DIY: Hair Bow Holder

So, my daughter has a TON of bows. When we first started "collecting" them, they fit in drawer corner in her dresser. However, as she got older and acquired more clothes, there was less room in the drawer for her bows. Once they became too much for the corner, I moved them to a box on top of her dresser. But then it seemed like I had to take them all out just to find the one I wanted! More bows were purchased for various outfits so I decided in October that I had to make a change. Something just had to give. I looked around the Internet at the various types of "do-it-yourself " bow holders. I found one on a blog that had a lot of the aspects I liked, with the exception that it was on a canvas and it didn't look as though it could be changed out very easily. My husband does not like canvas pictures. He likes pictures to be in frames so I adjusted it to fit his taste. Aren't I good wife??

Here is how I did it! Enjoy! :) (the dates are not correct on the photos! haha)

The first thing I did was go to Hobby Lobby and purchase a large frame. I chose an 18x24 because I needed a good size one for all the bows.

While I was at Hobby Lobby I picked out fabric and ribbon. I chose the zebra print because  Hadley's room has a jungle theme from her nursery days. I felt it matched the best with her current decor.

For this project you need box tape and a hot glue gun. Oh, and scotch tape (not shown).

Once you have all your materials, find a good sized space to "operate" on. I took everything off my coffee table and put down some baby blankets so I wouldn't scratch the wood. Then I took out the glass (which broke) and my husband disposed of it for me.

Next, I laid down the fabric and placed the "backing" or board on top to better measure the fabric. I cut the corners at an angle so they would not be bulky in the back so I could hang it on the wall at a later time.

The main aspect of this project that most concerned me was how I put this together in a way that would "grow" with Hadley as her tastes matured. So I decided to tape the fabric to the board on the back instead of hot gluing it. That way I can take a razor or box cutter later and cut it when we wanted to change decor. I did, however, hot glue the ribbon to the fabric.

In order to get the ribbon's straight I used scotch tape keep them in place on the front. As you can see I placed the skinner polka dot ribbon on top of the wider green ribbon to give it more depth.

After I glued down all the ribbons, I placed the board back in the frame. I chose to put my frame horizontally as opposed to vertically b/c of the wall space. But either way would work just fine, depending your personal preference. :)

Here is the finished product! Much, much better!!! And cuter too, I might add! haha I still don't have it hung on the wall yet, but it serves its purpose well. Plus, I have been very good about putting the bows back on here and not leaving them lying around the house in various places like I did before. :)


I do have to confess that I had friend come help me with with the cutting and gluing. In fact I don't even own a hot glue gun! Yikes, huh? That is on my to-buy list now that I feel more comfortable using one.

I actually made some wreaths for Christmas too, but I will leave that for another blog!

Thank you for letting me share my first DIY craft! Hopefully, there will many, many more in my future!

God Bless,
Jenifer

Pet Peeves: Merit Based Pay for Teachers

I have been pondering what to make my next blog topic. Orginially I was going to write about the Democratic chairwoman but something regarding education on Facebook caught my eye. It was a poll asking you to “grade” the education system in Missouri. When I clicked on it, it took me to a Republican candidate for MO governor, Dave Spence, homepage. (http://www.spenceforgovernor.com/home/) After I voted I looked around his page to check him out. A lot of what I read pertains to education. Here is what he had to say:

Dave’s initial “Back to Basics” education reform principles include:

• Let Teachers Teach- No Child Left Behind along with state testing requirements has made the ability to truly teach and advance students a part-time job. We must eliminate busy work for teachers to make more time for individual attention with students.
• Reward the Best Teachers- We need to work with local school districts to develop a merit-based pay incentive for teachers that focuses on student improvement during a school year.
• Keep the Best Teachers- The “last in, first out” policy for teachers must be addressed at the local level. If a teacher with two years’ experience is getting results while a teacher with ten years’ experience is not, we owe it to the students to keep the best educator.
• Rescue Failing Schools’ Students- Kansas City and St. Louis schools need help and quickly. Quit the blame game and form a committed group of community leaders, parents and state policymakers to get to a sustainable solution.
• Re-emphasizing Local Control in the Administration of our Schools- Local school boards and superintendents need the flexibility to implement educational programs and systems that fit the needs of their communities.
• More Education Options for Students- Students should have the opportunity for a more individualized education. That means we need to expand options, such as public charter schools, for all public school students.
• Many Paths, Same Success- A four-year college degree is not the only path to a successful career. We need to assist trade schools and community colleges, as well as set up an alternative platform for the students that simply want to learn a life skill and go to work.

Overall, I like his plan, especially the last “many paths, same success” aspect of it. I have said for many years that we need to totally overall our system. But that is another blog entirely. The aspect I have the most problem with is “keep the best teachers” feature. Oh, my word!!! That topic gets me riled up faster than a red-eye flight from NY to London! I ain’t kidding! I get so sick and tired of idiots saying that teachers should get paid based on how well their students perform in the classroom. Ok, really? You really think that is the way to get more quality teachers in the classrooms? Do you really think that is going to spur on better teaching? Do you really think that is the fairest way to address our education problem? REALLY? Now, before you start shaking you head yes and saying “of course,” think real careful about what you are agreeing to…….Did you think it through? If you still think that paying teachers based on their students’ performance is a good idea, then I am here to BUST YOUR BUBBLE and to let you know that YOU ARE AN IDIOT. Yes, I said it: YOU ARE AN IDIOT. Period, point blank, end of story. You have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

But it’s ok, because I am going to tell you why your ignorance probably really isn’t your fault. Liberals and the biased media have been feeding y’all this crap for years now so you probably don’t know any better. Let’s just start off with the basics, you know, ease you into the reality that YOU ARE WRONG.

Your argument: Merit base pay keeps teachers “honest” and will make them work hard. Ok, while I agree this approach does have a place in the workforce, our school system is not one of them. What keeps a teacher from "cheating" especially if the pay is based only on how student perform in his/her classroom. Second, test scores have no bearing on the students. Whether they pass or it or fail it, a student has no ties to it except that it’s in their file. So, what do they care if they pass it or not? In fact, if merit pay went were approved, the students would have even more power than they already do in the classroom.  “How?” you ask, well that is simple: if they do not like a teacher they fail the test on purpose, duh! Are you crazy? If a teacher gives too much homework, makes tests too hard, etc. then all a student has to do is fail it on purpose to make that teacher look bad. And if you are thinking to yourself that kids wouldn’t do something like that, then you are some hippie who doesn’t live in reality! They would do it in heartbeat, believe me. So, if you are going to argue you this then you better make it worthwhile to the student to learn it. Period.

 Your argument: Merit based pay makes teaching fair for everyone, the good teachers get rewarded for good standardized scores.  Makes it fair, huh? Really? Idiot….how is it fair? Only the “core” subjects get tested at the elementary and middle/junior high levels. That is: Math, Communication Arts (English) and Science in certain grades. So, the rest of us don’t get raises? How do you base our pay? How about the Fine Arts teachers? Those who teach art, home-ec, band, choir, etc.? How is that fair for them? Do we start to test those subjects also? Or just cut them entirely? Here is a whooper, what about SPECIAL EDUCATION???!!! Those kids will NEVER be proficient and maybe not even basic on those tests! Give me a break!! You mean I am not a good teacher because my kids cannot read a test? Oh, wait, you didn’t know? Yeah, in the state of MO teachers are not allowed to read the Comm Arts portion of the MAP test to their students with learning disabilities. That means all school year teachers are required to abide by the Individual Education Plans that the state mandates each student must have if they qualify for special services, things such as modifying the test by making it shorter or taking the answer choices from 4 to 3, rewording the questions, and mostly reading it them. However, come standardized testing taking time teachers can only read the science (8^th grade) and math portions of the test! How is that fair? How does that even make sense? But moving on…..so how do you per pose making it fair for all teachers of all subjects with merit based pay? How exactly is that going to work? Loss for words? Yeah, I thought so.

Your argument: Merit based pay will remove the bad teachers. BAHAHAHAHA! This really does make me laugh out. Are you kidding? The biggest complaint I hear today is that teachers are not good at their job anymore. And there may be some value to this argument, however, bad teachers are in the system because they cannot get a job anywhere else and they know it. Your “good” teachers leave education because they get tired of all the bull crap that goes on public education.  Not only are the kids out of control with their blatant disrespect for adults and each other, but the parents are not much better. Everyone believes their child in an angel and a straight ‘A’ student. It is unbelievable! Students say how much they hate school, how Mr./Mrs. So & So gives too much homework or that “she/ he is tripping if they think  I’m going to that all that work,” or “I’m grown” and the list could go on and on and on.  And if a teacher does call a parent, the parent second guesses what the teacher tells them about their sweet, precious, little angel. They are shocked to learn that their child speaks that way, or doesn’t do their homework (uh, no books at home should have gave it away!!!), or that they can’t read or do simple math such as multiplication or division of 2 or 3 digit numbers, etc. So what about the parents? Where do they fit into this merit based pay, huh? Are they not a partner in their child’s education anymore? Or did I miss the memo where education was now 100% the teacher’s responsibility?  Give me a break and think this stuff through, will you?

Bottom line is this: merit pay is great in a business organization, but not in education. In business, what do you if you get 12 boxes of blueberries that are rotten or that are not quite ready to eat? Well, the rotten ones can be thrown away and the not quite ripe ones can be placed on a shelf to wait until they are ready to be eaten. In business you can chose not to buy from those sellers again or use that farm that you bought them from, correct? Well, guess what?! Teachers do not get that option. When kids come through the door that cannot read or write or spell their name or do multiplication facts, etc. they have no choice but let them inside their classrooms. Teachers have no choice but to let them take the same tests as those “blueberries” that are ready to be “put to market.” Teachers have no choice but to make the student, who is horrible in math, but great at drawing, take the test and fail even though they can paint like Leonardo. Do you get it yet? Do you understand that business does not function in education; especially not the way our system is ran today?

Do I have suggestions on how to fix our very broken and very outdated education system in the United States? Yes I do, but I have taken up too much time with this blog so I will address that issue in a later blog. Hopefully, it will be posted later this weekend.

Come on America! Let’s take back our Country! Let’s take back our future for our children!

Who’s with me?

Pet Pleasers: 2012 Republicans (Part 2)

As promised to my lovely sister in Florida, here is my take on the Republican presidential candidates for the 2012 Presidential election.  However, the problem I ran into was the vast amount of information about how each candidate stood on a dozen or more issues. My conclusion was that Republicans tend to agree on some core principles: abortion, taxes, foreign aid, etc. While we agree on many things the one issue that is close to my heart (and wallet! LOL) is education. As a parent I am scared that my daughter might have to attend public schools.  As a teacher I cringe EVERYDAY at how ill prepared our students are in areas such as math, reading and everyday life skills. I could tell you stories that would make your toes curl. That, however, is for another day and another blog.

So, as you may have guessed I decided to focus on one issue when making my decision on who I would vote for in February: EDUCATION. I went through the top republican’s official websites to read their stance on education. Below are my findings:

Newt Gingrich states that he wants to “dramatically shrink the Department of Education.” Hoo-Raw is all I have to say about that! He wants to restore the decision making to state and local communities. According to Gingrich, the DOE should only provide research and collect data for the states. My favorite thing about Gingrich’s plan is that he opposes any national curriculum standards. Yippee! Education is not a “one size fits all” system. What works in the industrialized North does not work in the agricultural South. Another aspect to this plan is parents. He believes that charter schools should be an open choice for parents. Overall I am in love with this education plan.

John Huntsman has an interesting plan with regards to education. He states that “school, their administrators, and their boards [should be] held accountable through data-driven measure of processes & achievement.” Hmmm…..not sure about this one. Let’s move on. Huntsman believes that if schools cannot meet Common Core benchmarks, they should not be awarded and may even face consequences such as restriction to federal resources.  So, if a school does bad it received less money to get resources to fix it? Geez! There goes the Bootheel! With the exception of St. Louis Dunklin & Pemiscot are the poorest counties in the state. We rely on that money to just get by. That of course (you guessed it!) is another topic altogether so I’ll get off that topic before I just plain go off. The one redeeming quality about this plan is the reality check approach. Huntsman states that graduates should be both “college” and “career” ready. Amen! And the best statement is: “We need to reevaluate our “at all costs” emphasis on higher education for everyone in an environment where that emphasis only disadvantages individuals in the long run.” Now THAT is what I am talking about! Finally, someone has the nerve to state the obvious truth: college isn’t for everyone.

Rick Santorum believes that the Federal Government should be limited in the area of education. He believes they should be in an oversight role such as helping with data and protecting children under IDEA (special ed stuff), etc. That is all good and well; the next part of his plan is where it starts to get hairy. Santorum states that Bush was on the mark about low expectation and graduation rates. Hmmm….okay, not sure about that one so we need to continue.  Next, he states that “parents & citizenry should hold schools accountable” and that “baby steps were taken in this direction in No Child Left Behind but it should have been initiated at the local level.” (at this point my big red light alarm starts going off in the distance)  Santorum does say that common core standards should not be forced on schools. Good! However, he goes on to back-hand-us by saying that “reforms [should be] focused on…attracting the best teachers to be competitive as a nation…rewarding excellence, innovation, and personalizing to the needs of individual students rather than government or unions.” While this is a vague statement at best, to me it smacks of teacher pay based on test performances, etc. That alone is a killer, even without his comment about No Child Left Behind, which has almost single handedly killed our education system as we know it. Again, that is another blog for a future date.

I could not find anything about education on Rick Perry or Mitt Romney’s website. This is upsetting, especially in regards to Romney. If he is going to be our nominee (which looks way since he just won NH) then he needs to have a stance on education. Period.  As much as I hate to even mention Ron Paul, he basically likes homeschooling and wants more advantages for people to have that choice. I think that is a great idea, but his overall political scheme just doesn’t work in this day and age nor for a country of this size. I am surprised he has been doing so well in the polls because his is WAY conservative.

So, my conclusion you ask? I’ll be honest and tell you that I was getting kind of excited about Rick Santorum. If I Gingrich isn’t going to get the nomination, then I was going to pull for Santorum. However, after reading his stance on education I am not so gung-ho about him. My favorite candidate by far is Gingrich. Not only his stance on education, but there is just something about him that I like. I get a good vibe I guess. I wish he hadn’t gone so negative against Romney. I really think that is hurting his campaign. L


I hope this has helped some of you in your voting decisions this year. Good Luck and God Bless America!


P.S. This cartoon sums it all up......enjoy:

Pet Pleasers: David Nail

So, if you haven't heard of David Nail then please stop reading this post and look him up on youtube.com. His songs consist of Red Light, Turning Home, and his current NUMBER 1 hit is Let it Rain.

I remember when I moved here in 2006, my mom knew Kennett was the hometown of Sheryl Crow and I didn't! LOL I've never been a big fan of Crow's so that really wasn't surprising. Kennett also gave birth to a short lived Trent Tomlinson. Who I also was not a fan of......so I was really happy when David Nail came on the scene. I do not know him personally, but I have seen him around a few times and he seems very down to earth. I hope that's true. :) Regardless, he has some great music and I LOVE Turning Home because of his music video which features Kennett.

So this blog is a shout to David Nail and his NUMBER 1 hit!! Congratulations!!!!

Pet Pleasers: 2012 Republican Primaries

So, as 2012 gets underway so does the bid to be the next President of the United States. To be honest, I haven’t been following the Republican candidates as I have in past elections. Partly because I do not have the time I used now that I have a toddler and now that I do not teach history/government anymore I have let my knowledge slip also.  It seems like the GOP just can't come to an agreement on who they would like to represent us in November.

Since the Iowa Caucus has concluded and New Hampshire is just right around the corner, I decided to put in my two cents worth. When I “googled” 2012 Republican Candidates I found this site: http://2012.republican-candidates.org/  I couldn’t believe how many people are technically running for President. Currently there are 14 candidates running….14!! Lots more than the, what, 7 or so that have been on TV? Loads are small time and are running on principle and I admire that. But on the other hand, I don’t understand putting themselves through all this with barely a hope to put a blimp on the radar. (more to come on this topic, so stay tuned…..)

Ok, back to the “basic” candidates. Depending on the state of your residence, all registered Republicans will be casting their votes for their favorite person to represent them against Obama in the general election in November.

At this point, I really don’t care who the nominee is, I just want OBAMA OUT! Having said this, however conservatives need to choose someone who can beat the President for re-election. I don’t know how America can survive another 4 years of Obama, do you? *ugh Originally, I assumed I would vote for Herman Cain, but then that all blew up so I was left in limbo. Romney seems to be the most popular nationwide and the one person who polls as beating Obama if the election was held today. But I just really don’t get a great vibe from Romney, too “smooth” for me I guess. Don’t get me wrong, if he happens be our nominee I will of course vote for him. The other one on my radar is Gingrich. I vaguely remember him when I was just barely understanding the political scene. I don’t particularly think his awesome, but I DO LIKE that most of the current Washington trash, oops I mean politicians, do not like him and have not supported him.  Good!!! I don’t want another crazy, idiot politician who is going to play the same section of the orchestra. I want someone who is going to walk down the isle a little off beat/key and stir some stuff up!

Offhand I really don’t know much about Santorum. Haven’t pay much attention to him, then all of a sudden I hear Fox talking about him and he ends up coming in 2^nd in Iowa….wow! From what the pundits say on Fox & Friends, Santorum & Gingrich seem to split the hard-core conservative vote. What I do know is that I am going to be furious if a 3^rd party candidate shows up this summer. We don’t need a repeat of “Bush 1”s re-election in the early 90s. You know, Ross Perot? That would guarantee a Democrat victory and another horrible 4 years under Obama.

Wouldn’t that just be a nightmare??? After the New Hampshire primary I will write a pro/con blog over the top 3 or 4 candidates to see how they are stacking up and who it looks like I will be voting for in February. I have had added 2 links to help you on your 2012 political journey. Enjoy!

http://www.2012presidentialelectionnews.com/2012-republican-primary-schedule/  This website lists the election dates for each state. Check it out if you are not sure when the primary will be held in your state.  

http://www.gallup.com/poll/election.aspx This site lets you know how the candidates stack up in the polls.

HappyElecting! J

Pet Peeves: The "Grasshopper"

I recieved an email from a good friend about a week ago and the following was contained in it. I fell in love with it immediately and just had to share! It is well written and so true. For all my ants out there: enjoy! For all you grasshoppers.....well, you probably won't get it anyways.....

Happy Reading!

THE NEW ANT and the Grasshopper, Two Versions:

The ANT AND THE GRASSHOPPER  This one is a little different....  Two Different Versions ...  Two Different Morals    OL D VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the ant is warm and well fed. The grasshopper has no food or shelter, so he dies out in the cold. MORAL OF THE OLD STORY: Be responsible for yourself! MODERN VERSION The ant works hard in the withering heat and the rain all summer long, building his house and laying up supplies for the winter. The grasshopper thinks the ant is a fool and laughs and dances and plays the summer away. Come winter, the shivering grasshopper calls a press conference and demands to know why the ant should be allowed to be warm and well fed while he is cold and starving.  CBS, NBC, PBS, CNN, and ABC show up to provide pictures of the shivering grasshopper next to a video of the ant in his comfortable home with a table filled with food. America is stunned by the sharp contrast.  How can this be, that in a country of such wealth, this poor grasshopper is allowed to suffer so?  Kermit the Frog appears on Oprah with the grasshopper and everybody cries when they sing, 'It's Not EasyBeing Green...' Occupy the Anthill stages a demonstration in front of the ant's house where the news stations film the SEIUgroup singing, We shall overcome. Then Rev. Jeremiah Wright has the group kneel down to pray for thegrasshopper's sake,

while he damns the ants. 

President Obama condems the ant
and blames 
President Bush 43, President Bush 41, President Reagan, Christopher Columbus, and the
Pope
for the grasshopper's
plight.. 

Nancy Pelosi & Harry Reid
exclaim in an interview with Larry
King that the ant has
gotten rich off the back of the
grasshopper,
and both call for an immediate tax hike on theant to make him pay his fair share.

Finally, the EEOC drafts
the Economic Equity &
Anti-Grasshopper Act
retroactive to the beginning of
the summer.

The ant is fined for failing to hire a proportionate number
of green bugs and,
having  nothing left to  pay his retroactive taxes, his home is confiscated by the GovernmentGreenCzar
and given  to the grasshopper.

The story ends as we see the grasshopper
and his free-loading  friends finishing up the last bits of the ant's food while the government house he is  in, which, as you recall, just happens to be the ant's old house,
crumbles around them because thegrasshopper doesn't  maintain it.

The ant has  disappeared in the snow, never to be seen again.

The grasshopper  is found  dead in a drug related incident, and the house, now abandoned, is taken
over  by a gang of spiders  who terrorize the ramshackle, once prosperous  and peaceful, neighborhood.

The entire Nation collapses
bringing the rest
of the free world with it. 

MORAL OF THE STORY:


Be careful how you vote in 2012.

Confessions: Lack of Blogging

Obviously I have been EXTREMELY absent in my blogging. Ok, so that is probably an understatement....LOL Oh, well, I have been super, super busy! I have participating in after school tutoring since September and it has definitely taken a toll on my home life. So when I am home I like to spend it with my daughter, doing the dishes, laundry, catching up on my TV. shows, etc. You know typical everyday chores. Most nights I am too tired to even turn on the computer to check facebook. Now, THAT is tired! ha!

However, one of my New Year resolutions for 2012 was to be more dedicated my blogging. Since my mother-in-law keeps Hadley for me while I work late on Tuesday's I have decided to designate this day at my blogging day. Right now it is 9:05 pm and I should really be going to sleep......but a resolution is a resolution, right? :) But that isn’t to say that I may not throw in another one later in the week.

Originally, I wanted this blog to be about serious issues I feel our nation faces every day. However, that takes a lot of time and effort. Plus, a lot of writing time b/c I tend ramble on and on. I have decided that this blog will be exactly like I am: random. I will definitely talk about controversial issues because that is who I am as a person. Most of the time I am going to tell you how I see it especially if you ask. I try to be diplomatic if I think I will hurt someone's feelings needlessly or unnecessarily. But since this is my blog, I will more than likely offend you at some time, and that's ok. If you don't like you, you are welcome to discontinue reading. And since I really don't know who is reading this or when, you won't hurt my feelings in the least.

This is a short and sweet blog tonight. My Cleopatra and King Tut programs took up a lot of my time tonight. They were extremely interesting and I have been looking forward to watching them, plus many others about ancient Egypt, that I DVR'd on Sunday. So, they took up quite a bit of my time tonight.

I hope this blog finds you in great spirits, if not, then please give it up the Lord.

I bid you "adieu" as the sound of my daughter's laughter fills my ears. She is lying beside me watching her new "love" of Team Umizoomi that comes on nick jr. Wonderful, amazing memories that I will definitely cherish.

For my dedicated fans (because I know I have sooooo many.....) I am sorry for my lack of attention. And just for clarification, if you don't understand why I inserted the picture below, then you probably will not get future random references in the future.......I have a very dry sense of humor that few seem to share and enjoy.

Deuces!