Top 5 {St. Patrick's Day}

Hi everyone!

Tomorrow is March! What is that all about?!

I really enjoy St. Patrick's Day - for more than just the green beer! When I was a kid, my mom would dye our food green (normally I liked that...except the time she dyed the milk green, then I thought it had gone bad!)

Unfortunately, this year I won't be decorating for St. Patrick's Day at all. Our move is getting close (in just three and a half weeks!) and everything needs to be packed and ready to go. So, no decorating for me.

However, that doesn't stop me for oogling all the fun St. Patrick's Day goodies on Pinterest!

5. "Shamrock" Stamp I love this! And to be honest, I'm wondering why I didn't think of this sooner... I don't have any shamrock stamps or punches, but I definitely have hearts!

Click Here to See Pin

4. Scraps + Stickers = An Awesome Piece of Artwork I know I have lots of left over shamrock stickers from layouts and parties and such. And I know I have scraps! This is so easy, I think I could put

Click Here to See Pin

3. Edible Leprechaun Hat YUM! How cute is this. If the 15th weren't my last day at work, I'd totally bring these in for my kids!

Click Here to See Pin

2. Ribbon Wreath This is definitely something I could do in the car on the way to Baton Rouge. A wire hanger + fabric scraps. I have a ton of scraps in some very spring colors. I'll have to look for them tonight :)

Click Here to See Pin

1. Burlap Wreath I love the look of burlap for spring (and fall...and weddings...) But I really love the way it makes the green and white fabric pop here. I cannot wait to make this wreath - next March!

Click Here to See Pin

Bonus! Because really, what is life without a bonus

You all may recognize this one from Becky's blog. I love love love these shirts that she made for her girls! Especially the pink and the green, what a fabulous way to stand out just a little bit on St. Patrick's Day!

Click Here to See Pin

WOYWW {02.27.2013}

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is the day that we all share our desk's over at Julia's.

Mine is still a mess. I was working on my Project Life pages on the couch, but I "put away" the binder on my desk ;) The stamps are left over from the million things we've had to mail to Louisiana for our lease and my certification...I should probably put those away too!

What's on your desk today?

It Started in a Riot {Wedding Blog}

Hi everyone!

First of all, I am so glad I finally finished and shared that Project Life page from yesterday. I feel like the terrible creative block I had has been lifted and I'm back to my crafty self! *Insert a huge sigh of relief here*

Ironically, with all my crafty juices flowing, I don't have a craft project to share with you today!

But I do have something fun to tell you about...I decided to start a wedding blog.

Of course, I won't stop sharing all of my wedding projects and crafts and plans here too (because honestly, I just love talking about all our plans!), but this one is all wedding, all the time!

itstartedinariot.blogspot.com

Tomorrow we will be back to our regularly scheduled scrappy blogging :)

Project Life 25 {Week 34}

I have a confession to make.

I'm really behind on my Project Life pages. I totally messed up the weeks/days on the last page I did, and when I realized it, I was so frustrated with myself, I had to step away from the project for a little bit. Of course, that meant I forgot to take pictures, which only got me more upset when I went to make the layouts and had no photographs for them!

The plan was to fix it on Friday, after the moving people came with the boxes, but that didn't happen. Fortunately, during the Oscars last night, I finally sat down and fixed it!

I know you all saw this page before when I accidentally put it in week 33. But now its part of week 34...and I'm still trying to figure out how to fix week 33, but that's okay!

No pictures was originally freaking me out! Instead, I went to my Oh Life entries, printed them out and mounted them on patterned paper.

What do you do when you get overwhelmed/frustrated/upset with a project?

Third Thursday Scrapbook Stories {02.21.2013}

Hi everyone!

Its the third Thursday of January, which means I'm over at Julie's :)

But I'll be back tomorrow with a Project Life layout!

WOYWW {02.20.2013}

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is the day that we all share our desk's over at Julia's.

Right now, moving planning has taken over my desk. My calendar is open to April - when we will be in Baton Rouge! I can't believe it.

I'm hoping I can scrap more, but I think its going to be packed up soon :(

Blogs and Awards and Tags, Oh My!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

I had yesterday off from work, and I enjoyed it so much :) There is so much to do before the move, and it was nice to cross a bunch of things off of my list. Like booking a moving company, and getting my taxes done, and mailing in the last few pieces paperwork for my Louisiana certification! Definitely feels good to accomplish those things.

But, today, its back to work.

At least there are a few fun things happening here!

First, Maisie and Gita both nominated me for a Liebster Blog Award! Thank you both ladies.



Then Julie tagged me in a post!

So, I'm supposed to answer these 25 questions from Julie. You can stop by here to see her answers too!

1. Where were you born? Long Island, New York. My family still lives there, but I don't anymore :(

See, I packed all my stuff. Even my bike. Now this is all in Chicago. Until March. Then its all going to Baton Rouge!

2. Were you named after someone? My parents thought of the name Kaitlin after seeing the movie The Verdict. And my middle name is after my grandmother.

3. If you have children, how many do you have? I don't have kids yet :)

4. How many pets do you have? I have a dog named Benny, but he lives at home with my parents!

5. What was your worst injury? I haven't been injured too badly, but I broke a rib once, by coughing too hard. That was painful and weird!

6. Do you have a special talent? Ummmm...not that I can think of....

7. What's your favorite thing to bake? Chocolate chip cookies or slutty brownies! I really love slutty brownies!

8. What's your favorite fast food? Pizza!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! <- 100000000000="" br="" by="" exclamation="" multiply="" nbsp="" points="" the="">


9. Would you bungee jump? No. Just the idea freaks me out. Let's move on.

10. What is the first thing you notice about people? If they smile. I like people who smile when they say hello. People who don't smile seem kind of mean!

11. When was the last time you cried? Saturday. I went to get my engagement ring resized and the woman wasn't very helpful. After waiting three hours, I went back to get it and it still didn't fit. I thought I'd have to leave it overnight and kind of freaked out...

12. Any current worries? Finding a job in Baton Rouge!

13. Name three drinks you drink regularly. Tea, water and more tea!

14. What is your favorite book? This is a really good question! I'm not sure what my favorite is. But I do read the Odyssey by Homer every summer. So that's my "most read" book. Does that count?

15. Would you like to be a pirate? YES!

16. What are your favorite smells? The way the air smells just before it snows, olive oil heating up in a pan after you throw a clove of garlic in, apples and pumpkins and cinammon

17. Why do you blog? At first it was because I wanted to share my scrapbook pages. Now its because of that and because I love all of my bloggy friends and I love seeing what is going on with them!

18. What song do you want played at your funeral? My dad wants Spirit in the Sky. I think I'd like that too.

19. What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I worry too much. Way too much. 

20. What is your favorite hobby? Scrapbooking and photography. I'm not sure which I love more! But I love that they go hand in hand so well. I photograph things, then I scrap them :)

21. What do you look for in a friend? Someone who is truthful and kind. The best kinds of friends are the ones who you can not see for a while, then you get together and its like no time at all has been missed!

22. Name something you have done you never thought you would do. Oh wow, where do I start? I never thought I'd move off of Long Island, or live in the south, or even listen to country, let alone have it played at my wedding...

23. What are you favorite things to do? Well, I love spending time with AJ and my family and friends, and scrapping and cooking. But the first that I thought of? I love being able to sit and enjoy a cup of tea in the morning, extra points if its outside.

24. Any pet peeves? People who play their headphones so loud that I can hear them.

25. What's the last thing that made you laugh? AJ's taking out the garbage walk. There are no words to describe it really, but he was messing around going down the hallway with all these silly walks.

Now I'm supposed to award the Liebster Blog Award to 5 blogs with under 200 followers. And I'm also supposed to tag people for Julie's questions.

But, I always feel bad. I worry that I will leave someone out and their feelings will get hurt.

So, if you have under 200 followers - congratulations! You've won the Liebster Blog Award!

And if you want to answer these questions - congratulations! You've been tagged!

Yay!!! Everyone is included!!!

Cranberry Tea Scones {Weight Watchers 4 PP}

Happy Friday!

How was your Valentine's Day?

Mine was a lot of fun - except for a technical problem that left me unable to post yesterday! Arg!

I know today is supposed to be a Project Life day, but I really wanted to post this, so that's what I'm going to do :)

For Valentine's Day this year, AJ and I decided we weren't going to do anything too big as far as gifts went. So I decided to get creative, and raid our kitchen for a little bit of help! I took a white tray, and loaded it up with all the fun brunch things I could think of (and left out one of our favorites - coffee cake, because AJ gave up sweets for Lent!)

Eggs, bacon (not pictured, because who wants raw meat sitting on a tray?), cinnamon brown sugar pancakes, cranberry scones, fancy coffee for AJ and of course, fuzzy pjs, because the best part of brunch at home is you can wear your pjs!

I'm most looking forward to the scones. They are delicious! I got this recipe from my mom, who got it from Weight Watchers. I've changed it up a little, based on the ingredients I have here at home. But its only 4 points, and with some fruit and a cup of tea, one of these scones is a very yummy breakfast!

Cranberry Tea Scones

You will need:
1/2 cup all purpose flour + 1/2 cup whole wheat flour (or you can use 1 cup a.p. flour)
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp + 1 tsp sugar
2 Tbsp butter, melted and cooled
1/4 cup + 1 tsp skim milk
3 Tbsp Egg Beaters
1 1/2 tsp orange zest (or clementine zest...)
1/3 cup dried cranberries

What to do:
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
Combine the flours, baking powder, salt and 1 Tbsp sugar is a bowl. Stir in the butter with a fork until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Combine 1/4 cup milk, egg beaters and zest in a small bowl.
Stir the milk mixture into the flour mixture until just blended.
Stir in the cranberries.
Gather the dough into a ball and knead on a lightly floured surface for about 30 seconds (it will be very sticky at first!)
Shape the dough into a 1/2 inch thick disk.
Brush with 1 tsp of milk and sprinkle with 1 tsp of sugar.
Cut into 6 wedges and transfer to a baking sheet.
Bake until golden brown, about 10-12 minutes.
Serve warm!

And since they are up there, I'll share my "recipe" for cinnamon brown sugar pancakes. I got it from the side of the Aunt Jemima box.


Cinnamon Brown Sugar Pancakes

You will need:
1 cup Aunt Jemima original pancake mix
3/4 cup milk
1 Tbsp oil
1 egg
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbsp brown sugar


What to do:
Heat up a skillet over medium-low heat.
Combine everything and mix until the big lumps go away. Let it stand for a minute or two to thicken up.
Use a ladle to pour about 1/4 cup (or one ladle-full) of batter onto the skillet for each pancake.
Flip when they bubble at the edges.
Enjoy with butter or syrup or both!

So there they are! All my fancy brunch recipes (except for the coffee cake). What is your favorite breakfast treat?

*The PointsPlus® values for these products and/or recipes were calculated by me and are not an endorsement or approval of the product, recipe or its manufacturer or developer by Weight Watchers International, Inc., the owner of the PointsPlus® registered trademark.

WOYWW {2.13.2013}

Happy Wednesday everyone! Today is the day that we all share our desk's over at Julia's.

Last week, I really needed to clean my desk, as we had moving people coming to give us an estimate.

Now my desk is really clean! Let's see how long I can keep it so neat!

{Valentine's Day} Treat Bags

Happy Tuesday!

Valentine's Day is in just 2 days! It is definitely my favorite holiday. I get so into Valentine's Day, decorating, sending cards, celebrating, everything!

One of my favorite things is to make treat bags for AJ.

This year, I bought these heart treat bags from Walmart and a whole bunch of candy - peanut M&Ms, heart shaped Reese's and Hershey's kisses.

Then, I used these K&Company Valentine's Tags. They've apparently been discontinued, but Michaels had a whole ton of them!

Every day, I find a cute place to surprise AJ with the candy. Usually I put them on his place mat on the dining room table, or by his wallet or cell phone before he leaves in the morning. Its such a fun tradition, and I can't wait until I have kids and can start doing this with my whole family :)

Some of the tags read:
You Make My {heart} Skip a Beat (Reese's Hearts)
I Love Your Hugs and Kisses (Hershey's Kisses)
you're aMazing
                 &
                 Magnificent (M&Ms)

Do you have any Valentine's Day traditions?

Project Life 25 {Week 34}

I am so glad that it is finally Friday.

Yesterday, I had a terrible migraine, which has fortunately gone away. But I was definitely feeling very grumpy yesterday when I got home from work. Not that my students are loud, but any type of noise + light + computer screens are not my friend on migraine days!

Putting together my project life page definitely helped though :)

I didn't have a ton of pictures from this week {December 31, 2012 - January 6, 2013} so I used lots of inserts and things instead.

Top Row: Project Life Cobalt Kit Title Card ~ Sassafras Count Me In papers I won in Christina's giveaway over the summer
Middle Row: Tags + Stamps + Washi Tape ~ Part of the PL kit packaging, repurposed ~ PL kit card
Bottom Row: One of my favorite mugs ~ Our new perpetual calendar

Top Row: Pretty flowers for New Year's ~ More Count Me In papers
Middle Row: Journaling, on another cheery piece of Count Me In papers ~ Playing Logo with AJ
Bottom Row: Blondie + Vanilla Ice Cream + Hot Fudge dessert shooter ~ Fireworks over Navy Pier at midnight

Tonight and tomorrow AJ and I have to clean and organize for the moving companies to come. I am hoping to get some crafting time in on Sunday though. I have been away from my desk for way too long, and I'd like to scrap last Valentine's Day before this one!

Do you have any crafting plans for the weekend?

WOYWW {02.06.2013}

Happy WOYWW! The day where crafters from around the world link up with Julia and then get to sneak a peek at each other's desks!

My desk is still in a state of epic messiness. I'm not sure exactly what is happening, but I do know that this weekend, it will get organized, because we have a moving company coming in some time next week to give us a quote.

Speaking of, does anyone know of a good moving company that will do cross-country moves? We called Mayflower and one more but the name escapes me right now. But we are still looking around!

What's going on on your desk? Link up with Julia and let us all know!

Valentine's Day Mirror

Hi everyone!

One of my favorite things to decorate is our bathroom mirror. Its a little unexpected, but cheerful!

This year, just like last year, I used gel clings from Michaels. They hold up well to the moisture from the shower, and they held up well in storage last year too!

And best of all - they make me smile in the morning!

What is your favorite unexpected place to decorate?

Scavenger Hunt Sunday {02.03.2013}

Hi everyone! I hope you all enjoyed Super Bowl Sunday! We watched the game here, and ate waaay too much! AJ made a bbq chicken dip (recipe HERE) and I made a homemade spinach dip (recipe HERE). They were both delicious - although way too much food :)

Hidden

Normally we can see Navy Pier from our window. This week, it was hidden by the snow!

Plain

My very plain tea, a little milk, no sugar. But I love it :)

Left

The view to our left Saturday, as we walked back home after running errands.

Fast

This is actually an older picture, taken in October, of the very fast waves Hurricane Sandy caused on Lake Michigan.

Peace

An origami crane made by one of my students. I think they represent peace, right?

Well, that is it for me today! I'm off to go make some more tea and watch the snow fall before school starts!

What are you up to this morning?

Linking up with:

Project Life 25 {Week 33}

I am so happy that it is Friday!

Did you play along with Ali Edward's "Day in the Life" yesterday?

I did, thinking it would be a typical day. But it was anything but!

The morning started out normally, until I was going back to my classroom with my newly-made cup of tea. I'm not sure if they door got stuck, or if it opened too easily or what, but that newly made cup of tea ended up being on my neck, chest and stomach!

The burns looked terrible, and I rushed to the doctor. But fortunately, most of them were superficial. There are a few spots that are worse, but nothing that won't go away!

But wow - what a start to my Day in the Life!

I'm excited to start adding the Day in the Life inserts to my Project Life pages though.

But until I can work on that, I finally finished up my Project Life pages about Christmas!

I realized I didn't take very many pictures on Christmas, so I used lots of free printables to fill in the blanks (these can be found here)
Top Row: AJ and I by the Christmas tree
Middle Row/Bottom Row: My "trendy" Christmas Eve outfit ~ A gigantic box of chocolates!

Please excuse the big block here. I included a picture of my mom's dress for my wedding, but she's asked me not to post it on the internet!
But, there are two pictures you can see. The ridiculous power outlet I had to use at O'Hare. There were no plugs anywhere, so I found this on in a boarding lane and was allowed to sit and charge until the plane boarded!
And that other picture is of a cheesesteak...and a stick! AJ and I ordered from one of our {former} favorites in Chicago, and when AJ bit into his cheesesteak this time, he found a stick! What is that about?!

I am really relieved to be done with December, and I'm really looking forward to this month's Project Life pages. Valentine's Day is my favorite holiday to decorate for, and to celebrate. I love how cheerful it is!

And of course, the Super Bowl is on Sunday. The commercials are my favorite part, aside from the yummy snacks!

Do you have any plans for Super Bowl Sunday this weekend? I am trying to put together a menu of fun snacks, if you have a favorite Super Bowl treat, let me know in the comments!