Graduation is Near!

Well, I blinked and it was April, and I realized I have not blogged in almost three entire months!

My internship has kept me extremely busy. I spent eight weeks in Kindergarten, after which I realized that teaching K-3 would definitely be my area of preference. Now I am in fifth grade. Actually, I'm watching the students add fractions and find common denominators as I type this... I like fifth grade; the kids are pretty independent and they are a really good group. But I'm not going to lie...I miss my little ones, and I've probably been to visit them, oh, about thirty times in the past three weeks.

Bryant and I are almost finished painting the house. We are finishing up painting the trim with the help of my parents. Now we only have to install new ceiling fans and then the house should be move-in ready!!

Also, Bryant and I have a new addition to our family!! Meet Penny!

COUNTDOWN:
DAYS LEFT OF INTERNSHIP: 16
DAYS LEFT UNTIL GRADUATION: 36
DAYS UNTIL WE MOVE TO THE NEW HOUSE: 32

Things are getting exciting and I'm sure it's going to be an amazing summer!! :)

-B

Blessed Beyond Belief

Hey guys!

I'm hoping to start blogging more frequently. I always mean to write a new post and then I get preoccupied and completely forget!

Bryant and I have been so blessed lately!

First off, Bryant and I are now HOMEOWNERS! We bought our very first home a couple of weeks ago. We've already started the process of taking down wallpaper. Usually, I would detest this particular task, but since it's OUR home, I love it! I've been making a prioritized list of what I want to get done before we "officially" move in May! So far the list includes:

1. Take down wallpaper.
2. Painting!!
3. Replace light fixtures throughout the house.
4. Replace bathroom fixtures.
5. Pick out bedspreads for all of the beds.

This list seems to grow every day, but I have to remind myself that these are things that we have plenty of time to do, and it will ALL get done!

This is us in the front yard! Sorry it's dark. We closed on the house the evening before we had to be back in Troy for school!

This brings me to our next exciting event! Bryant and I both GRADUATE in May!! We are both interning this semester and I am so excited! And to make things even better, we were both placed in the same school for our student-teaching! So we will be able to carpool every day, and my nightmares about gas money are officially over! :)

I am looking forward to sharing awesome stories of my internship, as well as pictures of the house as updates are finished!

Bye for now!

-B

Happy New Year!

Hey y'all.

It's 2012! I have a feeling it is going to be a great year filled with exciting new things.

I have come up with 5 resolutions for the year and hopefully I can keep all of them. They are pretty broad, and I have "sub-resolutions" under each one.

1. Be healthy. This is a big one for me. This resolution includes losing 30 pounds, taking my multivitamin every day, drinking more water, eating a healthy diet, and staying active.

2. Daily devotional. This year I am determined to set aside time every day for prayer, reading the Bible, etc.

3. Organization. I have made a pact with myself to make an extra effort when it comes to being organized. I will be keeping more to-do lists, cleaning on a regular basis, and working on my problem with procrastination. If I am more organized, then I will also have more time for hobbies and things that I want to do.

4. Save money. It is my goal to put money in savings every month. As much as I don't want to do it now, I know it will help me in the future.

5. Mail. I want to make a point to send cards out to friends and family. I love getting hand-written cards and letters in the mail. I think it's much more personal than email, and I am going to start mailing out cards on a regular basis.

I have not made resolutions in quite a few years so I am very excited about the upcoming year!

I know you're getting tired of my pictures, but I've been playing around with my camera lately. Here are a few pictures from New Years Eve.

This is the stray cat that showed up in my parents' yard about a year ago. We call her Little Bit. She is so sweet!

This is the lovely fire we had on the back deck.

Dad, Mom, and Cookie Marie

Bryant and me :)

My lovely parents :)

I hope you all have a blessed year!

-B

It's Been A While

Hello all!

It's been a while...things have been busy! Let's catch up.

My birthday was the 21st and we had family and friends over for dinner. I'm now officially old (24). I got a much-needed haircut and I love it!

I'm happy to say that we had a great Christmas. The church service was wonderful. The gifts were wonderful. The family was wonderful. The food was wonderful amazing to die for...the food was so delicious there are just no words to describe.

On Christmas night, we took our annual "sleigh ride" in my parents' convertible. Mom insisted that we wear Santa hats, and let me just tell you...we got a LOT of stares. But it's okay because we had a blast. See below.

My mom got a slide scanner for Christmas. Her dad had hundreds of 35 mm slides and we have been scanning them for 2 days straight. We still have so many more to scan, but below are a few pictures that I just fell in love with. Hope you enjoy!

These are my grandparents when they were dating. So cute!

This is my grandmother standing by a wishing well. I think she looks so beautiful in this picture.

These old men are somehow related to me.

This is my grandfather and my mom when she was 4 weeks old.

This is a picture my grandfather took when he was in Holland.

Okay, I'm off to scan more slides. I hope everyone had a nice Christmas!

-B

Fun in Fifth Grade

Today, my good friend (and cousin-in-law) and I had the privilege of teaching a science lesson to a local fifth grade class. They have been studying plant and animal cells, so we decided to do a fun activity with them. This activity involved cupcakes and candy... I will admit that I was skeptical about 11-year-olds and sugar, but the kids were so great and well-behaved! Now before you start to freak out about how unhealthy this is, let me just tell you that the kids got fruit at lunch and a veggie snack later in the day. AND the activity consisted of a cupcake, 2 gummy bears, 1 M&M, 2 sour candies, and 1 sliver of a Twizzler. So, all in all, I think it is an okay activity to do once a year.

The kids were so excited!! It was so rewarding to have the opportunity to do something fun and out of the ordinary with them. Here are some pictures of their cell creations!

Moral of the story -- Fifth grade is not as scary as I thought. :)

-B

Hey peeps!

Okay, it may take me a while, but I am going to get this whole “blog thing” figured out. This is my first post…here goes nothin’!

I am starting a small business from home called B’s Craft Corner.

We offer personalized gifts for all occasions. As of right now, we personalize wine glasses, acrylic cups (you know, the ones that come with lids and straws), and acrylic tumblers. Soon, we will be offering cake carriers, cutting boards, and decorative plates!

Below, I’m posting some pictures of some of the products I’ve been working on lately. Eventually, I’ll be finding a cute little outdoor spot where all of my pictures will be taken, but for now, you’ll just have to deal with the bland photos.

If you’re interested in purchasing a unique gift for your family and/or friends, just message me!

Acrylic tumbler w/ lid and straw: $15
Acrylic tumbler: $8
Wine glass: $7

I will post more prices as products become available.

Alright, I'll see you lovely people tomorrow...or the next day. ;)

-B