A project here...a project there...: The latest project {China Cabinet}

Oh man am I glad to be done (well....other than a few little touch-ups)!!! This was my mom's china cabinet while I was growing up. Together my mom and I decided I could redo it and put it in my house. Great idea, right? [I'm still rethinking that one!] I spent hours on each coat and I know it's not perfect but I like it....defects and all!

I didn't think I had much to fill the cabinet with except for some fancy glasses I inherited from my Grandma Carpenter. As I was going through my cupboards I found a few more treasures that I have collected over time to add some color and variety. Brother and Sister Coats had given us a set of plates for our wedding that are kind of a red-ish orange and I love the color they add!

Out with the old, in with the new.

Well, it's more like in with the new! We have been working on our landscaping a bit more this year. We got the rest of our trees put in the back yard and added some grasses and a few burning bushes to the front flower beds. If you look at the blue arrows that zebra grass (which hides an ugly black drain post in the front) started so small and has gotten huge! I'm afraid we are going to have to watch that one a bit!

Derby in style

Okay, okay...I don't really know anything about making derby racing cars, but hey I can be creative! Ben decided to sign us up for the ward derby. The same one that he will be working during! I didn't know why he signed us up, but they brought us a kit to make a car regardless. Naturally I took it and started playing! I'm pretty sure that somewhere along the way I broke some car making rules and I have no clue how much it weighs, but it was fun anyway!

Some things you'll need to make a derby car (that's not included in the kit):
Cardboard ring box
Snaps (or buttons, but snaps are way cooler!)
Fingernail polish
Plastic hose/tubing
A knife to carve wood
Glossy paint
Painters tape
Craft glue
Q-tips
Very small paintbrushes
Scrap cardboard

Healthy Food

In attempt to eat healthier and more fiber-rich food, I decided to make some grilled salmon for lunch/ dinner. Ben comes home at 3pm and doesn't get off until 9 so he needs a good meal! I tried a new recipe (included below) and really like it! It was simple and yummy....and healthy!

Corn and Bean Salad

1 can corn (not cream style), drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained well
½ red pepper, finely diced
2 Tablespoons onion, finely diced (I prefer to use red onion, but use whatever you have in the house)
2 Tablespoons Italian Salad Dressing
¼ teaspoon cumin

Early Birthday

A bowl of fresh fruit salad to go with the skewers!

This year I really wanted to get Ben a BBQ grill for his Birthday, so all of my family helped out and we got him a grill. I decided that he would really love to be able to use it now, and since his Birthday is 2/3 the way through summer that it would be an early gift! We have already used it a few times and made some amazing meals! Sunday afternoon we came home and in a short amount of time had skewers on the table. YUM!

TIA Conference

 Monday morning as I had to get ready to leave for Pocatello, I was wondering what in the heck I was thinking signing up for a week long conference at the beginning of summer! I kept thinking it was crazy and I wasn't ready to give up my summer days yet!

The conference turned out to be really helpful. The state will have new standards for the teachers to teach by in a few years, so we worked to align what we teach now with what we will have to teach then. It was a lot of work and we accomplished a lot there! I lucked out and had a great team to work with!

Every day the conference ended shortly after 3pm, so we had tons of time to hang out. A couple of us decided to go for a hike along the hills and it was beautiful!

The view from the top of the hill
looking out over Pocatello.

This is how nice it was in the mornings
walking out of the hotel.

America's Favorite Marshmallow

We've been shopping around for a firepit to put in the middle of the patio and found one we both really like! We were so excited to get it that we had to try it out that night! We ended  up starting pretty late at night, so it was a quick marshmallow roast and off to bed, but so fun! As you can see, the patio is still a work in progress!

China Cabinet

My mom's old china cabinet had been sitting in the warehouse for a while, so I decided to refinish it.....not sure what I was thinking! Projects always seem much easier than they really are! Although in the end, I have yet to do a project that I wasn't happy with when finished. I didn't think to take pictures before taking the doors off, but you can sort of see the original look. This is just step one of many, primer!

Let's Go Fly a Kite!

So, as I was trying to come up with something to teach the Burmese kids tonight, I thought of making kites! I found this youtube video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TSnjQNKnjYs and the kids who followed it well had fantastic kites. We decorated ours with tissue paper, but other than that and straws, there was no cost! Who knew grocery sacks made such good kites! After the excitement of flying kites the kids ran and played in the nearby field. This is what you do in Idaho when Summer hasn't decided to show itself yet!

More Prom Stuff

The Dance

The Picture Backdrop

Dancing with my baby!

The Main Decor

The Super Sweet Net

Sorry this took me forever! Our yearbook advisor had a busy end of the year getting the yearbook pages done, so I didn't get ahold of the pictures until yesterday! I had a camera there, but was busy all night running around etc! Making the big net that is hanging from the ceiling was hilarious! My students kept looking at me like I was some weirdo weaving tulle around, but they all loved it when it was up! Overall, I was happy with how everything turned out!