Summer Salad

Easy summer salad that was a hit at the last BBQ we went to.

Watermelon, Mint, & Feta

Recipe

1 small seedless watermelon

*I like cubes so I peeled the rind, cut the melon into slices! then into about 1 inch cubes

1 5 oz container of reduced fat feta (or whatever you like) crumbled

Fresh Mint leaves chopped 

Mix together and serve.

Commuting

Throughout the years, I have commuted long distances in many directions for school or work. There have been three different types of routes. One route was down a canyon and through two towns for and hour and 10 minutes to go to college. Another route was three short turns and up a mountain, 55 minutes for work. Most recent route was a short drive to hit the interstate fir 32 minutes for work. Those commutes have given me plenty of time to think, which commute is a better commute? I would prefer to bike to work but since the decision is not always mine to make. 

The commute to go to college never bothered me too much because there was no real rush hour traffic because most of my classes were mid-day and if it snowed too much, I just stayed home.

My commute to work up to mountain town was pretty mellow. No rush hour traffic to speak of except a couple of cattle drives that slowed down traffic. The down side to that commute was wind and winter weather. Few snow days off to appreciate for safety reasons but there were few days when I felt nervous driving. The views were pretty awesome and a random moose would entertain me during the drive.

My most recent commute that was mostly on the interstate was my shortest commute but more obstacles. Rush hour was tedious at times and was unpredictable so if I was going to be late, I didn't know it. On snow days, the interstate would be pretty clear but slick because of the heavy traffic.

Now that it is summer and I don't have to commute, it has me thinking about which commute I prefer, shorter, longer, scenic, and I have decided that I would prefer to bike to work...

New Favorite Snack

On a recent trip to Whole Foods, I got stalled in the entry as several people walked in at one time. I looked over and saw a bag of popcorn and thought it would be a great snack, then I looked closer...

It is the perfect little kernels just before they blow up puffy. My favorite!

There were a couple of flavors but I went with the basic to try it and now I am hooked!!

Ready to get back to school...

I usually don't post about my classroom but I am super stoked about a couple of things! My position is an interventionist for first and third graders. I teach reading and math at various levels.

First my student display wall. My classroom is very bright and mostly in an owl theme. I wanted to create a display wall for student work using these owl clothespins/clips I found at World Market but they only had one 6 pack so I needed a new idea... My third graders are obsessed with mustaches, and while at World Market, I found mustache clothespin/clips. (They are meant for clipping gift tags to gift bags)

The Wall - Mustache Theme 

Fan "STACHE" tic Work

 

Close up of the mustache clips

My next fave is the board just outside of my classroom that greets the kids and any visitors that come by our room.

Next is my owl board to display STAR WORK, I had to use those owl clothespin/clips even though there were only 6. The focus of this wall is to showcase work where students show their best work! I change this board weekly. The kid have bragged to their home room teachers when I put their work up, so I think it helps to make them feel special.

My Word Wall for the first grade Sight Words.

Reading Boards-I teach two different grade levels and they need to use different resources. Some posters will stay all year where as others will focus on a skill we are working on at the time.

1st Grade

3rd Grade

Learning Targets

I was having the hardest time posting my learning targets so I found a board similar to this on Pinterest and decided to give it a try. 

You will notice the at the bottom a sign that says "Paper Jail" that is where my no name papers end up and if not "bailed out" they will be tossed out.

Other classroom shots...

Golden Globe Worthy-American Hustle

*update 3 wins at the Golden Globes!

Usually I do not get excited about the Hollywood awards shows but super stoked to see how American Hustle does collecting wins tomorrow night! 

First of all, the casting and costumes make this movie phenomonal! Christian Bale's combover and toupee combo were historically, well done, then there is Bradley Cooper's perm. Fabulous! The story follows a couple of cons who get caught and begin working with the FBI to bring down corrupt politicians of New Jersey set in the late 70s. The character development sucks you in from the beginning and I personally felt like the movie could just keep going. Very well done!

Photo courtesy of-

https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG1spF6o_PhA56IHy_jNtVqH314x_XmFjXSpcx3xtq7mYC0WkHNjskihy-uzttk8-V8dlgxAhfBbFZb11jvPDPSDJ7dV2JPp4avPj2tAl2lwUB7FJYdScvBZEW7c4ArICh08bR1PyNNYU/s1600/American-Hustle-movie-poster-review.jpg

New Cooking/Shopping Challenge

Just like everyone else, the new year gives that motivation of saving money, eating better, and getting organized, Jeff and I are doing just that. Today, inspired by a recent issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray, we made a list and a menu for what we hope is for the whole week.

Off we went to Whole Foods and to Sprouts. We actually went to both stores because certain things were for quality and budget friendly. We are excited to put together meals with simple complexities versus our standard protein and veggie. 

Day one-the shopping $175.43 total + $7.85

Went back to the store to buy coffee and beans to go with the tacos.

The damage.

The bounty which includes most ingredients for the recipes on our menu as well as fruits, breakfast foods, and snacks.

I will continue this post throughout the week to share how we are doing!

DAY ONE MEAL

Hearty Sausage, White Bean, and Spinach Stew 

(we swapped kale for the spinach, personal preference)

All ingredients were purchased on our shopping trip on Saturday.

Recipe

Our version...(leftovers will be great for lunches versus sandwiches and frozen meals)

The recipe called for about 3 1/2 but it took more like 6 hours to get the beans tender...

The flavors are great but I think it will get better as leftovers.

DAY TWO 

Getting Ready for the Broncos game!

The Recipe

My version (pretty close)

Then we prepped for our weekday dinners...

DAY THREE

Recipe using the beef we slow cooked the day before...okay it's not really a recipe but guides you towards a dinner idea.

My version (we have enough toppings left over to do this meal again this week)

DAY FOUR

The recipe idea...

My version, I served it with store bought pot stickers so I could have leftovers for lunch. We could not find wide flat noodles so we used brown rice pad Thai noodles. Very quick dinner.

Aspen in October

A much needed road trip in October. Just Jeff, Sam and myself, in Aspen Colorado, just hanging out and relaxing.
We stopped the infamous road trip snacks, don't judge, we don't normally eat like that. Then we stopped in Glenwood Springs for a bite to eat and a couple of beverages and a short walk for Sam.
Finally, we got settled in at our hotel for the weekend. We parked our car and didn't drive the rest of the weekend. We were able to walk everywhere to eat, shop, and even found a dog friendly brewery.

Stopped in Glenwood Springs for a quick walk and a beer at Glenwood Canyon Brewing Co.

We stayed at The Hotel Aspen and enjoyed beers at Aspen Brewing Company

Random pumpkins that Sam and I found on our walk to downtown Aspen.