Lesson Learned

     Yesterday my wonderful boyfriend, Rob, was kind enough to run a few shopping errands with me.  (We rarely shop together, unless we are running to Brooks Brothers to get something for him.)  But, yesterday I needed some makeup/skincare items from Nordstom, Sephora, and Origins (just one thing from each place.)  Even though this was a brief shopping trip, I quickly learned shopping together for me is not something we will make a habit of… :)

First stop was Nordstrom, where Rob fell fast asleep on the comfy chairs.  (Probably better he didn’t see how much I spent on one tube of mascara.)  Next, we had to walk across the mall to Sephora.  While walking, all of a sudden Rob got really excited and exclaimed, “I have not been this happy all day!”  I wondered, What is he so excited about?  I looked over and realized he was at a candy kiosk scooping out sour gummy worms into a bag with the biggest grin on his face.  (At this moment Rob is really reminding me of my fourth graders.)  

Finally, we reached Sephora, where I went to get my favorite *concealer ever (read about this below)- he proceeds to wander over to the men’s skin care area.  “WHAT GUY WOULD PAY 25 DOLLARS FOR THIS?!?”  I heard Rob holler across the store to me.  “Rob, shut up.  Women buy it for their husbands or gay guys- just be quiet.”  He continues to pester me about the atrocity of the prices for men’s skin care.  By the time I got to the check out, I thought I had him off the subject, but he proceeded to ask the cashier if men really spent that much...

We then stopped by Origins- the lady there put a new product on my hands and was listing off all the natural ingredients, which included a bunch of fruit seeds.  Rob, of course, had to chime in on this conversation, “So, I could cut up a bunch of fruit and put the seeds on my face, and that would work?”  (Thank goodness this is our last stop.)  OH WAIT- not the last stop I quickly realized...  Topsy’s is right by Origins.  (Topsy's is a fabulous popcorn, candy, and ice cream shop!)  Of course, Rob, my 24-year-old boyfriend, had to get a popcorn and a Kool-Aid Squeeze it for the car ride.

Now do you all see why I will not make a habit of taking Rob shopping with me?  I have a feeling he will be okay with this decision, as well. :)

*I mentioned the concealer I purchased that I LOVE!  You must try this…  Benefit’s “Boi-ing” concealer.  I put it under my eyes everyday and use it to cover up blemishes!

Pretty wreath

Lately I have been exhausted and uninspired…  This week has really taken it out of me for a variety of reasons.  Thank goodness it's the weekend!  I am also thankful for the beautiful spring weather.

This pretty wreath makes me think of my mom.  She loves hydrangeas. :)

Congrats!

My brother-in-law, sister, and my precious nephew found out today they are moving to North Carolina this summer.  Cameron will be doing his residency at Duke!  So proud of him!  Maybe I'm biased, but is Conley not the cutest baby ever??? :)

March Madness begins today… 

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK!

Warning: Major Sappiness :)

I will most definitely get made fun of by certain family members for this post, but oh well… ha :)


"He’s not perfect. You aren’t either, and the two of you will never be perfect. But if he can make you laugh at least once, causes you to think twice, and if he admits to being human and making mistakes, hold on to him and give him the most you can. He isn’t going to quote poetry, he’s not thinking about you every moment, but he will give you a part of him that he knows you could break. Don’t hurt him, don’t change him, and don’t expect more than he can give. Don’t analyze. Smile when he makes you happy, yell when he makes you mad, and miss him when he’s not there. Love hard when there is love to be had. Because perfect guys don’t exist, but there’s always one guy that is perfect for you."


-Bob Marley

March Madness Munchies

In honor of March Madness, I want to share with you my FAVORITE dip/salad for munching on during the basketball games!  My mom made it on Saturday for the KU game and I have made it for Super Bowl parties before.  It is delicious...

Corny Mexican Salad

2 15 oz. cans black beans (rinse and drain)- I don't love beans, so I usually just use 1 can.

1 11 oz. can Mexicorn (drained)

1 tomato chopped

1 avocado cubed

1/2 cup onion chopped

Dressing:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce

1 teaspoon chili powder

*Combine all the ingredients together, then mix in the dressing.  Refrigerate for a bit before serving!  Serve as a salad or with tortilla chips!

Frugally Floral

We all know how much I love J.Crew and I have a hard time branching out…  BUT, lately I have found a few things that I adore from two stores that are MUCH more affordable.  Here are the fun floral pieces that I am so excited to wear this spring…

This linen skirt is from Old Navy.  It's a great length and I love the faded red color and the flowers, of course.  How cute would a chambray button-down or a fitted white t-shirt tucked into it be??  My younger sister and I both got it- I found it first though. ;)

This is my new favorite top- I love everything about it.  It's from the new Liberty of London line for Target.  (I noticed Adelaide over at Sweet, Sassy, Southern, and Classy recently made the same purchase.  Definitely check out her blog- she's so cute!)

On a very unrelated note…  My Jayhawks were selected as the #1 seed in the whole NCAA tournament!  (How could I blog today and not mention it?!)

I heart Conley and the Jayhawks!

Perfect start to Spring Break…  Pizza for dinner, time with Conley, and a Jayhawk win (last night against A&M)!  AND we play K-State tonight, so excited!!!  ROCK CHALK!

(Looking a little rough…  Give me a break, it was Friday night and I had a long week with my fourth graders…  What's your excuse, Court? haha jk!)

(Xavier and Sherron are my two faves)

It's about that time...

When I think of Spring Break, I remember a conversation I had with one of my first graders in my first student teaching placement this past fall…  We were having a lesson on seasons- discussing events and holidays that occur in the different seasons…

Me: What holidays or events happen in the springtime?

(long awkward pause- kids needed prompting…)

Me: What about Spring Break?  What is Spring Break?

Boy: Well, Spring Break is where you take a break from all things that have to do with spring…

:)

_____________________________

Exactly one year ago I was getting ready to go to Ft. Lauderdale, FL with my girlfriends for our Senior Spring Break.  The trip was beyond memorable and I wish we were going back again this year...

I take that back- I actually am REALLY excited about my Spring Break plans this year…  I'm going home and I get to spend a whole week with the most precious baby in the world, my nephew, Conley!  I can't wait to hold him. :)

Fourth grade humor!

I'm probably the only one over the age of eleven that is really excited about this movie, but it's one of my favorite books. I would make a safe bet that every kid in my fourth grade class has read at least one of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books. I blogged about the books in November actually.  Click here to read my old post about the books!

Beautiful bedrooms!

My older sister, Emily, introduced me to this fabulous website, Serena and Lily!  Totally unaffordable for me, but it's just fun to look at!  I love love love love love the first bedroom, because- well, do I even need to explain??!!  I really like the second bedroom too- So clean and fresh looking.  Also, I love the color combo of navy and orange!  I love any bright color with navy.  I also love the mixing of prints.  *Sorry the pictures are a little blurry- I couldn't make them any bigger without distorting them.

Pretty flowers!

I love this picture that Laura (check out her blog- it's fabulous!) posted a few weeks ago.  These gorgeous flowers are my current laptop background! :)

Retail Therapy for the Unemployed...

After an INCREDIBLY LONG DAY, I was so happy to receive my package (wrapped in a cute box with a bow on it) in the mail from Kate Spade's recent sample sale online- I just got the Petite Fleur Charm earrings (in turquoise and orange).  *The middle turquoise color in the center is much prettier and brighter in person.  I got a steal on these adorable earrings- they were originally $125, but I got them for $29!!!  Woohoo!

Why was my day long, you ask??  I had the career interview day at my university.  Education students looking for jobs can sign up for screening interviews with several districts they are interested in and then on the interview day, we go through a day full of interviews.  I interviewed with six different districts today.  I don't really want to go into great details about my job search on here (I am kind of superstitious about it for some reason, ha.)  But, I'll vent really fast: I felt pretty confident about my interviews and I feel like in a normal economy my education friends and I would have no problems finding teaching jobs, but, currently, teaching jobs in Kansas are few and far between.  It is really discouraging hearing over and over that districts are not hiring teachers and if they do, there may be a few openings they will find out about this summer.  I could rant about this topic for hours, but I will stop at that…  I think I need to focus on three things in this ANNOYING process: patience, prayer, and persistency (like that alliteration??)