Currently ~ October

Good Evening Everyone!

Today, I am linking up once again with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently! 

 

 

Trick or Treat! 

Thank you all for being such fabulous followers!

Please enjoy 20% off my Classroom Library Labels until October 31st.

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday!

I am happy to announce that my favorite linky party is back!

Today, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!  

In case you haven't noticed, I have basically taken a leave of absence from blogging this summer, but I'm back and I'm going to use this Five for Friday to catch you up on my summer.

I opened an Etsy shop at the beginning of July and I have been pleasantly surprised with how many orders I've received! As of now, I am only accepting orders for custom blog designs and invitations, but I plan to expand my shop in the future.

All About Us

Mrs. Ripley's Reliable Resources

The majority of my summer was spent in a math class, which met every Tuesday and Thursday. I took this class to get ahead in my program, which was worth it because I completed the class with an A!

Cody and I have spent the past three weekends car shopping. He decided a few months ago that it was time to trade in his F-150 for something a little less painful at the pump. After several test drives, we finally decided that a Toyota Camry would be the perfect car. He is going to look at the one below tomorrow. Please keep your fingers crossed that this is the one because I'm getting tired of going car shopping every weekend! :)

On Tuesday, I received my first field placement! I have been placed in a self-contained special education classroom for the first 6 weeks of my placement. I would love to hear tips or tricks from veteran special education teachers.

 I am so thankful to spend this year in this beautiful school!

Finally, I spent several weeks this summer updating my chevron classroom library labels! This vibrant, chevron set includes 48 book bin labels as well as the option to create your own individual book labels.This set allows you the freedom to create only the amount of individual book labels that you need for your classroom library, which means no more wasted ink. 

As teachers, we all know how precious our ink is this time of year!

The color shown below is called Pool Blue, but I have 6 other colors available now and 9 other colors to add in the future. If you are interested, you can pick up a set of my classroom library labels in my TpT store!

Have a Great Weekend!

Currently ~ August

Good Afternoon Everyone!

Today, I am linking up once again with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently!

I have recently fell in love with Paper Mate Flair Pens! I honestly do not know how I ever wrote without them. :)

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 Of course, no teacher is complete without a great lesson planner and Erin Condren is by far the best.

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Finally, no teacher should begin a new school year without a positive attitude! A new school year marks the beginning of a fresh start. However, you must choose as a teacher whether or not you are going to make this a great year for you and your students! The school I am placed in leaves the children with these words of wisdom everyday at the end of the announcements:

"Make it a great day or not! The choice is yours."

What are your back to school must haves?

Currently ~ July

Happy Friday!

I am in need of a few suggestions for a teaching bag to use this school year. I will need something big enough to carry at least an iPad, my Erin Condren Teacher Planner, and a small binder with me every day.

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I love the Fossil Key-Per because it is not only extremely roomy, but also has multiple pockets, zips shut, and can be wiped clean, however, it is a bit pricey. 

What is your opinion? What is your go to teaching bag?

Happy Fourth of July ~ Star Spangled Sale!

Happy Fourth of July!

Please enjoy 20% off my entire TpT and TN shop through July 7th!

I wish you all a safe and happy holiday!

Show Us Some Bloglovin' Giveaway!

Good Morning Fabulous Followers!

I'm sure you have already heard, but Google Reader will cease to exist on July 1st. Google Reader may be going away, but I don't want you to go too! Therefore, I would love for you to consider following my blog through Bloglovin!  I know that change is hard, but I along with various other bloggers will sweeten it up for you a little bit!

Over 50 bloggers are hosting a giveaway for our fabulous followers that take the leap and switch over to Bloglovin'.  You may have already switched over!  In that case, this will be an easy entry!

If not, you will need to set up an account with Bloglovin' in order to follow.  Please be sure to leave your Bloglovin' username in the Rafflecopter entry.  Then, go to this post on Bloglovin' and "like" it.

On July 1st, I will select 2 winners who will each receive my newest classroom decor set: Chalk Dust Decor {A Turquoise Chevron and Chalkboard Classroom Decor Set}!

Good Luck!

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Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Friends!

 Today, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

This week I finally completed Chalk Dust Decor: A Chevron and Chalkboard Classroom Decor Set! This is the first of seven different color sets I plan to release throughout the summer. Click the link above or the picture below to check it out!

Hooray! My package is on its way! I placed an order for my very first Erin Condren Lesson Planner a few weeks ago and I'm anxiously patiently awaiting its arrival.

I came across these fun colored book bins in the Target dollar spot a few days ago. I'm sure they won't last long so don't say I didn't warn you!

This week I hit the jackpot of all yard sales! This lady taught for 18 years and this is only about a third of what she had to sell!

I hate to admit it, but my house is officially bursting at the seams with all the stuff that I am collecting for my future classroom (especially books). I have books stored under beds, couches, and in multiple storage containers. Since I will begin student teaching this fall, I will need quick and easy access to all of my books to supplement my lessons.

After many hours on Pinterest and a lot of consideration I came up with the perfect solution. These ice cube bins make great book bins! They are just the right size for browsing and storing an entire series of books without being too bulky.

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In addition, this summer I will be making a trip to Ikea to pick up two of these

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and one of these

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I ultimately plan to create a bench like the one below to serve a dual purpose of seating and storage.

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What do you think? Do you have any storage tips you would like to share?

Have a Great Weekend!

Currently ~ June

Hello Friends!

Today I am linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently!

 

I am now off to work on one of my many unfinished TpT projects!  

Wish me luck!

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday Saturday!

Today, I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

 

1. This week I introduced my first educational resource! Contractions with a Cherry on Top is a Common Core aligned center that allows your students to "get the scoop" on contractions. This center includes over 75 different contractions and is designed to allow each student to master contractions at various levels of learning. If you are looking for a great way to introduce or review contractions with your students click on the picture below to check it out!

2. I ordered my first Erin Condren Lesson Planner last night! I was torn between 3 different designs and I believe I chose the perfect one! What do you think?

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3. This week I received my official acceptance letter to the College of Education!

4. Who loves Old Navy? I know I do! This week I found the perfect bathing suit at oldnavy.com and placed my order. I cannot wait until it arrives!

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5. Finally, I have spent the majority of my week working on my latest product. I am in the process of creating a Chalkboard and Chevron Decor Set. I have really enjoyed working on this product and I think it will be perfect for the upper elementary school teacher who doesn't want a "cutesy" classroom theme.

What would you like to see included in this decor set? Please leave me a comment below and let me know!

Have a Great Weekend!

Tried It Tuesday - Contractions!

Good Afternoon!

I am back and happy to report that I have finally settled into my summer class. I have found that I will actually have an ample amount of time on my hands this summer, which will allow me to focus more on my neglected blog! Today, I am linking up with Holly from Fourth Grade Flipper for Tried It Tuesday!

I have been one busy bee this past week creating and designing new resources. My newest creation came about after scrolling through Maree Truelove's fabulous clipart a few weeks ago. It was love at first sight and I knew I had a wonderful idea for my first educational resource!

Contractions with a Cherry on Top is a Common Core aligned center that allows your students to “get the scoop” on contractions. This center includes over 75 different contractions and is designed to allow each student to master contractions at various levels of learning.  If you are looking for a great way to introduce or review contractions with your students click on the picture above to check it out!

Happy Tuesday!

Currently ~ May

Hello Friends!

It's here! The month of May has finally arrived! Today I am linking up with Farley from Oh' Boy 4th Grade for her monthly Currently! 

Well... in case you have not heard, it is teacher appreciation week! 

In honor of YOU lovely teachers I am extending my sale from May 7th - May 10th! Click on the picture above to begin filling your cart!

Enjoy!

Five for Friday!

Hello!

As I promised Wednesday, I am back and ready to share whats been going on the past month! Today I am linking up with Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

1. My most exciting news came in the middle of March when I received my provisional acceptance letter to the School of Education! I just finished MATH 2008 and ISCI 2001 so I will be receiving my official acceptance sometime next week after grades are final.

2. Last week I received my student teaching placement for next year, which is at a wonderful elementary school in my district. I conducted my observations at this school and I instantly fell in love with the students, faculty, staff, and the overall school environment! I am so blessed to be placed at this school next year and I cannot wait to begin my student teaching.

3. After countless hours of practice with Photoshop I've officially launched Teach*Pray*Love Designs!  I have fell in love with designing and I am anxiously awaiting new blogs to design. If you are interested in a new blog design check out a few samples of my work here!

4. In case you have not heard, Erin Condren launched her new line of teacher lesson planners this week! There are so many different choices, but I've narrowed it down to my top 3 choices and I need your opinions. Which planner design should I choose?

Choice Number 1

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 Choice Number 2

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Choice Number 3

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5. Finally, I could not give you an overview of the past month without introducing you to this cute guy! His name is Bentley  and he has been a big part of our last few weeks of school. My friend recently got married and her husband bought Bentley for her for a wedding present. Since they are both full time college students and little Bentley was still too small to go through the dog door she had no choice but to bring him to school. :) I was able to puppy sit for her while she was taking a test and let's just say that I never thought a little puppy could wear me out in such a short amount of time.

Happy Friday!

The Case of the Missing Blogger

Hello friends and hello to all my new followers!

I would just like to acknowledge the fact that I have not blogged in over a month! However, I am delighted to say that this overwhelming semester is finally coming to a close.

I have five classes/finals down and only one final and one paper to go!

That being said, I will be back THIS Friday for one of my new favorite link ups - Five for Friday with Doodle Bugs Teaching! There I will be sharing my latest news, which might include this...

 and this

until Friday friends ...

Five for Friday!

Happy Friday!

I'm linking up once again with Kacey from Doodle Bugs Teaching for Five for Friday!

1. Cody received his acceptance letter to the School of Education this week! I've been told I'll receive mine next week and I cannot wait!

2. My Integrated Science (Teaching of Science) class took a field trip this week to the gold mine. I toured the mine several years ago, but it was great to look at it this time from an educators perspective.

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3. Happy Birthday Truett Cathy! Mr. Cathy turned 92 on Thursday and my local Chick-fil-A gave away free ice cream to honor the founder's birthday!

4. I am officially on Spring Break!

5. As you can see, I've given my little blog a big makeover. After much consideration and many prayers, I've decided to begin designing blogs! I've noticed that a lot of teacher bloggers are also blog designers that only design over school breaks and summer vacation, which is currently my intention. However, no designer is complete without designs to add to their portfolio! In order to begin building my portfolio, I've decided to give away a custom blog design to two (2) lucky winners!

Good Luck!

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