A Weekend Away

We had a nice weekend away at the cabin. The weather was a little chilly, but thankfully not too much wind. We took the dock and pontoon lift out on Saturday. Well, I can't really take credit for it, but the guys did a great job doing it. Only one person slipped into the water up to his calf, so I'd call it a success.

My mom and I were there for half of the job but then after lunch we both managed to slip a lovely afternoon nap in. I have not been able to take a nap in quite a while so it was a perfect way to spend an hour or two ;)

Sunday (today) we awoke to a frosty morning so I snuck outside to take a few photos before the sun caused it all to disappear. Chaz joined me and after struggling to keep him out of the frame, I simply decided to cooperate with him and include him in some shots.




Staying warm while making trips up to the cabin with all our summer gear.

 


Taking a break from settlers, the guys began an intense battle of "who can make their wedding ring spin the longest".  There were numerous rounds but I am not sure who was declared the victor.



Fridays

Weekends always come when I need them the most. Especially this weekend. Having a short week in the classroom (only wed-fri) kind of throws the whole week into an odd funk. We also had state testing this week so the students are probably ready for the weekend too! Tomorrow is our "Fall Party" where we will be painting some pumpkins and doing other Autumn activities. Mix in a little sugar high and the kids will be bouncing off the walls I'm sure haha.

I want to bake something to bring to the cabin this weekend but I can't decide what. I will probably have to go to the grocery store...but I do have a big can of pumpkin just waiting to be used. Hmmmm.  What to make a pumpkin pie? or Pumpkin cheesecake? Or Pumpkin bread? We will have to see...

I am thinking maybe I will just bring the ingredients and then bake it at the cabin. Yes. Good plan.

(sorry I made you share in my baking thought process)

Goodnight!

Sorry for my absence these last few days...busy days. I am currently eating some chocolate Malt O'Meal as my breakfast. It brings back memories of mom making it for me a kid. It's good stuff. The other day I was driving home from the school and I suddenly had a craving for it, so I swung by the grocery store to pick a box up. The snow came and went....now it's just wet everywhere. Oh and the wind....ugh. It's been ridiculously windy these last few days. Mix that with rain and it makes using an umbrella impossible. So I wrap my scarf around my head and walk/run wherever I go. (I know I could wear a hat but they are all still packed away). I am excited for this weekend because Ben and I are going to my family's cabin. It will involve taking the dock and lifts out, but there are also rumors of a turkey dinner cooked by mom....so I think it's well worth the work ;) Okay I need to finish my breakfast and run off to school.

Rumors of snow.

The big news around town is that it may snow sometime this week. Uck. Not quite ready for that season yet. I'd like another month of Autumn please. My sweaters are still packed away in the garage actually. Before the end of the week I'll probably be lugging them up to the apartment. Well to be honest I'll probably have been do the lugging.

Enough about the upcoming weather...and instead a few fun things I'm loving this fine day.

1. This song by Ingrid Michaelson. We saw her at the Basilica Block Party this summer and she puts on a great show. Which reminds me...I should upload some photos from that day.

2. This pretty flower brooch from prettyvisage @ etsy. I have an odd obsession with fabric flowers.

 

3. A lovely coffee blend given to me by a friend. I had some this morning and it was delicious. 

  

5th Grade Reasoning

There is usually something that makes each day memorable when you spend it with 5th graders. The following picture is an example of these moments. During a Math assessment one student took a creative approach to the following question.

50 fifth graders responded to an exercise survey. 6 out of 10 said they exercise at least 39 minutes a day. Draw a model or picture to represent this.

So most answers looked like this...

One student however did not quite understand the question so ...

hahaha. I love how he drew people doing push ups, sit ups, and jumping jacks. And they are drawn at different stages of the specific exercise.  Then it is odd because there are 7 people exercising, which makes me wonder where he got 7 from?! so my conclusion is that he decided to simply draw students exercising, and then write "30 min". Oh I love it. You have to admit the kid tried :)

My first apron

I made my first apron a few weeks ago. I had reached a point where I was frustrated with my lack of time to sew and do other creative things so I simply put everything else away and devoted an evening to making this apron. It felt wonderful. The apron turned out pretty good. I started using a pattern from Amy Butler's In Stitches, but then I kind of did my own thing to it in the end. Here are some of the pics Ben took for me.

Spending our day off wisely

Ben's Mocha

Our treat = chocolate tower.

gone.

Ellie finally giving into her addiction.

My beautiful friends Ellie & Liz

The End.

Crockpot Chicken Tortilla Soup

So here is my promised recipe for the tortilla soup. I did not take a picture of it unfortunately, and the leftovers were not quite picture worthy. So here is a generic stock photo for you to imagine it.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breast halves
1 garlic clove, minced
2 Tbsp. margarine
2 14.5 oz cans chicken broth
2 14.5 oz cans chopped stewed tomatoes
1 cup salsa (mild, medium, or hot...what ever you prefer)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 Tbsp. ground cumin (you can add more if you'd like)
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese (cubed)
sour cream
tortilla chips (we used fritos)

1. Cook, debone, and shred chicken

2. Add minced garlic to margarine in slow cooker. Saute.

3. Combine all ingredients except cheese, sour cream and chips.

4. Cover. Cook on low 8-10 hours.

5. Divide cubed cheese among 6 individual soup bowls. Ladle soup over cheese. Sprinkle with chips and top each bowl with a dollop of sour cream.

Shhhhh!

Don't tell Ben...he is under the impression that I am slaving away on homework right now instead of writing a post....and he is giving me a wonderful foot massage that I would hate to have ended if he discovered I was blogging instead.

I have a recipe to share with you...but unfortunately not tonight. I have a game of Ecosystem Jeopardy to create as well as finish up my resume. If you have been craving chicken tortilla soup you are in luck, that's all I have to say on that topic. For now though I need to get through the next few days. Wish me luck as I catch up on everything.

Being Productive. On a Saturday. Ha

I need to get things accomplished today. Seriously folks.

So far I have slept in, drank coffee while talking with my hubby and my mother-in-law who is in town for the weekend, went out for a delicious lunch of pizza, whipped up some chicken tortilla soup in the crock pot for dinner, and wasted time looking at blogs. Have you noticed that planning lessons or doing homework has yet to show up on that list? That is where the problem lies. Ha...

So I am going to finish this BRIEF post, poor myself another cup of coffee, turn on some calming brain stimulating music and sit down to do some work.

The key is where I sit. If I sit on the couch my work is probably only 50% efficient. However if I sit at the kitchen table I am able to accomplish my work at a 95% efficiency rate. (the lack of that last 5% is due to my refilling my coffee cup or looking for a new song to listen to).

So to the table I go.

BUT FIRST
A photograph.....of my friend Ellie's ability to be highly efficient. Look at all those post-it notes! If they don't scream productivity (or at least an overuse of post-its) then I don't know what does!? haha. okay back to work.

ugh. 

A day in Nisswa & Brainerd

So here are the photographs from this past Sunday. The wedding pictures are still to come but these should tide you over for a few days. Editing and uploading these was like therapy for me... I needed some creative time.

The Stonewall Inn Cafe

 Ellie and Bekah met up with their friends

 The Chocolate Ox (a candy shop)

Walking the Paul Bunyan Trail

My first time at Zorbaz

Nate's 50 cents mustache