Attention Nation!

One of the things I love about my relationship with James is that we have very similar tastes when it comes to comedy (though we disagree on the cinematic importance of Dumb&Dumber). One of the shows we enjoy watching together is the Colbert Report and thus we were thrilled to find the new Ben&Jerry's flavor, Stephen Colbert's AmeriCone Dream, in our local grocery. It's an amazing concoction of chocolate chunks, caramel, and waffle cone...a true feat of American ingenuity. I couldn't decide if I was more thrilled with the flavor or the description on the carton which described the treat as "Sweeter than the Bill of Rights, colder than Valley Forge, and with twice as much caramel as the Louisiana Purchase. " Either way, it was just the thing I needed after a long day of grading papers this past weekend.

Three weeks left

Ok, so I've decided that it may not be the most professional thing to do...but I've officially started a mental count down of how many more times I have to teach this current group of students until I get rid of them at the end of the term. I'm planning to celebrate with a dance of some sort. So I'm trying to decide: 1) moonwalk, 2) disco fever, 3) Elaine's move (Seinfield), or 4) the Chicken Dance (an "oldie but a goodie")?

While this semester haven't been the greatest, recently its been a little better at school. Well, as "better" as I can expect for this group as they still fail to turn in their work, take notes, listen, and participate, but at least I haven't had to write students up for disruptions this week. Yay for small victories! I'd like to think its because we're talking about the 1920s-1930s economy and the changing of the "guard" (i.e. president) and how it parallels well with our current age. Or perhaps not; if that were the case they'd be a considerably more decent group to teach on a regular basis.

Thus I'm leaning towards disco fever...

It's my birthday...I can cry if I want to

So I have received some of the most amazing birthday gifts this year for my "House of Representatives"/score + 5/quarter of a century birthday and I thought I would share them with you: Well wishes from many (Thank you/danke!), the flowers (pictured above) from James, four pounds of Yummy Earth candy (...that's right folks, I did say four pounds!), Rustler's Rhapsody, a new president that I am very excited about (Ok, so this is not really a birthday present, but I'm counting it as one...), and WWI propaganda posters (Thanks Mom and Dad). While it was a rather eclectic assortment, all were wonderful and really made my day. Some even made me cry...but in a good way which I truly needed the last couple of days. So again, many thanks!

Election Day!

So I must say that I am extremely excited about this year's election. I've held off blogging about it, but I figure the last 24 hours is fair game. James and I have certainly had some interesting conversations during the last 20+ months, we've enjoyed the debates, interviews, and yes...SNL sketches. It was interesting to find out that we have similar views on politics, since we never really discussed the topic while dating through all eight Bush years. Though we agree on many issues this election, I certainly think I'm a bit more rational in my arguments either for or against a candidate, but don't we all? We've also learned a couple of lessons this political season. For instance, we've found that politics is not such a great conversation starter with family and friends as our views do not necessarily coincide with theirs (for shame!), politics do not make for great "pillow talk," and watching debates together may not be the best strategy as at least one of us tends to act like my father during sporting events. (While every rational person knows that sports teams can't hear you through the TV, I'm convinced candidates can).

If you're waiting for an official endorsement of one candidate over the other you won't find one here. I'll be practicing my progressive era election reform of the secret ballot. However, I certainly hope that you've made up your minds and have done your civic duty and right of voting (either absentee or in person tomorrow!). I'm certainly looking forward to tomorrow and sitting back to enjoy the coverage tomorrow evening. Enjoy the last 24 hours!

Happy Halloween!

October has been an extremely busy month, but one that was well worth the effort to keep up with the fast pace. Here's the highlight reel. First of all, grades for the first cycle of school were due. And no, my students did not suddenly wake up from their apathetic comas the last couple of weeks to pass in large numbers as I had hoped. We also had a blessed fall break, which was just what I needed. James and I spent some of it lounging around, attending doctors' appointments, watching a couple of recorded SNLs that we had missed, visiting with family, and attending a good friend's bachelorette party (sans James of course!). Later in the month, we spent some time making sourdough bread that is never tangy enough, freezing pomegranate seeds, and carving our pumpkin. Hopefully you all had a wonderful October and were able to sit back and enjoy the highlights as well!

The Great Pumpkin Patch

This past weekend James and I took a little time for ourselves. We enjoyed a couple of fun activities including taking the train from the Indiana Museum of Transportation to a pumpkin patch with Tyler and Lyndsi, eating at Bonge's Tavern, and attending a wedding for two of our high school friends. With the first cycle of school coming to a close, it is becoming increasingly hard to find time for ourselves but we really enjoyed this last weekend. The train ride was relatively short and a lot of little kids seemed to enjoy it. The pumpkin patch was supported by a local FFA chapter and had a lot of nice looking pumpkins although there were numerous train rides before ours. After that we enjoyed a great dinner at Bonge's Tavern. It truly was on of the best dinners we've had at a restaurant in a long time! Also, the wedding was very low key and very fitting for our friends. It was a great weekend and we're hoping to carve our pumpkins in the near future, and trying out a couple of new pumpkin seed and soup recipes.

Happy Harvest!

Type A vs. Type B

So this week at school, I got my yearly (or rather quarterly) lecture from my department about how I "stress too much about the little stuff" and how there is only so much I can control (also known as the "circle of control" talk). It turns out that I am apparently the Queen Bee of Type A personalities while my department is awash with Type B personalities. Personally, I don't see anything wrong with wanting things in their place, having detailed records (which have gotten me out of messy situations before), wanting to do my best, and being slightly annoyed when I plan for situations and the administration goes and changes them without telling us. While I realize that this may come across as being "wound too tight," "one thing away from a heart attack," or being a "witch," I'm just being me. Its not that I can't relax, its just that I have over 100 students that I am in charge of and I need to bring my "A Game" every day. I figure the time to mellow out is at home, where I can let down my hair (so to speak), wear pajama pants, and listen to NPR while trying out a new recipe or two.

While I was expecting to get this talk at some point during the cycle it was quite annoying to get it this week as I feel like I've done a much better job of balancing life, work, and James this school year. So I went home to talk with James, who interestingly enough is a poster child for the Type B men of the world. And to be honest with you, just talking to him made me relax. He listens, hugs me, and we go on with our evening. So while I may come across as the Type A monster at school, I've decided that's just my work persona and if that's what gets me through a day of mostly apathetic student complaints, then so be it!

If you're interested to find out which type you are try the following website:
http://discoveryhealth.queendom.com/type_a_personality_access.html

Weekend Update - Photo Montage Style

Over the last couple of weeks things have been hopping around our duplex. I've headed back to school and started thinking about writing a proposal my first grant (though it is exceptionally small and the process doesn't seem too intimidating). In between lesson plans, grading, and complaining about the lack of academic ability of my students (or rather their level of laziness), James and I found time to make a homemade sour-dough pizza (with homemade sauce) and try a "spiky melon."

We had a VERY tired visitor from the other side of town come to visit and do some laundry...though it seemed like she was mostly interested in our couch.

We went to the Minnetrista farmers market, which I had been looking forward to for quite sometime. However, sleeping seemed more import for the first couple of weeks of school. James and I purchased this beautiful mum and the gourds by the orange candle in the next shot. Its starting to feel a bit more like fall in Indiana and so our duplex is now starting to look a bit more "autumnish."


And for the most exciting thing that has happened over the last couple of weekends...we locked ourselves out of the duplex on the way to get Chinese take-out and had to call a locksmith. Not only had we locked ourselves out, we locked all of our current ID in the duplex as well! So we had a bit of sticky situation, but fortunately the locksmith believed us and we were able to get back in (at the lovely cost of $45). The picture below shows what we found when we got in to find our keys.

They were right where we left them!

Beginning of year three

It turns out that no matter how hard you try to put off the inevitable, it always happens anyway. And so it is with school. I have to admit that during the summer there were times when I was ready to go back to school, grade papers, make tests, and yes...even deal with students who declare that "history has nothing to do with my life, so I could care less about it." (I'm paraphrasing as there may be children reading this blog.) Looking back on those few (and far between) days, I'm thinking I should have been checked for signs of insanity or I must have been EXTREMELY bored.

However, the school year has started despite my reluctance to wake up at the break of dawn...or rather the pre-dawn. And yes, I am back in the thick of papers, test, discipline, and lesson planning. While I can't say that I'm super excited to wake up early and go to bed late due to working regular 14+ hour days or completing my various "teacher duties," I am excited about getting my students to realize that history does affect their lives and that its not as "horrible" as they believe it to be. It is exciting when the students remember information we've covered, and more so when they realize the connection it has with their lives. While its a little early to tell if my students for this year will be willing to work towards that goal, I certainly hope they will be.

I'll try to keep you all updated on how the year is progressing, so be prepared for various messages with varying emotions. You may hear a positive update today, but a negative one tomorrow. And so goes the profession of teaching...

Going to hurt tomorrow

After watching the Olympics, I decided that it was time to get off the couch and start exercising. It's not that I have dreams of winning eight gold medals or competing in a decathlon, but getting back into shape (and fitting back into my favorite pair of pants) is its own healthy goal. So after school today I had a little extra time and decided to go out for a run. Of course, I planned to do it the right way with a nice warm up walk, a little stretching, and a nice slow jog. Though I was following my plan I unfortunately fell into the trap of doing what every out-of-shape hoping to be in-shape person does the first time: I over did it! While my workout consisted of rotating walking and jogging, my brain somehow talked my sluggish muscles into attempting to run more than I walked. The plan was to walk five minutes and jog three minutes, but the argument went something like this: "Come on legs! You used to run five miles a night during cross-country season, so five minutes should be nothing." I'd like to think that I'm a reasonably sensible person who's well in tune with her body....but let's just say reason went out the window in pursuit of tighter buns and shapelier thighs! Rest assured tomorrow will be a very sore and long day.

One task down

As I sit in our duplex watching the Olympics (feeling vaguely guilty about not seriously exercising in the last year or so) and making nanaimo bars (which aren't helping with being out of shape), I decided that I should at least complete a task even if it is not exercise related. Earlier this summer I started a cork board made out of wine corks. I had first seen one of these beautiful boards hanging in a house in Indianapolis a couple of years ago and decided that I should give it a try. I started collecting wine corks from family dinners and celebrations, friends, and even complete strangers thanks to James' Ebay adventures. Finally, after years of collecting corks and a summer of procrastination, I have completed the process!


I figured that if I didn't finish it soon I would become too busy with school related things. So that's one task down, perhaps next I'll tackle a fitness related task...or maybe I'll remain lazy and just finish sewing the apron I've been putting off instead.

Tennessee and some treats

James and I had one last "hurrah!" before school starts back up. We left early Thursday morning to meet up with his family in Wears Valley, TN (the same place as our honeymoon) and spent the weekend with them. For a first vacation with the in-laws, I'd say it was a success. We had a nice time eating at the "Birth place of Kentucky Fried Chicken," hiking in the Smoky Mountains (though beautiful, it is the national park with the worst air quality - mainly due to Gatlinburg, Pigeon Forge, and Sevierville's traffic), caving at Tuckaleechee Cavern, a little shopping at a huge outlet mall, and grocery shopping at Jungle Jim's. Here are a couple pictures from our weekend trip.

Henwallow Falls and a handsome photographer

Tuchaleechee Caverns

Sunday's Dinner
Sourdough from Jungle Jim's, the first tomato from my garden,
and a tasty fruit (at the bottom).

Can anybody guess what fruit it is?
I'll even give you a second view.

Recipe for a great weekend (Almost perfect...)

This past weekend we went on our second camping trip of the summer and this time we were joined by some wonderful people - my family (minus two)! The weather was nice, the camp ground at Summit Lake was pleasant (except the bath houses left something to be desired), and the hiking was alright. We even enjoyed some canoeing on Lake Summit. For a small state park it was a nice experience. (Check out the sunset from the Sunset Shelter on the lake.)


Speaking of experiences, we definitely had a new one on Friday night - a large, ferocious thunderstorm during tent camping. While I certainly enjoy a good thunderstorm every now and then, this one was a bit close for comfort. I was certainly tempted to reenact the panic I experienced on a Smokey Mountain trail during a thunderstorm when I was around six. I remember yelling "We're all gonna die!!!!!" and truly believing it. Luckily we didn't, so we could experience this colossal one as well...minus the panicked yelling.

While camping was the highlight of the weekend, we did have an unfortunate surprise waiting for us at home. Our freezer door was open and most of our freezer items had thawed! We had water everywhere and had to pitch about $15 worth of (previously) frozen items. Fortunately, a lot of the items we had in our freezer included ice tea concentrate, juice concentrate, bread, and granola that we could save. We did lose some homemade ice cream, a little fish, spinach, and some chicken. We've had some trouble with our freezer lately, such as keeping the door shut and water dripping into our refrigerator. We've made a call and hopefully this will be fixed by tomorrow. So while the weekend was wonderful, the ending left a little to be desired.

Caught in the act!

Novice Gardener Files

Case #001

Name: Tomato Horn Worm

Known Alias: Hawkmoth

Culprit description: Green, 4" in length, five sets of "feet," small "red eye" markings, and a squishy body texture

Charge: Tomato thievery (Oh, the shame!)

Verdict: Guilty

Sentence: *Due to the graphic nature of the culprit's sentencing, this portion has been edited out for your stomache's sake.

Today I found the culprit that has been annihilating my tomato plant. Yesterday I noticed that my plant was looking a little sick and that half of my largeest tomato had disappeared as well as small chunks off of my smaller tomatoes (along with the Baby Toes I was growing...but that's a case for another day). I wasn't quite sure who/what the culprit was and I took some preventative measures to insure that this would not happen again. However, today I discovered that more of the tomatoes had been feindishly struck down in the same manner! Apparently, it was time for extreme measures - a stakeout and swift/harsh punishment to the vandal. It didn't take long to locate the tomato horn worm (though I have to admit that he had done a great job of camouflaging himself), a positive identification was made with the help of our neighbors, and the worm was convicted in swift order. In the future, I'll have to be more vigilant against the sneak attacks of the tomato horn worm, but it was a lesson learned. I guess its all in a day's work for this novice gardener...

Aunt Bee's Cooking

I had a bit of an adventure this past weekend. James and I went to a wedding in Danville, Indiana and I happened to see this lovely little place to eat: The Mayberry Cafe. While James was off doing groomsman things, I was off exploring downtown Danville and eating lunch at the cafe. It was adorable and very "Mayberryish." I even watched two episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show" and had a good laugh at Barney Fife attempting to foil a bank robbery during my lunch. I was told by a resident that I had just "experienced true Danville culture."

New "Discovery"

James and I had some time off this week so we headed out to visit our families, which has become our "vacation" destination this summer. We had a couple of appointments, haircuts, a family picture, and newlywed items to take care of: consolidating bank accounts and things of that nature. While visiting I was able to go to the shops and eateries that I enjoy, which is easy as there aren't many to choose from in that area. I had a Veggie-Deli Peta Wrap (my favorite!), a true southern sweet tea, the perfect ham salad sandwich, and I even found a new indulgence: YummyEarth Organic Sour Lollipops! They are available at www.yummyearth.com and they are well worth it! (Interesting - I seem to be very hungry when I visit family!)

Independence Day

This past Friday we celebrated our first Fourth of July as a married couple. James had to work most of the day, so it was up to me to find someplace to go. We had a nice offer to go to Conner's Prairie again with my older brother and sister-in-law, but that unfortunately didn't work out for our schedule. Luckily, I did find out that the Minnetrista Center has a free fireworks display and outdoor concert (sort of like a mini-Conner's Prairie). We ended up attending that event and enjoyed it quite a bit even though we were sitting a ways from the band. We took along some yummy pizza popcorn (recipe at the bottom), fresh strawberries, and we ended up buying a BaskinRobbins ice cream cone to finish off our snacks while we waited for the display to begin. The crowd was just the right size, the people were friendly, and the fireworks were timed very well with music from a local radio station. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was certainly worth the trip! Hopefully you all had a wonderful Fourth of July as well.

Pizza Popcorn
Ingredients:

• approx. 2 1/2 quarts popped popcorn (with no added salt, butter, or flavoring)
• 1/3 c. extra virgin olive oil (or melted butter/margarine)
  
• 1/4 c. Parmesan cheese (finely grated - just use the kind you get from the grocery to shake over spaghetti)
  
• 1/2 tsp. oregano
• 1/2 tsp. basil (dried from the garden is the best!)
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1/4 tsp. onion powder
  
• salt to taste

Place the popped popcorn in an ungreased 13 x 9 pan. Mix the olive oil and remaining ingredients and drizzle over the top of the popcorn. Mix well. Bake uncovered at 350 for 15 min. and enjoy!

According to the Taste of Home cookbook: 1 cup euqals 118 calories with 10 g. fat (5 g. saturated fat), and 18 mg. of cholesterol (But that's using butter...so hopefully the olive oil cuts down on that a bit!)

We've Moved!

The end of June was exciting for us: moving to our duplex in the country (see above picture of the duplex's "garden"), celebrating being married for six months (we ate a nice meal of yummy lemon-basil/cilantro tilapia, creamy coleslaw, and homemade cherry cobbler to celebrate- the first home cooked meal prepared in our new place), and made our first large "married couple" purchase - an LG front loading washer/dryer set that I absolutely love! As for July, its starting off slowly but I'm sure it will pick up soon. I have already completed one project this month: curtains to cover the pantry above the new LG!

When I was younger I honestly thought that I would never sew when I "grew up." I remember having a little sewing machine that I got as a gift one year (at least that's what I vaguely remember), which was the sewing equivalent of the Easy-Bake Oven, and attempting to sew with Mom and Grandma P. I'm fairly certain that I accidentally broke it, and simply thought I was through measuring, cutting, stitching, seaming, etc. and would never have to deal with it again.

Since then I've sewn a handful of items...mostly pillows, a sorority bag for my college roommate as a gag Christmas gift, and my wedding veil (though that was done by hand, so it technically does not count). Aside from the veil, I can honestly say that my sewing skill level hasn't increased a great deal since then. However, I gave it a try once again. This time I used an old Singer (sorry to those born in the 1950s) that we received from a lovely lady who was about to dispose of it. While my sewing skills are still pretty weak, I have to say that I was able to create a pretty decent set of curtains (see the "pantry before"/"pantry after" pictures to follow). They even received James' nod of approval. (As a side note, James is even thinking about possibly sewing some curtains for our new bedroom...perhaps he should give Great Uncle R a call and the two could talk shop!)

"pantry before"

&

"pantry after"

Garden makeover needed

(Not my backyard garden)

vs.

(Part of my oh so very sad backyard garden...)

So we went home this past week to help gma move and visited this nice back yard (guess whose). It's such an improvement over what we're used to here at the apartment (due to only a north facing patio) and what we'll have at our next home. It was wonderful to sit and listen to the fountain, see some friendly faces, and relax with family. However, I do have some plans to plant some onions (thanks mom!), spearmint, and add some more plants at our next home. We might even have a potted fern...but I'm getting ahead of myself. First we need to move, put things away, and then think about a garden. Hopefully, we'll be able to plant something before the end of the summer.

First Camping Trip

A couple of weeks ago we had our first camping experience as a couple. We'd been planning this since we became engaged...actually, the first thing we bought as a "soon to be married" couple was our Eureka! tent (which I love). We spent a couple of days at Whitewater Memorial State Park and enjoyed the hiking, canoeing, and relaxing that the park provides. I've heard that a camping trip is a true test of a relationship, and I'd have to say we came through with flying colors! Then again we had perfect weather, an area to ourselves, and we both have experience with camping. Had any of those things been different, it may have been a much different story. The one snafu was that our fire wood was a little wet and hard to start, but this was fixed by James' quick thinking to use our tent fan to get the fire going which worked rather well. I certainly married a resourceful guy! The photo above was taken from a small trail off the back of our campsite, making for beautiful scenery.

Insomnia

Insomnia/ɪnˈsɒmniə/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[in-som-nee-uh]–noun - inability to obtain sufficient sleep, esp. when chronic; difficulty in falling or staying asleep; sleeplessness.*

I've never truly experience insomnia, but I've come close the last couple of days. I've heard it described as having too many thoughts running around in your head that you can't stop thinking about, which seems like an accurate description. The crazy part about it is that its just worry some items, things to accomplish, and "what ifs" that I have no power to change until weeks/months from now (if at all). The worst part is that my husband just continues to sleep peacefully, which is certainly great for him but annoying when I can't. So perhaps I'll have to try the old trick of warm milk (yuck!) or just watching a show and head on back to bed. Hopefully its a fleeting affliction and my old friend sleep and I will once again be chummy.

On a brighter note, I did accomplish one "major" task today (in addition to making Aunt J's wonderful garden salsa). I finally made a wine cork, cork board. Its only taken about three years to complete (due to laziness), but at least it is accomplished! I just have a little finishing to do and I'll have a picture up before too long; hopefully once its hanging in our new home within the next two weeks. The next couple of tasks include finishing a stool for Candice (another three year old project), sewing (yes, sewing!) grocery bags for the store, and possibly constructing a moveable "island" for the new kitchen. I figure if I can't sleep, that just gives me more time to work on those items...so this experience with insomnia may have some benefits after all...at least for the first day or so...

*Dictionary.com Unabridged (v 1.1). Retrieved June 20, 2008, from Dictionary.com website: http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/insomnia

Preamble to a Saga

After snubbing my computer for anything other than research and the occasional email, I've finally done it...jumped in, followed the crowd, become an internet lemming of sorts as I attempt to blog for the first time. Its an interesting experience, considering that I am "technologically challenged" having never sent a text message, blogged, downloaded digital pictures, etc. However, I embrace it! I am trying something new, even if it is already being done by approx. 3.5 million (others according to a recent search). While I don't believe I have anything extremely important to add to the millions of opinions that are circling the world via html and other various web languages, I believe I'll add my two cents from the perspective of the newlywed. As this new saga unfolds, come along for the ride and please add your two cents. Although you'll probably not read anything of epic proportions on this blog, you can at least catch up with us, hear about our latest newlywed adventures, and possibly see some primary film footage (if I could only figure out how to upload those pictures...).