Day 9 of 365: 

Well life got the best of me and I wasn't able to post Thursday's pin. But don't fret...I tried a pin. Thursday's pin is a picture I found to try on my new Nikon camera. I took quite a few pictures...it is very hard to get a nine month old to hold still while make a fist. I really need to take a class to learn how to use my camera because there are so many features that I have no clue about. I have read through the manual (well parts of it) but I foresee a few tutorial pins in my future! 

Here is my attempt at the Fist Bump Daddy/Son picture: 

I used pixlr.com to edit the photo

***21 Day Organization Challenge Update***

Day 9: Kitchen Cabinets

This was a fun one. NOT!! I feel like I organize my Tupperware cabinet every other month and it still gets ridiculously unorganized. I ended up getting a new set of Rubbermaid food storage containers so I got rid of some containers that have seen better days. I also am donating some containers that I haven't used in a very long time. 

A while back I bought a rack to free up storage space for bowls and small plates. This helps make that cabinet look organized. 

I also cleaned out some extra glasses that we didn't need and condensed my teas and drink mixes. This freed room for baby G's food and food preparation materials. 

Last thing I did was organize my spice/baking cabinet. I bought a rack at Bed, Bath and Beyond a whole back and attached it to the door to free up space for frequently used spices. I also keep all of my seasoning packets together in a container. 

Well I think today was a successful organization day. Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 8 of 365: 

I am going to make today's post short and sweet. Today's pin is a DIY Criss Cross headband. I found some material that was left over after a craft project and cut a 1.5 inch wide strip. After putting my hair up in a bun I followed the steps from the pin and well, see for yourself. Not a bad way to dress up a bun for work :) I even got a few compliments along the way.

This was taken at 6:25 am. I couldn't ask my hubby to take the picture!

***21 Day Organizational Challenge Update***


After working all day I am hardly in the mood to organize my kitchen cabinets, so I decided to organize my make-up case. I'll organize my cabinets this weekend. I went through my everyday case and made sure I only have what I use on a daily basis in there. I went through the rest of my make-up that I store under my sink and got rid of quite a few things that are old or I don't have use for anymore. I also found a sample of my Bare Minerals foundation that I am just about to run out of! I love finding things while organizing. 

Even though I was not looking forward to work, today was a good day. I had a student bring me a Christmas present (better late than never) and I had another student say that she missed me. Makes waking up so early worth it. Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 7 of 365:

Day two of "cold" days and I couldn't be happier. I am loving staying home with baby G!! For today's pin, I am trying a recipe again that I first tried at a cookie exchange. They are chocolate bites with pistachios and cranberries. They could be considered "healthy" I guess because of the fruit and nuts. I think they are tasty and brought them to a family party for Christmas and my family agreed.

Chocolate Bites
1 pkg of chocolate chips (semi-sweet or dark chocolate)
1/2 C shelled pistachios (I haven't measured, I just placed 3 to 4 per bite)
1/2 C dried cranberries (I placed 4 to 5 per bite)

Melt chocolate per instructions on the package. Place wax paper on a cookie sheet. Once chocolate is melted, place a tablespoon of chocolate on the wax paper and sprinkle with 3 to 4 pistachios and 45 canberries per tablespoon of chocolate. Place cookie sheet in the refrigerator until chocolate is hardened (abut 30 minutes).



Before going in the refrigerator

Only 3 Ingredients

Finished Product

Not only are these chocolate bites delicious but they are soooo easy to make! I put the chocolate down and the hubby sprinkled the pistachios and cranberries. He kept asking when they would be ready. We both wanted more but had to limit ourselves to 2 :)

***21 Day Organizational Challenge Update***

Day 7: Fridge/Freezer

I don't have photos of my fridge/freezer but I did get rid of quite a few expired condiments. I also cleaned the shelves and drawers. It looks great.

Well it's back to work for me tomorrow...have a great Tuesday and I'll talk to you tomorrow!

Day 6 of 365:

So I am using my "cold" day off school to complete some pins for this week. Getting back into school mode, I found a poster that would be great with the new Common Core standards. It is a "Rate Yourself" poster using a number scale from 1-4. I like this scale because I have asked my students to rate their understanding of a topic on their homework, exit card, class work, etc. However, my students always ask for clarification on what the numbers mean. So this poster has it spelled out for them and is in student friendly language.

My goal was to have this made and hung up in the classroom to show you where I put it and then show an example of student work with a rating. We had a "cold" day today and we have another one tomorrow. I will just have to update you all on how it is working in my classroom. I got the original idea from: www.educationtothecore.com


***21 Day Organization Challenge Update***

Day 6: Under sink

For today's organization challenge I really just needed to shift around some cleaning supplies and get rid of some bags I was saving that I havne't used since I put them there. Some of the cleaning supplies were for things that we only have on the second level, so I moved those out. I also had baskets that I organized by function: one basket for dishwashing supplies and one for other cleaning supplies. I put my vases in the back so they are out of the way (I don't use them very much) and I arranged my extra dishwashing soap and hand soap off to the side.

After organizing

I think it turned out great and am very pleased with how functional the space is now. If only I could get the hubby to keep it that way. I already had a freak out over the coat rack :)

Well 6 down 15 to go...I am really not looking forward to some of these big areas to organize: garage, closet, kitchen cabinets!!

Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 5 of 365:

Today is my last day of winter break :( I really liked this stay at home mom thing I've got going here. I do miss my students but I do not miss waking up so early!

Today's pin is a recipe I came across a while ago and it sounded like something my hubby would love. With all this cold weather, we haven't been going out to dinner much and I'm trying to cook more. This recipe made it on my to-do list because it looked delicious and easy. The pin originates from Double the Deliousness. You can get to that blog by clicking the link below.

Mexican Stuffed Shells

2 cups chicken breast, cooked and shredded (I sprinkled my chicken with taco seasoning and olive oil before baking)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
3 green onions, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (I use one green and one red)
1 1/2 blocks (12 oz.) cream cheese, softened
1 can diced tomatoes with chilies (Rotel)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 cup picante sauce
1 package pasta shells, cooked al dente
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (sharp or colby jack work well)

Cook pasta shells until al dente (you don't want them too soft they will cook some more in the oven). Drain and set aside.

Mix chicken, beans, onions and bell peppers in a large bowl. Set aside.

Beat cream cheese in electric mixer until soft and smooth. Slowly add the diced tomatoes while continuing to mix. Add the cumin and mix.

Combine the cream cheese mixture with the chicken mixture and stir until well combined.

Pour the picante sauce on the bottom of a 9x13 inch baking pan. Stuff shells generously with filling and place on top of picante sauce in pan.

Sprinkle cheese over top of shells and bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.

This recipe made 24 STUFFED shells. I was very full after 4. In the future I will make the entire recipe but freeze 1/2 before cooking. It would make an excellent week night meal. I think that this recipe was pretty time consuming and had a lot of steps: cook chicken, shred chicken, cook noodles, stuff noodles, then bake. I could not make this dish on a work night unless I had already cooked the chicken ahead of time.

I served my shells with sour cream although the cream cheese makes them creamy enough. The sides were a garden salad and spanish rice. After the first bite the hubby was asking for seconds. Definitely a success!












***21 Day Organization Challenge Update***
 

Day 5 is purse. I am glad this is early on in the list because my purse is a mess all the Christmas shopping and returning. I have a crazy amount of receipts and coupons.

All the junk I had in my purse



My purse by Thirty One

I did the following to organize my purse:
- Threw out expired coupons and old receipts
- Got rid of my "envelope system" of organizing coupons and used an old coupon organizer I found while organizing my coat rack and glove/hat basket. I only keep coupons that I plan on using in there. I use Jill Cataldo's "clipless" system. Check it out here: http://www.supercouponing.com/clipless.html
- Got rid of 3 pens (I don't know why I had 5 to begin with)

After organizing

Just got news I'm off school tomorrow!! Yeah for cold days!  I hate that we will have to make it up but I'm not ready to go back...

Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 4 of 365:

I am really not looking forward to going back to work after my two week vacation. I will really miss spending my days with the little one! I am really having fun with baby G. He is doing new things everyday; a few days ago he started waving hello! He is also super snuggly before and after his naps!! I'm also going to miss getting 8 hours (although broken up) of sleep and watching marathons of TV shows. Ok, I'm done. I know I'm lucky that I get randoms days off and week long vacations throughout the year. It is one of the perks of being a teacher.

Today's pin is for the hubby. He is always having to buy new white T-shirts because the armpits get yellow stains (even the shirts that claim to be stain resistant). I saw this last summer and haven't made time to try this. It seemed easy enough and wouldn't take me all day to complete and I need to wash the whites before going back to work. So this is a perfect pin for today.

Pin Number 4: Remove Yellow Armpit Stains

This is from onegoodthingbyjillee.com. This calls for one part Dawn dishwashing detergent and two parts hydrogen peroxide. I used Palmolive with OxiClean. Jillee mentioned that she added some baking soda as a scrubbing agent.

You Need:
-Dawn dishwashing detergent
-Hydrogen Peroxide
-Baking soda
-Scrub brush
-Stained white tees

Directions:
1. Mix together one part Dawn with two parts hydrogen peroxide and a sprinkle of baking soda.
2. Pour on stained area of the T-shirt.
3. Scrub with brush to mix in the stain remover.
4. Wait one hour and wash as usual.

So after the T-shirts were washed and dried they look much better! They aren't perfect but they are noticably whiter! See for yourself. Looks like I'll be busy scrubbing the rest of his white T-shirts.

     Before Pictures:                                               





After Pictures:

***21 Day Organization Challenge Update***

 

Day 4: Laundry Room

My laundry room is also my linen closet which is mentioned on day 13, so I am just organizing half. I took bins from the dollar store and used them to store items that were scattered in the cabinet. I made one for candles and air fresheners and one for light bulbs and flash lights. I also went through the cleaning supplies and organized them based on their purpose. Bathroom cleaners, dusting, and laudry supplies were all grouped together. Also the hubby hung a iron holder a few months ago and they helped to free up cabinet space. We got the wall mount from Ikea. So far I am really enjoying having my house organized. I can't wait for the closet day!

The cleaning supply cabinet

Iron holder from Ikea



Bins from the Dollar store

Have a great Saturday!! Talk to you tomorrow!

Day 3 of 365

This is a pin I have been wanting to try for a while now. I got a few scarves for Christmas so I thought this was a perfect pin for today. I made the DIY scarf organizer and I think it turned out great. I used wooden hangers from Bed, Bath and Beyond and plastic shower curtain hooks from Walmart. I added a bow for a speical touch. I made my mom one as well because she got a ton of scarves for Christmas. She loves hers!

Wooden hangers with no slip bars, plastic shower rings and plenty of scarves.

 



Here is what the organizer looks like finished.





A full scarf organizer



 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It looks like my organizer is full. I will probably be making another one shortly. Luckily they sell the hangers in four packs. Another Pinterest success!

 

 

 

***21 Day Organizational Challenge Update***

 

 

Day 3: Under bed

I have no pictures to show you but I assure you I organized the little bit I have under the bed. I have an under the bed rubbermaid that I cleaned out. I found 3 work shirts I forgot about and a few items to donate. I cleared up space to store some Christmas shirts and other clothes that I'm not ready to part with. I figure if I "hide" them under the bed and don't miss them then I'll be ready to donate. Closets aren't until day 10, but I think I'll go through it now to find some clothes that I haven't worn that I will "hide" on myself.

 

That's what I have for today, a little nervous how blogging will go once I returen to work...