Heart Happy

I heart my new camera. It's just really fun to use. The weather has been so beautiful the past few days it's hard to believe that it's only the end of December. It's quite the tease though. I was all good with enjoying winter, and then with just two days of warmer temps and sunshine, I suddenly felt nostalgic for spring. It was so nice that I actually was motivated to go running. I of course couldn't make it simple and just go around the neighborhood, so I went to one of the state parks that has a road that you can follow instead of a trail. Due to all the melting snow, there were gushing waterfalls in places I've never seen waterfalls before. I was stupid and forget my camera in the car, but I did have it on hand for the drive home. My timing was perfect and I pulled over on the side of the road to catch the setting sun. Scenes like this my my heart happy.

Into the Woods

I hope everyone had a great holiday week. I spend most of the time at my brother's house in the Adirondacks. His house is located on a privately owned park. Apparently, the land use to be owned by the Kennedys and the Rockefellers. The land is now leased out for various reasons (logging, farming, fish hatchery, etc) and the houses inside the park are occupied by employees or are vacation homes of the owners and their families. It takes about an hour round trip to go into Saranac Lake, which is really the closest place to get groceries. My brother's house is the last one on his road so the plow stops just after his driveway. The road that is left alone then serves as a perfect place for snowshoeing, cross country skiing, or just walking. We got a ton of snow on Tuesday night so on Christmas Eve morning, my father and I took Harley to explore.

This is basically what it looks like for miles and miles.

It was nice to see my brother and his family. We are lucky if we see each other once a year. For all of you nonbelievers who insist my brother is not real, he's the guy behind the presents. All of those are for Sofi by the way...

And speaking of my adorable niece:

She's rocking a lovely Christmas dress accented by black sparkly Converse :)

For Christmas I received a new digital camera! No more will strangers in bars mock the gigantic size of my camera. Although I lovingly referred to it as the Zack Morris cell phone of cameras (remember the size of that thing?!), it was time for a smaller, updated model. My dad picked one out and gave one to both my brother and me. It even has a setting to take pictures of food!! Could it be any more perfect? On Friday, I made pnutty noodles with chicken for the family dinner and then used my new toy to capture my beautiful creation.

I actually think I prefer tofu over chicken in this dish, but dad I think is scared of it and my sister in-law says she can't tolerate soy. Anyways, everyone seemed to enjoy it.

As great as it was to see my family, it's great to be home again. It's not something I really forget, but each time I go out of town, it just reaffirms my love for living here.

Traditions

I think part of what makes holidays so special are the different traditions we form in their honor. It seems that these traditions were present at an increased level when we were children and then they faded or morphed into other practices as we grew older. We stopped doing the extended family get together on Christmas. It was the tradition that no one enjoyed participating in ...until the last couple of years when the boxed wine started making appearances... At one point I became too cool to have my father read The Night Before Christmas to me on Christmas Eve and all traditions Santa related ceased when I made the horrifying pre-Christmas discovery of the various toys I requested in my letter to him hidden in the basement.

Now that I am an independent person, living on my own and having my own life, it seems fitting that I begin creating my own traditions. I am so completely honored and appreciative to have some of the most amazing friends. Coming from a small family whom I'm not always the closest with, sometimes it seems my friends are really my family. There are times when they certainly know me better than any of my blood relatives. This time of year is meant to be shared with loved ones, and although I will be spending time with my family, I'm glad that I have begun to make traditions with my friends as well.

Last night Tania and I trekked to that quaint little bar in the absolute middle of nowhere for our second year of pre-Christmas celebrating with the lovely Holly and Sarah. Last year's gathering was what would later be deemed "the unfortunate beer choice of 2007" (actually, I just deemed it that). I was so excited that they still had Sam Adams Octoberfest on tap that I disregarded that voice in my head telling me it is not wise to drink a fall beer in December. My stomach already was churning by the time we drove home and what occurred that night prevented me from even looking at a beer without grimacing for a good 6 months. That is one tradition I was not willing to carry on. I opted for a nice glass of Dr. Franks, but was sad, being the responsible driver that I am, to be unable to partake in all of the delicious concoctions coming our way from the handsome man at the bar. They seemed to be created with love and thoughtfulness.

It's amazing to think about how much has changed since last year when we met there. Some are minor, while others have been life altering. It's as small as a haircut and as large as a moment in time that rocked the very foundation you thought was underneath you. But some things do not change over time-like how much we love and support one another, no matter what the situation. That is a tradition I hope carries on for a lifetime.

A Lazy Girl's Stroke of Mini Pizza Genius

Today is a lazy, lazy day. It's Sunday, which doesn't help, but I've also fully entered break mode and it feels really good to have some guilt free lazy time.
When making lunch today I had several things in mind.

1) Use whatever I have on hand

2) Use up ingredients that may perish soon

3) Create something that took minimal amount of effort but tastes like it took much more


Since I'm heading out of town soon, I have been resisting buying groceries. This leaves me with not many options for my creations. Here's what I used:

• mini whole wheat pitas (in the freezer)


• can of tuna


• dijon mustard


• olive oil


• capers


• dill, onion powder, pepper


• spinach


• goat cheese
  
• Frank's Red Hot
  

I put the defrosted pitas on a baking sheet, plopped all the ingredients on top of them and put the tray under the broiler until it was hot and the pita got crispy.

It was ridiculously good and took all of 5 minutes to prepare. No more excuses that you don't have time or energy to make real food. Some of these ingredients may not seem like a likely pair but that's the whole fun of cooking. You never know what's going to work until you try.

For some reason I get this thrill when I use up everything in the fridge or cupboards. I don't think it's ever anyone's goal to be wasteful but it still happens. It's a small little reward to use creativity towards an end product that is practical, tasty, and resourceful.

Break and Cake

Another Friday snow day... today was actually a day that you would almost (notice I said almost) rather go to school than have a snow day. We had all kinds of things planned for today-holiday assembly featuring the 6th grade teacher's rendition of "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year", staff vs. student volleyball game, carols played over the pa system during hallway time... I was kind of looking forward to slamming some volleyballs into some smiling middle school student faces. On the other hand, despite all the fun activities, the energy is HIGH and if you make it until the end of the day, you are completely and utterly exhausted. I'm also glad that I spent 2 days running around like a maniac trying to prepare for today, only to have it all cancelled.

On the plus side, it's vacation time!!! It seemed to have come up relatively fast this year, which I am grateful for. When I woke up for the second time this morning the storm still hadn't started yet so I had this brilliant idea to take before and after photos of the back yard. The results were less than impressive. We got a good chunk of snow in a short period of time and it was/is pretty messy out there, but I was expecting more of a startling contrast.

So the before pictures were taken at about 9:45 and the after pictures taken around 3:30. I don't think it started snowing until 10ish. At about 4 it had almost stopped so Har and I hit the streets. Due to the travel advisory and absolutely any kind of activity/building/organization being shut down no one was out. We pretty much had free roam of the streets of Newfield. The roads were still messy and there were huge drifts and snow pile ups all over creating a sort of winter wonderland obstacle course for us. I know some of you may be worried about my poor cold prone chin, but don't fret, I had the trusty neck warmer in place and the chin was protected from numbness.

Last night I had a little dinner celebration with some friends. It had been a tough, somewhat stressful and crazed time and it was nice to sit down and relax with good company and exceptionally good food. The highlight of the evening was this ridiculously large piece of chocolate cake. I don't get dessert out very often, but this was a huge piece of cake kind of week. I can't stop talking about the damn thing. I am not exaggerating when I say that this piece of cake was close to the size of my head. The waitress said they have to use the biggest cake pan she's ever seen to cook this monster. Anyways, I split the dessert with another person, we ate some there and then had her cut it in half so we could each take a piece home. The piece that I brought home with me could easily be split into 2 or 3 pieces. Not only was it big, but it was DELICIOUS! I tried to give a sense of the size of this sucker, but once again, my photo taking skills have failed me.

Keep in mind, this was like half of a half of the original...

Looks like I'm snowbound tonight...it's just me and my cake. I could think of worse company...

Snow!

Today's adventure:

This morning I took Har out about 7:30 to go the bathroom and it was BEAUTIFUL out there. The sun was still really low in the sky, creating beautiful colors on the horizon and it was almost as if the entire world was standing still.

Around 11 I took him to one of the state parks. No one else was there and the snow was pretty deep and looked as if maybe 1 other person had gone through there before me. It kicked my ass! I let Harley off his leash so he could go at his own speed and explore. I, on the other hand, had a tough time time going up and down the small hills. I need snowshoes, or boots with spikes or something. I was so out of breath! I bet you burn twice as many calories as you normally would on the same trail. Despite the extra effort on my part, it was fun to be out there. I took a couple of breaks to sit in the snow and throw it at Harley. He gets all excited and tries to catch it in his mouth (which he almost always is able to do). If the snow misses him he dives head first into the snow to retrieve it. You would think with his short coat, he would get cold, but he doesn't seem to mind at all. Notice the nice white goatee he was sporting:

We met several doggie friends along the way, much to Harley's delight. I have all kinds of random things that I would like to get done today, but the afternoon is almost over and I haven't done any of them. I am sitting in my fuzzy slippers though, and that makes me happy. I should be motivated since I had yesterday off unexpectedly. Tomorrow I have plans for some Christmas activities so I need to lesson plan for the week today. At least Harley is out for the count:

Maybe I'll forgo my to do list and join him in napping. Snow can do that to you.

Rollerskating Tigers

I had this weird dream last night and I have to write about it. I was walking outside alone in some neighborhood I didn't recognize and this huge tiger goes whizzing past me on purple roller skates... So then it comes back over to me, only this time it was minus the roller skates and just starts following me. Some lady says "oh don't worry, she's friendly". So I keep walking and the tiger trots along right at my side. I'm afraid that it is going to follow me all the way to my house and then it will see my dog. Harley will inevidently want to play with it, considering his adoration for cats and his lack of fear, and in turn, the tiger will end up eating him. So I just keep randomly walking until I figure out what to do. That's either where the dream ended, or that's all I remember.

Usually you can figure out a basis for weird dreams, like before I went to bed I was watching animal planet, or I was reading about the circus.. But I can't find any reason to dream of tigers. Out of curiousity, I looked up tigers on a dream interpretation website. It said that "To see a tiger in your dream, represents power and your ability to exert it in various situations... Alternatively, the tiger represents female sexuality, aggression, and seduction." Watch out men! Here I come!

Snowed-in Rantings

Top 5 Reasons to be a teacher:

1) Play a role in shaping the future of America (is anyone scared by the thought of me having influence over today's youth? :) )
2) Become a positive influence (maybe THE only one) in a child's life
3) Not so shabby vacation time
4) Work with some of the most amazing and dedicated people
5) SNOW DAYS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes folks, today we had our first snow day of the year. It's the one thing that never fails to recapture the feelings of youth: continuously checking the weather forecast the night before, weighing the odds with anyone you come in contact with, waking up and immediately looking out the window to measure the intensity of the current conditions, and waiting eagerly for the name to pop up on the tv screen...
Since we have a phone tree set up, I learn the news before the tv does, but the child in me can't fully believe it until I see it flash across the bottom of the screen.
So back to bed both Harley and I went and slept in for 2 more hours. I had a leisurely breakfast, caught up with last night's The Office (exceptional as always) and read for a bit. Harley and I just got back from venturing out into what is definitely a winter wonderland. It's so beautiful out with all of the trees coated and most of the snow untouched (besides what is on the roads) by human contact. Something about that white fluff stirs something up inside Har-that guy gets so frisky when he finds mounds of snow. Some how he has discovered how to still sprint through the stuff as if he was on grass, he just adds a little more spring in his leaps to wade through the thick stuff. It really is amusing to watch.
Now I have a whole day to really do nothing. I pretty much have all my plans set for school up until our holiday break. I've decided that I'm going to be the chef for the week that we spend up at my brother's house. Both him and his wife are excellent cooks, but with a new baby, and 3 guests, plus my weird eating choices, I think it will be much easier on everyone. Plus this way I can ensure that I can eat everything we have. I've decided pb noodles are def. on the menu, along with waffles for xmas morning. I'm also thinking chicken or turkey saltimboca roll ups with bean and mushroom ragout. Sounds super fancy but it's not. Don't worry, anything I come up with, you will be seeing pictures and recipes for :) I'm going to try to come up with food lists today and I need some kind of holiday dessert-preferably butter/milk free...
Speaking of pictures...my camera is on it's last leg. It eats batteries like me dining at Tamarind (thai restaurant for you non locals)..ok that weak analogy is suppose to allude to the fact that I have to recharge the batteries on a daily basis. I have it on good authority that I am getting a new camera for christmas. Another example of how I always ruin surprises. I really can't think of a single time that I have been successfully surprised. Anyways, I can't wait to take massive amounts of pictures, including new baby sofi! Harley will also be meeting his cousins Timber(dog) and Moss (cat) for the first time. I hope he will be a polite guest and not steal the toys or harrass his hosts...
Well, I hope you all enjoy your day as much as I will...even those of you who have to work when it snows outside. As for me, I am going to continue this feeling of youth and make a nice cup of hot cocoa.

The Little Things

Often we are under the misunderstanding that we need these huge life changing events or grand sweeping gestures made by others to have stand-out moments in our lives. But sometimes it's just the little things that make an average day enjoyable or even memorable.

Due to parent conferences I had a different schedule today. I didn't have to be in until 11:50 which meant I could gradually wake up on my own rather than being jolted awake by that jarring beeping noise at 5 o'clock. It was even light out! I took the harmeister for a walk (again, IN THE LIGHT!) and took a nice leisurely shower. I had my signature pb banana smoothie and a blueberry bagel curled up on the couch and watched more of The Shop Around the Corner. Even better, I received my warm fuzzy slippers in the mail the other day and just slipping those guys on my feet put a smile on my face.

We all hope that we can make a difference in someones life. As a teacher, I strive to make a difference in the lives of 70 kids. No matter what our job, we look for validation that we are successful. Today I heard several comments that reconfirmed that some part of what I am doing is making a difference. One parent told me that their child had always hated ELA...until this year. I had several parents tell me that 6th grade as a whole has really turned their child around. And not trying to toot my own horn, others confided that I am their child's favorite teacher. All i can say is, "aw shucks".

It is indeed the little things that make our day to day activities life memories. At the very least, it is the little random things that bring a smile to your face, and we all know how could we feel after a smile. Sometimes it's a call that comes across the country from an old friend (as such that happened as I was writing this blog). It's as easy plopping a cookie on a plate only to notice a heart is staring you back in the face.

And sometimes, happiness is as simple as getting a look from Harley.

Sunday=Funday?

Sundays. To some they are relaxing, to others
they are full of an impending sense of doom as Monday is just over the horizon. I try to appreciate Sunday for its offering to me of one last day of freedom before the work week begins and usually I celebrate by eating a breakfast that I normally don't take the time to eat during the week. Even though I may relax, as well as sense the Monday doom, by creating this special moment with food, it makes Sunday have a feeling all of it's own. Today I took my pumpkin waffles and smothered them with blueberries and syrup. I watched SNL while taking my time eating on the couch, loving that I was not under any time restraint.

Like many people, I like to be very strategic about my time on Sunday, in an effort to use up every last drop of freedom. My goal for today was to put out my christmas decorations and clean the apartment, seemingly unexciting but necessary all the same. What I ended up doing was driving around to every store I could think of that may have SOFT WHITE led lights. I had purchased several boxes of white lights only to plug them in and be nearly blinded by their blueish hued extreme brightness. Not willing to give up my Sunday plans so easily, I threw Harley in the back of the car and off we went for several hours of searching. I did not have luck with the lights but I am happy to say that I have a clean apartment (at least the rooms that are immediately visible to visitors) and decorations are up (unfortunately with last years, energy sucking, earth killing, but gentle, relaxing, suble white lights).

Sundays are also often associated with Sunday School. Now, although not part of any religious group, I am a big proponent of learning. I feel that every experience, if nothing else, is a learning experience, so you could say I suppose that the world is my Sunday school... Here are some of the things I learned in "school"on this Sunday:
1) it is IMPOSSIBLE to find soft white LED lights in this town
2) "cool white" is another name for harsh blue
3) batteries should be taken to a recycling center (to find out where you can dispose of yours locally check out this site )
4) I am convinced more than ever that my conviction to NOT shop at Walmart is indeed the right thing to do
5) the french chick Sophie on Ace of Cakes is Duff's girlfriend!
6) walking the dog in 25 degree weather with crazy wind blowing at you will make your face hurt hours later
7) despite the fact that I keep forgetting, I vow to not go back to Kmart because the sadness and pathetic-ness of it's condition starts to ooze into your very soul

Not bad for one day of learning. Well, to end this Sunday, I'm going to turn on the christmas lights, curl up on the couch with some apple cobbler that is in the freezer, and watch The Shop Around the Corner that I dvr'd off AMC earlier today. I love some of those old movies and they tend to show the best ones around christmas time. Happy Sunday everyone.

Motivation

I don't know if it's just the time of year or what....but I am finding it increasingly difficult to get motivated. This statement is supported by the fact that I haven't blogged since before Thanksgiving. Eek! I've also been telling myself that I will clean the apartment for over a week now or respond to emails that are several weeks old. Maybe it's the weather, or the fact that it gets dark before 5 o'clock, or that I could easily go to bed at 7 o'clock some nights, but I force myself to stay awake just so I won't feel too pathetic, but I find it hard to do anything that doesn't involve zonking out on the couch.

In honor of this blog topic, I present to you one meal idea that requires so little effort, even the most couch potatoes of couch potatoes may create a delightful dinner with the most minimum amount of effort.

Fish in a Sac

Step 1: Gather ingredients (fish of choice, vegetable of choice, seasoning of choice, and liquids of choice-wine, olive oil, butter, lemon juice, etc.)

Step 2: Preheat oven to 400 F

Step 3: Assemble sac: take a piece of foil and lay it on a baking sheet, place fish on foil, throw in whatever ingredients you have gathered in step 1

Step 4: Fold up sac and pop it in the oven for about 15 minutes (depending on the size and kind of fish)

My sac was very simple tonight. I used frozen tilapia (thawed), drizzle of olive oil, splash of white cooking wine, splash of lemon juice, seasoning salt, dill, red onion and garlic. I already had steamed broccoli and quinoa left over in the fridge which made effort involved even more minimal. I've made many variations of this depending on what's around-zucchini, mushrooms, tomatoes-almost anything can be thrown in and cooked in the sac.

It's funny, but no matter how lazy I am, I never sacrifice nutrition or flavor when it comes to my meals. That is one thing I never loose motivation in doing.