Happy Thanksgiving Friday Favorites!

Hello everyone!  Today I'm linking up with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything for:

It's an exciting week with a lot of family and food to look forward to!  I'm excited to share some news from my neck of the woods!

Decoupage Plate

Right now there are endless Holiday Fairs which include crafts, baked goods and White Elephant Tables.  At one fair, I picked up this most adorable plate (along with baked good on top!):

Here's the best part ~ if you're crafty ~ unlike me ~ you can make these plates on your own!  Click here to check out the directions!

Poetry and Traits

I am a HUGE fan of Doug Florian's poetry.  His poems are witty and wry.  I use them frequently in my Morning Messages, and last week I used two of them and connected them with what we're learning in Science:

I got the above poems from the book, Beast Feast (click here to check it out on Amazon)!

Before Covid, I used to handwrite my Morning Messages.  Luckily, I took pictures (see above) so I could transcribe them into Google Slides and show them on the "Big Screen."  

Cold Weather = Your tires need air!

Has this every happened to you?  It always happens when I'm on my way to school; when I do NOT want to go to the gas station to fill up my tires; when I need to track down 5 or 6 quarters to pay for said air,...  It is just an annoyance.  As soon as I saw this tire-inflating gadget, I put it directly in my Amazon cart:

Click on the picture to check this out on Amazon!

I have gotten good use out of this exciting gadget, and I have given it as gifts to my family.

As always, thank you for visiting and enjoy this short week and Thanksgiving!

 

How to Make More Time for Reading!

Today I'm linking up with Toronto Sam and her cohosts:   Adrienne, Dara, Jen, and Joanne,. for their monthly link-up!  This month's topic is:

Make More Time for Reading!

Read Magazines Before Bed = Instant Relaxation!

For many years (i.e. after I had kids), I did not read books.  It was too much of a commitment, and I had too little time to read.

Reading magazines allowed me to read.    Consequently, I got several magazine subscriptions.  These are the subscriptions that I have now:  Woman's Day, Real Simple, HGTV and Country Living.  Reading magazines gave me short snippets to read before bed.  Plus, I find these magazines to be very soothing and inspirational.  

Read Books on the Libby App

When I taught, I discovered Libby which is a free app offered through your public library.  I downloaded so many children's e-books to read to my class at snack on the "big screen." Fast forward:  I now have a granddaughter who takes naps.  This is a perfect time to read an e-book! (They also have audio books!)  I always have several books on hold (of course, the holds usually become available at the same time!).   The best part is you always have a book to read without remembering your book!

Here is an example from my Hold Shelf.  You can "freeze" your available books until you are ready to read them.  You won't lose your place in line so you should get them quickly after you "thaw" the hold.

Library Books

I always have "real" (hard cover) books that I get from the library or reserve through interlibrary loans.  I read these books after I finish reading my magazine.  I try to spend at least an hour reading before I go to sleep.  Now that it's winter, I'm so cold at night, I fall asleep before reading for 20 minutes!

Here are some of my holds:

As you can see, I'll be waiting for a while for these books, but I can always find another book to read at the library.  I love see book recommendations on blogs or on Instagram.  I want to make sure that I'm looking forward to reading because it's such a joy.

In addition, I'm on Goodreads if you want to follow along.  I'll follow you back, too!  If you have any must-read books, please let me know!

Friday Favorites: Veteran's Day and Books to Check Out/Latest Amazon Purchases!

Today I'm delighted to link up for Friday Favorites with Andrea from Momfessionals and Erika from A Little Bit of Everything!      

 Friday Favorites for the First Week of November!

At school, we always had a Veteran's Day assembly.  We also learned about this holiday in class.  As part of our Morning Messages, I included this beautiful poem by Cheryl Dyson:

Check out the Veterans Day poem here too.

In addition, several students brought in family military artifacts.  Adriana even wrote a book to accompany her father's and grandfather's dog tags:

Perfect Veteran's Day Picture Book:

Last summer I read The Women by Kristin Hannah so the Vietnam War is fresh in my mind.  The Wall by Eve Bunting is a touching story of finding soldiers name on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall in Washington, DC.  I remember how powerful the traveling wall was for me so I enjoy sharing this book with my students.  The Wall is a touching and memorable book that is perfect to read around Veterans Day.

A Bike Like Sergio's - a Must-Read Book!


We read this book by Maribeth Boelts:

Click on the book to read more on Amazon.

In this story, Ruben desperately wants a bike, but his family doesn't have the money to afford a new bike.  One day, while in a store, a shopper drops some money which Ruben picks up and keeps because he believes it is just a one dollar bill.  Later that night, Ruben realizes that the money is really a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR bill.  

Well, the kids had a very strong reaction to that realization.  There's still so much more to the story, too. We had quite a lively discussion on honesty, stealing,...I am definitely reading this book again to the kids next week - that's how AMAZING this book is!

Amazon Purchases to Check Out!

1.  Shower Foot Scrubber

On Instagram, I recently watched a doctor talk about the importance of washing one's feet every day.  I also did some research on Google:

Both the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and US Centre for Disease Control (CDC), for example, advise washing feet daily with soap and water. One reason for this meticulous care is to prevent odour. The soles of the foot contain 600 sweat glands per square centimetre of skin, more than any other region of the body.  Although sweat itself doesn't smell, it contains a nutritious broth of salts, glucose, vitamins and amino acids, which serves as an all-you-can-eat buffet for bacteria that live there. And there a lot of bacteria.

Using this information, I bought a foot scrubber mat from Amazon:

You put shower gel or liquid soap on the map.  By moving your feet on the mat, your feet get clean.  So far, I am not in love with this product.  I don't want to lean down or stand on one foot in the shower either.  If any of you have any cleaning tips for your feet, please let me know!

Right now I'm leaning toward getting an occasional pedicure.  However, you're supposed to clean your feet every day.  Who knew?

2.  Hair Brush Straightener

I have fine straight hair that I color.  Over the years, my hair tends to have a mind of its own:  cowlicks; fly-aways; frizz.   To help with the situation, I bought this straightener brush:

This brush heats up quickly and is easy to use.  I like calming down my hair, but I'm still figuring it out.  I never style my hair or use any product on it.  

From these two purchases, I have learning that I'm still figuring out life at age 65.

Best Cuticle Cream!

I have exceptionally dry cuticles that I pick at (not a good habit!).  Using this cuticle cream has been very helpful:

                                Happy Veterans Day!