Standardized Monday

This week at our school our students will be taking their Sat 10 Standardized Tests

What a way to start a Monday :(

Since we are a private school we don't take the NC EOGS but it still has the same concept!

So wish me luck to stay sane over the 5 days of testing

And wish our students luck... I know they can do it!

I know I remember the days of standardized testing and I never want to go back!

Hunger Games: Book/Movie

So I said a few weeks ago that I was giving in and reading the Hunger Games

Well I read the first book in two days over our Spring Break and with school and work the second book has taken a little longer to get through but I am about halfway through.

So what did you think about about the movie compared to the book

Here were some of my thoughts

What do you think about how the movie portrayed Cinna

Was this what you expected?

I have nothing against Lenny Kravitz but I expected a super metro/gay white guy and Lenny just seemed too normal. But overall I think the bond he had with Katniss was good

Next lets talk about the Mockingjay Pin

While they still included it in the book, they left out two important characters!

Where were Madge and her Governor Dad?

I feel that connection between her and Madge is important and I am interested to see how they make up and connect what happens in the second book

Finally are you team Gale or Peeta?

I haven't figure it out what happens between this love triangle because I am only halfway through the second book but I am excited to see how it ends.

Also they are shooting the second movie in NC and some of it will be in Raleigh so I am very excited :)

What is your thought on the movie?

My Spiritual Gifts

Over the last two weeks in church we have been talking about spiritual gifts

and I couldn't have been more grateful for a group of sermons

These hit how I have been feeling completely 

That there is so much I haven't done it must not be enough

It hit on how to be close to God you don't have to stretch yourself to complete things in all aspects of the church but to find the one gift that God gave you and give it your 100%

I've been doing a lot of self reflection and thinking about the sermon and the list of spiritual gifts that J.D. listed from the Bible and I realized that my spiritual gift was obvious right from the start and I just wasn't listening

Children are the future and I believe in them

What better way for me to serve God then through them.

We watched a short clip during the service Sunday about Durham Public Schools Teacher of the Year and the mentoring program he put into two different schools hes worked at with the Summit Church and what a difference it made in those students lives.

I literally cried. It was so amazing, this is why I teach, to touch lives.

I had been thinking alot about how to get involved with the Summit Kids and after the sermon there was an interest meeting for Summit Kids Week and I knew I need to go. I am so excited to get started working with the children at the church :)

So what are you spiritual gifts? Have you ever thought of it this way before? If your looking for a church in the Raleigh area let me know. I would love for you to join me :)

A Southern Wife from A-Z

I saw my friend Lauren from The Merry Mrs. Mobley Do this A-Z challenge about herself and I thought this would be a fun little FYI about myself so here it goes!

A

I have an addiction-- I am a shop-o-holic, but I am trying to become less materialistic

B

I am a beach girl. I love visiting our home in Charleston

C

When we have our first Child their name will start with a C so it will be Andrew, Brianna and C-name Tucker :)

D

I have two dogs, Bently (3-Pomeranian) Cooper (1-Cocker Spaniel)

E
I try to eat healthy everyday but sometimes my sweet tooth is hard to resist

F
You must be a friend to have a friend. I work hard to be a good friend everyday

G
I am graduating college in less then a month and I decided to go back to school. Some days I think I'm crazy.

H

My maiden name was Hart with no e and I plan to give that name to my child one day

I
I mentioned my sweet tooth but its so big it deserved two letters.
Ice cream is my biggest weakness

J

I am growing with Jesus. I have found a great church and we are working on reading through the entire Bible

K
My husband believes he knows everything, but I know better :)

L

Life Long Learner

M

I love my marriage and I have a great husband.

N
I love nail polish ( and own way too many) but I only ever paint my nails OPI La-Positively Hot or a french manicure

O
I love a bed full of over sized pillows :)

P

Planning and Patience Too much of one and not so much of the other. I'll let you guess which is which

Q
I am working harder on my quiet time with God

R
I love all things red, wolfpack and NC STATE

S

I have two sisters. Cassandra is 17 and Ava Gray is due in July!

T

We don't collect trinkets.. we collect shot glasses from all our vacations and travels :)

U
I know its time to do laundry when I only have my least favorite pairs of underwear left

V
As soon as I get back from one vacation I always begin planning another. I think time away is so important

W

I live for lazy weekends with my husband and our pups

X
My husband does breast cancer research and they are working on an amazing new x-ray

Y

I love young love-- Andrew and I have been together since high school :)

Z
I love zumba. I feel less silly working out when everyone looks silly :)

New Recipe Monday- Chicken and Spicy Black Bean Tacos

So I haven't posted a new recipe but life has been kind of crazy

Mexican is a weekly meal at our house so I am always looking for a new recipe 

This recipe is a crock pot meal so I was even more excited to try it when I found it in one of my recipe books

So here it is

1 can(15 ounces) black beans drained and rinsed

1 can (10 ounces) tomatoes with medium green chilies, drained

1.5 teaspoons chili powder

3/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon evoo

12 ounces boneless skinless chicken breasts rinsed and patted dry

taco shells and toppings to your liking!

Before you start add your crock pot liner and spray it with Pam

Next mix your black beans, tomatoes and chilies in the bottom of your crock pot

Combine your cumin, chili powder and evoo and rub it on the chicken

Place the chicken on top of the mixture and cook for 2 hours on high

Create your tacos :)

And of course a Mexican meal can't be without chips and salsa :)

Graduation Announcements

So with GRADUATION less than a month away

I am beginning to get anxious

I have only two classes this week and two exams next week and on May 4th I am free and just waiting graduation on the 12

I love NC State and am happy that if I had to spend 5 years ( yes I am a super senior) at any college I wouldn't have traded my years hear for anything!

With that being said I sent out my graduation announcements over the weekend so I decided to share them with my fellow blogger friends

I didn't want to send a formal invitation like the university offers because 

1. I did that in high school

2. I just had a wedding

I decided to send out postcards which is a big change for me since I love traditional photo cards

I found these postcards on Tiny Prints and I just fell in love with the design

I used one of our Christmas Pictures since they were taken on campus and I figured since I was wearing red the combination was completely appropriate!

So happy graduation to all you other bloggers that are graduating! 

What are you plans? Did you send out announcements to your family and friends?

Why buy when you can rent

I was contacted by Campus Book Rentals to partner with them I knew this was the perfect opportunity to get the word out about renting textbooks.

I am all about saving money and I rented my textbooks every year

(of course unless it was for one of my education classes and I thought I would want to keep it)

It was such a blessing to save some extra money that my parents gave me for books to use on other things like food!

Here are some of the perks of renting

-save 40-90% off of bookstore prices

-free shipping both ways-can highlight in the textbooks-flexible renting periods

And Campus Book Rentals takes it even a step further than other book rental places I have seen!

They donate money from each rental to Operation Smile

This organization gives surgeries to children with Cleft Lip that live in families who couldn't otherwise afford the surgery.

So with summer sessions coming and fall right around the corner, rent your books. It saves trees and you can help a child

And the moving search begins.....

Well no we aren't buying a house

but we are moving apartments

We would love to buy a house but Andrew only has 2 more years on his PhD and then who knows if we will live in Raleigh or somewhere else across the country :(

So until graduation and Andrew can write Dr. Andrew Wallace Tucker PhD.

( which by the way he said he is gonna make everyone call him that once he graduates)

We will be renting

Andrew and I have lived at this apartment for 2 years and a little part of me is sad to let go.

This was our first "home"

The first time we lived together

The first place we came back to after we were married

The first time we celebrated a married holiday together

The first place we will celebrate a married anniversary!

So many first and while I don't want to live in this little apartment forever.

It is time to move on

I am beginning starting grad school and we need to be closer to that side of town for whatever the future may hold for us

So blogger friends in the Raleigh area what do you suggest

We are looking ideally for a rental home anywhere near NCSU/Crossroads/South Raleigh towards Garner area

We are going to begin our hunting this weekend and of course its never a fun process to move especially when your still renting :(

Pinterest Baby Shower Ideas

So as I shared with you before my mom is having a baby

Ava Gray will grace us with her presence end of July/ Early August

( Doctors say they will take her early since my mom is in her early 40's)

So with a baby comes a shower and My sister and I are hosting a shower at a wonderful restaurant in downtown Charlotte

( I can't tell you where yet cause invites haven't gone out and its a surprise for mom! )

But with it being at a restaurant I don't have to worry about food but I do have the decor!

So here is what I have been thinking

Favors

Source: adaanddarcy.blogspot.com via Brianna on Pinterest

Centerpiece Ideas

Baby Games

Source: bit.ly via Brianna on Pinterest

Cake

Fer over the top shower but I want to do something fun cause its like shes having her first baby since 
my sister and I are 23 and 17 so we are having a nice and classy shower!! However I am still having a 


hard time figuring out how to decorate the chairs ( pom poms?) and how to decorate the door to our 


private room ( Maybe a tissue paper AG for Ava Gray?) and lastly center pieces, I don't want to do 


flower so do you have any ideas for non flower center pieces?? Help Ladies!

The New Mr. and Mrs. James Coleman

So sorry for my blogging absence but one of Andrew and I's best friends got married over the weekend so our weekend was slammed pack and I am just done recovering!!!

So Friday night all our friends came to town for the Rehearsal and they stayed at our place.

James and Mariannes Rehearsal Dinner was at Maggianos then we were off to the Duke Chapel for the actual rehearsing

After the Rehearsal we went to Champs and had a great time celebrating the night before the wedding

The next day it was wedding day!

I stayed back with the girls as all our husbands and dates were in the wedding party

Their first dance. It was choreographed :)

Cutting the Cake

Andrew and I

The girls :)

Off to beautiful Bahamas :)

It was a beautiful wedding and I am so excited for them.

I can't wait for them to get back though cause Andrew and I miss them already!

Follow Me...

So Since Android got the beloved Instragram

I am its newest Member

So if you don't already

Follow me

Pinterest:

Twitter

Follow @BriannaTucker1

Instagram

                                 

Leave me a comment and I'll follow you too!

So Long Spring Break..

And it's over

Spring Break is gone and today I am going back to work after a wonderful and much needed 9 day break from work.

However now the countdown begins again

Counting down till Graduation

Counting down till Summer 

I will continue to say

I hope I can

I think I can

I KNOW I CAN!

Summer we will meet at the beach again soon 

Happy Easter : Our Exciting News!

Happy Easter Everyone!

I have some AMAZING NEWS!

Andrew and I have been attending the Summit Church over the last couple months.

Today during our service we were re-baptised.

Our Pastor really talked about the importance of being baptised as adults as people were in the Bible and the sermon just really hit Andrew and I hard. We were both baptised as children but felt this was the first step in starting our adult life in Christ for us and for our future family!  

If you are looking for a church and live in the Raleigh area we would recommend it and would love for you to join us!

We started out the day with Easter Baskets

Andrews is on the left and I got him the Movie Hop, Starburst jelly beans, Cadbury Creme Eggs, Reese Eggs and a Chocolate Bunny

Mind is on the Right and Andrew got me Swedish fish, Almond Joys, Reese Eggs, Bridesmaid, and a Chocolate Bunny :)

We also got the dog a special Easter treat :)

Here is what our Easter Meal looked like:

Ham

Crock pot Mac and Cheese 

( My go to recipe from my crock pot cookbook!)

Green Beans

Scratch Made Three layer Coconut Cake
(The Cake was good but not as moist as others I have made.  I would poke holes and pour coconut milk in cake before adding filling next time!)

This is truly and Easter to Remember at our house. Hope yours was just as amazing!

Guest Post: Lauren from The Merry Mrs. Mobley

My Guest Post today is from Lauren, The Merry Mrs. Mobley! Lauren and I met at NC State and she is a fellow teacher and also love middle schoolers as much as I do ( Yes we know we are crazy and that they are ensane moody teenagers.. but we LOVE THEM) Check out her post on how she stays organized in her life !

My name is Lauren and I am the merry mrs. mobley!

I am so excited to be here posting for Brianna while she and her hubby are soaking up Charleston! Brianna and I met many moons ago in an Intro to Education class at NC State (Go Wolfpack!). This sweet girl continues to blow me away with the way she beautifully balances all that she has going on. If anyone deserves a few days of R&R, it’s her! In honor of al that she has going on I’m going to post about organizing and balancing life when things get crazy.

Being a teacher I can empathize with having a lot to do. In fact, I can’t tell you the last time I didn’t leave the school, get home, and continue working. While it’s not ideal, it’s just the way our profession works. The issue comes when you allow your job to interfere with your family time. I make a point to not work in the evenings after David gets home from work. It’s not fair to him, or our marriage, for me to ignore him. It’s all about balance.

Something else that keeps me going are to-do lists! I am the queen of the to-do list, ask my poor husband who often gets the brunt of my lists. I make lists for things to do at home, at school, weekend work, house tasks, grocery lists, church responsibilities etc. You name it, I probably already have a list made on how to accomplish that task. I’m old-school and like to write things on paper. Maybe it’s the satisfaction of crossing it off, maybe it’s the fact that I can revisit past lists. I’m not sure, but my list notebook is like an extra limb to me. Now don’t get me wrong, I do use my iPhone and my laptop for some list making, but my primary list can be found in a cute little notebook I bought for that very reason.

The third most essential thing to keep in mind when things get crazy is to make a plan. If I think I’m the queen of to-do lists, then I’m the king of planning. I am a big planner. Always have been. There is just something about knowing what’s going to happen next that soothes me. Now, I realize that things don’t always go according to plan and that it’s important to be flexible. In our profession you become very cognizant of that! But it’s nice to have a general idea of what the next step is. For example I know that every Sunday we’re going to do laundry and I’m going to plan our weekly meals and my outfits for work. Setting aside a few minutes to do these things on Sunday saves me oodles of time later in the week! I also always go into the grocery for a list and coupons to match my list. If I went in all willy-nilly we’d be in the poor house thanks to all the random purchases I would make!

Yea, so I may be a little crazy about my organizing and planning, but by being crazy now I’m making life smoother later! Hopefully Brianna is not doing any planning other than what drink to order on the beach next;-)

SO if your not an organizer.. I hope you got some tips. If you are I bet you were saying, "ME TOO!" alot why you read all the things she does. I know I did.

So if you don't follow Lauren check her out at  The Merry Mrs. Mobley

Guest Post: Tamera from T Times Three

Well Andrew and I were supposed to be in Charleston from Today till Sunday but some things happened so we are in still in Raleigh. So today we will be taken the dogs for some much needed grooming.... BUT I still have some amazing ladies who came up with some terrific post so I want to share.

First up in Tamara from T Times Three. I stumbled upon her blog when I first started blogging and I love her! Shes such a doll! Shes a fellow Raleigh Girl and newlywed like me and so glad I have gotten to know her. We could be IRL friends I know it! So check out her post on why she loves the place we call home :)

Hi everyone!  I am Tamara and I blog over at T Times Three.

When I stumbled upon Brianna's blog a long time ago, I was so excited to find that she is also a Raleigh girl!  So, while Brianna is enjoying beautiful Charleston, SC, I am going to share a little about what makes our hometown so wonderful!

1. Ok, first things first... one of the best things about Raleigh has to be NC State University!  Both Brianna and I are students there and we love our Wolfpack!  If you are ever in town, try to check out either a football or basketball game.  We may not win all the time, but we sure do have a great time!

2. The State Fair!  I had never been to the State Fair until I moved to Raleigh.  I get so excited every year when I see the empty fairgrounds get transformed and brought to life.  And it is a great excuse to eat all the fried food your little heart desires!

 

3. The Museums.  Ok, I'm going to show my inner-nerd here.  As the capital, Raleigh is the home to all of the State museums.  My absolute favorite is the Natural Science Museum!  Its absolutely free and filled with dinosaurs and even a butterfly room complete with a live sloth.  Too cool, if you ask me!

 

4. The FOOD!  I seriously believe you could eat at a new restaurant every day in Raleigh for a year and not repeat one.  There are so many... and they are all wonderful! 

My favorite breakfast place, hands down, is Big Ed's!  Big Ed's located in the heart of downtown and serves up country meals.  Anytime we have company in town, this is where we go!

For lunch, Cameron Village has the best selection!  You can have a beer at the Village Draft House or have brunch at Cafe Carolina.  If you feel like having fast food, you can eat at the world's only double-decker Chickfila.  Don't forget to get dessert at Goodberry's!

Where to eat for dinner is definitely a tough decision!  My husband and I just tried out Second Empire and loved every bite.  Definitely check it out!

 

So there you have it... just a peek into what makes Raleigh a wonderful city!  I'm so lucky to now call it home, and I'm sure Brianna feels the same way!

Come visit me over at T Times Three and say Hey!

Well I hope you enjoyed learning more about Raleigh! Tamera hit some of my favorite things as well. So if you don't follow Tamera do it now! You'll love her blog just as much as I do!

One month countdown!

It is here

The one month countdown till the end of my undergraduate career

I will take my last exam and after that await May 12 for my actual graduation!

Hopefully I can push myself full force to give 100% to keep my A's in my classes!

Also check out my blog tonight or early tomorrow. I am working on updating my design so if you have any helpful hints on where its easiest let me know!!

A Groupon Home Makeover

I love groupon and living social

If I am gonna do something why not see if I can get a good deal.

There have been a few of these but we decided to buy two groupons from  Canvas on Demand

I've been in the process of redoing our bedroom since we got our new king size bed

It was a lot darker with rich browns, Burgundy and creams but when we got the new bed and it was so much bigger Andrew and I both decided we wanted to brighten it up 

So when we did we needed something knew to put over our bed to match the new neutral tone of light blues, white and cream

So here is our first Canvas

This wedding picture was perfect since it was very naturalistic and match the cleanness of the room. I am looking now for two white square framed mirrors to put on either side to really complete the wall. Any suggestions on where to find them let me know, I've also been hunting supplies to maybe DIY them

The next canvas we put in the living room. 

I previously had some DIY Wall Art that I made ( You can see my post here). I made it when we still had our futon so I figured it was time to upgrade to some adult decor :)

We got some pictures taken for Christmas to include our newest dog Cooper on our card but besides the Christmas Cards we haven't used them. So we decided to get one of them on our second canvas.

I bought the two wall sconces today from Bed Bath and Beyond and I think they look pretty good. Bently even posed when I took this picture which is rare!

I am still working on both of these rooms. I want lamps, curtains and many other things but of course I can't fund them all at once.

So what do you think. Have you used any good deals or find to help cozy up your home decor??