No Promises.....

I just thought I would squeeze in an update.

I would love to write more regularly, but it just isn't possible right now.

I am good, tired, but good. I do love my job. I am excited about my classes dwindling down. Glad that I won't miss my family so much.

I have been busy:

1. enjoying this beautiful weather we have been having. The whole fam took a walk to the park yesterday, we saw people throwing baseballs, footballs, riding bikes, rollerblading, picnicking all in NOVEMBER!!
2. looking at all the beautiful colors around me, hoping to take some family pictures in those colors this weekend.
3. planning out my December Journal, hoping to start it this weekend.
4. gathering pictures for my Mom's birthday. I am just printing a buttload of pictures for her. Scratch that, I am going to make a book for her.
5. planning a couple trips. Going to Des Moines for Thanksgiving and the WHOLE fam is going to Florida for Christmas.
6. creating tons of lesson plans and printing them and binding them to create a portfolio for my PE class that ends TOMORROW.
7. driving to Starbucks (every chance I get) for the nonfat pep mocha. mmmmmmm.
8. creating do-able menus.
9. waking up early and walking.
10. Finishing Eclipse and trying to find a time to go get Breaking Dawn. Eclipse took over a week to read.... I am dying to finish it though.... Will Bella marry Eddie? What about poor Jake? Do Bella and Edward....you know? Does she become a Vampire? ugh. I want to read it now.

I would love to write more and detail my life over the last few weeks, but I am pooped. So for now, I bid ado.

My World....

..... is a tad bit crazy right now, and for the whole month of October. This week is especially busy.

• Monday: end of online class, Kendall volleyball practice, night class (Lang Arts in the elem)
• Tuesday: Kendall Dr. appt, first Tuesday night class (PE /Elem school)
• Wednesday: Fingerprinting and paperwork for job @ school, Kendall volleyball practice, Girl Scouts
• Thursay: start working :) First night of Math/elem school
• Friday: entrance interview for teacher program 520pm
• Saturday: Kendall vball game 9am, 10-5 Diversity class (in class one time, must complete 20hrs observation and journals, papers, ideas and reflections all due in Nov.)

So for the month of October, I will be working and going to school 3 nights a week. It is going to be hectic. It is only one month though, I CAN DO IIIIIIIT.

I have no pictures to post, as I have been spending the majority of my time on the Mac creating lesson plans galore. It is not to bad, except different classes, different teachers all like a different format for their lesson plan. So to adapt all my ideas that I scribbled down into an order they want, and look up specific names of ideas and implementing those. Time consuming and worrisome if it is even right. So far so good, I am holding my straight A status. I thought this online class would be the death of that, but I am pretty sure I pulled off an A in there, waiting for 2 more grades to post.

OK, enough school stuff. I really need some work clothes. I probably don't, but I love buying clothes, so I am just using it as an excuse. After K's Dr. appt I am going to Manhattan for at least a gray pair of pants and a white collared short sleeve shirt and some comfy black shoes. I bought this vest at the goodwill last week, nearly new Banana Republic pink cable knit vest. It is so pretty, so I to go with my $2 vest I need new gray pants, and a shirt. I have black shoes, but they aren't that comfy to spend all day on.

My exercise has been pretty much nil. Every morning I have been waiting for a phone call from the school to go get my fingerprints done, that call never came. I didn't know if I had the job or not. Well I knew the principle really wanted me. I know one of my references said "Congrats... she pretty much said you had the job." I know Em's teacher said so are you taking the job?" I said when it's offered.... But I hadn't got a call saying, You have the job. I got tired of waiting and stressing and eating and being depressed. (It's crazy how fast you can get depressed over something you didn't even know you wanted!) I called her yesterday. She was surprised I hadn't heard form the district, it turns out some lady is on vacation and comes back today, so I should be getting the call to come in tomorrow to fingerprint and my principal said I can start working right after that. So, glad thats clarified. Now maybe I can start getting back to normal. I am scared to weigh because of all the eating I did. I did do some exercising, I walked 5 miles with a friend this weekend. The girls and I went for a couple walks. I even made it to the gym once last week. I have definitely ate more than I exercised. Today is looking up though!

Hope you all have a great day!

It's been one of those days.

It wasn't baaaaad, per say, just non-stop, until now. I am done, pooped, drained....

After I dropped the girls off at school, I went to the gym where I worked out for about 35 minutes then sat in the sauna, my reward for the workout part. Just to lay in the heat, close my eyes and pretend I am laying at the beach, totally relaxing. I should download some beach sounds to the ipod to make it totally engulfing! I made what seems to be my daily stop at the commissary, for a couple things. And homeward bound I came, with a ferocious appetite in tow. When I got home I toasted (and burnt, but had to eat) a huge whole wheat bagel and added some pineapple cream cheese to the top. After breakfast, I cleaned the kitchen then showered and finally sat down to do some homework I have been procrastinating on.

I have 2 big assignments due Sunday. I had not one done. Well I knocked one out, kinda. The assignment (or so I thought) was a lesson plan incorporating art into a social studies lesson plan. ok, easy enough. I knocked it out in about 1.5 hours. I went to submit it online, and noticed I was supposed to do a drama infused lesson plan. ugh. Back to the drawing board. I kind of used what I had and tweaked it for drama, so it only took about 30min.

After that was done, I needed to get a birthday present for the girls to bring to a birthday party tomorrow, so back to post I went. The PX had nothing (for the girl) BUT they had some cute workout clothes on clearance. Who can pass up adidas shorts for less that 10$!! I got 2 pair :) I got Em some new balance tennis shoes for 15$ and some shorts for Kendall to play volleyball in. Not a bad trip, but not what I went for! So I went to Hallmark for a webkinz, score. Plus a little gift for Ryan who gets promoted on Monday. After that time to pick up the girls.

When we get home, I fold a quick load of towels, then start dinner.

(mmmm, all assembled and ready to cook!)

I am making a chicken spaghetti casserole for The Pioneer Women, I love her site! Here is the link for the casserole, in case you wanna make it! I made a few changes. Instead of pimentos, I used red bell pepper. I can not do cream of mushroom- it reminds of a recipe my Mom makes, she knows the one before I even say it. I am shivering thinking of it. I LOVED everything my Mom made, everything but Yucky Chicken. I don't know the technical name, but that is what my family calls it. It is one of those meals where I gagged and threw up over, but still had to eat it. My brother fell asleep at the table, bc we had to finish it before we could be excused. He thought he was slick, but when he woke up, he still had to finish it, now he had to eat COLD yucky chicken. That's olde school parenting there. This dish had 3 ingredients (correct me if I am wrong Mom). It was like chicken thighs wrapped in dried beef and smothered in cream of mushroom, then baked. Why you couldn't you just add some cheese to the top??? I know what she will say, because cheese was expensive, it was a luxury. lol. Man my girls have it easy.

(you can't tell it here, but it is still bubbling it's so hot!)

OK, I am going to enjoy a few beers, before my busy day again tomorrow. TGIF, people.

why i don't like myspace.

actually just one of the many reasons i don't like myspace. scary.

random things from recent

(I need another one... now)

1. i am loving the weather! love having the windows open all day. leaves are starting to change. pumpkin spice latte is back. I am genuinely excited about fall.

1. i only have 9 classes left until I get my B.A.!!! This has been a long time in the making... so you don't understand how excited I am.
2. thanks the Ward Meade Park in Topeka for a lovely Monday in their park. We were pretty much the only ones there, we got to tour the old village and snap 100's of pictures (that actually seem stuck on my card, I'm pretty nervous about that) and was intrigued with the soda shops- caramel apple shake. so intrigued i had to make one. so so so good. definitely worth a repeat!
3. enjoying lunch with friends- a turkey/swiss/cranberry cream cheese panini
4. getting all but 2 loads of laundry done today.
5. the sunflowers that are EVERYWHERE.

LABOR day weekend.

Our labor day weekend was a nice mix of fun/labor. That was nice.

When we moved into this house about 1.5 years ago, there were 2 things that needed to be done ASAP. Move the washing machine out of the kitchen and into the garage, and paint this place. Well the washing machine was moved ASAP, right into the garage where I wanted it. YAY. Months go by and everything is hunky dory. Until winter comes. Long story short, the washing machine pipes froze. And burst. And almost ruined my brand new washing machine. After several months of going to the laundry mat, Ryan was finally able to fix it, and it has run (loudly, but runs) since. Well with winter coming up again and not wanting to spend all winter at the laundry mat, Ryan, with help from his Dad who came down from Iowa, built a laundry room in the garage!! No worries this year. Thats how Friday, Saturday and Sunday were spent. I am so grateful, they were able to do it, I can't imagine how much we would have had to pay for something like that! I don't think there any accidents out of it either! Way to go guys!

(During)

(after, it is not finished, obvi. It needs some putty and paint, but will hold the heat! And see that door, it is 36" wide. My laundry basket and I will have no problems fitting in, no squeezing in sideways or tilting baskets!)

To thank them I made a HUGE Sunday dinner: pot roast with carrots/potatoes/onions, fresh snapped green beans, fried apples and yeast rolls. For dessert a green tomato pie. Recipe found here. It was ok, nothing that I could eat over and over, but Ryan sure loved it!

Today we needed to get out of here. We headed to Topeka. No big plans, just wanted to get out of this house! We had a nice lunch at Red Lobster, then went to Ward Meade Park, and I got some good pictures of the girls (which I still need to edit) and then went to watch Land of the Lost at the $2 theater. Land of the Lost was ok, should have probably waited to see it on video, on my couch, but I couldn't resist, I love Will Ferrell. There was one part (the mosquito) that I literally laughed my butt off, laughed so hard I was in tears and think I even snorted in the theatre :o) Tonight we are laying around, watching State of Play, and while at the park the had an olde fashioned soda shoppe (I love spelling olde tyme-e) the shop was advertising a caramel apple shake! oh yum. I have left over fried apples. and vanilla bean ice cream. hersheys caramel sauce. milk. and a blender. it. is. on. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Hope you all had an awesome Labor Day!

Hello World!

I say hello world. What I really mean to say is hi, Mom. And to the 3 other people that may read this :0)

I decided to start this little blog so that family and friends, near and far, can keep up with the daily happenings in our life. I can't promise anything exciting. I can promise lots of pictures... of the girls, the outdoors, the house, some food, just random stuff really, but I like to snap them, so like a bad family slideshow, you get to see them :)

I also can't promise that this will be updated everyday, with my school, girls sports, extracurricular activities and life in general, it can get hectic around here. I will do my best to update as often as possible though.

I hope you enjoy it, and if you do, maybe leave a comment :0)

xoxo bfn.