Peace - Love - Kindergarten!

I've been MIA from blogging on a regular basis because I'm back in Kindergarten!

The long term started on Tuesday and I feel like I'm already disconnected from the world.  It'll get better but for now its craziness.

I will be in K for the rest of the year as after this one is over in February, another teacher on the same team in the same school will be leaving to go on one.  You better believe I won't be drinking the water at this school ;)

Anywho that's why I'm kinda MIA - once I'm in a schedule I'll be around :)

This weekend I...

was very busy!

Friday night was Girls Night at Ellen's house.  If you caught my Thursday post, I wasn't sure how a certain person was going to react to me and sure enough she was rude.  Didn't talk to me, I had to instigate all the conversations.  However everyone else was talkative so I just did my thing with them.  We had a homemade pizza night and it was delicious!!  We will see how she is towards me at the November one or I will be calling her out.  I'm tired of it, I didn't do anything but try to help her when she wanted it.

That night I came home to a cranky husband who was already in bed because he apparently tweeked his foot at soccer on Thursday.  Of course he thinks its nothing so he's not doing much about it.  I'm praying it doesn't turn worse.


Saturday we wasted time while Keith's car was getting an oil change.  We had to make a stop at our travel agent to pick these books up:

to start planning our summer vacation.  We're looking into the Bahamas, Jamaica and the Dominican Republic.  Our friends are opting to marry in Destin, Florida so if the big vacation doesn't pan out, we can always do that but Keith is wanting all inclusive again...which is fine by me!  Anyone been to the above and have suggestions on where to stay?

We then went to dinner at Sybergs downtown and cheered on the Blues to a victory against the Chicago Blackhawks.  It was an exciting game to be at:

Sunday was the yearly Kimmswick Apple Butter Festival where we snacked on kettle korn

while walking around to all the vendors and seeing the goodies they brought this year.  I ran into 2 students of mine that I taught back in 2009 who are now freshmen - man I'm old!!  We also ran into several other friends of ours and it was good to catch up with them all.  That night we headed to my parents for our weekly dinner and Walking Dead watching.  However I watched Spongebob with my mini me instead.  It was fun!

I'm now on day 1 of 14 working without sleeping.  I don't get to sleep in until November 8th.  We're going to see how my body does again working back to back (the long term starts tomorrow) and if I can't handle it, a decision will be made.  We shall see!

Have a great Monday!!

Skinny Bitch in Love - BCF

Yay its Friday...and another book review!

This week I'm reviewing:



Goodreads says:
Clementine Cooper is a born vegan, com­mitted in every way to the healthy lifestyle she was raised with on her father’s organic farm. But how bad could a little butter be? Bad enough to get the ambitious and talented sous chef fired when an influential food critic discovers dairy in Clem’s butternut squash ravioli with garlic sage sauce. Though she was sabotaged by a backstab­bing coworker, Clem finds herself unceremo­niously blackballed from every vegan kitchen in L.A.

Like any vegan chef worth her salt, however, Clem knows how to turn lemons into delicious, cruelty-free lemonade cupcakes. She launches the Skinny Bitch Cooking School in hopes of soon opening her own café in an empty space near her apartment. But on the first day of class, sexy millionaire restaurateur Zach Jeffries puts a fork in her idea with his own plans for the space—a steakhouse. Clem is livid. For a carnivore, Zach is more complicated than she anticipated. He’s also a very good kisser. But could dating one of the most eligible bachelors in the city—and a meat-eater—be as bad for Clem as high-fructose corn syrup? Shouldn’t she fall instead for a man who seems to be her perfect match in every way—like Alexander Orr, a very cute, very sweet vegan chef?

Clem thought she was open-minded, but as she confronts the challenges of budding entrepre­neurship, old rivals, ex-boyfriends, and tempting suitors, she begins to wonder if she can ever say “I love you” to a man who hates tofu.

I say:
I picked this book, and its sequel, up on a whim for my Mexico trip back in July.  I couldn't put them down!!  I started this one on the plane and quickly finished it as we landed in PV.  It was a light read, and had a little bit of everything - love, humor, drama and romance!

I gave it 4 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

Stuff -n- things

• I start my long term in Kindergarten on Tuesday.  It will be at least until the middle of February, give or take the snow days, but at least 12 weeks.  Then I was asked to do another long term, same school, same grade and team, that will start middle of April and go to the end of the year.  Score!!
• I will not be drinking the water at that school ;)
• Girls Night is tomorrow night.  Normally I'd be excited, which I am as I haven't seen E's new house, but one of the girls owes me and another money and because the other girl isn't going to be there, I have to be the bad guy.  Which is fine because I just don't take shit anymore but S has already put me down the last girls night, which is totally out of her character, so we'll see how this one goes.
• While I'm not a Walking Dead fan, I love Sunday nights at my parents.  Its fun!
• I saw "The Best of Me" Tuesday night with my sister and stepmom.  It was your typical Nicholas Sparks movie.  I liked it, not my most favorite, but I liked it.  If you read the book then plan on seeing it, you'll be disappointed most likely.  Best advice, you don't have to read the book before you see it.
• Keith and I had a lunch date today.  Will be the last one for awhile
• Anyone have any good Christmas craft ideas?  I need something for a friend for November Girls Night.

Have a great Thursday!!

Weekend wrap-up

Hey hey - did everyone have a good weekend?

I know I'm day behind, however, my weekend was pretty fun!

Friday night Keith and I kept it low key and decided to use one of my birthday treats from Chevy's.  Chevy's is one of those places you forget about until you get there and realize that it hits the spot.  I got sang to for my special day and the dessert was the icing on the cake:

Saturday was gorgeous but a bit chilly so we ran some errands before taking our last trip to Grant's Farm for the season.  They were all decorated for Halloween and giving us adults hard apple cider to sip on as we made our way through the park:

 Sunday I got to work, of course, then we watched the Rams beat the Seahawks and went to my parents for our Sunday dinner/Walking Dead watching.  Well they all watch, I read a book as I'm not a huge fan of it.  But family time is awesome!!

What did you do this weekend?

Burst Into Flame - BCF

This week I'm reviewing:


Goodreads says:
“In everyone’s life, at some time, our inner fire goes out. It is then burst into flame by an encounter with another human being. We should all be thankful for those people who rekindle the inner spirit.”
-Albert Schweitzer

For Dr. Katy Garrity, life is a whirlwind, and the New York Fire Department is the heart of the storm. After claiming so many people she loved, including her own husband, Katy is left adrift, trying to keep up with a busy career, a baby son, and her loving extended family. Her only anchor is Jesse O'Neil, her late husband's best friend. The charming former playboy has put his entire life on hold to care for Katy and her son. It's inevitable that sparks will flare between them, but all of life seems to be conspiring to keep them apart. Especially Katy's own heart, which shies away from trusting another firefighter. Will the flames of passion burst into a lifetime of love? Or will secrets burn away their connection, causing Dr. Garrity to be burned again?

I say:
I was super excited when I got my hands on a copy of Burst Into Flame, the 2nd story in the Burning Lovesick series.   Lyssa is a real life friend of mine and I love that she's become an author.  I now blame her for my thoughts of firefighters and her books every time I hear sirens :)

I fell in love with the story of Katy & Nick in the first book and wanted to see how the author was going to continue Katy's story as a widow of a firefighter. Having Nick's best friend Jesse take on the male role in her family's life allowed both her and her son to continue on.

Situations arise in Jesse's life that test the friendship of Katy & Jesse to the extent of possibly ruining their relationship. However through twists and turns, they both realize what is best with that thing we call love.

I gave it 5 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

33 while 33 bucket list

I've been 33 for a week now and I don't feel different - which is good, ha!  Its taken me a few days to figure out what I would like to accomplish this year and I think I got a good list going.  Hopefully you guys can help me get it all done, I did pretty good on my 32 while 32 list but I want to do better on this one.

1. Get my own classroom again
2. Visit Hermann, MO aka one of Missouri's wine countries
3. Get a massage
4. Take a cooking class
5. Go camping
6. Finish our Puerto Vallarta scrapbook
7. Make the beignets from New Orleans that we still need to make
8. Travel to Chicago or Nashville for a Blues game
9. Plan a vacation for summer 2015
10. Ring in the New Year doing something different
11. Log everything into MyFitnessPal
12. Go to the Forest Park Balloon Glow in September
13. Print pictures of our Puerta Vallarta trip to add to our picture wall
14. Throw a dinner party
15. Take a bubble bath (don't laugh!)
16. Go to Fright Fest to see my sister ride the zombie train
17. Cheer on SEMO in a football game
18. Visit Kimmswick when the town is ready for Christmas
19. Complete C25K or Simple Sadie Jane's workouts
20. Eat at 5 new-to-us restaurants
21. Make a craft for some holiday
22. Go with a group of friends to the Lake
23. Visit the Art or History Museum in Forest Park
24. Explore the Zoo (we haven't been in 2014, eek!)
25. Splash around at Hurricane Harbor
26. Do something spontaneous!
27. Make a trip back to the Botanical Gardens
28. Help Dad finish his windmill at our property
29. Get pictures done with Keith
30. Buy a pair of heels...and wear said heels
31. Take a hike outside
32. Continue our Mizzou game tradition
33. Have a bonfire

Gone Girl

Don't worry, I won't post any spoilers...but you need to go see this movie!

I went with my sister, her boyfriend, my stepmom and Keith last night to see the movie.  Warning, it is long so be prepared for an almost 3 hour movie so grab your popcorn and favorite drink and settle in to watch.

If you read the book, it will give you a general background but I'm going to at least warn you that its not entirely like it and I hated the ending of the movie.

But you'll have to see it to see what I mean!

Seeing Ben Affleck in a Cardinals shirt, since he's a diehard Boston fan, is one of the best parts of the movie:
'

The movie was filmed in Cape Girardeau which is where I went to school here in Missouri so it was fun to see how they made the town for the movie.  "The Bar" in the movie is a stomping ground in Cape as well as the riverfront scenes.  One of the actresses in the movie actually has a line that says the riverfront smells and sure enough it does as its the muddy Mississippi.

Check it out, you won't be disappointed...to an extent! ;)

Pampered Chef Ladies Night

Ever find yourself surrounded by people who sell every little thing?

Amongst my friends, they sell 31, Pampered Chef and Mary Kay just to name a few.

I decided to have a Pampered Chef party as I love to cook and I could always use a ladies night.  I booked off my friend Katy and it was a fun night.

I opted for us to make Chicken Penne al fresco and Chocolate lava cake.  The 4 ladies that came are trying to get into cooking for their families and it was a good night to learn a few tricks of the trade.  We all had a great time and the presenter was awesome.

Anyone host any parties lately?

Becky's Birthday Wine Bash

Who doesn't love birthday celebrations?

Becky had her birthday the weekend before mine and to celebrate her new house, they decided to throw a birthday wine bash.

The objective was to have a wine tasting, tasty snacks and friends over.  I think her goals were met:

Its always fun to have get togethers with friends, whether it be a birthday or just because.  It had been awhile since Becky had one so it was good to catch up with people.

Cheers to your birthday Becky!!

Babyville - BCF

Book Club Friday!

I've lacked on these posts but I hope to get caught up.

This week I'm reviewing:



Goodreads says:

Meet Julia, a wildly successful television producer who appears to have the picture-perfect life. But beneath the surface, things are not as perfect as they seem. Stuck in a loveless relationship with her boyfriend, Mark, Julia thinks a baby is the answer . . . but she may want a baby more than she wants her boyfriend. Maeve, on the other hand, is allergic to commitment. A feisty, red-haired, high-power career girl, she breaks out in a rash every time she passes a stroller. But when her no-strings-attached nightlife leads to an unexpected pregnancy, her reaction may be just as unexpected . . . And then there’s Samantha—happily married and eager to be the perfect June-Cleaver mother. But baby George brings only exhaustion, extra pounds, and marital strife to her once tidy life. Is having an affair with a friend’s incredibly sexy husband the answer?

I say:
I tried to give Jane Green another shot but I wasn't a fan of this book.  I get the struggles the women are going through but it just wasn't written as a serious outlook.  I finished the book but I just wasn't a fan.

I gave it 2 stars on my Goodreads list.

What are you reading this week?

Vino birthday!

My birthday at the winery got pushed to Sunday from Saturday due to the chilly weather that suddenly arrived in Missouri.

It was a great day!

My family was the only ones who were able to make it, and that was just fine as it was a blast.  Lacy had never been to a winery and my nieces tagged along as the winery is family friendly.  They got to have their own bottles of sparkling grape juice and they loved every minute of it.

I couldn't have asked for better weather or for a better time with my family.

Cheers to 33 years!!

An Apple of a birthday!

I have had 3 days of awesome birthday celebrations.

On Saturday I had originally planned to have people meet me at a winery.  However Missouri got some chilly weather and I wasn't sure that some people would want to sit outside in it.  So I decided I wanted to go apple picking at Eckerts.  Kim & Jeff decided to join us and we had a blast:

 

Afterwards we decided to stop by Fast Eddie's for lunch.  Fast Eddie's is a great, cheap place in Alton, Illinois to grab a cold one and cheap eats.  Luckily we got our hands on a table, grabbed some popcorn while we waited for our food and listened to some live music:

You learn as you get older you start to realize that its quality over quantity and I can honestly say these two are two of the greatest friends we can have.  It was Jeff's first time at Fast Eddie's so he was super excited to say the least.

Yay for friends celebration day!!

Happy birthday to me!

I am old!

Going to be a great relaxing day.

I celebrated with friends on Saturday then with family on Sunday.  Tonight is dinner with my parents.

I'll post about our celebrations later!

Have a great Tuesday!!

Stuff -n- things

• I don't mind the rain, Missouri needs it.  However I do mind that the idiots come out in the rain and cause accidents that don't need to be caused because they don't know how to drive in Missouri's seasons.
• My normal 30/40 min drive took 2 hours this morning because of the said idiots above.  3 accidents spread out on my entire route.
• I hit every red light.
• The teacher that I am today is not organized what-so-ever.
• The blue screen of death is upon me with using her projector setup.  The teacher next to her can't be bothered so we'll do the old fashioned way of everything by hand.
• I went to the dentist the other day and I've only had 4 cavities my entire life.  Well now those 4 cavities are falling out and have to be replaced.  Something about how if a dentist used the silver fillings and not the white fillings.  I do not currently have dental insurance as open enrollment to get on hubby's hasn't started yet then won't start til January.  A part of me wants to wait until I have that...but I don't know if I should!!
• I'm having a birthday get-together at the wineries on Saturday.  As usual I'm getting silly excuses from friends.  Oh well, if its just a few select that's fine too.  I will still have fun!
• We were supposed to go to KC this weekend for the NASCAR race however that fell through with our ticket holders.  Maybe next year!!

I think I better stop this random post because I seem to be a debbie downer today.  Its just one of those days, ha!

Hopefully you're having a better Thursday than me ;)

Save the Undies!!

Have you guys heard about #savetheundies with U by Kotex?

Kotex knows that you want to rock your style even when your lady friend makes its monthly appearance.  That's why they are always up-to-date with their products to make sure we ladies can continue to be our awesome selves!

Their products include:

• U by Kotex CleanWear Ultra Thin Pads with 3D Capture Core, a one of a kind center that locks away wetness to help stop leaks.
• U by Kotex Click Tampons that expand all around for total protection in every direction in a convenient size to go anywhere you do.
• U by Kotex Sleek Tampons that are slim and stylish for on the go coverage with a perfect touch grip for "just right" placement.
• U by Kotex Extra Maxi Pads that have a super absorbent core with comfortable protection and is the only pad with dual side covers.
• U by Kotex Curves Liners that are shaped to fit you and great for back up or lighter flow.

I am always on the go and these sample packs were great to throw in my gym bag and my work bags to make sure I'm ready whenever.  My friends also enjoyed the samples and logged onto the U by Kotex website to score more of their own.

When in doubt, choose U by Kotex!

Thank you to Crowdtap for the sample.  All views are my own.