Christmas Shopping

I don't know about everybody else, but as a college student my wallet is a little empty this year.  Yet, I still have a lot of people that I want to give something to for Christmas.  I don't know if everyone knows that Pinterest is.  Pinterest is a virtual pinboard that lets you organize different kinds of boards and share with others.  Titles of boards can be but are not limited to: Wedding, Baby, Fashion, Home Decor, Crafts, and Animals.  While roaming Pinterest the other day I found some really cute ideas for homemade Christmas gift ideas.  One idea that I really liked was to take blank coffee mugs and write on them in Sharpie then made it at 350 degrees in the oven.  You can put whatever design or message you would like on the mugs.  Another one that I really liked was a pattern on how to make knot bracelets, which are really big right now.  All of the materials are easy and cheap to find either at JoAnn Fabrics or Walmart.  I have a bunch of little cousins.  For them I found a way to make homemade sock monkeys.  They are so simple to make.  All you have to do is buy pairs of large socks, stuffing, and felt material to make eyes with.  Hope that this helps inspire you to make homemade gifts for loved ones if you too are on a tight budget!

Controversial Issue

A controversial issue that has been in the medial lately is the fiscal cliff.  For a lot of people it is a very scary issue that leaves a lot of us wondering what will our future be.  If we do 'go over' the fiscal cliff economists warn of a double-dip recession and rising unemployment rates in 2013.  Now, I'm not a politician or do I major in politics or government.  But, that sounds scary.  Tax increases and spending cuts will be made to try to avoid this fall over the cliff before 2013, which is coming very soon.  To me as a citizen of the United States, I want the President and Congress to work together and solve this problem in a way that is beneficial for the upper, middle, and lower class.  As Americans I believe it is safe to say that we all want America to  be successful and be the nation that our founding fathers wanted it to be.

Big Bang Theory

One of my favorite sitcoms is The Big Bang Theory.  Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady do a great job of writing and producing the show.  My fiancé and I cannot get enough of all of the characters.  Our favorite character is Sheldon Cooper, who is played by Jim Parsons.  Sheldon is this extremely intelligent physicist that does not know how to relate with others.  Every episode Sheldon and his geeky  friends are getting into some kind of hilarious situation.  My fiancé and my's inside joke is to use Sheldon's saying of "bazinga!" when we say something that that burns the other person.  The Big Bang Theory is on Thursday nights at 7 pm on CBS.

My writing process

My writing process is vey simple.  I usually end up procrastinating way too long on assignments that I end up forcing myself to sit down in front of my computer and start to write about anything that comes to mind.  On times that I actually start with enough time before a paper is due, I start with small bits and pieces of it.  I like to try to map out what I want to write about and how to attack it. Sometimes, I write the introduction and then the conclusion before writing the body.  I wouldn't say that I have a process, it's more that I have to go with whatever my brain is telling me how I'll write that day and go from there.

Interesting teacher blog

http://firstgradefresh.blogspot.com/

This blog belongs to a first grade teacher.  I found this blog while pinning on Pinterest and thought it was interesting because education is my major. This blog include tips on how to organize and decorate your classroom, how to design anchor charts that will spark your students' interest, and great teaching tips.  I liked this blog, because it was done by a young teacher that follows the traditional way of teaching with her own creative twist.  She also includes information about her personal life too, besides just teaching.

Snow White and the Huntsman

Recently, I saw the new movie of Snow White and the Huntsman.  My expectations for the movie were not very high.  I have to say I probably had this opinion because one of the lead roles was Kristen Stuart.  To say it nicely I'm not a fan of Kristen Stuart.  The hype that is all around her I do not understand.  after watching the movie, Kristen does an okay job.  I really liked how this movie is based upon the story of Snow White, but it is not the familiar child's fairytale we all know.  This movie is dark and at some points it could be scary for kids.  I like the twists that the writer and the director did with the story.  The two actors that did stellar jobs were Charlize Theron and Chris Hemsworth.  Charlize played the evil queen, who is extra dark and mean.  There were points where I was actually scared of Charlize.  Chris Hemsworth plays the huntsman.  He does a good job of playing this rough manly guy that has a horrible attitude.  The ending of Snow White and the Huntsman was a little disappointing to me.  I wanted a little more out of the ending.  In all, I would say do not see this movie in the theater, but do rent it.  This movie has action, suspense, and love.  It's the grown-up version of a fairytale.

Childhood memory

  Growing up my brother and I would spend a lot of time with our grandparents up at their cabin in Alexandra, MN.  It was always fun to go visit there with so much to do.  Grandpa would take us fishing.  Grandma would take us swimming even though she was afraid of the water.  I can just picture the clean, clean lake water with the softest sandy beaches.  They would take us to downtown Alexandra where we would always stop to see the giant statue of big Ole the Norwegian.  Grandpa would always buy me my favorite maple frosted donuts that were shaped like a leaf.  Every night we would have a cookout of brats or hamburgers. After we would all sit around the campfire.  Grandpa would share stories and Logan and I would make s'mores.

Book review

This summer I read the Fifty Shades of Grey trilogy.  Yes, the main reason I picked up these books to read was because of all the hype around them. After getting past the first few chapters, I started to like the story that was forming around the two main characters-- Ana and Christian.  There was definitely more to these books than just the sex that everyone has been raving about.   I found suspense, love, and sadness.  I could not put these books down. At points I found myself angry with the characters and I even shed a few tears at one point.  The final ending of the trilogy is great.  There was no disappointment for me in these books.  If anyone has not read these books yet I would say read them!  There is a true story that develops here despite the smutty ness that sounds it.