Have you heard of Warby Parker? If not, let me introduce you to the chicest eyeglasses and most stylish sunglasses company around. The frames, colors, and styles are timeless and stunning. I want to share my favorite pairs from Warby Parker’s latest summer collection. My top three favorite pairs are the Mae, Skye, and Stella. Here is why I love each pair:

Mae I absolutely love tortoise. It is so chic and I wear it as a neutral. The shape of the glasses would look great on any face shape and the lens are not too small where you feel self conscious. The Mae sunglasses are perfect for transitioning into fall and winter with the light gray color.

Skye The slightly rounded and square frames are the perfect mixture of both shapes. I usually don’t go for black shades but I think they are subtle enough to not look overdone. I also love the white details on the side.

Stella These “old Hollywood” shades are perfect for a day outside by the pool. The brown frames and lens are the best compliment to any outfit. I love the oversized shape and the texture on the frames.

My absolute favorite is the Mae. What is is yours?

It has been about a year since I last posted.  You may be curious as to why? Or maybe you don’t care. Regardless, I will say my reasoning behind taking a step back from sharing.  This past year I took a moment away from social media as a whole.  I have never overly participated but I wanted to scale back my involvement even more.  I only posted on Instagram four times this year where as in years past I posted multiple times a month.  This past year was honestly just busy! I started graduate school,  I was having a hard time at work, and just had personal matters happening.  I wanted to be a bit more private and rely less on social media.  I wanted to spend more time in the moment and less about posting the perfect picture with a witty caption.  I listened to that and therefore I did not participate. I took more time to slow down and enjoy my time at home.  I took weekends this year to do nothing but stay home.  I spent less time worrying about having friends, less time being upset over not having plans, and less time stressed about feeling like I have to being do something every moment.  That space left me with wonderful, fun memories with my husband in our new house.  More time to workout and work on my own happiness.  More time to watch some shows, read, organize, and save money.

As I reflect on my goals from last year I see that I surprisingly achieved many. I started graduate school and it is going really well! I love my classes and I am making great grades.  My husband and I cooked a lot at home and have made many new dishes and explored trying new things in the kitchen.  I saw Ariana Grande and Hamilton this past year.  I loved both! I did speak up more.  Did I ever time? No. But I learned that my opinion has value and I will not have others walk all over me.  Lastly, I did turn my health around! I start attending fitness group classes and watching what I ate. Ultimately, I lost ten pounds! It was really hard and took forever but it is an amazing accomplishment that I am proud of.

My 2020 goals look very similar to last year.  I do want to be a bit more specific but still make them attainable.

• Choose more wisely when it comes to food.  Less processed, sugary foods.
• Mediate. I would like to try to incorporate more meditation into my life.
• Take less work home with me.  Last year, I stopped taking papers home to grade. Now, I want to take less emotional baggage from work home.  I know it won’t happen every time but less worrying about things I can’t change.
• Continue working out.  The last 6 months have changed my health.  At the beginning of the year I was getting migraines that were becoming an issue. Working out and taking walks nightly (weather permitting) has changed my head space…literally.
• Visit more people and places.  I want to take more time to visit my friends and family in their homes instead of just seeing people on their breaks and holidays.
• Read 24 books. 2 a month. Very doable! I have already read two for January!
• Be less judgey about social media.  If someone bugs me then unfollow them. I recently unfollowed 400 people.  It was glorious!

While these won’t get done perfectly, I will try my best.  That is really all you can do! In the words of Oprah, it is another year to get it right.

It has been about a year since I last posted.  You may be curious as to why? Or maybe you don’t care. Regardless, I will say my reasoning behind taking a step back from sharing.  This past year I took a moment away from social media as a whole.  I have never overly participated but I wanted to scale back my involvement even more.  I only posted on Instagram four times this year where as in years past I posted multiple times a month.  This past year was honestly just busy! I started graduate school,  I was having a hard time at work, and just had personal matters happening.  I wanted to be a bit more private and rely less on social media.  I wanted to spend more time in the moment and less about posting the perfect picture with a witty caption.  I listened to that and therefore I did not participate. I took more time to slow down and enjoy my time at home.  I took weekends this year to do nothing but stay home.  I spent less time worrying about having friends, less time being upset over not having plans, and less time stressed about feeling like I have to being do something every moment.  That space left me with wonderful, fun memories with my husband in our new house.  More time to workout and work on my own happiness.  More time to watch some shows, read, organize, and save money.

As I reflect on my goals from last year I see that I surprisingly achieved many. I started graduate school and it is going really well! I love my classes and I am making great grades.  My husband and I cooked a lot at home and have made many new dishes and explored trying new things in the kitchen.  I saw Ariana Grande and Hamilton this past year.  I loved both! I did speak up more.  Did I ever time? No. But I learned that my opinion has value and I will not have others walk all over me.  Lastly, I did turn my health around! I start attending fitness group classes and watching what I ate. Ultimately, I lost ten pounds! It was really hard and took forever but it is an amazing accomplishment that I am proud of.

My 2020 goals look very similar to last year.  I do want to be a bit more specific but still make them attainable.

• Choose more wisely when it comes to food.  Less processed, sugary foods.
• Mediate. I would like to try to incorporate more meditation into my life.
• Take less work home with me.  Last year, I stopped taking papers home to grade. Now, I want to take less emotional baggage from work home.  I know it won’t happen every time but less worrying about things I can’t change.
• Continue working out.  The last 6 months have changed my health.  At the beginning of the year I was getting migraines that were becoming an issue. Working out and taking walks nightly (weather permitting) has changed my head space…literally.
• Visit more people and places.  I want to take more time to visit my friends and family in their homes instead of just seeing people on their breaks and holidays.
• Read 24 books. 2 a month. Very doable! I have already read two for January!
• Be less judgey about social media.  If someone bugs me then unfollow them. I recently unfollowed 400 people.  It was glorious!

While these won’t get done perfectly, I will try my best.  That is really all you can do! In the words of Oprah, it is another year to get it right.

This “game changer” is the Cricut Maker. I am starting with the bundle from Amazon. A Cricut machine is a type of cutter machine that can cut accurately and quickly. It can cut everything from delicate paper to fabric. The range of projects are endless with the Design Space app.

The Cricut Maker bundle comes with the Cricut machine, small rotary blade, tool set, additional blade, and pen add-ons. After assembling your tools you will download the Design Space app on your phone, tablet, or PC. I chose to download on my phone.

The app will show you a range of projects that are an additional fee, while some are free. The projects also depend on the material being used. I decided to make a vinyl sticker as my beginner project. I am still getting the hang of the Design Space app. The app is downloaded through the Itunes App Store. The app then connects to the Cricut Maker machine by Bluetooth. I am making sticker for a tray in my classroom that students frequently ask me where it is located.

The vinyl sticker I designed says, “reading logs.” This sticker could be transferred onto my tray or on the wall above it to direct students to the correct place in the classroom. Using your phone you can change the font and size of your design.

After designing what I would like cut, I am walked through a series of steps. This is an amazing app feature. It will tell you step by step what buttons to push on the machine in order to begin the cutting process. During this phase you will also determine what type of paper you would like to use and if you want a mirror image or not.

During this next stage the machine will begin cutting the image that you have designed on the Design Space app.

The finished project is the design from the app but larger dimensions. The dimensions are decided during the design phase. I can then use tools to peel off my letters and place them in my classroom on a tray or wall.

The Cricut Maker machine could be used with an adult at the middle school age level. High school students could be more independent as the tedious design aspect can be advanced. There are many ways to use the Cricut Maker machine in the library. I have linked a Pinterest board to help get started with inspiration.

The Cricut Maker is a great addition to any library or educational space. I want to list the pros and cons of the Cricut maker.

Pros:

• Abundant amount of resources for help and inspiration
• Easy and simple set up process
• Large amount of free project designs
• Individuals with the Design Space app can easily make projects
• Middle school age students and up could easily use the machine with guidance or prior experience
• It is a great resource for a school library

Cons:

• You need basic phone or IPad experience with using and downloading an App.
• Using the machine does take practice
• The machine would take a great deal of experience using before adding it to a library
• Easy to get stuck making the same projects
• Add-ons from the Design Space app and supplies can be expensive

This “game changer” is the Cricut Maker. I am starting with the bundle from Amazon. A Cricut machine is a type of cutter machine that can cut accurately and quickly. It can cut everything from delicate paper to fabric. The range of projects are endless with the Design Space app.

The Cricut Maker bundle comes with the Cricut machine, small rotary blade, tool set, additional blade, and pen add-ons. After assembling your tools you will download the Design Space app on your phone, tablet, or PC. I chose to download on my phone.

The app will show you a range of projects that are an additional fee, while some are free. The projects also depend on the material being used. I decided to make a vinyl sticker as my beginner project. I am still getting the hang of the Design Space app. The app is downloaded through the Itunes App Store. The app then connects to the Cricut Maker machine by Bluetooth. I am making sticker for a tray in my classroom that students frequently ask me where it is located.

The vinyl sticker I designed says, “reading logs.” This sticker could be transferred onto my tray or on the wall above it to direct students to the correct place in the classroom. Using your phone you can change the font and size of your design.

After designing what I would like cut, I am walked through a series of steps. This is an amazing app feature. It will tell you step by step what buttons to push on the machine in order to begin the cutting process. During this phase you will also determine what type of paper you would like to use and if you want a mirror image or not.

During this next stage the machine will begin cutting the image that you have designed on the Design Space app.

The finished project is the design from the app but larger dimensions. The dimensions are decided during the design phase. I can then use tools to peel off my letters and place them in my classroom on a tray or wall.

The Cricut Maker machine could be used with an adult at the middle school age level. High school students could be more independent as the tedious design aspect can be advanced. There are many ways to use the Cricut Maker machine in the library. I have linked a Pinterest board to help get started with inspiration.

The Cricut Maker is a great addition to any library or educational space. I want to list the pros and cons of the Cricut maker.

Pros:

• Abundant amount of resources for help and inspiration
• Easy and simple set up process
• Large amount of free project designs
• Individuals with the Design Space app can easily make projects
• Middle school age students and up could easily use the machine with guidance or prior experience
• It is a great resource for a school library

Cons:

• You need basic phone or IPad experience with using and downloading an App.
• Using the machine does take practice
• The machine would take a great deal of experience using before adding it to a library
• Easy to get stuck making the same projects
• Add-ons from the Design Space app and supplies can be expensive