Merry Christmas Mom

I love my mom. She's pretty great- as evident from this blog, a little quirky, but great. One thing that is great about her is that she will support my little hobbies. My mom will tell me I am a great photographer- people they call it a hobby for a reason, I do it for fun and not because I am all that good at it. Regardless of my photo taking skill (or lack there of) she loves them. Don't you love how all moms think their kid's work is great?It's like those horrible finger paintings you brought home in pre-K that your mom ooohed and ahhhed over-the phrase "only a mother could love" comes to mind (btw my pre-K finger painting is STILL on the fridge). So let's call these my 29 year old version of finger paintings shall we? Anyway, when it's come to thinking up creative Christmas presents, the last two years I have turned to my cameras. Betty, my 35mm film SLR, pulled out some lovely animals on Kenyan safari that now grace my mothers stairwell. Kate, my spiffy digital SLR, helped me pull these out for this years photo gift. Now my mother may be a lot of things, but tech savvy she is not- blog? what's that? Right, so I can freely share these with you with no chance that she will stumble upon them. My mother went to the National Cathedral for high school, and loves it, so the subject was an easy choice. Seriously how could you not love the Cathedral? The architecture is GORGEOUS. I had planned to take these Saturday and then whoops, 2 feet of snow. So, Becca humored me and tagged along while I shot these. 1. It was freezing. FREEZING outside. I have never taken pictures so fast in my life- I barely had enough feeling in my fingers to adjust my camera settings! 2. I don't care how busy you are, photos at the brightest time of day outside are never as great as photos later in the afternoon. oops. 3. Becca deserves Starbucks for a week.

So here is a sample of the 120 pics I took (see why Becca deserves Starbucks?). I hope you enjoy them, better yet, I hope my mom does.

Tis the Season

So here it is, the week in photos...

SNOW!!!!! Not just a little snow, but like 2 feet of snow. It's awesome. It's beautiful. It is keeping me from finishing my Christmas shopping. I keep thinking it is going to slow but it just keeps snowing harder. LOVE it.

I finally got my tree this week! There are pine needles all over my car, my house, my apartment building-it's worth it though. Thank goodness for Becca helping me get and decorate the tree, clearly it makes sense to make your Jewish best friend help you with this task. We named the tree Spike. Girl tree, boy name. yes, I do know that it s strange that I have named the tree. yes, I know it is also strange that I have assigned it a gender. If your looking for normalcy, read a different blog :)

Some more sights of happy Christmasness in my house...

and just because I can... yeah, she may kill me. True evidence that Becca is a tree hugger.

Yep, you see it right, she's wearing a tree branch in her hair.

Hello Winter

Isn't it pretty? I LOVE the snow! I was pretty excited yesterday when the weather report called for flurries. I was not however expecting this. I will also admit that I was not super excited this morning when the snow was pouring down and I was outside running a 5k. Oh yes, I was up at 5:45 a.m. to run in the snow. See my school participates in this great program called Girls On The Run. 3rd-5th grade girls practice after school once a week with the goal of running the 5k reindeer romp race. It promotes healthy living and self-confidence and it's a great sense of accomplishment for the girls. Right, why was I there? Clearly I am not in 5th grade. Well, each girl has a buddy runner along for some encouragement, meaning teachers and parents volunteer to get their run on. I totally feel for my little buddy runner because I know I can be all types of annoying when I snap into encouraging cheerleader mode. Sometime I have to much energy and excitement for my own good. If I was 8 years old, cold and tired of running I would have wanted to kill me. Running in the snow may be freezing cold (my toes are still recovering) but it is quite beautiful.

After I made it home and had a very hot shower and some much needed coffee I headed to the kitchen. I have been dying to make these chocolate peppermint bark cookies that I found in my Bon Appetit this month. I vowed not to start in on the Christmas cookies until December (I mean the magazine came last month, that is self control!) and today was a PERFECT kick off to the holiday baking season. So forget the fact that I really need a nap. Forget the fact that I have a research paper due on Wednesday. The need for cookies did (as it should) take priority.

Man Christmas cookies I am so glad it is time for you because you taste AMAZING. So long pumpkin, you've been replaced. Hey there winter, it's so nice to see you again.

Ms. Independent

It's a very rare occasion that I ask for help. Just ask Becca, she can back me up on this. She'll probably even tell you the story about the time I got food poisoning. I don't like to do it. Why ask others to do what you can do yourself? I attribute this to my strong sense of independence. Others liken it to the behavior of a stubborn two year old who has to do everything by themselves. Regardless of what you think it is, it is just part of who I am. Take it or leave it, because clearly at this age I'm not changing. I will admit there is one circumstance in which I am tempted to ask for some help and that is when I am sick. I said tempted, doesn't mean I do it. No one likes being sick, but when you are in constant motion like I am the idea of having to spend two days in bed is HORRIBLE. This however was my fate this week. Two days of no work, no leaving my apartment, and hardly leaving the comfort of my bed. I am going stir crazy. Thank goodness I am going back to work tomorrow. When I am sick I want 4 things (and sadly none of them is my mommy, she is not so good around sick). 1. Mac and Cheese 2. Soup 3. Movies 4. Vicks Vaporub (that stuff is magic I tell you). Mac and Cheese - check. Movies-double check. Vaporub-triple check. Soup- fail. No soup in the whole joint. No problem, I can make my own. Which I did. This may in fact be my new sick day soup. The only problem was that I had to make it. When you don't have one of those boyfriend or husband things or even a nursing mother around you have to learn to fend for yourself. So I mustered up what was left of my strength and put this together. I also immediately passed out when I was done eating. Who knew that cooking could take so much out of a sick person? I don't know, but between you and me this soup may be what helped me on my way to healing. I didn't even need any help.

Curry Pumpkin Soup
2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons curry powder
3 cups chicken broth
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin
1 1/2 cups condensed milk
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon white sugar

1 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp ground ginger

2 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of onion
salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and cook until browned. Stir in flour and curry powder until smooth. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble. Gradually whisk in broth, and cook until thickened. Add the onion and cook for about a minute. Stir in pumpkin and milk. Season with soy sauce, sugar,cumin, ginger, salt, and pepper. Bring just to a boil, then remove from heat.

* I found a version of this recipe online and adapted it to my liking. I never got the flour/curry to be smooth and so I added the broth right away to prevent burning. The original recipe is sans the ginger, cumin, onions and garlic and uses less curry. It also uses half and half and 4 cups of veg. broth and 29 ounces of pumpkin.*

On My Days Off

I know, I know, I'm blogging a little too much this week. I admit it, I have no idea what to do with free time. Some people know how to relax, I know how to multi-task. You may look forward to a day off to sit back and read a book, watch a movie, (insert your relaxing activity here). I look forward to days off because I can run errands, and clean my house, and try a new recipe. It's a sickness, I am aware of it, maybe some day I will seek help-but not today. After my obligatory errands (side note- Target what is up with all the Christmas stuff AND Christmas music today? Let Thanksgiving have its glory please) I went home to try out a recipe I have been dying to try, biscotti. Strange for me because I am not a biscotti type girl. They are crunchy and hard, I usually under bake my cookies a bit so they are soft and chewy. That being said I am always up for something new and these looked good.


The recipe was for vanilla biscotti, but I give you vanilla cranberry biscotti with white chocolate cinnamon almond drizzle. I know what your thinking, too many flavors right? Sometimes, I can't control my ideas and in this case it paid off- YUMMY. I will admit they took what seemed like forever to make, so I doubt they will make it into the regular rotation in my kitchen. They may however find themselves on a future day off to-do list.

Let's Talk Turkey

I know, two posts in two days! Don't get used to it people, it will probably never happen again. I felt that should share the cute little guys below with you. I make these every year for my class, and the kids always seem to like them (honestly I think they are pretty awesome too).

Can you say sugar high and a room full of 7/8 year olds?

Oh the many uses for a Ritz cracker...

It's like a small, sugary (little creepy) army...

Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Too Much Of A Good Thing?

I think I may love pumpkin just a little too much. It is border line obsessive. I have pumpkin coffee mate in my morning coffee. There is pumpkin air freshener in my house. I have been baking with pumpkin for weeks now. I literally have stockpiled pumpkin (the rumored shortage sent me into a panic!). So, to be completely predictable, I give you my weekend of pumpkin. Of course I baked- seriously people, I can't help myself. One thing I love about this time of year is that the cheesy Christmas movies start playing. I love them. They are awful and cheesy and have horrible actors in them, but I love them. Is it strange that it is not yet Thanksgiving and they are already showing? Of course. Does it give me good background to bake to? Um, duh. I watched a particularly AWFUL set (yes I said set, part one AND part two) of movies last night starring Kathy Irelan (I now know why she has faded into the background). Wasted hours of my life. The only thing that saved my night was this cake:

Pumpkin cake with cream cheese frosting. Oh my yummy. I had to eat one piece and put the rest in Tupperware to take this to work tomorrow because I could take. this. cake. down. Maybe not as spicy as I normally like my pumpkin to be, but I think it may find its way into my pumpkin recipe rotation. I topped off my bad TV movie weekend with a stellar flick starring the queen of bad Lifetime dramas, Ms. Tori Spelling. Again, I sought solace in my kitchen. (I am aware that I can turn these horrors off, but they are like train wreck, you can't turn away). I whipped up some pumpkin pasta that I found here. I also decided that I wanted this recipe to be for Curried Pumpkin Pasta, so I added some curry powder (curry may also be on my list of obsessions). Again, I could not get it spicy enough so I was adding curry, and pepper flakes like crazy, but it may be worth it if you like pumpkin.

I know pumpkin has been all over the blog for a while now, but have no fear I am all about Christmas as soon as December strikes. Ahhh, gingerbread...

I Heart N.Y.?!

I know, I know, the title threw you for a loop didn't it? Yes, this self proclaimed hater who for years has been trash talking all that is New York, is singing a different tune. Now, in my own defense I began to cast aside my hateful ways a few summers ago during a short visit, but let's be honest, I am not so easily wooed. So when my wonderful roommate suggested that a group of us take a trip to the Statue of Liberty to make the trek up to the crown, I was feeling a little wishy washy. I knew I had to make the trip, I mean it did sound like a pretty cool thing to do, but I usually find myself more stressed out when I go to NY for a break then I did before I left. Well people here it is in writing, I was wrong. Yes, I said it and now you have proof. I had fun, and lots of it. I actually took the day off work (gasp) and headed up early morning to spend some time with my homegirl Erin. Quite possibly one of the craziest people I know, and quite possibly one of the most fun people I know. I knew 2 things: 1. I was going to be up very late that night. 2. There would be a bar involved. Check to both. When I say late I mean LATE, as in I got home at 3:30. This evening was also made better by my friend Sheila coming into to town from Boston for this adventure and my homegirl Meghan trainin' it in from Astoria for the night. Good times that night, SOOOO tired the next morning when I met the rest of my group for the statue. I did get to see this...
Kinda cool huh? I highly recommend the trip to the crown-do it, just do it. They are going to close it down and then you will wish you had listened to me...just climb up these...

We tried to make it to Ellis Island, but alas it was closed due to a power outage-FAIL. So Sheila and I went and got these instead...
I love you Billy's Bakery. Check it out. These were yummy and the frosting was perfect. Love, love, love. Did I say love enough? Had one (eh hem, 2) of these, explored times square in all its glory, and took in a show. Nice.
I think I have always pushed back at New York, because as you may well know, I love DC. I think it is such a beautiful city. New York is like a piece by Crash, it's loud, colorful and intriguing. You can't help but find it interesting. D.C. on the other hand is all green grass and cherry blossoms, historical buildings and beautiful architecture. Sorry, I am probably putting DC on an unnecessary pedestal. Believe me I see its faults (metro I'm looking at you). I guess I had to learn to love the differences.
So New York, you have won me over. I can't wait til we meet again.

WIN!

Today, when I was leaving the gym, there was a woman of 'a certain age' wandering around up the block. She didn't quite seem in full control of her faculties. As I got closer to her, she turned and saw me, pulled out a blue sparkly recorder, and started playing. And then...she followed me up the block, Pied Piper style and piped me back to my house. It was awesome. And really weird at the same time.

I always wanted my own troubadour (troubairitz?). I figure this was the closest I am going to get. I wonder if tomorrow she will play me Three Blind Mice...or Hot Crossed Buns. I bet she takes requests.

Halloween=FAIL.

Fail, I say, FAIL. Sort of. Halloween and I can't quite figure out how we feel about each other. I love cute little kids dressed up in all sorts of cute little costumes. I like candy (because who doesn't?). I love scary movies (bring on the fright!). I am not a huge fan of the dressing up. In theory I like the idea, but I never have the time or the energy to really do it well. Plus, for what? I am not gonna get too creative to go to work. I can't remember the last time I went to a Halloween party. The last time I went out for Halloween (Georgetown is a BADDDD idea) I wanted to die. I kinda like seeing how creative adults can get with costumes, but I do not like how stupid they get when they are all drunk and yelling all over my neighborhood when I am trying to sleep. So, I was not to incredibly excited about Halloween this year. I did however persevere. So I put on a zebra costume and headed to school (and by costume I mean that put on a cute dress that had a zebra print top and some zebra ears). Kids=CRAZY. Also, whoever thought it was a good idea to take an entire school full of children through a nursing home should have thought for 2 seconds. Taking one high risk group (for swine flu) into another high risk group =Fail. On Saturday Becca and I did do something that I will keep off the fail list. We went to roller derby. Yes, think the movie Whip it. I have to admit that it was so strange it was awesome. DC Roller girls get a thumbs up. I secretly (I guess not so much of a secret if you put it on a blog) want to join a roller derby team. I dressed up as a witch, which Becca gave a fail. Apparently looked only "goth" and not like a witch. We followed up by trying a new place for Indian food. Which got a mini fail. It was so-so. All this was topped off with us trying to watch a scary movie. FAIL. Sarah Michelle Geller and Sarah Chalke do not provide good horror flick material.

So, Halloween this year I give you a FAIL. Maybe next year we'll see eye to eye.

A Few Recommendations

Hi, my name is Amber, and I'm a bakeaholic. I know, I know, this is a little deja-vu, but what can I say I have an addictive personality. After baking up a batch of these AMAZING yummy, yummy pumpkin butterscotch cookies last weekend-


I vowed to take a baking break. 1 week, no oven. Easy enough right? Alas, my kitchen was calling me. I hear you kitchen, couldn't give me a rest huh? Well I gave in of course ( like I said addictive personality). So, I give you recommendation #1: Listen to your kitchen. Embrace your love of pumpkin. Bake these cookies ASAP (you can thank me later).

Plus I have a brand new addiction that needed some love, my apron. Of course I've had an apron for a while but I just recently got this new baby. After ordering one for my friend Grace as a wedding gift I had to have my own. Ahhh, but how to make an apron match my personality? You find an awesome, creative Etsy seller who will help find the perfect material and make you something adorable like this...

Recommendation #2: Keep things around that make you happy. Look cute while you cook. Above all else go quickly to http://www.sweetmelissa0901.etsy.com/ (or look up Sew Adorable) and ask Melissa to make you something that is guaranteed to make you smile.

So, back to my lack of ability to handle my addictions. I did it, I baked. I'll let you in on a little secret people, I will never be one of those skinny girls. Reason being, I love food. I don't mean I like food, I eat it because I have to, I mean I LOVE food. I love to cook it, bake it, eat it, research it. Love. So, I will take weight proportionate to height any day if it means I get to have yummy treats like these-

Imagine my surprise when I went to find my recipe for chocolate chip pumpkin bread and it was MISSING?! (note to self , just sticking your recipes into the organizer willy nilly is a very good way to loose them) So I decided to seek inspiration on the Internet and found these chocolate chip pumpkin muffins. Yum! Recommendation #3: Find some inspiration. I usually get mine from here, here, here and here. Hopefully I inspired you to bake these muffins. (note, if you do make these. I cut the white sugar by 1/8 of a cup and added an 1/8 of a cup of brown sugar. I also added and extra 1/4 a tsp. of the cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves)

Recommendation #4: Enjoy your weekends. They go by too fast. Clearly they are better when you add something baked, something cute, a little inspiration, a few pictures and anything pumpkin flavored.

You know what is not funny?

Waiting in the Chinese visa office for 2 hours only to be told that they refuse to process a visa on a non-US passport. Really?? Really.

Folks, this is DC. There are probably a lot of non-Americans "per capita" here. And also, you have done it the last 4 times, your website says you do it, there are even fees for it. Please do not lie to my face and waste my time. It makes me cranky and that waiting room smells bad.

Plus, I didn't have my coffee. You suck. And I'll see you again tomorrow.

YAY for FALL!!!

It's finally here people, the season I have been waiting for, it's Fall! It is wake up in morning and grab a jacket weather. It is also "I can't figure out what to put on in the morning" weather (does it make sense to wear a sweater and flip flops?). I have started to notice one of my favorite sights in the whole wide world, changing leaves. This was followed by two more of my favorite things- parent teacher conferences and a three day weekend. Why would I enjoy parent teacher conferences you may ask? It gives me two days to have a break. Don't get me wrong, I love my job, but sometimes I need a day or two to regroup. A day or two where no one is expecting me to be on and peppy and the supreme problem solver. So after my super conferences were over and I was feeling pretty confident (funny how a few nice comments from parents can make me feel like I'm on cloud nine) I headed home to start my weekend. I tired to cram as many of the things I love into one weekend, and managed to do a pretty good job of it. So, step #1- Go to the movies. Julie & Julia was cute and made me wanna start cooking at 11:30 at night (don't worry, I didn't) Step #2-get my bake on. That's right I took a trip to the grocery store and bought no less than 4 cans of pumpkin (because it is the season and one should always have emergency break glass pumpkin around) and a few bags of chocolate chips. Nothing says fall to me like the smell of something baking in my oven. I busted out a batch of these (and I have to say, they are kick ass)...

Then I got to spend an entire evening by myself, relaxing. I was greatly rewarded by this out my window-

It looked like this, AND it was chilly outside- heaven. Step #3- Hiking!!!!!! Old Rag round two for Becca and I. The weather was prefect for hiking, the views were insane and the rock scrambles were awesome. I will not even try to say that I'm not a little sore, but it was 100% worth it. I would do that hike every weekend. Might I add that I think hikers are just such nice people. We had quite a few nice little chats along the way, and I am very greatful to the nice guy that lent me a hand in tackling a rock that was a little too tall for either Becca or I to tackle solo. So, here is a little taste...
We finished the hike and headed down to Charlottesville for the night to hang out with Mike. Had a little Mexican food, a few laughs, and some more chilly weather. Nice. The drive home was filled with lots more of one of my favorite sights...
I know it won't last for long, but I'll take every bit of fall I can get.

Let It Go

Sometimes you just gotta let it go. You have to choose sanity over stubborn pride.(yes, I just admitted I was stubborn, you may never see those words again) So, I'll say it- I quit,threw in the towel, said enough is enough. I am no quitter mind you- I will be miserable and stick it out. I am just stubborn enough that I will finish just to prove to myself that I can. Too bad that this trait can also drive me to madness. So I dropped one of my classes. I needed to have a life again. I needed to not take a class that I didn't need just because I had signed up for it. So tonight I came home instead of going to class until 10 pm and went for a run. A run! I haven't run in weeks because of my schedule. I did laundry! I cleaned my poor fish's bowl! Ah, the small joys in life.

In addition, for those who are interested, here are the answers to the second grade words:
limowseen: limousine
jrigs : drinks
toylit :toilet
epresate: appreciate
soshl stues: social studies
spogete: spaghetti
(this is a book title) Bunnicula metts egbra lincrow: Bunnicula meets Abraham Lincoln
engrideeinds: ingredients
osom :awesome
vendrile : Benedryl
pukks : pumpkins
broanw: brown
dusnat: does not
exersis: exercise

Preeettttyyyy.

I bought a Mac today. It is so pretty. And I actually like using it, it's not painful at ALL (ahem. I am looking at you microsoft word).

Toys are great.

Are You Smarter Then A Second Grader?

I hope so. So, I have been staring at either my computer screen or my plan book or various teaching manuals for 8 hours. 8. I think I may be going blind from the staring. My eyes hurt, I have a headache and I am realizing more and more every day just how cool I am (it's Saturday night people and I'm writing lesson plans, wow I am so cool, don't you wanna be my friend?).

But on to a funnier note (because there has got to be a bright note somewhere in here.) I have collected a list of my favorite spellings of the week. So I decided for fun I would post them and see if anyone can figure them out. Some are easy to decipher, but just funny. Some will leave you scratching your head. Heck people, this may be a weekly occurring post just because it makes me laugh. So, enjoy...

limowseen
jrigs
toylit
epresate
soshl stues
spogete
(this is a book title) Bunnicula metts egbra lincrow
engrideeinds
osom
vendrile
pukks
broanw
dusnat
exersis

Speaking of Sidearms...

So, I recently met a woman at a Starbucks from the great state of Tennessee. She was taking a break from the courthouse where her husband was being arraigned for bringing a LOADED gun (not sure why I felt the need to emphasize), into a museum in DC. Really? Really. I can understand why you may not know the permit/carry laws in each state...but I can't figure out why you thought you needed to bring your gun on vacation. To a place that recently had a museum shooting, and might just be the tiniest bit sensitive to you bringing a handgun. But hey, kudos on un-holstering and putting it on the x-ray belt before going through the metal detectors. I think your defense lawyer can definitely use that one.

What's the Point?

I went to a job fair today. And honestly, I don't get it. I have never been to one before so I printed out some resumes, threw on a suit and thought I would give it a shot. Annndddd....I don't get it. There were about 5-8 booths of people telling you just to go to the website to look for open jobs. When I asked about certain jobs, descriptions, work life etc. I got really quizzical looks and responses such as, "I don't really know, I am just a recruiter." No offense, but isn't it your job to know the answers to these types of questions? Really, I wasted a suit. And some paper. And $4 in parking.

That being said, at least the FBI recruiter took my resume, wrote something on it, and put it in a file. Not sure if that's good or bad but I'm pretty sure, I won't be allowed a sidearm.

All I Want...

Is to have a day to clean my house. A day to sit in bed and read a book. A day to sleep. I just want to sleep. I am exhausted and the only funny part about it is that I can hardly form a sentence, causing me to say funny things to my students. May I add that my day today involved a parent showing up at my classroom door at 4:45 tonight to chat. This was not a scheduled visit. Why on Earth do people think it is okay to show up, unannounced, to my job? Do I show up at your office, unannounced, well past your work hours, to discuss your child? No, I don't. You should not do it either. The kicker? Tomorrow is back to school night and none of the questions were so important that they could not wait until tomorrow. ugh.

Quote of The Week

Can't believe I forgot to post this last week and I was just retelling this story and I thought, "That's Funny, I should put it in the blog." So, I was discussing the famous Americans that we will be studying this year with my class. We get to Martin Luther King Jr. and I ask the children what they know about him. One of my students responds, "He helped save us from a second civil war which would have been way worse than the first one because we have advanced weaponry now." Um, I teach second grade. Where on earth did the kid come up with that sentence? Awesome.

Party Like A Grade School Teacher

Teachers are a strange breed of people. Maybe it is the fact that we spend all day being nice. Maybe it is the fact that we also say words like "potty" and phrases like "use your words" on a daily basis. Could possibly be that we have parents breathing down our necks constantly (some are CRAZY). Could also be that we spend our entire day in a room with loads of children asking us a zillion questions. Whatever the reason may be I tend to find that teachers are closet party people. I know parents want to believe that teachers go home and bake cookies (and some of us do) but we also know how to go out and have a good time. Believe me, some kids will drive you to need a drink on a Friday. So, I organized a happy hour on Friday. Not because my class is driving me to drink, they are actually pretty great so far. I thought it would be a good way to get to know some of my co-workers. I may have gotten more than I bargained for. It was a good time all in all, but one of my co-workers def. was hittin' the Sake bombs and gettin' her party on. It was actually kinda funny, but I will never be able to look at her the same at work. It's like finding out the Bruce Wayne is Batman, you can't look at him the same after he has revealed his secret side. Poor Becca got dragged out to witness all the glory that was happy hour. She also kindly helped smuggle me out of the bar when the same co-worker started to get a little pushy with the booze and insistent on bar hopping. So, I went home, be it a bit tipsy, and fell asleep on my couch at...10 pm. We tried to watch a movie, but there was no way I was gonna make it. Do I know how to party or what?

Back To School, Back To School...

I am exhausted. Could fall into bed and stay there for weeks type of exhausted. I forget how tired I am after the first day of school. I have been talking all.day.long. All day. My throat is already sore. It kind of makes me laugh a little because in general I think I talk a lot, but apparently not as much as I think I do. My students are going to be an interesting bunch this year. They range from cute and sweet as can be to extremely obnoxious and unable to follow a single instruction. Some hard days lay ahead I can see it already. Let the party begin.

Life, I miss you.

The past week has been a hot mess. Late nights at work and late nights in class, you have become my life. Have I seen the gym? no. Have I cooked a single bit of food in my kitchen? no. Have I spoken to anyone that I don't work with? Barely. (poor Becca was subjected to helping me in my classroom today). I am tired. My brain is chock full of way to much new information. My sleep schedule is all over the place. Did I mention that I was tired?

I really miss being a lady of leisure.

How Easy It Is To Forget

I love being a teacher. It really is a great job. I also love back to school time. I LOVE back to school shopping. I love getting new things for my classroom. New markers, pencils, containers, etc. etc. What I do have a love/hate relationship with is the setting up of my classroom. I know that all of you in the non-teaching world think this is crazy because it couldn't possibly take that much time. How very wrong you would be. VERY WRONG. It take hours and hours, days and DAYS. This part I do not love. It is exhausting. I do very much love the result. I love when it is all done and I can stand back with pride and gaze upon its beauty (because honestly it will only look that nice for about two days before the kids make a mess). What I did not like about today was that I spent four hours at work and felt like I got very little done. The problem? My classroom may not be my classroom. All week I have had the fact that I may get moved into a different class- my current room down stairs, my possible new room upstairs-looming over my head. Today I was informed that I would be moving into the classroom next door so I spent my whole day moving stuff from one classroom into the room next door and then moving what was already in that room to the other (confusing way to say it, but I just switched stuff). I don't know what I am going to do if I get to work on Monday and I am told to then move it all upstairs. It could still happen. If one more kindergartner adds then we add a new kindergarten class and then classrooms shift. I don't know if I will be able to move it all over again, at least without crying.

Gaynor Hopkins, Eat Your Heart Out!

Ladies and Gentlemen, today, the painters are in the house despackling and respackling the bathroom and hallway (confidential to my upstairs neighbor: Try plumbers). Let me tell you right here and now, you cannot truly call yourself a citizen of this world until you hear a sing-a-long of Total Eclipse of the Heart en espagnol.

It's magical.

A Hiking We Will Go...

Websters says:

Hike (verb): to walk or march a great distance, esp. through rural areas, for pleasure, exercise, military training, or the like.

Urban Dictionary (just for fun, I looked it up) says:
hiking: 1. walking where it's okay to pee. 2. To crack a joke on someone or something. ex:Yo, they was hiking this dude down about his clothes. 3.A common euphemism for having sex/having an affair. This term was popularized by Governor Mark Sanford of South Carolina, who went missing for several days and informed the public he was hiking 4. outdoors, that is, usually not on your property. This is impossible in urban areas, because being undetected is a top priority 5.when you and your girlfriend hang out in the middle of the night while naked (or the guy can wear boxers). Ex: Me and Jenny were hiking last night and it was phat.

* I didn't make these up I took the definitions, and their examples straight off the site.

wow, urban dictionary, you sure know how to ruin a word. We went hiking, in the Websters dictionary definition way, this morning. Which made me SOOOO happy because I LOOOVE to hike. I have this thing about having to get away from DC every once in a while. The NOVA/DC area can really bog you down sometimes. Too much traffic, too many people, just too much everything. One thing I really like about where I live is that a good get away is never too far away. I've been wanting to hike Old Rag all summer, but alas most of my friends work all week and I won't do longer hikes alone. Lucky for me, Becca is a good friend. Becca is a great best friend who will let me wake her up at 6:30 a.m. so that she can sit in a car and try to read my messy handwriting and bad directions. (best line of the day? Becca at 6:45 a.m. - "I love you, but I don't like you right now.") A good friend who will deal with me stopping twice to make sure I am going the right way because I am pretty sure but not 100% (I blame google maps, worst directions EVER.) A friend that will deal with me repeatedly pointing out the beautiful view. A friend who put up with swarms of bugs that kept attacking her, and some pretty nasty heat and humidity. For me, it was a great day. A good hike that wasn't hard, but wasn't so easy that I felt like I was taking a stroll, you had to work for it a bit. A good drive and plenty of singing at the top of my lungs. Bonus: lunch in a very cute little town. Minus: we could not find a dairy queen (why are they not everywhere?!).

Yay for a fun day, boo that it was probably one of my last fun times of the summer. As of Monday, I am a working girl again.

R.N.Y.C.

I know that it's been awhile since I've posted on this thing. I guess about a month. A few reasons for this:
1. I am using my parent's computer and while I am not ashamed of anything I write on here, I really don't want to have to explain it, talk about, create blogs for my parents etc. etc.
2. I didn't really think that I had anything to share. No funny stories, just moving and trying to fit all my stuff back in the apartment already filled with stuff.
3.I am lazy.

The past few days, I have been in Florida visiting some old friends who I haven't seen for awhile. They have spawned a cute little kid with pigtails since I saw them last, moved houses, and it was great to kick back with some wine and great to catch up with them.

Most importantly, it was great that Ape took me to the Redneck Yacht Club. For those of you who do not know this song, I suggest you look it up, at least for the lyrics. The video from YouTube is basically what it looked like...except there were more muscle tees and fewer attractive people.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AsGOX7DMVCg
I met someone with a mullet and a Dale Earnhardt Jr. koozie named Darryl. He's my new boyfriend. As soon as I can figure out how to get the pictures off my camera, I will post the pics of PVC pipe anchors and fully clothed rednecks named Bo and Bud hanging out drinking Natty Light.

I felt like a cultural anthropologist.

Until You Drop

Hi, my name is Amber, and I'm a shopaholic. (I imagine you fellow shoppers responding with the typical AA type response, but I also imagine most of you non-shopaholics are rolling your eyes and shaking your heads) It is a shameful part of my life, but I am. I have sadly been known to participate in retail therapy. Yes, I have used shopping to make myself feel better. Yes, I know that is sad. I decided I needed some new clothes for work. I know what you are thinking- by "needed" does she actually really mean "wanted"? No, I really did need some new clothes because 90% of what I own is either not appropriate to wear to work, or too big for me. So I decided to head to the Leesburg Outlets because I knew I needed to do some considerable amounts of shopping. Here is my thing when it comes to shopping, I HATE to have to search for a good deal. I am not one of those people who will sift through the sale rack until I find that $5 skirt. I find it annoying and honestly I would rather pay full price than waste the time and energy. I do however LOVE a bargain. This is why I love outlets- everything is on sale, but the stores are still nicely organized so I don't have to do a ton of digging. I can still fully enjoy my shopping experience. Another thing about me and shopping, I probably should not be allowed to do it alone. Now I don't shop like many girls out there. I know what I like and I make decisions quickly. So I will often shop alone to avoid having to spend hours with a friend who will try on everything in the store and make me give my opinion on it all- it takes forever. There are however a few friends who I know I can shop with and I should be forced to always take them along. Reason being that I need someone there to tell me no. If I ever do get married, I feel for the man because he will have to tame the shopping beast. I need someone to tell me to put it down, you don't need that 4th pair of jeans, even if they do only cost $35. I say this because although I do love to shop, I am also a guilty shopper. I think that this is in part due to my time in Kenya. I do my shopping, get all excited about my purchases, and then get in the car and feel like a horrible human being for spending all that money on something as stupid as clothing. I notice that every once in a while I will have an experience that makes me stop and realize how easily I have slipped back into my old habits. Experiences that make me realize how much has changed in the year I have been back. How I used to stop and really think about making a purchase because I had constant visual reminders of how that money could be better spent, but now I just hand over my credit card because I can. Not should, but can. So I came home with my shopping bags (I will not admit here how many that was) and decided I had to give away at least once piece of clothing currently in my closet for every piece I bought. Does this make it better? No. Is this probably just my way of justifying the choices I made today? Most likely. But, at least it's a start.

Cali, Baby, Cali

Where do I even begin? Maybe with how this all came about- let us take a walk down memory lane shall we? So, this has been a particularly yucky year for me, topped off by a mini-sort of-midlife-crisis surrounding my 29th birthday (which in hindsight seems ridiculous now). My solution was to find some thrilling adventure to liven things up a bit. Now, I know I may not seem the thrill seeking type but do not let my preppy looks deceive you. I love a thrill. Give me any adventure and I'm there. Throw me out of a plane, send me down a river, I'll take it. Tell me I can't, won't or shouldn't and I'll be even more likely to do it- and just to one up you, I'll do it first. This need for adventure drives my poor mother crazy, but I figure you only get to live once right? I got it in my head that bungee jumping was what I needed to tackle next and I was determined to do it. So, mission #1: find someone willing to do this with me (because adventure is never as fun alone). Sadly most of friends are not the thrill seeking types, so I could easily check almost all of my female friends off the list of possibilities. Boys, however, are more likely to take you up on this type of adventure. Mission #1 was completed; Mike was in and I didn't even have to do any convincing- now that's my kind of friend. Mission #2: How many activities can you cram into 4 days? Well, if you're us, quite a few. So in four days we hit Stockton, Yosemite, Gold Country, Jumped off a bridge and San Francisco. So here are a few comments on each:

-Stockton: looks like this when you look it up on line. This is what it is really like. (read the crime section) Our hotel was on the same line as the Bates Motel. I thought we were going to get jacked in the night. Take my advice and avoid like the plague. Do not convince yourself that driving half way to Yosemite after being on a plane is smarter than just driving the whole way- in this case it was not.

-Yosemite: Is beautiful. My love of photography was on overload. Big trees, big rock formations, curvy roads. Apparently there were also bears, which we could not find anywhere. I wish there had been more time to see it all. Only downside was people everywhere.

-Gold County: is interesting. There are some cute little towns but it seems as though they haven't quiet figured out how to really make them all that interesting. The area is pretty and very peaceful, and historic.

-Bungee Jumping: is excellent. It is a total rush. Where we jumped was remote and beautiful. It was a feeling I will never forget and hope to repeat. I got a little banged up, pretty much due to user error, but nothing too bad and very worth it.

-San Francisco: is a pretty cool city. It seems like 90% of the city has an amazing view that I am admittedly jealous of. I would hate to drive/park there, no doubt about it. Although I saw so much of the city, again I wish I had had more time there.

Then came the problem of trying to decide which pictures to post here. Too many good ones, and posting pictures of the bungee were a no go. So hopefully these will do... (you have to click on the collage to really get a good look)

So, all in all, I give California an A. Bungee jumping definitely A++++. Now I just have to figure out what adventure to tackle next...

It Ain't Pretty

Sometimes I find myself in a funk for no good reason, like today. I have every reason to be in a good mood. I just returned from a good evening with friends that included watching the Red Sox win and pie, what else could a girl ask for? Instead I found myself grumpy. (my guess is actually lack of caffeine. Darn you coffee what have you done to me?!) This can go one of two ways for me: Way #1: I recognize and do something to slap myself out of it quickly OR Way #2: It's probably better for me to spend the day alone because no one is going to want to be around my mood. So, I got out of the house and tried #1. Nope, didn't cut it today. So, I resigned to #2. Having to do that only worsened the mood. This can only lead to things like stubbing my toe and spilling an entire bottle of water down the front of my shirt. Ugh, is it bedtime yet? Let's try out tomorrow please.

Then came dinner. Although I love to cook when I am in a mood all I want to do is grab a bowl of ice cream and call it a day. My psyche may thank me today for that decision, my butt won't thank me tomorrow- and I'm only trying to have one bad day thank you, so no. Also, I have a fridge full of food and leave shortly for vacay. So, I grumped my way into the kitchen to make myself a batch of what I like to call "everything in my fridge." Is it pretty? No. Would I serve this to you if you came to my house for dinner? Not on your life. Did it taste fantastic? You better believe it. Did it get me out of my funk? Oddly, yes. I may not be good at a lot of things, but I can figure out how to make something out of seemingly a whole lot of nothing. Tonight, I can make chickpeas and a banana pepper work together like no one else. There is something about a culinary success that turns my day around. I suddenly have the energy to rejoin society without telling everyone off.

Too bad it's now 8:30 at night.

Summer of Love

Let's combine some things I love:

a. farms

b. fresh fruit

c. being outdoors

d. taking pictures

This list, although not a list of all my loves, (because that could go on for pages) makes for a day of happiness. So when Sheila suggested that we head out to a farm in Poolsville, MD to do some blackberry and peach picking, you know I was shouting yes!

The day had an ominous beginning-it POURED down rain. It poured down rain and the we sat in traffic. We forged on. We drive and drive, it rains and rains. Until we come upon the farm where the sky was blue and the sun was shining. Amen, that's what I'm talkin' about. The farm was beautiful, and as you can see the picking was good. I mean these are some of the best blackberries I have ever put in my mouth.

On our way home we took a detour and stopped to see a field of sunflowers. I mean a sunflower field the size of a football field. It was something straight out of Everything Is Illuminated.

Next mission: making use of the fruits of my labor. Blackberry and Peach cobbler here I come...

A Saturday Done Right

Sometimes a lazy Saturday can result in a whole lot of nothing. However, when it is 85 degrees without a bit of humidity in the middle of July, you better get your tush outside and do something. So I grabbed Kate and headed to one of my favorite places to rest and enjoy nature.

And the results were worth the effort. A little sunshine, a few photos (who am I kidding I took over 100) and this lazy Saturday had a purpose.

and that's how Saturday is done!

For Shame

There are only 3 reasons in which it is appropriate to buy an US Weekly (or other trashy magazine).



1. Travel. Great for plane rides or car trips.

2. 7th grade sleepovers (or 29 year old reenactments of 7th grade sleepovers)

3. Really bad days. (usually prompted by work or comments from your mother, okay maybe my mother)



Why did I buy one today? I am literally that bored. So bored that going to the grocery store was an exciting part of my day (okay, I always love going to the grocery store). So bored that when I spotted the promise of Jessica getting dumped by Tony and possibly getting back with Nick, and yet another Jon and Kate Plus 8 scandal, I caved.


I need to quickly read something with a reading level greater than 5th grade so I can redeem myself.

And, This is My Life.

My mother suggested to me that I look into Match.com and even though I asked her to stop she continued to plead her case for about 5 minutes or so.

I think that says it all.

Show A Little Love

So I was very lucky today to get to spend some time volunteering at the Arlington Food Assistance Center. I have to tell you I LOVED it! Our job was to go to the farmer's market and take any donations of unsold food. I was so incredibly impressed with how very generous the vendors were- a few of whom gave us upwards of 20 crates full of veggies. When all was said and done about 1,200+ pounds of food. We then took it back to the center and spent the rest of the afternoon sorting and bagging the vegetables into family sized portions. During the week families who have been referred to the center can come to shop for groceries. I think it was definitely a good reminder for me that my little Arlington bubble isn't all that Arlington is.

Final thoughts:
1. If you are looking for a place to volunteer, please check this place out.
2. In fact, just click on the above link and check it out.
3. Farmer's market farmers of Arlington, you are so awesome.

Someone Please...

explain to me why it is that people can not disciple their kids. I was in Target today buying a birthday gift for my nephew and there were kids everywhere-yelling. Now, as a teacher, I can handle the yelling kids. What I can not handle is the parents that do NOTHING to stop it. Case in point, I watched a child sit in his stroller and scream, AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS, for no less than 25 minutes. 25 minutes. 25 MINUTES! The mother just kept handing him toys and asking him if this was what he wanted. Really? Turn around and tell your kid to stop and if he doesn't remove him from the toy section and leave the store. Is this a hard conclusion to come to? I mean I came close to walking over to the child and telling him to shut it myself. The thing is these kids end up in my classroom a few years down the line and then they spend their days telling me no.

Get on board parents of the world. Do you hear me? Learn to tell your children "no" and "knock it off" and stop breeding little over indulged hellions.

On the plus side I made my first batch of summer sun tea. YAY for summer!

Ten Steps To A Perfect Holiday Weekend

Oh how I love a holiday weekend! I have always loved this holiday weekend in particular. There is just something about the 4th of July! People hanging out eating, drinking and being merry. Then of course there are the fireworks- it really just is such a happy holiday. So here is how I have a pretty fantastic holiday weekend:
1. Grab my new camera (who I have named Kate), some coffee to go and a friend (Kara) and head to Old Town to take some picture (a few samples above).
2. Head to a baseball game with a good friend (Mike). Bonus if, like this one, it is followed by fireworks. Bummer if, like this one, the home team loses.
3. Eat good food. Lots and lots of good food.
4. Watch the fireworks with good friends (Stacey,Ben, Mike,Meghan and Sarah) on the roof my apartment building while my drunk neighbors sing the Star Spangled Banner.
5. Eat apple pie like every good American should- make mine a la mode.

6. Cook a good breakfast for my friends. (and watch a little tennis history while we're at it)

7. Bake my very first angel food cake from scratch. Vow to never bake one out of a box again after I have tasted it.

8. Celebrate my roommate's birthday (Sarah) by heading out to Ray's The Steaks.

9. Order the Steak Diablo, (you'll thank me later) and enjoy some good laughs.

10. Head home with my friends (Grace, Sarah, Danny, Ellie, Kara and Chris) to enjoy some of the aforementioned cake with a little touch of strawberries and cool whip.

This weekend was the stuff good summers are made of. Further reminders that life is good!

London Heat Wave?

dude. it's like 85 here. I don't think so folks. But here is a little taste of what life will be like in the next 10-20 years without air-con. So I suggest working on it.

Hello Cupcake

What could be better than cupcakes in the summer? Let's be honest here, what could be better than cupcakes ever? If you know me you know how much I love them. How could you not?! They are cute, they are small and they are cake-basically they are perfect. Have a bad day? A cupcake will make it better. Celebrating? A cupcake is a perfect way to. Like I said, perfect. So imagine my excitement when one of my end of the year presents from a student was a gift card to Georgetown Cupcake! (give that kid an A) So, Sheila and I decided to make an event of it. The plan? Walk to Georgetown from VA square and enjoy the yummy goodness. Why the 6 mile walk you ask? Um, duh, walk off the calories sister (i.e. you can have two cupcakes instead of one!). So we walked, stood in line for 20 minutes, and entered the shop. Oh the smell of cupcakes, it's like childhood. Grabbed a twelve pack and headed home. We decided to stop at Starbucks, grab a coffee and dig in. Well, then I opened the box. Apparently hot sun and being jostled around equals melty cupcakes. (see photos above) That's okay, I can work with this. The plus here? Getting to lick the frosting off my fingers. (see previous childhood comment) Sweet sugary happiness! May I recommend the lemon berry and red velvet cupcakes? (That's right people I had two cupcakes and a cup of coffee for lunch)

Bring out your inner child people, the result is perfection.

California Dreamin'

Plane tickets: check.

Hotel Reservations: check.

Rental Car: check.

Bungee Jump Reservation: check.

Excitement: check!

YAY for vacation!

Penance

This morning, the morning of my last day of work after 6.5 years at a company of despair, and I can't get it together.

My morning ,in haiku:

Tiny mints, scattered
Teeth Brushed? Oops. Forgotten. Gross.
Spoiled milk in coffee.

I hope this afternoon goes better.

I Love My Boys

I love that my boyfriend played first base last night. I love that he hit his 297th home run last night and scored his 1000 RBI. You did good Papi, you did good.

I love more that I was there to see it. Papi and Varitek hitting homers, Papelbon coming in to pitch in the 9th, and OMG Nick Green almost getting taken out by a broken bat! When is the last time you saw a bat fly at a shortstop?! Admittedly a slow at the start, it turned out to be a good game. The nationals actually held their own and gave my boys a game to play.

As I sat back watching the action, beer in hand, the sunset over the stadium and the Washington monument and I was once again reminded why I love this city. It could have only been better at Fenway...

I lied

I do have one complaint re: the champagne bar.

The champagne hangover. Most expensive hangover ever.

Eat, Drink, Eat, Drink...

Today, my team surprised me with pizza in the park. There are few better surprises than me:
1. not cooking my own lunch
2. enjoying the rare sunny and warm day in London
3. eating pizza. I don't think I need to elaborate

Tonight, I am headed to the Champagne Bar at St. Pancras (or St. Pancreas as my friends like to call it). It's the longest champagne bar in Europe. I have no complaints.

Last week, it was to Vinopolis for a wine tasting and tour. Needless to say, I am quite bummed to leave such a fun team. But quite happy to get home and get my liver and ass back into shape.

2 more days of work. You can do it!

This is Fun!

I love you camera...

I haven't had time to do any serious picture taking, but this isn't bad for my first shot.

and thank you Kara for introducing me to Picnik...