Summer school and other ramblings

I am currently teaching summer school. I have 15 students that are either going into 5th or 6th grade. I have them for 4 hours. This is a really good jumpstart to getting up early for school. I am really enjoying working with the kids.

This year I will be only teaching math (2 levels) and social studies. We are adding a third teacher and she has no experience. For the first time in my teaching career, I am not teaching lanugage arts. I think this might be why I have been having a hard time this summer. Math is truly not my favorite subject, but I have been very successful teaching it. My students have made large gains in the two years I have taught it. My partner teacher's son is coming into fifth grade this year. She was the one that really pushed for me to teach math. I can't help but think that if I hadn't agreed to it, I would have been told that I was anyways. I guess everything happens for a reason, so I just need to accept this change. The most ironic part is that I have a masters in teaching reading and writing, not math.

Menu Plan Monday

Most of the recipes this week come from Tastes of Homes new magazine cookbook titled Family Favorites. I am very excited to try them out:)

Sunday: L - sandwiches

D - out with sister-in-law and her husband

Monday: L - sandwiches

D - Meatball hoagies, corn and fruit

Tuesday: L - sandwiches

D - chicken fried rice, egg rolls, pineapple

Wednesday: L - leftovers

D - Pepper cheese patties with potato salad

Thursday: L - leftovers

D - chicken and rice skillet

Friday: L - leftovers

D -Taco Skillet

Saturday: L - leftovers

D - Nephew's birthday party (bbque and cake)

Special treats: Banana bread and snickerdoodle cookies

**If you never know what to cook for dinner and/or you need more recipes, please visit Laura The Organizing Junkie. She kindly hosts Menu Plan Monday.

On the cooking front...

I made these pork ribs for dinner tonight. They were simply delicious. Even Miss Picky ate them, though she did complain that I bought meat with bones. I made rice and steamed veggies to go with it. I made extra rice because I would like to make chicken fried rice Saturday night for dinner. We will have the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I have the nephews again so I will probably make them grilled cheese since this might be a wee spicy for their young tastebuds.

Tangy Country-Style Ribs
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds boneless country-style pork ribs
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup chili sauce
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Dash salt and pepper
Hot cooked rice

DIRECTIONS
Place ribs on a greased rack in a shallow roasting pan. Cover and bake at 325° for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, saute onion in oil until tender. Add the chili sauce, water, lemon juice, brown sugar, vinegar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, salt and pepper. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until slightly thickened. Drain ribs; brush with half of sauce. Cover and bake 30 minutes. Uncover; baste with remaining sauce. Bake 15-20 minutes longer or until meat is tender. Serve with rice. Yield: 8 servings.

10 Project Challenge

(Prelude stolen from Tami, who stole it from Velda who originally stole it from Kell.)With the lovely ladies on Cross Stitch Crazy I'm going to do a 10 project challenge. I will not buy or start any new projects until I get these pieces completed other than the supplies needed to finish them (thread or needles). Other than that I will hold true to this plan. I've gotten off my spending stint with most everything so I'll be okay with not 'needing' to buy things. This, for me, is more about finishing pieces than curbing a spending habit.I will list the pieces in the order I hope to finish, but that will very likely change with my mood, as most everything does.
**This doesn't mean that other people can't buy for me. It just means that I need to focus on these 10 projects:)

1. The Gameboard Sampler by Drawn Thread
2. Wishing - Waiting - Hoping by 4 My Boys
3. Plumpkin by Lizzie Kate
4. One Fine Day by Sam Sarah
5. Sam's Socks, Shorts -n- Such by Raise the Roof
6. Grandmother by Hinzlett
7. Welcome by Hinzlett
8. Wedding Row by Bent Creek
9. Bless Our Family by Lizzie Kate
10. Autumn Boxer by Lizzie Kate

My Chicago Weekend! (the book version)

I had the most fabulous weekend. I have been a member of a cross stitch board for a long time (at least 1998). It started on ivillage and moved to yuku. In the early 2000s I lurked for a while and really didn't post. I was having a lot of "issues" and kind of checked out of life. In the past couple of years, I started getting involved again. I picked up the needle and wondered why I ever quit. My love affair began again. Dh was thrilled since this meant I was back to adding to my stash and spending money. Well this weekend, I got to do something I have always wanted to do. This past weekend I was able to meet some of the wonderful ladies and their families in Chicago for a cross stitch gathering.

We left Friday afternoon. Dd was in camp and we had to wait till that was over. They had a program and then I grabbed Dd and all of her camp essentials and raced back home. I had to unpack her and repack her in record time. I ended up doing a load of laundry since Dd's bag was disgusting. We left about an hour and a half later than I wanted to. Dd protested getting back into the car. She just wanted to sit in front of the air conditioning and play on the computer. I think she was going through withdrawal. The drive to Chicago was uneventful, but long. We got to the hotel about 10.

Saturday morning we went and had breakfast. I was just jumping with excitement from the time we got up until I went to bed that night. After breakfast, as we were heading back to our room, I ran into Velda. Her two youngest children were just as adorable as the pictures I have seen of them. She was just as charming as I imagined:) I wish we were neighbors!

The rest of the day was a whirlwind of activity. I quickly met lots of other members of the board and exchanged gifts from our state. I got a mug from Boston, Wild Maine Blueberry Jam (confession time ~ I ate half of the jam on a bagel this morning and then hid it in the fridge so I could have the rest) and Vermont Maple Syrup (also hidden so I can use it in a recipe that calls for it). I took wine from James Arthur Vineyards. It was called Heartland White and is considered one of the best in the state. We also brought stash to trade. While I did manage to get rid of some stash, I also got more. After that we went to the mall where I found a whole store devoted to my favorite brand of shoes, Clarks. I was so tempted to buy another pair, but I have bought four pairs this summer. I am going to buy a new pair for school.

Then we came back to the hotel and found out that the local LNS closed early. So off to Hobby Lobby we went. This did not deter me from buying though. I bought 3 yards of linen, a couple of charts that really needed a new home, and some really cool googly eyes that I am sure I will use in a project for school with Dd. When we finally made it back, we ordered dinner from a chinese restaurant. I loved my entree, but the eggrolls were the grossest. They had nutmeg in them ~ a very gross combination. We stayed up late gabbing and laughing and I had the greatest time. Tina blessed us with her singing and boy was it awesome. It sent shivers down my spine. After that we cleaned up and went to bed. Only I had a hard time going to sleep. I was sooooo stimulated from meeting all the people and everything.

Sunday morning we packed up and left to get cold pills from Target (darn allergies) and I thought we were going back to the hotel. Dh thought we were going to downtown Chicago. So I never got to really say goodbye. We communicated well to each other:( I was sad. Dh wanted to get to the science museum when it opened. He thought it was 9 AM. It turned out not to open until 11 on Sundays. We sat around, and I pouted a little. Then we toured the museum. WoW! I could spend a week in that place. We thought DD was a little too young for the CSI exhibit and so we skipped that. We had an overpriced lunch and then set off for the John Hancock building. We parked about 8 blocks away and hiked over there. Stood in line for 40 minutes and went to the top. What a view! Lake Michigan was sooo impressive. Then we hiked to Navy Pier and walked around. By now it is about 6:00 and my feet are dying. We got in the car and headed towards Iowa. We ate dinner at Cracker Barrel and even had dessert. I was soooo hungry from all that exercise. We spent the night in the quad cities. I slept until 8:15 Monday morning. Dh was very shocked since I am such a morning bird.

Monday morning, we drove to the Amana Colonies. When we lived in Iowa in the early 90s, we used to go there. I discovered a cross stitch shop and bought a few things (yes, it was patterns and linen to go with the patterns). Then we drove home. We got home about 6:00, but I was worn out from everything so we ordered Papa John's Barbecue chicken pizza.

Mother's Day Project

Today I stitched my name for the Mother's Day Project. I am a cross stitcher, but have never really stitched anything else so I approached this a little nervously tonight. I decided to make it very colorful and chose a vibrant green, purple and pink. I was quite pleased with the way it turned out.

Before I started stitching, I researched this name of this faceless soldier. What I found, made me feel great awe for this woman, mother, wife, and soldier. Her name was Pamela G. Osbourne and she was a sergeant in the army. She came to the United States from Jamaica when she was fourteen. She had two dreams: became a citizen and join the military. She accomplished both. Pam joined the military in 2001, shortly before the terror attacks. She had two daughters and a devoted husband. The day she died, her husband cried out her name in his sleep. She could have gotten out of going to Iraq because of an unnamed medical condition, but she didn't. She went anyways. The day before she died she told her husband “Hold your head up, baby,” she said in their last conversation on Saturday morning. “I’m coming home. Even if I come home in a box, you should know that I did it for you. Take care of the kids. Stay strong. And remember that I love you.”

Reading just the tidbits about Pamela, made me get tears in my eyes. She is the example of what our country is made of and of the pride I have in the people I serve. While I have a hard time with this war and why we are there, I greatly respect the people who are over there and their families who are sacrificing so much.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Week of July 16

My daughter goes to camp this week and DH is working 4 PM to 12 Midnight. On Friday we are leaving for Chicago for the weekend. I have plans to do lunch with friends and a dinner date with DD's godmother.

Monday: Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas (I sent my sister the recipe last week and she said they were delicious. Her DH who has a thing against chicken even liked them.)

Tuesday: Lettuce (romaine) salad with grilled chicken

Wednesday: Leftover lettuce salad

Thursday: Homemade paninis, oven fries and fruit salad

Friday - Monday: Out of Town

**If you never know what to cook for dinner and/or you need more recipes, please visit Laura The Organizing Junkie. She kindly hosts Menu Plan Monday.

Oven-Fried Chicken Chimichangas

2/3 cup picante sauce or your favorite salsa

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano leaves, crushed

1 1/2 cups cooked chicken, chopped

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 green onions, chopped with some tops (about 1/4 cup)

6 (8 inch) flour tortillas

2 tablespoons margarine,

meltedshredded cheddar cheese, for serving

chopped green onions, for serving

picante sauce, for serving

Mix chicken, picante sauce or salsa, cumin, oregano, cheese and onions.Place about 1/4 cup of the chicken mixture in the center of each tortilla.Fold opposite sides over filling.Roll up from bottom and place seam-side down on a baking sheet.Brush with melted margarine.Bake at 400°F for 25 minutes or until golden.Garnish with additional cheese and green onion and serve salsa on the side.

Project Updates

I have been doing a little cross stitch lately. My wrists and elbows seem to get really sore when I do it for a really long time like I had been doing during the stitchathon. Even my fingers were hurting. My mom thinks I have a case of carpel tunnel syndrome since I do repititive things with my hands.

Here are my two current WIPS (I have more, but these are the ones I am currently spending my summer vacation on). The Gameboard Sampler by Drawn Thread (second one) and Sam's Socks, Shorts -n- Such by Raise the Roof (first one).

July's New Stash

DD and I went to KY and we went to my most favorite LNS in the entire world! They have awesome customer service and always remember who I am. They even ask about my daughter! I only get to go in once a year and they still know me! I even have $20 free coming to me since I filled up my key chain. I think I am going to order the fabric and frame for Tree Trimmint Time. It is the snowman one. I bought the buttons, but they were not in stock so they will be mailed to me.

Special Mother's Day Project

I decided to do the Mother's Day Project for deceased women soldiers. My package and name are being mailed to me. I am really excited to participate in this. I will update more when I get the package and begin the project.

New Livingroom Furniture Pictures

I took pictures of our new furniture today. I tried several times to get a non-blurry picture of my chair. I couldn't do it. I don't know why and after many fruitless attempts, this is the best.

Menu Plan Monday ~ Return from vacation

Monday: Grilled steak, yellow squash casserole and steamed corn

Tuesday: Taco salad (again ~ DH is doing atkins so we have to have meat and this is easy)

Wednesday: Bunco night (my house) lots of appetizers yet to be decided:)

Thursday: Something in the crockpot (will update when I decide what)

Friday: Grilled chicken, fresh steamed green beans, and fruit salad

Saturday: Out with friends to Granite City (a new brewpub)

Special treats: Pineapple - Zuchhini Bread; chex school fuel

This is cool...