What's Up Wednesday: So long October!

Hey there Wednesday!

It's the last Wednesday of October, and I'm currently on a bus with about 40 kids on our way to the nation's capital!

At the end of each month Mel, Shay and Sheaffer share 

What's Up Wednesday!!!
We answer a series of questions and one extra one special to that month.
This month we're answering...

What's your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?

What we're eating this week:

On Monday we had one of our favorites-taco stuffed shells!

Alex is fending for himself the rest of the week. 

I'm on a school trip and am eating box lunches and food court food!

As much as I love trips I really struggle with eating when away from home. 

The healthy options aren't as plentiful and that doesn't work well for me!

What I'm reminiscing about:

I'm reminiscing about the 4 other times that I've been on this trip with my students.
It's crazy to think that I've been teaching for 6 years!
Six!!
The joy on the students faces when we get to the city is priceless!
It's so great to see how excited the students are to get to stay in a hotel, go to a multi-story mall and see what real city life is like.

What I'm loving:

I really don't love the start of fall.
Fall to me means mad chaos.
The beginning of a school year is never quiet and smooth.
It's just not, and I really don't expect it ever to be.
For that reason I don't love September.

School life is crazy busy, and it never seems like there is enough time in the day.
I'm loving that September is over, the year has settled in and we are on our way to winter!

What we've been up to:

Road trippin'

Alex and I enjoyed a day trip to have lunch in a quaint college town by the river. 

Then we headed to the big apple for an extended weekend!

We even got to see Live with Kelly!

What I'm dreading:

By the time you are reading this my dread will be over!
My alarm goes off at 2 am for our school trip.
I love early morning hours, but 2 am is a bit of a struggle.
I need to get up, shower, get ready, eat breakfast, finish packing and be to work by 4. 

What I'm working on:

I'm currently working on booking a honeymoon trip to Jamaica!
I'm so excited for this new small business of mine and have been loving the new opportunities that it brings!

What I'm excited about:

See above!

What I'm watching/reading:

I finished this book over the weekend.

I'm not a sci-fi fan, but I have to read 5 sci-fi books for our 40 Book Challenge at school.
Surprisingly this book wasn't too bad.
Children no longer can be aborted.
Instead when they turn 13 their parents have the choice to have them unwound, where their body parts are pulled apart and used in other people.
It's quite an interesting concept, but the book had a better plot and wasn't as far fetched as I thought.

What I'm listening to:

I will be listening to the whispers, chatter, and screams of children for the next three days. 
Other than that, I'm really not listening to much. 

What I'm wearing:

The weather isn't quite sure what it's supposed to be doing. 
Some mornings it has been in the 30/40's and then by the afternoon it's in the 70's. 
Layers are essential at this point, and I've started wearing a coat or jacket each day too.

What I'm doing this weekend:

Resting up from our big week.
Spending three days straight with 8th graders is long and exhausting.
I'm hoping that we will arrive home on time, and that I can spend the weekend relaxing and catching up on lost sleep.

What I'm looking forward to next month:

Thanksgiving and the beginning of the Holiday season!
It's here again!
Woohoo!

What else is new:

Alex and I are learning more and more that we are at that stage in life where there's just not much new.
We are trying to be content in this stage of life.
We aren't used to not having a whole lot going on and not having projects to complete, but we are trying to enjoy the slowness that this new stage has brought.

What's your favorite Thanksgiving side dish?:

Stuffing/Dressing
Whether you call it stuffing or dressing it is my FAVORITE Thanksgiving side dish.
We recently had a Thanksgiving style church dinner, and I was so bummed that they replaced the stuffing with noodles.
Now I have to wait another month to get the yummy stuffing.

Hoping October went well for you and hoping for a great start to November!

Show and Tell: Favorite Holiday

Happy Show and Tell Tuesday!

Andrea from Momfessionals has a linkup two Tuesday's a month. 

Today's topic is your favorite holiday. 

If you're interested in linking up later on or want to see what the topics were so far this year, check out the graphic below. 

This was no contest at all. 

Christmas is without a doubt my favorite holiday!

I have loved Christmas since I was a little girl. 

My brother would sneak around the house looking for his presents, but I never wanted to find mine, let alone know what I was getting before the morning of December 25. 

Some people, like my mom, find Christmas so stressful. 

Presents to buy, cards to send, house to clean, cookies to bake, food to make. 

The list goes on and on, but I love it!

There's decorating for the season. 

If Alex would allow me, I'd decorate in early November, but he makes me wait until the day after Thanksgiving. 

I love the glitz, glitter, greenery and twinkle lights that the season brings. 

I love baking lots and lots of cookies. 

There's no such thing as having too many cookies, and I enjoy a house that smells like freshly baked cookies!

One of my favorite things to do was bake cookies with my grandma. 

I miss those days but still think of her when I have a dining room table full of cookies!

Christmas shows!

I'm not a fan of TV and rarely watch it, but I love Christmas movies and shows. 

Last year I discovered the Hallmark Christmas movies and loved them!

Family time!

I love Christmas Eve at my grandma's and Christmas morning at my parents. 

These are two long standing traditions that I remember doing every year since I've been born. 

This is also one of the only times of the year that I would get to see our family who lives in NY. 

I was so so excited for their arrival every Christmas. 

I was even willing to ride my bike across time at any time of day or night, no matter the temperature just to see them and spend time with them. 

My heart is so sad that I no longer get to see them each year since my grandma has passed. 

My aunt would always make us play a fun game to enjoy our time together!

Joy!

Christmas radiates joy to me. 

People seem happier, and I feel like the overall mood is upbeat and bright. 

I love the optimism and hope that not only that day represents but that Jesus represents too!

Oyster Crackers

Here is a great snack recipe. 

I made this for a little football get together that we had. 

It's simple, easy and delicious.

Items Needed:

9 oz. bag of Oyster Crackers

1/2 C. Vegetable Oil

1 1/2 TBSP. Dry Ranch Dressing

1/2 tsp. Lemon Pepper

1/2 tsp. Dried Dill Weed

1/2 tsp. Garlic Salt

1. Mix the oyster crackers with the vegetable oil. 

Try to coat all of the crackers with the oil.

2. Add the dry ranch dressing, lemon pepper, dill weed and garlic salt. 

3. Mix together. 

4. Store in an air-tight container. 

5. Enjoy!

Tuesday Talk: Holiday Meals

Today is Tuesday Talk!

The third Tuesday of every month Ashley and Erika do a little Tuesday Talk. 

You can blog about whatever you're interested in talking about. 

Today holiday meals are on my mind. 

I've been planning our Christmas dinner meal since the summer. 

I've tweaked it, adjusted it, deleted some items and added new items many times. 

Now I'm interested in what you all make for Thanksgiving dinner or Christmas dinner. 

Do you have any tried and true recipes that your family requests year after year? 

Last year we hosted our first Christmas dinner and while it was lovely, it was just too much!

We ran here and there all morning and day and then came home to try to make way too many dishes!

Unfortunately, the only images that I got of that meal were the three below. 

Way to busy to snap many pictures.

This year I'm trying to keep it simpler. 

I want to enjoy the day more than dreading all of the work that I have to prepare for dinner. 

Last year I was literally sweating as I ran around the house trying to get everything in place. 

So, this year I'm opting for an easier and more convenient meal. 

As of now, I'm thinking of having a lasagna dinner. 

Lasagna, salad, garlic bread, ham, Lima beans, pie, cookies, etc. 

What do I need to add or eliminate?

What holiday meals are your favorite? 

Any other holiday tips and tricks are greatly appreciated!

Freezing Taco Meat

Are you a busy working lady or busy working mama?

In the summer, life is calm, and I have lots of time to get caught up on many things. 

One of those things is preparing dinner for when school starts again. 

Back in the spring I started frying ground beef and freezing it. 

I actually hate frying ground beef because it's so greasy and messy. 

If Alex is home I will con him into frying it for me.

I find that it's not so bad if it do a couple pounds at a time. 

I get the mess away with at one time, and then I have meat for weeks or months. 

Here's a little recap of what I did to freeze taco meat back in May. 

I only did two pounds of taco meat, and we still have one in the freezer. 

I'm good at freezing things and never wanting to use them. 

It's the whole "save it for a rainy day" mentality, but I forced myself to use one just a week ago. 

It's simple, and within 20 minutes I can fry a couple pounds and have them ready for the freezer. 

Step one: Fry the ground beef.

Step Two: Add in half a packet of taco seasoning and water (a whole packet is just too spicy for us!).

Boil.

Step Three: Pour meat into a bowl to cool for a little while.

Step Four: Scoop into a freezer Ziploc bag. 

(My mom bought me these snowflakes one back during winter. I still haven't used them all, so why not use them for my fried meat?)

Step Five: Add a label with the title of the meat and the date.

Let the meat cool down completely, and then stack it in the freezer. 

I'm not sure how long they should stay in the freezer. 

I know regular frozen ground beef last a long time, but how about already cooked ground beef?

I just did three pounds of ground beef. 

I used the same exact process except didn't add the taco seasoning. 

What are some make ahead freezer meals that you make?

Workin' It: Making Your Home Cozy!

Hey ladies!

It's a Workin' It Wednesday today with Erika and Shay. 

The second Wednesday of each month these ladies share a new topic. 

If you're interested in the topics so far this year or ones to comes, check out the graphic below.

This month we're sharing: 

How to Make your Home Cozy!

I love a cozy home. 

When I think of a cozy home I think of a fall or winter evening with twinkle lights and dimmed room lights. 

My number one tip when trying to make a home cozy is to dim your lights!

I'm so glad that we put dimmers on a lot of our lights when we redid our house. 

I love having the option of making a room bright and making it dim and cozy. 

We're starting to get into some of my favorite months for a cozy evening at home. 

I would have to say that winter is my favorite, especially when the snow is coming down outside, but for now I will enjoy the twinkle lights and a warm blanket and a dimmed light while reading an interesting book. 

Here are a few pictures of the coziness of our home:

Some during the daytime

Got in some good lesson planning while sitting in my reading chair and covering up with a blanket!

Nighttime twinkle lights!

Some more lights atop the unlit fireplace!

So there's a little look at the coziness of our home.
I love burning a good candle too!
Right now I'm obsessed with the Pumpkin Caramel Swirl from Bath and Body Works.