The (almost)Family Photo

After 2 trips to IKEA in less than 24 hours, we finally have our "grown up" bedroom nearly completed!  All we need now is one more nightstand and a new coat of paint (we're thinking that we might go with a shade of sage) and we'll be done.  Last night's adventure with the dresser took over 3 hours for us to finish (we definitely had underestimated the amount of time it was going to take us, being that we didn't even get the chance to go see a movie afterward), but today's nightstand only took 30 minutes (which I did on my own while L was at the driving range), and the bed frame only took about an hour with the both of us, though I was the only one turning any screws since L blistered both of his hands pretty badly after golf.  Once we rearranged the room a bit and stood back, we felt much better and comfortable in our grown up bedroom compared to the mattress on the floor and non-matching furniture that we were using up until now.  Just to refresh your memory, here's the before:

 And here's the after:

It's amazing how much better we feel about the room in general, and how much more at home we are now with the house.  Even the simplest changes seem to brighten up our moods as we make the house more "us."

Lastly, here's the (almost)family photo, all we're missing are the degus and the birds-

Crafting for others

It's been awhile since I've done any crafts, so this past weekend I got together with J and we each worked on a project.  So far, all of the crafts that I have made have been for me, and I didn't worry about making mistakes because no one else would ever notice them, but this week's project was made for one of my younger sisters, so I felt the need to be much more meticulous when it came to sewing in a straight line.  What I decided to make for her was a make-up brush travel roll (found here at Twelves Crafts Til Christmas) and it turned out to be very simple!  Here's how it turned out:

Envelope made by J at Secret Pie Shoppe

The longest 10 days ever!

It's been forever since I've had the opportunity to make this, but the other day, I had a hankering for Amish friendship bread, and I was able to find a starter recipe here at Peace, Love and French Fries!  I had never made the starter before, so I followed her directions carefully, and after 10 days of stirring and mixing, I finally have my bread, and am passing on starters to 4 different people so that they, too, can experience the awesomeness of Amish Friendship Bread!

P.S.

I totally got to talk to my Scuz (cousin) who is currently residing in Thailand yesterday!  I had debating taking a sub job yesterday, and I'm glad I didn't, otherwise I wouldn't have had been able to answer his call.  Scuz- I don't think you read my blog (though I do read yours when you update it every once in a blue moon...), but I just wanted to say that it was great talking to you and I miss you!  Can't wait to see you when you come back either over the summer or Christmas time.

Good Days

I'm slowly coming to realize that deep down, I really do have a preference for age levels when it comes to teaching (though, in the coming school year, I'll take what ever job is offered to me- provided that any job is offered).  After my horrible experience at the middle school (after multiple positive jobs in 6-8th grade classrooms), and a great day back at the high school level that 9-12th graders are my favorite grades to teach.  I had actually been dreading going back to sub since "the 8th grade turds" but this afternoon I had the pleasure of being able to sub for a couple of wonderful French classes (even though I don't know a word of French, besides "hello" and "goodbye").  They treated me with respect and appreciated how I am generally a pretty laid-back sub.  It was nice to hear even tell me to my face that I am "a cool sub" and that they "wished that they could have me sub every day."  It's hard going into a new classroom every day, with new faces and names to try to learn, but it's days like these that make it worth it.

Our Zoo (pt.2)- Meet the Rabbit

Welcome to Part 2 of Meet the Zoo!  Today you'll get the chance to meet and get to know Dwight the rabbit!

L and I adopted Dwight in early October, 2007 from the humane society.  This was the only pet that L and I didn't quite see eye to eye about bringing into our family.  I was all gung ho about getting a rabbit, but L was hesitant, and the first couple of weeks that Dwight was in our home were filled with tension.  After the initial "getting to know you" weeks, things got better, though Dwight wasn't the cute and cuddly bunny rabbit I had thought he was going to be.  While he is still pretty damn cute, I learned pretty quickly that he didn't like to be picked up (which is common for most rabbits- they prefer to have all four feet on the ground!) and that he only liked to be pet on his terms.  I also learned that after they neutered him at the humane society that it would take awhile for the testosterone levels to drop, but after that, he would become less territorial and more friendly towards us.

Dwight quickly learned some commands from us ("get in your house" = get into your cage, snapping = stop what your doing/don't chew on that, kissy/tsky sounds = treats/food, etc.), and we caught on to his quirks an signals as well (especially when it comes to petting him).  L and I originally had no idea how many noises rabbits make (grunts, snorts, teeth grinding).  Back at the apartment, he would sit on the couch with me as I would work on homework, or he would hang out on the Love Sac.  Now, at our new home, he spends a lot of his time laying on our over-sized blue chair/ottoman, or chilling under the dinner table with Darla (whom most of you have met months ago in an old blog post, but she'll have a new updated post next week focusing on her).

While he still isn't Mr. Snuggles, he's got his own personality and we love him for it.  It makes his lovey moments much sweeter (nearly every morning he forces us to pet him while we attempt to eat breakfast, and again while we eat dinner).  People often wonder why we eat so many of our meals on the floor, and it's because it gives us a chance to continue to bond with Dwight and give him the attention he crave every day.

Crockpot Salsa Chicken

I fear that I am starting to form a slightly unhealthy relationship with my crockpot... I LOVE being able to put together a meal, throw it all in the crockpot and then have it be ready by the time that L and I get home from work.  So far, I've made the Tikka Masala chicken, good ol' trusty chicken with cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soup, and now I've tried my hand at salsa chicken.  Normally, I'm not a huge fan of salsa (unless it's on my tortilla chips), and was hesitant to make this, but it turned out to be one of the easiest, tastiest, most versatile meal I've made so far.  I was originally going to eat it fajita or taco- style, but I had a craving for jasmine rice, so this evening I am trying it on top of rice with a tortilla for dipping on the side.  If I were feeling up to it, I could have added more condiments and created a burrito, or I could have added a bit of chicken stock to create more of a soup like meal.  Salsa chicken is definitely making its way into our meal rotations and is a great, low labor dinner!

Crockpot Salsa Chicken
2 boneless chicken breasts
30oz. of salsa
1 package frozen corn
1 can drained black beans
1 block Cream Cheese (about 8oz.)

Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot (if using frozen chicken, add about 1 cup of water to the bottom of the pot)
Cover chicken with salsa
Add corn and beans, and stir into salsa.
Let cook on low heat for 6-8 hours (if using frozen chicken, 8-9 hours)
Spoon out the chicken from the salsa and shred the meat.
Stir the shredded chicken back into the salsa.
Add cream cheese.  Let it heat up for about 15 minutes and then stir in the cream cheese until smooth.
Turn crockpot onto "warm" and serve in which ever fashion you desire!

Enjoy!