Christmas Fun!

Well the last week has been filled with family, food, and fun! On Sunday we went to Indianapolis where both my mom's sister and my dad's parents live.  It is always very convenient on holidays because we are able to see both sides of the family.  On Sunday I was able to see both sets of grandparents, lots of aunts and uncles  and several cousins! 

top: my sister Kelly and her boyfriend Tyler & my brother Ryan and his girlfriend Jenny

bottom left: my aunt Sandy, grandma, & mom

bottom right: my cousin Adam, grandpa, and me

all of the kids with my other grandparents 

On Christmas Eve we went to 5:00 mass as a family at our church.  We then came home and ate a delicious meal and played our family's favorite card game- Euchre! Afterwards we lit a fire, roasted s'mores, and watched Family Man! :) 

mom, dad, and me before heading to church!

and the fun begins...

Christmas Morning! Santa was very good to all of us :) 

Scott was also able to join us on Christmas Day. He is the best present of them all :) 

We had a lovely Christmas and now have New Orleans to look forward to for the University of Louisville bowl game! Scott and the team left today and I will be leaving Saturday with Scott's family! GO CARDS! 

DIY Jewelry Board

I had seen several DIY Jewelry Boards on Pinterest and decided that Christmas would be a wonderful time to try to make one of these creative little things...

The supplies you will need for this project include the following:

- empty frame (found one at Hobby Lobby for $29.99 but used a 40% off coupon so it was cheaper)

- roll of cork board (can be found at any craft store or Hobby Lobby)

- poster board the same size as your frame (or foam board)

- spray adhesive 

- fabric (make sure it is 1 in. longer on all sides than the frame you use)

- stapler 

- push pins

Step-by-step Instructions:

1. Pick out a frame that you like -- the one I used is a 16 x 20 frame and is a perfect size (Hobby Lobby has a great selection to choose from)

2. Buy all other supplies

3. Cut your poster board (or foam board) the same size as your frame

4. Cut your cork board the same size as your frame

5. Spray poster board with adhesive and immediately place cork board on top of it

6. Let dry for 5-10 minutes

7. Stretch fabric over the board and staple it on the back

8. Place fabric covered board inside frame (should fit perfectly if cut correctly)

9. Place push pins on board and hang your jewelry! And TA-DA you have a wonderful way to display necklaces, bracelets, and earrings! :) 

Here is my first attempt at making a jewelry board. I made it for a Christmas present, but will definitely be making my own after the hustle and bustle of the holidays is over. Will be sure to post those pics, too! :) 

Chicken Spaghetti Recipe

Now that I am home for break I have MUCH more time on my hands than I did this past semester at school. Since I do have more time, I decided to try out some Pinterest recipes and make dinner for my family.  Last night I made "Chicken Spaghetti" and it was absolutely delicious.  

To make this recipe you will need to following ingredients:

- 8 ounces angel hair pasta
- 2 cups chopped, grilled chicken or 1 large can of chicken
- 1 can of cream of mushroom soup
- 1 can of cream of chicken soup
- 1 can of Rotel diced tomatoes and green chiles (undrained)

- 8 ounces sour cream

- sprinkling of Parmesan or Mexican-blend cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Boil pasta as package directs and drain. Mix all other ingredients (except cheese), add to cooked pasta, and put in a 9 x 13 pan.  Cover with foil and bake 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle with your choice of cheese and return to oven to melt. 

[Serves 8 people]

For the holidays you can't beat home sweet home

Finals are finally over and I could not be more excited to be HOME! Christmas is my favorite time of year - especially now that I am in college since I get a month off from school and have plenty of time to relax and enjoy my friends and family :) There is truly nothing better.

I have enjoyed sleeping in and have been busy finishing up my Christmas shopping. Last night my mother, sister and I had dinner together and then started to wrap some presents by the tree while enjoying a glass of wine. I have loved catching up with my amazing high school friends and of course spending time with Scott now that I am home. On Saturday we will celebrate my older brother and sister's birthdays by going out to dinner! I couldn't be happier during this wonderful time of year.

Get crafty

So lately I have become obsessed with painting on canvases. It is so easy to do and very inexpensive. Here are two that i made for myself that are currently in my room. One is my monogrammed initials that I have over my bed and another is one of my favorite sayings that I have standing on my dresser. I LOVE to paint quotes and if you have a font or design to model after it is super easy!

Since I will be home for four weeks for break I am sure I will be painting several things (they make for great Christmas gifts) so I will be sure to post them on here, as well! 

For more pictures of my room go to my DIY page

Go Cards!

It has been an exciting week for the University of Louisville football program. My boyfriend, Scott, is a senior this year, but began his college career as a walk-on freshman.  He has put in so much time and hard work and it all paid off last year when he earned a scholarship. This season he has been starting at wide receiver and has loved every minute of it.  It has been amazing to see his dreams come true of playing college football for a D-1 school.

Last Saturday was their Senior Night game and the timing could not have been more perfect because I was already home for Thanksgiving break. My family and I arrived hours before kick-off to tailgate and to greet the players as they walked through the parking lot to the stadium for their "Card March."  Before the game started, they announced all of the seniors and had them walk to meet their families on the field. Everything seemed to be going great until a couple of minutes in to the first quarter. One of the first offensive plays of the game, Scott was tackled and took a hard blow to the head. He suffered a concussion and was out the rest of the game.  It was heartbreaking that this had to happen to him on his senior night and during their last home game of the season (his last home game ever).  He was taken in to the training facility for the rest of the first half, but was luckily able to come back out on the sidelines after halftime.

My heart hurt for him because I knew he was extremely disappointed, but I could not help but feel such pride and admiration as I watched him on the sidelines. Scott never stopped cheering and was constantly trying to pump up his teammates. Despite his efforts, UofL ended up losing in triple overtime to UConn.

 my parents and I tailgating before the game

 Scott greeting his family on the field before the game

Scott during warm-ups...unfortunately he spent more time on the field before the game than during the game, since his concussion happened so early on :(

after the game

Scott is feeling much better, but unfortunately could not play in their last game of the season last night against Rutgers.  Even though he was unable to play, he cheered his little heart out.  The team got off to a slow start, but played great in the second half and WON, putting them at the top of their conference.  This earned them the title of "Big East Champs," finishing with a 10-2 record. I am so unbelievably excited for them and happy they are going to a BCS bowl game.  Depending on the results of games this weekend from other teams in their conference, we will either be going to the Orange Bowl in Miami or the Sugar Bowl in New Orleans.  Luckily Scott will be healthy and able to play in this game - the biggest of the season! I will be more than excited to go to either bowl game, but would love some warm weather and a tan! :) YAY for Christmas break and for a vacation! 

 Scott giving the trophy some love after the game

Big East Champs!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

Even though I live the life of a college student, my roommates and I have tried our best to still create some Christmas spirit by decorating our hundred-year old house as cute as we can! It really does feel like the holiday season with the smells of cookie-scented candles and seeing the lights on our tree. Despite the colder temperatures and the realization that finals are slowly getting closer and closer, the Christmas season is giving me motivation and keeping me sane. Only two more weeks until a much needed one-month vacation from school!

Early Christmas Shopping!

So I was looking at Pinterest today (shocker) and decided to create a pinboard titled "My Christmas List." After I had spent a good deal of time procrastinating from my homework and pinning several things to this board, I realized I needed to start thinking about what I was going to get everyone for Christmas.  That was when I came across this darling website called "Haymarket Designs."  They have tons of adorable monogrammed products including cell phone cases, coasters, coozies, picture frames, plates...you get the idea. And all of their products have beautiful designs and patterns! While I was browsing this wonderful website I came across this little guy...

...It's a wine tote! I had never even heard of such a thing before.  But since my mom is one of the biggest wine lovers I know, I instantly knew that this would be a PERFECT Christmas gift for her. I enjoyed customizing it- picking out the pattern, colors, and what it would say.  I decided to put "tis the season to drink wine" on it (I thought that was appropriate). To check out all of their amazing products, go to their website at: http://www.haymarketdesigns.com/

November- a month to be thankful...

Since it is November and Thanksgiving is right around the corner, I have started making a list of one thing I am thankful for each day. I decided to move this list to my blog and create a post out of it.

November 1st- I am thankful for the adorable children I baby-sit every week, sweet baby Chris and little Lucy...their innocent outlook on life is contagious and reminds me to not take life too seriously

November 2nd- I am thankful for my two fabulous cooperating teachers that I have already learned so much from

November 3rd- I am thankful for relaxing wine nights spent with great friends!

November 4th- I am thankful for an extra hour of sleep -- yay daylight savings time!

November 5th- I am thankful that my first planned and taught lesson to my sixth graders was a success :)

November 6th- I am thankful for my sorority, Zeta Tau Alpha, that has made my college experience so enjoyable and rewarding. I am proud of all that we stand for and our amazing philanthropy, breast cancer education and awareness. I am thankful for all of my sisters, especially my fellow seniors for all of the fun times we have shared over the last four years

November 7th- I am thankful for the beautiful sunshine! This cold weather is much more tolerable when the sun is out :) 

November 8th- I am thankful for all of my possessions that I so easily take for granted - nice shoes, new clothes...a bed, a house. A non-profit organization called "Shoes for the Shoeless" came to our school today and several kids in our class got brand new shoes. It was beautiful to see the excitement on their faces. They could not stop showing myself and the other teachers their brand new kicks. It was very humbling to see and made me realize how blessed I really am. To find out more about this wonderful organization, check out their website at http://shoes4theshoeless.org/

November 9th- I am SO thankful that today is Friday! Bring on the weekend

November 10th- I am thankful that I go to the University of Dayton  - a community that I have been blessed to be a part of for the last three and a half years. It is honestly one of the most friendly, welcoming, and caring campuses I know and I could not picture myself anywhere but here...go flyers!

November 11th- I am thankful that my parents and sister visited me this weekend! 

November 12th- I am thankful that the school provided free Q'Doba for all of the teachers today at professional development

November 13th- I am thankful for a warm bowl of chili on a cold day like today 

November 14th- I am thankful for my two loving parents that have been such wonderful role models for my brother, sister, and me

November 15th- I am thankful for my roomies that always make me smile :)

November 16th- I am thankful that I survived this week!

November 17th- I am thankful that Thanksgiving is only FIVE days away!

November 18th- I am thankful that Scott had an off-weekend from football and was finally able to come visit me in Dayton! 

November 19th- I am thankful for all of the students in my sixth grade class :) 

November 20th- I am extremely thankful that I did not get hurt in my car accident today and that everyone was okay.

November 21st- I am thankful for Thanksgiving break and time spent relaxing at home with friends and family!

November 22nd- I am thankful for this wonderful holiday and all of the delicious food! And of course my loving family and our fun Thanksgiving traditions :) 

First Post!

I have recently developed a love for blogs, so I decided to start my own! I am currently in my first semester of senior year at the University of Dayton, majoring in middle childhood education.  I couldn't have picked a better college to attend and I am extremely grateful for the last three years I have spent here. It truly has become my second home and I can't believe that in six short months I will be graduating from this amazing place.  But let's not talk about the "g-word"...

After three years of waiting, I have finally started my student teaching.  I am in a sixth grade classroom and could not be happier. My experience so far has definitely confirmed that teaching is the right profession for me.  I have already learned so much and can't wait to see what the months ahead will bring. I will be sure to keep you posted! :) That is all for now.