Last Day of School + Teacher Gifts

Another school year has come to an end and I am so happy to have my people all together under one roof for the next two-ish months. We are so looking forward to Summer and all the adventures we'll get to have together. I am always super sad when the Summer is over and my babies leave me to go back to school. I'll never be a mom who looks forward to school starting back and getting a break from my littles. Sending my kids to school and them being away from me all day has never quite felt right to me. This year will be even tougher because Wyatt will be starting Kindergarten. He's so ready. I'm so not. But we won't talk about that for at least another two months. Right now we're going to enjoy our time together each day and soak up the sun, fun, and lots of memories!

Walker is moving on up to second grade. He's a natural when it comes to school. He loves learning and it comes easy to him. He's a super reader and he just doesn't have to try very hard to understand most things. Most things. The tying of the shoes is one that he just can't seem to remember to do these days. He's my little rule follower and has already been holding me accountable in the week that school has been out. We have a Summer Bucket List, a calendar, and a chore chart that he loves. And let's be real, I do too. We are two peas in a pod.

Walker's teacher this year was Mrs. Floyd.

Walker's favorite color is red.

Walker's best bud is Westin.

Walker's favorite subject is Recess.

Walker wants to be a scientist when he grows up.

Like most things these days the end of school snuck up on me quickly. I knew exactly what I wanted to get for Walker's teacher and I ordered it just in time. It was scheduled to arrive the day before school ended but got rescheduled for the next day which was the last day of school between 12 and 4 pm. The last day of school is an early dismissal day and they get out of school at 1pm. Luckily, the UPS man rolled up to the door at 12:45pm and I was able to wrap it, print off a free template from Pinterest, and get it to the school just in time to hunt down Mrs. Floyd in bus duty and let Walker give it to her. I love the colors in the umbrella and I love a good play on words. Plus, Mrs. Floyd said she needed a new umbrella so I count it as a win.

Wyatt went to Mother's Day Out twice a week this year. He went to the same school that Walker went to when he was younger so I knew he would enjoy going and be well taken care of and boy was he! Mrs. Andria was a terrific teacher and Wyatt learned a lot this year to prepare him for Kindergarten in the Fall.

Wyatt's teacher this year was Mrs. Andria.

Wyatt's favorite color is purple.

Wyatt's best buds are Evan & Bryant.

Wyatt's favorite subject is Recess.

Wyatt wants to be a baseball player when he grows up.

I really wanted to get Wyatt's teacher and some of the staff a gift they would treasure. It's no secret I sell Thirty-One and I love to gift it to just about everyone but I also love supporting my mom friends who are creative or own their own businesses. My friend Ashley began making things out of quilts and I knew they would be perfect since Wyatt goes to a church Mother's Day Out. I knew they would be cherished. I let Wyatt pick out which cross went to each person. We gave one to Wyatt's teacher, the MDO Director Ms. Kristy, Ms. Angela who works the front desk, and the sweet lady who works the car rider line every morning. She was always in a good mood even when we had just rolled out of bed and were still half asleep! Wyatt did a great job picking out which one to give everyone and they all loved their handmade and personal end of the year gift.

We were so proud seeing our little boy graduate from Pre-K! And I just have to include this picture below because it is SO Wyatt in his truest form. He was scoping out the bling he was going to get when his name was called. He is our funny man and jokester and I'm so glad he's ours!

The day after Wyatt's preschool graduation we had Kindergarten Camp. Wyatt got to go on a tour of his new school and do a fun craft activity with the Kindergarten teachers. That Class of 2030 will put ya in your place REAL quick. Time is such a jerk. It seems like 2030 is SO far away but in a blink that cap and gown will be much bigger and so will my little boys.

You can find that super cute umbrella HERE.

And join my friend Ashley's page HERE for more quilted loveliness.

DIY Teacher Gift : Valentine's Day

Here's how these things usually go down.  I spend weeks thinking of what I want to do for a gift.  I spend lots of nights pinning away while my husband sleeps beside me.  I get ideas, I plan for them.  I usually even start them weeks in advance.  And then.........I stop.  I think about how much time I have and I tell myself I'll finish it up in a couple of days.  And then........I don't.  And then I spend the day (or night) before stressing to finish everything! That's just the way I operate with pretty much everything and it works for me, most of the time! :) 

Finding a gift for my sons' teachers followed this suit as well.  I decided about a month before Valentine's Day that I wanted to give their teachers flowers.  There's just something about little boys turning into gentlemen and giving out flowers that melts my heart.  So I headed straight to Pinterest and checked out my "One Day Projects" board and decided to make vases out of jars I had around the house.  I used Prego Spaghetti Sauce jars but you can use any jars.  I used Goo Gone to get all the sticky glue left after peeling the label off.  I washed the jars and dried them really well.  I wanted a super pale pink so I mixed lots of white into an already light pink to create the color I wanted and then I started painting.  I used a foam brush but quickly decided that a paint brush would be much better and it really was better.  I painted the outside of the jars, let them dry, and then put on a second coat.  I left the jars alone to dry overnight and after 24 hours I lightly sanded them until I was happy with how distressed they looked.  I sprayed them with a protective coating.  I only had a gloss protective spray on hand.  I recommend using a Matte spray over the gloss.  The gloss made the jars too shiny and that took away from the shabby look a bit.  I let them dry overnight outside to get rid of the strong smell.  As you can see, patience is key in this project! Once the smell had diminished and I was able to bring the jars inside I wrapped burlap around the jars and tied a bow.  I added some beautiful flowers, a yummy chocolate cupcake, and voila! A beautiful, homemade, Valentine gift that anyone would love to receive! I had all the supplies on hand to create the jars - jars, paint, sandpaper, protective coating, paintbrushes - so the only thing I had to buy for this project was the flowers and cupcakes.  Simple, easy, and beautiful! I will be making myself some of these beautiful jars just as soon as I can collect more.