awesomeness

So this may sound vain but sometimes I like to think about why I am awesome. And then I maybe like to remind myself of my awesomeness. Today is one of those days. So, here is why I am awesome.

• I am currently doing a fantasy football draft
• I installed a router pretty much by myself
• I made a new casserole tonight
  
• I'm going to bake chocolate chip oatmeal cookies
• I wrote 3 weeks worth of lesson plans and a newsletter
  
• Did I mention I installed a router?

These may not seem like awesome things but I also worked a full day and totally overslept. I woke up 10 minutes after I usually leave for work but still made it with 2 minutes to spare. Because I am awesome.

So, if you're curious the new casserole recipe:
2 Jiffy Cornbread mixes
2 eggs
2/3 cups milk
1 can whole kernel corn
1 can cream corn
Chopped jalapeno peppers (I use the kind in a jar)
1 pound ground sausage
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar (divided)

Make the cornbread mixes according to the directions. Brown and drain sausage. Stir everything into the mixed up cornbread and top with remaining cheese. Bake at 400 for 20-25 minutes.

on being 26

Really? Am I 26? I'm not sure I believe it. 25 was such a good year. I absolutely loved it. So many good things happened. I believe 26 will be equally great. So, 26 things about being 26....

1. BBQ -- brats, fish, and burgers at my parents
2. Blackberry cobbler. Yum!
3. Losing weight. I turned 26 12 pounds lighter than I was at 25.
4. New jeans. I got $20 in the mail today that bought me a pair of jeans that fit.
5. The lake. 2 days relaxing in the boat.
6. Bongos. Delicious (non-diet) Italian food at the lake.
7. Sundaes. Delicious (non-diet) burger and fries at the lake.
8. People I love.
9. iPod dock. Absolutely the coolest.
10. New baking dishes
11. Kitchen utensils
12. A good hair cut and eyebrow waxing :)
13. Awesome black flip flops to replace the dying ones
14. Still forgetting to pack things
15. Being happy with who I am
16. Sleeping on the dirt sheets
17. Eating cake for breakfast
18. Being told repeatedly that I could do what I wanted because it's my birthday
19. People that love me
20. Birthday cards
21. Random electronic birthday wishes
22. Smiling
23. Looking forward to the future
24. Being surprised by life
25. Old friends
26. Sunsets

lost hours

How is that I can spend an hour in Target and only buy like 5 things. I was on a quest for three very specific things. For some reason those three things were nearly impossible to find.
-a file card box. Never found it.
-a basket to put magazines in. Found it but it's still not exactly what I wanted.
-a hook to put on the closet door to hold things. Found it after walking across Target a thousand times.
I am usually a very successful shopper, so why am I such a failure at Target? Ug.

But it's Friday. New classes start on Monday. I have two of my three books. I have a relaxing weekend ahead of me. My living room is getting clean. The weather is gorgeous. Life is pretty good.

studying and shopping

So I'm studying for my last final for this term. It's tomorrow. And I desperately needed a study break. I made some cheesecake pudding. It was pretty delicious. Not as good as homemade chocolate but... you take what you can get.

My lasagna was a hit. And I finally slowed down. I felt like I was going in fast forward last night. Like it was never going to slow down. Tonight has been a little more relaxed.

I ordered my text books the other night for my next term. Those classes start on Monday. Yup, no break. I forget when our first break is, that's probably something I should know. So, I ordered these books:

Prett exciting, right? So then I ordered this. I decided I deserved a treat. Not because I don't shop for myself regularly but because a new bag is always happy and fun.
That picture is tiny and ridiculous, but the bag is cute. And yellow transitions to fall, right? I'm sure it does.

Back to studying. I am obviously procrastinating and I need to get that under control right now. I also need to do some ironing.

tonight

I'm trying really hard to find a balance. And right now that balance means life is very very busy. But full and joyful. I may be exhausted at the end of the day, but it is worth it. Since I have been off work....
....watched Gilmore Girls
... made flash cards to study for Intro to School Counseling final
... did 2 loads of laundry
... folded and put away about 1000 loads of laundry
... made a lasagna
... did the dishes
... emailed a good friend whom I miss
... took a shower
... straightened my hair
... checked facebook a thousand times even though I hate it
And I feel satisfied. I am ready to sit down on the couch, watch some Boston Legal and relax before I go to sleep.

pie in the sky

I've been busy. So busy I feel like it will never stop. Working 40 hours a week with preschoolers and going to school full time. I feel like I am always at work, at school or studying. The end result will be good though. However, it has left little time for the fun things I like to do. I am still making plenty of time for the lake and fishing. I caught some giant (for me anyway) catfish over 4th of July.
And I've done a little cooking. Very little. I've managed to try a couple of new things. I made chicken salad and it was a hit. I just looked until I found a recipe that sounded right. Turns out, you don't really need a recipe. Just dump things in until it looks right.
Cooked boneless skinless chicken breast (apparently I don't know how to skin chicken)
Light Miracle Whip (my choice)
Pineapple tidbits drained, leave a tiny bit of juice
Red grapes, halved
Chop up the chicken and dump it all in a bowl and mix. Easy peasy. And delicious.

The other night I made fried zucchini and fried mushrooms. While I was frying mushrooms, I had hot grease pop in my eye. Ouch! I heard the mushrooms were good. I think any mushroom is a bad mushroom.

I made my first ice cream cake for my mom for Mother's Day. Yes, I am that behind around here. Anyway, she loved it. I got strawberry ice cream from Braums (the kind with real strawberries), strawberry jam, vanilla sandwich cookies and Sandies. I just layered it all and froze it. It was so good and people were impressed. I'm going to make a dreamcicle cake this weekend for my sister's graduation.

I just finished making homemade chocolate pudding for a chocolate pie that is a couple of weeks late. Hopefully the pudding will set up this time. The last time I made it, it never did and was a total waste of time. I took pictures of the pie making process but lack the motivation to post my clever pictures. Look for them to come if I ever find time.

One more day of work and class and then off to the lake for a long weekend.

disappearing act

I've been working on feeling incredibly overwhelmed. And my domesticity has taken a definite slow turn. I'm trying so hard there is just not enough time in the day. Tonight I did a halfway cleaning of the apartment. It's not really clean. Just picked up. And I bought a few groceries. And I will be studying until I die.

Mondays and Thursdays I work 8 hours and then I go to class for 4 1/2 hours. If you're counting, that is over 13 hours that I am gone (including drive time). Ug. It's fairly exhausting. I like school. I do not currently like my job. Preschoolers are insane. I think we had 19 on Friday.

I did manage to make some really good chicken on Wednesday despite being sick. I keep getting dizzy, I'm pretty sure it's not good. Anyway, I pounded chicken breasts out and then marinated them in Baja Chipotle sauce. Then I rolled them up with cream cheese and jalapenos. I had planned to wrap it in bacon but forgot. They were still delicious.

Tonight I'm making spaghetti. Noodles and Hunts sauce. Nothing complex. I can only do so much.

I still need to do dishes and straighten my hair so I don't have to deal with it for a few days. I just finished writing a mini-paper that my brain was definitely not up to writing. I took a nap and I'm still so tired. I wish I could hire a maid. The other day I did come home and the dishes were done, I was so happy I almost cried.