Beach Dayz:: Location Location

Although I live relatively close to the water, I have a handful of locations... (well, one really) that I frequent when it comes to catching some beach rays. But when given the opportunity, there are a few other favorite beach places that I'd like to share with you! 

No. 1 :: Buckroe Beach

Not the most majestic location, but the width of the beach (from "board walk" to water) leaves plenty-a-room for all beach goers to set up camp. Bonus: the further you're willing to walk from the parking lot, the more room you have to spread out! 

No.2 :: Grandview

Last year, I was lucky enough to have my best friend's mom living within walking distance of a small, private-ish stretch of sand and bay. It was a great spot to lay out and catch some rays (but not so much to go swimming in.... very seaweedy!)

No. 3 :: Hatteras, NC

My home away from home and the site of my honeymoon retreat. Getting increasingly more populated (grrrrr) it will always hold a special place in my heart. You can DRIVE ON THE BEACH for goodness sakes (a family tradition in the Barta household)

No. 4 :: Pawley's Island, SC

Haven't been in several years (since Elem. School), but only hold the fondest memories of this place. The waves used to wash the sand in a way that left little "islands" all along the beach. My sister and I would wade across the "rivers" and pretend the mounds of sand were our own! I WILL go back one day soon. 

Those are my four. What are some of YOUR favorite places to frequent when you are beach going? Please share, especially if they're local spots!

from jessie (beaching out)... with love 

Beach Dayz: In Tow

Here is part two of Beach Dayz as promised! I'm now contemplating part tres ... but I'm getting ahead of myself!

This post is focused on all those things that get towed along to the beach with us. In all honestly, give me some SPF 8 sunscreen and a beach towel and I'm a happy camper (possibly a bottle of water too). However, there are certain items that get towed along that make the beach trip all the more enjoyable. Here are some of the fun items I wouldn't mind having with me next time I beach it:

            

Tommy H. fishy towel :: DIY Totable Towel :: Starfish Print Tote

:: Seaweed Forest Beach Bag :: Ergolounger with Strap and pillow ::

Backpack Beach Chair :: Stripped Roll-up Mat

Craving sun, sand, and seaspray now? I know I missed a cooler (hard to find a cool one). Anything else missing? That said... Happy sand-faring! 

from jessie (beach stuffies)... with love 

Mom Mobile

I'm not sure which one of my friends I was talking to the other day, but the topic of "mini vans", aka "mommy mobiles", came up. Now, I myself am no fan of the van. I feel like the personal vehicle (as with anything else someone owns) should reflect somewhat upon the personality of the owner. And my personality does NOT scream "van!". 

However, if the occasion ever DOES arise for me to purchase a family friendly vehicle, I've already got my ideal Modern Mommy Mobile picked out: Volkswagen Microbus.

Ummm.... how awesome would I be driving my kids around town in this???? Totally AWESOME is the correct response. I'll bypass the suburban mom SUV for this fantastic piece of German engineering. 

from jessie (the wheels on the van go round and round)... with love 

Ballsy

Have you ever seen those "lower male anatomy" accessories some truck owners hang from the back of their vehicles? Well, they are NASTY. Insecure in proving their manhood through actions, the guys who sport these have one of two intentions (in my opinion): 1. making a non-verbal announcement to the world that A MAN drives the vehicle 2. offending/shocking people. All they succeed in is leaving a bad taste in my mouth. 

Can you see that apparatus hanging from the truck in this photo? What's wrong with this picture?.... That's right, the "ballsy" accessory was taken to an all time low. Ladies and Gentlemen, those are ladies pantyhose with two metallic balls inside. I caught this gentleman on my way out of the Walgreens parking lot yesterday, couldn't believe my eyes. So much shame!

from jessie (taking a stand against visibly gendering cars)... with love 

Influencing Young Minds

I got a tattoo on my foot for my birthday. It's a significant tattoo and is quite noticeable as long as I'm wearing flats or sandals. I made no announcement to my students as to my recent addition nor made a show of it, but gradually they noticed. They asked about it and casually I answered, "Yep... now hurry up to the library!" 

Today one of my female students celebrated her birthday. Her and her mom purchased a "treasure box" of party favors to share with the class. The box contained stickers, necklaces, candy, figurines, and various other goodies.

Connection? One of my most beloved students (whom I've had in my class for two years and whose mom is a Kindergarten teacher at my school) walked up to me in the office after school and called my attention to her foot. "Mrs. Minter... LOOK!" My little darling student had placed one of the temporary flower tattoos on her foot exactly where I have mine. 

WOW! 

from jessie (rebel teacher)... with love 

Beach Dayz: Personal Style

HORRAY FOR WARM WEATHER... and the beach!

I am truely a beach bum. Summer signals the start of "depaleing" season for moi! In laymen's terms,  I look better tan; and the more time I get on the beach, the better chance I have at looking golden beige (I really don't get that tan... "Pastey Patty" if you will). 

Tan or not, the beach is an occasion that calls for location specific wears... hence this post. Here are some of the FABULOUS personal beach essentials I webdow shopped for me and you (if you are a LADY that is). 

  

  

          

Cotton Burnout Tunic :: VS Tankini :: Calvin Klein Tankini 

:: LL Bean Top :: Bronze and Seaglass Earrings ::

Hedy Scarf :: 70's Vintage Shades

Perhaps I'll be luxurious enough to induldge in all of these (in my dreams)... or perhaps I will be condemed to rock the beach styles of summers-past! Either way, stay tuned for part deux!

from jessie (beach beauty consultant)... with love 

Memorial Day Weekend

Scott and I had a busy weekend. I swear we drove everywhere and back at least once! But honestly, it was a lot of fun, and I got to spend quality time with the hubby (which explains the hiatus from the blog the past few days).

Weekends start on Friday evening, and this weekend was no different. I hung out with 3-year-old Logan while his mommy and daddy (our new, fun CG friends Kristi and Jake) went to a wedding and got some well-deserved adult time. After keeping one another entertained for about an hour or so, I put Logan to bed. Scott then came over and we enjoyed the thrills of Kristi and Jake's digital cable/DVR by watching COLDPLAY LIVE in TOKYO! It was like watching the concert all over again.

The fact that we house sat Scott's parent's place all weekend put nay a damper on our plans. Saturday was special because not only did we get to sleep in, but we drove up to Alexandria to see one of Scott's favorite artists Bonnie "Prince" Billy (aka Will Oldham). We planned on a lot of traffic (it WAS Memorial Day Weekend), but hit NONE, therefore arriving VERY early. This turned out well because we got our tickets and proceeded to hang out in the fun Birchmere venue. It was truly was what a chill concert going experience should be: tables, food, silence (aside the occasional required clapping and cheers), and an enjoyable performance. If an artist/band you want to see ever performs there, I highly recommend the experience; not a bad seat in the house. 

  

Sunday was spent hanging out with my family at my parents house in New Kent. As always, volleyball and TONS of food were enjoyed by all!

Monday (BONUS DAY OFF!), Scott and I had high hopes of going to the beach. Upon waking up and checking the forecast, we solidified our plans to make it a day in. Four movies, one afternoon, one couch, two willing spouses! YES MAN was by far my favorite of the four movies. 

from jessie (driving mrs.jessie)... with love 

COLDplay

Describing how awe-inspiring the concert was Wednesday night would be a waste of words. Coldplay put on one heck of a show! I won't spoil any surprises for those who have yet to go, but I'll leave you with this...

2 lawn tickets- $116.00

1 tank of gas- $23.00

dinner from WaWa- $17.00

2 beers- $22.00

2 fries- $10.00

1 soda- $5.00

concert t-shirt- $40.00

loud/annoying college students

 sitting next to us- $my patience

Coldplay's "Left Right Left Right Left" CD- free with admission

Seeing/listening to my favorite band EVER perform LIVE- REMARKABLE AND PRICELESS

from jessie (viva la vida)... with love 

YUMMY or YUCKY

Not so many responses on the last one of these posts... made me sad. Then I thought about why and here's what I think happened: a lot of people who read my blog are carb lovers and were intrigued when they saw the Bread Bowl Pasta commercial, but were too shamed to actually admit it. Next time that happens people... comment as anonymous (which you might want to do this time around)! 

A recent episode of Sam the Cooking Guy was potato themed. In this potato show, Sam made some yummy dishes... but one made me stop and question my taste:

YUMMY or YUCKY: 

Mashed Potato Tacos

I have to go with YUMMY on this one. I guess Itatlian carb overload doesn't get me (see Bread Bowl Pastas) but Irish/Mexican carb overload does. I'm so strange. Your turn: decided if you'd eat this item (YUMMY) or pass it up for fear of barfing/exploding (YUCKY) and post your response in the comments section (even if you have to do so anonymously). 

from jessie (potAto poTAtoe)... with love 

get the recipe here

Not quite junk mail

For my birthday, my amazing parents bought me tickets to my most favoritest band's concert that's happening TODAY at the Virginia Beach Amphitheater... COLDPLAY (insert shrill screams of excitement here)!

My parents provided the funds, but it was ultimately my responsibility to go online and purchase the tickets. This was not a very complicated process: type in critical information, give them a credit card number, and tell them how you want to receive them. I chose to have them delivered by US Mail. There is little in life more exciting than receiving something you're looking forward to (aka not bills) in the mail. Not to mention I wanted the tangible "official" tickets in my hand, not the "piece of paper" tickets you can print from your home computer which are no where near as fun (but in hind sight may have prevented my problem).  Order placed

Two weeks of anxious anticipation and mailbox checking went by with no results. The usual junkmail, flyers, and bills were present, but no tickets. Understandably, I GOT WORRIED! I was not about to miss one of the most important concert experiences of my life because of the US Postal Service!!! So I contacted Livenation who told me I had to wait 4 weeks before I could request "will call" tickets. After excessive waiting, some finagling over e-mail, a lot of patience, and one phone call I arranged for Scott and I to pick up the tickets at will call the night of the show. Not my first choice, but better than no tickets at all. I was SOOOO upset, and very willing to complain, that my tickets never came through the mail to anyone who I thought would listen. 

Flash forward to this past Saturday. I was in a cleaning frenzy, which resulted in my swimming though our "junk mail" basket (for all that mail that either needs to be shredded, thrown away, or viewed eventually). To what in my open hands did appear but my tickets. Turns out, Livenation sends them in unmarked envelopes to deter anyone from hijacking them prior to their arrival. DOH! You can't judge an envelope by it's cover... and you can't say you didn't get tickets if you refuse to look through ALL your mail.

Despite my laziness in opening prospective junk mail... I'M STILL GOING... VIVA LA VIDA BABY!!!

from jessie ("they just got lost")... with love 

Confessions of a 25 year old

There is a little child who lives on in all of us despite the years going by (and no, I'm not talking about being pregnant!). My "inner child" has a "inner preteen" counterpart that comes out mainly around TV shows. I feel a big part of this is my attempt at staying connected and in touch with my students and their interests. However, it is probably just as much because.... secretly (or not so secretly)... I really enjoy the shows!

  

Nickelodeon will always catch my viewership when it comes to iCarly and Drake and Josh. There is something about these two shows that honestly makes me smile, and sometimes... makes me laugh out loud. My favorite is Drake and Josh, it's like this generations version of Kenan and Kel (even though that wasn't quite my generation either). Watching iCarly semi-inspired me to start this blog. She has a web-show and I figured, if she is in middle school and can do it, why can't I?! 

I'm sure I have more preteen inspired tendencies... but none that I'm ready to confess to myself or you just yet. 

from jessie (OMG!)... with love  

ANTSY PANTS

My awesome sister-in-law, Megan, shared a book purchase with me when we visited her house this weekend. She knows how I pine for all things crafty, and as a woman looking to explore new venues for her craftiness too, she purchased TEASE: 50 Inspired T-Shirt Transformations from the discount shelf at Barnes and Noble. This lovely book has tons of ideas on ways to redesign and repurpose old t-shirts; everything from halter tops to area rugs (i know... SERIOUSLY!). 

In our discussions over the book, I remembered an online tutorial I saw not too long ago on how to turn a shirt into a pair of lounge pants/shorts. So after a bit of searching, I found it again! This is defiantly a summer project (i should start making a list). Now all I have to do is find a cool shirt (possibly from scott's drawers.... he he he) to cut up and try on. Check it out here and here. 

from jessie (tops to bottoms)... with love 

Sunday... with a chance of sprinkles

I'm slowly starting to emerge from my grumpy girl state. Thank you to ALL of you who left such wonderful suggestions on how to cure my bad mood-edness. 

Friday was a special day. School was a bit crazy (but what's new?). After dealing with the trauma of watching one of my students angrily chase down a mouthier student of mine and come this close to punching him in the face (despite my loud mouthed "STOP"s and whistle blowing), I was ready for a relaxing evening. We hung out with Megan, Drew, and AJ, too! Meg cooked us tacos and we had a relaxing evening of conversation. 

Saturday daytime was productive. I gave the apartment a much deserved spruce-up and clean-down. My parents then treated Scott and I to dinner at the Whitehouse Restaurant in Providence Forge, VA. The food was delicious, in spite of the lack of service (we should have known, they had a "HELP WANTED ASAP" sign in the window"). 

Sunday however, is turning out to be my favorite day of the entire weekend. Had a relaxing morning taking it slow getting out of bed. Served as a volunteer in KidKraze this morning to hel  Jake out on my unscheduled week. Had a wonderful last Sunday with Waters Edge Church at the YMCA; starting May 31 we will be in our new building (hooray!). After church, Scott and I then proceeded to tag along with best friend Katie to the County Grill and ate up some yummy BBQ with her parents. Now... now I am relaxing at home in my pj pants, long sleeve brew thru shirt, and taking it slllooooooowwwwwww! Thank GOD for days like today (He just seems to know when you really need it). 

from jessie (lounge sleeper)... with love 

photo by Lorena Alvarez

Grumpy Girl

This week has been tough. I'm not quite sure what it is, but I have this grumpy aura about me that just won't go away. Perhaps it's work- the end of the school year can be rough and stressful (especially with students "Crazy" and "Thug-Life" on my hands... code names people). Maybe it's the change in the weather and the constant threat of rain. It could even be my longing for more time with the hubby. It could be any of these, or all of them, or something else.

The point is, I'm ready to not be grumpy. I'm taking steps to surround myself with enjoyable things and to work positivity into my daily happenings. I'm praying. Now, I'm waiting for the joyful living to kick back in. 

Any help? What do you do to get yourself out of a funk?!

from jessie (grrrrrrrrrrrrr-umpy)... with love

BTW: It's Friday! This type of mood is not befitting of Friday. I'm trying to work it out. 

JT:: I enjoy thee

SNL just can't do any wrong with Justin Timberlake on as their guest host. It's inevitable that every time he's on, laughter ensues. Personally, this stems from his early grooming on MMC (the COOL Mickey Mouse Club)... but I'm partial! 

Unfortunately, I was unaware of this appearance and missed the live broadcast. I was not far behind however, in catching up on some of the best segments. The "whatever-ville" skits Justin always does are endlessly entertaining. Enjoy the most recent of these skits! 

from jessie (living on down in apartment-ville)... with love 

2002!!!

I've exceeded 2,000 hits!!!!

This makes me very happy, and its all thanks to you... the readers! I missed the counter when it passed 1000, so I wanted to mark the NEXT momentous move. Bring on 10,000!!!! (tell your friends)

from jessie (partying like I passed 1999)... with love

gem it to me baby...

... uh huh, uh huh! (did anyone catch the reference?... shout out to the first commenter who names it!)

I'm a woman obsessed, I know, but I can't pull myself away from Esty! One of these days, perhaps my infatuation will come to an end... but NOT TODAY! I'm working on refining these posts to themes. "What is this post's theme?!" you ask... GEMSTONE JEWELRY of course! So lovely!

                

3 Gem Earrings :: Turquoise and Red Coral Earrings ::

Pink Chalcedony Necklace :: Hammered Disk & Peruvian Opal

:: Oh So Fine Earrings :: Lagune Blue Oval Earrings ::

Snapdragon Earrings

and so the droll rolls (gross!). The pink necklace and snapdragon earrings are SO mine... if i can get ahold of the funds! 

from jessie (gem-mazed)... with love

update: GO KATIE... you know your tacky pop music! Pretty fly for a White Guy

offering a bowl full of thanks

When my sister and I were little, it was a REQUIREMENT to sit down the day of (or the day after) we received a gift in the mail and write a Thank You Note to the sender. This task took maybe all of 10 minutes (including the time to look up the address and locate a stamp) but has ingrained in me the importance of letting others know how you feel about their generosity. 

I bring up this subject only because I know I need to send Thank You Notes out for the gifts I received on my birthday (and I'm procrastinating). Specifically, I need to send them out to my grandfather and Scott's grandmother. I feel since I don't talk to these individuals on a daily basis that Thank You cards are even more of a necessity. 

When I receive a Thank You Note it makes me feel special. Not only did that individual thanking me appreciate what I did, they appreciated it enough to take a moment out to write a note and send it to me. Getting hand written mail and personal messages is so special, yet it happens so infrequently any more (e-mail, facebook... I still like you!). 

What about you... do you send Thank You notes? Are they important to you? When was the last time YOU received a thank you note for something you did or gave? Do share!

from jessie (full of thanks)... with love

HAPPY MOM's DAY MONDAY

SO what if I'm one day late! <3

Instead of posting yesterday, I took time to honor the mother's in my life. I am fortunate to have three mother's looking over me: Mommy (the mother who birthed and raised me), Momma Minter ( Scott's mom), and Aunt B (my second mom... aka my mom's "twin" sister). Each of these women have added a special ingredient to my outlook on the world and myself; for that I am eternally grateful. They are all beautiful in their own unique ways, not just because of how they've mothered me but because of who they are. If I had to pick my favorite thing about each of them (just about impossible) it would go something like this: 

• Mommy:: Her quiet determination and excellence in getting things done, and doing those things with ALL her heart and ability! 
• Momma Minter:: Her hospitality and the ease with which she makes someone feel welcomed and loved
• Aunt B:: Her "with-it-ness" and listening ear, they've been there for me in many difficult situations

And I cannot forget that motherly figure looking out over me from above...

• Grandma Barta:: Her saucyness and excellence with all things handmade! (thanks for passing it onto me)

Those are the mommies I love and am blessed to have in my life. What about you? What's your favorite thing about your mommy (can you narrow it down to just one)?

from jessie (mommy's girl)... with love 

Teacher Appreciation Week

FYI: This past week was Teacher Appreciation Week. Although I didn't receive and gifts from my students (not bitter... they remembered me on my birthday), I did get to stuff my face at lunch time all week courtesy of the Kraft PTA. 

I was webdow shopping last night and came across several CUTE CUTE CUTE teacher gifts. Handmade gifts can be really lovely, as long as you get the right kind. No more "2 teach + 2 inspire= 4 ever" painted chalkboard ornaments (teachers can only house so many of those). Etsy isn't your mother's craft store in this respect. Teacher, office worker, or wonderful mother, these finds would be great for just about any of the women in your life. 

               

flower pen bouquet, damask lanyard, customized book plates

personalized teacher dish, note cards, cup sleeve and key fob set

flower magnets, apple stud earrings

How can you resist??? SOOO cute. I found lots of stuff and there is a possibility of a follow up post on this one. Happy shopping!

from jessie (I'm a teacher)... with love