Thursday, March 27, 2008

Recipe of the Day

I have decided to start blogging some of my recipes. I used to send out an e-mail of recipes that I had cooked recently and found out that it was too hard to keep up with. So, instead of sending e-mails of several recipes I am just going to try to blog a new recipe on here from time to time. So come back often to check for the latest favorite. If you don't already know, I LOVE to cook and try out all different recipes. So each recipe that I post has been tested by me and has been tweaked to perfection. :-) I hope you enjoy too. If you ever make one of my recipes please feel free to comment about it on here and let me know if you liked it or not. Also, if you have any questions about any of my recipes or any special recipe requests, let me know! :-) I have a MILLION recipes, so just ask. Love you all!

Main Course: Zesty Chicken and Pasta
Total time: 25 minutes
Serves: 6

Ingredients:
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into bite sized pieces
1/2 cup Reduced Fat Italian Dressing, divided
2 cups broccoli florets
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 large red pepper, chopped
1 tbsp. chopped parsley
8 oz. pasta, cooked as directed on package, drained
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
1. Cook and stir chicken in 1/4 cup of the dressing in large skillet on medium-high heat 4 minutes or until no longer pink
2. Add broccoli, onion, red pepper, and parsley; cook until tender, stirring occasionally
3. Toss with cooked pasta and remaining 1/4 cup dressing. Sprinkle with cheese.

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

SHINGLES...EWW!


Shingles......Their nasty, aren't they? Well, that's what I have on my side right now. It's just a small patch, about the size of this picture (no, this is not a picture of my shingles!) It not only looks nasty, but it is also very painful!

Some questions you might have....


How do you get it? Well, anyone that has ever had Chicken Pox can get it. The Chicken Pox virus goes dormant in your system and never actually goes away. Then without warning (usually from stress of a weakened immune system), it can pop back up in the form of shingles.


Side effects? Just pain and the nastiness (not a real word, but don't know how else to describe it) of the rash on your body.


How long does it last? It takes at least 1-2 weeks to go away. And the pain can last for weeks after.


Are you contagious? Yes, to anyone that has never had Chicken Pox. But if you've had Chicken Pox, then you are immune. I also can't spread it on my own body, so that is good news!


I really can't believe I have shingles. So random. I guess it's from the stress at work, but now I am completely stress free since I am quitting!! So, this must just be a side effect from the stress last week. I finally broke down and went to the doctor today to get some pain meds and she informed me of how contagious I am and told me that I can't go back to work until she clears me, NEXT week! So crazy! So I am out until at least next Wednesday. I guess I should be excited, but I feel guilty. I don't feel bad, just the pain on the area with the rash, but when I am busy at work, I don't notice it as bad. I just hate to leave Suzanne with all those kids. I mean, she'll have a sub, but that's not the same. I hate that for her! (Sorry girl!)


So, I will probably have a few more posts this week then normal, because I will be sitting around, doing nothing! I guess this is good practice for when I don't work anymore. I am going to try to be productive and not just lay around all day. The only down side is that the meds she put me on can make me really tired and leave me with a "drugged up" feeling. (Straight from the doctor's mouth). We'll see how productive I can be when I'm drugged up. :-)

Sunday, March 16, 2008

A whole new life around the corner....

So much has happened in the last few days. On Friday we were given the staff list for next year. It wasn't a huge surprise to see my name listed under third grade. But even though I was fully expecting it, there was a part of me that was hopeful that I would still be placed in second grade. But I was completely shocked when I saw Suzanne moved to fourth grade! That was a real big surprise! Even though I am still hoping to get pregnant within the next few months and not go back to work next year, it was just something I didn't want to have to worry about. If I had been placed in second grade again next year then I woulnd't even have to think about all this right now, but that just wasn't how it worked out. Tomorrow I am going to be speaking with the dreaded chief penguin (that is what our principal calls herself...long story!) and I have a lot of things that I want to say to her. I just have to pray for the right words because I do still have to work for her for another 2 months and she can surely make those 2 months miserable. The bottom line is that if she doesn't keep me in second grade, then I will be leaving. I already know that she won't be able to keep me in second grade because she has already promised my spot to someone else. So Brian and I are completely prepared for me to quit. That is what I have wanted for so long, but now that it is right in front of me, I am a little hesitant. I want more than anything to be a stay at home mom and I can't wait for that to happen, but since I am not pregnant yet it scares me a little to be unemployed and not bringing in any kind of salary. Of course Brian has worked out all the financial stuff and has run all the numbers to make sure that it will work out, and it will! But I am still nervous for this big change. I worked very hard to become a teacher and I truly do love what I do. I love teaching and I love kids! It is just so sad that the reason I am leaving is because of my horrible boss. She has run so many great people out of our school and I don't think she even cares in the least. But I will not just walk away quietly. I will definitely let her know how I feel and will try to speak for some of the other teachers that are not able to speak for themselves because they have to kiss up so as to not lose their jobs. She just needs to know that she is making so many people miserable! If it weren't for her, my job would be great.

Anyway, all that blabbing is just to say that I am truly excited to quit my career to focus on becoming a mom. I can already feel this tremendous amount of pressure that has been lifted off my shoulders. We now have all the time we need to try to get pregnant and we are not under any sort of time crunch. This is exactly what I have been praying for. So even though my leaving my teaching career is bittersweet, I know that this is exactly how the Lord planned it. He wanted me to stop working and this is how he chose to make that happen. The most amazing blessing is that Brian is the one that told me to quit. I never thought he would be the one to encourage me to stop working. He is always so concerned about the financial aspect of living on one salary, but now he is completely on board. That is how I know that this is the Lord's plan for my life right now. I know that the Lord placed this on Brian's heart because I know that he would have never told me to quit on his own.

Please pray for me as this new chapter of my life will begin at the end of May. It is so exciting to take this leap of faith but it is also a bit scary.

Thursday, March 6, 2008

A day off

I am home today, which is great! I took the day off for a dentist appointment. I have to go for a cleaning at 1:30, so that kinda stinks, but at least I got to sleep in. Unfortunately I am feeling a bit sick today too. It was worse yesterday, but still not 100%. So I could be using this day off to get some things done around here, but instead I am trying to rest so I can get better. But maybe I will try to do something before I go to the dentist so I don't feel like I've wasted my whole day off.

My parents were here the last few days while Brian was out of town. It was really nice to have them here and not have to be all alone. (We all know how much I HATE to stay in this house all alone!) My mom came to work with me on Monday and Tuesday and my dad stayed here and did work around the house. He amazed me with all that he did! We now have new closet shelves in two of our extra bedrooms, he painted, he sanded walls, he hung our mirror in the dining room, he patched holes, he fixed light switches...the list goes on and on. He is a superstar dad! :) It's always sad to see them go, but also was good because that meant Brian was coming home! He got in last night and unfortunately I was too sick to show how happy I was to have him home. I wasn't too much fun, but I am really looking forward to seeing him tonight. Hopefully I won't be such a bum tonight.