This N' That

Well, it's Monday already.  I seriously can't believe the weekend goes by so fast.  I don't know that 2 schools days pass as quickly.  I am just going to have a bulleted list because I have a little of this n' that to share.

*  I got my three days of exercise in last week!  That makes me happy.  Here's what I did: Wednesday- walk 1.8 miles outside;  Thursday-  it was raining so I did 30 minutes on the Wii fit (step aerobics and rhythm boxing); Saturday-did yard work with mom for about 2 1/2 hours.  Hopefully, I can do it again this week.

*  I spent the weekend in Central Arkansas with mom while hubby went on a photo shoot to a ghost town in Oklahoma.  While there, I got to meet up with some friends for lunch that I don't get to see very often.  It sure is good for the soul to see people who mean so much to you.

*  When I came home yesterday hubby had totally cleaned the house and done laundry.  That was so unexpected and so nice to not have to come home to a mess.  I appreciate him doing that more than he will probably ever understand.  He is really good about helping, but I usually have to ask him to do things.  This time he just did it on his own.

*  When I came home, hubby had bought me a gorgeous bouquet to put on the table.  So sweet!

*  We missed 10 snow days this year and now our district is conisdering having us go to school on 2 Saturdays and 2 days on Spring Break.  The faculty gets to vote so we'll see what happens.  We already have plans for Spring Break, but I still have 2 personal days I can take so I don't have to change our plans.  I know everyone is just trying to get our kids prepared for the state test that's coming up in April.

*  We booked our summer vacation to Tybee Island, Georgia, this week and I am so excited!!  The cottage we are going to stay in is close to beach and looks so cute. 

Thankfulness

I know I have so much to be thankful for in my life and today I had a couple of things on my mind that I am particularly thankful for.

1.  I am thankful for my hubby and my mom.  Without them to keep me grounded I am sure I would go over the edge.  Lately, I have begun to realize that I am a little high-strung and my emotions totally run the gamut.  I like to think about it a little differently, that I just feel everything really deeply.  These two people give me some perspective and to live in the here and now, not in the past or the future.

2.  I am thankful that I had two days of workshops this week.  This gave me a chance to just be and not have to worry as much about getting my students ready for the test and to put my teaching and my students learning back into perspective.  Yes, I want my students to do well on the test, but there is more to getting an education than testing.  Being around teachers from other schools also helped me realize that we are all in the same boat.  I still really appreciate my job and know I am lucky to work where I do.

3.  I am thankful I was able to go outside and exercise yesterday.  I walked 1.8 miles until it was time for me to get ready to go to class.  I feel better knowing I am trying to get healthier.  I probably won't be able to go out side today because we are expecting some rain and storms, but I can do something inside.

4.  I am thankful we are still getting Spring Break.  A lot of districts in our areas are using at least 2 days of Spring Break to make up some snow days that were missed.  I am glad that we will still be able to go on our trip to Dallas. 

Sometimes it's good to stop and think about what you are thankful for.  I have come to realize that you can be just as thankful for the small things in your life as the big things.

Getting Back Out There

Spring is almost here.  Thank goodness!!!  The long, cold, snowy (for Arkansas) winter we have had has turned me into someone I don't want to be.  I am now way too lazy even for my comfort.  I have added a few pounds to some unwanted areas and all the motivation has been sucked out of me.

It's time to change!  I do not want to be like this anymore so I am going to take charge and get myself back outside and doing some type of physical activity.  There can be no more excuses.  It's not that cold and I can't be too busy to take care of myself.  I should be taking care of the body and health that God has given me, not trying to destroy it.  I have been so blessed to be as healthy as I have been.  I know things won't stay that way for long unless I take action now.

So that's what I'm going to do!  I have a tool in this blog to hold myself accountable.  If I put it on here, I most definitely can't turn back.  So, here are some goals I have set for myself to help me get started.  I know they are small, but hopefully that will inspire to get started and meet these goals so that I can set bigger ones for myself.

Goals

1.  Do some form of exercise at least 3 times a week.

2.  When I am able to walk outside, walk 1.5- 2 miles.

3.  When I can't go outside, do 30 minutes of exercise ( I have a Dancing with the Stars DVD and a Wii Fit).

4.  Lose 5 pounds by Spring Break (3 1/2 weeks away).

I hope that by starting with these small goals I can stick with the plan and start seeing some results.  Wish me luck!

Birthday Cake and Valentine Flowers

Last week I was so busy with class and Parent Conferences that I never posted pictures of hubby's birthday celebration. The first thing I want to show is his cake. It was so amazing!!



I could not get over how real it looks! Hubby thought it was perfect. He loves going to the theater to see movies and the experience isn't complete without a bucket of popcorn. The cake tasted really good, too. It was Italian cream cake with Italian Cream filling. Yum! I have definitely found the cake shop for all special occasions in our family! For anyone living in NWA, I definitely recommend Shelby Lynn's Cake Shoppe in Springdale!



Hubby couldn't resist being silly! Too bad the icing didn't taste like popcorn!



Really excited about getting the fisheye lens he wanted for his camera from mom and me. A pretty perfect birthday party in his opinion.

Monday when I got home from class, hubby had two arrangements of flowers waiting for me! He was so sweet. I got a dozen red roses and a bouquet of pink carnations (my favorite). Somehow we don't have any pictures of the carnations except for the blurry one on my phone.

Here are my roses.



The next two pictures are actually the same picture, but with some photo editing by the hubby, which I thought was beautiful. He is turning into a really good photographer and I can't wait to see what all he does in the future!

Here is the Before picture.



Here is the After picture.

Five Question Friday

Well, Mr. Friday, I'm so glad you are here.  You could not have come at a better time.  This has been a long, busy week.  Plus, this is the first five day week we have had in a long time.  And, there are no more parent/teacher conference nights until next school year!  Now on to Five Question Friday!




1. Have you worn the same outfit more than one day in a row?  I do occasionally wear to work on Monday what I wore to church on Sunday.  I also occasionally wear the same pair of jeans two days in a row.  All of this is contingent on the condition of the clothes. (i.e.  Did I spill any food on it?)  I am a messy eater so it doesn't always work out.  I usually put on a new shirt if I am wearing the same jeans and I ALWAYS put on clean underwear.

2. If you had to choose any LARGE city to live in, which would it be?  If I had to live in a big city it would probably be Chicago.  We have friends and family that live in the Chicago area so it would be nice to be close to them.  We visit Chicago a couple of times each year, so we would already kind of know where some things are.  Chicago has lots of neat things to see and do (museums, zoos, aquarium, theatre, etc.  However, I'm not really much of a big city girl and I think transportation would become an issue.  Driving and traffic would send me over the edge and public transportation can also be very time consuming.  It seems to take forever to cover short distances.  Also, I would only go if my mom moved to the area with us.

3. Fly or drive with the kids on vacation?  We don't have kids yet, but we will probably drive on most of our vacations for two reasons.  First, the cost.  It is expensive to fly out of Arkansas.  It is cheaper to drive and stop in hotels along the way.  Second, I don't pack light enough.  I want to have all the comforts of home when I am on vacation.  I can't imagine adding a child and all their paraphernalia to the mix.  I also know that a lot of our vacations will continue to be to Disney World since we are members of the Disney Vacation Club.  I take a lot with us and we also tend to buy stuff there that we will need to get back home.  I'm not opposed to flying and do want my kids to get that experience so I'm sure we will fly some. 

4. What is your idea of "spring cleaning"?  Umm.....I don't really have an idea of spring cleaning.  Should this be something I participate in?  I try to keep the house somewhat tidy all the time, which I'm pretty successful in.  I don't like doing huge cleaning sessions, so I guess my idea of spring cleaning would be to hire someone to come in and do all the major cleaning project for me (windows, baseboards, etc.)

5. What is the best book you have ever read?  That is like an impossible question to answer.  I usually think that the last book I read is my favorite because I am so engrossed in it and the characters.  I love to read and read all kinds of different books.  I read a mix of adult fiction, adolescent fiction (I am a teacher!), and some nonfiction (usually biographies).  Hubby and I have also made a point to do a bible study together at night before we fall asleep.  You can never go wrong reading the Bible.  So I don't guess I really have a favorite, although the Harry Potter series is close to the top.  While I loved reading them, what makes them so special is that they got Hubby to read for fun!

Crazy Week

I am in the midst of a crazy week! Crazy busy, that is. Here are the reasons why.

1. It's parent conference week at school. This means four days of staying late. (5:00 on 2 days and 7:00 the other 2 days).

2. I have class until 8:20 on the days I don't leave school until 5:00. Plus, I have paper due in each of those classes.

3. I have 2 days of special meetings/training which means I have to make lesson plans for a substitute teacher.

4. We now have school on Friday. It was originally a staff development day, but since we have had 10 snow days we are making one up on Friday.

I have some pictures I want to post on here, but that will have to wait until I have time to get them on the computer.

Five Question Friday

Before I get to the questions, I want to let everyone know that I finally got out of the house today.  We got out, did a little shopping, saw a move ("Just Go With It"-super cute), and picked up hubby's birthday cake. I have pictures of it later this weekend.  It is totally fabulous.  The bakery did an amazing job.  Now on to the task at hand.

1. Would you rather be on ABC's Extreme Home MakeOver or TLC's What not to Wear? I would rather be on What not to Wear.  I love the makeovers they do.  They always convince the people to wear things out their comfort zone and they always come out looking amazing.  Plus, getting $5,000 to spend on clothes and help with the shopping wouldn't be too bad either.  Hubby can do a lot around the house himself so we wouldn't need the home makeover as badly.

2. Do you have any tattoos? None and I never will either.  I have never liked tattoos and the way they look.  Another thing is I am a big baby when it comes to pain and needles.  I don't think I could live through the process of getting a tattoo.  Plus, I would worry about what the tattoos would look like when I get all old and wrinkly.

3. Do you tell your kids about things you did growing up?  We don't have kids yet, but when we do I will tell them.  I don't really have much that I did I would be embarrassed to share.  Now, hubby on the other hand, has some secrets that we won't share, like his attitudes about grades in school.  He doesn't want our kids to have the same attitude he did.

4. If the traffic signal turns yellow, do you stop or speed up?  I usually try to stop, but if I'm already in the intersection, I will speed up to get through it.  The main reason I usually slow down is that I don't want to get caught running a red light and get a ticket.  I am one of those people who want to stay out of trouble.  I do not have a daredevil/"push the limit" bone in my body.

5. What's your preference: chocolate or chips? Absolutely, without a doubt Chocolate.  I love chocolate of all varieties, milk, dark, white.  Given a choice, I'll always take sweet over salty.  I definitely don't need the chocolate, but I love it just the same.

History

Well Snowmageddon 2011 reached historical proportions. We got around 20" of snow, give or take an inch or two. Hubby and I spent all day yesterday inside because it snowed for over 12 hours and it was cold and we are big babies. Last night we reached a historical low of -18 degrees. That's right we were in the negative by 18 degrees. In Arkansas! But by this afternoon we couldn't take it anymore. We had to get outside and check things out, namely our cars and the depth of the snow. To do this we needed the assistance of our cat Sadie. The following pictures show what we encountered. FYI: The cat only lasted outside about 5 miserable minutes and then we brought her back inside. We think she's part Siberian, but you can't tell it by her aversion to the cold and to snow.

Poor Sadie!  Every time she took a step she just fell into the snow.  If she was heavier, it would have been deeper than she is tall.

That snow is still pretty deep!  No wonder we aren't having school again tomorrow.  The kids couldn't even walk around.

The cars were pretty much buried.  Hubby spent quite a bit of time cleaning them off before the bottom layer turned to ice.

It's supposed to get -8 degrees tonight, but get a little warmer tomorrow.  My goal is to actually get in the car and go somewhere tomorrow afternoon.  Cabin fever is starting to set in.  Plus I have ordered an amazing birthday cake for hubby that needs to get picked up.  I didn't get to order it last week because of the snow then so I'm determined that we get it tomorrow.  I'll post pictures of it this weekend, if I can get it picked up that is!

Snowmageddon

You may think I am exaggerating with this title, but that is seriously what it felt like earlier today.  The snow just kept coming and coming.  It was a really heavy snow, too.  In fact, it's still snowing a little right now.  Our area got between 20-24" of snow since about 3:00 a.m.  Here are a couple peeks at what it looks like here.





All you can see is white in every direction!

We are out of school tomorrow and probably Friday, too.  However, these days are not being wasted.  Hubby and I both did quite a bit of homework for our classes.  We watched a little TV and I got a good warm dinner cooking in the crock pot.  We are having Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry.  I highly recommend it if you like curry.  It's quick, easy, and has the house smelling so yummy.  Here's the recipe.

Slow-Cooker Chicken Curry

courtesy of Kraft

10 boneless, skinless chicken thighs

1 jar (16 oz.) Salsa (Thick N Chunky)

1 onion, chopped

2 Tbsp. curry powder

1 cup sour cream (fat free)

Place chicken in slow cooker.  Combine next 3 ingredients; pour over chicken.  Cover with lid.  Cook on Low 8-10 hours (or on High 5 hours).  Remove chicken to serving platter; cover to keep warm.  Add sour cream to slow cooker; stir until well blended.  Serve over chicken.

I serve this with basmati rice.  

Back in the Swing of Things

I was actually happy to go back to work on Monday.  I was dreading it at first.  I love my job, I was just dreading getting up and getting there.  Once I was there, I was able to quickly get back in my routine.  I enjoyed being back with my kids and my co-workers.  I think we were all glad to be back together.  I am so lucky to work with the people I do.  I feel they are more than co-workers, they are truly my friends.

Our state testing is coming up in a couple of months so we have that we need to be preparing for.  I have class on Monday nights so I liked being able to go and not having to do it online, which is what my professor said we would have to do if there was winter weather.  As you can tell I was pretty happy to get back to normal.

However, that may quickly be going out the door.  They are calling for another round of snow to come back through.  I am getting kind of tired of all this weather, but if we are going to get it, I'm glad it's coming on a Wednesday.  Hopefully, my class tomorrow night will be cancelled.  It's not the most enjoyable way to spend three hours of my life.  Maybe the snow will come in and then head back out so we don't miss too much more school.  Besides, I have more important things to do over the weekend.  Mom is coming to visit and we have tickets to see Mamma Mia!

Cruel Joke?

So you all know that we left NWA and came to Central Arkansas to get away from the snow. Well I am absolutely positive that Mother Nature had herself a good laugh. This is what I woke up to this morning.





Now that a good laugh has been had, I would like to make a request. I would like to have no more winter vacation so that I may have a summer vacation. However, that doesn't seem very likely since we could get more snow tomorrow and Wednesday!

Busting Out of NWA

Today was our 3rd snow day this week. Tomorrow will be #4! So what do people do when they get sick of snow days? I don't know what normal people do, but we got the heck out of dodge. We decided to head to Central Arkansas where travel isn't a problem and the temperature will remain above zero. You may ask why we were so anxious to get away from our winter wonderland. Here are some pictures to demonstrate. These pictures were taken yesterday and today. We saw very little improvement in our situation.









Here's to a great 3-day weekend with no snow! Doubt that will happen, though. They are calling for more of the white stuff tomorrow and Sunday.

Here We Are Again

Well, today is snow day #5 of the year.  Who knows how many more we have.  We are covered in snow with some ice underneath.  The thermometer says 8 degrees.  It is hard to believe that last Saturday it was in the 70's and we were wearing t-shirts and grilling outside.  We also enjoyed going out and seeing the trumpeter swans that unexplainably call Arkansas home for the winter.  Here are some nice shots that hubby got while we were at Magness Lake.  I am dreaming of more weather like we had then!