look like right now:

I start at the top opening the folder that has unread posts.  I scroll to find the blog that has the most unread posts in that folder (it helps to bring down the # of unread posts quicker...making me feel a little more accomplished!)

I scroll through that one, in this case "Fun in First Grade"  If something catches my eye I may do a couple of different things; star the post to come back later, click on the post which opens another tab of that actual post (this drives my husband CRAZY...I currently have 16 tabs open!) and then either come back to it and enter a contest save a doc or click on a link, or I may pin what I see in pinterest (a HUGE help in trying to manage this obsession!!!!) After I have worked my way to the last folder with unread posts I make myself get up and do something else, like try to attack Mt. Washmore!!  If I didn't I would never get up!!!

I've made few choices so that this doesn't spin anymore out of control than it already is. I'm not going to 'like' anyone on facebook (sorry, I may LOVE you, but it just fills up my facebook with repeats of what I already have in Google Reader!  I want to be able to see what my childhood, college, and local friends have to say!)  The same is true of email...even if it means less entries or no entries into someone's great giveaway! :(

Now, on a personal note it has been extra difficult these last few weeks. On the 15th of July my mother-in-law went into the hospital. She initially went in with a hernia issue...she had an obstructed bowel...while she was there we learned that she had major build up at her aortic valve, then they did an angiogram (sp) and we thought that she needed a double bypass.  Everyday at the hospital it seemed to be a different plan... transfer to another hospital, go home get stronger and see the cardiologist, etc.  Well, she did get transferred on Monday (both hospitals are about 50 miles away from our home).  Tuesday she went into surgery for aortic valve replacement and double(or so we thought) bypass.  A few hours later the surgeon came out and told us that they had aborted the surgery.  She had no usable veins in her legs.  They hadn't opened her chest yet.  We also learned that he had planned to do 5 bypasses!  Everyday it seems like the story changes.  I sent out a text to 29 people Friday saying they were moving her to USC medical and performing surgery that day. It's 130 miles from our home.  I was at the local hospital and the story kept changing throughout the day! :(  

Well, now we are going to get her as soon as everyone in the house is ready to go and bring her home.  They want her to get stronger.  USC is supposed to call and schedule an appointment to run more tests and supposedly surgery in the next 2-3 weeks.  We'll see.  I really appreciate the prayers.  Yesterday I stayed home for the first time in I don't know how many days.  I slept until 11:30!  It's been a really draining few weeks! Thanks!

We Have a Winner!!!!!

Wheww! I'm tired! It's about 9:45pm.  I just got home so I'm going to get this Giveaway done!  


First an update, my Mother-in-law was moved from one hospital to another today and tomorrow at noon Pacific time she will have open heart surgery; an aortic valve replacement and double bypass.  I appreciate all of the prayers that have been and will be said on her behalf, THANK YOU! 


Now there are 74 comments and my only Donor's Choose donation was from Amanda at One Extra Degree so she has numbers 75-84!  I'm off to open another window for the Random # Generator!

Congratulations Mrs. Shepherd!!!!

Thank you to all who entered and to all who blogged about my giveaway, I'm sorry I was not able to respond and thank all of you who have blogged about the giveaway...I've been home very little in the last week and a half and I'm cringing as I look at my Google Reader with 442 unread posts!!!  I think that # is just going to grow in the next few days!!!  Thanks to all of my followers too...I hope I am able to do some more posting soon!!!!

Giveaway Reminder & So Much More!!!!

This post is going to cover several subjects!
First, GIVEAWAY REMINDER!!

You could win this awesome stamp set & $20 Gift Card to DOLLAR TREE!! Look at my previous post!!!!
Second, Glad for Early Back to School Sales

My classroom is set up with 5 table groups which are labeled by color and every year I buy a new sets of markers (classic, assorted, & thin) and colored pencils.  Last year I finally decided to try to label all of the markers and pencils, but I ran out of time and never completely finished.  
Thanks to early sales I've got one table completely ready and am cruzin' on through the rest! The labels are apples of the color of the table group: Red, Blue, Purple, Green, & Red
 Tape strips really make the job a quick one!
Third, Asking for Prayers
This last week has been busy and tiring.  Last Thursday (a week ago) night my mother-in-law went into the hospital.  She has been in a hospital about 50+ miles away from my house and I've been going to see her every day.  There are a couple of ways things could go Monday.  One doctor wants her to go home, get stronger, and in 2-3 weeks have open heart surgery...replace aortic valve and a double bypass. Then 4-6 weeks later have surgery to repair a hernia. The other doctor wants her transferred Monday to another hospital for the heart surgery, moving things up the two to three weeks.  Please pray for wisdom for the doctors and for her health.  Thank you!
Fourth, Thanks to Bloggy Friends
Thanks to the Bloggy Friends (sorry I can't remember which ones specifically) who have shared what a versatile program Powerpoint really is!!  My daughter and I made this card for Grandma using Powerpoint!!

  I never would have thought to use this program for worksheets, posters, and cards on my own!
Fifth, Lots of Other Giveaways!
Let's see how many of the current giveaways I can enter and blog about in the next half hour!!
~First Grade Frame of Mind is giving away a THERMAL LAMINATOR!!!
~Yearn to Learn is giving away her great task cards!
~The Sweet Life of Third Grade is giving away $20 for any TpT store!
~Mrs. Stamp's Kindergarten is giving away cards for Coldstone! YUM!

I'm so excited about this giveaway!  One lucky winner will receive a $20 Gift Card to Dollar Tree...without them my classroom library makeover wouldn't have been the same! The winner will also get the Close to My Heart stamp set 'Good Work' & a 2" Acrylic block.  My good friend and Close to My Heart consultant, Jen Rubio is partnering with me for this giveaway.  Click HERE check out her blog!  Close to My Heart stamps are GREAT...my collection is pretty large! This is what the set looks like! :)

So, how can you enter??? Several ways!

Follow me and leave a comment that you do.

  Have my blog on your blogroll and leave a comment that it's there.

 Add my button to your collection and leave a comment that it's there.

 Blog about the giveaway and leave 2 comments that you did. (just copy & paste)

Make a donation to my Donor's Choose project and leave a comment that you did, then when the giveaway closes..July 26 at 8pm Pacific Time, I will multiply by 2 the the amount of money you donated.  I'll add those entries to my comment count at that time.  Right now wonderful Amanda Nickerson, of One Extra Degree already has 20 entries, because she has donated $10 to my project!  Thank You AMANDA!!!

Good luck to all!

Vistaprint Linky Party!

I've seen many teachers posting about what they've got from Vistaprint and thought it was good timing for a linky party!  If you have never used Vistaprint (it is one word & singular) click on each of the links and check out what is available for you and your classroom, if you have things from Vistaprint post what you've made and link up!!! 


Here are some new things that I've added to my collection:

this shirt I actually got FREE

My Love & Logic Poster on my door got messed up  at the end of the year so  this banner is replacing it!

I've handed a few of these out to try to get my Donor's Choose project funded

these are small magnets I'll give them at Christmas...got the quote from The Book Whisperer

This is for my daughter's dance studio, which had been wonderful to
our family in $ hard times! Notepad

I was able to add all of our school district's dates on this!

Click HERE & HERE to see my previous posts about Vistaprint & click HERE to see my guest post on Barrow's Hodgepodge.
Also, if you are new to blogging and want to know more about Linky Parties please click HERE to see Jenn Bate's wonderful post about Linky Etiquette. 


If Vistaprint is new to you and you would like to order I'd greatly appreciate it if you would click on the link at the lower left of my blog right above my counter to order.  THANKS!!!!

HELP! This Obsession is Out Of Control!!!!

Some of you out there have well over 400 followers, well I have over 400, actually at this moment exactly 454, blogs I'm following!!  I can't stop adding blogs!!! Is anyone else out there just as addicted???  I've been at this computer for HOURS... I'm shutting down now even though there's about 10 giveaways I'd love to enter and blog about!!! HELP!!!!!!!

Pinspiration Linky!

This is what I pinned!

This is what I created:

For My 8 yr. old Sieanna

For my 12 yr old Andrew

For my 15 yr.old Tyler

Mine!
This was inspired by The Book Whisper, I wanted to have book journals for all of us!
Link up with Life Isn't Always Frogs and Cupcakes!

Why Haven't I Been Posting & What HAVE I Been Doing?

Hello everyone, I hope you haven't given up on me!

 1.  TBA Blogroll Administrator Stuff 
I'm in charge of getting requests to be on the TBA Blogroll (in the Sqworl folders) taken care of.  With the end of school and surgery, requests  had been going into a special folder in my email.  I had put several blogs on the Blogroll, but I hadn't replied to the bloggers, and I had many more requests to deal with.  I've spent 3 1/2 hours this week trying to catch up, not quite there yet, but getting close!
2.  I am a True TBA!!!
I now have over 400 blogs in Google Reader (I can't stop adding new ones when I find them!)  Just trying to keep up with the posts and trying to leave some comments has kept me very busy!  I have my own little management system I'm dealing with to organize this obsession so,

here's a little peek! ;-)

3. Cutting, Counting, Packaging Box Tops & Labels for Education!
Phew!! I'm finally done! I'm the coordinator at my school, and I just couldn't deal with that responsibility during the school year so for the last several weeks I've been working on these!  There were 9,299 Box Tops which means $929.90 for our school!!!! Whooo Hooo! We also have 1,245 points ready for Labels for Education!  Let's hear it for FREE money for schools!!! I'm hoping I'll get them mailed off today, if not tomorrow.  Here's a peek~

4. Shopping for School Goodies!

5. FILING! 

For the last several years things have seemed pretty crazy at the end of school, when I think I'm going to get everything sorted and organized, instead it's been tossed in a drawer, box, file box and saved for the fall.  Then when I get back I don't get to those 'sorting boxes' and they get shoved aside (AGAIN).  This last year I used up ALL of my sick leave :( several issues with my health and that of my family, and every time I had a sub, my 'not so neat' teacher work area got scooped up and tucked away somewhere.  SO, I brought tons of boxes & file boxes home to sort, organize and clean out!

That's just a portion of what I've been working on!

6. Reading The Book Whisperer & working on a Freebie to go with it!

I am LOVING the book and I have pulled out quotes from the book and have printed them out...

There's more to add to this list, but now it's time to run into town(20 miles away), pick the kids up from VBS, take the rental into Victorville (another 30 miles away) and get my Toyota Sieanna back (BIG bill :( )  I had to share these pictures of my kids Andrew and Sieanna--today was 'tourist day' at VBS--they came up with everything on their own!! :)

Hopefully I'll get to finish this post in a few hours!!!

I Can't Resist All of the Giveaways Out in Blogland!

Once again, nothing super fancy here on this post, just a whole bunch of giveaways that I don't want to (and I don't want you to) miss out on! :)

1.  Teaching With Mrs. Lazenby is giving away a $15 gift card to Target

Target gift card from Teaching with Mrs. Lazenby

2.  Mrs. Bainbridge's Class (yes she now has a BLOG) is giving away a Classroom Theme package! Really cute stuff!

Classroom Theme Pack from Mrs. Bainbridge's Class

3.  Spotlight on Kindergarten is giving away a $20 gift card to Target

Target gift card from Spotlight on Kindergarten

More in the morning...I've got to get to bed!!!!!

Great Minds Think Alike! Pinterest Linky Party

All day I've been thinking of hosting my first linky party, one on Pinterest.  

I've seen so many teachers blogging about it and I've been busy filling up my boards I figured it was an idea who's time had come.  I was trying to find the site to set up a linky party, typed in 'linky' in my Google Reader and found there's already one started!  (Yeah, by a new blogger to me, there goes my Google Reader up to 389 blogs!!!)  Go by The Teacher's Lane and link up if you're on Pinterest, and if you're not go check it out and you probably will be when you're done looking! :)
Here's my boards! Classroom Ideas, Crafts for Me,
Fonts Graphics Alphabets Digi Art, Recipes (note I made both of the patriotic desserts for the 4th! they may not have been picture perfect, but they sure were good!) Great Teaching Classroom Ideas, Book Report Ideas (this may only have one pin right now, but I'm sure it's going to fill up!) Printables for Home and Gifts, Freebies and Printables for School, Classroom Ideas, Class Art Ideas, Books for the Classroom, (a few of my boards didn't have a 'permalink' :( hopefully once you get to me you can see ALL of my boards! I have a 'Technology Stuff', 'Books Worth Reading', 'For the Home' & 'Favorite Places & Spaces' I couldn't link you to)
Go to The Teacher's Lane and Check them out!!!