Friday Four

What I Watched: Jamie and I watched To Kill a Mockingbird last weekend, because it aired a few weeks ago in honor of its 50th anniversary. It's amazing how well the movie has held up -- maybe because it was in black and white. Anyway, it also made me want to read the book again; it is my favorite after all.

In TV news, SoapNet started airing Veronica Mars last week and I am SO excited. My old roommate Mamie got me hooked on this show when we lived together and I'm glad to get the chance to finally see it from the beginning. It's smart, fun, and sarcastic... just like I like it :-)

What I Read: I'll give you one guess. I'm never gonna finish this book!!

What I Listened to: I haven't really listened to any new music this week. However, a few weeks ago I checked out The Hunger Games soundtrack. I can't say that I really enjoyed it for the most part. These three stuck out for me though:
                            Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars "Safe & Sound"
                            Maroon 5 & Rozzi Crane "Come Away to the Water"
                            Birdy "Just a Game"

What I Ate: We went to Lizard's Thicket after church on Sunday and it was yummmy. I love their fried okra!

Thrifty Thursday - April 26

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon

WALMART

(1) Claritin Non-Drowsy Liqui-gels, 24 ct, OP: $19.97

-$5.00 off (1) Claritin product 24+

Total Spent: $16.37
Total Saved: $5.00


PUBLIX

(2) Jello Sugar Free Pudding, 6 ct, OP: $3.39, SP: $2.00

-$1.00 off (2) Jello refrigerated products

(1) Tyson Popcorn Chicken Any'tizers, OP: $8.49, SP: $6.99

-$1.00 off (1) Tyson Any'tizers

(1) New York Lite Garlic Texas Toast, OP: $2.83, SP: $1.41

-$.55 off (1) New York product

(1) Trop50 Orange Juice, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

(1) Trop50 Farmstand Apple Juice, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

(1) Coffeemate Italian Creme Creamer, 32 oz, OP: $3.89, SP: $2.50

-$.55 off (1) Coffeemate Creamer

(1) Iceberg Lettuce, OP: $1.49

(3) Premium Tomato, 1.6 lb, OP: $3.18, SP: $2.06

(1) Zucchini Squash, OP: $1.25, SP: $.81

(1) Yellow Squash, OP: $.68, SP: $.52

(2) Almond Accents, OP: $2.99, SP: $2.00

- $1.00 off (1) Almond Accents

- $.75 off (1) Almond Accents

(1) Snack Factory Pretzel Crisps, OP: $3.29, SP: $1.65

(2) Back to Nature Crackers, OP: $2.89, SP: $2.50

-$1.00 off (2) Back to Nature crackers (Publix coupon)

(1) Back to Nature Granola, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.50

(1) Mueller Whole Grain Angel Hair Pasta, OP: $1.43, SP: $.72

(1) Peter Pan Creamy Peanut Butter, OP: $3.49, SP: $1.75

(1) Strawberry Newtons, OP: $4.29, SP: $2.15

(4) Mott's Healthy Harvest Applesauce, 6 ct, OP: $2.39, SP: $1.67

-$5.00 off $30.00 or more purchase (Publix coupon)

Total Spent: $39.02
Total Saved: $35.00

TOTAL SPENDING: $55.39
TOTAL SAVINGS: $40.00    

Thrifty Thursday - April 19

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


TARGET

(2) Nestle Easter Eggs - Butterfinger & Crunch, OP: $3.19, SP: $0.95

(4) Plastic Easter Eggs, 12 ct, OP: $0.99, SP: $0.09 

(3) Plastic Easter Eggs, 48 ct, OP: $1.99, SP: $0.19

(1) One a Day Vitacraves, 50 ct, OP: $6.99, SP: $6.29

- $1.00 off (1) One a Day product

Total Spent: $8.63 (paid with gift card!)
Total Saved: $15.18

PUBLIX

(1) Alexia Spicy Sweet Potato Fries, OP: $3.79, SP: $3.00

- $1.00 off (1) Alexia Sweet Potato product

(1) Bird's Eye Voila Sweet & Sour Chicken, OP: $5.17, SP: $2.59

- $1.00 off (1) Bird's Eye Voila Meal

(2) Michelina's Beef & Peppers, OP: $1.25, SP: $1.00

(1) Dole Frozen Strawberry Fruit Cup, 2 ct, OP: $1.99, SP: $1.67

- $.55 off (1) Dole Frozen Fruit Cups

(1) Van's Whole Grain Waffles, 8 ct, OP: $3.15, SP: $1.58

(1) Iceberg Lettuce, OP: $1.49

(1) Fresh Express 50/50 Blend Spinach & Spring Mix, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.00

(1) Campari Tomatoes, 16 oz, OP: $4.99, SP: $2.50

(1) White Mushrooms, OP: $1.99

(1) Yellow Squash, 0.38 lb, OP: $0.64, SP: $0.49

(1) Simply Orange Juice w/Calcium, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

- $1.00 off (1) Simply Orange Juice

(1) Marzetti Simply Dressed Pomegranate Dressing, OP: $3.69, SP: $1.85

- $0.50 off (1) Marzetti Simply Dressed Salad Dressing (doubled to $1.00)

(3) Campbell's Select Harvest Minestrone Soup, OP: $2.49, SP: $1.67

- $1.50 off (3) Campbell's Select Harvest Soup

(1) 100 Calorie Ritz Snack Mix, 5 ct, OP: $3.19, SP: $1.60

(1) Snackwell Chocolate Breakfast Bar, 5 ct, OP: $3.19, SP: $1.48

(2) Mentos Up2U Gum, 14 pc, OP: $1.49, SP: $0.99

- $1.00 off (2) Mentos Up2U Gum single packs

(5) Gatorade, 32 oz, OP: $1.39, SP: $1.00

(3) Coca Cola Classic, 16.9 oz 6 pk, OP: $3.99, SP: Buy 2 Get 1 Free

Total Spent: $39.15
Total Saved: $33.65

 

Total Spending: $47.78
Total Savings: $48.83

Rental Redo Part 2

You may recall that a while back Jamie and I started a remodel on another of our rental apartments after one of our tenants broke her lease. Well, eight months later, we are finally finished! Here are the before and afters... we're even prouder of this one than the previous one!

Living Room BEFORE: Unpainted door with trim molding that was installed backwards. Gross berber carpet. Two walls were painted peach and two were painted white. The cabinet is one that we took out of the kitchen because it was in a useless spot.

Living Room AFTER: Walls and ceiling painted, trim and baseboards painted, laminate installed, door painted white and all new door trim.

Kitchen BEFORE: giant hole in the linoleum flooring, leaking washing machine connection (no washing machine), 70's style earth tone (electric pea) colored refrigerator complete with mold. Never before cleaned stove with oven. Peach colored walls. We had to have the ceiling replaced in the kitchen and the bath because it was falling in. There was also a random 2in drop ceiling in one section over the counter with a trim mold transition. Oh, and don't forget all the awesome hand prints the ceiling worker left all over the cabinets!

Kitchen AFTER: walls and trim painted, new linoleum installed, new refrigerator, washing machine connector fixed and washing machine installed, cabinets painted and lined, blinds cleaned, stove and oven cleaned, drip pans replaced, brand new ceiling painted.

Bathroom BEFORE:  We had to replace everything in the bathroom except for the tub. That is wallpaper on the bottom two panes of the window and the top had white spray paint that needed to be scraped off. We also replaced that cabinet because it was approx. 3ft wide with 8in doors and a huge piece of wood in the middle between the doors. The toilet leaked as did the shower head.

Bathroom AFTER: New toilet, new linoleum, as well as the sink cabinet. The new, overpriced, over-the-toilet cabinet has been installed.  We put up a vinyl pull down shade in the shower. 

Bedroom 1 AFTER: Both of the bedrooms essentially looked like the living room before, so we didn't take pictures. The walls were painted, ceiling painted, trim and baseboards painted, blinds installed, door stoppers installed, shoe rack spray painted. laminate flooring installed. 

We also had a closet built to house the furnace. Originally it was a plywood box without a door painted white from floor to ceiling with no ventilation. So we replaced it with a louvered bi-fold door to allow for access and venting.

Check out Jamie's facebook page if you want to see even more pictures :-)

Friday Four

What I Watched: Mostly my regular shows this week. I checked out the new ABC show Scandal. It seems pretty decent so far-- kept my attention at least. We'll see how it does!

What I Read: yep... still Jane Eyre!

What I Listened to: Jamie made an Easter Mix a couple of weeks ago, full of great Christian modern music. If you want a copy, let us know!

What I Ate: We picked up some pasta from The Villa last weekend. It's always fun to get take out from there because we each get two meals out of it! Our after church meal this week was at Jamie's grandparents house for Easter dinner. 


Sorry I was so boring this week, I'll try to do better next time :-)

Thrifty Thursday - April 12

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


PUBLIX

(3) Coca Cola Classic, 16.9 oz 6 pk, OP: $3.99, SP: Buy 2 Get 1 Free

(2) Claussen Dill Pickle Spears, OP: $3.29, SP: $2.00

(1) Dole Frozen Blueberry Fruit Cups, 2 pk, OP: $1.89

- $.55 off (1) Dole Frozen Fruit Cup pack

(1) Fresh Express 50/50 Spring Mix & Baby Spinach, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.00

(1) White Mushroom Slices, OP: $2.99, SP: $2.50

(2) Pillsbury Crescent Rolls, 4 oz, OP: $1.59, SP: $1.00
- $.75 off (2) Pillsbury Rolls (Kroger coupon)

(1) Campari Tomatoes, OP: $4.99, SP: $2.50

(1) Simply Orange Juice w/Calcium, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

- $1.00 off (1) Simply Orange Juice

(1) Cheez-Its, OP: $4.09, SP: $2.50

- $.70 off (1) Cheez It product

(1) Chocolate Chip Pop Tarts, 8 ct, OP: $2.29, SP: $1.67

(6) Uncle Ben's Ready Rice, OP: $1.99, SP: $1.34

- $1.00 off (3) Uncle Ben's Ready Rice

- $1.00 off (3) Uncle Ben's products

(1) Swiffer Duster Kit, 5 ct, OP: $4.99, SP: $4.00

Total Spent: $37.32
Total Saved: $25.81


CVS

(2) Cadbury Creme Eggs, 4 pk, OP: $3.79, SP: $1.89

(1) Peeps Marshmallows, 10 pk, OP: $1.89, SP: $.95

(4) Reese's Egg Singles, OP: $.99, SP: $.49

(1) Easter Sweetarts, OP: $2.99, SP: $1.49

(1) Whopper Mini Robin Eggs, OP: $2.87, SP: $1.44

- $1.50 Extra Care Bucks

- $2.00 Extra Care Bucks   
 
 Total Spent: $6.12
Total Saved: $13.17

  
Total Spending: $43.44
Total Savings: $38.98

The Meaning of Oviparous (and other Kindergarten tales)

This time last year I was questioning whether I even wanted to teach anymore. After being back in a classroom for the past seven and a half weeks, I can unequivocally say, "yes! I do want to teach!" I spent this time in a kindergarten classroom while their teacher was on maternity leave and got the opportunity to work with some really wonderful kids.

I'm not quite sure how to frame this post, so it might not be as cohesive as some of my previous entries. I just wanted to share some things I learned, I taught, and experienced.

One of the most exciting draws for me (other than that it was kindergarten) was that I would finally get to see true Balanced Literacy in action. We read one big book a week for shared reading, had small groups for guided reading, worked in literacy stations (no more must dos and may dos!), and did word study that made sense for the group (as opposed to a certain order).

As part of Black History Month, each class decorated their door with relevant people. Our class had chosen Gamecock football players. Most of them were very excited, except the handful of Clemson/Georgia/Kentucky fans :-) Thanks to my lovely assistant Sue, she helped the kids make this awesome door:

During President's Day week, we learned lots of facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. In one of my Guided Reading groups the next week, we were doing a storywalk through a book about hugs, and why different people need them. The child on the page looked sad and the student said that maybe he was sad because someone died. He then told me that "my brother died. He stopped breathing. Now he's with George Washington and Abraham Lincoln because they both died." Talk about a text to self connection! We sat there for a second, taking in what he had said, and then the girl next to him commented, "Maybe George Washington gave him a one dollar bill!" :-)

For St. Patrick's Day, one of the experiments we did was putting food coloring in water and then putting in a white carnation to see what happens. Unfortunately, as you can see, the green coloring did hardly anything! Maybe next time I need to put more in it...

As part of the Everyday Math series, we did lots of graphs, which I think is perfect for young ones, as they are generally very visual at that age. Here is the one we did for "Type of Pets." I had a graph for the Smartboard that I had previously made for other classes. This group had SO MANY pets, not to mention so many different kinds, that we had to change it constantly as we were going!

One of the science units I had to teach was Oviparous Animals. If you are like me, you have never heard the word "oviparous" in your life. Just for fun, as I was introducing the unit, I held up the word and asked if any of the kids could read it (not imagining any of them could, of course.) Immediately a hand shot up. He not only read the word, but could also tell me that it meant an animal that lays eggs. He told me he learned it in preschool-- I want to send my future kids to that preschool! This is the same student who wrote a book about amoebas, and told me that the elephant bird from "Horton Hatches an Egg" happened because it had elephant DNA and bird DNA.

Anyway, as part of that unit, we had to hatch eggs in our classroom. When I first found that out, I pretty much freaked out. I don't really do well with animals, unless it's a cat... and I enjoy looking at them on TV and at the zoo :-)  Well, it didn't turn out to be too bad, and the kids were OBSESSED with them. All they wanted to do was go look at the chicks once they hatched. Who can blame them? Look how cute they are (the matted looking one hatched a day after the rest of them):

 

I could go on and on about how much fun I had and how many ideas I got for my future classroom, but I will just leave you with my parting gift from the class, by way of my assistant :-)

Thank you Ashley!

Friday Four

What I Watched: I've watched several movies the past couple of weeks in addition to our normal tv shows. Most recently I saw My Sister's Keeper. I thought the topic was really interesting, and now I wonder if that really happens. Do couples have additional children to help sick older siblings? Has anyone ever heard of this in real life?

What I Read: I'm still working on Jane Eyre. I also have a backlog of about five or six Entertainment Weeklys that I'm working through!

What I Listened to: Lots of new stuff this week added to my Spotify playlist. Some highlights:
                                  Alex Clare "Too Close"
                                  Taylor Swift & The Civil Wars "Safe and Sound"
                                  Carly Rae Jepson "Call Me Maybe"
                                  Andy Grammer "Fine by Me"
                                  Jason Mraz "I Won't Give Up"

What I Ate: Last Saturday we our Living Social deal for Chicago Uno Grill. I had a Harvest Vegetable pizza, which was decent, but I'm not a huge fan of cheese on top of my toppings, especially when it's thick! Sunday after church we went to Moe's, where I got my usual Joey Jr. burrito... yum!

Thrifty Thursday - April 5

OP: Original price (individual)        SP: Sale price (individual)    Blue font: coupon


WALMART
(1) Great Value White Sandwich Bread, OP: $1.18

(2) Dole Frozen Blueberries Singles, 2 pk, OP: $1.88
- 1.00 off (2) Dole Frozen Fruit Singles 

(1) Good Seasons Zesty Italian Seasoning Mix, 4 pk, OP: $3.28

(1) Walmart Paper Towels, 1 roll, OP: $.64

(5) Bananas, OP: $.97

Total Spent: $8.87
Total Saved: $1.00


PUBLIX

(1) Birds Eye Steam Fresh Asian Medley, OP: $2.47, SP: $1.23
- $1.00 off (1) Birds Eye Steam Fresh Chef Favorite   

(1) Edwards Key Lime Pie, OP: $7.99, SP: $3.99

- $.75 off (1) Edwards Pie

(2) Coffeemate Natural Bliss Coffee Creamer, 16 oz, OP: $2.50, SP: $1.67

- $1.00 off (2) Coffeemate Natural Bliss Creamers

(3) Premium Tomatoes, 1.63 lb, OP: $3.24, SP: $2.10

(1) Celery, OP: $1.69, SP: $.99

(1) Sabra Classic Hummus, OP: $3.99, SP: $2.00

(1) Cucumber, OP: $.74, SP: $.50

(1) Smithfield Low Sodium Bacon, OP: $5.79, SP: $3.34

(2) Lipton Citrus Green Tea, 1 gal, OP: $2.99

- $1.00 off (2) Lipton Tea 1 gallon (Publix coupon)

(1) Ocean Spray Crangrape Juice, OP: $3.79, SP: $1.90

(1) Publix Restaurant Style Tortilla Chips, 9 oz, OP: $2.59

- Buy 2 Chi Chi's Salsa, Get 1 Publix Tortilla Chips FREE (Publix coupon)

(2) Chi Chi's Mild Salsa, OP: $2.79, SP: $2.50

(2) Ritz Munchables, OP: $3.89, SP: $1.95

- $1.00 off (2) Nabisco Crackers 

(2) Nabisco Triscuits, OP: $3.39, SP: $2.50

- $1.00 off (2) Triscuits 9.5 oz or larger

(2) Dentyne Pure Mint Gum, 9 pc, OP: $1.19, SP: $1.00

- $1.00 off (2) Dentyne products

(2) Mentos Pure Fresh Gum, 50 pc, OP: $3.29, SP: $1.65

- $1.00 off (2) Mentos Gum

(1) Charmin Ultra Strong, double roll 12 pk, OP: $9.79, SP: $6.99

- $1.00 off (1) Charmin product

(1) Charmin Freshmate Cloth Wipes, 40 ct, OP: $2.89, SP: $2.29

- FREE Charmin Freshmates when you buy 1 Charmin Tissue 9+ rolls (Publix coupon)

(1) Bounty Select a Size Paper Towels, 6 pk, OP: $9.79, SP: $6.99

(1) Bounty Napkins, 100 ct, OP: $1.99

- FREE Bounty Napkins when you buy 1 Bounty Paper Towels 6+ rolls (Publix coupon)

(1) Tropicana Premium Plus Calcium Orange Juice, OP: $3.99, SP: $3.00

Total Spent: $54.06
Total Saved: $48.02


TOTAL SPENDING: $62.93
TOTAL SAVINGS: $49.02

12 for '12 Update - February/March

Sooo... I don't know how well I'm doing with some of these goals at the point. I may have bitten off more than I can chew! In any case, here we go...

SPIRITUAL
My Bible reading has been a bit inconsistent these past couple of months due to work, but I'm getting back into it now and am still on track to finish by Janurary. Jamie and I have put our devotional on hold for now. When we both got sick at the beginning of February, we were going to bed really early and got out of the habit. So we will have to get back into a routine and create time for that again... or try again next year.

PROFESSIONAL
I'm still working on getting a job for next year. I went to two job fairs in February and hopefully am somewhat close to landing a position. I don't want to talk too much about it, in case it doesn't work out. Rest assured, as soon as I sign a contract, the whole world will know!
I've been reading plenty of professional material, as I got to plan and study for lessons, as well as read to my students each day. Pinterest has actually greatly helped me in this area as well, as I've read about lots of great ideas to use in the classroom!
That brings me to a question for you all. I want to begin work on my teaching website. However, I'm thinking now that maybe I should do a blog. It may be easier to navigate and search for things (using labels) and for me, it might be easier to update and more motivating as well. Opinions?

HEALTH
I have massively failed in one of these goals. When I got sick, I stopped working out and haven't done it since. One of the main reasons I started to begin with was because I was just sitting around watching TV for months and getting no physical activity. Well, working with kindergarteners gets you plenty of movement! I'm just going to have to find a motivation to get back into it: a fun workout would be a start. I have been continuing to eat fairly healthy for the most part though. The MyPlate website has helped me figure out portion sizes and how much of each group I should be eating each day.

BLOG
I've started my two weekly features, I just haven't been able to keep up with them recently... but I think I'm more than making up for my two a week blogs this week :-)

OTHER
As you've seen from my "Thrifty Thursday" posts, I've definitely been sticking to my $50 weekly grocery budget average, which I'm very proud of! Jamie and I have finally started watching Lost and are at the end of disc 4; we have a long way to go though. I haven't found a way to get back into singing yet. The choir I was talking about hasn't participated in any services since Christmas, so I don't know if that's a viable option or not.


Okay, so I haven't done as bad as I thought, but I can always do better! How are you doing on your goals?  

Where've You Been?!

If you're a regular reader of the blog, you might have wondered this to yourself sometime over the past couple of months. Most of my time was consumed by long term subbing, which was wonderful and I'll write a separate post about. Here are some other things we've been up to these past few weeks.

Taxes- One of the first weekends in February we spent doing our taxes. It took alllll day on a Saturday, but we got them done early!

Valentine's- We both spent the weekend before Valentine's Day sick, so we decided to celebrate the weekend after. It was quite eventful! We went to our favorite Asian restaurant (Antai in Lexington) and enjoyed a delicious meal. Then we got a surprise visit from Cin (& Court the next day) and took our first picture together since my wedding:

Jamie also upgraded to an IPhone 4S and while we were there, we switched to AT&T U-verse. We've been thinking about switching cable providers for a year, and finally made the plunge. So far, it's been pretty good. There have been a couple of little glitches, but it's much cheaper than Time Warner AND we get whole house DVR, which I've never had. And of course, this is just enabling my TV addiction even further ;-)

Celebrations- My mom came down at the end of February to stay with us and we took her out for a birthday dinner. For St. Patrick's Day this year, our friend Magan had a small get-together which was so fun. She set up a treasure hunt in her apartment, leading us with a series of clues, and Jamie and I won some yummy "gold nuggets" and "money mints." I also won Scattergories... I felt very lucky that day!

Speaking of good fortune, Easter is not yet upon us, but Shandon always does their modern worship event on Palm Sunday. This year, we were so blessed to have Kevin Olusola as a guest artist. Kevin is well known for two reasons: some know him as the "beatboxing cellist." Others (such as myself) know him as the vocal percussionist for the a cappella group Pentatonix, who just so happened to win a little show called "The Sing Off," which I'm more than a little obsessed with! If you want to see him with Pentatonix, you can go to one of my previous posts: Friday Four- February 11 
Here he is using the talent he bestowed on us Sunday:

Sad Times- One of the most important events of the past couple of months was the death of my maternal grandmother. She had Alzheimer's for the past few years and so it was inevitable I suppose. The State newspaper had just done an article about my grandparents last Valentine's Day, since they had been married for so long. It was so sweet then, and made bittersweet now that she's gone:
SC Man Loses his Loving Singing Partner 

My very first youth minister, Stan Stone, passed away recently from cancer. He introduced me to the sounds of Jars of Clay and DC Talk, and was such a kind man. He also looked kind of like my daddy! In addition to both of those deaths, one of my colleagues from my former school, Peggy Tiller, passed away after losing her fight with breast cancer. They always say death comes in threes, and this time was no different.

Randoms- We also went to our first baseball game of the season last month, which just happened to be the heartbreaker where we lost to Florida in the last inning. On a lighter note, Jamie almost had a star encounter a couple of weeks ago, as he delivered to the film crew of "Oprah's Next Chapter," who were in Orangeburg filming a show about Shaquan Duley. He didn't know it at the time, but after watching the show, we are pretty sure that Oprah was just inside the house that he delivered to!


Whew, I think that about rounds it up for now. I'm sure I left out something, but that's okay :-)