I've got a four by four...

      Kim at A Pound of Thoughts tagged me in this fun little survey.  Four questions with four answers each.  I think Kim is one of my awesome blog friends, so I couldn't say no to the 4x4.  :]  At the bottom I'll tag four new people...read on to see if it's you!  And if you are just stopping by, scroll down to the next post to read the latest My Favorite Things and link up!

01. Four Places I Go
- the elementary school I work at
- church
- Chick-fil-A
- The Mall of GA

02. Four Favorite Smells
- chocolate chip cookies
- cologne
- the fresh smell of ozone right after a rainstorm
- Chick-fil-A waffle fries

03. Four Favorite Movies/Shows
- Community
- Little Women (the newer version with Winona Ryder)
- Modern Family
- Pride and Prejudice (BBC mini-series)

04. Four Recommendations
- Always show respect.
- Watch these clips.
- Enjoy a thunder storm.
- Listen to this album.

     That was more enjoyable than I thought it would be.  I really liked thinking of four recommendations.  Alrighty, I tag...
   -Heather @ A Cup of Tea
   -Jordyn @ intangible goodness
   -Caitlyn @ The Road Goes Ever On and On (props for the coolest blog name ever)
   -Laura @ Diary of an Old Maid
Have fun, ladies!

MFT: Friends (part one)

     Alright guys...I don't mean to brag, but I have some kickin' friends.  And today, they are My Favorite Thing. 

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with Hook and Julie.  We ate, walked, threw the frisbee, and made a Sonic run.  Perfect afternoon, if you ask me.  I'm forever grateful for these two in my life: Hook introduced me to good music and Julie introduced me to the joy of baking/decorating/house-wifery.

Clint and Brynn...they've been discussed on here before.  I was supposed to go visit them this weekend, but that didn't end up working out.  I'll have to get out there soon.  PROMISE.

My terrace ladies: SJ, Michaela, Wigal, Amber, and Meredith.  I never would have survived my senior year of college (or any of the years, for that matter) without these five friends.  We lived together last year and we had so much fun.  I miss living with them every day.

     God has truly blessed me in the area of friendships, so this is only part one of my friends.  I don't know where I would be without the support and influence of each of these people.  They have all impacted me in huge ways, and thinking about the memories I share with them is guaranteed to brighten up the gloomiest of Mondays. 

     Remember to link up with one of your favorite things!  I was having a kind of melancholy day, but thinking about my favorite things has really given me a new outlook on the rest of the day.  :]

Ok, I just realized that tomorrow is MARCH.  Talk about surprising...2011 is moving crazy fast.

Fill in the Blanks: IT'S FRIDAY!!!

     It's Friday!!!  We did it, everybody!  We made it through another week!  I typically am not one to rejoice for the weekend, but this was a rough week for me.  The rest and relaxation I'm anticipating is much needed.  Today I'm filling in the blanks from Lauren over at the little things we do.  You should join in, too!  :]


1. I am currently obsessed with learning about Autism and The Avett Brothers.  I listened to the album "I and Love and You" at least four times in a row the other night.  I always feel like getting up to dance when I hear this song:

2. Today I am chill because I just got home from work and I'm looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  Things on the agenda: bike ride in the park, long-awaited phone calls, and reading.  Possibly some hammocking will find its way into the schedule.

3. The age I am is 22 and the age I feel is about the same.  Although, I really have no idea how 22 years old is supposed to feel.  When I'm at work I feel like a grown-up, but when I'm at home I feel more like an immature kid.  I guess that's because I still live with my parents. 

4. My favorite place is North Georgia.  The WHOLE thing.  I love Toccoa, Tallulah Falls, Clayton, Helen, the mountains, Ila, Clarkesville...all of it!

[source]

5. Something I have been procrastinating is doing laundry.  It is honestly taking up 1/3 of my room and it's growing.  But I hate doing it, so each weekend I only do one load.  I really need to do like three loads this weekend so I'll be caught up.  Instead I'll probably pick out the necessities to wash and leave the rest on my floor.

6. The last thing I purchased was dinner at Moe's last night.  I had the vegetarian nachos and they were delish.  Black beans, queso, cheese (yep, double cheesiness), pico de gallo, and cilantro.

7. The thing I love most about my home is the two car garage.  It annoys me when there are a million cars in people's driveways, so it's great that we can fit two of our three cars in the garage.  Makes our house look much nicer.

I'm excited because it's FRIDAY!  ;]

Seeing a Bit of the "Big Picture"

     No WIWW post today...I didn't take pictures of any of my outfits this week.  Don't worry: you aren't missing out on much.  I've been working in the severe autism class since last Wednesday, so my clothing choices have been very practical (i.e. they're quite boring).  I'll try harder next week, I (kinda) promise.  :]

     Speaking of autism (like I did on Saturday), I bought a new book today.  See?

The book is Overcoming Autism by Lynn Kern Koegel, PhD, and Claire LaZebnik.  I'm super excited to start reading it.  Can I just interject for a minute that God is amazing?  Because He is.  A year ago I never EVER EVER expected that I would be working with autistic kids.  I'd had one difficult, scary, and frustrating experience with an autistic child, so I the idea of working with autistic kids as a living never occurred to me.

     Here is the amazing God part: I didn't get a job after graduation.  Instead, I have spent my first year out of college subbing.  One day in October I got the call go sub in an autistic classroom; I asked if it was severe, moderate, or mild, and I was told it was a mild class.  When I showed up in the classroom the next morning I realized that it was not a mild class...this was definitely a class full of little boys with severe autism.  Needless to say, I was terrified.

I was terrified of the unknown, and now I know that I have nothing to be afraid of.

     The days I spend subbing in the autistic classes are my favorite days of subbing.  I have found nothing but love for these precious children.  Yes, there are the temper tantrums, running, and pinching, but there are also sweet smiles, little voices calling out "tickle!", and the joy when someone finally says "water."  God really knew what He was doing when I didn't get a "real" teaching job for this school year.  Now I realize what I would have missed out on.  It's days like today that I remember that God has the bigger picture...why do I ever doubt Him? 

[source]

     Has God revealed any "big pictures" to you lately?

Much Needed Updates

     So, today is February 20th, which means March is in EIGHT days.  EIGHT.  That word deserves to be in all caps and bold because that is just pure insanity. I started this post two weeks ago and promptly forgot about it...I'm gonna finish it up and add in some February stuff.  Lots of things happened in January, none of which I want to forget.

Snowmageddon 2011!  Everything was shut down for a whole week.

Road trip to B-Ham!

I got to see Michaela and Jon!  What a blessing!

Amber was home from Peru! (And she gave me this cool Peruvian hat.)

Chopped open my thumb with a paper cutter...this was after a few days of healing.

Lots of shopping with my baby sister!

Beautiful early morning snow on my drive to work...what a way to start the day!

Hockey game with my sisters and honorary sister.  So fun!

Valentine's gifts from my parents.

Valentine's Day dinner at Moe's with baby sister.

     There we go...January and most of February in a few choice pictures.  I can't believe the year is going so fast, but I think March is going to bring some really great things.  I'm excited for what is to come, but very content with today and grateful for the past couple months.  As the authors of Love the Life You Live (the book we're reading in my small group) summarized a quote from the Greek philosopher Epicurus,

...the most contented people remember the past with gratitude and accept their present situation without coveting what someone else has.

Have a happy Monday.  :]

MFT: Alphonse Mucha

     Guys, I have no idea where my brain was this past Monday.  Apparently I am really bad at doing things on a consistent basis and I forgot to do a MFT post this past week.  I'll blame it on the fact that it was Valentine's Day and I had a phone date.  Anyways, I still should have posted; I'm sure all of you were waiting with bated breath for me post (ha, of course).  No fear!  I'm back this week with another of my favorite things!

     A while ago (as in last summer) I stumbled across an artist named Alphonse Mucha.  He was from Czechoslovakia (then Moravia) and he was just an all around incredible artist.  I love his Art Nouveau style.  He created the most beautiful images of women.  This particular one has been my computer background several different times.

     For the life of me I can't remember or find what it's called.  Anyone know?  Anyways, his stuff is amazing.  I highly suggest you google some of his images.  You'll love what you find.  :]  Just for fun, here are a couple more:

A Girl in a Grain Field

Poetry

     Remember to link up below!  I'm looking forward to hearing about some of your favorite things!  (If you're new to MFT, read this post.)

Past "My Favorite Things"
MFT 1: Space Heater
MFT 2: Charming Charlie
MFT 3: Watching Grey's Anatomy Online

Fill in the Blanks: Random-ness

     Hey, everybody!  Tomorrow I owe you a "for-real" post that's not linking up for anything, but today I'm coming to you with the Fill in the Blanks Friday linky from the little things we do.  You should go link up, too!  And I know this is a Friday party, but I'm being a rebel and doing it on Saturday.  ;]



1. I am having a kinda "blah" day.  I woke up feeling sick and sad.  My best friend's dad passed yesterday morning, so my heart has been heavy for her.  All of those things led to me going to Publix at 10:30am to buy chocolate ice cream.  Yep.

2. The bravest thing I've ever done was jump off a cliff into a river.  Ok, so it was only 10-ish feet high, but I am terrified of heights, so it was really brave for me.

Yep, that's me jumping into a river with Chacos on.

3. I feel prettiest when I'm wearing a favorite outfit and hanging out with my friends.  Also, when a guy tells me I look nice.  I can't help it: I love compliments as much as the next girl.

4. Something that keeps me awake at night is mulling over conversations.  If I had an important conversation I tend to think through it over and over and over again.  Not healthy for my psyche, but I can't help it.

5. My favorite meal in the entire world is a #1 with sweet tea (and Polynesian sauce) from Chick-fil-A.  No lie.  I'm a simple girl.

6. The way to my heart is through a cup of coffee and heartfelt conversation.  Every week before Tuesday night church I meet up with some friends at Starbucks and it's probably my favorite hour of the week.

Some of my favorite amigas!

7. I would like to get my master's in special education with a focus on emotional/behavioral disorders.  Subbing has shown me that I have a passion for working with special needs students (specifically children with autism), which is the last thing I thought I had a passion for.  Guys, I love these kids so much.  On Friday, one boy looked in my eyes and said, very clearly, "water" because he was thirsty.  Literally the highlight of my week.

[source]

I really liked the open-ness of this week's questions.  Head on over to your own blog and answer them, too!  What was the highlight of your week?

WIWW: Week Eight

     Happy Wednesday!  It's WIWW time again...let's find out what I wore this week (and bothered to take pictures of).

Church and lunch with the family.

sweater: Forever 21

long sleeve shirt: Target

jeans: JCPenny

not pictured: grey flats from the Shoe Depot.

Happy Valentine's Day!  :]  Work and dinner at Moe's with my sister.

pink boyfriend sweater: Target (Valentine's gift from my lovely parents)

white t-shirt: Target

jeans: Old Navy

black flats: Payless

And the awesome heart necklace was a part of my Valentine's gift...these things are cool to wear when you work with kids.  :]

     So that's what I wore Sunday and Monday (well, and technically Saturday, too, since my Sunday outfit was a repeat...I am a shameless outfit repeater).  Remember to head on over to The Pleated Poppy to link up!  :]

Valentines Day Craftyness

     So I'm not the most crafty person out there, but the freedom of Sunday afternoon put me in the mood to make something.  There's one type of crafting that is essentially fool-proof: mod podging.  I decided to make a little sign for my college sister's dorm room, and I think it turned out kinda cute.  Nothing too fancy, but it's just perfect for her.  :]

     I started off by picking out some different scraps of pink and red paper.  Those would act as the background on top of which I would put the other phrases and stuff.  Over the years I've collected pictures, phrases, and interesting patterns to use for mod podging, so I had plenty to choose from.  I arranged them on a scrap of cardboard and glued them down.

     Next I had to find something to hang it up with, and since I wanted it to be Valentine's themed, I grabbed a pink bandanna.  I rolled it up and put a bit of hot glue throughout so that it would stay rolled. 

Trying to take a pic of the "action" in the style of YHL.

     While the bandanna was drying, I painted the back of the cardboard black.  This is my favorite black paint because it's just slightly metallic.  So much better than a plain black matte.  After two coats of black paint had time to dry, I hot glued the bandanna to the back.

     And that was it!  My sister really liked it, especially where it said, "Bring out your sexy."  I know she appreciated that part.  ;]

Her initials are HRS, just FYI.

See, she likes it!

What are you doing for your loved ones this Valentines Day? 

Cool Kandinsky Circles

     Hi, everyone!  By now you all know that I am a long-term sub for an art teacher.  What started as something I thought would be a piece of cake has evolved into a very rewarding challenge.  For example, when I read the teacher's lesson plans for first grade and it said "Kandinsky," I didn't know if we were learning about an artist or some strange type of modeling clay.  After a teeny bit of googling, I discovered Wassily Kandinsky, the coolest artist ever.  Seriously, look at his stuff!

Yellow, Red, Blue

Composition X

     I could go on and on all day, but I won't.  Anyways, I showed my first graders a slideshow of his paintings and had them draw two or three things from each painting that they liked.  They got so into it!  They loved searching the paintings to find interesting shapes and lines to put on their papers.  Then we took our "notes" and used crayons and oil pastels to draw those shapes on our own pieces of paper.  After drawing the shapes, we are going to paint some black lines while listening to music.  I'm excited to see how the students interpret the "fast" and "slow" music through their painting (we already discussed how Kandinksy saw colors when he listened to music).  The last step is cutting out circles from paper we painted to make the center concentric circles, a la Kandinksy's painting titled Concentric Circles.  Those circles will be mounted with 3D foam stickers in the middle of our paintings.

     I am so excited about this project.  Right now we are on the step of transferring our notes to our final copy paper and the kids are loving it.  They all get to feel successful with this project because they can all make shapes and lines, and it's so cute to see their 6 year old creativity.  :]  Plus, whenever I show them the example I made last week, they flip out.  To those 6 year olds I am the best artist ever.  ;]

     So, that's the craft I've been working on this week, all for my "Cool Kandinsky Circles" lesson.  I'm linking up with Laura at Along for the Ride for Saturday is Crafty Day. 

     Enjoy your weekend!  I'm heading out to do some shopping with three of my favorite people (two sisters and an honorary sis), and then to a hockey game with the fam.  Go Gladiators!  ;]

Fill in the Blanks: Guilty Pleasures

     This week is my first week linking up over at The Little Things We Do for Fill in the Blank Friday.  Who doesn't love answering questions about themselves?  ;]  This week's theme is guilty pleasures...oh boy...

The TV show/website that I watch/read that I would be embarrassed to tell anyone about is lamebook.  It is so addicting to read the ridiculous things people say on facebook.  Plus, it makes me feel very intelligent, although sometimes I feel kind of dumb for reading it. 

[source]

An item of clothing that is worn and torn but that I love far to much to throw away is probably every single one of my t-shirts.  I remember where and when I got each shirt, so I can't bear to get rid of them because I feel like I'm getting rid of a memory.  Honestly, I have 70+ t-shirts.  Too many.

My grocery store impulse buy is ICE CREAM every time.  My favorite is Extreme Moosetracks by Mayfield...it's essentially normal moosetracks with chocolate ice cream.  Amazing.

[source]

Something I do at work to pass time that I wouldn't want my co-workers to know about is picking at the glue bottles.  The kids are awful about leaving glue dripping down the side of the bottles, so when it dries I'll just stand there and pull off all the pieces of dried glue.  It's oddly soothing.  Weird, I know.

One thing in my life that I could give up, but never will is meat.  I've thought about it, but I could never live without my weekly Chick-fil-A. 

A little indulgence that I have is Chick-fil-A.  Like I said before, I can't live without Chick-fil-A.  I eat there at least once a week (last night and tonight).  Best. Food. Ever.

[source]

The junk drawer/area in my house is my closet.  I have boxes of stuff that I've had for years and I just can't get rid of it.  Every few months I go through and throw out a bunch of stuff, but there is still so much.

     Well, those are some of my guilty pleasures.  I'm slightly embarrassed about the lamebook and glue ones because they seem so weird to me.  Well, that's ok, because now you can go tell the us about your guilty pleasures.  :]

WIWW: Week Seven

     My seventh week participating in What I Wore Wednesday! Once again I only have two pictures...oh well!  Remember to go link up with Lindsey at The Pleated Poppy (plus, another fave, Gussy, is guest posting this week).

Shopping with my sister!  And yes, I am an outfit repeater.  I don't really care since I didn't wear it to the same places.

sweater: Old Navy

tank: Old Navy

jeans: Mossimo by Target

*new* wedge heels: Target (These are brand new for spring!  Super cute!)

*new* necklace: Charming Charlie (seriously my new favorite store, after Old Navy and Target)

Church!

grey sweater: WalMart

black shirt: Target

jeans: Old Navy

slippers: on clearance for $5 at Target!  So warm!

necklace: same one from the other day

Sophie the cat: straight from God  ;]

     I'll see ya'll back for WIWW next week!  :]