August Favorite Things

Goodbye August. Hello September.

Today, I'm linking up with Dancing with Ashley for Favorite Things.

Here are my favorite things from the month of August:

1. I got another new vehicle. You may remember what happened to my car over the summer. I got a Jeep shortly after. Well, the Jeep proved itself to be unreliable. So, we took it back to the dealership and they worked with us to get something else. In the end, I'm glad because it's much nicer.

2. I went to a Backstreet Boys concert. I got to live my childhood fantasy of seeing BSB in person. It was a lot of fun especially because I still listen to plenty of 90s/early 00s pop.

3. I went to a Grease sing along. They showed the movie Grease outside and we got to sit on blankets, eat a picnic, watch the movie, interact, and sing along. 

4. I bought the Anthem Lights Covers album off itunes and have listened to it so much this month.

5.  Even though it's August, which is traditionally the hottest month of the year, we had several days of cool weather this month. Plus, the nights have been mild. I hate hot weather, so this definitely makes my list.

What is one of your favorite things from the month of August?

10 Books I Think Could be Movies

I know that at the beginning of this series, I wrote about how I think books are better than movies. I still hold to that view. However, there are some good movies out there that are based on books. So, I'm not totally against it. I prefer it when they stay as true to the story as possible. I also believe that there are some books that just don't make good movies. These movies I didn't like based on books usually didn't stay true to the story or weren't good candidates to be made into movies.

To close out my page to screen series, I want to share some books that I think would make good movies as long as they were done right. In other words, the story was fine-don't change it!

1. Hex Hall series- So many YA books are being made into very popular movies these days. This one follows the same basic formula of other successful movies-magical creatures, teenage heroine, love traingle. I don't see why it wouldn't be successful.

2. The Night Circus- I would love to see this book made into a movie. I think it would be visually stunning to see come alive. Plus it'd be one of those stories that skips rapidly through time and follows many different characters. I don't think you'd get bored.

3. Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas- Okay, technically this was made into a TV movie. But, I'd love to see it made into a big screen movie. It's such a touching story. People love tear jerkers. People love romance. It would do well.

4. What Alice Forgot- A woman falls and hits her head and wakes up having forgotten the last 10 years of her life. We then have to learn about her life as she does because her life now looks nothing like her life 10 years ago. This is a perfect plot for a movie. The whole time you're wondering how it's going to end.

5. A Walk Across the Sun- The subject matter of this book is human trafficking. I believe this is a topic that needs to be put out there. If you put it out there as a movie, more people will be aware of it and want to do something about it. I also think it would make a touching movie-similar to Slumdog Millionaire.

6. Nineteen Minutes- If this were made into a movie, it would be tough to watch as it is about a school shooting. However, as with all Jodi Picoult books, things aren't so clearly black and white. I think it would bring up some good discussion.

7. Gone series- Under the Dome is currently one of the top shows on TV. The Gone series is a similar story only no one left under this dome is under the age of 14. I think some parts would need to be cut or combined so that there wouldn't need to be as many movies as there are books.

8. Trylle trilogy- My reasoning for this one is basically the same as #1. It's YA, there are magical creatures, a teenage heroine, and a love triangle. Why not make it into a movie?

9. Something Blue- They made the first one, Something Borrowed into a movie and left the ending open for the next one. I also read that they were planning to make the second one, but I can't find anything since about 2011 that says this. What happened?

10. Firefly Lane- This is a moving story of two opposite girls who become friends as teenagers and continue their friendship into adulthood. I think it would make a great movie.

In closing, I have to share that this list of 14 books to read before they hit the big screen inspired my Page to Screen series.

I hope you've enjoyed and maybe found some new books to read or movies to watch.

What do you think about any of these becoming movies? Do you have a book you think would make a good movie?

 

Insta-Blogging

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great weekend. Mine was filled with cleaning, grading, grocery shopping, and a Grease sing along!

I've decided that I love interactive movies. It's so much fun to sit on a blanket with a picnic and tons of other people watching a movie. You get to make comments and sing along and nobody cares!

 This was the best "50s outfit" that we had.

They gave us a goody bag of items to use during various parts of the movie.

I also wanted to let you guys know that Just a Small Town Girl now has instagram. It's still a work in progress, but I'd love for you to follow me over there as well. Feel free to leave your instagram name so that I can follow you too.

I hope you all have wonderful week! What did you do this weekend?

Football: My Favorite Season

Football is kind of a big deal in the south and by "kind of" I mean MOST DEFINITELY IS. Particularly in Alabama. In Alabama, we don't have a professional football team, so it's all about college. In the last 4 years, the state of Alabama has brought home the college national championship (3 of those 4 years was by my team-The University of Alabama). 

The Auburn/Alabama rivalry is HUGE! Now that I'm living in NC, people talk about the UNC/Duke basketball rivalry, but it doesn't hold a candle to what it's like during football season in Alabama. Friends and family members turn into enemies. Football is a way of life. I don't even know how to explain it and I didn't know it was that way until I moved out of Alabama.

My husband is from Florida (and is a Florida Gators fan). He makes fun of how much we football fans in Alabama love our team tshirts. We have tshirts for everything! If we go to a gathering for my family, I guarantee you at least 1/4 of the family members will be wearing a shirt for their team. 

 We're a house divided :)

The Alabama/Auburn game is called the Iron Bowl. If your team wins the Iron Bowl, you will want to buy the tshirt saying that your team won. Alabama may be great now, but they had several years of not being so great. Let me show you.

This was my brother and I wearing our Iron Bowl tshirts when Alabama beat Auburn in 2001.

This was us 7 years later when they finally won against Auburn again in 2008.

Yeah. It took long enough. Anyway, I'm excited about college football season starting soon. So, I wanted to see what my swappy friends' thoughts are on football:

Dawn from Dawn's Disaster

"I prefer pro football over college.  Mostly because I don't really follow it and my dad and husband watch pro football at home.  I root for the Minnesota Vikings, but I know we're not that great.  I think it may have something to do with the fact that purple is one of their colors.  There's not really a favorite player {baseball is more my game}, but I enjoy any player who plays well and is a good sport.  Good sportsmanship is the key to a great player in my book."

Kelsey from Keeping Up with Kelsey

"Alright, so I'm not a MAJOR fan of football but I live in the state of Nebraska and my Husker's are fairly famous for their love of the pigskin sport. I will admit I do love a good super bowl party and I'm the first to plan the snacks and all that fun stuff but the game itself kind of bores me. I just can't sit still long enough to really get the concept of what the technical terms all mean. I haven't experienced a football game in person in probably a good fifteen years and usually college football season lands smack dab in the middle of our busiest season on the farm, harvest. If we're in the combine we'll sometimes try to listen in on games on the radio. Our fans have been voted top fans of college football on several occasions and its because we're super courteous to our rivals. Heck, who am I kidding, we invite them to the bars after the games. And, to top it off, everyone loves everyone! Don't believe me? Check out this clip about a little boy, Team Jack, and his fight to survive brain cancer as he was encouraged to participate in the University football scrimmage game we have every spring. It's a tear jerker! (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Jmisv1Spck)"

Kera from Nugget on a Budget

"I love watching football. It's just one of those things that comes along with fall that makes the season even better. I like watching both pro and college, although I think it's more fun watching pro. My favorite team is the Tennessee Titans ~ everyone always questions this because I'm from PA and now live in NY. But my dad was a die-hard Houston Oilers fan back in the day and of course that transferred over to the Titans, as did my love for that team. I just wish they were a little bit better these days! My husband is a Cowboys fan ~ our dog is even named after the team ~ Dallas :)"

Megan from The Mrs. 

"I am a total football fan! I was a cheerleader in high school and and a member of the Troy University Sound of the South Dance Ensemble! Following football became a way of life for me! I am a fan of the Troy Universality Trojans through and through! Here in the south, though, one must choose between Auburn or Alabama! I am an Alabama Fan as well, Roll Tide! Alabama football is a legacy to my husband, for he marched in the Million Dollar band. His entire family is devoted to the ole Crimson Tide, too! Football season means grilling out, getting together with family and friends, and yelling at the TV; it means houndstooth and crimson!"

What about you?  Are you excited for football season? Do you prefer college or pro? Who's your favorite team?

 

Backstreet's Back Alright

Several months ago, I heard that the Backstreet Boys were coming to Raleigh. Sign me up please! Their CD was one of the first CDs I ever owned. They were always my favorite boy band and I still shamelessly listen to their music when I'm in the mood.

Sure, I would have LOVED to have gone to one of their concerts about 15 years ago, but young women in their 20s can relive their childhood/teenage years. Right?!?

So earlier this week, I was taken back to those days of later adolescence and early teenagehood.

The days where I had braces and my first boyfriend:

The days where my parents made me carry a walkie talkie around an amusement park because we didn't have cell phones:

The days where I wore overalls (more than once):

The days where I wore my name on my sweater in case I forgot what it was:

Yep, those awkward years. I went back to those years and enjoyed my first ever BSB concert. Sure I was in the general admission lawn and I could see better than what it appears. Sure I couldn't take my nice camera in so I got NO good pictures. But despite all that, it was an experience I'll never forget.

 My friend Kristy and I

The venue

 DJ Pauly D

 Yep, the guy from Jersey Shore

Fist Pumping to the music

Jesse McCartney

 

 

BACKSTREET BOYS

 

My 10 Least Favorite Movies Based on Books

Two weeks ago, I shared the reasons I believe books are better than movies. Last week, I shared my 10 favorite movies based on books. So, this week I'll be sharing 10 movies based on books that I didn't like too much.

Some of these are very popular movies and you will probably disagree. Please note, this doesn't mean I don't like these movies. There were just certain elements of them that I hated because I loved those parts of the book so much. I think part of the reason I don't like these movies that much is because I really enjoyed the books and had such high expectations.

*Note: I only included movies that I have actually read the book for also.*

1. Dear John- This book is my favorite Nicholas Sparks' book. I LOVE the ending. It doesn't have the "happily ever after ending" and I love that because that's not realisitic. The ending was beautiful and showed sacrificing your wants for the one you love. The movie RUINED that for me! In my opinion, they did a terrible job with this movie.

2. The Time Traveler's Wife- I really enjoyed this book. Again, the ending was beautiful. I was sobbing like a baby as I read it. The movie stunk (in my opinion). I don't think they did the book justice at all and as usual, they ruined the ending.

3. My Sister's Keeper- Jodi Picoult, the author of the book, does a wonderful job writing books that make you stop and think. This book is no exception. The book focuses on the younger sister and all that she's been through being a ready made donor for her sister with cancer. The ending was a complete shock. The movie, on the other hand, focused on the older sister who had cancer and tried to make this sappy, let's all have a good cry movie where the sister with cancer dies in the end as you would expect. I truly did hate this movie.

4. Twilight- Don't kill me if you're a twi-hard fan. I actually did enjoy the books the first time I read them. Then, people started obsessing over them and saying they were better than Harry Potter and that just didn't sit well with me. I actually enjoy the movies overall. Besides the fact that they're super cheesy and fun to make fun of. I haven't seen the last movie either. I also think Kristen Stewart is a terrible actress. Sorry.

5. The Hunger Games- Again, hear me out on this one. I don't hate this movie. I just don't think it does the book justice. I think that if you haven't read the book, you don't completely understand what's going on. It kind of seems like a movie about children killing each other. I think for this particular book, the themes are hard to translate to film. I have hope that the next two will be better.

6. The DaVinci Code- This isn't a terrible movie. I just think there's SO much that goes on in this story. It kind of makes the film seem very busy. Plus part of the appeal of the book is the suspense and shocking revelations. It takes away some of the fun of the movie when you've already read the book.

7. Water for Elephants- This is such a great book and I think was a good choice to make into a movie. It's very visual. Even though the movie is on this list, I didn't think it was bad. I just didn't love it either. I saw it once and would be fine if I don't ever see it again. Robert Pattinson wasn't the best choice for the lead either.

8. The Cat in the Hat- This book is a children's classic. The movie is terrible. I'm not even sure if I've seen the whole thing, but I've seen enough. It has too much adult content to be a kids' movie.

9. The Cider House Rules- I read this book a few years ago so that I could then watch the movie. The book isn't one of my favorites, but I had good expectations for the movie. However, when I watched it I was very disappointed. I found the movie to be very boring. I don't remember much else about it.

10. The Lucky One- The movie wasn't terrible, but I think it could have been better. The casting also REALLY bothered me. Technically, Taylor Schilling is only 3 years older than Zac Efron, but she looks a lot older than him. I didn't like that.

*There are other movies based on books that I don't like, but I didn't really like the book either. So, it was kind of to be expected.*

What are some of your least favorite movies based on books? What do you think of the movies from my list? Do you agree or disagree? 

  

Sharing...like we learned to do in kindergarten

Today, I'd like to explore the questions is sponsorship effective and is it the best way?

A few months ago, I posted my thoughts on why I was no longer taking paid sponsorship. With the recent changes in Passionfruit, sponsorship is once again on my mind. When I'm on my first break from school, I'm pretty sure I'm switching over to Adproval for managing my swaps.

Today, though, I want us to think back to something we should have learned in kindergarten (or earlier if you went to preschool, had siblings, or spent time around other children).

Look at this fresh faced kindergartener ready to learn. (It's me!)

Isn't the whole point of blogging to share your ideas? How great do you feel when someone you're not paying shares one of your posts? How much more genuine is it when someone shares your post because the WANT to?

Why can't we do this more?

When you take sponsors, you feel like your sponsors have paid for that service so you reserve sharing posts for them. At least that's how I felt when I took paid sponsors.

I've read when other people write about sponsorship or comment on posts about sponsorship, they see it as effective because they are "clickers" who scroll along people's sidebars and click on buttons and find new blogs to follow. I'm not one of those people. I rarely click on someone's button from a sidebar. Usually the only way I do this is if the name or picture catches my attention. So, while some find new blogs by clicking, not everyone does that.

I'm much more likely to look into a blog if another blogger shares a post they enjoyed on social media or if a blogger references another blogger's post in one of their own posts. While some bloggers may be sidebar clickers, I'm an in post link clicker. I like to see what people are talking about.

Of course, this has it's own set of cons. This way can easily lend itself to cliquishness. But of course, there's not going to be a perfect solution that works for everyone.

Don't think I'm totally against paid sponsorship, though. I understand that some people's intention with blogging is to make money and if you can do that-great. I also know that when you're first starting out, it can help you get your name out there. Also, if it's been effective for you and you can afford it-go for it.

For me, personally, sponsoring other blogs has not been the most effective way to gain followers. Plus, I just don't have the extra money for it. The most effective way for me has been participating in a link up giveaway. While this may be effective for gaining followers, it's not the most effective way to gain readers.

Instead of paying for sponsorships and participating in giveaways, I started focusing on the quality of my posts. I try to leave thoughtful comments on posts that I read. I share posts I enjoy or think others need to read. I've begun focusing on making my posts pinworthy by taking good pictures and editing them. (Pinterest has actually become my #1 traffic source.) I've started looking for linky parties to participate in and I've started trying to link up my posts whenever possible. I've tried to implement tips I've found on effectively using Facebook, Twitter, and Google+.

I haven't gained the droves of followers you can gain by doing giveaways, but I've gained way more than I gained when I was sponsoring other blogs. Almost daily, I get an email saying I have a new Bloglovin', Pinterest, or Twitter follower. My GFC number has also increased steadily. My hope is these people are following me because they enjoy what I have to say, not because I'm constantly offering them a chance to win something. Giveaways aren't bad, but...I've already shared my thoughts on those.

 In the spirit of sharing, Helene from Helene in Between shared a post about sponsorship on the same day that I started this post. Her opinion differs from mine, but I completely agree with what she said about product posts. Each person can only base their opinion on their own experiences. So for some of you, paid sponsorship may have worked great. For others, it hasn't. Either way I think focusing on the content of your posts is very important. I also wish we would all share a little more. Let's help each other out. It doesn't matter how big or small your blog is. We all are going to "know" people that the other doesn't. If you like a post, show your appreciation by giving them exposure to new potential readers.

What is your opinion on sponsorship? What has been most effective for you?

Anthem Lights Covers Album Review

I recently started listening to more of what I call "Easy Listening." I don't know another way to describe it. It's music like some of Adele's songs or Micheal Buble. I also have begun to discover many great covers of songs that I like more than the original. They're usually acoustic or "easy listening" versions. Two of my recent favorites are this version of "Titanium" or this version of "Holding Out for a Hero."

One day while listening to Pandora and cleaning, I heard a song that caught my attention. It was a mash up of many pop songs. I looked the song up later and found out that it was actually sung by the Christian band, Anthem Lights. This lead me to find that this band actually had an entire covers album where they sang pop songs. I love this album. I bought the whole things on itunes. I recommend it to you as well.

The songs (you can click on the song to listen to listen to it on YouTube):

1. "As Long As You Love Me" (originally sung by Justin Bieber)
You may recall that Justin Bieber songs are a guilty pleasure of mine, so I really do like this song. I love this version. I love the piano parts they added. Their version also doesn't seem as forced as JB's version on the "lo, lo, lo, lo, lo, lo, love me" parts. They even have their own rapper to do Big Sean's part.

2. "We are Never Getting Back Together" (originally sung by Taylor Swift)
You can't help but get this song stuck in your head. It's a fun song. No offense Taylor, but I'm also glad to hear someone who sings well sing this song. All the little aside parts of this song sound better with more than one person singing it.

3. "One Direction Medley" (including "What Makes You Beautiful" "One Thing" and "Gotta Be You")
I'm not familiar with "Gotta Be You." However, I think they do a great job of meshing all of these songs together. Medleys are fun to me. I'm always amazed at the talent of people who can take songs and make them flow effortlessly. While I do enjoy this song, it's not one of my favorites on the album.

4. "Give Your Heart a Break" (originally sung by Demi Lovato)
This is one of my favorite songs. For some reason, I just really like it. From the first time I heard it, I thought it would so much better sung by a guy (or guys). Well, Anthem Lights made my dream come true.

5. "Best of 2012 Mash-Up" (including "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jepsen, "Payphone" by Maroon 5, "Wide Awake" by Katy Perry, "Starships" by Nicki Minaj, and "We are Young" by Fun.)
Now, Adam Levine has a very unique voice and when someone can sing a song of his with an equally unique sound, that's impressive. Again, I love mash-ups. As I've already said, I think they're fun. There are a lot of little things to notice in this song when they are transitioning from one song to another. The end of the song was also creative. I especially love their harmonizing during the "We are Young" section.

6. "This I Promise You" (originally sung by NSYNC)
Remember back in the day when you had to buy an entire CD for just a few songs? If you were like me, you ended up listening to the whole CD because what else did you have to do to entertain yourself? So, while listening to my NSYNC CD, I fell in love with this song. It's beautiful! Even my husband says this is their best song ever. Anyway, it's an awesome song and Anthem Light does a great job with it.

7. "Don't You Worry Child" (originally sung by Swedish House Mafia)
This isn't one of my favorite songs to begin with, but I really enjoy the harmonies on this version. Plus this version takes away the techno stuff from the original that I'm not crazy about.

8. "All Around the World" (originally sung by Justin Bieber)
Despite what I said for #1, I wasn't a big fan of this song. It just isn't as catchy as some of his other stuff to me. This isn't my favorite song on this album either. They kept it to poppy and similar to the original. I would have been interested to hear what it would have been sounded like if they'd done it acoustically.

9. "Best Thing" (this is an original song)
 I guess they thought they needed to throw in a song of their own. This song is catchy and fits right in with the previous 8 songs. Because this is a Christian band, I can see where this song could be viewed as a song about God, but you can also view it as a love song.

10. "All I Want for Christmas" (completely random Christmas song)
I LOVE Christmas, but find the choice of having this song on this album to be very odd. I would have preferred another pop cover. Then, maybe they could do a Christmas album. 


I hope you'll check out this album. I'm really hoping they come out with another one. They actually have some other covers on their YouTube channel that aren't on this album. 

What type of music are you loving right now? Do you like covers or acoustic versions of songs? 

Classroom Management with Music

Last summer, I came across this article and decided I was going to give music a try in my classroom. I am so glad I did! It has helped my classroom management so much.

You've heard of Pavlov's Dog? That's what I feel like using music in my classroom. The children become trained to respond a certain way to a certain song. It's beautiful. It makes things run so smoothly. Plus, who doesn't love music?!?

Here's how I use music in my classroom on a daily basis:

Classical station on Pandora
Every morning, I turn on the classical station on Pandora as my students come in and work on their morning work. I believe that this helps them to come in calmer and quieter.

Morning Fun Song
After the morning announcement, I play a fun song. During this time, my students can get up out of their seats and talk to their friends. By the time the song is over, they are supposed to be back in their seat, quiet, with their morning work out ready to check it. This gives them time to get up and talk before the day gets started. It also gives me time to take attendance and do any last minute things. These songs can be anything fun that's child appropriate.

Lining Up Song
I  play the Pink Panther TV theme to signal to my students that it's time to clean up and line up. This song is a minute long, so it's just enough time for them to clean up and get lined up. When the music is over, they should be in line correctly and quietly.

Center Transitions
When students are working in centers, it can get noisy. Instead of trying to yell over them to give directions, I play a song to signal to them that it's time to clean up and change to a new center. During reading centers, I play the theme from American Idol. During math centers, I play music from Pirates of the Caribbean.

Working Music
Depending on what the students are working on, I will sometimes play music. If I want them working quietly and independently, I play classical music. Otherwise, I might play some school appropriate music that they are more familiar with. I always ask them if they'd like to listen to music while they work to try and be respectful of their opinion of their working environment.

Packing Up Music
This is my favorite usage of music in my classroom. One of my least favorite times used to be the time that I was trying to get my students to pack up. They would take forever! At my school, the 4th graders have a specials class, such as art or music, at the end of the day. So, we pack up then line up to go to that class. Music solved this problem. About 5 minutes before their class, I play the James Bond theme. They have until the end of the song to pack up and line up. The first few times they do this, they're in shock because they're not used to packing up so fast. They get used to it, though, and it cuts packing up time WAY down. Plus, that song is just fun to rush around the room to.

Friday Dance Party
By Friday afternoons, the kids are done. To give them something to look forward to, I play music during dismissal on Fridays. They can get up, dance, and have fun while waiting for their bus.

As with any classroom management tool, you must let the students know what your expectations are from the beginning. Then, you have to be consistent and hold them to your expectations. Once you get them "trained," everything will run so much smoother.

Have you ever used music in your classroom? If not, I highly recommend it. It's one of the best things I've implemented in my classroom.

Linking up:
Inspiration in Progress

My 10 Favorite Movies Based on Books

Last week, I shared 10 reasons I believe books are better than movies. That doesn't mean I don't like any movies that are based on books. Actually, some of my favorite movies are based on books.

Here are my 10 favorite movies based on books in no particular order:

*Note: I only included movies that I have actually read the book for also.*

1. Harry Potter- I know this is technically 8 movies, but it's getting counted as one. I had a love/hate relationship with the movies for a while. I finally came to terms with the fact that the movies will never compare to the books. Overall, they're good movies and can be enjoyed separately from the books.

2. Gone with the Wind- This is one of those where I saw the movie and already liked it before I read the book. The book has several things in it that we don't see in the movie. I really enjoy the fact that this movie doesn't have a happy ending.

3. How the Grinch Stole Christmas- I turn into such a child at Christmastime. I love this book and movie (both versions). Obviously, the real life version had to expand a lot to make a full movie, but I think they did a great job.

4. Holes- This is one of my favorite books to read to my 4th grade class every year. The movie almost follows the book perfectly.

5. Diary of a Wimpy Kid- Again, this is more than one movie. I started reading these books when I saw many of the 4th graders in the class where I was student teaching reading them. Kids love these books. They are good and definitely capture the essence of those awkward middle school years. I think they did a great job with the movies. My husband and I love to watch them.

6. The Help- This was one of those books I read because I heard about the movie. I figured I'd be disappointed with the movie like I usually am when I've already read the book, but I was surprised. I think they did a great job with the movie and did the book justice.

7. Fried Green Tomatoes- This is just a fun movie. I think it follows along pretty well with the book.

8. Tuck Everlasting- This is one of those rare movies that I actually like better than the book. The book is a children's book and the main character is a child. In the movie, the main character is a teenager and it's more of a love story. I love the theme of this movie.

9. The Notebook- Overall, this is not one of my favorite Nicholas Sparks' books. I enjoy the movie, though, and I think they did the book justice. 

10. A Walk to Remember- This is the only Nicholas Sparks' book I saw before the movie. I liked the way the book ended with uncertainty and room for your own interpretation, but I also enjoy the movie.

As I said, this list only contains movies of which I have also read the book. There are plenty of other great movies out there, but I just never read the book version. There are also some movies coming out soon that I've read the book version of and I'm excited to see what the movies will be like.

What do you think of these books and their movie version? What would you add to the list?

 

Created for Care

I recently came across this blog: The Created for Care Blog. It's a blog whose purpose is to encourage and inspire those seeking adoption as well as spread the word about adoption.

The authors of this blog are the people who are living it out. Anyone can submit posts to be featured on the Created foe Care Blog. I have found a lot of great adoption blogs to follow through reading Created for Care's posts. I plan to submit a guest post when I start up my second year of Ornaments for Adoption.

Another great thing about Created for Care is that they host retreats for adoptive moms to have a chance to meet other adoptive mothers as well as to relax and be encouraged. I hope to one day be able to participate in one of their retreats.

I'd encourage you if you are an adoptive family, plan to be an adoptive family, or are just interested in learning more about adoption please check out their blog.

Also be on the lookout for Ornaments for Adoption to be starting up the first week of October. I will be writing more about that soon to see if any of you would like to help in any way.

State Love Canvas DIY Project

It's been a long time since I've done a craft project. So, this past weekend I decided to do one.

I've seen these ideas floating around on Pinterest with a small heart inside the outline of a state. So, I decided to make a state design of my own.

My inspiration: 

      via Gimme Some Style Blog      via The Domestic Diva's Diary       via Preppy in Pink USA

 My Project:

1. Find and print an outline (or outlines) of the state of your choice. Then, cut them out. 

2. Trace the outline onto your canvas.

 3. I used this tutorial on making chevron stripes on canvas. 

4.  Paint the untaped sections your color of choice. This step takes a long time waiting on paint to dry. It also took several coats of paint to cover the pencil marks.

5. After waiting on the paint to dry one final time, you can remove the tape. Then paint the canvas strip your second color. I chose white. During this step, you will have to do some touching up of both colors with a small brush.

 
6. Draw a small heart over your city of choice.

*Sorry, I forgot to take a picture of the heart before I painted it. I recommend drawing the heart before you paint.*

7. Paint the state and the heart.

8. Find a great place to display your fun, new art piece.

Linking up: Inspiration in Progress 
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