Leaving Vegas and a Giveaway!!

Well, here I am sitting in the airport waiting to board my plane...have I told you how much I love FREE Wi-Fi??? Well, I do and they have it here, so of course I am blogging. I am excited to say that my followers have increased, that's pretty exciting.
I know all of you are wondering about Vegas... it was ABSOLUTE fan-freaking-tastic!! Scentsy NEVER disappoints and this year's convention was no different. With all the hoopla of the new brand and all the new products for next season, the AMAZING speakers, and making unbelievable life long memories with my sister, I put $1 in one machine...I know, I LOVE slot machines, but I loved what I did this time even more. Spending unthinkable time (husbandless and kidless) with my sister was the greatest!! She recently moved away to Alabama, so our visits will now be few and far between. I am definitely ready to be home to see my sweet family though.
Enough of that, I am so glad to see all of my new followers, I am so close to 50...that is SUPER DUPER exciting!!! One of my newest followers, Hooty's Homeroom, is having an AWESOME giveaway with several things that I would love to get my hands on!! Go check her out, you won't want to miss this one:) 

It looks like this plane will be heading out soon and I want to be the first on it so I can see my baby girl, so I will chat with all of you when I get back home...have a GREAT weekend!!!

AWARDS and MIA

WOWZA, another award...make that 2 new awards!! Thank you to Corinna at Teaching Fabulous Firsties and Monica at Classroom Capers for the Versatile Blogger Award and the One Lovely Blog Award.

For the Versatile Blogger Award, here are the rules:
1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.
2. Include the link to their blog.
3. Include the image in your blog.
4. Give 7 random facts about yourself.
5. Nominate 15 other Bloggers for the Award!
6. When nominating, include the links to their site.
7. Let other bloggers know they have been nominted!!!

Here are my random facts...
1. I have been married for 7 years to my college sweetheart!
2. I have one precious 2 year old daughter.
3. I have been teaching 8 years.
4. I graduated from Texas A&M University after "visiting", but enrolling in 4 other schools...LOL
5. I have 2 master's degrees.
6. I have 2 mutts that found me and my husband and thought we looked like GREAT dog parents:)
7. I love Willie Nelson and Elvis Presley!!!

The award goes to...

1. Molly at Lessons With Laughter
2. Taylor at Baking, Crafting, Teaching...Oh My!
3. Eryn at Elementary Organization
4. Fancy in Fourth
5. Hilary at Fifth Grade Fancy
6. Becca at Fun is Found in Fourth
7. Karen at Fun Times in Fourth Grade
8. Hooty's Homeroom
9. Jessica at My Tales of a Fourth Grade Teacher
10. Room 4 Imagination
11. Teaching Joys
12. The 4th Grade Adventures of Mrs. Tinez's Kids

It's tough finding bloggers that don'y already have this award, so I'm giving it to 12:)

I also received the One Lovely Blog Award...

The rules for the award are as follows:

1. Follow the person who gave you the award  

2. Link back to the person that gave you the award

3. Pass the award on to 15 new bloggers. 

The award goes to...

1. Kristin at iTeach 1:1
2. Amy at Adventures in Teaching
3. Jenna at Caught in the Middle
4. Eryn at Elementary Organization
5. Fancy in Fourth
6. Hilary at Fifth Grade Fancy
7. Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper
8. Becca at Fun is Found in Fourth
9. Karen at Fun Times in Fourth Grade

10. Hooty's Homeroom
11. Cyndi at Lacy's Letters
12. Ms. G in Grade 3
13. Jessica at My Tales of a Fourth Grade Teacher
14. Room 4 Imagination
15. Teaching Joys

As some of you know, I am on my way to VEGAS!!!!! WHOOP!!! Scentsy Convention HERE I COME!!! I am so excited!! I must say, I will miss my newfound love of blogging. I can't wait to get back on here Sunday night and update everybody on my losings WINNINGS (I need to work on staying positive.) 

Have a GREAT rest of the week!!! 

Monday Made It...FINALLY

So, I do realize it has taken me forever to link up and honestly...at about 3:00 today, I didn't think I was going to. Needless to say, I was spray painting in the dark, so I could finish my Monday Made It craft for my classroom. I know, I know, this chair has been all over Pinterest and I have no idea where or who started it first, but here is my version. I am going to use it as a reward for my kids. I think they will like sitting in a fancy chair, even if they are 4th graders:) I found this chair at a local antique furniture shop for 50% (Whoop!). Here is the before picture...

Pretty U.G.L.Y.

I sanded it down, then added some dowel rods so it wouldn't fall apart...as quickly. Here's a picture of it all sanded and clamped so the glue can dry around the dowel rods...

Finally, I added a coat of primer and then some turquoise (I LOVE the color!) Then I had to redo the cushion and I added some zebra print that I already had on hand. I did however, have to revamp the base of the seat. It was in pretty bad shape. I just bought a thin piece of square board from Hobby Lobby and stapled it on the original. Here's the finally picture...Drum Roll.......

I'm so glad I have finally finished a project, just in time, before I head out of town for VEGAS!!!! 

Thank you Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for the great linky. I am super pumped that I have finally been able to participate and I can't wait to look at all the other crafty things out there this week!!!

Kiss First Day Jitters...Goodbye Linky Party!!!

This is my first time hosting a linky party, so bare with me:)

If y'all are anything like me, then you always have the First Day Jitters (I LOVE that book, which is why I'm calling it that..go get a copy, if you don't already have one), even though you have been teaching for a while. I have been reflecting back to my first year of teaching and reliving the excitement horror of the first day. I was so nervous that I told my parents (pre-married life) that I was too sick to go to school and I was going to have to call in sick on my first day...how embarrassing would that have been??? My dad (retired educator) told me I was just nervous and that I needed to get up and go make something happen. Well, my first day jitters ever since are attributed to freaking out that I haven't gone over all of the first day week procedures. I thought it would be fun and helpful for all of the "seasoned" teachers to ban together and help out our "newbie" teachers by giving them a checklist of sorts to have throughout the first week of school to ensure they cover what they need to cover. I think it will be helpful for the "seasoned" teachers as well, I know, even after 8 years of teaching, I still make a first day checklist. Here's is what I would like to do...I would like to invite all teachers to link up with me and share the top or all first day/week procedures that you use. When the link up closes, I will combine all the procedures into a list that teachers can download and edit. I hope this will be helpful to ALL teachers new and seasoned. Make sure you follow me and link back, so I can add your ideas to the list.

<center><a href="http://saunderslovelies.blogspot.com"/><img src="http://i1150.photobucket.com/albums/o611/abbylane8/firstdayjitters.png"></a></center>

Here are mine (just a few of them):

1. Lining up
2. Turning papers in
3. Sharpening pencils
4. behavior management system
5. Hallway expectations

I can't wait to hear what you have to share...

Newbie Bloggers Blog Hop!!!

I am linking up tonight with Janis from Grade Three is the Place for Me. 

She is having a GREAT Blog Hop Party for blogger beginners...

Here are the questions...

    1.  what state you are in

    2.  your current teaching position

    3.  your teaching experience

    4.  when you started blogging

    5.  share a blogging tip / blogging resource

Here are my answers...

    1.  I live in the GREAT state of Texas!!!

    2.  I currently teach 4th grade reading.

    3.  I taught 3rd grade for a year, 4th grade for 2 years, 2nd 
         grade for 4 years and moved back to 4th grade last year.

    4.  I started blogging in July and I am addicted...to say the
         least:) 
    5.  If you have not checked out Megan at I Teach, What's You're Super Power, then I                 
         highly suggest you jump over there now and visit her Blog, Baby Blog page.

      

         Another GREAT page is Blog Designs by Dani. She has TONS of tutorials!!!

Head on over and join this fun blog hop party!!! It's fun to meet new bloggers!! Thanks Janis for this fun party!!!

The Award Goes To....

Whoop, I got my first award, The Liebster Award.

This award is named for the German word "Liebster", which translates to "beloved" or "favorite", and is given to a "new, up and coming blogger."

Here are the rules:

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you.

2. Post the award to your blog.

3. Give the award to at least 5 bloggers with less than 200 followers.

4. Leave a comment on the 5 blogs to let them know that they have been offered this award. 

Thank you to A Rainbow of Teaching for giving me this award:)

The Award goes to...
1. I teach 1 to 1...I love all of her technology posts, they have been super helpful! Thank you!

2. Teaching Joys...super cute blog and I can't wait to see more:)

3. My Tales of a Fourth Grade Teacher...I love her blog and she has a cute crafty blog too, I LOVE being crafty!!!

4. Teaching Third...great blog with great resources!

5. Fancy Free in Fourth...I love finding 4th grade bloggers:)

My Favorite Picture Books

Today I am linking up with The Teacher Wife and sharing my favorite picture books that I like to teach concepts with. I have a serious problem when it comes to picture books. My classroom library is overflowing and if you've seen my previous post, you know I am in the middle of doing a MAJOR renovation to my classroom library. So, here they are, in no particular order!

1. I absolutely LOVE this book...since the ending is so unexpected, it is GREAT for teaching inference. 

The Paper Bag Princess

2. This book is just a SuPeR CuTe book!!! 

I Wanna Iguana

3. I absolutely LOVE LOVE LOVE this sweet little book. I find it is good for teaching making predictions.

The Little House

4. This is another cute book and I use it to teach sequencing!

The Relatives Came

5. My final book is by far my MOST FAVORITE book in the entire world. The pictures are so vibrant and the message is so great. You can use it for a number of things. When I taught second, I used it for teaching summary and had my students do a beginning, middle, end group activity. They were given a huge giraffe and they had to piece it together and write a beginning, middle, and end on the giraffe. Recently, I used it for character and I made a giraffe glyph for my students to make. 

Giraffes Can't Dance

Make sure you visit Lindsey to see all the other favorite books by other bloggers...you won't be disappointed and you probably will find some you have never heard of, I know I did!!! Thank you Shawna for the fun linky!

Manic Monday Freebie!!!

I'm getting started earlier than normal today. I have a BIG day of cleaning ahead of me before my visitors get here:). Always time for blogging though!! I am doing my first link up with Classroom Freebie Manic Monday Freebies



I hope you enjoy your freebie today...Visit my TPT store to download your copy of the zebra framed calendar numbers!

TPT store

Well, that is all for now...I'm off to clean my house and try to clean up after it was somewhat flooded today from my washer...YAY!

My First Linky!!!

I am so excited and nervous to be working on my first linky. I have seen everybody's Currently with Oh' Boy 4th Grade. I am finally doing my own, thanks to Holly at Fourth Grade Flipper for all of her help!! 

I can't wait to read the others that have linked up as well!!! Check them out Farley's blog!

New Reading Game

I have been spending time with my sweet family before my husband leaves for conference for the week next week and we have had a GREAT time. With that said, my husband and I came up with an AMAZING reading game that I have been working like CRAZY on today and I can't wait to finish it all up and share it with everybody!! It's going to be pretty cool...so, stay tuned and I will spill the beans of this AMAZING Top Secret Reading Game:)
I have soooooo many projects going right now and none of them seem to be getting finished. It's driving me crazy. I have my never ending library leveling going on, plus I started some cute library place markers, and now I've started this "top secret" game. I really need to work on finishing stuff before I start new stuff (I say that to my husband all the time about his cars).
Along with my school projects I have in the works, I also have several "new house" projects going on. I need to finish my curtains for my room and I DESPERATELY need to get to my old house and finish cleaning it out, but I DESPERATELY don't want to do it. I have until the end of July (wait, it's already the middle..ahhh man, I better get crackin'.) Then, I need to get my new house decorated. It will all come together...somehow:) Well, that's all for tonight, I am going to go blog hop now, since I haven't in a couple of days.

What a Day!!

I visited one of my favorite blogs...I Teach, What's Your Super Power? where I have learned a TON about blogging and she is having a giveaway and it is a FANTASTIC one!!! Go check it out...

I did get to do too much more blogging today, so I'm headed there now. I did, however, make some zebra numbers for my classroom library sticks (pic. coming soon). Check out my zebra circle numbers in my TPT store. I have decided that I am doing a zebra/jungle theme this year with splashes of bright colors. Post a comment telling me what you think about them and I might just get you your very own copy for FREE!!!

Just Blogging Again...

I just found a new BLOG!!!!! Go visit Tonya at Tonya's Treats for Teachers. She is having a SUPER giveaway!!! I can't wait to search through her blog and find more exciting things!!! Check it out!!!

Classroom Library Part 2

Well I got 3 more buckets of books entered into my Book Retriever app. I REALLY REALLY REALLY hope I like this app and use it...I have invested a lot of time putting all my books into the app. Tomorrow I will take these 3 buckets of books back to school and get 3 more buckets. As soon as I get all my books that have barcodes, I will head back to my class and add barcodes to all the books I am collecting along the way that don't have barcodes already. I think after this, I will only purchase books if they have barcodes. I am not utilizing the app as it was fully intended for, only because it has some glitches and I really don't have time for glitches. Through trial and error, I found that by only entering the title and author, the app didn't shut down on its own.
Like I stated the other day, as soon as I get all my books in this app, I will then level and sort my books my genre...stay tuned for that!! I just wanted to give an update on the progress of my classroom library. I can't wait to have this beast conquered. Good night for now!

Teacher printables

What a day today!! I think I was on the computer ALL day...wait, I know I was on the computer all day. I was blog hopping again searching for ways to make my own printables. I have always wanted to do this and who knew Powerpoint was the easiest way to do it?? I found a lot of FREE digital scrapbook pages to give me some cute backgrounds. That is what took ALL day, but it was so much fun!!! After I got the things I needed, I wasn't sure what I wanted to create. I decided on calendar numbers...I have been meaning to go buy some and now I don't have to. Thanks to all the bloggers out there that helped me through this process today, there were so many, I'm not sure where to start (as soon as I track all the help down and figure out how to add it here, I will update.) Anyway, check out my new Teachers Pay Teachers Store for FREE zebra calendar numbers. You can also find some cheetah calendar numbers for $1.00. I hope you enjoy them! I think I will like creating stuff, if only I could find REALLY cute clipart...I'll work on that tomorrow:) I'm calling it a night.

-Abby

Blog Hopping!

I have been blog hopping today and I'm now not sure how I am going to quit...uh oh, this could be a problem. I just visited a cute blog and entered her giveaway. I can't wait to check out more from Teaching Joys!!!  Check it out!!! Another blog I visited was Delighted in Second Grade....this is a very cute site!!! OMGosh in all my blog hopping excitement, I ran across I Teach, So What's Your Superpower! and I am in love with her site!! She has a whole page set up for new bloggers like yours truly...ME!!!!! It's so GREAT...EVERYBODY should check it out!!! I think I have done enough blog hopping for now...good night:)

Classroom library

I came across this new app called Book Retriever and I just had to have it (I actually bought an app, CRAZY...that should tell you it must be good, it was ONLY .99..lol.) Anyway, let me just say, in theory it is an AMAZING app, but in actuality, it's driving me to a ssssssllllloooooowwwww death. I have learned that out of my 500+ books, that about more than half don't have barcodes. Your probably saying, "not a big deal", but really it is, the app scans the barcodes of your books and stores the titles for you. After sitting around thinking about what to do, since I spent money on an app, I decided to find a barcode creator ( I searched EVERYWHERE and of all places, Avery has a "perfect" barcode creator.)  So, I started making barcodes, I know sounds silly, but I REALLY want this app to work for me. If I can get all my books in and accounted for, I can then add my students and check books in and out to them...REALLY???? That is absolutely unheard of. The librarian in me is showing herself, gotta use the degree somewhere, right? Anyway, so I am knee deep in this project now and I have come to a new problem...the books that do have barcodes, don't always show up, so I have to type the information in...oh whoas me. With ALL that said, I am really hoping I can finish this beast of a summer project and then utilize it the way that I have envisioned. Oh yeah, one more thing...after I finish getting all my books in, I will re-level them and sort them by genre. I hope somewhere in all of this, I can get my jungle classroom together...wish me luck. I will keep posting the classroom library progress:)
Love,
Abby

Blog Inspiration!!!

A Teaching blog in process, is what I like to call this!! I was inspired to start a teaching blog for 4th grade teachers after seeing all the wonderful teaching blogs...where I soon noticed there were only a few that were geared toward 4th grade teachers...bummer:(  Even though I teach 4th grade, I still like to try to do fun things with my students. Yes, with the stress of testing, the fun gets pushed to the side a lot, but I feel that students learn and remember if they are having fun!! So, this blog will hopefully give some of the 4th grade teachers out there, in my position, a glimpse into the life of me and my lovely 4th graders!! Check back soon for GREAT, FUN teaching ideas for 4th grade...I'm off to search Pinterest for more school ideas:)