Sexy History

Tomorrow marks the end of my first week of complete teaching - lectures, activities, grading, everything! I'm not going to lie, I'm very happy that tomorrow's Friday. It's been a long, yet super fast week. But I am extremely blessed to have an amazing cooperating teacher. He's been very friendly, supportive, and encouraging, always knowing the right questions to ask and advice to give. Yesterday I was discouraged about my ability to lecture (I stink at public speaking!) and not being able to be engaging and culturally relevant to the students. This morning when I got to school, my teacher handed my a Borders bag and in it there were two books. In order to start my collection of stories and references that will help me to, as my teacher says, "make history sexy", Badass: A Relentless Onslaught of the Toughest Warlords, Vikings, Samurai, Pirates, Gunfighters, and Military Commanders to Ever Live and Uncle John's Bathroom Reader: Plunges into History. They sound extremely weird, but so far I have learned so many random facts! I would highly recommend these for anyone who doesn't like history - but watch out; if you didn't guess it from the title, Badass is a bit crude, but amazing. Yay for new books and amazing mentors!

{Ben Thompson's Badass}

{Uncle John's Bathroom Reader}

Listening to: "How Do I Breathe" Mario

Thought of the Day: "Fall seven times, stand up eight." - Japanese proverb

Foodie Valentines

More adorable Valentines...

{All $4 from persimmonsgal's Etsy shop.}

Listening to: "Favorite Girl" Justin Bieber

Thought of the Day: "In your hands you hold the seeds of fialure or the potential for greatness. Your hands are capable, but they must be used for the right things to reap the rewards you are capable of attaining. The choice is yours." - Zig Ziglar

Happy Friday!

An escape to a Californian beach sounds fabulous right now. After an amazing retreat from reality last weekend, this week was rough. Too little sleep due to new responsibilities with student teaching, gloomy weather everyday, early mornings (waking up at 5:30 is rough!), and getting back into the routine of meetings, working out and school, has left me exhausted and burnt out... and it's only week 2!
This afternoon, I have a phone interview for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps - wish me luck! I hope this weekend I am able to catch up on sleep, lesson plans, and friends. Have a wonderful Friday!

Elegance

I'm not usually a fan of Jessica Stam, but isn't she lovely in this Feb. 2010 Elle China photograph?

I'm smitten with the combination of pearls and black lace.

Listening to: "Shed a Little Light" James Taylor
Thought of the Day: "This is my wish for you: comfort on difficult days, smiles when sadness intrudes, rainbows to follow the clouds, laughter to kiss your lips, hugs when spirits sag, sunsets to warm your heart, friendships to brighten your being, beauty for your eyes to see, faith so that you can believe, confidence for when you doubt, patience to accept the truth, courage to know yourself, love to complete your life." - Anonymous

{via A Glamorous Little Side Project via Elle China}

BOYBC

Bring your own beer coaster. So cool.

{4 for $6.50}

{75 personalized for $95}

Wouldn't these coasters made by Red Bird Ink be the perfect gift for the guys in your life?
Search etsy for letterpressed coasters and more designs are available, but I love the simplicity of these.

Listening to: "I Run to You" Lady Antebellum
Thought of the Day: "Search for inspiration." -Wilferd Peterson

Happy Friday!

Happy Friday! I apologize for being so inconsistent with posting. With the start of student teaching this week, finishing my application for the Jesuit Volunteer Corps (due today!), and getting back into the school mode, my life has been a little crazy. To conclude this whirlwind week, tonight I'll be flying south to visit my boyfriend for the long weekend. I hope the time on the plane will allow my head to stop spinning a bit!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend full of family and friends, laughter and love.

{Image via: youwillneverwastemytime}

Love Love Love

I can't wait until Valentine's Day...

After my first day of student teaching, I'm in the teacher mode and these are the cutest Valentines for students :)

Listening to: "Hungover" Kesha
Thought of the Day:"I have found the paradox, that if you love until it hurts, there can be no more hurt, only more love." -Mother Teresa

{Image via inchmark}

Graduation Gift

{tote, monogrammed reversible cozy, shoe clips}

My friend Katie who I've been friends with since 1st grade, just graduated from college this past semester. This made me realize that I am not looking forward to my own graduation and figuring out gifts for all my SLU friends because it is impossible to find/make something that is worthy of such a momentous occasion, especially considering college graduation means that we will all be going different places and directions.
Because I believe no one can have too many totes, especially ones that can double a reusable grocery bags, I made Katie a monogrammed tote, a coffee cozy (staying with the green theme!), and shoe clips. I discovered the idea of shoe clips while I was looking around Etsy one day, and I am rather obsessed now. Instead of buying multiple shoes like these and these, shoe clips let you switch the bloom or gems on the top of your flats or heels. Ingenious, right? I just made a couple fabric flowers and attached craft section hair pins to the back with some glue and stitches.

{doily tote - simple instructions by Ashley Ann}

{6 cream silk circles cinched with stitches in the middle, pearls added}

{2 sets, creamy and navy (modeled after Heart of Light's lovely headbands)}

Listening to: "Your Love is My Drug" Kesha
Thought of the Day: "The most important thing in life is to learn how to give out love, and let it come in." Morrie Schwartz

Winter Blossoms

{Teacher Clothes Part 2: EmersonMade Blooms}

{I want this dress}

{simple and chic, love her heels}

Easy Embellishments

{Teacher Clothes Part 1: J. Crew}

{love the ruffles and layered necklaces}

{for an important day}

{add a grey blazer}

{I can't wait to try out my two new blazers!}

Coming Up Fast

I can't believe this is my last weekend of Christmas break. It feels like it has been ages since I was at school and I can't wait to be back but then again, this semester is going to be filled with so many firsts and lasts. Some examples:
Firsts:
- teaching full time (student teaching, but still, I just received an e-mail from my cooperating teacher telling me that I will be taking over the class after MLK day... aka,
- going to Mississippi
- applying to post college stuff (ex: Jesuit Volunteer Corps, grad school(s), jobs (?)...)
- dressing professional on a daily basis
- receiving a degree (!!!!)
Lasts:
- sorority events
- getting graded (maybe)
- living within 2 blocks of my friends
- perhaps the last time I'll live in St. Louis (emphasis on the perhaps)

I am so excited to start this year, but it's still very odd. As I was thinking about my goals for the year, I realized that as I make this list next New Year, I will be in a completely different part of my life. All these things that are stressors right now, such as applications and the FUTURE, will be forgotten. That is such a weird thought.

I digress. My point was that I get to (everything is better with a positive spin!) dress professionally this semester for student teaching and I am really excited. I'm going to be in a St. Louis City public school which is a much different environment than my years of Catholic schooling. I think behavior management is going to be my biggest challenge, especially because I'm a college kid still. In the books I have been reading to prep myself, there is a lot of talk about looking the part or "fake it 'til you make it" attitude. I also read that kids like you more if you have variety in your wardrobe because it gives them something more interesting that khakis and a polo to look at everyday. And because I am a planner, I've been collecting some outfit ideas that would allow for mixing and matching (I'm still on a student's budget!) and in my next couple posts, I'm going to highlight some faves. Sadly I don't think the chunky, holiday "teacher" sweaters (you know, the ones with the pompoms and bells) made the cut. I'm heartbroken about this, if you couldn't tell.

Listening to: Switchfoot "This is Your Life"
Thought of the day: "Life is not lost by dying; life is lost minute by minute, day by dragging day, in all the thousand small uncaring ways." -Stephen Vincent Benét

{Images via I heart Stolen Images, ImageKind}

Winter Salad

After seeing this delicious looking salad over on Cupcakes and Cashmere this morning, I decided to try my hand at a fennel winter salad for dinner. I didn't find any arugula at the grocery store, so I tried this recipe from Cooking Light instead. Despite having to make some alterations (spring greens for watercress, clementines for blood oranges), the combination of sweet pomegranate seeds, tart lemon juice, and spicy greens was perfect.

Fennel, Clementine, and Mixed Greens Salad
adapted from Cooking Light
serves 2

1 thinly sliced fennel bulb
2 cups mixed spring greens
1 clementine, sectioned
1/3 cup pomegranate seeds (here's great instructions for prepping a pomegranate)
juice of 1/2 lemon
pinch of salt
1/4 garlic clove
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Combine first four ingredients in bowls. Combine next 3 in a small bowl and drizzle mixture over salads. Season with pepper.

{sounds funny, but this smelled great on my drive home from the store!}

{refreshingly colorful during the bleakness of winter}

Listening to: Maxwell "Pretty Wings"
Thought of the Day: "All great things are simple, and many can be expressed in a single word: freedom, justice, honor, duty, mercy, hope." -Winston Churchill

Meow.

Being home has made me miss Lucy so much more than usual. It was nice to be distracted by these adorable cats on my grandparents' farm during our visit. If only I could have taken one home!




Listening to: "God Love Her" Toby Keith
Thought of the Day: "Life begins at the end of your comfort zone." -Neale Donald Walsch

Thoughts for 2010

Words to Live 2010 by:

{image via quotable cards}

{image via etsy}

Listening to: "Dream Big" Ryan Shupe and the Rubberband