Snow Days!

I can not believe how many snow days we have had so far this year! These days have come just at the right time for me. I have been able to use them to get papers written, journals and discussion questions answered, and my house cleaned! All of those are normal "stressors" for me. The time off has let me catch up AND get ahead.

I am almost done with my masters! August 22nd is the official last day. If these next 6 months go as fast as the last 6 months then it will be here before I know it.

I wish that snow days applied to Ben, but his job is pretty flexible so he has been able to spend some time at home too. We have watched tons of movies and played lots of games. (Yes- we are dorks and like to play card/board games).

Up next...Valentines Day!

A long overdue update

It's not that I have forgotten about my blog. In fact, I frequent my blog page with the hopes that someone has updated theirs so that I can read it and it can provide temporary entertainment for me. I have come up with multiple excuses as to why I have not provided an update, some are good and some are not. The fact of the matter is...I am a terrible "blogger." I talk all day, come home and do schoolwork on the computer, cook dinner, and by the end of all that I just want to do something...mindless. (I know that sounds like an excuse...maybe it is?) Thanks to the ice, I have checked everything off my list...except for this. So, here it is! I brief update about what has happened since October 4th (my last blog entry).

1. Ben...after much studying and even more prayer, Ben passed the CPA exam!!! I am so proud of him. This is a huge achievement, glory to God!

2. Engagements...both of my 2 youngest sisters got engaged! We will be welcoming 2 fine young men into our family this year. With these two fellows the boys will finally outnumber the girls (7 to 5) after 28 years of holding the record (5 girls and 2 boys).

Shannon and Kyle, to be married June 19, 2010

Rebecca and Ben, to be married December 31, 2010 (I don't know why this picture is so small).


3. Carter...my favorite nephew. We were able to see the Pigg's quite a few times over the holidays. Here is a picture of Aunt Sara, Uncle Iceman, and our favorite little pigg over Thanksgiving.

4. Beth Moore...I love this woman. In October, Beth Moore's Living Proof came to Memphis. I had never done a Beth Moore Bible study until last spring when I did the Esther study. It changed my life. So, when I heard Beth was coming to Memphis I was overjoyed! I was so glad to attend with my favorite Bible study partner and dear friend...Whitney. After the conference we hopped on a plane to Atlanta for a girl's trip over fall break. It was a much needed getaway for me. (Please excuse the red eyes).

5. Old friends...my bestest friend, Emily Wade Wilson, had her sweet baby Miles Lee Wilson back in December. I was able to help throw her a baby shower in November and then go for a visit over the Christmas break to meet this beautiful little man.

6. Thanksgiving...I just had to put this picture up. Ok- my Dad used to live in flannel shirt. Every shirt that man owned was flannel. Dad has recently gotten rid of his flannel shirts and slowly built a more fashionable wardrobe. Well, now that flannel shirts are all over the stores we thought it would be funny to all wear a flannel shirt to Thanksgiving. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the day, the boys, the siblings, and then the girls.

7. Kate's graduation...In December, we traveled to the big town of Durant, OK for my sister-in-laws graduation. We are proud of you Kate!


8. Holidays...we had a fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. We are so blessed with two wonderful families. We were able to make it to every family "event" this year. I wish that I would have taken more pictures, maybe next year.

I can't think of any other big events that we have had since October. I feel like we have traveled the United States between Atlanta, Nashville, Oklahoma, Searcy, Little Rock, and Jackson. Thankfully, our spring is not so packed with events. My hope is that I will be able to provide an update about what we are doing now sometime soon!

September is over!

Never in my life can I remember a month that went by faster than September. If you ask me what I did in September I really can not name any significant event. If you ask a few of my family members they would respond that this is something that happens "as you get older." However, I am not quite ready to accept that as the explaination.

Labor Day weekend Stephanie, Michael, and Carter came to Jackson. It was great to see them, but even better to snuggle with my sweet nephew.

Later that week we went back over to Jackson for Q's football game.

Can you tell that these 2 are siblings?

Me, Quentin, and Ben after the game.

Dad, Carter, and Quentin after the ballgame. Quentin loved the fact that I was making him take pictures with everyone after the game. Thanks for being a good sport!

P90x and a new creation

Well..it seems as though I have really fallen behind on my blogging. The beginning of this school year has been unusually wild. Thankfully, things seem to be slowing down a little.

Part of the busyness is the addition of a workout into my daily routine. Ben and I have begun P90x, an intense 90 day workout. And when I say intense...I mean INTENSE! We get up every morning at 5:30-5:45ish and do our hour to hour and 1/2 workout. Then I rush to take a shower while Ben cooks us a protein filled breakfast. This routine is working out nicely for me, despite my dislike to get up early in the morning. I have found that I have more energy throughout the day and I feel like I can think clearer. We have just finished week 2 of the program and we have not missed a workout yet.

The toughest part of the whole thing has been the diet. The first 30 days requires eating large amounts of protein for me, and vegetables for Ben (notice that didn't say large amount of vegetables). So, in an effort to create a meal to fit both of our needs I have created the Fiesta Salad! For those of you that know my family, we love dips. We particularly love Pico (our homemade salsa) and Black Bean dip. Yum! My creation is Pico meets Black Bean Dip! I added this mix to a bed of lettuce, chicken strips, and the spray Ranch (15 cal.). It was so good that we ate it for lunch and dinner!

I wanted to share this "salad topper" with everyone. I got bits and pieces of it from the Internet and the other 2 recipes. I don't really know the exact amount that I used of most of it, so I am kinda guesstimating. Enjoy!

Fiesta Salad

1 can black beans (rinsed and drained)

1 can corn (drained)

4-5 chopped Roma tomatoes

1/4 red onion

cilantro

jalapeno

2 limes

2 cloves minced garlic

1/4 packet taco seasoning

1 tbsp. olive oil

salt to taste

Combine black beans, corn, and tomatoes. In food processor chop onion, cilantro and jalapeno. Squeeze the juice from the 2 limes. Stir in the rest of the ingredients. Serve over salad.

Crockpot chicken changed my life

Ok - so maybe this is common sense to some people... but I have just recently been introduced to crockpot chicken. In case you don't know, I detest boiling and cubing chicken so badly that I have been known to resort to canned chicken. I don't like the way it smells, looks, or how badly I always burn myself in an attempt to shred the chicken just the way that I like it. (Not that canned chicken is any better than this). I especially don't like the white film that is created when the chicken is boiling.

So the other day my friend Whitney says to me, "You know you can cook chicken in a crockpot with a little bit of water and it will shred just like your chicken tacos. Don't you?" NO! I never thought of that. So I tried it the other day. Before I left for work I put 2 large chicken breasts in the crockpot with about 1/2 cup of water and set the timer for 5 hours. I couldn't wait to get home and see if this genius idea would really work. As I run through the door I can smell the chicken. I open the lid to take the chicken out and...it was so tender that it was falling apart each time I "forked" it. I transferred it into a bowl and began to shred all of it together thinking to myself the entire time.."This is going to change my life forever!" I can now eat real chicken, nicely shredded, with no burns, or yucky white film.

Which leads me to the title of my entry "Crockpot chicken changed my life." It is the small things in life that make me so happy. I hope if you have never tried this trick that it will change your life too! Thanks Whit!

Common Courtesy?

Is it just me or is courteous behavior becoming a thing of the past? Now granted, living in the south there are a fair share of people that display courteous behavior. However, there is also a fair share of people that do not. Let me share a few examples of things that drive me crazy. (And yes I have considered that I sound crazy for writing this :)

1. There is a no smoking policy in all TN restaurants (unless it is a 21 or over facility). Do the smokers have to stand right at the entrance/exit door so that everyone who walks by has to walk through their clouds of smoke? Common courtesy: Move over 10 feet.

2. When entering or exiting a building: If someone is a step or two behind you, wait an extra second to extend the door to them rather than letting it slam right in their face.

3. Gum throwers: If you are going to spit your gum out please put it in a place where someone is not going to step on it.

4. When driving on the interstate and you know there is about to be a group of cars who need to merge...get out of the right lane. It is already hard enough to merge without having to speed up or slam on the brakes to avoid someone.

5. Also when driving: If someone lets you over, or goes out of their way to help your driving situation...give them a little wave.

6. Smile at people. It is amazing what a thank you, hello, or smile will do for other people's attitude.

7. Cell phones: Learn where the vibrate or silent button is. Also- when encountering another human being (like checking out at the store), tell the other person to hang on a second and at least say hello to the person checking you out.

I could continue to go on, but I am sure that I have made my point. The bottom line is: a key part of common courtesy is looking beyond yourself and acknowledging that someone else might need help. (Even if it is just a simple smile and acknowledging their existence.) Some people may not even notice your effort, or even return the gestures, but you can take heart in the fact that you are creating the kind of world you want to live in with your actions. Plus isn't that what Jesus would do?

School Daze

The summer has come to an end, and another school year has begun. I am 6 days into my 5th year of teaching and already I am "dazed." This year has started off with more of a bang than ever before. After 6 days we have had 3 schedule changes, switched students from one team/class to the other, lost a teacher on our team, gone from five 60 minute classes to four 80 minute classes, and to top off the day today...someone wet their pants!! Don't be confused by this...I still teach 6th grade.

I have worked every night since school started and even on Saturday and Sunday! It has been busy and stressful..and I haven't been able to talk about it without crying. But, finally things seem to be getting worked out.

So far it seems like I have pretty good students (minus the few "pain in the rear end" kids that you have every year). And, I am REALLY excited that I am only teaching Math this year instead of Math and Social Studies.

So, here's to another year.... 6 days down and 174 to go.