Tuesday, February 28, 2012

10 Things to Smile About: February





So I am taking on another "blog challenge."  However, it isn't particularly a "challenge,"  but a great way to reflect on the month and remember the things to be grateful for in the month or just things that basically...made me SMILE. It is going to be posted the last Tuesday of each month.  Thanks Emmy Mom!


1. SuperBowl Sunday-Way to go Giants! I have become more of a football fan this season and didn't miss a single hometown game.  I didn't necessarily care which team won the Superbowl-since my hometown team didn't quite make the cut.  But they were close!  I did enter a give away that day and won $50 in Mary Kay cosmetics. :) Super fun! (So is that two?? I will include it as one if you don't mind  :)
                                            

2. Hold'em and Hit'em Cook off- Our cooking team helped out my aunt's cooking team and made some delicious food! 



3. Fireside evenings with family and friends

4. Taking a group of students to an evening basketball game.  Something my students wouldn't otherwise have an opportunity to get to do. 


5. Dad's Birthday!



6. Mom and Dad celebrate 40 years of marriage! :) 



7. Facetime talks with my niece! Love her so much!!


8. Discovery of Paul Mitchell's Awapuhi products that my daughter introduced me to


9. The movie Courageous: very inspiring movie. Watched this with my husband and it was very moving.


10. Jason Cassidy's "What if" song.  I love country music, so I just may be including a newly discovered country song or a favorite for the month in my list of 10 Things to Smile About. :)  




So there they are... Things that made me smile in February. My first entry to this theme. Additionally, it goes without saying that my family will always bring a smile to my face each and every time. Join me and tell me what makes you smile! :)

Sunday, February 26, 2012

Today

Today started off with a sleep in.  Seems with the new j-o-b I look forward to weekend sleep ins so much more.  After getting up and energy flowing, I decided to wake the kids and get them to help with the chores. Amazingly, it didn't take much for them to get up and help.  I threw out the "first one to get up gets to choose their chore" card.  Works all the time for at least my son. :)  During their chores, I made a nice breakfast with eggs, bacon and waffles.  The kids were pleased.

After the family chore/cooking time was ended they preceded to their rooms and I began to blog stalk!  Seeing that I have the A to Z challenge coming up, I wanted to surf around to see how many the list has crept up to now.  Also, I wanted to visit some sites to get the flow of the challenge going.  There are so many interesting sites out there to conquer and I am looking forward to getting the challenge going.  I am still undetermined as to a theme or random thoughts.  It seems everyone is getting their plan ready for April, so I suppose I better begin to get a more concrete plan myself.  :)  Until then happy blogging!

   


Friday, February 24, 2012

Love Stories


With February being the month of love and yes in Texas its's also about Rodeo!  But for now, I will share some of my favorite love stories.  

Life's all about moments of impact, and how they change our lives forever. But what if one day you could no longer remember any of them?


I finally saw The Vow.  We had a girls night out and enjoyed this love story.  If you haven't seen or heard about this movie, it is based on a true story.  Without spoiling it for you, it takes a couple through a very trying time and truth be known "If its' meant to be then it shall be."  If you are a sucker for a good love story like I am, go see this movie.  Both Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum do an awesome job displaying the connection this couple shares.  Loved it!

The Notebook is one of my all time favorite love stories.  I cry  every time during the scene where Rachel's character (ok she's also a favorite actress of mine:)  is older and for one of the final times in the movie her memory goes again.  Hmmm...Rachel seems to have a history of memory loss??  :)  Anyway, but she loses her memory again and Noah begins to cry.
  
That is so hard to watch him cry.  Also, the part where Noah's children tell him she doesn't remember you, why don't you just come home?  Noah responds, "She is my home."  Wow!  That line alone says so much.    

One final movie is A Walk to Remember.  One summer I watched this one two nights in a row.  I got something different from each time.  One theme that I took to was how Jaime a strong young girl knew exactly what she wanted to do.  She was brave and set her mind to all she wanted to accomplish with the time she had left.  She made her "to do" list and one at a time she accomplished each one.  Determination and strength carried this character through it all.

Well, there you have it...my top love stories that I can watch over and over again.  :)  Do you have any to share?  Maybe I can check them out?

Ciao!

Wednesday, February 8, 2012

it's all a new thing

Have you ever felt the stress of a new job?  You perfect your old job and strive to move up and on because that is what you do, but then you get there and you begin to wonder what on earth am I doing here? haha!  I hear this is the time of year for stress for my job and I am feeling it immensely!  I am just glad it is something that is expected and not unusual.  It is tough trying to be Wonder Woman especially when so many different people look up to you to take on this role.  So, I am fighting the madness by forcing a daily exercise routine, laying off the sodas that I just started to pick up this year, and definitely finding time on the weekends to devote to non-work related things.  Oh and lets not forget daily prayer!  I am ready for a mulligan!  I know I'm going to be better at this next year and then yet better the following year.  It takes 3-5 years to acquire and grasp new things-until you can get comfortable and say "I got this!"  Until then, its just trial and error and hope that you protect yourself along the way from taking too huge of a leap that you can't jump back.  All in all, I still love what I do and wouldn't trade it for the world!  UNLESS....it is to be back with my former team teaching alongside them from room 108.
Priceless memories....  

Sunday, February 5, 2012

April 2012 Challenge A to Z


I saw this challenge and decided to take it up. I always love a good challenge.  This will be a challenge since I am not too use to blogging daily.  Funny thing is when you do things over and over for a specific time, it becomes habit.  Hence the phrase..."repetition is the mother of retention."  So, this will be really interesting if daily blogging becomes a "habit."

With the A to Z Challenge, I am to write on topics from A to Z each day in April except for Sundays. However, April 1st is on a Sunday, so this will be an exception to the rule. I'm curious to see how I can do. I'm still undecided on whether it is going to be themed or stick to random somethings? I'm trying to use the tips I read and make them, fit my style.

So, look out for it in April! :)

Friday, February 3, 2012

Pico

I love to cook, but I am not a chef by no means.  I do get a sense of relaxation though when I do create meals or snacks.  I'm not necessarily a baker. That is my daughter.  However, I will try anything that looks delish!  I am good at looking at a dish I love and just taking the ingredients and recreate it on my own.  I usually end up adding a little twist to it to make it more of my own.  I also tend to get recipes from friends and store them in my kitchen drawer.  I once won a dessert contest with a friend's Pina Colada cake recipe.

So, here is a pico de gallo dish I received from a friend.  I had never tried pico until she made this and asked me to try it.  I couldn't help to do so...it had lots of avocado!  I do love avocado! :)  So, I tried it and never looked back!  Since it isn't one of my grandmother's recipes (in which I am sworn to not release) I can share the recipe.  (All ingredients are chopped up)
Cabbage
Tomatoes
A bunch of cilantro
Avocado (I always add lots)
Squeeze in some lime
Serrano peppers or any peppers you'd like
Crumble in La Vaquita (a fresh white cheese) and mix in and on top
Sprinkle in some salt to taste

Voila!  Pico de Gallo  

You can enjoy this on tacos or eat as a "dip" with chips!  It is muy delicioso!!  The amount of ingredients will depend on how many you are serving. I don't add onion just because it's a preference.  However, feel free to add the onion.  It will still taste great!

Off I am to enjoy my dish with family!