A Little Something Cute

I just need cuteness around me.  It's a disease.

And no, as cute as third graders are, they don't quite qualify.

I had to buy a new binder this year for my lesson plan book (I make my own lesson plan templates with Pages - LOVE ME MY PAGES!) and I found the cutest green binder.

(Turns out Baby Bee and I ended up picking out the same binder color and we didn't realize it until tonight when I was reorganizing my new binder.  The green binder apple does not fall far from the tree.)

So....what makes this all so cute?

Why Jenny B. from ALLSORTS!  

Did you know she sells her designs on etsy?  

Uh - you've caught me.  I ran out of blue ink tonight.  But don't worry, I'll make a copy again!

I've bought a couple of her digital paper packs and I adore them!  

Haven't used them yet, but this seemed like the perfect opportunity.

This set is called Summer Cottage. 

Now wouldn't you be happy with a binder as cute as this???

Oh yeah, I know you would.  

So head on over!  Check out Jenny's adorable shop! 

(You won't be sorry!)

So glad to see you buzz on in here!

Still busy getting things going with my students and teaching team.  

But....

I've got a three day weekend and I hope to be laboring a lot this weekend!

Maybe you'll see some transformations - and then again - it might be too hot! 

(No, I'm not pregnant - I know you thought that for a second!)

Buzzingly,

Back to School Night

Sometimes it's just the little things that can really make you smile and have fun!

Yesterday I had 22 brand new bright and shiny faces come into my home away from home.  I know we're going to have a great year!

Then last night, we had Back to School Night where we invite the parents to come in and meet the teachers, see the classroom, and learn about our expectations.  

I always try to make my parents feel welcome to come and visit the classroom so I had a little treat for them.  (idea totally stolen from Pinterest)

I used PicMonkey to layer all the elements together and had them printed off as photos at Walgreens.  Then I bundled them all up with a package of microwave popcorn.  Don't you love the "school" yarn?  I got oodles and oodles of this yarn from a friend who retired.  Almost every color under the rainbow!

It's not something that takes a ton of effort, but it's just a nice touch.

Something that made me happy is what I did with all the pens I have out for parents (and kids) to use.  I love the InkJoy pens from Papermate and I bought a couple of sets of black ones.  (And don't worry, I bought plenty of sets of the colorful ones - one of my teacher partners laughs at them and will only write with "grown-up" colors)

Black pens are just too boring for Sweet Bee Classroom, so I found this fabulous patterned masking tape and I bought one of almost every color and I made.....

pen flags!

That way I always know if you've got my pen!  Such a silly thing, really, but it sure got me buzzing! (and giggling - do any of you out there giggle when you make something? - I sure do)

Here's to a year of hard work and learning and lots of laughs!

Did I Mention I Love Coffee?

Oh yes, I've mentioned it many a time.

You might even call me a bit obsessed.  

Don't worry - others do.

(True story, two Fridays ago I went the entire day without a drop of coffee passing these lips.  You might have read about this incident in the news, but then again, maybe not.  All survived.)

Can I start by saying it's all the More Creative Bee's fault?  She's the one who oh so slyly said, "Let's get a cafe mocha while we're here at Barnes & Noble."  (true, more creative bee - this is not an exact quote)  I said, "Sure, I kinda' like coffee."  (again, not an exact quote)  Little did I know it would degenerate in to late nights at coffee bars, sleepless nights, and eventually making "shots" at home.  I even got my brother hooked.  (And he's more hardcore - he drinks that stuff straight.)

Well, I've always been a latte fan, but recently I have a new obsession.

French.

Pressed.

Coffee.

Doesn't it sound elegant?  And difficult? And fancy?  And high faultin'?  (not sure I've ever actually typed high falutin' but I couldn't resist)

Actually, it couldn't get much easier.

Wanna' see how?

1.  Get yourself some wicked hot water.  I heat mine in a tea kettle, but not quite to boiling.  If your water gets that hot, it might crack the glass carafe you're going to press the coffee in.

2.  Pour your hot water in the carafe.  Scoop about 3 heaping spoonfuls of your coffee dujour (sneaky French, n'est ce pa?) and put it in the water.  Give it a quick stir with a wooden spoon.

3.  Now wait.  Go put your make-up on, brush your hair or something else that takes about 5 minutes.  Of course, you can plunge it at 3 minutes or you can wait and plunge it at 15-20 minutes.  Your choice.  I forgot to plunge it one day and it was still delicious after about 20 minutes.

4.  Now, come back and slowly push the plunger down.  Voila (more sneaky French) - your coffee is done!  Drink up my friend.  I like to add a splash of half and half (and by splash I mean about 2 ounces - I love my dairy products) and some turbinado sugar for a little sweetness.

Now you aren't intimidated by this anymore, are you? (It's okay - I used to think it was too high falutin' too.)

And trust me - this will the most delicious coffee you EVER make!  I also recommend getting a Bodum  French press - it does such a nice job with keeping the grounds out of your cup.

Now......would you like for me to make you a latte or a cup of French pressed?

Thanks so much for buzzing by today!  

So happy to see you!

P.S. Why are the pictures so dark?  Why we are having a thunderstorm!  Now we rarely have spring thunderstorms, let alone summer ones.  We are very excited listening to rumble of thunder and seeing the flash of lightning and smelling the sidewalk after the rain.

P.P.S.  Linking up to Cozy Little House
and
Share Your Cup!
Fun!
Thanks ladies!

Estate Saling with Worker Bee

Worker Bee and I did a bit of estate saling this weekend.  I can probably only talk him into going with me every 6-8 weeks so I was feeling lucky.

We went on the second day and most of the gorgeous vintage linens I coveted were gone.  In fact, they were all gone, so I didn't buy any linens.

Now I did find these –

a set of four vintage metal Christmas trays,  

a fabulously illustrated vintage chocolate box - I've tried finding information about this candy company and I can't find a thing - I'm pretty sure it is from the1920s though.  

Any thoughts?  

I also found this wine coaster - I already have a couple similar to this.  It's so pretty I might keep this one for myself (especially since I only paid $1 for it). 

I also found this pretty glass bowl.  It's such a sweet shade of blue.  I know nothing about this piece either.   I'll probably put it up on etsy, but I would love to know more about it.  

And here's something I can almost never resist - vintage baby clothes.  

Could it be part of a layette?  I couldn't get a nice picture of the whole thing.  It's like a jacket, but it's quite long - as long as a baby.  Do you know what it is?

Isn't the embroidery so sweet?  Pretty sure it's hand done 'cause I think I can see bits of the pattern.  Do you remember getting ready for that first baby?  I can just imagine the new mom who made this being so proud to show off her adorable baby in something she made.  

But what made this a spectacular trip was that Worker Bee found something he had wanted for a long, long, long time.

See, I'm not sure if I've told you that Worker Bee has a degree in geography.  (I know....what does he do with that? Not a lot - but it's what he loved, hence the degree.)

Part of what developed that love of maps and places and people and populations and regions and climates and weather is a book.

A book that Worker Bee's mother donated right before they moved from California to Texas.  A book that he has looked for for years.  (They moved in 1988 so you can see how long he has been hunting.)

The only bad thing about finding this book is now I can't play the

 "Hey, you might find that book you've been looking for" card any more.

That Worker Bee of mine was so cute.  As soon as we got home he pulled out that book and started sharing with us the things he remembered and learned from that book.  His enthusiasm was contagious and I could almost see the little towhead with glasses he was,  sharing what he learned with his parents and his older brothers.  

(yes, my heart got all melty)  

I was so thrilled he found something that made HIM happy!

So what have you found that had you buzzing like my Worker Bee?

Getting Ready to Go Back to School

We are all a little sad here that our summer vacation is coming to an end.

But (shhh......don't tell anyone I told you this, okay) I'm also kind of glad we will be getting back into a routine.  I think we had way too loosey goosey a summer - no plans and consequently I did not get many of the projects done I wanted to get done.  But oh well, that's water under the bridge.  

So Baby Bee starts Middle School on Thursday and I go back next Monday for training and meetings.  My students coming the following Thursday.  (It's kind of weird this year with Baby Bee and I starting in totally different weeks.)  

Uh oh - I digressed.  

Well, we had a big old slumber party here Friday night and Baby Bee invited over her 6th grade buddies from elementary school.  We had pizza and popcorn and pop! (I'm not from the midwest, but some of my nieces and nephews from Minnesota say pop when they are talking about what we in California call soda and I love it.) 

Have you ever popped M & Ms in hot popcorn?  

(pop the M&Ms in AFTER you've popped the popcorn)

The candy gets all melty and yummy and the hot buttery popcorn with the chocolate makes a delicious treat.  Worker Bee - our resident purist - does not like this treat, but us girls do!  I think it was the perfect way to spend that last free weekend with so many changes happening soon for our Baby Bee.

Now....

wouldn't one of you like to come up here and help get me organized? 

I really need your help!  

(and please note the stash of fast food coupons - 'fraid we'll be living on that stuff the first few days after school starts)

Just a Peek!

I showed you some of the inspiration for one of my tables for the fair this year here.

Baby Bee is going to do a table again this year too.

Here's her fabric but that's all I'm going to show you.  

You know I'm a huge tease! Right?

Buzzingly,

P.S.  Did a bit of Back to School shopping for Baby Bee.....

can you tell she's going into 7th grade with those shoes?

You Know You've Been Blogging Too Long When...

You start thinking about hosting a linky party!

Yes, I am thinking (what am I thinking!) about starting one.  

I've even gone so far as to design some possible buttons for it.  

 or

Do you like one better than the other?  

I think I do, but now I want to add some things to it.

I've thought about what "my rules" would be...
 your link must be something you're excited about,
such as
home projects,
cooking,
gardening,
 things you've seen that you are drooling over, 
things you're dreaming about doing, 
somethings you're excited to be listing in your etsy shop,
etc.  
Just what you are feeling that buzzzzz about!  

Hmmm....anybody else notice that these are things I frequently blog about?

So, I'm asking you,
would you want to participate?

I have to pick a day and I'm thinking about Sunday as in "What are you buzzing about Sunday?"  

Am I crazy to even think about this?

Thanks again for buzzing along with me!  

I am always so delighted to see you have stopped by for a visit.

  
I am crazy, aren't I?

And........will you still come visit even if I don't start a linky???

Scalloped and Tin Adorableness

Really, I wouldn't blame you if you thought Cost Plus World Market had hired me to plug their products.  

But I just can't help it!  

I can't! 

 Really!

So....if you can tolerate another post about MY FAVORITE STORE IN THE ENTIRE WORLD (FOR RIGHT NOW) - please keep reading.  

If not, just look at the pretty pictures.

Seriously!  What's a girl supposed to do with all that scalloped and tin goodness?

Not buy it if you've got Baby Bee along with you.  She was like, "C'mon Mom.  What are you going to do with it?"  I said, "But look.....it's so cuuuuuuuuute!"  Then she said, "Where would you put it?"  And I said, "Ummmm.....I don't know......but look!  It's sooooooooooo cute!  And look – it's got a cute nice little gasket to keep things fresh in there."  She just looked at me with her dad's "really?" expression.

Doggone that girl!  I didn't buy any of them.

But if you want one (or more) of them I think the little one was $5 and the bigger one was $7 or $8.  Such a deal!

I mean really.  

They are scalloped!  

They are tin!  

They come in minty/jadeite green and white!

Thanks for buzzing along with me!  It's always so nice to see you've stopped by a for a bit.

And if you do go get one of these?  Better not tell me because my tears might short out my laptop.

P.S.  And if I do go back and get some, you can bet Baby Bee will not be invited to come along!

The Big County Fair and a Bridal Shower - What Do They Have in Common?

Well, you know I'm going to tell you what they have in common.....but.....not yet!  You must know that's how I roll - I'm a huge tease.

A lovely friend of mine is getting married in October and we are having her bridal shower at my house.

Why didn't they have Pinterest and the internet around when I was getting married?  Can you imagine how many ideas and projects I would have done?  One thing I did love at our wedding was that the favors were heart shaped chocolate chip cookies.  We made pan after pan of chocolate chip bar cookies and then used a heart shaped cookie cutter to cut them out and then packaged them in a clear bag with blue and white ribbon.  I was very obsessed with blue and white when we got married.  Bridesmaids had blue and white striped dresses and Worker Bee even vowed to love the colors blue and white in our wedding vows.  Whoa!  Brakes!  I really digressed there, now didn't I?

So....in an effort to kill two birds with one stone - one of the tables the More Creative Bee and I are doing for the Big County Fair is.....a.....you're never going to guess......

A Bridal Shower Table!

The colors for the shower are navy and orange.  My friend is also having wood(s) be a part of her wedding so I jumped in with that too.

So yesterday, Baby Bee and I went to World Market (I know, I know – I'm obsessed) because I knew they had orange buffet napkins at a very reasonable price.  We got there – and – they were gone.  Now I had just looked at them online a few days ago so I was shocked.  I sat down right in the store and got on their website to find out what was going on.  Imagine my excitement when they were on clearance for $5 for a set of 6!  So I thought I'll just order them then.  Now imagine how uber excited I got when sitting way down on the bottom shelf were these napkins!  

Yes, 12 year old Baby Bee was slightly embarrassed (but I think she might be that way constantly anyway, so who cares) when I started throwing napkins in the cart.  So the spiced orange napkins will be used for both the shower and the fair table. And! For less than $1 per napkin!  Very autumnal (one of my all time favorite words) too!

Then I've been eyeing this stand for quite a while at World Market (yes, obsessed, we know) so I bought it too (used the last of my gift card) for part of the centerpiece for the fair table.  'Fraid I won't be able to use it for the shower because the shower is during the time our tables are set up at the fair. 

But maybe my friend would like to use it as part of her wedding reception.

For the shower I have these navy and white gingham tablecloths I had the Sewing Bee make for me about 10 years ago.  But for the fair I wanted to make it a little more fresh and modern – see my friend getting married is only in her 20s (and I'm not) – but now I'm having a hard time finding fabric for the tablecloth.  

I checked out Joann's and Home Fabrics without a lot of luck.  

Found these online, but not sure about them.  Although the chevron is growing on me.

Found this one on etsy

I still have a few other places to check out - going to torture Baby Bee by taking her shopping on Thursday (that girl does not like to shop - too much like her dad!) and I'll check it out in the other big city (the one with a Hobby Lobby) near us.  I also picked up these initials and faux sunflowers that will probably also be part of the centerpiece.  

I'm not sure how it will all go together though yet.  Lots of ideas are bouncing around in my head.  

I have these vintage jelly jars that I might use for the flowers.   Found some great resources on etsy too for the shower.

Now, I really need to get to work.  Went out an bought paint last night to paint furniture and I better get started!  School starts in just 18 days!

Thanks for buzzing along with me.  Can't wait for it all to come together.  Okay, in all honesty I can wait because then it means my summer vacation is over!