the verdict is still out

My dryer is still broken & I felt TERRIBLE when I woke up this morning and this leads to me wearing a glorious dress {I hate ironing, yo}. I've had this gem in the back of my closet waiting to wear it. The problem? I thrifted it & the tags are missing- I have no idea if it's a maternity dress or a muumuu, but I was obsessed with it so I had to make it my own. I figured I would sew it so that it fits a narrow waist, but let's be real okay? So I put it on this morning and wrangled up a black ribbon to wrap around the waist. I'm pleased with it.

Where I spend the majority of my time & energy

The dress I tried on was a great color, but looked weird. What to wear to a beach wedding?!

In other news, part of our science for the end of the year is weather & clouds, so we went out to observe & identify clouds. The observations & wonderings were so amazing. This is my favorite, "Isn't it cool how the sky looks so small like it's swallowing us and we're the only ones but there countries and people thinking the same thing on the other side of the world?" I love my job.

tiny divas

It goes without saying {but I feel compelled to say it} that I am a girly girl. The other day I saw a silverfish & almost threw my cat at the thing just to have it slaughtered. I like glitter, wands, jewelry, chick lit {it's a real thing, bro}, manicures, and babies. So it's no surprise that the young girls in my life will pick up on this. Adri, my 7-year-old niece, is pretty girly but also 7 going on 72. She likes what she likes and now that she has a core group of homies to one-up she is less inclined to allow me to frost her with baubles. Zoey is still too little, but she does enjoy putting a glistening bracelet in her mouth or grabbing at a necklace in an attempt to asphyxiate me. But Kyleigh? Kyleigh is 4 and couldn't be happier to go through EVERY SINGLE piece of jewelry I own and ask me to wear it under the guise that we're "sharing." Today she wore the Crystal Brulee necklace & bracelet from J.Crew, a glittery headband, a pair of my heels, and a sequin clutch that she filled with 50% of my bracelets & brooches. She kept asking me to put things in the clutch raving that it would be, "just lovely" and wandering around saying, "shoe-la-la" with a pigeon-toed pose.

Tiny & accessorized? So stinking cute.

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back to the daily grind or how i spent my weekend

     Phew. I have managed to keep myself extremely busy in the past few weeks. Between work, job hunting, a broken dryer, car repairs and an unhealthy need to torment myself, I was one exhausted lady chickadee. Cue a three-day weekend. My intention was to do absolutely nothing, but nothing, all weekend. No BBQs, pool parties, camping trips, kayaking, or anything. I updated my Netflix queue, saved up some shows to catch up on via on demand & DVDs, stacked a few books I’m currently reading as well as magazines I’ve been meaning to tear apart, and I downloaded so many photo apps to putz around with. Not to mention my extensive collection of ridiculous pop music that requires dancing. Clearly I have a raging social life.

     My hermit plans were thwarted with a few invites. Since these are few and far between from anyone but my coworker friends these days, I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. So I started my weekend with some delicious beverages, girly movies, venting sessions, and giggles. On a side note, are there any great waitresses anymore? I seem to miss them every single time. On another side note, Bugaboo Creek has very bizarre chicken tenders but extremely yummy & inexpensive mud slides.

     As someone who teaches New Hampshire history, I’ve realized that I haven’t been to or seen far too many of the things that I teach about. Covered bridges? Never seen one. Christa McAuliffe? I know the stories, but I’ve never been to the planetarium. Other than a trip I once took to the Old Man in the Mountain once with my aunt when I was,  hm… say… 10, I wouldn’t recognize the area where he fell from any other slab of granite up north. So, on Sunday, I went to see the Old Man memorial. I think I spent more time snapping pictures and raving about showing them to my kids than I did actually taking in what was around me, but it’s hard to take off the teacher hat.

So you can identify the deceased old man, or artist formerly known as Old Stone Face.

I'm so terrible at following directions, I stared for a good minute irritated that it wasn't working.

Are you drunk with anticipation?

Trickery!

The little tool that allows you to go back in time.

     I also went for a hike up a steep mountain & got eaten alive by black flies & mosquitoes. The little buggers got me on each side of my neck- right in the jugular. I’m apparently allergic to them, too because the welts ballooned up on my skin. Red welts the size of super balls? No me gusta. The cascades I saw from the trail; however, pleased me. 

The view from the top. The air up there. Other movie title references...

A rare animal: Patti wearing sneakers AND a tee.

I've also decided that {although I enjoy trail blazing} the north country just isn't the place for me. I need the bustle of a city and more importantly, delectable food from a variety of locations.  Also, I discovered the north is like the land that time forgot. 

Am I right or am I right?

     Now I’m rested and ready to tackle a month of heavy assessments, grading, packing up my classroom, finding a new job {and possible domicile relocation}, preparing my science summer program, catching up on Girls, and just all around being amazing as usual. 

you probably didn't know this but...

- Even though I rarely watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer when it was on TV, but I watched the series on DVD & cried when it ended.

- I listen to rap music loudly- especially in the car.

- I prefer Twitter to Facebook. Sadly, I had to make my Twitter private because of the job search business.

- More than any other animal {aside from my 2 hairy sons}, I would like a sweet little papillon pup named Bartok.

- My hair has been black, blonde, & red. There was even one horrific self-dye where my locks were orange.

- I can't remember much more than the first few words in most jokes. Worst joke teller ever over here.

- Usually I'm reading 2 or 3 books simultaneously.

- One of the top things on my wish list if money weren't an option is a DSLR camera.

- I solve daily problems of today's youth, like who sings a particular song {Demi Lovato} or how to break up a squabble {hug it out!}.

-I need {okay, want} a new purse.

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Thursday 13 - Favorite Snacks

I'm linking up with Chloe today for this week's Thursday 13. Has it really been so long since my last Thursday 13 post?!

chips
     Of all kinds, but I tried some grilled cheese & tomato multigrain chips the other day...scrumptious!

strawberries
     I like to cut them up & add a little brown sugar.

pita chips & hummus
     mmm

banana bread
     and bananas

cupcakes
     ice cream cupcakes are quite impressive.

yogurt
     except the french vanilla kind.

pineapples
     :)

ice cream
     but not sherbert.

Cheez-Its
     Has anyone tried to make homemade ones?

Tater tots
     Not enough places have them around these parts.

smoothies
     I just can't get enough!

Philadelphia cream cheese.
     As far as I'm concerned, there is no other kind.

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in NH

For those of you who don't live in New Hampshire {you lucky ducks!} you might not know or be able to comprehend the types of weather we go through. In New Hampshire, you could wake up and step out to 40 degree weather, enjoy 80 degree temps by midday and have the temperature drop down to 48 by the time your dinner is out of the oven.

The point here is that you can never know what you should wear for the day. I can't even imagine if you were visiting- egads. Add to that the fact that my classroom is in the most humid wing of the school and I start most days with the room at 80 degrees. You'd think this would be phenomenal given the copious skirts that are in my possession. Don't be silly, Billy. I have recess duty and I'm always cold.

I am eagerly awaiting warmer temperatures that last all day. I'll even deal with the inevitable frizzy wavy hair situation.

When it's warmer, I hope to have decided that it is completely practical to spend $98 on this freaking amazing tank top.

J.Crew, why is everything you have soooo pretty & so soul-crushingly out of my price range?!

Also, is anyone else excited for amusement parks, water slides, & fried dough? I just can't wait!

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Happy List Monday

76. lobster bisque- I don't know why this is so scrumptious, but my brain tells me it just can't get enough.
77. long, wavy hair. Is mine ever going to grow out?!?!
78. the promise of warm weather.
79. laminating. I just love it.
80. dancing around the house like you've gone mad.

See the other Happy Lists here.


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sunday special

A little weekly review in pictures:

1. Yummy smelling soy candles & some faux dandelions.

2. Fueling a nailpolish addiction

3. Penguin balloon animals?! Phenomenal.

4. Locking my keys in my car... again. Thanks, AAA.

5. Some weekend reading. Getting ready to administer NECAP science.

6. Michael Bolton writes children's books. Life is hilarious.

7. Finally found a maxi dress with a skirt long enough to cover my feet.

8. J.Crew bauble & a shimmering skirt.

9. White Russian from the Oyster House where JFK used to frequent.

10. Lilies of the Valley from one of my kiddos.

11. This movie was... exactly what you would expect.

12. Teacher appreciation week. I even won a prize!

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May Birchbox

I apologize for the delay! I got my May Birchbox so early & I couldn't be happier with the steady improvement between this one and the first one I received in March. I meant to post this on Thursday, but I was deeply involved in pinteresting. Friday I didn't do it because I was involved in some baked s'more making & Dawson Creek marathon watching with my friend Kristin.

Regardless of my ridiculousness, I was excited to get this box because I received an email that it was Gossip Girl-inspired. It didn't disappoint.

How cute is the XOXO stationery?!

I'll let you know how I feel about everything after I try it out. I've been waiting for a nail polish, but how excited am I about the lip balm? Super duper... suuuuuuper duuuuuper.

I've heard mixed reviews about these twistbands, but I still can't wait to review it myself.

What did you get in your Birchbox this month?

it's nearly that time

My half birthday is in a week.

What does this mean? It's simple, friends!

It means that I pine away for things that I won't buy myself and imagine that I will wake up to a room full of balloons that will never ever deflate or pop. The day will be approximately 85 degrees and I can walk around in a pouffy skirt that resembles a tutu. I can do this without fear that I will blind anyone because my legs will have a delightful bronze tone and I will have gotten it without having to expose myself to any dangerous rays. Glitter will make the ground shimmer and shine. Magazines that I love, yet never subscribed to, will magically appear in my mailbox.

Oh what a lovely day!

What will really happen on my half birthday is I will go to work, hear some hilarious kids saying amusing things, sit for an hour watching them take the Science NECAP {yikes} test and I will peruse ebay, etsy, and J.Crew's website to ooh and aah over cute things. What kind of cute things? Let me regale you with my wants & yearnings right now.

Peter Pan collar

Michael Kors Buckle Bangle

Tory Burch ballet flats

Ann Taylor's Ombre Pleated Skirt

Anthropologie Viscid watch

birdcage umbrella

Mini Storage Rack

to buy or diy

I don't know if the sequin trend is ever going to die, but as long as it doesn't I can continue to wear them & be cool. The alternative, of course, is to wear them and look like foolish {I'm okay with this as long as I sparkle, too}. I've been eyeing pictures on the web of the sold out sequin clutch from Zara :

I've seen a few handmade ones perusing the interwebs and I've seen a few DIY tutorials. The question is, do I make one or do I splurge and get one without actually seeing what it looks like? The sequins could be less than phenomenal...

Decisions, decisions, decisions.