Tuesday, August 31, 2010

Weekly Menu

Monday- Baked Chicken Parmigiana and spaghetti

Tuesday-Bison Burgers, cheese dip, ice cream - Show night with the Estes Family

Wednesday-Sausage, potatoes, fresh peas

Thursday- Santa Fe Chicken - make tacos with all the toppings

Friday- CLAY WALKER

Saturday- Sunday-grilling out enjoying LABOR DAY weekend

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Thankful Thursday

So many things to be thankful for!!

First of all, I am so thankful for the way God has been working in my life! Exactly what I needed at the right time!!

What a great first week of school! I am thankful for my students that I get to spend the year with and the best team a person could work with. What a huge blessing to be able to go to a job that you love and spend the day with some of your best friends!!

I'm reminded today again how thankful I am for Keith! What a wonderful husband! He does so much for our family!

I'm thankful for surprise lunch dates with my sweet hubby!

Wonderful in laws that help out with our kiddos

uninterrupted quiet moments

people that say just the right thing that I need to hear and they don't even know it

situations that have happened to help me grow as a person

the comments my BFFs say that literally make me cry laughing!! This happens almost daily at school!!

Sunday, August 22, 2010

Goals for school/work year

A new beginning starting tomorrow. I love the sound of that!! New beginnings are always GREAT! I can take the things I know work well and continue to implement them, but I can change the things I know I need to improve on! There are several goals I have that I want to accomplish this year. I love making lists of goals so I can refer back to them and check them off at the end when I've finished!! So here we go:

Wake up at least 30 minutes earlier each morning

Do my quiet time first thing each morning

Exercise 5 days a week

Weekly menus planned

Dinner with my family around our table as many evenings as possible per week

Quality time with Keith and my kids each evening

Greet my students at the door each morning

Focus on 1 day at a time-don't get overwhelmed

Organize items the night before we need them

Go to bed earlier

I am determined that I am not going to let "busyness" control my life. I am not going to be rushed around all the time. With God's help and some organization, I know I can do this!!

Weekly Menu

First week back to school! I have a great plan for food, but we'll see how much I actually accomplish this week on cooking!

Sunday- Small group meeting at the Cavarretta' home and she is serving sliders. Yum!

Monday- Sour cream chicken, brown rice, and green beans (we never got to this last week)

Tuesday- Tilapia with veggies and potatoes

Wednesday- Chicken Parmesan, spaghetti, and salad

Thursday- Smothered steak, mashed potatoes, veggies

Friday- FISH FRY

Saturday- Out to dinner at Cullen's with friends

Saturday, August 21, 2010

New Beginnings

Well, the first week for teachers is complete. It went well, but seemed long!!! Of course it did since I have played for most of my summer! We had a lot of meetings and then a day to work in our rooms. I love the workday because I get so much done! I forget how overwhelming the beginning of school is though. We get new material and information about the curriculum, but not a lot of time to "digest" it. I teach a 3rd grade language arts' class and a 4th grade one. Teaching two grade levels is challenging! I love teaching reading and writing, but it is amazing the load that comes with two grades. My room is overflowing with textbooks alone! Luckily, I love what I do!!

I do love new beginnings! I love in the teaching career that you get to start over each year with a new class. I love meeting my new students and getting to know them! (Since I teach 3rd and 4th grade, my 4th grade is the kids I had last year so it is fun to have them again as well) I love the new opportunities that are presented each year. God has reminded me lately the importance of my role. One of my friends told me, "Never underestimate the impact you have on others." It really made me stop and think about my impact on others in my personal life and career.

One of my friends on Facebook posted this status:

New Beginnings, new school year, new friends, new opportunities. Teaching is a mission field. Lead well.


What a great reminder to me and to all that teach! Our opportunity and influence is huge...I pray I am up to the challenge and lead well!! God has placed me where I am for a reason. May I do the job well that He has set before me!!

Sunday, August 15, 2010

Weekly Menu

Since I will be returning to work this week, there will be quick, easy meals cooked this week!!

Monday- Mexico Joes (another version of sloppy joes-this is actually Weight Watchers - 6 points)
1 pound ground round
1/2 cup frozen onions
1 (4.5 oz) can chopped green chilies, undrained
2 TBS taco seasoning
8 oz. tomato sauce
6 hamburger buns

Cook meat and onion until browned. Mix other ingredients with meat and cook over medium heat for about 4-5 minutes.

Tuesday- Chicken Alfredo, Caesar salad, and garlic- this is our "show" night with friends so I will fix some easy dessert as well

Wednesday- Mexican casserole

Thursday-grilled pork chops, mixed veggies, and salad

Friday-Sour Cream Chicken, brown rice, and green beans

Saturday- out to dinner

Sunday- small group....hmmm...still thinking on this one!

Friday, August 13, 2010

So long sweet summertime...I will miss you!!

Summer is quickly coming to an end and I am really going to miss it!! I must say that I really enjoyed every (well, just about) minute of this summer! I've been reflecting over all the fun we've had this summer, and I'm reminded how blessed I am to have this time off each year!!

Things I've LOVED about this summer:

I only set my alarm about 3 times all summer and that was so we could be up on time to leave on our vacations!!! : )

Peaceful evenings of not having to rush around and do homework, stay on Reece about getting things done, or go buy last minute needed items for school.

Sporadic date days or nights or both with Keith whenever we wanted them!

Sleeping in

Unrushed mornings drinking coffee with Keith and just visiting.

Fun times with my kiddos just hanging out and watching movies, playing games, or just laughing about silly stuff!

Time with my girlfriends. We have laughed and visited and soaked up some sun! Eaten, solved some issues, Oh, and laughed some more!

Hanging out on the beach, sailboat, roof top, and balcony in Cozumel with my friends! What a relaxing trip and talk about some laughs...

Colorado was FABULOUS!! The weather and scenery can not be beat!! The memories made there with my kids, family, and friends are some I will not soon forget! Around every corner was a beautiful spot waiting to be discovered!

Floating the Comal with my family. I absolutely LOVE New Braunfels and spending it with so many of my family members was perfect!! All the great food places, goodies from the bakery, and hanging out all day was wonderful!!

Getting to hang out with my family and friends and there wasn't the rush or unavailablity because of being "busy."

My recent love of this summer is the trip we made to Yepez Vineyard this past Thursday night with a group of friends! We had a blast! The music was great, wine was good, and the visiting with friends was fantastic!

Staying up late reading

Laying on the couch doing nothing whenever I wanted to!!!

So summertime, you have been very good to my family and me!! I will miss you! My hope is I do not let the "busyness" of life steal away any of the great moments that I can share with my family and friends!! I hope to keep a touch of these summer "treats" going throughout the year!!

Monday, August 9, 2010

Truthful Tuesday

There are several truths that have crossed my mind the past month or so that I wanted to share:

1. I absolutely love every second with my family!! Ashlyn is so fun to watch as she goes through her teenage years. I am so proud of her and love her personality. What a beautiful girl she is inside and out!! Reece makes me smile all the time. I love watching his personality flourish!! He is such a doll (he would hate me calling him that!) and entertainer!

2. The truth is Keith is a wonderful husband and I've been reminded lately not to take him for granted and to enjoy all our time together!

3. God has been showing me things in my life that I need to clean out. Just like junk piles up in my house sometimes, I have let things pile up in my life that need cleaned out as well. I'm bad about holding onto things materially that I don't want to get rid of and I do the same thing in my personal life. Luckily God has been giving me gentle reminders of things I need to take care of and I know with His help I can take care of those things. The truth is some times we allow poisons into our lives that slowly eat away our relationship with Him and the impact we can have on those around us.

4. I'm a loud person and like to have a good time. I My family and friends mean everything to me and I am loyal and dependable. Laugh often, long, and loud describes me perfectly. I love to hang out and talk and laugh until I cry. The truth is some people aren't comfortable with that, and that is okay, but I won't change who I am for others!

5. The truth is God has put people in my life at just the right time and I am thankful for that!!

Weekly Menu

I have been cooking all summer, but not posting the menu...okay, I really have only cooked a little bit, but now I'm back on target!!

Monday- Spaghetti and meatballs with salad and garlic bread

Tuesday- Dinner @ the Estes' home

Wednesday- Crockpot: Sante Fe Chicken served with tortillas, cheese and all the fixings

Thursday- Goulash

Friday- grilled tilapia with veggies

Saturday-hamburgers on jalapeno cheese buns!

Sunday-out to eat and preparing for going back to work!!

Saturday, August 7, 2010

River Trip

We just returned from a great river trip with most of my family!! There were about 30 of us that were able to go spend a few days together floating the Comal River. We always start the trip the same by going to Landa Park and feeding the ducks and riding the train. I've been making this trip since I was a little girl and New Braunfels is one of my favorite places ever!! It never gets old! There are so many great memories there that flood my mind every time we go, but it is so fun making new memories with my kiddos, Keith, and all my family!!! I love watching all the younger kids hang out together laughing, playing, and talking! It is a joy to watch!! I was reminded how blessed I am once again. I am so lucky to have a family that is close and enjoys spending so much time together, and we all get along so well! This is a crazy group and they make me laugh until I cry! God has reminded me lately to enjoy the little moments throughout each day and I am trying to do just that!! I hated to leave the relaxing banks of the river because I know the craziness of school is about to start, but it sure was great while we were there!! New Braunfels has it all: great rivers, delicious food, and goodies from Naeglin's Bakery that always help with my weight gain!! Special times that I won't soon forget!!