Apparently I'm a dumpster diver now

Do you remember the last time I "inherited" some new furniture from the dumpster in my neighborhood? I ended up with a great piece of furniture that I still use in my classroom.

The new project started Friday when I got home from work. I took Minnie out for a walk in the cold and saw a leaning bookshelf sitting in one of our dumpster carports. I looked around to see if anyone was in the middle of moving and just rested it there. Nope. It was in the trash.

I came home and texted Molly to ask for advice. Should I pick it up? I've always wanted one, but wasn't sure I had the spot for it in my condo. I didn't think I could carry it and was almost sure it wouldn't fit in my car. Molly replied to say, "Take it and decide later!" So, I hopped in my car and drove it around the development to see if the shelf was still there. I put the shelf in my back seat, but had to drive back to my building with the back door open because the shelf was so big.

Mom came over this afternoon to help me find the perfect spot for this shelf. The office seemed to be the best option. Last summer I had rearranged the office to make room for a new dresser. It was still a mess and we had to move things to make it all work.

Here are the finished products! The bookshelf was already painted this gray blue color. Thanks, friendly neighbor! I also hung that brown frame that Jilly gave me for my birthday a few years ago. I'm embarrassed it took me this long to get it hung. It is filled with baby pics of Ells because I don't seem to print pictures out anymore :(

Got rid of the tiny bookshelf on that right-hand wall and moved the brown dresser over there. That small bookshelf is now sitting out at the dumpster. I hope someone else can use it! The top of the desk is cleaned off, too. This couch is Minnie's spot during the day, hence the dog bed & towel.

After Mom left, she told me to get to work & finish organizing. So, I tackled the GIANT piles of filing I've been putting off for months. I hate to file papers, both at home and at work! I sat in that tiny open space for about 2 hours to get all these bills and papers put away.

Mom did a GREAT job of organizing and decorating the shelf for me. I love the way it looks.

I can still access my printer on the bottom shelf for the occasional time that I need to print something. Most of the other items came from on top of my desk or around my condo.

This is the cleanest my office has been in years! I'm hoping it will stick :) Not bad for a zero dollar makeover!

Too busy to post about the last few weeks, but I can do it quickly with pictures!

I started back to work (unofficially) in my classroom early in August. It takes a lot of time to get things unpacked, uncovered, and organized. I was happy to head back in with my new camera, to share my room with better photographs. Here is my new calendar set ... may not be exciting to most, but I was happy to have something fresh this year (even though it was a hand-me-down)!

Here is my new, FABULOUS, fabric banner that the author of one of my favorite blogs, Whatever, made for me. I found a picture of this banner on one of her blog posts & knew she was the creator. I left a comment & she emailed me later that night! After much encouragement on Megan's end that I could make one myself, I thought it would look better if I could pay her to make one for me. It arrived just in time for school to start! It was the perfect way to tie in my current, bright decorations. The kids really love it, too!

Here is poor Minnie after her day of shots with Dr. Jed. This year wasn't as bad as years past, thanks to antihistamines the day before, during and after her vaccinations. She sure was tired, though :(

The unbelievable sunflowers in Jill's garden! Look at how much taller it is than Mitzi. There were beautiful orangey pink ones, too!

I needed a change & asked for your advice. Molly sent me the link to this idea. I liked it, but had another idea instead.

Jill helped me one night to empty out the jars, clean the jars and then fill the jars with various glass pebbles. I LOVE the way they look now!

I finally got to put my Jayhawk license plate on my new car. I bought it the year that I got my VW Bug, and minutes after I bought it, I realized I didn't have a front plate. Now I can share my KU pride!

Enjoyed my last official day of summer at the pool. This summer, I was fascinated with the clouds and the reflection lines in the pool water. I didn't have my camera with me at the pool very often, but I did make sure to take some final pictures.

As a family, we went out for a "Going Back to School" dinner the night before my meetings started. I picked Los Cabos in Mission Farms because of their giant patio outside and because the weather had finally decided to cooperate a bit. This little one was begging for "moe sasa" (translation: more salsa) during the entire meal. She even liked the spicier ones that I couldn't handle :)

At the end of our meal, we saw three vans that held hot air balloons. We stuck around long enough to watch them inflate & take off. Quite the experience for Ellen!

Great night for picture-taking, too. I was sad I had just removed my new Canon from my purse and had to use my point & shoot for these pictures, but they still turned out.

This year at school, we voted on a Western/Cowboy theme. We've never had an all-school theme before, but it was really fun to see how everyone decorated. I just did a few things here & there, because I really like my regular decorations. Becky, down the hall from me, created this mural out of bulletin board paper & wrapping paper. SO FUN!

The first weekend after school started, some KC friends flew out to Columbus, Ohio to surprise Julie for an early 30th birthday party! We went straight to the party from the airport and she was BEYOND surprised!

The next day, Mike & Julie opened up their house to all the family and friends for a BBQ. My camera was passed around the table for everyone to play. Becca changed some settings for me, and took this great picture. I have a lot to learn!

Here's a picture of all the girls. Exactly a year ago, we were together for our 10 year reunion. Glad we got to celebrate together!

I hope to have more updates this year, but it's going to be a busy one. I'm going to be working towards my National Board Certification, which will mean about 300 hours of work (outside of my job) between now and March when my portfolio is due. If I become a hermit and have a hard time keeping in touch this year, now you'll know why. Writing here and continuing with my 365 photo blog have been easy ways for me to keep in touch with others, even though it's not face-to-face time. Keep checking back from time to time!

Looking for change

I love these apothecary jars, and I started collecting them before I even had a home to put them in. When I moved into my condo, I was excited that I had the perfect place for them. I have a counter that opens up to both my kitchen & my living room. Most of the other condos that have the same floor plan have an extended counter that allows them to have bar stools there for eating. I wish my counter was like that, because it might mean the counters wouldn't become my catch-all for mail, recycling, magazines, etc.

Anyhoo ... the jars have been filled with various grains and beans for 2 years, and I think I'm over it. I'm looking for ideas for new fillers. Candy would be a lot of fun, but that's just a recipe for a disaster (and a bigger a$$). I can also take them away completely for a cleaner look, but I like them so much.

They could go on top of this cabinet in my dining room and I could put the lamp somewhere else. They might look nice with the sunlight coming in through the jars, even if they were empty.

The other place I need help is with my TV and table. This is one of the few new pieces of furniture I have in here. My TV used to sit on my coffee table, but when I found this great piece, that had storage, I was happy to have my coffee table back! Erik's parents were nice enough to let me have this TV when I moved in because they were doing some redecorating. The one I had before this was a measly 19 inch TV, which was difficult to adjust to since I had gotten used to Molly & Erik's GIANT TV when I lived with them. The problem is that this table isn't very sturdy and I think the weight of the TV is causing the joints to shift, and the cabinet doors and drawers are becoming difficult to open.

Since this has been the summer of spending for me, I'm not sure that I have the money for a replacement TV, but I know a thinner, lighter TV would probably be the answer.

I'm taking any and all suggestions at this point. Today's Day Of Cleaning has been slow going, but I know that if I really work on cleaning this place top to bottom today, I'll be much happier once I head back to work full time!

Organize a book by it's cover

You've seen pictures of this bookshelf that is in my loft. Remember when I finally got things unpacked, almost 2 months after I'd moved in here? Remember when Aunt Susan got me the CUTEST book ends for my birthday a few months ago?

Somewhere along the lines, I saw someone that organized the books on a shelf by color. I did this as soon as I had a bookshelf to organize & I love the way it looks. Every time someone comes to my condo for the first time, they always comment on it, and half of the time, they make fun of me for doing that. :(

Fast forward to today, when I picked up my mail. I had a Crate & Barrel catalog and just a few pages into it ... look what I found!

A bookshelf with books organized by the color on the covers!

I guess I'm not so crazy after all! :)

Whatcha think?

After some advice from family, I got an itch to go ahead and clean and rearrange today.

I moved the couch to come out from the wall like Mom suggested.

And moved the dresser into the corner where the couch used to be. Not sure I'm crazy about this placement. Maybe this dresser needs some paint this summer. I also wanted to take the drawers out & put baskets in their place ... that seems like a lot of work.

Minnie seems to like this spot, too. As long as she can bark at children, dogs, cars, leaves, the wind outside the window, she's happy!

I moved the "desk" behind the couch. It doesn't need a chair, just room to get into the file cabinet drawers. I also needed room for my drying rack.

And ... the bookshelf. Still needs sorting & organizing. That will have to wait for another day.

Whatcha think? Good rearranging, or do I still need help?

I need your help!

But please don't look too closely at these pictures :)

This is my 2nd bedroom on the first floor of my condo. It's set up to be an office. But let's be honest, it's really just become the room for all the crap I don't know where to put anywhere else.

Since it's officially summer for me, I thought I'd take all the projects I've been putting off all year & "assign" one per week for me to tackle. This room should be one of the easier projects.

I think it needs some rearranging and some organization. I don't use it as an office, except for the occasional day that I hook my laptop up to the printer to have a paper copy of something. I'm not married to the arrangement, and I'm sure it could be done better. I think I can even move the furniture by myself, so I'm not asking for any of your manual labor ... just ideas!

Minnie must have just discovered this room, because it's become her new hide-out during the day when I'm at work. She naps on the couch and I don't blame her. She can see outside & it's really cool in this back room for some reason. I'd like to move the couch away from that window for a few reasons: I don't like that you can see it when you walk down the hall, and that window started leaking with the BIG rain storm the other afternoon. The entire back of the couch was soaked. Not cool.

This is the desk I made out of 2 file cabinets & a piece of laminated plywood for the top. The dresser was found at an estate sale with Mom, and I do use all the drawers & my printer is currently on the top.

I've never sat at this desk. I don't even have a chair for it. 99% of the time, my laptop is on my coffee table in the living room. This is why I feel like I don't really need it set up like this. I will still need the file cabinets accessible since I use them for mail, bills & other things. Well ... my mail & bills should be in the drawers. Don't look at the floor where there are piles & piles to be filed. It's a lot like my classroom :(

This is the opposite wall. I have that small bookshelf which is full of things, but none of it is that important. That closet is full of all my craft supplies :)

And that's the rest of the room.

Ideas? Help? I'm looking for tips. You are all invited over to see the room in person & give advice. It's not a big room, just 9 feet x 15 feet. You don't have to move or pack up anything. You can just point where you think I should move things.

Thanks in advance for your help!

Yes, I realize it's almost summer ...

... and I realize people don't really eat chili in the summertime, but I still wanted to share this recipe!

It's one of my favorites and it's super healthy, too! Chili Mac. I found it on the Weight Watchers recipe share page years ago, and I always come back to it. I've changed a few things from the original recipe, so I'll make those notes, too.

Ingredients:

* 12 oz ground beef. {I use ground turkey and whatever amount comes in the tray in the meat section. I don't worry about the ounces too much.}

* 1 medium onion chopped {For some reason, I've been buying a red onion all this time. Don't know if it makes a difference.}

* 14.5 oz can of stewed tomatoes, Mexican style, undrained.

* 2 Tbsp canned green chili peppers, diced & undrained. {These come in a small can & I usually just pour the whole can in.}

* 2 tsp chili powder.

* 1 tsp ground cumin {I add more for extra flavor.}

* 1 cup dry wheat elbow pasta. {I use regular Radiatore pasta because I think it adds some extra weight to the chili.}

* 15 oz can of kidney beans, rinsed & drained.

* 1 1/4 cup canned tomato sauce. {You have to buy 2 small cans and I put both in.}

In a skillet, cook meat & onions until they are browned (about 10 minutes). {I use my large "pasta" pot since I don't have a skillet large enough for all of this.}

Then, stir in stewed tomatoes, tomato sauce, chili peppers, chili powder and cumin. Bring to a boil.

The stir in your pasta and kidney beans. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes.

I can normally portion this out into 5 or 6 servings and the little servings fill you up for a long time. Weight Watchers says that a 1 1/4 cup serving is 4 WW points. That might be a bit off since I don't use wheat pasta, but I do use ground turkey, which should help that.
Enjoy! I'm sure this all freezes well, too if you wanted to cook in advance. Let me know what you think about it if you do decide to make this yummy Chili Mac! :)

Woof, Woof!

Remember when I was shopping at the Mission Road Antique Mall and found those adorably cute doggie bookends back in March?

Then, one day my Aunt Susan called to say that she had called the Antique Mall to have them pull the terrier bookends to reserve them for me. She was going to get them for me as an early birthday present.

I drove over to the Antique Mall and they had pulled 3 other sets of bookends, but none of them were as cute as the ones I had picked out a month earlier. I purchased & immediately went home to find the perfect spot for them.

Here they are ... looking very cute in my loft with some great reads AND a lot of other books that I have yet to read.

Thanks, Aunt Susan! You're the BEST :) I love you to pieces.

Can I have a do over?

My day ... ugh. I'm thinking that going to bed early will help a fresh day get here even faster!

Here are the bad parts of my day in pictures:

Ready to grab one of the bananas I just bought to run out the door & get to work on time. All of them were soft & spotted already. How does this happen so quickly?

Left school late due to working on grades for progress reports that are supposed to go home Friday. I didn't leave school until close to 6:00, for the third day in a row. I still have grades to do, so that means I'll be staying late again tomorrow.

Had to go to the grocery store on my way home. We are giving our students a pizza party tomorrow to celebrate the end of assessments. I had to get treats for my kids for dessert. When you have a class of 25, buying treats (or prizes or rewards or supplies) can be difficult. Most things are packaged in sets of 12 ... or in this case 24. I don't know that I have any kids that will be absent tomorrow, so I had to get 2 boxes. 48 popsicles for 25 kids!

Walking out of the grocery store, I had to dodge the many cracks and potholes in the pavement. I have a history of being clumsy in these shoes. Remember when I fell in front of my class when I wore these? {Looking back at that post, I laughed because I was teaching the EXACT same lesson today!} Anyhoo ... I stumbled in a hole in the parking lot & broke the strap on one of these shoes. I got them in Chicago a trillion years ago, but I love them to death. Literally ... I loved them & they died today.

Home late ... again. Poor Minnie. She was happy to go on a walk, which was nice, because I walked off some of my stress.

Checked my mailbox. I was able to get the junk mail out, but the package I was waiting for is still in the mailbox because the mailman could put it in my mailbox, but I couldn't get it out on the other side because the hinges were in the way. I had to write a note telling the mailman that I can't get the package out and he'd have to leave it outside my door. Surely they realized this!

After our walk, it was time to feed Minners. Poor baby had to eat off the hallway floor because I spilled the cup of food all over the place! ARG!

That's it! Well at least I hope that's all that is going to happen and make me mad today. Thursday, please hurry up and get here.