From Winter Storm to Spring Celebration

My hubby and I used just one vehicle yesterday, the Trail Blazer. Two reasons...my car would have probably gotten stuck on our street and this is the pile of snow in front of my garage door. Do you think we can get by with just one vehicle till this melts? Probably not. This is our little bench right outside our front door. Might be awhile before we can sit there to enjoy the birds and flowers.

The Etsy team to which I belong has just launched a Spring Celebration. We each focus on creating 2-4 items for the Spring Season and we list them all in our shops last night and today. To see all the amazing creations, click this link in my side bar to the left.

Things in my House Thursday XV

Since we are in the midst of a Winter Storm here, It think it is still OK to post about snowmen...I do have a collection. But today, I want you to see these...

The snowman holding the star is from my friend, Sherri, and the other from my friend, Mary.
Mary is an educational aide in the classroom next door to mine. She is a lovely lady. When she sees something with my name on it, she always buys it for me and says...'I bet your name is hard to find on personalized items'...

And she is so right! When I was a little girl, it bothered me that my name was not common...Now...I kinda like it...

The Weather Outside is Frightful

No School Today

Stitching & Stewing on Sunday V

Prim Bunnies

Projects this weekend were geared toward Spring and Easter. My OFG Etsy Team is preparing for a Spring Celebration to start March 1st. Keep checking back for more details.

Hubby offered to prepare dinner one night. When we go out to eat, if there's a Monte Cristo Sandwich on the menu, I predict that he'll always order that...So he found a recipe online to make it for us at home.

The Monte Cristo Sandwich

9 slices Wheat Bread

3 slices Cooked Turkey

3 slices Cooked Ham

3 slices American Cheese

3 slices Swiss Cheese

Batter

1 egg

1 - 1 1/4 C. water

1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1 tbsp. baking powder

Vegetable Oil for deep frying

Place turkey and Swiss cheese on one slice of bread and ham and American cheese on another slice of bread. Place third slice in-between and secure the triple decker sandwich in the corners with tooth picks.

Place egg in mixing bowl, add water and beat together. Add salt, sugar, flour, and baking powder. Beat batter until smooth. Dip sandwich in batter and carefully cover all the sides and surface. Carefully place in hot oil and fry until golden. When sandwich has turned a warm gold color, remove from hot oil and place on paper towel. Let cool a few minutes before removing the toothpicks. Before serving slice into fourths and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

Serve with raspberry preserves. Makes 3 delicious sandwiches.

Ten Things I Do Every Day

About 2 weeks ago, my blog friend Renna, posted the 10 things she does everyday. Since then, I've wondered if there are 10 things that I do every day...so here goes...

# 1 Pray. Like, Renna, these are little conversations with God all throughout my day. When I am driving to school, preparing for my classes, preparing a meal, etc. This is my favorite inspirational book. It has a daily Bible Study Passage, and Real Life Lesson, along with a Prayer.

# 2 Make Coffee. And have I mentioned that I collect mugs?

Here a just a few. And, there is usually a conscious thought that goes into the mug I choose for the day...the current holiday, my activity, or my mood of the day... Perhaps a little OCD?

#3 Feed & Water the Kitties. And it looks like I should add Sweep Litter Dust from Laundry Room Floor to my daily tasks.

#4 Apply Mascara. While I could skip all other forms of make-up, and I could wear my pajamas all day, I always put on just a little mascara. My lashes are so short, and light, that I like a little mascara, just so my eyes are more noticeable. After all, they are the expressive part of one's face.

#5 Go to the Grocery Store. Since I teach Foods Classes, I go to the store nearly everyday before school to get supplies. And I often stop after school to purchase fresh meat or vegetables for dinner. Since many times I am there twice a day, I figure this makes up for the occasional day that I do not go at all! No, the grocery store is not a chore for me...I actually like the atmosphere there. When my best friend and I were working on our Master's Degree, we had to move to Brookings a week at a time for classes. We stayed in the dorm, and our evening outing was a walk, and a stop at the SuperMarket, just to look around (and buy candy!)

#6 Go Online. I check my Email (3 accounts) for messages from family, friends and co-workers. I check my blog for comments, I check my Etsy store for convos, views, and maybe even sales, and I take attendance and post grades at school.

#7 Eat a Banana...if they're not too brown.

#8 Check my Planner. My purse planner was always the family's master schedule. I kept track of everyone's activities here to make sure we could manage the overlaps. Work trips, church functions, band gigs, dance, swimming, peer ministry, teen court, SADD, cross country, track, school activities, meetings, etc. Now, with an empty nest...the calendar looks pretty sparse!

#9. Be Creative. If you've peeked into my Etsy shop, you know that I am always busy creating something. I love to sew, embroider, knit, crochet, paint, and decoupage.

#10 Talk on the Phone. Last, but not least, one of my day's highlights is talking on the phone to my mom and both daughters. Some days I visit with all three of them, some days only 2 of the 3, so this may be 40 - 60 minutes of my day, but I wouldn't give this up for anything! And Callie thinks your news is electrifying!!

Callie's Choice

First Things First~Thursday

This post is for Jill...she has placed a special order for one of our wine bottle necklaces...and these are the most recent creations. Starting on the left...these beads are 'funky' green and amber. The largest bead in the

center is olive green. The longest loop measures 6" down and is 4" wide.

Second from the left is this necklace with natural brown bone beads...they almost look wood grain. A heart shaped bead hangs from copper wire on the right and a leaf is attached to the left. This one is almost 7 " long.

The third necklace from the left has blue glass beads. It looks really good on a bottle of Relax ( which is our daughters favorite wine). You can see that this one is a little shorter...4" long x 4" wide.

The bottle necklace on the right (in the picture above) has beads in shades of purples. There is a copper wire in the center that hangs down with a silver feather charm. This one is about 7" long and 4" wide.

After Jill has indicated her first choice, the rest will be available, either through me directly here, or in my Etsy shop.

Easily Entertained

Cats don't need expensive toys!

Stitching & Stewing on Sunday IV

My Mom (88) and her gentleman friend, Ken (89), have a favorite restaurant called Mr. & Mrs. J's. We eat there every time we visit them in Devils Lake. When the girls were young, they would color their placemat and leave it there to hang with dozens of others.They are most famous for their 'PigOut' Omelet, however, we have never ordered it. It would probably feed our whole family! Ken and I like their knephla soup. Today we did not have to wait to be seated...last night we waited 40 minutes for a table. We listened to Ken tell fish stories!

We were saying 'goodbye and were on our way by about 3:00.

Because we were traveling, my stitching was limited to what I could do in the car. I finished this scarf and added fringe. This is the super soft yarn that is made from 100% post-consumer recycled plastic bottles.
While we were driving we saw hundreds...and hundreds of deer along the highway. We stopped three times just to watch them cross the road. This picture is only a small glimpse of how many were scattered in the fields.

While we were at my mom's, she asked me to help her make Banana Bread, as she had some ripe bananas to use up. I brought my favorite recipe for banana bread. Notice it involves cream cheese! So this was my stewing for today...

Banana Bread

1 cup margarine

2 cups sugar

2 tsp. vanilla

2 tsp. lemon juice

4 eggs (1 at a time)

2 cups mashed bananas

1 8 oz. pkg cream cheese

1 tsp. salt

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tsp. soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup nuts

Cream margarine and sugar, then blend vanilla and lemon juice. Add 1 egg at a time. Mix in all remaining ingredients (except the nuts) with the mixer. Fold in 1 cup nuts. Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Finally Friday and this week's Follow-Ups

Yesterday...Parent/Teacher Conference Day...just a long day, as we teach our regular schedule and then return for conferences from 5-9. Since there are 130 students on my day's roster, I was anticipating a busy evening. Feeling rushed and stressed, I did go home for an hour after school and when I returned at 4:55 I found this awesome box of chocolates on my desk...no note...no clues...you can see it is bigger than my laptop. I wish I could share with all of you!

30 years of commitment During staff development time today, recognition was given to the teachers and support staff that have been with our school district for 25, 30 and 35 years. Cookies, coffee and stories were served. (Do you see me there on the 30 year list?) These co-workers have been my friends since the 70's. Together we've been through weddings, birth of our children, graduate degrees, family crisis, budget cuts, death of parents, building a new high school, graduation of our children, etc. etc. Now, young, new teachers are filling in the spaces left, as we all look to our retirement in the next few years.
Blog Give-Away

Another high-light was the package that came from Sharon at the Old Oak Swing. I was the lucky winner of her January give away. It is still winter in SD so the cozy throw and devotional book is just what I need for my weekentd 'retreat'. Visit her blog to see what she is giving away for February!
Blog Award

Last week, one of my blog friends, Debra at Needles, Fabric and Thread, has honored me with this award. Again, making my day! I do enjoy checking in with so many of you on a daily basis. Since in January, I had a difficult time narrowing a list to pass this on to, I am happy for another opportunity to share this award. Today, I want to share this with

Scrap & the City ~ Jasmine

Dakota City Quilter ~ Lori

Bittersweet Punkin ~ Robin

Oakleaf Hollow ~ Julie

Primgal ~ Jody

Deb's Primitive Kitchen ~ Debbie

Momma B's Front Porch ~ Vickie

Painted Kreations ~ Kris

Hopeful ~ Hope

Rabbit Hollow Prims ~ Susan

Privies & Prims ~ Doreen

Child Development Guests... Here's another pic of Steph and her little nephew in my Child Development Class. It looks as if he is getting ready to say something to us. Anyway, his mommy, Samantha, left such a sweet comment on my Tuesday's post...these are the very reasons why we teach for thirty years...

Things in my House Thursday XIV

Our kitchen has had fluorescent light panels in the soffets, providing us with great task lighting, without a lot of ambiance. Here is a picture of the panel above our sink and the panel above the range. For several months, there have been some problems...lightening like flashes...random off & on...so the project has begun. My handy hubby is taking out the old fixtures, filling in the huge cavity with sheet rock, and inserting recessed canister lighting.

Here is the new lighting above the peninsula. It certainly changes the atmosphere in my kitchen.

What'cha Workin' On Wednesday?

There was no time for crafting today...but I did get some prim bunnies listed in my Etsy Shop. Last night's focus was correcting & entering grades, as Parent/Teacher Conferences are tonight. Yes, it's one of those days when we teach from 8:10 to 3:20 and conference from 5 to 9. To compensate for our extra time put in today, we will have the day off on Monday, Presidents Day.

Tuesday's Topics

How was school today? My Independent Living class spends one day a week in the Foods Lab. Our focus is on convenience foods and convenience appliances. This week we made Skillet Spaghetti...prepared all in one pan! Saves on time and on dirty dishes!
Skillet Spaghetti
1 lb. ground beef
1 16 oz. can Italian tomatoes with basil, with liquid
2 tbsp. tomato paste
2 C. beef broth
2 C. water
8 oz. spaghetti
Brown ground beef until no longer pink. Drain grease. Add tomatoes and their liquid, tomato paste, beef broth, water, salt. Stir and heat until boiling. Reduce heat so liquid barely simmers. Cook 10 to 15 minutes or until spaghetti is tender, stirring freqently.

My Child Development class has completed their study of prenatal development and care. This week we begin the discussion of adjusting to parenting and caring for the newborn. One of my students (on the left) invited her sister (a former student) and baby nephew to class. It was a great experience for all.

They got to hold him and quiet him, as we interviewed his mom. They even changed his diaper. He was such a good baby!

In Fitness for Life class we are still talking about fat and making good choices. We made Apple Crisp and served it with both Regular & Light ice cream. Did you know there are only 3 grams of fat in Light Ice Cream, compared to 7 grams in Regular? That's in 1/2 cup...And...there was not much difference in taste!

Stitching & Stewing on Sunday III

Stewing this Sunday was actually baking. We tried a new recipe for muffins and they are fabulous. This time, I followed the directions to a 't'. Next time, I might try using some whole wheat flour and maybe, pecans in the topping.

Delicious Pineapple Muffins
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup white sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple
1 egg, beaten
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour muffin pans, or line with paper liners.
In a large bowl, stir together 2 cups flour, white sugar, baking powder and salt. Drain pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup juice. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients, and pour in the reserved juice, egg, milk, and 1/4 cup melted butter. Mix just until blended.
In a separate bowl, stir together the cinnamon, brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, and 1/4 cup melted butter to make the topping.
Spoon batter into muffin cups, then spoon crushed pineapple over the batter and sprinkle with the cinnamon topping.

Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until a toothpick inserted in the crown of the muffin comes out clean.

Today's stitching...finishing the Bunny Brooch for my Etsy Shop. You will see the green bow tie bunny listed there, however all three colors are now finished and available.

Going to a Wedding & Glamor Girl Give-Away

With daughters ages 20 & 24, we will likely be invited to several weddings within the next several years. This is the second of Emily's classmates to be married. Here we are...ready to go.
Emily and Michelle became friends in kindergarten. We have memories of TBall, Dance Recitals, Sleep Overs, School Programs, Track & Field Day, and more. Best wishes to Michelle & Tony.

February Glamor Girl Give-Away.
Here are the names of blog friends that left comments during the first week of February. I am remembering that when I started my blog in June, that several weeks went by before I received even one comment, and then...when I did... it was just about as exciting as my first Etsy sale! And now, over 100 posts later, I still enjoy reading your comments.
Here is DD, car loaded, ready to head back to college, serving as the give-away random selection official.

Even Callie waits with much anticipation...
...and my first blog give-away winner is Renna, from Finding My Knitch. Please stop over to visit her in the near future.

Thank you to everyone that entered...I'm already plotting my give-away for March.