another makeover

I have an old file cabinet in my preschool room that holds all of my lesson plans

and other important things that I need to keep at hands reach.

Well, this summer as we painted the preschool room,

 I got to thinking that this old guy needed some paint too!

So...... I emptied it, and dragged it out to the garage.

I removed the hardware and sanded it quickly with a very fine sandpaper, then wiped it down with a damp cloth to remove any dust or dirt that might be on it.

I picked this "oh my gorgeous!" color to spray it with.....

 A couple of cans of spray paint later and, WALLLL-AAAA! It was transformed.

I looooove how it turned out!

It looks so happy in the preschool room!

(Incidentally, I turn the file cabinet like this so the kids can play with magnets on the side of it.

It's like an extra magnet board in the room!)

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find something else I can paint with this fabulous color! :):):)

a DIY chalkboard table

One of my favorite things to do is write on chalk boards.

I know, I know, that's a strange admission.

But, I just like the feel of the chalk and the fun of being able to erase and re-write.

Here in preschool we use small chalk boards to practice our writing of letters and drawing of shapes.

The chalk is easy for their little hands to manipulate and the erasing helps in building the muscles

that will help them write with pencils later on.  

Well, the time came that I needed another preschool table.

I had a rather brilliant idea (if I do say so myself) to have the mister build me one....

BUT instead of having a "normal" top, I wanted to paint it with chalkboard paint.

It works so well that we use it exclusively as a chalkboard table.

I let the kiddos stand around it and doodle to their hearts content!

AND....it was so easy to make!

Craig cut out a regular old piece of plywood the length and width that I requested.

He framed it and supported it with cut 1"x4"s.

 He attached the legs, which we picked up at Lowe's, and I painted the top with chalkboard paint.

I masked off the edges when I painted, and then after it had dried for 24 hrs.,

I masked off the top and painted the edges.

Every couple of years, I touch up the paint using the same technique.

Chalkboard paint comes in a spray paint option, as well as by the quart or gallon.

You can use the chalkboard paint on anything.....

walls, doors, cookie sheets (for a cute magnet board!), etc.

 It's so fun!

What do you do in the summertime?

There is a song that I learned as a child that began with the question,

"What do you do in the summertime, when all the world is green?"

Well, I don't believe the person who composed that song ever came to Arizona in the summer. Ha ha! There sure isn't anything green once summer hits here.

We have been enjoying cooler temps these last few weeks, though. It's technically spring all over the rest of the United States, but it seems Arizona skips right over spring and jumps right into summer.

We just finished up with preschool so my summer has officially started. I sure am going to miss all of these cute little people coming to my my house 3 times a week!

We always take a silly face picture when we have our class pictures. It seems to get all those funny faces "out of the way" before we take our serious one.

With the warmer weather approaching, the bugs start appearing.

A huge grasshopper came to visit recently.

Rusty had some fun with it before I set it free.

I also managed a finish last week.

I found a small shelf at a thrift store right about 3 years ago. It looked like it had been out in a garage or something because it was dirty and stained. But that was a bonus for me as it was only $5!

I painted it tan and stuck it in our master bathroom toilet room, affectionately referred to as "The Library".

Since there isn't a place to store TP in there and to avoid one having to fetch some from another place causing one to potentially be caught with their pants down (literally), this shelf served its purpose well.

But, it wasn't that attractive. Soooo, I had the mister cut a top for it and I gave it a little face lift.

Now that's much better to look at while one is......er....."brainstorming". ;)

Oh....I almost forgot.

I have a little secret.......

I found another chair!  

Isn't it awesome?!?! I can't wait to get started on the make over!

Fast, easy AND delicious!

We are BIG fans of carrot cake here at the Carter house.

In fact, when Craig I got married, our wedding cake was a carrot cake. :)

I have tried  several recipes over the years,

but have never found one that we have loved enough to make again and again.

Now that 3/4 of our children are no longer residing here and with Craig being gone most of

every week to track meets, I haven't been baking a whole lot.

No sense baking when I would be the one eating the majority of the baked goods.

And if you've ever caught a glimpse of my girth,

you'll understand why I should avoid anything that could potentially add to it.

But, I found a recipe from good 'ol Martha Stewart that is fast, easy and delicious!

I would love to pass on the recipe to you!

:):):)

Spiced Carrot Cake

1/4 c vegetable oil    (I used butter) 

1 c all purpose flour (I used 1/2 c. wheat and 1/2 c. white flour)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I used pumpkin pie spice)

2 lg. eggs

1/2 c granulated sugar

1/3 c packed light brown sugar

1/3 c low-fat plain yogurt (I used an orange flavor because I didn't have plain and it was yummy!)

1 c finely chopped carrots

Preheat oven to 350*. Grease and flour an 8-inch baking dish.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk eggs, sugars, yogurt, and oil until smooth. Gently mix egg mixture into dry ingredients until moistened. Mix in carrots. Transfer batter to prepared pan. Bake 35-40 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 15 min. and turn out of pan. Cool completely right side up.

Apply glaze or confectioners sugar on top.

(Glaze- 1/2 c. confectioners sugar with enough liquid (water, milk, apple juice) to make an appropriate texture to drip over cake top. I made mine extra thin.)

This cake is healthier than most! It's light and fluffy and very tasty. If you like nuts, I think they could be easily added as well.

I usually always have shredded carrots in the freezer to use for recipes like this. When we have an over abundance of things like carrots, zucchini, peppers, onions or celery, I chop them in the food processor and freeze them in freezer bags in 1/2c. to 1c. portions. They can be thawed and put in recipes like this, or I even add them to soups and sauces.

                           I also wanted to share this fun little preschool activity that we did today.

We have been learning about our community helpers this week and today we talked about firefighters.

This was provided by a really great preschool mom. :)

The truck is a piece of bread with a square cut out of the top. It's covered with strawberry jam.

The window is a Cheezit. The ladder is made of pretzels.

The wheels are Oreo cookies with the creme filling removed. The light on top is a cherry. 

The kids had a blast making them AND eating them!

Enjoy your day!

Calling all turkeys!

Let me be clear....I am not calling any of you a turkey.

It's just that I love the whole "turkey" theme of Thanksgiving.

I love putting my turkey's out to display after storing away all the remnants of Halloween.

This little guy is one of my favorites.

And, this big fabric turkey makes me happy when I bring him out of the storage bin and sit him on the shelf. He is holding a rather large sign, but I think he's doing a great job at it.

I would like to believe that he is personally reminding us to remember to be thankful! :)

I love the turkey theme so much that I dedicate a whole preschool day to turkeys.

I call it.....(wait for it....) TURKEY DAY!

We make our own little turkey puppet to sing with one of my favorite Thanksgiving songs.

Albuquerque the Turkey

sung to "My Darlin, Clementine"

It goes a little something like this.....

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And he's feathered and he's fine.

And he wobbles and he gobbles,

And I'm awfully glad he's mine.

He's the best pet that you'll ever get,

Better than a dog or cat,

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

And I'm awfully glad of that.

Albuquerque, he's my turkey,

He's so cozy in his bed,

Because for our Thanksgiving dinner,

We had scrambled eggs instead.

I know you will be singing this little ditty all day long now.

But.....just go with it.

 :):):)

A "Feel-Good Moment" for you....

There are moments in life where all is right with the world........

Last Thursday I had one of these moments.

On Thursdays, the kids and I stack all the chairs and fold up the tables and clean up the preschool room. I usually put on some music while we do this.

As we were picking up, I hear Bailey A. say to Gavin, "You put your hand right here, I'll put my hand on your shoulder, then hold my hand like this." It melted my heart!

I decided that I would grab my camera, stop our cleaning up and dance for a little while.  

 

We decided that we would switch partners everytime they heard our little bell ring.

Bailee I. asked Gavin to "dip" her!

Nicholas didn't want to put his toy down to dance....the mouth is a very convenient toy holder!

Look how happy they are!

Oh, the concentration......;)

A little Western swing.....

And then,  we did a little line dancing.

                                We had so much fun that we danced right through story time!

So, I will sign off for now.....I am going to go put some music on and dance my way through the laundry! :)

Sending some sunshine....

Given the fact that the rest of the United States has been held in Mother Natures cold and snowy grip these last few weeks, I thought I would share a little of the Arizona sunshine with you. We made these yesterday in preschool as we were discussing the color yellow. Isn't it interesting that just a little preschool art project can brighten up a space?? Keep warm my blogging friends. And just know that even though we are enjoying the temperatures in the high 60's, most of us (me, especially) are truly miserable in the summer! ;)

Oh Christmas Tree.....

Oh Christmas Treeeeee......How lovely are thy branches......Hmmm Hmm.Hmm.Hmmm.......Hmmm Hmm.Hmm.Hmm...... Pardon the singing. I just can't help myself these days. I look forward to Christmas carols ALL. YEAR. LONG. I really enjoy listening to them while I bake or sew. Or in the car, doing the dishes, folding laundry....You get the picture, right?? :) Well, I thought I would share a couple of little art projects that we did here at preschool this last week. Now that school is about to be over until the first of the year and all the kiddos will be home (anxiously awaiting Christmas morning), maybe you can keep them busy with one of these projects. First of all, I found these fun little craft foam trees on clearance at Micheal's this summer. There was a stack of 30 for about $2. This might be something to be on the look out for when you are shopping the after Christmas clearance sales. (Just the other day I spotted some gingerbread men shapes, some stars and snowflakes and several others that I will snagging up when they go on 75% off!) Punch a hole in the top for a ribbon hanger.....

Apply glue in any way desired...........

Add sequins......and WHALA! You have a shiny, shimmery ornament for the kids to hang on the tree.

Another fun idea is to invert a sugar cone on a paper plate into a glob of frosting. Let the children cover the sugar cone with green frosting using a plastic knife......

Add candies and sprinkles to "decorate" the tree.....

See Bailee's gumdrop star??? (So adorable!)

Here is one of the finished products. This activity is fantastic for developing fine motor skills. Of course, if you do make these, just know that there will be a lot of THIS going on..........

:):):):):):):):):):):):):):) You know you smiled!

Preschool joy.....or not?

This week has been a taxing week at preschool. Don't get me wrong....I LOVE the little children that come here every year. They are adorable and I would take any one of them and love them as my own ....if only their parents would let me! ;) This week, there was far too much Halloween excitement, not to mention an injury of a child that upset me greatly. I am exhausted. PHEW! Thank goodness for miracles (no broken bones, just bruising) and resting days. (that's what I call the days that we don't have preschool) I wanted to share this activity we did last week. We talk about how animals prepare for winter in all parts of the world. We talk about how birds fly south to warmer climates during the winter and how lucky WE are to have all those birds come and vacation with us here in Arizona. We made a pine cone bird feeder. This was the funnest (and stickiest) project for the kiddos! I mix up about a cup of Karo syrup or honey (with a little water added just to make it a little runnier) with a cup of birdseed. The kids push the mixture into the pine cone with a plastic spoon. The spoon is usually forgotten when the children figure out how "cool" it feels to push it in with their hands. :) We added a piece of yarn for hanging after it dried. This is Emma and her creation! When the honey or Karo syrup dries it is so shiny. The birds devour these sorts of treats! (**a funny side note.....A few days after completing this project, I discovered green things growing up from the drain in the preschool bathroom sink....it took me a minute to figure out what it was, but then I remembered how much birdseed I washed off of little fingers and hands that day!) There truly is never a dull moment! :)

I'm Ba-ack!

Well, we got the ol' computer running smoothly again. Thank goodness. I am happy to be with all of my fine blogging friends again....:) Preschool has just ended for the summer break. I am always so sad to have it end. It is hard for me to let them go...especially the ones that wont be back next year because they are off to kindergarten. This is sweet little Kyra. I am so glad she will be returning in August for the new preschool year. She is a little cutie! (Although she may give me a run for my money as she has a bit of a crush on Craig--who, by the way, thinks it's wonderful!) I have had some fabulous luck at the Goodwill stores lately. This little shelf already had it's makeover....(sorry, the "before" picture accidentally was deleted.) At first, this shelf had a metal clock face on it where the pretend drawer is now. It was painted a horrid orangey-red color. I went with my usual go-to color of black and roughed it up a bit. I will be looking for the perfect place for this right away! :) I also found this small quilt. Now, I am not a fan of the blue (it's actually quite a lot darker in real life) but the piecing and hand quilting are top notch. I think I will use some Rit dye and make it more primitive looking. I believe I will be hanging this in the upstairs hallway...for now!

Here are a few other things awaiting their makeover.....

Seriously. Who gives this stuff away?????

The saltbox house has a little hole for a clip light. The rooster cupboard opens up to some shelves, and that little tin pail will find a comfortable home on one of the many pegs I have around here. I am still trying to decide what to do with the hanging box.....ideas anyone???

Take care everyone!

To make you smile...

When I tell people what I do "for a living", I often get an exasperated response from them. They usually say something like, "Oh! I could NEVER do that!". But the truth is, I LOVE these little children that come through my doors year after year. What could be more precious than a 3 or 4 year old?? They are so full of life and wonder. They hang on your every word (usually! LOL). They love you back. I get so much joy from them! We had a little Easter hunt last Thursday. Craig was home so I had him hide the goodies while I kept the kiddos busy. Here is Craig, (aka the Easter Bunny) giving last minute instructions to the crew of eager children. He was such a good sport---He took FOREVER to hide all the goodies. When I saw what he did, I understood why. He strategically placed treats everywhere in cute little groupings. Then, he walked through the house with them "helping" them find his hiding spots! :) It was adorable! Today we started our community helpers unit. We talked about barbers and beauticians today. We played "beauty shop" and I was the hair dresser. We fluffed and combed and sprayed.

We talked about how we need to tell the hairdresser how we want our hair to be done. Spencer wanted a Mohawk. His hair was too curly, but I did my best. :)

Emma wanted hers like Hannah Montana's, Lacey wanted hers fluffy, and Nevaeh just said she didn't want hers "all crazy". I didn't include photos of everyone, but they all went home with some new hair-do's!!

And finally, here is a shot of the ladder Craig made me. I wanted it a little wider so I could put several quilts on it. The rag doll is one I made for Ragan many years ago. She is in the need of a makeover, I think. Since I am in the hairdresser mode today, maybe she will get a little "pick-me-up".

Have a fantastic day!

OXOX

I am trying to keep my chicks in a row....

Today in preschool we learned about how baby chicks are born and what they have to do to come into the world. We talked about how hard it is for the little chick to hatch out of its egg and that the mommy chicken doesn't help the chick at all. We discussed that the chick develops strength as it is slowly but surely pecks away at the shell until it can escape. We also talked about how important it is for the chick to develop that strength so it can survive outside of its egg. It just reminded me of all the times in our lives that we have had to face something that seems to be insurmountable. The times that we face an obstacle alone. The times when our only choice to deal with it so we can move on to the next step in our lives. It's my guess that we have all had many moments like this. Believe it or not, I am finally at a point where I am thankful for these times. I have learned so much from them. That's certainly not to say that I am looking forward to the next hard time, but I know the strength that I was able to develop will be useful to me the next time it does. So today I am thankful---for many, many things. :):):)

Color me thankful....

We are counting our blessings here at the Carter home. ......humble yourselves even unto the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye may live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you. (Alma 34:38) I have been pondering on the many, many blessings that I receive daily. Sometimes, when life gets difficult, it is easy to only notice the hard things. I keep a journal that I write down things that I am blessed with so that I can go back and read them when I feel like things aren't going my way. I also try to write down where I have seen the Lord's hand in my life. These are a few things that I have been thinking about lately............... It's been raining here in AZ the last couple of days. The smell of the rain in the desert is something amazing. It smells so wonderful. The weather is a little cooler and it feels fabulous! Cleetus has left me....and he took his kooky son, Billy Bob with him....... Craig is back with beautiful new teeth. Billy Bob has promised to visit, but Cleetus says he is never coming back. My Craig is such a wonderful man. I love him for all that he is. He works so hard to provide for his family. He totally cracks me up. He has little nick-names for me (and everyone else, for that matter...). My favorite..."Yerma". It's short for "your my wife".

My children never cease to amaze me. They inspire me to be a better person. They absolutely bring so much joy to my life. Their personalities are all so different and unique. I am eternally grateful for each one of them. My life is richly blessed because of them.

Even though they do naughty things when I am not here......

Like this magic marker fight that Mark and Ragan got into one day. Each one declared themselves the "winner".

I am very thankful for our home. It is comfortable with plenty of room for all of us, plus more. It makes me feel so good when it is packed with family and friends.

We had a small group for dinner yesterday. Justin was here with us. His family went out of town. We also had the missionaries here. Elder Horrocks is still here after 6 months. We are glad because he is so fun. We have a new missionary...Elder VanWagoner. He has only been out for 3 weeks. We were supposed to have some other people on our guest list but when they found out the missionaries were going to be here, they decided not to come. It made me feel so bad. These young men are away from their families. Sometimes very far away. Please, if you ever see a missionary...say hello. Don't be afraid of them. All they are doing is sharing the sweet message of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. They love to talk to everyone and anyone.

Here are all the kids playing a game.....

Elder VanWagoner played the piano for hours. Since we are more of the singing variety in this house, it was a nice change to hear beautiful music coming from our piano. We are what I call "plunkers" when it comes to piano playing. :)

In preschool, Our little Thanksgiving feast went off without a hitch. Most of the kids liked the food. Of course there are some that don't like to eat much, but I have come to expect that. On the menu we had,

Chicken legs (our turkey)

corn (Squanto taught the pilgrims how to plant corn)

corn muffins with butter

dried fruit (we talked about how the pilgrims did not have refrigerators and they had to have a way to make their food last through the winter)

and of course, pumpkin pie.

The children came dressed as a Pilgrim or an Indian.

The children set their own place at the table.

It was so fun. I am grateful that these little children are in my life. They bring me so much happiness. They each have fantastic parents that I proudly call my friends.

I am also thankful for all the friends that I have made here in Blogland. Thank you for "visiting" me and saying such kind things. It has really restored my faith in human nature!

And, you should all be happy to know that our $20 washing machine is working famously. It actually spins the clothes so well that the drying time is so much less than before!

I am so thankful that the price of gas has gone down. I can't believe how much! Here the cheapest I have seen is $1.79/gallon. Now I can finally fill the suburban for less than $100! It hasn't had a full tank in I don't know how long!

Of course there are many more countless things that I am thankful for. I hope I will always be worthy of my blessings.

Have a fantastic day!