not quite Betty Crocker

This year for my mom's birthday I got the idea in my head that I was going to make a flip flop birthday cake for her. Sounds thoughtful doesn't it? Well, I guess I should have thought a bit more and considered that being creative and artistic is not my forte.

She found a picture of it in a magazine and mentioned she thought it was cute. I found a video online that gave step by step instructions on how to put it together. Without the video I'm not sure I would have attempted making it. This is not a strong talent for me at all. Here's how it turned out. (I'm not going to bother posting the Betty Crocker one, it's miles ahead of mine!)





It seemed to be a hit with the grandchildren, so that counts for something.



Happy Birthday Mom!

in the vineyard

While our little kitten was busy getting into trouble on Saturday (see previous post) we were headed to a vineyard in Norman.

Our good friend mentioned a wine making class to us and we decided to try it out.

First we got to pick grapes from the vine.






Once the buckets were filled



The grapes were ran through a machine




And then put through the wine press




We added yeast and other stuff to our juice and it will ferment for a while and after several months we will have our own wine that we picked the grapes for ourselves.

There won't be very more opportunities like this to pick the grapes to make our own wine, but I think we are now interested in using wine kits in the future. This was such a fun experience. Thank you Shyla for sparking our interest in this class.

I'll be back

I've done a horrible job keeping this updated. It is so hot I don't even feel like updating the blog, much less my Facebook status.

A full blown update is over due, however, this is too funny. I want to post it now.

Today we left the house for a while and on the way out the door I quickly unloaded some stuff I did not need from my purse and laid it on the kitchen counter.

When we got home this was laying there:



The culprit:


I was thoroughly amused by this since 1. I've never had a pet before so I probably think this is funnier than it actually is 2. Swarley usually does not get into stuff and 3. When we got home the tampon was nowhere in sight.

We came home to just an empty packet laying on the counter. We figured the tampon ended up with some of Swarley's other toys that have "disappeared". Eventually, I found it under the arm chair in the living room and proceeded to let the cat play.

So now I know there is a cheaper option out there for cat toys.

our future is bright

Today is our 3 year wedding anniversary.

I'm finally to the point where I look at my wedding photos and wonder, "who are those young kids?"

I'll never be that young again, but I am really looking forward to spending many more years with Bob.

I got a gift in the mail for this occasion:




The title is "Life is so cushy with you by my side"




This really sums up our marriage. Being married to my best friend has been cushy, it's been fun and I cannot imagine living my life without Bob.

it's like a dream

Maybe I should not have gotten out of bed this morning...

I was enjoying my first day of getting up without the alarm. I finally got out of bed and began checking my e-mail on my i-phone and immediately I saw an e-mail from the National Board for Professional teaching standards. The first thought that went through my head is, "oh, maybe they are confirming my appointment tomorrow for my test." Nope. They are contacting me to inform me about HB3029 in our state that is putting the scholarship on the chopping block. This means that between 2011-2013 they are proposing to drop the funds for the scholarship for future applicants. For years our state has made money available to help teachers pay the $2000 dollar fee for applying for national certification. This is the same scholarship that I received, this only impacts future applicants.

So, the next priority on my day off: check facebook. Usually facebook is mindless and entertaining. However, I ran across a post from a teacher friend from my school. She has posted a newslink about our school district's budget woes. Here is the headline: More than 300 teachers in their first year with the district are getting letters that their continued employment prospects are uncertain in the face of proposed cuts of $16.8 million.

Now I wonder if I should have just stayed in bed. What does this mean for me?

Thankfully I do not fall in the category where my position is directly impacted by these budget cuts. This does mean we may have to deal with larger class sizes and I am sure there are other factors I haven't even thought about yet.

My husband and I are always discussing how God has put us in the right places at the right times. With my job right now, I am definitely feeling that God has taken care of us. Now is probably one of the worst times to get your foot in the door into education in our state. Amazingly enough, I got in right before things hit the fan.I recieved the scholarship for national board already and I am a year two teacher in my district (I have previously worked in two other districts). It looks like I have barely squeaked by...but I know it is my heavenly Father who is placing me in the right places at the right times. In the midst of these hard times in my profession I am feeling blessed.

a happy working song

Today I didn't mind having to clean things up. As soon as my classroom was clean and "in order" I was able to leave work for the summer! I celebrated the beginning of summer vacation by going home and taking a well deserved nap.

Of course, if you know me...I'm still going to be busy. I have no intentions of sitting around much. Tomorrow I will be doing some last minute cramming for my National Board test. I go Wednesday to take the test. Then on Thursday I will be attending a technology workshop. So hopefully by Friday things will calm down and I can get a hair cut or something.

what a relief!

I already knew, but I was officially notified in the mail today about this:



My student loan is officially paid off! Luckily we don't have any credit card debt either, however I am not a stranger to that trap. This student loan was a result of some credit card debt I had in college. I sure have learned a lot about saving money and finances in general since then. I also have become more disciplined in that arena after getting married. It helps having a spouse who is highly responsible with finances. We do a good job of splitting up the responsibilities. I make sure all the bills are paid each month and he takes on the grueling task of doing our income taxes.

In other news I got to play with my Cricut this weekend. Swarley wanted to join in on the fun as well.