May Currently

I have missed participating in the Currently linky these past few months. Life had been super busy, plus, since becoming a Mac owner, I felt lost without MS Paint, where I had always done the Currentlys before (the English teacher in me is grimacing at the spelling of that plural, btw). But I decided to just use a free online photo editor (I used PicMonkey) to add text to the pic and voila! If anyone wants to know how to do that, just let me know. It is super simple.

Linking up with Farley.

Listening: I love that it's have-your-windows-open weather again! I love hearing the birds chirp, lawn mowers running, people laughing outside my window in the morning.

Loving: If you remember my posts from last summer, we put in a crap ton of new landscaping. We decided to add some more flowers this year, as well as our usual annuals in flower pots, etc., so we are planting a ton this weekend and it's making me SO happy.

Thinking: Allergy season needs to end. Enough said.

Wanting: May 29 is my last day of school, and it can't come soon enough. I need a break!

Needing: We are having a huge garage sale in 2 weekends, and I need to start getting stuff together for it.

Summer yes: Trip to Mackinac Island and Leelanau Peninsula in MI this June!
Summer hope: I set a goal to complete 52 hikes in 2015. So far I have 8 lol. It is just hard to do when in school. But this summer I hope to get up and go hiking most weekdays.
Summer dream: Ever since moving into our house, I have wanted to re-paint it. It is an ugly pale yellow with red shutters right now. I am crossing my fingers we can afford to do this this summer.

December Currently

Wow! How is it already December? I think Thanksgiving helped November fly right by. Hopefully these next three weeks do the same :)

Linking up for this month's Currently.

Listening...Last month, I was listening to Songza too! But this time, it's the Christmas tunes I'm crankin'.

Loving...We put up all our outside and inside lights over the weekend. It looks so purty :)

Thinking...My husband is hard to buy for. Or should I say surprise. He ordered a few things himself that I am giving him as presents lol, but I also want to surprise him with at least one gift he isn't expecting.

Wanting....We have pretty much planned out our vacation for next summer, minus actually booking our lodging. We're headed up to Mackinac Island and the Traverse City area of MI, and I could not be more excited. I want it to be here nooooooow.

Needing...Our Christmas cards came in, and I have a bunch I need to address.

Giving....If you know me, you know animals are near and dear to my heart, so we always drop off a bunch of supplies around the holidays to the animal shelter where we got our dog. I hope I can make their stay at the shelter a little more comfy until they find their forever home.

October Currently

October is one of my favorite months of the year! The temps drop, fall clothes come out, pumpkin everything is in store, and lots and lots of spooky movies are on TV.

This month's Currently.

Listening....I looooove Criminal Minds (and the new show, Stalker! So good). If you love creepy movies/TV/books, you should check them both out.

Loving...I love that I can wear my new fall boots, sweaters, and scarves finally.

Thinking...Homecoming week is always completely exhausting and the kids are crazy. We are over halfway through! Just gotta keep it together for two more school days.

Wanting...I used to try and get a massage every 4 months. I haven't had one in a year and a half. It is such a stress reliever for me.

Needing...My parents are visiting this weekend, and the house is kind of a mess :/ Cleaning has been neglected in lieu of grading, lesson planning, and doing yard work.

Trick....OK, not a scary trick. A life hack kind of trick that probably everyone else figured out before me ha. Do you have a thousand different cords for all your devices, plugged in right next to each other? I could never keep them straight. So we got a $20 label maker from Target and made labels for each of our cords (Mrs. L cell phone, husband cell phone, Mrs. L Kindle, etc) and wrapped them around the cord. Now we never have to try three different cords to find the right one! And I have been able to use my label maker in all sorts of ways in my classroom, too!

September Currently

Linking up with Farley for the monthly currently!

  

Listening....Gotta catch up on the old DVR. Rookie Blue is one of my favorite summer shows, and we are watching the season finale. Excited for all my regular season shows to return soon.

Loving...My brother-in-law and future sister-in-law announced their engagement today! We are so excited for them. And I am extra excited to have another female in the family :)

Thinking....We are redoing half of our living room. We purchased a black leather sofa, new end tables, new coffee table, and new lamps. I'll post pictures once everything is delivered and the room is finished.

Wanting...Why is it NOW getting hot as Hades outside? Over 90 and 85% humidity Uh, no thanks. It's now September (in about 30 min). So, uh, move along summer weather.

Needing...We have a huge garage sale coming up on Saturday. We have tons of things to get put together and priced before then. Not sure how it will all get done.

3 Trips...This one was super hard for me. I am constantly filled with wanderlust and traveling is a passion of mine. These three locales are as different as can be, but three places I have to go before I die.

August currently

Well, it's that time of year. Back to school time. And like every year, I absolutely dread it.

Linking up with Farley for this month's currently.

 

Most of my answers are self-explanatory. We got our backyard landscaping completed this week-yay!

This weekend, we are painting our concrete patio, so that looks to be a lot of work and hopefully it turns out! Other than that, I just need to start getting stuff ready for school to start in less than 2 weeks. Trying to enjoy every last drop of summer while I can.

July Currently

Linking up with Farley.

 

Listening....It'll be the last hot day this week! Tomorrow the high is only 70. Wahoo!

Loving...The Husband and I have been redoing all our front landscaping ourselves. Take a peek at a couple before/afters.

We still have the whole area in front of our house to do this week.



Thinking....We leave for TN in six days, so I need to make a packing list and get moving.

Wanting...My dog is at my parents' house because we had a ton of work done at the house yesterday. I can't wait to see her sweet little face today!

Needing...To clean. I always need to clean.

4th plans....Working on the front landscaping and then having a low-key night at home, since my pup is scared of fireworks!

Have a great holiday weekend and a happy July!

June Currently

Well this is the first year I've still been in school in June. Stupid snow days. But only FOUR MORE DAYS.

1. I love Pandora and this is my new favorite station. Perfect summer music.

2. Like I said, I wish I was already on summer break, but four more days ain't too shabby.

3. Yesterday we went to a wine and beer fest all day. FUN. But hot. Even though I parked myself under a shade tree, I obviously still got some UV rays because my upper arms are super burned today :( Yikes.

4. I have a ton of cute maxi dresses that I can wear to work or on weekends, but now I'm on the hunt for some shorter, more casual sundresses I can just throw on to beat the heat in 100 degree weather that still make me look put together.

5. We had grand plans to deep clean the house today. But then the dog needed a walk, we HAD to go out for brunch, I wanted to run to Target....yeah. House still hasn't been cleaned.

6. Last one is pretty self-explanatory and I wrote a more detailed summer bucket list last week. VERY excited for it to almost be summer.

May Currently

Wow, can't believe it is already May. Sure doesn't feel like it, what with our 45º weather and rain.

Linking up with Farley.

 

Listening....My husband is wonderful and ran to get me Starbucks this morning before work. It's so quiet in the house right now, except for the birds right outside my window.

Loving...Oh my gosh, such a long week! Even though my weekend is filled with grading, I'm glad it's the weekend.

Thinking....I have 40 essays to grade by next Thursday...because next Thurs, 40 more come in that have to be graded by that Monday. So yeah....my next 10 days will really suck.

Wanting...We got a glimpse of spring a couple weeks ago, but now it's crappy and cold again.

Needing....We're having a big garage sale May 17, and I have done exactly zero to prepare for it.

Surprise....I love Mrs. Orman's blog for secondary English ideas. She has a lot of neat lesson plans and good ideas. Check her out!

Currently April

Linking up with Farley for this month's Currently.

A few days later on this Currently....it's been a long, rough week. My father-in-law passed away last Wed.

So I was off work all last week ( and we had Spring Break the week before that), so I've been off for TWO weeks. And I have approximately 58239 papers to grade and things to plan and do and make-up, etc., as you can see from my Currently above. Very stressed out.

And as you can tell from my first answer, I am doing none of that right now :)

Here's hoping the rest of this month improves. We can only go up from here, right?

MARCH CURRENTLY

I was so excited when I woke up and saw the March currently up on Farley's blog. Excited for a couple reasons:
1) This is the very first month I did Currently last year, so I've been doing this for a whole year now!
2) Maybe March means spring weather? Of course we're under a winter weather advisory and are getting 6-8" of snow tomorrow, so maybe not. But what's that saying? If March comes in like a lion.........

 
Listening....I just woke up so it's super quiet in the house. We have had so many humongo icicles on our house lately!

Loving....I opened my TpT store a couple weeks ago. I already have two sales! Plus a ton of free downloads. Woohoo! I need to work on getting more products in it. I have a TON of stuff I could put on there, but it's all saved on my work computer and I always forget to save it to a jump drive and bring it home.

Thinking....Like I explained, SNOW tomorrow. NO. 

Wanting....I usually try and get a massage 4 times a year. They are pricey or I would be getting those babies monthly. Well I haven't had one since last APRIL! Sad panda :( I need to find the time and money to do it.

Needing.....Got lots of essays to grade this weekend. At least I'll be snowed in?

???????? Sort of random. Let's see if you can guess.

Currently February

Holy cow, another month has come and gone. All told, we had 12 days of school in January. Six snow days to make up....so far.

Linking up with Farley!

1. Listening to...Parenthood. I have watched the whole series and am totally caught up, but I loved the first few seasons so much, that I started re-watching them on Netflix during my snow days. So I'm in the middle of season 2 (again) and loving it.

2. Loving....that we booked our vacation to the Smoky Mountains! I posted about it last week in more detail. I love having something fun to look forward to.

3. Thinking....I brought home a stack of College English essays, and since I'll be snowed in tomorrow, I have lots of grading to do.

4. Wanting...no more snow! PLEASE! Four inches today and another 6-8 overnight. Plus another big system coming in next Tuesday. I would like to get out of school before the middle of June, please.

5. Needing....You might think a preference for warm weather is a want. No, sir. Not this winter. It is a NEED for me. I have lived in IL my entire life and am no stranger to cold and snow, but this winter has been brutal, and it's only Feb 1! This weather is gettin' me down.

6. The two truths are....1 and 3. Growing up, I was really into dance and we performed in a few competitions around the country. My favorite stop was in Vegas! We actually placed third once.
In college, I went to Warped Tour twice with my husband (then-boyfriend) to see our favorite band, Motion City Soundtrack. Definitely got kicked in the head in the mosh pit, and it was a "I can now say I did it" type thing, but I have never returned to a mosh pit and never looked back. Yuck.

The fib...I have not backpacked through Europe. Sadly, I have never even been there :(

Who else is getting snowed in this weekend?

January Currently

Happy 2014, everyone! We rang in the new year on the couch with some board games, cuddled up with our dog. Just the kind of low-key night I love.

I'm linking up with Farley for the January currently!

Listening...my dog is a great guard dog, but barks at everything! She has been my alarm clock over break.

Loving....I got a new Kindle Paperwhite for Christmas from my in-laws! I did have a Nook Tablet for awhile. I didn't like how it felt like I was staring at a computer screen, and the glare was so bad, that I could not read it on the beach on vacation last summer. So the Paperwhite it is, and I am loving how lightweight it is! I also got a blanket from Barnes & Noble that has book quotes on it and it is super soft.

Thinking....2013 was not a great year, and I am hoping 2014 brings us much more happiness and good times.

Wanting....They are forecasting 3-5" of snow for today. Frankly, I am over snow and winter weather once it's past Christmas. I am now ready for spring. K thanks.

Needing....Today the decorations start coming down. It is always a kind of sad day, but I am also looking forward to getting my house back and nice and clean.

Tradition....The last two years it's just been my husband and me for Christmas Eve/Day. On Christmas Eve night, we pack in the car (with the dog), bring coffee, listen to Christmas tunes and drive around the neighborhoods looking at all the Christmas lights. It is a favorite memory of mine.

Currently December

December is my second favorite month of the year, after October. The first semester is winding down, and everything is so magical and exciting leading up to the holidays.

So I am linking up with Farley for Currently December.

Listening: I am not personally a football fan. OK I hate it. But I decided to do some Interwebbing and read a book while my husband listens to the game. At least in an hour, I get to go see Catching Fire!

Loving: Today is sunny and 50º which is not normal Midwest December weather. It was so nice that we took Roxie for a long walk on the bike trail.

Thinking: I have a busy week coming up. Lots going on in my classes, a couple meetings, an SIP day and then a conference on Thursday about motivating students. I am excited to see what I come back with.

Wanting: I was saddened to realize last week that I lost my favorite sunglasses that I bought from the Coach Outlet store 5 years ago. And of course this was after Christmas lists had been distributed and purchased. I think I will get a cheaper stand-in pair for now.

Needing: I have to re-read (for the 4th time) the first four chapters of Gentlemen today, as well as chapters 4 and 5 of Gatsby for classes tomorrow.

Favorite tradition: I had many traditions with family growing up that I loved, even though I no longer do them now that I have my own little family. So I decided to list one of the traditions I have carried on into my adult life: On Christmas Eve evening, my husband I exchange one gift (and this year, Rox will get to open one up early too). It will probably go like this: "Hey, husband, I'd like to open up that new paisley scarf I know you got for me so I can wear it tomorrow. K Thanx."

Wut. November Currently

Man, the new month totally snuck up on me. I feel like once Nov. hits, the holiday season is officially underway. This stresses me out lol.

Linking up with Farley 

 

Listening to nothing this morning. We are getting ready to head back to our hometown for the weekend, and I'm downstairs Inter-webbing while my husband gets ready upstairs.

Loving that it currently looks like fall with beautiful colors and leaves falling. Hating that this means raking.

Thinking about our upcoming trip...we are visiting family and friends this weekend and I'm so excited to see friends I haven't seen in two years!

I want (and need) a massage. STAT.

I also actually need a new winter coat, but those things are wicked expensive.

A yummy pin...

 

I saw this on Pinterest awhile back from Overtimecook.com and think it looks delicious. I don't really cook, though, so that's a problem!

 

October Currently

Linking up with Farley for October currently (my favorite month of the year!)

Sorry the top got cropped off.

1. Listening to the show Hostages on our DVR. Pretty good so far, interested to see where they can take it.

2. Loving cooler fall weather (though today was 85. Boo hiss). It's going to be in the 60s later this week. Can't wait for chili, cider, pumpkin things, and another trip to the orchard.

3. Thinking about...what can I say? I am a die hard Breaking Bad fan. If you haven't watched the show, you should. It's not just about meth. Or drugs. Or chemistry. It's about so much more, and I can't even explain it. But this show is genius and has had a profound effect on so many people. I have never gotten so emotionally invested in a show before. The finale on Sunday was so perfect, I am still thinking about it. I can't wait to buy the 5 season set when it comes out (in a METH barrel, no less) and watch all 55 hours of additional footage. {I feel like I need to put a disclaimer in here that I have never, nor will ever, get involved in the meth business lol}

4. Wanting...no rain this weekend. My parents are visiting to help us lay sod in some areas of our yard where we tore out old landscaping, and right now, there's a 60% chance of showers Saturday.

5. Needing...when don't I need money? We want to get windows replaced, get landscaping put in, get the house painted on the outside, Christmas is coming up, etc. etc. And I'm poor.

6. Treat! I love treats. Especially Reese's peanut butter cups, but I only like eating them when they have them in egg shapes. I don't know why, but they taste better that way!

September Currently

Linking up with Farley.

1. I am at the bookstore right now typing this, for reasons I'll explain further down the page. I am not a happy camper (but at least I get a pumpkin spice latte!)

2. No school today holla! Loved the day off to hang with my dog, see my parents, and just veg.

3. So yeah. I am seriously considering applying to an English Studies PhD program. I would love love LOVE to teach at a university and I love being a student and learning more about my subject matter. There are a lot of logistical and financial difficulties with going back to school right now, but it is something my husband and I are seriously discussing. So that's exciting and scary.

4. My nasty cold from last week is on its last leg. I am feeling much better but not 100% back to normal yet.

5. So yeah. Yesterday our Internet and cable conked out and Comcast said it was an outage in our area. Our cable came back, but Internet never did. After spending an hour on the phone with them (worst customer service ever, by the way), they have to send a technician out tomorrow because the problem should be fixed, but they show that our house is getting a really weak signal, too weak to start up the Internet. Fun stuff. So no Internet for me since Saturday night. Womp womp.

6. The last one is pretty self-explanatory. Can't wait to pull out my fall decorations again!

August Currently

How the heck is it already August?! Linking up with Farley.

 1. My pup is currently snuggled up next to me snoring away. I'm going to miss her so much when I have to go back to work :(

2. We leave for Michigan on Sunday, and it'll be great to have a little getaway before the work grind starts again.

3. I met with a co-worker today to plan out a new class and have lots of work still to do for that.

4. I don't feel *quite* ready to go back to work yet. One more month would be great.

5. I remembered my stapler at school is broken :( I'll need to get a new one here soon.

6. I love a nice, stylish, yet fairly large tote bag to schlep around my lesson plan book, papers to grade, a water bottle, and any books I need. I love a pretty classroom (see my last post), so colorful decorations are a must. And who can start a school day without coffee?

July Currently (aka holy cow it's almost July!)

I canNOT believe July is in two days. Where has my summer vacation gone?? I always feel like after the 4th, the summer is on its way out, even though technically summer the season just started last week. We go back Aug. 15, so after the 4th, I only have a month and some change left. Boo :(

I will try to do a content post this week. I had some work meetings last week for Common Core and have some stuff to share about that. I also really need to start planning for English III, which I haven't taught in awhile and am basically starting from scratch on :/

But first, I am linking up with Farley for my July currently.

1. Listening to: I am at Barnes & Noble on this rainy afternoon. Mmmm coffee!

2. This summer I have tried bringing my lunch up to a pretty walking trail that looks over the river as much as possible. It is so beautiful up there!

3. I can't believe it is almost July! So sad.

4. My parents are coming to visit and we're doing a cookout on the 4th and playing with some sparklers in the yard. Hoping for no rain and no 100º weather!

5. The house is kind of a disaster but I can't find the motivation to clean it. Blargh.

6. We have so many mosquitos in our backyard and can't use anything toxic to stave them off because of the dog. The citronella candles and torches only do so much. I also swell up really badly when I get bit. I have found aloe vera lotion offers more itch relief than Calamine lotion. I've also heard good things about vinegar, though I'm a little hesitant to walk around smelling like vinegar!

June currently

I'm linking up with Farley for her June currently (yay summer vacation!)


 
 1. We have started watching the first few seasons of "The Office" since the series ended recently :( The first few seasons were the best.
2. Yay for summer vacation! I am already kind of bored (lol), but I do have lots of projects I could start in on like...
3. I've got lots of stuff to do around the house this summer like landscaping, painting all interior doors, changing out hardware on doors, finishing some picture walls, and the list goes on and on.
4. The past 7 days straight we've had rain or storms. I am so ready for sunny, warm weather to make its way to our city.
5. Of course on Memorial Day I came down with a nasty cold for the last week of school. I still have head congestion but at least the sore throat and runny nose has subsided.
6. For this summer, I need lots and lots of good books (already read two this week), my camera so I can Instagram all the fun stuff and pretty sunsets and what not going on, and an awesome playlist to listen to in my car, on my patio, sitting inside watching the rain apparently lol.

May currently

Eep! Sorry it has been a month since posting. We have had some family stuff going on with my father-in-law's health and it has been very chaotic and stressful. So needless to say, my blog wasn't my first priority.

I will hopefully be getting back into regular posting soon. Tomorrow I am headed to a two-day Common Core conference and won't be back until Tuesday, so maybe after that! I miss all of you and posting regularly. But for now, I'm linking up with Farley for my May currently.

Listening: My husband and I have HGTV on in the background, which is a usual occurrence around here.

Loving: That the weather this weekend and into early next week is in the 70s and sunny

Thinking: It is midnight and I have a long day tomorrow with traveling to this conference in Chicago, packing, doing some yard work, etc.

Wanting: It to be summer vacation! One more week with my seniors and a few more weeks total to go!

Needing: A REAL vacation that involves a beach, fruity drinks, and lots of books

Summer bucket list: Because of my FIL's health situation, work around the house, and lack of moola, we won't be taking a "real" trip this year. I hope we can at least do a weekend getaway for our anniversary in July. Besides that we have two friends' weddings, and I have a bunch of CC Committee meetings to attend, as well as maybe some department meetings. Besides that (I forgot to include this above), we're starting Roxie in group classes and hope to get involved volunteering for the animal shelter where we adopted her.