Blog...take two!

I started a blog several months ago.  Then...life seemed to get in the way.  Now that things are calming down (somewhat) I figured I would take a stab at it again.

This year is my third year teaching and I am out in the trailers.  Oops, I mean, I'm in the learning cottages.  My team likes to refer to it as "the Park on the Hill."  We think it sounds classier. 

Life in the trailers certainly has its ups and downs.  For starters, we have had an INCREDIBLE amount of rain this year.  We even had school off one day due to flooding.  Luckily, our classroom hasn't been carried away...yet!  Whenever the parents ask us about the rain, I tell them that "it's a great bonding experience."  Plus, we are learning about weathering and erosion in science.  I call this a unique first hand experience as we walk through the muck to get to the school.  Silver lining?  I'm trying.  The most disruptive thing about the trailers is the bathroom situation.  They have special times to go during the day, but you always have that handful of students who just can't seem to make the schedule work for them.  Sadly, a lot of class time is being used as bathroom breaks or simply traveling to the cafeteria, music, etc.

However, I do enjoy life at the Park, at times. For example, after an assembly the kids have tons of energy.  I allow them to run two laps around the blacktop next to our room before they come back in.  Most of the students LOVE this and take of sprinting.  In addition, fire alarms do not disrupt the day nearly as much anymore.  We simply walk outside, stand in line, and walk back in.

Project #1 - Kitchen makeover

I moved into my townhouse approximately three months ago.  It was built in 1990 and is in FANTASTIC shape.  When Justin and I visited this house for the first time (about five months ago?) he told me that the kitchen was a deal breaker.

Kitchen - Before

Above: Breakfast nook and part of the french doors that lead to the patio.

Views of kitchen and appliances

At first I couldn't understand why.  It had a breakfast nook, decent appliances, french doors to the back patio, and beautiful GRANITE counter tops.  In my opinion it was a great place to live after moving out of our parents' houses.  The truth came out that evening when he said he the yellow walls made it unbearable (he abhors yellow).

Luckily, paint is an easy fix.  Unfortunately, we didn't realize that we needed to do a lot more than cover up the yellow!  I realized the yellow was peeling off at the edges of the room.  After yanking the chip, I realized it had been painted over two layers of wallpaper.  We used DIF (purchased at Home Depot) to strip the wallpaper off the walls.  It worked wonders!

Under the wallpaper we found the real gem.  Poorly executed white/blue sponge painting that gave the feeling of floating through the clouds.  Plus, we found a wonderful 80s stencil border around the entire kitchen of grapevines.  (Now remember, the house was built in 1990 so clearly someone was stuck in the 80s!)  

This lovely stencil could be found around the entire kitchen.

Justin and I painted the kitchen all week after getting home from work.  We would paint a wall or two each night (the paint needed two coats because of the grapes just wouldn't go away).  We finished painting on Thursday night at about midnight.

I had the day off on Friday so I cleaned the kitchen and did the final touches.  When Justin came home that night he willingly hung up my pictures.  To be fair to Justin, they are a pain because the wire used on the back to hang the series of paintings up was not the same length.  They certainly were a challenge (and still not perfect) but that is why I am so happy that Justin agreed to do it.  (Originally I tried and failed miserably, but that's what engineers are for!)  The pictures below weren't taken with my camera (I haven't located the charger since I moved) so sorry for the poor picture quality and lighting!  Oh, and we painted the kitchen using Behr Rejuvenate!

 Above:  A close up of the tablecloth I bought from Home Goods.  The picture doesn't do it justice!

 Above: The lighting doesn't show the true color of the paint.  Oh well, I tried!

I love these little containers that Justin's mom gave us.

Well, that's about it for this post.  I will try to get some better pictures with my camera as soon as I locate my charger.  Next time, I will post about a wreath that I am in the process of making from the front door.  Cross your fingers for me; I'm a bit nervous that it won't turn out!

Welcome!

I have been an avid blog follower for quite some time now.  After much deliberation, I've decided to start my own blog.  The purpose of this blog will be to share my "findings" and ideas about everything from my classroom to my wedding planning.  I also can't forget about the transformations going on at my new townhouse!!

I hope you enjoy what you will find here and perhaps take a few ideas away for yourself!


PS  Stay tuned.  Details about my kitchen transformation complete with pictures will be posted soon!