homemade here I come

Saving money. I hate it. I love it. I just want it to be easy. I am always looking for deals and ways to save a buck or two. I am in love with vintage things and reusing things. Some of my favorite stores are: Goodwill, The Salvation Army, Dollar Tree, and some antique stores. My favorite "antique" stores aren't the stuck up stuffy kind. The ones that I found are the best are the ones that have the most junk on the outside. There is one right off the square in Hernando that we frequent the most. He has TONS of things. A few months ago we got an old door from there, sealed it and viola! I had a new headboard! While scanning Pintrest earlier today I came across a homemade "febreze" mixture. I said hey why not? I looked around the house and what did you know I had 2 our of 3 ingredients! The only thing I didn't have on hand was baking soda, so I went to Dollar Tree and 59 cents later, I had homemade febreze! 

 *ALL the ingredients* 

What you need:

--1 Plastic spray bottle

--2 Tablespoons of Baking soda

--1/8 of fabric softner

--Hot tap water

Mix together & there you have homemade febreze!

out of my comfort zone

This week has been quite a week so far and it’s only Wednesday. This week I am working at a camp for children on the autism spectrum. This week is the three to six years old camp and I must confess, I am completely out of my comfort zone. Not because of autism. But mainly because the campers are so young and I am used to big kids. The first day was rough and I mean rough. I was over the group of campers that needed the most direction. Most of the campers were first timers. First time away from mom, first time in a new place and first time with so much going on. I signed up for the younger children because I know that is where I struggle. Like I said yesterday was tough but today was better. We made some improvements and I believe in celebrating every accomplishment. Big or small. If you want information on autism, click here. I have met some amazing campers and councilors, along with seeing some familiar faces. 

I wish I could explain how I feel about autism but I do not think you have all day to listen to me. When I am at work, I am go with flow taking every situation as it comes. But when I get home it is like, BAM! My brain goes into overload, I replay things in my mind that could have triggered something or something I could have done different with a student. I am looking forward the next week off and then 2 more weeks of Camp Bold. 


I feel as if I have some new adventures coming my way, so stay tuned folks. :)

pictures :)

summer update

Well, I am glad to report that my summer blues has faded away. The first few days of summer were great. Sleeping in, well trying to. It never fails, I hit snooze at least 3 times on a “school day” but when it comes to the weekend or summer break I am normally bright eyed and bushy tailed at 7 am. You see this is my first summer in years that I don’t have work OR school. The past few summers I’ve loaded up with summer classes to get them out of the way. It sure paid off because my very last semester of college I was only enrolled in two classes. Now, its summer time, I’ve graduated and I’m off work until August. At the end of May I went to Siloam Springs, AR to see my very best friend from high school, Whitney Beth. We are the friends who don’t talk for months and one of calls out of the blue and pick up exactly where we left.  Well that is what happened, she called and invited me up to the Walmart share holders meeting. Siloam Springs is about 30 minutes away from the HOME of Walmart. I know what you are thinking, Walmart…share holders meeting….BORING! Well maybe for the big wigs but Walmart puts on concerts for their employees every year and they do not disappoint. This year the line up was: Chris Young, Carrie Underwood, Cheap Trick and Aerosmith. All I have to say is they all rocked!!! I loved spending time with such a good friend. After getting home things didn’t slow down. A. had a lot of doctor’s appointments and MRI’s which all came back clear! Thank the Lord. He will be going back to work soon, not sure he is happy about that but my love is healthy, that is all I care about. I’ve also started working on lessons for my class next year. I know what you are thinking, its only June! But I have my dream job and pretty big shoes to fill so I will be prepared. Also next week CAMP BOLD starts. I am beyond excited for this opportunity. Camp Bold is a camp for children with Autism Spectrum disorders. Autism fascinates me and maybe one day I will blog about it. My life has been touched because of the ASD and the kiddos I work with will never know the special place they have in my heart. I believe with my whole heart, working with children with special needs is my niche in life. This is why I am here and it’s all in God’s plan.

1st day of summer!

To celebrate the first day of summer I thought I would freshen up my blog! Pretty cute & summery huh?? I'll play with all the fonts later! Enjoy!

Who I am, according to me anyways!

I am a…

Christian.    I am learning fast putting him first is not the easiest thing to do but sometimes great things, aren’t easy. 

Daughter.  Born to some pretty hippy parents, which in some ways are completely different, I like to think they even me out. 

Granddaughter.   My earliest memories include my grandparents. I wouldn’t be who I am today if it wasn’t for those people.

Cousin.  I am an only child, so when my first baby cousin came around I was heart broken. Now, 2 cousins later I wouldn’t trade them for the world.

Friend.  Personally, I would like to think I am be the best friend anyone can ask for. I’m sure someone out there has a different opinion, and I doubt that we are not friends. :)

Girlfriend.  I am a girlfriend to the most wonderful man any girl could ask for. He lights up my life like no one else. *Yes, I stole that from a One Direction song. Don't jude me!

College Graduate.   It feels so good to say that I am a college graduate. My degree may not be from the school of my choice but hey, its my paper with my name on it! 

Teacher.  Wow, I can finally say, “I am a teacher.” Doing what I do is more than just waking up every day and going to work. It’s something only a few people can do. Going to work everyday knowing that you are doing what the good Lord put you on this earth to do is a feeling that no one can take away.

Coach.   I guess I could put former athlete because most people who coach used to play some type of sport. Coaching is more than games and practices. I try to set an example for my girls on how to be a young lady (some need that more than others). Seeing these girls grow up makes me proud! 

there ain't no cure for the summer time blues

I feel like I should blog about something. My problem is what to blog about? I thought being off work all summer would be fun, exciting, and busy and I would just sleep in and be lazy all day. If I didn’t want to the leave the house, I wouldn’t. If I wanted to have quesadillas from the night before for breakfast, I would. Boy, was I wrong. Maybe I am old, but I can’t sleep late, which really upsets me. If it would have been a working day, I would most likely sleep right through the alarm. Why can’t I sleep on summer break?? UGH!! I have made a list of what I have accomplished since being off work. Here it goes.

--Made a baby shower gift

--Finished season one of Grey’s Anatomy (I completely forgot how much I love that show)

--Pinned lots of things on Pinterest

--Made my inaugural lake trip, accompanied with my inaugural sun burn. 

That is all I can compile on my list as of the moment. I hope these summer blues lighten up. Its only June, I have almost two months of this!