Blogger Meet Up in RI!

Hi Friends,

I'm so excited to spread the news about a blogger meet up right here in Little Rhody.  My new friend, Kayla, from Meet Miss Parker is organizing everything and I truly can not wait.  It will be held on July 10th so if you are anywhere near Newport, RI on that day, I would LOVE to meet you.  You can either send Kayla an email through her blog or simply contact me and I will forward the information. I've been reading about these meet ups on the other side of the country and they are always having so much fun.  It's about time the East coast joins in the fun, don't you think?  Looking forward to meeting new friends!

Blog Makeover

Hi Friends,

Do y'all know Christi from Ms. Fultz's Corner?  Do you know that she is a hugely talented blog designer as well?  Well, I'm telling you now because if you don't know Christi, you definitely should!  Besides blogging on Ms. Fultz's Corner, she is also the owner/author/designer of Designs by Christi.  Check out her portfolio - It's AMAZING!

 Well this fabulous teacher is responsible for my new look.  I absolutely LOVE it.  Don't get me wrong - I loved the work that Kristen from Ladybug's Teacher Files did as well.  But I was ready for a change and I'm so happy that I took the plunge!  I even considered changing my blog name because I didn't want the Grease theme anymore but I was too chicken to do that...so I just shortened it.  My URL is the same (which I hate typing, it's sooooo long!)  But isn't my blog so cute?  I love, love, love everything!  I especially love my avatar...I haven't been that thin in...well, ever!  Ha! Thank you, Christi.  You're the absolute best!!

June Currently

Hi Friends!
It's been forever and a day since I've participated in Farley's infamous Currently parties...although I have enjoyed reading others' posts in my absence.  :)  So here goes...

Me and my girls?  WELL, we are huge country music fans and Luke Bryan is at the tippity top right now.  We are super excited to be going to his concert tonight right here in MA...so close to my house.  It's the best!  We've even gotten my son and a couple of his friends joining in the tradition this year so it'll be a blast...can't wait!

Loving my kids home?  You bet!  I have three fantastic kiddos and having them all home at the same time just fills my heart.

The summer to-do list?  When I said I have to get going, I actually meant that I have to write one...YIKES!

Wanting the school year to be over?  Enough said.

Hi, my name is Dianne and I am a BAD blogger.  :(  Months go by in between my posts, it's just awful.  I don't know how it happens but it does...on a pretty regular basis...so yes, it's a goal this summer.

The three vacay essentials?  My husband...for sure!  We have so much fun together that I just can not imagine a vacation without him.  My iPad goes everywhere...non-negotiable...much to my husband's chagrin...good thing he loves me!  And the TLC is probably a given for everybody but it's also the reason why I don't go camping for vacations.  I want to be taken care of and camping is just TOO MUCH WORK.

So now it's time to join the fun.  Click on the image below to get the details and link up.  Thanks so much for stopping by!

Some Instagram Fun!

Have you heard of it?  Do you do it? I'm just getting started but to be honest, I actually created my account a few months back and then did...NOTHING!  Sometimes I just can't stand myself.  Anyway, two fabulous teachers started this linky party and I want in - so here goes...

Natalie and Rachelle from What the Teacher Wants and Michelle from Apples and ABCs decided to throw a #teachertalktuesday party on Instagram.  So here's what you'll need to do:

Link up by clicking on this photo!

1. If you have a blog, share your instagram username on your blog and use this image to tell your followers about #teachertalktuesday {just right click on the instagram button and click "save as"}.   

2. Link up with a blog post, sharing this image,  your user name, and a couple of your favorite Instagram photos, if you want!
2. If you don't have a blog, you can still join us on Instagram on Tuesday for #teachertalktuesday.

You can follow me on Instagram by clicking on the photo below or the little button on the right sidebar.  You can also look for me under @hopelesslydevotedtoteaching on Instagram.  

Click the photo to follow me on Instagram!

Now go link up and enjoy the party every Tuesday!  Don't forget to add the hashtag #teachertalktuesday to your photos to be part of the fun.  :)

I'm a Rhode Island Blogger!

Hi Friends!
   I'm linking up with Diane at Fifth in the Middle and I'm proud to say that I am a Rhode Island blogger.

 She has an awesome idea to organize us all by regions.  I think this is fantastic because I've been ever so jealous of all the blogger meet ups I've been reading about in blogland.  Everyone looks like they're having so much and making wonderful new friendships!  Please consider linking up.  It just seems like an excellent way to network with each other. If you decide to link up, Diane has made cute little buttons to display on your sidebars.  Check out the RI one over to the right...love it!  Click here to link up and thank you, Diane, for the idea and the work you put into it.  Have a great weekend!

SDE Conference: New England Power Up!

I was fortunate enough to attend a wonderful conference in Springfield, MA last week. It was a two day technology conference and I loved every minute of it! I have a binder full of information and ideas but I've chosen just a few to get me started. I know that if I try to do it all, I will end up doing nothing. Many years of experience have taught me that. :)

First, I'll start small. Sum Stacker is the name of a math app that I really, really liked. It does cost $2.99 but I think it's well worth it. It encourages mastery of basic facts in a variety of visual formats and modes, but more importantly, it requires strategizing and thinking on your feet. The kids have responded very well Sum Stacker, which brings me to my next technology goal.

I have finally figured out how to project my iPad on the big screen. It only takes a VGA adapter which is about $35. I used it for the first time when I was teaching the kids how to play Sum Stacker. Oh my God! It was SO much better than just holding up my iPad for all to see.  Click the image below to connect to Amazon.

My third goal is to start a class blog.  One of the workshops that I attended was hosted by a wonderful teacher from New Hampshire.  Her name is Laureen Reynolds and her use of technology in the classroom is beyond compare!  Check out her work at The Bulletin Board.  So I looked at KidBlog and Edublog for a hosting site.  Both offer a safe, kid friendly environment but I felt as though Edublog offered more choices and controls.  I created a class blog called Pencils, Projects, and Pigs.  I'm still customizing it and drafting a letter to the parents.  I strongly feel that students should have parental permission and supervision before they enter the blogging world.  But I am super excited about the kids having an authentic audience for their writing.  I have so many ideas that I will be happy to share when they come to fruition.

Two Hundred Follower Giveaway?

Hi, Friends!

I'm two bloggy friends away from 200 and would love to have a giveaway. Oh, what the heck...198 is close enough! And I'm dying to try out this Rafflecopter thingy. Good luck!


a Rafflecopter giveaway



Update:  Thank you so much to Linda from Around the Campfire for the Rafflecopter tip!  She is also having a giveaway so you should check out her blog as well.

Helping a Bloggy Friend

Hi Friends,
It's been so long...I know.  I really admire all of you wonderful teachers who manage to keep your blogs up to date and teach!  I just don't know how you do it!  Anyway, one of my favorite blogs, Buggy for Second Grade, has opened a TpT shop.   You should head on over to check it out and become a follower while you're there.  Why not, right?

Earbud Organizer

For those of you who were interested in the numbers for my earbud organizer, I've finally uploaded the PDF to GoogleDocs.  It's nothing fancy...just numbers that I printed on labels and then mounted onto lime green,royal blue or yellow paper and then added a black background.  Help yourself!

Click here to get the earbud numbers.

Crate Seats

Hi Friends!

It's Monday, again. Yay! I decided that this past week was a good week to finally make the crate seats I had seen a year ago on Erica's blog called The Honey Bunch. Yes, I did say a year ago...I'm a very slow project person but Tara at Fourth Grade Frolics has really gotten me motivated.




I already had three of the black milk crates so I only had to purchase three more. Target had them on sale for $3.97.

 

Then I went to Joann Fabrics and picked out my material and ribbon. Erica had given me advice about using a darker material to hide the grime so I did just that. The two patterns I chose match perfectly although it's a little hard to see in the photo. My oldest daughter was helping me and she has a good eye for these things. I am very happy with her find. She also found the matching ribbon. :). The last thing we needed here was the cushiony stuff. I had a couple of 50% off coupons so total cost here was about $21.

 

Our next stop was Home Depot. I went to the lumber department and explained what I was doing. I also added that I wanted to do it the cheapest way possible. A young gentleman went in the back and came out with a $19 piece of plywood. It was ugly but that didn't matter at all. So he measured my milk crate and cut the 6 pieces that I needed....for FREE! (I forgot to take a picture of the plywood pieces...)

Later that night,I borrowed my husband's staple gun, measured, cut and stapled away. Here's a photo of the back of the seat...not pretty but that's okay, too.

 

And finally, here are the seats all put together. I LOVE them! Thanks, Erica and Tara!

 

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