Pinterest Inspiration…

As you know, I am just loving Pinterest (follow me!). I pinned a recipe for Roasted Sweet Potato Cube Skewers a few weeks ago and I gave it a try last week….

The recipe originally came from here. She made a Jalapeno Aioli Dip for her skewers. I just mixed up some quick avocado ranch as a dipping sauce and  served the skewers as a side to southwestern wraps. Yummy! This recipe is a keeper. I was already a fan of making sweet potato fries/wedges but this was something a little different to mix it up. Here is Hungry Foodie’s original pic…

Hers are a lot prettier than mine but either way, they tasted great!

Thanks again, Pinterest, for the inspiration!

Pinterest Inspired

When I first started using Pinterest (follow me!) I pinned this very popular Crayon Art…

via but these are ALL over the net!

This was not long after school had started. Then a couple of days after I had seen this melted crayon canvas one of the 3rd grade teachers at my school excitedly came up to me and said she had seen the cutest project done with crayons on Pinterest. I knew immediately she was referring to this melted crayon art! She lamented that she loved it but is not too crafty…well since she is one fabulous lady I decided to surprise her with her own crayon canvas.

I started out using a blow dryer but my crayons weren’t so much melting as they were smoking! So Jason went and got his heat gun from the garage and that worked much better. Since this was my first time it was a bit of a trial & error on getting the wax to flow down like I wanted. I think it turned out fine but now I know how to make it better if I ever do this again! And here it is in her classroom…

I love Pinterest!!

Home Away From Home

What I Wore Wednesday

Once again I am linking up with the oh-so-creative Lindsey at the Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday…

New this week I am linking up with Real Momma, Real Style for her outfit party…

Outfit #1

Dress/Shoes/Bracelet/Watch: Target

Leggings: Kohls

Cami: Old Navy

Earrings: Brighton

Ring: Charming Charlies

 

Outfit #2

 

Shirt/Belt/Bracelets: Avenue

Earrings: Target

Necklace: Don’t remember?? I have had it a long time!

 

Haven’t joined in on the fun yet?? Starting taking pics of those outfits! I promise it will help you put more thought into your clothing choices and it’s fun to get inspiration from everyone’s posts.

Go Rangers!

It was a beautiful night at the ballpark….

Jason and I went to a game a few weeks ago with friends…it was the first Rangers game I had been to in a few years. It was lots of fun! And even better–they won!

Aloha Style

My niece recently turned 13 years old and she requested a luau themed birthday party. I helped my sister-in-law with the decor and had tons of fun doing it!

The inspiration for the cake came from Pinterest…

via

I also got the inspiration for this wreath from Pinterest…

via

And back to the rest of the party…

sisters! (they are 11 months apart)

my youngest niece

 

Aloha!

From Pinterest to Real Life…

So in hopes of not letting this be true…

I have decided to try to put into reality some of the many outfits that I have been pinning to the “My Style” board on my Pinterest. The real life outfits were created using only pieces I already had…no buying anything new for this challenge.

Inspiration Outfit #1

Real Life Outfit #1

Jeans, Shirt, Shoes: Kohls

Earrings: Target

Purse: Marshalls

Bracelets: Various places

The embellishment had been on another shirt that I did not like it with so once I saw the outfit on Pinterest I added it to this black shirt that I found on clearance a few weeks ago for $6.00. Before I ever even started using Pinterest I had purchased this purse this summer to use for the fall. All in all, I feel like I matched the inspiration fairly well. I can’t wear jeans to work so I had on denim trousers. I enjoyed wearing this outfit–I felt comfy and cute–and I got compliments on it so it’s a winner in my book!

Inspiration Outfit #2

Real Life Outfit #2

how do i get my "in the mirror" pics to not be fuzzy?

Cami/Tank/Watch: Target

Coral Cardigan: Old Navy

Necklace: I got it in Italy

Earrings: Had them for a long time…Sam Moon, maybe?

Bracelet: Kohls

I changed this outfit a bit but the main concept I was using from the Pinterest outfit was pairing the turquoise and orange/coral color. Remember, I was using what I already had so this was what I came up with…I don’t think it was anything groundbreaking but it worked fine.

Have you worn anything inspired by Pinterest?

I am linking this post up with Lindsey from Pleated Poppy for What I Wore Wednesday. Head over there on Wednesday and check out all the fabulous outfits!

9-11

Today marks the 10th anniversary of the attacks on our country that took place on September 11, 2001. I am sure most of you can remember exactly where you were when you first heard the news…mumblings of planes crashing into buildings, rumors of terrorism, possibilities of more attacks…it was a frightening and confusing time for our country. It was a day we won’t ever forget and even more so for those that were directly affected by the tragedy of that day. I have heard it said that over 3,000 children lost a parent on 9-11. I shared that fact with my students this past week…we have been discussing 9-11 with our students and on Friday we dressed in red, white, and blue to honor the lives lost in the attacks. Many of my students were not born on September 11, 2001 or else they were just babies. They only have the memories and stories passed down to them. It’s odd to think that an event that is so solidly vivid in my own mind is something they have simply read about in history books. Jason and I actually visited NYC for the first, and only, time in 2002. Ground Zero had not yet been fully cleared of rubble and it was a surreal experience. The makeshift steel support cross that we had seen splashed across magazine covers was still standing… the chain link fence surrounding the site was still covered in letters, flowers, pictures,  and stuffed animals…there were posters and signs covering nearby walls. It reminded me of when I was in middle school and went to the site of the Oklahoma City bombing but on a much larger, horrific scale. These are all the things I tried to share with my students this week but it’s hard for them to truly wrap their little minds around the magnitude of the event. But, together, we worked all week on this mural and I think they did an excellent job…

May we never forget.

Day 17

A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently…

Back in March I traveled to Uganda for a mission trip and this made a huge impact on me…

 

I have already written a lot on my trip in other posts so I won’t go into much detail except to say that this trip…

• Opened my eyes to how vastly different people in other parts of the world live
• Made me so much more thankful and mindful of the blessing I have in my own life
• Gave me a better perspective on the reality of the AIDS crisis and the orphans it is producing
• Changed my outlook on many things church and missions related
• Educated me on how other cultures sometimes view Americans

If you have never traveled to another part of the world on a missions or service related trip, I urge you to go. Yes, it’s expensive…yes, it uses your vacation days…yes, it can be scary…yes, you don’t have the “comforts” of home but believe me, it is so worth it. Incredibly worth it. Go. You will not regret it.

Day 16

A picture of someone who inspires you…

This is Tina…

Tina teaches 3rd grade at my school and she is right down the hall from me. From the moment I started working there she has been warm and friendly to me. As a veteran teacher, she is quick to encourage all the newbies (like I was when I started at that school). She has given me countless pieces of advice over the years and she inspires me to be a better teacher. I don’t know a more excited, compassionate, hardworking, or creative teacher than Tina. Here are some fun things that go on in her classroom…

Making ice cream.

 

The “weatherman” giving the weather report in costume. Tina has a system in her class that simulates a town, “Dodsonville”, where all the students have jobs that they run for and are elected to–mayor, chief of police, weatherman, etc.

 

Science experiments. She is always thinking outside the box and coming up with fun things for her class to participate in and learn from in the process.

 

Her famous “circle time.” Notice the older student…students will even come back years later to participate in this Friday afternoon ritual in Tina’s class.

 

This sweet letter by a former student (written in her prayer journal) just goes to show how much of an impact Tina has on her students.

 

Thank you, Tina, for being such an inspiration to me!