Sam & Greg's...Yummy!

So, Marc and I have been out of school a whole week, and we're already bored! Today, we were discussing what to do, and Marc came up with the idea of eating lunch at Sam & Greg's. One of my coworkers was telling me how good it was, so we ventured downtown to check it out.

After driving around for what seemed like forever, we finally found a parking space, which is not an easy task downtown. A few minutes later, we were standing at the entrance.

When you first walk in, there is a showcase full of different flavors of gelato. They didn't have the orange honey flavor that I have heard so much about, so we headed right to the counter to order our pizza.

We ordered a large cheese pizza and a couple of Cokes. On the downside, they only serve drinks in the can or bottle. Besides gelato and pizza, they also serve hot dogs, baked goods, and coffees. After paying, we headed over to find a seat.

This was the way right behind our table! Isn't it gorgeous? Even though Marc looks absolutely disgusted with me, he really wanted to be there! Remember, it was his idea! Anyway, the walls were brick and the ceiling and floors were both wood...all original to the building. There was also an upstairs seating area, which was getting full by the time we left.

Our pizza was brought out about 15 minutes after we ordered it, and Marc's mouth started watering as soon as he saw it! It had bubbles! Good ol' burnt cheesy bubbles! Marc thought he had died and gone to heaven!

 

Well, the pizza was definitely as good as it looked! It was awesome! Marc said it was the best pizza he's had since moving to Alabama, where he equates all pizza to cooked cardboard. So, maybe Marc has found pizza that will get him by in between visits to Pepe's in Connecticut! It was a good day!

Not a Good Week for Ice Cream

Tonight, my Bunco group got together for our monthly game. While we were playing, Marc and Adam met each other for dinner. After they ate, they went to Cold Stone Creamery, which is my new favorite ice cream shop...Sorry Brusters!

So, not only did Marc jack my ice cream the other night, now he has gone to Cold Stone without me! I am not happy, and I will get even!

Beautiful Reminders

The other day when I was outside, I noticed that the flowers in my grandparents' yard were in full bloom. My grandmother was always known for her green thumb and love of flowers. She passed that love to my mother who has since passed it on to me.

Since Marc and I live across the street from where they lived, I still get to enjoy her flowering plants, even though she passed away several years ago. Today, I decided to take some pictures of the flowers. 

These flowers are a reminder of all the days I spent at my grandparents' house when I was growing up. I'd play with my cousins, who were all older than me, for hours and hours. We had so much fun together, although there were the occasional fights. 

All of us girls would beg to spend the night at my grandparents' house. We'd all pile up in big bed that seemed a mile high off the floor, and they'd bribe us to go to sleep by promising us a "Yankee dime" when we woke up, which was really a kiss. We'd wake up to a wonderful breakfast of biscuits, sausage, and fried potatoes. Since I didn't like the chocolate syrup that my grandmother would make, my grandfather would mix honey and butter for me to spread on my biscuits. He'd also make me hot chocolate and let me drink it from a bowl, so it would cool faster. I thought that was so cool! 

After playing all day, we'd sit on the front porch swings and watch the sun go down behind Green Mountain, all the while smelling the beautiful flowers that my grandmother had planted along with the wild honeysuckle. Why can't days be that simple now? 

A Sad Ending

Update: I'm sad to report that I found the remains of my precious Moose Tracks shortly after 10:45pm last night. After interrogating the number one suspect for what seemed like hours, he caved and admitted that he had eaten my Moose Tracks. 

Warning: The picture below is graphic and should be viewed with extreme caution.

A roadside memorial service will be conducted on Wednesday morning preceding the weekly trash collection. Survivors include Mayfield's Snow Cream, Mint Chocolate Chip, Butter Pecan, and Banana Split. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Karen's Ice Cream Protection Fund.

Missing!

Quick! Alert the authorities! I'm missing a pint of my beloved Mayfield Moose Tracks ice cream. I didn't have a recent picture of my precious ice cream, since I only bought it today, but I was able to locate a picture of his big brother. They bear a striking resemblance! Be on the lookout for a container looking like this, only smaller:

As I said earlier, this sweet lil' pint was last seen this afternoon at about 4:30pm in our freezer. When I went to rescue him at about 10:30pm, I noticed that he was missing.

The number one suspect claims he has not seen my precious pint of Moose Tracks. He has an alibi, but I don't think it's going to hold up. Something seems a little fishy to me! Stay tuned for more updates!

Yesterday

Yesterday was my first day off for the summer! I had big plans to get the house cleaned, so we could enjoy our weekend. We had let everything go, and the house was pretty messy. The end-of-school stress had gotten to us, and we just weren't up to cleaning by the time we got home. So, like I said, I had big plans to get everything clean!

However, this is what I got accomplished yesterday:

Yes, that's right! I only got the living room cleaned up, and it really wasn't that bad to start with. I was so exhausted yesterday that I was in a funk and didn't feel like doing anything! So, I'm going to clean today! What a way to spend a beautiful Saturday!

Whew! Finished!

Well, I'm finally finished packing up my classroom, and I actually finished a day early! Yah me! All the furniture is moved back, all my boxes and crates are stacked, and the cabinets are organized for next year!

My small-group table is clean and the stairs are stacked. The bookshelf is clean, and my computer desk is covered.

My real desk is completely clean, and this is the first time I have seen the top of it since August! Two of my students brought me the beautiful plants!

I don't have to go to work tomorrow, so I'm going to spend the day working around the house. I've let everything go around here, because I've been so stressed by the time I got home that I didn't feel like doing anything. So, tomorrow is the day to clean!

But good news:  School is closed for the summer!

Making Progress...

Well, I have made quite a bit of progress in my classroom today, in spite of having a lot of visitors and our classroom party. The kids watched a movie this morning, and I managed to get all of my paperwork finished and most of the room packed away.

In this corner, I took down a table and packed away all the stuff that was sitting on it.

In this corner, I stacked all the desks, chairs, and other furniture.

And in the front of the room, I cleared all the charts off the board. Everything above the board gets to stay.

Now, this is where I start having problems:

My desk and table look worse today than they did yesterday! I think what I was doing was moving things from one place in the room and putting them on the desk or table. I finally figured that out, and I started clearing off the table this afternoon. I forgot to take an updated picture, though.

I still need to file papers and finish my cumulative folders. I'm just waiting on some stickers for the folders, and I also need to sign them. Then my sweet little 2nd grade babies will officially be 3rd graders. Where did this year go?

Tomorrow is a half-day, and the kids leave at 11:30. I'm going to try to finish up as much as I can tomorrow, and hopefully I won't have to go in on Friday. I'm sure that won't happen, but I'm still hoping!

Feeling Overwhelmed!

Well, we only have two days left of school (actually one and a half) and I'm feeling extremely overwhelmed! I have a laudry list of things to do, and at the top of my list is getting my room packed away. I dread this every year, but I always manage to get it done somehow. This time last year, I was working with a ruptured disc, so I guess it could always be worse.

So, this is what my room looked like on the first day of school:

Notice how bright and shiny everything was and how inviting it looks? Well, this is what it looks like today:

And this is what my desk looks like:

And this what my table, where a usually work instead of using my desk, looks like:

Isn't that pathetic? Wouldn't you want to walk into your child's classroom and see this mess? Well, we are having our classroom party tomorrow afternoon, and this is exactly what my students' parents are going to see. There's just no getting around it, because there just aren't enough hours in the day. And to top it off, the AC in my classroom isn't working, so we are all hot and miserable.

So, I think my break/cool off time is over, and I better get back to work. Time's a tickin' away!

Another Car?

Marc and I buy cars like some people buy underwear. In the almost ten years that we have been married, we've bought 12 vehicles. That averages out to 1.2 cars a year. In our typical fashion, we bought another car yesterday. Marc had been looking around for something to replace his Ford F-150, which was guzzling gas like a drunk at a bar during happy hour. It was getting a whopping 14 miles to the gallon, and with gas approaching $4.00 a gallon, it had to be replaced. We figured that it was costing almost $20.00 a day for him to get back and forth to work, since he has to cross the mountain twice every day. Uggghhh!

So, Marc decided to get a 2007 Mercury Milan. We were able to get a great deal on it, and the best thing about it: It's getting a whopping 27 miles per gallon. That's double what his truck was getting! Here it is:

It's completely loaded, and it drives really nice. It's the first car that Marc has owned that has leather, and he is so excited about that! Plus, now he can drive to work and not worry about all the money he is spending on gas. What a relief!

A Lesson from Goldfish

This morning as I was feasting on a breakfast of pretzel Goldfish, I took a minute to read the back of the package. I really needed this reminder today:

Isn't It Great?

Sometimes it's the little things that make LIFE more

FUN, like blowing bubbles or playing ball.

If you STOP and APPRECIATE the little things,

you'll probably find

yourself SMILING a little bigger.

Usually I am in such a big hurry to get the next thing done that I don't take time to stop and appreciate my many blessings. Today, I am going to slow down and enjoy the small stuff.

How 'Bout Them Cowboys?

Now I love me some Tony Romo, but what on earth was he thinking? He really needs to think about football and leaving the singing to his girlfriend! I've heard dogs that can sing better than him! Uggghhh!

Happy Mother's Day!

I am so blessed to have such a wonderful mother! She has been such an important influence in my life and has shaped the person that I have become. Whenever I had a problem, I knew I could confide in her. Whenever I had good news to share, I knew I wanted to share it with her. Whenever I needed support, I knew she would be my biggest cheerleader. My mother is wonderful!

For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be a mother. Unfortunately, that dream has not come true for me, so Mother's Day is always really hard. Yesterday, I told Marc that I really didn't want to go to church this morning, because the Mother's Day sermon always makes me so sad. It is really depressing to realize that yet another year has gone by, and I'm still not a mother. Thank goodness, Marc was supportive and didn't push me into going to church this morning. We spent a quiet morning at home, and then went out to enjoy a wonderful lunch together. It turned out to be a really good day!

This Must Be My Day!

Today is turning out to be an awesome day! I just found out that I am going to be awarded a $200 classroom grant! That may not sound like a lot of money, but I am going to be able to buy about 50 chapter books to complete my classroom sets. I am so excited!

I applied for the grant at the beginning of March. One of our local senators donates a portion of his income to schools. This year, he decided to award 100 grants to teachers in Huntsville City, Madison County, and Madison City Schools. All I had to do was submit a plan detailing what I would do with the money. It was really easy to do! Now, I will just have to wait until August to spend the money!

Anyone Hungry?

Each year, I work with my 2nd graders to compile a cookbook for their Mother's Day gifts. I absolutely love making them, and the kids get really excited about them, too. When I was in Kindergarten, I got to make a similar cookbook for my mother, and it is still one of the gifts she cherishes the most.

One of the things that I love about the books is that the kids usually have no concept of measurements and time, so the recipes usually turn out really funny. For example:

Macaroni & Cheese

1 cup of Easy Mac
Some hot water

Pour the Easy Mac in a bowl. It should be dry. Then, add 1 teaspoon of hot water. Put it in the microwave for 1-2 minutes. Take it out of the microwave, then put some cheese in it and stir it up.

Is that just precious? Obviously, this child's mom makes him Easy Mac a lot, because that is what he chose as his favorite recipe. Another example:

Banana Pancakes

1 box of pancake mix
3 yellow bananas
13 pecans
1 bottle of maple syrup

Pour the pancake mix in a pan. Put the nuts on top of the pancakes. Then, cook the pancakes for about 20 minutes. Put the bananas on top. Put the pancakes on a plate and put syrup on top.

Again, I just loved this recipe. He was very, and I do mean very, specific about the directions. When I asked if he wanted to mix in the bananas with the pancake mix, he adamantly told me "no." Also, don't you just love the "13 pecans." I kept wanting to ask him what would happen if you put 14 pecans in the recipe. What about 12 pecans?

And then last but not least, this one is my absolute favorite so far this year:

Chicken Nuggets

1 bag of chicken nuggets from Walmart or Target
1 bottle of ketchup (although you should already have some at home)

Put the chicken nuggets on a plate. Put them in the microwave for 2 minutes. Take them out and put them on another plate. Put ketchup on the plate and then put the plate on a table tray. Then you can eat them.

Doesn't that just make you want a big ol' plate of chicken nuggets?

I'm Not Addicted! Am I?

Hello, my name is Karen, and I'm addicted to Disney websites. 

Even though I don't think I am, it has recently been brought to my attention by several people that I am spending way too much time browsing Disney websites. What can I say? I absolutely love everything Disney, and since it has been so long since I last went to Disney World, I am obsessed with reading about it as much as I can.

Yesterday, while we were at Brock's Jewelers picking out Mother's Day gifts, my wonderfully sweet husband bought me a Mickey charm for my Pandora bracelet. 

Even though the charm is made by Chamilia, it is interchangeable with my bracelet. I was so excited to see all the Disney charms they make! Anyone who knows me knows that I collect Eeyore stuff, which is not always easy to find. But, Chamilia makes a TON of Eeyore charms! I can't wait to add more!

Fried Pickles and Ice Cream

On Thursday, Marc and I joined a gym! We are trying to get in shape for our upcoming Disney trip and thought it would be a great idea. So, after we joined on Thursday, we worked out for about an hour. I walked on the treadmill for 30 minutes...at 3.5 miles per hour, which I thought was pretty good. Then I did the strength exercises that I learned while I was in rehab. I felt really good afterward! I also lost 6 lbs. this week!

Then, last night happened! Marc and I went out to eat with some friends after a long, stress-filled day. The restaurant that we went to had fried pickles! I have such a weakness for fried pickles, even though I don't even like plain pickles...go figure! So, of course I ordered some thinking everyone would share them, but I ended up eating most of them myself. Then, I ordered a chicken sandwich with the thought that I would take half of it home to eat today. Oh no! Somewhere in the mix, that thought got lost, and I ate the WHOLE thing along with a WHOLE basket of onion strings! But it was soooo good!

Then, someone in our group came up with the brilliant idea of ordering dessert...I'm not naming any names! Then someone else in the group decided that he wanted ice cream, so off to Cold Stone Creamery we went. Since this was the first time I had ever been there, I had no idea what to expect. So I ordered a medium...Gotta Love It...cup of Peanut Butter Cup Perfection ice cream! It was chocolate ice cream mixed with Reese's cups, fudge, and peanut butter. Can you say rich? But, since I had already been so gluttonous, I devoured the WHOLE cup! Anyone see a trend here?

So, this morning when I weighed, I had gained two lbs. back! Uggghhh! Of course, I didn't go to the gym yesterday, but I spent the whole day on a hiking field trip with a bunch of wild 2nd graders. But, obviously I didn't move enough to work off all those calories I consumed yesterday! Oh well...there's always Monday!