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Thursday, February 28, 2013

How I unwind

Some people gripe about having to cook dinner every night, I don't understand this, because personally I need that time to unwind. Making dinner is my transition from work to home, and it's something that I get to do all alone, in silence. When I cook I don't think about work, and I don't think about everything I have to get done after dinner, I just focus on what I'm doing.

So here's a picture of my space. It's not big, and it's not fancy, and at some point, down the road, when I find an extra million dollars, I might be able to have a kitchen that belongs in a magazine, but for now this is my space, and I love it because its comfortable. That is what I'm thankful for today!

Wednesday, February 27, 2013

A novel idea

The last couple of days have been just a bit stressful, so tonight I'm thankful for me time. Not that I've actually had any me time, but I'm definitely seeing how important it is, and therefore resolving to make more of it. I'm trying to remind myself that I don't need to respond to every text message and email as soon as I get it, I can put the paperwork down for the evening and just relax, because goodness knows that if I don't my brain will never wind down.

So right now I am sitting on the couch, watching tv, and doing my nails. I love me time.

Monday, February 25, 2013

Enough said

Today I am thankful for professional development, and the opportunity to spend the day talking to adults who take me seriously and view me as a professional, which is what I get to do tomorrow, thank goodness! Sometimes I need that!

Sunday, February 24, 2013

Loving old memories

When I was little hockey was a big thing. My home town was home to one of the best college hockey teams in the nation and one of the best high school hockey teams in the state, so ice skating was just something we did, and we loved to go to hockey games.

Tonight I got to go to a hockey game, our local minor league team, and I am so glad that my sister went with me because the game wasn't very exciting, but we had a lot of fun reliving those memories! We talked about going to the games with our cousins, mooching candy from the college mascots, loving the action and the fights. It was like being back there!





Friday, February 22, 2013

Just a little snow and ice!

Today I am thankful that I have grown up in Northwest Ohio, where I learned how to drive in snow and ice, and have practiced doing this every winter, because this morning, when I had to drive in one of the worst snow and ice storms that we have had in the last two years, I had experience on my side.

Some people hate to drive in the snow.  It doesnt really bother me, I think I came to terms with it fairly early in my driving experiences because I knew that it would be a fact of life, and also because as much as I love my mother, I didn't want to be afraid of it like she was.  She used to make us be silent in the backseat when she was driving in the snow, so that she would be able to concentrate.

So this morning when it was sleeting and snowing, I wasn't scared when my car got caught on a drift and I wasn't scared when I wasn't sure that I would be able to stop as I approached a red light, I just did what i needed to do, and kept a close eye on those around me.  Thank goodness for experience, and being confident in my ability to get from place to place safely. Oh, and thank goodness I don't have to drive far!

Thursday, February 21, 2013

Thank God for Girlfriends!

Today I am thankful for friends, specifically the wonderful ladies that I work with, who not only have my back, always, but who also seem to know just what I need.

I left early yesterday with an awful migraine and woke up this morning to a text from one of these awesome girls offering to bring chocolate to get me through the day. When I got to work another handed me a bag of kryptonite, otherwise known as Starburst Jellybeans - just the red ones :) so while I may have had a red tongue and a sugar high all day, my girls got me through. Thank you ladies!!!!

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Vacation time!

Today I am thankful for vacation time, and I think whoever introduced the use it or lose it policy is a genius!

I work at a community college, so my school follows the college's fiscal schedule, our contracts run July to June, and this year I have three personal days and 5 vacation days to use before the end of June, Which is making my spring very exciting.

Today, for example, I bought two tickets for the Vera Bradley outlet sale, which we will be attending on a Tuesday morning, because we can!!!! I am so pumped!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Amazing service!

Today I am thankful for amazing customer service. Something happened to me today that never, ever happens, ever. So here's the whole story.

Last Friday I went to the eye doctor for an exam and to order more contacts. For most people this is pretty routine, but of course, not for me. I got a trial pair for a new prescription, which I wore all day Saturday, until I couldn't stand the massive headache any more and took them out. I put them in this morning and couldn't see a thing out of one eye, which is a really bizarre feeling.

So, on my lunch break I ran to the eye doctor's office, I was hoping that the receptionist could look up my chart and give me a different trial. Instead, the doctor took me back, rechecked my prescription, checked the fit, and found me a new pair. And there were a ton of people in her office, so it's not like it was dead and she had all kinds of time.

I was beyond impressed. I didn't have an appointment, I hadn't even called before going in, but they still made time to make sure that everything was how it needed to be, and they fixed the problem. So today, I am thankful to amazing customer service! Thank you!

Monday, February 18, 2013

A bit ironic

Today I decided that I am super thankful for the quick drive that I have to and from work, it's less than 10 minutes and I love that I can go home on my lunch break, today I managed to get a ton of random tasks done during lunch - cleaned my tennis shoes AND dusted the blinds - I told you, random.

Bu at the moment I'm finding ironic that I'm thankful for my super short commute because, today of all days, I'm waiting on a train!

Lazy weekend

Saturday I did a whole lot of nothing, and the. I felt the need to carry that right into Sunday :) Sometimes we all just need that, so I don't feel bad a out my lazy weekend in the least.

Last night we had dinner with my family, and that is what I was grateful for on Sunday - the fact that my family is so close that we can see each other once a week and still feel close. It's like a party when all of us get together, we all have something to talk about and there is always plenty of food!

It was a great weekend, now I'm looking forward to the next one!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Easy muffins!

I'm giving a presentation at a teaching conference in April with some of my favorite ladies, so we got together this morning to get down to business and finish up our presentation. Of course I couldn't pass up an occasion for some baked goods, so I through together some very, very easy Banana chocolate chip muffins. Here's my recipe for your next brunch - they got rave reviews this morning (I may have eaten two...).

Banana chocolate chip muffins
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 cups mashed bananas
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup mini chocolate chips

Mix together sugar, oil, and eggs until well blended, add bananas. When all wet ingredients are mixed together add salt, baking soda, and flour until moistened. Finally add chocolate chips and spoon into muffin tins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 25 minutes or until tops are golden.

See, I told you it was easy. After all of the hard work that we got done this morning, today I am especially grateful for lazy Saturday afternoons. Usually my Saturdays are crazy, with all kinds of errands to run, places to be, things to get ready for. So today I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to just sit and do nothing!

Friday, February 15, 2013

Whew...

Every time that I clean my house I say that I am so thankful that we have a tiny little house. So that is what I'm thankful for tonight. Especially since I had to vacuum. The vacuum cleaner is my nemesis. When we got married I told him that sweeping is the one domestic chore that I refuse to do (I blame this in my mother for making me do it for so many years), and he fully understands that is it his job, but he was busy tonight and the dust bunnies were taking over.

Ugh. I hate to sweep. But it's done, thank goodness!

Oops

In all of yesterday's holiday-ness I forgot to take the time to post what I am grateful for, but just because I didn't post it doesn't mean I wasn't thinking about it. Because yesterday was valentines day I spent most of my day thinking about how grateful I am for my husband, and especially the fact that he is someone that I really, truly enjoy being with. I won't get all mushy on you, but not every girl can say that her husband always knows what to do to make her laugh. That is a very important quality!

Here's a picture of us from our trip to Nashville, my apologies on the awful quality, it was dark...

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Thankful

This year for Lent, instead of giving something up, I've decided to really focus on what I have, and how lucky I am. I am going to try to post every day something that I am thankful or grateful for.

Today I am especially thankful for my home. I know that most people consider this to be pretty basic, of course I am thankful for my home as a place of shelter, but it goes a little deeper than that for me. My home is my place to just be. It is an extension of myself and the place where I feel most comfortable. It has taken some time to feel that way, and to get everything just how I want it, and of course I have a wish list, things I want to fix, add, change, buy, etc. but I am in love with my home, it is perfectly mine, and I am so grateful that I have a place to call mine, and a place where I can truly, honestly be me.

This is a picture from early this fall, when I thought I had finally finished the living room, it made me laugh to see how much I have changed since this was taken, but that is so true of my house. It is always changing and evolving, every tweak makes it more mine :)

Smile!

This is my new coffee mug, doesn't it make you smile! If you need one too, it's from Kohls :)

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

Tradition

I have a secret Fat Tuesday tradition that I'm about to admit. This could be considered hysterical, or just really really sad.

Every year I get up early on Fat Tuesday, drive to my local Kroger store and buy a whole bunch of pazckis. I do have a reason for buying them, every year I take them to school and call it a lesson in culture. After I buy the pazckis I stop at Starbucks, also in the Kroger store, hence the reason that I always buy them at Kroger, and get my coffee.

Coffee and pazckis in hand I load myself in my car and stuff my face with pazcki on my drive to work. Hey, it happens once a year, it's all good right?

This year I am really trying to be good, mostly due to the extra pounds the came from our quick vacation, so I passed on the Starbucks, which is a decision I am about to regret very very soon seeing as I haven't skipped my morning coffee on a workday in hmmm, like 4 years.... This girl is about to have a massive headache, but at least I'll get my pazcki!

Monday, February 11, 2013

Ah Valentine's Day

I am a romantic. A romance-novel-reading, chick-flick-loving, hopeless romantic. Needless to say, I LOVE Valentine's Day.

Now don't get me wrong, I am realistic. My husband is not the romantic type, and while he tries very hard, and is super sweet, I know better than to expect and over-the-top gesture on this particular holiday - although he has surprised me once or twice.

So on Valentine's Day I choose to share my love for all things girly and romantic. Which is exactly why I spent my Sunday watching chick flicks and baking, one giant chocolate cake and a tone of heart shaped cookies later, I am so ready for this holiday!