SCHOOL'S OUT FOR THE SUMMER

Wahoo! I have completed another school year.

I have spent my first day of freedom cleaning dishes, removing old caulk from my windows, and counting change. Now I think I will work for an hour or so on school work for next year. I understand that this might odd since I was just celebrating my freedom, but I would rather do this work now than under stress of the beginning of next school year. I think I am starting to learn to practice preparation instead of procrastination.

By the way, I can't explain how nice it is that my schedule is not dictated by bells that ring twice every 40 or so minutes.

Chicken Broth Latte

I got this e-mail from my cousin the other day. I asked if I may share it, and she agreed to let me post it to my blog. Enjoy...I know I did. Sorry, cuz, that it was at your expense.

Well, tonight I inadvertently gulped down a huge swallow of a chicken broth latte! I would not recommend it under any circumstance. I was hungry for a chai latte and so I mixed up the concoction, prepared for the yummy goodness, and was greeted by a most horrible mixture of chicken broth and milk capped off with ice cubes. Apparently I grabbed my "organic chicken broth" which comes in a similarly sized box as chai, and mixed up the proper proportions of what I thought was chai and milk. Much to my surprise it was not. If you have ever gotten sprite when you expected water you will know how difficult it is to adjust your cognitions mid swallow. At leas sprite is a pleasant surprise, chicken broth latte is not. I couldn't run to the sink fast enough to spit it out that I partially spit some on my kitchen counter.

YUCK!!

Saturday Circle Game

School is almost out! And my thoughts turn to lazy days that include multiple nap times, lunch with friends, and spending time with family. So the circle game questions for this week...

What are your plans for this summer?

My response will be in the comments section.

I am married to the energizer bunny

I get home from an 11 hour day of work and make tacos from an Old El Paso Taco kit. I won't lie, I was pretty proud of myself seeing that I haven't cooked dinner in about 3 weeks. T comes home from a similar day at work. After some chit chat about our days I ask him what he wants to get done tonight. He lists things such as laundry, dishes, setting up our new mailbox, cleaning up the house, and doing garbage. Me? I want to sit on the couch and stare at something. It's now 9:00pm and in addition to the trip to the yummy custard place and the load of laundry I put in, I have sat on my couch and fixed my stare between the TV and my computer. T on the other hand is still outside putting up our new mailbox, probably scouting moles, and hopefully enjoying the great outdoors. The guy never tires. He's amazing.

Things you should know about short skirts

1) If your skirt is short and denim and you sit down, there is a good chance the skirt will not fall down by itself like normal skirts do when you stand up. I recently witnessed this at a restaurant. A girl in her early 20s flashed the whole restaurant when her itsy-bitsy skirt remained at her hips when she stood to leave. She corrected the problem quickly, but not quick enough.

2) Sometimes you may not be sitting on any fabric when your skirt is very short. Case in point, last year my friend at Trophy Life and I were at a college football game. The girl in front of us wore a skirt so short the pockets hung out of the bottom. When she sat down the bottom of her skirt was parallel with the top of the bleacher. It must have been cold.

3) Be prepared for short skirts to blow in the wind. I myself have never witness this, but I just heard two separate stories from eye witnesses this weekend that were flashed by short skirt wearers walking/bending over in blustery conditions.

Having said this...I think there are women who wear short skirts well. I just think a woman needs to be advised of the hazards before putting on her favorite mini.

Circle Game Saturday

This question is in honor of Two/Dos Pretzels new obsession over hard boiled eggs.

What would you choose if you only could eat one thing for dinner for the rest of your life?

I would have to pick quiche. It involves eggs and you can put different things into so that you have a little variety now and then.

HeHeHe

I almost forgot to tell you about the funniest part of my week...I still laugh out loud when I think about it.

We started the project presentations that I told you about (in an earlier post) in grad class this week. The first person got up and started talking about science, mathematics, technology, and our understanding of global warming. She began with a quick "pre-test" she created on her power point presentation. She asked us to pick all of the following answers that applied. Her question was what human actions contribute to the increase of carbon dioxide in our environment. One of her answers...the use of arousal cans. We sat in stunned silence as we registered her mistake. I almost fell out of my chair when my professor piped up and asked where he could find one of those cans. (We all agreed High Street would be the most likely place.)

P.S. I am positive she meant aerosol can. Good times in grad school.

Cirque du Soleil

Recently T took me to see a Cirque du Soleil performance as a late birthday present. It was great...just as I expected. This was my second Cirque performance and in my opinion it was as wonderful as the first. If you haven't seen a show, I would highly suggest it. It is a fabulous combination of fantasy, music, humor, and acrobatics. My favorite part was the women who performed on the chandeliers pictured above. It was absolutely, stunningly beautiful.

Back to Blogging

It seems as if it has been forever since I blogged. And I have missed it. I have missed writing about random things that happen in my day and miscellaneous thoughts that I have as I observe life. As I have committed myself to a partial solitary confinement this week and last, please know that catching a few minutes here and there to read comments that you have posted about former blogs has been a highlight.

My self - imposed solitary confinement has come about because of a grad school project. It is a project that looks at how science, mathematics, and technology effect our understanding of quilting...yep, you heard it correctly, quilting. Yes, it is crazy, and I have been consumed by it for the past two weeks. I even had to get a little tutoring help in chemistry from a science teacher/friend at work. (Side note - Chemistry is a lot more interesting than I remember from high school!) Now the project is 95% done and I am relieved. I must admit, though, I had fun. But as the old adage goes, all good things must come to an end. And in this case, I am MORE than OK with that.

Happy Mother's Day

To my own Mother - Thank you for all you have done. You are a wonderful mother and friend.

To Mama S - Thanks for being a great MiL and for raising a wonderful son.

To all the other mothers out there that are not my own, but are dear to my heart- I hope you have a wonderful day. You deserve it.

Circle Game Saturday

A dear and beloved friend is moving out of the heartland soon. This circle game is in honor of her upcoming transition.

What place in the world would you like to live for a period of time? Maximum of four locations, please :).

My locations will be in the comments section.

The Forever Stamp

The USPS has raised its rates again for the 13th time in 32 years. The new rate for a first-class stamp is $0.41, up $0.02 from the $0.39 we currently pay. The new rates take effect on Monday, May 14th (better get yourself to the post office).

Good news! The United States Postal Service has come up with a great idea for any disgruntled customers out there who are tired of buying the $0.01 and $0.02 stamps to make up for their under priced stamps. Introducing...the forever stamp. Buy it for $0.41 now and use it any time in the future no matter what future rate hikes we might endure. Thanks USPS...good idea. No more throwing money away by doubling up on the $0.37 stamps or spending frustrating minutes trying to figure out where I put the $0.02 stamps from the last rate increase. FOREVER stamps here I come!

Life is good

I am content.

Thank you, A, for this wonderful bear hug.

Amused

My dad sent my mom, my brother, and I an article today from the New York Times that talked about the essential items needed for a kitchen and how much (or little, actually) you should spend on them. I am amused by this article for two reasons.

1) I am not sure that I've ever seen my dad hold a pot besides to dry it after it was washed. (No offense, Dad. It's just that the kitchen never seemed to be your realm, I picture you more in the electronics area...perhaps that's changing?) So I was shocked when the article was not his typical math/science/world event article that he usually sends to us but instead was a cooking/kitchen article. It gave me a small chuckle. I do appreciate the fact that even though he was probably not interested in the article, he sent it on to the three of us knowing we probably would be.

2) I never realized that I was a kitchen essentials snob until I read this article. (What does the author mean that a $10 plastic handle knife is ok? I've ALWAYS heard one should go with the stainless steel.) The aritcle was certainly informative and interesting, although I am not sure I can break out of my ways. My favorite quote: "The point is not so much that you can equip a real kitchen without much money, but the fear of buying the wrong kind of equipment is unfounded. It needs only to be functional, not prestigious, lavish or expensive." Thank you, Mr. Bittman. Point well taken. I will try to remember this in the future and break free from my kitchen equipment bias that I seem to possess. Click here if you are interested in reading the rest of the article.

HAPPY COOKING!

Favorite Cartoons

As a math teacher, I love the cartoons by S. Harris. Click HERE to see more of his work. At some point I would like to buy some various prints to decorate my walls. I know, dorky, but I can't help it. It's my nature.

Confessions

1) I really enjoy my job, but I have started a countdown for summer.

2) I have a love-hate affair with Ann Taylor. Love the clothes and the fit, hate the prices.

3) I bought candy for my students for field day tomorrow...I ate some already.

4) I've turned the air conditioning on in my car already.

5) A student "passed gas" (loudly) in my class today. After several attempts to keep a straight face, I had to laugh. I couldn't help it...I also couldn't look at the student for the next 5 minutes for fear that I'd start laughing again.

Book Review - Einstein's Heroes

Ever have those feelings of "I wish I would have paid more attention in (fill -in the blank with a high school/college subject)________________________ class"? If you've ever had those feelings about science or math, I've got the book for you. I will not pretend it's another Lord of the Rings or Chronicles of Narnia. It is probably not a book that you'll stay up until 3 in the morning to finish. However, it does a very good job of making math and science discoveries interesting. It has a nice combination of personal stories intertwined with the nitty gritty details of science and math. One does not feel as if she/he is laboring through a 300 page physics text with no pictures, and one does not need to be a PhD to understand the phenomena being described. So, if you'd like some good, educational reading this summer, pick up Einstein's Heroes by Robyn Arianrhood (yes, I spelled this last name correctly). If you do, let me know what you think. Happy reading!

Circle Game Saturday

I spent 30 minutes of this gorgeous day inside cleaning our shower. I got out the Mr. Clean Magic Eraser, got out the clorox (sp?) shower cleaner, and even got the old toothbrush out to scrub the caulking. It needed it, but I hated doing it. In fact, cleaning is always something I am glad I did but never enjoy doing.

In honor of my sparkling (kind of) clean shower...here is the circle game question. Format is different. It's fill-in the blank this time.

"I'd rather kiss a pig than clean _____________________."

For me...I'd rather kiss a pig than clean my refrigerator. It's messy, cumbersome, and it never seems like a good time to do it.

P.S. As a side note...I badly burned a pot this week for the first time in my life. I didn't put much water on the green beans and then covered them with a lid. 30 minutes later when I dished out the beans the bottom of the pot was BLACK! We were able to scrub off the charred mess, so the pot looks normal. Is it still safe to use? I didn't melt off any protective covering that will poison us or anything, did I?

Curry-Cajun Spiced Chicken

I've found another recipe I like. I have to, once again, give a hand to my Menno folk who created a recipe book that I am currently investigating. If you try it, let me know what you think.

Yields 6 servings.

1/3 c of honey
3 Tablespoons water
3 Tablespoons prepared mustard
2 Tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
2-3 teaspoons Cajun or Creole seasoning
2-3 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 clove garlic, minced, or garlic powder
6 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves, or about 1 1/2 pounds
hot cooked rice

In 3-quart rectangular baking dish, combine honey, water, mustard, margarine, Cajun seasoning, curry powder, lemon juice, and garlic. Mix well.

Add chicken breast halves, turning to coat. Arrange in single layer.

Bake, uncovered, at 350F for about 30 minutes or till chicken is tender and no longer pink.

Serve chicken and pan drippings with hot cooked rice.

YUMMY!

ONE WEEK FROM TODAY!

Free next Friday night? Come hear the Boondogglers play! Check out their link on the left.