My Blog is Nominated for the Liebster Award!

I am very honored to have my blog nominated for the Liebster Award! This award is given to new bloggers with 200 followers or less. I was nominated by Wendy McCarty of 1stgradefireworks. Thank you kindly! Her blog is very cute-check it out!

Here are the rules:
1. Post 11 random things about yourself
2. Answer the questions the nominator set for you.
3. Create 11 questions for your nominees.
4. Choose 11 other blogs with fewer than 200 followers to nominate and link them to your post.
5. Leave a comment on this post if you were nominated so I can learn more about you and see who you nominate.
Here are my 11 randoms:

1. I have always known since Kindergarten that I wanted to become a teacher!

2. I have been teaching first grade for 16 years (K-1 split for three of those years).

3. My husband and I have been married for 3 1/2 years. 
I love him more and more each day!

4. We have an American Eskimo dog who is more human than dog.

5. I love to watch NFL in the comfort of my own home!

6. My favorite color is purple.

7. I love to watch movies!  Star Wars, Lord of the Rings,
and anything with Daniel Day-Lewis!

8. My favorite food is pizza with cheese and pineapple.

9. I love to scrapbook and am constantly working on projects in
my scrapbook room, when I have some spare time!

10. I love to bake, especially when I can use my Cricut Cake Machine
to my baking creations-what fun!

11.  I love wrapping gifts!  There is something about coordinating paper,
tissue paper, ribbon, cards, etc. to make a present presentable.  :) 

Questions from Wendy:

1. Vacation retreat.....MOUNTAINS or BEACH ?
Tough one...I would have to say mountains.  My husband and I were married in the beautiful setting of Lake Tahoe, California, surrounded by mountains. 

2. What is your favorite Christmas cookie to make?
My Gram's orange cookie recipe with orange icing.  So good!

3. Name 3 places you have NOT been to, but would like to visit.
New Zealand, Ireland, and the Isle of Sky (located in Scotland)

4. Cat person or Dog person? Any other animals you would prefer?
Dog, for sure.

5. When was the last time you gave someone a "hand-made" gift? What was it?
A Shadowbox to my friend who just became a Grammy!  I included a picture of her new grandson. 

6. What is one "lesson" you have learned from having a TPT store?
The more detailed lessons and explanations, the better. 

7. If you could be your "boss", what is one "mandate" you would initiate?
Communication, communication, communication.

8. What is the title of the last book you read? Does a recipe book count?  I love the Cake Boss and am currently reading his recipe book/ recipe ideas. 

9. What is your favorite type of music? Favorite song?
Rock/ Pop:  Desire by U2

10. What do you do to "turn it off" for R & R?
Listen to some relaxing music or watch a funny movie.

11. What do you want for Christmas?
I really just want to spend the holiday with my family-love family time!

For my nominees...1.  What is your favorite color?
2.  What is your favorite hobby?
3.  What is your favorite quote from a movie?
4.  What is your favorite Christmas song?
5.  Do you prefer online shopping or actually shopping at a store?
6.  What is your dream vacation?
7.  Which do you prefer, flying or driving?
8.  What is a special holiday treat that you like to make/ or eat?
9.  Tell about a family tradition that you do each year.
10.  What ice cream flavor do you like the best?
11.  What do you want for Chrismas this year?

Blogs I have nominated...

1.  Firstgradeisfabulous.blogspot.com (Fabulous Firsties!)
2.  Mrs. Young's Busy Bees
3. Sweet Time in First Grade
4.  More to come.....

Mini Scrapbook Album Ornaments

 Look at these cute mini scrapbook album ornaments!  I wanted to have memories of significant events/ Christmas over the years on a tree!  So, I created these little minis which can be filled with a few pictures to capture these special moments!  I added a little ribbon to hang on a Christmas Tree!

 Above are a few pictures of the inside of our wedding scrapbook ornament.  I added the date to the back cover. Below shows our little personal Christmas Tree.  I love how these little mini scrapbook ornaments make our memories over the years shine and last for years to come!  My goal is to have a little mini scrapbook ornament for each year that my husband and I celebrate Christmas!  In a few years, as more memories are added, this tree will be decorated only as our mini scrapbook ornament tree! 

Mini Munchies With A Crunch!

Now that Football season is here, these mini munchies are the perfect solution for a game day crunch!
Purchase some refrigerated pie crusts.  To get started, grease a mini muffin pan. 

 Next, use a round-shaped tool to cut out circles.  I used a measuring cup (1/4 cup) to make these circles.

Then, place each circle over a mini muffin cup.  Use a mini tart shaper to press the dough into the muffin cups.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes. 

 This is what they will look like when finished baking.

Allow to cool and then fill with favorite fillings.  Here are the chicken salad mini munchies I made recently!  So good! 

Other filling suggestions:  -Cucumbers, carrots, peppers with lil vegetable dip
-Beef, cheese, salsa, sour cream (taco bites)
-Apples, grapes, raisins, fruit dip
-Apples, mango, pears, fruit dip
-lettuce, crouton, and ranch dressing
The possibilities are endless!  What will be some of your favorites?

Sneaky "e" Sneakers

                                                     
My students are enjoying their study of the Sneaky "e" through these Sneaky "e" Sneakers activities!




From sorting Sneaky "e" words to spelling Sneaky "e" words out of Play-doh, these sounds have been a hit!

Students have been Sneaky "e" Detectives, writing Sneaky "e" words they find in their stories.  Spelling Sneaky "e" words out of toothpicks and rubber bands has been a fun challenge! Drawing Sneaky "e" words out of Sneakers, then writing them in a special way has been motivating in learning these sounds.  For the entire Sneaky "e" Sneaker pack, check out my TPT store: Tiny Treasures By Teacher Tava

Fall Wreath

I purchased these items for under $10 to create a fall wreath. 

I decided to make a wreath that wasn't round and when I saw this cute broom, the pieces started coming together.  I started by wrapping some orange ribbon around the top of the broom.  Then, I added some of the items that I had purchased. 

This is the final result! It is hard to believe that October is almost over!  At least I can keep this wreath up until Thanksgiving!  Happy Fall!

My Girl Cave-My Scrapbook Room!

My husband suprised me one Christmas with all of the cubes and storage units to start my Scrapbook Room! He even painted it my chosen purple colors and added this beautiful light fixture!  Yes, he is a keeper! 

     

 

I have all of my buttons, ribbons, eyelets, small chipboard pieces, fasteners, etc. orgainized by
color(s) in these craft containers on the wall shelf.  I organize my stamps by holidays, phrases, pets, etc. on these corner unit shelves.  This is my relaxing getaway!  Lucky for me that it is right in my house!  Happy Scrapbooking to all!

Mini Pumpkin Bread Loaves

This recipe is soooo good and just in time for the fall season!  It comes from a Pampered Chef recipe for a pumpkin cake which I altered to make mini pumpkin bread loaves. 
Here are the ingredients:  2 1/2 cups flour, 2 tsp. baking powder, 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. salt, 1 1/2 cups of granulated sugar, 3/4 cup margarine (softened), 3 eggs, 3/4 cup can of pumpkin, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tsp. vanilla, 1-8 oz. pkg. of cream cheese (softened),
and 1/4 cup granulated sugar.


Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray mini loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.  Combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda, and salt in small bowl-set aside.  In mixer, combine sugar with butter.  Add in eggs, vanilla, milk, and pumpkin-mix well. 

Add flour mixture to pumpkin mixture and stir together well.  For the filling, combine cream cheese and sugar, whisking until smooth.  Pour some of pumpkin/ flour mixture into bottom of pan for each mini loaf to fill 1/3 of the way full.  Then, spread the cream cheese mixture over the pumpkin/flour mixture for each loaf.  Top the mini loaves off by spreading the rest of the pumpkin/ flour mixture over the cream cheese mixture.  Bake for 45-50 minutes or until tooth pick comes out clean.    

The final result!  Top with some powdered sugar and serve warm!  Enjoy!

Finished Bedroom

Well, it took us a while to decide what colors to use on an accent wall in our bedroom.  Finally, the finished product is here! I wasn't sure about the outcome, especially with the three-toned accent wall colors.  However, with the white trim separation in between, it really makes the colors stand out on their own.  Of course, the dog still has his personal space!  Thanks to pinterest for the monogram above the bed idea!   I can sleep better knowing that this project is finished!   

"Bono" Dog Chipboard Album

I couldn't resist creating this chipboard album about my dog.  Bono loves to have his picture taken, as he is more human than dog!  I used circular chipboard pieces to cover with decorative pet dog scrapbook paper.  I purchased all kinds of ribbons, stickers, stamps, and other embellishments to complete the album.

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I always include tags in my albums, as they allow more space for pictures or journaling.

This mini pop-out accordion page (below) allowed space for four additional pictures in my album.