It's All Working Out Just Fine

Are years getting shorter?

2011-06-17T21:35:00.000-04:00

Sometimes I wonder if I missed the memo:

Dear all,

Please note that effective immediately, days will feel shorter, time will fly, and school years will seem to end quickly. This change in policy will be known as your life passing you by; however some departments may call it the creeping in of old age.

Sincerely,
The Keeper of Time

I absolutely cannot believe that today was the last day of school. Although all of my paperwork is done...report cards done and printed, student files filled in and submitted to the office, book inventories emailed...I spent no time cleaning my classroom during the lead up to today. So, for the next few days when the weather is scheduled to be gorgeous, I will be in my classroom. You can laugh now.

Head over to Lauren's blog to participate!

1. The last movie I saw was Letters to Juliet. It just came on Sho a few weeks ago and I DVRed it right away...and watched it on a school night (gasp!). I think I liked it even more than I should have because I was high on the exhilaration of having a normal evening not filled with school work! I'm a sucker for any romantic comedy.

2. I want to not have to make a decision. I feel like Mr. Fine and I are constantly making major decisions, negotiating our time together, and figuring something out. I want to be able to enjoy the present.

3. Surprises are something I'm not usually good at. Case in point: I sent Mr. Fine a card last week. According to my calculations the card should have arrived on Wednesday. So on Monday, I asked what he was doing on Wednesday, what time he'd be going home, and what time the mail arrived. Pretty sure he'd figured it out by my third question. Yep. Surprise!

4. The best accessory is a necklace. Long. Short. Doesn't matter, but homemade is my latest craze.

5. My favorite warm drink is a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks. But a cappuccino from my Tassimo and flavored with caramel syrup will do just fine in non-pumpkin latte season, thank you!

6. My favorite cold drink is lemon crystal light. Water is disgusting. Throw in some cute yellow crystals and I could drink a jug!

7. Currently I'm loving Criminal Minds marathons on A&E, that Covert Affairs is back on, chocolate chips straight from the bag, my Clarks Unstructured Pumps, and my lily pad flowers.

Happy Weekend!

A relaxing Sunday

2011-06-12T15:40:00.000-04:00

I've had a perfect weekend so far...I got some school work done (but not too much to make it a school weekend), did some reading on the patio, watched the lily pad flowers come to life in the pond, and cut the lawn. And as you can likely see, I did some blog face-lifting...I just need to fiddle with my signature image so the white background is transparent...but the weather is too nice to sit inside for much longer so that will need to wait!

I went out for a few minutes to capture the flora with my point and shoot and got these quick SOOC shots:

This lily pad flower is just so pretty -- my photography skills don't do it justice. The yellow center portion is a nice complement to the light pink petals.

Photo Challenge: Yellow

I'm so excited that the fish have started swimming at the surface when I am close to the pond. It takes them a few weeks in Spring/Summer to not be scared any more. After winter, the fish always tend to hide whenever we go near the pond. Now, they are swimming a ton and so fun to watch!

I've got a busy week coming up -- the last week of school...so a few more concepts to teach, field day, and of course, a field trip. To top off a great weekend, I'm living off a high of grabbing a great thrifted cardigan last week. I'm hoping the weather cooperates this week so I can wear a skirt with it! :-)

Have a great week everyone!

Good Stuff

2011-05-29T07:53:00.004-04:00

A few months ago, Mr. Fine and I headed to D.C. for the weekend. Mr. Fine had eaten at Good Stuff the last time he was in D.C. so it was there, of course, that we headed for dinner on Friday night. As we were standing in line, I kept thinking to myself that I was positive I had seen the cashier somewhere before. Me? A teacher hailing far from D.C. recognizing a cashier in D.C.? No, must be just their twin double. We placed our order and stood waiting for the food to arrive. While we waited we overhead a conversation between a random group of people to this effect:

That's him. I should get a picture. No, he'll think I'm crazy. Oh, just take the picture.

Leave it to Mr. Fine. He asked the group who they were talking about. Why, Spike from Top Chef, of course! So I wasn't crazy! I did recognize the cashier (er, owner of Good Stuff). Spike's season of Top Chef was one of the Top Chef seasons that I did watch.

Needless to say, that burger was the best burger I've really ever had. And the fries. OMG!

Wish I'd take a picture...but the remnants were none too pretty. A balled up wrapper is not what blogs are made of! ;-)

A few weeks ago, I borrowed the Good Stuff Eatery cookbook from our local library. Together (that's code for Mr. Fine) we made the Obama burger and Sunny's fries.

Our attempt at replicating our night out in D.C. took a bit longer than a stand in line...but oh, it was well worth it!

Our Obama burger and Sunny's Fries...home version

Have any of you eaten at Good Stuff? Which burger did you order?

Back at It with Fill in the Blanks

2011-05-27T19:49:00.000-04:00

I'm a bit worried I may have forgotten how to post. Oops. Life has gotten a bit busy and I've been terrible about blogging. I take a few minutes each day to read blogs but have really just been stalking. I'm giving a shot at getting back at the swing of things with a Fill in the Blanks via Lauren.

1. If I could get away somewhere for the weekend I would go absolutely no where! Is that allowed? I've been away for most of the week on a class trip and am picking up Mr. Fine at the airport tomorrow morning. A weekend of home time is much needed. We do plan on planting the yard this weekend so I will be getting to the garden store!

2. Something I often rant about is the decisions made by our administration...that and people who drive under the speed limit. I'm not a speeder but at least go the speed limit!

3. One item I need to have in my fridge at all time is a carton of fresh cage-free veggie fed eggs. I typically get the urge to bake on the weekends and go nuts when my eggs have expired...which may indeed by the case when tomorrow morning rolls around. Hmm.

4. My "life-saving" product is my iPhone. I'm constantly checking my mail for sweet messages from Mr. Fine. There's nothing like a quick email filled with love to keep me going through the day.

5. A friend is someone who can keep a secret! Nothing drives me more batty than friends who gossip.

6. If I could write my own blank it would be what the latest CD someone bought was.

7. My favorite kind of art is the kind I understand! ;-) I'm a very linear person with little creativity. You may remember my dive into photography. Any art that speaks to me is wonderful!

Thanks for reading...if there's still anyone still out there! I apologize for my absence. This year's been a bit stressful but I'm hanging in there. Nothing a good visit from Mr. Fine this weekend can't solve!

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends!

But ohhhh, it's pretty!

2011-02-23T18:39:00.000-05:00

I got back to school today after our Monday off and ... a SNOW DAY! I actually thought I was dreaming when the call came in at 5:04 a.m. yesterday. After talking to the person above me on the snow tree, I clamored out of bed for my laptop because I couldn't decide if I'd dreamed the whole scenario or not. I hadn't even contemplated a snow day so it was a shock! I spent the day making muffins (sadly, they've all been eaten or you'd get a picture) and doing some school work.

And ... I found this little gem, thanks to a nice email from my friend Kate Spade:

It's on sale. And ohhhh, it's pretty. Any guesses on the sale price? No? You can check it here. $147 for some pink cow? But ohhh, it pretty.

Happy Hump Day everyone!

A 'fine' weekend...

2011-02-21T20:58:00.000-05:00

My self imposed pity party (Don't know what I'm talking about? See here for the moody details) ended sharply Saturday morning with a trip to the charity shop and Target -- a bit of retail therapy (especially at cheapy prices) is sure to cure all! And it didn't hurt that the sun was shining (finally - holla!) for the whole day!

Now, I visited Target mid-January and noticed the tiny red mailboxes that they had in the dollar section:

From Our Seven Dwarfs

I knew, knew that they were going to be a popular item (as evidenced by my google image search of "red target mailbox" so I didn't have to take my own picture), but I'm trying to pitch, sort, and reduce the teacher clutter in my life (it can really build up over a decade, let me tell you!)... so I didn't buy one. I know, I know - only $1...but the clutter was worth more than that to me (at the time). I had planned on using it for a small mailbox on my desk for students to put their notes in. They are constantly writing me notes and I stick them in my pocket...and I find them later at night at home.

But - skip to this past Saturday morning - I noticed the Target $1 section had purple dot items at 50% off - I know, right!? And looky, looky, there was 1 (it was clearly meant to be) red mailbox left. Now, who wouldn't buy the darling little thing when there was only 1 left and it was only 50 cents? I just couldn't pass it up. So now, I have a cute mailbox decorated with a cute label with cute clipart...sure to bring on some cute notes from students.

Despite the 10.6 inches of snow that fell over the weekend (and which needed to be shoveled by yours truly), my long weekend was relaxing and filled with trashy romance novels, blog reading, and list catching up.

Hope your weekend was grand!

Fill in the Blank Friday

2011-02-18T17:54:00.001-05:00

I've not done one of these in many weeks, but I figured I was due for some reflection. I've been feeling pretty crap all week -- physically exhausted and over-worked. Sadly, Mr. Fine told me last week that the 'old Mrs. Fine' (read: the one who works 70 hours a week and is grumpy all the time) has come home to roost. Unfortunately, I agree. I'm not happy about it. I'm not happy about it at all. And I just don't know how to get back to the 'new Mrs. Fine' (read: the one who works 60 hours a week and can enjoy life outside of work). I should likely be napping. But who wants to nap on a sunny (read: 45 degrees - warm for here right now) evening. I should likely be doing something fun. But who wants to leave the house when they're in their fuzzy socks, hoodie, and yoga pants? Not, I! Ack. So -- I need to reflect. Here goes:

1. I am sometimes sarcastic. A bookworm at heart. Thrilled to see the world with a clarity I've never known. A sucker for Girl Scout Cookies. An addict when learning something new.

2. The bravest thing I've ever done was LASIK! But you all knew that...before that? I don't usually feel very brave...except when I do the black diamond sections that intersect with my blue square sections on the ski hill.

3. I feel prettiest when I shower before school vs the night before and my hair looks proper. When I wear heels vs comfortable dress shoes and when I wear my pea coats. Those and the perfect matching lip gloss.

4. Something that keeps me awake at night is absolutely nothing (much to Mr. Fine's chagrin). I can even sleep on a hardwood floor within a few minutes - just as snug as a bug. I did stay awake for several hours this past week (read crap week rant above) and it drove me NUTS!

5. My favorite meal in the entire world is salmon on the BBQ, rice pilaf, and cooked fresh veggies. Strawberry crumble for desert. A bottle of Trader Joe's $4 wine (doesn't take much for me). All on the patio in the middle of summer. Shucks. Makes me cry just thinking about it...where is summer?

6. The way to my heart is through chocolate, patience with my annoying habits, and a good solid hug.

7. I would like to be happy with myself. Truly happy.

Have a wonderful weekend, my friends. I am going to work on relaxing, being happy, and getting some emotional clutter tidied up. What are you up to?

A bit of this and that

2011-02-15T21:48:00.000-05:00

So, I'm finally finding the time to sit down on the couch for some DVR time - complete with iPhone, laptop, and lesson plans surrounding me on the couch. Ha!

I've been busying trying to catch up at work - I finally got the pile (of piles) that had stacked up behind my desk at school cleaned up.

Mr. Fine and I were at Sam's the other night -- boring, I know. But get this -- you know how an employee checks your receipt and counts your cart items before you leave? Usually they use their highlighter to write a line through your receipt. This time? No. Instead, we got a circle. And what was that circle circling, you ask? This:

Find big savings for your tiny tot. Shop us for diapers, formula, and more.

Sure, we'll have kid(s). And sure, that time is quickly coming upon us. But really, we're getting family planning advice from the Sam's Club employee? On the up side, at least we looked young enough to be in the family planning zone - at least according to Sam.

I've got brownies and a cup of tea calling my name in the kitchen. Gotta run!

Six on Saturday

2011-02-05T10:09:00.001-05:00

Following in Nicolasa's footsteps and giving you all the low-down on my week and brain turnings...

image modified from (we heart it)

1. Mr. Fine has arrived home and I am *patiently* waiting for him to get out of bed. I went to bed at 9 p.m. last night and he arrived in the driveway at 2 a.m. For obvious reasons, we're on a slightly different schedule this morning. When I briefly woke him up this morning (which he was NOT happy about) I indicated that I needed to get to the post office, library (gotta start that Tall Tales unit on Monday), and would like to do so before the snow (again!) hits at noon. Didn't go over well, let me tell you. So, I'm hoping that our time together is a *bit* better than the sleep-deprived driven conversation we had this morning!

2. I have had some really fun jewelry projects just waiting for me to get to them. Mr. Fine was in Boston awhile back (er um 2010) and came home with some g-r-e-a-t beads for me from The Boston Bead Company. I"m so lucky that he's got style and can just pick up stuff for me! But alas, I NEED to do something with them...I've got some necklace ideas twirling but it's the doing part that seems to slow me down!

3. I am feeling really happy about having kept the house super duper clean for about 3 weeks now. I'm not a slob by any means but I do tend to have *some* school piles hanging around. I've been really good about putting stuff away when I walk in the door...and it feels great to come home to a house that is awesomely clean. Mr. Fine whispered in my ear last night that the house looked like no one lived in it. Is that good or bad?

4. When I started my personal blog in the summer, it was with the intent to push me to have a life. I can tend to be a bit school-obsessed. I've been struggling lately...as you can tell by the very limited number of posts in 2011. I can't decide if I want to be a blogger that blogs for the sake of it - about anything random -- would my readers care? Or do I wait until something fantastic happens? Which, lately, seems to be never. ;-) A quandry, my blog friends, indeed.

5. I've been super pleased with my vision - post Lasik - and still marvel about how well I can see on a daily basis. As with most Lasik patients, I can see best when the light is bright. Contrast situations are difficult for us 'fake sight' folks. When we're outside for recess, I can see across the playground, which is very new for me. And of course, I'm enjoying *having* to wear sunglasses. I'm hoping that it cuts down on the wrinkles that seem to have appeared on my face. ;-)

6. Finally, I've been totally neglecting my Daring Kitchen duties. Apparently you're only supposed to miss 2 a year...and I'm waaaay behind. I'm hoping they don't kick me out! How embarrassing to be kicked out of an online kitchen challenge! Maybe that's one thing I can do this weekend...to be 'normal.'

Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!

Thursday - post snow

2011-02-03T18:55:00.000-05:00

So the bad news is that I didn't meet my self-created goal of "being back within 2 weeks." The bad news is also that I really don't have much of anything to say today. I was, however, too aghast to see that I only posted once in January. And so, it has become that I am writing a random Thursday post to increase the number over on the right side of my so-called blog here.

I was one of the lucky with a snow day yesterday. Because the call came in on Tuesday night, I was able to turn off the alarm (!!) and sleep until 9:30 a.m. What a feeling! I made chocolate chip muffins using this recipe and enjoyed a few hours of television from the DVR. I don't have the reality show obsession that some in the blogosphere have, but I do have the 'I'm still in high school' show addiction...and watched the bachelorette party episode of One Tree Hill.

Then, I alternated between working on my learning bags (which I HAVE to post photos of) and shoveling the driveway. Too bad Mr. Fine was not home (did I not tell you that he was away and living it up in shorts and 70 degree weather? No? I must have blocked that out) because I think I will never walk the same way again...I have this hunch to my walk now - as a result of lifting a TON of snow and moving it out of the driveway. This hunch was exasperated this evening when the lovely plow came along and put those few feet of snow in the road back into the driveway...and my perfection complex meant that I just HAD to go fix the end of the driveway. Enough. You've likely stopped reading already! ;-)

I'm excited for tomorrow, as Mr. Fine returns home and it will be Friday!

Have a wonderful weekend...and thanks for sticking around to my loyal readers. I will try to be a better blogger!

Six on Saturday

2011-01-15T14:48:00.000-05:00

You may have noticed that I've been a bit absent on the blog front. My own blog, that is. I've certainly kept up with my reader and have enjoyed reading everyone else's blog.

Nicolasa has encouraged her readers to write our own six on Saturday -- we get to read hers each week. So perhaps this is just the ticket to get me out of my blog writing funk [which to be honest is because my life just isn't as interested as everyone else's!]

Here's my week in six:

[1] - I've been desperately waiting for MLK day and think I might have made a To Do list a bit too daunting. We shall see!

[2] - Mr. Fine and I thoroughly (and I mean thoroughly!) cleaned very cubby of our home this week. It feels great...but now that the task is complete, I'm feeling a bit "what do I do now-ish?"... maybe the list from [1]? ;-)

[3] - I was really hoping for a snow day on Wednesday this week. So much so that I woke up with my alarm at 5:30 a.m. and said, "Are you kidding me?" because I didn't get the 5:00 a.m. phone call. Turns out a few other teachers at school were disappointed too. I called a friend to tell her I was sending a few books over with one of my students and she answered the phone with, "Are you are depressed as I am?" (we have call display at school for our extensions). Priceless.

[4] - Mr. Fine made the best (and I mean the best!) blueberry muffins earlier this week. Usually I am the baker in the house, but this may have to change. His muffins were amazing! They even had the muffin top like in stores. I was busy with school work the night he made them and I sat at the kitchen table making fun of him because he meticulously followed the recipe -- to the point of even having the wet and dry bowl. Well, I had to rescind my ridicule once tasting commenced. Perhaps having wet and dry actually does improve baking products.

[5] - I went to a used book sale last weekend and found Alex Rider's Gadget book for 50 cents -- made a huge hit with some boys at school. At this sale, I picked up a few key books for a project I'm tackling - I'm about to delve into the basement to make up some sets of books in bags to have some themed book sets to send home with students during the week. I'm hoping to get at least 5 of these theme bags done this weekend.

[6] - One of my very best good friends from school and I went out on the weekend for our birthdays (each last week). We enjoyed wonderful conversation and I had a delicious decaf hazel nut cappuccino for dessert.

Have a great weekend, everyone! I hope to be back in less than 2 weeks from now! ;-)

New Peeps -- 1 Week Later

2010-12-30T12:27:00.000-05:00

Yes, I've been a bad blogger. And no, it's not because I've been out gallivanting for the holidays nor shopping the sales afterward. I've been doing something better. S-e-e-i-n-g the world! It's amazing, just amazing!

It's been 1 week since my LASIK and everything has been very smooth! I spent the first few days reading other LASIK-doing bloggers' accounts to ensure that I was feeling (and seeing!) the same results they were...which was very reassuring. In honor of those blogs, I shall *briefly* outline my LASIK Week 1 experience in this blog post. [Revision after previewing: it's not so brief]

Day 1: Surgery Appointment @ 8:00 a.m.

Mr. Fine was perhaps slightly concerned that I wasn't more nervous, but on game day I was ready with only slight jitters. I had considered that there might be pain during the surgery only the night before. I had only been focused on the pain afterward and for which the doctor had already prescribed my Valium. The possibility of surgery pain was what made me nervous.

The nurse did a final check of the shape of my eye to confirm the results in the laser machine and then doped me up with one of my Valium pills. Soon, I was almost dozing in the chair and was primed for surgery. The surgery itself was over within about 15 minutes and was relatively pain-free. First, they taped my eyelids back (not as painful as one would think...perhaps Valium helped?) and then dosed my eyes with numbing drops and some antibiotics. After that, they put in a corneal ring -- what looked looked like a small rubber ring (and which was the most painful part of the procedure) and which held my eye open. Then came the pressure/suction. I could hear the doctor keep asking the nurse if the suction was holding...which it was, because she kept responding suction holding at [enter number].

Then, it was on to the laser. They cut open a flap and I stared at a dot (easier than I thought!) and then the doctor pulled back the flap so I could look at a bigger star like laser while the laser reshaped my eye. That's it. Take the suction off, ring out, swivel the table, and repeat for the other eye.

I was able to walk on my own to the after surgery room where Mr. Fine was waiting, although my eyes were fuzzy and desperately wanted to close (maybe because they'd just been cut into?). However, I did catch a glimpse of a window and wowsers -- I could see! Already, within a few minutes of the surgery. It was blurry but I could clearly make out cars. Now, for keen sighted folk, this may seem like no big deal. But for a gal who needed glasses for e-v-e-r-y-t-h-i-n-g, blurry cars were bliss! The doctor put plastic shields on my eyes, gave Mr. Fine (aka Eye Drop Giver) final instructions, and we left. I remember sitting at the door of the clinic for a few minutes while Mr. Fine went to get the car -- my eyes were not staying open on their own accord anymore and I didn't think I could make it to the parking lot. Besides, I did have those *cool* "I've had eye surgery" black shades on and was happy to limit the number of people who saw me in them.

I kept asking Mr. Fine where we were while in the car, because I was in pain and wanted to be close to home. My doctor had told me that the first few hours would be painful -- the man was not kidding. With Mr. Fine's help I made it into the house and into the bed, where I was to sleep (as instructed by the doctor). "Sleep off the pain," he'd said. Problem. I was whining and moaning and found it hard to sleep. So Mr. Fine, dear soul that he is (or perhaps because he was tired of my moaning), climbed on the bed and held me for 2 hours while I slept. When I woke up, I was out of the big pain period and moved to the couch. I remember this period as pain free, however, Mr. Fine distinctly remembers me saying, "this was a bad idea." I don't remember that part. Regardless, by 3 p.m. I was up and around with my shields, getting eye drops every 2 hours. By dinner, I was at the table, peering through my shields and seeing a clear meal in front of me.

Day 2: Follow Up Appointment @ 8:00 a.m.

The resident took off my shields, handed me a black wand, and had me do the vision chart. 20-20 in one eye. 20-15 in the other. That eye chart hasn't looked so clear since middle school! The doctor checked my flaps which were healing smoothly (wrinkles and bubbles are bad) and sent me home with instructions to do drops 4 times a day and to only wear shields at night (important, as I am still waking up in the middle of the night trying to get at my eyes). My eyes occasionally felt like I had my contacts in (they had always hurt me) but I could see CLEARLY (everything!) and was not in pain.

Days 3 - 6:

Mr. Fine and I lived, shopped, and Christmased. We stayed close to home, however, just in case. We went to Michael's for some framing and I found myself just standing in the store just gazing. I hadn't considered that I had gained peripheral vision...something I never got with my glasses. There is A LOT to look at in stores. I did notice that my vision would be awesome in the morning but that my eyes would get very tired and I'd need a nap during the day. My eyes would not want to stay open. By night, my vision had decreased but it was still better than my glasses. I also couldn't focus on the computer screen for too long before my eyes got tired.

Day 7: Follow Up Appointment at 12:30 p.m.

My flaps were still healing well and I was put on over-the-counter tear drops instead of my steroid and antibiotic drops. I can use the tears whenever I want and there's no over using them. The wetter the eye, the more healing it can do. On the vision chart, I am 20-20 with a few of the 20-15 line with one eye and 20-15 with the other.

That night, Mr. Fine and I picked up take-out in the dark. Pre-LASIK I didn't like driving because the headlight stars were terrible. Now, it's like driving in the daytime. I can see the road, the headlights are headlights, and I have none of the weird night-vision side effects that other LASIK patients complain of.

That night, my vision also hadn't deteriorated as badly by days-end and I didn't require any mid-afternoon nap.

Today:

The corneal ring bruising is gone from my eye and I can be on the computer for long periods of time without fatigue. I. Can. See.

My To-Do List?

-figure out what to do with my glasses...
-get a new blogger picture sans glasses...

Happy 2011 friends!

Monday Musings

2010-12-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

Happy Monday, all!

I'm super excited because Mr. Fine is driving home right now, as I type!!

There is only 1 more day of school and only 3 days until my LASIK...I'm a ~~lot~~ bit nervous about Thursday.

I have zero (you can't believe it, I know) Christmas gifts purchased or even thought of. Apparently, I have a list of ideas for Mr. Fine somewhere...but I haven't actually done anything about it.

I took my students ice skating today and have many blisters on my hands -- when will 10 year olds learn how to tie their own skates? Granted, most of them hung on to the ledge for dear life for most of the hour, but come on?! And...it did not feel good when after crouching on my knees for 25 minutes tying, my knees and legs h-u-r-t. Ouch -- getting old.

And...should Mr. Fine be reading...I would enjoy seeing this Banana Republic sweater in our closet:

Fill in the Blank Friday

2010-12-17T17:45:00.000-05:00

It's Friday! So it's that time again...link up with Lauren if you want to play too!

1. Giving is nerve-wracking! Sitting there waiting to see if the recipient will get the "I'm faking my happiness" look on their face or an authentic happiness. Giving is definitely my favorite part but it makes me nervous!

2. Receiving is not necessary. I really like to downplay gifts at Christmas. I'm in it more for the food, atmosphere, and time with others. I am ALL FOR birthdays, though. I love the day that is all about Mrs. Fine.

3. The best gift I ever received was our garage door opener. Seriously. Mr. Fine surprised me with one many years ago and it meant I could stay in my cozy car in the blizzard without lifting the door. It *MADE MY DAY*!

4. The best gift I ever gave was the homemade jewelery I handed out last year. Nerve wracking, of course (see #1), but the recipients loved them (I think) ;-).

5. Something intangible that I wish I could receive is more time with Mr. Fine. He's away a lot and I miss him! Maybe that's tangible...I can touch Mr. Fine...

6. Something intangible that I wish I could give is confidence to my students during tests. They have major test anxiety and make silly mistakes....eek!

7. The one gift I always wanted as a child, but never got was I can't think of anything...I was never really into Christmas gifts.

Happy Weekend, all!

2010-12-14T14:01:00.001-05:00

Over Thanksgiving weekend, I completed the most recent Daring Cooks challenge -- poaching. I opted to make Eggs Benedict. It certainly was exciting with sauces bubbling and eggs floating in the kitchen.

Mandatory Fine Print: Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

I opted to make homemade biscuits instead of English Muffins (mainly because I was too lazy to go to the store to buy English Muffins) and although Mr. Fine smiled and nodded at the Eggs Benedict effort, he opted to use leftover Thanksgiving cheese sauce instead of the mustard sauce on his second serving.

Eggs Poaching in a Frying pan of water

The Final Product!

Has anyone else ever made Eggs Benedict at home? I'd love to hear how it went for you!

Happy Cooking!

Wishes DO come true.

2010-12-13T10:04:00.000-05:00

Silly to wish for snow days...but you know the kids are definitely wishing for them. It's 9:45 a.m. Monday - I'm still in my pajamas on the couch blogging and watching FaLaLaLa Lifetime. We got a snow day!

I look out the window and I see:

My plans are:

-finish some grading
-laundry
-dishes
-blogging
-finish a necklace I'm working on
-drink lots of the new Peppermint Hot Chocolate I get on Saturday at Trader Joe's

May not seem that exciting to some...but absolute bliss right now for me!

What plans do you have for the day?

Fill in the Blank Friday

2010-12-10T21:36:00.000-05:00

Thankfully it's Friday!!!!! Aside from the sigh of relief that I'm currently exhaling, I'm participating again in Lauren's Fill in the Blank Friday:

1. I wish I had the energy to bake on school nights. I l-o-v-e baking! I find baking so relaxing...but lately I've been way too exhausted to do anything at night.

2. Yesterday I saw the fruits of my labor in action as the math night I organized at school had hundreds of people come.

3. Today I will go to a basketball game field trip with my students and have a great time watching them in an outside of school environment.

4. Tomorrow I will sleep (see #2 and #3). ;-)

5. Maybe I will make snicker filled cookies from here if I can get up the energy and willingness to ingest that many calories in one (eh ehm...one plus) cookie.

6. Someday I want to be able to surf well and play the guitar properly (We've avoided buying me a guitar in case it becomes a forgotten fad in the closet...a bit like the heaps of scrapbooking supplies I have).

7. I love reading in bed on the weekend with no pressure to get out of the bed.

What great plans do you have for the weekend?

A week's done...so filling in the blanks

2010-12-03T21:33:00.003-05:00

Tonight I spent a girls night out with a friend doing dinner and then a craft show. I tended to stay away from the cozy Christmas booths but got some fantastic pottery mugs and some jewelery from a woman I've bought from for the past 3 years. She recognized me (is that scary?) and knew exactly what size of neck cord I wanted for my pendants! Given the Christmas nature of my evening, it seemed that this week's Fill in the Blanks was fitting.

1. Holiday spirit is the part of Christmas I love best. I like the happy cozy feeling I get in evenings with the lights on the tree and candles burning on the kitchen table.

2. The holidays are incomplete without a night for trimming the tree and a night for baking...all with the Christmas carol radio station playing in the background.

3. My favorite things to do around the holidays is spend time with Mr. Fine and a cup of decaf, wrap presents (my high school employment as a wrapper tends to mean that ALL gifts are wrapped by yours truly), and bake!

4. A holiday tradition my family and I have is getting a new Christmas ornament from my Mom each year.

5. Holiday music is totally cheesy but totally addictive, perfect for the 2 weeks before Christmas but completely unnecessary immediately after Thanksgiving, and the seemingly fall back music for any Lifetime Movie shown during the Month of December.

6. This year, I'll be spending the holidays seeing with my new vision...after my Christmas present of LASIK!! I am totally psyched about waking up on Christmas morning and actually seeing the alarm clock.

7. Holiday wish list time with Mr. Fine and sight. You know, nothing major!. ;-)

What great holiday plans do you have?

When?

2010-12-01T19:52:00.000-05:00

-was the Thanksgiving break? [It feels like weeks ago...]

-will I stop eating pumpkin pie?

-will today's snow stop?

-get myself in gear to write a real blog post?

Any answers?

Weekend of Victories

2010-11-21T19:04:00.000-05:00

As I was watching a rather demoralizing football game yesterday, I kept thinking that despite the losing score, it was a fine victory that we still were able to score touchdowns...it could have been worse.

{source: we heart it}

And so, I have chronicled my weekend as a series of small victories:

1. I am lesson planned for 2 weeks in advance.
2. I created a kick-ass differentiated multiplication board game for my kiddos to use in a few weeks.
3. I bought lots of goodies at the bead store and have made a cute glass bead bracelet and have started a knotted stone bead necklace.
4. I spontaneously hit up a local church craft sale after dropping off my library books and scored some very cool mittens in the shape and color of footballs.
5. I have kept the house clean and tidy, exactly one week after my swiffer toxin episode.
6. I made homemade potato corn soup in the crock pot today and have enough for school lunches for a few days.
7. I watched a few good movies on my free HBO trial this weekend.
8. I'm really digging Lady Gaga as my workout music right now.

What a great weekend! What small victories did you have?

The Power of a Swiffer and scented candles

2010-11-17T20:41:00.000-05:00

Apologies for my absenteeism. Report cards and conferences. Enough said.

I've had the luxury of having a few days off work. After the obligatory (!) days on the couch with laptop in hand reading blogs, I got down to it 'real person' style.

Isn't it amazing the effect that a swiffer can have on a person's outlook? I spent a few hours cleaning and scrubbing (because I admittedly no longer adhere to the weekly cleaning schedule that I maintained in university) and ended with a wet swiffer of the kitchen floor and a pumpkin candle burning on the kitchen table.

Now, I don't know what they put in swiffers and scented candles but I've been high on life and relaxing over the past few days. I'm wondering if it's the toxins in said swiffer and candle that are responsible for such a euphoric celebration of life? I've purchased groceries, reduced piles, and made great plans to make this scarf from the Just Sew Sassy website:

We'll have to see how long the euphoria lasts after I'm back to school tomorrow. No matter - now I know that should I need an outlook life, I simply need to open the wet swiffer box and breathe deeply. Should you need to partake in a similar uplifting experience, my recommendation is the Lavendar Vanilla Comfort scent.

As an aside, having a few days off has also seen an increase in my soap opera consumption. All My Children. I only needed 3 days and I think I understand every story line. There's got to be a lesson plan about story writing somewhere in that observation. And who names their daughter Greenlee?

Happy Hump Day my friends,

Sunday Scavenger Hunt 10.31.10

2010-11-02T18:23:00.000-04:00

I'm scuttling by at the last minute (although I do wish it were Sunday) for last week's scavenger hunt.

Here are my photos!

My Town

In keeping with Mrs. Fine's anonymity, I post a photo of my favorite town: London.

Vintage

I caught this great fence this past weekend and had fun using a SLR to capture it.

Tilt Shift

This is a shot I took this past weekend during a G-R-E-A-T weekend with Mr. Fine. I had FUN with the tilt-maker website...definitely a site I will keep uploading photos to! :-)

In Disguise

I caught this butterfly earlier this week catching a few last minutes of sunshine before Autumn really set in and our impatiens totally bit the dust.

Chocolate

After learning how to use the Macro button on my camera last week, I experimented some more with it for my chocolate shot. Who doesn't spend minutes taking close up shots of chocolate chips in a bowl...and then eating said bowl? Mr. Fine and I did make brownies this weekend and I was going to shoot those...but they were dug into (admittedly by me) before I got the camera out.

It's a crazy busy week for me but I want to be back sooner rather than later because Mr. Fine and I had a great weekend away and I want to share, share, share!

See you soon!

Nuts for doughnuts!

2010-10-27T06:04:00.001-04:00

I awoke Sunday morning determined to complete at least 1 of my Daring Kitchen challenges. Given the fatty nature of deep fried doughnuts and the fact that I'd likely end up eating all of them myself, I opted to bake my doughnuts. The result? Delicious pumpkin doughnuts that tasted like sweet pumpkin bread! They may not look as nice as other Daring Bakers' glazed confectionery delights...but I was able to eat half a batch in one sitting with relatively no guilt.

The October 2010 Daring Bakers challenge was hosted by Lori of Butter Me Up. Lori chose to challenge DBers to make doughnuts. She used several sources for her recipes including Alton Brown, Nancy Silverton, Kate Neumann and Epicurious.

The batter was gooey but easy enough to work with once I decided to forgo the mixer and opted instead for solid arm wrestling with the dough.

I obtained a circular shape by using a zip lock bag as my piping bag, cutting the corner off of the bag, and squeezing out the dough from the tip of the bag. It worked marvelously but was gooey on the last doughnut and difficult to get the last bit of dough out. As you can see, I simply make squiggly messes for the last bit of dough.

After 10 minutes in the oven, I enjoyed delicious baked (and relatively healthy) pumpkin doughnuts with my morning coffee. A wonderful Sunday morning, it was indeed!

Scavenger Hunt Sunday 10.24.10

2010-10-24T11:56:00.000-04:00

The weather has (mostly) cooperated this weekend and allowed me to get jobs done outside and not feel too overwhelmed by the impending cold weather. I spent a bit of time taking shots for this week's scavenger hunt. Fair warning, however, these shots are all SOOC and from my point and shoot!

The 5 Senses

This weekend I made some homemade goodies and my 5 senses were definitely working as I was kneading the dough, seeing the goop all over my fingers, inhaling the wonderful pumpkin aroma in the kitchen, listening to the snap of the oven as the goodies baked, and of course, enjoying the taste of the freshly baked pumpkin goods when they emerged from the oven.

Child

This old playground equipment in a local park is the lonely child who's no longer wanted in the group. Instead, children opt for the new plastic equipment while this lonely child sits being tagged by the older children.

Dining

I dug into my Daring Kitchen archives for this photo because admittedly, my dining has not been quite up to snuff this week...unless you count the Mexican take-out I got yesterday? This photo is of an Indian dish I made with homemade nut butter...a recipe that I've replicated for dinner a few times because it is sooo good.

Night

Nothing says night like a 24-hour coffee shop.

Sky

Taken just as the rain was rolling in and I was running for cover.

And now, it's off to finish my lesson plans and eat some more goodies (did I say that out loud?)...

Have a wonderful Monday!

Fill in the Blank Friday

2010-10-22T16:50:00.000-04:00

Thank you Friday! After this week I am looking forward to a weekend of my new pumpkin spice coffee, down time, a hunt for this week's scavenger hunt photos, 2 daring kitchen challenges, and ~~a few~~ many hours of yard work exercise getting the summer pots away. And despite trying to block it out, I have a ton of assessment data to forge my way through in order to plan interventions. Eegatz...that's a lot I seem to have planned!

Thanks to Lauren for this week's Fill in the Blank Friday:

{photo by Photos Day! via We Heart It}

1. I am incredibly happy that it's the weekend!

2. I wish the temperature was still warm and I didn't have to scrape the car windows each morning .

3. I like chocolate, anytime with Mr. Fine, a good trashy romance novel, a solidly successful trip to an outlet mall, and mexican salads with cilantro dressing .

4. I can sit on the couch and eat 3 cookies in a row -- seriously, just did it.

5. I hope I am able to continue living life to its fullest for Mr. Fine and I -- keeping my priorities straight and leaving lots of time for me.

6. I think a lot right now -- all of which is in a jumble of Friday nightness.

7. I was totally psyched to watch The Vampire Diaries last night and think that I'm officially hooked!

What does everyone else have planned for the weekend?