Weekend Road Trip

We spent the weekend visiting my mom. Some might say that traveling in North and South Dakota is boring...like the middle of nowhere... Well, I actually like the wide open spaces...the fact that you can see for miles...the sky seems so big! It has its own unique beauty.

My hometown is now home to a unique place to visit called the Garden Dwellers.
The flowers were so colorful...and tucked in amongst the flowers were rows and rows of fresh herbs. The aroma of basil, oregano, and thyme was powerful. They harvest and ship these herbs to supermarkets in the area.

Classes and retreats are also available. See their website for more information.

http://gardendwellersfarm.com/

We visited mom at her place, did a few chores for her, went out to eat, and had good conversation.

Happy Birthday, Mom

Today is my mom's birthday ... She is 88 years old. I can remember when she would say, "I hope I live to see the year 2000!" ...she turned 80 that year. We had a big party for her in the community room of her highrise. That was before we had a digital camera, and I can't find those pics, so here are some from more recent birthdays...her 86th and 87th. I just called her about an hour ago. She received our cards and packages, so said she feels like she's had a birthday now. But, (and I predicted this) said the dishcloths and notecards we sent were too pretty to use. She is having dinner tonight at the RSVP Banquet. I believe that stands for Retired Senior Volunteer Program. They recognize all the folks for their hours of volunteer work. My mom is going because she spends time visiting the elderly. (ok, mom is 88...what is elderly? that's people in their 90's)
She said she got a card from her baby brother, Milford (he's 79) and he reminded her that their mom died at 87, so my mom is the longest living female in the family...I hope I inherited those genes...

High School Homecoming

High School Homecoming Royalty…an honor like no other. These young men and women are chosen by their peers, the entire student body, to represent their Senior class. These are students who are involved in activities…athletics…music…drama…Student Senate… They are good students, they make good choices and are kind to everyone. They are good leaders and great role models. Congratulations to all Homecoming Royalty and their families this Fall.

Tonight was our High School Homecoming Coronation. It is the first of many events throughout the week...banquet, volleyball game, pep rally, football game, and dance. I have so many good memories, as both of our daughters were chosen in the fall of their Senior year to represent our school during Homecoming Week. Here are their pictures for a little trip down memory lane...one in 2002 and the other in 2006. It was the first time in the history of our school that sisters were chosen as Homecoming Queens! I'm so proud of both of you.

Then...and Now...

My Personal Development Class…on Thursday, we were discussing High School…and the students asked me if I drank in High School…when I said ‘no’, one Senior boy was quick to say, ‘Liar”…one of my Freshmen girls wondered if I regretted it…cause she said that I didn’t have any fun…I’ve spent a lot of time since…thinking about how my high school experience was so different, just 35 years ago…
COMMUNICATION
Then…we had only one phone in the house, and it was a party line. That means, all the farms south of town shared the same telephone line. Each family had a different ring pattern. Ours was two longs. The neighbors had two shorts and a long, etc. And if you wanted to call someone, you had to pick up the receiver and listen to see if someone else was talking…and you only called someone when it was quite important.

Now…I can’t think of anyone that doesn’t have a phone on them at all times…I wouldn’t buy a purse anymore that doesn’t have a cell phone pouch! Well, High School kids are connected 24/7. “Whaz Up?”... "Whatcha doin?"... “Where you at?”... “Who’s there?”... They can all be together in a snap!


TRANSPORTATION
Then…I rode the school bus through my Junior year of High School; during my senior year, my parents got a new car and I got to drive the old car into town…to go to my activities and events.
Now…a lot of HS kids have their own car…if their parents don’t buy them one, they get a job and buy it for themselves.

SPENDING MONEY
Then…My parents gave me money when I needed it for something specific. I worked on the farm, driving the tractor, hauling grain, making meals, mowing the yard, cleaning the house…no set salary or wage…just part of being a family.
Now…Teenagers are a big part of the work force…fast food restaurants…retail stores…day care centers…fitness centers…nursing homes…they earn their own money and have it to spend on anything they need or want!

I'm not saying it was better...or worse... it's just different. Today, most teenagers are still growing up with solid family values and a strong work ethic. I love teaching High School age students!

"Find a job you like, and you won't have to work a day in your life!"

Things in My House Thursday III

My treasures...the items in our home are not expensive items...but have a wealth of sentimental value. My husband is a 'romantic'...while we were dating and first married, he surprised me with flowers many times. Sometimes fresh, sometimes silk. This arrangement was an anniveray gift

several years ago. The three books all bring a unique and special message. They coordinate in color despite the fact that they are gifts from three differnt individuals. 'The World according to Mister Rogers' is from one of my best friends, Lorie.

'Burnt Toast' is from my daughter.

'When I was a Girl' is from my Sister-In-Law.
All three were fun reads, and could be read over and over again!

The candle was also a gift from my dear husband.

"Families fill our lives with happiness and laughter....leaving us moments to treasure today and forever after."

Wednesday...what'cha workin' on?

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Last night, I visited with parents of 46 students...that may not sound like alot...but we were at school for 4 hours...that's more than 10 sets of parents per hour...less than 5 minutes each...no wonder my head was swimming when I got home!

Don't Miss this Give-Away

This is a fabulous tote...just look at the colors...it will work in the spring, summer and for fall. My blog friend, Suzanne, is giving this away this month...check out her site for details!http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/
What am I working on, Wednesday?
Well, I'm finishing off the wash cloths that I worked on in the car this summer, on the way to Sioux Falls, to Lincoln, to Grand Island, to Devils Lake, to Grand Forks, and to Fargo...I will list these soon. They are a neat little size to use for washing baby, your complexion or in the kitchen...Watch for them in my Etsy Shop.

Just Another Manic Monday

From the minute my alarm goes off, my mind starts scrolling through my day...like a rolodex. When it gets to the end, it starts over and just keeps going. The good thing is, that I usually remember to take everything with me that I need for the day. But, sometimes, I forget to eat Breakfast, but I have a friend at school that provides me with treats (thanks, Karren!).

Today in 'Fitness for Life' we made Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels...for dipping, we had Nacho Cheese Sauce and Pizza Sauce... we compared the Nutrition Facts Labels...more on that tomorrow!


Whole Wheat Soft Pretzels
1 pkg. active dry yeast
1 1/3 c. warm water (105-115 degrees)
1 tbsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. whole wheat flour
2 1/2 to 3 c. flour
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease 2 lg. baking sheets. In large bowl, sprinkle yeast over warm water and stir until yeast is dissolved. Gradually stir in sugar, salt and enough flour until a soft, sticky dough forms. Turn onto a well-floured board. Knead for 5 to 7 minutes, adding flour as needed.
Cut dough into 12 equal size pieces. With floured hands, Roll back and forth to form a dough rope that is 15" long. Place on baking sheet and cross ends over to create the pretzel shape.
Prepare egg wash with
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
Brush on pretzels and sprinkle with course salt. Bake 15 to 20 minutes.

Due today...

As teachers, we are required to hand in our written plan for annual evaluation. That was due today. (Thanks again, Karren, for having the forms!) Since this is my 30th year teaching, I think it fitting to focus on technology. Thus, I have created my own teacher website, if you're interested, you can check that out here http://ng028.k12.sd.us/ . I hope to add new links each term, as I teach different courses. Before pre-registration in December, I would like to link the other FACS teachers' course descriptions so that students and parents can make more informed choices.

Also due today...

The only craft festival that we do locally is Winterfest, and that application was due today. Most of it was complete...the descriptions, the signatures, the check, and the digital photos. I just needed to pull it togehter and drop it off. A photo of our booth set-up was required. I ran across this one. When she was in High School, our DD#2 would sit in our booth with me on Sundays. Here we are...ready for customers!

Speaking of Darling Daughters...DD#1 called yesterday and was not feeling well. I have been thinking about her today, too, hoping she feels up to going to classes.

Saturday...Sunday...where does the time go?

If you work outside the home, weekends are for resting and relaxing...and for keeping up the homefront! Considering the families being affected by hurricanes, anything I have to do seems very trivial.
Winning a Blog Give-Away III

If I were to ever buy a lottery ticket, this should have been the month! I was the lucky winner of three blog give-aways...yes, I feel a little guilty.

But, It sure brightened my day to come home from school and find such delightful gifts in my mailbox.

The precious crochet flowers were made by Kylie from Boutique Creations. Notice the stamps...she sent this from Australia to South Dakota! The world continues to grow smaller with our amazing technologies, electronic forms of communication, etc. Please take time to look at all of her creations at http://www.kylieb.etsy.com/. Her cup cozies are so fun, too.

I'll use Kylies sweet little flowers on a special project and will definately post a picture here. Also, I'm planning a blog give-away of my own in the near future. It's my turn to make someone's day!

Things In My House Thursday II

This is one of the end tables in our living room...there are some treasures here......the lamp...a wedding gift to my parents in 1946. The coasters are little china plates that had belonged to my aunt Enid, each plate features a scene from a different season. The back of the plate has a stamp...Johnson Bros, made in England. The tile "Life is Fragile, Handle with Prayer" was a gift from a special young lady in church. I was honored to be her confirmation mentor for a year. Now, the Bibles...these have been in our family for a long time. The one owned by Hans L. Welo is dated 1893. That was my great grandfather on my mom's side. His daughter's Bible is from her confirmatin Day in 1904.

Both of these Bibles are so unique. The oldest, belonging to Hans is in the best condition. It has the Norwegian on one side and English translation the other side of the page.

I love this photo of our family. It was taken in 1989...now, our daughters are 19 and 23 year old.

Whatcha workin' on Wednesday?

Well, right now...not much...went to the dentist after school and had two cavities filled...one on the lower right...one on the upper left...was in the chair for 75 minutes...

Top of the World Tuesday

Winning a Blog Give Away II
I love to look at blogs and I like to leave comments when I do...
..so, I was lucky to win this give-away from Debra at Lane Designs. It was so nicely packaged with professional labels. I felt like a celebrity! The pouch is just the perfect size for those card that you need when you're shopping...and it comes with a coordinating key fob...you must check out her site. http://www.lanedesigns.etsy.com/



Second sale in Etsy Shop

My first sale came 6 weeks after I opened my shop...second sale...only 3 days later. I still am pretty excited that someone is noticing my creations!
Today, I shipped this little shelf sitter...pumpkin patch. It would be a nice addition to any fall arrangement.







Officer Carlson Presentation
We are very fortunate to have a school resource officer at Cental High School. He is an employee of our police department and our school district. He is one of my featured speakers in my Personal Development class. Today he talked about his role at Central High School, how student safety is his main concern, and how he handles situations with students here. One of the highlights was the demonstration of his taser.
Do you see the aluminum foil figure in the front of the room. He shoots at this board so the student can see the impact of the probes and the electrical charge given off. It is an impressive demonstration.

Crazy Quesadillas ... Crazy Monday

Today in Fitness for Life class:
Crazy Quesadillas1/8 cup refried beans
2 whole wheat tortillas – 8”
1/3 cup shredded Colby and Monterey Jack cheese
Salsa
Sour cream

· Use a table knife to spread beans on each tortilla. Spray electric skillet with non-stick cooking spray. Preheat.
· Place one tortilla, bean side up in skillet. Sprinkle with cheese.
· Top with other tortilla, bean side down.
· Cook over medium heat about 3 minutes or until cheese begins to melt. Turn and cook about 2 minutes more.
· Serve with Salsa and Sour cream, if you wish.

This recipe fits the curriculum so well as we can look at the

• goodness of whole wheat
• protein in refried beans & cheese
• fat content of white vs. yellow cheese

But the biggest surprise...Sour Cream
Regular = 60 calories; 50 calories from fat; 5 grams of fat
Light = 40 calories; 25 calories from fat; 3 grams of fat
Fat-free = 30 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 grams of fat
I think this is alarming...I told the kids that if they are still using regular sour cream, that it's almost like putting Crisco on their food. I hope they learned, after this taste comparison, that when adding sour cream for a garnish, the fat free is just as good as the regular.
Crazy Monday
It was Monday...and it felt like it all day!

• tired and hit the snooze button twice
• between seasons, couldn't decide what to wear...is it hot or is it cold?
• forgot to plug in curling iron, so when ready to do hair, iron wasn't hot! This was not a big deal...just had to do things out of order, which made me feel more disorganized than I really was...
• grocery store didn't have price on whole wheat tortillas, but if they had...only 8 in package, compared to 10 in package for flour tortillas...would need calculus major to figure which one was a better buy...
• by now, it's 7:20 am, and I needed to organize for lecture/discussion and set up for lab...from here on, it's a pretty routine Monday.

I just had to take a breath and remember the words of our motivational speaker, when faced with any situation (either at work, or as a parent) that would tend to stress us out...

Is this a 10...or a 2?

Well, nothing I had going on was even a one. This is great advice for anyone, in any situation. It's all about perspective!

College Football Game Day

The weekend highlight was our day trip to visit our daughter. She and Jake were able to meet us for lunch. We had sandwiches, pizza, and great conversation! We had a couple of hours to spend shopping.

Then we went back to the dorms. They had made requests for us to bring more clothes, shoes and of course we brought food!
We weren't there for long, because everyone had to get ready for the football game.

Inside the dome

This is the student section an hour and a half before game time. Everyone wears their gold shirt and hangs out there, chanting, cheering, and getting pumped up for the game!

Then the lights go out in the dome...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JykJ7hcACMc&feature=related

The dome was filled to capacity and the Bison played like the top ranked team that they are. They won 50 to 14.

Emily and Jake came over at half time to say goodbye.

A Blog Honor

Thank you to Jody from Primgals Primitive Palette, for recognizing my blog as one of her favorites. I am just excited that someone (besides me) is reading my blog...so I really take it as a compliment that someone is actually enjoying my blog.

Here is Jody's link, so you can stop over to visit her blog.

http://primgalsprimitivepalette.blogspot.com/

Now, I would like to pass this award along to some of the blogspots that I like to visit:

Quilt Hollow ~ http://quilthollow.blogspot.com/

Finding My Knitch ~ http://findingmyknitch.blogspot.com/

Just Another Hang Up ~ http://justanotherhangup.blogspot.com/

Ginny B's ~ http://ginnybs.blogspot.com/

Boutique Creations ~ http://kbeezweinz.blogspot.com/

Needles, Fabric and Thread ~ http://needlesfabricandthread.blogspot.com/

Grumperini, Interrupted ~ http://grumperini.blogspot.com/

I hope you enjoy them too!

Finaly Friday

I usually wake early. I accomplish a few chores around the house before I go to work...less now that we have an empty nest...I go to the grocery store to get the necessay supplies for the day's lesson plan...and I check my www places for any activity. Well, today I had my first sale on Etsy...I was so excited that I startled the cats!! I've heard others refer to this as the "Happy Dance"! What I sold, was a Simple Pumpkin. I like this pumpkin because you can set it out now and leave it out until after Thanksgiving!



At school, I start my day with my Fitness for Life class. They work out every other day with one of the PE teachers. The other two days a week we meet in the FACS room to discuss nutrition and prepare a healthy recipe. Today they made Omelets...the freezer baggie kind. The kids think this is awesome. They call them egg burritos, egg pillows, etc. They are impressed. Here are the directions.
INGREDIENTS
2 eggs
Ham, chopped
Shredded Cheddar cheese
Chopped onion
Chopped green bell pepper
Chopped fresh tomato
Chunky salsa
Fresh mushrooms, sliced

DIRECTIONS
1. Crack the eggs into a large resealable freezer bag. Press out most of the air, and seal. Shake or squeeze to beat the eggs. Open the bag, and add the ham, cheese, onion, green pepper, tomato, salsa, and mushrooms. Squeeze out as much of the air as you can, and seal the bag.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Place up to 8 bags at a time into the boiling water. Cook for exactly 13 minutes. Open the bag, and let the omelet roll out onto a plate. The omelet should roll out easily.

Of coarse, all the add-ins are optional. The beauty is that you can individualize these omelets.

Things In My House Thursday

My blog posts have been so random lately. I think now that school has started, I need to be a little more "organized". (If that's necessary in the blog world?!) Anyway, I like the "what's in my house" Thursday posts. I figure, I could do this every Thursday for 100 years and there would still be stuff to show you!!

This chest of drawers is in our dining room. On the left, candle holders from my aunt and uncle. He was in the airforce. They were living in Tehran, Iran for awhile and bought many lovely things. Both of them have since passed away. I miss my aunty Vivian very much! She was my favorite aunt on my dad's side of the family. She also treated my daughters as if they were her own grandchildren.

The vase was a wedding gift from one of my high school friends (so 27 years old). It has been broken and glued together (darn cats).

The little platter was given to us when the neighbors across the street moved away. They were native of India. Angels were a gift from dear friends when I had surgery two years ago. They sit atop of books that had belonged to my mother...one called 'Ideas and Ideals' and the other 'Heap O' Livin".

I want you to see the CooCoo Clock that hangs above. My mom traveled with friends to Europe several years ago...she had this shipped to us for a Christmas gift. It is such a treasure.