So you had a bad day

It started off okay. While I was ironing the pants I set out for work I noticed there was a hole by the pocket. Oh well. My shirt was long enough to cover it.

I arrive to work. The power is off. Dark, very dark. We navigate the hallway and Libby is safely delivered to kindergarten.

I find my lantern. I spend another five minutes looking for batteries. I find them. 4 D batteries produce a small led light. I notice a note on my desk. I need to see my boss.

I try to get the room ready. I am told I need to see my boss again. I go down. I am then reprimanded for not shutting one of my windows the day before. Several times, several ways.

I go back to my room. I can not find the letter B papers that we are to do for the day.

Kids come in. I notice one of shoes smell like cat pee. Nice, I have a hole in my pants and I smell like cat pee.

The kids are playing, no power still. We have a fire drill. We go to recess, they are hitting each other. I am the bad guy.

I turn in my sub folder. It is returned to me, bleeding with red ink. Mostly silly spelling corrections. I do not think the sub would mind, but now I have to do it again. Where/were.... jeez.

I get talked to about the window, again.

Today was just not my day. But, my window is shut!

Politics

My poor child has been indoctrinated....

One moment she is in her rhyming phase going through the house chanting "Obama is yo Momma" and the next moment she stating "we are republicans, and John McCain is a republican, so that is who we will vote for!"

Just to be clear none of this information was fed to her other than we are republicans, the rest she has came up with on her own.

And if anyone is worried, I do not know who I will vote for yet.

Mike, by the way... Happy Anniversary. We survived, 7 years and we are both still living! I love you.

She's only been is school for a month now...

Here are the pictures from Libby's first day of school. We have been having so much trouble with our computer I am about to throw it. The darn thing is only a year old and it gives us nothing but trouble.

On the porch before school

Showing off her Camp Rock lunch box.

In front of her school.

With her teacher Mrs. Raddatz.

At her desk.

We miss Mrs. Raddatz dearly. She was diagnosed with breast cancer shortly before the school year started. She had a mastectomy three weeks ago and is doing well healing at home. We have a nice sub, but you know it is just not the same :)

I will try to get some more up this week.

Inspired

I thought I would share a couple of my favorite recipies since everyone has been talking cooking lately.

This is a Paula Deen recipie that I have amended.

Pot Roast (and I am not a pot roast type of girl)

3 lb chuck roast

salt, pepper, and garlic powder

1/4 cup of veggie oil

3 bay leaves

1 onion sliced thinly

3-5 pressed or crushed cloves of garlic

1 or 2 beef boulin cubes (hers calls for more, it is way to salty)

I can cream of mushroom soup (I use the low fat cause we are a little chunky to begin with!)

1/2 cup chardonnay (I have used whatever white wine I have around)

Season roast with salt, pepper, and garlic powder and brown in the oil. Place in slow cooker. Put everything else on top. Cover with just enough water to cover all of it. Cook on low for 8 hours.

This makes a kick butt gravy to, and I am not big gravy fan either. I serve with roasted potatoes.

These are Mary E. and I's all time favorite cookie to make!

Jello cookies!

3 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 c. butter USE REAL BUTTER
1 c. sugar
1 (3 oz.) pkg. Jello, any flavor THE SUGAR FREE JELLO RESULTS IN A MORE INTENSE FLAVOR
1 egg
1 tsp. vanilla AGAIN, TRY THE REAL, it makes a difference.

Mix flour with baking powder. Cream butter, gradually add sugar and gelatin, beating well. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually add flour mixture, mixing well. Force dough through cookie press onto ungreased baking sheet. Sprinkle with additional gelatin (same flavor). Decorate, if desired. Bake at 400 degrees about 8 minutes or until edges are golden brown.
If you do not have a cookie press roll into balls and flatten slightly with a fork. Green jellos brown more quickly than other colors.


Happy cooking!

Economics

Several words...

Adam Smith

An Inquiry Into The Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.

Invisible hand, etc.. etc...

I could go on and on, but I will save my fingers the pain.

Mike and I may be the smartest people we know! We have no retirement to lose. Just the jar over our sink! To quote London Tipton "Yea Me" (assuming you watch The Suite Life)

What a great time to be unemployed and in college.

By the way to celebrate the despair and downfall of American economics we are having a cookout October 11. Mike will be smoking meat, I will make butt burners, and cheap beer will be available. If things are really bad by then be prepaired to discuss the hippy comune idea, and be burning all mortgage notes, car and student loans, et al.

Library time.

Libby and I walked to the library this afternoon to return and restock.

Last month I read Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult, and The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory. Both were very good. For this month I have two more Phillipa Gregory books, The Other Boleyn Girl, and The Constant Princess. (When I am not reading the heinous Sociology text that I should be.)

Libby has been into fiction a lot lately. Today we checked out Wind In the Willows, and the Tale of Peter Rabbit. She is reading on her own more now, mostly Dick and Jane, and the dreaded BOB books. She has also been reading a Scooby Doo phonics pack. My main complaint with the "character" themed reader packs is they often have huge words that are not appropriate for five and six year olds to sound out.

Apples, Apples, and more Apples

On Sunday we went to the Apple Orchard after church. One peck of apples was six dollars. We thought this was a good price. One peck is around 25 -30 apples. We have been making applesauce. This stuff is heavenly.

Crock pot Applesauce (borrowed from a fellow blogger)

10 apples peeled and sliced
1 cup of sugar
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup of water

Place all ingredients in the crock pot. Cook on low 8-10 hours, or on high 3-4 hours. Drain, I used our colander, put in bowl and mash. Place into containers refrigerate or freeze.

I used Cortland Apples, which the orchard guy referred to as utility apples. These proportions were right on for flavor. I would use less sugar for sweeter apples like McIntosh or Red Delicious and more sugar for Granny Smiths. Warning, it does turn brown, but it is the best applesauce we have ever had.

Enjoy!

11 years

Mike and I met 11 years ago in Athens on September 13. We walked along the Hocking River and went out to dinner at Bob Evans. I was 17 and he was 20. Thinking back to how young we were I am amazed at how we have grown up together. It was not love at first site, but a great friendship that grew into love, and has lasted now for all of these years. We have been together longer than some people that have already married and divorced.

We were talking the other night about our 7th anniversary in a couple of weeks and the "7 year itch". Is it from 6-7 that things are supposed to be bad or from 7-8? I hope it is 6-7 for us because this has been one heck of a year. All things relative it could always get worse but lets hope it does not.

Mike, I know you read this.... first let me thank you for putting up with my spoiled selfish ways, always encouraging me, and being my best friend, closest confidant, and my love. Thank you for always being yourself, being kind to others, and being the man that I love. We have seen how the loss of your love takes a toll on a life. I hope that we have many more years to grow, and grow older together. It may not always be that butterflies in the stomach kind of love, but love none the less. Always know that my heart belongs to you.

Busy, busy, times

I check my blog, and everyone elses daily, but I am just now finding the time to write. I would love to post some pictures as Libby is now without her two front teeth, but alas the computer is on the fritz and anything I try to plug into it rejects for various reasons.

Teaching is now in full swing. I have 11 students in my M/W class, and 17 in my T/Th class. On a whole M/W is a little more quiet easier to handle than the other, but that may change over time. I do have one student who is allergic to all nuts, eggs, and dairy, and my main concern is him not coming in contact with any thing he should not. I am able to check things, but since most things have one of those ingredients I have to be extra careful at snack time. We had applesauce and raisins today. SAFE.

I started school on Monday. It is a busy schedule. I am gone three nights a week. While I am sad that this latest job offer Mike received is not going to work for our family for a large number of reasons, I am glad that he is home with Libby on those nights. If he would have accepted she would have been with a sitter three nights a week. That is not how we work, and not what any of us would have wanted.

Some funny things I realized today. People with really long toe nails gross me out. There was a lady in front of at the Student Services desk today, and her toenails were longer than my finger nails, and pointy. It gave me the creeps. You must understand that I come from a ugly feet family. We called my mom eagle toes, but they were never that long, and that pointy. They were also pink. I was compelled to offer a stranger nail clippers.

Also, why is that smokers must run outside and light up for three minutes on class breaks. Granted I am not a smoker and I fully admit extreme bias, but seriously, can you not wait until class is over. Two times today I suffered sitting in close contact with people who smelled like a chimney.

Hope all is well with my blogging friends!