So happy Friday!

October has been amazing so far but very busy.  I am enjoying my new job and I really like everyone I work with, most importantly the kids.

Some key things on my radar right now:

1.  I am applying for the Master of Liberal Arts program at the local university here and if all goes my way, I’ll begin in January.  I decided to finally apply in August but have been scrambling to get togeher my application.  I really feel as broad as this program is, it will give me the ability to grow in my two favorite fields, politics/public policy and education.  Cross your fingers!

2.  Organizing and more organizing!  I have weekend organization projects that I have been attempting.  Thanks to my new Erin Condren Life Planner, it should be a piece of cake.  I hope!  Sometimes I think we make ourselves busier just so we can fill up our planner pages.  Agree?

3.  Shopping…in my own closet.  I have a lot of nice clothes that I don’t wear.  READ:  I live in my three pairs of basic LL. Bean black pants.  I showed up a few weeks ago in a dress for my restaurant job and everyone did a double take.  My boss even asked me if I had gone shopping.  So there’s that…

4.  Hair redo.  Every 2-3 years, I chop my hair off.  It is now that time.  Expect to see something similar in the next few weeks.

Hello Readers!

Hope you are having an amazing week!  Just wanted to let you know about a sale going on at one my favorite online shopping destinations, Layla Grayce!

Layla Grayce is offering a fabulous deal in celebration of their 7-year anniversary! For one-week only, save 15% off coupon for the ENTIRE site (some exclusions apply) with promo code LG7YRS valid 10/11 through 10/18! While I certainly love all things Layla Grayce, below are a few of my absolute favorites:

Need a new handbag for fall? The Glenda Gies Vivian Peacock Blue & Chartruese Feather Handbagblends the history of Hollywood glamour with today’s modern fashion. This bag is impeccably constructed, and is the ideal accessory for all your fall looks.

If you’ve been planning on re-decorating a room, check out Layla Grayce’s amazing furniture. I fell in love with the Eloquence Sophia Upholstered Tufted Bed. This grand bed looks as if it belongs in a dream and would transform any bedroom into a luxurious space with a five-star ambience.

If you are searching for a unique baby gift, look no further. The Kashwere Kreature Blanket Bear is perfect for naptime snuggles and bedtime hugs. This unique blanket is just the right size for little hands, and features a teddy bear head. It’s too cute for words!

Happy Shopping!

Happy Thursday!

*This post is not meant to be judgmental to those of you reading who are big time couponers.  I know various families have different needs and reasons for how they grocery shop and use coupons.  I choose to do mine on a smaller, different scale because it’s what works for me now at this point in my life.

Recently, I responded to a post on Shauna Nosler’s blog about couponing.  I’ve recently started couponing on a small scale and have found that it works for me.  I have no desire to have huge stockpiles or buy things just because there is a a coupon for it.  I have my rules for my small scale couponing which I thought I would share below.

1:  I don’t cut out a coupon for something that I don’t normally use.  I apply this rule not only to the type of product but the brand name.

2:  I have started a small stockpile.  READ:  2-3 extras of a certain item that I use daily.  Mostly cleaning supplies, tooth paste, deodorant and paper goods such as kleenex.  However, due to some recent coupons and sales at Ingles, I have 3 boxes of the same cereal and 13 cans of Campbell’s Soup.  (But it will get eaten)

3:  I do save multiple quantities of the coupons that I do use and wait until my local Ingles or Harris Teeter has a sale on the item. This is called “matching up.”  I use one circular from my Sunday Paper and get the extras off the internet.  I refuse to dumpster dive.    I limit myself to the number of coupons I use per item (4 is the most I have used at one point), and as I have noticed, stores and the manufacturers have been doing the same thing recently.    For instance, the P & G Circular limits 4 coupons per item in one transaction and sometimes one trip.

4:  I lump my couponing in with my regular shopping.  So my total cost vs. how much I saved may not look so great to some people but I don’t have time to do more than one transaction and I’m just looking to save on items I already use.

I hope this is helpfully to people who want to coupon on a smaller scale.  Please feel free to share your tips.

For more coupons you can go here:

Coupons.com

SmartSource

RedPlum

P & G Circular 

These sights give great match ups and assistance as well:

Faithful Provisions

The Frugal Girls

As I think about that moment ten years ago, my breath still stops short.  I was living in Charleston at the time and witnessed the first moments of this tragic event in my college classroom.

I decided to do this VLOG to remember and reflect.  It’s very raw in all senses of the word.

Where were you?

So I love snow but the weekends recently have been very Spring like and I don’t mind a bit. Unfortunately I am laying low this weekend as another head cold is taking residence. But I won’t have to worry about getting sick all the time much longer because…

I quit my job.

Yep, put notice in at the daycare I work at last Friday which means 2/11 is my last day. I started there at the beginning of September and have realized it’s not a good fit. I am sad to leave my 3 year old kids but I began to tell their parents yesterday so hopefully the transition will be okay.

So what now you ask?

Substitute teaching and tutoring so I can hopefully attain the teaching position I want very soon. I will also continue to try to build my Team Beachbody business, do some freelance writing and maybe some social media work and my community work with the Junior League.

All and all a leap of faith with a very random net to fall into. Things are happening and I am just going to hold on for the ride.

Any advice?

Happy Saturday!

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As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.  ~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.
~Ralph Waldo Emerson

A thankful heart is not only the greatest virtue, but the parent of all the other virtues.  ~Cicero

Thanksgiving, after all, is a word of action.  ~W.J. Cameron

Thanksgiving Day is a jewel, to set in the hearts of honest men; but be careful that you do not take the day, and leave out the gratitude.  ~E.P. Powell

Forever on Thanksgiving Day
The heart will find the pathway home.
~Wilbur D. Nesbit

We give thanks for unknown blessings already on their way.  ~Author Unknown

Grace isn’t a little prayer you chant before receiving a meal.  It’s a way to live.  ~Attributed to Jacqueline Winspear

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

New favorite song courtesy of Katy Perry…

Firework

Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind
Wanting to start again

Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards
One blow from caving in

Do you ever feel already buried deep
Six feet under scream
But no one seems to hear a thing

Do you know that there’s still a chance for you
Cause there’s a spark in you

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ‘em what your worth
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ‘em fallin’ down-own-own

You don’t have to feel like a waste of space
You’re original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow

Maybe you’re reason why all the doors are closed
So you can open one that leads you to the perfect road

Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it’s time, you’ll know

You just gotta ignite the light
And let it shine
Just own the night
Like the Fourth of July

Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ‘em what your worth
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ‘em fallin’ down-own-own

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
It’s always been inside of you, you, you
And now it’s time to let it through

Cause baby you’re a firework
Come on show ‘em what your worth
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
As you shoot across the sky-y-y

Baby you’re a firework
Come on let your colors burst
Make ‘em go “Oh, oh, oh!”
You’re gunna leave ‘em goin “Oh, oh, oh!”

Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon
Boom, boom, boom
Even brighter than the moon, moon, moon

Hello Readers,

Yes, I’m posting.  The universe has given me a day home today…the price?  A severe case of pink eye.  Pink is my favorite color but not when it’s taken residence in my right cornea.    A third little one was sent home from my class yesterday with it and by 3pm, it was settling in.  Against my better judgment, I went on to my League meeting.  Arriving home last night my eye was swollen and by the time I woke up 2-3 times during the night to clean it out, I knew I was losing the battle.   I have always been a big believer in the the quote, “Go Big or Go Home.” and the Urgent Care MD informed me that it was a pretty severe case so at least it didn’t waste anytime getting worse.  Anyhow, as my immune system continues to take a beating, I hope that it is building up strength.

Other than my health things are going pretty well.  I find that age 30 is bringing a lot of fun experiences and adventures.  I can’t wait to see what is next…

I am in the process of redoing some of the elements of my blog with some help.  Changing the header up a bit and the layout as well.  I can’t wait to show you!

In other blog news, a very big thank you to Christian at A Note on the Screen Door for my 2nd blog award!  I am going to post 7 things about me and pass it on to 3 other bloggers out there.  Stay tuned for that lady today!

Off to rest my eyes…

Well Hello…yes, I am still here.

Life is busy, way too busy.  but I assure you I am here.  I am working on some layout and header changes to this lovely blog of mine and that is very exciting!

Meanwhile…

Being a preschool teacher, super Junior Leaguer and trying to become more financially sound and trying to be a better writer have taken over my life.

Thank you, readers for staying on…I adore you!

Meanwhile, please stand by…better things are coming!

Hello Loves.

Yes, I’m still here even though my lack of posts this week tells you the opposite.

A little thing called real life has gotten in the way this week.  I am making some personal changes and that takes time away from blogging.

Nothing too major but a real lesson in making more time for me to pursue things that I have gifts for.

It has been really hot here as well, and we finally got some rain yesterday.

I hope you all have a great and beautiful weekend and I hope to be on my regular blogging schedule next week!