Five for Friday

I am back in the saddle.  

Last year was a difficult one. 

I had a VERY needy class and a TON of stress.  

I needed every ounce of energy just to survive.  

I know that it sounds dramatic but that is exactly how I felt.  That being said…I am back!  Smaller class, less needs, renewed energy!  I figured that I would start with a 5 for Friday on an ACTUAL Friday!

#1

I work with lovely people.  This mini carrot muffin was at my door one morning this week.  I saved it for as long as I could….so yummy!

#2

I am loving having my lunch made for the week!  I have been using the recipes from Organize Yourself Skinny to make my week even less stressful. I have loved every one of them.  You have to be willing to eat the same thing every day but that is not a problem for me!

#3

I am trying to rejuvinate my love for Fall.  Lately I have been down on autumn due to the fact that winter follows it, but how can you not love the beauty of this pumpkin????

#4

This is my newest addiction.  I have loved to scrapbook all of my life.  I loved the cut and paste part but as I got older and had less time, Project Life came around.  As if it could not get ANY better, the Project Life App entered existence and I can now make scrapbook pages while I am waiting for the kids to finish up with after school practices.  Check out Project Life if you love archiving your memories!

#5

Hey! How about a bit from the classroom?  We have been working on learning about workstations this week.  This group is really catching on and is enjoying moving around to the different stations.

Listening Station

Helping each other with a word search.

Sight words at the magnetic letter center!

and more sight words….

…and even more sight words….

Christmas Posts!

I just uploaded a few posts over on my classroom blog….

Stop over and peek if you have a few!

Christmas Elf Stations

Christmas Jammie Buddy Reading

Christmas Jammie Day

Have a Merry!

Five for Friday (Sunday…)

It has been a while since I posted a five for Friday and I still have trouble with getting it out on an actual Friday but here it is…..

{{1}}

This is my fantastic classroom aide and some of my cutie patooties with our Rachel's Challenge kindness links.
45 acts of kindness for the month of November!
We rock!

{{2}}

My pretty sparkly tree collection on my mantle is making me happy this season.

{{3}}

My classroom has glitter EVERYWHERE!  We are making glittery snowflakes for our families.

As well as these totally cute handprint reindeer….

{{4}}

Hey!
Mrs. Faas!
It's snowing!
Can you see it?
It's snowing!
You would think that living in Western NY would make us immune to snowfall….BUT…..

{{5}}

My family went to some outdoor hockey games this weekend.
It was 11 degrees.
Did I mention that the game swere OUTDOORS?
I did not attend but took pictures of my well-bundled family!

Five For Friday

This was a short week for us because we had Superintendent's Conference Day on Friday but we had plenty of fun!  Click above to head over to Doodle Bugs Teaching and link yourself up!

1.  Reading is WAY more fun when youhave creepy witch fingers and whisper phones, right?  When my firsties come to reading group they read books from their reading bags and I can squeeze in a informal record or two but sometimes I just watch them and smile….

2.  I was in the library tonight and this was on the NEW shelf!  It makes me smile to see this book because I know the author.  I am so happy for her success.  If you do not know Amy VanDerwater, grab a cup of tea and a warm blankie, curl up on the couch and head over to her blog The Poem Farm.  You will NOT be disappointed!  Tell her Lori sent ya! :)

3. This cute 5th grader (who used to be a kindergartner of mine back in the day), helped to coordinate a buddy read between her fifth grade classmates and my first graders.  We had our first gathering on Thursday and it was SO much fun that we will be continuing it every week! Love her…..

Here are some pictures of the reading buddies.  The 5th graders went tothe library and specifically picked out books to read to the first graders.  It was very cute.

The first graders kept running and getting other books out of our library for their buddies to read.  they could not get enough!

4.  I went to a holiday craft bazaar today at my church and my girlie picked out the fox earrings.  I let her get them with the promise that I would not have to hear THAT SONG every time she wore them!

5.  My #5 is also about my girlie who just had her callback audition for her 5-6 musical.  As you can see, they are doing Honk Jr.  She is VERY excited and the cast list goes up Tuesday!  She needed to write this reminder on the chalkboard in the kitchen. I am SO excited for her!!!!!!!!!!  

Next week is another short one.  I am going to go have lunch on Monday with my Dad (my favorite veteran).  Thanks to all our Veterans for your service and to the families of our armed forces for your sacrifice.

Five for Friday! ON a Friday!

1.  It was pumpkin mania this week!  Here are a few of my favorites!

Charlotte's Web don e by a local pumpkin farm!  This is carved on a 1000 pound pumpkin!

These are my family's pumpkins. Music notes, owl and volleyball!

The classroom pumpkin....another owl of course!

2. This has been the constant state of affairs in my room.  I have picked up and cleaned up this mess several times this week.....sigh....

3. finally hung up my classroom clothesline.....there is NO room on my walls and until the fire inspector  makes me take it down, it stays ....

4.  I registered to be a bone marrow donor this week.  It was VERY easy!  DO it!

5.  No need for words here..... just smile and enjoy it!

I am now off to enjoy the weekend! 

Five for Friday confession time

I am just going to accept the fact that I will never actually post a "5 for Friday" on a Friday....oh well.....here it goes anyway.....


#1.  Arancini......is........delicious!  I really want to learn how to make these but for now I am happy that there is a great Italian take out place on my way home from work so on nights when I stay until 7 and my family is at a hockey game, I can have one of these yummies.....
(that was a run on sentence.....sorry....)

Inside this rice ball is a meatball!

#2.  On Friday, we did a very cute and fun craft activity that I got in the "Silly Spiders" unit by Doodle Bugs Teaching.  With this group, there were some things that were pre-cut for them and some things that they cut on their own....

#3. Carrot Cake is sometimes necessary when your husband has a medical issue and you are forced to be a "nurse" and change bandages.....yuk....... the cake made it better.....a little

#4.  I saw this while driving into school this past week and actually pulled over to take a picture.  The sun was coming up and making the clouds a beautiful pink color.  The picture does not do it justice.

#5.  I was struggling for a #5 this week.....so I decided to make a confession.  

I do not like pumpkin pie.

I do not like pumpkin flavored drinks.

Warm or cold.

Pumpkin bread is OK....if there is no other choice.

I hope that this does not change your mind about following me but I felt that I should come clean.

I feel so much better.