Design springs from necessity. . .

. . . and in my case, crafting emerges from a desire to have a home, not a house, without a whole lotta moola to make that happen.

So, I thought I'd share a couple of my crafty projects that I've done to make our house feel more like a home. That, and I was home sick today, (ear infections + subsequent limited ability to hear = sick day for a music teacher) so I finally had a chance to take some pictures of my craftiness, you know, between naps and David Tutera CNN. My priorities are right.

Latest craft. Next to the fun stamps, my favorite part is that the edges are lined with a different print, but sadly no picture I tried to take was post-worthy. Just trust me that it's wonderful, and its message is an imporant reminder for me as I walk out the door.

  

 Done on metal roof tiles we had leftover from another project. Since I have no fancy Silhouette, I printed the letters at home and cut them out very carefully. I think the "r" is too big, but I'm not bothered enough to re-do it!




Sorry about the bad picture, but our kitchen is the one room without a window in it. Center print was a wedding gift that we love. Frames were $1 each at Michaels, ebony-stained and then collaged with scrapbook paper I already had. $4 display? Yes please!



Baby picture of my precious momma! She thinks this is the only cute picture of her, ever, and I might agree, since she is pretty stinkin' adorable here. The colors in this picture served as the inspiration for my craft/guest room, though the walls are not nearly as blue as they appear in this picture.





 My crafty spot! The desk was inherited from the 'rents, but I painted it and added new hardware. The  ice-cream parlor chair shined up nicely after a lot a little elbow grease, a new coat of paint, and new fabric. If you like the fabric, I'll pass the compliments along to the twelve year old who picked it out. She's awesome, and since I couldn't decide what I wanted, I told her she could choose her favorite. I did the same thing with the paint color in the room, though that was chosen by my grown-up friend, not the baby I once sat. (baby I once sat upon? the adorable kid I watched? Oh how I wish I was clever.)

 



Detail of the chair bought for $5. With paint and fabric, I think I spent $15 total on this. I <3 it.





I covered some jewelry and check boxes for some extra storage for small craft supplies. It was the perfect fill for the little niches in the desk, and gives my tiny craft space some extra storage and style.
Happy crafting results in better crafts!

If you want any more information about anything, feel free to ask! Also, bonus points to the person who finds me in one of the pictures!

I've done two posts in as many days. How will you contain your excitement?

Kitchen Reno Ideas -- HELP!

The hubs and I are planning to renovate our kitchen this summer. The cabinets are original to the house (read: over 60 years old) and, while the upper cabinets are in pretty good shape, the cabinet below the sink is disgusting from years of water damage, including a week-long leak last summer we didn't catch because we were out of town. But, even if it wasn't for the water damage, the 60 year-old cabinets are just old and don't match today's need.  There have been some beautiful developments in kitchen storage since then, like corner cabinets that allow you to access your casserole dish in the corner without having to twist your body like a circus contortionist. Let's just say, my back will be much less knotted when we reno our kitchen!

Since we're planning to sell this little shack when the hubs graduates pharmacy school, we don't want to do anything too taste specific. The only thing we know for sure is that we're thinking gray color scheme with white cabinets (probably something like these or these), but we're a little at a loss for what to do with everything else. Take a look at the pictures below (courtesy of the DuPont Corian Website, not our actual kitchen) and help the hubs and me figure out what is best!

Corian Cirrus White Counter tops

Corian Dove

Corian Graylite

Corian Platinum

Corian Stone Harbor

I LOVE this tile! I haven't really found any other tile I like better. Picture this with the counter tops above!

Thoughts on flooring? All of the above has wood, but we could do tile. Appliance colors? We currently have a really nice black dishwasher and microwave that are so new it would be a shame to get rid of them. Also, is it a remodel or a renovation? I'd like to correctly reference our project.

Help!!!

More funny things . . .

After finding out the video they created (as mentioned in the political post) was selected to be featured at our state's Music Educators Conference (!!!!!) my fifth graders literally screamed and jumped out of their seats. One boy even decided to run around the room like a wild man, and after giving him the whachoothinkinsityo'selfdown look, he matter-of-factly said "It's okay. I needed an outlet."
. . . at least he sat down . . .
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R: "Mrs. W, my stomach hurts. I keep burping and burping."
Me: "Umm . . . I'm sorry."
R: "Yeah, I just can't stop burping over and over again."
Me: "You at least say excuse me, right"
R: "Yeah. It feels like someone inflated my stomach" . . . burping "see what I mean?"
Me: "Gee, thanks R"

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A rather observant third grader to me.
U: "Mrs. W, are you pregnant?"
Me: "Umm, no. Not at all."
U: "Are you sure?"
Me: "Yes, quite. Thanks for your concern, though"
U: "I mean, you're tummy is sticking out a little, so are you sure you don't have a baby in there?"
Me: " . . ."
She also continued talk about how my tummy was sticking out the entire time I was trying to tell her that she shouldn't tell women that they look like they're pregnant.

Both the week before and the week after this I had students tell me how skinny they think I am, which makes the whole thing even funnier in my head.
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Enchilada Lasagna

AKA Deliciousness in a casserole dish!

First off, let me say that many of my creations do not end up being as delicious as I imagined them. I'm convinced this is simply due to lack of practice, since my dear husband makes dinner most nights because I get home later than he does. (That and he's just awesome. I'm so blessed). This, however, ended up being even more delicious than I hoped it would be! It was pretty easy, too, and since my friends always talk about how we need to share recipes, I figured I should share.

I only have a picture of the finished product, so no helpful how-to-step-by-step guide. You're all intelligent, though, so I think you'll survive.

2 tbsp. green pepper
1/4 c. chopped onion.
1 lb. ground turkey
1 can black beans
1 medium sized can enchilada sauce (I added a little extra taco seasoning and cumin to mine because it was kind of bland)
1 can mexicorn
4 multi-grain tortillas, cut into 1-1.5 inch strips (though I'm sure any kind would work, this is just what we eat)
1/2 cup. salsa
Colby Jack cheese. Lots and lots of it :D

The following spices are for your turkey. I didn't actually measure these, but I think this is approximately how much I used.
2 tsp. cumin
2 tbsp. taco seasoning
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes (chili powder would work too, we just didn't have any)
1/2 tsp. ground pepper.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Saute your onions and peppers together. Meanwhile, mix the above seasonings into your meat. After the onions have softened, add the turkey and brown. When the meat is half cooked, add half of the can of black beans to the meat mixture, and continue to brown meat until done.

Add half of the enchilada sauce to the salsa mixture. Then you're ready to start assembling your lasagna. I did mine in an 8x5-ish medium sized casserole dish. Add a few spoonfuls of the plain enchilada sauce to the bottom of your pan, and put down a layer of tortillas. Add your meat layer by putting about half of your meat mixture, followed by 1/3 of the enchilada sauce/salsa mixture on top of the tortillas. Then put another layer of tortillas. On top of this layer, add the rest of the black beans and the mexicorn mixture (I didn't use all of either of these, as you'll discover in a minute) Then add a generous layer of cheese, followed by another 1/3 of your enchilada sauce/salsa mixture. Top with another layer of tortillas. Add another meat layer on top of this layer. At this point, my dish ran out of room, so I added another layer of tortillas, and then poured the rest of the enchilada sauce over the top and added even more delicious cheese. I had planned to do another veggie layer, which is why I only used half of the beans and mexicorn, so I'm sure you could keep the layers going as long as you've got room in your dish.

Put it in your oven and let it get happy for about 30 minutes. We got impatient and took it out a little earlier, so all of the sauce hadn't had a chance to really thicken up, but it was still delicious!

The picture was taken after it had set on the counter for a while, so it doesn't look entirely appetizing. Don't let it fool you -- it was delicious and you should make it. Right now!

Enjoy!

The post in which I get politcal.

Seeing as we're in the middle of the snowpocalypse here in the midwest, I thought it would be a good time to post. And, since I finished editing the video my fantastic students made about why they need music in their school, I've been thinking a lot about their education and my role in it. I'm sending it to all of our legislators, and would happily send it to you (if I haven't already. I'm really proud of them).

Let me just start by sharing this link to a blog post our superintendent posted about these issues. I highly respect her and fully believe that she wants only the best for our students, whatever the cost. She wrote much more eloquently and passionately than I can, so you could spare yourself the pain of reading this and just check there. Then, call or email your legislator and help them understand the importance of public education.

Our dear KS Governor is charging his new Congress with the task of determining how much funding is necessary to provide the constitutionally mandated "suitable" education to its children. (I'm going to avoid posting about the hundreds of reasons why I didn't vote for Brownback. At least his opponent vowed not to cut any more funding from our already strapped public schools because he realized the importance of education.) The district I teach in is already operating on a budget that we haven't seen since the '90's. Many of the economically advantaged communities are facing the same budget issues in their districts. If the state continues to cut funding, parents in those districts at least have the know-how and resources to make-up for the opportunities that schools can't provide. The majority of my students' parents do not. Last year, music, sports, and SPED supports were on the chopping block because of perceived cuts to funding. We didn't have to go that far, luckily, but how many more cuts can we sustain before we do?

Research proves the necessity of enrichment activities for students in high poverty environments to be proficient. Research also shows that, if we want continued success in urban schools, we cannot cut the arts, as it actually results in a decrease in levels of achievement. But, the cuts still have to come from somewhere. Unlike many districts, my district took the cuts at the administrative level first. They took every recourse possible to keep the cuts from affecting the general classroom. (However, my budget is down to $100) We're out of options. I'm scared for our students future if the cuts continue.

I don't know what the solution is, or where the money should come from. I realize public schooling takes a large percentage of a State's budget, but I also don't understand why that's such a problem. Shouldn't we do all that we can to educate all students? Isn't education the most important gift we can give to a child?

Maybe my understanding of the importance of education comes from my parents, both first generation college-grads. They view their education, given in God's grace, as the reason for their success, and rightfully so. And they made sure we knew it, too.

Whatever the case, I know God is in control and that He alone can bring this to rightful close. I do know, however, that as His steward, I am charged with seeking justice (Isaiah 1:17), and this is why I felt it necessary to say my little piece. I'll send my little video and do my part because of the Love that compels me to speak out for my students.