Tuesday 10

Couldn't think of one themed list for Tuesday Ten, so... ten random thoughts. A day late.

1. I guess that having big mailboxes for the entire block makes our neighborhood "prettier," but damn it I wish my mailbox was right in front of my house! I never check it for that reason. My mailman came to my door once just to see if we were in town. Ooops.

2. Does anyone else just love Father of the Bride and Father of the Bride 2? I love these movies! In the last week, I've watched Father of the Bride 2 three times!! I think I'm going to watch it again. At least until Sean gets home.

3. Why is it when your nails are all growing beautifully, you break one? Only one. The rest remain beautiful.

4. Last night Sean surprised me with some Ben and Jerry's- coffee heath bar crunch. AMAZING! It was so good!

5. Had such a fun time at lunch today!!! Discovered that many of my teacher friends love tacky, politically incorrect, and downright raunchy TV just like me!! Haven't laughed so hard in a while!

On that note...

6. Farting remains funny! It doesn't seem to matter how old I get, farting is still just as funny today as it was 20 years ago. Funnier maybe.

7. Living the the Houston area, I sometimes think that maybe my hair just is frizzy and nasty. No. No it's not. The last few days of beautiful weather have proven that in fact, my hair is lovely! Where do I need to move to have this hair everyday?

8. I wonder what my students go home and say about me. You know all those teachers you've had that you remember the weirdest things about? I wonder what my thing is?

9. I wonder if Sean will get me one (or more? Dare to dream!) of the beautiful James Avery remembrance rings for Valentine's Day*? They're sooo pretty! I hinted pretty seriously yesterday- and I plan on leaving the catalog out and open on the kitchen table until Valentine's Day. We'll see.

10. Uh oh! I just got a "low battery" warning. Must recharge. That means I have to get off the couch and out from under this blanket. Man. Hey! Have y'all seen those commercials for the Snuggie?


*Yes. I am one of those girls who loves Valentine's Day. I love it!!! It's just such a feel-good day! I love the cards, the candy, the romance, the mushy-ooshy-ness of it all! Love it!

Oh, Monday!

You know what- I realized today, for probably the zillionth time, that I have the perfect job for me! I went to school extremely tired (nightmares all night long... I know, I'm five, right?) and in a really grumpy mood. My partner read it on my face instantly (which is why she's the perfect partner) and brought me Starbucks on our break to cheer me up!

Even though the day started out pretty yucky, by lunchtime, I was feeling great! Those kids just perked me right up! Honestly, I feel super relaxed and comfortable around kids (the cool thing is, the more relaxed I am, the better behaved the kids are... they're like dogs. They can sense fear!). It's so easy to talk to them and get them excited about what we're learning. Teaching them never fails to be fulfilling. They even let me tell them stories about Jet and never complain that they're bored of hearing about him!

Sometimes it amazes me how much they look up to me and what a responsibility I have. I hope I do right by all 43 of them! (Not at one time, holy moly! Two classes people! I can't say 43 9-year-olds at one time would be relaxing!)

* * * * *

On another note- not pregnant. Nope, not this month. But you know what, I'm OK. I'm actually just fine. I have been doing a lot of praying- because WOW if it doesn't take me forever to figure something out- I have NO control over this! And you know what, thank God! If everything turned out the way I wanted it to, my life would be a hot mess! I'm so glad that I don't have to worry about this! I'm able to say now that I'll take God's plan over mine. He's done pretty good so far! :)

Jet's a winner!

So he doesn't have any points towards a championship yet, but he did win his class today! That's right, Jet came in first place!! He then competed in the next step up, but he didn't place there. If he had won first in the next step up, he would have some serious points! I just can't believe that he went from last to first in four shows! I wish I could kiss his head and tell him what a good boy he is!!

Maybe Sean is right, and he really can get his championship. Well, I'll be!

And just one more picture of my Jet... I miss him!

Weekend Update

News from the home front...


It's Saturday night, and Sean and I are laying around the living room watching football.* Poor Sean is so, so sick. He hasn't been this sick since we got married. He's running a fever and is just totally miserable- achy, coughing and hacking, no energy, no appetite. I made him some chicken noodle soup today, and he barely ate a thing. He even skipped a weekend of hunting at the farm! That really says something!

He went to the doctor on Thursday and she only gave him a decongestant and a cough medicine!** What the hell? This is America! I am so mad! Where are the antibiotics, lady? This man is sick! We're going back tomorrow to get the good stuff. We won't be leaving without some real drugs!!



News from dog world...


Thursday was Jet's first show- and he came in dead last! Ha! Turns out he was acting really macho and was completely distracted by the other dogs. Basically, he was acting like a total jerk! I can picture it now... and it cracks me up! I just hope there was no humping! Actually, from the dog show I saw, a little humping would really spice things up!

Friday was show #2- and he came in 4th out of six dogs. So- hey, he beat two dogs! At what did he beat them, no idea. But, hell ya! All right!

Today, Jet was competing against 7 other dogs in his class, and he came in second!! That's right! My baby beat 5 other dogs! Yeah! That's MY dog! Whoo hoo!

I still don't get the whole dog show thing, but whatever. I'm sure Jet had a blast and that's all that matters. Just think of how many new dog butts there are to smell! He's probably in sensory overload!



*Actually, Sean's watching football. I'm just laying around.

**I hate cough meds and decongestants. They are totally counter productive and make you feel woozy and drugged up all day long. I never take them. Total crap.

Tuesday 10

I am totally hooked on Martha Stewart- her Everyday Food Magazine is my favorite! I also love Ina Garten- I tivo Barefoot Contessa! Her recipes are usually a little richer, but always yummy! I get bored eating and preparing the same meals all the time, so I'm always searching online for new recipes to try. Here are 10 of my favorite Internet recipe finds!


1. Spinach and Gruyere Quiches

This recipe is so yummy!!! Although I used fresh spinach because it was in season and I had the time to clean it, you can totally substitute with frozen.


2. Coffee Cake Muffins

I served these muffins along with the quiche for a work breakfast. They were a hit! This recipe calls for jumbo muffin tins- I just used the regular sized ones.


3. Turkey and Bean Chili

I really like this chili recipe! I usually use about 1/2 the meat that is called for (turkey is good, but I've also used venison). It's also easy to over-do the salt, so I suggest adding salt at the end, to taste. I always make a bunch and freeze it in smaller containers so I can defrost one for dinner when I'm too tired to cook.


4. Perfect Pizza

When you click this link, it's going to look intimidating, but don't be afraid of the wordiness. The directions are specific and helpful. It's actually pretty easy! I had so much fun making pizza with my mom and sisters (and it turned out really yummy!) that I decided to do it again on Super Bowl day. While the boys watched football, the girls hung out in the kitchen making pizzas and drinking wine! I had lots of different toppings to choose from- we had a blast!


5. Individual Meat Loaves

I absolutely loved these delicious little meat loaves! I also think that making them in individual serving sizes is fun- and it makes it seem a little more special when you're serving this to a group. I first made this when my grandparents were visiting from Wisconsin. (You know how grandparents like some home cooking!) I served them with mashed potatoes and Brussels sprouts. Yum!!!


6. Bean Burritos

I found this recipe when searching for freezable dishes. I loved the idea of making my own bean burritos to freeze for a quick meal or for lunches when I didn't have anything to pack (since I teach, I rarely get to go out to lunch on a weekday- and have you eaten cafeteria food lately? Packing a lunch is not an option). Sean and I both really liked them. We would bring the frozen burritos to work, let them thaw all morning, and then at lunchtime just popped them in the microwave. I ate mine with lots of salsa!


7. Baby Leaf Salad with Bacon

Anything "with bacon" has to be good. I've made this salad a few times when I've had company over, and they always love the dressing! It's really easy to make and it makes a lot! The dressing will last for about a week in the fridge.


8. Strawberry Scones

When I make these, I usually add some walnuts and orange zest. If you can't find dried strawberries, dried cranberries are also delicious! These scones are much lighter and fluffier than the ones you get at the coffee shop- but they're definitely not any healthier! Loads of butter and cream! I love them!


9. Three Chocolate Cookies

These are, hands down, the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever had. I made them for a party once, and everyone loved them. One man loved them so much that when the evite went out for the party the following year, his RSVP response was, "Is Sean bringing his wife? Is she bringing the cookies?"


10. Molten Chocolate Cake

I've made these sooo many times because they're awesome!! First, it's perfect for a dinner party, because you can make them ahead of time, keep them in the fridge, and just pop them in the oven when you're ready for dessert (bake twice as long as recommended I've found). Sometimes I have extras- and I'll keep them in the fridge up to a week, and just bake one or two after dinner for Sean and I to share. Or just for me. The recipe makes a ton- so I usually cut it in half, or even fourths. I make them in little ramekins- just make sure you grease them really well so you can dump them out onto a plate. I serve them with vanilla ice cream- heavenly!

High ho, high ho...

Back to work today! And call me crazy, but I was happy to be back!

First, I love work days. I love a day that I get to use exactly like I want to and finally get to clear off my desk and get organized. Of course, it's also nice and quiet without the kids. This morning was a little annoying because everyone had a question for me, people were in and out of my room, and we had three impromptu, "really quick" meetings. But after a delicious Chick-fil-a lunch, I had a very productive afternoon.

Second, I don't do well with lots of time off. Even a little time off for that matter. As Sean puts it- I get crazy. What he means is when I have nothing that I have to do in a day, I don't do anything. I get extremely lazy (you know, don't get dressed, leave your dishes all over the house, and would rather just watch sappy movies than leave the house lazy), which almost always leads to a little depression and overall pathetic-ness.

Does anyone else do that? Am I weird or what?

Third, time off means I have WAY too much time to think. I've been thinking what feels like nonstop about whether or not I'll end up pregnant in a couple of weeks and it's DRIVING ME CRAZY! Why can't I stop thinking about it? It's not like thinking I am or I'm not is really going to do a damn thing! Total wasted time!

Here's an example of how crazy I get with no work to distract me:

Me: I'm probably not pregnant because I don't feel any different than I normally would.
Me: Well, that doesn't mean anything. You've never been pregnant before, you wouldn't know.
Me: I know I've never been pregnant, but I still think I would feel something. I would know.
Me: Sure.
Me: Really. I would know. Right?
Me: Maybe if I think positive I'll make myself pregnant.
Me: No, don't get your hopes up. You're definitely not pregnant.
Me: Oh, shit! Maybe that just made me not pregnant!
Me: I've got to stop thinking about this. It will happen. Maybe this month, maybe not.
Me: Whatever. I'm never going to get pregnant.

Oh, my gosh annoying! I feel like slapping myself! Maybe that will get me to stop thinking... hmmmm...
Probably not. At least I'll be distracted from 7:55 to 3:55 tomorrow. Thank God for fourth graders!

Jet On Tour -or- More Than You Cared to Know

Sean has a dream of having a Champion & Master Hunter Labrador Retriever. There have only ever been 45 (or so) dogs that have accomplished this, so it's really special. Each title alone is amazing, both together is very rare.

Champion= dog shows= beauty contest=really competitive

Master Hunter= retrieving ducks= really hard=lots of training

I've been to a few hunt tests, and they are really impressive. Knowing how much time Sean puts into training Jet, I can really appreciate the end product. These dogs are really well trained. They have to retrieve ducks that they see fall (marks) and ducks that they didn't see fall (blinds) and the handler uses hand signals and whistles to lead them to the bird. They have to do multiple marks and blinds on both land and water set-ups to pass each test. There are three levels- Junior, Senior, and Master Hunter. (I like to think of it as Elementary, Junior High, and High School.) If a dog graduates from one title to the next, he'll need four Junior passes, four Senior passes, and five Master passes to earn each of those titles. Right now, Jet is a Senior Hunter. His fancy name is Topform's B2 Spirit SH (the SH, of course, for Senior Hunter).

One of Jet's First Duck Retrieves

Most of the dogs who are trained for hunt tests are bred especially for that. Jet's not. Jet's bred to be an all-around awesome lab. He was bred for conformation, temperament, as well as hunting skills- in other words, he was bred from show dogs with hunting ability. It's definitely not unheard of, but it's not as common, to see a show-bred dog perform well on hunt tests.

When Jet passed one particularly hard water blind retrieve, the judge looked at Sean and said, "That's not bad for a big, fat show dog!" (It sounds like she was calling Jet fat, but really she game him a big compliment! All show dogs look "fat" in comparison to the thin, super fast field bred dogs.)

Some of his Ribbons

So anyway... now that you know WAY more than you EVER wanted to know about hunt tests... let me tell you about dog shows!




Dog shows are a whole other world! (Ever see Best in Show?) I went to my first dog show today and it was basically organized chaos. Dogs everywhere- extremely pretty, well behaved- dogs everywhere! In a huge arena, there are fenced-off areas where different breeds are being shown simultaneously. Numbers are called, and dogs are whirled around by either a man or woman wearing a pants/skirt suit. The judges look very closely at these dogs, feel them up a little bit, and then they run around again. Then the judge chooses a dog to be the winner. (I obviously have NO idea what they are looking for because I didn't choose the winner a single time.) Lots of dogs go in the ring- only one comes out a winner. These winners then compete against each other. Big Winner = Best in Show!




Jet is going to compete in his first show next week in Florida. No, we're not taking him there. Sigh. That's why we were in Dallas at a dog show today. Since neither one of us knows a thing about handing dogs in the show ring, Sean has hired a professional handler to do this for us. The handler travels around to lots of shows circuits and your dog goes with her. You pay a ridiculous amount of money, and hopefully your dog comes back a champion. Now, the champion title is just as confusing as the hunt test titles and I don't know as much about it- suffice it to say each win is worth a certain amount of points, and you need 15 to be a Champion. I have some serious doubts about Jet getting a Champion title because of just how many beautiful labs I saw today. How can he possibly out-shine all those dogs? Since it's Sean's dream I am just going along for the ride. What have we got to lose?

Future Champion?

We had to drop Jet off with our handler, Linda Clark, today at the dog show. She is really nice and professional and although I know Jet will be well taken care of, I HATED leaving him with her. As I was sobbing in the car, Sean said, "You're really not taking this well." Nope. Sure didn't.

Check out her video that was featured on Animal Planet. You'll see why we say Jet's "On-Tour!"


http://lindaclarkhandling.com/animal_planet.htm


We'll have him back in three weeks. I miss him already.

Sidenote:

When Sean saw that I was writing about his dog obsession, he first watched over my shoulder as I typed. Annoying. So, I moved away and after I finished typing, he came to "edit" my post. He took the liberty of adding phrases where he deemed nesessary, and he deleted a few choice adjectives which I thought added a little flavor and he thought may be too subjective in case someone read this and was offended.

Is this the same man who continuously makes fun of me for blogging? Hmmmm...