You Drive Like A Dad...

As I have already revealed, Trev and I are in the "trying to make a baby" stage of our life. There are many things I love about Trev and one of my favorites is that I know he will make the most incredible dad one day. Trever has a way about him that lifts my spirit whenever I think of him and lately I have been thinking about the kind of father he will be. I can go on for days about the things he does that show me he will be a great dad...he works two jobs and is currently going to school, he is determined in a "I started my career at twenty and bought my first home at twenty-one" kind of way…However, one trait that I have noticed from the beginning is that he drives like a dad. I can honestly remember telling him this from the young age of sixteen and although some of you might think it sounds like a cut down... it is the exact opposite. To me, a person who drives like a dad is: attentive, secure, confident and most of all makes everyone in the car feel a sense of safety that only a dad can exude. Trever, if you are reading this: “You drive like a dad”.

Brick's Boy Babysitting

So last night I had the privilege of babysitting some of my adorable nephews. Being a preschool teacher… of course I brought manipulatives. These "Stair Stacker's" (unofficial made up name) are great for fine motor development. My nephew Cael was curious and sustainably intrigued. However, asked his aunt Kacey to help with each piece. After about five minutes, he had built up his confidence to try himself. Thrilled with his accomplishment of connecting a piece, he smiled (this little one has a gift of not only smiling with his mouth…he truly smiles with his eyes)and began clapping for himself. I captured this image and it is the most accurate portrayal of "learning" at its finest. The determination this little one had transpired through his pursed lips and tongue gently poking through them. You ask me why I chose to teach...take a look at this picture, it explains it entirely.



“You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives.” - Clay P. Bedford

Belly Laughs

For those of you close to Trev and I you already know the next stage in our life together is: Babies. We both are anxious and utterly stoked for this new adventure. Trev is beyond excited, even his friends and family say they think he might be even more excited than me lol. I have decided to read "Belly Laughs" during our trying process. Jenny McCarthy is not only an amazing author, she is an incredible mother to her son who is diagnosed with autism. I am a huge supporter of hers and I am thrilled/ scared to learn the naked truth about pregnancy and childbirth.

Vintage Kitchen Updates

Vintage blue glass cake stand to hold our bread? Sure, why not?

Vintage Kitchen Updates

A coffee addicts kitchen wouldn't be complete with vintage sugar and creamer dishes.

Vintage Kitchen Updates

Vintage bird feeder serves as our napkin holder.

Vintage Kitchen Updates

My tablescape is now complete with a vintage lace tablecloth and my grandmother's heirloom china.

Pie Night

Tonight I was reminded just how blessed I am. Not only has God blessed me with an amazing family from birth... I now have a second family who I will be forever grateful for. My sister in law Courtney is getting married May 7th and the journey of planning our weddings together and helping each other with our DIY projects, is a time in my life I will treasure forever. Not only was I reminded of my blessings, I was reminded of how the stresses of a hectic work week can melt away in a matter of seconds while you’re making memories with the ones you love... I was reminded of the simple joys in my life and how much time with family truly nourishes the soul.

Vintage Kitchen

I would have to say that one of my passions is buying anything vintage. Slowly but surely my kitchen is transforming into the vintage kitchen of my dreams. Take a look at my new tablescape... vintage milk glass vases are my weakness.

My 25~ Random facts, habits and goals...

1. The doctors told my mom I was blind when I was born, I wouldn’t follow any light or object with my eyes. A young doctor at the hospital told my mom he did his thesis on a child's eye not fully developing and that my mom had a slim chance that it could be that, he instructed her to always put a mobile above me and place me in the sunlight. She followed his advice and one day she walked into the room and I was reaching up for my mobile. I have had 20/20 vision the rest of my life.

2. I am the youngest of six children and growing up we had a partner. To help keep track of all us kids my mom paired us up in twos and we had to make sure we knew where our partner was at all times when we went somewhere. Mine was my sister Dixie :)

3. Starting in Kinder, when we filled out the "What do you want to be" papers, I always wrote: "I want to have a huge mansion and have homeless people and orphanage kids live with me". hahaha

4. I use to be a major Tom Boy growing up thanks to my brother Tommy; I even fought a boy in the park at age eight!

5. When my mom was a teacher Tommy and I went with her to a parent teacher conference night. We had the bright idea to catch ALL and I mean ALL the frogs at her school and put them in a cabinet with no doors in her classroom (bright idea right?) So Tommy had me man the cabinet and toss all the frogs back in the cabinet when they jumped out while he searched for more. My mom flipped when she saw what we did! lol so we had to release all the captured frogs. (one of them was at least 3 lbs!) I guess one of the frogs hide in her classroom and freaked her class out the next morning!

6. That same parent teacher conference night, Tommy and I were chasing each other and he had a straw in his hand. He ran up beside me and accidentally stuck the straw straight in my eye. That was some serious pain!

7. When I was about six my dad brought home this enormous snapping turtle he found on the flight line at the base and I was playing with it. I picked it up from the wrong end and it latched on to my finger! I screamed bloody murder and my mom came out of the house. My parents had to pry the things mouth off my finger.

8. I aspire one day to start some kind of nonprofit organization or do missionary work.

9. One of my goals is to write a book in about a year or two.

10. I love history (wars and politics) and I treasure the talks I have with my dad about them.

11. On that subject: One of my biggest pet peeves is college professors that try and teach their skewed political views on college students who aren’t political science majors. I bet they love when I chime in and offer a different perspective. lol

12. I have an obsession with new socks, if I had extra money I would wear a new pair everyday.

13. The more I am around children my heart tells me I am definitely going in the right profession.

14. My fav quote is: "Every child needs at least one adult that is crazy about them". I believe this with my whole heart and I will have this framed in my classroom.

15. Trever is one of my biggest inspirations, for those of you that know him you will understand this perfectly. He is ultimately one of the greatest gifts God has given me.

16. I refuse to do this ring test my family does that shows how many children you will have and in what order. I always said I want it to be a surprise, Trev on the other hand is the type that would open all his presents a month before Christmas and was super bummed when I wouldn’t do the ring test.

17. I have a rather large arm tattoo picked out and will get it after I get married.

18. I have a story in my memory that I was kidnapped at the mall and they saw me in the back of a mans car and rescued me and to this day I don’t know if I made it up or if it was a real thing that happened to me.

19. I strive to be an extremely classy woman, the night before my first day of freshman year my brother Tommy had a talk with me and warned me how easily a girls reputation is ruined. His advice "Don’t even Kiss in public because it doesn’t make the guy look bad but it makes the girl look like a slut". haha

20. On our birthday we get to choose our favorite dinner my mom makes.

21. On Christmas we bake a birthday cake for Jesus and sing Happy Birthday to him.

22. I want to be a Special Ed. preschool teacher but I have to get my Masters in Special Ed because they do not have a dual certification program at this time.

23. I work my butt off to pay for my school with a personal check every semester; I am terrified of student loans, clowns and midgets. I HATE that I am scared of midgets! I think it is the meanest thing ever! In third grade a little girl’s mom picked her up, her mom was a midget and she was really mean and began yelling at the girl- that’s where I think it came from.

24. I don’t qualify for financial aide because my parents worked hard in life and earned an education and higher paying jobs. So, let me get this straight- a student's parents who were slackers and barely make 40,000 combined they get all kinds of financial aide? Sound right to you? Me neither. Maybe there will be change this year though! hahaha Oh wait he did say every student will get 4,000 if they do volunteer time in homeless shelters! Will we get soda machines and fast food on campus too? Haven’t heard anything about it since Jan. 20th though.

25. I try to surround myself with encouraging, optimistic and motivating people and in the past couple years some of my most cherished friends have come into my life. People that truly understand my character and help me to grow stronger in my faith

Mijn Moeder: My Mother

Why do I love my mother?
Could it be her spunky red hair and her warm southern charm?
Or is it that she put her dreams on hold by dropped out of nursing school with only a year left to accompany my father when he was stationed in Holland?
Or is it the fact that she raised six kids while going back to school full time all while working forty hours a week?
I think it’s that she finished her degree, became in incredible six grade teacher, but didn’t stop there.
It definitely could be that she went on to earn her master’s and became the principal of her own school- yeah, maybe that’s it.
Maybe it’s her outrageously patriotic spirit and self sacrifice from being a military spouse and a mother of three veterans?
Is it that she is one of the only principals who self purchases gifts and hand writes notes to her staff of over a hundred every holiday?
Or could it be her self taught talent of making incredible wedding cakes?
Or the fact that she would be comforting me during my trials at three O’clock in the morning, knowing she has to get up in three hours to run an entire school?
I think it could be her one of a kind gifts like the attitude broach ~representing her favorite quote “You choose your attitude, it does not choose you”
It could be that she hand made her wedding dress and saved it for me to wear on my wedding day.
Is it her ability to create and carry out our most treasured traditions~ making Jesus a birthday cake and singing happy birthday to him every Christmas (Yes, it’s not a lie we really do that)
Is it that she can write the most memorable notes in every book she gives us?
Is it her amazing southern meals that are better than any restaurant or the fact that we get to pick out our favorite one for our birthday dinner?
It could be her excitement to get matching anchor tattoos, since we are each other’s rock.
Yep, it is without doubt all of the above- for I am truly blessed with a one of kind mother.

Back to School, Back to School...

Today was my first day back to school after a rejuvenating and life changing spring break. I welcomed my students not just as the “eager to come to school” teacher they have always known, but as the new Mrs. Cagle. Having tough skin (from teaching brutally honest four and five year olds) I was hit once again with the innocently honest remark of one of my students "I don’t want to call you that! I like Miss Little better”. I have to say… as much as I LOVE hearing my new last name Cagle, I don’t mind being called Miss Little (it delightfully reminds me of my graceful mother every time I hear it and I can’t help but smile when I think of her). So for now I am answering to: Mrs. Cagle, Mrs. What is your new last name again, Miss Little and last but not least Miss Wittle.

The Cagles Est. 2011

A touching gift from my coworker today gently reminds me of the path which lies ahead. After more than eight years with the love of my life and to think... our journey together has only just begun.