Fall Wreath

Super late, but when I took my fall wreath down I realized I never wrote about it!

So this terrible, horrible thing happened. When Coach and I were moving me out of my apartment we forgot to go get the rest of my stuff out of my storage unit. We'd already emptied the bulk of it way early on. All that was left.....my wreaths. All of them. Every last single one I had made. I almost cried when I realized it come September. Needless to say, I'm having to start all over with my collection.

Well this fall was super crazy busy. Ridiculously so. I still had a Halloween wreath in my bin of decorations, so that went up in September. Normally I would have done a late summer/early fall for September but no time so "Boo" went up early.  About a week after Halloween I was still crazy busy but Boo definitely needed to come down. I can't stand for a naked door so I quickly improvised. All those pine cone wreaths at the stores were cute but stupid expensive. So I grabbed a box of gold, glitter pine cones and a green floral ring from Hobby Lobby for about $12. I already had a ribbon.

I lined the edge of the ring with the ribbon then wedged and hot glued the pine cones into place. Another ribbon at the top for hanging and it was still missing something. So I went back and grabbed so random brown floral spray things and stuck those around the rim. From the distance it looked fine, to be honest I hoped no one would look at it closely. It got the job done though it's not one I'll be saving. I might make a more refined version next year but for $16 total, I'm ok with tossing this one after a one-time use.

Ignore the awkward angle and the reflection of me in my super comfy sweats. Just look at those beautiful gold pine cones. :)

B&Gs

This might shock some of you, but I never ate biscuits and gravy till high school. I was one of the managers for our wrestling team and there was a St Louis tournament we went to every year (Marquette for you St Louisians). They served biscuits and gravy at their concession stand and one year that was all they had left. Even the pizza was sold out. I was STARVING. So I could eat the hot biscuits and gravy or a cold sandwich and an apple out of our wrestling team's food stock. I went for the B&G.

Fast forward 8 years and I can still count on two hands how many times I'd had the dish. Here was the thing, most restaurants had gravy that was too watery or too pasty. And most people I know made the stuff from a bag. So I decided to go ahead and have my students (aka me) learn to make it from scratch. The result? The most delightfully easy and taste B&G recipe around. I keep a tube of sausage on hand at all times just in case we need a meal in a pinch. All the other ingredients are standard stuff you'll always have in the pantry- well at least I have it in mine.

First make the biscuits:

• Mix 1 cup of flour with 1 1/2 tsp baking powder and a pinch of salt.
• Then cut in a small teaspoon of butter (you can make this a tablespoon).
• Stir it up with 1/2 cup milk. Voila- a mushy gooey drop biscuit batter.
• Plop it onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and pop into an oven at 450 degrees (I make as many blobs as people, so usually 2-4).
• Bake for 10-12 minutes till the bottoms are golden brown.

While the biscuits are baking, you make the gravy:

• Cook your sausage on medium heat (6) in a deep skillet. Don't get your sausage too brown, just cooked through. If you brown it, you've really burnt some fat and your gravy will be brown instead of creamy white.
• Add another tablespoon butter and melt with the sausage (don't drain that meat fat, that's the flavor for your gravy!).
• Stir in 3 tablespoons flour till everything's all absorbed. You've essentially made a roux with sausage in it now.
• Gently pour in 1 3/4 cups milk and 1/2 tsp pepper. Add a pinch of salt. Keep that stove on 6!!
• Stir and scrape the bottom of the pan to make sure nothings scorching. Eventually it will come to a simmer.
• Keep stirring and let it simmer for 3-5 minutes till it thickens up to where you like it. Remember it will thicken some more upon standing.

By this time you're biscuits should be coming out of the oven, your gravy should be ready, and you've got nothing to do but eat your hot biscuits and gravy! All in all it takes me about 15 minutes to make is hands down one of my favorite recipes. You'll never use gravy from a mix again! (Though I want judge if you use refrigerated biscuits for a large crowd).

Hermann 2014

Coach and I like to travel. Since we live on a limited budget, spending money on experiences usually ranks higher than spending money on stuff. To each their own.

Hermann, MO, is one of our favorite places to visit. It's a Missouri River town famous for it's wineries. For those that don't know, Missouri is basically the California of the Midwest. Something about our climate, they make pretty decent town in this state. There are wine trails all over and lots of little towns make their money off wine tourism. Hermann is one of the towns that has it mastered.

There are only bed and breakfasts or rental homes in Hermann. This year we stayed at a sweet house called Helming House. It's adorable and completely updated. We brought all our own food and snacks for the weekend and made good use of the kitchen. It's a 2 bedroom and since there were 6 of us, Coach and I volunteered to be on the air mattress in the living room.

It overlooks the Missouri River and we already have plans to return in the spring and enjoy the view from the rocking chairs on the front porch (it was a bit chilly for that our weekend).

We drove in on Friday and headed out to the wineries on Saturday morning. We walked downtown and visited Hermanhoff and the bratwurst-making place first. Then we hopped on the Hermann trolley to visit Adam Puchta then Stone Hill. The trolley is only $15 for unlimited rides all day and well worth it for the convenience and safety!

We finished the day back downtown at a local brewery then yummy Italian restaurant. By the time the sun set, it was actually snowing. I'm not going to lie, walking through downtown in the pretty, light snow is about the only time I've enjoyed walking through the snow. It was, you know, romantic.

Sunday morning we were on the road and all were home by noon. It was a great weekend!

Growing Pains

For 8 years I lived in apartments smaller than the size of my classroom (I have a large classroom). Now, courtesy of marriage to Coach, I live in a 3-bedroom, 2.5 bath home with a living room, basement family room, guest room, guest bath, mantel, the works! So now all of a sudden my 2 Rubbermaid tubs of decor is not enough.

I've slowly been aquirimg more for each season and creating a tub for each season but it's a slow process. I was dismayed to find that my Christmas decor barely decorated the tree. So I bought more, and managed to decorate the stairs. So I bought more, and managed to decorate a shelf. A. Shelf. 

So needless to say my dreams of themes and coordinating decor have gone out the window. I tried, but I don't know have enough stuff to make it come together. I'll highlight it all soon (I'm still tweaking things) but in the meantime this is my happy place. Comfy chair, cozy blanket, twinkling tree. (And Big Bang Theory on TV). 

Not so innocent

Know what this is a picture of?

Bet you think it's a picture of our 2 adorable dogs snoozing away in our not-so-clean bedroom.

Well you're only partially right. They're snoozing away because these two yahoos went on a little adventure.

We've got 2 curious. active dogs and a weak fence. So we have an electric fence run around the perimeter. Apparently someone doesn't think that shock is "that big of a deal" because he just chewed through the wire. That's the little yahoo's work guaranteed (he's about a year old and we adopted him in February (goes by Captain).

The big yahoo is the runner though (goes by Guinness). He's been around for about 7 years but you still can't trust him to not bolt out the front door. And of course little man just follows him everywhere! So these two geniuses managed to get the fence deactivated and then make a run for it. The genius in the scheme ran out though as they managed to get themselves INTO another person's backyard and then couldn't get out. Whatever kind of fence that person has- we need it. So the homeowner notices these two dogs in his backyard and calls animal control.

Good news- both our boys have lifetime licenses with the city which means free pick up from Animal Control. They even drove them back to our house for us. I tried to take a picture of them getting out of the paddy-wagon, but my camera wouldn't cooperate. It's like their very own car service.

Now here's the bad-parenting part of the situation. We'd left the boys out in the yard while we went to a baby gender-reveal party. We came home, heard a bark and just went straight to our individual couches for a little afternoon snoozer. Oops. About 2 hours later we go check on the boys as we're getting ready to leave again and then notice they're gone. We're rushing to the car to go drive around and find them when Animal Control calls. So then we're rushing around to look like we just got home and hadn't actually been sleeping on the couch while our dogs were roaming the neighborhood.

Oh well, all's well that ends well right?? Coach fixed the fence, we tightened up those electric collars, and now we're vigilant about checking on them first thing home every time! We've learned that they're too sneaky by far.

Sicilian Supper

Also called Poor Man's Lasagna.

No pictures- tell Coach I really need that new lens for my camera! So use your imagination here. I also don't have exact measurements. This is one of those family-learned dishes that you just make.

Ingredients:
Egg Noodles- about 2/3 of a big bag.
1 stick cream cheese
1-2 cups milk
~1/2 a container of grated parmesan
1 jar spaghetti sauce
1 lb hamburger

So here's where I blow your mind: cook the hamburger (season how you want) and mix it up with your sauce. Then cook the noodles. I leave the noodles a bit more al dente since you'll be baking them in more liquid. That's like a second cooking, so leaving them firmer keeps the noodle from getting too mushy during the whole process.

As for the white sauce- you need to melt the cream cheese on a medium heat in a sauce pan with about 1 cup of milk. I use a whisk and patience for this. You want the cream cheese all combined and melted nice and smooth. Then add in your parmesan cheese- whisk till smooth! Ok, so here's where the whole do-it-how-you-think's-best bit comes in. You need to taste your sauce and decide how 1)cheesy you want it and 2) how thick you want it. I usually add a bit more parmesan and a bit more milk because I don't like the tartness of cream cheese. I like a more mellow sauce. You also need to salt and pepper at this point (something else I don't do since I salt and pepper my meat and I hate dishes being over-salted). You can garlic here as well (something I do since I love garlic). It's really your sauce, make it what you want!

Now for assembly: stir together your white sauce and noodles and layer those in a buttered 13x9 pan. I heavily butter but you could use olive oil spray if you care about your health (something I'm rarely cognizant of when making pasta). Then you spread your meat/red sauce combo on top of that. Sprinkle more parmesan on top and bake at 350 till hot and bubbly! You can also freeze it at this point. I like to make double batches, eat one then and freeze one for later. It's also my standard someone-died-or-someone-had-a-baby-or-someone-is-sick-take-these-people-a-meal meal.

You can also add in a layer of shredded parmesan and mozzarella between the noodles and red sauce, or use mozzarella on top. Once again, make it what you want.

I like this dish because it's cheap and easy. I get our hamburger from those super-generous parents (they buy a whole cow and just distribute the meat at will, we get all our red meat free from them because they rock like that). I use $1 red sauce and off brand everything else. About $5 for the white sauce ingredients, $1.50 for red sauce stuff, then if you add more cheese maybe $2 more. $2 for the noodles usually. So that's like a 10 buck meal that can feed 6-8. Done!

Tis the Season!!

HOLY SMOKES IT'S NOVEMBER 23RD!!!!

I don't know about you all, but I feel like this semester has just flown by. Normally that's not the case for my fall semesters. Usually it's the spring semester that just whips on through. With football this year though, it's been a much faster ride. I have exactly 17 days of teaching left before winter break! :)

Football is officially over. My sweet husband finished his last game on November 7th at the district championship game. While we're always sad to lose, I was secretly a little bit happy to have the season wrapped up. November 19th was the 4-month mark on our marriage and of those 16 weeks, 15 were active football season. Coach has a little bit more gray hair now but we'll never know if it was football or marriage ;)

We're going to my parents house for Thanksgiving this year (they live about 6 hours away) and a sister of mine will also be in town with her kiddos for the holiday. I'm excited at the chance to see everyone, to sleep in a couple of days, and best yet- to not cook! I've said it before but I'll say it again. My parents are super-generous people. The last thing they expect of their home-ec teacher daughter when she comes home to visit is for her to be cooking. They actually don't even expect it of me when they come visit us. I enjoy the break from the kitchen- especially in the throes of the school semester.

I'm excited to decorate our home for our first Christmas together; Coach is a little nervous. I had some décor up for Halloween and then a quick transition for Thanksgiving. I didn't take any pictures though because it really is so little (seriously, about 5 pumpkins and a silver turkey is it folks). I plan to go all out for Christmas though so look forward to that!

In the meantime, I'm going to get some posts up on those football dinners I did. The recipes are all good party/group food and tis the season now for parties and groups! We're also going to tackle some home renovation projects this winter. Last winter I re-did the kitchen, this year I've got my eye on the guest bedroom and master bath. Keep your eyes open- more is to come!!

Well Forget You

I made a terrible mistake. I bought a scale. I was curious. I thought, maybe I should actually check my weight. What a dumb thought.

Dear Scale,

I realize our relationships has been shaky in the past but I thought we could make amends. My pants have been particularly amenable lately which led me to believe you would be the same. I lovingly chose you. I found a clean spot in a warm room for you to reside. You will not be tampered with. You will not became a toy for the dogs.

I swore to respect your numbers. I trust your judgment. I entered this relationship with an open mind and heart. Yet you continue to refuse reciprocity. You insist on giving stagnant, surely inaccurate readings despite my best efforts. I think you just want to ruin my day. So to that I have to say,
forget you.

Forget you and your biased readings. Forget you and your dominating bullying. My pants and I were just fine without you and we'll be just fine without you again. You are dead to me, your numbers null and void. I officially bid you adieu!

Your no-longer friend,
Jenna (and her pants)

Those things are called letters

Something weird is happening. Students aren't being taught spelling. It's totally strange. I'm not sure who the dummy is who said kids don't need to learn to spell, but they're wrong. Allow me to explain what I live with.

I'm a high school teacher. I have students who can't spell to save their life. My highest honor students come to me with all their spelling questions because I actually can spell. I know how to spell because I know phonics. You see, the English language, while tricky, does have rules. Certain letters and certain letter combinations, make certain sounds. That sound may change based on the order of the letters (this is called emphasis), but even that has rules. So the students who come to me and say they actually spelled something right, I have a very hard time explaining to them that NO, that is not correct because that letter placed after that letter makes that letter sound likes this and not that. They don't know it because they've never been taught it.

Here's what it looks like in a high school student- I can't read what the student wrote since it's all spelled wrong and the student can't read aloud something I wrote because they don't know what sounds are supposed to be made. THIS IS WHY YOU TEACH SPELLING!!

So what does this look like in a grown-up? Simply put, extremely annoying conversation where there's always at least one word mispronounced. I have a particular person that I correct on a regular basis. I don't say outright "you're pronouncing that wrong." I act confused and say "do you mean _____?" They usually catch on. So one time this person tried to argue with me. The argument? Well everyone talks different, you can really say it however you want.

Um, actually you can't. That's the point of having a language. If you could just make whatever sounds you wanted to make and assume people will know what you're saying, then we've got the Tower of Babel all over again. Which means God is punishing us because we got all presumptuous again. Thinking we can just say things however we want. Serious business people, so please, make sure you teach your kids what letters make what sounds (PHONICS) and what letters go in what words to make those sounds (SPELLING) and save us all the major set-back of confounded language.

Don't worry Jenny, kids in the 90s got messed up too

So I was reading a favorite blog of mine the other day - the Bloggess of course. She wrote a post about basically white people ruining Latino music via translation but turns out the songs kind of creepy in its original version too (maybe? I didn't check her translation but I believe it anyway). So kids in the 70s were taught a weird song that's really just a poor translation of another weird song but isn't Carmen Miranda great?

So I watched the video link she included. And I realized I knew the song. Or the version my childhood self had learned which is nothing close to accurate since I knew NO Spanish as a child. But I have good reason, because the only reason I know the song, or even about Carmen Miranda really, is from Jerry Lewis. 

Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis movies were some of our favorites when we were kids. Scared Stiff is a special favorite. So here you go Jenny, I'm a kid for the 90s who learned Carmen Miranda from Jerry Lewis doing Carmen Miranda. And no. I don't know the song past the point of the record getting stuck. Obviously since the record got stuck.

 

Grading is what makes teachers so mad about being a teacher

Well that and the crappy pay. But honestly, the pay is a minute issue compared to the grading. It's so horrible. It's boring, tedious, mind-numbing, tear-inducing, most dreaded thing ever, awful. I am particularly resentful of grading. Here's how grading goes as you become more experienced:

Year 1- every assignment ever given is turned in and graded by the teacher on accuracy.
Year 2- every assignment ever given is turned in as a "notebook" and graded by the teacher on completion
Year 3- most assignments ever given are turned in as a "notebook" and graded by the teacher on completion, remaining assignments ever given are turned in an graded by the teacher on accuracy
Year 4- most assignments ever given are turned in as a "notebook" and graded by the TA (teacher assistant) on completion, remaining assignments ever given are turned in and grade by the teacher on general accuracy
Year 5- most assignments ever given are turned in as a "notebook" and graded by the TA on completion, most remaining assignments ever given are graded by the teacher on general accuracy, remaining assignments are forgotten- if the student asks to turn it in, they get extra credit
Year 6- most assignments ever given are turned in as a "notebook" and graded by the TA on completion, most remaining assignments are forgotten- if the student asks to turn it in, they get extra credit, remaining assignments are graded by the teacher on general accuracy

If you lost track of this- here's the break down. First I did too much, then I did a little less, then a little but less than that, now I barely grade.

But the grading I have to do now is like hard grading. Stuff I actually have to read. It sucks. It's not interesting and any teacher who tells you so is lying. I'm reading the same thing over and over and over. "Interesting" stopped showing up about page 3.

So then how do students show they're learning? That's way easier than you'd think. You see, students copy and plagiarize ALL DAY LONG. The work they actually turn in rarely shows what has truly been learned. It shows what's been completed. As a teacher, I can gauge a student's learning by seeing how engaged they are in class (tuned out means not learning, duh). By asking them questions. By seeing how quickly they complete that work. By seeing how much of that work they do on their own and how much they do with a friend.

The thing is though- non teaching people don't get this. People really think teachers need to sit down and score papers and give cute little letters grades to determine how well a student is performing. Teachers are not dumb people, teachers know their stuff. And just like a dentist can have a conversation with someone and quickly determine whether or not that person is another dentist. I can have a conversation with a student and quickly determine whether or not they know the same stuff I do.

So I hate grading, it's a pointless exercise that just sucks time out of day. But I have to do it, it's part of the job, so I'm going to keep doing it and complaining about it every single step of the way.

Feeding the Coaches

In case you all didn't know, my sweet hubby is the head football coach for the school at which we both work. It's a lot of fun, a lot exhausting, and completely rewarding. Some of the things football season brings I would be happy to do without. And with the regular season finished up (we're 5-4 heading into districts!), I'm most looking forward to simply having time with my husband again.

BUT there is one thing I think I might miss, and that's the Friday night dinners. Every Friday, after every game, win or lose, home or away, the coaches come back to our house to have dinner and recap the game. This was a tradition started by the former coach and it was one Coach and I chose to continue. Typically I feed anywhere from 8 to 12 hungry men every Friday. For this FCS teacher it was still a challenge. I didn't want every meal to be a casserole or crockpot dish- those get old fast in my opinion. And in honest truth, I only have about 3 casserole recipes. So I focused on dishes I could prep before and would cook in about an hour. That way I could race home after the games and have hot food ready by the time the coaches arrived. I also try to have an appetizer out so the first arrivals have something to snack on  till the whole group's ready to eat.

So what did I make? Well here's the list:

1. Baked ham, hashbrown casserole, green beans, dinner rolls, and birthday cupcakes (since the first game was also on my birthday!)
2. Frogmore stew, biscuits, and brownies (also called low-country or shrimp boil depending on from where you hail)
3. Home-made supreme pizza, ranch salad, mozzarella sticks, blonde brownies
4. Taco bar (beef, shredded chicken, chips, tortillas, lettuce, tomatoes, cheese, onions, sour cream), queso and guacamole dips, assorted cookies
5. Spaghetti and meatballs, Italian salad, garlic bread, mozzarella sticks, assorted cookies
6. Breakfast casserole, biscuits, cinnamon rolls
7. BBQ beef chili, hotdogs, cheese sauce, biscuits, chips, and crackers, cheesecake
8. Sloppy joes, French fries, tater tots, green beans, cinnamon crisps
9. Kettle beef, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn, dinner rolls, stuffed mushrooms, brownies

Delicious right?! It's been a lot of work but since I love to cook it's not so bad. It's actually pretty rewarding to have the chance to make food that's well appreciated. I also get to use all my fun new appliances and serving ware that we got for our wedding. Eventually I get all these recipes posted so you can make them yourself but in the meantime you can probably find something good on Pinterest!

Throwback Thursday

That time in which I post poignant/funny/dumb/embarrassing tales about my childhood so people will manage not to envy me too much. You're welcome.

Hold on to your hats!!!




Prepare yourself!!!




Once you look, you can't go back!!!




I had a mullet.

This was the beginning. Over time my mom realized I needed a more clearly defined business-party line. Obviously as my business got more serious, my party got heavier too. And just in case people didn't know a good-looking mullet when they saw one, we styled it. With a curling iron. 

This isn't even the worst photo. I chose a tame one. The truth is, I chose NOT to put the worst one in our wedding slideshow (for the very obvious reason of it being my wedding slideshow) and so I don't have it scanned into my files. Maybe it will be lost with the tides of time! (An unlikely hope since my sisters have fond memories of my mullet and would probably hire a painter to recreate the picture if it were ever lost).

*Sigh- at least I learned at an early age "it will always grow out"


**Revelation! Maybe this is why I'm normally absurdly sane about hair cuts for being such a controlling person- I was ruined early on so everything is still better!


***PPS- thanks Mom, not for the hairstyle, but for loving me enough to truly think I looked good. Even in those pictures.

Books I Read This Summer That Rocked

I read a LOT of books this summer. It was glorious. I love reading and summer reading is my favorite. I knocked out a solid 3 on our honeymoon alone :). Every school year I track which books I read by pasting the book cover onto a poster. I'm severely behind this year and I was tempted to count some of my summer reading. I resisted though and have simply started digging in.

But my query did remind me that I hadn't reviewed a book in awhile. So instead of individual reviews, here's simply the list of what I liked by author.

1. Wendy Wax: Ten Beach Road, Ocean Point, Christmas at the Beach, The House on Mermaid Point.
2. JK Rowling: The Casual Vacancy, The Silkworm
3. Deborah Harkness: The Book of Life
4. Suzanne Enoch: Rogue with a Brogue, The Devil Wears Kilts
5. Veronica Roth: Divergent, Insurgent, Allegiant

Twelve books- not too bad for a summer that included teaching summer school, getting married, and going on a honeymoon!

Living with a Boy

I didn't have the roommate to separate from- I did that earlier in my life. Living with a boy is still a tough transition. Keep in mind that I've lived with all girls or myself and nothing else. Boys are......different.

I love my husband, truly. But there's just some observations I've made:

1. Boys scratch. Like all the time. Their head, belly, you-know-whats. Once I noticed my dear husband having the habit, I noticed it in other men. Especially at work. Men must be very itchy.
2. Boys shed too! I've known my whole life that girls shed. One summer on vacuum duty in a house with 3 sisters will teach you how much hair actually comes off the female body. And we even spend time purposely removing hair from our body. Why didn't it cross my mind that boys shed? 
3. The belief that boys don't have as many clothes is a lie. We both had to do some serious closet cleaning to make our belongs fit together but I really didn't anticipate how much he would have. And he's not even a fashion-forward kind of guy. He dresses well and stylishly but almost grudgingly. So the fact that he had as many clothes as many was kind of surprising.
4. There are different definitions of clean. Enough said.
5. He who holds the remote reigns supreme.
6. Shopping doesn't count as work. Um, what? Excuse me??
7. Candles aren't romantic, in fact they're often ignored or forgotten. Best not to light them or you'll just set the house on fire.
8. Ill-conceived ideas that don't end well are going to be mocked. Always. With love, but always.
9. Home decorating will go unnoticed but if you point it out, you'll get the praise you want. :)
10. A well-cooked, or ill-cooked for that matter, dinner is always appreciated and will always get praise even if you think it doesn't deserve it.

Throwback Thursday

That time in which I post poignant/funny/dumb/embarrassing tales about my childhood so people will manage not to envy me too much. You're welcome.

Some people wouldn't be caught dead in a photo such as this. Personally, I see a smile and only 1 chin- therefore WINNER!

When: 2005
What: I was letting my sister dye my hair pink. Without telling my mom.
Why: I was always the good girl but I was obsessed with the color pink. I had long imagined beautiful blonde highlights with one streak of bright pink. But every time I went to the salon, someone talked me out of it. My mom, my sister, my hair dresser. It made no sense to me- I didn't party, I made good grades, I was responsible. Why couldn't I dye my hair pink?! So my sister and I found a home kit that was listed as being bad for my hair shade. It would turn your hair pink! We bought it, went home and did a crappy home foil, and voila! Pink highlights. They were temporary so they washed out after about 3 washes. Except for one. We had dyed the little baby hair bangs right by my forehead and that color never came out. All summer I had my strip of pink. It was a wonderful little rebellion. In retrospect, it was nothing. My parents had it easy. After teaching high school I now know, if all my kid does is put a little pink in their hair then we are A-OK!.

For the record- here's the finished product:

Being "That" Bride

I know a lot of things about myself. I know that I'm smart, funny, and loving. I also know that I'm impatient, demanding, and very bossy. My closest friends and I laugh about how I'm always "that" girl. The one who's so Type-A that she can't relax. The one who's destined to be the Martha Stewart of mothers- going all the way to jail if necessary to be perfect. And I'll admit- for the most part I accept this about myself. I try to overcome my rigidness and go with the flow, but sometimes that means knowing what situations will make me a nice person and creating those situations.

So when I got engaged I just knew, I knew, that I would be "that" bride. And I was- I needed real china, a 6 foot train, and I scheduled that day down to the minute. (For the record, everything ran like clockwork so it was worth it!). But sometimes, even my perfect planning and managing still created situations like this:

The most beautiful day of my life and there are still these moments. It's poetic really. I think I might make it my new profile picture. Which is why I worked my butt off to be the nice version of "that" girl. And I think I managed that. I definitely had my moments; don't we all?! Overall though it was an awesome, amazing day- even when my cathedral length veil insisted on attacking me. :)

My Secret Addiction

That's a lie- I've talked about it with everyone I've met.

I LOVE Ladies of London on Bravo. Unfortunately, I haven't found an immediate friend who returns the sentiments. I don't watch any of the Real Housewives. Let's be honest, working in an urban school district, I've got real drama playing out every, single day. I don't need TV for all that. But Ladies of London so far isn't trashy American drama (thought I'm sure it will get there). Instead, it's this awesome, legitimate battle of American manners versus British manners. Crack my butt up!!!!!!!!

I love manners. I once received the Emily Post bible as a Christmas gift (thought I gave it back in an epic break-up that would definitely not meet British manners standards). Manners are awesome and they make social situations so. much. better. For people with ANY level of social anxiety (and we all have some), this is a big deal. If people follow manners, then everyone will be ok.

So anyway, this epic manners battle is my current addiction. Coach puts up with it in that he is happy to watch one of the other 4 televisions in our house (we really have that many) but otherwise I need a fellow follower. I want to talk about how Noelle's figure isn't that great (but she's supposed to be this epic fashion goddess??), and Juliet is pure American with the worst fashion sense, and is Marisa really going to the other side with her dual citizenship or is she now just the classiest American housewife ever?? Someone tell me!!!!

Gah!

To Blog or Not to Blog- that is the key, ever eternal, ridiculous question I keep facing.

Here are the pros:
I enjoy it
I'm good at writing
I get to pretend at being a funny writer
I might share something really neat with someone
I'm actually kind of shy and I don't have to look at any of you people in the eye
It lets you be as narcissistic as a teenager again

Here are the cons:
It takes time
You have to make an actual commitment if you're going to do it right
You can hurt peoples' feelings
You have to be careful to respect privacy of people
People think they know you
There's a lot of thinking about yourself

I have about 100 friends on facebook. That's not very many. But I know each and every single one of them! They are actually friends, not mindless long-lost acquaintances. Granted, I have to use the facebook of my friends and siblings if I'm going to probably stalk anybody, but that's a small price to pay for my own privacy.

I started blogging as a technology project in college. I continued blogging when I moved 6 hours (or more) away from my friends and family as a way to share my experiences. As a first year teacher I had a TON of material. Literally loads of it. But then the oh-my-god-what-are-these-students-doing-to-me posts started to run out and I focused on my personal life. That blog had 100s of followers, offers of endorsement posts, and it got me in trouble. Personally, not everyone likes being out there. I learned to respect that and closed up the public diary of my first 3 years of independence. I have the posts for my own fond memories, but otherwise they're gone from the public eye. What I started was this blog. It was going to be mature, it was going to be crafty, it was going to be just as successful! But my heart wasn't in it. I couldn't just blog recipes and craft projects.

Here's the truth of my life. I'm a mess. A lovable, adorable, very smart mess. I have a thousand and one interests that I dabble in. A renaissance woman, I am the jack of many trades, master of none. It makes me a know-it-all, a veritable fount of useless knowledge. I also know that I can be funny and witty. My sarcasm (that's called italics for you internet readers) can make or break a situation. I have no ten-year plan. I never have. If I get bored, I go learn something new to occupy me in the meantime.

The good news is that I have a very lovable, patient, supportive fiancé (herein known as Coach) who thinks I can whatever the heck I decide I need to do. And I want to return to writing about my life as I know it. I want to share the funny stories, the weird things that I end up doing (because weird stuff doesn't happen to me, I totally bring it upon myself), and the sweet, awesome life lessons I'm learning along the way. Being in love with Coach has been the best adventure of my life and we're tying the knot in 2 weeks. I want to document our ridiculous journey but also share it. It's a great life and great things are worth sharing, right?! So huzzah! To a great life!

*You will start to see changes in the format of the blog but the name will stay the same for consistency reasons. Just get ready for less crafting, more real life. That's what's up folks- enjoy!

Wedding Organization

Based on appearances only, one wouldn't necessarily know that I'm an organized person. And in fact I wasn't always. Time and experience though, not to mention juggling lots of different things, has made organization critical for my sanity.

When the wedding planning started, I immediately went looking for a good all-encompassing planner. I never found one in paper form. The pre-made binders were just full of things that I didn't actually need, and the organizational pages they did provide simply weren't large enough or took too much handwriting. I found a few different digital things but ultimately I used one for a start and built from there.

The spreadsheet I ended up with contains all the pertinent information I need for EVERYTHING all in one place. My dear fiancé pointed out that I should probably make sure to back it up on a jump drive in case something happened to my computer.

The first spreadsheet is a guest list tracker. It's divided by host (bride family, bride friends, coworkers, groom family, etc). A column for last name only is included so you can sort each section alphabetically. There are columns for the formal name, casual name (outer and inner envelopes you know), and of course the seating card name. The address columns are broken apart as needed for mail merge (should you choose to print addresses onto labels or envelopes). Then the remaining columns track RSVP's, gifts received, and thank you's sent for the wedding, showers, and more.

The second page is the master budget. Every penny spent is recorded here and the expenses are linked to the appropriate groom-bride-couple budget pages. So for example, when I update the master budget, the individual budget break downs are automatically updated. Since our wedding is generously being supported by both of parents and ourselves, I wanted to be able to track not only how much was being spent TOTAL but also how much each party was paying thus far. Also concerning budgeting items is the last page for receipts. Plain and simple, all those little things I've bought and picked up along the way are recorded and tracked. This helps keep my spending in check and also serves as an easy one-look place to remember what was purchased. *A note on spending, I'm making as many purchases I can via a single credit card opened explicitly for wedding purchases. It's a zero-percent interest card with rewards points. That way I'm getting some sort of money back on the money spent, I'm not accruing interest, and we also have a little more time to foot the bill on these things since we haven't combined households or incomes yet.*

The other tabs include a timeline- you simply enter everything that's supposed to happen the day of the wedding. If you keep the time on a 24-hour clock (example, not 2 in the afternoon but 14:00) you can sort all the things chronologically after you entered them. Last but not list is the vendor list. This is mostly just contact information, but it's a handy place to have it all. You can print the list for day-of coordinators easy peasy.

I update the spreadsheet every week or so. When we were in the early stages of planning, I easily spent an hour on it each day. Now though it's mostly just the budget pages I have to update until the time for RSVP's and shower invites comes along.

Maybe this will help somebody someday, it's obviously completely customizable to your own needs!

Ultimate Wedding Planner!

Cuckoo's Calling

LOVED THIS BOOK.



I knew about the whole Robert Galbraith=JK Rowling before I started reading. I had added the book to my kindle wish list though before that news broke. I took the time over Christmas break to actually read the thing though and couldn't put it down. Like left some of the family festivities for a bit just so I could finish a couple of chapters.

I like mystery novels anyway and this one was a page-turner. I kept thinking I was figuring it out then a new clue would turn up and I would be baffled again. The ending was genius and left things open for a sequel. Which it has been proudly announced that a next book is indeed written and in pre-publication stages. They think it will be out sometime this fall.

I really enjoy when I can become attached to characters and read more books with them. I'm definitely a series girl.

Even if you don't like mysteries, I'd say to give this one a chance. It was a delightful read with a satisfying ending, and not too much mumbo jumbo "I'm a literary genius" shenanigan writing in the middle. Quite refreshing.

Parmesan Crusted Potatoes Au Gratin

There is nothing wrong with the title of this post just like there was nothing wrong with the recipe. Naturally I didn't follow it. In fact I don't even have the original link. It was so simple I just did it.

Slice your potatoes (I left skins on) thinly, of equal thickness. If you have a mandolin- use it. I didn't and mine turned out just fine.

Heat a cup or so of heavy whipping cream on low heat in a saucepan. Stir in some fresh or dried rosemary, some fresh or dried thyme, and little nutmeg. Add those seasoning to your preference. I did equal rosemary and thyme (maybe a teaspoon of the dried stuff?) then just a pinch of nutmeg. Simmer so the flavors mix.

Butter a pan they make a layer of potatoes. I made mine overlap each other. Pour some of the cream mix over the potatoes. Liberally sprinkle grated Parmesan cheese over the top with a bit of salt and pepper. The idea is that the cream dampens the potatoes so the cheese sticks.

Do another layer the same way, then another, and another till you're out of potatoes. Pour the remaining cream mixture all over the top. I also added a bit of shredded mozzarella to every other layer just to increase the cheesiness.

Cover the pan with foil and bake at 350 for 40-50 minutes or until potatoes are tender. Remove the foil, put a fresh layer of Parmesan on top and return to over. Let the thing bake till the cheese on top is melted and lightly browned.

I served mine with some ham and steamed green beans. Delightful!

6 months to go!

We are about 6 months away from the wedding. Oh, my, goodness. I'm excited to start sharing my wedding DIY posts soon now that I've actually started on the work. I really need to take pictures though to share what's going on and I'm not the best at that. Here's what's going on though.....

Still no dress. I know, I thought I found one but I hadn't really. My mom's coming into town to force my hand. Not literally, I just really need her opinion before I can choose. So I have it narrowed down to 2. Hopefully I can make the decision.

Still no cake. What is the deal with cake these days? It is outrageously expensive. I make cake. In fact, I make good cake. It's hard for me to pay that much money for something I can make myself. I realize I can't actually make my own wedding cake, but don't think I'm happy about it. We are still searching for something that costs less than our first born but tastes good.

Invitations are underway! All 638 pieces are waiting for printing and assembly. I ordered the invitation design from an Etsy shop and doing all the printing at home. The shop I chose was so reasonably priced it was still cheaper to print at home than to hire a printer. Plus I like being in control of everything :)

All of our vendors (except for the cake) are picked and deposited. It's a relief to know we don't have to "book" anything still. Everything down to the hair stylists and hotel rooms are taken care of.

We are perusing honeymoon ideas. If you have suggestions, throw them at me.

My sweet fiance has started counting the number of times I use the word "traditional" when working on wedding stuff. I can't help it. I want a classic, traditional wedding. Just like I want a classic, traditional marriage :) You know, the kind that stand the test of time.

Happy Holidays! (2 weeks late)

I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season. I sure did. In fact, I enjoyed it so much I lost all time to blog! I truly did enjoy the holiday season though :)

I thought I'd do a quick post on gift-giving. It's the best part of the holidays for me, picking out those fun somethings for those special someones. Some people get really stressed by it though and it becomes a burden. While I will certainly do my fair share of complaining, the truth is that I can usually find something for everyone. I don't think I'm the gift queen by any means, but I think I do a pretty good job. Here are my tips for finding those fun, unique gifts.

1. Uncommongoods.com. They have such fun interesting stuff. You just need to browse through their options and when you see something you like, pin it. Chances are you'll come across an opportunity to gift it to someone sooner rather than later.

2. Keep a secret gift pin board. Secret obviously because you don't want people to see what you thought of for them. Pin board so that you actually remember those gift ideas you had. I constantly come across things online I think would be a good gift but then there's no upcoming reason to gift it. So I simply pin the idea, put the person(s) name in the description and voila! When I'm blanking on gift ideas all my previous genius thoughts are safely stored waiting for me.

3. Use the gift shops. Seriously. If someone likes sports, go to the team's store. Same goes with bands/musicians. The thing is, most of the stuff (a lot of the stuff) sold in the team store isn't sold at other retailers. That makes it more likely to be a one-of-a-kind item that they person wouldn't normally get for themselves.

4. Customize. When in doubt, add a person's name or initials to something. It makes it instantly personal. An average casserole pan is just a plain casserole plan. Have the person's name engraved into the glass though and it's a fun, unique gift that shows a little extra thought. There are several online retailers that sell personalized items. Just google it and see what comes up.

5. Buy out of season. You can still get summer stuff in the winter time. You just won't find it in store. Get on board the online bandwagon and hit those websites! If not the most original gift, you certainly won't see a bunch of other people gifting new beach towels for Christmas.

6. Accessorize. Buy a cooler- fill the cooler. BBQ tools? Throw in some new rib rub. New blouse, add the earrings. It's the little things that show you didn't grab the single first thing you saw. You put effort in the gift by finding coordinating items.

7. Wrap pretty practical. Little things have big impact when they all meet a common theme. It's easy to head to a craft store, buy a basket, and put everything in it with a pretty ribbon tied on top. Not only is it pretty, but practical, and handmade which makes it seem (you guessed it)- personal!

8. Groupon. I love Groupon; it's the only way Coach and I get to go out for a nice dinner. But I also buy items from Groupon Goods. I gift Groupon's too. If you're the type who gives gift cards, get the most bang for your buck. Your $50 budget means more when it gets $100 worth of merchandise. Just watch those expiration dates! No point in giving a golf groupon if the snow won't melt before it expires.

That's about it. I love online shopping and do a lot of it. But if I'm buying straight from the store, I make sure the gift is well-rounded, and/or wrapped with care and love. (Aaaaawwwww) The holidays are over but a new year means another round of birthday! Happy gifting!