Busy

This weekend was positively busy and productive! As it was my last week before I went back to school for training and orientation, I wanted to cross a couple things off my list:

-return stuff to Williams Sonoma

-figure out a way to store all our wedding gifts in our tiny house

-weed the vegetable garden

-hang out, of course!

I managed to accomplish all that, and David got a lot done on his day off as well. I wanted to take pics of the vegi garden and post them, but because we lost our camera on our honeymoon, uploading pictures is difficult. Maybe another day. The garden looks great! I took out some really big, space consuming plants. There used to be a huge horseradish plant right in the middle of the garden and I just let it get too big. I decided that we never used it and so it was pointless to keep it. I just ripped the whole thing out. That was not an easy task! Those roots were extensive and deep! Now there is a big gap in the garden, but it looks all organized because I also weeded and put down straw.

Saturday, Meredith and I went to Williams Sonoma and returned a mixer that I received after I already purchased one from Bed Bath & Beyond with gift cards. I was glad that one of our

guests was so generous to give us such a nice gift, but we don't need two mixers. As a result, I had $300 in store credit and needed to figure out what to do with it. Well - we decided to buy their Swedish shelving and that is where all the appliances will live now! Finally, more storage

So that will go in the corner of the kitchen where we have a little table. Just a little upgrade!

I also broke out our new pressure cooker and tried cooking curry chicken in it on Sunday night. Bleh, not so great. I thought the chicken was a little dry. While the sauce smelled so good - it was very bland. Guess I'll just have to try it out again another night. It is such a great little tool though. After the prep work for dinner, it was so easy! I just threw everything in the pot and then it was done! I was just standing around the kitchen waiting for it to finish (Not really - I was cleaning, of course!). That is how I like to cook.

Tonight I did get the bug to try a recipe I'd starred in Google Reader a looooong time ago. Well, actually this is one of the newer recipes I've starred, but one of the first I've actually cooked! I made the Seven Layer Bars that I found on Annie's Eats. So far, they smell delicious, but they're still too hot to try. Boo. Let you know later along with some pics of the newly renovated garden.

I have a fetish for school supplies

Does that add some sort of creepiness to the fact that I'm a teacher?

Back to the title of this post, this morning I went to Office Depot to take advantage of the tax free weekend we have in Va. I bought a whole cart's worth of school supplies. I love school supplies. You know in the movie You've Got Mail, when Tom Hanks is writing to Meg Ryan about fall and sending her a bouquet of sharpened pencils? That is what I really associate with fall and the beginning of school. The smell of sharpened pencils. Delicious!

So now I've got a metric ton of school supplies and I am just itching to set up my classroom. Anyone who knows me, knows that I love to organize things. When things are in their place, I am the happiest person ever. Sometimes this can make my life a little difficult (i.e. having to look at my husband's desk or walk into his garage) but I am learning to be flexible with disorganization. But to get my classroom set up in the perfect way is going to be a lot of fun for me. I want to make it just perfect for my kids!

Some of the things I got include these items:

so many delicious colors!

kids must eat these for as fast as they disappear

oh yea, the 64 pack with the build-in sharpener, still the coolest!

no swine flu here! oh, excuse me, H1N1

I won't bore you to death, but there is so much more! What are your favorite office supplies and organizational tools?

Getting Ready

A fire has been lit under my butt. I was offered a job yesterday with Merrimack Elementary, and I took it! I had such a good feeling after I left the interview, I was hoping they would pick me. I had to wait the whole weekend - but it was worth it!


Subsequently, I am getting hyped up to plan, plan, plan. Knowing that I am teaching 1st grade gives me something to finally work with. Now I have an age group to work with when I imagine my classroom management plan, make up posters, buy books and organize my classroom. It gets me all excited, but really nervous at the same time. Every time I think about my class, I think about shutting that door behind me and being on my own on the very first day. There is some scary music that accompanies this image (Think Jaws). I mean, I am responsible for a big part in their ability to read! This makes me smile too because I love to read. So, for the next two weeks that I have left in my summer of love...I will be preparing for teaching. Again, sad and happy at the same time.


With only two weeks left before I become prisoner to some 20 6/7 year olds, I have a lot to do! Sleep in, get tan, start P90X, wash my car for the first time in a year, and do the post wedding chop. What is the post wedding chop? Well it looks something like this:




Or...not. More like, my hair is getting two long because I grew it out for the wedding and I need something a little bit shorter. But I don't know what I want it to look like. Most of my life it has been pretty basic hair. I don't even think I have a style, just hair with highlights. I was thinking something short and layered but with big bangs:

or

They are on the really short side, and really stylized, which I don't think would work for me, but I need something done!


In other news, we're going to the Cape this weekend and I am finally excited. The weather should be nice, I am going to hang out with some awesome people and I just love being on the Cape. It makes me feel relaxed. I need to take advantage of our pool and get more tan before I go. It is just so friggin' hot outside (90 degrees). One day, I am going to summer their with our children and David will fly up to see us each weekend. Perfect!



Anyone fantasize about excessive vacationing? I guess that is what being a teacher does to you!

The Beginning

Well, this isn't really the beginning, more like three weeks in, but it is what it is. Like most brides, I can't believe I'm married. I can't believe our wedding is over! It was amazing but went by so fast. Since the big day, we've returned to normal life. It is almost like nothing changed because we already lived together, shared bank accounts and owned a house together.

Despite this, saying "husband" and "wife", having a deep sense of shared commitment and actually doing my wifely duties have been very enjoyable to say the least. The stress of wedding planning left our lives and we have not fought at all, which is fantastic! Unfortunately, I still don't have a job. :(

Job interviewing is going slow, I've only had three interviews so far. Most of my fellow graduate students have jobs already. I feel behind the power curve. It makes me question a lot of things with myself and my career choice. Can those people who look at my resume tell I'm unsure about being a teacher? Are my interviewing skills lacking a sense of self promotion, self confidence and knowledge? I am just trying my best. I have an interview on Friday with a Hampton school that seems to have a really positive environment, but I am trying not to get my hopes up. It is for a first grade position, which I would certainly accept. But for now, I am trying to beef up on my interviewing skills - at my last interview they asked such hard questions! I am nice, likable, knowledgeable, and very professional - now just believe me and give me a job!

Today, I am studying for my interview - reading books my CT gave me and trying to figure out how I would use statistics in my classroom, how to differentiate lesson plans, and other exciting things like that. The best place to do this - outside in my pool of course! So that's where I'll be, gettin' my tan on.

Meredith is moving this week, so I've been helping her pack and perhaps I'll head to that side of the water today. David needs to fix the AC in my car though, so I need to be here around 6pm. For a person without a job, I'm pretty busy. (Of course, when you wake up at 10/11 everyday, there is a lot less time in which to do things!)

Am I the only one who hates job interviews and working? Wouldn't life be easier if we could help each other move, fix stuff around the house and enjoy each other's company? I need to move to a place where working doesn't dominate our life.