Sticky Note Holder

I hosted a bridal shower at my house this weekend and these sticky note holders were one of the prizes I passed out. They were so quick and easy to make.

I have seen these several different places online, but here is how I made these.

I grabbed a couple of disposable coasters from a restaurant.

I wanted to ink the sides, but my black ink pad was dried out so I went around all the edges with a Sharpie. I think the ink would be much easier though. Then I traced around my coaster with scrapbook paper. I did a different pattern for each side, but it could be the same.

After cutting out the paper, I put Mod Podge on one side of the paper and on one side of the coaster. I carefully lined the paper up with the coaster and then went over the top with another layer of Mod Podge. After the front dried, I flipped it over and did the same with the back side.

I hot glued the sticky notes to the pad, but I also think you could just pull off the back and stick it, or even clip it on with a binder clip. I also hot glued the bow in the corner.

I loved the way these turned out and can't wait to make one for my desk.

What I did on my summer vacation...

I can't believe I have to go back to work tomorrow. This summer has really flown by. I have had a fun summer but haven't done too many BIG things.
I ...
read, a lot - 19 books
slept, a lot
went on an amazing vacation to California
finished lots of projects around my house
spent hours on the phone trying to get hot water, so far unsuccessfully
put together puzzles while watching mystery shows
prepped for the upcoming school year
spent Monday nights watching reality tv with my BFF
spent time at the beach
had fun!

I will miss the lazy days of summer, but it will be nice to get back into a routine and get back to work!

How I like to organize coupons

A little over a year ago I really embraced using coupons and have been able to significantly cut my costs at the grocery store. I have read all kinds of ideas and tried many different ways to organize these little bits of paper money and I finally found what works for me.

When I get the ads (my mom gives me hers - thanks!) I write the date on the front. In Sharpie - I have a slight obsession with Sharipes. I glance through the ads and cut out any coupons I know I will use regardless of the sales. I place these with my shopping list.

I have a plastic file crate that I have filled with 13 hanging folders. Each month has its own folder and then I have an extra for home mailers and restaurant coupons. In each hanging folder I place 3 manila folders for the 3 major ads I get each week. I file them by date. As I file, I recycle the ones from the previous year.

Then, I check Hot Coupon World for the weekly ad match ups and can easily go right the date and coupon. It only took me about 15 minutes to set this system up and it makes it so much easier than keeping up with cut coupons. Plus, I have tried new products that are close to free because I keep all the coupons.

My Purse: Then and Now

As I was riffling through my purse yesterday I thought about how I have always carried a really messy purse. What has changed is what I keep in my purse. When I was in high school and early college I carried a different mess of stuff than what I carry these days.

Then:

• Gum - spearmint not peppermint and lots of it!
• My 'trusty' credit card
• My beeper
• Change for the pay phone - do they have pay phones now? (if they do - how much do they cost??)
• Lots of readmits for when I 'missed' a class
• Movie tickets and notes from friends
  

Now:

• Never gum - I out grew gum - eww!
• Cash
• My old school cell phone (for now - I have a fancy one on the way)
• Medicine for most illnesses
• Paper and a pen - I can entertain myself for a good hour making lists
• Old lists, snacks, bank envelopes, coupons and other clear signs that I am nearing 30!

Spicy Ranch

On a short trip to Publix we sampled the apron's meal and it was so yummy we immediately bought the stuff to make black bean corn salad. The only catch was that the dressing called for is spicy ranch and they only sold a full fat version. I was confident I could find a recipe online to spice up low fat ranch. After looking at several recipes and seeing what we had on hand I made my own version. This stuff is so good I think we have gone through 5 heads of Romain since Saturday. This is a must try!

Spicy Ranch
One bottle of low fat ranch dressing (we like Hidden Valley)
1 T hot sauce (I used Louisiana)
heaping 1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t chili powder

I poured the bottle of dressing into my 4 cup Pyrex and added the spices, whisked good then poured back into the bottle. Yum!

What! I'm not 12 anymore?

Also know as the day I found out I can't cross the monkey bars anymore.

We stopped by a local park on the way back from our usual bike ride, because the park has different stations to do exercises. I was very excited to head to the monkey bars, because I remember loving to cross them on the playground. I grabbed right on ready to glide across when I felt every muscle in my arms stretch for dear life and I fell halfway through. Disappoint, but not deterred I tried again only to discover I cannot cross the monkey bars. When I expressed my confusion to my husband he lovingly reminded me I haven't attempted this since I was 12, and apparently I have no upper body strength. I will leave you to guess what happened on the pull up bar, but I am pretty sure I am going to be s-o-r-e tomorrow.

Spring is here!

I have seriously neglected this blog. I have tons of photos stored of things I planned on blogging about - cooking, projects, gardening - but I never get around to it. I am going to make a much better effort to post. After finally getting settled into our new house I should have plenty of time.

We have been so busy working in our garden. We ripped out bushes and replaced them, as well as adding lots of trees and flowers. Here are a few of my favorites:




This rose is in an old Listerine bottle I found at my grandparents lake.

Lots of Changes

I've had some big changes come my way the last couple of month. I have been left slightly unsettled, but I am finally getting things back together.

We have bought our first house and are anxiously awaiting closing! I have been spending lots of time in home improvement and furniture stores. I can't wait to have a place of my own to decorate and a kitchen to cook in again.

Stir Fry Wraps

After a while away from the kitchen, I have started cooking again this week. My husband asked for something inside a lettuce wrap. I made my mom's super easy stir fry and served it inside lettuce leaves.

The verdict? Super yummy. And so healthy it caused my non-dessert eating husband to declare "what's for dessert?" (stay tuned...)

Stir Fry Wraps

chicken cubed (you can stretch the chicken a lot, I used one large breast)
garlic
brocoli slaw veggie mix (I found this on sale at Publix for $1)
stir fry sauce
rice
hearts of romain

Put the rice on to cook. I use boil in a bag brown rice because I have never had success with regular rice. Cook the chicken with garlic until cooked through. Then add veggies and cook until soft. Trust me - you want these nice and soft. Sometimes I add some water to help them cook down. Add about 1/2 of the bottle of stir fry sauce. Cook through. I usually just serve this mix over the rice.

Mix some rice with the stir fry and spoon into clean lettuce leafs. Enjoy!

Do you know where you'll be

June 20th, 2010?

I do! I'll be at the final round of the US Open Pebble Beach. We bought our tickets today!

Pizzookies

Last night I was craving something sweet, so I decided to try pizzookies from Our Best Bites in lieu of dinner. I have tried several of their recipes and they are all great! The pizzookies were warm, gooey and delicious. Definitely a keeper. The best part is that they were so easy!

First, I pressed cookie dough into a cute little ramekin. I must admit part of the appeal of this recipe was using my ramekins. I used all natural cookie dough, cause, ya know, that makes a big difference in the health level of this dessert.

Then I baked it for 14 minutes. The hardest part of the recipe is letting it cool for 5 minutes.

Then, top with vanilla ice cream and hot fudge. Yummy!

Make sure to follow the next day with lots of salad!

Recess Scare

Today we took the kids outside early, because the sky was threatening to open up. Immediately upon hitting the playground we hear kids screaming "snake." This is a word no teacher wants to hear. The other teacher and I try to run off the group of gathering children. They all want to see the snake. We have to threaten the kids with a trip to the principal to get them to back away. She says to me, "that snake might be poisonous, look at his markings." My heart is racing at this point. We call the office and just as the snake is raising up and heading towards the kids the custodian showed up with a shovel. I can't even imagine what would have happened if a child would have been bitten.

Ewww

Today the kid who was out yesterday with a cough and fever sneezed ALL OVER my arm. I went elbow deep in soap and hand sanitizer and jumped in the shower as soon as I got home, but still ewww. To add insult to injury he had grossness in his hand which he showed me and later identified as old chewing gum. Thankfully this kid is super sweet.

Why I own cat food but not a cat

Let me start by saying I am not really a cat person. I think they are cute, but I prefer dogs. However, when leaving for work the other day Mr. Sea Turtle found a sad looking cat under his car. Apparently the poor kitty was on his mind all day. When he returned from work we spent about an hour trying to find the cat to see if we could help him. No luck. Upon returning from dinner, hubby was still quite worried about the little sad cat and wanted to drive around looking for him. We went to put the leftovers in the fridge first, and found him under a neighbor's car! Hubby raced to the store to buy the kitty some cat food while I kept an eye on our new friend. We fed him a nice meal and then he disappeared. We left some food out for him, but it hasn't been touched. Hopefully, little kitty felt a little better after a good meal.

A new year

One of my favorite things about teaching is that every year feels like a fresh start. New kids, new lessons, chances to try new ideas. I am so excited. Some of my goals for this year are to incorporate more technology into my classroom (I am thinking about having the kids run a class blog), trying to stay more organized, and using parent participate to the fullest. I hope that these things will allow me to have more personal time at night, because I hate coming home feeling like my day is over at 4:00. Hopefully, I will have time to make new jewelry, scrapbook, blog, and have fun. I met most of my new students this week, and they all seem eager to start school. This is the first year I have a majority of girls in my room, and I am anxious to see what that will be like. I am spending the rest of the day preparing for tomorrow.

Welcome to my blog

Welcome. I thought the best way to introduce myself is to tell you 25 things about me.

1. I am 27 and have been married for 3 years.
2. I am an elementary school teacher.
3. I love to be creative. I like to make jewelry, scrapbook, draw and do other projects.
4. Part of me wants to be Martha Stewart.
5. I like to consider myself efficient. My husband considers me impatient. This is why #4 will never work.
6. I wish that I could cook better, and sometimes I get an urge to try making something complicated (because of #4) but usually it doesn't turn out quite right (due to #5).
7. I am a private person. I guess this would lead you to wonder why I would write a blog, but I like writing. You won't see a picture of me on this blog. Plus, this allows me to tell funny school stories. Trust me, there will be some.
8. I love to read. I am always looking for a good book recommendation.
9. We are working on a Total Money Makeover a la Dave Ramsey and I have recently embraced my thrifty side.
10. I get excited about sales and coupons.
11. I am a terrible speller and my grammar is atrocious. If this bothers you, consider this a fair warning.
12. I love shoes, but I also love to be comfortable. This means I mostly wear flip flops.
13. I live in Florida and flip flops are considered year round shoes.
14. I have an overwhelming urge to travel. There is so much I want to see. We are currently planning 2 big trips in 2010.
15. #14 requires lots of saving.
16. I am a picky drinker. I usually only drink water. I hate sodas, tea, and coffee. I know it is un-southern to live in the south and not drink sweet tea.
17. I don't consider myself a picky eater (my mother might disagree).
18. I am always late. Not on purpose, but I don't like to sit around (see #5) so if I think I might be early, I will add in an extra stop or find something to do. Then, I'm late.
19. I have a jigsaw puzzle obsession. I love them. I can put one together in a few hours. And I may be a little competitive about it. Or a lot competitive.
20. I tend to be a little obsessive in general. I find something to work on and throw myself into it.
21. I am a list maker. There are lists by the computer, by my bed, in my purse, on my desk, everywhere. I get this from my mom. Sometimes, she makes lists for me. I always appreciate that.
22. I love Burt's Bees chap stick. I have at least 5 tubes strategically placed around the house.
23. I love the sun. Summer is my favorite season. I enjoy the pool, the ocean and the AC.
24. I am always cold. I take a sweatshirt with me when I go in restaurants. I think my body temperature is actually below the norm. I keep my classroom AC on the highest setting it will allow. My kids get used to it.
25. I look really young. The other day, the shampoo girl asked me if I was in high school. This year will be my 10 year reunion.

I hope this blog will be a place where I can share life stories, projects I am working on, things I think are interesting, deals I find, my Martha attempts, and other musings.