Friday, July 31, 2015

Five Freebies from Teachers Pay Teachers!!

There is nothing my teacher heart loves more than Teachers Pay Teachers and FREE things. Aren't all teachers that way? ;) So here I've put together 5 of my favorite summer finds from Teachers Pay Teachers. And yes, they are all freebies. :)

Number One

This is one of the first projects I did this summer. These cards have every kid-friendly persuasive topic under the sun. I love them because the cards are a good size, there are PLENTY of topics, and it's a FREEBIE! Can't get any better than that! My kids are going to have a blast with them come persuasive writing time. Get yours here ! // Blair Turner





Number Two

I'm a stinker for chevron print so of course I had to include these adorable, FREE, and editable binder covers from Teachers Pay Teachers. Being successful starts with being organized! It's great because I can be color-coordinated and cute without breaking the bank on new binders just because of the design. Print yours here! // A Year of Many Firsts



Number Three

I've got your first day covered! Scare away the jitters and give your students some LOVE on the first day of school or open house with these cute tags and themed gifts to go along! These tags are not the ones for the freebie, but you get the concept. ;) Can't wait to see my kids shine! Can you?! Get them now, here! // Tucker's Mama



Number Four

This next one will give the kids some hands-on Language Arts learning action. I love this freebie because it comes with some neat stuff for your writers to stick in their notebooks as well as a center that will help them practice their punctuation and grammar when it comes to dialogue. Sounds good to me! Click here. // Kristine Nannini



Number Five

This last one is such a great set to have. These tricky words will no longer confuse the kiddos once they are taught and then reinforced with these colorful and helpful posters. They're gonna love it! ;) Get it here! // Primary Polka Dots



There are literally so many good things on Teachers Pay Teachers- I absolutely love that site! I will definitely be posting more of my favorites this year as I am in Palau. :)

Thanks for popping by!
xoxo, Rachel

**Disclaimer: I am NOT the creator of any of these freebies that I have listed. Credit goes to the authors listed in the post. Find more of their awesome work by clicking on the links that will lead you to their personal shops. Happy shopping! :) **

Monday, July 20, 2015

Summer Happenings

Summer is just breezing on by!!
Let me just say that I LOVE summer. My Florida heart sings to be free from responsibilities, to wander in my favorite stores, and to soak up the sun. I also took a little hiatus from blogging in case you didn't notice, ha.

From the day I started my summer vacation, I traveled across the world back to the good ole' USA, met up with some friends, and got to see my beloved family I haven't seen in ten months. Sweet, sweet times.

But I've still got a few weeks left of summer so I am going to SOAK IT UP!

Here are just some of my favorite snapshots of the summer thus far. (Because everyone would hate me if I put everything on Instagram.) ;)



my brother repping Palau. 



the sweetest, funniest, grandparents I ever did have.



being artsy fartsy. 


hey momma! 


if you find a gem of a friend like her, you don't let them go.


baby LOVE! 


selfie with the hubby. 



my beautiful sister & momma-in-law. 


celebrating our one year anniversary!


brothers make life more fun. :)



I've got lots more pictures to take and people to love. 
until next time! 
-rachel

Friday, July 17, 2015

5 Things I Learned My 1st Year of Marriage

I recently celebrated my one year anniversary with my hubby (woot, woot!). We had a little stay-cation in Florida that included Jet Skiis, Disney, amazing food, lots of relaxing, and all that other good stuff. ;)



I took some time to think back on this year and some of the most important things I learned, hence this post of 5 things I learned my first year of marriage. :) Enjoy!

Marriage is like a mirror.
Being married has taught me to reflect and it has shown me some of my strengths as well as weaknesses and areas of growth (yikes). But, it's great to be married to someone who will help you grow through the tough patches and help you be your best. And of course you are there for him too. :)

Marriage is not like the movies. 
Praise the Lord that it's not! My marriage is real- not filmed in segments, and has a Divine director with the best script (plans) written for the couple. Don't compare your marriage to what happens in the movies, sitcoms, or what you see from your friends marriages on social media.

I am still myself. 
Let me just clarify and say that I never didn't feel like myself. My husband always nourishes my personality and encourages me to do the things I love. But being married is different from being single and it's a role you might not have played before. It might be weird. You might wonder where you went. But you are still here! You are still beautiful you, with just another amazing, fun, role you get to play, a wife. What a blessing. :) I love sharing who I am and the things I love with my husband. We don't have to be clones of each other, we can still be ourselves, and that is a wonderful thing.

YOU are a GOOD thing. :)

A man who finds a wife finds a good thing and obtains favor from the Lord. 
Proverbs 18:22 

We are a gift to each other. 
I am so grateful for the gift of marriage! I always have a friend to talk to, someone to cuddle with, and a shoulder to lean on. God created a beautiful thing when he created marriage. Recently, J (my husband), and I have made it a point to ask each other everyday, "How can I serve you, today?" Being married means that I get the opportunity to be a blessing to the man God put in my life and bringing joy to him. The question "How can I serve you today?" is all about being a gift and a blessing to each other.

Time with my husband, by myself, and with my God, is important. 
I love me some quality time with my husband, but I wasn't much of a "me time" girl until after marriage. (Quality time is my love language, hands down.) At first my extroverted-self felt a little guilty for sneaking away for a ukelele jam session, or for a minute to write in my journal. But then I realized that time alone is not a bad thing and it doesn't mean I love my man any less. If anything, I appreciate him more! Take time to take care of yourself. Your husband will be glad you did. :) And lastly, time with God. This isn't always easy, but when I realized my happiness truly stems from time with Him, I started making it a priority. Being connected to God fills my cup and lets it overflow to my loved ones, including my husband. :)

With much love,
Rachel

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

Inside Out


My sweet husband delighted in the little girl in me and took me to see Inside Out yesterday afternoon. I was so excited. It was such a cute little movie and I just have to give my take on it.

//SPOILER ALERT//

The story is about a sweet girl named Riley whose life has been filled with mostly good, mostly joyful memories. But Riley faces some emotional challenges when she moves to a new city, new school, and new house. 

Her emotions are portrayed by Joy, a joyful spunky thing who is (mostly) always in charge and keeps Riley happy. Fear keeps Riley safe, Disgust gives Riley some sass, Anger is in charge of the temper and of course Sadness, well, sadness seems to never have a place and to only makes things sad...or so it seems. 

During the movie, Joy and Sadness get lost deep inside Riley's mind as she's struggling with all of her tangled and hurting emotions, which leaves Disgust, Anger, and Fear to control Riley's mind. (Yikes) Joy's main priority is to keep Sadness from ruining anymore joyful memories and to get back to headquarters where she can make Riley happy again. But eventually Joy realizes that acknowledging what's making Riley sad might actually helpful in making Riley feel better...
.............

It's important for our kids and society to realize that sadness is OKAY! Not every situation in life calls for joy and exuberance. Sadness, anger, fear, disgust, and even joy, all have their place. Kids need to know that their emotions aren't some freak happenings in their body, but a gift from God to feel and to have a heart. 

I'll admit there's been plenty of times when I'm sad that I make a list of things I'm thankful for. Sometimes making that list can be hard though. I mean, hard times are hard for a reason aren't they? Well, watching this movie made me realize this: when I make a list of things I am thankful/happy for, I'm not denying sadness or anger or any hurt that I may have felt that day. But I'm trying to acknowledge that maybe there can be some joy in every day and am choosing to hold it tight.

"Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 
1 Thessalonians 5:18