Made it Monday---Have YOU Given a Mouse a Cookie, Today?---GIVEAWAY!

Hey Everyone,

Today, I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics to share what I have been busily creating this past week!

I am so excited to announce on this Made it Monday that I finally finished up my If You Give a Mouse a Cookie unit! I am super excited because I will definitely be using this in my classroom! I think I have found what my favorite activities to create are--thematic units! My school, in the past, has had strict guidelines for our whole/group/shared reading time allotments. Finally, this year, they decided to do something new and innovative: not dictate what the teachers read and trust their judgement. Novel idea, isn't it? Anyways, here are some clips from my unit! Also, there is the link to my TpT store! This unit is $5.99 (but includes 74 pages of nonstop cuteness!) You can click the link to visit it in my store....

OR you can be the first THREE people to comment on here (my blog) about my new product and I will email it to you for FREE! That's right....FREE FOR THE FIRST THREE COMMENTERS!Just leave me your email addresses!

Here are some sneak peeks! Click here to head over and see the full preview at TpT!

              

Did you make something incredible and would like to share it on this Mad it Monday? If so, head on over the 4th Grade Frolics by clicking below and share it!

Happy Blogging!,

~*MaDe It MoNdAy: Recipe Edition*~

So, I'm finally back from my amazing getaway to the mountains and the beach. I must say, it was an exciting break, but I am glad to be back! I'm ready to hunker down and start getting some things prepared for this coming school year and I'm excited to be back go blogging and creating! For this made it Monday, I am excited to share one of my favorite recipes: Mama's Brown Apple Betty Pie. This is one of my favorite desserts and it is so super easy! And, it will make for a very happy husband! Details and pictures are below!

* 5 cut and peeled tart apples (I use Granny Smith apples, but  

  you can use sweeter apples if you like!)

* 1/4 cup orange juice

* 1 cup white sugar

* 3/4 cup flour

* 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

* 1/4 tsp. nutmeg

* dash of salt

* 1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

* cooking spray

* 9" pie plate

(I accidentally forgot the flour...oops! Don't forget it!)

To make your delicious pie:

1.) Mound your cut and peeled apples in a 9" pie plate after you have sprayed it with cooking spray.

                                    

2.) Sprinkle the apples with the 1/4 cup orange juice to prevent them from browning.

                                     

3.) Combine dry ingredients (sugar, flour, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg) in a bowl. Mix together.

                                     

4.) Cut in the stick of butter until the mixture is crumbly. I cut small slices like this and as the mixer goes, I drop it in. Mix until it looks like the picture below this one.

                                     

                                        

5.) Sprinkle the crumble over the apples. Resist from eating the crumbles...they are tasty!

                                     

6.) Place your pie in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender and the topping is crisp. Serve warm over ice cream or with whipped cream! Makes 6 servings.

                                     
For this particular pie, I was a fatty and doubled the crust! All you have to do is double the dry ingredients and the butter! 
                                     

Mmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmmmm, Mmmmmmmmmmm! It was GOOD! :)

I hope you enjoy this recipe! It really is easy and super delicious! Do you have an amazing recipe to share? If so, head on over to 4th Grade Frolics, link up and share what you did! Click below!

Happy Eating, Blogging, and Sharing,

~*FaVoRiTe PiNs FrIdAy*~

Pins To "Chirp" About

A little change-o this Friday! I am excited to link up with Cara from The First Grade Parade to share my top five pins from this week!

We all do it...hover over our computers engaging in out of control pinning sprees. I know I do it on a daily basis! From pinning things for my classroom (the bulk of my pinsanity), to delicious recipes, to the perfect outdoor porch décor, I am guilty of pinning like a mad woman! This week was no exception! Enjoy my pins by clicking on them. Or...follow me on Pinterest and have access to close to 1,000 pins! Whew! That's a lot...and I'm sure some other bloggers could put me to shame! Sounds very "pinteresting" to me!

 What a Hoot!

I found this adorable goody bag that I may use for my open house/meet the teacher night! It not only goes great with my bird theme with the adorable owl topper, but the bags are polka dot to boot! What a hoot! Love it! Click the link for an entire collection of adorable owl ideas!

Shabby Chic Goodness

(and apparent sold-out-ed-ness)

So, I am a TOMS lover. I have two pairs (glitter silver and the white crocheted pair). Also, anyone who knows me well knows that I am a Shabby Chic freak. Anything girly, frilly, cottage-y, etc. and I am going to go goo-goo for it. Well, I happened upon these pieces of cuteness and had a total freak-out which prompted an immediate trip to the website to order them. Unfortunately, some other shabby lovers grabbed them before I could! *Tear* But, they are still cute to look at and maybe they will be rereleased. A girl can dream.

Sweet, Quick, Easy

One of my favorite things to pin are cute gift ideas that won't break the bank and involve a smidge of personalization. Being the lover of mason jars that I am and the great baker that I am (ok, that last part was a fib), I had to pin this adorable idea. So simple, fast, and adds that personal touch! This is perfect for a friend who has moved into a new house or gotten married. It is a mason jar with a rolled up apron and tied with a bow with a recipe tag. Cuteness on all levels!  

One Word: DISNEY

Is it wrong for me to assume that everyone loves Disney? Well, this girl does and anything that involves Disney involves an automatic "ooohhh and ahhhh" from me. So, when I stumbled across this awesome idea (and after the initial "ooohhhs and ahhhhs), I pinned it to keep for the future. Then I thought, I could make my husband do this with me, right? This pin basically led you to a forum in which a very crafty mom made certain nights Disney movie nights, involving a special menu and activities revolving around a Disney movie. This particular picture is from Peter Pan night. Unfortunately, the link no longer works, but I figure we are teachers and can use our imaginations! I would kill for some Peter Pan Pirate Ship Pizza with Pixie Dust right about now, wouldn't you? I can already imagine some Cinderella inspired cupcakes!

LMBO, ROFL, LOL

(Who doesn't like to laugh?)

So, here are three Pinterest funnies that made it onto my *LOL* board. They all, in their own way, shed some light on the complex nature of my personality (i.e.- I forget to take attendance and am still hung up on Noah Calhoun, I am a cheese hog, and I consider pants optional).

I hope these pins were somewhat entertaining! I love me some Pinterest, so head over and follow me on there! But, beware, because I may stalk your boards in return! Want to share your pins? Head on over to Cara's blog, The First Grade Parade (click the icon below) and share some of your "pinteresting" finds!

Happy Pinning and Blogging on this fantastic, fabulous Friday!

XOXO,





****HaPpY 4th oF JuLy!****

Just wanted to give my blog some love and wish all of my viewers and followers an amazing Fourth of July from South Carolina! And to make it even better....some Polka Dotted Chirp lovin' is below...

Oh, how appropriate! I hope everyone has a safe and fantastic July 4th! Here's to good food, great drinks, and dazzling fireworks!

Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue,

Just Checking In....

Wow! It feels like I haven't been on here in FOREVER! I have missed my little bloggy blog! I am finally in a place that has internet! My husband and I had a blast in the mountains! We stayed in an adorable little cabin in Sevierville, Tennessee, right outside of Pigeon Forge. We had three amazing days of mountain sight seeing, shopping, show hopping, and museum exploring! It was so fun! I most definitely want to go back to Pigeon Forge and Gatlinburg! There is so much to see! Yesterday, we loaded up the car and headed to our next destination, North Myrtle Beach! I love the mountains and had a blast, but nothing beats hearing the ocean waves right outside your window! We are going to stay here for a week! As soon as I get back to Charleston, it will be time to get down to business! I have so much to do before school starts in mid August. If I don't start soon, I will have A LOT on my plate! But for now I am still in summer mode....this will do! :0)

Be back soon!,



~*Freebie Alert!*~

Just dropping by to let all my followers and friends know that I posted a cute FREEBIE on TpT yesterday! They are birdie themed teacher note cards that can be sent home with students. Kind of like "Your student is doing great and this is why" cards! Always brightens a parent's day! 

I also wanted to sign in and let everyone know that I will be out of commission for a few days! I am headed to the mountains and then to the beach! So ready for a getaway!

Head over to my store and check them out! All you have to do is click on the preview below! And remember...these are FREE

Happy Blogging,

~*Made it Monday 6/24*~

Hey Everyone! I hope this Monday finds you well! I have been pretty busy lately making some goodies for my classroom! Today I am linking up with 4th Grade Frolics to share one of my crafts!  Let the sharing begin!

I have to share a craft that I made for my classroom! A few Mondays ago I was hanging out at the linky party and visiting other amazing blogs to get ideas. I stumbled upon Rowdy in Room 300...an amazing blog that I love to follow. (Click on the link to go and visit Nicole's amazing blog). Well on this blog, I saw Nicole's idea of making survey boards for the classroom using magnetic pizza pans. I absolutely loved the idea but decided to tweak it a little and create a magnetic pizza pan daily schedule. I have always had a visual schedule in my room, but I have used velcro in the past, which tends to rip and tear my poster board. So, I thought, why not use magnets? So, here is my step by step daily visual schedule.

1.) I bought the supplies about a week ago. The owl-themed fabric came from Jo-Ann's Fabrics. I also bought the Mod Podge there, as well as the red and white polka dotted scrapbook paper. The pizza pan is from Wal-Mart for around $3.50! Can't beat that! And yes...it is magnetic. I made sure to check before I bought!

                                             

So the supplies needed:

1.) Pizza Pan

2.) Fabric

3.) Scrapbook paper or tissue paper

4.) Scissors

5.) Glue gun and glue sticks

6.) Mod Podge

2.) The first step was to cut the scrapbook paper to size and mod podge it to the pizza pan. I made sure to REALLY mod podge the paper on. I put several coats under the paper and several on top to make sure it gave it that "glossy" finish. (Make sure whenever you buy Mod Podge you get the finish you like. They sell matte or gloss.)

Pan and Scrapbook pieces

                                        

Let the Mod Podging Begin!

I love me some Mod Podge!

I didn't worry too much about the edge because I knew they would be covered up with the ruffles, which brings me to step #3.

3.) After mod podging and letting it dry a bit, I got my glue gun nice and hot. Using the fabric I purchased, I cut it into about six inch strips (about 1-2 inches wide). Using the glue gun, I scrunched the fabric and glued it around the edge of the pizza pan creating the "ruffles."

Cut Strips

                                         

The "Ruffle" Effect

First Ruffle

4.) As you can see, my first ruffle did not really cover the edge of the pan because I started it too far inside. So, I decided to add another ruffle to it to make it appear fuller and to cover the silver pan edge. Here is a picture of the pan with the second ruffle. 

Doubled Ruffle

5.) I really like how the second ruffle filled it out. Now, anyone who knows me knows that I have to "doll up" anything I make. So, using some left over fabric, I made a cute little bow and glued it to the top. Here is the finished product:

BOW = ADORABLE!

                                    

6.) Now, my PLAN is to print out my schedule cards. I have made them, but haven't printed them because I am not sure what my schedule will look like exactly. I probably won't know until the end of July. However, I am going to have cards that look like this (They will be sized to fit around the pan):

                                            

I plan to put a small magnet in the corner of each card. When the task is complete, the Schedule Helper will turn it over and this is what the back will say:

                     

                         

This way, the students will know what we have done. I am thinking about making a cute sign to place above or in the middle of the pan saying: "Our Schedule" ""Time Flies When We're Having Fun"--this ties in my theme-- BIRDS! When I finally print and create the time cards, I will post the FINAL product. 

I hope everyone enjoyed my Monday Made It! I guess I'll go and do laundry now! But before I go, don't forget to head over to 4th Grade Frolics and share what YOU did on this Magical Made It Monday! Click below to "fly" on over!

                                                        

Here's to a fantastic week!

Thanks for reading,