Fakin' It

Catholic Schools Week - Teacher Appreciation Gifts

It's Catholic Schools week and I am so grateful for my children to be in an environment where God is a part of everything they do. I was volunteering the other day which required me to sit in the main hall and sell raffle tickets for 2 hours. Every teacher who walked by was smiling, each one stopped to say "Hi" whether she knew me or not. I could hear the prayers coming from the lunch room. BLESSED doesn't even begin to describe the overall feeling.

I wanted to come up with some cute gifts to say thank you to our wonderful teachers.

YOU WERE "MINT" TO BE A GREAT TEACHER

I found these cute little bags at Hobby Lobby along with the Fish Scripture Mints. I included a citrus mint lip gloss and Tangerine Mint hand sanitizer for J's 2nd grade teacher.

For the assistant teacher I got a Starbucks gift-card and put that along with the mints in a bag that says "You Warm Heart."

My son C's fourth grade teacher has cushions in the corner of the room that the kids can pull out and use to read with on the floor. It is really a big deal for them and I noticed that some of the pillows were looking quite worn. I found bed pillows on sale at Kohls for $6. I bought some sports fleece to wrap around it. My son helped tie the knots and wrote "I am having a BALL in your class this year" on the note.

 

Manly Valentine: Black Bean Taco Dip and Sports Center

My husband and I rarely celebrate Valentines Day. I think it's more for those dating couples still trying to impress each other. But I suppose it doesn't hurt to show a little extra love every now and then. My hubby, however, wants nothing to do with all that sappy lovey dovey stuff. Luckily I  know the way to his heart is through his stomach and Sports Center.

So this year J is getting a hot yummy cheesy no fail dip served in a cute heart-shaped dish (for my aesthetic) and some uninterrupted time in front of the sports channel.

Here's what you'll need:

1 8oz pkg cream cheese

1 jar Mrs. Renfroes Black Bean Salsa

2 cups shredded cheddar

Start by plopping the cream cheese into an oven/microwave safe dish and microwaving for 30-45 seconds. Just enough for the cream cheese to be melty enough to spread evenly over the bottom of the dish.

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Sadly this time I did not have my jar of Mrs. Renfroes, so I substituted 1 can of drained black beans and plain salsa. It's still very good but just not the same.

 

Cover with the cheese and put in oven at 350 until melty, about 20  minutes. Serve with tortilla chips and warm your special guy's heart.

ENJOY!                                                                                    

52 Weeks of Books: Week One - Chinese New Year

I am starting a new series called 52 Weeks of Books. One of my favorite ways to volunteer in the classroom is as a guest reader. I have spent a lot of time in the local library asking the librarian for age appropriate, fun books. Now I volunteer in the school library and get just as excited as the kids to hear a new story. I plan to feature one book a week that will usually relate to the time of year and is appropriate to read to a kindergarten, first or second grade classroom.

 Week One - Chinese New Year

Chinese New Year falls at different times each year because it is based on lunar cycles. This year it happened to fall earlier than normal, the last week of January. My go-to book is and always has been My First Chinese New Year by Karen Katz.

The cover does look a little baby-ish but this is a great way to introduce Chinese New Year to young children. The pictures are bright and colorful. The simple text allows for older students to ask questions and think about their own family traditions.

As a special surprise I often bring in a little something that goes along with the book I am reading. I brought in little rubber lizards to my son's Kindergarten class two years ago and the kids still remember. With this book I bring in Chinese Red Envelopes. You can make your own, get them at the local Chinese grocery, or order them online.

Since it is tradition to fill the red envelopes with money, I will usually drop a few coins in each or those gold wrapped chocolate coins.

 Gong Xi Fa Cai!

New Years Challenge: One Year - 365 Photos

Did you think I fell off the face of the Earth? Well I didn't but my computer did. I honestly thought about hanging up my blogging hat to focus on my new Creative Memories business but I just couldn't let go. Therefor I am going to shamelessly plug my CM Website.

So now I am now set up with a new computer and ready to blog. I am also ready to take the One a Day Challenge, one picture a day for the next 365 days. I wish a could take credit for the idea but lots of bloggers out there are doing it!

Want to join me? Just take one snapshot a day of anything you want and don't miss a day. Get the kids involved- I bet they can come up with lots of great photo opportunities for you. Send me a message and let me know that you are up for the challenge!

If you don't have a way of organizing your photos, I have two solutions for you.

1) Memory Manager Digital CD or download which has changed my life!
Features

• Organize your digital images from digital cameras, scanners or CDs using virtual Power Sort Boxes
• Store digital images and journaling with the exclusive Memory Vault feature
• Organize and store your audio (.mp3, .wav, .wma) and video clips (.avi, .wmv, .mpg, .mp4, .mov)
• Image enhancement features such as color correction, red eye, cropping and much more
• Preplan your PicFolio Albums and journaling
• Produce album-ready photos and journaling boxes
• Print your digital images online or at home with the click of a button
• Keep track of printed or non-printed photos using the one-of-a-kind PrintTrack feature

2) Creative Memories Power Sort Box which safely holds and organizes up to 1200 photos

Now is the time to shop! From January 11 thru the 15 almost everything is 25% off. Just click on my Creative Memories Website. 

PS: Don't worry; not all my posts will be Creative Memories. My next post will be about Chinese New Year, Year of the Dragon!