Sunday, January 31, 2010

Stitching and Stewing on Sunday...but the Grammys Steal the Show

The Grammy Awards...The evening starts early with the red carpet entrance of the stars...It is a fashion show like no other!
Beyonce looked beautiful...and her performance was HOT!
Lady Gaga's dress by designer Armani was certainly a topic of conversation...
And did you see her performance with Elton John?
And then there is Taylor Swift...can you believe she was featured in concert right here at our county fair just a couple of years ago?!  And now a Grammy Winner!!
Today's Stitching
I corrected lots of papers and projects early in the day, so that I could crochet this evening.I have been wanting to make this little ruffled dishcloth...It looks like I didn't get the corner quite right .  (Karren, what did I do wrong?)
And in the kitchen...
Hubby took charge of Sunday night supper...Eggs & Toast.  He likes to use these nifty little egg rings.
How do you like your eggs?  We prefer over-easy...
Oh, and the Hash Browns were perfect too...

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Simple Things ~ Make Me Happy

The end of January...Several bloggers are joining Christina in celebrating the Simple Things that make us HappyFor each blog that participates, her family will donate $1.00 to doctors without borders.  Here is part of my list...
soft pajamas
watching early morning TV in bed
a clean house
electricity
running water
the sound of our daughters' voices on the phone
freshly ground coffee
animal tracks in the snow
new textbooks
a new notebook
sparkling clean mirrors
lace
the cat's fur
the crunching sound of snow beneath my feet
dancing with my hubby
popcorn
new mascara
cookbooks with pictures
the iris blooms
the colors of the sunrise
a friendly letter in the mail
a snow day
kneading bread dough
homemade guacamole
a field of sunflowers
a new purse
hand crocheted dishclothes
riding the train
fresh bedding
liking my job
sewing on a button
achieving a goal
mashed potatoes
sweet potato fries
a dinner party
a good clearance sale
the sound of birds singing
holding a new baby
road trips
spending time with my family
blog comments
German chocolate cake
warm sunshine
a crisp dollar bill
goulash
college football
a Sunday nap
the Christmas tree lights
a new magazine
a candle burning in the kitchen
summer


Oh, and so much more...

Thursday, January 28, 2010

True Confessions~I Love Clothes~I Love Fashion

In my quest to become more organized, I started with my closet...

This is a pic of my closet...

My inspiration closet picture is in my left sidebar.  I realize that having this closet is not possible, but I would like to find a compromise...

I have always loved clothes.  I learned to sew when I was ten...

I sewed  everything I wore when I was in High School.  Our family was poor so I used OLD clothing that my aunts gave to me... I cut them up and created NEW clothes.

I would have 'kicked butt' on Project Runway (which is on in just a few minutes, by the way!)

I went to college and majored in Textiles and Clothing...I took every clothing construction class on the list...

Sooo...I still love clothes...my closet is packed...did you notice there are clothes in my closet that still have the hang tags?
(You know, if we had a new houses, with a walk-in closet, this wouldn't look so packed...Right)
So...
How do you organize your closet? 
By like items...
by color...
or by how frequetly you wear the article? 
I'd love to hear from you...

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

My Motivation for Organization

Welcome, Baby Girl!
We have three teachers in our High School Family and Consumer Science department.  Renae had a beautiful baby girl yesterday.  Rather than hire a substitute teacher during her maternity leave (impossible to find), Joyce and I are teaching her classes for her. 
That means that Joyce and I do not have a planning period. 
That means that we teach from 8:10 to 3:20 with the only break being a 20 minute lunch.
That means that we prepare lessons at night.
That means that we correct papers at night.
That means that we gather teaching supplies in the early morning.
That means that we run student copies in the early morning. 
But,
It is the right thing to do.
We maintain the integrity of our program.
These students will not be short-changed.
It is the right thing to do.

Tuesday, January 26, 2010

2010 ~ One Word ~ Organize


Several bloggers that I visit have chosen their 'word' for 2010...instead of a new years resolution...it is just a word for the year...for focus...for motivation.  Better late, than never, I have chosen my word...
Organize

Where to start? 

Well, my closet, for one place...I have too many clothes for the amout of space...And I even practice the "if you haven't worn it for a year, get rid of it" policy.  Let this photo be my inspiration!


Next stop...the kitchen and pantry...

If only I had the space to store my appliances, paper products and staple ingredients. 

This photo is my dream pantry!






And my craft room...

Well, it's actually a guest room that doubles as my craft room and home office. 
Again, I have way too much stuff...but I like to create in many different ways.  I like to sew...paint...decoupage...knit...crochet...recycle something old into something new...
This is my inspiration photo.


Oh...and then, there is school.  I have acquired 32 years of teaching materials, files, curriculum guides, books, notes, lesson plans, bulletin boards, supplies.  I have stuff in my teacher planning center and in two classrooms...

This photo is my goal...


You know I got a good start on this Organizing
project this summer...but I have a long ways to go...

I'll keep you posted...

Monday, January 25, 2010

Monday Memories

We are in the midst of a blizzard here...
...Wind...cold...snow...blowing snow...
I am savoring memories of a much warmer time...
...Enjoying fun and sun out on our deck.

Sunday, January 24, 2010

Stitching and Stewing on Sunday


Most of you know that I would rather cook than bake, but I've been wanting to try this recipe for Pineapple Banana Bread
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 eggs
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
2 cups mashed ripe bananas
3/4 cup chopped walnuts

I just couldn't bring myself to put that much oil in the batter so I substituted applesauce for most of the oil...

In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, salt, baking soda and cinnamon. In another bowl, beat the eggs, oil and vanilla; add pineapple and bananas. Stir into the dry ingredients just until moistened. Pour into two greased 8-in. x 4-in. x 2-in. loaf pans.


Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-65 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks.  I doubled the batch to make enough for everyone!





And since I had the oven on, I baked a pie for my friend, Kari. It is her birthday today.
 
Line's week in Hawaii went by quickly.  She had a fabulous time and I am looking forward to seeing her pictures. 
 
Her flight brought her into Fargo this afternoon so we made the trip there to pick her up.  My project for the car (after correctig papers) was to crochet dishcloths.  You know...when the winter dulldrums set it, these cheerful yarns just make me happy.
 

My friend Karren crochets beautifully and is going to teach me how to make this sweet round pattern.
 

If you have watched the news and weather, you know that we have been having ice and snow here in the midwest.  About an hour down the road, we came upon emergency vehicles. We stopped and we were told there was an accident up ahead.  After about a 25 minute wait, we were allowed to proceed...

 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
Yikes...

We got to see Emily and Jake for about 20 minutes.  We collected Line and her suitcase, and started for home.  It was pretty slow going...
This was going south...when we still had some daylight.


Here the road is pretty clear...but do you notice the snowflakes are not coming straight down...
 
In fact, the wind was so strong, that once it blew us into a skid...
 
 
 
 
Going west...At times we were driving in nearly a white-out...The road was white...the ditch was white and the blowing snow was white...

 

We were very happy to see the lights of home...

Saturday, January 23, 2010

No Thank You


This is our forecast...
Yesterday...it started raining around noon...
By 4:30...that rain was turning to freezing rain...
This next layer will make travel very interesting...
Or should we say impossible?

Road Trip ~Day Three ~Burger Battle ~Sweet Shopping Highlights

Our last full travel day took us through four states… Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee. Including some Big Bridges over some Big ...