1.31.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, 31 days and 30 pictures... not too bad...  I'm starting to enjoy this.  Today I was actually out of work while it was still daylight so I figured a carwash and some pictures were in order.  And a little experimenting with my phone...

1.30.11 - Picture of the Day...

This summer we adopted a cute, little, 8 pound puppy... now we have a big, 50 pound eating machine...

1.29.11 - Picture of the Day...

With Batman in the goal, Connor has his game face on... 1st day of indoor soccer practice...

1.28.11 - Picture of the Day...

Cheryl and I went to a Syracuse Crunch game tonight with a group of people Cheryl works with. We also stopped at The CopperTop Tavern for dinner and a few drinks beforehand...


We also saw this beauty on the way there...

1.27.11 - Picture of the Day...

So one of the teachers on Cheryl's team ordered a full body skeleton, and before she was even able to get the box open Cheryl stole the skull when her back was turned. After about a week of the headless horseman, the cranial cavity reappeared on the lunch table...

I guess he's "not going anywhere for a while..."

1.26.11 - Picture of the Day...

Connor has been home for 2 days because of a stomach bug so Cheryl emailed the teacher and let her know that we wanted to get all the work he missed for him to do as homework.   So tomight, he sat for about 30 minutes and got everything done... I'm so proud of him, and he actually enjoys doing the work...

1.125.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, the latest auto upgrade is in... I installed a Metra iPod adapter from techforless.com that allows me to play my iPhone through the car stereo and control the music with the steering wheel controls...

1.24.11 - Picture of the Day...

Couple pics today... Dunkin... just because... and the temp on the way to work.  This is the air temp... windchill was -24... brrrrrrrrrr

{Menu Plan Monday}

Well, after being woken up at 2:30 in the morning by the sounds of a retching little boy, and then spending the rest of the night alternating between being up with him and trying to (unsuccessfully) fall back asleep, only to get up in the -24'F weather to go to school because I had annual reviews for my Inclusion students that I could not miss, I am SO glad I do menu plans for each week!  This really saved me today because I didn't have to attempt to deal with the "What's for Dinner?" Game. Without further ado, here is what is on our dinner menu for the week...I can't provide links to recipes since I only have them in my head! Post in the comments or send us an email if you'd like a specific recipe and I'd be happy to get it to you.   Keep in mind we do very little with packaged foods in our home and use the freshest ingredients we can get our hands on - even in our current Arctic State! 

Monday: Crustless Ham and Cheese Quiche, Salad and Toast(made with fresh country bread)

Tuesday: Homemade Mac and Cheese, Roasted vegetables.

Wednesday: Buffalo Chicken Roll Ups, Antipasto Salad

Thursday: Homemade Oven Baked Chicken Fingers, Potato Wedges and Brocolli

Friday: Dinner out with staff - heading to a local Hockey game and Coppertop Tavern

Saturday: Chinese Stir Fry with vegetables, rice.

I start a new menu on Sunday when I see what is in our freezer and needs to be used up, and then my mom shops for the next two weeks for us with a list that I get together for her on Mondays. And with that, I do believe the quiche is done!

1.23.11 - Picture of the Day...

I think this picture explains itself...

Testing the BlogPress app

I'm trying different blog apps for my phone, and it looks like BlogPress is the best so far, I'm just trying to get all the photo settings right.





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1.22.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, the new tires are on, the GPS mount is installed, and the driveway is partly shoveled... AND, SU lost again...  I see no better reason to grab a beer... I first tried this stuff down in Virginia at the golf course, and it was about 2 months before it showed up here in Syracuse...

1.21.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well... I guess I have my own story from the classroom...

Today I was at my team meeting with 4 other teachers in a tiny room talking with a student about why he is doing so poorly when I say something flutter in the doorway out of the corner of my eye.   I figure it was just a pencil being thrown down the hall and ignored it... About 10 seconds later, I see a flustered head peek around the corner, and a voice nervous says "did anyone else see that?"  Now I'm starting to think "maybe that wasn't a pencil"... I think I just saw a mouse...

Now I know you have all see the TV shows where people jump on the chairs and screech like a little girl when a mouse runs by... Imagine that with a pregnant woman, and 2 other scarred women, while the 2 guys in the room jump up and start looking for it... YUP... that was the scene while the student just sat there not knowing what to think...  after about 2 minutes the scared little mouse runs out trying to hide, and right into my trap... OK, it was a pencil box, but it worked...

Now the little guy is quietly resting in my room in an old aquarium as the new class pet...

I plan on upgrading is cage next week and making him more comfy...

The day the underwear came...a story from the Classroom

 Every once in a while, as a teacher, things happen in the classroom that make you stop and think, " I really need to compile all of my stories and write a book about the things that happen in the classroom."  Well, with the two of us being teachers, you can bet there are a lot of stories! So we are going to start a series here on the blog titled "Stories from The Classroom."  Today was one of those days...

Our class was taking a spelling test this morning in typical Friday fashion. As my young learners were intently spelling Commonly Misspelled Words, I walked around, monitoring their activity. As we finished our spelling test, we transitioned and started talking about the upcoming book report project they have due and I handed out some scratch paper for them to start on their rough drafts.  I was at the front of the room when it happened.  A student got up to sharpen his pencil, several students had their hands raised to ask a question, and it was honestly a very good moment in the classroom - students on task, focused, excited about their project...I looked to the back of the room, and in the middle of the floor I spied what looked to be a winter hat or a scarf - naturally, since are in the middle of an Arctic Blast these days.  I assumed it had fallen off of Lisa's chair, which sat innocently nearby. I made the mistake of looking an instant too long, and the rest the class swiveled their attention to it.  The student who had gotten up to sharpen his pencil looked down at it. And I uttered the words..."What...IS...THAT?!?!" I instantly realized it was not an innocent pair of gloves, a scarf OR a hat. The students were intrigued. The pencil sharpening young lad leaned down to pick them up, and in his hand he raised...a pair of fifth grader sized black boxer briefs.  Which he promptly, and politely asked me, "May I throw these in the garbage, Mrs. P.?" And then, I lost it. In front of my entire class of 5th graders. Tears rolling down my face, I could simply nod. The class looked at the underwear, back at me, and then launched into an uproar.

Via: Google Images

The only thing I can think of is that they were static clinged inside someone's clothes. And they fell....onto my classroom floor. On the upside, my kids thought it was hysterical that I was laughing so hard I was crying. I guess they will all have a story to tell tonight when their families ask them what happened in school today. :)

1.20.11 - Picture of the Day...

Truck upgrade # 3 - New tires... after a lot of searching, I finally decided on the Nitto Terra Grapplers in 265/70/17.  They are slightly larger than stock, and should help tremendously compared the the Dunlaps that came stock...

1.19.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, this week should be like Christmas for my truck... Upgrade # 2 (#1 was the WheatherTech Digital Floor liners) was a set of Lamin-x yellow fog light covers... this should help in the fog (obviously), and the pleasant snow storm we gets... The entire process took about 5 minutes from start to  finish, and the longest part was waiting for the lights to warm up to make the application easier.  Once my new tires come in tomorrow, and are installed this weekend, I plan on getting a few good pics, but for now, this will work...

1.18.11 - Picture of the Day...

Ahhhhh... How I love road salt...

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1.17.11 - Picture of the Day...

Rochester's STRONG Museum of Play.  This was the Superheroes exhibit...

1.16.11 - Picture of the Day...

Hotel Day... Connor was incredibly surprised, and loved the hotel, and the pool.  And of course, the first thing you need to do when you get to a hotel is jump on the bed...

1.15.11 - Picture of the Day...

Always a good way to leave the Casino...

1.14.11 - Picture of the Day

Dinner with Connor to start the "weekend of fun".   Tomorrow Connor has a birthday party down the street, and then spending the night at Grammas while Cheryl and I hit the casino. Then off to Rochester for a night in a hotel, swimming in the pool, the mall and the museum...

And as of right now, all Connor knows about is the birthday party, should be a good time...

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Location:New York 31,Clay,United States

1.13.11 - Picture of the Day...

The view from my desk... without the students of course.  Notice the Human Fetal Growth lab and pile of Regents exams on my desk... the fun never ends.  Tomorrow is the menstrual cycle...

1.12.11 - Picture of the Day...

LET'S GO ORANGE !!!

Another win for Syracuse.  What a way to start the season... #4 in the AP poll, 17-0 and another 20 point win...

1.11.11 - Picture of the Day...

And that's all I have to say about that...

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1.10.11 - Picture of the Day...

So after the constant nagging, I (yes me, Brian) decided to cave in and make the absolute best cookies ever made.  I think tomorrow will be a good day at work... at least the teachers will be happy...

 

Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate Chunk Cookies – The Ultimate LA Cookie

Courtesy of Jenny Flake, Picky Palate

2 sticks softened butter
3/4 Cup granulated sugar
1 Cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 Tablespoons pure vanilla
1/4 Cup burnt caramel sauce (you can use any caramel sauce here, like Smuckers)
3 3/4 Cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
12 oz bag mini chocolate chips1 1/2 Cups chopped good quality chocolate

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  In a stand or electric mixer, beat the butter and sugars until well combined.  Beat in the eggs and vanilla, and swirl in the caramel sauce until well combined.
2.  Place the flour, salt and baking soda into a large bowl and mix.  Slowly add to wet ingredients then add the chocolate chips.  Save chunks for later.
3.  Place a 1/4 cup scoop of cookie dough into muffin top cups.  Press down, then sprinkle with a pinch or two of sea salt then press the chocolate chunks over top.  Bake for 12-15 minutes or until just golden around edges.  Remove and let cool for 5 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  Serve with milk!!
Makes 18 Large cookies

Finished product...

1.8.11 - Picture of the Day

Well, since we didn't get home until late I missed another deadline. Last night was the last Christmas party of the year. We all went out to Cheryl's brothers house for the final exchange.





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1.7.11 - Picture of the Day...

Couple pictures today... For Christmas I got Connor some Army clothes and a bag to keep it all in... I still need to get a jacket, but he love dressing up as an Army Man...

They say the iPhone takes pretty good close up shots... 

1.6.11 - Picture of the Day...

So we finally decided it was time to start going back to the YMCA... Connor enjoys going into the play area and open gym when they offer that, Cheryl does the Zumba thing, and I just run on the treadmill and use the machines if it's not too busy... So while Connor and I were waiting he decided to take a picture of his loose tooth...

1.5.11 - Picture of the Day...

I couldn't post last night so here is last nights picture... We are expecting 5-8 inches of snow over the next couple days so I brushed off my truck to use as a starting point...

Works for Us: Freezer Organization

With all of the talk in January of reorganization and fresh starts, I have seen quite a number of posts on blogs and message boards regarding pantries and freezer storage. We are really lucky in the way that our house is laid out and used. Our main floor is very open, and we have a kitchen pantry which is quite handy.  About six feet away from that is our living room/entry way coat closet. When we moved in, we found it to be more handy as a dumping ground for the vacuum, the random odds and ends we didn't know what to do with, and paper towels. It was when we moved in that I started couponing and stockpiling, and the coat closet got transformed into more of a long term storage pantry - we've kept it that way for the last few years and I have to say that it works out well for us - gives us extra space and the ability to keep more on hand - saving us money in the long run. Along with our pantries, our freezers get a lot of use and are both organizationally (and financially) one of my favorite parts of the house.

I am all about freezer cooking - Ive been doing it for years now. It's a great time saver, and really handy on those busy nights we have. It will be another post for another day! We have a big freezer in our basement and then our kitchen refrigerator/freezer now, but up until last month (when we had our oh so unefficient, 34 year old fridge from my childhood hauled away by our utility company) we had one in our garage too, which really helped with organization.  We are going to replace the garage one when we find a good one on Craigslist, but until then we are working with two (one and a half, really!) and  I do as much cooking/storing as I can fit. This really works for us because we only grocery shop twice a month, and it keeps our grocery budget to less than $100 dollars a week for our family of four - Brian and I, Connor and Grandma. That's pretty good for people who love to cook and are total foodies!

First off, I keep the following frozen items on hand at all times(mostly for weekend lunches and nights when everything is going wrong and we just need to eat!):

Prepared/Convenience Foods:
-Chicken Nuggets
-Chicken Tender strips
-French Fries
-Tater Tots
-Onion Rings
-Frozen Pizzas
-A few loaves of bread (white and wheat)
-Bagels


For Fresh Use:
-Mozzarella and Cheddar Cheese - shredded and in 2 cup portions per zip lock bag.
-Chicken Breast (2-3 breasts per bag)
-Ground Beef ( 1 Pound per bag)
-Steamer bags of frozen vegetables - the sauce and butter free kind.
-Frozen Roasting Chicken
-Ham Steaks
-Roasts
-Steaks
-Frozen Bread Dough
-Frozen Rolls(Rhodes brand)
-Bacon

These are my basics - I use them weekly in my recipes...and having a good supply keeps me from having to have Brian run to the store for a forgotten ingredient!

Not our fridge! But close! Image from www.30dayGourmet.com

Then, I also have freezer meals that I have prepared ahead - to the point where I can freeze them, pull them out and finish them off...depending on the season or my cooking moods. We don't do a lot of casserole type items, or anything that is fully cooked/just gets reheated (I consider them leftovers...can't do it!LOL) but right now I have the following:

-Marinated London Broil with Blue Cheese/butter sauce to be poured over it when done.
-Beef Stroganoff (not thickened or creamed yet, I thaw, cook, thicken/cream and boil fresh noodles for it)
-Mac and Cheese
-Twice Baked Potatoes
-Soups - French Onion, Chicken (no noodles yet), minnestrone(no pasta in it)
-Spaghetti Sauce with Sausage
-Marinated chicken - packages of Lemon Garlic, BBQ, and Dry Rub Spiced
-Garlic Bread - Prepped, just need to be topped with cheese if we want it and baked.
-Chicken Spaghetti

These items change a lot - I like to cook big on Sundays and then take out half for another meal before I finish off the recipe.  I also spend a day or two on our school vacations prepping stuff for busy weeks.

Some other stuff I like to keep around:
-Muffins (I cheat and buy the big packs at BJ's - break them up into packages of two and freeze them)
-Waffles
-Pancakes
-Homemade stock - chicken and vegetable stock.
-Homemade Gravy
-Margarine
-Butter


Some tips I have found over the years that help me:

-Use the good brand of freezer bags. They are thicker, prevent freezer burn and are worth every penny. We love Ziplock!

-Freeze as much flat as you can and label bags on BOTH SIDES!

-My other favorite packaging material comes from the dollar store! They are foil pans with cardboard lids - they come in a variety of shapes and sizes and they can go right into the oven! We use them a lot for heavier items like mac and cheese or potatoes - things that aren't sloshy. They stack nicely and I love that they are no clean up required!  

-Compartmentalize - I have a big waxy coated cardboard box on the bottom shelf of the freezer - it holds all of my larger cuts of meat - the chicken, ham, holiday turkeys, etc. They don't roll around and I can slide the box out like a drawer. All of our packaged chicken and beef live in their own baskets on another shelf. We store the frozen cheeses and bread doughs all together. All three of the adults in the house know where everything is and when we grocery shop and purchase/package anything new, it goes in the right spot of the freezer.

-Date everything and be sure to rotate! I think working in a grocery store during college pretty much ingrained this in us, but we date everything(on both sides!) when we label it, and the newest stuff goes in the back/bottom - thus forcing us to use what's older, first.

-Know what's in there! I keep a list in my iPhone, which is always with me, but I also go through the freezer regularly - like, weekly - so I know what has to be used, or refilled.

-Once or twice a year, do a big clean out and defrost that freezer, wipe it down and then restock. We tend to do this to our big freezer towards the end of summer - especially helpful when we don't get paid in August -  and then refill after a total cleaning. It uses stuff up and saves our grocery budget! The smaller freezer upstairs gets emptied and cleaned monthly...it's more of a short term storage space and for every day/convenience items....like ice cubes and ice cream! :) 

So there you have it - a little look into our freezer space. There is nothing like opening the freezer door and seeing a nice compact version of Wegman's Frozen Foods Department staring back at you. How do you use your freezer space? Or are we the only crazy people who are over achiever organizers when it comes to the cold stuff?

1.4.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, I'm an idiot... With all the time I spend taking care of my truck, buying things for it and making it look nice, you would think I would be smart enough not to drag the large, heavy, steel blade of the snowblower along the side of it...

But noooooo, a nice long scratch through the clear coat and paint exposing raw metal during the one time of year cars rust the most in the North East is exactly what I decided to do...

1.3.11 - Picture of the Day...

Waiting for dinner... Dunkin is NOT photogenic at all... I think his coat is too shiny, and he won't sit still for longer than about .33 seconds...

1.2.11 - Picture of the Day...

Today we are having a rock concert... My job is to control the spotlights, Cheryl helped Connor design the set, and Gramma is going to mop up the stage after everything is done...

 

Connor's poster to advertise for the show...

1.1.11 - Picture of the Day...

Well, I think this one is pretty self explanatory... day one, minute one... welcome 2011...

Happy New Year!

Out with the old....in with the new! Here's hoping 2011 is full of love, laughter, prosperity and good health for all of our family and friends! :) I have always heard that you should spend the first day of the new year in the way that you want to spend the rest of the year....so today I cleaned out the closet...created a HUGE donation for our local thrift store and a matching HUGE hand me down pile for my sister and niece...and got that all nice and organized...whew! I can see the closet floor! Now we are waiting for our dear friends to arrive so we can go out to dinner to celebrate the holidays together! So, I guess that means that I am looking to spend the next year organized, charitable, comfy and cozy at home, and with good friends...sounds great to me!

I love Brian's photo of the day idea...can't wait to see what that entails...perhaps I shall even hijack it on occasion and do it as well...although my exciting photos would probably be what I was wearing or something like that! We will see...we will see! Until then...we hope that you are spending the day in a way that sets the tone for the rest of the year...and that health and happiness fill your home this year! Cheers!