Blogtastic!

I really have a lot of fun trying to learn how to add cool things to my blog. I have been experimenting a bit with the layout and background design and I am pretty happy with how sneakerteacher is looking these days.

I saw this cool slide show effect on another blog and thought I would try to see if I could figure out how to add it to mine. Yay!

I wanted to revisit some of the great books that I have read in the past year.

 

and some current first grade favorites...

Little Miss America

Donors Choose

I submitted another proposal to Donors Choose several months back and it will expire in 5 days. I got a little bit of funding ($121), but about $410 is still needed in order to have the order fulfilled. I feel very privileged to have gotten two other proposals funded in the past, yet I always get my hopes up when I submit a new proposal and can't help wanting it to be funded as well.

This proposal was for some math materials that I wanted to help my students who are less likely to "just get it" when it come to math instruction. I really wanted them to be able to picture the concepts and to be able to relate the content concepts to real life. 

One of the items that I REALLY wanted is the Literature-Based Math Centers - Complete Set.  I saw this set online and immediately added it to my proposal list because it looks great...perfect activities for a parent helper or small group. The cost of this set is $149 , so it is not exactly something I would just go out and purchase myself, but it sure does look cool!

I will keep my fingers crossed...with the understanding that everyone is experiencing tough times right now and I am lucky to have a JOB nevermind the gift of more materials to use in the classroom. 

Smiles

It's Teacher Appreciation Week and I have to say, I do feel appreciated. 

Apples from my students! How sweet!

Husband Crafts

Guess I'm not the only crafty one in the family. We had this wreath on our side door and after trimming some bushes this afternoon, my husband added some flowers to it. How cute!

For the Love of Cake!

Usually I like to promote ideas of how to stay healthy, but I'll admit, I do have an obsession with baking. I got this idea from Bakerella.

I don't know her, but I want to BE her. She makes the most amazing creations that not only look like art, but based on  the recipe I tried, taste AMAZING!

 The pictures below are of her "Cake Balls." I made them with carrot cake and cream cheese frosting this time and I have also made them with vanilla cake and vanilla frosting as well as chocolate cake with vanilla frosting. 

Bake a cake in a 9X13 inch pan according to the directions. Let it cool and then crumble it.

Add a can of frosting (any flavor you like). If you make your own frosting use 2 cups.

The cake and frosting mix to become a thick, sticky "batter." Roll the batter into small balls. I think of them as dessert meatballs. The batter gets all over your hands, so I find it helpful to wash your hands frequently. When they are a little damp, the batter does not stick as much and it's easier to roll the balls.

Place the balls on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper and freeze.

Once the balls are frozen, they get dipped in melted chocolate. I tried semi sweet morsels and those worked well, but I found the baking chocolate that comes in round discs to be much easier. These melt great in the microwave which I found easier than using a double boiler. 

I just used a spoon to dip each ball in the melted chocolate and then I put them back on the wax paper. The type of chocolate shown hardens within minutes.

I really liked the chocolate cake balls a lot, but the carrot cake kind came out good too. It just depends on what your favorite cake/frosting combo is. There are also lots of different colors of melting chocolate that you can purchase at a store like Michael's Arts and Crafts or JoAnn Fabrics, so you can make them look really cute for a baby shower, birthday, or any other special occasion. The colors are usually vanilla flavored, but I also saw peanut butter ones which I am thinking would go great with chocolate cake. 

It is also fun to add some color with sprinkles or cake decoration when the chocolate is still melty. 

Check out Bakerella's site and you will be astounded at her variations and how talented she is! Cake balls are the easier version, but she also does cake pops and cupcake pops.