Live: Spare Bedroom

Our spare bedroom has been on the to-do list for a while, with not much priority. Actually for a while I couldn't decide what I wanted to do.

Before:

So after months of deliberation (and no time) I finally decided on how I wanted to paint the room:



So the painting was done. Deep purple with yellow accents (trying for the ccomplimentary colors), but something wasn't right. The head board was too light in color, and I was regreting painting so much white. I decided to paint the headboard. So here is what I did:

Supplies: Valspar Primer and Black Satin spray paint.

Prime the headboard- that's right, no sanding.

Paint with black, it took 2 coats.

Now for the finished product!!!

And a few more details in the room:

Live: Dining Room

Our dining room before we moved in...

It took two coats of primer just to cover up the lime green.

I have been a fiesta collector for years, and I wanted a kitchen and dining room that matched that. I went for an ivory and deep red color palette, with friut accents.

I know you can't see the red from this angle, but it is only on one wall. This is also one of the light fixtures I spray painted. I also painted the trim, it was off white, and now it is white (I am working on that throughout the house).

It's all in the details. The shelf and metal art are from Kirkland's, the apple and pear ceramic friuts are from Hobby Lobby.

"Dinner's better when we eat it together!" is Uppercase Living:

http://tamarabennett.uppercaseliving.net/

 

Live: The House (Outside)

Thinking back to last July...

I had gone home for a visit, and at this point we were still living in the trailer, looking for somewhere to rent, and thinking about buying a house. I got a call from my soon to be husband at that time, that he was going to look at a house. He did go to look at it, and he liked it, a lot. I got an email with about 9 pictures of the house. And a few phone calls later he was going to put an offer on the house. We he put an offer on the house, and it was accepted before I had even seen the house. Now let me show you what I pulled up to, outside.

So, its a cute little house with a lot of potential. 3 bedrooms, 1 and 1/2 bathrooms, 1 car garage, with a fenced in back yard.

But did you see the landscaping?

(Sorry for the mess of pictures, but you get the idea.)

Do you see the huge holly tree at the corner of the house? I mean larger than the house. Then the dying bushed to the left of the porch. Not to mention the overly full bushes to the right of the porch.

So, landscaping was something we knew we would have to do. Along with replacing and painting the front door, and painting the shutters. Take a look at the final product:

Can you say huge difference!!! It looks great!

We actually have a landscaping that is sectioned off now, not more grass in it. And we splurged for the rock, after a few years of replacing the mulch we would have paid for it anyways.

Live: Chandelier Make Over

Another light fixture redo:

Our dining room already had a simple chandelier, and when we moved in there was no sense in replacing a working light fixture. However, after painting the kitchen ivory(it was lemon yellow and lime green) the chandelier blended in with the walls.

An easy, and cheap fix was spray paint. I used Rustoleum Oil Rubbed Bronze, but I prefer the color of the Krylon Oil Rubbed Bronze.

Either color of spray paint it was still a cheap and easy fix, and it looks so much better. My husband was able to take the light fixture down (just don't forget to turn the power off). Then we screwed off the glass parts, and on cardboard in the back yard I spray painted them.

The chandelier now pops off the ivory walls, and looks much better with the new hardware in the kitchen.

Live: Flourescent Light Cover Up

We were in our house for several months, and making progress on the updates we wanted to. Our kitchen light fixture is an ugly flourescent light fixture:

I looked for months for options. I thought I wanted track lighting, I knew there wasn't enough room for a fan, and this one really gives off great light. Also to take it down would mean painting the ceiling....

I decided I would try to find a cover it. Maybe something metal, it has been very popular lately. I measured the light fixture, and knew it would take a while for me to find something in the size I needed. I was so wrong, the first night I went out I found exactly what I was looking for.

I found this at Pier 1, for $50. Now it is just wall art, it can be hung horizontal or vertical on a wall. I saw potential to be hung from the ceiling. It is not metal, instead it is wicker, but the light fixture doesn't get hot, so its perfect. There are these small bars that come out by the corner. So I stopped by Lowe's picked up 2 hooks and some wire.

The finished product. It took about 30 minutes to get the wire "tied" right. I ended up making it look like a hanger, from one side to another, to help it stay balanced. It worked great, and it looks so much better too!

Teach: Clip It

Displaying student work has been something in elementary schools for as long as I can remember. But the days of tape on the back of every students paper are gone, and push pins in the cork never last. Try clipping it up:

Materials:

• large construction paper
• letter stickers (or you can cut them out on a Cricut)
• clothes pins (2 per)
• laminating machine
• hot glue gun and glue sticks

A simple task, done at the beginning of the school year and good all year.

Directions:

1. Start by putting each students name towards the top of the paper, make sure you leave enough room for an 8 1/2 x 11 inch paper and about 2 inches for paper clips. You could even have the students write and decorate their own. Just watch where they do it at.
2. Laminate. It just helps make it last all year.
3. Using your hot glue gun, glue 2 clothes under each name. Spread them out, maybe 4 or 5 inches, but try to make them level. (We also hot glue ours to the wall. They lasted all year, but I know some schools are against that.)

A piece of paper should clip in, and hang only on the large constuction paper so that you can line them up in the hall or classroom.

Trim it with border and it is like an instant bulletin board. You can even put a title above it.

I have my kids take a paper out of their Take Home Folder that they are proud of to hang up. They also ask when they get papers back in class if they can go hang it up.

I also made an Objective/Learning Target Clip It. I can use our target for that lesson if it is something I want all of us to have out, or something like "I always do my best!"

The first steps forward:

It is hard to believe that one year ago today I graduated from WKU with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. It was a long time coming, and a different kind of journey.
            After being accepted to WKU as a freshman, I excitedly moved to Bowling Green in Bemis Lawrence Hall. I survived the semester, but I was miserable. I hated being away from home, and I hated being away from J.D. So I moved back home and attended E-town Community Technical College, where I received my Associates Degree. After earning my Associates I was able to again attend WKU, only the E-town Campus. Most of my classes were ITV classes (broadcast from Bowling Green). But in the end, I graduated.

3 days after graduating, I made another BIG move- to the western side of the state to finally be with J.D. After graduating from the State Police Academy in September he was assigned not our home post, and moved. Shortly after moving, we then moved again to a near by city into a trailer, and later into our own house (more to come on that later).

Sometime in the mist of this the Independent Schools posted a job opening and I put in an application there. Days after putting in my application at the board, I got a call for an interview. At this point I am feeling pretty lucky. I knew I was long shot to get an interview, not being from the area, but now I was going to have my second interview. While at the house painting on Friday I got the phone call about the interview… for Monday. Obviously I accepted. The next day, while moving into the house, I again got a phone call, and was offered a 5th grade position at the middle school. Again I accepted and a whirlwind of a week began.

I have now completed my first year of teaching. Somehow it has been a successful year. I learned a lot, and will continue to learn and grow as I look forward to another year.