It's been a somewhat unproductive day but I'm OK with that. I had planned to make some more headway with cleaning and organizing here in my apartment but that didn't happen. I slept in (due to poor sleeping during the night) and only had time to shower before heading to my massage appointment. Jon got me a gift certificate almost a year ago and I wanted to make use of it. It was a decent massage but sadly massages irritate my back. It's really tough to lie flat on my back (even with the cushioning thing under my legs) so even though my back relaxed at first, it got pretty unhappy again. Luckily the discomfort didn't stick around long.
Since I was close to Des Moines, I had lunch with Jon. Half an egg salad sandwich and a bowl of Wisconsin Cheese soup. I need to get my Mom's recipe for egg salad because I really like it. I have a hard time balancing the ingredients though...I hate when it tastes too mustardy. I think that's a new adjective.
After eating that wonderful lunch, I immediately started feeling like poo. The rest of my afternoon and part of the evening included a nap to sleep off the ickiness. Hopefully I can fall asleep later as I need to be up at 4:45am so I can get down to Ankeny by 5:30am. I'm riding along on a trip to Lincoln, NE as Jon has an appointment.
Anyway...onto my title of this blog entry. I'm getting more and more excited as the holiday season approaches. I've been thinking about a lot of the events that are becoming more routine and highly anticipated each year.
1) driving around and looking at Christmas lights
2) attending the candlelight service at St. John's on Christmas eve
3) wrapping Chritmas presents (I've gotten better at this over the years)
4) attending my Christmas party for work. It's a hoot because of the White Elephant gift exchange and the fun social environment. Jon will be accompanying me this year. It's the first time I'm bringing a significant other to anything work-related.
5) decorating my apartment and Jon's home for the holidays. I believe we are setting up the Christmas tree the evening of Thanksgiving or the next day.
6) preparing Christmas cards. I love writing out cards and writing the annual Christmas letter. My list of card receivers is getting smaller each year but the list will never be short considering the size of my family, number of friends, and number of coworkers.
7) hot cocoa on a regular basis! I need to purchase some low-calorie cocoa mixes.
8) snow! I do like snow. I'm sure that may change some day when I have to shovel it on a regular basis.
9) Christmas movies! It will be fun to catch some good ones on cable and watch the ones we own.
10) having some extended time off between semesters. I'll still have to work but it will be nice to focus on other things in my life rather than grading, prepwork, etc.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Saturday, November 19, 2011
I Wish Football Tickets Cost a Nickel...
Greetings!
Back in August when I thought money would be abundant I had a strong desire to attend two ISU football games this fall. We did go to the UNI game and the other game under consideration was the Oklahoma State game. Well I decided last month that spending that much to attend a football game wasn't in the budget. It saddens me that I missed such an intense game. It's not every day that ISU defeats the #2 ranked football team.
I'm somewhat cleaning today (will hopefully dive into it after blogging). I once again need to straighten up my bedroom. I'm going to pull out the Christmas decorations and stack the Rubbermaid totes in the living room so everything is easily accessible this week. My articial tree is at Jon's and I'm going to set it up in his living room again. We had planned to get a real tree this year but once again money presnts a problem. Why must kickass Christmas trees be pricey? It makes me want to wander into a nice park or yard and snag one for free. Then again breaking the law doesn't seem to foster the Christmas spirit.
Tomorrow after church, we are delivering Thanksgiving food baskets to two families. I contributed a ton of macaroni & cheese (thanks Sam's Club) and Jon provided cranberry sauce. We also provided one frozen fruit pie. The amount of food in each basket is quite extensive and the families receiving the baskets are large. We are also going to be bell ringers on Saturday the 26th at a grocery store in Ankeny. I have never rang the bell before and didn't realize it was just an Internet-based volunteer opportunity. Hopefully it's not cold but based on weather reports I've halfway listened to, it's not supposed to get frigid yet this week.
Random note of the day: I hate how odd shaped envelopes require more postage. I guess they make "butterfly stamps" now worth $0.64 since most of those larger envelopes need an extra $0.20. I can never remember to buy those new stamps and I always end up slapping two normal stamps on the envelope and paying too much for postage.
I have some household tasks that need to get done this week and I don't think I can put them off any longer. I hate cleaning the shower. I've not done it fully since we've moved in this apartment. I've done parts of it periodically. I also need to re-pot my plants in the living room. I'm not sure how they are flourishing since the dirt is nasty and weird looking.
Alright, enough procrastinating...time to go make something spiffy.
Back in August when I thought money would be abundant I had a strong desire to attend two ISU football games this fall. We did go to the UNI game and the other game under consideration was the Oklahoma State game. Well I decided last month that spending that much to attend a football game wasn't in the budget. It saddens me that I missed such an intense game. It's not every day that ISU defeats the #2 ranked football team.
I'm somewhat cleaning today (will hopefully dive into it after blogging). I once again need to straighten up my bedroom. I'm going to pull out the Christmas decorations and stack the Rubbermaid totes in the living room so everything is easily accessible this week. My articial tree is at Jon's and I'm going to set it up in his living room again. We had planned to get a real tree this year but once again money presnts a problem. Why must kickass Christmas trees be pricey? It makes me want to wander into a nice park or yard and snag one for free. Then again breaking the law doesn't seem to foster the Christmas spirit.
Tomorrow after church, we are delivering Thanksgiving food baskets to two families. I contributed a ton of macaroni & cheese (thanks Sam's Club) and Jon provided cranberry sauce. We also provided one frozen fruit pie. The amount of food in each basket is quite extensive and the families receiving the baskets are large. We are also going to be bell ringers on Saturday the 26th at a grocery store in Ankeny. I have never rang the bell before and didn't realize it was just an Internet-based volunteer opportunity. Hopefully it's not cold but based on weather reports I've halfway listened to, it's not supposed to get frigid yet this week.
Random note of the day: I hate how odd shaped envelopes require more postage. I guess they make "butterfly stamps" now worth $0.64 since most of those larger envelopes need an extra $0.20. I can never remember to buy those new stamps and I always end up slapping two normal stamps on the envelope and paying too much for postage.
I have some household tasks that need to get done this week and I don't think I can put them off any longer. I hate cleaning the shower. I've not done it fully since we've moved in this apartment. I've done parts of it periodically. I also need to re-pot my plants in the living room. I'm not sure how they are flourishing since the dirt is nasty and weird looking.
Alright, enough procrastinating...time to go make something spiffy.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Another Weekend has Come and Gone...
Howdy:
Well this blog was supposed to be written Sunday night and all I accomplished was the title. Sadly Gavin became sick again so I quickly became distracted and abandoned my blogging efforts. I wish I had come back to the blog as I had all kinds of cool things floating in my head and most of them have escaped now.
Jon and I used the crockpot this weekend so our lunch would be ready for us after church. We made a cranberry pork loin and it was fabulous. I was slightly nervous about making it as Jon does not like sweet meat dishes. Thanks to some of the ingredients it toned down the sweetness and the tartness of the cranberries helped as well. Here is the approximate recipe we used of you are a considering an easy crockpot day:
Cranberry Pork Loin
One medium sized pork loin (it shrinks down considerably)
One can of jellied or whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp of ground cloves (used a little more than that)
1 tsp of ground mustard
1/4 cup of cranberry juice (used a little more)
You need to combine all of the wet and dry ingredients and pour it over the pork loin. Be sure to keep the layer of fat on the pork loin since it enhances the flavor. It's important to put the fat side up in the crock pot. The liquid doesn't cover the loin completely. It is supposed to cook for 6-8 hours on low. Our's cooked a lot longer but didn't dry out since we had plenty of liquid for it to sit in.
The original author for the recipe recommends taking out 2 cups of the leftover liquid and adding cornstarch and water to the concoction. It makes a gravy to use on potatoes. Cranberry gravy doesn't seem to appealing to me since the left over liquid is sweet in nature.
I was very pleased with my cleaning efforts on Saturday morning. Gavin and I took a lot of items to Good Will. I also took my first load of items to Jon's for a garage sale next year. I'm thankful he doesn't mind me stacking it up in his basement. It was a relief to get that much cleaning done but also frustrating because my room is still nowhere near as neat as it should be. I have a ton of work to do on my closet still. I'm looking foward to working on it Friday night and Saturday morning again. It's bizarre that I want to clean on my days off but so be it.
I've made good headway with Christmas shopping. I'm severely reducing the amount I spend on gifts this year thanks to finances. I still have a few things to buy for family members and I still need to buy stamps/cards but that will be quite feasible come December. I wonder if Santa is opposed to giving me $20 bills for the holiday season.
Well since my other topics aren't coming to mind...I'm going to end this entry prematurely so I don't ramble too much. Adios!
Well this blog was supposed to be written Sunday night and all I accomplished was the title. Sadly Gavin became sick again so I quickly became distracted and abandoned my blogging efforts. I wish I had come back to the blog as I had all kinds of cool things floating in my head and most of them have escaped now.
Jon and I used the crockpot this weekend so our lunch would be ready for us after church. We made a cranberry pork loin and it was fabulous. I was slightly nervous about making it as Jon does not like sweet meat dishes. Thanks to some of the ingredients it toned down the sweetness and the tartness of the cranberries helped as well. Here is the approximate recipe we used of you are a considering an easy crockpot day:
Cranberry Pork Loin
One medium sized pork loin (it shrinks down considerably)
One can of jellied or whole cranberry sauce
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 tsp of ground cloves (used a little more than that)
1 tsp of ground mustard
1/4 cup of cranberry juice (used a little more)
You need to combine all of the wet and dry ingredients and pour it over the pork loin. Be sure to keep the layer of fat on the pork loin since it enhances the flavor. It's important to put the fat side up in the crock pot. The liquid doesn't cover the loin completely. It is supposed to cook for 6-8 hours on low. Our's cooked a lot longer but didn't dry out since we had plenty of liquid for it to sit in.
The original author for the recipe recommends taking out 2 cups of the leftover liquid and adding cornstarch and water to the concoction. It makes a gravy to use on potatoes. Cranberry gravy doesn't seem to appealing to me since the left over liquid is sweet in nature.
I was very pleased with my cleaning efforts on Saturday morning. Gavin and I took a lot of items to Good Will. I also took my first load of items to Jon's for a garage sale next year. I'm thankful he doesn't mind me stacking it up in his basement. It was a relief to get that much cleaning done but also frustrating because my room is still nowhere near as neat as it should be. I have a ton of work to do on my closet still. I'm looking foward to working on it Friday night and Saturday morning again. It's bizarre that I want to clean on my days off but so be it.
I've made good headway with Christmas shopping. I'm severely reducing the amount I spend on gifts this year thanks to finances. I still have a few things to buy for family members and I still need to buy stamps/cards but that will be quite feasible come December. I wonder if Santa is opposed to giving me $20 bills for the holiday season.
Well since my other topics aren't coming to mind...I'm going to end this entry prematurely so I don't ramble too much. Adios!
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Soup's On!
Hey all:
After reading Nicole's recent post about a soup recipe, it made me realize that I've acheived a goal...well sort of. I never really set the goal but I do recognize the situation as a success. Fact of the matter is that I'm addicted to the deli soups at Hy-Vee. I ate them weekly in the past. I especially love the Cheddar Baked Potato & Ham and Chicken Tortilla Soup. And as you may realize both are cream-based soups so they are healthy in moderation but I was eating them often and I'd often eat the entire container in a meal. It has been weeks since I bought any of that soup. In essence, I haven't really missed them much. That fact dawned on me tonight as I reviewed Nicole's recipe for her Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. I have been eating soup often but it's been Campbell's tomato soup. I bought a flat at Sam's Club and typically keep a ton of it on hand since it's simple to make, very satisfying, and not horrible for you.
We've also been eating out a lot less. My budget is very tight this month and will be until tax season comes and I hopefully get a refund to help with some debt. We really haven't missed it...well at least I haven't missed it. We went to King Buffet tonight (chinese cuisine) and it really wasn't that good. I regreted going there after I took my first bite of food. It didn't help that the food temperatures weren't right on the buffet. The owners admitted that one of the buffet tables was broken. Umm...you shouldn't be serving food from it unless it's working properly. I actually reported them to the state tonight via the Internet. Hopefully my complaint is taken seriously.
Swim & Gym ends next week! Yippee! It's really not been that strenuous or anything but it will be nice to come home around 4-5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than after 6pm. It will be starting up again in February before I know it. Sadly I need to already start hiring people for the spring session so I can't put the program completely out of my mind. I even have to start preparing for the Summer Youth Fitness program too since I'll be hiring in a few months and advertising.
Ok, I'm off to bed!
After reading Nicole's recent post about a soup recipe, it made me realize that I've acheived a goal...well sort of. I never really set the goal but I do recognize the situation as a success. Fact of the matter is that I'm addicted to the deli soups at Hy-Vee. I ate them weekly in the past. I especially love the Cheddar Baked Potato & Ham and Chicken Tortilla Soup. And as you may realize both are cream-based soups so they are healthy in moderation but I was eating them often and I'd often eat the entire container in a meal. It has been weeks since I bought any of that soup. In essence, I haven't really missed them much. That fact dawned on me tonight as I reviewed Nicole's recipe for her Sweet Potato and Black Bean Chili. I have been eating soup often but it's been Campbell's tomato soup. I bought a flat at Sam's Club and typically keep a ton of it on hand since it's simple to make, very satisfying, and not horrible for you.
We've also been eating out a lot less. My budget is very tight this month and will be until tax season comes and I hopefully get a refund to help with some debt. We really haven't missed it...well at least I haven't missed it. We went to King Buffet tonight (chinese cuisine) and it really wasn't that good. I regreted going there after I took my first bite of food. It didn't help that the food temperatures weren't right on the buffet. The owners admitted that one of the buffet tables was broken. Umm...you shouldn't be serving food from it unless it's working properly. I actually reported them to the state tonight via the Internet. Hopefully my complaint is taken seriously.
Swim & Gym ends next week! Yippee! It's really not been that strenuous or anything but it will be nice to come home around 4-5pm on Tuesdays and Thursdays rather than after 6pm. It will be starting up again in February before I know it. Sadly I need to already start hiring people for the spring session so I can't put the program completely out of my mind. I even have to start preparing for the Summer Youth Fitness program too since I'll be hiring in a few months and advertising.
Ok, I'm off to bed!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Oh Solitude...I Like You More Than I Should
Howdy:
I have the apartment for myself for a bit longer. Gavin went to a friend's house tonight to work on yet another project. I'm not sure why but I do really enjoy alone time here in the apartment. I got a lot accomplished today. I'm attempting to work ahead at ISU and DMACC and did some errands after work. I went through Gavin's clothes the other day. Sadly not much from last winter fits him well. My past neighbor contacted me to see if I had any hand-me-downs to pass on to her son. That gave me the motivation to sort through Gavin's things and we were able to give her a big bag of items. It really feels good to hand that stuff over to her. We had Gavin's parent-teacher conference after handing over the clothes. His teacher only had good things to say about his academics and his demeanor at school. Always nice to hear a teacher say that she wishes all the kids were as good as your own.
I was also able to make a brief trip to the grocery store for some basic staples and I made a trip to Sam's Club for some basic stuff too. I decided to buy a couple Christmas gifts while there too since my Dad loves cashews and they sell Gavin's favorite chocolates. I sometimes wonder if I truly need a Sam's Club membership. I don't shop there very often...maybe once every 2 months. I think I'd shop there more if I had a deep freeze and more storage space. It would be nice to buy in bulk and reduce the shopping trips to typical grocery stores.
I'm a little worried about the status of our church in Ankeny. Our pastor retired in October. I was OK with that change because I feel he had done a good job and was having health problems. His children are having children and I think he deserves time for family and for grandparenting. Well now the church has started the search for a new pastor so we have "substitutes" that come in and preach for us. I was in Waukon this Sunday so I didn't go to my usual church but I guess some people have voiced their disappointment with certain aspects of the church. I can certainly understand that people are frustrated but it disappoints me that individuals are being rather rude about the situation. Not very Christian-like if you ask me. I'm glad I wasn't there, I probably would have said something and contributed toward the non-Christian likeness.
I'm starting to get excited for Christmas despite being sickened by the amount of advertising for the holiday already. We are having a simple Christmas this year so it's a relief to know that shopping will be feasible. We listened to some Christmas music while traveling this weekend. Jon missed a good road trip!
I have the apartment for myself for a bit longer. Gavin went to a friend's house tonight to work on yet another project. I'm not sure why but I do really enjoy alone time here in the apartment. I got a lot accomplished today. I'm attempting to work ahead at ISU and DMACC and did some errands after work. I went through Gavin's clothes the other day. Sadly not much from last winter fits him well. My past neighbor contacted me to see if I had any hand-me-downs to pass on to her son. That gave me the motivation to sort through Gavin's things and we were able to give her a big bag of items. It really feels good to hand that stuff over to her. We had Gavin's parent-teacher conference after handing over the clothes. His teacher only had good things to say about his academics and his demeanor at school. Always nice to hear a teacher say that she wishes all the kids were as good as your own.
I was also able to make a brief trip to the grocery store for some basic staples and I made a trip to Sam's Club for some basic stuff too. I decided to buy a couple Christmas gifts while there too since my Dad loves cashews and they sell Gavin's favorite chocolates. I sometimes wonder if I truly need a Sam's Club membership. I don't shop there very often...maybe once every 2 months. I think I'd shop there more if I had a deep freeze and more storage space. It would be nice to buy in bulk and reduce the shopping trips to typical grocery stores.
I'm a little worried about the status of our church in Ankeny. Our pastor retired in October. I was OK with that change because I feel he had done a good job and was having health problems. His children are having children and I think he deserves time for family and for grandparenting. Well now the church has started the search for a new pastor so we have "substitutes" that come in and preach for us. I was in Waukon this Sunday so I didn't go to my usual church but I guess some people have voiced their disappointment with certain aspects of the church. I can certainly understand that people are frustrated but it disappoints me that individuals are being rather rude about the situation. Not very Christian-like if you ask me. I'm glad I wasn't there, I probably would have said something and contributed toward the non-Christian likeness.
I'm starting to get excited for Christmas despite being sickened by the amount of advertising for the holiday already. We are having a simple Christmas this year so it's a relief to know that shopping will be feasible. We listened to some Christmas music while traveling this weekend. Jon missed a good road trip!
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Ready for the Weekend
Hello All:
I had intended to blog yesterday due to the rough day I had. I'm glad I waited a day though because my entry would have been one, big rant had I blogged after teaching at DMACC last night. Today was considerably better. Yesterday was proof that if things start off on a bad foot immediately, that crappiness tends to spread throughout the day.
Well I had to venture down to Des Moines and visit a student teacher right away in the morning. I had printed directions days beforehand because I had never been to the elementary school before. I used the address off the school district website. Well the zip code was wrong and it lead me to a road with a similar road on the wrong side of Des Moines. I realized I was in trouble when I pulled up to a house and not a school. I had 15 minutes to spare before my meeting so called the school to get guidance from the secretary. She couldn't even tell me what streets were near the school so I could make my way closer to the correct destination. Luckily I could reach Jon and get directions from him. I felt bad because he was sick but he made a good human GPS. I got to the school about 10 minutes late and then found out that the meeting wasn't going to work anyway due to the school having an early out. The teacher forgot about that and didn't have prep time like usual so he was teaching when I arrived. Sigh.
The youth programs at ISU are being audited and investigated. I was contacted about Summer Youth Fitness (not Swim & Gym ironically) and had a meeting about that later in the day yesterday. I was told it was just a simple meeting that would inform me about the process. I specifically asked if I needed to bring anything (registration forms, budget information, etc.). I was told no. Well after the meeting started, they started asking really detailed information and wanted to know if I had documents with me. Umm...you told me I didn't need those things. Luckily I had the right answers to many of their questions. I will have more interviews in the future though. The university is trying to construct a committee that will govern youth programs so everyone is on the same page for creating fees, setting safety protocol, etc. Luckily I am OCD about that stuff and have my ducks in a row. I'm sure they'll still find deficencies though.
DMACC has been rather defeating too. The students are doing half-assed work and it's tough to teach them. They don't want to contribute or discuss things. I have one that is starting the appeal process because he has too many absences therefore an F for the class. He even had his Mom contact me. He's now claiming a medical issue and I've told him to do a medical drop for the class. If he's lying, that will be impossible and he's still in trouble. His Mom requested that I give him an incomplete. You can't give those out in the middle of the semester. And I don't believe the situation warrants an incomplete. He told me he was leaving early and missing class due to his job and flag football. Medical issues were never mentioned. Sadly I think his Mom is lying for him.
Today was much better! I do have some grading that has piled up but that will be very common now as the end of the semester approaches. I will have many unit plans to grade in the last weeks of the semester too. Those take an extreme amount of time to assess (1.5 hours each). I will have 28 to grade. Swim & Gym will wrap up on November 17 so that date is quickly approaching too. I'm so grateful to have a great staff for the program. I can leave and do other things during the program and not worry about horrible things happening.
Alrighty...one more work day and then some funness. It will be fun to bop to NE Iowa for a couple days :)
I had intended to blog yesterday due to the rough day I had. I'm glad I waited a day though because my entry would have been one, big rant had I blogged after teaching at DMACC last night. Today was considerably better. Yesterday was proof that if things start off on a bad foot immediately, that crappiness tends to spread throughout the day.
Well I had to venture down to Des Moines and visit a student teacher right away in the morning. I had printed directions days beforehand because I had never been to the elementary school before. I used the address off the school district website. Well the zip code was wrong and it lead me to a road with a similar road on the wrong side of Des Moines. I realized I was in trouble when I pulled up to a house and not a school. I had 15 minutes to spare before my meeting so called the school to get guidance from the secretary. She couldn't even tell me what streets were near the school so I could make my way closer to the correct destination. Luckily I could reach Jon and get directions from him. I felt bad because he was sick but he made a good human GPS. I got to the school about 10 minutes late and then found out that the meeting wasn't going to work anyway due to the school having an early out. The teacher forgot about that and didn't have prep time like usual so he was teaching when I arrived. Sigh.
The youth programs at ISU are being audited and investigated. I was contacted about Summer Youth Fitness (not Swim & Gym ironically) and had a meeting about that later in the day yesterday. I was told it was just a simple meeting that would inform me about the process. I specifically asked if I needed to bring anything (registration forms, budget information, etc.). I was told no. Well after the meeting started, they started asking really detailed information and wanted to know if I had documents with me. Umm...you told me I didn't need those things. Luckily I had the right answers to many of their questions. I will have more interviews in the future though. The university is trying to construct a committee that will govern youth programs so everyone is on the same page for creating fees, setting safety protocol, etc. Luckily I am OCD about that stuff and have my ducks in a row. I'm sure they'll still find deficencies though.
DMACC has been rather defeating too. The students are doing half-assed work and it's tough to teach them. They don't want to contribute or discuss things. I have one that is starting the appeal process because he has too many absences therefore an F for the class. He even had his Mom contact me. He's now claiming a medical issue and I've told him to do a medical drop for the class. If he's lying, that will be impossible and he's still in trouble. His Mom requested that I give him an incomplete. You can't give those out in the middle of the semester. And I don't believe the situation warrants an incomplete. He told me he was leaving early and missing class due to his job and flag football. Medical issues were never mentioned. Sadly I think his Mom is lying for him.
Today was much better! I do have some grading that has piled up but that will be very common now as the end of the semester approaches. I will have many unit plans to grade in the last weeks of the semester too. Those take an extreme amount of time to assess (1.5 hours each). I will have 28 to grade. Swim & Gym will wrap up on November 17 so that date is quickly approaching too. I'm so grateful to have a great staff for the program. I can leave and do other things during the program and not worry about horrible things happening.
Alrighty...one more work day and then some funness. It will be fun to bop to NE Iowa for a couple days :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)