A productive weekend!!

I wish I were blogging about all the school stuff I've accomplished this weekend, but sadly that is not the case.  I do have my lesson plans for this week already done and some fun Thanksgiving things for the two days after that, but I haven't touched the 64 writing projects sitting on my table waiting to be graded.  We used some books from our school library to research a state from the Southeast region.  The students then practiced using the table of contents, headlines, captions, and scanning pages to complete an outline,

used the books table of contents to locate the almanac and  filled out a fact page,

and finally, used their outline to write a 4-5 sentence paragraph about the history, environment, industry, and sites to see of their state.

They did an amazing job, and they were so impressed with their ability to write more than 16 sentences that they were beaming!!!

But, the real worked occurred at my house this weekend!!  I used the laundry soap recipe I found on Pinterest to make another batch of laundry soap.  You can read the original post here.  I love this stuff and it's costs about $4 to make 5 months worth of laundry soap.....BARGAIN!!!

I cleaned my washing machine following these easy instructions.  Ummmm, my washer was beyond nasty in the fabric softener dispenser and a few other areas. It is so squeaky clean right now that I can't wait to wash something in it!

I painted the little ugly, stained wall between my washer and dryer a bright, sunny yellow color and created a cute little sign to brighten it all up.  The sign says "Wash, Dry, repeat, repeat, repeat...."  I'm planning to make a fabric curtain to hide the paint and things that are stored down there and adding a few other touches to make that dark, basement laundry room a happier place to be.


I made the yummiest chicken with cornbread dumplings in the crockpot on Saturday.  You can find the recipe here.

I snagged this photo from the website....mine wasn't nearly this pretty in my old chipped bowls.

Since it was almost 80 degrees outside yesterday I cleared the leaves off the deck, and the porch, threw out the pumpkins that were starting to rot, and put all the chair cushions and flower pots in the shed.  Today it is 35 degrees with the windchill and the deck is bare.....waiting for winter.....and then the fun of putting it all out again next spring!

Finally I made these too cute Christmas trees for my dresser.  Since my bedroom has a beachy sorta feel I think these look darling against my giant piece of drift wood and my shutters.  I got the inspiration from Shauna Mailloux: Make Life Beautiful.  I took her advice and made my tree forms from cereal boxes we had in the recycling bin.

This is Shauna's lovely picture, my camera would not cooperate!  I can assure you mine are super cute, but her's are magnificent!!

I'm feeling so good about all the things I accomplished this weekend that I'm already making a list for next weekend.....that is if I can manage to use my time wisely this week and get those writing projects graded!!

It's official....I've decided to add another helping to my plate!

I decided to start my Masters Degree this fall....that's if I can get admitted.  The deadline for submitting applications for the fall semester was March 1st, but I've been told I can still get in, so I'm gonna give it a try!  I filled out all the financial aid paperwork yesterday, and am waiting on a couple of recommendation letters.  I should have those by Monday and then I can submit my application (and $40 fee....KSU will find anyway to charge you a fee :)

I'm super duper excited and completely terrified about the time commitment I am about to embark on.  Our lives are so absolutely crazy, busy during the school year that I am having a hard time envisioning how I will get it all done....but I will, some how it always works out.  I am hoping to take as many classes as possible online to avoid finding time to sit in classes on campus. It's good to know that life is never dull!!!


So I haven't been doing any crafting over this past week....other than my Teacher Tuesday project, but I have been cooking up a storm!  On Monday night I made Avocado Orzo with Garlicky Grilled Shrimp

It was so delicious that I plan to make it again this summer.  I didn't butterfly my shrimp.  I took the shells off, marinated them, put them on scewers and grilled them that way.  I was the only one home Monday night so there was enough left over for dinner with the kids on Tuesday night.  They loved it too....definite repeat!

Last night we made Chicken Spaghetti.

It was so super duper easy!  I grilled chicken breasts to add to it which added more flavor.  I've never purchased canned chicken....and don't ever plan to.....yuck!  This thing is HEAVY on the dairy and calories!  I used light sour cream, and reduced sodium cream of mushroom and cream of chicken to make it just a tad bit healthier.


This is what we followed up with for dessert....

I got the recipe from Alli and Sons. I used frozen blueberries instead of peaches because that is what we had on hand.  I even made whipped cream from scratch because we are out of ice cream, and I had some heavy whipping cream left over from the Tiramisu I made last week.  These were SO easy and SO yummy!  There are just enough left over for breakfast this morning with a little fresh fruit, no whipped cream, and perhaps a slice of bacon (because Katie is the biggest bacon fan on the planet).

What have you been cooking?  I'm always looking for new recipes!!!!

Stupendous weekend....and I'm not even a Dad!

I'm not sure what we did to get so lucky, but the kids and I had a fantastic weekend!  I finished the master bedroom...well mostly!  I've still got to cover the green chair (which was a freebie I rescued from an old neighbors trash...)I absolutely love the lines of it and when it's covered in a blue/tan/white stripe fabric, it is going to be adorable!  I'm also saving up for this amazing wicker headboard I have my eye on, but other than that it's done!  Prepare yourself for picture overload!!!

The kids made these DELISH brownies for their Dad for Father's Day.  The pic is from the website where I found the recipe.  You can get it from Chef in Training.

This is what my kitchen looked like after...

but at least they cleaned up...

and this is what the bowl looked like after they licked it clean!

They also got him a couple of gift cards to places he likes and we put the brownies in this cute little gift can, and the gift cards in the little pocket on the side....got the idea on Pinterest.  You can find the can directions at Bargain Hoot, and the free printables at AliLily.

I got to spend the evening with these amazing ladies!  I don't know how I got so lucky to find such awesome friends, but they really are the best.....and they've been willing to put up with me for almost a decade!

Sunday the kids went to KC with their Dad and I got to nap, work on my Teacher Tuesday project, read, and make a super yummy salad for dinner.  Another fabulous recipe from Chef in Training.

This morning I started the Couch to 5K program, and tomorrow begins the ab challenge!  It feels great to know that at 7:15 a.m. I've already worked out and have the whole day ahead of me to enjoy!

Overall it was about as perfect as a weekend can be.  I am so loving summer!  It's amazing how much stress has lifted in the past 3 weeks, and how I've become more myself....crazy to think that a job can add that much stress to your life.  I am grateful beyond words to have the summers to savor and enjoy....it truly does make me a better mom, teacher, friend, sister, daughter....all of it!

Summer Projects

I'm so excited that summer is here I can hardly stand it!  I have a huge list of summer projects I want to tackle....probably too many to actually accomplish, but I'll give it my best shot!  I have been so inspired by all the great photos on Pinterest, and by all the cool ideas I see on the blogs that I follow.  I can only hope that my attempts turn out to be as fabulous as the inspirations!  Here's my list:

Paint the front door and the mailbox.  I'm going with black....wish me luck!

Mulch and rock all the flower beds that surround my yard. This may not sound like a big deal, but if you've seen my yard you know what a huge job this will be.  We are talking the equivalent of 100 bags of mulch and probably 20 bags of rock.....it's nuts!

Put together Katie's summer fun party!!

Revamping the laundry/craft room.....can't wait!

30 days of Pinterest.   I had the idea a while back to blog about 30 days full of Pinterest ideas.  All of our meals would be from Pinterest, my outfits would be inspired by pics on Pinterest, and I would complete a craft/DIY/tutorial found on Pinterest.  I'm hoping to start this project on June 1st, but I've got alot of work to do before then to prepare.  I'm hoping to make my full list this weekend!  Above are a few of the ideas I had.

Take a four day class to recertify so I can keep my teaching job, touch up paint around the house, clean out the closets, and reorganize the pantry.
That's my list for June....July is full of traveling and swimming!!!