A new Ball for Doc

Our wonderful dog Doc has a problem. He is addicted to his one and only toy, Blue Ball. He will play with it all day, take a nap and play with it so more. He loves his ball. We are not trying to deprive him of all the wonderful things Pet Smart has to offer, but he will destroy any toy with a soft fuzzy exterior. Also he loves to play hide and seek with himself. He will hide his toy and then try to go and find it again. This is hilarious and fun for everyone but he will hide his toys under our couch and will not be able to get them back out which causes him to cry and scratch at the couch- not fun for anyone. So in order for Doc to have a toy it has to meet 2 requirements- no fabric, and must be large enough to not fit under our couch. So far Blue Ball is the only toy that meets the criteria and is fun for Doc to play with, however his old ball was quickly becoming a stinky, gross ball full of slobber and falling apart- it had to be replaced. We went to Pet Smart and replaced Blue Ball and Doc couldn't be happier! He couldn't wait until we got home to start the fun! 

P.S. He will bite your face off if you try to take his Blue Ball!!

Sorry for the long post about my dog, but I don't have children yet so Doc is my source of motherly attention and entertainment.

Updating the Nest

I hear that when a woman becomes pregnant she feels an overwhelming urge to "nest". Well I'm not pregnant but I have this feeling constantly. It may be the design instinct I have, but I am always looking for new and exciting things to accessorize my home with. Whether it's new annual flowers, changing out pictures in frames or just getting new pieces, I always want change. I'm a visual person and am in constant need for something interesting to look at. Mr. Grubbs is slowly beginning to understand this OCD part of my being, and he is a good sport about it.

So here are the latest additions to the Grubbs' house:

A new rug for the living room. Our previous one was soft and fuzzy on your feet but it caught tons of crumbs. So we have added this gorgeous brown rug with orange and gold vintage inspired designs. P.S.- Orange is my new favorite color!

I have also added a new arrangment to the floating shelf above our TV. I found these fun, coral frames at Pier 1 (a place that isn't always my favorite, but I find some funky stuff every now and then). Again, Mr. Grubbs has a great sense of style himself, but I think I scare him sometimes with the items and ideas I come up with. Compromise, compromise, and more compromise. Along with the frames I added 2 vases of colorful fruit since our walls are a dark bronze they needed a pop of color. Then my father-in-law's flag is fittingly paired with a gold sailboat- he was a Naval Seal.

Your home should be another expression of you, and we are always evolving, so your home should too! I feel a renewed love for my home and I can't wait to add more stuff, sorry Mr. Grubbs!

Love Notes

I can't help but think that I have been given the life I have for a reason. I have been married to my best friend for 2 years. My husband and I met after our our older siblings dated. He was my first boyfriend as we began our journey together in the 10th grade. We got married after 7 years of dating. We survived 4 years of college and 3 years of High school. I helped him through the sudden loss of his father, as he helped my through the loss of an aunt, a Grandmother, and a Grandfather. He is my entire world. One of the best pieces of advice we received when we got married was to remember that we are each other's family, that no matter what happens we have each other to turn to, and to always turn to one another first.

Sometimes I think that there is no way that I could exist without him. He is the one who carries me when I can't take another step, and he comforts me when I feel like there is nothing positive around. To say I love this man is a complete understatement and will never do justice to what we have. I think about these amazing thoughts and feelings as I read about another couple that seems to have the same bond. Stephanie and Christian are a great couple that I have come to know through Stephanie's blog . They have an amazing family of four. She is a creative woman who chronicles her family's life online. Sadly just as I "met" this family they were struck with tragedy. Stephanie and her husband were in a plane crash a couple weeks ago and are in very critical condition. Even in this trying time they are together. They are surviving together and mending themselves together. 

I almost want to say that it is better that they were both in the crash, only because I don't believe I could handle anything that difficult without my husband. I am a stronger person because of him and without that, I don't think I could bear the pain.  Reading about them has made me truly appreciate what I have been given. My family, my health, and my husband. He is a wonderful man who takes better care of me than any one person deserves, and he does it selflessly. I'm a grateful, loved and compassionate person because I have him in my life. 

Boots to the Face!

After my lovely friend Lesley posted a blog about this wonderful British company, Boots, that has great botanical skincare products I decided that I would take them for a spin. They are now available at Target Stores, so on one of my many visits I decided to try a couple of their products. I have been a avid user of Olay skincare for about 4 years and was a little worried about straying but I thought I would give it a shot. Boots carries several lines of cosmetics and skincare, I chose from the Botanics Line which boasts natural, plant extracts to help your skin glow.

I tried their Moisturizing Deep Clean Foam cleanser. It has a refreshing, clean scent and it leaves my skin feeling clean without being drying out. Very refreshing! It also works well on removing all make-up traces too!

I also picked up the Skin Brightening Toner. I really like this one. It doesn't give you the stinging alcohol burn like most toners. It too has a clean scent and leaves skin subtle and not tight like some toners do. 

Since I too was out of mascara I picked up their Lash Defining Mascara in Black. This mascara actually does define your lashes without clumping. At first I didn't even think there was anything on the brush because it is so light-weight.

I recommend any of their products to try. It is nice to have some products to choose from instead of the usual synthetic stuff. Boots can be found at Target Stores and CVS.

Holy Crap, my side HURTS

I was treated to a date night with the husband on Friday night. After a romantic gym visit, a delicious protein shake for dinner, and a well deserved shower (did I mention we are on a get-fit kick?) we made our way to the movie theater for a couple laughs. We decided to go see Ben Stiller's new movie Tropic Thunder. It also stars Robert Downey Jr, Jack Black, Nick Nolte, and a few others. It is about a group of actors who are filming a war movie, but mistakenly end up in a Vietnamese drug camp. The best part of the whole movie is the beginning scenes. I'm not going to give them away but make sure you are in your seats on time. I definitley recommend the astronomical ticket prices to see it.

P.S. We can now only use our old, cracked and out-of-date Student IDs for discounts on Thursdays. So much for trying to relive the Glory Days and save a couple bucks.

Seriously??

res·o·lu·tion

1.	a formal expression of opinion or intention made, usually after voting, by a formal organization, a legislature, a club, or other group.

2.	a resolve or determination: to make a firm resolution to do something.

3.	the act of resolving or determining upon an action or course of action, method, procedure, etc.

4.	the mental state or quality of being resolved or resolute; firmness of purpose.

5.	the act or process of resolving or separating into constituent or elementary parts.

6.	the resulting state.

7.	Optics. the act, process, or capability of distinguishing between two separate but adjacent objects or sources of light or between two nearly equal wavelengths.

8.	a solution, accommodation, or settling of a problem, controversy, etc.

9.	Music. a. the progression of a voice part or of the harmony as a whole from a dissonance to a consonance. b. the tone or chord to which a dissonance is resolved.

10.	reduction to a simpler form; conversion.

11.	Medicine/Medical. the reduction or disappearance of a swelling or inflammation without suppuration.

12.	the degree of sharpness of a computer-generated image as measured by the number of dots per linear inch in a hard-copy printout or the number of pixels across and down on a display screen. Why is this idea so difficult to come by these days?

1/5 Down, 4/5 to go...

Hooray!!! I finished my second class towards my Master's in Education Degree. I'm getting closer to that bonus...

Sweet Freckle Goodness

Rest and Relaxation are two things I cannot get enough of. I'm not a party, go out every night kind of person, but I am married to one. So when I get a chance to do something calm and cool I jump at it. I have always wanted to try a facial. I have gone to spas and had the massages and mani & pedi go 'rounds but never the facial. One morning on my extremely short drive to work I heard of a new skin care spa that had opened near me that was running a grand opening special- 2 50min facials for $49!!! Holy Crap, that's cheap!- I screamed to myself, and I immediately called and booked an appointment. I went on the weekend right after school started- needless to say I craved some quiet time. 

I got my freckles pampered at FaceLogic. It was a great experience. During each mask or treatment I was treated to a massage- face, arms, hands, scalp, and shoulders :) I feel lighter, brighter and refreshed. The salon was simply modern and serene. I highly recommend it to anyone!

Mrs. Grubbs' Room

School is in it's 3rd day in the City of Marietta and things are starting to calm down. New students are finding their way around, parents are learning the procedures and teachers are finally used to getting up early! As another year starts I get the opportunity to re-decorate my classroom. This is the first year that I am returning to the same school and classroom so I got to really think about how I wanted to set everything up- in the past I had to throw everything together a week before school started. So all summer I planned out exactly what I needed and how I could make my room the most fun to look at- hopefully inspiring my students to be as creative as possible. Elementary school is so fun to teach because you get free reign to use lots of fun, colorful things! Since I have the pleasure of teaching every student in the school, I have a large room with lots of storage. Which also creates a problem- how to organize it so I can store every student's artwork and get to any supply when needed. I got some great ideas from other Art teachers and I think I have finally put everything in its place!

Here is my Art room! The lanterns are from my sister-in-law Ashley. They have a wonderful glow when the lights are out. The small lanterns serve as table numbers. I have 6 student tables. The back of the room is a reading area that I use with the younger students. I also have bulletin boards that showcase information about the different artists we discuss.

These are my wonderful storage cabinets. The cards at the top of the wall display vocabulary words that the students have mastered. The Art Prints showcase common themes in art. Everyday supplies are located in the cabinets and drawers. I am also lucky to have two sinks to wash the dirty kids in!

These are the bins that I put the supplies for each grade level project in. With 450 kids coming through the door you have to be organized or you'll end up with a dirty, cluttered room. And anyone who knows me, knows I can't breathe with clutter around.

This is my desk. I found this adorable print fabric at Ikea and made the curtains. Our school colors just so happen to be blue and yellow!

Close-up of my reading area. One bulletin board highlights an artist each month. The boards on the right show artist birthdays for the month and a map of where different artists were born.

I love my room and my school. I work with wonderful teachers and am supported by the best PTA and parents ever! They are there for us, supporting us at all times. School is a huge part of our little one's lives and making it as fun as possible is my goal. Thanks for visiting Mrs. Grubbs' class!

Tastes Like Chicken

Living in historic downtown Marietta is always eventful. Whether it's a free concert on the lawn, craft festivals, or just a walk around the Square with some ice cream to past time, there is something to do no matter what. So after our breakfast, Erik and I took Doc for a walk to admire the interesting Art installations on display. Several different companies, groups, and sponsors designed "Big Chickens" to advertise their service or interest. The sculptures are about 5 feet tall and were done in a variety of different ways. So here are a couple of my favorites that are located in the middle of the Square:

Oh Scarlet!

Sponsored by the Marietta Daily Journal

(Newspaper-mache)

Good Ol' Marietta

Cobb County Animal Shelter- I think

Doc loved them too!

Saturday Mornings on the Square

I LIVE for Saturday mornings. They are the best time of the week. You get to sleep in with no alarm clock, and my husband and I get to have breakfast together- even if it is at 11a. We love going to eat at one of two places on the Marietta Square: Sugar Cakes or Three Bears Cafe. Sugar Cakes is a wonderful french bistro headed by a former Ritz Carlton pastry chef. They have yummy pastries and delicious quiches. I recommend the Continental Breakfast- choice of 2 pastries, fruit and OJ. Three Bears has a unique menu. Lots of organic, "granola"type food- excellent for vegetarians. I LOVE the french toast and the raspberry, white chocolate scone.

This Saturday we went to Three Bears with our little furry one. We sat and enjoyed the sunshine and the Creative Loafing Crossword. A perfect way to start the day!

Back to School

Today was the first day of school and as always it was full of excitement, chaos, and pure madness. I'm not sure exactly what happens to parents on this day but a curious black hole enters their brain. They forget that not only is it their child's first day of school but everyone else's as well. Please don't get me wrong, I love that parents are so excited about their little ones going to school for the first time however we must remember that school is a place of rules and procedures for a reason- THE SAFETY OF THE STUDENTS!!!

Sorry to go on a rant but I am constantly experiencing crazy things that parents say and do and I'm making a mental checklist as to what not to do to my future children. Besides that the day was fun! I love seeing how the kids get taller, more mature, and more "seasoned" over the summer. Some that I thought at the end of the year last year couldn't possibly mature in time for the next grade level, came today wide-eyed and bushy-tailed. I love teaching, it can be exhausting, but the stories, pictures, and expressions you get from those kids is priceless. I actually had a kindergartner flex his muscles for me today- and I did everything I could to keep my composure as he tried to make his tiny arms as big as possible. It's the genuine interest and innocence that makes you want to do anything you can to make them have as much fun as possible, and you can't help but to have fun along with them! Pictures of my classroom to follow...

Oh Great Icing Goodness!

My good friend Lydia and her husband moved about a month ago and invited us to a house-warming BBQ at their new place. Being the one with the biggest sweet tooth ever I volunteered to bring goodies for dessert along with one of the most loved dips ever! I made hot Buffalo chicken dip-it is essentially supposed to taste like a hot wing in dip form. Hot sauce, chicken, ranch, cream cheese and a bubbling cheesy top layer make this dip irresistible for any hot wing fan! But my favorite thing to make is sweets! I made my now famous peanut butter sandwich cookies, and vanilla cupcakes with white and chocolate frosting. I was feeling frisky so I tried my hand at pastry decorating tips for the first time- I'm not to shabby...I'm still inching my way to Martha's status, still a long road to go!

YUMMY!!!

Sadly Summer has Ended

This is by far the hardest part of being a teacher- the end of the summer break. Some teachers use this time to reflect on the year- what worked, what didn't, some use it to visit family and friends, and most like me use it to do as little as possible. This is my first summer that I was able to truly enjoy. It was my 3rd summer break but the last two seemed to be completely complicated and thus flew by! This is also the first time in my 4 year teaching career that I am returning to the same school which is a stress relief in its self! So as I go back to work I look back at the summer that gave me so many fun times:

• My brother's wedding on June 14th- Congrats to Tony and Ashley!
• The beginning of my Master's Degree
• A VERY clean and organized home- my pride and joy
• New recipes- strawberry cream pie, delicious
• Several trips to a swimming pool- which hadn't happened in years, sad
• One trip to Orange Beach, AL- tan, unbelievable
• One jellyfish sting :(
• Several BBQs
• 4th of July fireworks on the Square- a Grubbs' annual tradition from now on!
• The completion of the greatest landscaping project ever!!
• Lots of patio dining and ice cream enjoyment with friends and family!

It is has been a wonderful summer but I am actually excited about returning to my classroom and seeing those crazy kids who make me laugh every day! Hope you all had a wonderful time in the hot GA sun, until next summer!