Summer Lovin'

Like "Sister 3" (Amy) said, we are working hard on getting back into the blogging world and creating new products for our store.  All three of us have been busy enjoying summer...I am sure you would agree, it goes by WAY. TOO. FAST.  Does the calendar really say August already?!?

My summer has consisted of sun and fun, lots of reading, and of course shopping!  We finally got sod and sprinklers at our new house.  I cannot begin to tell you how excited I was the day the sod finally went in.  I was very sick of looking at our "dirt" yard.  When did I get so old that SOD excites me?  Now if I only had a pool in the backyard already.....(sigh).

We also celebrated our first wedding anniversary!  What a huge accomplishment (yes I said only 1 year!!)! :)  I love my husband to pieces but year 1 is filled with lots of compromise. Let's face it...anyone who doesn't admit that along with happiness, excitement, and fun-- year 1 also has some adjustments...is lying.  We decided we needed a vacation-celebration!  I mean who wouldn't?  I am not sure where I saw this but it pretty much sums up our motto:

We headed to Florida for 10 days.  We spend the first few in Orlando and stayed at the Hard Rock Hotel at Universal.  I am totally a Disney fanatic so Universal was fun but didn't compare and isn't the park that has my heart!  The hotel on the other hand was amazing!

After leaving Orlando, we headed for the beach to finish out our anniversary trip.  If you follow us on Instagram, you saw some pictures of the beautiful Clearwater Beach.  We had a few days of rain but found lots of frivolous shopping to do in Tampa.  The rest of the trip was sunny and super hot!  What an amazing trip with lots of great memories made.

I have been continuing my shopping spree since we have been home...buying lots of good stuff for the house.  I don't like a lot of clutter and "knick knacks" but my house needs some "flair."  Here are a few good things I picked up at Pier One just this week!  I am borderline obsessed with teal/turquoise!

They also opened a Kirkland store close by where I live. There are a few in the area but none were close enough to stop by regularly (which was probably good).  I picked up a few pieces of  Halloween décor....hey might as well get a head start!

In between all of this, I have found time for relaxing in the Michigan sun!  It's been pretty beautiful here the last few weeks.  I have a few good friends with pools and have been spending lots of time enjoying fun summer cocktails while soaking up some summer sunshine.  I have also started trying Zumba classes!  I have a friend who goes religiously and has not stopped asking me to join in this summer.  Finally I gave in this week....and I have to admit I love it!  Do any of you Zumba?

Most importantly, I have been working hard on adding products to our TPT store!  I have quite a few new things started and finally uploaded the first two completed things!  I know Amy blogged about a Sub Pack freebie for you all on Wednesday!  Well I just uploaded our first ever - upper elementary sub pack!  This pack uses a picture book called Just a Dream by Chris Van Allsburg.  It is from our 5th grade genre unit.  Check it out if you teach upper el or know someone who could use a great sub tub filler.  You can find it here.

I also recently added an informational text pack on Turtles!  Our kiddos always seem to LOVE learning about any kind of animals.  I even learned a lot making this pack!  I can't wait to use it this coming school year.

Speaking of....what is your countdown to back to school?


Have a great day!
~Tina (Sister 1)



It's not over....right?!?

Summer is in full swing!  At least that is what I keep telling myself!  However our Instagram tells a different story!  People all over are prepping their classrooms and/or starting back to school!!!  I can't believe it but I forget that lots of us are on different schedules so Happy Back-To-School to those of you heading that way but for those of you on our schedule....the glorious vacation continues (for a little while anyway)!

The three of us have been very busy this summer as our last post tells!  For me, the last few weeks have been busy preparing for my best friend's baby shower!  It's been a long time coming and I am so happy for her to finally be a mom!  She's having a boy who seriously has the cutest room ever....think tropical Pottery Barn!  Friday's shower is also a tropical ocean theme!  We've been burning up the Cameo with ocean things galore and I think we are finally all set and ready!  I can't wait!

Now, I do have a confession to make.....

In between the planning and my fun Chicago weekend, I have been thinking non-stop about the upcoming school year.  Seriously.  I've been shopping, creating, and crafting.  I don't know if it's the thrill of being a TPT seller this summer that motivates me to be thinking school and redoing curriculum or it might also be that little thing I mentioned in the beginning....I-N-S-T-A-G-R-A-M!  I don't know how you all feel but I find it addicting.  The more I look on it during the day, the more great things I see all of our fellow teachers (maybe even YOU) doing.  I get overwhelmed feeling like I want to do it all!!  Yes...every last adorable idea.  I love seeing what everyone's classrooms are shaping up to look like and the amount of great things I see being added to TPT daily is so wonderful.  I've always been proud to be a teacher (as are Sister 2 and Sister 3) but what is happening on blogs, TPT, Facebook, and Instagram, really makes me proud of our profession as a whole.  No more boring "Open your book and do problems 1-10." Now we are all creating and revamping everything...including our classrooms and I LOVE it! :)

Okay so now that I have confessed to being a teacher-aholic this summer, here comes the big decision I have been pondering!  Last year, I redid my whole classroom.  It's all black and red and movie themed and I love it.  But you know how when you shop, you see 100 things you want even more than whatever it is you have?!  That's what is happening to me!  I am thinking of redoing my room...again...this year!  It's quite the time sucker and costs tons but right now I am in love with black-grey-teal-hot pink-lime.  To the point, I spent tons at Target buying "just in case I change my room" things.  Check it out...

Yes...it doesn't look too crazy but trust me...that bin is F-U-L-L!   And I've been working on a new classroom pack for TPT that just happens to be learning in the direction of color matching all this good stuff!

So to change or not to change....that is the question!  Are you redoing your classrooms this year?  What kind of theme can I do with these colors?  Any suggestions?  Anyone voting for keeping the movie theme?

~Sister 1

Summer, Summer, Summertime!!!

This little picture collage says it all!!  Summer is in full swing and to say we have been out of the "school" mode is an understatement!  I can't speak for all of the Sisters but this Sister is now in full summer mode!  This is officially the second week of vacation but the first week I finally feel is all mine.  Last week consisted of lots of running around, taking the Math Menu workshop, and finishing up a few last minute classroom things plus your typical "should do" list before the "want to do" list starts! :)  I don't know about all of you, but it takes me at least a week to wind down and relax into summer mode. I still feel like I should be up and somewhere all the time....being at home takes some getting used to...in a good way of course!

Last night I opened my laptop for the first time and re-discovered all of my TPT plans!!  The Sisters and I came up with a lot of ideas of things we wanted to do this summer! I spent a little time revamping something I started and now cannot wait to finish it!  My new project is classroom packs!  A pack filled with just about everything you need for a classroom made to a specific theme!  Last year I decided on a "movie theme" for my classroom.  I searched for things to hang and use all matching my theme.  There was some good stuff out there but I couldn't seem to find a pack with everything I liked.  Here and there I found pieces that I liked but ending up spending so much buying lots of packs just to use a little from each because nothing seemed complete!  I decided then that I would try to make my own set of classroom materials that all matched and all were exactly the things I needed to theme a complete classroom.  So that's where I am now....finishing my first classroom pack!  It's a "Sea Life" theme and it is A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E if I do say so myself!!!  But before I finish this first pack, I am asking for some input from all of you wonderful followers.....

What items would you want to make sure are included? 

What themes would you like to see?

Any feedback you have would be greatly appreciated!  I want to make the best, most complete packs I can and the more I hear from all of you, the better it will be!

Enjoy the sunshine....and relax, you all deserve it!

~Sister 1