Goal Setting & Sarah's Font

I've been saving up to buy an iPad. I'm quite close to my goal for the one I want. Hopefully I'll have it by Christmastime, or mid-January. I'm crossing my fingers for the former. My goal is to only pay for it with earnings from Teachers Pay Teachers or Teacher's Notebook (If I don't state my goal, I may not keep it in the forefront of my mind). 

Because of this goal, I find myself being inspired, almost daily, with new ideas for creations as I'm in the middle of teaching. I quickly jot down my idea on a Post-It and then hope to all hopes I remember where I placed it! After I put my son to bed at night, I fire up the computer and begin working on my latest idea. I find that if I didn't have to work the next morning, I'd probably be up all night working on these ideas. It is relaxing and exciting to have an idea, make it happen, and then find other people enjoy the idea too! I think THAT'S what's so addicting about being a seller on TPT. Hence, my goal. It would be awesome to say, "Yes, I earned this iPad solely through hard work in my spare time."

One thing I'm looking forward to doing on my iPad, is creating new fonts. I'm always looking for the perfect font when creating. It seems the cute fonts aren't necessarily the fonts that students should be modeling. The lowercase a has a hat on, or the I doesn't have lines across the top and bottom, thus creating confusion when copying from the Promethean Board. Or worse yet, the uppercase is just as small as the lowercase.

I have my "go to" font from another seller on TPT, but I had always wanted to create my own. How nice it would be to not have to give someone else credit on my products, right? When I mentioned this to a friend, she kindly let me use her iPad to create my first font. SO EXCITING! I wanted a font that my first graders (and some of my second graders) could read that didn't have the above problems. So I made the uppercase letters not only larger, but bold too! And I made the periods bold as well. This way, when they are copying from the board, they are better able to distinguish between uppercase and lowercase. I also made sure to make the letter "I" look like an "I" and not an "L". VERY important in my book.

I can't wait to create more! Just knowing that it's a possibility, it keeps my goal in my mind at all times. To purchase Sarah's Font at a super cheap price, click the picture above!

New Look Part Deux

Did I mention I love the new look of my blog? Seriously. Too cute, right?

I think the real reason I'm proud to have a new look, isn't just that it's cute, but it feels more...official? No, I'm serious. It is something I bought...and didn't have to pay for! Wait, whaaaaat!?

Okay, let me rephrase that. I did have to pay for it. Honestly. I used PayPal. However, my PayPal account is solely used as a place to collect my TPT and TN earnings.

And knowing that it didn't cost me anything but a little extra time in the evenings creating resources for other teachers, makes me feel proud. It also inspired me to create new resources...for a different grade level.

Screen shot of Treasures Second Grade Spelling Cards (PDF)

I figured if I needed spelling words and vocabulary cards for my grade, wouldn't people who teach the same curriculum need them in their grades too? So I was able to borrow the teacher's manuals for second grade. I'm hoping to hop on up the grade levels and help even more people! Be on the lookout for your grade!

Today is New Year's Day. I've started a new project in a new frame of mind. I'm hoping that this goes well. I've been inspired to start juicing. Yes, juicing. I've been concocting new potions in my kitchen and drinking them down with gusto. I feel good about it because I'm taking it slow. I'm not going "all or nothing". I'm drinking one in the morning for breakfast, and then the rest of my day is same as always. Except, I've cut out candy.

Yeah, that's not fun. This time of year candy is EVERYwhere. I have a brand new bag of candy that I'm wondering what to do with. I should just throw it away and feel good about it, but my practical side thinks that is wasteful and crazy.

I've also decided to blog about my juicing journey in a new blog I've started. I'm not really ready to share it yet. I'm not confident with it. Maybe when the juicing gets going along more smoothly, I'll share it.

I've also decided to blog more in general. I'm thinking my New Year's resolution could be to make a goal each month and try to stick with it. January's goal? Juice. And blog about it.

I did find some time last night to create some backgrounds that I think are pretty cute. I've posted them in both of my stores. I'm having a 20% off sale at my TPT store starting tomorrow, and a giveaway for them on my TN store. Stop on by and check them out!

My New Technology BFF

Since it is Cyber Monday, and I'm hosting a linky party about technology, I thought I'd continue the week with technology!

Last night my husband came home with a gift for me. I had complained to him earlier in the day that the cords from my Promethean board to my laptop keep falling between the two desks every night afternoon when I unplug them to go home.

He bought me a solution...and it was from the dollar section at Target! Here are pictures of it in action:

*sold in other colors too!

This little rubber device* has adhesive to the back of it, so it sticks to the desk. All my cords fit right in and look so nice and organized! I think the Organization Fairy would be proud! 

----------------------------------------CHRISTMAS LINKY INFO BELOW-------------------------------------

If you have Christmas items you'd like to share, pop on over to Primary Inspiration for her Candy Cane Linky Party! What a cute idea!!! I saw some wish list worthy things from other sites I'm loading into my cart.

Technology Linky (MY FIRST LINKY!!!)

My school is a magnet school for art, math, science, and technology. I have fully thrown myself into the technology aspect. Being on the laptop and the iPad the school loaned me are both a hobby and now a passion. I'm truly enjoying creating, writing, and sharing.

One of the things I was able to do was create quality board math on the Promethean Board with ActivInspire. To read the blog post, click here. To download it for free, click here.

So I'm hoping that more of you are interested in sharing too! Link up with me!

Rules: 
Your link must be technology related. It could be a story about how you used some form of technology, an anecdote, a link to a technology freebie in your store, or a link to a technology giveaway you are hosting. I'm hoping to read lots of great stories and get some good ideas.

Don't forget to stop by my stores this Monday for some great deals! I'm also hosting a Christmas clip art giveaway on Teacher's Notebook.

Thanks for the Giveaway!*

Things I'm thankful for this year:

• My husband found a job after being unemployed for the past four months.
• My family is alive and well.
• We have a fireplace. This is both beautiful to sit in front of, but also helps keep the PG&E bill down.
• My son is still young enough to want to snuggle with me each night.
• Having a family who cares even when times are rough.
• Rain. We need it, even though it makes everyday life trickier.
• My car that is in working order (not perfect, but it runs).
• Night lights. They scare away monsters and allow me not to trip over our black cat.
• My cat. He makes snuggling in front of a fire even more cozy.
• My couch that has recliners (on each end) for my tired feet.
• Wonderful friends. They make me laugh, cry tears of joy, and bring a smile to my face no matter where in the country they live.
• My home. I fell in love with it the day we walked in. We've lived here for a little over a year and it feels like I've always lived here.
• My backyard. It has beautiful trees, a patio area, birds, and my son's toys that I love watching him play with.
• My husband. He cooks, he cleans, he helps raise our amazing son, makes me laugh every day, and is such a caring man. I LOVE that guy!

There is just so much to be thankful for, even when times are tough. This has been the most difficult year I've had in a loooooong time. It truly makes me appreciate the good times. 

*This Giveaway is currently closed