[life] UPDATE!

Hello?

Is anyone still out there?

I know I pull this at least seven times a year... I blog, I quit. I blog, I stop for 5 months. Etc. Etc. I apologize! This semester was CRAZY. So, for an update.

1. I left my teaching job. Leaving in the middle of the year?! What?! I know. I know. Cardinal sin of teaching. But it was a family decision. Without divulging too much personal information, Nate and I just decided it would be better for me and for us if I stayed at home and/or had a less stressful/time consuming profession. It was a REALLY hard decision, but in the end, this is what's best for us. And so far, it is proving to be the right decision (after only two days of not working, I can tell that this was TOTALLY God's call for us).

2. No, Nate and I are NOT having marriage problems and no, we are NOT moving away from our current location. Don't you just love how life changes can cause stirs and rumors amongst others? Ugh. Luckily we haven't had too many inquisitive minds asking us to share personal information. But Nate and I are a-okay and as in L-O-V-E as ever!

3. No, I'm NOT pregnant. People like to think that too: OOH she must be pregnant. Nope, sorry. I'm not. Again, if I were, that would be personal information that doesn't need to be shared, but no. Not pregnant either!

This major life change was definitely a call from God. I feel like God puts us in situations and circumstances to show us that we must rely on Him and trust His timing even when it doesn't make sense or doesn't sound practical on paper. Nathan and I are fully relying on Him, His timing, and all that He provides. Yes, it will be hard. Yes, it will be uncomfortable. But He is at the center of our marriage and all glory goes to Him for everything we do. We will stumble, fall, and mess up, but the beauty is that God already knows that and loves us anyways!

SO now that I have more time on my hands, perhaps I shall have more time to blog! I have missed it so. Now, if you are around... what are you up to?! Unless I follow you on Instagram or Facebook, I have no idea what's going on in your life... my blog reading has slipped also! Please comment and share if you're still here. Miss you!

[life] Currently...

I am linking up with Farley at Oh' Boy 4th Grade to share my "currently" for this month!

Listening: to the dishwasher. I'm home (again) today, recovering from some sort of a stomach bug and low-grade fever. Nate came home for lunch and put on a load of dishes before heading back to the office, so I am basking in the sound of sweet silence... except for that dishwasher. But it's so refreshing!

Loving: Y'all. Have you been to B&BW lately? The fall scents?! YES PLEASE. They are my favorite scents out of the entire year! I picked up two (because they're $22 each... what?! I had a $10 off coupon... but still, that's CRAY for candles... but, I digress): Spiced Pumpkin Cider and Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin. They're amazing! Trying not to burn them all at once, but it's really hard!

Thinking: I hate missing school. I feel bad for my kids, for the other teachers who have to help my sub get organized, and for the overall feeling of missing out and missing the structure/routine/instruction that my kiddos so desperately need during this 3rd week of school. There's so much to do upon your arrival back after an absence, but of course it can't be done from home. Everything I need to do is at the school. So... back to resting, I go.

Wanting: See above. Not only do I have school things to do, I'm also responsible for the Children's Wednesday night program at our church, plus I like to help Nate with other church things... AND not to mention my house, whew! We are having a bridal shower here on Sunday and there's about 14.3 million things to do, but of course the minute I try to get up and move around, I get hit with the stomach crud... ugh.

Needing: Does anyone else have this dilemma? No color printing at school, but of course you want your class things to look cute, so you buy your OWN color ink which lasts a week. Again, things I want to be doing for school while I'm at home, but no ink (I've already ran out of both cartridges thanks to the beginning of the school year).

3 Trips:
1. Hawaii: I mean, obviously.
2. Europe: I want to see the architecture, the sights, the accents, the FOOD!
3. Canada: The snow. And the sights.

What are you all currently up to? Link up with Farley and check out others as well!

[teach] WHO Am I?

It is only fitting that the gals at Blog Hoppin' decided to have Teacher Week THIS week, August 18-22, because today is the first day of school for me! All 22 of my new bunch of Kinder babies will walk through my classroom door today and I am anticipating another wonderful year with Kinder!

Each day, I will ::hopefully:: be posting about myself as a teacher. Today is: WHO am I? So here's a bit all about me!

My name is Chrissy Johnson and I am from Dallas, TX. I grew up with two loving parents and a big brother, Michael. I lived there my entire life, graduated from the same high school as my parents and brother, and then it was time for college. I applied to UT in Austin, Baylor, and Dallas Baptist. I was accepted to all three, and I was ::thisclose:: to attending UT because my brother was a senior there. He convinced me that I wouldn't like it, so to DBU I went! And boy am I glad. Some of the BEST four years of my life! Grew in my relationship with Christ, met 4 of my best friends (who I will have for life), and I met my HUSBAND there! And, DBU has THE best Elementary Ed program in the country, so what an amazing turn of events for me! God definitely had a plan. I didn't even start out as an Ed major (I was majoring in Print/Graphic Comm, but changed my major after freshman year).

Okay, so after the fabulous-ness that was college, it was time to get married! Nate actually proposed my junior year, and we were married less than a month after my college graduation. We added to our family in the form of a puppy named Chloe and she is literally like our child... yeah, we're those people!

I had accepted a job at the school I student taught at, but unfortunately had to switch campuses (and grade levels, UGH) due to low numbers in my grade. I didn't have a very good 1st year of teaching (but then again, who does?).We lived in DFW for 10 months before he accepted a job offer in South TX. Mind you, I had NEVER lived more than 20 minutes away from my family. EVER. This was a huge change for me. 4 hours away?! I know it's not that big of a difference in the grand scheme of things, but it was huge to me. 

However, God once again had His hand in it and we have happily lived in South TX for four years now, going on year #5! I accepted a job offer at a private school in our town, and although it was such a huge shift from public education, it has been such a blessing.

We also adopted our 2nd fur baby, Oliver, once we moved here. Such a sweet boy!

My husband is now the head pastor at our church, where I am also involved in our children's ministry. We have an amazing set of friends, along with so many older friends who act more as family since our parents live four hours away. I'm starting my 6th year as an educator in Texas, in my most favorite grade, with my most favorite age of kids. All in all, I am just blessed to enjoy life with my sweet husband, our precious pups, and loving family and friends. Can't thank God enough!

Now, what about you? Can you relate to anything in my story? Can't wait to read y'alls!

Don't forget to link up at Blog Hoppin'!

[teach] TPT

So I did this yesterday...

 

I created (finally) a Teachers Pay Teachers (TPT) store online! This is a website where teachers can upload their self-made documents, assessments, organizational tools, anything that can be used in a classroom, and earn $$$! This is amazing because teachers can earn additional income from other teachers and help them in the classroom at the same time!

I create self-made documents allllllllllllll the time. I can't tell you how many docs I have on my home and school computer for school. Sometimes, you just have to make them yourself! I have been excited, nervous, and anxious to post my work online for others to see. Of course, if you use clip art, page backgrounds, downloaded fonts, etc, you have to give credit where credit is due, but that involves a simple link back to where you got them from. I only have a few downloads so far, but it is exciting to know that people want to use my stuff in their classroom! YIKES. 

So, here are a few things that I have uploaded in the past... 24 hours, I'd say?

First Day Portrait

Labels for Teacher Binders by Theme

Journal Covers

Back to School Info Form and Activities

Commitment Card Signs

Center Rotation Display Signs

[click on each picture to be directed to its site on TPT]

For those of you who aren't teachers, I am sorry that this is probably boring to you! I thought about creating a separate "teacher blog", but I like the thought of having everything in one place. Please do tell me though if it is obnoxious and I'll see what I can do. I will be mixing "lifestyle" with "teaching" more so in the coming months, so I apologize in advance!

Teachers: do YOU have a TPT store? Please tell me: I'd love to follow you!

Happy Wednesday!

[teach] Oh SNAP! Blog Hoppin' Scavenger Hunt

I have followed a few of the Blog Hoppin' gals for some time (Kacey, Cara, Abby, Amy) but didn't know about Blog Hoppin' itself until July 6th. That is when the Scavenger Hunt started!

For those of you who follow me on Instagram, you will have noticed MANY of my pictures have had this strange sign entitled "Blog Hoppin' 2014". Weird, huh? Well, the gals (like I'm friends with them, that's what we call each other ;)) have teamed up to share amazingly amazing prizes, one of which being a Canon Rebel camera (say what?!) if you choose to participate in this hunt. There are over 200 items, plus many bonus points that are offered daily. If you get at least 105+, you will be entered into a drawing to win one of the prizes. Eek!

I'm so pumped: even if I don't win, it has been so fun participating in this scavenger hunt! A)I'm a sucker for scavenger hunts, B)I'm a sucker for Instagram, and C)I'm a sucker for PHOTO SCAVENGER HUNTS. So this was right up my alley! Here are a few photos from my collection (you can see the entire collection at #chrissydj, or see EVERYONE'S photos at #bloghoppin2014):

Someone with an ice cream cone:

A teacher doing a cartwheel (I was SO sore the next day: embarrassing!):

"Bloghoppin'" spelled out in Play-Doh:

Five friends laughing (love these people):

6 pairs of flip flopped feet:

It has been so fun to have my husband, family, and friends participate with me! Nate even said once, "This scavenger hunt is taking over my life." #commitment

See everyone's linked up blog posts at the Blog Hoppin' site! Thanks girls for the opportunity: this has been so fun! Again, sorry to be blowing up your Instagram feeds with my pictures: the hunt is over August 6th! Wish me luck!

[love] #shereadstruth

One of my 30 before 30 items is to complete the Beth Moore "Esther" bible study on my own. This is proving to be difficult (I mean, I still have 2.5 years to complete my list, so we'll see) because I find that it is such a beautiful thing to have a community of believers to participate in a study with.

I was a part of our Women's Bible Study at my church, but while that is still going on currently, I have taken up the teaching of our Children's Bible Study that occurs at the same time. While I do miss the community of ladies sharing and learning together, I felt that it was important to serve my church in this way by leading the children's ministry.

Luckily, I found "She Reads Truth", an online community of girls/ladies who participate in bible studies together online. I'm not sure if you follow me on Pinterest, but I have been "pinning" the lessons like crazy: they are that good! The team just finished posting a study on Ruth, and are currently doing a study on The Sermon on the Mount. It is great too if you are on the go or have a crazy schedule, because they leave all the posts up: when Nate went into the hospital and we then went on vacation, I was able to pick up where I left off once we returned to a state of normalcy.

This is a free website, by the way. Each day, there is a new study posted. It is short, supplies the scripture reference(s) you will need, and there is always a visual to "pin" or even use as your phone wallpaper: this is my current wallpaper (it's Ruth 2:12, the "memory verse" for the week):

I highly recommend this site if you are looking to increase your study of the Word while doing so with fellow ladies. The study is enriching. The words spoken are truth. The insight from the writers immediately clicks and you can totally relate to what they are saying. Plus, Emily from Jones Design Company designs for them, so all of their artwork and graphics are super cute! Click the links above to see what I mean! P.S. I wasn't paid or perked to advertise, I just enjoy the site that much!

Happy Monday! Let me know if you have used #shereadstruth before and/or if you plan on looking into it! We can study together!