Favorites of the Week (via Pinterest)

I LOVE clothes, and haven't been shopping in forevah, so I decided to do some Pinterest "window" shopping. Here's my favorites for the week:

Love this entire look! The furry vest and shirt combo is adorable! (Not sure if I could pull it off, but still love it) The red lips add the perfect finishing touch.

What an adorable gray tweed dress! Pair this with a cute black cardigan and black pumps, and you have a perfect church outfit.

Here is another super cute dress for Church! Love the color and the slightly vintagy feel.

This is such a pretty and unexpected dress, perfect for a fancy dinner or party.

I am so loving this color right now. I used to think it was just a "fall" color, but paired with black is the perfect winter combination.

How cute is this little tan/nude lace dress?

Loving this coat!

Such a cute combination of colors! Red coats are always cute, and the boots are perfection! I want!!!

I just liked the combination of textures in this shot.

Thanks for perusing my closet wish-list with me.

Tis the Season to be Busy...

How cute are my little munchkins? I got my new (totally awesome) camera in the mail this weekend, and have since become the official "picture taker" in our school building. I love my new Cannon, and got it just in time for the holidays!

And, speaking of holiday, I absolutely cannot wait! One week from right now, I will be at home, excitedly finishing packing to go up to Indiana! I can't wait to see so many people! My bestie Theresa, (who have haven't seen since she got married) will be there for a visit, as well as Liz (who I haven't seen in a whole year), and Tab,and Nicole and my Mom and Dad. And let's not forget a very special SOMEONE who happens to be a State Trooper.:) He and I have a hot date to Michelle's wedding, which I absolutely can't wait for! She's going to be such a gorgeous bride! Until then, I will be slowly going crazy! My life is full of Christmas parties, choir concerts, making Christmas presents, planning class parties... etc. So much fun, but so much work. I love this time of the year though!

Yet To Come

Here's a little quote I found today, and thought I would share:

The "Foursome"

After reading a blog post by my friend Nicole, reminiscing about the "foursome", I just had to do a post of my own. The memories that post brought back to me, and the smiles (and a few groans) that those pictures produced took me down memory lane. If you didn't grow up with us, you would not have known how close we really were! From about day one, Theresa and I were "bff's" as were Nicole and Tab. I was also very close friends with Nicole, and Tab and Theresa were close. At that point, I didn't really know Tab, just that she was a short girl in the grade ahead of me who wrote teansy weansy. Lame, I know, but that's what I remember. Sometime during 6th grade, I got to know Tab better and we became "besties" as well. By 7th grade, we were inseparable... practically attached at the hip. We sat together in class and chapel (haha, another story involving Valentines' Day that we can THANKFULLY laugh about now), walk together in the halls between classes, and had as many sleep-overs as we could talk our parents into.

The best were birthday parties! Here is a rundown of how the parties went: Me (Jan. 2nd): we stayed up all night. And when I say all night, I mean ALLLLLLLLLLLLL night. Now my parents will know, but on several occasions we stayed up until they woke up at 5:30 am for work, at which point we hurridly pretended to be asleep. Hehe, let's just say we were a little crabby the next day!

Then, there was Theresa's birthday (Feb. 28th). It seems like we always went shopping in Meriville. I remember one time, her dad rented a mini van, especially for the occasion. We stopped at the Library first to get a few movies. Well, on the way back to the car, Cole and I were imitating someone, (being completely stupid about it), saw a van parked in front with a driver in it, and, not really paying attention, assumed it was ours. I pulled open the door, only to see three (rather good looking) teenage boys about our age looking back at us. I'm not exactly sure what my reaction was, but America's Funniest Home Videos would have loved to get their hands on that footage! I do know that it involved some screaming. The rest of our trip was spent shopping at the mall (I'm not quite sure why... we didn't have any money) I believe Claire's was our favorite store at the time.

On the Ides of March (the 15th), it was Nicole's big day! Her mom is definitely a party planner, and always had super cute crafts for us to do. One year we decorated pillow cases with outlines of all of our hand prints. I still have mine, and sleep with it upon occasion. It is a treasured memory! Another classic foursome moment was our "see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil, smell no evil" picture. We re-enacted it at Theresa's wedding. Love that!

And then there was Tab's birthday (Aug 11th). We always had a sleep-over/makeover night. So much fun, and totally highschool girl heaven! I do remember on one occasion swimming at her uncle's pool on a "cloudy" day, and getting the absolute worst sunburn of my life. I think we may have also experimented with lemon juice, sun-in, hydrogen peroxide (or all of the above) at that time, because we were all a little blonder than normal back them. Hehe, look at me now!

Is this not a truly AWESOME picture??? It was taken at Lake Michigan one warm summer's evening, back in the "day". I honestly have NO idea when... sometime in high school, I would imagine.

Then we grew up and graduated, not only from high school, but from college as well, and this time together. Tab gave us a bit of a scare with her Chrones, but we were all there for her up at the Children's Hospital in Chicago, and thankfully she is now healthy. Through thick and thin, we have always been there for each other.

And then, it happened... David popped the question to Theresa! She got married a year later, and was the first one of our little group. And... she moved up to Canada. Seriously people, Canada??? It's beautiful and all, but it's a foreign country and we never get to see her anymore! (giant frowny face!!!) Hopefully at Christmas!!! I can't wait!

And then, last Easter weekend, David popped the question to Tab! Finally!!! Those two were obviously meant for each other. I am so happy for both of them, and was privileged to be part of their beautiful wedding this summer.

And then... there were two old bats! Haha, completely joking on that one!!! I found that picture and HAD to post it. Nope, Nicole and I are two artistic young single women who are waiting for God to bring the right man into their lives, and learning a ginormous amount of patience as we do it! I am so thankful for my beautiful friend who is an extremely talented photographer, crafter, insurance agent, avid reader, Christian worker, and an amazing friend. I really wish we lived closer now that we have more time and money. It would be so much fun to be able to shop, craft and just hang out with her!

I love this picutre! Theresa and I are cheesing, Nicole is being silly, and look who is in the background... Tyler married our friend Mary and they are expecting, Stephanie is married and also expecting, and look who is peaking around in the very back of the picture! Theresa's one and only! David already had his eye on her way back then! I actually think it was very shortly after that that he asked her out.

Tab and I in Water Tower Place the night that we went to see a play. That was so much fun, I hope to be able to do something like that with my friends again! (and look at how looooong my hair was! Cripes!)

Here Nicole and I are on our way to the Shedd Aquarium for a college activity. That was a very enjoyable trip, and one of our last college activities.

One final parting shot of our beloved little "click", taken at a dorm Christmas party. Nicole, Tab, Theresa, I love you guys! You are the best! And I miss you so so much!!! (I am now quite homesick and a little nostalgic.

A Thankful Heart

I saw this quote a few days ago, and with Thanksgiving just around the corner, it made me pause and think.(sorry for the size of it... not really sure how to change it) I am so guilty of this- taking things that I have been so greatly blessed with for granted. For some reason, I feel these things are somehow owed me. As if I've done something to earn them. This is one of my new goals: to be mindful and thankful for the blessings that I have in my life, and not to overlook them. And not just until Thanksgiving, but for the entire year.

The first and most important thing is my salvation. A few months ago in school, I taught the Crucifixion story, and it never ceases to amaze me everything that Jesus suffered for us.

I am also so thankful for my amazing family! I believe that the older I get, the more I appreciate them. They have done so so much for me, and I'm sure have made many sacrifices that I don't even know about. They are so giving, and loving. They are always there with a listening ear when I need to vent or have had a rough day. And are SO helpful. Ha, I am almost afraid to ask them for things because they bend over backwards to help. I have recently gotten into wire wrapping some jewelry, and discovered wire for $1 at our WalMart. In a phone conversation with them, I asked if they happened to be at WalMart, if they would check the craft section for this specific product for me. I, of course, had already cleaned out my local one. These dear sweet people went to FIVE different WalMarts (as far away as Meriville and Sheriville) and sent me a HUGE envelope full of wire. As I said, it never ceases to amaze me how much they do for their "little girl". I was able to spend the weekend with them, and although it was my Grandmother's funeral, it was a happy time of spending time with our family. A Christian funeral is actually more of a blessing than a sad time, because we know my Grandma lived a full long life, and is now in heaven with Jesus, free of pain, happy and healthy. And best of all, we know that we will see her again. And speaking of seeing again, my parents come down to Missouri a week from today to spend Thanksgiving with me! I can't wait!!! We are crazy and goofy together, and we love it!

Haha, this is my ENTIRE family! Seriously... except for my Uncle Roy (my aunt's husband). I have one aunt and one cousin. I hadn't seen them in several years, and it was very nice to reconnect with them! My aunt is miss artsy fartsy- I would LOVE to live closer to her. Then I would really "get my craft on".

This picture is take with my Uncle Fred and Aunt Sandy. They are not blood relatives, but might as well be! They have been like a second set of parents to me, and are always always there for me. I love them very much!

Another thing that I'm so very thankful for is my friends. I am so very very blessed in the friend department! I have so many people that I can call or text, any time, with anything. I could be having the worst day in the world, and a simple word of encouragement from them can make the day all better! I'm serious, I love you guys! You are the best!!! I can't imagine a world without friends like you!

Melissa is the best! We text a gazillion times a day, and talk about whatever random thing pops into our heads. This chick has answered a text at 3 in the morning when I was crying over a breakup, makes me laugh, and snaps me out of my moods. Love her!

Oh, I just love these pictures, as much as I love my "girls"! When I say I have the best friends, I'm serious! Liz has been married for about a year and a half, and lives in California. She is such a sweetie pie, and is my ex e-mailing buddy (she used to e-mail me every morning, before she lost internet in her classroom. lol) Tab just got married in August, and lives up in Michigan with her hubby David. She is a teany bit off in her own little "newlywed world" up there, but who can blame her? :) Michelle is getting married in just a few short weeks, and moving up to Maine with her boarder patrol husband-to-be (how awesome is that??) I can't wait to be at her gorgeous wedding! And last but not least is Nicole. I think that of all of the girls, we have been friends the longest. I remember doing Pages and Pockets with her, going through our Winnie the Pooh and Beanie Baby stages obsession together, and a million other things. We have very similar tastes (as we're realizing more and more via Pinterest) and have high hopes of being all "crafty" together when I come back to IN for Christmas. I was just able to see both her and Michelle on Sunday, which was so nice!

And this is my childhood best friend, Theresa. She's all grown up now, and lives in London, Ontario with her husband David. (Is it just me, or does it seem like almost all my friends are married???) We aren't able to keep in touch as much as we would like, but try to e-mail several times a week, and talk on the phone whenever we can. I miss that girl like crazy! Hopefully I can sneak up there for a few days at Christmas and visit her and my friend Elsa from college. She's been awesome about e-mailing me as well!

I have a ton more friends that aren't pictured, but mean an incredibly lot to me.


And, of course this teacher's post would not be complete without mentioning my kiddos. I'm sure you can tell, I love them like crazy! They are adorable, slightly mischevious little stinkers, and I wouldn't trade them for anything. Yesterday I was sitting in my chair at my desk, and before I knew it, the mass had descended on me. Literally a class/group hug. My desk chair rolled about 3 feet, and I was almost knocked right out of my chair. They tell me a hundred times a day how much they love me. For now, they admirably fill that void in my life as I wait for the Lord to bring the right man across my path.

And last, but certainly not least, I am so thankful for the church family that I have. There are many people back at Fairhaven that I still consider to be church family, because they care so much about me. And my family here at Maranatha, they are such an amazingly giving group of people. God has blessed me so much to bring me here. And my pastor here is such a Godly man, so full of wisdom. It makes me so very thankful!

As you can tell, I am a truly blessed individual. God has given me so much, and I am so thankful for all of His blessings!

Humor Has It...

So, we all know that children say the funniest things sometimes. Being a kindergarten teacher, I hear my fair share. I wanted to share something one of them said the other day.

I was sweeping the floor of my classroom the at the end of the day last week, and out of the blue, one of my little girls piped up and told me "Miss Jancy, you're so cute!" Although they are constantly telling me things like that, I must admit that it helped boost the ego a little, and I swelled with pride. For a second, for in the next, my bubble was burst when she continued "You're cuter than my doggie."

"Wow... um, thanks?" (Not feeling so cute anymore)...

At dinner with a church member and her family (who has a student in my class), I recounted the tale, certain it was good for a few laughs. Keon, (the one in my class) told me, "You aren't cuter than MY dog. MY dog is the cutest dog in the whoooollllleeee world!" (Ego level at about negative 20). Then he paused and said, "Wait, maybe you are cuter.... my dog stinks!" Haha. Oh well, at least I'm not smelly!

I'll See Her Again

On Friday, I received the call that my grandmother had passed away. She had been very tired all morning, lay down on her bed, and her heard just stopped working. When she woke up she was with Jesus. I am so thankful to have had her in my life!

Just Boo-tiful!

I am not a huge "Halloween-er". In fact I live so far out in the "boonies" that I never see hide nor hair of a trick-or-treater (haha, super sad, I know) However, I found some of the cutest, most hilarious, most awesome outfits EVER (on Pinterest, of course) and wanted to share. I know... I know... a day late, but whatev! These will surely make you smile!

How cute is this??? And kind of a good idea for carrying a baby.

I adore this! Seriously! Mary Poppins and Burt. A classic!

I've always kind of had a "thing" for Oscar the Grouch. "It's not that easy being green..."

Hehe, my Canadian friends would love this! I think some day when Theresa and David have a baby they should do this! (although they may want to alter it and just do a moose head with a frame around it bc David is a "shooter" and a "mounter". :( ha!
When I went up to visit them, the guest bedroom had a dear head mounted above the bed... named Bob. I rest my point. :)

Poor puppy! This is literally a Chia Pet pet. Seriously can't be comfortable for the poor pooch... It IS cute though. :)

I had had HAD to throw this in there. Haha, I both laughed and loved this idea! William and Kate... I'm still in the Royal Wedding crazy. :)

Run for your life.... it's Dino Dog!!! Haha, once again I have to say, poor poochy... I LOVE dogs, and really want one of my own, but idk if I would do this to them. I would definitely do little ears or a hat or something, but probably not full body. To each his own, I guess. :)

Not exactly sure what this is supposed to be? It may be a character from that owl movie that came out a while ago, but it really hasn't been very high on my list of movies to watch. Haha. Anyway, it looks like an owl/bird/bat thing, but is just plain adorable!

And last, but not least, my favorite: Holly Golightly from Breakfast at Tiffany's. Love that movie, and this outfit is SO-STINKIN'-CUTE!!!!

Hope y'all enjoyed these as much as I did! Until I have children of my own, I guess I'll just have to live through Pinterest. :)

It's Friday, Friday...

First of all, don't you just like love ADORE the new blog design? :) I had so much fun doing it!

Just wanted to say Happy Friday to everyone, and wish you all a fantastic weekend! I plan to stay up late tonight for a change (IF I make it), attempt to actually sleep in tomorrow (IF my body will let me), and make jewelry ALLLLL day long! Haha, that may not sound all that great to you, but it sounds WONDERFUL to me! Happy Weekend, everyone!

Oh, and two randomly related quotes to share:

Haha, at this second one. This is so very much me!

Something NEW!!!

Drum-roll please! I finally did it! I finally started my Etsy shop!!! I have been wanting to/ talking about/ planning to start one for probably well over a year, but it simply never happened... until now!

Here I am, the creator of this,(if I do say so myself) really really pretty jewelry! Today is parent/teacher day, so I'm wearing only jewelry that I have made in the HOPE that I will receive a few inquiries about it. Then I can sweetly direct them to my Etsy shop where they can purchase one of these beauties for themselves.

I really love each and every piece that I make! If I don't, I take it apart and start over. Making jewelry has been a passion of mine since my freshman year of college (which seems sooooo long ago).

These bird nest necklaces are some of my newest pieces. And when I say new, I mean hot off the presses. I literally got the supplies after church, sat down and made six of these beauties AND photographed them... all last night. I absolutely adore how they turned out, and this one has already sold on my etsy shop... a few hours after being listed.

I am kinda sorta really proud of my photography skills in some of these pictures. Just had to throw that in there. :)

Thanks for letting me share a few of my favorites with you... My shop address is: www.etsy.com/shop/SimplyMeOriginals