Understanding cuts of meat:
Me (to the butcher): I want to make brisket for supper tomorrow night. What would be a good cut of meat to use?
Butcher: Um, brisket.
FAIL.
Understanding makes/models of vehicles:
My coupon says that the oil change is only redeemable for GM vehicles. I have had my car since 2004 and I still have no idea whose child it is. So I google, "Is an Alero a GM vehicle?" Answer: yes.
Understanding the organization of car dealerships:
I called the dealership to schedule said oil change and asked for the body shop. The lady was so sweet when I asked if I needed to schedule my oil change or if I should just drop in, but she finally said, "This is the body shop. You need to talk to service." Dangit. At least she was nice.
So don't ask me for help with any of the above issues. I will undoubtedly lead you astray. Call my mom. She knows everything. Seriously.
Happy Friday!
December 21, 2012
December 20, 2012
Break!
Today officially begins my Christmas break. And I'm truly thankful. For so many things.
Thankful for a job where I get paid to love on teenagers. How bizarre is that!?
Thankful for my crazy students. One kid, who is nearly always a behavior problem, gave me a priceless glimpse into his heart yesterday. I was working with him on a reading final and he regularly paused to strike up conversation with me. (He really struggles with focusing, so I wasn't at all surprised that he had something to say every 5 minutes.) I've been praying for this young man lately. Praying that I will begin to see him as an individual and not just a behavior problem. And the Lord is faithful, as always. I saw this young man's heart. I listened as he explained his sadness toward the people in Connecticut and his anger toward the shooter. Later, he told me how excited he is that his doctor gave him the go-ahead to increase his meds (which, in turn, will help him focus more and be less of a behavior issue for teachers). In that hour and 45 minutes, he was no longer a "behavior issue." Instead, he was transformed into a maturing young man who just wants to be heard. And heard him, I did. I'm sure he and I will still get into it after break and I'm sure I'll still want to pull my hair out after working with him on occasion, but I sincerely hope that I will remind myself of the human that I was able to see yesterday.
Thankful for my co-workers. I've received so many Christmas cards and treats in the past week. Even though I don't always see eye-to-eye with my colleagues, I'm thankful they are in my life. They make the rough days bearable.
Thankful for my superiors. Not trying to kiss any behinds here (because let's face it, they are definitely not reading this), but I report to an amazing principal. It is evident he loves his kids and evident that he wants his staff to be successful.
Thankful for my "new" job. I'm a semester into teaching special education, so it's hardly "new" anymore. About once a week, I pause in awe of the Lord's faithfulness and supreme provision. Even a year ago I wouldn't have thought that the SPED world would be for me. Mid-February is when the ball first started rolling. I love working one-on-one with students who legitimately need my assistance. I love working in a co-teaching environment. And I even love the paperwork. I'm notoriously bad at planning my life, so I suppose it shouldn't have shocked me much that my initial plan didn't work out. Again, God is faithful.
So I begin my time away from the kiddos today. I'm sure I'll miss them, but after teaching for only a short 2 1/2 years, I've learned that breaks are good for us all. My 5th hour will have to wait until after break to hear my sweet recorder tunes, but I'm sure they won't be too bummed. Happy snow day to those of you who are enjoying the perks of the education realm!
PS - did ya notice anything different about my blog? A friend who used to teach at my high school did a bang-up job, don't ya think? Thanks, Ashley! I love it!!!
Thankful for a job where I get paid to love on teenagers. How bizarre is that!?
Thankful for my crazy students. One kid, who is nearly always a behavior problem, gave me a priceless glimpse into his heart yesterday. I was working with him on a reading final and he regularly paused to strike up conversation with me. (He really struggles with focusing, so I wasn't at all surprised that he had something to say every 5 minutes.) I've been praying for this young man lately. Praying that I will begin to see him as an individual and not just a behavior problem. And the Lord is faithful, as always. I saw this young man's heart. I listened as he explained his sadness toward the people in Connecticut and his anger toward the shooter. Later, he told me how excited he is that his doctor gave him the go-ahead to increase his meds (which, in turn, will help him focus more and be less of a behavior issue for teachers). In that hour and 45 minutes, he was no longer a "behavior issue." Instead, he was transformed into a maturing young man who just wants to be heard. And heard him, I did. I'm sure he and I will still get into it after break and I'm sure I'll still want to pull my hair out after working with him on occasion, but I sincerely hope that I will remind myself of the human that I was able to see yesterday.
Thankful for my co-workers. I've received so many Christmas cards and treats in the past week. Even though I don't always see eye-to-eye with my colleagues, I'm thankful they are in my life. They make the rough days bearable.
Thankful for my superiors. Not trying to kiss any behinds here (because let's face it, they are definitely not reading this), but I report to an amazing principal. It is evident he loves his kids and evident that he wants his staff to be successful.
Thankful for my "new" job. I'm a semester into teaching special education, so it's hardly "new" anymore. About once a week, I pause in awe of the Lord's faithfulness and supreme provision. Even a year ago I wouldn't have thought that the SPED world would be for me. Mid-February is when the ball first started rolling. I love working one-on-one with students who legitimately need my assistance. I love working in a co-teaching environment. And I even love the paperwork. I'm notoriously bad at planning my life, so I suppose it shouldn't have shocked me much that my initial plan didn't work out. Again, God is faithful.
So I begin my time away from the kiddos today. I'm sure I'll miss them, but after teaching for only a short 2 1/2 years, I've learned that breaks are good for us all. My 5th hour will have to wait until after break to hear my sweet recorder tunes, but I'm sure they won't be too bummed. Happy snow day to those of you who are enjoying the perks of the education realm!
PS - did ya notice anything different about my blog? A friend who used to teach at my high school did a bang-up job, don't ya think? Thanks, Ashley! I love it!!!
December 10, 2012
Kitchen Casualtiees + A Recipe
I dubbed yesterday a "cook as many things as possible for this week" day. While I was successful, it must be said that there were some casualties along the way. Among the victims are my right index finger, my nasal passages, and my right groin muscle (my apologies if that is tmi).
We're hosting a portion of our small group Christmas party on Tuesday night, and for my part, I'm baking a bunch of fingery desserty foods. Yesterday's tasks were primarily candy-related. I purchased all my ridiculous candy-making ingredients (including a $10 vial of cinnamon oil...and the recipe called for 2-4 drops...this is dedication, people) and set to work.
My first recipe was cinnamon hard candy. After reading about 4 candy recipes, I felt prepared enough to begin the endeavor. It is important to note that one recipe said to refrain from directly sniffing the mixture once the cinnamon oil is added as it can permanently alter your nasal passages. Noted. So I continued. Tralalalala. After carefully adding the cinnamon oil, and being especially careful not to get any on my fingers (that would be a travesty!!!), I began to stir away (per one recipe's detailed instructions). Being the conscientious cook that I am, I wanted to make sure the bright crimson mixture was cinnamony enough, so I decided that I would take a quick sniff. I leaned my face over the steaming hot pan and inhaled a gust of the most spicy smelling fragrance this side of Mars. I immediately began screaming, (seriously, not an exaggeration...hubz can attest to this) coughing, and generally throwing a fit due to the intense burning sensation that was streaming through my nose, mouth, and throat. I honestly thought death was imminent. Hubz, being the kind soux chef that he is, yelled from the other room, "Run cold water over your fingers and stick them up your nose!" So I did. People, I was desperate. And it helped. Hubz to the rescue! My smelling is, I think, back to normal. Unfortunately, the cinnamon hardy candy paid the price. Some pieces are quite mild and taste more like a Pizza Hut mint while other pieces will make you want to pull your hair out. So you win some and you lose some. Lesson learned: avoid sniffing substances with cinnamon oil (or just follow the directions.......).
My right index finger was burned whilst making fudge. Much less exciting story. It just happened. Womp womp.
And as far as my right groin muscle goes...I have no idea. All I know is that after making all my goodies, I felt like a small child was stabbing my upper thigh with an ice pick. Alas, today it only feels like said small child is using a blunt screw driver, so it could be worse.
Allow me to end this post with a recipe that reaches back generations (actually, I have no idea how old it is....I just got it from my mom and adapted it).
Bierrocks!!!!
Filling:
2 pounds hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion (use a food processor!!)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cabbage (I loathe cabbage, so I use a food processor to shred that sucker up)
2 Tbsp. mustard (I also loathe mustard, but it truly adds good flavor)
Sharp cheddar cheese - 2 cupsish
Brown hamburger. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cabbage (after using a food processor to chop/mince them first). Add mustard and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 20 minutes or until cabbage is done. Add cheese and mix well. Cool.
Dough:
2 packages yeast
2 cups milk (2 cups warm/hot water (150 degrees) plus 1/2 cup powdered milk)
1 stick margarine
6 1/2-7 cups white whole wheat flour (this gives it a nice grainy consistency)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar. To milk mixture add remaining milk, margarine, salt, and remaining sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Add eggs. Stir in flour to form soft dough. Let rise. Roll out and cut into 4 inch squares. Fill with hamburger/cabbage mixture. Bring corners together and pinch together. Place on greased cookie sheets with folded sides to bottom. Let rise about 40 minutes. Bake at 374 degrees for 20 minutes.
Happy cooking and may you successfully avoid any kitchen casualties this holiday season.
We're hosting a portion of our small group Christmas party on Tuesday night, and for my part, I'm baking a bunch of fingery desserty foods. Yesterday's tasks were primarily candy-related. I purchased all my ridiculous candy-making ingredients (including a $10 vial of cinnamon oil...and the recipe called for 2-4 drops...this is dedication, people) and set to work.
My first recipe was cinnamon hard candy. After reading about 4 candy recipes, I felt prepared enough to begin the endeavor. It is important to note that one recipe said to refrain from directly sniffing the mixture once the cinnamon oil is added as it can permanently alter your nasal passages. Noted. So I continued. Tralalalala. After carefully adding the cinnamon oil, and being especially careful not to get any on my fingers (that would be a travesty!!!), I began to stir away (per one recipe's detailed instructions). Being the conscientious cook that I am, I wanted to make sure the bright crimson mixture was cinnamony enough, so I decided that I would take a quick sniff. I leaned my face over the steaming hot pan and inhaled a gust of the most spicy smelling fragrance this side of Mars. I immediately began screaming, (seriously, not an exaggeration...hubz can attest to this) coughing, and generally throwing a fit due to the intense burning sensation that was streaming through my nose, mouth, and throat. I honestly thought death was imminent. Hubz, being the kind soux chef that he is, yelled from the other room, "Run cold water over your fingers and stick them up your nose!" So I did. People, I was desperate. And it helped. Hubz to the rescue! My smelling is, I think, back to normal. Unfortunately, the cinnamon hardy candy paid the price. Some pieces are quite mild and taste more like a Pizza Hut mint while other pieces will make you want to pull your hair out. So you win some and you lose some. Lesson learned: avoid sniffing substances with cinnamon oil (or just follow the directions.......).
My right index finger was burned whilst making fudge. Much less exciting story. It just happened. Womp womp.
And as far as my right groin muscle goes...I have no idea. All I know is that after making all my goodies, I felt like a small child was stabbing my upper thigh with an ice pick. Alas, today it only feels like said small child is using a blunt screw driver, so it could be worse.
Allow me to end this post with a recipe that reaches back generations (actually, I have no idea how old it is....I just got it from my mom and adapted it).
Bierrocks!!!!
Filling:
2 pounds hamburger
1/2 cup chopped onion (use a food processor!!)
Salt and pepper to taste
2 cups shredded cabbage (I loathe cabbage, so I use a food processor to shred that sucker up)
2 Tbsp. mustard (I also loathe mustard, but it truly adds good flavor)
Sharp cheddar cheese - 2 cupsish
Brown hamburger. Add onions, salt and pepper, and cabbage (after using a food processor to chop/mince them first). Add mustard and 1/2 cup water. Simmer 20 minutes or until cabbage is done. Add cheese and mix well. Cool.
Dough:
2 packages yeast
2 cups milk (2 cups warm/hot water (150 degrees) plus 1/2 cup powdered milk)
1 stick margarine
6 1/2-7 cups white whole wheat flour (this gives it a nice grainy consistency)
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. salt
Dissolve yeast in 1/2 cup warm water with 1 Tbsp. sugar. To milk mixture add remaining milk, margarine, salt, and remaining sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Add eggs. Stir in flour to form soft dough. Let rise. Roll out and cut into 4 inch squares. Fill with hamburger/cabbage mixture. Bring corners together and pinch together. Place on greased cookie sheets with folded sides to bottom. Let rise about 40 minutes. Bake at 374 degrees for 20 minutes.
Happy cooking and may you successfully avoid any kitchen casualties this holiday season.
November 28, 2012
juhuslik: it's Estonian
- Sometimes I have thoughts like "perhaps I should shut down the old blog." I'm obviously stupidly irregular in posting. But as soon as I have such thoughts as the one above, I remind myself that my blog is one of my outlets (when I want to give the hubz a break from listening to all the very, very important things I have to say). I post what I want when I want. That sounds selfish. But it's true. So ...okay is going to stick around. And I'm okay with that. Irregularity is a good thing, right? :)
- Many of my students feel the social stigma of receiving SPED services. My internal reaction to their very real emotions is often, "Why!? We're here to HELP you, not to embarrass you! You cray-cray." However, yesterday I received a dose of my own "you cray-cray" medicine. In one of my CSS classes (essentially it's a general education English class with a handful or so of students with special needs...and I'm in there as a co-teacher), I've been taking about half the class to my room during work time just to calm the chaos that is inevitable during independent work time. Aside from the students with special needs, I also snagged a few gen ed kiddos to join the partay in the Carlson classroom. Well, when my co-teacher told the students yesterday that the same students who went with me on Monday would be going with me again, one of the gen ed kids threw a mini hissy-fit. My read on the situation is that he didn't want to go with me because I'm the SPED teacher...thus not as smart and he would then be labeled as needing extra help. Internally, I was fuming. Embarrassed. Irritated. Lots of internal choice words. Not my proudest moment. Later in the day as I was processing my emotions, I realized that how I felt was probably similar to how my students with special needs must feel at times. Most of them appreciate the extra help and don't mind working one-on-one with me or being "pulled" from the regular class for support. But there are still times when receiving extra help is somewhat embarrassing (apparently it's not cool to walk down the hall with Mrs. Carlson...what!?!?). In an effort to wrap up this very rambling-happy story, let me just say that I love my kiddos with special needs. LOVE them. Like, I want to adopt all of them and make them cookies every day. And I'm not even joking. And I'm thankful for the opportunity I received to feel a bit of what they have felt so many times in their educational journey. <Stepping off soap-box>
- Tonight I'm making a baked ziti for supper. And I am pumped.
- My house is officially decorated for Christmas. Perhaps I will take some pics this weekend when it's not dark 5 minutes after I get home (cue collective ugh).
- Today I was actually LOOKING for something to do. Now that is crazy. The last month has been nuts - writing a bajillion IEPs while trying to stay on top of everything else about drove me bonkers. A wise SPED teacher said to me at the beginning of the year, "Your schedule as a SPED teacher will ebb and flow." And boy was she right. I'm definitely in a calm season right now (*crosses fingers*) and I don't hate it.
- Dansie hubsie and I are just home tonight. I love nights like this.
- Have a happy one!
November 12, 2012
3 years
What follows is what I wrote 3 years ago. Makes me smile. Love you, Dans.
Wednesday, Daniel texted me and asked if I would go out to eat with him at Red Robin tomorrow.
I, of course, said yes, and instantly began secretly wondering if a proposal would occur.
I told only Roxanne about Daniel’s request, and we chatted briefly about it, but neither of us could figure out if it was for real.
On Thursday, I asked Daniel if I should wear a hoodie or if I needed to dress up.
He said that he would wear what he wears to work (which is typically jeans and a t-shirt). He also said, “It’s really not that big of a deal.” This had me confused. He knows that I would not want to get engaged in jeans and a hoodie, so I decided to dress up anyway. You never know. (When I told him later that he took a risk – I could have worn sweats, he said, “I figured you knew me well enough that you would just know to dress up.”)
When he showed up to pick me up at 4:30 Thursday afternoon, he was wearing my favorite shirt (which he rarely wears to work). He was also quite awkward. In fact, I don’t remember a time more awkward than our first “date.” The drive to Wichita was full of chatting, but Daniel never even tried to hold my hand, which was also weird (especially since I hadn’t seen him for 3 days).
At one point I suggested that my parents could join us for dinner since they were in Wichita as well. He promptly said no. That was odd because normally he’s quite gung-ho about including either of our parents. Once again, I became suspicious. (In reality, I knew at this point, so instead of continuing to badger him, I backed off and just enjoyed the ride.)
Once we arrived in Wichita, instead of driving straight to Red Robin, he awkwardly drove around the parking lot by the place where he first said, “I love you” to me. Finally, he pulled into the parking lot by Abuelo’s and I said, “This is not the right place.” And he replied, “It’s okay.” At that point, I knew what was to come.
We got out of the car and he went to the trunk to retrieve a large, wrapped picture frame and his man-purse. We started walking toward “our spot.” He said, “Are you nervous?” To which I replied, “No, are you?” He responded with a confident, “Nope.” So we walked and walked and walked (I swear it was the longest walk ever). I tried to savor it as much as I could. I thought, “This could be the last time I walk as a single woman.” (I occasionally have odd thoughts like that. No big deal. Just go with it.)
I knew where we were headed, but before we arrived there, he tried to get me to go somewhere else, but I said, “I think you want me to be over there.” And he said, “Oh, you’re right.” So we kept walking. It was very sweet.
We finally arrived and sat by each other. He told me to open the picture. As I was opening it, he reached into his man-purse and pulled out a ring box. It (the wrapped, framed picture) was a beautiful water-color painting—done by sweet LynAnne Wiest—of him proposing to me at that exact spot. (He later told me that it was reminiscent of the commercial that makes me cry about the guy who takes cell phone pictures and sends them to his girlfriend and then the last one is a picture of her – and he’s home! He knows I love that commercial, so it was super special that he remembered such a sweet detail.)
He said, “Heidi Lynn Glanzer, will you marry me?” I might have jumped on his words, but I responded with an excited, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Much merry-making and picture-taking followed. It was truly beautiful and the walk back to the car seemed much shorter.
When we got to the car, we couldn’t figure out where we wanted to eat. I had strangely lost my appetite. He was still starving, so we decided on Red Robin. So for our engagement supper, we had burgers and fries. I kept trying to flash my new bling to our server so we could perhaps receive a free dessert, but to no avail.
After dinner, the flood of communication began. I had been “hiding” a list of people to call in my phone for the past month, so I was definitely ready to break it out. My parents happened to also be in Wichita, so we found them and recounted the evening with them. My sweet brother went crazy on the phone when I told him – I think this was the first instance of “Oh my word, this is really happening!”
The evening was perfect, the ring is flawless, the proposal was so personal, and Daniel is now my fiance. I can’t wait to spend my life with him!
In the past week, we have both felt loved by so many people. Thank you for your loving support and intentional prayers on behalf of our relationship. We look forward to sharing many exciting times with many people in the coming months!
Wednesday, Daniel texted me and asked if I would go out to eat with him at Red Robin tomorrow.
I, of course, said yes, and instantly began secretly wondering if a proposal would occur.
I told only Roxanne about Daniel’s request, and we chatted briefly about it, but neither of us could figure out if it was for real.
On Thursday, I asked Daniel if I should wear a hoodie or if I needed to dress up.
He said that he would wear what he wears to work (which is typically jeans and a t-shirt). He also said, “It’s really not that big of a deal.” This had me confused. He knows that I would not want to get engaged in jeans and a hoodie, so I decided to dress up anyway. You never know. (When I told him later that he took a risk – I could have worn sweats, he said, “I figured you knew me well enough that you would just know to dress up.”)
When he showed up to pick me up at 4:30 Thursday afternoon, he was wearing my favorite shirt (which he rarely wears to work). He was also quite awkward. In fact, I don’t remember a time more awkward than our first “date.” The drive to Wichita was full of chatting, but Daniel never even tried to hold my hand, which was also weird (especially since I hadn’t seen him for 3 days).
At one point I suggested that my parents could join us for dinner since they were in Wichita as well. He promptly said no. That was odd because normally he’s quite gung-ho about including either of our parents. Once again, I became suspicious. (In reality, I knew at this point, so instead of continuing to badger him, I backed off and just enjoyed the ride.)
Once we arrived in Wichita, instead of driving straight to Red Robin, he awkwardly drove around the parking lot by the place where he first said, “I love you” to me. Finally, he pulled into the parking lot by Abuelo’s and I said, “This is not the right place.” And he replied, “It’s okay.” At that point, I knew what was to come.
We got out of the car and he went to the trunk to retrieve a large, wrapped picture frame and his man-purse. We started walking toward “our spot.” He said, “Are you nervous?” To which I replied, “No, are you?” He responded with a confident, “Nope.” So we walked and walked and walked (I swear it was the longest walk ever). I tried to savor it as much as I could. I thought, “This could be the last time I walk as a single woman.” (I occasionally have odd thoughts like that. No big deal. Just go with it.)
I knew where we were headed, but before we arrived there, he tried to get me to go somewhere else, but I said, “I think you want me to be over there.” And he said, “Oh, you’re right.” So we kept walking. It was very sweet.
We finally arrived and sat by each other. He told me to open the picture. As I was opening it, he reached into his man-purse and pulled out a ring box. It (the wrapped, framed picture) was a beautiful water-color painting—done by sweet LynAnne Wiest—of him proposing to me at that exact spot. (He later told me that it was reminiscent of the commercial that makes me cry about the guy who takes cell phone pictures and sends them to his girlfriend and then the last one is a picture of her – and he’s home! He knows I love that commercial, so it was super special that he remembered such a sweet detail.)
He said, “Heidi Lynn Glanzer, will you marry me?” I might have jumped on his words, but I responded with an excited, “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Much merry-making and picture-taking followed. It was truly beautiful and the walk back to the car seemed much shorter.
When we got to the car, we couldn’t figure out where we wanted to eat. I had strangely lost my appetite. He was still starving, so we decided on Red Robin. So for our engagement supper, we had burgers and fries. I kept trying to flash my new bling to our server so we could perhaps receive a free dessert, but to no avail.
After dinner, the flood of communication began. I had been “hiding” a list of people to call in my phone for the past month, so I was definitely ready to break it out. My parents happened to also be in Wichita, so we found them and recounted the evening with them. My sweet brother went crazy on the phone when I told him – I think this was the first instance of “Oh my word, this is really happening!”
The evening was perfect, the ring is flawless, the proposal was so personal, and Daniel is now my fiance. I can’t wait to spend my life with him!
In the past week, we have both felt loved by so many people. Thank you for your loving support and intentional prayers on behalf of our relationship. We look forward to sharing many exciting times with many people in the coming months!
With the Glanzer parents at the Hyatt.
We
went to Emily Railsback's art show at Little Pleasures in Hillsboro and
found Katherine among the crowd. She let out a piercing squeal that
both scared me and made me feel very loved.
How precious. Our guy friends were so happy for us.
Please notice the red spot on my hand. My mom has one in the exact same place.
The watercolor LA did for us. Love it!
November 6, 2012
Cray-cray
Helloooooooooooo, friends. Whew, long time, no see! Life in the Carlson casa has been cray-cray as of latelay (did ya catch that rhyme?). However, in the midst of all the craziness, I'm finding lots of time to mentally process and jump on the "be thankful in November" bandwagon. As well as maintain a relatively picked up house, exercise my right to vote, and write 5 billion IEPs (not an exaggeration...).
My picture supply is currently quite low, but I did find this sweet one. Unfortunately, this little sweetie isn't mine. But I'll take him (or any of the 18 thousand nephews) any day. :)
So there ya have it. Enthralling, I know. Happy election day. Go vote! Then go to Chik-Fil-A for a free sandwich!!!
My picture supply is currently quite low, but I did find this sweet one. Unfortunately, this little sweetie isn't mine. But I'll take him (or any of the 18 thousand nephews) any day. :)
So there ya have it. Enthralling, I know. Happy election day. Go vote! Then go to Chik-Fil-A for a free sandwich!!!
October 7, 2012
Happy Heart
We spent the last 24 hours with dozens of our closest friends from out college years. My heart is so full. Every year I wonder who I'll see at homecoming and who I'll be encouraged by. The day never disappoints.
Funny how easy it is to dive right back into meaningful conversation...even with people I haven't seen for several years. Funny how some things never change: the pep band still has a trap set at football games, Mary is still the most amazing cafeteria manager who ever lived, the beloved choir director still produces an awesome choir, and Kaylene still knows everything.
And funny how some things change: the coveted townhouses are no longer "new," professors have moved on to bigger and better ventuers, the stadium is no longer just a bunch of rotting bleachers, and the football team is back to being superb.
Two of the most enlightening conversations I had over the weekend were at a young alumni "reunion" of sorts that I didn't even want to go to in the first place (people, my feet were FREEZING and I was ready to sit on a couch). Here are my thoughts after these two conversations:
Funny how easy it is to dive right back into meaningful conversation...even with people I haven't seen for several years. Funny how some things never change: the pep band still has a trap set at football games, Mary is still the most amazing cafeteria manager who ever lived, the beloved choir director still produces an awesome choir, and Kaylene still knows everything.
And funny how some things change: the coveted townhouses are no longer "new," professors have moved on to bigger and better ventuers, the stadium is no longer just a bunch of rotting bleachers, and the football team is back to being superb.
Two of the most enlightening conversations I had over the weekend were at a young alumni "reunion" of sorts that I didn't even want to go to in the first place (people, my feet were FREEZING and I was ready to sit on a couch). Here are my thoughts after these two conversations:
- People in their mid-twenties are all in the same boat. We went to school for 4 (cough...or 5...cough) years for something we thought we would probably want to do for the rest of our lives. Some people graduated and found a meaningful job immediately. Others of us found what we thought to be a meaningful job but ended up realizing that we are more confused than ever. Regardless, we're all in this together. (And those of us who are still figuring out what we want to do with our lives want to smack those who already know...only out of jealousy, of course.) This trying to figure out what life after college looks like. This feeling like an adult but not really. This learning how to be in relationships of all kinds after college. It's not always fun. Seriously, it's not. BUT it will be fun to look back at our twenties and all the ridiculous things we did. Life is all about seasons. It's just that no one tells you about the mid-twenties season full of wondering and wandering.
- At my tiny school, everyone did everything. Well, sorta. Can't say I ever played on a competitive team, but I did try my hand at intramural volleyball, tumbling class, student senate, and a plethora of other activities. All that to say that once college ended and we moved to a new place, I felt devoid of involvement. In a brief conversation I had yesterday with a dear friend, she told me about a sermon she heard recently...the speaker spoke about how instead of throwing yourself into every little activity for involvements sake, perhaps it's best to slow down. Take life in. SERVE the people around you, but don't sign up for everything to just sign up for everything. Dans and I are currently trying to figure out what being invested in a community looks like, so that conversation was definitely food for thought.
September 28, 2012
Y'all, it's fall!
Hooray. I heart fall so much. This post has nothing to do with fall. I just like it. And I like rhyming. Boom.
Moving on.
I am a domestic disaster 90% of the time. You think I kid. I don't. If you come to my house and it's a planned visit, my house will look picked up. However, if you stop by unannounced, your heart will be saddened. Carlson casa stays pretty clean Sunday through Thursday. But something strange happens Thursday night. I call it "end of the week exhaustion" or EOTWE. When EOTWE hits, all motivation to keep the casa clean leaves me. Every last bit. So by Friday afternoon, when I literally crash on our couch the moment I walk through the door, our house often looks like this:
No crusty food anywhere, I promise.
As you can see, I'm too lazy by Friday afternoon to even edit the pictures.
So here's what I did. I set my timer on my dying microwave (people, it is on it's death bed...worry not, a new wave is in the budget for October) for 20 minutes. Turned on some jams. May or may not have danced for 10 seconds to jazz myself up. And then cleaned for 19 minutes and 40 seconds. Yes, I had 20 seconds to spare.
Not perfect, but MUCH better.
People, sometimes I am L-A-Z-Y, so a 20 minute timed cleaning session is just the motivation I need. Do it sometime.
On another note, here are some cute pics of the 1-year-old nephs. Super presh, I know.
Oh my goodness. Seriously. What is not to love. Ahhhhhh. They're making me cray-cray with aunty loving.
On another note, I have a bruise on my hand. Random, I know. No clue how it got there. But it does hurt. So weird.
Happy Friday, y'all. Remember, it's fall!
Moving on.
I am a domestic disaster 90% of the time. You think I kid. I don't. If you come to my house and it's a planned visit, my house will look picked up. However, if you stop by unannounced, your heart will be saddened. Carlson casa stays pretty clean Sunday through Thursday. But something strange happens Thursday night. I call it "end of the week exhaustion" or EOTWE. When EOTWE hits, all motivation to keep the casa clean leaves me. Every last bit. So by Friday afternoon, when I literally crash on our couch the moment I walk through the door, our house often looks like this:
On another note, here are some cute pics of the 1-year-old nephs. Super presh, I know.
Happy Friday, y'all. Remember, it's fall!
September 27, 2012
Geek-out
I'm totally geeking out today due to a google form I made after school. Because I'm so slap-happy-pumped about it, I'm going to tell you about it. **Note: unless you love education and/or special education, the following will make no sense and/or be completely pointless.**
Prior to beginning the writing of an IEP, SPED teachers are to gather information from the student's regular teachers. There are a billion ways to go about this, and I've been longing to use google forms for such a task. So today I made a form and sent it out...and I've been thinking about it ever since. Nerd. Alert.
And because I'm so crazy-ecstatic about it, I made a sample to show you. (I know, I'm a hot mess.)
So, please, go to this link and take the survey. I thank you in advance.
Heidi's Pointless Survey of Awesomeness
Prior to beginning the writing of an IEP, SPED teachers are to gather information from the student's regular teachers. There are a billion ways to go about this, and I've been longing to use google forms for such a task. So today I made a form and sent it out...and I've been thinking about it ever since. Nerd. Alert.
And because I'm so crazy-ecstatic about it, I made a sample to show you. (I know, I'm a hot mess.)
So, please, go to this link and take the survey. I thank you in advance.
Heidi's Pointless Survey of Awesomeness
September 23, 2012
randamach: it's Irish
Oh my heavens, it has been awhile. Since we last chatted, there have been a few more "happenings" in the Carlson casa or the ol' school house. Let's dive in.
- One of the kiddos I work with is on the autism spectrum and I adore him more than life itself. He brings me immense amounts of joy. A few weeks ago, I saw him in the hallway before school and we were both wearing blue-striped shirts. So I said, "Hey look! We're practically twins!" To which he responded, "Um, not really," and promptly turned and walked away. He wasn't being rude, he was just telling it like it was. Then, since he had nothing else to say, he saw it as an appropriate time to exit my presence. Love him.
- Another kiddo had been giving my para and I grief for awhile, so I instigated a behavior plan last week. And, what do you know, it's been working marvelously. I can't wait to see if what we're doing will actually impact him positively in other areas of life.
- Yet another student I work with daily has seemed, as of lately, to be much less intelligent than I earlier thought. However, after getting to know him better and visiting with his instructional manager, I came to find out that he actually is quite bright but his self-esteem is so low that instead of trying and maybe doing something wrong, he just assumes that everything he does is wrong. It has been my absolute joy to pour into him and try to show him that he is capable of doing much more than he ever thought.
- I tripped on a pencil while walking through the halls during passing period a few weeks ago. Yes, a pencil.
- Dans and I are doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University right now. We're getting all fired up, so beware... If you ask us (well, me in particular) any financial-related questions, I will promptly get on my Dave-Ramsey-Soapbox. This is your fair warning.
- We caught one of the lizards outside. He is now in the classroom of one of our teacher friends.
- Dans saved up and bought himself a used riding lawn mower. Perhaps now our lawn will look less overgrown now.
- I've been taking less pictures as of lately. I'm considering doing 2013 in pictures like I did in 2009. I loved that project.
- The gals in my small group from church gathered a few weeks ago to make some freezer meals. And our system was awesome. Perhaps I will tell you about that later this week. So great.
September 5, 2012
Year 1 of Year 3
Let me explain. This is my third year of teaching, but it is my first year of teaching special education. And I love it. I really do. Dansie kept waiting for me to have my "beginning of the school year meltdown," but it never happened. Serious hallelujah.
So, because at least a dozen people have asked me how it's going and/or how it's different than my last two years, in no particular order, here is a list of the top 8 reasons why I'm enjoying what I'm doing from 8-3.
1. I have administrative tasks to do. Don't laugh. I love that part. I love feeling like a "manager" over the 14 kiddos on my caseload. I love chasing them down, chatting with them, and being their laison. I love it.
2. I'm in my home classroom only 2 hours of the day. Yes. And I love it. My day flies by. I walk probably 1.5 miles every day because the classroom where I go 3 hours of the day is all the way across the building (and our building is ginormous).
3. I can really focus on individualizing the curriculum for specific students with very specific needs. Part of what stressed me out about the general classroom was the fact that, at any given time, 30 students would be demanding my full attention. Yikes. In my new position, my stellar co-teacher can handle the class while I grab a few students who need excessive amounts of attention.
4. I'm forced to think about what I'm teaching my babes. In my previous position, the curriculum was pre-determined by the district (which is awesome...especially for a new teacher). However, it's causing me to exercise different "muscles" as I'm attempting to figure out what I want my tiny class of 6 (yes, friends, 6!!!) to learn by the end of the semester/year. I love the planning aspect of teaching, so I'm happy to continue doing that.
5. I feel like I know fewer students, but those I know, I really know. You know what I mean?
6. I co-teach with a good friend. So fun. Every day. And even when the kiddos don't think we're funny, we think we're funny. It's so good.
7. I'm loving my new department. Loving the support and the relationships I'm building.
8. I have a para (or co-teacher) in every class. That extra adult in the room is excessively helpful.
So life is good. Still extremely challenging and frustrating at times, but, for me, this was the best career move I could have made. I'm incredibly thankful for the 2 years I spent in the general classroom, but I'm just tickled pink to be where I'm at. And to think that in my initial interview with my district, when my head principal asked me if I would be willing to teach special education (since they were trying to fill a few positions and knew that I was certified in SPED), I vehemently said, "No." Ha.
Friends, SPED is not scary. Different, but definitely not scary. So many people stay away from it because it is different and, thus, apparently terrifying. It's not. Sure, it's not for everyone, but it is a beautiful part of the school.
To end this "several people have asked so I want to indulge everyone" post, I'll leave you with a brief, but enlightening, story. In chatting with one of my girlies (who has mild disabilities but pretty major social disabilities) yesterday, she told me about her sister who is 28 and about to get divorced for the second time. My gal seemed pretty disheartened about it, but after chatting for a moment, she all of a sudden said, "But it's okay. We're having pizza tonight!" Simple minds are beautiful.
So, because at least a dozen people have asked me how it's going and/or how it's different than my last two years, in no particular order, here is a list of the top 8 reasons why I'm enjoying what I'm doing from 8-3.
1. I have administrative tasks to do. Don't laugh. I love that part. I love feeling like a "manager" over the 14 kiddos on my caseload. I love chasing them down, chatting with them, and being their laison. I love it.
2. I'm in my home classroom only 2 hours of the day. Yes. And I love it. My day flies by. I walk probably 1.5 miles every day because the classroom where I go 3 hours of the day is all the way across the building (and our building is ginormous).
3. I can really focus on individualizing the curriculum for specific students with very specific needs. Part of what stressed me out about the general classroom was the fact that, at any given time, 30 students would be demanding my full attention. Yikes. In my new position, my stellar co-teacher can handle the class while I grab a few students who need excessive amounts of attention.
4. I'm forced to think about what I'm teaching my babes. In my previous position, the curriculum was pre-determined by the district (which is awesome...especially for a new teacher). However, it's causing me to exercise different "muscles" as I'm attempting to figure out what I want my tiny class of 6 (yes, friends, 6!!!) to learn by the end of the semester/year. I love the planning aspect of teaching, so I'm happy to continue doing that.
5. I feel like I know fewer students, but those I know, I really know. You know what I mean?
6. I co-teach with a good friend. So fun. Every day. And even when the kiddos don't think we're funny, we think we're funny. It's so good.
7. I'm loving my new department. Loving the support and the relationships I'm building.
8. I have a para (or co-teacher) in every class. That extra adult in the room is excessively helpful.
So life is good. Still extremely challenging and frustrating at times, but, for me, this was the best career move I could have made. I'm incredibly thankful for the 2 years I spent in the general classroom, but I'm just tickled pink to be where I'm at. And to think that in my initial interview with my district, when my head principal asked me if I would be willing to teach special education (since they were trying to fill a few positions and knew that I was certified in SPED), I vehemently said, "No." Ha.
Friends, SPED is not scary. Different, but definitely not scary. So many people stay away from it because it is different and, thus, apparently terrifying. It's not. Sure, it's not for everyone, but it is a beautiful part of the school.
To end this "several people have asked so I want to indulge everyone" post, I'll leave you with a brief, but enlightening, story. In chatting with one of my girlies (who has mild disabilities but pretty major social disabilities) yesterday, she told me about her sister who is 28 and about to get divorced for the second time. My gal seemed pretty disheartened about it, but after chatting for a moment, she all of a sudden said, "But it's okay. We're having pizza tonight!" Simple minds are beautiful.
 |
| My 21st first day of school. Dan's idea. :) |
August 24, 2012
Friday Funnies: Year 3
Friends. I only have a few school-related funnies, but let's go ahead and get started.
1:
Let me set up the scenario. Two days ago, I wore skinny black pants to school. It's important to know that I wear these at least once week and I've had them since last fall. They're dang comfortable and they're black, so they go with everything. I've never, in my dozens and dozens of times of wearing them, had a student make a comment in regards to their style/fit. I suppose there's a first thing for everything. What follows is the dialogue between a female student and I:
Female Student: Mrs. Carlson, are those skinny jeans?
MC: Yes.
FS: I bet you feel like you're in high school again when you wear those.
MC: Well, skinny jeans weren't around when I was in high school.
FS: It's only a matter of time before you're walking in the hall and a boy comes up behind you and is all, "Hey girl, how you doin?"
MC: Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.
End of conversation.
2:
I walked into school this morning at approximately 6:50 am (I'm a morning person, just let me be). And what should my wandering eyes see?
A hostile mob of parents? No.
The marching band? No.
A stray cat? No.
A million construction workers? Yes, but that's not the point.
A suspicious bookbag? No.
A snake? Yes.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
People, I do not lie to you. One of satan's own was on the freshly scrubbed tile. Thankfully a student was only a few feet ahead of me. I literally froze in my tracks when I saw it. Enter dialogue:
MC: Is that a snake?
Male Student: Yes.
MC: Are you afraid of snakes?
MS: No.
MC: Will you please remove it from the premises?
MS: Yes.
I stuck around long enough to see said male student pick up said spawn of satan. Then I bolted to my classroom, keeping watch over every crevice where another spawn might live. Nasty.
That's all I have for now. Come back later...there's sure to be more.
1:
Let me set up the scenario. Two days ago, I wore skinny black pants to school. It's important to know that I wear these at least once week and I've had them since last fall. They're dang comfortable and they're black, so they go with everything. I've never, in my dozens and dozens of times of wearing them, had a student make a comment in regards to their style/fit. I suppose there's a first thing for everything. What follows is the dialogue between a female student and I:
Female Student: Mrs. Carlson, are those skinny jeans?
MC: Yes.
FS: I bet you feel like you're in high school again when you wear those.
MC: Well, skinny jeans weren't around when I was in high school.
FS: It's only a matter of time before you're walking in the hall and a boy comes up behind you and is all, "Hey girl, how you doin?"
MC: Thankfully that hasn't happened yet.
End of conversation.
2:
I walked into school this morning at approximately 6:50 am (I'm a morning person, just let me be). And what should my wandering eyes see?
A hostile mob of parents? No.
The marching band? No.
A stray cat? No.
A million construction workers? Yes, but that's not the point.
A suspicious bookbag? No.
A snake? Yes.
YES!!!!!!!!!!!!
People, I do not lie to you. One of satan's own was on the freshly scrubbed tile. Thankfully a student was only a few feet ahead of me. I literally froze in my tracks when I saw it. Enter dialogue:
MC: Is that a snake?
Male Student: Yes.
MC: Are you afraid of snakes?
MS: No.
MC: Will you please remove it from the premises?
MS: Yes.
I stuck around long enough to see said male student pick up said spawn of satan. Then I bolted to my classroom, keeping watch over every crevice where another spawn might live. Nasty.
That's all I have for now. Come back later...there's sure to be more.
August 6, 2012
Summer 2012
A farewell to summer 2012 and space phone pictures:
You were fun, my sweet summer.
You were full and wild.
You put paint in my hair.
And made me feel like a child.
Much food was consumed
While a symphony was heard
It only would've been better
To have the view of a bird
We camped in the desert
And got a terrible sun burn
While it made a good memory
I said, "No more!" very stern
With bats in the attic
Huzzie knew just what to do
So he donned a ridiculous suit
And the space is good as new
Lots of time with friends
And lots of belly laughs
Memories made all around
And only a few social gaffs
Challenges to the heart
Not to be taken lightly
God's doing a new thing
We only need to move slightly
Hours of prepping, priming, and painting
And gallons of paint washed off my hands
Summer, you knew this was a heckuva project
It's done! I now watch the Olympics from my couch (aka: grand stands)
Vacation, vacation,
You have such a sweet tone
Especially with a fam
Who is super to the bone
Daniel even wore red pants
But only for a short bit
Would have totally bought them
If they were a better fit
And last but not least
We celebrated these two
Adorable twinsies
Before them, what did we do!?
Summer, you were kind
But you went so dang fast
Please come again
And let it not be your last.
Love,
Heidi
You were fun, my sweet summer.
You were full and wild.
You put paint in my hair.
And made me feel like a child.
While a symphony was heard
It only would've been better
To have the view of a bird
And got a terrible sun burn
While it made a good memory
I said, "No more!" very stern
Huzzie knew just what to do
So he donned a ridiculous suit
And the space is good as new
Lots of time with friendsAnd lots of belly laughs
Memories made all around
And only a few social gaffs
Not to be taken lightly
God's doing a new thing
We only need to move slightly
And gallons of paint washed off my hands
Summer, you knew this was a heckuva project
It's done! I now watch the Olympics from my couch (aka: grand stands)
You have such a sweet tone
Especially with a fam
Who is super to the bone
But only for a short bit
Would have totally bought them
If they were a better fit
We celebrated these two
Adorable twinsies
Before them, what did we do!?
But you went so dang fast
Please come again
And let it not be your last.
Love,
Heidi
August 4, 2012
Freezer Cooking 2: Feeding the Masses
Greetings, fellow freezer-cooking friends! Here are two incredibly easy recipes that will feed a crowd. One is for breakfast and the other is perfect for when you're hosting a gazillion people OR for when you want to serve it tonight and have plenty for leftovers. In regards to the breakfast recipe, don't be freaked out by the fact that you will be freezing eggs and milk. It really is fine. Just stick it in the freezer right after you make it and you'll be golden.
Sausage and Egg Casserole (serves 6-8)
1 (6-8 oz) box croutons (the seasoned kinds are awesome - make for a great flava-flave)
1 pound sausage - sauteed and drained (or bacon or ham or whatever meat you like)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. dry mustard (I don't always do this and it is still super delish)
Here's where you have some awesome options. Either make 1 9x13 pan OR make 2 8x8 pans (you could freeze both or serve one today and freeze the other). I prefer to make 2 smaller pans since our fam is teeny-tiny.
Spray pan(s) with non-stick spray. Spread croutons over bottom of pan. Cover with meat of choice, then cheese. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together and pour over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.
If freezing and baking later, allow at least 8 hours (no more than 24 hours) to thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour (check at 45 minutes).
Other modifications you could make:
This next recipe's a classic Sheree Glanzer meal, friends. Entirely perfect for the Sunday when you invite a billion friends over for lunch or for a football game. Like the breakfast casserole recipe above, it's also perfect for separating into smaller portions. So mix once and dump into 2 or 3 freezer bags. And who doesn't love cooking once and eating thrice!?
Stuff Over Fritos (serves 12-15)
2 lbs. ground beef - browned
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
3 sm. cans tomato paste
40 oz. water (5 cups - add this when you're ready to cook it, not pre-freezing...the water will totally weigh down your freezer bag)
2 t. oregano
2-3 t. chili powder
2 t. salt
2 t. cumin
1 chopped onion
Garlic salt to taste
2 cans beans of your choice (I use one can of black beans and one can of red beans)
After browning meat, combing all ingredients. If serving immediately, allow to simmer at least one hour on the stove OR cook in crock-pot 8-10 hours on low.
If freezing and serving later, mix all ingredients (except the water), place in desired amount of freezer bags, and freeze flat. Allow 1-2 days to thaw in your refrigerator before placing meal in crock-pot.
Serve over corn chips, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, sour cream, black olives, and salsa.
Make these items today and feed your people for the next week. They'll love it. I've gotz lotz more recipes to share. Let me know if you want them for your freezer repertoire!
Sausage and Egg Casserole (serves 6-8)
1 (6-8 oz) box croutons (the seasoned kinds are awesome - make for a great flava-flave)
1 pound sausage - sauteed and drained (or bacon or ham or whatever meat you like)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
10 eggs
2 cups milk
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 t. dry mustard (I don't always do this and it is still super delish)
Here's where you have some awesome options. Either make 1 9x13 pan OR make 2 8x8 pans (you could freeze both or serve one today and freeze the other). I prefer to make 2 smaller pans since our fam is teeny-tiny.
Spray pan(s) with non-stick spray. Spread croutons over bottom of pan. Cover with meat of choice, then cheese. Beat eggs, milk, and seasonings together and pour over. Cover and refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. Bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour.
If freezing and baking later, allow at least 8 hours (no more than 24 hours) to thaw in the refrigerator. Then bake uncovered at 350 for 1 hour (check at 45 minutes).
Other modifications you could make:
- Be vegetarian-friendly and substitute the meat with veggies.
- Instead of using the suggested pan sizes above, make individual portions using ramekins. Perfect if you're cooking only for yourself or if you want a handful of yummy, single-portioned breakfasts in the freezer.
This next recipe's a classic Sheree Glanzer meal, friends. Entirely perfect for the Sunday when you invite a billion friends over for lunch or for a football game. Like the breakfast casserole recipe above, it's also perfect for separating into smaller portions. So mix once and dump into 2 or 3 freezer bags. And who doesn't love cooking once and eating thrice!?
Stuff Over Fritos (serves 12-15)
2 lbs. ground beef - browned
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
3 sm. cans tomato paste
40 oz. water (5 cups - add this when you're ready to cook it, not pre-freezing...the water will totally weigh down your freezer bag)
2 t. oregano
2-3 t. chili powder
2 t. salt
2 t. cumin
1 chopped onion
Garlic salt to taste
2 cans beans of your choice (I use one can of black beans and one can of red beans)
After browning meat, combing all ingredients. If serving immediately, allow to simmer at least one hour on the stove OR cook in crock-pot 8-10 hours on low.
If freezing and serving later, mix all ingredients (except the water), place in desired amount of freezer bags, and freeze flat. Allow 1-2 days to thaw in your refrigerator before placing meal in crock-pot.
Serve over corn chips, lettuce, chopped tomatoes, grated cheese, sour cream, black olives, and salsa.
Make these items today and feed your people for the next week. They'll love it. I've gotz lotz more recipes to share. Let me know if you want them for your freezer repertoire!
August 2, 2012
Freezer Cooking: Breakfast Burritos
Breakfast burritos are great for everything. Seriously. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, snack, dinner, friends, family, neighbors, pets, etc. etc. You should make this recipe right now, feed your family in a flash, and freeze the leftovers. Your breakfasts for the next 2 weeks will be off the charts.
Freezer-friendly Breakfast Burritos
18 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup onion
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage (or bacon or ham or whatever you prefer)
20ish tortillas
Brown sausage and set aside in a ginormous bowl. Saute onions and peppers. Whisk milk, butter, and eggs and then scramble eggs over medium heat. When eggs are cooked, add to browned sausage. Add cheese, onions, and peppers. Wrap 1/3 to 1/2 cup of mixture in a tortilla (make sure you wrap it like a present, not a taco...that way the filling will stay in the tortilla). Wrap tortilla in small paper towel and put in freezer bags. When ready to reheat, microwave burrito (still wrapped with a paper towel!) for 2 minutes, flipping at 1 minute.
People, I can't explain to you how easy and awesome these are. But please please please use a non-stick pan to scramble your eggs. Or be like me and use a regular skillet and then scrape it for 15 minutes a day for the next week. Not even kidding.
Enjoy!
PS: Do you need any other freezer-friendly recipes? Always happy to share! :)
Freezer-friendly Breakfast Burritos
18 eggs
1/2 cup milk
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup green pepper
1/4 cup onion
2 cups cheddar cheese
1 lb. sausage (or bacon or ham or whatever you prefer)
20ish tortillas
Brown sausage and set aside in a ginormous bowl. Saute onions and peppers. Whisk milk, butter, and eggs and then scramble eggs over medium heat. When eggs are cooked, add to browned sausage. Add cheese, onions, and peppers. Wrap 1/3 to 1/2 cup of mixture in a tortilla (make sure you wrap it like a present, not a taco...that way the filling will stay in the tortilla). Wrap tortilla in small paper towel and put in freezer bags. When ready to reheat, microwave burrito (still wrapped with a paper towel!) for 2 minutes, flipping at 1 minute.
People, I can't explain to you how easy and awesome these are. But please please please use a non-stick pan to scramble your eggs. Or be like me and use a regular skillet and then scrape it for 15 minutes a day for the next week. Not even kidding.
Enjoy!
PS: Do you need any other freezer-friendly recipes? Always happy to share! :)
July 26, 2012
Paint! And Stuff.
We appreciate a dollar saved. A lot. I mentioned a few days ago that we saved hundreds of dollars by painting the pulls. So even though we ordered new hinges (remember, so yours truly wouldn't cringe each time a door was opened due to the scraping of paint), we scored a killer deal and saved boat-loads.
So if you're looking to make a quick update to your kitchen, bathroom, or dresser, don't purchase new hardware - paint it! Our new best friend is Rustoleum spray paint. We used Hammered Silver for the kitchen pulls.
Several coats later and we had a nice "hammered" look.
For about a gazillion other little projects, we've been using Rustoleum Metallic. The silver below is not what we used, but I apparently misplaced the correct color. While the Metallic Silver is nice (we initially planned on using it on the kitchen pulls), we decided that the sparkles would look cheap. So even though our method was cheap, we didn't want it to look it.
Metallic Oil-Rubbed Bronze.
Pre-painting.
Sweet little yellow chair.
With only a few days of summer left, who knows what other mini-projects I'll be tackling. Any suggestions?
Happy rainy day!
So if you're looking to make a quick update to your kitchen, bathroom, or dresser, don't purchase new hardware - paint it! Our new best friend is Rustoleum spray paint. We used Hammered Silver for the kitchen pulls.
On a whim, Daniel taped off the bathroom faucet and gave it a few quick coats. I'm fairly certain we saved at least $100 with this mini-project.
Finally, to update one of our sweet little white chairs, I gave it a quick coat of sunny yellow.
So cheery.
Happy rainy day!
July 25, 2012
Painting Kitchen Cabinets: Part 2
Here are the nitty-gritty details of how we painted our kitchen cabinets.
First, the process that DIDN'T work. I had spent 7 months researching the process, and I really felt like what I nailed down was going to be great. Not so much. Here is what mom and I did for 2 days:
1. Sand doors and frame (using electric sander)
2. Use liquid sandpaper to wipe down all doors and drawers (also called deglosser)
3. Latex primer - Benjamin Moore Advance Water Alkyd Primer - tinted to "Distant Gray" - this is when we realized that our method was not working. (Due to my intense frustration, I took no pictures of this process.) Here's what happened, in words: not only was the grain of the wood showing through, but it was showing through yellowed. Yuck and yikes. And no amount of latex primer would cover it up. We tried a stain-blocking latex primer, and it still didn't work. There are several reasons why our method failed us. First of all, the areas that we didn't degloss (because we plum forgot) were especially stain-happy. However, even the doors we had deglossed were riddled with stains. The bottom line is that a latex primer does not cover stains. After 3 coats of latex primer on many of the surfaces, I crawled back to Benjamin Moore and admitted that I needed to purchase the oil-based primer. They kindly obliged and even gave us a new process to try.
SOOOOOOO.......this is the final process we used to paint the kitchen cabinets. Thankfully we broke the space into two areas - the island and the desk were part A and the rest of the cabinets were part B. So the only space that we painted a gazillion times was part A.
1. Remove all doors and drawers (we kept the drawer fronts connected to the drawers - it made it tremendously simple to paint the drawer fronts)
2. Remove hinges and pulls (we later decided to purchase new hinges and paint the pulls)
3. Liquid sandpaper (deglosser) - after listening to the advice of my new Benjamin Moore besties, we opted not to sand part B of our kitchen. I was nervous about it at first, but not only did it remove a step, but the deglosser really did function as liquid sandpaper. We used paper towels to degloss every surface. It's important to note that the deglosser "opens" the grain of the wood and allows the grain to accept a primer, so the "window of openness" is relatively short - 3-4 hours at most.
4. Oil-based primer - Benjamin Moore Cover Stain Primer - we probably should have done 2 coats, but we only did 1.
5. Latex paint - Benjamin Moore Advance Water Alkyd Satin in "Distant Gray." Paint one side of the doors, paint the frame, flip the doors and paint the other side. We completed this process 3 times.
6. Cure, cure, cure, cure, cure.
7. Paint pulls - we used Rustoleum spray paint in "Hammered Silver" - Daniel sanded and washed each pull and them gave each 2 coats of the spray paint. After allowing the pulls to cure overnight, we reattached them to their respective doors and drawers.
After allowing the recommended 72 hours to dry, we reinstalled everything. If you look close at the picture below, you can see that we scraped about 4 inches of the popcorn around the top of the desk so we could adequately paint. We will eventually scrape all the nasty popcorn, but for now, we scraped only where necessary.
Take-aways:
Whew, that's it! Total time needed to complete - 2 weeks (including curing time). The project is not for haters of messes and/or painting, but if you can dedicate a handful of hours each day to painting, it will be worth it. I never would have attempted the project during the school year. Thankful I did it, thankful it's done. Ha.
And just to keep it real, here is what our kitchen looked like during the process:
Oh my.
It was a long two weeks. Lots of eating out.
Stop by tomorrow for a few decorative updates! Happy painting!
1. Sand doors and frame (using electric sander)
2. Use liquid sandpaper to wipe down all doors and drawers (also called deglosser)
3. Latex primer - Benjamin Moore Advance Water Alkyd Primer - tinted to "Distant Gray" - this is when we realized that our method was not working. (Due to my intense frustration, I took no pictures of this process.) Here's what happened, in words: not only was the grain of the wood showing through, but it was showing through yellowed. Yuck and yikes. And no amount of latex primer would cover it up. We tried a stain-blocking latex primer, and it still didn't work. There are several reasons why our method failed us. First of all, the areas that we didn't degloss (because we plum forgot) were especially stain-happy. However, even the doors we had deglossed were riddled with stains. The bottom line is that a latex primer does not cover stains. After 3 coats of latex primer on many of the surfaces, I crawled back to Benjamin Moore and admitted that I needed to purchase the oil-based primer. They kindly obliged and even gave us a new process to try.
1. Remove all doors and drawers (we kept the drawer fronts connected to the drawers - it made it tremendously simple to paint the drawer fronts)
2. Remove hinges and pulls (we later decided to purchase new hinges and paint the pulls)
3. Liquid sandpaper (deglosser) - after listening to the advice of my new Benjamin Moore besties, we opted not to sand part B of our kitchen. I was nervous about it at first, but not only did it remove a step, but the deglosser really did function as liquid sandpaper. We used paper towels to degloss every surface. It's important to note that the deglosser "opens" the grain of the wood and allows the grain to accept a primer, so the "window of openness" is relatively short - 3-4 hours at most.
4. Oil-based primer - Benjamin Moore Cover Stain Primer - we probably should have done 2 coats, but we only did 1.
5. Latex paint - Benjamin Moore Advance Water Alkyd Satin in "Distant Gray." Paint one side of the doors, paint the frame, flip the doors and paint the other side. We completed this process 3 times.
6. Cure, cure, cure, cure, cure.
7. Paint pulls - we used Rustoleum spray paint in "Hammered Silver" - Daniel sanded and washed each pull and them gave each 2 coats of the spray paint. After allowing the pulls to cure overnight, we reattached them to their respective doors and drawers.
- Do your research, but recognize that your plan might fail.
- What worked for someone may not work for you. Your process should really vary depending on your cabinets. When I painted the vanity in my bathroom earlier this summer, I didn't run into any of the issues that I did when painting the kitchen cabinets.
 | ||
| Downstairs bathroom vanity |
- Oil-based paint is smelling and sticky, but it does work. Just buy a few cheap brushes and throw them away post-painting.
- Don't cut any corners - if you think it needs another coat, give it another coat. It will pay off in the long-run.
- Allow plenty of time to cure. You'll kick yourself if you reinstall only to find out you bumped a door while installing.
Whew, that's it! Total time needed to complete - 2 weeks (including curing time). The project is not for haters of messes and/or painting, but if you can dedicate a handful of hours each day to painting, it will be worth it. I never would have attempted the project during the school year. Thankful I did it, thankful it's done. Ha.
And just to keep it real, here is what our kitchen looked like during the process:
July 24, 2012
It's DONE!!!!!
Almost.
There are perhaps 3 things left to do before I can fully admit that the kitchen is finished (for now), but I just can't wait any longer. We're SO pleased with the results. And so sleepy.
But before I show you the dramatic results, here is where we began. And when I say "began," I mean before we even moved in.
Holy honey oak!! (As I've mentioned before, honey oak is not the worst thing on the planet...but it is simply not our style.)
It's everywhere.
Seven months of planning later, here's the happiness that greets us every day.
Crisp, clean, lovely, white. (Ignore the almond outlet covers. Someday...)
So bright and chipper!
And we LOVE how it looks next to the aqua walls. Chills.
Another view. (Ignore the beast of a light fixture and the dark doors. Another day...)
Glass doors still need another coat of paint downstairs, so for now, we're rocking the open cabinets look.
Aaaaaand we still need to re-install the little doors below the sink. Those suckers are obnoxious. Not that I spent any longer than 30 seconds looking at them before deciding that huzz needed to complete the removal task.
Now for a few deets. We didn't purchase new hardware. Even if we had scored a killer deal on hardware (like $2 or $2.50 a pop), we still would have spent nearly $150 or $200 on hardware. Not awesome. So we painted it. Perhaps I'll explain someday our love of all things Rustoleum. Seriously. For $14 we had all new hardware. Awesome.
We did, on the other hand, purchase new hinges (mainly because we realized painting the hinges would result in extreme anger from yours truly due to the continual scrape of paint every time a door was opened). We felt like we had two choices: (1) not order new hinges and eat out for every meal during the remainder of our tenure at our abode OR (2) purchase new hinges. I think you know where this is going.
Initially, we thought hinges were going to run us $7 each. Yikes! No fun. (Especially no fun considering we have 52 hinges. Vomit.) But Dansy, in his infinite knowledge of the interwebz, scored 54 hinges (accidentally ordered 2 extra) for $117 (including tax and shipping). And a great shout was heard from Birchwood Lane. !!!!!!!!! And we're daaaaang pleased. And I reorganized my baking cabinet. Score.
And, just so you have the full effect of the brightness of this room (and our new couch!), here is where we log a solid number of hours. A great deal of naps have been had here. And all are happy.
How about a few numbers? Dad, you're going to love this.
Hours spent on project: over 100 (it is nauseating calculating any higher)
Painting helpers: 3 (Special shout-out to moms for logging countless hours priming - now that is a good story. I promise I'll tell you soon. And thanks to Cheri who drove from Wichita to spend a day off getting paint in her hair and hearing me complain about the mess I got myself into. And many thanks to Dans for letting me go through with this astronomically larger than life project and for doing the things I didn't want to do.)
Miscellaneous helpers: 3 (Dad, thanks for loaning us painting equipment. Brett, thanks for letting us borrow your sander for far too long. And Tammy, thanks for offering to feed us over and over again. You guys are all great.)
Cost:
Hardware paint: $14
Hinges: $117
Liquid sandpaper (aka: my new bestie): $15
Primer: $65 (latex) + $39 (oil-based)
Paint: $100 (we used a little over 1 gallon)
Brushes, rollers, miscellaneous supplies: $50
Total: $400
We could have saved close to $100 had I not thought that I knew more than the pros and decided to prime with latex paint. Silly me. The good news is that I have a few more painting projects up my sleeve, and now I had loads of extra primer. It all works out in the end.
Hinges: 52
Pulls: 38
Door fronts: 26
Total coats of paint per surface: 4
Trips to Benjamin Moore over a 3 day period: 12 (I'm not even kidding.)
Strands of hair still covered in oil-based paint: 5
So even though it's not 100% finished, we're happy. Really happy. Would we do it again? .........Yes. But we would definitely listen to the pros. Ha. Check back later this week for the products we used and tales of the process.
Now I'm going to go take a nap.
There are perhaps 3 things left to do before I can fully admit that the kitchen is finished (for now), but I just can't wait any longer. We're SO pleased with the results. And so sleepy.
But before I show you the dramatic results, here is where we began. And when I say "began," I mean before we even moved in.
Initially, we thought hinges were going to run us $7 each. Yikes! No fun. (Especially no fun considering we have 52 hinges. Vomit.) But Dansy, in his infinite knowledge of the interwebz, scored 54 hinges (accidentally ordered 2 extra) for $117 (including tax and shipping). And a great shout was heard from Birchwood Lane. !!!!!!!!! And we're daaaaang pleased. And I reorganized my baking cabinet. Score.
And, just so you have the full effect of the brightness of this room (and our new couch!), here is where we log a solid number of hours. A great deal of naps have been had here. And all are happy.
Hours spent on project: over 100 (it is nauseating calculating any higher)
Painting helpers: 3 (Special shout-out to moms for logging countless hours priming - now that is a good story. I promise I'll tell you soon. And thanks to Cheri who drove from Wichita to spend a day off getting paint in her hair and hearing me complain about the mess I got myself into. And many thanks to Dans for letting me go through with this astronomically larger than life project and for doing the things I didn't want to do.)
Miscellaneous helpers: 3 (Dad, thanks for loaning us painting equipment. Brett, thanks for letting us borrow your sander for far too long. And Tammy, thanks for offering to feed us over and over again. You guys are all great.)
Cost:
Hardware paint: $14
Hinges: $117
Liquid sandpaper (aka: my new bestie): $15
Primer: $65 (latex) + $39 (oil-based)
Paint: $100 (we used a little over 1 gallon)
Brushes, rollers, miscellaneous supplies: $50
Total: $400
We could have saved close to $100 had I not thought that I knew more than the pros and decided to prime with latex paint. Silly me. The good news is that I have a few more painting projects up my sleeve, and now I had loads of extra primer. It all works out in the end.
Hinges: 52
Pulls: 38
Door fronts: 26
Total coats of paint per surface: 4
Trips to Benjamin Moore over a 3 day period: 12 (I'm not even kidding.)
Strands of hair still covered in oil-based paint: 5
So even though it's not 100% finished, we're happy. Really happy. Would we do it again? .........Yes. But we would definitely listen to the pros. Ha. Check back later this week for the products we used and tales of the process.
Now I'm going to go take a nap.
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