Elementary Valentine

You might be married to an elementary school teacher if....

she goes to school on Valentine's Day dressed like this!



And I didn't even win the contest! Ha!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day!

I have to admit - this holiday can be more exhausting than fun when you work in an elementary school. But, we're still celebrating with a casual night in. Cue the heart-shaped pizza from Picasso's, grape and goat cheese salad (my fave), and cheesy bread. And candy from my sweet students for dessert (choice of Laffy Taffy, Pixi Stix, Reese's, and chocolates - sorry, A, I already ate the KitKat bar).

I got all Pinterest-y, with my help from my dear friend Marlowe, and made the "52 Reasons I love you" deck of cards for Aaron this year. It was amazing how easy it was to think of 52 things. I am so in love with my husband.

And when he got home from work, this is the loot I got - all my favorites - Laughing Cow cheese, chocolate chip cookies, Cupcake Red Velvet wine ("the most Becky wine ever" according to him), and a great Valentine's movie - Moneyball on Blue-ray.

In my classroom, we played a cute Valentine's Minute to Win It game. It is played with candy and SO cute and fun. We also danced to the Cupid Shuffle. Without a room mom, it can be trying to plan the party and execute it without any help, all the while trying to be friendly and not grouchy with the mess and noise. Whew! Here is the link to the Minute to Win It game...it was awesome!
http://stacyjulian.com/blog/?p=6710

Hope everyone had a great Valentine's Day!

a new adventure

Last week, I began a new adventure in my life that I am SO excited about...selling Stella and Dot jewelry! I had never really thought about doing anything like this, but I learned about the opportunity by attending a trunk show, and thought I could actually be good at it. The jewelry is awesome - everything is really cute, stylish, and I seriously want it all. It has only been a week, but it has given me a renewed confidence in a way as I set some new goals in my life. I am thrilled to find what my future brings through this company. Don't get me wrong, I still love teaching and have aspirations to be an administrator, but this is something that I am doing for our family to earn a little extra income and for me to have a way to hang out with people and see if I have any talent in this area. I used to be uncomfortable with the idea of selling something - like I would be pressuring my friends to buy things - but after going to these shows, I can see that it truly is no pressure. Some people buy stuff and some don't and it's really not a big deal either way.

If you were wondering, the company is super easy to get into. You just sign up, pay a small (in my opinion) fee, get a bunch of free jewelry to build up your samples, and start holding trunk shows. My first one right now is at the end of February. If you aren't interested in signing up to sell, the great thing is you can easily host a trunk show and earn all kinds of free jewelry for yourself. If you are reading this and are at all interested in hosting a trunk show, please let me know! I am dying to book some more (besides the ones I am throwing myself), and it is the best way to get my business started. You can email me: beckystevens1126@gmail.com or leave a comment! I will travel for these too!

Here are some more of my favorite pieces right now...

I wear this necklace a ton...it looks great with black or denim shirts.

This is a piece that I am dying to get! It is so pretty!

I got these earrings and necklace at the trunk show I went to and wear them both all the time.

Great everyday gold pieces.

Anyway, if you would like to book a trunk show OR set up an order, I would be happy to help you. Stella and Dot ships super quick - I got all my stuff in 2 days paying the regular shipping cost.

And, if you order $125 worth by THURSDAY, Feb 9 (two days away), you get this free necklace (worth $79)! That is a great deal!

Thanks for listening to me go on and on. I am just really pumped to start selling jewels!

Hudson Michael Yoo

I told you...it's the Year of the Baby! Hudson Michael Yoo was born on Monday, January 30. I have already seen him twice - I can't get enough of him! Congrats to the new parents...Steph and Jason, yall are going to be awesome parents and I hope we have kids that can grow up together.

Aaron didn't want to hold him..."in case I sneeze"...but he promised to hold him on Sunday. We need some practice for our upcoming neices and/or nephews!

Steph is such a trooper - she went home less than 48 hours after having a c-section AND is having us over for the Superbowl on Sunday! She is tough! I'm so proud of her and can't wait to see Hudson again on Sunday.

Celebrating Hudson!

A couple of weekends ago, Heidi and I hosted a baby shower for our dear friends Steph and Jason Yoo. Stephanie has the awesome idea of having really more of a "party" than a "shower", so all the guys could come too. It worked out great. I was super impressed by all of Heidi's creativity and craftiness. She is definitely one of the most creative people I know. The Yoo's shower would have been about 25% as cute if I had to do it on my own. ha! Here are some pics from our fun day celebrating Hudson Michael Yoo!

the banner

party favors. heidi found little charms that said "It's a boy!" to tie on them.

i made those individual seven layer dips. you've seen them on pinterest.

a sweet book for people to write messages to hudson.

and some fill-in-the-blanks for messages to the parents.

heidi, steph, and me

the excited parents

and her cheesy friends.

We love Stephanie and Jason and are so happy for them as they begin this new life with a baby (he was born on January 30 - check back for that post). I've known Steph for a long time now, and she has stood by me through a lot. She is definitely the most LOYAL person I know - she stands by her friends firmly and you never have to doubt that about her. It has been awesome to get to know Jason better over the past couple years, as he and Aaron became fast friends. Love you guys - and Hudson too!