Kickin' Off the Summer with a Giveaway!

Hi Everyone!! I feel like it has been way too long since I last connected with all of you in the blogosphere!  In order to reconnect with all of you and kick off a summer full of blogging tutorials and fun, I decided to start with a fun summer book giveaway.

Let me first introduce to you, my friend, 1st grade teacher, and Children's book author, Stacey Hill...and her family!!

Stacey Hill received a B.A. in Elementary Education at Ottowa University and an M.A. in Curriculum and Instruction through the University of Phoenix. She has taught elementary school for thirteen years and always dreamed of becoming an author and sharing her books with young children to foster a love for reading. She lives in Goodyear, Arizona, with her husband of twenty-six years, two incredible sons, and the cutest little dog, Lucky.

The Adventures of Goose and Moose is a well thought out and fun character building series that can easily be adapted for Pre-K to 2nd grade (possibly 3rd). Goose and Moose Visit the Beach is the first book in the series and focuses on friendship and helping others. The book includes questions every couple of pages that are perfect for read alouds in the classroom or circle time. The handy vocabulary page is perfect for teachers or parents to create a vocabulary/word wall.

I am completely in love with the friendship of Goose and Moose and the kindness they show to one another and to others. I believe that character building/training is such an important subject to teach young children and this is going to be an incredible series of books to build upon!

You can choose to order The Adventures of Goose and Moose now (links at the end of this post)....

OR...

You can follow the directions below for a chance to WIN a SIGNED COPY for your home or classroom library!  Entering the giveaway is super easy...

***This Giveaway is for U.S. Residents Only Please***

1. Like and follow The Adventures of Goose and Moose on Facebook (click the image below)

2. Leave a comment below and tell me why you would love to have this book! Make sure to include your email so that I can contact you if you are chosen. 

You will have until Tuesday,  June 13th, 2017 at midnight (MST) to enter the giveaway.  Each comment will be numbered and I will use a number generator to choose a winner.  The winner will be notified Thursday morning by email and I will make the announcement on my blog. 

Click the links below to purchase from each specific shop or attend the next  book signing in Arizona!! (**none of the following links are affiliate links)

     

Thank you so much for participating!! 

I look forward to sending out a signed copy to one lucky winner and adding to your 

summer reading list!! 

Something NEW & a FREE Tip Sheet: Learn How to Secure PDF Files Using Adobe Acrobat in Just a Couple of Minutes!!

 I don't want to brag or anything, but I am IN LOVE with my new new make-over!! It has taken me about 5 different looks and over 2 years to finally settle with a blog design I will keep for a long while!!

I have been very busy on other designs as well!! I have two that are in progress, three more finished and I am booked through the month of August of this year!! Holy cow.... I am feeling very blessed! I am not completely finished updating all of my blog pages, but if you scroll over the colored boxes above, and click on the Portfolio link, you will see the custom blog designs I have completed over the last year.

Each of my newest designs are completely unique to each blogger and their style. I am having so much fun being able to create so many different styles. I have noticed that yellows, grays, and teals are definitely the HOT colors this year!!

I hope you got a chance to visit the lovely ladies' blogs above!!  I only have two spots left open for this year and once they are reserved, I will close the form until 2015!! If you would like to get a Custom Blog Design this year, you can click HERE to complete the order form.


I also have a little tutorial tip for all of you Teachers Pay Teachers Sellers!! Over and over I get asked if converting a file to PDF is enough to protect copyrighted images and the content in digital products. The answer is.... NO.

Converting a file to PDF does not secure the file, the images, or the content. Also, the free Adobe Reader does not allow you to secure PDF's. In order to secure your files, you must own Adobe Acrobat or a similar product. Before you begin selling digital products on TpT that include copyrighted images, I highly suggest that you read through the terms of use thoroughly. Most artists, including myself, require that the PDF be secured when using commercial use graphics in your products.

If you already own a version of Adobe Acrobat, then this tip sheet might be very useful to you. I created this today very quickly to help out a seller who emailed me. I blocked out the name of the seller on the file, but I decided that I would share this little goodie. Some of you might already know how to secure your files and feel confident doing so; however, you can also grab this goodie as a resource to have on hand if and/or when someone asks you how to secure a PDF file.

In the tip sheet below, I am using the latest version of Adobe Acrobat X1 Pro; however, older versions are quite similar in terms of securing the files. Although this tip sheet was just thrown together in a bit of a rush, it will take you through the most basic steps in just a few minutes!

Enjoy this FREE Tip Sheet and consider yourself Tickled with Tech today.. haha

As always, thank you for stopping by and for your continued support!! 

Well, apparently Blogger will not allow me to load the image in its original size, so here are the individual screenshots below... sorry about that everyone!!

I will work on putting together a nicer, more manageable tip sheet...

PAY WITH A TWEET & More about me....

Hi everyone!! You are looking at the NEW DIGGS!! I apologize for the lack of image quality. I do not take great self-portraits and I always choose to take pictures with my phone...which has horrible image quality and resolution. I am going to start yoga classes this week and I am scared to the bone!! I figure that if I can look good, then maybe my lack of mobility won't seem so terrible...hahaha  Well, the reason for my self-image plaster is because I wanted to share some of the NEW comfy clothes I got!!! I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the Under Armor clothing brand!! I was looking for some new pants and shirts when I stumbled upon the capris (in the pic below). They looked great, had positive reviews & at $60.00 each, I figure I can feel like a bum while looking like I am well put together..hahaha.. I ordered one pair (on the first order) and I got them in the mail 2 days later (LOVE getting mail)!! I am only 6 ft  5ft tall, so I got the small/Petite and I LOVE them!! These are by far, the most comfortable yoga pants I have ever owned!! So I got back online and ordered two more!! hahaha.. I will just tell the hubs that they must have made a mistake...or maybe I was the millionth shopper and got 2 pairs for free....hahaha   Just kidding, he already knows. I even wore these out!! That is how comfy and good they look!!! 

I ordered everything online from Sports Authority and I was very happy with the quick service....on another... NOT so marvelous story....

BEWARE of a VENT.....

I worked really hard all last week getting our shirts made for our HVAC company. I came up with a fun, modern design and decided I would order from an online company I have done business with before-- and was happy with. I provided the designer with my files, a mock-up of each shirt - front and back, and specific instructions...

What I am even more excited about is that I created a women's design for our company and I am so happy to bring some cuteness to HVAC...hahaha I couldn't find a set of Pink HVAC tools or a Bedazzled tool belt... wouldn't THAT be something??!! hahaha

Along with the image files, a mock-up, and an email, I also included a Word doc with specific instructions about placement, color, and size for each shirt color. If you are not familiar with a mock-up, a mock-up is a preview of a graphic on a vector image of what it will be printed on. In this case, I made a mock-up of the T-shirt designs.

Here is a sample of what I sent her for the women's shirts....

Here is what I was sent after a 2-day wait for a preview that I had already provided the designer with...

I am not sure if purple is the new coral or turquoise.....if it is, I was completely unaware of this...

Here are some samples of the men's shirt designs I sent her...

 And here was the proof I received this morning...
REALLY???!!! She added a phone number to the front,darkened the grey and changed the size and positioning of the front of the shirt design!! I am going to go out on a limb here, but I am pretty sure I gave her very clear directions.... I made this process as easy as possible for her and she still sent me a proof that was not what I asked for. Maybe she thought she knew what I wanted better than I knew myself... you know, like when the auto-correct on your phone keypad thinks it knows what you REALLY want to say....

I was so annoyed and really tried to be nice in my response, so I laid on the sarcasm pretty thick!!  haha 

It took her almost all day to correct and sent back one proof!! They are not creating a design....they are just printing the design I sent them, so I am not sure why this process is taking so long!! I even went as far as to send her the Pantone color codes for each color above....WELL... there is my vent... hahaha I feel much better...truly...

I do have to say that the girl is really nice - just most likely - completely clueless.

Well, I always had my students give 2 STARS and one "WISH", so here is my next bit of good news goodness.... FIRST... a little background knowledge to break the ice and get you interested...

My son has been growing out his hair for a while now and it was out of control. I believe it was driving his crazy behavior...he was playing the part..so to speak. After several months, recovering from 2 failed haircut attempts for kids cuts, and home cuts (from me)... we finally found a good place close by. Here is the before and after of my son's haircut...he even got a cute little FO-Hawk!! hahaha  Eat your heart out girls.... He's all MINE!!!

I  think he looks great and the David Gerard Salon was EXCELLENT!!! 

Last, but not least...I have a little tech tip for you!! I know it has been a while...  I found this site a while back, but I did not have the time to really look through it until now.  The site is called, Pay with a Tweet, and it is a way to drive traffic to your sites by offering something that you would normally sell...for free in exchange for a Tweet about the product.  This site allows you to generate a button code for the product and tweet in a matter of minutes. The service is completely free and the process is very simple. The only thing they do not provide is file storage for the product you want to offer for free. You must provide the link to your file from your personal online file storage. Click the image below to visit the site or continue reading for detailed instructions to use this service.

Now let's give this a try and see if it works!! I have provided the file for you to pay with a Tweet to get these cute puzzle pieces that are listed in my stores for $3.50!! Pay with a Tweet and let me know how it goes!! If all goes well, I hope that this service will prove to be beneficial for those of you trying to gain more traffic to your sites. Enjoy the PAY with a TWEET!!!

Thank you for stopping by!!! 

Join the Education Linky of the YEAR!!!

Welcome Everyone!!

This post is especially for all of you wonderful, hard-working and inspiring K-6th grade teachers!!! You are all invited to participate in what may be the BEST and most useful education linky of the year!!! I have been working very closely with Krista Miller and Julie Kiss from The Reading Olympians this past year and I absolutely LOVE these two gals!!! It has been a great honor working with both of you (Krista & Julie)!!! They have developed a  complete program to teach grades K-6th Greek and Latin roots. Krista and Julie began developing this program to help their own students & when they realized how the program had helped their students reach higher academic levels and an understanding of how to understand words in context, they began to further develop this program in hopes of getting their program in the hands of more teachers. 

The program has been strategically organized so that students can work at their own pace. It has been carefully scaffolded to allow teachers from grades K-6th to adapt the program into their daily routine in small portions helping to build students' vocabulary, comprehension, reading, spelling, and writing skills. The program and lessons are all Common Core driven and easily adaptable to meet the needs of a wide range of student academic levels. 

The program includes detailed instructions, web support, and extra supplemental materials to integrate into the lessons and promote student motivation and success. Not only are the lessons Common Core driven, but they are also fun for the students. Teachers will not need to learn new skills in order to implement this program into their classrooms and the students will enjoy the lessons, activities, leveled achievement rewards, and not to mention, the beautiful Greek graphics I created specifically for this program. Krista and Julie have also made themselves available to teachers who purchase their program and are hoping to get opportunities to help implement their program in other schools through workshops and hands-on involvement.  I just know they are going to be big time soon..haha..

Many teachers have already purchased the Reading Olympians program and have nothing, but positive things to rave about after using this in their classrooms. 

In order to help bring awareness and get this treasure into your classrooms, I came up with the idea to do a linky -  back when the Olympics were playing (this has been a long process in the making) and decided that the best and most appropriate title would be, Pass the Torch. 

This linky will allow all of you K-6th grade teachers a chance to use this program in your classroom for FREE  - NEVER again will the program be offered for free, so you might want to join in on the fun.... here are the details...

Pass The Torch with Reading Olympians...

K-6th grade teachers (all of you are welcome) who sign up to participate in this linky will receive the complete program for your grade level(s) to use in your classroom. 

1. Upon receiving the program, you will be given two weeks to use at least one lesson in your classroom.

2. You will have one-on-one support during this time for any questions you may have (if you need it).

3. You must choose one day to use at least one lesson to use in your classroom, take observation notes, pictures, and other creative ideas you used during the lesson and blog about.

4. You will all be given a deadline to use at least one lesson in your class and prepare a post about your experience. **You will also get help from myself or from Krista and Julie at any time. 

5. You will each be given a small set of guidelines to organize your post, but you will have the freedom to use the program in a way that will benefit your students and your teaching style the best. 

6. ALL posts will be scheduled to go live on the SAME day. We will also run a MEGA giveaway for the week the posts go live, which will be a fun and engaging learning experience that will also drive traffic to your blogs.  Followers and new followers will begin with the younger grades and work their way up to the higher grades to get the opportunity to see how each teacher and each grade level used this program. Participants will also get a chance to see how other teachers at the same grade level were able to use the program with their students, which will give you ideas on how to implement and use the rest of the program. Each teacher participant will, in essence, PASS THE TORCH to the next teacher participant until all teachers and all grade levels have been visited!!! 

We will give our followers/readers the entire week to pick up the torch from blog to blog and end the week with an amazing giveaway that will include over $100 in gift cards (and more)!! 

As a participant,  you will get an opportunity to get your hands on an amazing program, gain new followers, and learn new teaching techniques from other teachers around the world!!!! I hope you will join us in this journey and I might cross paths as we Pass the Torch!

WHEN: 

My original deadline for signing up was March 6th, but because my blog was down this week, I am going to extend the sign-up deadline to March 13th, 2013!! This gives all of you a chance to sign up. Please make sure that you will be able to use the lesson in your classroom in the next month

Deadline to sign up to participate:MARCH 13th, 2013

HOW: CLICK on the image below to fill in a quick form, so that Krista and Julie can begin to prepare the needed materials for each participant that will meet the specific grade (or academic)level of each participant's classroom. 

WHAT: On March 14th, all participants will be contacted through email. Participants will receive directions, deadline dates, contact information and links to get help, and they will be contacted by Krista and/or Julie to get an access code to download the program to use. 

We will give participants one week to get settled and review everything, ask questions, and prepare a day to use the lesson. 

On March 20th, we will then set a date for the lessons to be implemented by and a date to schedule your posts for the Pass the Torch linky to go live!!!

Click the image above to complete a short form and participate with us!!!

I really hope that you all sign up and I look forward to Passing the Torch to YOU!!! Thank you so much for all of your support!!

P.S. What do you think of the new blog design??? I am so sorry I was down all last week!!! I hope you all have a wonderful new week!!! Here are a couple of WILD, 3AM Teacher-themed backgrounds for you to grab!!

Please stop by and check out the amazing two-some who own Reading Olympians!!!