Dining in the Dining Room

Be honest... do you actually eat at your dining room table? Maybe if you have kids you do. But my husband and I are guilty of eating on the couch in front of the TV. We save the dining room table for our mail when company comes over.

When we first moved here, we spent months looking for the perfect dining room table. Do you know where we found it (of all places!)?? COSTCO. Yes, Costco. We love it there, and we love our Costco table!

I had a lot of fun creating the art to hang above the table (check out my tutorial here):

And I've had my eye on some table runners for a while now:

1. 2. 3. 4. 

What about you? Do you eat in your dining room?

Giveaway from Toaster's Transformations!

Meet Amanda from Toaster's Transformations!

Amanda blogs over here and sells lovely goodies in her shop: from wreaths to bags to headbands to shoe clips to necklaces! Take a peek at all the loveliness:

... And lucky you! Today Amanda is giving away $20 gift certificate to her store!

Here's how you can win:

MANDATORY entry:

Visit Toaster's Transformations and leave a comment here with your favorite item. Please include a way for me to contact you

EXTRA entries:

+1 Follow Amanda's blog

+1 Heart Amanda's shop

+1 Like her on Facebook

+1 Follow her on Twitter

+1 Share this giveaway on Facebook and/or Twitter (1 entry for each)

Sample tweet: You can win a $20 gift certificate for some fabulous accessories from @Toaster4JC over on @yes_teacher 's blog http://tiny.cc/gqyg3 

Don't want to wait to win? You can score some pretty lovelies with free shipping with coupon code YESFREESHIP

Giveaway open to US residents only. Ends on Tuesday 11/15 at 11:59 PM. Winner will be notified via email as well as announced here! Good luck!

Tickle Me Tuesday, 43rd edition

Welcome to the latest edition of Tickle Me Tuesdays, where we all share what's been tickling our fancy!

If you'd like to participate (and you know you do!!), here are the rules:
  

1. Write a short post with anywhere from one to five items that have been tickling your fancy recently. Please include pictures and links :)

2. Make sure to link back to the party in your blog post (you can grab the button or include a text link)

3. Come back here and link up your blog post!  

4. Visit some other links and HAVE FUN!

Bird Stack Fine Art Print from Pool Pony Design

Little Bird Floral Natural Head Crown from Little Birdie Floral

Cloth Napkins from JAQSstudio

Now it's your turn! What's been tickling your fancy lately?

<a href="http://yesteachercrafts.com" target="_blank"><img src="http://i150.photobucket.com/albums/s92/french_mk/tickle.jpg" /></a><br /> <br /> <script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=115031" type="text/javascript"></script><br /> <br /> <br /> </div></div>

Missionary Kid Monday: French Elementary School

{For more on this series, click here}


Going to public school in France was much different than the private Christian school I had just come from in California.

Things I remember from elementary school:

• Getting a 90 minute lunch and helping with the cafeteria dishes
• Reciting poems in front of the class on Fridays
• Very little positive reinforcement but lots of threats of punishment
• Strict teachers
• Mastering Chinese Jump Rope at recess
• French cursive - yes it is actually different!
• Ending the school day between 4:30 and 5:00 PM
• Working in both ballpoint and fountain pens (pencils only for geometry)
• No spelling tests, but paragraph long dictations 
• My nickname: "L'Americaine"

This became the new normal for me. After a while I didn't realize how different it all was until we went back to the States for a year when I was in sixth grade.

I made lots of little friends as a child. My parents say that the connections they made with other parents on our play dates were instrumental in sharing the gospel over there. I had no idea.... I was just having a grand ol' time!

I'm Beat

It's been one wild week or two around these parts.

I'm beat.

What made this week so special? I got two new students, putting my total to twelve. This may not seem like a lot, but each of my deaf education colleagues have six. There's nothing I can do about it: it's just the way the cookie crumbles.

Also? My first graders went from calm (and at times quirky) to outright defiant and aggressive. Case in point:

I've had 5 straight days of this. I'm ready to hide, too.

Also? One of my kindergartners has decided to express herself by hitting. Last week she scratched me in two places (drawing blood) and yesterday she punched me in the face. She has a lot of issues going on so it's hard to hold it against her. But still.

Thank goodness it's Friday, folks. I need a break!

Flowers in Fashion

I don't know about you, but I've been loving the floral trend in fashion these days! Here are some floral finds I've been drooling over lately:

 Sparkle Tank from Down East Basics

Garden Rose Hair Pins from Along for the Ride

Flower Belt from Nordstrom

Trio Rosette Necklace from Seek First

Peppering Skirt from Anthropologie

Czech Glass Flower Earrings from Tell your Girlfriends

Leftover Halloween Candy Recipes

Do you have a lot of Halloween candy leftover from all of your weekend festivities?

(PS: When we were still living in California, before France, my parents would tell me to pick five pieces of candy from all the loot I had just gathered. Then, the "Pumpkin Fairy" would come and trade all that candy for a TOY!

And since I was only five years old at the time, I totally fell for it.

What a sneaky way for mom and dad to keep all of that candy to themselves. BRILLIANT!)


I found some great ways to turn that leftover candy into grown-up deliciousness!  Check it out:

1. Dulce de Leche and Snickers Terrine 

2. Peanut Butter Cookie Pizza

3. Candy Coated Caramel Apples

4. Twix Cheesecake Pie

5. Frozen Reeses Banana Pops

6. SweeTarts Milkshake

7. York Miniatures Peppermint Patties Brownies

8. Skittles Meringues

I don't know about all of you, but these look delicious to me! Those brownies especially!


PS: I have some winners to announce!


The winner of the Bee necklace from The Junquerie is Aik
The winner of the $15 gift certificate to Cotton Lane is Stacey
The winner of the $10 gift certificate to Seek First is Kathryn