Pottery Barn Friends and Family

I am so excited about the Pottery Barn Friends and Family 2009 sale this coming weekend! October 15 – 17th (or 18th?) I called the Pottery Barn store and they confirmed that the F&F begins on th 15th.

Pottery Barn is my absolute favorite store, but I’ve been waiting for their Friends and Family sale. We are purchasing a standing lamp, table lamp, console table and a few other things. Since we moved, Pottery Barn sent us a moving coupon as well!

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Thanksgiving Preparations Begin

We love Thanksgiving! It will be our first Thanksgiving in our new home. We bought this (minus that last name) for our front window:

From Etsy Shop: Ragdoll722   It came today and it is beautiful!!

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A message in media

During the week, I have the television set to wake me up at 5:30. I like to wake up to the news. This weekend, I forgot to take the alarm off and the tv woke me up today.

With my eyes closed, I heard: “For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” The whole verse was read, but I heard this part clearly (2 Timothy 1:7)

And that’s been on mind all morning today. Powerful message sent to my thick skull.

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Why Not Having Ken Made a Feminist…

As a child I loved Barbie. The blonde haired beauty was dressed and played with everyday. No one can deny that my love of fashion came as early as my Barbie days, but what if other things in my mind were shaped back then too? Although I owned ten or more Barbies, I was never given a Ken doll.

I remember flipping the pages of the Sears catalog to pick out dresses and accessories for Barbie. Folding down pages and making lists of Barbie’s needs was a favorite past time. I remember wanting the Barbie sports car and of course the coveted Barbie mansion (even at a young age I wanted the house). Yet, I don’t recall ever wanting or asking for a Ken doll. New Barbies were bought for me by my godmother and brothers yet, somehow my fashion doll didn’t receive a mate. I became aware of this when an older neighbor brought her Barbie collection over. My neighbor was a bit older and had the coveted mansion. I gladly played with it when she brought it over. Once night she decided to leave the plastic house overnight because we had everything set up. As soon as she left, I took Ken out of the house and placed him on another table so that Barbie could enjoy her domain.

Something about Ken turned me off – maybe it was that he didn’t real hair. Maybe I never felt that Barbie didn’t need him. Even now I find it surprising that Ken’s clothing and shoes didn’t interest me, but maybe that’s because Barbie was just so fascinating.

Other post about feminism & my childhood

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This weekend

I am looking forward to a wonderful weekend of setting up our home and getting rid of boxes. We also are expected at a family party on Saturday.

Sunday is Brooklyn’s Atlantic Antic and I’m excited about meeting up with old friends and enjoying the street festival! Also there is a 3rd Avenue Festival in Bay Ridge on Sunday.

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Build a Room from something you love

Decorating tip: I find it easy to choose paint colors and furniture after I have an idea for the room. Usually, my ideas come from something I love. I purchased this large plate from Pier 1 because I loved the colors that were in it. I then built our dining room around those colors.

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Life is moving fast!

It’s October! I can’t believe I have been a home owner for a month now. It’s exciting, a bit overwhelming and fun! The new house is beautiful, comfortable and just so right. It’s also a lot of work and I go to bed tired almost every night. Last night, I laid on the bed and look up at the stars over the Verrazano Bridge. What an amazing view to have before falling asleep.

Closing up and moving out of the place I used to live was bittersweet. Having an absentee landlord has it’s benefits, but mostly it’s downfalls because doing work on a home you don’t own seems fruitless. I painted the place before we left because I wanted it to look fresh and hopes she finds a new tenant soon. My parents rented property and I remember many years of painting and cleaning up after tenants who left. I didn’t want to leave my elderly land lady with an apartment that needed a lot of work.

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Amazing!

We primed and painted after covering the wood floors well. The house is coming along nicely.

We put wainscoting upstairs. I am totally in love with the wainscoting (pics soon when I get some furniture in).

A friend came over to the place tonight. This friend has INCREDIBLE taste. She told me that my place was GORGEOUS! It was just what I need to hear.

Another friend said that my new neighborhood rains Skittles. Life is sweet over here :)   

 Life is simply amazing…..I am overwhelmed by God’s Grace.

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Moving Discount ~ New Homeowner Discount

If you are moving or have purchased a new home, you can get 10% off moving coupons to use in several home and furnishing stores. Everyone knows that someone who is buying furniture needs a discount – every little bit helps.

• Lowes sign up online. Coupon comes in the mail in about a week.

• Home Depot  sign up online. Coupon comes in about 2 weeks

• West Elm – change your address in their computer to get the catalog & get a coupon too 1.888.922.4119

• Pottery Barn -change your address, get 10% off coupon 1-888-779-5176

• Restoration Hardware – let them know you moved & they send 10% off coupon

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The Night Before the First Day of School

This is my 15th “first day of school” as a teacher. I’m sure many veteran teachers think I should be used to it by now, but I’m not. I am excited and nervous for the first day and I’m still up at 2:00 a. m.

While we spent the day setting up a classroom, the night I spend alone – praying and preparing. I imagine I could go to sleep because I am so tired, but this is a ritual night for me. I reread many old stories I’ve heard about teaching and I try to renew my spirit for the new year. Patience is always something I strive to have, but often fall short of it. I’m thinking since this is “my year,” God may give me a couple of extra scoops of patience. I’m thanking Him in advance for an abundance of patience.

This morning, I will be meeting the most valuable possession of many families. I often tell the students that they are like a bar of gold to their families. I take my responsibility as a teacher seriously. Many people believe teaching is a profession that I choose, but I think “real teachers” believe that it’s a profession which choose them. I love teaching and watching a classroom of 30+ kids learn what I taught them. It’s powerful and very rewarding. I am lucky to get paid for doing something I love to do.

An interesting teacher story: What Do Teachers Make? by: Taylor Mali (thanks James)

The dinner guests were sitting around the table discussing life. One man, a CEO, decided to explain the problem with education.

He reminded the other dinner guests what they say about teachers: ‘Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach.’

He argued, ‘What’s a kid going to learn from someone who decided his best option in life was to become a teacher?’

To emphasize his point he said to another guest; ‘You’re a teacher, Bonnie. Be honest. What do you make?’

Bonnie, who had a reputation for honesty and frankness replied, ‘You want to know what I make?

(She paused for a second, then began…)

· ‘Well, I make kids work harder than they ever thought they could.

· I make a C+ feel like the Congressional Medal of Honor.

· I make kids sit through 40 minutes of class time when their parents can’t make them sit for 5 without an I Pod, Game Cube or movie rental.

You want to know what I make?’ (She paused again and looked at each and every person at the table.)

· ”I make kids wonder.

· I make them question.

· I make them apologize and mean it.

· I make them have respect and take responsibility for their actions.

· I teach them to write and then I make them write.

· Keyboarding isn’t everything.

· I make them read, read, read.

· I make them show all their work in math. They use their God-given brain, not the man-made calculator.

· I make my students from other countries learn everything they need to know in English while preserving their unique cultural identity.

· I make my classroom a place where all my students feel safe.

· I make my students stand, placing their hand over their heart to say the
Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag, One Nation Under God, because we live in the United States of America .

I make them understand that if they use the gifts they were given, work hard, and follow their hearts, they can succeed in life.’

(Bonnie paused one last time and then continued.)

‘Then, when people try to judge me by what I make, with me knowing money isn’t everything, I can hold my head up high and pay no attention because they are ignorant… You want to know what I make?

I MAKE A DIFFERENCE. What do you make Mr. CEO?’

His jaw dropped, he went silent.

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Labor Day

Labor Day means the start of school is here. I am excited to begin a new year. This will be my 15th year teaching and I smile when I think about meeting a whole new set of excited 6th graders. Many people like to think of January 1st as a time for a new year. For me, the start of school and the leaves falling gently from trees is a sign of a new year.

This morning, I went to Staples and bought bulletin board paper, borders, tissues and folders to give to my my students on their first day of school. Staples just opened, but I could hear the excitement of the kids and parents in the store. When I stepped outside of Staples, a gush of autumn took me by surprise.

So even if you aren’t part of a “back to school” team, give yourself a fresh start this autumn and have a great year!

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National Grid I Love You

We have an old house and it has an old gas burner/furnance . We were going to have it checked out by a plumber, but they are pretty expensive for a basic check/cleaning. I mean nothing is wrong with my burner, the heat works, but I remember family members getting theirs cleaned/checked every year. I called several plumbers and they all wanted to charge $35 to come and look and then $250 to clean it. I called National Grid to ask what they recommend and SCORE – there is an exisiting contract for repairs on it through National Grid. We have an appointment for Cleaning on Thursday (someone canceled so there was an opening). Customer service rep at National Grid was super sweet.

If you are a new home owner in Brooklyn, you can call 1-877-600-GRID and ask if there is an existing contract. Be aware that they will not take non-emergency service calls from October to January as they are handling emergencies then.

Update: 10/14: Great service from National Grid. They were here about 20-30 minutes cleaning and talking to me. I got the paperwork for the service contract as mine will expire in February. National Grid’s service contract costs: $243.00 plus $21.57 for tax Total: $264.57 And it covers most parts, the cost of any repairs needed for the year and a tune up.

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