March Crafts & Music

Alright, I know it's been quite a while since I've posted, and I apologize to the 2 of you that actually read this.

At work, I changed my bulletin board yet again. I quickly get tired of looking at the same decor in the classroom, and my OCD kicks in, and I have an intense urgency to redecorate it. I decided to be optimistic in this ungodly cold winter we've been having and do something more spring-y. It is all hand painted by yours truly, and the hands are all from students of my class. In the grass was our craft of shamrocks for St. Patrick's Day. I think it turned out super cute!

Craft-wise, I also made a month of March calendar page for myself. It is all stamped, except for the 2 flowers at the top and bottom. I liked the pattern of the paper, so I decided to be a little more simple this month. I like the end product very much.

A couple nights ago, Brooke and I attempted to find most of the songs that are used at The Round Up, for the main dances. It was actually rather difficult remembering all of them, and sitting through endless videos on YouTube of people doing terrible renditions of dances. She thought that I should post them, so they could potentially help someone in search of them. So...here is what we found. I'll post more later.

1. Cheater Cheater (King Mix) - Joey & Rory. This is virtually impossible to find via download.

2. Copperhead Road - Steve Earle

3. Watermelon Crawl - Tracy Byrd

4. Wild Wild West - Escape Club

5. Wipeout - Fatboys (feat. The Beach Boys)

6. Born to Hand Jive - Grease

7. Swamp Thing - The Grid

8. Trouble - Travis Tritt

9. I'm A Cowboy - Smoking Armadillos

10. Ride - SirMixALot

11. Born To Boggie - Hank Williams Jr.

12. Uprocking Beats - Bomfunk MC's

13. Burning Love - Travis Tritt

14. Redneck Girl - Bellamy Brothers

15. Save A Horse, Ride A Cowboy - Big & Rich

16. What Was I Thinking - Dierks Bentley

Other songs they do, which don't necessarily have dances are:

17. Shots - LMFAO feat. Lil Jon

18. How Low - Ludacris

19. Chicken Fried - Zac Brown Band

10 Fashion Tips

I wouldn’t necessarily classify myself as a fashion expert, but going to school for Textiles/Merchandising and watching countless hours of What Not to Wear has taught me a great deal. So, I thought I would feed you some of my wisdom in the fashion world. Here are a few tips I thought would help anyone scrambling in the morning because they just don’t know what to wear.

1. If you have articles of clothing in your closet that are either faded from their original color, pilling (has little balls on worn areas), or contains holes that you are not going to ever get around to repairing, get rid of them immediately. And don’t donate these, no one wants your beyond used clothing.

2. Beige or nude colors only really look good on tan or dark skin. If you are pale, chances are that you can’t pull the color off without looking washed out. Do yourself a favor and wear a brighter color.

3. If you are attending a wedding, wearing black is only appropriate after 6pm, and DO NOT wear white. Word of advice for what to wear…look at the invitation. The style of the invitation sets the tone set for the event; if its more relaxed, you are clear to wear something more “fun,” if its elegant and says “black tie,” you are going to need a gown/tux.

4. Staple items are key to a good closet. These are items that will never seem to go out of style; they are timelessly chic. In this list is: a nice pair of jeans (a darker wash), a pair of nice neutral slacks (black or grey preferably), a crisp white buttoned down collared shirt, a little black dress (will always be stylish), a trench coat, and a cashmere cardigan.

5. Let’s talk about matching. First of all, it is not true that your belt, shoes, and bag all have to match; switch things up and use bold choices. Next, neutrals match. A neutral is classified as black, brown, grey, navy, and beige. They all match and are cohesive together, even black and brown.

6. Underwear. We all wear it, so get it right under your clothing. A visible panty line is never okay…they make briefs and boy-cut styles that are seamless, wear them! Also, ladies, you need to get fitted for your bra size. It is estimated that about 80% of women wear the wrong bra size. It’s not good when your spilling out or the back is so tight that you’re creating rolls that you wouldn’t have otherwise. They do it for free at the store, take them up on their free offer!

7. Scale is important. Prints should be scaled to your body…don’t wear loud big prints if you are larger. In addition, when choosing a bag or accessory, keep it in proportion to your size.

8. If you have some added weight in your midsection that you would LOVE to camouflage, wear a blouse that is cinched right under the bust line. This creates an illusion that the shirt is going out, not your body. Stay away from boxy shirts that don’t create shape (they only look good on super models). Also, a tiny belt goes a long way…if a shirt is a little big, put a belt on it and it will look great. Try different thicknesses.

9. Size doesn’t matter, fit does. Don’t hold onto that pair of jeans that you know you can never fit back into. Don’t try to force your body into them either. Spilling out over a pair of pants 2 sizes too small isn’t doing your body any justice. Just because you can button them does not mean they fit you. Stop denying the fact that you have a different body now, and go get yourself some new clothes that fit. If you’ve lost weight, congratulations! Go get yourself smaller clothing now!

10. It is important to dress for your shape. Everyone wishes they looked like someone else, but face the facts and love the body you have. Dress it accordingly and you will feel fabulous!

Day of Doodles

This past week was a pretty low key one. Friday I attempted to play racket ball with Kim...we were terrible, so we opted for biking instead, then had some lunch. The entirety of Saturday was spent painting the entire living room, which turned out beautiful. We picked a khaki color for some of the walls, and a nice green for the rest. Once the door frames get painted another coat, things get put back into place, and the new doors get put in, it's going to look like a completely different house! Yesterday, I painted the baseboards, then babysat Michael (an awesome 6 year old who kills me on the wii) for the evening, which was a lot of fun.

Today was a long one. I worked the morning shift (7-9) then came back from 1:30-6. At 5, the entire staff had to drive down to St. Pete to attend the most boring meeting of my life...seriously, I would have preferred sitting through 4 straight classes at FSU. We didn't get home until 9, so it was quite the day. Today was a very doodlicious day for me. I had the spirit of sketching and rolled with it. I shall show you!

The first couple were sketched this morning, and were done completely upside down. I was drawing it for a kid, so I had it facing them (don't ask why I didn't just turn it around). The first is Pierre, a French painter. I decided he needed a wife, so I drew Hilda, although she turned out a little dirty...so she's the maid. And yes, that is sudoku on the sheet I drew on.

In the afternoon, all the kids in my classroom gathered around a table to color/draw...I didn't even make them! I asked them what they wanted me to draw, and one girl told me she wanted me to draw an emo person. I did just that. I was going to draw them slitting their wrists, but thought that might be a little extreme for a church setting. If you can't read it, coming out of the boombox is "sad music..."

During the eternally long class tonight, it gave me more time to draw. I have to warn you, this picture is a little morbid and twisted. I was joking around, writing "bored to death," and drew a revolver. Then it turned into drawing different ways of dying. Demented, I know, but what the hay. Included in these ways of dying is: lightning, a hair dryer in a tub, falling off a mountain, getting hit by a car (with a boom!), shark attack, a rope, and fire. Like I said, I'm twisted and I'm sorry if that offended anyone. And yes, that is sudoku at the top...I'm a little obsessed.

Eventful Weekend

Wow, it's been a few days since I've posted. Friday night I babysat my high school youth pastor's son, Peter. They adopted him last year from Guatemala, and he seriously is a little bundle of joy. He is such a cuddler, which I did not mind at all!

Yesterday was a busy, yet good one. The weather was super crappy, so it was a day of doing things indoors. I met up with a couple of my friends, Janna and Kelly at Panera for lunch. I looked up the nutrition information online and found out that my favorite salad (Asian Sesame Chicken) was not too bad in calories, after taking out the wontons. After lunch, we went to Cafe Kiln to paint pottery. I chose to paint a set of measuring spoons, since I've been doing so much cooking lately. I decided to not paint any designs on them since they were so small, but chose speckled paint in different colors for each. I'll post the results when I pick it up next week...they should be really cute!

On my way home from Cafe Kiln, I had a hankering for pizza for some reason. I wanted to make it myself, so that it would be healthier. I bought some pizza dough and sauce, and sprinkled cheddar cheese on it. I also cut up some green peppers, added some fresh spinach, and chunks of tomatoes. The crust turned out a bit too thin, but it was beyond delicious.

For the evening, I was joined at the Round Up by my friends Brooke, Emma, Carol Anne, Sue, and Kim. I decided to wear some cute wedged heels, since I was tired of wearing the same boots each week. BAD decision. My feet kept sliding forward, cutting into my toes, and the lack of traction made me fear for my life while spinning. My feet were in so much pain when leaving, and this morning felt like I walked on fire last night. Lesson learned, boots are the way to go.

Bulletin Boards

I've decided that my life isn't all that interesting to post something every single day, so every other will have to suffice sometimes.

Each month at work, we decorate our bulletin boards for the current season/holiday. I put a lot of work into the boards, giving the kids something interesting to look at, and even touch...and I'm very happy with the results of them. For December/January, I covered the board with aluminum foil and created a snowman out of felt. I put stuffing inside the felt to add a 3D effect and sprayed some fake snow for dimension. Each Wednesday, we are to do some sort of art project with the kids, so one of the weeks, I had the kids cut paper snowflakes and paint them with watercolors. I think it turned out really cute!

So, I went to work the past couple days tearing down the cute snowman and putting up something Valentine's Day friendly. I covered the board this time with some pretty gold fabric, and in the same way made the bear and heart shaped balloon out of felt and stuffed the inside. I glued on some furry material so the kids had something to feel (they love to touch it). Today for craft I had the kids draw and cut out animals using only heart shapes...they got very creative! I love decorating the room with crafts they do, they have such wild imaginations.

After work today, I raced in rush hour traffic to get to Tampa because I had free tickets to see Dear John. The movie doesn't come out for a couple more weeks, so I was really excited to see it. I made it just in time and had really good seats because my friend Janna got there early. (Thanks Janna!!) I have to admit, the movie was not what I expected, and I wasn't all that impressed. I'm not gonna ruin it for you all, since I'm sure the majority of girls will probably see it, seeing as how it's a Nicholas Sparks adaptation. It was worth my while, I don't regret going at all...it's just not how I would have written it.

Near Death Experience

Lots of interesting things happened this weekend that I would love to fill you in on! Saturday night, my friends Brooke, Emma, and I decided to go to the Round Up (a country line dancing/bar in Tampa). After a late start, we finally got there, parked, and were getting situated to walk inside. I got out of the driver seat, shut the door, and opened the back door to get my purse. When all the sudden, this minivan just starts backing up, backing up, backing up. I soon realized that he could not see me, so at the last second, I quickly jumped out the way yelling "Stop!!" He ended up hitting my back door, creating a rather huge dent. My immediate response, of course, was "seriously??" We had to call 911 wait for a police officer to come to write the report. Unbeknownst to us, we could have just exchanged information and been done with it, because he didn't even write a report...oh well. I'm just thankful that I had the reaction to jump out of the way, because I could have seriously been injured. We had a great night nonetheless, and got to ring in Brooke's birthday while waiting for a cop. You probably can't see the dent that well, but here's a cute picture of Brooke pointing to it.

Then, we celebrated Brooke's birthday last night by getting dressed up and eating at The Columbia in Ybor City. The restaurant was so beautiful, and we had a lovely evening. The food was so delicious...I will definitely be paying for it at the gym for the rest of the week!

No Gyrating For Me

What amazingly beautiful weather we had today! 78 degrees in January, can you really ask for more? I love days where I can pull whatever I want out of the closet, and it's weather appropriate! Today was a day of leisure, recuperating from my exhausting day yesterday. I went to get a much needed pedicure with Brooke, and just spent the rest of the day relaxing and listening to music. Currently, I am completely addicted to the song "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum. Their harmony is just so beautiful. Also, I have a new found love for Vampire Weekend...maybe it has something to do with the word 'vampire' in it...who knows? Yes, I'll admit, I'm hopelessly in love with the Twilight books (seriously though, what girl now-a-days isn't?) But in all seriousness, if you haven't heard of that song or either band, get on that pronto!

With all this relaxation I've had today, I am excited to get out of the house and go dancing tonight! There's just something about line dancing that makes me happy. I always feel a little weird and completely out of my element when freestyle dancing...what are you supposed to do with your hands? Your feet? Your hips? I feel like a fool out there! Line dancing is simple, you either know it, you learn to know it, or you stay off the dance floor...everyone does the same steps, and does the same motions with their body. Much easier than gyrating like an idiot.

Exhausting Day

Today was a day of exhaustion...I worked a 9.5 hour day, completely straight through (a break, are you kidding??) There was no school, so we took the kids to Lowry Park Zoo for the day. Though countless "I'm tired...I'm hungry" whines, it was a good day. The weather was supposed to suck, and rain throughout the day, but it didn't once and was an amazing temperature and sunny. (I can't say the same about Tarpon, it seriously looks like I live in a cloud outside...it's been so extremely foggy all day here.)

Today at the zoo was my first time ever touching a sting ray. I've always been afraid to touch them, not knowing what to expect. But, I stepped up to the side of the pool, jerking my hand back and forth, trying to decide if I truly wanted to touch it. One of my 2nd grade kids was mocking me the entire time, "Miss Tia, you're such a chicken, just touch it! Touch it! Touch it!" When I looked next to me I saw a 16 month old, having a ball petting the creatures. I figured, if this baby can touch this nasty animal, I can too. So I stuck my hand in, and lived to tell the story. I determined at the end that it was a good decision to touch it, but I would rather touch a dolphin hands down.

When we got back to the church, it was snack time and I sadly ate some of the fries we had for snack. So I told myself that I had to work extra hard at the gym today, which I did. I am happy to report that I ran an entire mile, in 11 minutes! I definitely had the sweat to prove it. Thus, my blissfully uneventful night of sitting on the couch, unable and unwilling to get up or do anything. That's about it for my report of the day, hopefully the rest of my weekend will prove to be eventful.

Lately...

Well, this morning started off interesting. I was supposed to work at 7am and forgot to set my alarm. So, that got me scrambling a little this morning, which always makes the day that much more interesting. Nothing else worthwhile really happened today, so I figured I would just talk a little about what I've been up to recently.

As of early December, I made a decision to become more health conscious. I now eat extremely healthy and exercise 4-5 times a week. I've been trying different things, just trying to cut back in the calorie intake daily. I also want to push myself to withstand running for a longer distance, without stopping. There is a 5k in Tarpon in the Spring, running from the beach to the bayou, and my goal is to run the entirety, all 3.2 miles. My favorite thing to eat has to be my morning yogurt and granola. I found this delicious organic cranberry and coconut granola...just as good as it sounds. For lunch, I just can't get past tuna and crackers, with a pickle on the side. I tend to get on these kicks, where I pretty much eat the same thing everyday and have no problem doing so. Dinners vary, usually whatever my mom condors up.

I work as an after school teacher for elementary schoolers, primarily 4th and 5th graders. I absolutely love my job, I just know I need something with more hours and better pay. Thus, endless amounts of resumes and applications have been submitted, though no bites. I don't exactly have a preference of what I want to do, I'm still a bit confused as to what I want to do for the rest of my life. I obtained my degree in Clothing, Textiles, and Merchandising, but don't know if that's really the direction I want to go in my life. I've worked with children since I was 15 (my first job was a child care worker), worked at countless day cares and private homes, and recently have started substitute teaching for a preschool. I have a huge heart for children, and really can't see myself not working with them. Potentially, I'm sure I will take the 3 tests needed to become a certified teacher, or find a preschool to teach at. Who knows what will become of my life...I'm just kind of sitting back and letting life happen.

Scrapbook Calendar Jan & Feb

I've recently gotten into scrapbooking. It can get expensive, so I started buying little by little, experimenting by doing different things. For Christmas, I made scrapbooks for my good friends, Carisa and Brooke of our travels through Europe last March. It was a lot of fun and got me in touch with my creative side...I'll take pictures of the pages and post them soon! I decided this year to make a scrapbook page for each month, since I religiously keep my schedule on a calendar. I especially like the February page, which I made tonight. I got new stamps and a square puncher machine, and was really excited to use them! I also burned the edges, to make it look more antique.