"Hello Handsome" + "Hello Beautiful" Freebies

I have just been having TOO MUCH FUN making these printables. There are so many talented women (and men) out there online making some incredible downloadable graphics, and thank heavens for them since I cannot create a graphic to save my life. I may not be super talented when it comes to anything electronic, but I'm proud of the things I've been creating lately!

Big thanks to designsbymissmandee for this darling little leaf! Give her blog a peak for more stuff like what I made using her graphic!

Rainy Week in Rexburg

Jake and I carved our pumpkin last Sunday evening! It's the
Deathly Hallows symbol from Harry Potter, if you can't tell.

This past week wasn't all that exciting for Jake and I, to be honest. We were busy with homework and work, taking some exams for our classes, and spending time with each other and Zoe. We had some rain that finally hit Rexburg, and ever since then it's been gradually getting colder and colder. Last time I checked our weather report was saying we might be getting snow next Tuesday, so I guess fall has officially hit us!

The most entertaining part of our week would have to be Saturday night, when Jake came home after a long day at work. Normally Zoe and I take the car and pick Jake up from work, and Zoe doesn't get very excited about seeing Jake for some reason. But when Jake takes the car and comes inside by himself, Zoe loses her mind! So I decided to record her reaction so I could share it with everyone:

Is that not one of the cutest things you've ever seen?! My little family cracks me up.

Homeschooling

This picture was too hilarious not to share. The sign we're holding says "First Day
of School 2001", which would make Will about 1 1/2...poor guy was so bummed
out he didn't get to come to school with Sarah and I!

So what I'm about to say is definitely going to offend some people, possibly even people that I really love and admire. But one of the blog prompts I chose was "What do you feel #SorryNotSorry about today?" And so, I gotta say it. Brace yourselves.

I. HATE. Homeschooling.

Don't get me wrong; there are some amazing school programs other than public school. And there are some kids who need to be homeschooled for whatever reason: social anxiety, bullying, a family that moves a lot, etc. And some families can make it work, giving their kids the education and social stimulation that they need. But overall, this is how I feel about homeschooling:

The public school systems is pretty messed up in a plethora of different ways, no matter where in the United States you live. There are always going to be evil teachers and crazy principals and strange kids, but you know what? That's life. That's the real world. No matter where you go, there are going to be people you don't like. And when you grow up and go to college/get a job, you're gonna have to interact with people that make you want to rip your hair out and crawl under a hole, never to be seen by society again. But that's how life is.

And while there evil teachers, there are also some incredible ones. I would have never pursued my goals of becoming an English teacher if not for the amazing examples I had. Not all of them were amazing, though. I've always loved English, but some teachers made me almost hate it because of their attitude towards teaching/their students, or even life in general. But again, that's just how the real world works!

Whatever form of school you decide to provide for your kids, they need exposure to people outside of their family or immediate circle of friends from church, the neighborhood, or wherever. Part of growing up is doing new things, meeting new people, and experiencing things that can be scary. These adventures help shape us into who we are, and give us a better idea of how we should interact with others.

Free "Halloweenie" Printable!

Another printable to celebrate the lovely month of October! This one was inspired by Zoe, naturally!

Just save the above image and print it however you'd like! I developed mine in a 4x6 size at Walmart!

Ten Things I Wish People Knew About Me

About 60% of what comes out of my mouth is sarcastic. So if you don't speak sarcasm-ese, you and I might not see eye-to-eye on a lot of things.

Yes, I stayed at home for three years after high school before coming to BYU-I. However, in those three years I got 2 AAs: one in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and the other in Humanities.

I do plan on being a mom someday. However, that day is not today. Or tomorrow. Or next month.

I can watch shows and movies with blood and guts galore and not freak out, but the second you start talking about your recent trip to the dentist or your child wiggles a loose tooth in front of me, I WILL gag.

Yes, I'm aware that high school English teachers don't make a lot of money, and that it's a very difficult job.

I'm terrified of bees, wasps, etc. Anything that flies and could stab/bite me.

One of my biggest pet peeves is when people joke around about being schizophrenic, when they don't actually know what the word means. Click here to educate yourself.

It is possible to be intelligent and also love makeup. I am (hopefully) proof of that.

I have a (probably unhealthy) obsession with all things involving the Salem Witch Trials. I think it's just so freakin' fascinating!

Just because I'm a Mormon doesn't mean I don't understand the difficult things in life. People seem to think that being LDS means you never have any "real life" problems or struggles, but that's just not true at all.

September Scrapbooking Pages

Want to see more scrapbooking pages from previous months? Check them out here!

Family Photos

This past week was busy for Jake and I; no surprise there. Jake spent long hours working and doing homework for his online classes, and I was busy with my own school-related duties. We've made sure to spend as much time together as possible, and with Zoe of course!

Monday I had my first day of mandatory volunteer hours (which is an oxymoron, really) at the junior high school here in Rexburg. In Idaho, it seems that the "types" of schools they have are: elementary (kindergarten-4th grade), middle (5th-7th grade), junior (8th and 9th grade), and high school (10th-12th grade). Which is very confusing for a Californian, since back home middle and junior high are the same exact thing. I managed to find my way to the junior high (since it wasn't where I was last semester, when I worked at the middle school) and had my first experience with tutoring a special needs student. Legally the school can't tell us what "special need(s)" the student has been diagnosed with, but it became clear to me after not even five minutes in the classroom that the student I was working with had severe ADHD, and possibly some other social issues. It was very difficult to get him to focus for longer than 2-3 minutes at a time, so I found that I had to be a lot more strict than I would have liked--constantly calling his attention back to his work, asking him the same question multiple times etc. The experience definitely taught me to strengthen my patience skills!

Wednesday my friend Becca came over and we watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. We've been getting together every week to watch a Harry Potter movie, since they're appropriate for all the holidays coming up: Halloween, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. So it's the perfect excuse to watch them!

Sunday was such a great day for Jake, Zoe and I. Jake and I went to church in the morning (which Zoe was NOT happy about, since she has to be left alone for three whole hours) and then spent the afternoon relaxing together. That evening, our friend Janae came over and took family photos for us! When I woke up Sunday morning I was worried about doing the photos, since it was clear that it had rained Saturday night and it looked like we'd probably get some more rain throughout the day and evening. But everything ended up working out well--the cloud covering provided some great lighting for photos!

Free October Printable!

I was feeling crafty and computer-savvy today, so I decided to try my hand at making one of those cute printable quote things you see all over Pinterest! It's already halfway through October so this won't be very "valid" for long, but I just love this quote too much to pass on it. 

To download the printable, just right click on the photo and save it to your computer! Enjoy!

UPDATE: I just picked up my copy at Walmart and got it onto a frame, and I'm so happy with how it turned out!

July + August Scrapbooking Pages

Want to see more scrapbooking pages from previous months? Check them out here!