Saturday, August 25, 2012

I'm Subbing!

I'm doing a long term substitute job right now in a kindergarten classroom.

I have 21 of the most adorable, precocious little 4 and 5 year olds.

The thing is, I'm exhausted.

My legs hurt from standing all day

and

my throat is raw and sore from talking for six hours at a time.

I've said it before and it's worth repeating...

TEACHERS HAVE ONE OF THE HARDEST JOBS IN THE WORLD!

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Lunch Box Jokes

I have found several school lunch box notes online and love to hide them in the kids' lunches. I came across these cute lunch box jokes to drop in their lunches as well.  Here they are...


To get them, click here!

Winning Stuffed Mushroom Recipe

Artichoke Spinach Dip Stuffed Mushrooms



I found this recipe on Thin Eating Well, Living 's website. Lance and I are serious mushroom fans and probably eat a few lbs of them a week, so I was immediately drawn to a recipe that paired cheese (another favorite) with mushrooms!

I altered the recipe a bit and the results are so yummy!

Enjoy...

20-25 crimini or white mushrooms
4 ounces (1/2 pkg)  cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup mayonnaise
One 14-ounce can artichoke hearts, squeezed to remove excess liquid and finely diced
1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan (not shredded – the powdery fresh from the deli-cheese case)
Pinch cayenne pepper

-Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wipe mushrooms clean; remove stems and gently scoop out the gills to make room for the filling.

-In a large bowl combine the cream cheese, mayo, diced artichoke hearts, spinach, garlic, sugar, Parmesan, and cayenne. Fill each mushroom cap with 1 tablespoon of dip mixture. Place on a baking sheet (with sides, as the mushrooms will release liquid) and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and the filling is golden. Serve warm. Makes approx 10 servings of 2 pieces each.

Saturday, August 11, 2012

They're Back

These three were ready to go back to school.

The boredom had set in.

The patience was wearing thin.

Their new shoes and school supplies were set out by their bedroom doors.

Yes, it was time.

And, on the first morning of the new school year,
these three were up by 5:00.


And, by 4:00, Elle was like this...

Friday, August 10, 2012

Friday Favorites


Friday Favorites
Yay, Friday is here!
The kids have only been back in school for a couple of days, but they are in need of a break already.
This school thing is really wearing them out!
So, today for my favorites, I've chosen a few things that I've either eaten or used in the last few days...

Here goes-

Ni Marcos Pizzeria in Flagstaff, AZ- So cute and cozy! We had some amazing pizza and they
these strange bleu cheese, crunchy cheese sticks that are pretty dang tasty!  

GU Peanut Butter Energy Gel- I can barely get these down during a run, but this
flavor is actually pretty good!



Political Animals- I am hooked on this new show on USA. It's a little scandalous!


Diana's Banana Babies- These sticks of awesomeness are all-natural and delicious! The perfect dessert without all the guilt. They come in milk or dark chocolate,
but of course, for me, there is only one way to go.


Sterling Silver Bracelets- Hoss Rogers designs these gorgeous, simple bracelets to your specifications. I wear mine ALWAYS. You can even get them in kids' sizes. HossRogers.com


Tree Hut Shea Sugar Body Scrub- I'm obsessed with this stuff.
Mostly, because it smells like heaven and you can get it at Walmart.
Have a great weekend!!

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Flagstaff Getaway

 Last weekend, I took the kids up to Flagstaff for a last minute getaway before school starts.

As we drove up into the mountains and I watched the car thermometer slowly decrease in degrees, I became little girl giddy.

Going from 115° to 75° will do that to you.

We immediately stopped at NAU to take in a Cardinals training practice. The Cards put on a good show for fans, but this crew of mine is definitely more of the basketball kind.

We took in a movie (the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid is really cute), went on a hike, visited the Deer Farm in Williams, and ate at some pretty cute and tasty restaurants, including our new favorite-
Ni Marco's Pizzeria in downtown Flag. We also made more than a couple of stops at Flagstaff's Sweet Shoppe & Nut House for fudge and caramel apples.