It's Here! It's Here! It's Here!

So sorry for the delay in blogging my faithful followers, but all of my creative powers have been directed at my new 'toy'! The Sizzix Eclips!! 

My new toy came in at just the right time because it is back to school time, and the country club for which I work was having a Back to School Splash and we got to make goody bags! We were trying to be smart with money so I didn't fill them too much but still wanted them to be special to the kids. I decided to make 'tags' (as I called them, but they were actually quite large, about 5" by 8") to put inside the clear zipper bags and I tried to personalize them for the kids that would  be there then just make the other ones clever and cute. See some examples below :)

I even got to play around with some bigger projects, like cutting out my husband's youth group logo! The logo is so intricate but the Eclips had no problem! The logo turned out so cool!

Now forgive me, but for the life of me I cannot make this rotate. I am looking at this photo in my editing software and it is rotated perfectly. Blogger-sometimes I hate you. 

Anyway! I am just loving my new toy and trying to find as many reasons to use it, so if you have any ideas let me know! I am more than willing to send you school teachers anything you need or Moms if you need some personalized invitations or ANYTHING, let me know! I am more than willing to help a sister (or a brother) out!

I hope that back to school has been easy and painless for you and your's. Much love from the McGraw's!

Back to School Teacher's Luncheon and Gifts

So before I started working at the Country Club, I was a teacher at a small, private school here in town. It was basically a startup school, and as with any private school (I feel like) you wear a lot of hats. I love the people that I worked with there, but in the end it came down to the fact that our summers are crazy and my family needed down time all together. I felt like Cliff and I were always in a state of 'ramping-up.' For example, as soon as summer was over we were ramping up for the school year and as the school year was winding down we had to ramp up for summer traveling with the youth group. It's exhausting, all around, and now with Macy in the picture it was time to make some changes. Even though I'm not teaching anymore, I wanted to let those teachers know that I still care deeply for them and appreciate everything they do all year long. So, I offered to host the teachers and staff for lunch one day during their training week at the Country Club. I am so glad that I was able to host them, and still be able to feel connected to such a good cause, with such wonderful people.

Here are some pictures from the luncheon... 

I reused (for the second time, here's the first) some of the decor pieces from Macy's Birthday After-After-Party. 

Then I pulled books from my personal library that have either been or are currently on the literature list at the school. Also, I pulled different quotes off the internet about teaching from respected educational and historical figures, and printed them on card stock. I cut them and then used glue spots to adhere them to 'Thank You' tents, AKA colored card stock with my thank you stamp and gold ink. I was pretty happy with the results, especially since I found out I was hosting the 15-person party less than 24 hours before.

I love a pretty beverage dispenser. Little touches, like utilizing a dispenser rather than a pitcher when you can, make parties for me.

For lunch, the group had the ACC Signature Salad, which consists of baby spinach, Craisins, walnuts, Granny Smith apples and a raspberry vinaigrette, as well as the Par 5 Sandwich, turkey BLT with avocado. Everything looked wonderful and was quite tasty!

Dessert is a must in my book, which is why it's so hard for me to be a diet, HAHA! I need something sweet to conclude the whole experience. For the luncheon we had a beautiful fruit tray with sweet cream cheese fruit dip, and chocolate chip cookies. I had a really hard time abstaining from just spreading the fruit dip on the chocolate chip cookie. That dip was to die for!

Again, I felt so blessed to be able to host this group. I know they work hard all year long so I couldn't stop there. I knew I wanted to make them something gifty, but was having a hard time deciding on what I wanted to do. Luckily, I stumbled upon The Crafting Chicks blog post Back to School Brainstorm. They offer several different ideas for back to school gifts, as well as any printables you would need to go with them. I decided on this sweet gift, but I added my own spin on it.

The Inspiration

{via}

What I Used

Ball Half Pint, wide mouth, Mason jars: 4/$8.99 

I had a coupon for 40% off of 2 packages of them and 25% off the whole purchase!

Avery 2'' labels: 60/$7.97

 I only used 12, so I will have some more for other projects!

Individually wrapped Smarties: $2.16/bag 

I ended up needing about two and a half bags to fill 12 jars

So I ended up using Mason jars: a. because I love them, and b. because I had a coupon to Joann's Fabric Store and they didn't have the treat jars, but I'm more than ok with it. Then I filled them with Smarties (*FYI: If I did it all over again, I may have chosen something with a little less of a defined shape, but I loved the play on words*) and then at the last minute I added some ribbon. Luckily, I cleaned out and organized all of our gift wrapping today, and remember that we had some leftover ribbon from Macy's birthday party that would match perfectly. On top of that, it was precut perfectly to tie nicely around the wide-mouthed jars. I just love when a plan comes together! 

My Finished Project

Overall, I'm pretty happy with the gifts. I wish I had been able to wait a little bit longer before needing to take them up to the school because I just ordered the BEST THING EVER!! I have been researching cutting machines for what seems like months now, and had narrowed it down to the Cricut or Sizzix Eclips. A dear friend, and avid crafter, who has both machines, adamantly recommended the Sizzix over the Cricut, and then proceeded to tell me all the website I should be stalking for the best sale. So Cliff was out of town when I came across the best sale I'd seen on the Eclips. I found it on Oh My Craft, and it is the Eclips Start Up Kit with the option of the eCal software (which I also got at the recommendation of my friend). Just a note, if you find/found the Eclips at a better price, do not tell me. I was pretty happy with myself. Don't burst my bubble...

It was basically 50% off, then also offered free shipping and then 25% off the whole order. Needless to say, I jumped all over that sale, but it's still being shipped. Otherwise, these teacher gifts would have been even more crazy awesome!!! 

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this post and that you have taken time to thank the teachers in your life for all their hard work and dedication to your kids and community. 

Happy School Year!

First Day of School!

Welcome back everyone! Happy 1st day of school to most Texas students! It was crazy going back to school after this blissful summer with baby Macy, and it was not without it's own set of problems. First of all, I misread my schedule and was late to my first class... Awesome. I heavily rely on powerpoints and the use of technology and my projector, which of course was MIA for my first class. I found another projector by my next class, but of course it decided that it didn't like my computer, or something... So both classes were completely thrown off, but hopefully we can make up time over this week. Right now I am just so tired, stressed, and have a million things on my To-Do list, but I guess that is every teacher!

Me and Macy on my first day of school!

We had a wonderful night, Cliff made us dinner (Caribbean Jerk marinated chicken, with black beans and veggies!) and then we went on a family walk! Another first for today was working out with weights again since I've been pregnant. I couldn't believe how good it felt! I'm really trying to step it up in that area now that I've been cleared by my doctor. At my doctor's appointment last week, I got on the scale (EEK!) and it revealed that I had lost 36 pounds since the day before Macy was born! That is awesome but there is still so much work to be done! Everything kind of settled differently after Macy arrived, and I had really wanted to lose some before but wasn't working out too hard while trying to get pregnant. I have now made a goal to lose 30 pounds by Christmas, and Cliff upped the ante by telling me that if I reached my goal he would get me a special surprise!

 I have had my eye on a pair of these shoes for several years and Cliff knows that, so it was the perfect motivation! He is just the best husband ever, for more reasons than I could ever write on here!

Oh BABY!

What an exciting time we have been having lately! The past few weeks has just been a whirlwind! Two weeks ago all throughout the week we were re-tiling our pool, and it is BEAUTIFUL, if I do say so myself! It was kind of like opening Pandora's Box, but it's finally done and it is wonderful.

From this... Disgusting, I know! Tile falling off, and of course the most nasty water!

To this!! I just want to sit outside all the time now!

We also had a wonderful time with the Yeldell family, and let me just say, I think that my abs are still sore from laughing so hard at all of my aunts and uncles, and the conversations we had. We also brought home so many wonderful and cute things for Miss Macy. I love having a big family and can't wait for Macy to experience it too!

Then this past week, Cliff and I spent about a week in Ruidoso with 4 ACP Seniors and our principal. It was such a great time! I was so glad that we were able to go, Ruidoso is one of my favorite places. The cabin is just so relaxing and has so many awesome memories of when we've spent time their with such wonderful friends, and it was great to get to take some of these kids there too!

Our first family photo at the lookout (28 weeks pregnant)

The 4 ACP Seniors on the trip

We had such a great time! We got back home to Athens on Sunday at about 9:30, and Monday morning came way too early if you ask me. It's been a busy week, and it's not going to slow down any time soon! We went to the doctor today and Miss Macy is measuring quite large! My tummy is measuring a little over 31 centimeters, which makes me about 3 centimeters ahead of were I'm supposed to be. The doctor said that is just fine, and we will just continue to monitor her growth and possibly do an ultrasound even earlier than we would normally to see what's really going on in there. It makes me laugh every time we go to the doctor, and regardless of which of the four doctors we have, every one of them comments on how much of a mover Macy is. I'm not really sure if that is a good or a bad thing for Cliff and I, but we always knew that any child of ours would be quite lively and always keep us on our toes. Can't wait to meet her!!! AH! Something else new that happened this week was that yesterday I had two Braxton Hicks (fake) contractions, in about an hour. You should have seen Cliff's face when I told him! He just said over and over, "I don't have a bag, you don't have a bag, Macy doesn't have a bag." I just love this man so much. He has been just incredible, but let's get serious he always has been incredible. I asked the doctor about those this morning and she told me that it's great to have those Braxton Hicks contractions, but if it gets to be more than 4-6 in an hour that I need to sit, drink water, and call the office to let them know. She also said something that shocked me, they won't stop labor past 34 weeks. People, 34 weeks for me is May 27th! That is nuts, as well as Cliff and I's 4 year anniversary. That is just crazy close to me! Macy can come as soon as she wants, but all I'm saying is that she better stay in there until she's done cooking.

But anyways, back to the schedule! There are a lot of good things on the agenda this week to look forward to! Tomorrow night is ACP's Tablescapes fundraiser, for which I am a table hostess and will post pictures soon. This weekend is LTC in Dallas with our church kids. Next Tuesday night is going to be fabulous, and I'm getting to spend some time with my wonderful girlfriends here in Athens. Then next weekend, me, my mom, and my Granana will fly to Midland for Macy's Midland shower. Every time I look at the calendar I get a little overwhelmed, but then I remember just how blessed we are and how excited I am to get to see friends that we don't always get to see and be a part of all these special events! Exciting times ahead!

Teacher of the Year

Hello again,

So I may have inadvertently told you a lie in my last post. I said that last week was semi-uneventful but that wasn't completely true. Last Thursday night I was honored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars as being the 2010 Teacher of the Year. My students, bless them, nominated me. My job can be quite challenging sometimes. Most of you know that I get paid the equivalent of quarters and hugs from burly, sweaty football players. I know that this probably doesn't seem attractive to you at all, but I must tell you- worrying about being form tackled every time I see one of them is quite an adrenaline rush!

Anyway, I cannot tell you how humbling it was to hear some of the things that my students had written about me. Here are a few of them:

-The most innovative teacher at ACPA is Mrs. McGraw.

-It's safe to say Emily McGraw is an over-achiever, always coming up with new things to do in class.

-She helps me retain and absorb the information in a simpler way so I can really understand what is going on and how it fits into the timeline.

-She'll make jokes on occasion and laugh with her students.

-She teaches the lessons on our level, gets right to the point, and knows we'll be ready for any future examinations.

-There is a confidence in her that many wish they had.

-She pushes us hard because she knows of what we are capable and she wants us to be our best.

-She makes learning fun because she is so passionate about what she is teaching.

-She is feisty and tough, gives great advice, and is very determined.

-She supports us in what we do, and helps us become better as students, players, people, and Christians.

-All of these elements combine to help further Mrs. McGraw as more than a teacher; she becomes a friend to the students and allows them to offer input so that there is a continuously growing eagerness for learning taking place.

There are 42 bullet points on the list that my co-teacher gave me! As I'm typing and reading this list, I'm crying like a baby. I just can't believe that they would say these things, and then go the extra mile to enter it into a contest. I just love all of these kids so much, even if they do wear me out on a daily basis. So, to all of you students who are reading this, thank you from the very bottom of my heart. You have no idea the impact you have made on my life, and you have no idea of the depth of gratitude I have for each one of you.

Okay moving on, I think that I need to go eat something, I'm getting a little too weepy. Happy day friends!