my best four-legged friend

When I'm sad, I swear she can tell, and she'll come up to me so very gently, and just put her head in my lap, her paw on my leg. When I'm happy she's right there with me too. She knows me. Some people may think it's crazy but I feel like she can read my mind and is more in tune with what is going on than anyone gives her credit for.

Madeline is the sweetest little thing you'll ever meet. To me, she's more like a little person, and if you were to spend time with her I'm sure you'd feel the same way. I'm so proud to be her mama, and I can't wait for her to someday soon have a new doggie best friend when we adopt a second pup. Madeline is the greatest. She's the biggest love bug in the world, and today, I wanted to dedicate a whole post to her, our darling little Boston Terrier!

If you have a pup you just love with all of your heart, post a photo of them in the comments, or make a little "I love you" post on your blog and link here! I'd so love to see your favorite four-legged friend.

Happy Wednesday!




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Happy birthday, Madeline!

You are my best friend and I couldn't imagine our life without you. You are the constant sunshine in my day, and you are truly the sweetest pup in the entire world. Thank you for being such a darling companion. I will always take care of you, and try to show you as much love as you unconditionally show me every day.

Happy 2nd birthday, little lady!



















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Wednesday!

Tomorrow is my Friday and I couldn't be happier. We have just a little over a month left of school and I am beyond excited to have a great summer. This summer is going to be especially wonderful, and soon we should be back in Hawaii celebrating our two year wedding anniversary! I can't wait.

This week has been a particularly hard one at work, not for any reasons specifically in my classroom, but for the air of sadness that has overcome our school. Arizona is in an educational budget crisis, and today many of our fine arts and any non-core teachers received pink slips. If the one cent tax raise does not pass, it's been said that they will be cutting a lot of our arts and music programs. This is UNACCEPTABLE. These classes are all some kids have, and getting rid of creativity in school is the worst idea I've ever heard. It's incredibly depressing that Hank and I will one day have to send our kids to private school just so they can get a decent, well-rounded education. The state of public education in Arizona (and I'm sure in other places, too) is so depressing and I'm just hoping with all of my heart that this works out in our favor. I'm upset just typing about it.

In other school news, time is just zipping by. Like I mentioned above, summer is coming closer everyday and the best part is that once it's here, Hank will be switching to 3 12-hour shifts, which allows us so much freedom to travel. He's currently working his way through his family's company, learning every step along the way and he is currently in dispatch right now, which is super crazy but it always keeps him really busy. I couldn't imagine doing a lot of what he does, but it's great he will have a feel for every position by the time he is done with this "training" phase.

I am going to sign off now and get to sleep fairly early, but I wanted to share a photo of today's outfit and a playlist before I go!

details (I guess I look sad? oops!)
dress: Lark & Wolff By Steven Alan (wrinkled on the bottom...:/)
shoes: BCBG



and here's a playlist...I hope you enjoy it! Let me know which song you like best.






I'll leave you with a photo of Madeline I posted on my Twitter yesterday (click here to follow me- I hit 5,000 tweets last night, holy cow!). "Snug as a bug in a rug!" Have a good night! xo

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Sunday fun

Sunday is one of my favorite days of the week. I feel like it's such a great, relaxing day and it's always the one day of the week where I don't feel too guilty sleeping in! Today I woke up pretty early, around 7am, and waited for Hank to wake up so we could go to brunch at this place he's been wanting to try. Apparently they have some sort of banana-battered french toast. It's weird but I actually don't like going out to eat for breakfast. It's one of those meals that I really prefer at home, but every once and awhile I'll find a place I like. I'm picky- I typically like non-greasy, egg white omelettes and fresh fruit when I go out for this meal but it's hard to find a good omelette, especially one that isn't greasy and gross. Last time Erin, Alana and Shirl came up we went down to St. Micheal's and the omelette I got was actually REALLY good, probably the best one I've had. This new place though, who knows. So I ate breakfast early in case I couldn't eat anything there, but Hank woke up and actually didn't want to go! We've been hanging out, and we're going to head out on a walk in a bit, do some shopping, and finish some projects around the house.

Yesterday was a really great day too. I woke up super early and got my workout done, and then came up and got Hank and I tickets to see Lady Gaga in July! I haven't always been a fan of hers, but over the past few months I've gotten more and more into her music. Hank has always been a fan (seriously so funny to me), so he's really excited we'll be going. We got great seats as well and I'm looking forward to seeing all of her crazy outfits and costume changes! In the afternoon we went out to Hank's uncle's house for his 50th birthday and it was a lot of fun and Hank's Mom had made the most delicious cupcakes. Chocolate with cream cheese icing and vanilla with dark chocolate fudge icing. MMMM. Afterward we came home and vegged out, and I watched Troop Beverly Hills for the millionth time. I love this movie so, so, so much.



This week is going to be pretty low-key, and I'm looking forward to a really fun weekend with my family next weekend, including hanging out with Ms. Suki. She's had a weekend work schedule so I haven't seen her in a couple of months which makes me sad, but I can't wait for some girltalk. Also, today I got news that Autumn and the fam will be coming up for the 4th of July this year. I'm SO happy and even though it's months away I love having it to look forward to.

I'm off to get things done, but I'll leave you with some photos from this afternoon! xoxo

outfit details-
tube top: H&M
skirt: Cooperative (via Urban Outfitters)
shoes: Marc by Marc Jacobs mouse flats

how SAD does she look?! Poor little Madeline hates photos now apparently.




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Wednesday!

Today was one of those days that kind of dragged on. Don't you hate that? Nothing went wrong, but it just was a slow day at work and since it was a half day, the second half of my day was filled with meetings. I love the kids part of teaching, not the meetings part, but I know they go hand in hand so I usually don't mind. But, by the time I got home I was ready for bed! Once Hank got home we went over to a local Italian restaurant, La Bruza's, to celebrate his dad's 62nd birthday. It was yummy but I ate a bit too much and now I feel a little gross. I'm waiting for my food to settle so I can go workout (and not puke)!

I also wanted to mention that I just stopped "following" most of the blogs I follow and moved over the Google Reader. If you notice I'm not on your follow list anymore, don't worry, I'm still reading! :) Just over at Reader instead. My new pal Keiko suggested something called bloglovin', which I'm going to check out too. I just don't like Blogger's setup in terms of keeping up with blogs, so I'm glad to make the switch. If you have any other suggestions let me know! :)

Here's my dinner outfit (sorry for the bad lighting, yuck!):

dress- Marc by Marc Jacobs
shoes- Old Navy

And then for work I would just add colored tights (yellow probably) and a simple cardigan!



cute bow details




I'm really really quite unmotivated today so I'm going to sign off for now before I bore you anymore, and before I lost any and all motivation to get into the gym! Before I go though, here's a quick little "mid-week" playlist I quickly put together. Which song do you like best?

Have a great night! Love you all. :)






This post has been brought to you by Madeline, beast of Prescott! RAWR! (just kiddin', she was mid-yawn). ;)



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Tuesday = fantastic

Today was SUCH a great day at work. My sophomores and I played this really fun "game" where I tell them to get out a piece of paper and tear it into three strips. On one strip they write a setting, on another they write a character, and on the last strip they write a situation. The three things don't have to be related since I put them in separate jars. Then we draw one from each section and write them on the board...the kids then have to write the first paragraph of a story encompassing the three story elements we randomly drew. Then we read the stories aloud and they were SO GOOD. I was dying from laughter at some of them. The kids are so creative and it was a really nice segue way into our short story writing unit tomorrow...plus, I think they all really enjoyed it. :) My Seniors are beginning our "book club" unit where I let them get into small groups and choose any novel they want to read together, and I give them assignments and projects throughout the time frame. It's neat because they have the opportunity to really pick something they like. I'm excited to hear their choices tomorrow!

When I got home from school Hank and I decided to spend some time outside, so we got Madeline in her little harness and spent a good part of the afternoon in the sun. It is SUCH a nice day today and it was so nice to be outdoors and downtown. We're going to do our usual Tuesday night Hugo's trip in a minute, and then snuggle up to watch LOST. If you didn't know, I love LOST, and Hank and I are both super into it. I'm sad it's ending, but I am really curious to see how they tie up all of these loose ends. Are any of you LOST fans? :)

I will be back later tonight with Tattoo Tuesday of course, but for now I will leave you with some photos. I hope all of you had a lovely, lovely day!

It truly feels like spring today!




pretty downtown








Madeline walking me...


She can jump SO high!


February shoes




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"What's in my bag?"

I've gotten a lot of requests for a "what's in my bag" post, so here it is! I am pretty boring when it comes to what I carry on a daily basis. :)



Inside, I always carry the same things-



from clockwise, starting at the bag...


• pencil case...I always have a black pen with me...I hate using any other color in my dayplanner! Weird, I know! And being a teacher, I also always have red pens with me.
• wallet, meticulously organized
• Kindle (I've talked about this wonderful gadget many times- I love it!)
  
• dayplanner
• Makeup bag- inside: Laura Mercier translucent pressed powder, Burts Bees Pomegranate lip balm (addicted), an Hour of the Wolf guitar pick (I don't know how that got in there but these (and bobby pins) can usually be found near me all the time), teasing comb (when I need that volume!) ;)
• my sunglasses for today/sunglasses case
So there you have it! I pretty much a minimalist when it comes to what I keep with me. I don't like clutter so I don't carry too much. Before the Kindle I would always have a book or two with me, but with this addition to my life, I have any book I want to read at my fingertips! I also typically have my ipod, but today it's in the car.



I hope all of you have a fabulous Friday evening. Hank and I are off to enjoy a great dinner at Bin239, one of our favorite restaurants in town. Afterward I will be enjoying a late night gym visit with my friend Robyn, I can't wait!

I also wanted to share this adorable photo of Madeline I snapped while taking photos of my bag. She seems to be saying, "Mommmm, no more pictures! PLEASE." I love it.

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Wednesday

Today was a fairly non-eventful day. School went by quickly and pleasantly. My sophomores worked on vocabulary (some of our words are vociferous, discern, and obviate, if you were curious) :) and finished up Ray Bradbury's short story "A Sound of Thunder." My seniors continued our documentary unit with the end of "Food Inc." Very fun day overall!

I wanted to share a book recommendation with all of you, and I will try and continue to recommend a book once a week or so, as requested! One of my students gave me this book to borrow a few months back, and it quickly became one of my favorites. It is a young adult book, but I still really enjoyed it and got into the story right away. You can click on the book to view it via amazon.com.



Have any of you read it? Two of my ALL-TIME favorite books are "A Wrinkle in Time"(another YA book- but a classic) and "The Handmaid's Tale." If you liked either of those books, or books like "Brave New World" or "Fahrenheit 451" you will be into this series. If you don't like books set in fictional, futuristic time periods, or science fiction-esque writing...you more than likely won't like this book! BUT I still recommend though, because due to it being a YA book, it's an incredibly quick and engaging read and you never know if maybe this is a genre you will end up loving!

The Hunger Games is set in a dystopian society- a futuristic post-USA, where the nation is divided into districts, and led by an insane government/dictatorship. The main idea is that each district must send in two "tributes," or representatives to fight in the Hunger Games each year- a televised "to the death" battle with only one winner. The purpose of the Games is to remind the districts and common people that they are just pawns in the government's hands, following an uprising many years ago. The book is so much more than that though- there is a love story finely woven throughout the chapters, and the best part is...it's just book one of a three part series! Book two, "Catching Fire," is JUST as wonderful (if not more wonderful), and I am anxiously awaiting book three, which will be released this summer. They are also currently beginning film production of this book, which is always exciting.

If you check it out, let me know what you think! You can find it in the Young Adult section of your bookstore, or online of course. It's been really neat for me to be able to suggest this to many of my students, as it is completely classroom and age appropriate, but in my opinion, just as intriguing for readers of all ages.

So, I hope all of you had a great day. I've been feeling a little "off" lately, and I'm not too sure why. I finally feel better tonight, which is making me happy, but it's just really annoying to not know why you're not feeling 100% yourself. I'm just going to chalk it up to feeling a bit hormonal and leave it at that. Oh, how wonderful it is to be a girl. ;)

This week has literally flown by! Tomorrow, then off to Phoenix for a quick trip that is all about Alana and Erin and celebrating their birthdays. I really can't wait to spend another weekend with my lovely girlfriends. AND, baby Carter is due to arrive next week. So much goodness happening right now. I hope that goodness is finding itself in your neck of the woods, wherever you may be!

Have a great night!

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Thursday

Thank you so much for all of your wonderful input on my last entry. A lot of you asked questions, and I will be sure to address those when I make my next post on my job. I just hope all of you know how much I appreciate you taking the time to read that long post!

Today was a great day at work. My seniors and I continued our rap as poetry lesson, dissecting songs from Dead Prez, Aesop Rock, Tupac, and Jay-Z. We had a great time, and it was interesting to see them find poetic devices throughout the songs. I'm curious to see what they say during our discussion tomorrow. My sophomores read "A Rose for Emily" by William Faulkner today, and most of them seemed to enjoy it. During my 7th period's journal time, I asked them if they had any song requests...I loved that we ended up listening to Frank Sinatra while they did their creative writing for 10 minutes. It made me happy to see "kids these days" appreciating great music. It made me think about when we have children, and how exposed to music they'll be, mainly due to Hank. I always have music on, but it's great to have a parent who is so skilled at playing so many instruments. I can't even imagine what it would be like to grow up around that- definitely very cool.

For some reason this week just flew by, and I am so excited that tomorrow is Friday! I have a very, very full weekend of family time. Autumn's baby shower is Saturday which I am most looking forward to. Tomorrow night Shirl and I are going to shop for some clothes for baby Carter- most of my friends have had girls, so it's going to be nice to pick out things for a little baby boy. Before the shower on Saturday, I'll be going antiquing with my Mom, Dad, and sis...hopefully I can find the chairs we've been looking for! I'm also really excited about working out with my sister Lauren (click here to visit her blog- and click here to visit her new fitness blog) at her new gym! Spin class here we come. Have any of you done Spin before? It's one of my most favorite workouts to do, and I also really enjoy full-body sculpt class with weights. Do you take any fitness classes that you really love?

Before I head to the gym for a nice late night workout, I wanted to include a typical workout playlist. I basically just took my most recent mix and duplicated it onto this site. Be forewarned though, the music won't be for everyone. I like all genres, but when I work out I typically listen to either rap or hardcore. For the past few weeks it's been the latter, and this mix features a lot of that, and in particular a lot of songs from one of my all-time favorite bands, Modern Life is War. Some of it is a little embarrassing (hello, Hatebreed?!), but it gets me going, so I can't complain. So, I don't know if many of you will enjoy it, but this is what I listen to, and you guys asked for it...so here it is! :) I'd love to hear what some of your favorite songs are too, so feel free to share with us if you're so inclined! New workout music is always the best. Next week I will post another mix, of more "beat" type music.






Here are some daily photos from today as well-

today's outfit (what I wore to work):

dress- Marc by Marc Jacobs
cardigan- J. Crew
tights- Hue (via Macy's)
shoes- BCBG





Madeline also received a little present in the mail today, from All Mighty! Click here to visit their store. We got a bunch of stuff from their shop and all of it is incredibly adorable, including everything from Dainty June. Love love love.



Madeline and her new friend!


I hope all of you have a wonderful evening! <333Source URL: https://sweettattooforgirls.blogspot.com/search/label/madeline
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