Happy Friday friends! What a week. I am so ready for the weekend, especially this weekend since it’s Mother’s Day. I hope each and every one of you reading this right now has a fond memory of your mother and if you’re a mother yourself than I hope you feel loved.
So I’m calling this week’s round up of Friday Favorites the Teacher Appreciation Edition but I hope you don’t mind if I include some other favorites too! Our school actually celebrated last week and boy, did we get spoiled with goodies. Ending the week with Cinco de Mayo just about did me in as far as food goes. I swear my clothes are tight! I am still working out each day but food is such an important part of the equation. Like 80% food and nutrition and 20% exercise. I wish it was the other way around but…
Friday Favorite #1 – Being thought of on Teacher Appreciation Week. As an elementary school guidance counselor I have interaction with most of our 700 students. I know most of them by name and I remember crazy details about them (like teachers they had in years past). And I certainly have my fair share of students I see daily. My job is to eliminate emotional barriers that impede learning, so that means for some students I calm them when they cry, or offer counseling, basically I am a soft place to land. So when a student takes the time to thank me or acknowledge what I contribute to their learning experience I am all kinds of touched. This year I received flowers, plants, a gift card, yummy candy, delicious cookies, and perhaps the best gift ever this sequin pillow. It is actually quite calming as you run your hands over the sequins. Since I received it last week I’ve had several visitors come in just to pet the pillow! The little girl who gave it to me said it was for all the crying children I see to use. When I thanked her mom she told me she got it from the 5 Below Store. I’m thinking I need to get more! I am sharing two pictures of this “favorite” pillow so you can see how much fun it is to play with the sequins!
Friday Favorite #2 – I love to read and when I find a good book it consumes me (in a good way). I try to read 2 or 3 books a month when possible and I like to order them from the public library. That means that sometimes I have several books show up at once but I read quickly so it’s never a problem but I am always on the hunt for a good book. I joined The Blended Blog for an online Book Club and it’s been terrific! One of the best books I’ve read this year is Jodi Picoult’s Small Great Things. If you haven’t read it yet I hope you will. So eye opening!
Friday Favorite #3 – Recipes from other bloggers! For Cinco de Mayo we hosted a dinner for our best friends (my husband & I met in their wedding). My menu came in large part from this post by Shelly who blogs over at The Queen in Between. The margaritas were to die for (and I don’t normally drink them), the queso was fantastic, and the sopapilla cheesecake was scrumptious! And then on Wednesday night I made Andrea’s Easy Shepherd’s Pie . It was so good, my family loved it and I had seconds. Which leads me to Friday Favorite #4.
Friday Favorite #4 – Tabata Workout. Listen I’ve been working out regularly for 17 years. To keep from getting bored and to keep getting results I need to change up my workout. My gym bestie Lorie and I have tried just about everything. We are always updating our workouts and challenging ourselves. For the last few months we’ve been doing blogger Tracy Hensel’s Tabata Workout. It is killer but I know I’m getting a great workout and even though it is torture the feeling I have when it’s done is addicting. Check out Tracy’s blog for more information about Tabata. It’s no joke but Lorie and I both swear our bodies are changing for the better (even if I eat too many cookies sometimes). If you’re interested in what we do specifically I’ll be happy to share our routine. When we’re done we are completely soaked in sweat, seriously this is a challenging routine so if you’re looking to shake up your workout look no further. Head to Tracy’s blog and follow her on SnapChat. I’m addicted to her snap stories but they’re so good!
Friday Favorites #5 – On Monday the graduating seniors from our high school came back to walk the halls in their caps and gowns. It was beyond moving! When our school opened in 2005 they were in 1st grade! It was amazing to have them back! Our kids lined the hallways with signs and posters congratulating them and they handed out a lanyard with advice to each and every one of our students. My eyes teared up way too many times that day. It was by far my favorite event of the week! Check out some of the pictures!
[easy-image-collage id=1361]I hope you enjoyed today’s round up of favorites, I certainly enjoyed sharing. Have a wonderful weekend and I’ll see you back here on Monday!
Fashionably,
Kellyann
Linking up with Andrea, Narci, and Erika
