My Accomplishments Today

Please Note: The title for this blog entry is completely, 100% sarcastic.

8:36 am - woke up and mentally calculated that I only needed 7.5 hours of sleep last night
8:45 am - moved to the couch and continued reading the Jen Lancaster novel I started last night
At this point, I stopped keeping track of the time for a little while...
- Contemplated going to the pool to swim some laps (until I remembered the notice from the apartment complex that there is a federal recall on the drains that we have in the pool so the pools are closed until further notice... they should go to the pool now and tell the loud, annoying kids that they are going to get sucked into the sewer system)
- Put exactly 3 glasses in the dishwasher
- Looked at my favorite teacher website ProTeacher and wrote a reply to the post I did yesterday about simplifying my life in the classroom
- Did a few things with my city on facebook (damn games get me every time)
- Continued reading my Jen Lancaster novel
- Hit snooze on the alarm on my cell phone every 30 minutes (designed to remind me that every 30 minutes I should get up off the couch and do something productive for at least 5 minutes)
- Cleaned up the dining room and put away my couponing binder (I even threw away some expired coupons - yay me for cleaning up!)
- Vacuumed (Granted, it was the Roomba that vacuumed but I cleaned the thing out before I set it on it's merry way around my apartment...)
- Sent a text message to Mike about having a good day at work
- Watched the Full House episode where DJ goes on a diet (really... I should have gone and worked out)
- Thought about writing a blog about all of the excuses I could come up with to not work out (the episode of Full House would have been included)
- Texted my friend in California, Olivia, to make sure I was still able to use my cell phone (I'm running a little short on money right now so I didn't pay my bill this month)
- Got a text back from Olivia prompting me to wonder why Mike didn't answer me like he usually does
- Contemplated writing lesson plans for the awesome USA Lapbook I created yesterday
- Put a bunch of white laundry in the washer
- Restarted the dryer so the towels wouldn't get wrinkled
- Finished reading the Jen Lancaster novel (very funny - I highly recommend her books)
- Changed my shirt and put on a sports bra (maybe that will motivate me to work out...)
- Sat down to write this blog post

Wow. What a day. I love summer break when I can have days like this and only feel slightly guilty about the fact that everyone else is off at their jobs working their butts off. Because come August...

I will attend department and curriculum meetings, professional developments, work on tons of lesson plans, organize my classroom, set up cutesy bulletin boards (vom... I hate doing that), try to figure out a way to keep myself organized (which will go out the proverbial window two weeks into the school year), look up all the details on the new students coming to my class (the AP said and I quote, "Your gift is your curse Jenkins" which means I'm going to have all the bad kids in my class again this year since I'm one of the few teachers who can wrangle them in), arrange my classroom, sort through the massive classroom library I've accumulated, and attend wonderful meetings with my team where my opinion on scheduling things and what events I'm willing to go to won't matter because I don't have a husband or kids to schedule around (HEY! Um... my nap schedule is very important. Don't mess with it.).

So yeah, I don't feel bad about my complete lack of progress today. Except that my parents are coming into town tomorrow and my apartment still looks like a 5 year old cleaned it. Guess I should get to that... right after I check on my city on facebook....

Weekend Review

This weekend was a wonderful, relaxing weekend. I love getting to spend time with Mike without too many "things to do". This weekend was a movie weekend for us - we spent most of our time watching movies in the nice, cool air conditioning....

Friday night, Mike and I went to Alamo Drafthouse to see Bad Teacher. I had never been to Alamo Drafthouse, but the concept was really cool. You go into the theater, look at the menu - which was actually a really large menu, write your order on paper and stand the paper up. Then, a waiter comes and gets your paper and brings you your food and your drinks while you watch the movie. I was a little worried that my ADD would be completely activated by this and I'd miss the movie, but that didn't happen! So, I was able to enjoy a sangria and a cheeseburger with fries while watching the movie! As far as the movie was concerned, it was pretty funny! I can picture some of those scenarios happening! Truth be told however, I could have waited until it was out on DVD. But, I had a great time at the movies with my sweet boyfriend.

Saturday, Mike and I slept in a little and then went to run some errands. We went to the Verizon store, because I'm due for an upgrade, and looked around. I wasn't excited by any of the phones so we left and headed up to his side of town. We went to his mom's house and got to spend some time with his mom, his step-dad, his sister, and his brother-in-law. Then we left and as we were driving back, he had me stop at Conn's. We go in and Mike proceeds to buy a 32" flat screen HD LCD TV! We went back to the apartment and he set it up. I ordered pizza and we watched Superbad (awful movie but he thinks it's funny) and Book of Eli (which I loved). Then we went to bed.

Sunday, we slept in again! Then, Mike made breakfast (a first!) and we watched How to Train Your Dragon (super cute movie - I loved it). After breakfast, I worked on his laundry for the week and cleaned the kitchen. I went to the store and got a newspaper and looked through the ads and coupons for the week. Then, we played the video game we've been playing for about a month now, Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance. I love this game because it's a two player game and you have to rely and communicate with the other person to win it. Mike got frustrated with the game so we switched gears and he tried to teach me how to play Tony Hawk's Underground, but I wasn't very good at it so we played Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas for a little while... I'm no good at that one either. So, we watched 8 Mile (still not a very good movie, but it was the only movie we watched this weekend that I had seen before), then took showers and went over to his mom's house. There we had a wonderful dinner with his mom, step-dad, sister, aunt and uncle. There were some wonderful conversations and I love getting time for his family to get to know me and for me to get to know his family. After that, I came home to a quiet but messy apartment and decided to deal with the mess later. So, I went to bed!

I'm still working on thinking of fun things for Mike and I to do on the weekends - I love having these quiet days in but I love going out and doing things too! So, next weekend my parents are coming into town so I'm going to have them over and we are going to have dinner with them. This will be Mike's first time meeting my mom! Other weekend activity ideas: Dave and Busters (I have coupons!), an Astros game, maybe go-karts....

What are your favorite things to do with your sweetheart?
Have you seen any good movies recently?

Water condensed from atmospheric vapor and falling in drops...

Yes, that's right... it's raining in Houston!

And we needed it badly!

The great state of Texas has been in a really bad drought this year and just in the past few days there were some wildfires that broke out near Houston. We desperately needed this!

When it's raining/thundering, it makes me think of my good friend Deniz who says, "If I've washed my sheets the night before and it's raining, I call in sick to work". It always made me laugh because I never understood why - I guess that comes from my father's work ethic that he instilled in me...

But I was thinking this morning while I was laying in bed, listening to the rain... what do I like to do when it is raining and thundering outside?

1) Lay in bed and listen to the storm in between naps
2) Lay in bed and read a book
3) Watch a movie marathon - if I'm alone, totally girly movies - Clueless, Legally Blonde, The Notebook...
4) Snuggle up in bed and talk/nap with my sweetheart - unfortunately, Mike and I have not had a chance to do this yet because there's been a drought this year and of course today, he's working.
5) Bake delicious goodies like cake, cookies, pies, etc.
6) Sit outside and watch the rain and lightning
7) Watch the weather channel and wait for the Local on the 8's and watch the rainstorm move through

I tend to be pretty lazy on rainy days - which is a major change from when I was a kid. I hated rainy days. Rainy days meant I couldn't walk down the street to play with my best friend, Olivia. It meant I had to find something to do - like color or play a board game with my little sister.

What do you like to do on a rainy day?
Do you have any good memories about rainy days from your childhood?

Cowboy Calzones

Wednesday night I cooked what is now one of my favorite meals. I cooked these from scratch - including the dough for the calzones. Now I know life is hectic for a lot of people and not everyone gets summers off like I do so I won't tell anyone if you use the pizza dough from the can. Really, I won't tell.

I got this recipe from The Pioneer Woman Cooks. I got this cookbook from my dad for Christmas 2010 and it has quickly become my go-to cookbook for many yummy recipes. I highly recommend it!

This recipe makes 8 calzones - plenty for leftovers!

Pizza Crust
1 teaspoon or 1/2 packet active dry yeast
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for drizzling
OR
pizza crust from the can (yay doughboy!)

1. Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into a bowl. Sprinkle the yeast over the water.
2. Combine flour and salt, in a mixing bowl.
3. With an electric mixer on low speed, drizzle in the olive oil until just incorporated.
4. In a seperate bowl, gently stir the yeast/water mixture.
5. Drizzle yeast/water mixture into the flour/oil mixture, mix until the dough forms a ball - I did this by hand because the dough got caught up in the electric mixer
6. Drizzle a little olive oil into a clean bowl. Toss the ball of dough in the bowl and turn over to coat in oil.
7. Cover the bowl with a moist kitchen towel and set in a warm place for 1-2 hours (I put mine on my patio - thanks Texas summer heat!)
Then your dough is ready to use!

Calzone Filling
1/2 pound hot breakfast sausage
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, finely diced
One 10 oz can tomatoes and chilies (Rotel)
8 oz whole milk ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1 egg, beaten
Salt and black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 450
2. In large skillet, combine the sausage and hamburger with the onion.
3. Brown over medium heat. Drain the excess grease.
4. Pour in the tomatoes and chilies - Cook note: Drain them first
5. Stir to combine and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly.
6. In a bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and egg. Add a dash of salt and pepper.
7. Add the cooled meat mixture to the cheese mixture and stir gently to combine.
8. Divide the dough into 8 equal-size (Cook note: Really?! Just eyeball it. Some are going to be bigger than others - and that's okay) balls. With a rolling pin on a floured surface, roll each ball into a 6-inch circle.
9. Spoon one-eighth of the meat/cheese mixture in the middle of each circle.
10. Fold half of the circle over the other half, pressing gently to slightly spread and flatten the filling inside. Press a fork along the edge to seal closed, then transfer the calzone to a greased (Cook note: I just line it with aluminum foil) baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough and filling. Brush the calzone with olive oil.
11. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, until golden brown. Transfer the calzones to a basket or wrap individually in foil.

I served these with a salad and we had ranch dressing on the side to dip the calzones in. I wrapped the leftovers in foil and put them in the fridge. These are so good but I think they'd be even better on a cold winter day... just a thought.

If you try this recipe, let me know how it goes!
Did you change any of the ingredients?
Is there any way to make this healthier without sacrificing taste?

The Inconvenient Truth

I don't claim to be perfect. I wish I was though. There are some things about me that I wish I had the courage/motivation to work on. Here is the inconvenient (for me) truth:

1. I am insecure about my relationship with my boyfriend.
I was in love my junior year of high school. I mean, completely irrevocably in love. I truly thought I was going to marry this guy. Then, he went out of town with his friends, came back, and broke up with me. I was devastated. To the point where it took me 10+ years to completely get over it. I never allowed myself to love like that again - until now. I am older now, so I understand love better - so it's a different kind of love. It's a pure, nothing withheld, whole hearted love. And it scares the crap out of me. I don't think I could handle another break-up like the one from high school. So, I am insecure about my relationship with Mike.

2. I am super lazy.
I have to set a timer to get myself to do things. 15 minute increments. I clean the kitchen for 15 minutes, then reward myself with 30 minutes of T.V. I fold laundry for 15 minutes, then reward myself with a 30 60 minute nap. This is okay acceptable during the summer, but during the school year, it's not so good.

3. I set unobtainable goals for myself.
This summer, I'm going to get back to my high school weight. Problem? See #2.

4. I really don't know what I'm doing.
As a teacher, I have 18-23 kids depending on me to know what I'm doing. And most of the time, I'm still not sure. I wish they would have taught me that in college. I hope that what I'm doing is right, but I'm not sure most of the time.

5. I envy other peoples' lives.
I wish I could have a fulfilled life like some of my friends. I know I shouldn't envy them, but I can't help it! I want to be married, have children, go on wonderful vacations with my husband...

What are your inconvenient truths?
How do you motivate yourself to make big changes in your life?

Summer Mornings

*Beep*Beep*Beep*
My first thoughts upon hearing the alarm are (in the following order):
1. Already?!
2. I just went to sleep!
3. What time is it?!

Then, I reach over to the nightstand without opening my eyes and hit snooze. The noise continues. I slowly start to become conscious and realize that it is not MY alarm going off - it's my boyfriends' alarm. I open one eye to look at the time on my clock.

4:30 a.m.

Wait. What? 4:30 in the bloody morning?! I groan, roll over, and nudge push Mike. He makes a feral noise at me before reaching over and silencing that awful noise. I start to slip back into my unconscious state. I am floating on a quiet cloud over beautiful turquoise water. The sun warms me. The 40 pounds I need to lose are no longer there. My golden skin glistens in the sunlight. There is no humidity in this special place so my hair lays perfectly straight down my back.

*Beep*Beep*Beep*

Oh for heaven's sake. I still have another hour before I have to get up. Why is this happening? I nudge push Mike again and open my mouth which seems to be stuck with an imaginary glue.

"Baby, get up - time for work"

The groan and the choice swear word that follows as he gets out of bed are normal to me. I get it. I will be doing the same thing in about 45 minutes. I start to slip back into my dream land as I hear the shower start. Unfortunately, I cannot return to that dream land, just the total black abyss that engulfs me. Next thing I know, I hear a belt being tightened and I roll over and open an eye. The only light in my apartment comes from the bathroom and I can smell the wonderful masculine smell that comes after Mike's shower. I smile a little.

Then it hits me.

Wait a second. I don't have to go to work today.... It's summer vacation! Another smile followed by a slight frown. Then why am I awake?!

I am awake to make sure my sweet, groggy boyfriend gets up for work. I am awake to mumble a few words of encouragement about his day as I see him out the door. I am totally going back to sleep after he leaves.

I swing my legs over the edge of the bed and sit up. Grope around for my glasses on my nightstand and put them on. Stand up. Walk to the refridgerator. Get out a Red Bull. Put Red Bull on the counter. Wipe sleepy crust from my eyes. Walk into bathroom. Look in mirror.

So sad. I look like I've been run over by something. Sleepiness can be cute, right?

Swish water in mouth. Walk out to living room. Silently watch as Mike puts on his work boots. Walk Mike to door. Remember Red Bull and tell him to take it. Give him a closed mouth peck without breathing through my nose. I know my breath must be funky. Open door. Say a few words about having a good day. Smile a little as I close the door and lock it. Walk slowly back to bed. Lay down. Wait for sleep to return.

Damn.

I'm wide awake. How is this possible?! It's 5:30 a.m. IN THE SUMMER!

Last summer, I was just going to bed around this time after a full night of partying, hanging out with friends, or drinking. Or a combination of any of those things. Last summer, I prided myself on just waking up around the time I would be finishing my work day.

Not this summer. This summer, I am waking up at 4:30 in the morning. And not going back to sleep. Because I have my apartment to clean, coupons to cut, recipes to look up, dinner to cook, trashy reality shows to watch (I have to DVR them because I don't want to force Mike to lose his man-card by making him watch them with me). And you know what?

I wouldn't trade this for anything.

Except maybe a few more minutes of sleep.....