march, so far

it has been quite a while since i updated my blog, so let me fill you in with some of the things that have been keeping me busy since my last post.

i have...

~ escaped to a charming part of wisconsin for a weekend visit with old friends
~ learned to navigate through some brand spankin' new technology at work
~ attempted to keep the dust from accumulating on my elliptical
~ conducted parent teacher conferences (two very long evenings)
~ sewn curtains for my spare bedroom
~ cheered on our girl's basketball team as they fought their way through the playoffs, only to fall one game short of a trip to the state tournament
~ read expecting adam by martha beck
~ discovered a thrift store just down the street
~ refinanced my mortage
~ become addicted, yet again, to the biggest loser on nbc

only two more work days until spring break is here. i absolutely cannot wait to sleep in, visit friends and family, veg out and reeeelax.

classic german pancake

makes 4 to 6 servings
6 eggs
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. pure vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 tbsp. butter
freshly squeezed lemon juice
confectioners sugar


preheat oven to 450 degrees. this is important! place oven rack on the middle rack of your oven. place a large, heavy ovenproof frying pan or a cast-iron skillet in the oven until hot.

while the pan is heating, prepare your batter. in a large bowl, beat the eggs until light and frothy; add milk, flour, vanilla, and cinnamon; beat for five minutes more. the batter will be thin, but very smooth and creamy.

using a pot holder, remove the hot skillet from the oven; add the butter; tilting the pan to melt the butter and coat the skillet. pour the prepared batter into the hot skillet, all at once, in the center and return skillet to oven.

bake approximately 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and golden brown. remove from oven and serve immediately. either bring the pancake to the table in its pan or slide it onto a serving plate {once out of the oven, the pancake will begin to deflate}. to serve, cut into seving-size wedges and transfer to individual serving plates. top with your favrotie topping and serve immediately. for a classic german pancake, sprinkle with freshly squeezed lemon juice and dust the top with powdered sugar.

happy birthday

happy 24th birthday, jena!

we love you and hope you have a wonderful day!

bloggy blah

haven't felt up to much of anything lately, due to a cold/cough/strep virus that knocked me on my butt for two whole weeks.

the kind of virus that sucked the life out of me and put a cold sore in it's place.

i'm talkin' no watching tv. or, remembering to dvr any good shows, like the office

no turning on the computer

no cooking. or eating, really

no cleaning

no playing with the dog

just working hard to make it through each day of work, in order to come home, completely exhausted, load up on medicine and go to bed.

usually by six o'clock in the evening.

even that was too much at times...and i was forced to use up two of my precious sick days. :( hmmmph.

fortunately, tomorrow is president's day and i can rest one more day. here's hoping i've finally shaken this nasty bug.

i love you more than blank

with valentine's day right around the corner, all it takes is one foot in the door of any retail establishment to be instantly bitten by the "love bug." the internet, i am discovering, is no exception! i recently stumbled upon this cute new website and fell in love instantly. according to its creators, the purpose is to explore the wonderful world of love...and to depart from the cliche valentines sentiment to find the real things people use as a measuring stick for love, such as:





here are my own personal declarations of love {submitted today}--

i love you more than snooze on monday.
i love you more than ruby loves bananas.
i love you more than summer vacation.

take a look yourself, and spread some love!

i wonder if she got her asking price...

below is a preview of ann curry's interview with new {octuplet} mom nadya suleman. the full interview is set to air both monday morning and tuesday evening on nbc.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

personally, i have a hard time understanding how this woman is going to be better prepared to provide for her children once she "finishes her schooling." i mean, sure, completing your master's degree in counseling might help you land a decent paying job...but how can you afford to work away from the home when you're a single mom with 14 kids?

and, more importantly {folks, let's be real here}...what's up with the angelina jolie impersonation?

feelin' sour

yesterday morning, i recieved a note from the parent of one of my students.
it read~
dear mrs. s,
last friday we got a call from our doctor. it seems --'s strep test from the previous monday was in fact positive. so, unfortunately, she attended school all week untreated. we hope no one else gets it.

um, yeah. unfortunately someone did get it.

me.

people, please. when your child is sick, keep them home.