Classroom Ideas

Since I knew what I was going to be teaching, more than 3 days after school started (that's what happened last year), I decided to get craftier and use my knowledge of Pinterest to help me organize my classroom.

Last year, I bought these really cute hall passes from Canton and spent more money than I should have. It was about halfway through the year that I realized that they were not working out. 1) The kids constantly knocked them off the wall 2) Half the time they would leave them in the restroom (ICK!!) 3) I had no idea what the passes were touching in the bathroom (MORE ICK!!) While I was debating on asking maintenance to put in some new nails in the wall for my passes, I thought that although these passes were pretty, they weren't very functional or hygienic.

I looked on Pinterest and found this:

Source: 4thgradefrolics.blogspot.com via Jenny on Pinterest

This person used inexpensive clothespins to clip on the student's clothing when they leave the classroom so they aren't germy or lost! This will solve my problem of hall passes!! Mine aren't that cute yet, as I only wrote my last name and the type of pass with a sharpie marker, but I will work on that later.(Note: While typing this I decided to spray paint the clothespins so they would have some color to them...I couldn't help myself )

Also last year, I kept all of my students' names in a tiny box that was split down the middle with construction paper to distinguish classes for picking names. I didn't really like it and it won't work for my 5 different classes this year so, I had an idea. Luckily, my husband is Bohemian and keeps everything that normal people would dispose of, i.e., spaghetti jars, aluminum foil, medicine bottles, etc. I went looking through the cabinets and found several Planters nut cans.

I had some chalkboard paint in the garage and painted five of them. I used the chalkboard paint so I could change the class names for years later.
Here they are

I put all of my students' names in the cans and displayed them in my classroom today. Now I know which class is which and can change out the cans for something else down the road. Honestly, I did this in 30 minutes between getting home from in-service and going out to dinner.
You can see on the left side that I took one of those spaghetti jars and put hard candy in it for my students.
There are still a few more things I would like to implement this year, but sensing that this is going to be a busy and stressful year, it might have to wait for next year.

Remembering Meme

My Meme, my mother's mother, died in 2007 and left a legacy of recipes that will never taste the same. About a year ago, my Grandad decided to go through the kitchen items and give away some things that he doesn't use anymore. In the piles of kitchen utensils and gadgets I found two handwritten recipes and a typed recipe from Meme. I kept them and just assumed that I would stuff them in one of my cookbooks. But after looking at them, I really wanted them to be seen and become a part of my kitchen.

As a summer project, I decided that I would frame them and put them up on one of the kitchen walls. I spray painted some frames red and put the recipes in them with brown construction paper behind them. It wasn't until after spray painting the frames that I realized that there were no hooks on the back to hang them! (I should have looked before, but like always I was impatient and just wanted to paint them.) Chris thought about putting them on a shelf instead. He grabbed some old wood out of the garage and started to put it together. (He is definitely the creative half.) To give it a more "beat up" look, he scorched the sides with a torch. I remembered that not only did I get Meme's recipes, but also her old cheese grater. I had also gone to a garage sale the day before and bought an old nut grinder for $1. I added them to the shelf and voila!

Here are the pics honoring Meme in the kitchen

  I love that there are grease stains and mark outs of ingredients that didn't work

 Meme's cheese grater with her recipes for Peach Cobbler and her famous I-45 cookies/bars

The nut grinder with her Peach Cobbler and Lemon Meringue Pie recipes

Such a great addition to our kitchen. Now all we need is that farmhouse table....Chris is in the process of making one, but that will be a whole other post.

Reuse, Recycle

I had talked with my Aunt Joan a few months ago about making these toilet paper wreaths.

Source: seeyoutheredesign.com via Savannah on Pinterest

Sounds crazy to make something so beautiful out of something that is mindlessly thrown away. It took me a few months to gather so many toilet paper and paper towel rolls.

It was a bit hard to figure out how to make the wreaths, but once I got started it became easier and easier. We used hot glue to keep the rolls together and a salad plate to give shape to the circle.
Here is my first. It's not my favorite, but I kept it because Aunt Joan made some awesome wax paper flowers that made it look fantastic.

Here are the other two that I made

I gave the last one to Aunt Joan. It reminded me of the wreaths the athletes wore in the 2004 Athens Olympics.

I put the first one in my entryway.

 I think it is perfect and the white flowers really make the wreath "pop".

I got a little crafty with the other one and added letters to it.

This one now hangs in my classroom.

The only little problem I have with these wreaths is that they are pretty flimsy. I searched online and the only way I could find to stiffen them up was to spray paint them. I really liked the natural color and didn't want to spray paint them. I went to Michael's and found a thick gloss that can be used on crafts. It stiffened the rolls a little, but not very much. I made sure that I had at least two nails holding the wreath in place so that it stays.

In my next post I will show a creative way of displaying family recipes!!

Getting Crafty in the Kitchen

I had said a few posts back that I would give my reviews on a few Pinterest recipes. I will remind you, again, that I am not a complicated cook. I like simple recipes that call for less than 5 ingredients, but are so delicious that you want to make them again and again.

This first one was Taco Ring. 

Source: extremesavingswithdivadesirae.com via Savannah on Pinterest

I found this one to be very easy and quick for a party or appetizer. I don't think it was enough for my husband to qualify it as a meal.

 I garnished it with rice and fixin's.

The next Pinterest recipe I made was Crockpot Beer Chicken

Source: mydailydish.com via Savannah on Pinterest

We had just got back from our trip to England and I wanted to make this. It called for ANY beer to be used. I went to the garage fridge and saw that all of the light beer was gone.(I found out that my cousin, who was house-sitting for us, had a party while we were gone.) The only beer I had was Guiness and Shiner Wild Hare. I went for the Wild Hare and soon regretted it. The beer was so heavy that it tasted like you were eating beer. If I make this again, I will definitely use a lighter beer. Needless to say, the majority of it went on our compost pile.
I also made Turkey Taco Lettuce Wraps

Source: skinnytaste.com via Savannah on Pinterest

This was just like tacos only using turkey meat and lettuce leaves for shells. This would have worked perfectly if my lettuce would have cooperated. I would try to tear a big leaf and it would rip in half. We finally just made it into a salad. It was still good!

My worst mistake was making Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo

Source: celebrations.com via Savannah on Pinterest

It was not the recipe's fault, but the cook's fault. I take full responsibility for this one. This recipe called for chicken broth, which I didn't have. I called my mom and she said she had chicken bouillon. She told me that I needed to add it to water to make a broth. I knew this as I was putting the ingredients together, but my mind slipped and I put in 1 cup of bouillon in the recipe. I knew something was wrong when the sauce started to look like this

Looks gross, doesn't it? Well it tasted worse than it looked. It was so salty that I gagged. I had to put that on the compost pile, too.

Baked Pesto Chicken goes in the Top 5

Source: mykitchenescapades.com via Savannah on Pinterest

This was scrumptious!!! So simple, quick, and easy! I made this and served it in a matter of 20 minutes. The only change I made it to it was the cheese. I didn't have mozzarella, but I had Muenster. The Muenster was really tasty on top of the pesto chicken. I cannot speak highly enough of this meal.

The last meal I have made is Crockpot Italian Chicken.

Source: homeiswheretheholmansare.blogspot.com via Savannah on Pinterest

 Chris raved on this one so much last night. I used frozen chicken and put it on high for 4 hours. I also used Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese. We couldn't tell the difference. Once it was cooked, I added noodles and covered it for another 15 minutes.  I will make this one again.

I used to be so afraid of cooking and one of my favorite sayings was, "If it doesn't have directions on the back, then I don't make it." That is not true anymore. I just keep trying recipes and even some with ingredients I have never tried before. Yes, as you can see, I mess up and have to throw some things out. But, I keep going and find something that works for my appetite. My suggestion to anyone scared of trying new recipes is to find a recipe that has at least 3 ingredients that you know and like and try it. You just might like it!

I look forward to finding more recipes on Pinterest and also seeing if you have tried any of these or changed them.