Chocolate Chip Cookies

I had to share my chocolate chip cookies.  Today was a momentous day!  My cookies were made with two of our very own chicken's eggs (both from Sweetie) and the flour that I ground from wheat berries with our hand grinder!  The flour was a little coarser than white flour...I probably should have ground it twice.  But because it was coarse I only had to put in 2 cups instead of 2 1/4 cups and it was a little grainy.  But overall a very exciting day!  (Yes, I hear how silly I sound but it's the little things in life, really...)  Oh yeah, and I also used my new Pampered Chef Stoneware to bake them.  Love it! 

Early Mornings

Phew!  It has been a long time since I've posted anything.  It seems as though I'm only motivated to keep up a blog when I have end of year activities to plan for and masters classes to take...so mostly my title should be "procrastinator" instead of "blogger."  Much has happened and I hope to write about a few of the more exciting things in the next few days but this morning I'd like to just give myself a shout out.  I know, I know, singing your own praises is sooo not flattering but I am excited about something!  My neighbor and I went for a jalk this morning!  (For those of you who aren't fluent in Felicity that is a jog/walk...my husband hates this term BTW.)  We decided to run the canal banks which was perfect and beautiful and peaceful and just what I needed...except for the getting up at 6:00 thing.  Hey, this is supposed to be my summer vacation!  No alarms, please!  So while my family was snoring I was sweating but the post-jalk me has all sorts of energy and is optomistic that this summer might just be the summer I get in shape.  What?  You say the summer is half over? Okay, so maybe this summer will be the summer I start to get in shape.  Oh yeah, I have a picture to prove it!

Now the only thing I need is an arm band for my phone.  In an effort to save money, I use my super cool Vortex phone's Pandora app instead of an iPod.  Do they even make arm bands for phones??

Disappointment & Perspective

I am sad to report that I got my first B this semester!  Do you ever have one of those classes you just can't get the motivation to do?  I understood the class well, did great on the quizes and discussions, and yet...the papers...oi.  The only saving grace is that I actually did very well on the daily work and quizes because I bombed both papers!  I'm just thankful I got a B and not something worse!  It is frustrating though.  Two years of work with a 4.0 GPA all gone.  Tyler thought I was upset for no reason.  He asked, "Will they give you a masters with a B?"  Me: "Yes."  Tyler: "Phew.  I was worried about that."  Thank you, Tyler, for your dry sarcasm to put things into perspective.  It still bugs me though.

Official Bzz Agent: Cover Girl Natureluxe

I am so excited!  I just recieved my first ever Bzz Agent sample.  For those of you who are not Bzz Agents I ask you...WHY?  From what I've learned, it is an agency that supplies customer feedback and responses on various products.  I was picked to be a part of the Cover Girl Natureluxe Silk Foundation and Gloss Balm campaign. 

Let me tell you a little something about me that you might not know.  I absolutely HATE wearing foundation and lipstick.  I remember that ever since high school when I did plays and performances, the worst part of it was always the caking on of the makeup!  Don't get me wrong, I love eye makeup and lip gloss and wear it daily but the face stuff just never worked for me.  And another side note: the last time I actually bought foundation was three years ago (and I'm still using it today...that's how little I wear it). 

So Cover Girl sends a skeptic like me a full size Silk Foundation and a full size Gloss Balm.  I wore them both yesterday and I gotta tell you, I actually liked it!  The foundation had a very mild scent which was nice.  The website says that it's "infused with jojoba and cucumber extract" and I believe it.  Additionally, a little bit of foundation went a long way.  I feel like I had nice coverage but only used a tiny portion.  I also don't have that "caked on" feeling that I always attribute to the wearing of foundation.  The Gloss Balm for all intense and purposes looks like lipstick so I was immediately thinking of who I could give it to...(remember, I don't like lipstick either!)  But, because I had to try it to do a review for my Bzz Agent status, I did.  And I liked it too!  It had a very nice color which complemented my skin tone well.  It also went on very smooth (which is one of the reasons I hate wearing lipstick.)  I gotta tell you, I would never have gone to the store and purchased either one of these products but now that I have them I really love them! 

Now...does this mean that I'm a changed woman that will wear these two products daily?  Probably not.  But, I am far more likely to wear the Natureluxe products (and actually buy them in the future!) then ever before.  Another thing I like about being a Bzz Agent?  They sent me 4 $2 off coupons which I intend to give out today at my daughter's birthday party!  (Not so exciting for my four year old and her friends, but pretty darn cool for us mommies!)

Chicken Chatter

What happens when your computer dies?  Well, apparently A LOT!  Let me begin with Monday last because that's when the crazy started...

We decided it was time to let the chickens out of their cage to roam free during the day.  We spent all Sunday watching them peck around and explore their environment and it just seemed right.  Guess what?  We were wrong!  I came home from school to find feathers everywhere, so the kids and I decided to go on a "chicken hunt."  We found one immediately and it had looked like it had been attacked but not mortally wounded so I picked her up gently and put her back in the safety of her cage.  I can't be certain, but I think she thanked me.  We rounded up four more bringing our total to five that were safe.  Tyler came home from work after dark and found three more so we had eight confirmed living.  We had to leave the other three outside and hope that we could find them in the morning.

Tuesday morning, Tyler finds the other three under the porch but can only coax one out and back into the cage.  So my job when I get home from school is to get the last two gals back home safely.  The kids and I did a walk around the perimeter of the house and couldn't spot anything, but while they were busy at the front of the house I saw the poor orange chicken not moving in our lawn.  It looked very dead, so I kind of nudged it with my foot and it started to breath!  Her eyes were still shut and her breathing was very shallow, so I called Tyler and told him to come home and take care of her!  He said no!  He then told me that I needed to toughin' up and be a "country girl."  Which I then replied to with some choice words that I don't care to post.  So being the semi-country girl that I am, I had to do the only thing that I could.  I had to stop the suffering...which was not fun.  I got the Ruger .22 out of the gun safe and took care of her.  I felt awful for doing it, but I really had no choice. 

I was very proud of Jordyn, however, who saw me walking outside with the gun.  She cried a few tears (because it was her "funny looking chicken") and then shrugged her shoulders and said, "Oh well, guess we'll have to some more!"  I love that girl. 

 After the dramatic end to Foxy (the funny looking chicken), we quickly found the final chicken and put her away with her sisters.  I can't be certain, but I think she muttered, "It's about time!"  Almost a week has passed, all 10 chickens are alive and well...and have learned to stay a little closer to home.  Phew!  I'm glad that's over!

Sundays are the BEST

Husband's playing catch with the kids...Chicken's exploring outside...I'm getting things ready for the week. Today's a good day!  Last night, something clicked in Jordyn's brain and she can now throw with one hand and catch.  She's getting pretty good at it!  Jamie also has a ball that he throws but he typically catches it with his head (don't worry it's a soft ball, lol!)

This morning I got out all of my supplies and started getting ready for the week.  I have made:

• Laundry Detergent (two cups Borax, two cups Washing Soda, and a finely grated bar of soap)
• Milk (instant powdered milk, followed directions on box)
• Coffee Creamer (this one's a little tricky...first I make sweet and condensed milk, then mix other things in to make it a creamer)
• Sweet & Condensed Milk (boil 2 cups sugar and 1 cup water, mix in 4 cups instant milk in blender to make smooth)
• Creamer (300 mL of above S&C Milk, 1 1/2 cups of above milk, and 1 T of vanilla)
• Pancakes (I always overdo and freeze a bunch for early morning breakfasts...toast like an Eggo)

I still need to make bread and dish detergent but we're on the right track! 

The End of a Long Day...The Beginning of a Crazy Week

Today (Monday) is the beginning of a very busy week for me (and the rest of my family, of course...)

Last night I couldn't sleep and this morning I hated waking up at my regular 5:30 am.  But today was a great day!  The only complaint I had was that I went from having 3-4 cups of coffee a day while on Spring Break to only ONE.  Cup.  Of.  Coffee!  By 3 o'clock I was DYING!  I came home, had a big mug of joe and then fell back into an old favorite for me...I started making bread before I even knew what I was doing.  (Which I didn't even need because I made bread Saturday...)  I even ran out of flour and had to grind some wheat to finish it! 

Tomorrow and Wednesday I will be having parent teacher conferences which means Jo and J will be staying with our day care provider, our one and only Courtni until 7:00.  Far too late for my taste!  She has to keep them an extra 2 1/2 hours and feed them dinner!  :(  So Courtni will be getting a lot of bread tomorrow, lol!  Thursday Jo has gymnastics class.  Friday I have a math workshop I'm attending in Boise during the day and then I have night class in Nampa.  Saturday I have class all day in Nampa too.  Thankfully, Tyler's mom, Cassi, will be watching the kids Friday night and Saturday which is always such a treat for them.  We heart our Gramma Cassi!

I always say I'm happiest when I'm busy but this is kind of ridiculous!  Wish us luck!

What's On My Mind, You Ask?

Nope...It's not the presentation that's due on Friday about the Schema Theory in Education. 

Nope...It's not the website that I have to launch the following Friday for a grant proposal for a classroom set of Netbooks for my second graders. 

It's my daughter's FOURTH birthday! 

We are planning to go to Just Kidn' Around in Meridian co-owned by one of my dearest friends.  My daughter wants it to be a Care Bear themed birthday party and I'm racking my brain on how to make her day special!  Her party is on the Sunday before her birthday as her real day is during the week.  So I actually have to plan two special days for my little girl.  Any ideas?

The First of Many

So I've got this friend over at http://lifeasalee.blogspot.com/ who has been blogging for a couple of years now...and I got to thinking, how come she gets a blog and I don't?  Well, that's the thing about blogs, anyone can have one, it's just a matter of putting in the work to keep it up to date...so here I go.

I hope to make this the first of many blog posts on my new site.  I have been blogging for my classroom (I am a second grade teacher) for a couple of years now, so I think this will be a good fit for me.  I'm hoping this blog will be multi-faceted.  My first goal is to use this as a way to keep my out of town family up to date on what we're up to.  I would also love to begin keeping my favorite recipes in one spot (here)!  I LOVE to cook and try new recipes, especially if they are easy!  Additionally, my husband and I are working on becoming more self-sufficient so this will also serve as a place to share (and vent) about our latest adventures with country life.  Can't wait to begin!  Will you join me?