Thrifty Thrifterson

Thrift finds from the past few weeks...

I cannot wait to have a (large, old, fabulous) house to put these treasures in! Wait, wasn't I in the same exact position last year? 

little typewriter table for $10!

Originally, I thought I would use it as a night stand, but here I am doing teacher things on it. 

My first cloth napkins!!! Swoooon!

Aaaaaaaaand More milk glass.... :D

Some cutie little felt veggies. Little did I know, these puppies are going for $50 ^ on Etsy...

Check out these suhweeet pharmacy jars! Those tags are glass.

This 1904 Victrola 300 Talking Machine (without the talking machine, or early record player)

I am going to use it as a TV stand, as our free one is now dilapidated and may not be holding a TV much longer. The middle back panel comes out, for cords and all that good stuff.

This one isn't mine, obviously, but this is what it would have looked like back in the day, before it was customized. Yeah, we will call it that. 

Found this in the cabinet!!

Also, check out these awesome fetus projects that my kids did!!! They may not look like much,  but to me, these are art projects worthy of display.

Strawberry Shampoo amniotic fluid

Until next time,

 Ollie enjoying fall

Rambling Chaos

So this past year has GOT to be the most chaotic year of my life. Hopefully for the rest of it. Since a year ago today, I:

• Finished student teaching at Red Hill (shout out to Amy, Lindy and Elizabeth!)
• Graduated from college
• Moved out of my childhood home
• Moved myself, 3 vehicles and a giant uhaul of belongings to Georgia on New Years Eve
• Moved into our first home (Moldy Number 9)
• Was a housewife for a bit
• Adopted Ollie
• Got a job at the library (hissssssss, shoutout to Christina, Grace, Amy and Karen)
• Started a Job Information Lab at the library
• Celebrated our 1 year anniversary (phewwww, the things they say about the first year are TRUE! Good and bad)
• Stumbled upon a teaching job in Illinois
• Flew home last minute on a Wednesday, Interviewed Thursday, Accepted a job on Friday, Started on Monday
• Currently I am living half time between my parents in law's home and my parents'
• Adopted a highway kitty
• Finished my first month of teaching (still smiling)
• And as of today, WE GOT PRE APPROVED TO BUY A HOUSE!
• Tomorrow I am looking at my first home with a realtor

These may seem like tiny, simple steps to people who have been adults for a while, but I'm a newby, and this is big stuff to us. Pray for my sanity and anxiety levels. We want a small-medium old old old house (pre 1940's). I'm a sucker for some dark hardwood floors, giant molding, wear and tear patina, plaster walls, floor to ceiling windows, you just can't replicate those things. Here is the house we are looking at tomorrow. It may not lead anywhere, chances are it won't, but it being the first house I am looking at, it's a milestone. To a normal person, it would be like buying your first car. It's THAT much of an obsession. Swooooon. 

Are you in love yet? I am.

In other news, I went to the good ol' Altamont flea market last weekend and picked up some treasures!

$5 Fabulous Frame!

$5 Fishing basket for my love. It kind of has a decorative quality, doesn't it? Hmmm the things I could do....

Some things I am pining over but could not afford at the moment....

This beeeeeauty is $225 and I am DYING for a glass door hutch to display my collection of milk glass. Cue single tear.

I love this guy. I am not a fan of new appliances, and yes, I know how weird that is. I just don't need the gadgets and popcorn/potato buttons on everything. Plus it has a built in deep fryer! (this is a plus to Jordan, a minus for me. I think that's disgusting.)

Here is my previously mentioned highway kitty:

Before/After (1 week)

Now (1 week 2 days)

I found little Blue on the way to work. Bright an early at 6:30 am on a Monday morning. She's pretty lucky I had my eyes open enough to even see her. I was on old highway 40 and came up on the Blue Mound bar, about 2 miles from my house. I saw a little black thing stumbling in the road, getting blown around by semis and motorhomes. I thought it was a rat, and was initially grossed out to the max. Then I saw it was a kitty and had a mini heartattack. I whipped into a driveway and turned around and scooped her up. When I say she was 2 seconds from getting smashed, I mean it. When I grabbed her, I was shocked and disgusted, it looked like she had no eyeballs. There was a white lid covering them and green goo seeping out. So I raced her home, Cindy, Jay and I doctored her up and made her a nursery on the screened in porch. She blindly was climbing everything in (not) sight. We knew she was a little spunk from the start. 2 days later I took her to the vet and she has been on medicine ever since and is healing beautifully! All 5 weeks and 8oz of her. I originally was going to give her away. You can see how far I got with that. 

Last weekend I took some fall pictures of Ollie, she's such a good model!

Thank you for reading my rambling, chaotic life.

Until next time.

First Week of First Year: Check.

Week 1: Done.

After a very nice weekend, I started my first ever week of teaching in my own classroom. 

Breakdown

Monday: Did paperwork and got fingerprinted. 

Stress level: low

Tuesday: Sat in on the sub (who was so helpful) and dug into my classroom and started to go through things. Getting first day materials ready.

Stress level: moderate

Wednesday: First day of "class". Made it to school by 6:30 am. Did presentation on myself, classroom boundaries, words of wisdom etc. Played a few get to know you games. Then I really started digging into planning curriculum. Panic sets in. She was teaching things I don't really understand nor thing the kids need to be learning in Foods I. I'm talking esophagus juices and all. So thank God for Amy Moan, who sent me some presentations I was familiar with so I could have something to teach until I get a grip. 

Stress level: raging hormonal hunger and exhaustion and overwhelmingly lost

Thursday: Checked book numbers, went through a few more cabinets, met some teacher friends and hung posters. (posters were printed off Pinterest and laminated, teacher cheapo chic) graded papers and entered grades. 

Stress level: so overwhelmed I had to go to pass out and put it off.

Friday: Started presentations and actual lessons. The kids took a few notes, we had awesome discussions. The weird part was the second I started teaching, actually teaching, the stress washed away and I felt the rush of being in front of a class and seeing all of those brains working and processing new information. It is truly a moment that only a teacher can love and be comforted by. People tell me all the time that I won't understand having children until I am a mother and things like that, which I totally agree with and look forward to. Teaching is a little like that. You stress, prep, copy, laminate, cut, tape, type, hole punch, write, panic, start over, throw away the 50 rough drafts, grade, grade again, grade again, write down grades, enter grades, I could go on and on. But when you see the eyes on you and know that as an FCS teacher, especially, that they have not learned this before, it truly is a proud and fulfilling moment. It's a puzzle piece that falls into place. Those are my kids and I already love them. I get choked up thinking about them, which is just me being psycho and emotionally insane, but I take it seriously. In my care I have 15-22 kids at one time (89 total throughout the day). These kids are someone's entire world. I get the gravity of that, and I try my hardest to treat them how I want my nephew and future children to be treated.

Stress level: changed to positive motivation

Ignore my sappy emotional outpouring. Blame it on being away from my husband and puppy child and all of my things. I'm a little unstable but getting better. Most of all I am so incredibly happy and relieved and thankful for this crazy life. 

Here are some pics of my very first classroom.

I lied. These are TEACHER KEYS

It's a work in progress. That clutter has to go. Like soon. But I figured the kids are the first priority so anal retention and organization will wait. Gah.

I miss this girl more than words can say. Jordan sent me these today.