A Bewitching Night...Halloween Bash 2013

Is Halloween really Thursday? Really? There is just something about this year. I can't seem to keep up...it is going by SO fast. Since this spooky holiday is just around the corner, I threw a giant Halloween Bash on Saturday night for my RCA Cheerleaders. So, I thought that I would share some of my party ideas just in case you will be throwing a spooktacular celebration on Thursday and/or if you want to make some cool treats for your kiddos at school. Believe me when I say...these recipes were easy. Like on a scale of 1 to 10...a 0. I am by no means a baker of any sorts, so if I can whip this stuff up...anyone can. 

I definitely had to make our house a little spooky to fit the theme! Spiders and skulls did the trick! Most of my decorations came from Home Goods and Michaels. 






Now for the food...


Loved both of these drink ideas that I found online. They were equal parts scary, tasty, and EASY! 

Vampire Juice {Shirley Temple} 
Lemon lime soda and Grenadine Syrup {I added gummy worm ice cubes for a fun effect!} 

Sewage Water: 
Mix ginger ale and rainbow sherbet if you are going for that dirty water look. I also added monster ice, but forgot to take pictures. So here is the look...


I just used these ice molds, filled them with green water, and added a cherry. Easy and they will keep your drink cold for hours!!! I love how realistic they look without changing the flavor of the drink. They were perfect in the sewage water! 


I have never tried my hand at making cake pops, but y'all...so incredibly easy. I could literally do this with my eyes shut. I used this sweet gem right {HERE} and it will make 12 cake pops in about 3 minutes. Then I dipped them in white chocolate and added the decorations. These will probably make an appearance at every party I host from here on! 




This was a favorite of the night. I used this recipe right {HERE} and it was delish!

We paired our eating with a little LOT of Just Dance 2014, so I didn't feel so bad about stuffing myself with junk. 

Hope y'all are having a great week. I will go ahead and begin praying for all of my teacher friends for your crazy {but fun} Thursday/Friday! 

Happy Halloween! 

Keep Calm...It's Halloween Time, Y'all!

It's time for my favorite holiday. It's no secret that I love Halloween. I *might* even be planning a fabulous Halloween party...just because. In celebration of a little fright fest....



And here are some of my favorite halloween activities that you may want to snatch up during my little sale

If I *had* to choose only one of my favorite Halloween/Fall activities, this would be it! My kids always go crazy over pumpkin book reports. Last year we switched it up and did a the same concept, only with biographies! Love, love, love both of these units! So whether you are reading fiction stories, or researching up a storm, these can easily find their way into your classroom. 

 


I loved how these reports turn out...You can read more about our pumpkin bios {HERE}







And I just can't get enough of these guys! Check out our pumpkin book reports {HERE}
Dead word funeral...check!  Animal Research....check!  Oobleck investigation, Halloween riddles, the life cycle of a pumpkin...check...check...AND check!

This unit is a combination of all things Halloween and writing. Plus it has tons of great resources to assist your students in laying those boring words to rest once and for all! 

Check It Out:



You can pick up all of this sweetness at my TPT store!

And...You can read more about our Dead Word Funeral {HERE}
This activity is an October MUST! 

When creating the Dead Zone in your classroom, nothing sets the mood better than...


And finally, if you are in need of some math centers to help your students master those basic skills, you might want to check these out! 



You can read more about these right here

So, do you do anything special during this spooktacular month? Last night we enjoyed some time at one of Atlanta's most frightening haunted houses with a few of our students...


Tell me...what are your Halloween plans? 

It's About to Get Real!



Hey, hey…friends! Wow! It literally feels like it has been an eternity since I have been on my sweet little blog. Life has been crazy (to say the least), and if I am being honest, it was necessary to take a little hiatus from this part of my life. Now, don’t get me wrong…I love blogging, but it is a lot of work, y’all. {And let all of my blogging buddies say, AMEN!} So for those of you who have mentioned that I can do it all and wonder if I ever sleep, the answer is no! And truth be told…I just needed a little rest. Trust me, I am completely human and get tired like all of you. This is me being completely real and saying that everyone needs a good break here and there. BUT...I am back in action and excited to begin sharing the gobzillion ideas swirling around in my head. But first, let me catch you up! 

So…where in the world have I been all this time? 

As many of you know, my husband was hired on to teach at the Ron Clark Academy. We moved to Atlanta at the end of July, and since I didn’t have the time needed to find a teaching job, I had planned to take a year off and focus on some other opportunities to build myself as an educator. I was thrilled about the opportunity to better my resources on TPT and present for SDE to get my teacher fix here and there. However, {and this is a BIG however} I quickly figured out that the whole staying at home thing was absolutely NOT for me. Fact: I MUST be around people. I was literally going crazy. Y'all think that I am kidding, but no...really...I was crazy! If you don't believe me, ask my husband. I began praying that the Lord would reveal His plan for me. I somehow knew that he didn't send me to Atlanta to sit in my condo and be sad...all...the dang...time! :) I missed the classroom like crazy, but didn't feel like being a substitute was his plan for me. Although patience is not a major strength I possess, I refused to make a move until the Lord was good and ready for me to make a move in His direction. As always, He was {is and will always be} faithful. 


Love this verse! 


So....here is the big reveal!

Now, I am proud to say that I am also working at the Ron Clark Academy and couldn’t be any happier about this opportunity. The Lord worked everything out in HIS time, and I am so thankful that I waited for Him to reveal His plan for me as an educator. I am working in the development office and getting to experience the business side of school. Although I am missing the classroom atmosphere like crazy, I am honestly enjoying a little welcomed break and am thrilled about this new challenge in my career.  I still have a huge hunger for teaching and am pretty certain that I will return to the classroom, but right now I am down with this wonderful opportunity and perfectly content about the fact that I get to learn from the absolute best at RCA. The Academy truly is  a magical place, and I am so blessed to be part of their team. I never thought I would leave the classroom, but it is so funny how God has an absolute purpose for our life..one that at times, does not match our own. Now onto more important things...if you are ever in Atlanta, you MUST come to RCA and visit me! The RCA experience is honestly the best professional development that I have ever witnessed.  When I visited the academy four years ago, I didn't want to leave. Now, I don't have to! ;) I am also the RCA Blue Dragon's Cheerleading Sponsor! #what?what? 

Thankfully, I am still going to have plenty of time to bring the 1,000,000 ideas I have for resources to TPT. Seriously, I have a list a mile long, and I think I have finally figured this new life out. So…I am back in action and getting ready to create up a storm.  I will also be presenting for SDE at several up and coming conferences. This means that maybe…just maybe…I will get the chance to meet some of you…in real life!

I am also trying to squeeze in my marathon training which is coming up in January. Now that I think about it...I better get on that! ;) 

So life is about to get real…real busy that is! I was able to catch up on a little rest this past month and am now good to go for another year or two! So now, you are all caught up with my life. Thanks to all of you who follow along with my journey both inside and outside of the classroom! :) Now, I am certain that...


I'll be back soon with some fun ideas! :) 
Happy Tuesday, my sweet friends!