For God So Loved {insert name here}

Just finished another round of prayer cards! At our former church, there was a prayer ministry for teachers - teachers in the local school district could sign up, and then church members would be given a list of names of teachers to pray for daily and to periodically send cards of encouragement. Because I was close with many teachers in my former district, I signed up again to pray even though we've moved away. Anywho, the thought I included in the cards this time was one I thought would be helpful for others to read as well:

I don't remember which of his books he wrote this in, but it has helped me over the past couple of years immensely. Doesn't just have to be students - could be your own kids, friends, spouses, people who cut in front of you in line at the grocery store...

Arranging the verse to spell out "valentine" was a Pinterest idea, by the way...

Sunday Activities

Some items from today...

Switched out the menu board background!

Completed a LOT of work for school (the job, not my classes), no thanks to this demanding cat!

Made my white bean veggie chili, Mike made his meaty chili. Here's a peek at mine in the Crock Pot, mmmmmm:

Now listening to the Super Bowl, so that I won't get too distracted by the commercials and ditch my work. The SB should really happen the day before a Monday holiday, don't you think? Two years ago we had three snow days in a row leading up to Super Bowl Sunday. With that kind of time, you can make some really awesome SB party snacks! Here's what I made that year:

They were a huge hit! Alas, this year did not allow time for such fun past-times. Just as well, it's just the two of us for the Super Bowl this year anyway! We certainly don't need dozens of jersey-shaped cookies lying around the house, especially since I'm still avoiding sweets!

Currently February

Another month, another "Currently" from Farley!

Orange peels and cinnamon - another successful Pinterest experiment!

Punxsutawney Phil, I love you - seeing the shadow means early spring! Woo hoo!

As always, thinking about ways to make my lessons better!

It has been so bitter, bitter cold this week, that I cannot wait for warmer weather!

Big paper due on Wednesday, need to finish the first draft before tomorrow night so I can take a breather and go back to it with fresh eyes and revise before the due date. Not a difficult paper, just have to buckle down!

Pet peeves - not listening and whining. All teachers will understand. Especially middle school teachers.

Special

Tonight was china night! I break out the good china about once a month (sometimes twice), just to make things a little extra special. Mike usually asks what the special occasion is, to which I reply (sappiness warning!) "Every night with you is a special night." He then engages in the requisite eye rolling and/or groaning. While I'm of course being silly with my statement, it is true - the everyday meals are so much a part of what holds a family together. I know that there are people who only bring out the china for truly exceptional, once-in-a-lifetime events. If that's your thing, I can understand wishing to make those celebrations stand out. But to my way of thinking, that means a lot of waiting around for once-in-a-lifetime events. I prefer to celebrate today, and acknowledge the special that the "everyday" holds.

Pot Pies!

Yes, another food post - brought to you by the letter P! A cooold day (-9 wind chill!), a day off, a craving for comfort food... what could be better than pot pies?

I've made a beef pot pie a couple of times for Mike, but hadn't quite settled on a crust. Tonight was my first attempt at a veggie one for me, after I found this recipe. Oh. My. Goodness! Delish! I used the same biscuit topping for Mike's as well, which went over spectacularly.

Veggie on the left (a little overfilled, but so wonderful), beef on the right.

These mini-pie plates are a boon for families with different food preferences! This is now my new favorite winter comfort food, mmmmmm.........

Pancakes!

I would absolutely work a longer day four days a week to get a three-day weekend every week. Here's my reasoning: Saturday is all about recovering, and accomplishing whatever tasks you can't get done on a Sunday. Sunday is church, grocery shopping, house cleaning, lesson planning. Then, it's back to work. And if you do have something fun planned for the weekend, somehow you've got to cram all that other stuff in some impossibly small fraction of time, usually in all-out panic mode. With a three day weekend, you can actually fit in some time to breathe. And make pancakes!

Oh blueberry pancakes, how I love thee. And since I have been faithfully eschewing sweets for two months now, that I would allow these guys through is a further testament to my adoration. Happy Monday to all!

Love Notes

I like to leave little notes for Mike in the morning, either by his breakfast dishes or in his lunch bag. Here's the written love that was waiting for him when he got up this morning:

Back to the Routine

First day back went pretty well! The kids were pretty nuts and most took a rather lackadaisical approach to reviewing for final exams, but for the most part no true difficulties. One more "normal" day, then finals, then roster change. I think I'll make it.

Along with going back to work comes the re-installation of other habits. I went to the Y after work today. I love the Y! They offer so much, along with so many services and amenities for such a reasonable price (as long as you're not single - I still harbor bitterness over the deep discounts marrieds/families receive at so many places that singles are overcharged for). I took a hiatus over the holidays - a hazard of choosing a gym closer to your workplace than your home - and it felt great being back. And the place was packed! Must be all those NY Resolutions peeps. I hope a lot of them stick around, because the whole energy level of the room skyrockets when there are so many people working out.

Golf, Hockey, and Soup

My hubs is an avid golf watcher, so he was really looking forward to the official commencement of the new season this weekend. One reason he was extra excited about the start of golf was the NHL lockout - we have both been suffering for lack of Blackhawks viewing! And wouldn't you know it, as soon as golf begins, the NHL finally gets their act together? Double bonus weekend! Sadly, the weather in Hawaii did not lend itself to a successful golf tournament...

In other news, school resumes tomorrow morning. I spent a couple of hours this afternoon completing some odds and ends grading and making sure I'm good to go for tomorrow. I hate to be negative, but this week does not look promising for student motivation and behavior, for the following reasons:

1 - They are bound to be nuts coming off of a two week break. This is a given.
2 - It's a weird week - two days of "normal" class, two days of final exams, then an Institute Day (although yippee! for a four-day kid week!).
3 - You can imagine how seriously junior high kids take final exams.
4 - You can imagine how seriously junior high kids take elective class final exams.
5 - All of my kids leave me after the end of this week, and switch to different elective classes.

It's going to be rough. But, here's my positive list:

1 - Two days of final exams means two days of quiet test-taking time. I'm spreading my exam over two days, so it should be nice and quiet those two days, calming down the crazy.
2 - An Institute Day which is rumored to be a day where we will be allowed to grade our final exams and prep for the beginning of second semester. I've never been at a school that actually does this. Usually this day is filled with all sorts of meetings/trainings/etc, and even when it's useful information that's being disseminated it's a bit hard to concentrate when you're thinking about the 100+ final exams and report card grades that have to be scored and entered by 8am Monday.
3 - Brand new kids means a brand new start! A chance to change/add/subtract all the things I wish I'd done the first couple of weeks in August. One of the bummers about starting at a new school is that you have to wait an entire year for a second shot at starting your class the way you want to - I get my second chance during the first year!

On to soup! At the moment I have a nice big batch of homemade minestrone simmering on the stove, mmm yum. It freezes well, so in addition to tonight's dinner and tomorrow's lunch, it will provide me with lunches off and on throughout the month. I love soup - healthy, nutritious, satisfying. I enjoy all of the chopping; I find it somewhat meditative. I especially love the whimsical nature of soup - once you've got the basics down, you can toss in anything willy-nilly or make random substitutions for missing ingredients, and it still comes out amazing!

Here is one thing that makes soup creation particularly enjoyable for me - my Rachael Ray Bench Scraper. I love this thing!

I used to be a traditionalist and transferred food using my chef's knife, but after using this guy I am a convert. Sorry for the advertisement, but I love how much it can scoop!

Books & Boards

So I finally got around to opening all of the packages which contain the textbooks I'll need for my next grad school class, which begins Jan 23 (order early, get the best deals before my classmates!). This many packages cannot be good. Look at the fun they contain!

Did the song "One of these things is not like the other, one of these things just doesn't belong?" pop into your head while looking at these? I couldn't help myself but order "K is for Knifeball" when I saw it. It is HILARIOUS. During my child care unit my students analyze various children's books, and I've been looking for a couple of books to slip in that are definitely not appropriate but look like books for kids (and I'm thinking slipping in "Go the F**k to Sleep" would probably get me fired) - this is perfect! And, an enjoyable read all on its own, of course.

In all honesty opening those packages is probably the only grad school-related task I'll actually complete today - I'm finding "updating my blog" to be a very effective stalling technique. Which makes me wonder how often I'll post once Monday rolls around...

Non-grad school-related is this project: creating a new background for the menu board in the kitchen. I went ahead and churned out the next three as well, so that I can keep them all in the frame and change them with the seasons.

Not only is the menu board cute, but I've found it to be extremely helpful. It's a great reminder for taking ingredients out of the freezer to thaw, a great help for planning lunches to pack for work, and a great way to avoid the eternal "What's for dinner?" question.