Happy Howl-o-ween!

We had to dress our "kids" up tonight for Halloween. Ham was a cowboy and Maggie was a prisoner. I really wanted this outfit for her a few years ago when she spent most of her time in a crate but I never could find one to fit our XXL girl! Now that she is mostly behaving herself it seems a bit inappropriate but what the heck, it's cute! I love the prisoner ID too! Too cute and too perfect!!!

We had tons of trick or treaters this year! I didn't have my camera out though. We ended up taking our chairs outside and joining our neighbors for some socializing time especially since we had perfect weather. We ended up with about 20 pieces of candy left and it worked out well since my OCD self sorted the candy by type and gave away our least favorites first. Luckily, we are left with our favorites- however, I could eat any of it!

Hope everyone had a great Halloween and fun watching some football. We are a happy house tonight since both of my orange teams won tonight- big too may I add!

Why is this guy so happy?

Well, because he just made his very first meal! I went shopping with my mom last Sunday (I know, it's terrible that I don't blog very often but when I do, I catch up for several days!) and I left a bit late from her house so I knew by the time I got home an hour later it would be another hour before I had dinner ready and that would mean eating at 9:00. So, I called Tom and walked him through making dinner. Now, it's a super easy recipe that I had planned so it wasn't too difficult but to walk someone through where every measuring cup and spoon are in the kitchen was a bit more challenging than I expected. Tom came through though, and it was a relief to know that is one dinner I can always count on him to make when I'm in a pinch.

Installation!

So my exciting event that I was attending Monday...I know you have been waiting to hear about it. Well, I was installed as an official member of Amica last night! Amica is a group of 40 women in Rockwall who raise an amazing amount of money each year for various charitable organizations. I was persuaded to attended my first meeting back in the spring by two of my former parents. I had taught both of their girls in Kindergarten and they convinced me that I should attend a meeting and see what I thought. I was immediately hooked when I heard about all of the things these ladies do for our community and our children. So, last night, I was installed as a full fledged member. I couldn't be more proud! Next month on November 21 to be exact, we will have the annual Gala where majority of our funds are raised. Community members purchase tickets for the event and have an opportunity to bid on fabulous prizes, activities, weekend trips, and many more items through both silent and live auctions. There are even casino events and what I'm excited about, a diamond raffle! If you live in the DFW area and are interested in attending this event, please contact me for more information. I would LOVE to have you attend and meet some of my blog friends all while supporting worthwhile causes in our community!

Fall Feast!

Last night was my weenie roast to celebrate my 30th with my close friends and family. Tom's entire family came in town to help celebrate. It was fun to see Tom's neice and her husband, Kendall and Clayton. Kendall has just a few more weeks of student teaching before she graduates. She wants to teach Kindergarten! It obviously runs in the family since her mom teaches Kindergarten too! (Sorry, I didn't take any pictures from the roast, but I'm hoping to get some from my parents)

Tonight is supposed to be pretty chilly with lows in the 40's so I'm making our new favorite dish- Turkey Chili Mac. It's so good and so easy! I love finding new crock pot recipes! They are great for those days you don't want to cook or long days at work! I've included the recipe below in case you want to try it out!

Turkey Chili Mac
1/2 pound ground turkey
1 can undrained Mexican style tomatoes (Del Monte)
1 can undrained no salt added diced tomatoes
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1 cup (or a bit more) frozen corn
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon taco seasoning
1/2 cup (or more) uncooked elbow macaroni

Brown meat and drain, combine turkey, beans, tomatoes, corn, garlic, onion and seasoning in crock pot. Cover and cook on low 4-5 hours. Add macaroni and stir. Cover and cook 10 minutes then stir again. Cook for an additonal 20 to 30 minutes until macaroni is tender.

We are also having southwestern cornbread tonight with our turkey mac. I've never tried freezing this dish because there is never enough left to freeze! I think over Thanksgiving I'm going to make a double batch and try freezing it, I may also try using leftover turkey too! We are always looking for something to do with the leftover turkey besides sandwiches! Ha!

Well, I've already cleaned house from the party aftermath, finished another load of laundry, completed school work and lesson plans, taken Maggie for a run and dinner is almost ready! All I have to do now is plan what in the world I'm wearing to work this week. I always try to lay out my clothes for the whole week so it makes my mornings move a bit faster. I have parent teacher conferences tomorrow until about 5:30 and then I'm heading to an event that I'm super excited about...I will share details about that later on, don't worry! Hope everyone had a relaxing Sunday! I'm glad mine was relaxing and productive! Yes, relaxing to me does include running the vacuum and cleaning bathrooms..crazy I know!!! Enjoy your week ya'll!

30 Part 1

Well, Thursday began year 30 for me. I got through it pretty well I must say. I received flowers in the shape of a cupcake with balloons from a dear friend who I met when I taught her child in Kindergarten. She and I have been friends since so it was so sweet to receive those from her along with dinner, a card and a new charm. We celebrated with a wonderful dinner at Bin 303, it was just the girls because Tom had parent teacher conference night at school. It was a fun beer dinner with a celebrity guest brewmaster there. The beer was paired with great German food. I really enjoyed the second course! It was a pork cutlet with red cabbage...so yum! I could hardly get through the rest of the courses because I enjoyed the second one so much! However, dessert wasn't too far away. We had a grilled carmalized banana split! It was heaven in a bowl!!!


I received lots of nice gifts from my students and one special gift from another great friend...a SNUGGIE!!! I can't wait for a cold night and a date on the couch with the snuggie :) Thanks Janelle for fulfilling my birthday wish list!!! You are the best!
Tonight is my weenie roast birthday party. Stay tuned for more pictures and fun stories!!!

Saying Goodbye to the 20's but Hello to Fall!

It's officially my last day in my 20's. I've been on an emotional roller coaster lately. I've laughed and cried and have come to terms with the fact that the carefree days of the 20's are coming to a hault. I somehow feel that I will be an official adult tomorrow, even though I have had a career, a husband, a home and a car now for about 8 years (well, not the husband but you get the jist). I really wanted to be a mom by 30 but that isn't looking too good right now. I guess I'll have to settle with just being a mom to Maggie right now. Tom and I FINALLY got our Fall decorations up Sunday. I know this will be hard to believe but my husband skipped the Cowboys game to hang out with me, at the pumpkin patch no less! I know what you are thinking ladies, but trust me one day your husband will give in to the demands of the interior decorator in all of us! Ha!!

We even stopped at Starbucks to complete our day of fall fun!

Insomnia for a Change!!!

Usually I have no problems sleeping or actually napping but tonight, I'm wide awake!!! It's 1:00 in the morning and I'm awake...I was even up at 6 this morning feeding the cat and cleaning. I have no idea why I'm not tired tonight however. I did take a short 2 hour nap this afternoon but I'm just not sleepy now. The good news is, I don't have to work tomorrow!

I am having lots of issues lately though so maybe this is one more thing to add to the list. I have been known for just about my entire life as a grazer when it comes to food. I like to eat and enjoy trying new foods but can never really sit down and eat the 3 meals a day like most people. I like to nibble on lots of different things until I'm satisfied. I could NEVER do a strict diet because I simply can't eat like normal folks. Lately, the past 2 or 3 weeks I guess, I have been eating my usual breakfast of chocolate milk and peanut butter toast then around 10am having a snack of peanuts or a piece of fruit and then at lunch having my soup and goldfish with a pudding cup or jello and a peppermint pattie. However, when dinner comes around, I cook but can not face the dinner I've made. I usually snack when I get home which may be why I don't want to eat my freshly cooked dinner or something else. I don't know, but this week's dinners have consisted of carrots with dip, marshmallows and pita chips. I know, odd combination and NO I'm not pregnant. I just want to eat "junk" for dinner and not sure why really. Now, I'm sure most of you are thinking that I need to go to the doctor but unfortunately, our school district opted for a new healthcare plan which did away with copays so until you meet the outrageous deductible, you must pay full price for visiting the doctor or go to the "free clinic" for employees only. I would visit the clinic if I could get in. The appointment times are ridiculous and with swine flu going around, all appointments are taken. Hopefully, my crazy diet won't make me gain any more extra weight. I need to save my extra pounds for upcoming holidays and the big birthday on Thursday...uggg!!!

On another note, I told you I couldn't sleep, we went to see Couples Retreat tonight. It was so funny and definitely didn't deserve the D- rating from some of the reviewers. We loved the location they filmed in (St. Regis Resort, Bora Bora) and are looking into planning our next vacation there perhaps!

What do you think I should do for my insomnia and bad food choices? I could use some free advice!!!! ha!

Fried Food Capital or The Texas State Fair

Alright, I skipped work to go with Tom to the fair on Friday. Bad, yes, I know but so much fun and so worth it. We had an unbelievably beautiful day and had the weekend to rest, well, sort of. The fair is my favorite time of year. I know that fall is around the corner, Thanksgiving break will be here soon and I get to try the best foods made better by just being fried. This year, the winner of the best taste of the fair was Fried Butter. You got it right friends, fried butter. Tom and I decided to skip that heart attack on a plate and go with our usuals. We had fried snickers, Yummy! We also tried a fried peanut butter cup macaroon. It was also very good. The vendor tried to get us to taste a fried hunny bun but I was too full after a Fletcher's corny dog and the fried sweet treats. We thought we would go back before we left and taste it but we didn't.

We also browsed the auto show while we were at the fair and took a peek at some possibilities for my next vehicle. We are highly considering the Infiniti FX 35 and the Nissan Murano. Both are very similar but we want to make sure we get the most bang for our buck. The Nissan with all the options is basically the Infiniti. I love them both and would be happy with either one. I just want to be able to pop a baby seat in the back and have room for shopping bags and my dog too. We are going to go to the dealerships where we can get more one on one attention and actually test drive both vehicles before making a final decision. I'll keep you posted on our selection.

Well, it's Sunday and we are having a rainy, gray day here in Texas. It's unfortunately supposed to be yucky all week. I'm glad that Tom and I hit the fair this past week because this week doesn't look to good at all to be spending time outside. The Cowboys just lost at the last second and I need to grab some laundry out of the dryer and start my yummy baked potato soup for dinner. I hope my headache is gone by the morning or my Monday will be a long day!