Floral Filing

So I had been seeing these amazing filing cabinet transformations around Pinterest lately and have been dying to create one of my own. Now that I have a classroom to prepare my parents have been on the look out for cheap office furniture and since I'm basically starting from the ground up in my classroom they snagged this beauty for me at a church sale!

Oh, the ideas were flowing, my mind was racing! Of, course I had to pick out my classroom colors first and then design around those. (I'll save that story for another day. Just picture me sitting on the bed with paint swatches all around me discussing with my husband which pink he thought looked best... he's such a trooper!)

But after I finalized my thoughts, off to the craft store I went! Primer? Check! Spray paint? Check! just the right paper? Check! (little did I know these cabinet fronts were a wonky shape so I had to get crafty with my paper)

First I used what was left of my primer from my lamp. I knew I should've gotten another can because I ran out. But ideally you'll only be able to see a little bit of left side of it in my classroom, so I just primered the important parts. Let dry..... now the fun part! I settled for watermelon because I wanted it to be a darker, more sophisticated, hot pink. Right? Luckily, I bought two cans of this and had just enough to cover all the areas that would be showing. ( a.k.a. not the back)

Let me tell you. Spray painting large surfaces is not for weak hands! After I let my fingers and thumb rest for a good while and I had control over those muscles again It was back to work. Since my paper wasn't big enough to cover the surface in one piece ( and I couldn't figure out how to get the hardware off the front.) I decided the best way would be to cut it into 3 inch, 2 inch, and 1.5 inch strips and Mod Podge it around everything. Thank the Lord for Mod Podge! The first one took the longest because after I had all my notches figured out and cut I could then make the templates for the other drawers.

At this point it was about 1:00 in the afternoon and I was stinking hot! I decided to move my operation inside. After I did that, got everything set up and the wind wasn't threatening to take my dainty little templates away, it was smooth sailing.

Ta Da!! I apologize for the picture quality, there's only so much I can do with hallway lights. I'm glad we moved it inside though, because it is raining like crazy now! But I still think it's beautiful! I get too excited everytime I look at it.

Gosh, I am chomping at the bit to get her into my classroom and jazz things up a little! I hope you have a lovely day filled with floral productivity!

Little Lasagna Love

(pinterest picture)(source)

Ok, I made these little lovelies a couple of weeks back for my family and I have been dying to share them with you! They are so much fun and pretty easy to make. The best part? You don't feel like you have to take a heaping spoonful out and the leftovers are super easy to save and reheat! No messy scooping and plopping. (I bet you didn't know normal lasagna was that messy, huh?)

Note: My pictures are not nearly as pretty as hers, but you'll get the point!

Ingredients
12 oz raw ground turkey
¼ tsp salt, divided ( I used garlic salt)
¼ tsp pepper
1 cup chopped onion
½ cup chopped mushrooms
14.5 oz can crushed tomatoes, or tomato sauce
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tsp dried oregano, divided ( I used Italian seasoning instead of oregano and basil)
½ tsp dried basil
1 ½ cups part skim ricotta cheese
24 small square won ton wrappers (the kind near the tofu in the refrigerated section of the produce dept)
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

I must confess that I did not follow the measurements exactly. I used more turkey, tomato sauce, mozzarella and ricotta cheese. I also just seasoned to my hearts content. I omitted the onion and mushrooms because I despise mushrooms, but I'm sure if you like them then they would taste wonderful!

Preheat oven to 375ºF.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat. Add the turkey, onions, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Crumble the meat and saute the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until the turkey is cooked through. Add the garlic and stir constantly for 30 seconds.

Add the crushed tomatoes and 2 tsp of oregano. Bring the pan to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the ricotta, a pinch of salt and pepper, the remaining teaspoon of oregano, and the basil. Stir to mix well. Set aside.

Coat a 12-cup muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray. (I just used Crisco to coat the insides of my pan. If you do this make sure to put some around the edge of the opening so your won ton doesn't stick to it. If you're using a spray just make sure and spray the top as well)

Place 1 won ton wrapper into each of the 12 cups, pressing firmly in the bottom of the cup and up the sides.

Using half of the ricotta mixture, divide it among the 12 muffin cups. Next, using half of the turkey tomato sauce, spoon it evenly over each of the ricotta filled cups. Sprinkle with 2 tsp of mozzarella.

Gently press another won ton wrapper on top of the mozzarella layer.

Repeat the process by distributing the remaining ricotta, then the remaining tomato sauce, and finally the rest of the shredded mozzarella.

Bake for 10 minutes, or until the cheese has melted.



Let the cups cool, remove them from the pan, and serve!





Mine definitely did not turn out as pretty as hers, but they were super delicious! I was a little nervous about the won tons and the ricotta cheese but they tasted exactly like little lasagnas! And they packed up nicely to be put in the refrigerator for lunch. Just wonderful!

Conversation piece

Operation "Decorate Classroom" is officially underway! I went yesterday and found an old lamp that I thought would look marvelous spray painted.I also got the materials to have a file cabinet overhaul. Hopefully I will get to that tomorrow!

But for now, feast your eyes on project numero uno! ( I started out small just to get myself going. Don't judge!)

Poor little thing just wasn't very attractive. I didn't even realize it was supposed to look like a cactus until the cashier said something about my "cactus lamp." I instantly felt like an old lady with an addiction to southwestern decor. I quickly let him know that I would be spray painting it.

Little did I know that I would fall in love with the "Olive Bright" spray paint at Michael's... womp, womp. Maybe it looks even more like a cactus now. A very bright, festive cactus though! I honestly just thought it was a funky, cool lamp that I could buy for $3. I can hear the students now, "Have you met the new art teacher? The one with that kooky cactus lamp on her desk?" Hopefully they'll trow in there how awesome I am and how art is their all time favorite class. ( I can hope, right?!)

Project list so far:

Scrap paper holder

Desk

Lamp

Cork Boards- 4

Chalkboard-2

Bunting



 

What a week last week was! It was filled to the max! I'm sad and glad it's over at the same time. Luckily we'll be having another art camp in July. I can't wait to see what that week has in store. We really did have a blast. There weren't very many kids, but since this was the very first time we had put this on, that was perfectly OK! The kids were so creative and not scared at all to just jump right in!

I also got a chance to go see the classroom I will be working in next year! It's pretty plain right now, but I honestly don't mind working from the ground up. At least I don't have to scrape funkyness off of everything, right?

I get to paint and decorate to my little hearts content! You can imagine as soon as I left the school my head was swirling with ideas, I even made a pit stop by Michael's on the way home! I can not wait to do a before an after reveal soon. Now I just have to get started...



For Father's day I told my dad that we could do absolutely anything he wanted. He decided we needed a road trip to Okmulgee to eat at Ike's!

If you're ever in the Okmulgee area I definitely suggest you stop in! It's the cutest (or manliest) pub right downtown. I wish I would've gotten pictures of the inside but it was quite dark in there and I didn't want to embarrass my family. I did manage to snap some pictures of our wonderful lunch!

If this doesn't say Father's day, I don't know what would!

We had a great weekend filled with family and food. What better way to end a super hectic week!

Party People in the House Tonight

First off, thank the Lord that the NBA Finals are on regular television. We don't have cable at my parents house so anytime we wanted to watch the game we had to go out. Let me tell you people, it wasn't cheap! Playoffs have definitely helped us keep our checking account practically empty. (Not really, but it sure did feel like it!) So, in celebration of our Thunder going to the finals and the games being on ABC my mom wanted to have a gathering. Now, I love a good gathering so I was definitely for it! Even thought it was mainly with my family and just a couple of friends, it was still a lot of fun! I haven't gotten to entertain in a really long time since we don't have a house, so I wanted things to be a little more festive than just snacks.

Just a little decor, prep, and Thunder love! We were so excited for the first game. Steven was super nervous, but after they pulled it out in the 4th quarter he was much happier! Here's to game two!

I could live off of snack food. (Especially cheese, crackers, and pepperonis.) Fun, Fun!

 I am teaching a short little clay class to some boys at the Bethany Children Center this evening, so we will be watching game two at home again tonight.  But honestly, nothing beats being curled up on the couch under a cozy blanket screaming at the television. Too excited!


And..... drum roll please........ Here are my new coral capris!

Ok, ok, I know they aren't the absolute most exciting pair of pants in the world, but all my pants are denim, some form of brown/khaki, and black, so this is a huge step for me! I absolutely love them! Thank you thrift store shopping!



Well, I'm off to another super busy day filled with trying to exercising off all the snacks I've eaten this week, art camp, teaching, and thunder watching! So thankful it's almost the weekend!

This & That

Happy Tuesday lovelies!

Things have been randomly busy around here so I might not get to post as often as I want this week. The high school art teacher (my mentor teacher) started an art camp for elementary students on Monday! I am so excited to be helping her out this week. I will take all the  extra teaching practice I can get!

On another note, I hope you all had a great weekend! Even though it went be entirely too fast, we had a really great couple of days. ( That is, when I wasn't moping around crying and being depressed about our lack of house and not knowing what kind of house we'll end up in or when... Have I told you guys that I can be completely too emotional and over dramatic sometimes? Oops.)

But it was a good weekend all in all.

Friday I woke up and as I was getting ready, looked in my closet and decided that I had absolutely nothing that I wanted to wear. I felt like everything was so boring and old. (I keep my clothes for a really long time. I have shirts and jeans from high school... over 5 years ago!) So, still wanting to save money and stay on budget I packed up my mom and we went to lunch and then to my favorite thrift store for buying clothes. I never really get a chance to look through everything, because I usually went on my lunch breaks. But after 2 hours of digging and trying on I left with a nice addition of shirts, skirts, and even a pair of coral capris! I usually try to stay away from buying pants or capris from second hand stores because I have a tiny inseam (29") and I never find anything that fits... except for these! I will definitely be posting a picture of them tomorrow.



I know my closet may not look too boring, but believe me, I am too practical when it comes to shopping sometimes. I love solids and neutrals. But it was time to take a baby step into the print world!

Sunday while we were out visiting my brother-in-law I caught a baby rabbit! Now, I'm a sucker for anything little and cute and furry, and I was so sad to think I was just going to let it go, back into the wilderness full of snakes and hawks and things that would eat it. I just couldn't bring myself to send it to it's certain death. So, instead, I put it in my tote, with a towel and decided to bring it home! I had all intentions of keeping it when I got sad that it would spend it's whole life in a cage. That is not a life to live, people! So after getting home Steven and I decided to let it go in the pasture under a field full of clovers. I think little Stella will be very happy.



Now I'm off to a day filled with working out, art camp, house hunting, snack making, and Thunder watching! Yay for being in the Finals! Hope everyone has a lovely Tuesday!

Friday Funday

Even though I'm not working this summer and rarely know what day it is, I always seem to know when it's Friday. Maybe it's just that the world has a completely different buzz to it. Whatever it is, I love it! My favorite part about the weekend is getting two whole days to spend with Steven. During the week the evenings just seem to fly by and by Thursday I find myself thinking, "Have we even talked this week?" Of course we have, but it's in the midst of family dinners, thunder games, nights with friends, or nights where we just want to lay around and read.

I'm hoping for sunshine, easy breezy fun, good friends, and my love. So, here's to the weekend! Hooray!

(source)

Pinteresting Life

Since moving in with my parents and realizing we were going to be here longer than we thought, I decided I would cook on Tuesdays and Thursdays. This way I still have some of the same responsibilities I had when it was just us and I don't get out of the habit of cooking, haha. I plan during the week what I'll cook for dinner and go shopping on Friday for the next week.  This has seemed to work well so far! I've also decided that I'm going to put my (almost) 24/7 pinteresting to work. Every week I want to cook something delicious I've pinned since most of the time I only dream of incorporating my pins into everyday life. I am really excited about this! My first challenge was the Crockpot Italian Chicken from the-girl-who-ate-everything. Here's what her's looked like:

Delicious, right??

I thought so. So I gave it a go! Here's mine ( a much smaller portion) and the recipe. I used different noodles, but I think it turned out wonderfully!

• chicken breasts (Her's called for 4, but I put in like 7. I wanted there to be chicken in every bite!)
• 1 packet dry Zesty Italian dressing
• 1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, softened (I did not soften mine because I forgot, oops. But It didn't take very long for it to break down on the stove.)
• 1-2 cans cream of chicken soup (depending how cream cheesy you want it. Of course I wanted mine super creamy, so two it was!)

 

Place the chicken in a crockpot and sprinkle Italian dressing over it.

 

Combine cream cheese and cream of chicken soup in a small pot over low heat and pour over chicken.

 

Cook on low in the crockpot for at least 4 hours. (I would cook on low if you plan on leaving it in there all day. I only had about 4 hours and after the first two and my chicken not cooking as fast as I wanted, I cranked it up to high. And yes, that is the crock pot we use in this house, isn't it great?!)

 

Once chicken is done you can leave the chicken breasts whole, cube it, or even shred it. (I ended up cutting mine into small cubes, that way I could just pour it over the noodles instead of having whole breasts to serve)

 

Once you have cut up the chicken, throw it back in the crockpot and stir into the sauce.

 

If you feel the sauce is too thick you can thin it to your preferred consistency with a little milk. (I thought it was just right! But I do love my sauces thick and creamy!)

 

Serve over pasta or rice.

 

I also added a good dose of pepper and some garlic salt. I thought it needed a liitle something else. I would definitely be up to experimenting with more packages of that italian seasoning.

 



Here we go!

Today is the first day of my work out class. I am on a mission to lose between 18-20 lbs by my birthday (July 1st) and actually enjoy the summer heat by being comfy in my shorts, tanks, and bathing suit! I also want to be in great shape when I start school because I know the last thing I'll want to worry about is whether or not I feel good in my clothes.

I am happy to announce that I have lost 11 lbs. so far since may 1st, so only 7-9 more to go! I am really hoping this exercise class will amp up my weight loss. It won't be anything too intense, but I always say something is better than nothing! I did get to buy a new yoga mat for the class, so that's a plus! It is also one of my resolutions to get healthy and I have slowly, but surely been working that way. Baby steps!

I definitely keep lots of inspiring pictures on hand just to remind me that I can do this! I used to have a couple of these as my screen saver on my phone, but then I just felt creepy, haha. So now I keep them close by so I can look at them when I need encouragment.

Now, I am not living in a fantasy world. I know I won't look like a model in one month. But I know I can make progress and make my body healthier and happier! I don't want to be a stick. I like my 5'1 curvy body, I just need it to be a little tighter, haha.

So if you are one of those people, like me, who wait until summer is here to get into shape, start now! Start today! Even if you just eat less carbs, or do 50 jumping jacks, do it! You've got to start somewhere.

Love-Lea Life: Face Lift

I will have been blogging one year this coming August. I can't believe I've stuck with it this long! It's really become a different kind of creative outlet for me. I've never really had that much time to make everything just the way I wanted it, and honestly I've enjoyed trying out different designs and stuff. This summer "Love-Lea Life" has a fresh, new, easy breezy feel! I also think I want to rethink what I blog about. Everything else in our our lives is new, so why not! I would also like to get more followers so if anyone in the blogging world is reading this, please tell me your secrets!

But as for today, I'm off to finish ironing, cleaning, and enjoying this sunshine! Happy Monday friends!

“And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.”

~ Romans 8:28

Summer Lovin'

Happy, happy June!!

I can't believe it's already summer time, although it's currently 9:00 a.m. and 57 degrees... wha? This summer has already been way different than last summer, (no rain, hottest summer in YEARS. Of course that would be the summer we decide to have an outdoor wedding reception. Ha!) But I am definitely looking forward to a couple of months for classroom and lesson planing, relaxing, and hopefully (fingers crossed) house planning. Oh, and of course my birthday!

Here are just a few things I'm loving and obsessing over this summer ( for more things I lah, lah, lah, lahve check out my pinterest!)

    (1)

      (2) 

      (3)

     (4)

      (5)

     (6) (and here)

     (7) (and here)

1. I am loving being able to catch up on my blogs again and get

my inspiration in the morning to do more and be more.

2. I can not wait to have lots of summer get togethers! (Even if the are at my parents house.)

Isn't that veggie tray with the peppers awesome? Also, those pots on fire...

they're for roasting marshmallows on your table!

3. I was hoping to get into our house earlier this spring so I could work on my green thumb.

Aren't those garden ideas dreamy?

4. Definitely into turquoise, Oklahoma wear, wedges, pops of neon (I've gotten sucked into it!), anything with feathers, and lace. My, oh, my!

5. I've also been mentally decorating our new house for months! I can't wait to make it ours!

6. I am also loving these pen and ink doodles and just color in general.

Aren't they easy and breezy feeling?

7. Ever since I found out I would be teaching and we got our internet running I have been a pinteresting fool! I am too excited to get to use the ideas I've found for lesson planning and organizing my classroom... eek!

What have you guys been loving this summer? I would LOVE to know!

Happy weekend!

Love-Lea

The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes

Hello!

I am finally back from my blogging hiatus. I have really missed being able to catch up on all of my blogs and being able to post regularly. I'm going to ease back into this by catching everyone up to date on a few things that will explain me missing in action.

1) I'm pretty sure I've posted about this but I have officially quit my 8-5 office job ( didn't even make it a year... oops.) and for all of April and part of May I was subbing every single day. I absolutely loved it!! I wasn't sure why I God was wanting me to leave the office and sub, ( more on that in a minute!) but I figured He wanted his Child to be happy and healthy, mentally and emotionally, so I took the leap of faith and it was FANTASTIC!

2) Right before my two weeks notice was up my grandpa fell and broke his arm. Now, he's a tall, 76 year old, farming man so he wasn't feeble and frail, but I guess your bones and body just go bananas after a certain age. He went into surgery to have a metal plate put in and had a rough time coming out of the anesthesia. The nurses on call didn't seem to think there was anything wrong, being older and all sometimes it takes a little longer to come to. But things still weren't right by morning time and they realized he hadn't been getting enough air in his lungs all night. They sent him up to the CCU floor and got him all comfy up there. Sadly enough things just kept going downhill. The lack of oxygen had damaged his brain and they kept finding things wrong with his insides which meant he would never be able to be at home again, being normal and functioning properly. After 14 days of sitting with him at the hospital, wondering if he could understand us and wondering if he would ever stop being restless, he decided it was time to leave us. He had decided in his living will that he didn't want to be resuscitated if it ever came to that. We respected his wishes, even thought it completely broke our hearts. I haven't lost very many people in my life, 3 to be exact. My dad's dad died when I was in fifth grade and my dad's cousin died when I was a sophomore in high school. Although I understood death and what it meant it didn't affect me nearly as much as this did. At 23 years old I finally understood and felt what death meant to my life and my family's. My grandma doesn't have a husband, my mom and aunt don't have a dad, and none of us grand kids have a grandpa anymore. The reality of it still hits me like a ton of bricks sometimes. So for those of you who have been praying for my family THANK YOU SO MUCH. I know we have had a lot of prayers sent our way and I really think God has given my grandma and mom the strength and grace to handle this.

3) God works in crazy ways. At the end of February our neighbor got broken into and they stole a fire arm and some ammunition. Needless to say I stopped sleeping and the fear of being left alone returned. (Remember, we got broken into last September... scary stuff!) That weekend my parents so kindly agreed to let us move in with them until we found a place to stay. I was so very thankful that I got to be at home and with my grandma (they live on the same property) during the time my grandpa was in the hospital and during the week of his funeral. I was so glad I could be close and around if anyone needed anything from me.

4) We actually put a contract on a house right down the street from my family at the beginning of March. Sadly enough we have not closed on it yet... It is a foreclosed house and since some laws have changed they are having to do the foreclosure all over again. I am so glad my parents don't mind us staying a little longer, but I will definitely be ready to have a house to ourselves again! This is why I have not been able to blog recently. You see, my parents are basically Amish and don't have cable or internet! This is how it's been my WHOLE life! Luckily when they found out we were devastated about the house and would be staying here longer, they agreed to get us internet. We got it today and I am soooo excited! Especially since schools out and I'm being a bum this summer :)

5) Jobs: I am so completely proud to announce that my husband put his two weeks notice in a month ago and is now working for BOEING! He applied back in January, had an interview in February, and we found out in the middle of March that  they wanted him to be a part of their team! I am so proud of him and excited to see where his future goes with this. This was one of his top three places to work and at 23 he got it! He is one of the smartest people I know! I am also proud to announce that my happiness for the past two months wasn't the only thing God had in mind when he told me to quit my job. I am now the new junior high and high school ART TEACHER for ASTEC Charter school!! I had subbed there a couple of times and I had already filled out the paperwork so I had my second interview last Thursday and Friday morning I got the call. I am so excited and terrified all at the same time! So be expecting updates of my classroom, yay!!

Needless to say these past few months have been quite the roller coaster. But God is still good, and we rely on him even more than we did. I am really excited to see where he takes out lives and how he continues to bless us. I am hoping to continue to post once a day and possibly have a little blog makeover. Thank you so much for putting up with my absence. I hope I won't disappoint!

Trials.

we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given

Trying to remember this verse. Life's been rough lately but hopefully I'll be back to blogging soon. Thanks so much for your patience and prayers.

Love-lea

Verse of the week

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.  ~ Ephesians 3:20

I'm relying on this verse more and more lately.





There's been a family emergency and I will be MIA until further notice. Prayers and sweet thoughts are very welcomed. Thanks so much.

Artful Wednesday

I hope you absolutely love Cate Parr as much as I do when you've finished scrolling through! I am so inspired by her colors and the general feel of her watercolor paintings... love, love, love!

Seriously, how can you not fall in love with her paintings? I will definitely be daydreaming about these all day! You can check out her etsy page here.

I can not wait to have some studio space again... soon!