The Whirlwind Known as July

Life can really throw you some curveballs. You know what I do when that happens? I eat.

A lot.

Stress eating is my biggest downfall in life. Someone gets sick - I eat ice cream. You get the picture.

Well life MAJORLY stressed me out on July 1.

On this day, Will got a phone call offering him a position on the MS Gulf Coast. And of course we jumped on it! He had been waiting for a position like this and we were not going to let the opportunity pass us up.

The only thing was that he started in 2 weeks. Yes 2 weeks. So that meant I had to find a job, pack the house, find a renter for the house (because of course we could not sell it in that short of time), find a daycare for LK, and most importantly find us a place to rent.

With God's help and blessings - I managed to do all of the above. I am still teaching First (whoop whoop!!) and we have an awesome house in a quiet neighborhood. It was truly a God thing y'all!!

So - needless to say - July has been overwhelming. I do have a very good start to my room and hope to finish it this week (fingers crossed!!). My house, well, it's not completely unpacked. But this is not our forever home. So I really don't feel the need to hang up pictures. I will get there eventually!

So for now, I am going to continue eating until things settle down. :)

Hangry

Hangry. A term used quite often in my household. By me at least. It's a more fierce way to say that you're hungry. It's like you are hungry and have checked the frig and the pantry 17 times and still nothing in either looks enticing enough to consume. Why do I even bother buying groceries. Nothing I buy seems to ever fill my hangry-ness.

Today I blame my becoming hangry on Pinterest. I got on the app earlier today looking to see what cute things my other teacher friends had pinned, so that's, of course, could pin it too. I'm a very lazy Pinterester. Anyways, other than finding a SUPER cute Read to Self (love some Daily 5!!) poster, I was bombarded by all of these yummy looking things. Things that are not in my frig or pantry!!! Thanks Pinterest.

Tonight is my area's big fireworks display for the 4th. I'm not quite sure why they don't do this next Saturday when it is actually the 4th of July. But not my call. Will insists we go and let Lila Kate watch and I agreed. As long as we got ice cream first. Hangry satisfaction is on its way!! Whoop whoop!

What's In My Mug {Linky}

Today's post is for Molly's Linky party over at Classroom Confections. I take my drinks very seriously. At home at least. At school, it's a little tricky. I have a 12 cup coffee maker in my classroom. I am the room to visit when you need a caffeine fix. Fo realz. I mean, it is a mini-coffee shop. Full of different types of sweeteners and creamer flavors. My principal has even stopped in for a cup! Ha! I have a plain jane coffee mug for school. Something that A) I don't care if it gets lost, B) I don't care if I or a kid breaks it, and C) can be microwaved since I can never finish one in less than an hour. I usually go through one mug before lunch. Sad, I know. After lunch, I try to drink 1-2 bottled waters that I keep stashed in my mini-frig.

But, when I am home, the true magic happens. I wake up extra early on my days at home. Before the hubs, Will, and LK wake up. It's just me, my coffee, and the dog, Charlie. Charlie is awesome coffee company. Mainly because he doesn't talk. He just lays at my feet and basks in the silence with me. Will doesn't drink coffee. He's more of an iced coffee type of guy. Wimp. So I have a Keurig mini. Makes one cup at a time. My cup. Call me old-fashioned, but I stick with Community brand Breakfast Blend. A girl after my daddy's own heart. He drinks it black (gross!), but I add the perfect amount of sugar (the REAL stuff) and sweetener (caramel vanilla Kroger brand this week) until it is the perfect shade of tan. Like that tan I dream of being.

And my mug? Oh my mug! You know when you get married and you go register for all this pretty dishware that you NEVER use - you know what I'm talking about. We all do it. For some reason we think we will eat off $50 plates. NO YOU DON'T. You end up buying a $30 pack of Corelle from Wal-Mart and that's what you use at breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I do, however, reach into the "Nice dishes" cabinet and pull out MY mug on these special mornings. Vietri. Made in Italy. Too darn expensive to use, but by golly, I want to enjoy my silent coffee time with a pretty cup! I feel so cool. I savor each sip. When I finish, I cry silently within. But usually about that time, I begin hearing LK talking to her toys and I know it is time for Mommy duty to begin. I handwash my mug, and place it back into the rarely-opened cabinet, assuring it that I will visit it again as soon as I can.

And so it begins....

Let it be known... I love to write! I attribute this "hobby" to the BEST language arts teacher ever, Mrs. Donna. Yeah, yeah, yeah.. I called her by her first name. Private school privileges. Three years of her and there was no way that you could not create any type of poem and find grammar mistakes in a sentence. She was fabulous. 

My passion for teaching stems back to when I was 6 years old and in First Grade. Mrs. Kay was my teacher. She went to school with my daddy. And with about 15 other parents of classmates. Private school privileges, again.  My mother can testify that I decided that school year that I wanted to be a teacher, just like Mrs. Kay. She made learning so much fun! And she was a believer in candy rewards - which I mean was just the icing on the cake!

So now here I am. About start my 7th year in the classroom. Not a day goes by in the summer that I don't think about school. I am constantly looking through Teachers Pay Teachers, scrolling through Pinterest, or , of course, reading blogs! Which is why I decided to start my own blog. I have good things to share, too! 

I also have a slight obsession with food. Good food. Bad food. All food! So, why not share my foodie problems with anyone who decides to read this! 

Tonight's share - DINNER!!

I must confess before posting the recipe and picture that I did complete at 750 calorie workout before consuming this! So I do not feel bad at all about my 2nds LOL!


SOUTHWEST LIME CHICKEN with CORN and ZUCCHINI SALAD

Chicken ingredients:

1 3/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 teaspoon blackening seasoning, divided
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic seasoning
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 2 limes  

Preheat large sauté pan on medium 2–3 minutes. Season chicken with both seasonings (wash hands). Place butter and oil in pan, then add chicken; cook 8–10 minutes on each side, turning often, or until chicken is 165°F and well browned. Meanwhile, squeeze limes for juice (1/4 cup). Remove chicken from pan. Whisk lime juice into pan juices until blended. Slice chicken. Pour sauce over chicken and serve.

Salad Ingredients:

1 (12-oz) bag frozen Southwest blend vegetables (corn, beans, peppers, onions)
1 large zucchini, coarsely chopped
Juice of 1 lime
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon honey
1/2 teaspoon blackening seasoning
1/4 cup presliced green onions

Microwave corn blend on HIGH 1–2 minutes to thaw. Cut zucchini lengthwise into quarters, then slice thinly (about 2 cups). Squeeze lime for juice (1 tablespoon); place in salad bowl. Whisk in oil, honey, and seasoning until blended. Stir corn, zucchini, and onions into dressing. Chill until ready to serve.