Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Taco Diva

So Chris and I really like mexican food.

Wait...I should change that, 
Chris and I really love americanized mexican food:)

We love to make tacos, enchiladas, dips, casseroles.

Pretty much we just like stuff with taco seasoning.

Here recently, since we are both on a diet.
I am on one to loose weight,
Chris is on one to gain weight.

Huhh... sometimes life just aint fair.

Anyhoo, we both really like what I call mexican salad.
It's just salad leaves, corn and peas, salsa,  and ground turkey with taco seasoning.

No cheese, no chips, no sour cream, and no salad dressing.
Its easy and we don't miss having dressing at all!


Since I have been buying 1 pack of taco seasoning per week,
and I saw this on pintrest,
I decided to make our own taco seasoning.

Here's the cast of characters

3 tablespoons chili powder
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
3/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
3/4 teaspoon oregano
2 tablespoons cumin
1 tablespoon salt
1 tablespoon pepper


Mix all together and there ya have it!

I actually made 2 batches of the mix, and since it was a little on the spicy side I opted out the chili powder with the second batch.

I used 2 tablespoons of the stuff in our 1/2 pound ground turkey the other night and it was great! 








Monday, June 25, 2012

Newie


Today I got to go inside and poke around my new classroom:)

I had to wait a week until they were finished with the floors in my section of the building before I could get in.
I had fun poking around and sorting out all the materials.

I got to go in my room once before when the principal was showing me around the school,
but keep in mind that this is the first time I have gotten to go in to do any work.
Everything was just as the last teacher had left it.


And MAN were the back shelf and closet a MESS!!



I love that my room has a closet, 2 nice black book shelves, mini cubby slots, a closet on wheels,
and 5 computers in the back!!


Look at all those AMAZING manipulatives and materials on those shelves!



Another shot of the student cubbies:) Since there is no place for students to put their book bags I am assuming they put them in these little squares? They don't seem big enough for giant 4th grader bookbags, so I will have to wait until school starts to see what the other teachers do about their students book bags. 
Right now my student text books are scattered in them:)


LURVE the promethean board! This is a little different from the Smart Board I was working with in my old school and definitively different than the  promethean  boards from Forsyth County where I did my student teaching. Can't wait to get issued my teacher laptop and go to town on this thing! 


My LOVELY closet! This is a picture of before I had done anything. The other teacher had stuff literally thrown in here!



Today I went threw everything on the shelves and in the closet!
At one point it looked like a whole mess in the back of my clean room,
I took stuff down and made it into math, science, reading, social studies, and language piles.

This is a picture of my back shelves after I sorted everything and then put it all back on the shelves! It is amazing how a little organization can change the look.



Look at my closet after I sorted the materials. I can actually see the floor in here now! 


I spent 5 hours up at school and was able to get all this done!
A BIG, MEGA, shout out to my sweet friend Delanie for giving me the FREE big red shopping cart baskets! I just used the ones that I had left in my car today and can't wait to bring the rest of them to make my back shelves look even more organized!

I wonder if yall can tell I am excited?





Sunday, June 24, 2012

Perfect




Last night Chris and I went over to City Park just to 'chill out.'
I packed my GA bulldog blanket. 
( totally not thinking, we are in the land of LSU tigers DIE hard fans)

and Chris packed his fishing pole.

City Park is kind of odd to me. It is a BIG, I mean HUGE, area of nothing but gorgeous trees, grass, creeks, ponds, and bugs:)

It just seams strange to me that there is an area in this City that is so Big and so undeveloped.

We parked the truck and got to walkin through the high grass. We passed a weird man just kinda sitting by the bank of some pond all by himself, and just kept going.

We both have learned that no matter where you go here, you WILL find some kind of creepy crawly person,
we just look the other way and keep walking,
checking our backs every once in a while to make sure were not being followed:)

We found a really cute spot:)

Chris got out his pole and went to town.
Scouring the bank to find a good spot.

His fishing endeavors only lasted about 10 min, he said he'd rather lay on the blankie with me instead of fish.
(now that's a first I've ever heard)

We just kind of laid there.
I finished a book and Chris kept poking ants.

It was nice.

On the way out of our little spot,
he noticed my head band.

Took him all of 2 hours to finally notice I had a flower in my hair, such a man.

All the way home my sweet boy teased me about the 'fancy doo dad' I had in my hair.
It was nice, we laughed and joked.

A perfect Saturday night.




Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Can't Help It


Chris Tomlin, a top Christian Music Artist, has had this song out for quite a while now. 
But I just can't help it, I lurve this song, and I LURVE Chris Tomlin:) 

SING WITH ME how great is our God, and ALL will sing
How Great, How Great! Is our God!! 

Friday, June 15, 2012

Handwritten


It seems now a days in the land of technology on every corner,
the handwritten letter is a thing of the past.

When Chris and I first moved here I tried to write 1 letter a week. There is just something about opening the mail box and finding a letter that someone wrote you, 'just because.'

The letter doesn't have to be an invitation to some party, wedding, or shower.
It doesn't really have to be about anything at all.

The letters I send out are usually just casual banter.
I write about what Chris and I are up to that week,
sometimes I write something special about the individual that I miss seeing all the time. 

Sometimes the letter has no real purpose. I am just writing down thoughts.

One time, I wrote a different kind of letter.
I addressed the envelope and wrote on normal paper with an ordinary pen,
but instead of writing a greeting or signature,
I wrote this person a prayer.

I just wrote in words my prayer over this sweet friend and their family.

I knew that when she opened it she new it was from me because all one has to do is look at the return address to see.

I wish people would write more letters. I don't use fancy stationary or envelopes. In fact I just use left over thank you notes from our wedding:) They may say thank you on the front, but I usually just cross out the thank and write love or missing.

I am challenging you to try and write 1 handwritten letter this week. A letter to someone that has no purpose but to brighten up their day:) It can be to someone who lives right down the road, or even someone who you see everyday.
There is still just something sweet about receiving a letter.


Wednesday, June 13, 2012

2 Years


Yesterday was our 2 year Wedding Anniversary.

Looking back at all the experiences we have had in the past 2 years kind of makes it feel like our wedding was forever ago.When we got married I knew we were going to go to Seminary, but originally Chris wanted to go to one in North Carolina, and that was back when I had no real idea NOLA was in our future. I was a going into my senior year of college, and it was the perfect timing for us.

I remember when we got married some of my college buddies thought that it was crazy to get married right before our senior year in North Georgia's hectic teacher program. But to myself, I knew that for us it was the perfect timing, because in one year we were going to be moving off and I didn't exactly know where we would be moving off too!

I love being married to this man. Chris has a very gentle spirit. He is very caring and thoughtful. He doesn't always show his love with flowers or roses or in BIG elaborate ways, but this gal doesn't need all the showy ways of affection to know my man loves me. 

In private when it is just me and him, Chris is a whole different kind of person than he is with others around. He gets confident and dramatic. He is so silly, and have I ever written on here about how he can contort his facial features into millions of different expressions??!! He loves playing pranks on me and I admit I too love the constant teasing:) Every once in a while I will see Chris's private personality come out with others around, and normally when this happens, they just look in shock because they can't believe that whatever he did just came from him. 


Chris when God made you, he must have been thinking about me.
(one of our wedding songs:)
I am beyond blessed to have you as my husband. 
May we have many more  Anniversary's blessed with good health, happy families, and God as our center. 






Sunday, June 10, 2012

Monday Blues

One of the major benefits of being a teacher is having summers off.

You also get various fabulous breaks for the major holidays,
but having summer off totally takes the cake.

Unfortunately, since I was 16 I have not had a summer off.
I have regretted working many summers.

I always wanted to get to stay at the campground and float all day with friends when I was a teenager and in college I wanted to do nothing but sleep in in the morning:) I hated having to leave all the fun stuff early because I had to go to work. 

Now I am a teacher, and I still not getting to enjoy the summer off:(
boohhh hooo...

Totally having a pitty party right now

I agreed to work at my old school's summer camp to earn some extra change,
now I am major regretting it!

I work the same hours as a normal school day and it really is not all that bad.
Everyday the kids have arts and crafts, wii video games, table toys, small gym, big gym, small playground, big playground, and various other activities planned.

Having all the activities really makes the day go by fast,
but I guess I just have the Monday blues tonight.

Do you ever get the Monday blues on Sunday nights?

Monday blues need to go away! I am so blessed to have the opportunity to work with the sweet kiddies and in the end it will have been totally worth it. Ready for Monday to be over with all ready. 

Saturday, June 9, 2012

BIG News

So I have been waiting a couple of weeks to OFFICIALLY announce my BIG news!

I have a new job,
in St. Bernard Parish:)

I am moving out of the Christian private school setting and into the Public school system.

I know, I know, I KNOW!
a major difference between private vs. public down here,
but I can handle it. I am going to be teaching 4th grade, which is also a big move from my 1st grade cuties I have been teaching:)

St. Bernard Parish was devastated during hurricane Katrina.
Driving through the area there are still numerous slabs where houses used to be and were never rebuilt. The storm damaged EVERY structure that was build here. I believe this is actually the area that took the hardest hit from the storm.

My new school is out in the boonies away from the city.
In this area there are shrimp boats out in people's front yards and everyone's house is up on HIGH stilts.




It always cracks me up seeing the tailors up on the high slits.
Some of the stilts also just look like telephone poles to me.
I have even seen ones that were just stacked up on top of cement blocks.

So I am going to be teaching in the more rural part of the city. The people here are definitely more Cajun and I am SOOOO excited and really to start!



Thursday, June 7, 2012

Getting 'Got'


Yes, you read the title correct.

With all my perfect English glory,
I am referring to this post
as getting 'got.'

I don't like to be 'got.'

Especially when it is from ignorant people who like to judge others based on their opinions on what is right.

Recently I got 'got.'

In other words....

I was cornered.

Out of the blew,
a stranger started throwing out harsh questions referring to my husband's and my decision about moving to New Orleans for him to attend Seminary. To be quite honest she was very rude. I will try my best to answer anyone's questions, but sometimes it is hard to respond with kindness while someone is pointing their fingers and showing all kinds of attitude. 

She was asking those really, REALLY hard to answer questions that, admittedly,
I too have asked myself before.

Some of her questions were:

Really, why do you have to go to seminary to be a preacher?
Preachers shouldn't have to be taught to preach. They shouldn't have to have a degree just to stand up and make a speech.

(according to this individual, all preachers really do is stand up there in the pulpit, and magically open their Bible to a random page and point with their eyes closed to choose a passage. I tried to explain that Seminary is not about being taught to preach, but about learning how to study God's word. Unfortunately she went on about how she felt about Seminary with several more comments that I don't want to write about here.)


Why New Orleans? That place is terrible! Why would you ever move there just for your husband to go to school?!!

(My thoughts were: really?? like we choose New Orleans on our own! I mean come on! We DIDN'T just choose to come here. We DIDN'T just wake up one morning thinking.... hmm... let's move to Nola!
Isn't it obvious! I agree, this place is terrible and is one of the last places I would want to come live, but We are here because we BOTH have a strong calling of this is where we are SUPPOSED TO BE)


Do you think that he is going to school just so he can be some grand almighty preacher? Does he think that going to Seminary is going to make him big?

(By the time she asked this question, I just wanted to shout at her. I just wanted to really let her have it! How dare this stranger judge us so quickly! How dare she be so ignorant. How dare she diss my husband! 
But instead of getting mad, I tried to push down my frustration and answered with a simple:
I know my husband just wants to go where God tells him to be.)


Those were not the only questions she asked. Those were also not the only comments she made. I have never been cornered all by myself before about our decisions to go to Seminary, and I wish in that moment I had better answers for her. I wish that these questions didn't effect me so much, and that I wasn't so quick to be upset. People will have their opinions and people will be curious.

Ohhh Lord how my skin needs to grow thicker, and how I need to learn how to not be frustrated with people who just don't understand. I want to reach out to these people. I know this girl is not the only one who thinks such things. I know that she was just professing what she believes to be true. I want everyone to understand, but in the mean time
I really don't like to get 'got.'

Friday, June 1, 2012

Hydrangea


Have I ever written about hydrangeas before?

Well, if I have, then I apologize for writing about them again.

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE hydrangeas!

My mama has a big blue hydrangea plant in the backyard,
and coming home to Georgia, with them blooming,

I just had to go out and pick some:)

I love hydrangeas!!

I like blue, pink, white, ivory, and gasp..... even purple hydrangeas!

Just something about the grouping of all the little flowers coming together to make one big flower ball
makes them so pretty.

Note to Chris...

one day we WILL have a hydrangea plant in our yard!

We are having a fabulous, BUSY, time in GA! 
(and missing Nola just a teenie weenie bit)