guiding words

Tahari shell, Alfani pants and Born boots, Macy's

cardigan, Gap Outlet

    First post of 2017! (About time ....) 

   It seems that January started so slowly, with the inevitable readjustment to early wake-up calls and busy days after the languor of winter break. I'm still a bit in disbelief that January is just about gone! I usually give myself a month to figure out my goals for the year, and my deadline is fast approaching. I did work partway through Susannah Conway's Find Your Word  series, but the words I'm trying to live by came to me before I started reflecting:

   Intentional: I want to be more intentional - with my time, money, resources, etc. For the first time ever, I started planning out what's for dinner. It gives me satisfaction to know what goes into my food, save money, and eat a home-cooked meal. It's also been a fun way to try out new recipes. I'm also striving to be more intentional with my time by putting my phone away and reading, instead. I've gotten through three books this month and have several more that are in progress. 

   Flow: While I often enjoy training in a new style of aikido, it can be very challenging at times. I'm working in my discomfort zone most of the time! Physically, I'm trying things that scare me a little, such as learning to break fall or how to load someone - or be loaded - for a hip throw. Mentally, I have to deal with the frustrations that come with learning a new style of weapons. The word "flow" reminds me to be pliable in all ways, to readjust, and that sometimes I need to take a step back before moving forward.      

    Whew, so that's my plan for 2017 in a nutshell ... now let's talk clothes! My sister and I went outlet shopping when we were in Hawaii over winter break, and I was excited to find a red cardigan. I had one before that was very versatile, but the fit was a bit off, so I donated it. It was a bit too cold to wear this sleeveless shell with a cardigan (even with a tank underneath and my smaller black cardigan hiding out underneath this red one), but it was a nice change of pace - I get tired of my uniform of long-sleeve shirt + sweater + vest.

a little dressy

Tahari shell and Alfani pants, Macy's

glass pendant, gift

     One-eyed selfies - going to totally make it a trend. ;)
    First day of parent-teacher conferences called for something a little dressier than the norm. Threw on a thrifted blazer to fend off the A/C and felt pretty good all day.
    Today I have 10 conferences, then it's off to enjoy a long weekend. (November, I love all of your days off). What I'm not loving is how quickly it gets dark nowadays! It's odd to be sitting in my classroom in the afternoon, glance out the window, and see that at 4:45 it's decidedly dusky.

fancy that

Ann Taylor silk top, thrifted

Alfani trousers, Macy's

J. Crew necklace, eBay

     I let a 50% off color tag sway me into getting this shirt, although to be honest it is probably a size too big. The side zipper makes tucking a tricky proposition, but it looked OK with a cardigan to hide how the zipper puffs out on the side.
    Important visitors were expected at work that day, so I dressed up a little and even put on some lipstick. Most of the staff had labored mightily the day before to put up bulletin boards with a step-by-step explanation of a lesson and to speed-clean classrooms. All that work, and no important visitors stopped by my room! Oh well, it was good to have the kids clean their desks and it was good for me to straighten up a bit, too.

lemonade

shirt, Old Navy

cardigan, Gap Outlet

pants, Macy's

    The other day, I taught a lesson that used lemons to teach scientific observation. After students made their observations, I had them turn the lemon in - the next step was to mix them up and have students find their lemon using their notes. 

    I half-jokingly instructed the kids to bid a "fond farewell" to their lemons as I came around with the plastic bag. I had to smile to myself as every kid held up their lemon in front of their face and told it goodbye. 

   I'm still reveling in working in a temperature-controlled environment - I always keep my black cardigan at work and wear it regularly. It is cooling down just a bit, and I find myself tempted to expand my cardigan collection. The three I own now, however, work well with my wardrobe so I will try to wait a bit.