Edition 1: Fashion Friday

Is there anything more fun than partaking in blog parties? Well, maybe. But not today! While in the shower this morning-- it's where I do my best thinking, you know-- I realized that today would be my day. Check out Big Mama who started the greatness that is Fashion Friday.

Now, please realize that I do not consider myself "fashionable" by any stretch of the imagination. I would wear jeans, a white tee, and a scarf every stinkin' day if I could, but I can't. People would think I'm weird. However, I do think that I have a good sense of what just looks bad/ tacky. I mean, those girls on the dating shows on MTV and VH1-- bad, gross, tacky, ew. Either they're wearing basically nothing or it's a Gap striped shirt circa 1997. And don't ask me how I know what they wear. I won't tell you.

BUT, today, I want to talk about something very near and dear to my heart. Shoes. I love shoes. If you've been to my house, you can see that I love shoes. Flats, boots, heals, (What is the proper spelling of "heal/heel" here?), I love them all. And today, I am going to tell you about one of the best shoes of all time: the clog.

Yes. I said it. Clog and best in the same sentence. The horror!

But... I love them. I really, really do. I have since way back when they were actually cool (were they ever actually cool?). They are more comfortable than bare feet when they are broken in and loved. I have had a pair of these Birkenstocks (I also have them in black, dark brown, and pink-- yes, pink) since my freshman year of college. I. Love. Them. They are comfy and they feel like a second skin. Yes, they are stained after years of love and no, they are most certainly not the cutest shoe in the world, but I wear them proudly. Oh, and they are also gender non-specific, which makes them even better a little questionable. I think the pink are a little gender specific, but hey, I don't judge. In my defense, I choose to wear my Birkies to school (where I don't care what I look like) and if I'm going super casual. Not to, say, go out for a nice dinner at the Melting Pot, which by the way, I would love, Tyler random friends who would love to bless me with a gift card.

These are not the only clogs I own, which might make me a little more pathetic awesome. I also own two pairs of infamous Crocs. Let me make it clear, though. I own a regular pair and fleece lined regular pair. They look just like this:
My fleece ones are just as lovely. Here they are!

There is certainly Crocquitte (Do you see that I combined Croc & etiquette? Oh man, I crack myself UP!). This summer, while in Boston with my sweet man, I happened to see a young woman who was very attractive. However, she was doing everything within her power to make herself as unattractive as possible. She was wearing a rather ill-fitted bright purple tee (FYI, I have nothing against purple-- love it, actually) and bright red Crocs. Take a moment and let the full weight of that statement sink into your brain. Oh, it was painful. A pair of tennis shoes would have been better (maybe some cute Pumas for walking around and seeing the sights). But this outfit took my breath away. Please, for the love of all that is holy, don't wear your Crocs unless you are gardening or in jean shorts and a tee and just hanging around. I wore mine TONS when I nannied last summer and we were going to the pool everyday. They are very easy to slip on and off and you can wash them in the DISHWASHER! How cool is that?!

The fleece Crocs are obviously more appropriate for winter, but please, do not wear them in lieu of a cute pair of boots. I'm talking about more casual days with a skinny jean or with a cuffed leg. I mostly wear my fleece Crocs when I have to run down and do laundry or with a pair of jeans and a hoodie. I also have committed the ultimate fashion faux pas of wearing them with my yoga capri pants to and from my Vinyasa class, but that's only because no one sees me except Jennifer and we have bare feet in class. Why bother with tying and untying tennis shoes? However, we did go to Panera after class a few weeks ago and I'm sure someone else in the world is writing in their blog about the girl they saw with yoga pants and fleece lined Crocs in Panera.

In those situations, when you just can't help it, if you're sick and you need to go out and you just want to be comfy and you don't care what you look like, then I say to you-- confidence, girlfriend! Who cares! You can wear anything with confidence unless you look like a hoochie.

But please... no Crocs or Birkies with dresses. Definitely never okay. Now you know.

Blue Hands

I can't believe I haven't posted on this sooner, but better late than never, right?? Some of you sweet things have been praying for me ever since I posted about my hands turning blue. So, if you were one of those, THANK YOU! The Lord has been so faithful!

They tested me for lots of things but primarily for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. The arthritis test came back negative right away, hallelujah! However, my lupus test was not conclusive at first. After a few days, though, it was shown to be negative as well! Praise be to our glorious God who heals us!

The doctors did put me on medication to widen my veins for awhile. I finished the medicine last night, so the next step is to watch to see if my blue skin returns. I have to say, I giggle a little when I write blue skin. :) I have been experiencing some pain in my left hand, which was the bluer of the two. I will be keeping an eye on them and we'll see what happens!

Thanks again for your concern! Keep praying!!!

Lots of love.

Back Again.

It's Not Me! Monday and I refuse to not participate any longer. I am making myself sit down and write this today if it kills me. I miss blogging profusely and I miss seeing your comments. So, in order to make a comeback to my poor blog, I am going to give you a short (but well worth it, I hope) Not Me! Monday post. MckMama is so great at doing these and I have missed out on the fun. And even if you aren't interested in reading hundreds of Not Me! posts from around the world, go on over to My Charming Kids and check out her precious bunch. I promise-- you will NOT be sorry. And if you can't figure out how to click on one of my FOUR links to her site, well, then... sorry. Here goes...

I did not make three of my students cry on Friday. I did not have the audacity to change the colors of two of those three because they didn't understand the meaning of "BE QUIET". And, seeing as though it is a classroom policy to follow the rules, they most certainly did not cry as a result of the color change.

The other cryer most certainly did not cry because I made him write his REAL middle name on an assignment and not his FAKE middle name, which would be Orange, in case you were wondering. He did not insist that his middle name WAS Orange, causing me to wonder if he really thinks it is or that he believes his teacher is really gullible. I'm still not sure.

I did not cry myself on Friday in front of my kids because I was so tired and I just wanted them to be quiet. I also did not cry again while reading them The Other Side, which is one of my favorite children's books. One of my students did not say, "Who's getting the tissue for her this time?"

I did not cheer wildly when Heath Ledger won his "Best Supporting Actor Oscar" last night. I also did not tear up when they were talking about him and then announced his name. Oh, man. Heath. What a guy. And please, no Brokeback Mountain comments. I know, I know. We all make mistakes. Give the dead guy a break.

I also did not choose to be a little bit bitter again last night at Tyler for throwing away my commemorative Heath Leger issue of People when last night would have been a great excuse to pull it back out and read it for the 1,348th time. Ugh. Why would you throw that away? WHY? Okay, gotta get over that.

I have not already lost 10 pounds. I am not pretty thrilled about this. I do not have 15 more to go before I am at my goal weight.

I do not absolutely love, Love, LOVE my new Smartboard. If you don't know what that is, I would encourage you to look it up. You can even click on the super easy link I put right above. Basically, it's an interactive whiteboard and I am obsessed. It blows my mind.

And finally, when Dana and Malia came for a visit last week, the woman who cleans my classroom did not stop and TOUCH Malia with her RUBBER GLOVES that had been used for cleaning an ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM (I'm big into capital letters today; have you noticed?). Oh. My. Glory. Dana and I did not just about flip out when she left. I mean, who does that? Ew. EW. EW.

Okay, that wasn't as short as I thought. But it sure was fun. Let's hope for no tears in 3B today. I'll keep you posted.

Not Me! Monday is BACK!

Technically, it never went anywhere. MckMama has been gettin' down with her Monday self and hasn't let us down a single week. Me, not so much. However, this week, I cannot resist sitting down and compiling a list of things that happened to me this past week. So here goes nothing.

I did not buy the most fabulous nail color at Target on Saturday just to knock it on my ceramic tile floor on Sunday morning. It did not break and go absolutely everywhere, causing me to lose my cool and have to clean it up. I did not take out my stupid mistake on my wonderfully precious man and we were not 10 minutes late to church due to my mishap and bad mood. I did not just realize that in the sentence above, I spelled "due" as "do". I do not hate spelling and grammar mistakes and I am not more embarrassed by my mistake than usual due to the fact that I am the Spelling Bee coordinator for my school. And again, I did not just spell "due" wrong again... yikes.

I did not get borderline giddy yesterday when I got an email telling me that Big Mama is following me on Twitter! Really? Me? My Twitter? But remember, not giddy. That would be weird, stalkerish, and a lot bit lame.

I did not hysterically laugh giggle just a little during the end of the prayer that closed the Inauguration. Who was that guy and WHY was he rhyming like Dr. Seuss? I also did not agree with Sally when she claimed that JT (who is in kindergarten) wrote the poem that the poet read during the Inauguration. An Inauguration is not supposed to be funny... right?

I did not get upset and sad by this article which tells us that Obama has reversed the policy that Bush re-instituted in office. This policy is one that banned using federal funds for abortions. Let's get praying, shall we?

And finally, my hands did not turn blue on Friday afternoon. You heard me right... my hands did not turn blue. As I was talking to Ginger (the other third grade teacher), I happened to glance down at my hands which were not a very distinct shade of blue. Our school secretary quickly made a doctor's appointment for me, and when I arrived 30 minutes early, the doctor's secretary did not take one look at my hands and say, "Ohhh. Let's get you back right now." After doing some blood work and tests, I will not hear back from the doctor today as to what could be going on. They are testing for possible rheumatoid arthritis... and I am 23. So, all "Not Me-ing" aside, would you pray for me? I will be sure to let you all know when I hear anything.

On a final note, my dear friends and "school mommas" Ginger and Viona BOTH told me today that if I need to go back in to see the doctor today, they were going with me. How blessed am I to have such Godly women who love me SO much? Brings a smile to my face... :)

Happy Monday!

EBM... Extreme Blog Makeover

It was time for a little facelift... what do you think? :)

Love Wins.

No matter what you think, who you voted for, what you believe in-- yesterday was downright historical. I got to watch the inauguration of our 44th President with my 3rd graders and man, was it ever cool. I teared up several times, like when Rick Warren prayed, when President Bush was walking down that hall by himself because poor Dick Cheney was in a wheelchair, and when President Obama took his oath to protect our nation. I felt like I had chills the whole day. What an amazing thing to experience! My kids made flags and were waving them like crazy during "My Country 'Tis of Thee" and, let's be honest, I teared up then as well. It was just... cool. What a stupid word to use for such an awesome event.

Can I be honest though? President Obama was not my first choice for President this year. Actually, no one was my first choice for President this year, except maybe my dad. Dave would have been a great 44th President. :) But, even though I don't agree with everything President Obama stands for, I support him. I support the office of Presidency and I support the fact that GOD ALMIGHTY put him there! Can you imagine if Christians everywhere committed to pray for him every single day? Oh, wow. Gives me chills again. But that brings me back to the title of my post: love wins. I saw that on a bumper sticker this morning and I realized, it doesn't matter who our President is, who our Vice President is, who our senators are... love wins. And aren't you glad? I sure am. Today, I am thankful for our new President and I am thankful to live in a country that can transfer the power peacefully. Now, onto my FAVORITE part of the inauguration. Cute kids and great fashion. Mmm, people, it doesn't get any better than that.

How darn cute is this? I also love that you can see some of the details of Michelle's dress. Fabulous.

I think this child is the most precious thing I have ever seen. Also, I am going to find that coat and buy it for my future daughter if it kills me. It is incredible.

I love this picture. Obamas, just a tip, get this framed.

You can just see how much these little girls love their daddy!

I loved how Malia kept taking pictures. So great.

Oh, Michelle. I am so pumped to see your style for the next 4 years.

Why wasn't this my wedding dress?

Okay, you have to admit it. They are SO cute. I love this picture. Okay, I just love pictures in general, but this is a great one.

Happy Inauguration, Obamas!

Twenty Five.

One of my dear friends, Briana, did this on Facebook. She tagged me in it, so rather than doing it on Facebook, I am going to do it on here. I thought it would be fun for my IRL friends (In Real Life) and for those who only know me through BlogLand. So, here goes nothing!

1. I really love Taco Bell. I get the same thing every single time I go there, without fail. A Mexican Pizza and a Meximelt with mild sauce... yum.
2. My first screenname/email was Pinkchiky2@aol.com. Pretty sweet, huh?
3. I play with my hair constantly. I have since I was in third grade. I probably always will.
4. I have a penchant for touching things that are soft and smooth. Blankets, sheets, pillows, fur, certain kinds of paper. I think this is why I always play with my hair. (As I read back on #4, I realize that it makes me sound real, real weird.)
5. I like to be alone. I have no problem with eating by myself in a restaurant, being home alone, running errands by myself, etc. I like being with people, but I recharge when I am by myself.
6. I met my husband when I was a senior in high school during a college visit. I remember what I was wearing and where I was when I first saw him. And yes, I immediately thought he was cute. :)
7. I really enjoy watching TV and going to movies. I attribute a lot of this to the fact that I wasn't allowed to watch much TV growing up. I can and will get hooked on a show quickly, if I'm not careful.
8. I don't really like chocolate. I will eat it, but I don't choose it over other things. Peanut butter, however, is a WHOLE other matter.
9. While I'm on the dessert topic, vanilla bean creme brulee with fresh fruit is my most favorite dessert in the entire world. I had never tried it until my father-in-love made me try it. Now, we share the same favorite dessert!
10. I have a goddaughter who is in third grade. I love her to pieces and pieces. She is also my cousin!
11. I enjoy blogging a lot more than I ever, ever thought I would.
12. I was diagnosed with cyclic vomiting syndrome a few years ago. This is also known as an abdominal migraine. They come out of nowhere and sometimes I am nauseous, sometimes I just have a migraine, sometimes both. It is a struggle, but I have learned to trust God with it!
13. My biggest nightmare would either be to be a contestant on Survivor or to be stuck in the middle of the ocean in the dark... and not on a boat or anything... IN the water. Okay, I'm getting a littler nervous just thinking about it.
14. I am a Michigan girl through and through. I love Detroit sports, especially the Red Wings and the Pistons.
15. I am running a half marathon in May. I am terrified that I won't be able to do it.
16. If I could pick a grade to teach forever and ever, it would hands down be kindergarten. Love 'em.
17. One time, I mowed the lawn. One time. I mowed it in a pattern and my dad was not happy. I was never allowed to mow the lawn again. Oops.
18. I hate Dell computers. I have yet to have a good experience with one. If you have a Dell and you like it, feel free to let me know. I still will never, ever buy one again!
19. I went to the same school, K-12. At times, it was not the best, but looking back on it, I wouldn't change a thing.
20. Some of my best memories with my dad are going out to breakfast at Big Boy. That man introduced me to biscuits and gravy. I will be forever grateful.
21. I am a Momma's Girl AND a Daddy's Girl. Equally.
22. I actually really enjoy cleaning. I enjoy the process and the reward. However, I only like to clean my house and my space. Anywhere else, not so much.
23. I really love Vera Bradley and I actually am to the point where I can't figure out anything else that I actually need from Vera. That's embarrassing.
24.Bare Minerals makeup has literally changed my life. I promise.
25. I have learned to depend more on my Jesus over the last year more than I have in my whole life. He has continued to be ever faithful to me and my husband and I live to sing of His grace and mercy!

I hope you enjoyed this. I am off to indulge my passion for #22. :)