Happy.

School started this week.  New School.  New grade.  New Drive.  New routine.  I LOVE IT.  We don't start until 8:30, which is awesome and that means that Luke has time to wake up without being totally grumpy, and I have time to drink my enormous cup of coffee while watching Dora with my son without having to stir at all.  My 12 kids are amazing.  They are little and they want to hold my hand as we walk down the hallway.  They LOVE writing on the Active Board. They love rhyming, clapping syllables, and recognizing and punching vowels when they see them. They ask tons and tons of questions, and they are happy to learn about anything.  They get excited when they are caught being just plain good.  They say "yes!" when it is time for reading and math.  They clean up fast because they love their recess time.  We have a snack break everyday and get to eat a healthy snack and go on a walk.  I love this and believe in this.  I can pray with my staff, have devotions everyday with my students, and play music all day long on Pandora.  It is quiet when it is working time.  Talkative when it is creative or playtime.  I have met the cutest moms and dads.  My heart is not heavy.  My heart does not know weight at the moment.  My heart is so content.  I have energy when I come home.  It takes me 1o minutes to copy things for the entire next week because there are only 24 kids in the whole grade, and we have workbooks too.  (i love those things)  I can still wear my chacos and mismatch my clothes and have messy hair, because that is me and I am artsy.  I haven't started teaching 4th grade art yet.  I think that is next Friday's schedule to start thinking about it.  Happy to be involved with that too.  Happy to come home and drop off Susan a cold slushie from Sonic today in the middle of Normal Park's carpool because I was already home and done with school.  I signed up for a 5 week bible study at Calvary Chapel and went last night for the first time.  Sat with sweet friends from NP ,and Becca, who is Luke's teacher and also favorite woman at the moment because she drives a yellow jeep and he doesn't stop talking about her.  Ends up she is my group leader and her husband Marco is Tim's.  Such a God thing.  Never done the church thing in the middle of the week, but I think it is going to be fun.  I have met so many neat people this past month in our new places.  New people at the fire station with Tim, new people at St .Peter's, new people at Northside Learning Center, new people at the pool, church, etc....  It is fun to talk about life with them, and not focus so much on talking about school as I am so used to.  I am doing crafts at home almost every night because it is fun and I am so motivated to have an Etsy shop in September.  Luke and I are reading LOTS- harder books, non fiction books, just because he asks too. (confession:  we really like to watch a show every night too, so lately it has been either Dora or Diego.  I am okay with that.....I have learned a lot of spanish words that I didn't know before!)  God is always at work.....He continues to stir my heart in so many different directions as a wife and a mom most importantly.....to be the best that I can be and to work on those relationships before all else.  It is hard but I am trying and praying that I can be better.  I have also been to the pool a whole lot......so much in fact that my skin is as tan as it can get I think, and I don't think my tan lines will ever fade at this point.  I LOVE the sun warmed on my skin.  Makes me happy.

Those are my thoughts this Thursday night.  Content.  Ready for Friday.  Happy that I don't care if it is the weekend or not....because everyday this week has been good so far.  My little new guy in my class shouted at me this afternoon....."Mrs. Bryant, I just LOVE you"......and ran up and gave me the sweatiest hug ever......If everyday could be like that.  =)

Twas the night before school....

So, its that time again.  Bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils, scotch tape, pointy crayons, and very clean classrooms.  Everything is organized.....lunches are packed nightly, we go to bed early with anticipation of a new year.........I would write a "twas the night before school, and all through the house, all the creatures were stirring......." but I am not the author.....so I won't.

Most of the time I love going back to school, but have so much stress and anxiety put on myself in anticipating what is ahead.  I am a planner.  I love to know what is going to happen 6 months ahead of time, 6 weeks, 6 days, 6 hours, and 6 minutes too.  I have slowly have had to let that go for survival  purposes and for enjoying the day "that the LORD has made......let us REJOICE and be glad in it!"  I have been really excited to start something new this year- new people (i'm really really really missing the old and familiar though), new students, new drive (WOW, I get to drive!) new drop off location for Luke....new...well, everything.  It feels so good.  It feels so right.  And this is why...

I have been refecting upon Isaiah 26:3 a lot in the last couple of months.  It says "I will give you perfect peace whose minds are steadfast on HIM".  Perfect peace?  Really?  I need that and want that.  My pastor made reference to that a few weeks ago at church.  Again, it stung in my heart.  Yes, I want perfect peace this year at school.  In life.  Laura Story sings about it in her song perfect peace.  It is awesome.  So, as I have pressed on the last few years and hung on for dear life, I am surrendering it all and fixing my eyes upon the Lord to give me perfect peace.  And I am excited about what the Lord is going to do in me and through me at St. Peter's.

This past week I have had inservice.  Perfect peace is jumping out of bed so excited to Read the Word, get ready, and go to work and then come home and have so much energy for my family.  I LOVE it there.  I have loved everyone I have met so far.  They are kind and have warm smiles.  Their shoulders are relaxed, they are fit because they make time for themselves to be healthy (most ALL are runners or do yoga.love it.), none are scurrying around, multi tasking because they have to.  We met most of our kids this morning at registration- I didn't have to do anything but work in my classroom, and if they wanted to come by and meet me, they did.  They are precious.  All wanted to help in some way or another.....put books out on desks, tape things, throw stuff in the garbage, etc.  We had so much time last week to work in my classroom, I left early at the end of the week and went to the pool because I didn't know what else to do.  We have half days this week to ease back into school.  Guess where I will be at 1?  Yep.  My favorite place.  Stuart Heights Pool.

I have first day jitters.  I always do.  This is my 8th year of teaching and I am nervous.  Excited but nervous.  I am thrilled that when I got my lunch menu, it is all catered by Greenlife and every Friday I will be eating organic everything and I won't have to pack it.  Although, I got a laptop lunchbox this summer so I have a no waste lunch everyday.  Always wanted one of those....now, I can eat all of my millions of snacks in little separate containers and not have anything to throw away.  I am such a crunchy granola hippie at heart.  =)

So, here are the long awaited pictures some of you have been asking for...... My room was really dirty when I got into it, but now it is spotless.  I love it.  It is like Fellowship Christian Academy, where I went for first grade in Atlanta.  I am even reading the same devotional book to my class as my teacher Rosemary Ushry did.
What you don't see is the chalkboard they took out and replaced it with one of two active boards in the school.  LOVE it.

 Yes, old school desks are in the middle....love it.

 The other side of the room- non fiction books, exploring and art tables, etc....

 Word wall....oh, did I mention I have more cabinets in my classroom than I do at home right now?  I will call this my kitchen right now!

 Math calendar stuff

 I painted these tables with chalkboard paint.  Can't wait to be creative with them!

 Reading nook

Me and my corny self.  YAY to teaching 1st grade!  I even bathed and everything!

 Clipboard wall art!

 Rule wall.  =)  This is my favorite.

 Door #1- thanks Jess for the tutorial for the banners....

 Love me some peace signs...and some clothespins....EVERYWHERE...

 Covering up my shelves

 Chalkboard tables

 Right outside my door

 =)  In between Angie's door and mine

 Official!

I'm quite excited, super nervous, and can't wait to dive in and start teaching.  I love how long the summer has been....love that I have been able to do so many crafts.....go to the pool with my fam so many times.....feels like a never ending summer like they used to be when I was a kid.  I'm at peace.  Not dreading going back.  Happy.  Would skip if you wanted me to.  =)

Perfect peace?  Yes, God, I pray for this year to be ALL yours.

Superhero Photobooth Fun.

Somedays, you just got to make each other laugh.  Yes, I am in Luke's new Super Hero cape and mask too.

I wish there was a manual for how to be a superhero.  I would like to be one.   =)

sneak peek into my world...

Here you go....sneek peek of what is to come of Abby Art.  GIRL CENTRAL right now....lots more pics to come! Getting my inventory high right now!

 seriously...all over the counter....

 These are the pillows I got for 99 cents at goodwill!  Just washed them!

 plates I got cheap at a thrift store,  finally found the B I want to put on our wall, and the L for Luke's room!  LOVE fast drying spray paint.

 yesterday, I had this project going.....with a few more!  Making chalkboard plates and trays for the kitchen! Also trying to figure out wall space for our living room.

 Also making a "eucharisteo" sign for our eating area. Not done yet.

 This is my next project that keeps staring at me.  I LOVE this piece because it is from the old Chattanooga Middle library before it was renovated.  I got to get it out of the trash(this time with permission) and bring it home.  I really want to paint it soon......to be continued on that project.

 Oh, I did about 200 clips yesterday.  These are for my main things that I am selling this fall.  Trying to get all of the little things done first.  I LOVE ribbon, glue, and clothespins.  And magnets.  

Luke made this at some point last year.  Just put flowers in front to spruce up our table!

 The final butterfly project.  =) made by Luke and Abby

 The next 2 canvases I made for our living room walls out of scrapbook paper and mod podge.  So easy and something new to look at!

 The only art work that I actually like on the walls right now..

 Recent birthday gift for a friend.  Who knew fabric markers and little canvas bags were so much fun to paint for a 2 year old?

 my magnets!

Too many projects at this house going on at the moment.  I love it.  Trying to cram all of it in this week before I go back to school.  Also trying to read 3 more books to make 20 before the summer is over.  This has been the best summer.  =)  At least the pool doesn't close until after labor day.  That's good news.