Currently: July!

I'm here posting for the Currently link-up hosted by the fabulous Farley! Check out what's going on with me!

Listening: I've never been a fan of Big Brother (or even watched it). Nothing is on this summer though. It's fine for background noise, but Geez Louise with all the whining! Everything is so dramatic!

Loving: So many cute blog designs have come out already or are in the works. I'm excited to get to help out so many wonderful bloggers!

Thinking: For real though - I have so much to do! Most of it is shopping and pampering myself which some people may not consider 'need to do's,' but for me they are! I guess packing is on the list too.

Wanting: Tomorrow is the big day! I can't wait to find out!

Needing: I went to the salon as part of my pampering and ... my hair is not what I asked for! Yikes! I'm going back tomorrow to try to get it fixed. My fingers are crossed they're able to work some magic!

All Star: It took me forever to decide what to put for my All Star box which is even more reason that being indecisive truly is the right thing to go in there! I overthink absolutely everything!

Can't wait to read what everyone else is up to and to see so many of you in Vegas next week!

June Currently

Just quickly linking up with Farley for this month's Currently! Check out what I'm up to and head on over to Oh' Boy 4th Grade to share what's going on with you.

April Currently

I love that I can be on my computer every day, working on blog design stuff, and still not have a single blog post for a month! Oh my goodness.

I feel like I've said this before, but I work at a school that uses textbook programs to the 't.' It's actually pretty nice. Most things are already created and available to us. But - it makes blogging kind of hard! 

So this month, I'm not going to pretend and say that I'm going to be 'better.' I'm going to be honest and say that I'll post if inspirations strikes. And I'm going to link up for this month's Currently because I love a good link-up!

Listening

It's Good Friday here, it's the end of my spring break, and me and the pup are resting on the couch. Like we have all week. A bunch of people asked me what my break plans were and I told them sleeping. I'm not sure if they realized how serious I was. Some people, the hubs included, may think that lazing the day away may be a bit of a waste. Judge away. I enjoyed myself! I did get a bunch of blog design stuff done though. It wasn't all sleeping.

Loving

Speaking of - I have three different designs that I've been working on this week. No four! I forgot my design blog! None of them are completely done, but I'm so excited about all four so I'll show them in their 'work in progress' state!

I've been back and forth about whether or not I want a separate design site, and I've finally decided - I do! But I want to keep my regular name. So here it is! This one is live. Click on the picture to visit. Leave a comment on the 'Welcome' post so I know you stopped by.

This one is the closest to being done I would say!

Approved! Just needs to be installed. Yay!

Still undergoing changes, but I seriously love the idea of this design!

Thinking

Easter is going to be so strange this year. Both my brother and the hubs' brother moved out-of-state this past month so Easter is going to be a little smaller. For my family, it'll still be huge actually, but it'll be strange without him. On the hubs' side, it will literally just be us and his parents. 

I'm still excited though. I even made a few Easter baskets for random family members.

Wanting

Vegas in July anyone? I got part of my Vegas plans funded through the Donors Choose professional development pilot. I love it! I'm still waiting on my invoice so that I can send it to Donors Choose and officially get this conference paid for. I also need to book flights still AND rooms. I'm on the hunt for roommates. I'd rather not pay for a single. I plan to get in either the 5th or 6th and leave on the 11th. If you are looking to share a room or know anyone who is, send them my way!

Needing

I feel like there are so many exciting things in the works, and I can't wait for them to happen! But I need to be patient. It's seriously one of my faults. I'm super bad at waiting. Instant gratification for the win!

Egg-splain Your Name

Teaching In A Nutshell is a totally random name that I came up with. My husband seriously hated me when I was trying to come up with blog names. The whole experience was a combination of me suggesting terrible names, me 'demanding' that he come up with a good one, and me whining that I couldn't think of one. Finally I did eventually think of something I like though, thank goodness.

I like to pretend that the abbreviation for Teaching In A Nutshell is TIN. I know I'm completely skipping over the letter 'a' and that 'in' and 'a' are not even necessary parts of an abbreviation, but TIN was my nickname in high school, so I'm sticking with it. My best friends name was Kristen with an 'e' and I was Kristin with an 'i,' so we were Tin and Ten. Or Tinny and Tenny.

And, that's all folks! See you when inspiration hits!

Currently January

Hey there! I'm linking up with Farley for the January Currently!

Listening

My husband has been working on our basement for nearly a year now. He's down there right now and I'm listening to the sweet tunes that he has on. He's finally to the point where he is just doing some finishing touches as we wait for carpet and cabinets, so hopefully this long journey will be over soon.

Loving

If you've been here before, you may have noticed that my blog looks quite a bit different! Back in October, I went to a blogger meet-up and got lots of super cute blogging business cards. I decided I needed my own, too! I realized that I wanted to bright and fun design for my business cards. After I finished them, I decided to redesign my blog to match. I also love that I was able to fit a tab along the navigation bar for Design, so everything is in one place for now. Much more simple.

Thinking

Besides working on blogging more frequently, I want to branch out further into the world of TPT. I don't have too much freedom in my classroom to add lots of extra resources, so I've been brainstorming what I can create for my room and how I can expand on it for others. My fingers are crossed that I'll figure something out.

Wanting

I love my students, but I love breaks too! I've read four books over break so far and am working on the fifth. I've spent lots of time with family and friends, and I've been able to take some much needed R&R time now that I'm finished with my masters program (yay!). It won't be terrible to go back, but I wouldn't complain if our break was extended.

Needing

My lesson plans are done. They just need to actually be typed out. I meant to do this earlier in break, but I was so eager to leave school on that last day that I left my hand-written lesson plans in my classroom. I'll need to head over there tomorrow or this weekend to get them so that everything is all ready. Luckily, all my copies are done and such.

Yes, Maybe, Wish

I know that a lot of people make goals about weight loss, and I do have a goal like that, but I have trouble committing. The one goal that I have which I am certain that I WILL accomplish is that I will become better with blogging this year! Sarah from Shutters and Scribbles and I made a list of over 50 potential blogging topics. That's not even including potential posts about new designs I've done or TPT products that I've made (if I ever get started with that). I have set myself up to post at least a blog a week, and I'm excited about that. 

I'd love to write a book. For the past seven years or so in November, I have participated in National Novel Writing Month but it's always been difficult because of my undergrad or masters classes. I've always wanted to write. Now that I'm done with all that, I'm hoping that I'll have time to sit down and write some stories, even if they are just short ones - hopefully even outside of November!

This year, I'd also love to take some trips this summer. We went on one vacation last summer, which was wonderful, but teaching summer school took up the majority of my summer. I'm hoping that we can do a weekend getaway or two to somewhere fun. Plus, I'm really hoping that I make it to Vegas this summer!

Happy 2015!

November Currently

I feel like if I at least put up the month's Currently, I'm still blogging. No matter how little blogging takes place outside of that!

So here it is!

Listening

Another quiet day here at the house. Silence is golden.

Loving

It's been a wonderful PJ type of morning. The husband is out hunting with friends, so me and the dog are enjoying the morning. It'll have to end soon though. Unfortunately, I can't spend all day sitting around.

Thinking

I'm pretty sure that I'm going to be rolling out a new blog design soon - as in by the end of the year. I already made business cards for the new design which should be arriving in the mail shortly. I need to work on some of the odds and ends for the online design before I am ready to make it active. I'm excited for it though. It's a bit more cutesy that what I have now.

Wanting

We'll be leaving soon for some good ol' family time. Nothing wrong with that, except that I've also spent Friday and Saturday with family, so I'm kind of all family'd out. I can't just make an excuse to get out of it though, so hopefully we won't need to be there all day.

Needing

Have you heard of or done NaNoWriMo? I believe that this is the seventh year that I have participated. I've never won. November is, at least for me, a terrible month to write a book because I am always so stinkin' busy. But I pretend that I will each year anyway. I expect another loss this year again, but I will keep trying anyway. I haven't even come up with an idea this year, though, so my expectations are pretty low.

Reading

Kin of related - hopefully I'll be reading nothing. If I actually come up with an idea for writing, that will in theory take up all my time. I'll only have time to read grad school books and work emails.

That's where I am - in a nutshell. What's going on with you?

Currently!

Hey there again! I'm linking up with Farley for April's Currently!

A bit more detail would be nice maybe, right?

Listening: I'm trying very hard to limit my TV watching time. It's really hard! I noticed, especially on the weekends, the hubs and I turn the TV on often and mostly don't even watch the shows. It's just enough to distract us from things we actually should be doing. So today, the TV is off until tonight when Once Upon A Time comes on. It's very peaceful and relaxing.

Thinking: As I mentioned in my previous/'welcome back me' post, our district is using a reading program this year that takes a lot of the planning out of planning. We're studying main idea again next week, and the two previous times we've covered it, my kiddos have been utterly lost. I think it's time to deviate a little bit, but I'm still trying to figure out how I can and when I would have time to while still covering what I need from the program. It's tough work, but I know it's worth it! Last week's detour away from the reading program produced some pretty stellar results!

Hours and Day: I'm super lazy in the morning, so 8:10 is pretty much when I stumble through the school doors with my eyes still part way asleep. I'm lucky if I get out by 4:00, though! I probably could leave on time if I wanted to, but I prefer to get things done at school rather than take things home generally.

Your turn! Click here to link up your April Currently with Farley!