15 and counting

When I am a woman on a mission, I will always accomplish what I set out to do.  That's my stubborn disposition working to my advantage :)   This month my non-school related goal was to knit cotton dishcloths for my sisters bridal shower.   I don't usually love knitting things that involve a formal pattern but I was bound and determined to make this happen - so I did!  Who knows, I might even be crazy enough to tackle mittens next! 

Catching up

Due to my lack of consistent blogging, there are a plethora of things I could catch you up on.  Here are four of them:   

First, it should be noted that my bedroom smells faintly of chlorine because my swimsuit is hanging up instead of being tucked neatly in my gym bag.   This the subtle consequence of being under the weather and therefore taking a couple days off from the gym.    

Second, I would like to note that I have cooked numerous things in my favorite cookbook since I last posted any new recipes.   Some highlights include: spinach dip, sour cream coffee cake, caramel sticky rolls, vegetable-beef-barley soup (in the crock pot of course!), toffee bars, rice pilaf, sweet-sour cabbage (also in the crock pot!), and an apple-pear salad.    Did I mention that I gained weight over the holidays?   This might be why. . .

Third, I have two new food websites that I have enjoyed frequenting.   They include: http://crockingirls.com/ and http://iowagirleats.com/.  For my stage of life, I find myself gravitating more towards Iowa girl eats because her food is healthier and she's not feeding a crowd.  The crockin' girls created their website for busy moms, which makes their recipes fast and mild. Even though I am less inclined to cook their food, I can't help but be sucked into all of the slow-cooking enthusiasm they are spreading like wildfire! 

Since food is a relevant and necessary part of life, I will probably always love being inspired by new recipes.  For example, equipped with my new Christmas blender, I was able to try this recipe for breakfast.  In another post, Iowa Girl Eats traded out the yogurt for 1/3 cup of oats, and since I like oats way more than yogurt that's exactly how I made mine.   I have to say it was a very satisfying breakfast and I felt awesome about myself for kicking off my day with so much spinach.   You can't go wrong with the super foods! 

Fourth, I may or may not have eaten half a bag of Dove caramel milk chocolates and Gatorade for dinner.  This might actually cancel out my decision to drink spinach for breakfast but I feel as though the occasional un-balanced and indulgent dinner is my right as a single person.  

That about wraps it up.   Have a great night! 

Milestones

Did you know that there are only five months standing between me and the end of the school year?  Yep, you read that right, February, March, April, May and June.   5 months down, 5 months to go. 

I decided in December that I needed to figure out some way to teach my students about time concepts such as years, months, and days of the week.  Lets just say I have become quite the expert since then.    Initially I was intimidated by the thought of having to clearly and consistently teach these concepts for the rest of the year, but now I am thoroughly enjoying passing on something that is deeply rooted in how I process life; milestones.  We visit our calendar every day and talk about 'yesterday. today and tomorrow'.   In those moments it's become incredibly important to me to celebrate yesterday, build excitement for today and anticipate tomorrow.  

That got me thinking - most often, the most meaningful milestones in life are the ones we have to look for, not the ones we can obviously see.   If I truly believe that the hand of the Lord is placed securely on my life then there will never be a day that doesn't hold significance. 

As I let my faith in the unseen replace all of the feelings I have built up and invested in my tangible reality, I feel the Lord pulling me back to my relationships.   After all, life is valuable because of relationships not because of performance.  This is true first and foremost in our relationship with the Lord.  He loved us while we were yet sinners and died just so that we could enter into a relationship with Him. I bring this up because I leave work most days feeling like I need to perform better.  Lets face it: I am often disappointed with my performance as a teacher because  I have struggled to unlock concepts like telling time, writing with proper punctuation and the mechanics of reading (among many, many other things).   However, the relationships I have created in my classroom are deeply significant to me and are far more valuable to the Lord than telling time.    These children enrich my life in ways I could have never asked for, expected or imagined.   They love me well and they trust me with things that are hard for them.   In return, I have had to trust them with things that are hard for me (aka - teaching math).  Learning is hard, but trust is priceless.   At the end of the day I think we can agree that trust is far more significant that learning, but is perhaps as less obvious milestone.   

I have 5 months left to continue to build into the lives of my students.   Today, I am celebrating yesterday and looking forward to all that the Lord will accomplish as I anticipate tomorrow.  

satisfaction.

This morning as I was slowly inching my way to work amongst hundreds of other Minnesota drivers, I was reflecting on what parts of my life I draw satisfaction from.   Certainly there is satisfaction in no longer being afraid of driving in rush hour traffic (a milestone that will most likely always amaze me!).   There is also satisfaction in sticking to my bedtime so that I can wake up refreshed instead of frustrated.   And who could forget the satisfaction that comes from having a really good conversation with a friend?   The longer my commute became, the more time I had to realize that the activity I most consistently draw satisfaction from is lap swimming.  

I realize that not everyone gets excited about immersing themselves in water and walking down a drafty hallway in the middle of winter, but even the anticipation of hopping in the pool puts my mind at ease.   You see, I cook to accomplish something but I swim to de-stress.    Let's be honest, my fate without an outlet to de-stress in is not a pretty one!

Regardless of whether I climb in the pool at 5am or 9pm, it has become incredibly important to me to make time to swim.   Swimming has given me a consistent outlet to exercise through, a healthy way to get in shape, and a predictable space to process my day in, regardless of what it was like.   Additionally, before re-introducing lap swimming into my life fifteen months ago, I questioned whether or not I would have the motivation and will to be intentionally active long-term.   Now that I swim there is no doubt in my mind that this is how I will work out for many years to come.  That might be the most satisfying part of all.  

eggs baked the best way

Every once in awhile I prepare a recipe from my beloved Betty Crocker cookbook that becomes an instant favorite among those that I am feeding.   I think the best part of these rare food finds is the tradition that is born and the memories created.   Most recently, this egg bake stepped up to the plate and was so well loved it is making its next appearance on my grandmas breakfast table Christmas morning.   After all, Betty knows best! 

Hash Brown Potato and Egg Bake 

1/2 lb bacon, chopped 

1 bag (30 oz) frozen shredded hash brown potatoes, thawed and drained 

2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (8 oz) 

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese 

9 large eggs 

1 1/4 cups milk 

1 container (8oz) sour cream 

1 teaspoon salt 

1/4 teaspoon pepper 

1 teaspoon ground mustard 

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.  Spray 13x9 inch glass baking dish with cooking spray.  

2. Prepare bacon, then cook onion in remaining fat.  

3.In a large bowl, toss bacon mixture, potatoes and cheeses.  

4. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes- 1 hour. 

I took this picture while on a field trip with my favorite kiddos a couple weeks back.  The sun was shining and the air was crisp: a perfect fall day!

spoiler alert!

I took the night off, so to speak, in order to make some progress on some of my holiday projects.   Thankfully, it was an evening well spent!  I was even able to spend a little time with one of my elderly neighbors, who continues to surprise me with his thoughtfulness and care.   Additionally,  I finally finished making chocolate covered pretzels for my co-workers (phew) and I even wrapped all of my Christmas presents!

Next on the list is writing all of the holiday cards for my colleagues.  I value the opportunity to share a word of sincere gratitude or encouragement far more than timely gift-giving.  Which means, I need to set aside at least one more block of time in order to write my cards before anyone will be enjoying the delicious fruit of my labor.

And, if that wasn't enough of a spoiler alert, I have already decided what I am giving as gifts next year.   Check out the hot chocolate I will be wrapping up just 12 short months from now!