What's going on?

1. I went to a workshop today.
2. I got to sleep in until 7:30 and leave the house at 8:50 (as opposed to waking up at 6:00 and leaving the house at 7:15). It was nice.

3. I got my new lens in the mail Monday, and this is the only picture I've taken all week.
4. I have to go to the workshop again tomorrow.
5. I am sad Michael C. from Project Runway was eliminated. I can relate to his feelings of inadequacy and trying to prove to his parents he is good enough to be a designer. I am praying he will realize he is talented and deserving just the way he is... with out winning a contest.
6. I haven't been working out at all lately, and this is affecting my energy level, weight, quality of life, etc. Have to get back at it.
7. Stayed at work until 9 p.m. last night getting ready for my sub. That is just too crazy late to be at work.
8. Had pancakes for dinner tonight.
9. Just started reading 1,000 Days in Tuscany by Marlena de Blasi. Love it. Thanks Cindy for the Borders gift card. :-)
10. Am ready for bed at 7:53. See what I mean about energy level?

Savory Sundays

Tomorrow we are having a potluck at work, and I signed up for dessert. So I thought I'd better make double cobblers... one for home, one for school.

I use lots of different types of fruit for this. My favorite is blackberry. I pick the berries out at my parent's house. It's also great with peaches, apples, apples and pears, or like this:

Apple Berry Cobbler


Peel and slice the apples. Sprinkle some sugar and lemon juice on them. Throw some berries in too.

For the topping: Put 1 cup oatmeal, 1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, 1 teaspoon cinnamon in a bowl and mix up. Sprinkle over fruit. Melt a cube of butter in the microwave. Pour the butter over the top.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for as long as it takes the fruit to cook through. Apples-45 minutes or so, Berries or peaches- 30 minutes or so.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.

Thankful Thursdays (It's back!)

1. Thankful my daughter came home from school today with a couple of friends.
2. Thankful the mashed potatoes for dinner came out well.
3. So very thankful that occasionally adult people I like to talk to come into my classroom and we have pleasant conversation.
4. Thankful I have a new ipod and dock for my classroom. Now if only I could get the hang of that teeny tiny touch screen.
5. Extra thankful for my sweet mama (who celebrated her birthday yesterday) and for her sobriety and newfound joy in life. Looking forward to a dinner out with family in honor of her.
6. Thankful for changing the math portion of my day which is now going MUCH better thanks to "stations"
7. Thankful I get to hang out with Cindy on Saturday at the Fire and Light Sale. I am planning to bring my chair and a Diet Mtn. Dew for the wait in line.

Happy Thankful Thursday! Love, Nancy

Savory Sundays

Tonight I tried a new recipe, and it was yuuuuuummmmmmmy and easy!

Chicken Sausage Kabobs

Marinade: 2/3 cup soy sauce, 1/3 cup dry sherry, 3Tbsp. sugar, 3Tbsp. oil. Mix together and pour over cubed chicken. Marinate 30 minutes.

Alternate chicken on skewers with chunk pineapple, sausage slices (I used aidell's chicken apple), and green onions (about 1-2 inches long)

Broil for 10-12 minutes basting with leftover marinade often and turning once.

That's it! I had planned to have ours with rice, but forgot to buy rice, so we had thin spaghetti with butter and soy sauce on it for our base.

ENJOY! Love, Nancy

Weekend

I want to document my life more. I want to reflect and remember. But right now I am still in survival mode. I am struggling to make my curriculum the best it can be. I am getting to know the 25 souls I spend my days with... their quirks, their fears, their likes and dislikes, their strengths, their wit. At 9 and 10 they are harder nuts to crack than the 5 year olds. They are less likely to share, more reticent. More private. But they want to be known. They love answering the "Question of the day" each day. They try really hard to make each other laugh. They blush when they speak out in front of everyone. But their eyes sparkle and they grin. They make me grin.
I finally received the money that unemployment owed me from August. And I got to spend all of it on whatever my heart desired. So today I bought a 50 mm fixed aperture lens to go with my new camera. And, and ipod. I was the last member of the family around here without one, and I really wanted my own. Mostly for my classroom. I want to put fun music on it so when someone says something really brilliant I can puch a button and James Brown will yell out, "I feel good! nanananananana! You knew that I would now! nananananana!" It will be great! So now I'm off to upload my music. Yay!