Tasty Tuesday

Today was one of those days that seemed to go on forever. You know the kind; nothing horrible happens and it isn't a crazy, challenging, hair pulling day but it just doesn't seem to end! And wishing it was over only makes things worse! Today left me with just enough motivation to go to Pilates (which was awesome by the way; thanks Anna) and absolutely no motivation to cook. Normally I'd suck it up and cook something but I decided to take the night off and indulge in a long lingering craving for Chinese food. As I sat on the couch eating my Sweet and Sour Chicken I decided it was high time to plan out the rest of this week's meals. I hopped on to Pinterest (seriously I'm addicted to this site and I will be a pusher and try to get you addicted too) and took a look at my FOOD! pins for some inspiration. Below I'm listing the tasty treats I plan on making this week! Enjoy!!!

How fantastic does this peach margarita look?
 Cheers to the ladies at We Are Not Martha!

To starts things off... a little summer refreshment! This peach margarita from the lovely ladies over at We Are Not Martha looks fabulous! I love peaches; they're so juicy and sweet and even better so refreshing! While this is a traditional margarita it can be made sans tequila; try some Sprite or sparkling water instead.



A jalapeno popper in sandwich form? Get out!!!

Ben loves jalapeno poppers so when I stumbled across this recipe, again from the crafty girls at We Are Not Martha, I got super excited!!! Probably more so than is ok because it is only a sandwich! But come on; how beautiful does this look! Thick, crusty bread, cream cheese, bacon and jalapenos. Mmmm, I just made my own mouth water. I think this is what we'll be having for dinner tomorrow!



Baked risotto!?! Miracles do happen!

 Risotto. One of the most luscious, decadent and rich dishes ever known to grace mankind's palate. For all its deliciousness risotto is also UBER time consuming!!! If you've ever made risotto you know what I mean. An hour of standing over the stove stirring and pouring and stirring and pouring. You are the risotto's slave; it knows it, you know it and your frizzy hair lets the rest of the world know it.  This recipe from Dabbling in the Delicious, is amazing because 1) it tastes incredible and 2) it BAKES IN THE OVEN!!! No seriously, you bake it which frees you up for more important things like giving yourself a pedicure, watching a DVR'd episode of the Closer or taking a power nap.

Jen over at My Own Road had this fabulous idea.
Must say... LOVE IT!!!

Strawberries are a definite star of the summer season and I think twist on strawberry shortcake is genius! I dare you to go out into the world and find one person who doesn't love a kabob; especially when that kabob alternates strawberries with angel food cake and is drizzled with chocolate. If you don't like strawberries or have allergies try with raspberries, blackberries or even peach and nectarines.

Well there you go one and all, a peek into what I'll be serving up at home this week. Enjoy these last few weeks of summer and use as many of those gorgeous fruits and veggies as you can!

A Tasty Recipe... for your shower!!!

I have a confession to make. Are you ready for it? I love lemons. There I said it. The smell is so invigorating and inviting and fresh and clean (oh, did anyone else have that Outkast song start running through their head?). I adore the many tastes of lemon; tart, sour, sweet. I also love how many uses lemons have outside of cooking recipes so, today I'm going to share one of those uses... SUGAR SCRUB!!!


Sugar scrubs are fabulous. They feel so luxurious, smell so fabulous and leave your skin feeling so soft. I've been interested in attempting my own for awhile now but thought, "naw, it'll be really hard and complicated and I have no time for that." Well, you know what? Sugar scrubs are like the easiest thing ever to make. No joke! So simple!

I found this recipe during one of my (way too long) pinterest browsing sessions. *Pinterest, for those of you who haven't already been seduced, is an amazing site that will be the subject of a future blog I'm sure. If you have like 4 hours to kill I suggest you check it out!* Okay, okay... back to recipe. This was taken from Under The Table and Dreaming blog, which has a ton of great ideas and is just all around adorable. The ingredients couldn't be simpler; sugar, olive oil and lemon juice. That's it! How easy is that. Chances are you already have these things at home!

Here's whatcha do...
1. Juice 2-3 lemons for a total of 4 tbsp lemon juice
2.  Grab a big bowl
3. Pour in 2 1/2 cups white sugar
4. Pour in 1 cup extra virgin olive oil (you can use light if you are put off by the smell)
5. Stir sugar and oil together well
6. Add in lemon juice and stir again
7. Scoop into a container with a lid that can be securely shut.

***This makes enough to fill a 12 oz. container, or two 6 oz containers and so on and so forth.

Lemon Sugar Scrub taken from www.bystephanielynn.com

I love that Stephanie put hers in a mason jar, a perfect choice! And if I had mason jars in my home I would have done the same thing! Instead I put mine in one of those see through kitchen storage jars meant for flour, coffee or sugar, which technically this is so I'm golden!

The lemon scent is subtle, sweet and, in my opinion, absolutely perfect. Because this has oil in it, you'll have to remember to give it a stir on occasion. You'll also want to watch out for slippery tubs!!!

Please make this for yourself and for loved ones. It's instant cheer and a piece of summer that can last through those long, cold winters!

New (School) Year Resolutions!

Once again I've taken a long break from the blog to do lots of other things. I'm happy to announce that Ben and I are totally moved in and the house is almost set up to my liking! School has started and I'm having a blast reconnecting with my co-workers and catching up with my students. Moving up to 8th grade wasn't something I was thrilled about as last year wrapped up but I think it's going to be a blast. Ben and I have put his Big Green Egg (a giant ceramic smoker) to good use as we've hosted our first of many football Saturdays.  It's been a very busy August and September is shaping up to be crazy as well. I'm so excited for this year!

I've been making some New (School) Year Resolutions and one of them is to pay more attention to the blog. I started this to share recipes and what not and I've been a total slacker in that regard. Bad Megan! I think I'm going to have "spotlight" days where I highlight things I love, want, or just generally think are awesome. I'm open to suggestions of things you'd like to see on the blog; so don't be shy, share what's on  your mind!

Another resolution is to pack my lunch every day. I spent a lot of money buying lunch in the cafeteria because I forgot to pack a lunch last year. I'm not sure how well acquainted you are with jr. high cafeteria but to say it sucks would be a MAMMOTH understatement.

I am also going to work on being more organized; in my classroom and at home. I have an awesome "supply station" set up in my classroom and it's working out great. This was something I dreamed up because, once again, my room plays host to a giant printer which sits atop a giant desk with many pullout shelves. I'll post pictures when the super cute labels I ordered come in. The kids are loving because everything is in one place and all the goodies are store in brightly colored little tin pails.

Keeping with the organization theme, I plan on tackling the pantry and under counter cabinets. I've become slightly obsessed with Jen over at iheart organizing. In fact, she's the one designing my awesome labels. I can't wait to see how they turn out!!!

Alright, I'm going to play around with my new computer (big shout out to Mom and Dad for my awesome birthday present) and enjoy Ben and Brian's super witty banter. I'll be back tomorrow with a fun recipe. Enjoy your Saturday!!!

Can I sit down yet?

Hey all, sorry to have been M.I.A these last few weeks; I'm sure you've all been on pins and needles anxiously awaiting the return of my delightful wit and incredible storytelling powers. :)

When I last blogged the kids and I were about to make our way to DC. Needless to say, it was incredible! The kids had a great time seeing all the sights you could cram into 2 1/2 days; they went bananas over the Air and Space museum (where I spent the 90 minutes just sitting... it felt awesome) and thought the Declaration of Independence was pretty cool (Ms. Miller, you can barely see the writing!!!). I loved being able to watch their faces as we walked up the stairs of the Lincoln Monument and they took in just how enormous the statue of Lincoln is and their momentary shock and horror when they thought there might have been a typo carved into the wall of the monument. Don't worry, there isn't. We visited the Air Force memorial which made Robbie's whole trip, seriously have never seen that kid so giddy! And Kirby just about died when we stopped by the World War II memorial where he proceeded to bombard us with facts and figures about every aspect of the entire war! My girls are girls and thought our lunch at the Pentagon City Mall was the best because they could do some real shopping. I'll admit it, I speed ate my lunch so I could hit some shops... I missed that place!

I am so happy I had the opportunity to take such an awesome group of kids to one of my favorite places in the world and share my enthusiasm for our nation's history. That being said, I don't see myself doing this again in the next year or two. It was exhausting!!!

I realize that I devoted two fairly substantial blogs to the first few days of our trip and a paragraph to the last several but the details of the trip are starting to fade and I've been busy with some really cool things in the last few weeks.

My parents and I took a long weekend trip to see Ben and Michelle. It was so much fun visiting them and getting close to Moscow. Someday I will make it all the way there!!! I need to hit the bookstore and get some new Vandal gear!

Leah and I took a bestie trip to Boise where we spent time with our great girlfriends. Jerome made a brief appearance and it was so great to see her! Our little traveling gnome is enjoying her time in Wisconsin and has us thinking about taking a girl's trip to Madison. Bring on the cheese!!!

Last but not least, Ben and I moved!!! We packed up our tiny apartment and moved into a nice, big townhouse. And you know what, it's freaking fantastic! We have so much room that it's crazy! We have so much room in fact that we had to buy a new couch to fill up an empty room. The kitchen is crazy spacious compared to the tiny galley I had at the apartment so I'll be able to expand my cooking adventures and try out some new recipes! Never fear dear readers, I'll post lots of pictures!

The place is slowly taking shape and I'm hoping to have it set up and ready to show off before school starts; the couch should be here soon, I'm hoping to get our dining table out of storage in the next day or two and picture hanging shouldn't take too long and then it will feel like home!

Once the place it all put together I'll post some photos of the new place. And for those of you who live close there might just be a party or two to attend at the new casa! Keep your eyes post for the invites!

Alright my lovelies, I'm off to nap! TTFN!!!

And I'm Back!!! (Part Two)

Alright folks, let's pick up where we left off. As you'll recall the kids and I made it from Idaho Falls to Salt Lake to Atlanta with no trouble at all. Well as soon as we boarded the plane in Atlanta all our good travel karma must have been spent because things started to unravel and fast!!!

The plane was boarded and all the passengers were ready to go but alas the Delta control room, or whatever it's called was not. There was some sort of computer issue that the pilot kept assuring us would only take a few minutes to solve; we gave him the benefit of the doubt the first 3 times he said that... after that it was all the people around me could do not to start screaming "LIAR!!!" It is at this point that Alexis leans over the seat two rows up and across the aisle to inform me that she left her wallet with ALL her money and ALL her debit cards on the other plane! Ummm, WTF?!?! No that wasn't my response because you don't say that to 13 year olds but that's definitely what was going through my head and, according to the woman next to me, what you could read on my face. Instead here is the discussion verbatim
Me: "Are you sure? Remember how I told you to check all around you and in your bags to make sure you had everything before we get off the plane?"
Alexis: "Uh, yeah".
Me: "Well did you?"
Alexis: "I guess not"
Robby and Elijah in unison: "DUDE!!!"
Aspen and Shannon in unison: "Shut up Elijah!"
Me: "We don't say shut up! Alexis call your mom"
Alexis: Why?"
Me: "Uh, maybe because you have no money and she might like to know that"
Alexis: Blank Stare
Pilot: "Okay folks, we'll be taking off shortly I promise"
Me: "Alexis... call... your... mom... now............ (clenched teeth, deep breathes, imagining being on a beach with an INCREDIBLY large drink) NOW!"

At this point I flag down a flight attendant and explain the situation and ask if I can get the number for customer service so I can do my part to get the wallet back. This is a 30 minute process which is fine because WE'RE STILL ON THE GROUND!!! Just a head's up; if you lose something on a plane you have to file a claim online. No one at Delta will talk to you about it, so annoying. I tell Alexis to call her mom back so I can fill her in on what I found out and she just stares at me. Aspen informs me that Alexis hasn't called her mom yet. This did not sit well and try as I might I could not contain the teacher face (very similar to the mom face but slightly less terrifying). Alexis finally pulled out her phone and called her mom and as you can imagine the conversation wasn't a terribly pleasant one for Alexis. I filled her mom in on where to go and what to do along with flight and seat numbers and told her good-bye. As I was hanging up, the pilot came on to tell us that we were cleared for take off and we'd be in the air in 5 minutes. Well that 5 minutes became 15 but whatever, we weren't at the gate anymore that was huge progress.

I have to stay that during our 2 hour delay the kids were wonderful. They didn't complain and they didn't annoy each other or those around them. They were complimented by the folks around us and I was offered many drinks (on the sly of course) because people think you need many drinks when they hear you're chaperoning 7 teenagers on a trip that last 5 days. I declined the beverages (regretfully) and focused on taking a nap.

Dulles has never been a favorite airport of mine but I was soooo thrilled to see it because it meant we were finally there!!! As the kids and I got off the plane we all waved good-bye and agreed to leave our bad travel karma on the plane. It worked because the rest of the trip went beautifully! We met up with the rest of our group, two schools from California and loaded onto the bus. Our first order of business was dinner at Cheeseburger Paradise (interesting place) and then it was off to Williamsburg to get a good nights sleep.

Day 3:
Our first full day of adventure and sight-seeing. We began the day in Jamestown and that was really interesting.  We saw replicas of the ships the men came over on and the village they lived in. We got a lesson in blacksmithing and learned how to make nails and unanimously decided that 17th century clothing wouldn't be fun to wear in 90 degree heat.

After Jamestown we headed to lunch in Willamsburg; we dined on ham sandwiches (thick, crusty bread that made me thing of Europe) at a darling restaurant called The Cheese Shoppe. The kids got a lesson in how small the world really is when our guide asked if we knew Marty Trillhaus, who local readers might know as the editor of the Idaho Falls Post Register. Somehow our guide (who's name I have managed to forget) and Marty are related, distantly. After lunch there was some shopping in the cute local shops and then it was on to Colonial Williamsburg.



The Governor's Masion



The oh so delcious Cheese Shop

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Despite the insane temperatures and oppressive humidity we had so much fun at Williamsburg! The kids loved seeing the old buildings and learning about the history of the town and it's people. We saw several actors rehearsing new skits (Holy crap Ms. Miller! Those guys have swords!!!) and learned all about colonial wig making. The secret? Goat hair. Who'd have thunk? While in the wig maker's shop she asked my kids were asked which grown up was theirs and I nervously raised my hand. And then she said the magic words, "I don't say this often but you have such an incredibly well behaved groups of students. They were so polite and asked such wonderful questions." The kids were beaming and well, darn it, so was I. When we left I pointed out that what had just happened is why adults are always harping on them to behave.

There were a few more sites to see in Willamsburg and they were all really interesting but after the wig maker's they weren't highlights. Dinner however was about to become the coolest part of the day.

We ate at one of the dining rooms at the College of William and Mary and the kids were amazed because there were college kids there! And there were like 20 choices for dessert! And there was soda! And real plates! On the bus I established my second trip rule; When veggies are an option, you will eat some. And no, french fries and baked potatoes ARE NOT veggies. The kids took this in stride and enjoyed big salads and fresh green beans with their burgers and mac and cheese. Kirby sat down with an entire place of raw broccoli, color me impressed and his roommates fearing for the evening ahead of them.

After dinner we had a ghost story tour whose impact was lessened due to the brightness of the evening and then it was off for DC! FINALLY!!!

Alright, I will be back in a day or two to finish up the story of our trip but now I must prepare myself to make this...


Fig and Prosciutto Pizza, recipe and image courtesy of Yummy Mummy at http://www.yummymummykitchen.com/



And I'm Back!!! (Part One)

Okay, I've actually been back for awhile but I needed some serious recovery time. In case you're wondering, traveling with seven teenagers (who aren't yours, haven't been away from mom and dad and have never stepped foot on a plane) is EX...wait for it...HAUSTING!!! Even when they're really good; like constantly getting complimented by total strangers good. Moms and Dads everywhere... I bow at your feet in total awe and utter amazement of how easy you make traveling with kids seem! 

So without further adieu, here's my (highly biased) recap of our whirlwind tour of our Nation's capitol on this our Nation's birthday, which is total coincidence by the way!

Day 1: Monday evening Aspen's grandma was kind enough to drive us all down to Salt Lake City where we stayed the night at the ever exciting Baymont Inn (thanks Anna for the suggestion). The kids were thrilled to get in the pool and I was thrilled to have my own room. Lights were out by 10:30 (though because I wasn't specific ENOUGH, Elijah stayed up till 3 watching TV) because we had to be up and ready to go at 5 am. Now, I'm not sure how many of you know this but, as this trip taught me, kids are REALLY hard to wake up that early and once they're up their level of functioning is akin to that of a turnip. This profound insight leads us to...

Day 2: The kids met me in the lobby at 5 so we could grab the shuttle which ended up being 15 minutes late. The kids suggested I give the drive tardy detention; I declined. We get all checked in and things are running smoothly till we get to security (of course, right?). I reminded the kids a good dozen times that liquids are not allowed through security unless they fit in a Ziploc bag... well it appears 12 reminders were not enough because Alexis, dear, sweet would lose her head if it weren't firmly attached, Alexis left her FULL water bottle in her suitcase and to go all the way through security again. Ugh, not what Ms. Miller wants to deal with before her first cup of coffee!!! 

Once the whole water bottle incident was cleared up we headed to our gate, stopping only to grab some, always yummy, Burger King for breakfast. As they called pre-boarding for our flight I may or may have pretended that the kids had never been on a plane before. Hey now... save your judgement. Like I said the kids were not operating at peak levels and didn't think the rest of the passengers would appreciate being held up by a bunch of 13 year olds.

We got all settled in and the flight to Atlanta was a brief slice of heaven compared to what I was about to endure...

And on that cliffhanger dear readers, I'm going to bid you good evening. I'm tired and feel my comfy bed beckoning me!!!

My First (FUN) Summer Adventure

Many people think teachers have it super easy; we work for 9 months and then get 3 months off to lounge by the pool, eating bon bons and drinking iced tea. Oh dear readers, how I wish that were true! I have a pool, love bon bons and think iced tea is divine and yet I have not indulged in any of those things during the first two weeks of our summer break. Instead, I've attended a conference about Total Instructional Alignment in Pocatello and begun work on vertically aligning the social studies curriculum for our district. 

Well I'm about to have my first summer adventure that could potentially fall into the "fun" category. Tomorrow I, along with 7 of my students, will be jetting off to our nation's capitol for five days full of sight-seeing, exploring and learning how our great nation was formed. Some of you know that I lived and worked in DC for a time after I graduated from college and that I loved every second of it. I'm thrilled to get back and to share my love of the city with my students, many of whom will be studying American history next year. All of the sights and sounds they take in will be even more meaningful when we get back into the classroom and really start diving into the foundations of America.

While I'm totally stoked to be taking the kids on this trip because I think every child should visit Washington, D.C., I'm exhausted by the herculean effort it's going to take to keep my darling dearests in their "happy" place. "What do you mean I can't take my computer?" "What do you mean we have to get up at 6?" Oh the joys of traveling with 13 year olds. Parents, how do you do it and come home with the same number of kids you left with? I'm impressed!

Anyway, I'll post pictures when we return. Enjoy your week; try to find some time to lay by a  pool, overdose on chocolate and sip on some iced tea. But if you do, don't rub my face in it!