Flip Day

Today started out as a horrible, no good, rotten, very bad day. I woke up and shuttled J to class, came back to the house and had that awkward amount of time in which you try to accomplish something, but nothing feels like it wants to be accomplished. I got ready, and I had a phone appointment that felt like a complete waste of time. Then I needed to grab some lunch to go eat with J on his break before heading out to get groceries. Well, putting on the lid, my lovely glass container slipped out of my hands and crashed into a bunch of tiny glass chunks all over the floor. Did I mention there was mac n cheese in the container? Ewwy mess. I cut my finger trying to clean it up, and gave it a less than perfect cleaning so I could get out the door (one handed, mind you, clutching my handkerchief). 


But then I was able to have lunch with my sweetheart and the day was flipped. It's amazing how a positive person who cares about you can help make a whole bad morning disappear. I went grocery shopping and had a great time. Here's what I got for this week: 

You may think some essentials are missing, but trust me, the pantry is plenty stocked with flour for breads, rices, beans, oatmeal, etc., we still have milk from a great sale on Organic milk awhile back, and the freezer has enough meat, vegetables, fruit, etc. to help us make it through plenty of weeks. I am learning not many people meal plan for their week of cooking, but let me tell you that I love it. It makes shopping so simple and I don't waste as much food that way. So, here's what we'll be eating this week:


1. Baked Swai (it's a white fish) with Butternut Squash soup (from the freezer), wild rice medley, and frozen green beans.
2. Stir fried vegetables (cabbage, carrots, broccoli, spinach, and whatever catches our eye in the fridge) over rice.
3. Spaghetti and Turkey Meatballs and salad
4. Quinoa Veg Chili (recipe found here), adjusted a bit so it's not SO huge.
5. Turkey Stuffed Peppers (recipe found here)
6. Roasted potatoes and vegetables


For lunches we always have leftovers from the night before. It's simple and helps us eat a more varied diet instead of sandwiches every day :) For breakfasts, what we eat depends on how much time we have. Usually it is quick- oatmeal, leftover scones or eggs. Snacks are a bit random: Green smoothies, snacks that J brings home from info sessions, fruit and peanut-butter, etc. 


As for the rest of the day, I'm feeling re energized and can't wait to tackle a few projects that have been on my Honey-do list far too long! :)

Vegetarian Night

This year has been a lot of fun as far as cooking goes. J is a great cook and has mastered the homemade pizza, which we eat about once a week :) Usually, though, I am the one making the meals. After all, I'm not the one with hours of homework every night. I've got to try quite a few new things, and I have come to really like vegetarian meals. We try to eat meatless a few times a week. Not all of them are so great, but on Wednesday we definitely hit a great one. I got the recipe for delicious Chickpea Tacos here. This is a fun site by a mom who feeds her family all vegetarian and sometimes vegan foods. 


The Chickpea (or Garbanzo bean) Tacos were incredible! We fried up some corn tortillas, added yum sauce (also found the recipe on her site. Check it out here!), salsa, cheese, and lettuce. The only downside to this way of tacos is that the beans really don't hold heat. So they were room temp almost as soon as we were eating them. All in all, a wonderful and flavorful recipe. If you try something adventurous and delicious, send it my way! We're always up for trying a new recipe :)

Finding my Fashion Sense

J has always been very cute about complimenting me on my "style," but funny thing is that I never felt like I really had one. I thought style was something only for the ultra fashionista in designer labels or the very Portlandy vintage-eclectics. Now, though, I'm getting it. I have been loving my Pinterest account for helping me figure this out. There are things I like and things I don't like and that is OKAY! One thing I am learning is that I love the look of skirts and dresses more than the look of pants but my daily style choices don't always reflect that. But I'm working on it! Since I have to be dressy every work day, and I have more dresses and skirts than dress pants, I'm just choosing to wear them. In this climate, it's always tights or leggings, so it's really not any different in temperature or coziness. And so, for something a little fun, here are some of the pretty things that have been catching my eye and inspiring my work clothes :)

I'm still slow and cautious with color, but I'm getting more adventurous with layers and textures! 

Not Quite on the Dot

Today wasn't horrible or even bad, just a little off. J has been having a crazy couple of weeks with school and career fair and a sick wife all last week, so he's a little low on sleep. And last night he was up studying for two tests and I decided to start this. We were very cute, listening to my choice of music, sharing a table and snacks. Then, lo! It was ten o'clock. And my brother and I talked for awhile. And then I had to get ready for bed. By the time this lady was tucked into bed, it's was at least 11. You can say that my 6 am wake up wasn't Disney-princess cheerful.


I picked out an outfit I had already tested out. Blue sweater, grey pants, orange scarf. Yet, I just didn't feel "like a million bucks" like I was expecting. Oh well. The show rolls on and I had students to deal with. Today was English/Reading with mild special needs at the high school level. If you are having trouble picturing that, let me lay it out for you- All the kids who are sweet but who use their humor to make up for their reading level. Got em. Add a few ADHD, a few trouble makers, and a couple that are a step away from suspension and you can see my class. It was a rough one to get these kiddos to read aloud. Mind you, I understand that it isn't their best skill and therefore is embarrassing, but, man, it is exhausting. So, I survived the constant, and I do mean constant, chatter, talking, leaving seats, not returning from the nurses office, and I am thankfully taking a few detoxing breaths as, yup, my tea is steeping. 


I hope you all back home and wherever you're reading from had a smoother day than I. Plus side, I'm heading off tonight to play (or maybe just watch) dodgeball with my husband and his fraternity brothers before I go to Bible Study. The day will be redeemed. The Lord is good and gave me patience enough not to give up and flexibility enough to roll with the punches (not literally of course :))

Blast Off

Yes. I have now joined the millions of other newlywed/young mothers that blog about life. I've always enjoyed reading about others' lives, and now is the time to add my own voice to the story. And so begins, the story of me and our freshly started family. 


After getting married almost six months ago (wow, where did the time go, right?!), J and I packed up our little Mazda in a modern day version of the Oregon Trail. We got to skip out on fording the rivers, losing our lead oxen, and dying of snakebites, thankfully. Yet, here we are 2,000 miles away from our hometown while J finishes his Civil Engineering Degree at Rose Hulman in little Terre Haute, IN. Although every middle and high-schooler I have taught so far thinks that I was crazy to come from "cool" Oregon to the "Terrible Haute," I'm finding that I like it just fine. There are plenty of coffee shops, lovely people, aweful drivers, unpredictable weather that I sort of love, and more trees than I had expected. 


The one thing that the town doesn't have, though, is family. And I miss you all. And since I decided my facebook status was probably not the place to fully fill everyone in on my life's happenings, I have created this blog to keep everyone in the loop, to help me feel a little closer, and to show you all into the window of my world.