Currently in July

Okay, it's now Monday. I know three posts in a few hours isn't following blog rules, but hey - when the internet is sorta cooperating, you go with it...

Listening - Yes, I'm in AZ. It is crazy hot right now (as I know it is practically everywhere else in the country!). It is too hot to even go swimming - the pool water feels like bath water!

Loving - Sleeping in. I'm a night owl at heart, but I don't have the luxury during the school year to stay up late. So my summer nights are late nights!

Thinking - Our house is a work in progress. I can't seem to get a complete vision for what I want - and so things go unfinished, which makes me NUTS!

Wanting - Ohhhh, am I ever excited for my Amazon order! I just ordered several series of books for my classroom. I've read the first in each, but can't wait to read each series before I put them in my classroom library! Ender's Game, The Amulet, The Sisters Eight, The City of Ember, plus some new markers and gel pens for me!

Needing - We spent the day deep cleaning, and oooh my back is sore. I need a massage. Stat.

Reads - One of my favorite read alouds is The Man Who Walked Between the Towers. Students love the story - and it helps to keep 9/11 a current topic - without getting in the gruesome details that aren't mine to share with 9-year-olds...

The Book Whisperer. Need I say more? If you haven't read it - read it! I read it near the end of the school year, and in the few short weeks I had left with my kids, I was able to turn things around in our classroom. I love reading - and want my kids to love it, too!

I can't wait to see what everyone is up to this month!

-Dawn

Is it cheating...?

My internet connection has been anything but reliable lately, so I decided to post my Monday Made It - even though it's not quite done and it's not quite Monday. That's not cheating, right? :) So....here is my (almost finished) Monday Made It. (This post took an hour. That is ridiculous. I need the internet fairies to fix this. Pronto.)

Go visit Tara at 4th Grade Frolics to see what everyone else is up to this week!

I was inspired by Kristen over at Ladybug's Teacher Files to create some round labels. I have a labeling obsession, a polka dot obsession, and a circle obsession. Kristen's blog is like crack to me... 

I've created quite a few round labels for my classroom. I'm sharing them here, today, since I'd love to see at least one other person get use out of them. I printed them on bright blue cardstock, and they look great! Once I figure out my circle cutter, I'll post again. If you would like a copy, just click here. Let me know if they're useful to you!

Here is a preview:

Happy Monday, everyone!

-Dawn

This must be a record...

One post in, and I've received an award. Ha. It must be my sparkling comments on other people's blogs that got me this one. :)


Thanks to Tonya over at Tonya's Treats for Teachers for nominating me for The Versatile Blogger award!

Here are the rules for this award:

1. Thank the blogger who nominated you.

Thanks, Tonya! I know I will learn a lot about blogging from you!

2. Include a link to their site.

Tonya's Treats for Teachers - visit if you haven't!

3. Include the award image in your post.

Got it. :)

4. Give seven random facts about yourself.

Enjoy...

1. I am the oldest of two girls. My sister and I fought like crazy when we were kids, but now we are great friends.

2. I am entering my ninth year of teaching in August.

3. I taught 2nd grade for three years, 3rd grade for four years, and just finished my first year in 4th grade - maybe I'll make it five years in this grade? :)

4. I have lived in three states - MN, AZ, and FL. I think CA is next. I love San Diego!

5. Starting my own blog took a HUGE leap of faith. I have no idea what I'm doing. Any tips are appreciated...

6. I love to read, but I buy waaaay too many books. I think my brain is convinced I've read a book just because I own it. (I know that's not true, and I'm always plugging through my new stacks!)

7. I love crafting, but I feel like I am better at copying/modifying other people's ideas. Pinterest and teacher blogs have given me quite a bit of inspiration!

The other rules are:

5-7. Nominate 15 other bloggers, link to their sites, and let them know they've received the award.

Okay, just about everyone I checked got this one. I'm not making anyone do it twice. You're all amazing, in my book. :)

That's it for today. I'm having internet challenges this week, so I haven't been able to post anything all week. I've also had crafting tool challenges (I can't for the life of me cut out a printed circle with my new circle cutter!), so I don't know that I'll have anything ready for tomorrow's Monday Made It. Sigh. I will, however, be checking out everyone else's posts.

Happy Sunday!

-Dawn

Monday Made It and First. Post. Ever!

Here I am, venturing into foreign territory. I am starting a blog, and it terrifies me and excites me at the same time. What better way to start than by linking up with the creative teachers over at this week's Monday Made It! :)

Monday Made It!

Like so many of you, I wanted to finally make my teacher toolbox. I'm excited with how it turned out!

I would love to tell you what amazing teacher shared the polka dot frames, but my hard drive crashed two days ago. While I try to retrieve all of my documents, I can't access my files to see where I found them. I know it was a fellow teacher, so thank you! (I will update when I can find the info again.) Same with the font. I'm sure it is a Kevin & Amanda Pea - but I can't for the life of me remember which one.

I can't wait to check out what everyone else has done! (I hope I've linked up properly...) :)

If anyone wants to share helpful tips for blogging, I'd love them!

- Dawn

Update: Thanks to April's comment below, I was able to track down where I got my borders - from TpT! I got my inspiration from Tonya's Treats for Teachers, but wanted to change up the labels and colors. I found the original frames from Karen Cox (FREE!), so I downloaded, and went from there. :) Here is a link to the borders. I just shrunk them down to the sizes I needed. http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/FREE-Polka-Dot-Classroom-Labels