Praises and more Praises

Hello, my fellow readers and clientele out there. I have a lot on my mind. I have been slacking on blogging as I have been very busy with my virtual assistant tasks, praise the Lord. This is a blessing in itself, but has also become a stressful side of my life. Teacher by day and entrepreneur by night haha. 

I need to confess something. Over the last year or so, I haven't gone to church in a long time, well, thanks to Covid for happening, that didn't help. I went this last Sunday, Easter and found that it was really nice to actually be sitting in there even if I was thinking boy, oh, boy, I'm gonna get the Covid. 

In all honesty, this moment on Easter Sunday reminded me of the good old days with my Grandpa. He was the best for taking us to church. I was maybe 11 years old when I started going to church some with him. By the time I reached 13 years old, I was ready to give my life to the Lord. I will never ever forget that moment. My heart was pounding a million miles an hour, Preacher Bill was standing up front praising the Lord, and I was terrified, and leave it to me to be thinking, I'll bet everyone's ready to go to lunch, haha. So way back then, I felt content, and my life went along without derailment. 

Fast forward 20 years later and here I sit, a tad bruised on the inside, but blessed beyond belief, listening to the rain tap on the roof, and the thunder roll, with two beautiful children, one beside me snoozing comfortably away. That legit turned into a testimony. So sorry, but the Lord has honestly blessed me beyond measure and I want to do this life right. I can't imagine my life without my babies, or my family and friends. 

We must always keep going and always turn to the Lord, or we will constantly be lost without realizing it. We won't even know why nothing keeps our hearts content. My Grandpa once told me this and it stuck with me. I'm slowly getting that soul back, that sweet soul I once had. I hope if yours was once lost, it has been found! 

Christmas Porch

Y'all, these rugs have got me all excited!!! I feel like such a dork for getting excited over something that's literally going to lay outside of my front door and get wiped with boots. But, hey, they're really adorable! Both rugs came from target and they were about $11-$13 a piece. The plaid one is linked here and the Cozy version is linked here. I felt this was a steal for a couple of cute additions to my Christmas themed porch!!! 

Alright I'll get started linking. The wreath was one that I found at Lowes last season. I wasn't able to find the exact same one, but I've linked a similar one here. It's fairly large and can be seen well. It was priced around $30. I thought that was steep, but I really loved it and decided to splurge and besides, wreaths are not cheap. The flag you can see in the lower right corner was a little find I purchased found Amazon. I have linked it here. It's an old timey truck with Merry Christmas written on it and it's so cute. The snowman was purchased from a Wal-Mart a couple of years ago. I wasn't able to find the exact same one. I do wish it were a little taller, but otherwise it does the job. I've linked a similar one here. I found a sleigh version, but it's a tad more than I'd like to pay. I linked it here as I just couldn't resist. 

I found everything else you see at Hobby Lobby. I take that back. I meant to mention my rocking chairs. They came from Lowes and were delivered in about a million pieces. You can find a similar one here. This ole' girl was able to put them together in no time believe it or not. 

Alright, so the list begins below for the rest of the item you see! Simply click on the piece you're interested in and it'll take you right to the exact piece or a similar one. Please keep in mind that some items are out of stock online, but I had no trouble finding them in store. 

Plaid Pillows

Red Birdhouse

Presents

Pine Tree

LED Lighted Tree

Garland

Metal Pail

Lights (you can pick these up anywhere, but the ones I have on my garland are a soft glow and not an LED type so if you're looking for that glow, I've linked the set I purchased from Hobby Lobby)

I do want to add that I purchased some window candles to give my home one of those southern Christmas looks and I really love them. I paid a bit up for them, but they do the trick and they have a self timer so I don't have to keep reaching into the windows and behind the blinds to turn them off!! It's really great. All I did was insert the batteries around 5:00 pm and they stay on for six hours which is around 11:00 pm. This is perfect for my four windows. I've linked them here! 

I hope you enjoy your front porch decorating! I can't wait to see some pictures out there! 

*Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. I am simply a lover of all things home.

Christmas Entryway

                    

Raise your hand if you get overwhelmed when you're trying to decorate! Me, me, me! So when I'm browsing online for home decor, I tend to get a little frustrated. When I end up finding something I really like, I always end up not being able to find it online or in stores and that results in an empty home. I've did my best to link all of the items you see in these pictures. I want to make your shopping experience as easy as possible! Read on to see how I decked out my entryway and where I got the pieces. 

I couldn't wait to get my Christmas decor out and I started out slowly so I wouldn't wear myself out doing so. In furnishing my home with Christmas decor, I did have to splurge a little, but I'll use it year after year. Rule #1, always be on the hunt for sales year round for home decor!!! I have never ever paid full price for any home decor! Ever! I'm a tight-wad in case you didn't know and home decor is something I do not like spending money on. I don't know why. 

This is my seasonal bench you see in the picture here. It stays in my entry way and is one of my favorite pieces of furniture. It used to be stained, but I got on a Joanna Gaines kick and painted it an off white color using chalk paint. Sometimes I wish I had left it the stain color, but I still love it. This bench was also made from scratch, sorry I didn't purchase it in store. I'll link a similar one here. I am in love with this one from Kirklands so I've linked it! It almost looks like a church pew and I LOVE that look also! 

Let's get started!! I am absolutely in love with this entire setup. Sometimes it becomes cluttered with shoes, but I simply use that basket you see for all of my kiddos shoes just as a little hiding place. I've linked a very similar one here. I found that lovely at a T.J. Maxx. Also, please don't mind my random pictures on my wall, I am still in the process of removing and adding pieces.

I'm going to try to link everything as I talk about it so you can easily go shop for the items. The JOY sign came from Hobby Lobby. I found it for half-off. It's not huge, but also not too small. It is out of stock online, but I had no trouble finding it in store. It was the perfect size for my space. 

The red blanket came from Amazon and it's super soft. I was surprised at how soft it was. I found the checkered plaid blanket at Hobby Lobby. The small trees were also from Hobby Lobby. I got one taller than the other so they wouldn't look identical. The pillows are simply covers that I found on Amazon as well. I took my year round pillows and stuffed them into these covers. So much cheaper. They are soft and do the trick and a lot cheaper than buying an entire new pillow. 

I want to say that the pine garland on the back of the bench and the picks coming out of the metal containers (find those containers here!) came from a Hobby Lobby or a Michaels. I've linked a similar garland here. They were gifted to me probably ten years ago, but they do the trick even if they are a little older.

 

The rug is a rustic type farmhouse looking rug and it's made from a burlap type material. It's super pretty, but hard on the bare feet when you're walking on it. I love the looks of it, though. It is a bit taller so beware if you have a door near. You can see that bathroom door to the right below, it doesn't open all the way now. I found the rug here on sale for around $45 from overstock.com. It came in a pretty large size, too!

 

I hope you will be able to decorate your entryway for the upcoming Christmas and I hope all of this linking will help you find exactly what you are looking for. 

*Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. I am simply a lover of all things home and farmhouse living! 

The Most Amazing Christmas Tree

 

This has to be my most favorite tree in my whole life! It’s Balsam Hill brand. I purchased their version called the European Fir last year. This thing looks so real it's unbelievable. I absolutely love the way it sits. It's perfectly imperfect. It is so very different because it's not perfect at all. This is what I love. This is what I live for. I love Rae Dunn because no cup is perfect nor are they the same. I want to add that I found all of the white ball ornaments at Amazon and at Hobby Lobby. I found the best prices on them at Hobby Lobby. I wasn't able to find an exact link to them, but in the Christmas section at Hobby Lobby their ornaments are all placed in color coded order so I simply ran to the white section! 

So the tree hunt all began because I wanted a real live tree, but I just didn't have the muscle to do so. I shopped til I dropped on this one! I searched high and low. The price tag was holding me back for a while, but trust me people, wait until it's black Friday to see if you can catch them on sale. It’s absolutely the most realistic tree I’ve ever seen and it looks like I went to the woods and chopped it down! If you saw me, you’d know better! 

This tree isn't the only style they have. If you aren't into the imperfect look, the different look, the beautiful natural look, Balsam Hill will have a tree for you. The only thing I’d do differently with this guy is buy a 6.5 footer instead of the 7.5 footer. Its caboose is massive, and it doesn't help when putting it up that I stand at a whopping 5' 4", but I absolutely LOVE the look! If you want a country look this is your tree! Tap on the pic or links in this post to see the tree in store!

Happy tree hunting!! 

*Please note that I am in no way affiliated with any of these companies. I am simply a lover of all things home. 

Mastered my Schedule and it was Dress Up Day

 

So I played dress up at work today. This outfit is a mixture of American Eagle Jeans and T.J. Maxx finds. My shoes are Franco Sarto brand and they're super comfy. They're not easy to find anymore, but I did find this pair on Poshmark brand new. The dress up was fun while it lasted, but nah...I’ll stick with my stretchy pants. I hope everyone's start to their school year is going great. I've created a list of helpful tips for special education teachers in hopes you can get your virtual learning off right. 

First and foremost, I have found that doing separate individual zooms for the littles does not work well. They are lucky if they are able to jump onto one zoom so it's best to enter that zoom via the classroom teacher. 

Second, in virtual learning, especially with littles and as a special education teacher, you have to be excited and happy on that screen. If you're not, they're going to lose interest quickly.

Third, organization is the key. I have gone through at least ten schedules working around my fellow educators. I am in it to win it! Click here to download my schedule so you fellow special education teachers can see how my day goes. It's in Word format and easy to use!

It's been a hit and miss gamble up until this point. I think I've just about got the process down. I don't know what the future holds, but the virtual learning will be a win-win.

Good luck!

Rocking my New Kicks on Route66

It was another comfy day back to the grind rocking my new kicks on route66😆. Yes, I so treated myself and my kiddos to back-to-school shoes just because! Thanks goes to @adidas for some super awesome comfort! Click here to find these in store or click my image above. I have seriously been wearing these tennis' every chance I get. Of course, now that I'm actually doing zooms live, I have to dress a little more professional, I can still have a party on the bottom, right? haha. 

I find each day that wearing something super comfy to zoom in is the way to be whether it be a dress or some leggings. Trust me, jeans are not the way to go. Good luck out there ladies and gents! 

 

Who's Prepping for Virtual Learning??

Who out there is prepping for virtual learning? I'll admit it. I am a tad bit lost at this point in my teaching career haha. I know I can figure all of this virtual stuff out, but it's going to be an adventurous ride! 

I'm also going to admit that I've had a little trouble coming back from the quarantine. I literally cannot breathe when I wear jeans because I'm so used to wearing stretchy pants and so overalls it was for today!! These overall's are soooooo cute. I found them in a boutique a while back and they've been sold out, but I'll link a similar pair from American Eagle. You can click here or click on the picture below! I think they're super cute, but I'm probably gonna stick with my stretchy pants most days 😂 at least until in class sessions begin 🤷🏻‍♀️. 

I hope everyone has a great and adventurous year. Do a quick check of yourself at the end of each day, and don't forget your purpose as an educator. 

The One Where my VA Services Blossomed

I come to you today with a truly excited heart! I have been working on the side for years as a TpT seller as well as a virtual assistant helping other teacher-preneuers out there, but this summer my Virtual Assistant Shin-Dig has blossomed! It has truly grown and I am happy to say that this is the entrepreneur side whom my heart loves. 

Completing these tasks for all kinds of ladies and gents is where my heart is. I absolutely love anything to do with graphic design and working along side of others. I want your shops to flourish. I want your lives as little entrepreneurs to grow. I hope all of your dreams come true in the realm of TpT ladies and gents. You all deserve nothing but that! 

I want to take a step back. Just a moment to breathe and take all of these blessing in. I am truly blessed. I have two beautiful children, a great job as an educator and I have been able to pursue my passion all during this pandemic. I want to thank all of you out there that has allowed me to assist you in working on your masterpieces this summer or even in taking your shop to the next level. I am full of happiness and all kinds of emotions. 

XOXO,

Casey

Barnett's School House