What Vegetable is Used to Make Sauerkraut?

Oh the things a fourth grader will say....

Today we had a few minutes to spare before changing classes, so Mrs. Smith and I decided to play brain quest with the kids. For those of you who are unfamiliar with brain quest I will explain. Brain quest comes with a deck of cards, on the front side is a list of grade appropriate questions and the answers are on the back. We usually go around the room and ask each student a question, if they provide the right answer they get a piece of candy. This question happened to come up today.

What vegetable is used to make sauerkraut? The correct answer was cabbage.

This was the answer one of my fourth graders gave, "Mrs. Smith, I don't even know what sour crap is".

It was all I could do to not bust out laughing. My kids defiantly keep the days interesting.

Miss.Holley______________

I have successfully completed my first week of student teaching. Although this week was long and sometimes stressful, I loved it. I did not love getting up at 5:45 every morning, but boy did I love going to bed at 10:30 every night. Those little kids will wear you out. Ha. At the beginning of this week, I was so worried that I would have trouble making myself go to bed so early. Well, boy was I wrong. Most nights I was in bed way before my 11:00 bed time. As soon as my head hit the pillow I was out.

Social life? What social life. This week I did not get to see my friends very much. So far, this has been the only bad thing about student teaching. It's a very hard transition for me to make. I am used to seeing my friends everyday, but that was not the case this week. The first time we were all able to get together was last night. I sure have missed my sweet friends.

In the grand scheme of things, I am very happy with my new student teaching lifestyle. It is such a rewarding job and I feel so blessed to be where I am. I absolutely love my teacher, she is so great. My kids are wonderful and so super smart. The funny thing is, I am there to teach the students, but I have learned so much from them.

I decided Friday, while my students were waiting for there buses to be called, to go around the room and have each student tell me one thing they have learned this week and there favorite thing that happen this week. One student said that her favorite part of this week was, "Miss Holley coming back to school". Another student told me that he had learned to "do the right thing when my friends are making bad choices". This just warmed my heart and still brings tears to my eyes. This lesson that this boy remembered was something he had learned from me. In that moment, I knew this is what I am supposed to do for the rest of my life.

After school on Friday, I headed over to the school of education to attend a teachers of tomorrow, or TOT meeting. We are in charge of putting together a banquet and coming up with a theme. The theme for this year is past, present, and future. We will take a look back a teacher from the past and then have present students tell us how important and special their teachers are to them. When it comes time to feature the future teachers, we decided it would be a good idea to have a few TOT members tell what they want their future students to say about them. For example we will say, "Miss. Holley _________".

I have thought long and hard about this and I think I have finally figured it out. I want my future students to say, "Miss. Holley always believed in me and encouraged me to do my best". I sure hope those words will be spoken by one of my students one day. What an honor that would be.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

5It is Wednesday so you know what that means. It's time for What I'm Loving Wednesday with Jamie Just click on her name to link up with her.

Here's what I'm loving this Wednesday!

1. I'm loving...that it is Wednesday and we are only two days away from the weekend. It has been a long week and this girl is ready for a break.

2. I'm loving...that I got out of class early today. We are supposed to have class from 4:15-6:45, but today we got out at 4:45. Getting out of class early always makes my day. Especially after being at school with little kids all day!

3. I'm loving...these cute boppy bands I found on Etsy. Aren't they just too cute!

4. I'm loving...that I bought my last textbooks today. I will never again have to spend that much money on a book. Woohoo for that!

5. I'm loving...that I get to go home and see my sweet little girl this weekend. I have really missed her this week. We found out yesterday that she has epilepsy and I pretty much cried all day. I did not love that, but I am so thankful it is treatable and she should be okay.

6. I'm loving...my new vitamins. I hate swallowing pills, so I have never been one to take a multivitamin. Well, since I started student teaching I decided it would be a good idea to start taking one to help boost my immune system. I found these at Wal-Mart the other day and they taste super good.

7. I'm loving...that I got to spend some much needed time with my favorite person today. I have been so tired this week that I haven't been able to see him very much. I am so thankful he is so understanding. I am truly blessed.

I hope everyone has had a great Wednesday!

I Feel Like My Mother

Today was my first day back to school. My morning started off bright and early, well actually not bright because the sun wasn't up yet, at 5:45. After making breakfast and getting ready, I headed out to conquer my first day of student teaching, brown paper lunch bag and all.

After spending eight LONG hours at the elementary school, I was off to Wal-Mart to get my shopping done. I so did not want to go on this shopping trip, especially after being up on my feet all day long. However, and my pantry was empty. Therefore, I had no choice. I mean a girls got to eat right?

Once I arrived back home, it was time to conquer my favorite thing...laundry. Gross. That is the only word I can thing to describe how I feel about doing laundry. After the laundry was in the washer it was time to make supper. So I did what any tired college student would do in this same situation. I went to my freezer. Frozen food is my hero. Thank you Tyson Crispy Chicken Strips for making my life easier tonight.

With my belly full, I am now in the middle of folding my laundry and putting it away. As I was doing this I started to think about all the not so fun things I had to do today. For the first time in a long time I felt like a "real" adult. More than that, I felt like my mom. Then I started to think about how tired I was and how busy today was. I dawned on me that this is how my mother feels everyday. So there you go, I am a 21 year old, with no "real" kids, and I feel like a mom.

Now it is time for bed, I have to be well rested to handle all of my "fake" children in the morning. Even though I am very tired after teaching them all day, I can't wait to go to school in the morning and get 46 hugs. Being a student teacher is hard, but it sure is rewarding!

P.S. Pictures of my first day student teaching coming soon. Too tired to do it tonight.

Brotherly Love

Today was Baseball Media Day... so there was defiantly a lot of picture taking going on. Here are a few pictures I took of my sweet brother today. He is growing up so fast. He is sixteen and I just can't believe how grown he is. Even though we don't always see eye to eye, especially since he is a good foot taller than me, but he is my brother and I love him so much. I could not be more proud of this guy.

Baseball season is upon us and this girl is so excited! I have been traveling all over,watching my baby brother play ball for nine years now and I absolutely love it. I am so looking forward to this season! Go Warriors! Good luck Sy! I hope you have a wonderful season. Always remember to play hard and do your best! I love you!

So, onto another topic. Tomorrow is my first day back to school! WooHoo! I can't wait to get back to see all of my sweet little fourth graders; I sure have missed them. Today while I was driving back home, I realized that tomorrow I will start my last semester of college. Crazy right? My time in college has just flown by...I mean I know people say that all the time, but it is so true. Looking back, it has been the best time of my life. In college I have met my best friends, made many memories, and gotten a good education along the way. I can't wait to see what this semester has in store for me! It all begins tomorrow!

You Might Be a Student Teacher If...

You might be a student teacher if...you get excited about buying a new, cute lanyard to hold your id!

You might be a student teacher if... you spend your Saturday nights filling out job applications!

You might be a student teacher if... you look around the lunch room and realize you packed the same lunch as your students!

You might be a student teacher if...you are in bed by ten and up by 6!

You might be a student teacher if... your favorite school day is friday because that's the day you get to wear your beloved jeans!

Fill in the Blank Friday...

Happy Friday everyone! Well we have made it through another week and I am so happy that it is the weekend. I decided to link up with Lauren for fill in the blank friday. So here we go...

1. My favorite quote is..."The best thing to hold onto in life is each other"- Audrey Hepburn. I discovered this quote this year through my roommate Emily I absolutely love this quote, so much so that a few weeks ago I made this cute little canvas for my room.

2. A bad habit I have is...I have several bad habits, don't we all, but if I had to pick just one I would say it would have to be biting my fingernails. The good news about this is that I usually only do this when I am super stressed, or worried, or nervous. The bad news is I am usually stressed/nervous/worried about something 90% of the time. The other 10% I'm sleeping and I don't think I bite my fingernails in my sleep. Ha.

3. The first time I felt like a "grown up" was...Since it's my Senior year and I only have a few short months before I graduate and become a real "grown up", I try not to think about being a "grown up" all that often. However, I do feel pretty grown up when I am in my classroom with my students. There is something about writing on a white board with a dry erase marker that just screams "grown up".

4. Weekends are...Amazing! Weekends are what we teachers/college students live for. Time to relax and have fun with family and friends. Basically, weekends keep me sane.

5. When I was a child I wished my name was...my middle name, which is Amanda. I don't really know why I wanted to be called by my middle name. I guess it could've had something to do with the fact that Haley is a very common name. On the other hand, so is Amanda.

6. I wish...I knew what the future held for me. When I think about the next few months I become a little anxious. Several major decisions will have to be made and I don't like not knowing what will happen. I know that God will provide and I am trusting in Him. "For I know the plans I have for you, "declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

7. A secret I have is...don't you know? You aren't supposed to share secrets.

Happy Friday...night!

Perfect Couple?

I have wondered more than a few times about the qualities it takes to be the perfect couple. I mean really, what makes a perfect couple? Think for a minute about the couples you know...how do the act...do they look perfect to you? We all have couples in our lives who are so over the top with their love that it is sickening. Then there are those couples who are breaking up one minute and planning their wedding the next. But, then you have they "average" couples who are just trying to figure out life together, one step at a time.

So which type is better?

I will be the first to admit that my relationship is defiantly not perfect. Just like any other relationship in life, it has it's ups and downs. There are times when it really does seem perfect, then there are times when it's everything but perfect. One thing I have learned about relationships is, you will only get out of your relationship what you put into it. If you don't try to work on your problems to make things better, then they never will be. Over the past four years Willie and I have defiantly had our ups and downs, but I love him and he loves me. Those two things I know for sure. So, in summary, we may not be the perfect couple, but we are perfect for each other.

I am super excited to watch this new show called Perfect Couples. It airs tonight on NBC at 8:30/7:30 central. It looks super cute and funny.

What I'm Loving Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

I am loving...my new pink shoes. Every time I wear them I smile!

I am loving...that I will soon be headed back home to spend more time with my family and my sweet fur baby!

I am loving...my new headband and my olive green scarf!

I am loving...that all of my roommates will soon be back! I sure have missed my sweet friends!

I am loving...this sweet boy!

Family Time

I have been such a bad blogger the past few days. Allow me to explain my absence.

Saturday morning I made the thirty minute drive home to my hometown of Pontotoc. Pontotoc is a very small town...you know one of those places where everybody knows everybody. It has been my home my whole life and I absolutely love it. Lately, I have missed this sweet place.

I had only planned to stay one night and I have ended up staying three. Oh well, as the old saying goes..."we make plans and God laughs". Being at home with my family have been just what this girl needed. It has been a great time to relax and recharge my batteries. One of my favorite things about this visit has been cuddling with the girl. I sure have missed her.

Mama and I went shopping Saturday afternoon and got several cute things. I am obsessed with the new shoes I got. I will post about that soon! Let's just say they are super cute and I can't wait to wear them. When me and mama go shopping, our trips never go as planned. Our shopping goal was to find me a new pair of khakis to wear for student teaching. Well....we found the khakis and a few other things. Things that I didn't really need, but that were too cute for me not to buy. I will go ahead and admit that I have a shopping addiction.

Sunday was spent mostly at my Grandmama and Grandaddy's house. My Mamaw Bland, which would be my Grandaddy's mother has a house that is right next to my Grandparents house. She died about seventeen years ago when I was four years old. Although I was very young, I can still remember going to her house and listening to her tell me stories. She was a wonderful storyteller and she could keep me and my cousins mesmerized for hours by telling them. Sunday while I was at my Grandparents, I asked if I could go look in my Mamaw Bland's house and see if there was anything left that I might want to remember her by. To make a long story short, we ended up going to her house and spending a few hours looking around. I ended up getting a few things, my favorite being a quilt she made by hand. It is so pretty and I will cherish it forever.

You can see her house behind the tractor in this picture

Today has been filled with things that are not so much fun. This morning was made up of doctor visits and errands. This afternoon was spent in front of my computer filling out job applications. I just finished packing up to head back home tomorrow morning. This day has left me tired and greatly in need of a great nights sleep.

This short visit home has been great, but tomorrow it is back to reality for me.

Hair Drama!

Lately I have been putting a lot of thought into how I am going to wear my hair during my student teaching. My hair has given me problems ever since I was a little kid. I have naturally curly hair, with curly hair come lots of trouble. There are days that my hair looks really good and then there are days that it looks like I stuck my finger in an electrical outlet. Starting January 24, 2011 my hair needs to look professional and polished Monday through Friday. Let me tell you, this is not going to be an easy thing. No more throwing it up into a ponytail on bad hair days. In fact, there can't be anymore bad hair days once I start student teaching.

Part of my problem has to do with my laziness. I have to be at the school by 7:00, which means I would have to get up at 5:30 to shower, fix my hair, get ready, put my makeup on, and make my lunch. I do not want to get up that early. I would much rather have thirty more minutes of sleep than to have pretty hair. Yes, I know this is sad and pathetic. Oh well.

Here is the best solution to my hair woes I have come up with so far.

These little babies work wonders. By using rollers to curl my hair, I can take my showers at night and put my hair in the rollers in the morning. While my hair is in the rollers, I can put my makeup on, get dressed, and make my lunch. Doesn't that sounds just wonderful!

I tried it out this morning and I think it turned out pretty cute. What do you think?