Back to School!

Apparently I've been posting about the new school year entirely too much on Facebook because I was called out by my fellow teachers to basically...shut the hell up about "back to school."  But what can I say?  I'm totally, genuinely, 100% excited about my new adventures in the classroom.  Of course I'm anticipating those moments when I'm sitting at my desk with my head in my hands and tears in my eyes, desperately wishing for the simpler days when all I worried about was a practice plan for volleyball.  I'm not under any illusions that this adventure I'm about to embark upon is going to be easy, carefree or devoid of any bumps in the road.

But for the past seven years I have started the year with a certain sense of dread - dreading the fact that I will, for the next two months, be required to arrive at school at 7:15 and on game nights I will not be leaving until 9:00 or so.  I'm just excited about having the CHOICE to leave at 4:15 if it's been a long day and I'm just ready to get the hell out of dodge and go see my family.

So in my excitement, I've been hitting up Pinterest to see what kinds of cool ideas I can start implementing in my own classroom this year.

Remind 101: An easy way to send out a mass text from an anonymous phone number to all my students and teachers about upcoming assignments, important dates or tests.

THINK: A great message for kids about their digital citizenship.

Teacher's Assistant Pro: An easy way to keep track of attendance, tardies and general behavior in my class.  Great for parent-teacher emails, phone calls and conferences - much easier than writing it all down!

Modpodge Printables: While coaching, I was the queen of clever sayings that made it easy for my girls to remember exactly what I expected from them.  This would be a great way to continue those sayings and bring them into the classroom.

Scrap Fabric Curtains: Oh yes...these are definitely going up in my room.  I am terrible at sewing so I think this will be MUCH easier for me to complete in order to add some pizazz to my classroom!

T-shirt Canvases: Tossing out my team t-shirts is going to be the HARDEST thing for me to do because with every t-shirt comes along memories of that year's team and games.  So instead of throwing them all out when they get worn, how cool would it be to display them around my room?

Albert Einstein Quote: This is one of my favorite quotes because I think it really emulates the direction modern education is going.  I HAVE to realize that every child is coming to us with such different abilities and it is my responsibility to make sure they are learning in a manner that helps them understand. 

Fair is NOT Equal: Again, another quote...but this one is super important for kids to learn.

Printable Binder Covers: I've got three fabulous girls heading up Student Council this year and I want to set the tone for how the year is going to go.  I'm putting together exec binders for the girls that will be kept in the StuCo room and since I've got those three girls - why not go super cute and girly with the covers?

I promise not everything I've got planned for the year involves cute decor and sayings - that's just all the fun stuff about being a teacher!

Bah Humbug

I cleaned house today.

Both figuratively and literally.

It's been MONTHS since I have really BEEN on Pinterest, if you know what I mean.  But since the holiday season is officially upon us come Friday, I figured I better get things situated and ready for the onslaught of crafts, baking and decorating.  I deleted a TON of pins that are just outdated or not really conducive to my life right now.  I also separated out my Halloween/fall items from my Christmas stuff so that I don't have to search through 47 different pictures of decorated pumpkins just to get to the sticky bread recipe I make on Christmas morning.

Around the house Craig and I were able to clean out the storage closet under the stairs and we figured that if I was already in there cleaning.......why not go ahead and get out the Christmas stuff?!

Oh my goodness.

So we have one Christmas tree decorated (with Natalie's help) in the living room and the Christmas village is also up on the bookcase behind the couch.  I've got a list going of things we need to purchase (or make) for our big grocery and decor shopping trip on Tuesday morning (also known as PAYDAY).

I also solved one of my biggest problems during the decorating process  - you know, the problem that occurs when you're unpacking boxes and going "where in the world does this go?" I've decided that this year after we've got everything situated and looking pretty in the right spot........I'm taking a picture of all the major spots for decor in my house so that I can remember what it all looks like put together.

Genius idea, right?

Or possibly a little bit over-zealous?

Whatever.  Either way, it's happening in my house this year.

But back to Pinterest.  Since I was getting the decorating bug pretty hard while simultaneously having the urge to purge, I cleaned "house" through all my boards and really eliminated superfluous items and only kept things that I would actually need or use.

Do you want to know a secret though?

I HATE decorating for Christmas.

Seriously.  If it was up to me, we'd put up the Christmas tree and be done with it.  But oh no, not Craig.  He has his village, TWO trees and he's like the Griswalds when it comes to lights outside.  And even more so now with Natalie.

I just don't like the feeling that my house is out of order which has to happen in order for Christmas decorating to happen.  God bless her sweet heart, my mother would decorate the ENTIRE house during the holidays and although as a young child I enjoyed helping her.......in my own house it just causes me stress.

So we don't do an extreme overhaul but the house will be festive.

I'm more excited about taking Natalie to see Santa.....

Well.....wait a minute.  Let's talk about that Santa guy right quick.  I personally, was terrified of him as a small child. And who can blame me?

"What's that Mom?  You want me to go sit on that strange guy's lap and tell him what I want for Christmas?"

I mean.....come on......think about it.  Don't we generally teach our children NOT to talk to random strangers, much less sit on their laps?  Regardless, I was scared of Santa and if Natalie becomes frightened too.....I'm not going to push the issue with her.

I totally understand the fear - quite frankly I still don't like strangers and have a very hard time talking and interacting with people that I don't know all that well.  I mean, I DO it without coming across as a total imbecile (I hope) but that doesn't mean that it comes easily or is comfortable for me.  Making small talk in an unfamiliar situation is definitely a struggle for me - which is possibly why I like being here and writing in this safe little spot.

Anyways.  We're going to do the Santa thing and probably the ICE sculptures at the Gaylord hotel since the theme is Madagascar this year and Natalie loves animals.  I'd like to do some sort of baking or craft with her as well.

But first I need to get through Thanksgiving with the in-laws.

Show and Tell: Christmas Tutu

THE INSPIRATION:

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THE MATERIALS:
- 1.5 yards of red and lime green tulle
- 1 yard of white sparkly tulle
- 1 roll of double sided red satin ribbon
- scissors

THE TIME:
- I started off by cutting the wide roll of tulle in half and then cutting 4-6 inch strips of tulle.  Luckily I have a tiled kitchen table which made it very easy to make the strips the same width.
- I measured Natalie's waist with the ribbon.  I wrapped the ribbon around three times just to give me a little extra wiggle room in case I messed up.
- I taped the ends of the ribbon to the ends of my kitchen table with the middle section hanging off.
- I began the tedious process of folding the tulle in half and then looping each strip Boy Scout style around the ribbon.  I tried to go in some sort of pattern (green and red, red and green, white, etc.)
- All in all it probably took me an hour to get it all put together.

THE RESULT:

So it looks a little messier than the ones on Pinterest.  Probably because I put it on a wiggly nine month old that was very interested in the way the tulle felt....and then tried to put it all in her mouth.

HOW WILL I USE IT?
I think we're going to try to put it on her for Santa pictures this morning, but it might be a bit much.  Other than that I'm going to take some pictures of her in front of the tree.  She will be wearing an applique reindeer shirt, red and white striped tights and a big red bow in her hair.

WHAT WILL I DO DIFFERENTLY?
I would separate the green and red pieces of tulle.  I layered them together and I think the lime green got lost.  I would also probably take my time and make things a little neater.  I can't wait to use this craft again - maybe for a Halloween costume?!

What have YOU been pinning and creating lately?!

Pinterest Show and Tell

Last Friday I was organizing my Pinterest boards, eliminating things I had pinned twice and cleaning out pins that I just wasn't interested in anymore.  It gave me a chance to really sort through all the recipes that I have pinned and I found three that inspired me to cook this week!

Sunday night: Chicken Enchilada Pasta

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The recipe is super long so I'm not going to post it here, but not very hard to follow and it makes a TON of food!  Craig and I definitely had at least two more meals each of pasta for lunch and dinner this week.  I'd personally like it a little bit spicier but maybe next time I could liven it up with some pico de gallo on top or something.  

Tuesday night: Ham and Cheese Sliders

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These little sandwiches were SO easy to make!  I made the dressing to go on top while Craig cut up the ham and cheese.  It was a great "dinner" sandwich that we paired with some barbeque chips.  I was a little nervous about how the leftovers would taste after being in the fridge but they were just as good!  I would definitely not skimp on buying GOOD ham from the deli - I think that makes a HUGE difference.

Friday night: Pizza Casserole

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I'm trying this one tonight - it seems easy to make and looks like it will taste great with a big salad.  

That's all the pinning that I've been doing lately - my plan for Saturday is to make Natalie a Christmas tutu to wear when she goes to visit Santa on Sunday!

Show and Tell: Fitness #1

THE INSPIRATION:

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THE MATERIALS:
- The weight room at school

- Athletic shoes, shorts, a t-shirt and a ponytail

THE TIME:
Just a few minutes to get all of that done once.

THE RESULT:

I wish it was that easy....one work out and BAM!  Bikini model.  Unfortunately, working off the baby weight is going to take more time than one afternoon in the gym.

HOW WILL I USE IT?
I went into the gym on my conference period to work-out and I'll be honest.....it was a good warm-up for me.  I wouldn't rely on it to be my WHOLE work-out.  I had already done a short work-out in the morning with our 8th graders and then again with my 6th graders during their fitness day activity so I was just kind of finishing off my work-out for the day (and maybe those curly fries I had for lunch).  I used it as a warm-up and then went ahead and did my circuit training with the weight machines.

WHAT WILL I DO DIFFERENTLY?
I don't know if I will use this one again - it was really choppy with only doing a few crunches and push-ups and always switching off between things.  I've got a few others saved on Pinterest that I'll be trying soon.

What have YOU been pinning and creating lately?!

Show and Tell: Birth Info

THE INSPIRATION:

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THE MATERIALS:
- Microsoft Power Point
- Cheap white frames from Target
- One trip to Kinko's

THE TIME:
Okay it probably took me about an hour on the computer flipping back and forth from Pinterest to Power Point making sure that I got everything lined up correctly and then of course I had to play with the fonts and the spacing.  I'm a perfectionist so it did take me awhile to get it all looking exactly how I wanted.

THE RESULT:

I did one for the whole family.  Natalie is by far the biggest baby with me in second and Craig being the smallest.

HOW WILL I USE IT?
Right now the three frames are hanging in Natalie's bedroom behind her glider and next to her closet doors.  I'm thinking that when (OR IF) we have another child I might convert all the colors to black and white and create a new one for the new baby and hang it in our hallway or along the staircase.

WHAT WILL I DO DIFFERENTLY?
I know that YOU all can't see it but ONE of the lines separating the information is a little out of alignment.  Craig had to talk me off the ledge at Kinko's when I noticed the mistake once the pictures were printed.  Upon first glance no one would ever notice but I have a very critical eye and I'll admit....when I look at them my first thought always goes to the mistake.  Typical.  :)

*I do have my template saved on my flashdrive if you want a copy to create your own!
What have YOU been pinning and creating lately?!

Show and Tell: Caprese Salad

THE INSPIRATION:

Marinated Caprese Salad

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THE MATERIALS:

Here is the recipe card that I created and put into my recipe binder. 

All my ingredients laid out on the island cutting board.

THE TIME:
Not long at all!  Definitely under thirty minutes.  The hardest part was the chopping of the cheese, tomatoes and basil.

THE RESULT:

It looks pretty similar I suppose.

HOW WILL I USE IT?
I served it with large yummy pieces of bakery french bread at Natalie's baptism party on Sunday.

WHAT WILL I DO DIFFERENTLY?
- Since I was a wee bit nervous about the party, the baptism and everything in between I was super on the ball and made this dish on Saturday evening.  Although the TASTE was good, the consistency was a bit soggier than I expected or would have liked.  Next time I definitely think it's a "day of" preparation.
- I'm not sure how I felt about the red wine vinegar.  Last night I had some left over slices of mozzarella, big pieces of roma tomato drenched in balsamic vinegar served on bread and it was a much more "authentic" tasting dish.  I will probably combine the cheese, tomato and basil in the same way but maybe use balsamic vinegar as the marinade.

What have YOU been pinning and creating lately?!

Pinterest Show and Tell

THE INSPIRATION:

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THE MATERIALS:
- Two $6.00 craftable pumpkins from Target
- One free pumpkin Natalie received from a pumpkin patch birthday party
- One giant black Sharpie paint pen
- One thinner silver Painter's paint pen

THE TIME:
A little under an hour and most of that time was just waiting for the paint to dry so I could outline with the silver pen.

THE RESULT:

Natalie's monogrammed pumpkin

Jack O Lantern face

First part of our last name....

Second part of our last name

Ta da!

All three creations on the mantle.

HOW WILL I USE IT?
Right now they are all just sitting on the mantle but I'm thinking that closer to Halloween I will move them outside to the front porch.  Obviously Natalie's will be thrown out after Halloween but I'm hoping to be abe to hold onto the other two and reuse them each Halloween.

WHAT WILL I DO DIFFERENTLY?
- Spray the pumpkins with some sort of finishing spray that helps the paint stay put.
- Tie fun ribbons around the stem of the pumpkins
- Get a little more creative with spray paint, stickers and designs.

Okay - so here is the format I'm looking at for my Pinterest to real life blog posting.  What do YOU think?  Obviously you wouldn't have to use my exact format but do you like the overall idea?!

Alright - I'm trying out the Mr. Linky!  We'll see if it works!

Pinterest

Pinterest is a tricky little devil isn't she?  She pulls you in with all the pretty pictures of things you should be cooking, making and decorating.  You close out your Pinterest session feeling rejuvinated and full of creativity - things around your house and in your life are going to change!  Voila!  The house is organized, the dinners are delicious and why yes - I took those beautiful portraits of my children, framed them with homemade frames of birch from the trees in my backyard AND hung them attractively in my foyer, which of course is impeccably decorated and ready for Architectual Digest to photograph at a moment's notice.

Sigh.

It's not really like that, is it?

I usually leave Pinterest feeling lazy.  Look at all the plans I have, all the things that I've added onto my To-Do list....and then when none of it happens, I feel worthless.  Pinterest will not make me a better wife, a better homemaker nor a better mother.  I am not ensuring Natalie's eventual success in life because I decoupaged Halloween pumpkins or upcycled her a dress from her Daddy's shirt.  Craig will not love me more if every cabinet is labeled (although many of them are - one of the upsides of OCD) or the house is perfectly decorated using all organic and homemade objects.  Natalie will become successful because I show her love, give her boundaries and hold her to high expectations all the while treating her with grace, dignity and compassion.  Craig will love me because I make him laugh, I support him in (almost) everything that he does and because I am honest and loyal. 

But.

There's always a "but" isn't there.

I like a challenge.  And Pinterest most certainly does pose a challenge to me.  I am not crafty, I am not patient and I am not comfortable stepping out of my comfort zone.

So I'm setting a challenge for myself.  ONCE VOLLEYBALL SEASON IS OVER I will set myself to accomplishing ONE Pinterest task or activity, whether it is creating a holiday project with Natalie or cooking something delightful for dinner.  I'm going to make my "pins" a reality.  And I'm putting it out there on the blogosphere for people to hold me accountable. 

Ooh.  Idea.

Maybe this can be one of those "link-up" things - where everyone (okay, all 4) people that read my blog and have a Pinterest account can share what "pins" they've created in their own lives?!  Who can tell me how to do that?

I know that I'm not the only person out there that has a general sense of Pinterest guilt, maybe if we work together we can get that monkey off our back?

Halloween

One of the things that Craig and I were most excited about when we found out we were pregnant was the idea of celebrating holidays with Natalie.  I've never been a big Halloween person because I don't like dressing up and I'm not big candy and chocolate fan.  But with Natalie around this year we are definitely getting more into the holiday spirit - Craig insisted the other day at Target that we start decorating for Halloween around the house. 

It's a good thing that I find his boyish enthusiasm for holiday decorating endearing and cute because rearranging my house and tacky holiday decor is probably at the top of my pet peeve list.

I seriously hate taking things down and replacing them with decorations THAT DON'T MATCH anything that I have in my house.  So I've been searching on Pinterest for holiday ideas that are cheap and fashionable at the same time.  I haven't quite figured out how to properly load pictures straight from Pinterest onto my Blogger site.

Black thumbtacks pushed into a pumpkin.  Easy to do the "N" for our last name.

I love this one - all I need is some paint and maybe some sort of finishing gloss to set it?!  I can do our names or initials and set it out on the porch....and by this time next year that would be an easy and creative activity to do with Natalie.

Place stickers all around the pumpkin and then paint the entire thing black.  Super cute.

I love candy corn and this would be so simple to do with some spray paint - I could use fake pumpkins and reuse them every year!

I still have a few hurricane vases left over from our wedding rehearsal and my absolute favorite thing about Halloween is candy corn.  This is such a cute idea although I would have a hard time not eating the candy!

Again - something cute for the mantle or entryway table.  I could use things I already have and use scrapbooking supplies and ribbon for the letters.

I have a feeling at some point in time our house might be used for some sort of Halloween party and I LOVE this look.  The shades of black, gray and white look so much classier than orange and black (which always reminds me of a prison uniform).

I have a couple of pots on the front porch with fake flowers (eek!) from our wedding (which was a year and a half ago!) that desperately need to be replaced.  I could easily get a few pumpkins and paint them like above and set them out on the porch.

A different variation on the apothecary jars above.

I love this look - easy to do with a glue gun and some fun ribbon!  It could be a centerpiece on the kitchen or coffee table.

That's all I have for right now.  Now it's just a matter of putting these plans into action and seeing if I can recreate any of these ideas!  I'll keep you posted!

Does anyone else feel the pressure to be Martha freaking Stewart around the holidays?!  And does anybody else absolutely dread holiday season because of that pressure?!

It's just me?  Oh.  Okay.  Hmm....