Thankful Week Day 7: My Computer

This is my last post for this week of thankfulness...and I felt like it was only appropriate to talk about how thankful I am for the device that makes this blog possible. I am regularly on my computer.  I am very often seen with this computer on my lap---I am often checking things, writing things, or reading things.  I could not do this without my computer.

My computer tells me what is going on in people's lives, the upcoming weather report, and the latest news.  Through my computer I can watch TV shows and funny YouTube clips.  I can play games and talk with friends.  I can research new things to buy and new things to learn.  I can shop and buy presents.  I can mess with pictures. I find new knitting patterns and pin things to my Pinterest boards.

Bottom line--I love my computer and I am SO grateful that I have it!

This looks exactly like my laptop :)
http://bestclipartblog.com/26-computer-clip-art.html/computer-clip-art-19

Thankful Week Day 6: Music

Music holds the glue of life together.  Without music, I would be a completely different person.  I have had the benefit of being able to sing in addition with playing the piano and the violin.  I went through elementary, middle, and high school participating in a lot of different musical adventures.  I sang in a choir all four years of high school....we sang everything from Silent Night to America the Beautiful. And then I played violin all four years--everything from Pirates of the Caribbean to West Side Story to New World Symphony.

As I went through high school--music on the radio was a central part of my life.  As social network became a bigger deal--Pandora became an essential part of all college studying days.  It has also become a central part of my grading routine now.

I am excited to now spend the next week singing my heart out as I prepare to participation in the Uintah Basin Orchestra and Chorus concert.  If you live in the Basin--please come see us and support us!!! This is our inaugural concert and I hope that you will be as blown away as I am!!

Buy tickets here!

Thankful Week Day 5: Thanksgiving

Today I am actually grateful for the holiday that this week is in charge of. This is one of my favorite holidays, because it is a great time to spend time together as a family.  It also starts off the holiday season officially--despite what the commercial world tries to do.  It is a great time to reflect on what we are thankful for.  It also has great food!

The best food at Thanksgiving? Pickles, pies, and mashed potatoes.

The best time at Thanksgiving? Spending time with family

The best moments of the day?

1. Working on family history--I have now picked a project of someone to find--and I'm excited!
2. Watching Avi and Evan see Santa
3. Evan spending most of the day in his Spiderman cape that we got him :)
4. Helping with the mashed potatoes 
5. Looking to see if my vacuum that I want to buy is on any Black Friday deals yet.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

http://clipartpin.com/category/thanksgiving-turkey-clipart

Thankful Week Day 4: Gospel of Jesus Christ

So I was thinking about this a bit today, and thought I would do it for my blog post.  I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints--also known as a Mormon.  And I am grateful that I belong to this Church.  Now don't misunderstand--the organization of the Church is made up of humans, and therefore it is not perfect--but the GOSPEL is the part of the Church that I would like to emphasis.

I am glad that I know that Jesus is the Christ. I am grateful that I know that He is there for me, along with a loving Heavenly Father who truly cares and loves me. I know that the Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for a prophet that is on this Earth that can really receive revelation for us and warn us of what is coming.

I am grateful for the emphasis on family and that we have the ability to seal families for time and all eternity.  I am grateful for temples--the peace that I can find on this Earth is there. I am grateful for the knowledge that I came from somewhere and I have a place that I am going.

I am sure I could keep going--but that is what I am thinking of right away. Bottom line--I am grateful to have the knowledge of the gospel in my life.  And if you would like that too, I would encourage you to go here :)

Thank you Wikipedia

Thankful Week Day 3: Books

Today I am thankful for books.  Yes not exactly one you hear a lot....which is what I'm trying to think of for this week.  (Just while I'm thinking about it I am thankful for my family, my husband, the food and clothes that we are able to buy etc...but I'm trying to think outside the box a bit so don't be shocked if you don't see those coming up this week).

So now the real question is why.....because they can take me on adventures.  I have never traveled outside the United States, and I haven't visited many states as I would have liked--so books take me places I haven't been before.

Books also take me back in time.  Sometimes I wish that I lived in a Jane Austen book--but then I think about the computer, heat, women's rights that I have now and I am glad that I get to read them and be there with all of things that I enjoy here.

Books also let me experience the lives of others.  There are things that people get to do in books that I would never get to do in real life or even really attempt to do in real life--like steal things or fight in wars.  But now I can see what it is like and not have to do it.

And my final reason--they take me out of my own life.  Books are a great escape from life.  You can become a different person for a little while and stop being you.  It can be a dangerous thing--so use wisely :) And it can be addicting too--sometimes you can't put that life down and focus on your own.  But I love it just the same.

Some of the top 10 books of 2013 as said by Washington Post 

Thankful Week Day 2: My House

So to continue with this week, I thought that I would talk about how I am glad that we have a house all to our own.  I have been renting for the past eight years, and it is nice to know that this is all ours.  We can fix it up the way we want, I can change the carpet if I want to, etc.

I am still trying to organize our house so that it feels the way I want it to---it is a super work in progress--but it is also super nice to know that as I unpack boxes, I am unpacking them for a while instead of worrying that we will have to move soon or something. I am also liking that I can buy things to decorate or make things easier and not wonder how I will use it in the next apartment.

So I am grateful for a house I can call my own.

Nice pretty spring time shot...its too dark outside
or I would show you how it looks in the winter

Thankful Week Day 1: My Job

So....I am struggling with something to write about this week....because of the holiday I would like to try to maybe schedule some posts---and then this came to me. Duh...it is Thanksgiving--I should really focus on what I'm thankful for.  So I would like to spend each day talking about something that I am thankful for. Today I am thinking about how I am grateful for having a job.

A job means a lot of things.  I don't have to sit at home and wonder what I am doing with my life.  I can earn money to support Brian and I.  With both of us having good jobs, we were able to buy a house and we are able to give ourselves a very comfortable life.

In addition, I can do something that I enjoy with my job.  Yes, I hate my job at times.  But I like seeing the changes in these students.  I enjoy watching the light bulb turn on as the students figure out something new.  I appreciate being the listening ear for students as they try to figure out what they want to accomplish in life and navigate the world.

I don't think I've use this one yet....
https://fbcdn-sphotos-b-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/1045038_348369811932958_226100660_n.jpg

Movie Review: The Hunger Games

So...yes this is an old movie. I hadn't seen it yet, and with Catching Fire coming out this week I figured it was time.

Summary: In a futuristic world, there were 13 districts that rebelled against their rulers---only 12 survived.  And as a reminder of this rebellion, each district sends two teenagers to fight in the Hunger Games. Katniss is sent from her district to fight and figure out how to be the last one standing.  Her adventure takes her to the shiny capital were she is now an instant celebrity, and she has to put all that aside as she enters the arena to kill 23 other people.

What Did I Love?

• How true to the book it was.  I didn't feel like I had missed anything and it was actually cool to have a more third person perspective--it allowed them to explain some more things.

What Did I Hate?

• Peeta was acted well--but I wish they had done a little bit more with his costume so that he was a bit more attractive!!! I really still root for Gale because I really like Liam Hemsworth---like a lot.

I have heard good things about the sequel...can't wait to see it.

JFK Assassination 50th Anniversary

biography.com

As a history teacher, these types of anniversaries come and go and some of them are big enough to share with our students.  I hope that today a lot of teachers spent the time to go over the events of that day. Last week, my students and I started a DVD that I really enjoy showing to students about the assassination.  I like it, because it explains everything well and in ways that they can understand.  It also goes through the conspiracy theories and basically allows the viewer to decide for themselves--which is what I want my students to do. This great DVD is tricky to get now because it is a Peter Jennings Report from 2003, which was made to commemorate the 40th anniversary. However, I was able to get it from Amazon.

So I also like this DVD because the interviews are well done.  They find people involved in the investigations, the hearings etc. to give their take on what happened.  I am excited to add to the end of our viewing some of the clips that ABC News has been doing this week--and I want to see what NBC News has been doing too.

But to wrap up today, I had a stark realization today.  Growing up, I knew that the assassination was a big deal.  I wasn't even thought of when it happened---my mom was only a few months old.  But I understood the question, "Where were you when you found out the president had been shot?" because I knew the question, "Where were you when 9-11 happened?" My students can barely remember 9-11, and their parents might not have been alive, it depends on the kid.  Because they were trying to figure out why there was so much hype....even after he had died.  So I did my best bringing it to reality for them, and I think I got to at least a couple who were like,"Well if nothing else, history has a tendency to repeat itself."

So I guess I will end with this...how do we explain the national phenomeon that seems to surround historical events like this without thinking like you are ending a not really funny story--"I guess you just had to be there."

Book Review: Divergent

Title: Divergent
Author: Veronica Roth
Genre: Futuristic/Drama
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Why Did I Read? I have had this on my list of things to read FOREVER...ever since my good friend Christine (who has a book coming out--go look!) suggested that I read it.  The students at school have recently started passing it around as the third one recently came out and we purchased the second book (yay to finally have money for books). So when I saw this for $4 on Kindle, I just had to!!

Summary: Beatrice lives in the faction of Abnegation and she feels like she really doesn't fit in.  Choosing Day is coming up, and she chooses to leave her faction for the daring Dauntless faction. This faction requires her to be brave and stand up for herself. She learns a lot about herself as she goes through the requirements that this faction has, but will she meet them all or will she become factionless? And then what is going on with the faction leaders--there sure seem to be a lot of secrets.

What Did I Love: The suspense and new world that this book creates--it really sucked me in and became quite unpredictable.  It also really has some great morales taught inside it as well.

What Did I Hate: I wish it had some less characters or some better development of all the characters....I feel like it is just one of those how many people can we squeeze into one book?

Can't wait to start the second one!!!

Gettysburg Address Anniversary

This year is the 150th anniversary of the Gettysburg address--specifically yesterday (the 19th).  I have had fun this week showing the students how short this speech is and how easy it is to understand. I had a couple of resources to help.

A great couple of the speech from this website: http://gettyready.org/gettysburg.shtml

Great background for the students to read, and some interesting facts about the speech in: http://www.ket.org/lincoln/pdf/gettysburg%20address.pdf

This would have been a great lesson--but all I did was steal the questions on the speech itself: http://edsitement.neh.gov/sites/edsitement.neh.gov/files/worksheets/lincoln01-764.pdf

Thank you Wikipedia!

Book Review: 1984

As I mentioned in two other posts, I have been reading this with my students. I am glad that they seemed to really enjoy it.  I was worried that the ending might cause some of them to be so frustrated that they might get thrown off the book.  But actually they were just fine--and were able to have a great discussion about it on Friday.  I used the idea of the Fishbowl and some questions so that they would start the discussion and continue it on their own. Quite a few of them really enjoyed it and did very well. One of them was like--this is what its like in college right? And when I said yes....she got soo excited for college :)

Title: 1984
Author: George Orwell
Genre: Satire/Classic
Rating: 3 out of 5

Why Did I Read? For school

Summary: Winston Smith lives in the futuristic world of Oceania. This world is different because the government controls everything, including thoughts.  Winston wants to fight against the system, but can't really figure out how with Big Brother watching all the time. When he figures out a way, will he get caught?

What Did I Love? This time around I really liked the idea of the history messing....it is something that is very interesting to contemplate as a history teacher

What Did I Hate? The long diatribe from "the book" in the middle of part 2 and how I really feel like he starts to beat a dead horse with the satire stuff.

Quick note to fellow English teachers: there is a couple of sex scenes--they are not super bad...PG-13 tame. But I wouldn't use this book with just any class---know your students.

Book Review: The Storyteller

This was the audio book that I finished this weekend.  I was so glad to-because this was a great book!

Title: The Storyteller

Author: Jodi Picoult

Genre: Historical Fiction

Rating: 5 out of 5

Why Did I Read? I read My Sister's Keeper by the same author, and when I saw it on the shelf as a possible audio book to listen to and I read the back--it sounded great!

Summary: This is actually a really tricky summary to write...because I walked in knowing nothing and it was kind of nice because I got to guess as I went along. So I am going to do a first on this blog....I am going to copy and paste Amazon's summary in because it is a good one:

Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t, and they become companions. 

Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret—one that nobody else in town would ever suspect—and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy? 

In this searingly honest novel, Jodi Picoult gracefully explores the lengths we will go in order to protect our families and to keep the past from dictating the future.

See why I wanted to read it in the first place?  I will leave it historical fiction which will give you another clue without giving it away.

What Did I Love: The amazing story and lesson that this book teaches.  The imagery was spectacular--you feel like you were there with these characters-experiencing what they experienced.  The end was very good--ahh the whole thing was soo good--which is why it gets a 5! Might be the first book ever on this blog to get a 5...I'd half to look.

What Did I Hate: Nothing to hate...except for the fact that its over

Final note about the audio--I would HIGHLY recommend it.  The narrators--Fred Berman, Edoardo Ballerini, Suzanne Toren, Jennifer Ikeda, and Mozhan Mamo--did a fantastic job and I love how they all took a character and really read them. I really think the audio book really pushed this book over the top for me. It was spectacular.

P.S. Can I also say that I LOVE that I'm actually reading a book that came out in 2013--in 2013--this like never happens.

Top Ten Tuesdays: Recommendations for High School Students

Tonight I thought for Top Ten Tuesday I would do recommendations for my students.  What should I read if I completely hate reading and I am a high school student?!

If you like futuristic/reality
1. The Hunger Games--if you haven't read it you are seriously missing out!
2. Divergent--this one is really good...especially if you liked The Hunger Games

If you like drama/suspense
3. The Face on the Milk Carton--Kidnapping and family drama all in one :)
4. The Pelican Brief--Who killed who? Why did they do it? And there's more by John Grisham too.

If you like Downton Abbey
5. Pride and Prejudice--It is a great story, and a romance to top it off. And if you like that go to Emma
6. Anne of Green Gables--This old-fashioned story has always been really sweet and then I love keep reading the rest of them.

If you like romances
7. The Truth About Forever--super sweet love story!! And it is a high school love story :) And you can read more Sarah Dessen if you like this one
8. The Last Song--Nicholas Sparks is a great author to read...I like starting with this one because it is more high school friendly

If you like historical fiction
9. The Boy in the Stripped Pajamas--It is a great story from a different perspective.
10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society--I love how this whole book is in letters and you learn so much about history :)

http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/

Book of Mormon Challenge

So it is a two post day as I make the effort to catch up...and I thought these were a great two to post together.   I found out about this blog over the weekend. This sweet mom has been helping the sister missionaries in her area that are going through a hard time, and with their help she has set up a 40 Days and 40 Nights challenge.

To sum up, she has challenged everyone to read the Book of Mormon in 40 Days and 40 Nights...starting on the 16th to be done at the end of the year.  Yes days and nights--that is the only way to really get this done.  And it is a great challenge to me because she doesn't want this challenge to just be for people who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but any one who is interested in giving a gift to Christ this holiday season.  She even has an alternate challenge for people who would rather read the Bible with a schedule for the New Testament, which I am going to try to do after the first of the year.

In addition, she has paired the other two little things that I think makes a great scripture study--prayer and journal writing.  To me, prayer makes scripture study more meaningful and journal writing helps our testimonies to really grow. Also--as if it couldn't get any better--she has highlighted a section of verses for each day to really focus on and they have been great so far.

So I didn't really start until the 17th....but I am glad that I had just started the Book of Mormon over again because I was actually a little bit ahead instead of behind her schedule.  The schedule is going to be a bit grueling, and I have a feeling I might spend some Sundays catching up--but that's ok in my book.  Last night, as I began in earnest--I felt motivated to achieve my goal which was new with my scripture study--I haven't had an achievable goal with that in awhile. And I felt the Spirit stronger last night than I have the last two--so I am excited to see how this goes.

I encourage you to join up on which ever challenge fits you--you aren't too far behind and it won't be too hard to catch up!

Thank you again to http://countrymomatheart.com for this great idea!

It's Monday! What are you reading?

So....I am like ADD-DJ with my reading right now.  I have been reading so much more and it is making me very very happy :) And I am just kind of reading whatever I feel like it....and what sounds good at the time....so here is what I am currently trying to tackle.

1. Insurgent by Veronica Roth---I just finished Divergent and I NEED to read this one next.  Such a great series so far :)
2. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher--So I needed to see what all the fuss was about with this one...I don't remember exactly when Banned Book Week was but this list was often on the recent lists. 
3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte--Excited to read this with my students like we did with 1984....we will see if it is as liked as 1984 or not :)
4. Fablehaven by Brandon Mull--I haven't read this series yet! This is my audio book right now :)

Yay to be participating in the bookjourney.wordpress.com linky again!

P.S. And see my next post about what else I'm reading--the Book of Mormon :)

The Longest Break from Blogging EVER!

So....I have kind of fallen off the wagon. It is kind of sad that in November is when I miss four days in a row for blogging--when I set out in January to blog everyday.  Those of you that have been reading for a little while know, that there have been a couple of days where I have missed that day and I have now been okay with 365 blog posts in 2013....but these four days have been crazy!!

So, lets catch you up with what has been going on and why I missed....and then we will get to the catching up!

So the first day I fell of the wagon was Wednesday---and this was a seriously long day....and I didn't realize until the next day that I hadn't blogged....and that I hadn't even opened my computer all day long.  Those of you that know me well know that this is ODD...we are attached at the hip (well I suppose you should say lap).  Wednesday was a work day that did not end until 5:00....in which I hopped in the car and drove straight to Vernal for a 6:00 choir rehearsal (more on that later) and a five minute dinner.  The rehearsal ended at 9:00. Brian hadn't eaten so we stopped to get him food, and then drove home to arrive around 10:00.  Being in large amounts of pain, I pretty much got ready for bed the minute we got home and was asleep right away.

Thursday I had the great opportunity to go to the temple with the youth (my third trip in a row to Vernal this week alone). But once again this was a work to Vernal kind of deal--at least dinner was included :).  However, before I could go to bed I had to write progress reports to the parents of all of my students.  We currently have 40 students, and I have almost all of them and in multiple classes.  So I ended up writing about 8 pages of reports.  Except I couldn't get started until 9:00 that night! So...needless to say I was up until 12:30ish--blogging already had been missed for Thursday by then and it was easy to say I will catch up--since I skipped Wednesday. (Honestly though I didn't even have that though process until I woke up Friday)

Friday I came home all excited to work on blog posts for the missed days...but I took one look at my bed after four hours of sleep and pretty much went to bed.  Saturday involved driving out to Provo in the snow to get Brian's car and then driving back....again in the snow through some scary road patches.  So when I got home my brain was too fried to think about writing....and the amount I was behind on was a little bit overwhelming.

SO now we get to today....this I have been actually procrastinating most of the day--finding other things to do.  But yay! I am back on the wagon. So--what is on tap as I catch up all of my blog posts?

1. Three book reviews!! (Between all the driving Saturday I finished two books! And we finished 1984 as a class)
2. Exciting family history stuff (I have been reignited into indexing and researching family history)
3. Launching my mormon.org account (hopefully)
4. Interesting blogs I have read recently
5. 2 history anniversaries this week--JFK assassination 50th anniversary Friday and Gettysburg Address anniversary Tuesday
6. And hopefully an update on my knit-a-long scarf...that sadly I have not started...this week might be a bit smoother so we shall see :)

Yep this will be me this week.....though I hope my hair doesn't fly out like that :P
http://www.dreamstime.com/illustration/typing.html

A Cool Image

Struggling with a topic today...but I stumbled on this today.

http://www.buzzfeed.com/antwaunsargent/lies-people-tell-about-teaching-that-simply-arent-true

So be grateful for a teacher--I promise that they will be grateful you said something.

Veteran's Day Lesson Plan

So with today being Veterans Day--I am doing a lesson plan with the soldiers today, last Friday, and this coming Wednesday (the days I have class).  I found a couple of things to do with the class...I wanted it to be a mini-lesson type of feel because we are in the middle of units right now.  So we are reading:

Picture courtesy of barnesandnoble.com

I love this book because even though it is a children's story and high schoolers might go eh....but they seem to enjoy the sweetness of the story and I like that it doesn't feel like it was written for 6 year olds and it doesn't talk down to them.

We also watched a couple of videos.  Today's CNN Student News was very appropriate I thought and teenage related.  And ABC News from last Thursday was good...but I didn't watch the follow-up on Friday yet so I can't recommend that one. But I loved how both of these videos focus on not only the sacrifice of the veterans but their families--and that is what I really wanted to hit home for my kids.

What did you do today with your students?

Greatest Comedy Skit EVER!

So, I watched this skit today and I am still thinking about it!!! You must watch!



It was great skit that I think would be perfect to show in my history classes....just need to figure out a good segway into it.

Stress--How do you deal with it?

So I was searching through Pinterest for inspiration today and I saw this quote:

http://blogs.edweek.org/teachers/classroom_qa_with_larry_ferlazzo/2013/11/response_using_self-compassion_to_recover_from_a_bad_day.html

This quote caught my attention, because I have been thinking a bit lately about the stress that comes with my job.  How much it wears me out--and I wonder if it is because I don't handle my stress right. Which gets me thinking that if I handled stress better, would my overall life be better? The obvious answer to that one of course is yes---but then it circles back to the only way I can think of to control my stress better is quitting my job.  Currently that is not something that I am contemplating (though my more faithful readers know that I do contemplate this at my low points). So I clicked on this quote.

It came from an article on Education Week that is the third part of a series answering the question of how do you deal with a bad day as teachers. After reading the responses from various teachers, I realize that they are talking about the days in which the lesson doesn't go well, or the kids are driving you crazy, or you have those moments that just make you want to walk out.  And yes I still have those--but these articles didn't give me completely what I was thinking it was.  My job is stressful--as the quote says---it is the nature of the beast.  And it confirms what I have been thinking all along--it is not just this particular job.  So how do we deal with it? We can't just stop being teachers.

Some people offered the standard answers of taking care of yourself and leaving work at work--including in your mind.  And I agree with those, but others talked about things to do to prevent the bad days and when in the middle of them.  What about when you just get so tired of getting up in the morning? So in response to this response article....I thought I would offer what I try to do to deal with my stress.

1. As much as leaving at 3:00 when you get off is good for you...sometimes it is helpful to just stay a little longer so that you actually can leave work at work.  Even though some days I get home at 5...I go home without having to worry about anything.
2. Be willing to say no to things...having too many things on the plate along with teaching is hard.  Don't feel guilty just because you can't do it all.
3. I have noticed that if I don't take time for myself every night the next day is harder.  Even if it is a couple minutes of TV watching, book reading, Facebook, etc.--I recharge so much better.
4. In line with 2 and 3--make the important things a priority.  For me--church is a huge priority.  It helps me to deal with the stress of work--and it is a priority in my life.
5. Put your life in perspective.  Now this might sound really like a strange way to do so....but sometimes I say to myself, "Well at least I am not having to go through this like so and so is." I have a teacher friend right now who is teaching a full course load, directing the school musical that opens this week, and getting ready for basketball season that starts as soon as the play is over. And to top it all off her mom is currently fighting cancer.  Seriously....I have it easy compared to that.  It makes my stress not seem so over-whelming.  When none of you have horrible things happening in your lives (which is preferable don't get me wrong)--TV is a great replacement for--see my life isn't as horrible as it could be--especially medical dramas like Greys.

How do you relieve your stress?

Diagonal Knitted Baby Blanket

So, back in March I reviewed a Seed Stitch Blanket pattern that I had finished knitting.  I have another blanket that I have finally finished!!! I feel like I started this in like May trying to get it done by July for the baby--and I didn't get a chance to. But I finished it for Young Women in Excellence and I was so proud!! So I wanted to share the awesomeness of this pattern. I call it the Diagonal Knitted Baby Blanket.  The pattern is from Lion Brand and they call it Neptune Baby Throw.

First of, I would rate this pattern a 4.5 stars. Because the awesomeness of it is the fact that it is super easy once you get the hang of it. It is also SUPER adorable! And I like the multi-color idea of it.  The serious negative to this is a knitting marathon! You think it will go super fast because you increase by a row and you get a lot of blanket fast and then it goes really slow as you add a stitch each time.  But the pro with that it becomes a nice really big blanket perfect for tummy time!

See what I mean by big?!

The color isn't great but you can see what it looks like
and I used pink and purple here.  I have also used blue and green before and it is super cute.

Anybody else made this blanket? What did you think?

Yarn Giveaway!!

This is a sweet giveaway from Lion Brand Yarn.



Go here: http://www.favecrafts.com/sweeps/Lion-Brand-Yarn-Prize-Package-Giveaway to enter ASAP--because it ends tomorrow.

Which brings me to a completely separate thing....I would like to do a giveaway because I have always thought that this would be a great way to say that I have become a real blogger if I did a giveaway.  But what should I give away? Yarns? Books? Gift cards? Let me know in the comment box what you would like to try to win :)

So...

Today was exhausting....and I think I am tired from Monday and Tuesday too--I actually already fell asleep once---I have been awoken to go to my real bed and I knew I had to write something but I am very incoherent so good night world.

Dr. Seuss LDS Style

So....this year in Young Women's we have been talking about a scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 87:8---that says "Stand ye in holy places and be not moved."  And tonight we did a full year wrap up of what the girls accomplished this year.  I will share tomorrow in a different post what I did this year and hopefully get to send off tomorrow :) But today I wanted to share how proud I am of all our girls! And hope that they remember who they are and that they can stand and decide the direction that you head. I made this handout tonight for the girls--because we hope that this is where you end up.

Ugh....so after wrestling with it for like a half an hour--I can't get it to paste in here. Didn't think it would be that hard!  Anyway...I got a picture of the Vernal Temple since it is "our temple" and then pasted this over the top:

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You're on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the guy who'll decide where to go.

You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with care.

About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."

With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet,

you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

This quote is from "Oh the Places You'll Go" and it just seemed perfect to me.  I highlighted the part: "You can steer yourself any direction you choose":--and we stuck them on little shoes...and they looked great and I hoped the girls got as much out of them as I loved making them!

You Tube Inspired: Pentatonix Inspired

This has been a BUSY day and I still have more to do!!! So this is a quick little post....one of the greatest a capella groups ever got on a national stage.  And this is an AWESOME medley!

November=Gratitude

This season of Thanksgiving is often forgotten inbetween Halloween and Christmas....but I like this holiday WAY more than Halloween.  It is a great time of year as we start to get excited for Christmas, snow, spending time with family, etc.  A lot of people talk about what they are thankful for during this time of year as well.  I thought that to start off this month I would put up a couple of quotes that really speak to me about gratitude.

https://fbcdn-sphotos-h-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-frc3/1441367_592994844071512_1708809530_n.jpg

http://media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/bd/94/ad/bd94ad31e01a5081d00119af3f8ba86a.jpg

Sleep...

I have been thinking a bit about sleeping today.  I don't know a lot about the science behind sleep...but I do know the general idea of sleep cycles. I think that I am what is typically known as a long sleeper...I do better if I get to sleep more.  I also am--like most people--better if I can just get up on my own.  Typically that is about 12 hours later....hence my idea of long sleeper.  But what puzzles me today is that I can fall asleep on the weekends a whole heck of a lot earlier than on the weekdays.  I struggle sometimes falling to sleep even though I have to be up at 5:30 in the morning for work even if it is after 11. But when I don't have to be up until 7 on a Saturday--I am out like a light at 10:00 on the nose. And then there's the fact that I will get to a point where I can't even keep my eyes open...it makes zero sense to me.  So as I woke up to write this and now will go back to sleep...I ponder why somedays I am just fine staying up this late and others I am not :)
Good night all!

http://rapgenius.com/All-city-chess-club-we-beamin-remix-lyrics#note-44692

1984 Part 2....Section 1

Today my class and I discussed the first of part 2 of 1984. They have really been enjoying the book--and it has been fun to see their excitement about it. It is tricky to keep them from getting too far head--a couple of them couldn't put it down and finished it. And now I've got to make sure that they don't spoil it! We took a break at the beginning of chapter 9 in part 2--right after Winston and Julia visit with O'Brien. That way any teachers out there that are teaching this book know where I am talking about. We talked about three main things today: specifically characterization, paradox, and symbols.

With characterization, we talked a lot about Julia and Winston's relationship.  We discussed why they might be okay with it despite the threat of death--and who is actually in love/faking/using the other person. The class is really unanimous in the fact that Julia is using Winston---the debate is still out on whether he is using her.  The split was is he using her for sex....or does he just think he is in love with her. With paradox, I have been pointing out and reminding them of this term as we come discuss each time. Last class we talked about how the motto was a significant paradox--the students really liked pick out Julia as the perfect paradox. With symbols, we talked about the paperweight that he seems so set on and what the proles symbolize in the story.

Overall, we are having a great discussion and I really recommend this book for teachers of high school seniors or higher.

Picture Credit: http://thebookparade.blogspot.com/2012/12/book-review-1984-by-george-orwell.html