Top Three Thursday....3 favorite places to shop

My three favorite places to shop:

1. Sephora

What girl does NOT love Sephora??!!?

2. Target

I walk in this store many, many days and spend entirely too much money because of that dang 1.00 spot right by the front door!!!

3. The Children's Place

If you have little ones - I LOVE the clothes and shoes at The Children's Place!! They have such cute and fashionable clothes for little ones, and also have great sales and coupons which is a huge plus!!

Where are your THREE favorite places to shop? Click on the button at the top of this post to play along!!

Wishful Wednesday.....Youth Job

I wish I could go back and spend one day working at a job from my youth and it would be...

I wish I could remember the exact amount of years that I worked for Tan N Go, (Felicia, Lindsay, Lacey if you gals are reading help me out!!) When I started working at Tan N Go the name was actually Island Tan, it was a fabulous tanning salon in East Memphis. I loved working there and meeting all of the "tanners" that would come in each and every day! I got to know so many of these people and know about their lives, some of the things I did not want to know but they ALWAYS wanted to tell me! Tan N Go/Island Tan was such a happy place, customers coming in to relax and get that 20-30min nap on their lunch break or after work. For most people tanning is such a relaxing time, and that is what it was a VERY relaxing job! Even after all these years, I will see people that I were "my" customers at the tanning salon and I love catching up with them. I have been very fortunate in that the owners of the salons are still some of my closest friends, we LOVE getting together and telling stories about the old days and some of the crazy customer stories!!

Ahhhhhhh......the memories.

I have posted a picture for y'all from my Tan N Go/Island Tans....what do ya think?? Did I need a TAN???? HA!!! I am the one in the red sweater, Marlana is the one in the overalls HAHAHAHAHAHA!! - how ridiculously tan was I??

PROOF RIGHT HERE THAT TAN N GO HAS THE BEST TANNING BEDS IN THE MEMPHIS AREA!!

Jump on over to The Seattle Smith's to play along!!

Project Life- Week 15

It's Project Life Tuesday and I am WAYYYY behind on this post, but the good thing is that I actually did get the pictures posted on TUESDAY this time!! My pics this week all have a little boy by the name of Flat Stanley in them. Flat Stanley lived with us this week why I "created" a shortened version of a Flay Stanley project that I will one day do with my students in my own classroom. If you have kids and they have not done the Flat Stanley project, you should check out the books, I had fun with him this week and I am 36!!! Anyway, on to the pics!! I AM SOO FAR BEHIND ON MY JOURNAL CARDS - ONE MORE WEEK OF CLASS AND I WILL CATCH THEM ALL UP!! I DO NOT LIKE BEING BEHIND!!
Click on the button above to go look at other Project Life posts for the week!!

4.19 - Flat Stanley helped me write out my "reflections" of all observations that I have been doing in the Memphis City and Shelby County Schools.

4.20 - Stanley joined the crew at CloseTRAK today! He was able to get along with everyone and enjoyed his day in the world of real estate!

4.21 - That sneaky little Stanley, I caught him in the bed with Addison.

Notice her nice Zhu Zhu pet tattoo - she said she needed to show off her "guns" at school.

4.22 - Stanley went with Addison to her follow up allergy appointment. Good news!! The antibiotic and steroid have been doing their job and NO MORE BREATHING TREATMENTS!!

4.23 - Flat Stanley getting a quick suntan while I am letting my nails dry.

4.24 - I know I already posted about these pics this week but I want to make sure that they are in my Project Life album. Addison and her new buddy Kevin Paige

4.25 - This is actually a Saturday picture but again, I wanted it i the album so I will just make it the Sunday pic for this week. Addison with our friends Beth and Stevie Paige.

Top Two Tuesdays....fave things about summer

1. NO SCHOOL!!

I actually registered for my LAST four college classes tonight!! I will take 2 classes the first 8 week term and then 2 classes the second 8 week term!! YAY!!! However, I say no school but there is a small chance that I might take 2 classes this summer and then just take 2 classes in the fall!! YIKES! That is not set in stone yet so for now we will stick with NO SCHOOL

2. VACATION!!

My family has not been on a summer vacation since Addison was born (she's now 5) we are headed to Orange Beach with the family in August. I am REALLY looking forward to this vacation!!

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Rainy days and Saturdays always get me down....

Don't you love when the weather TRIES to mess up your set plans? I had such plans for this weekend, which all were rearranged once the horrible wind and storms decided to blow through Memphis on Friday night! Our power kept going off and on, off and on to the point that I had to put a miner type flashlight on my head to do homework! The storms kept us awake almost all night on Friday, as soon as I would fall asleep Addison would be up and in my bed. The child is all arms and legs when she sleeps with you! Once the storms calmed down, I would move her back to her bed and it seemed within seconds she was back in our bed!

On Saturday afternoon, we had made plans to go and listen to our friends Kevin and Bethany Paige sing at the Bartlett Block Party. Some of you might remember Kevin, he had some top ten hits in the 80s, you can take a quick listen below

I have been friends with Kevin and his wife Bethany, another amazingly talented musician for almost TEN years now. WOW!! Where have the years gone?? Here is a clip of B, singing one of my favorite songs

Kevin and Beth recorded a Christmas CD this year that has become Addison's favorite of all time!! She still listens to the CD every day - Yes, in April she is still listening to Christmas music! I was so bummed when the storms came because I just knew that The Block Party would be cancelled, but to our surprise they just moved the band inside and the show went on! Addison had a great time, and loved her first live concert! These two pictures were the highlight of Addison's day!!

Beth, Addison and Stevie (Beth and KP's daughter)

Addison and Kevin

A big thank you to KP and Beth for being so sweet to Addison - she had a great time, and an even BIGGER thank you to the storm for not totally messing up our weekend plans!!

Wishful Wednesday....GLEE

I wish....I could be a GLEE character for one episode and it would be RACHEL!!!!

I am not ashamed to say that I was a "gleek" in high school - I sang in the Bartlett High School chorus all 4 years - and even have the letter jacket to prove it!! HA!! Oh I wish we could have performed song by Madonna, Sting, Neil Diamond and Journey!! I think that the only "pop" song we ever did was California Dreaming by The Mamas and The Papas - and I must say we ROCKED it!!

I love Rachel Berry for soo many reasons but I think the reason that I love her the most is because she is just "quirky"!! So far my favorite episode is when she had a crush on Mr. Shue - I just MIGHT have a crush on Mr. Shue myself!!

Before you watch this video - I KNOW that there is Spanish subtitles! Apparently Sony did not like all the clips that were showing up on YouTube, this was the only one that I could find!!

So watch the video and learn this popular Sting song in Spanish!!

Young Girl (Don't Stand So Close To Me) con subtitulos (HQ)

- Watch more Videos at Vodpod.

If you have not watched this show - you are definitely missing out!! I am a GLEEK and PROUD OF IT!!

Sing and Dance your way on over to The Seattle Smith's to link up and play along!!!

Project Life - Week 14 (a day late!!)

Better LATE than never!! I have told myself that I will NOT get behind on the photo's for my 2010 album, posting them every week keeps me accountable!!

4.12 - I loved Nala all layed out on Addison's cheetah/zebra bed!!

4.13 - This is a stone on the pathway in my parents backyard - I think that my sister in law painted this heart on the stone one summer. This week has been just hectic busy, so I felt that this heart was fitting - I know that God's love is with me always!

4.14 - Do you hear the angels singing??!!?? I have had a MyTouch 3g for about 6 months, and for 6 months I have TOLD myself how much I love it! WRONG - I came close to having a breakdown this week over that dang touchscreen phone! I text Shawn and asked him to stop at the nearest T-Mobile and get my Blackberry BACK?? Is it wrong to be in love with a phone so much??!!? I AM KIDDING!! I do love it though!!

4.15 - I helped out at Oak Elementary today with TCAP exams. TCAP's are our state standardize test that the students take once a year, I was happy to be able to help out!

4.16 - This is Melissa's garbage can! Was she busy today or WHAT?? The two cups are from DJ Smoothie - we had a fabulous smoothie with banana, blueberry, pomegranate and acai berries.

4.17 - My painting from the Go Girl Art Class!!

4.18 - Addison and Flat Stanley at the movies! We went to see How to Train A Dragon in 3-D!! Flat Stanley will be in all my pics next week, I will explain later! :)

Workshops, Painting and Dragons - OH MY!!

What a busy, busy, BUSY weekend around my house this weekend, but it was full of fantastic fun! On Saturday I attended a Praxis workshop at school. I was not happy about being there at 8 am on a Saturday morning, but I was extremely grateful for the instructors that offered their time to do the workshop for us!! I take the Content Knowledge portion of the test this Saturday at 730am; this will be the 2nd of 4 that I have to take before I can graduate.

After the Praxis workshop, my Mom and I went to a painting class. If you live in the Memphis area, I highly recommend that you go to a "Go Girl Art" class! You can read more about the classes and location HERE. My mom has been wanting to paint one of these pictures since Christmas, so I gave her this class as part of her Mother's Day gift. I was a little worried about the whole painting thing because I have tried to paint on canvas before and it just did not turn out how I expected. This class was so awesome because it was step by step instruction by a local Memphis artist, she was so encouraging and helpful, it really was one of the most relaxing things I have done in a long time! Here are a few pictures:

All of the girls working on their paintings

Mom creating her masterpiece

Momma's completed painting

My completed painting - I cannot wait to find the PERFECT spot in my house to put this on display!

On Sunday we had some MUCH needed family time. I am consumed with homework/projects/Praxis exams/observations that it was just time to back away from it all and spend the afternoon finding out how to train dragons!!

This was such a CUTE movie - I would recommend this for families with and without kiddos! I really, really enjoyed it, and would actually consider sitting through it a second time!

My weekend ended with a meeting with my MOPS group at church, (girls if you are reading, I love hanging out with y'all!!) I hate that the weekend is over, but I am already counting the hours til the next one!

Project Life - Week 13!!

Happy Project Life Tuesday!!!

I am SO far behind on my daily journaling cards but I am determined to stay caught up on my blog, it give me a cheat sheet for my journaling cards. I am SOOOO busy with school right now, I breathe, eat and sleep homework! I just keep telling myself, "I think I can...I think I can..." I did get some great news on Friday, I passed the reading portion of my Praxis II exam!! I have three more of these state exams to take and pass before I student teach in Jan. 2011, I am taking the next portion on April 24th. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoy my pics of the week!!

4.5 - I wanted to take a picture of my office/cubicle area - I realized today that in December of this year I will no longer be working in this office. I have been there three years this month but have been in the real estate/mortgage business for over TEN years now. Yes, my Edward Cullen stocking is still up from Christmas, I cannot bear to take him down!

4.6 - I uploaded some pics that were on Jena's camera this weekend, look at this shot of Addison, she looks like a teenager with that beanie on!!

4.7 - I have such a wonderful husband! He and my whole family helps me so much while I am in school! I am only home on Tuesday nights and then the weekends are crammed with homework/projects. Shawn is so wonderful to even attempt to dry Addison's hair with the round brush - THANK YOU HONEY!!

4.8 - Addison really loves playing games on the online, she plays games on Nick Jr., PBS Kids and Sprout online. Look at her being a little lady sitting at my laptop table!!

4.9 - NEW BIKE!!!!!! We bought Addison a big girl bike this week and she has done such a good job learning how to ride! Her school is having a trike-a-thon for St. Jude next week; I cannot wait to go and watch all the kiddos riding for such a good cause!

4.10 - Is it WRONG that Addison at 5 years old knows how to operate Jena's iTouch better than Shawn and I do??!!??

4.11 - Addison went to a classmates birthday party today, these superstar sunglasses were in the party favor bag! SUPERSTAR!!!!!!!

Click on the Project Life icon at the top of my blog to see other project life posts!!

Top 3 Thursday - Prime Time TV

What are your top 3 favorite prime time television shows?

1. 19 Kids and Counting

I am loving watching Jim Bob and Michelle and their journey with baby Josie while she is in the NICU. They will have a special Mother's Day show which will celebrate Josie's homecoming! The baby was released from Arkansas Children's Hospital this week.

2. Jessica Simpson's The Price of Beauty

I have LOVED Jessica for years, I am so glad to see her back on T.V. with such a fabulous show! Many of my friends have heard me say this, "I feel confident that Jessica and I could be best friends!!" I was thrilled to be able to see her in concert last year - it was something that I have had on my "bucket list" for a very long time!!

3. Dancing With The Stars

What could one assume by my 3 favorites??

YES I AM A REALITY TELEVISION JUNKIE

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Wishful Wednesday - Diets....

I wish....I had the willpower to stay on one particular diet, and it would be

Atkin's or South Beach!!

I like to tell myself all the time that I can do low carb, no sugar and eat all kinds of meats and cheese. I have attempted Atkin's a few times, have not had much success. I get sick of meat and cheese REAL quick! Unfortunately, I am a very picky eater, BUT I have made two big steps this week! First, I ate a raw baby spinach salad for lunch yesterday. If you have any dressings that you like to mix with baby spinach salads PLEASE let me know, I did enjoy the salad that I made and was very pleased with myself. Secondly, I ate whole wheat pasta vs. regular pasta for dinner last night mixed with some grilled shrimp and it was YUMMO! I am working on this getting healthy thing - one baby step at a time!!

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Beautiful

I love music, and I REALLY love music with a message! I want to share a song/lyrics that I heard a few weeks ago at a women's' ministry event I attended. The title of the event was Beauty by The Book; we had a guest speaker by the name of Laurie Cole, who taught us about the beauty "do's and don'ts of the Bible. It really was a touching a night, but the one thing that stuck with me for weeks has been this song. I know that yesterday and MANY times in my blog posts I speak of celebrities, beauty products and such, but in the grand scheme of things those people and products are not the ultimate definition of beauty. In the past few weeks I have been feeling kinda down and out and REALLY hard on myself. Every night when I sat down to do my quiet time with The Lord, it wasn't a Bible verse that came to mind - it was the tune of this song! If you have a moment to watch/listen to this video, I promise you that you will be blessed. Hope everyone is having a GREAT week.

“Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.” -1 Samuel 16:7

Project Life - Week 12

3.29 - I am currently taking Classroom Management, Arts and Social Studies Instruction, and General Methods for Teaching. I have attempted to take 3 classes on term in the past and I said I would NEVER do it again!! Well, I am taking three classes THIS term and I will NEVER do it again! :) Luckily - I am almost done with school, I will student teach in Jan. 2011! I am taking the summer OFF, and then have one more semester of classes before I student teach. YAY!

3.30 - This is a picture that I took last year of Addison coloring her Easter Eggs, I love the picture and want to include it in my 2010 album!

3.31 - Addison coloring her eggs, Easter 2009. I wanted to have this one in the album to compare with the 2010 picture I have of her dying eggs

4.1 - Addison made this cross at school this week. She had her Easter egg hunt today at school, and when I asked her how many eggs she found she said, "a million...okay maybe only twelve."

4.2 - I loved this picture of her - I can just hear her laughter when I look at the picture!

4.3 - Addison and her zoo of eggs! She had a great time dying eggs this year. Our conversation went something like this.

ME - "No Addison, the eggs have to DYE in the cups before you put stickers on them."

ADDISON - "Ohhhhhh, do they have to go to heaven after they die?"

ME - uncontrollable laughter, she is so FUNNY!!

4.4 - Easter Sunday!! We had a wonderful Easter and the weather was beautiful! We went to Shawn's parents on Saturday night, and then went to my parents Sunday afternoon. Addison had a friend come over to hunt eggs with her; they had a great time running around searching for eggs. We came home and took a LONG nap! Addison told us that this was her BEST Easter EVER!!

Click on the Project Life Icon above to see other "Project Life" photos for the week!