15 From 15...Reflections & Looking Forward!

I don't know about the rest of you, but I had some big goals over break...well here we are at the last day & many of those goals...let's just say, 'Maybe next time!'...I thought I would blog several times, but this is it!

I'm linking up with Kristin, Hadar, & Traci...late...Kristin has blogged SIX times since she posted her linky!  Oh well, better late than never!

15 from 15...

I began 2015 with choosing my One Little Word for the year it was...

This year's word is...

I took this picture about a month ago...it will remind me to FIND things to be in Awe of...this year I want to FIND hope...FIND what is really important...FIND ways to live my mission statement...FIND inspiring people, images, & words...I think I will FIND new connections to the word FIND in the next 12 months!...my verse with it is "So I say to you, keep asking, and it will be given to you. Keep searching, and you will FIND. Keep knocking, and the door will be opened to you." Luke 11:9 HCSB

In 2015 my printers at both home & school died. My school printer was replaced with a black ink laser printer.  It is very nice, but I LOVE COLOR! When we looked at printers for home I learned about HP's Instant Ink program.  On some of their printers, you can sign up for Instant Ink, a program in which the printer communicates with HP & lets them know when you are running low on ink & it ships a new cartridge to your house!  The program charges by the copy, not by the amount of ink, & unused pages roll over to the next month!  I LOVE IT!!!

This year I discovered NexusFont & I love it!! If you have a PC & you love fonts...I am a Fontaholic...you really should look into this program!  I have a tutorial for it which you can view HERE.

In 2015 I learned a lot about Google Apps for Education~GAFE I was blessed enough to attend 2 Google Summits...I have learned so much, but have SO MUCH more to learn...I hope to become  a Google Certified Teacher in 2016.

In 2015 I also became active on Twitter {I learned about it as a Professional Development tool from the 1st conference mentioned in #4}

I love Twitter & I am currently following 1220; most who are in the field of education!...I have participated in quite a few Twitter Chats...a great way to connect & learn! My twitter name is @thankfulndw

 Since I am on Social Media, I started with Instagram or IG this summer...it is great because I am visual...I am connecting & learning there too...one aspect of the learning curve about using IG is what this song by Rhett & Link explains...{start at 2:00}...

My teenaged son introduced me to Rhett & Link & I must say they CRACK ME UP!!
My IG Name is @the.apple.basket.teacher

In March, this adorable bundle of joy, my grandson was born!  We enjoy every visit we get with him!

After our school chose to have AR at our school I updated my whole classroom  library & leveled all of the books...it was a huge task, but I a so glad that my students can easily find books in their reading range.

Our school became a Leader in Me, based on Stephen Covey's Seven Habits, in 2015...I am very glad we are taking this journey together!

 The 2nd TpT Conference was this summer, and I was blessed to be able to attend.  It was one of the highlights of my year!

 This summer I had a new logo made for a variety of reasons.  I really like it and feel happy that it is unique to me alone!

This fall I learned about Naeir.  If you have not checked into Naeir & have a love of school/office supplies, I suggest you check into them!  I stopped posting because guilt over this obsession interest was getting to me!

 GoNoodle has continued to be a favorite in my room...my students last year raised most of the money to upgrade to GoNoodle Plus!

Proud Mom is my #15...I have been so proud of my kids!  Good grades, dance, plays, trumpet, tuba, singing & more...so proud.

I will try to post on Wednesday & have a new product or 2 up this month! {This post has taken me hours...I am just too slow at blogging!}

Happy 2016 to all of you!!!

New Logo, New Look, Moving Forward!

If you have ever been to my blog before you are probably noticing a difference!  I hope you like it...here is the story....
I began my blog in 2011 as The Apple Basket Teacher.  I found an artist who used apples in one of her sets of graphics and I purchased that set.  I designed my own blog and this is what my header has looked until just recently...

Part of this artist's Terms of Use are that you can't use her work on products & items...not a problem when I began, it was just for my blog...then I started my TpT store...in August of 2014 I uploaded some freebies to my store & used my blog button as my logo for my TpT Store...

 Since I couldn't use this image on my products, as I started to creating items for sell last year, I placed a variety of clipart apples or apple baskets on my products.  I also decided to 2 summers ago to purchase my own Mini Me done by The Library Fox... 

BEST $15 dollars EVER!~ I HIGHLY recommend her!  I have not been super comfortable with pictures of me {I'm getting over it, look at my last post! LOL} & so I have used this image on LOTS of things including my Facebook & Twitter images...

 When the 4 lovely ladies created the TpT Seller's challenge this summer & I was working on my 'Makeover Madness' my sister pointed out the importance of consistency & so I decided upon one particular clipart basket to place on my products...okay, on my PAID products...Terms of Use for that clipart...only on PAID products, so  I chose a different one for freebies...while at the TpT Conference I searched my store on my phone {it comes up differently on the full web version} & up popped another store with a VERY similar title & her logo....USED THE VERY APPLE BASKET I WAS PLACING ON ALL OF MY PAID PRODUCTS!!!...

Now, hear me correctly, there is nothing WRONG with her choosing that for her logo...I have NO negative feelings towards her...AT ALL...I just realized I needed something that was UNIQUELY MINE...I kept hearing at the conference 'Branding, Branding, Branding' & I really do like the feel of this blog...it is mine & none out there are quite like it...so I didn't want to hire someone for a complete makeover, just for a unique logo for me that I could use with this blog~just making a few changes to the blog {header & blog button}...

 I remembered hearing about an online company that performs various goods & services for $5 & up...I checked out what they had to offer...I hired someone & explained what I wanted ...THIS was what I was first sent...

Ummmmm...NO.....did NOT like the Green basket or the fact that looking at it THE is what caught my eye...when I gave my feedback this is what I got...

Better, but I still had some major issues with it...looks like clipart was used for the basket & apples...don't want to run into copyright issues or others with the same thing...and it just didn't feel right....

I did a little more homework looking at lots of work samples & reading reviews...I decided on Danny from Design_line36... his first design was close, but it just wasn't a fit yet...he went back & redesigned it & this is my new logo...

I am very pleased & I have played with it a bit so that I can use the basket in TpT~it uses a round logo & I needed a square for my favicon~that cute little picture up on the tab that says The Apple Basket Teacher...hopefully he won't be crushed with the additional buttons, icons, labels I have made with it...

In addition I added it to the back of my Mini Me's Laptop!!

I hope you like it too!  What do you think???

My only issue right now is redoing my blog button...I watched on tutorial...tried to follow it step by step, but it didn't show up on my sidebar...soon I hope!!