Addicted to Pinterest

I have a confession, I'm addicted to Pinterest. I love it and must have a daily dose every night. I love spending time pinning inspiration and motivation, if only I had the time to execute all of the great things I have found. For example, last night was movie night and I remembered a pin I saw about popping pop corn in a brown paper bag in the microwave. It is healthier and worked perfectly.

1/2 cup of pop corn kernels and 2min 30secs in microwave is what I did and it worked great;)

I have also found many art lessons to use in my classroom. If you are a teacher or homeschool mom there are an abundance of ideas and you can organize them into different boards per subject. One of my favorites is this Op Art project. The kids love it and feel so accomplished when they are finished.

There are many sources with instructions for this lesson.
 I modified what I found and this is a collage of different student's art work.

As mentioned in a previous post Pinterest is also a great source for interior decorating ideas. We moved last May and have completely changed our colors and furniture and style. I found lots of inspiration on Pinterest. Here are some of my favorites. 

I know I already showed the cute dog pic but I couldn't help it.

 

Needless to say Pinterest is part of my daily ritual. Have fun finding your PINSPIRATION.

Want to follow me on PInterest. You can find me @creativecori under Cori Ann.

Follow me on Pinterest here.

Happy Pinning!

Old Desk Make-Over

This old desk make over isn't an over the top DIY project, but it was important to me that I did it well. I started it in August and just recently finished. When you look at it, it just simply looks like I sprayed it all white and called it a day, but unfortunately that is not the case. This old desk need some extra TLC which included lots of sanding, cobweb cleaning, replacing old rusty nails and making it more structurally sound. Why did I care so much? Well this old desk has a history, it was my Moms old manicure table. She was a manicurist way back when, before acrylic, gel or any other kind of fingernails were mainstream. It was the mid 1980's and she was one of the first in our town that could offer acrylic nails and do it well. She created quite a business for herself, along the way making many friendships and having some very interesting conversations across that table. As her business grew she replaced it with a larger more functional type workspace. She and I had many great conversations at that little desk as she filed and painted my fingernails. So this desk, which from the looks of it was probably someones DIY project many decades ago, was a project close to my heart. It was a little more than I bargained for, the wood was soft, and bumpy at the same time. The nails were nailed at weird angles and there were a lot of them that had to be replaced. This is why it took so long, I would just get to a point that I needed a break and step away for a little while. My daughter kept asking when it would be ready, I would say "soon" and then hit another bump in the road of my should have been easy project. The purpose of the make-over was to give my youngest daughter a desk for her room. It is the perfect size for the space and the rest of her furniture is white, so it was a no brainer. she loves it and uses it a lot. Well worth the effort. Ta Da...A little white desk.

I like the white against the purple. I heart purple!

Well lets look at how rough this looked like before......

Rough, but with character.

Taking it all apart and sanding and sanding...

The tracks for the drawers had to be adjusted, sanded and re-nailed.

Let the fun begin...

And more...fun.

I had to get all the little nooks and cranies.

 Well, that was my make-over desk from my mother to my daughter. I have a feeling I will keep this desk a long time and continue to revamp, redo, and make-over. I love to have pieces of furniture that has a story, meaning, memories. Family is everything and doing things for them makes me do the happy dance. Today a child that attends my school who is my daughters age passed away this morning. I feel sad, overwhelmed,  shock, disbelief. Why so young? It reminds me how everyday is so precious and can not be taken for granted. Hug your kids, kiss them, tell them that you love them, EVERYDAY. My thoughts and prayers are with this sweet precious family.

God Bless,

Cori Ann

A Christmas Story

Our Christmas Tree

This Christmas story doesn't have a Red Ryder BB gun but my Christmas story of family, fun, stress to get it all done, random acts of kindness and a stroll down memory lane. The tree was decorated and outdoor lights done the week of Thanksgiving giving me a sense of relief and joy. Christmas trees and outdoor lights are so magical and make me smile especially when you add Christmas music and cookies.......ahhh, Christmas heaven with sprinkles on top. I like to get the majority of the decorating done by the first weekend after Christmas because it is so much work and I want to enjoy it as much as possible. I like the traditional red and green with some white, gold and silver. So this would lead someone to believe that I've got it all under control, that I was ahead of the game, right? 

Red is a must around my house this time of year.

Well, as I relaxed in my  "I've already decorated" glory while the weeks passed me by. Before I knew it, I had a little more than a week until Christmas with very little accomplished... basically just the decorating. For about 7 days straight I shopped, wrapped, had a family portrait done with Christmas cards, mailing out about 65! Stress City was upon me and I survived!! But what I didn't realize was that not everything has to be perfect all of the time and this is a season of love, family and togetherness. One very special moment was on Christmas eve when we went to church in my home town. I didn't attend that church growing up, but my father in law helped design it and it is where my husband went to church when he was a little boy. I didn't meet my husband until I was in my early 20's but it is very special that we have childhood memories in the same town. Another special memory was spending Christmas weekend with my sister and her family. She has twin boys age two and a half and a five year old daughter. It was wonderful to see those little faces light up on Christmas morning. My daughters have out gown a little of that, but I can still manage to sneak in a little Santa surprise on them! My youngest loves making movies so Santa brought her a very cool video camera, and the oldest got a phone with a lower case "i" in the name which made her smile tremendously. I've still got a little Santa magic up my sleeve..hehe.



The bravest thing my sister and I did was to enter Wal Mart on December 23rd. I like to avoid that place the closer it gets to any major holiday. Maybe it's just me but I don't really enjoy narrow isles, aggressive shoppers and long check out lines. You got to love the ones that completely block the isle with their cart parked at an angle in the middle of the isle. You patiently walk up and just wait hoping they will notice that you need to get by and then after a few seconds you say "excuse me" and they act like they had no idea that thier buggy was completely blocking the isles. Anyways, this shopping trip had some random acts of kindness that caught me off guard. When we first arrive there were not any available carts, not a good sign. As we waited someone brought me one, so kind. As I walked away my sister pointed out that an elderly lady had been waiting before me and I got the cart. Feeling like a complete looser I tuned around to give it to her but someone else was giving her theirs. I spent the whole shopping trip feeling like I turned into one of those rude aggressive shoppers. The second random act of kindness happened on the coffee isle. My sister and I were discussing what brand to buy and some random guy handed my a piece of paper without saying a word. I was a little startled thinking "What is this, is he selling something?" As I quickly walked away, I looked at the paper and it was a dollar off coupon for the coffee I was buying. Feeling like an idiot, again, I went back and thanked him. I just knew I was about to get struck by lightening in Wal Mart right there on the coffee isle. I will do better accepting kindness, I promise!


Christmas brings many beautiful memories, both new and old. I love being a mom to my wonderful daughters and the baking, decorating and shopping we do together are priceless memories. Every year during this time I realize the absence of my own mother who passed away in 2002. She would so enjoy all the things we are doing and my girls would so enjoy her!

 Merry Christmas and Peace to you,
Cori Ann

 

My Mother's Nativity Scene. What it is all really about.

 

Happy Thanksgiving !!

Wow...it's been a long time since I've visited the blog world. I've been so busy with school starting and getting back into the routine of a very scheduled life. As a teacher you go from about two and a half months of unstructured time back to a very precise schedule. It can be a bit of a shock to the system. I love this time of year though, it is my favorite!! Things start slowing down, you get to spend more time with family and eat some great food. Today I've been baking pies and getting green bean casserole ready for a big family gathering, 20 people to be exact. Not at my house, thank goodness. I've hosted before but not for that many and I do not mind at all to take a break and let someone else stress out  host this year. It gives me more time to decorate my Christmas tree and getting ready for the best holiday of the year.... CHRISTMAS!!!

I'm want to share what I've been cooking this morning and tell you how I may do it a little different than the recipe. I tend to put my own twist with recipe. I would be a terrible chef, since I don't think I've ever followed a recipe exactly how it is written. It's just how I think.....that I can come up with a better way. Sometime it works out and sometimes it doesn't. With green bean casserole it did! My apple pie and pumpkin pies aren't to shabby either. I follow the recipes pretty closely except for I always add more cinnamon and sugar.

I followed the Pilsbury's refrigerated roll out pie crust recipe. I peeled and sliced three granny smith apples and three small braeburn apples. I added sugar, flour, and apple pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove).

I love this color :)

Since I'm adding so much fresh fruit, it's healthy right? This means I can have 2 slices.

With all this sugar maybe just one piece.

I'm not showing the pie after I put on the top crust...it's not as pretty.

Where is the whipped cream? I like a little pie with lots of whipped cream...yum!

I followed the French's French Fried Onions recipe for Green Bean Casserole and added sauteed mushrooms and almonds.My thinking on this is that I wanted more mushroom and nutty flavors to the dish. The almonds add a bit of a crunch which I like.

Most of the ingredients....missing milk and french fried onions.

Saute mushrooms

They sure do shrink!!

 

 

 

 

For a gathering of 20 people...you think it is enough?

Bake casseroles  covered at 350 for 40 minutes. Add remaining french fried onions and bake uncovered for 15 minutes. I know it is too late to make these for Thanksgiving, but you can make them for Christmas. For me cooking for Thanksgiving is kinda of a practice run for December 25th :)

I'm so Thankful for my Family, Friends, Health and Happiness. I hope you have plenty to be thankful for also.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!! Gobble till you Wobble

Cori Ann

Bathroom Revival: Mother and Daughter Project:

The bathroom is finished and we are very pleased with how it looks and I had so much fun doing it, along with the help of my lovely assistants daughters. I had offered my oldest daughter who will be turning 13 soon if she wanted her bedroom updated to look more sophisticated and she said "No thank you, my bedroom is fine, but will you please do something about my bathroom, it looks like it belongs to an old lady." I can so this!

The big reveal.

Before: Old Lady Bathroom

Love this blue: Martha Stewart Aegean Blue

My favorite part: Scrapbook paper + spray painted frames= Instant Art

Adding ribbon to plain white towels. I fused it together and then stitched.

Adding ribbon trip to a cheap candle using double sided tape.

Making it just right!

My daughter's personal touch: Adding a bow to the towels.

Here is what we did:

One of the lovely assistants helping with painting.

The bathroom is ready for all of the fun stuff. By the way that green frog tape really does work.

My ridiculous collection of old frames.

Picking out just the right ones and spray painting them glossy white.

Adding pretty scrapbook paper. Only 49 cents a sheet. Score!

Then we added pretty ribbon to two bath towels, four hand towels and a plain white candle. We selected a pretty white shower curtain from target and soap dish and toothbrush holder from Home Goods and white shaggy rugs from Kohl's. My daughters and I had so much fun shopping together and choosing items. I hope they had a much fun as I think they did. It is their bathroom, so I thought it was important that they were involved. I can't wait to attack with decorating gusto the rest of the house. It is long over due and very "Old World". Lots of warm colors that need to be replaced with cool crispness and bright happiness. The warm browns, golds and red was O.K. for a while, but it has got to go. One room at a time:)

Our original inspiration.

 My girls feel proud that they were involved in the decisions and it turned out just the way the had hoped. Future designers, perhaps?

Love, Laugh, Create..
Cori Ann

Trampoline: Before & After, or DIY ?

As I have mentioned before I have quite a to-do list for summer. One of the items is to repair and replace all things damaged from the tornado last Spring. Well here is a before of our fence and trampoline.

I'm glad they are smiling..what they didn't realize was it would take us 3 months to get that crumpled mess back to normal.

We hired someone to fix the fence, but I thought my big girl self could put the trampoline together. I have the summer off, I can be kinda handy, I've got two willing daughters to help, I CAN do this! So the trampoline arrived and oooohh, so many parts, yikes!

By the way, replacing this hideous carpet is on my to-do list also, so embarrassing!

In three days and 3 gallons of sweat and tears ( O.K. I'm exaggerating. It wasn't that bad) we finished. Despite ridiculous directions with awful pictures from the 70's to go with it, we figured it out and and the three of us felt like this when we were done.

I love it! 

So here is the after and my sweeties doing their happy dance...jump, jump, jump.

There it is, and the fence is all new and pretty. Yea, check that off my list. We are almost done with the bathroom re-do. Here is a sneak peak to what is going on.

I will have a show and tell bathroom re-do post on Friday!

Smile,Laugh, Create,
~Cori Ann