Ding dong the bells are gonna ring!

Today is my sister's wedding!  She's going to marry this awesome guy, and we're all excited for her and their new adventure!!

I told them they needed a social media tag, so search #alaoweiandkellie if you want to see more pictures!  ;)  You're especially going to want to see me in my fabulous African wedding clothes.  I have never felt so beautiful!  (Okay, except maybe on my own wedding day!)

High school students walk out over dress code

Have you heard about the students who walked out of class in protest of the dress code being enforced at Homecoming?  You can read it here if you haven't. 

At first I was interested in this because I used to teach high school. . . and then I looked closer and realized I used to teach AT THIS high school!  So, my thoughts:

I don't think it's a modesty issue.  Regardless of what you believe about modesty, the administration still has the right to make rules regarding the styles of clothing the students can wear to the dance.  Notice I didn't say "dresses" because the boys should be dressed according to the standards as well, it's just that I haven't see a lot of backless suits or dress shirts.  I'm sure they have rules about pants being at the waist, but sagging pants isn't really the style at Bingham right now, so probably not an issue. 

But, like I said, they can make the rules what ever they want (you know, with in reason).  And they announced those rules and tried to make sure that everyone knew them.  How do I know this?  Because I worked there and I know how they do.  But I also know that a lot of kids don't pay attention to things they don't care about, and rules usually fall into that category. 

Add to that, that in the past Bingham hasn't been the best at enforcing the dress code at dances.  I know this because I would be the ticket taker, someone would walk in wearing a strapless dress (against the rules that year) and we were told to let it slide.  They're going to wear what they want, and we don't want to turn people away after they paid for tickets.  Enforcing a dress code is hard!

Why enforce it this year?  This is the first dance of the year and along with that a new student body president and vice presidents.  They have a lot of say in this kind of thing.  Also, there may be new admins (I don't know personally) Maybe they're trying to start off on the right foot.  Or maybe dresses have been an issue in the past and they've decided to take a stand this year.  But what ever the reason, they've decided to really enforce it this year.

It sucks, I'm sure, to not get to go to a dance you were really looking forward to.  It also sucks to tell someone they can't go into a dance and to face that wrath.  I guess I'm saying, I'm on the side of the admin here.  If it's been done differently in the past, doesn't mean it has to be done that way for all of time.  And if going to the dance is that important to a student, they need to follow the rules.  Dress code, not going drunk, not fighting, dancing appropriately etc. . . all of the rules. 

September Slumber Soiree: A blogger event

Back in like May, Aubrey mentioned the idea of having an all night blogger event/party.  Because we like to stay and visit long after blog round tables or blog meet ups, it only made sense that bloggers would enjoy an all night party to talk about our favorite thing: BLOGGING!

The location was GORGEOUS!  I drove up with Ashley from A to Z and we made pretty good time!  Except that my directions from map quest were kind of wonky and I was worried we were lost a time or two, Ashley kept her head and she has a great sense of direction!

I started eating like as soon as we walked in the door!  And then we had dinner (Cafe Rio copycat salad with actual CR dressing. . . Mmmmmm!)  I limited myself to three very small Dr Peppers in hopes that I might sleep that night.

First in line because I know how to break the ice!

FOOD!

See how tiny the cups were!  But soooo cute!!

After dinner photo booth shoot

After dinner we all introduced ourselves and had a short blogging discussion about growing your blog.

Sierra, Laura, Ashley, me and Kyla at the bottom :)

Then the sweet, wonderfully funny Jen did Aubrey's makeup while teaching us about her favorite products and techniques.  Seriously, finding her blog was one of the best things about this trip, she is the cutest!!

This is what dirt does in your pores

After the makeup we did a quick photo shoot with our Agnes and Dora leggings.

Pretending to laugh made us actually laugh.

What?  You can't see the leggings enough?  Here!!!

Eek!  Leggings aren't pants, I really wished I had a tunic top!!

Amberly and I were like dozing off during the pictures, so we headed to bed, or so we thought!  Let's just say that the white noise was not enough to drown out the sound of ten other people having way more fun that us ;)  But I kept telling myself that even though I couldn't sleep, it was better than trying to sit at the table and paint my nails.  I am just a girl who NEEDS sleep.  If not, I cry and I'm suuuuper grumpy.  Just ask my family how sweet I was upon returning home :)

Saturday was my favorite day, despite feeling a little dizzy in need of sleep.  We had breakfast by Flippin' Waffles and it was AMAZING!  Seriously, like dessert for breakfast. 

This was not mine, but it looks just like the one I had.

The cute LauraAnn of Flippin Waffles.  I reeeaaly want to have her cater a party at my house.  Can anyone give me a reason to have a party???

Then Amberly lead the best discussion about sponsoring blogs, ever.  I want to send her all the products from my shop and pay her to promote me.  She's just so good at it.  AND!  She showed us her blog planner and I'm psyched to implement something similar for my blog and shop and social medias.  I think it will be like my teaching days when I used to schedule my lesson plans out for the week.  And I really miss that, for some reason :)

We had lunch and then finished up with a Q and A round table discussion about anything and everything blogging related.

Lunch!!  Because I love eating and I was the first in line again!

After the Q and A.  I look like a corpse.

Ashley and I left at 2:30 and I sang all the way home to avoid falling asleep at the wheel!!  Eeek, I was exhausted, but seriously it was so fun!!  I can't wait for next year, but I might have to find a hotel nearby, hee hee. 

All pictures in this post are compliments of Kaycie, who was our photographer for the weekend.  She seriously rocks!!!

And thanks to our other sponsors not yet mentioned:
Ready or Not Blog
Hello Maypole
Livy Loves to Run
Dandylion Design Studio
Xtend Barre Provo
Start Flower Skincare
Julie Ann Caramels

September: summer month or fall month???

Summer stuff and. . .

. . . fall stuff!!  On the same day!  (Last year)

When I first started blogging three years ago it seems like everyone was like "OMG FALL!!!"  And now people are all "Long live summah!"  and I'm saying this:

September.  It can be what you want it to be.

If you lurve summer, you can still enjoy summer activities, especially hiking and going to the park.  It's wonderful that it's cooled down enough to enjoy these things a little bit more.  I need 100 degrees to swim, so I don't think I'd be down with a trip to the pool, but if you don't mind 75 degree swims, go for it!

If you're a fall person like me (I am a summer person too!  But I'm so done after July 24th.  Summer is just soooo busy and I'm a relaxed kind of person) do your fall stuff!  Apples are especially wonderful in fall.  Make homemade apple sauce, maybe an apple pie.  Drive up the mountains to see the leaves change and wear boots on rainy days.  Oh, and of course, decorate your house with pumpkins!  I'm taking Olivia to the pumpkin patch next week just to pick out a few for the house.

So I just want to say it again, September can be what you want it to be!!!!

The end.

What would you do with $20 of school supplies!?!?!

It's time for September's What Would You Do link up!! Brought to you by Aubrey and myself.

Guys, I've been blogging so much lately, but I just haven't gotten around to finishing many posts, so someday you'll get just a flood of them.  Until then, you know I'll at least be cranking out my scheduled posts, like today's!  Today we're talking "What would you do with $20 to spend on school supplies?" 

I would send you a bouquet of sharpened pencils if I knew your name and address.  Huh?  You've heard that one before?  Well shoot, looks like I have to come up with something else. . .

Speaking of sharpened pencils, I did need a pencil sharpener, so I grabbed this little guy at Target last week.  It filled the criteria of being small (I don't have an office so I just need it to fit in a probably already crowded cupboard) and inexpensive (on sale for four dollars!).  It did not fill the criteria of being great, but it gets the job done for now.  We'll see how often I actual use it, and then maybe I'll trade up.

Also, drafting patterns for my etsy shop has turned out to be easier and more fun than I thought it would be.  And to think I stayed away from the Pattern Making class at BYU because it scared me!  Well, I really could have used some help, so dang it I should have taken it.  Aside from that though, I needed a place to keep all my patterns I was drafting, so I grabbed some Up and Up (miss you, old Target brand!  Up and up will never replace you!) manila 6"x9" envelopes for 2.19 a pack (x3) 

So where we at now? 10.57 before tax. Tax will be less than a dollar, so let's just say I have 19 dollars to spend. I obviously am throwing this post together at the last minute.  I have about 8.50 remaining.

I'm babysitting my niece and nephews this week, so I can't run to the store (oops, I really did wait too long this month!) but I know I would blow the rest of that money on Crayola goodness.  How about two packs of markers (one for Olivia and one for me!) and the big box of crayons?  I once wrote a letter to Olivia about Crayola crayons you can read here. 

Do you just love school supplies in September???  It's one of my most favorite things!

(ALSO, in an unrelated note, I am giving away $35 dollars to my etsy shop, along with some gorgeous other prizes @oilostudio on instagram.  You just gotta enter!!)

An InLinkz Link-up

Five Little Confessions: My phone

 

Once a month Aubrey, Carrie, Jacquelyn and I team up to bring you the 5 Little Confessions link up!  You can confess anything your little heart desires.  And link up!

I think that I am going to be the LITERAL last person on earth to own a smart phone.  I've got to be getting close.  It seems like every day a facebook friend is announcing their first smart phone.  Not this girl. . .

1. I don't have a smart phone, just a little flip phone.

2. I hate getting stuck in group texts because they don't make any sense to me on my phone.  They each come as an individual text and so I don't know who is talking to who.

3. If you send me a link, I'll try and text it to my email.  If that doesn't work I'll ask you to email me the link :)

4. I instagram from my iPad.  I would say that ghetto, but I don't think you'll see that many iPads in the ghetto. 

Photo credit: @ericstonestreet on instagram

5. Even though I would love an iPhone (or Adam says he would only let me have a droid) I figure what's the point since I'm mostly home all the time.  My iPad and laptop can do everything I need them to do, I just need my phone to be a phone.

An InLinkz Link-up

Missing school?

After some searching, I think this is one of the only pictures I have of me as a "teacher"!  At lunch with some students after a competition.

Do you know that if I didn't quit teaching, I would be about to start my EIGHTH YEAR???  That is crazy to me. 

When it comes to teaching, it's funny what I miss.  And what I don't miss.

-What I miss MOST is writing the subjects of the lessons in my weekly lesson planner.  This is so funny to me!  What a weird thing to miss. 
-I miss my students!  I loved them.  Before Olivia was born they were my whole world.  After Olivia, it's true, I couldn't give them as much as I felt they needed.  This helped soften the blow when I quit.
-I miss lecturing.  And if you think that sounds boring, well then you should have been in my lectures!  The other day I told my sister all about Christian Dior's "New Look" and how it was a rebound from the masculine style of the 1940's during WWII.  I just love interior design and fashion!
-Grading papers while watching Hulu.  While grading papers isn't my most favorite thing, catching up on Once Upon a Time while I do it was kinda nice.  Obviously I could only do design papers.  If it was anything I had to read, I needed quiet.
-Awards and recognition.  Yeah, I got a lot ;)

I guess here's another picture of me as a teacher.  I look kind of chubby, and I certainly was.  But I also like to think it's because I was pregnant and didn't know it yet.  This is Jordan Shumway presenting me with an award for Teacher All Star Team.  Best award I ever got.

What I DON'T miss
-Meetings.  When you get 100+ people in a group there is no such thing as short meeting.
-Hoops. One year we all had to work in PLCs (something learning community) with other teachers that taught our subject.  Guess how many interior design teachers there were at Bingham?  Just me.  Also we had to fill out these giant portfolios and get evaluated twice a year, but basically were told "Don't worry, it's really hard to get fired". 
-Expectations to work long hours with out pay.  Someone once said "FACS teachers are the first to arrive and the last to leave" and I was like "HECK no.  When 3pm hits, I'm peacing out of this place." 
-Freezing.  Absolutely FREEZING.  My fingers would get numb while typing on my computer during my prep period.  I wanted to wear cute pencil skirts to work, but mostly I wore as much clothing as possible.  I was always cold.  Except that one year when the heat would turn on at noon and my last period class would all get fevers.

Happy back to school tomorrow!  (Or last week, or the week before, because I swear school starts earlier every year)