Buyer Beware

Recently I was shopping at JCPenneys and picked up a few things.

This adorable necklace (though much larger than I normally wear):

I'm very pleased with it. It's really cute, and I've gotten several compliments on it. I've had no issues with it unlike the next item.

I also picked up this bracelet:

I was initially pleased with this bracelet. It's a bit large for my wrists and I could not find a way to adjust it to make it tighter. That I could deal with. However, after wearing it for a few hours, I noticed one of the stones had fallen out. I was upset, but it was only one. I could deal with that. By the end of the day though, it looked like this:

I was (am) highly upset. Although it was only $10, I could not believe how horrible the quality was. I'm sure I can find some stones to put back in it, but that isn't the point.

*Note that while these are both from JCPenneys, they are different brands. The elephant is Decree and the bracelet is MixIt.

Five Question Friday

1. What is your favorite Easter tradition?

 

My mom's side didn't really celebrate Easter together, but my dad's side always has a huge get together. We grill burgers and hot dogs and have more food than you can imagine. The great thing is we are a family full of amazing cooks (I mean, have you seen my size? lol) After food and fellowship we have an egg hunt for the kids including a big prize egg with lots of goodies inside. It's great to spend time with family during the holiday.

2. Are you a "shower" or a "long, hot bath" kind of person?

I guess I'm more of a shower person right now. I love long, hot baths with bath bombs that make the water soft and smell so delicious and a good book, but I rarely take the time for that anymore. I usually just hop in and out of the shower as fast as I can. Maybe once school is out in a couple of weeks and life slows down a bit, I can put some of my Lush goodies to use. 

3. Can you parallel park and if so when is the last time you did it?

No I definitely cannot parallel park. I didn't do the driving portion of driver's ed with school, I did it at home so I never learned how to parallel park. Taking the driver's portion at home meant I didn't have to take the driving portion of the test to get my license either. I have had to parallel park once at school, and I was able to do it decently but I was pretty far from the curb. If there are several open and I can just drive straight into them, that isn't a problem. I am always nervous that I won't be able to get out when I leave, like the cars in front and behind will be too close to me. There isn't really much parallel parking in my area, just in downtown which I don't spend much time in.

4. What is your favorite Easter candy?

 

Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs are my favorite. I love Easter candy in general: Sweet Tarts, Nerds, Butterfinger eggs, but these definitely take the cake! Peanut butter and chocolate is an amazing combination.

 

5. Easter: do you go all out with the Easter Bunny or focus on the religious part of the holiday?

 

My family does in between. We get together on the Saturday before Easter and have the lunch/egg hunt extravaganza so that we can attend our different churches and functions on Sunday. Our family is pretty spread apart location-wise.

Meet Me on Monday

1.  Who would be your dream celebrity date?

Ryan Reynolds, mmm. He's so muscled in The Amityville Horror and Blade Trinity, and I love his character in The Proposal. 

 

Source 

2.  Do you have any food restrictions?

I am not allergic to anything. I try to eat reasonably healthy though. Lots of fruits and veggies and lean meats. 

Source 

3.  How much time do you take to get ready in the morning?

About half an hour to an hour. I take my time with my makeup usually, I have an addiction! I shower at night to save time, it's about another 30-45 minutes if I have to shower in the morning.

Source 

4.  Sausage or bacon?

Both! I like link sausage and crispy bacon. 

Source 

 

5.  Do you Google, Bing or Yahoo?

 Google all the way!

Source 

Week in Review

What a week this has been! I have been utterly swamped. My grandmother is home from the hospital and doing fairly well. School this week held a disaster and also an amazing experience.

I had to build a butterfly habitat last weekend for my Teaching Science class. We're raising Painted Lady butterflies. Here's what I built with the the help of my mom:

My caterpillars before they went into their chrysalis.

My caterpillars died, as did a lot of other students' caterpillars, but I got two more that were already in their chrysalis. I don't have any pictures of them though.

I had to do my social studies minilesson on leadership contributions this week. I was unaware of their prior knowledge, which made my lesson planning difficult. I took people specifically mentioned in the standards such as Jefferson, Washington, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr., etc. and made a matching game where the students matched two contributions or facts to each person. The first day this went horrible. The kids had no clue about over half of the information. For example, they thought FDR was the 4th president, and that Eiesenhower commanded the Continental Army during the American Revolution. I was highly upset, because the kids didn't enjoy it and were frustrated. That was the worst lesson I've ever done. So that night I made some changes. I cut the amount of people down from 10 to 6, removing the ones they had no clue about. The next day when I taught the other half of the class, the lesson went so much better! The kids enjoyed it and opened up a good discussion on these people, their contributions, and what life would be like if they hadn't happened, like women not being able to vote or segregation still being legal. I got nothing but praise from my mentor teacher.

Thursday evening was also the Undergraduate Research Conference at my university. I was selected as a poster presenter for the College of Education, a first for the Department of Elementary Education. My presentation was on the effectiveness of guided reading as found through my first internship in a first grade classroom. My mom took pictures, so I'll do a separate blog post when I get those from her. It was a fantastic experience!

Crank Dat Lumberjack

Do you remember when this song was a hit?

At my university, a guy made up our own version and they teach it at orientation and such. It's pretty funny. (We're the lumberjacks if you can't tell.) Check it out!

 Lyrics:
Chorus:
SFA off in this (OOOHHH)
In the middle of Nac-a (DOOOHHH)
Watch me crank that Lumberjack
And Surfin Steve that (OOOHHH)
Now I be' (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack! (YOULLLLLL)

SFA off in this (OOOHHH)
In the middle of Nac-a (DOOOHHH)
Watch me crank that Lumberjack
And Surfin Steve that (OOOHHH)
Now I be' (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack (YOULLLLLL)
Crank Dat Lumberjack! (YOULLLLLL)

Verse:
SFA up in this (OOOHHH)
Swinging Axe with my Lumberjack Pride
Surfin Steve that (OOOHHH)
And you know I bleed that Purple and White
The Game is on a Thursday night
Friday it's the Sports Shack man
When I crank that Lumberjack
the tree starts falling and then they say
TIMBERRRRR!!!!!
I'm choppin ya (I'm choppin on ya)
And when the tree starts falling,
It's dropping on ya (It's dropping on ya)
You can catch me at the Austin Building
Getting my Financial Aid
Sam Houston mad cuz
My shirt say PURPLE HAZE!

(Chorus)

Verse:
I'm sizing up this tree
Watch me Lumberjack that (OOOHHH)
Ima pass the Axe to "Nice"
And he gon Chop it up fa-sho (Fa-Sho)
Going to the games
Lumberjacks (yea) we the man
We be looking at the score
Saying, "D*mn, we lost again?!"
MAAAAAAAAAAAAAANNN
Yea we blew it (we blew it)
Next game,
we still going to it (still going to it)
NO! you can't do like me
NO! you can't chop wood like me
NO! you can't chop through it like me
Lumberjacks, we do the Dougie!

(Chorus)

Verse:
From Spring Hill to the Grove
Woodforest to Rio
Banita Creek Condos
We AXE'M JACKS that (OOOHHH)
AXE'M JACKS that (OOOHHH)
AXE'M JACKS that (OOOHHH)
AXE'M JACKS that (OOOHHH)
AXE'M JACKS that (OOOHHH)

From North Street to University
The Student Center to the E.C.
Griffth to Hall 20
We LUMBERJACK that (TREE)
LUMBERJACK that (TREE)
LUMBERJACK that (TREE)
LUMBERJACK that (TREE)
LUMBERJACK that (TREE)

TIIIIIIIIIIIIIIMMMMBBBBEEEERRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!

(Chorus:)

Five Question Friday

 

1. If you could change one thing about yourself what would it be?

Physically, my weight and I am already working on that. 20 down, 60 to go.

Personality, I wish I was more confident and outgoing. I'm a whole lot more that way than I was when I was younger (think high school), but I have room for improvement. Being around new people can make me nervous, but I do open up after a few minutes.

2. Write about a time when you got lost.

I'm actually really good with directions/maps/etc. I can't recall a time I've ever been lost. 

3. Camping or 5 star hotel?

Both! I like being pampered, but I also like getting out in nature and enjoying the beauty. 

4. Have you donated blood?

Yes, I used to frequently, but I always felt sick for three days afterward. Come to find out my neurocardiogenic syncope is the reason, so I can't donate anymore.

5. Do you have a budget or do you 'fly by' most months?

I don't have a strict budget, but I know what I need for bills and necessities. I try not to spend too much beyond that since I'm just a college kid. 

Meet Me On Monday

1.  If you had to eat only one food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Blue Bell Ice Cream! The flavors are so delicious, it's the best ice cream in the world. Even the vanilla is just superb.
 
2.  Do you write your blog posts in advance or the day you post them?

Well, since I'm just starting out I write them the day I post them. I guess it would be more organized of me to write them in advance. Maybe that should be a goal of mine.

3.  Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?
No, thank goodness. I've been in and out of hospitals a million times, but I haven't ridden in an ambulance.

4.  What is your favorite candle scent?
Frosted Cupcake from Slatkin & Co. from Bath & Body Works. It smells so warm and homey. I love the way it makes my house smell like I just baked something delicious. My second favorite is Bird of Paradise by Circle E Candles. It smells really sweet and somewhat like strawberries. When people walk in my house when either of these candles are burning, they always comment on how great my house smells. One three-wick candle of either one of those scents up my whole 1500 sq ft  home.

5.  Coffee or tea?
Definitely sweet iced tea! I can't stand coffee, it's too bitter to me. The one exception to that is I'll drink mocha frappuccinos from Starbucks.