Biggest Loser, Bloggin' Style...

Here's a recipe that I find delicious and satisfying, and it's healthy! I have made this the last few times that Will's been out of town (it's not really a man meal) and it's great reheated.

Refried Bean Soup (my mom gave me this recipe - she got it at a WW meeting years back)

1 can Rotel (I prefer the lime/cilantro)
1 can fat free refried beans (I like refried black beans)
2 cans chicken stock (low sodium)

Open cans. Dump in a pot. Cook until combined and hot. Serve with a dallop of low fat sour cream (I don't really like the fat free kind, it tastes funny to me) and low fat shredded cheese. Delish!

For those not on a commitment to health challenge (or, um, a diet), you can add shredded chicken, a can of corn, and serve with tortilla chips!

We have bad habits in our house. We let dishes pile up. We let laundry pile up. We let mail pile up. And then we play catch-up.

A little over a week ago, I was taking care of the recycling that we had let pile up in the house. We have a bin inside where we put all of our recyclables, but it's small and fills up fast. I still hadn't broken down all of the boxes, so it didn't all fit in the bin and was stacked up around it and in brown paper bags. It was quite the accumulation. I decided to prop the door open, go out through the garage, and make the several trips in and out until it was all in the recycling container outside. In the middle of this process, my neighbor stopped by. We were chatting, when all of a sudden, a bird flew in the garage, then through the open door and straight into my kitchen.

After getting over the shock of the bird being in the house, and realizing I did not want to have try to catch it with my bare hands, but didn't want to hurt it either, my neighbor's husband wandered over. Thankfully, he was willing (and able) to catch the bird and release it back outside where it belonged.





Nothing like a bird in the house to liven up my chores.

*Note the dishes piled up in the sink. I did eventually take care of those, too.

**Also note that while I did not offer help, I did get photographic evidence of the situation as any good blogger would do.

Quick Cruise Recap...

Muster Drill

Enjoying the views...watching flying fish.


After dinner, night one, we went to an English Pub and there was a guy with a guitar singing your typical sing-a-longs...we had a blast, and Will even got up and sang with the guy!


Loved the balcony!


Me and Anna in Cozumel. It was HOT! Will ended up with a monster sunburn.


After dinner one night.


Sitting on the front of the ship one night after dinner. It was windy...just a little.


Anna, Cindy and I at the Cahal Pech Mayan Ruins in Belize


Our ship, the Navigator of the Seas, as seen from our ferry on the way back from Belize.


I have so many more pictures and another post might be coming, but I will try to put them all on Facebook, too (in the mean time). Life is going at full speed here - I'm gearing up to move from my current school to the new Performing Arts Magnet Middle School next year! I cannot wait. I will be teaching Language Arts to sixth graders, with the possiblity of having a few classes of seventh graders as well. The situation and timing could not have been more perfect, and it is an answered prayer in so many ways (answering things and giving things I hadn't even though to ask for...).

We expected 2009 to bring a lot more time at home for Will, but that has certainly not been the case. Week after week he is on the road, with a few days here, maybe a week...Not what we would prefer, but it's just the way it goes. We're hoping to go camping over Memorial Day weekend if he's home.

I've decided to pursue my National Board certification next year. This will make it a lot easier to teach in other states as we continue to move where the Air Force sees fit. It will be a long, tough road, but I am excited to stretch myself and grow as a teacher. I will be collecting my data and completing my portfolio starting this summer and throughout the next school year, and will have to submit it in April 2010. I will take my six assessments that June and receive my scores by December 2010. Whoa. I sure am glad I'll be back teaching just Language Arts (which will be my certification area) and will be able to focus on that one subject. I hope it will be powerful for my students to see me pursuing this education and certification - and I'm hoping the unique experience of being in a magnet school will make my portfolio stand out.

So, here we go, full speed ahead. We're loving living this crazy life together!

Wow...I almost forgot how to sign in to blogger! It's been a while.

I played my first round of golf (if you can call it that because it was a scramble) this weekend and had a blast! Will and I were on a team with another teacher from my school and her husband. It was a charity event for our district's Citizens for Public Schools group. We had to take three drives from every player, and luckily I had three, and only three, decent drives. It would have been one long round if it were not a best ball tournament.

Thanks to our mad skillz (well, really our husbands' mad skillz), we won. And no, I'm not even kidding. We won these lovely red hats, and a round for a foursome at the course where the tournament was held, which is a pretty nice course.

Go us.

I finally have my computer up and working! A new battery and a new power cord later, and we're back in business. Photos will be uploaded soon, and blogging will be a lot easier...I'll fill you in on our vacation, my new job for next year, and projects we've been doing around the house. Also, we have our first golf tournament together - Mother's Day weekend. That also happens to be the day of our annual Cinco de Mayo block party. Lots to look forward to! I love spring.

Wow. So much to catch up on...and no time this morning! We had a great vacation - we thought we'd like the cruise, but it really surpassed our expectations. What fun. The great company made it even better!

Now we're back to the real world (although Will's still on leave), and there is a lot going on with work. We have our state standardized testing this week and next, and I'm ready to get on the other side of it and on the home stretch to summer break. Two months left!

Pictures will come soon.

I think I may want to get a Nintendo DS. Mainly because I want to play this game. Logic puzzles and word games are my favorite, and I love board games like Clue and Scrabble...But would I really use a DS? I am a grown up. I think it would especially be nice for travelling, and it's nice and portable. But, it's a lot more expensive than a Dell Crossword Puzzle book from Hudson News!

Anyone know anything about the DS? Is it really as appealing to adults the way they market it to be?

Just some stuff...

-After reading my s-i-l's blog on new running shoes, and hearing my husband tell me I had cheap shoes, I decided to drop by a running shoe store today. I bought some Nikes last summer and was fitted for them - the guy evaluated my feet as being neutral (which is actually pretty rare)...Well, after 7 months in those shoes and lots of hip pain after jogging, I knew there was a problem. I read a little about it on the internet, and had a strong feeling that I, in fact, do not have neutral feet, but pronate heavily - and that was confirmed by the gal at the store today. She watched me run in my shoes (um, embarassing) and then found several shoes for me to try on. After lots of jogs back and forth across the store, I ended up with a pair of super light, very supportive Brooks running shoes...in a narrow (I have never even tried on narrow shoes before, but it was amazing how much less movement I felt). Between jogging on the treadmill (which nearly killed me for some reason...maybe because Sundays are meant for rest) and walking the dogs, I've logged 4.5 miles on my new shoes! The true test will be how my hips/right knee feel in the morning!

-I am VERY partial to my iBook and I have detested using Will's computer the last few weeks as mine has been out of commission. My new battery came in Saturday's mail, and I am almost giddy to get to use my computer again. However, I have to ration the battery power because Will's dog, Dixie, chewed the end of my power cord. It has been plugged into the same outlet, staying in the same exact place, for her whole life...Why she chose to destroy it last night, I just don't know. I think she's acting out because her dad is out of town AGAIN. I can totally see how kids have a hard time with parents in the military!

-We have a wide variety of friends, and I am thankful for every single one of them. Last night one of my sweet friends from work (the one who had us over for Thanksgiving) threw her husband a 50th birthday bash. It was a blast! They had a keg of a delicious wheat microbrew (I'm a big wheat beer fan) - and neither one of them even drink. I made PW's Bacon-Wrapped Jalapeno Thingies and they were fabulous. Next time I will wear gloves, though, because my hands were burning for hours afterwards! I was worried they would be too spicy for these Pac-NW Yankees, but they ate them up!

-I can't wait for our Spring Break trip, if only for the fact that I know I will have Will with me for at least a week! Seriously, I. Can't. Wait.

Spring?

Where?

I can't wait for this:

Just a few weeks away!

So, no more sun. We've been inundated with rain, snow, wind and cold. No running outside this weekend - although I'm apparently the only one who feels this way as our neighborhood was full of it's usual joggers and dog walkers this weekend...in rain gear. I don't have rain gear. I also don't have appropriate footwear for the pac-NW, but I just keep holding out for spring. And a move somewhere southern.

Hopefully this week will be a little slower than the last few. I think I've got less on my plate. Maybe my house will get clean and we can have a relaxing weekend. We've been wanting to go to Canada, and I'd like to start planning that trip. I'd hate for us to not take advantage of the fact that we can drive to another country in a very reasonable amount of time. We also want to ski Whistler, but we might not get that in this year. I feel like our time here is winding down, but really we have at least 18 months left...but with a timeline now, it seems like there are so many more things we'd like to do up here before we leave.

So, today I'm praying for nicer weather so that we can get working on our "Things to See/Places to Go" list. Looks like it might be a while...

Sun, glorious sun!

We had a b-e-a-utiful day here in western WA! Finally! We have had a bout of sun recently, but it has been so, so cold. Not today! It was so hard to stay inside today, but we had learning to do that required desks and overheads, but if it's nice tomorow we might head outside! I sponsor an after school club, K-Kids (part of Kiwanis International, a service organization), and we were able to do our campus clean-up outside and most of us didn't even wear coats. It's really hard to explain just how much this does for my mood. It's divine.

Dixie and I were so inspired we did our longest leg of jogging ever - 20 minutes! Might not sound like much to you, but to us it was tough! We've finished week 5 of our program and It. Was. Rough. Whew! I am not a runner. Neither is Dixie. But I figure we covered 2 miles total today (including our warm-up and cool-down brisk walking) - being outside is harder for me because the ground is uneven, and I am a wimp on the treadmill and hardly ever do more than a level 1 incline! There was one stretch of a very slight, but very long uphill climb at about minute 12 and I seriously considered walking it - but we pushed through and focused on the cruise. In April. Where bathing suits are required. We have a long way to go, but we're definitely on our way! (I like to use "we" because while I am working on my body, Dixie is working on her behavior. The exercise does wonders for her destructive/annoying tendencies. She's getting better.)

Now I'm going to head to soak and read Very Valentine and sip some Red Diamond Shiraz. And to top it off, tomorrow's Friday...how about that?

I am tired of the snow and the cold. It's about time for some sun! Spring break is a month away, and I am so thankful we've decided to head south!We had snow over the weekend, but nothing much, and then I woke up to a snow covered Monday. No school delay, though, so I've got to get moving. Have a great start to the week!

Ugh. I can't remember feeling this bad in a very, very long time. I don't think I've had a fever in at least 15 years...it's just not a symptom I get - until now. This is horrible. I am burning up, then freezing and shivering, then on fire again. Thankfully, Tylenol and ibuprofen make it go down for a little bit. However, while they are helping the fever, they are not making my ears feel any better. I now know why little ones cry non-stop with ear infections...this is the worst. I am praying that my antibiotic will help very, very soon. Also, praise God for Advair which has kept my lungs clear when they would otherwise be wheezy and tight!

I am on my way to go pick up my husband from the airport - and I have never been more thankful that he doesn't care if the house is a tad bit messy! The floors need mopping and the bathroom needs cleaning and I have a ton of folded laundry to put away. Oh well. I'm ready to have him home and have someone bring me hot tea and medicine while I while away the hours in bed. Here's hoping you are all well and healthy.

Content.

I'm sitting on the couch watching Nights in Rodanthe. The house is nearly clean, the dogs are happily lounging in the sunny backyard, and I have a few new knitting projects in the works. Dixie and I have been diligently completing our Couch-to-5k workouts, and I am feeling stronger and stronger each run/jog/walk. I am waiting for the aesthetics to match the feelings! In time...

I spent a wonderful, restful weekend with Will (and Mom and Dad, Alicia, Chris, Hannah, Charla, and Richard - for one night) last weekend in Oklahoma. I was anxiously awaiting the trip, but I didn't realize how much I needed it. It was so luxurious to have time; I am thinking about scheduling at least a night a month for Will and I to spend together with no computers, no agenda, and definitely NO housecleaning. We had such great conversations and it was nice to just have some face time, just the two of us - 2008 passed us by and we spent less than 90 days together!

I feel good...and happy. And I know the sunshine has a lot to do with it! I truly think that has been the hardest part about living in WA. The gray makes me lethargic, and the lethargy makes me feel lazy, and the laziness makes me feel down. But not today! I am going to take Maddie for a one-on-one walk around the neighborhood, put something in the crock pot for dinner, and then get ready for bunko around the corner.

I hope your day is filled with sunshine, too.

If you vote for it, they will come.

It's about time!

Holy cow...I adore this guy. And he's an Aggie to boot.

Breakfast.

Just in the last year, I have started to eat breakfast every day. Sometimes that means a bowl of cereal while I watch the news before work, but mostly that means eating an english muffin or dry granola while teaching reading and writing at about 9 in the morning...or even later, a bowl of instant oatmeal during my 11:00 planning period! Will just told me the other day that he has started to eat breakfast, too - he used to just grab a granola bar or a shake (read: Ensure). So, I started looking for more breakfast ideas, and I remembered I had some steel cut oats in the pantry. I have made them only once - they take 30 minutes on the stove, and they make a mess of the pan. So, naturally, I googled recipes for steel cut oats...

I found a slow-cooker recipe that is both easy and tasty, and makes clean-up easy to boot! I'll just tease you with a picture of my delicious Monday morning breakfast, but I will post about it later on Tiny Tidbits.



Oh, and have you been reading Kelly's Korner? Have you checked out her recipe section? If not, please do. And try this:

Butterfinger Cake. Oh. My. Goodness.

I miss this...

Funny, but true.

Because I'm easing into the day with a computer and a cup of coffee...

January's flooding...Behind our neighborhood. Our house is by the huge pine on the left, so it didn't get too close to us, thankfully...But it was close enough!

My new favorite stitch - the elongated stitch.

My students watching Obama's inaugural speech.

Working on a quilt for my student, R. My aide, Maggie, is quilting the top, and it looks great. I can't wait to show you the finished product!

Sunday? What happened to the weekend? Sheesh...

-I knitted, prayed, and really just meditated/ruminated on life right now. I'm in a much better place than on Friday.
-I don't care one bit about the Super Bowl, not even the commercials. Will and I met on Super Bowl weekend 5 years ago, and I miss him.
-I am so angry with Dixie for eating the phone, and I am going to kennel her from now on when I'm not home. Probably should have been doing this all along, but this is the first time she's destroyed something of value, and I was hoping she had outgrown all of this.
-My sweet student is experiencing her first side effects from chemo, and she looked mostly defeated today. She gave me glimpses of her smiley self (and ornery self - when talking about a few of the nurses) but overall she's down. Please keep praying for her...
-I am making a pot of chili, and I'm trying to recreate an awesome sweet potato recipe that a friend of mine made the other day for Bunko. Let's hope it turns out! If so, it's definitely a recipe I will share.
-The Tyler candle scent TwentyFourSevenGlam always lifts my spirits.

Hope you had a great weekend.