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boy was it a busy week. I had a cold at the beginning of the week which meant I spent more time resting than being productive. in fact, I was in bed before 9 one night...I can't even remember the last time I did that. but it definitely helped so that's the important thing.
wednesday evening I was scheduled to do recreation for children's choir at church and that's always a fun experience. the kids really just want to play outside on the playground equipment and that's fine with me. they always make me laugh which can be a great pick-me-up in the middle of the week.
yesterday was the big 10-mile race I had signed up for at disney. my aunt and my cousin were both signed up as well and my mom was going along to be our supporter. well, I decided a couple weeks ago that I wasn't going to be able to do it. I figured I don't want to start anything if I can't finish it. and to be honest, I had not put forth the training efforts that I should have. so my goal (one of many) is to work hard so that next year I can sign up for this particular race again and complete it. I really want that medal.
anyway, the weekend was still great because the four of us stayed at the boardwalk inn at disney and we had a lot of fun. did a little relaxing pre-race (which began at 10 pm) and Mom and I did our best to cheer them on when we finally saw them on the course...I think it was with just about a half mile left. after the race we could stay in the park (the studios) until 4 am and we almost made it till closing. needless to say, after a short night's sleep...we are all pretty tired today. my cousin's husband was flying in today and they are spending the week at another resort on disney property. lucky them. the rest of us...back to work tomorrow.
here's hoping the kids treat us well!
we made playdough this week at school. the kids absolutely loved it! it's definitely something we'll do again throughout the course of the year. we chose to make our first batch of playdough yellow and lemon-scented. unfortunately I don't think we added enough flavoring so the scent didn't last very long. lesson learned: it's okay to go a little heavy on the scent. regardless, it was another fun activity to do with my 4-year old students.
I met a friend for lunch on friday and we stopped by a new frozen yogurt place. I'm so glad we decided to try red mango because it was delicious and absolutely worth it. I had a combo of raspberry and nutty potion. good stuff y'all.
some family members and I are heading to disney in a couple weeks and we've been trading emails all weekend. we've been discussing what things we want to bring to eat and drink and let's just say the list of libations is quite a bit longer than the list of food stuff. my cousins really know how to make some good drinks so I'm definitely looking forward to that. and spending time with them of course. ; )
another week come and gone...have a good one!
so let's see, this week I did an awesome science experiment with my students. they loved it so much and were so excited...thankfully my assistant had my camera in hand and captured some great photos! I just love the enthusiasm children have for learning. it's really wonderful to experience that each day with them. on friday we did the popular melted crayon art that's been all over pinterest for months now. that was such fun! definitely something I'll do again.
this was the big 125th anniversary weekend for my church. last night was a celebratory dinner gala and it was so wonderful to see so many people there. I think the final number was close to 250! we ate delicious food, watched a slideshow of the church and its members through the years, and just had a good time. it's pretty fantastic to be part of a church community that has such a rich history. I. am. blessed.
have a wondeful week everyone!
highlights from this past week include:
*spending time with 2 adorable kitties
*celebrating colors at school by wearing a different "color of the day" each day
*having supportive clients and friends come out to celebrate our new Fall/Winter product line with Tastefully Simple
wow. it's september! I can't believe it...2012 is flying by. I love september for many reasons. college football starts up again (shout-out to my beloved Iowa Hawkeyes on their win yesterday!) and I know cooler weather is on it's way soon. well, not super soon seeing as I live in florida...but you know what I mean. I really love fall and must admit this is the time of year I miss living up north most.
so now that we've finished our 2nd week of school I have to say I'm just loving my class. we've all settled into our daily routine and that helps immensely. they really are a good group of kids and just so cute! we had our first birthday on friday and I was really pleased with the way they behaved. let's hope I didn't just jinx things by bragging on them here. ; )
children's choir started up again at church this past wednesday. I am helping do recreation again and though we had a small group for the first week back, we really had a good time. I've already had requests to play dodge ball and I promised we would play that next time. they love playing dodge ball and let's face it, I do too. it reminds me of being a kid and sometimes it's a really good thing to relive those times. we all need a chance now and again to act like a kid.
I'm cat/house-sitting for a few days for a friend of mine. she has two kitties and they're so sweet. I always enjoy being able to help my friends out and bonus: I get to pretend their pets are mine for a little while. pets have a way of relaxing me and that's definitely a good thing.
have a blessed week!
so there's one week of school in the books...yay! we had a good first week so that definitely makes the list of highlights. also among the highlights from these past seven days: my copy of The Hunger Games came in the mail on Wednesday. so of course I had to watch it right away that evening. and it was just as good as it was in the theater. if you haven't seen it yet, well, what are you waiting for??? it's so good. seriously though...I would definitely recommend reading the book first. and just remember: the book is always better. always.
not sure yet if we'll be feeling any effects of hurricane Isaac. it's been windy and uber cloudy all day. guess we'll have to wait and see. in the meantime I'll continue to prep for school this week and possibly do something fun like paint my nails. since I'm ready for fall, I'll probably paint them in a fall-ish color. like this or this or even this.
have a good week and stay safe!
whee!!! school starts tomorrow! after meeting my students on Friday I'm definitely eager to get this year underway. right now I have 13 students in my class (9 girls, 4 boys) and they're all completely adorable. it was great to have a whole week to get the room prepped and ready. my assistant and I are proud of what we've done and now the fun really starts. since this is a completely new situation for me, I'm anxious to get a few days under my belt and settle into a routine. I expect I'll be exhausted come Friday but that's a good thing for sure.
I spent this afternoon catching up on shows from this past week. and since it's been a rainy, rainy afternoon it was a smart choice to save 'em up for today. I love having a dvr...being able to skip the commercials makes tv-watching much more enjoyable.
there was a surprise baby shower today after church for our youth director and his wife. their little boy is about a month old and he's simply precious. so so cute. I wanted to hold him in the worst way but I feel a cold coming on so I thought I'd better hold off. there's nothing like being around a precious little newborn to make me want a baby of my very own. all in good time I suppose.
blessings my friends.
so this past week positively flew by. I enjoyed being able to sleep in almost every day because that ends tomorrow. whee! and this, well, this is it for my post today. lots to do...the Olympics have been super distracting so I'm not quite where I'd like to be as far as being organized and ready to start work tomorrow. best get to it. have a blessed week everyone!
this past week was another busy one. watched a lot of the Olympics...so hard to avoid spoilers but that's just the way it is in this day and age. will be sad to see them end in a week but at least I'll get back to a more normal bedtime. especially because school will be starting up again; can't keep going to bed at midnight every. single. night.
speaking of school, I got a new job this past week! I'll be teaching a VPK class at my church's preschool and I'm very excited. this should be a great experience and will definitely bring a new, and valuable, perspective going into grad school *assuming I get accepted somewhere that is ;)
how to possibly top getting a new job?! spending 3 days out and about shopping during the annual tax-free weekend of course! Friday was mostly about getting supplies for school. as any teacher will tell you, we are always buying supplies for our classroom and students. because sometimes it's necessary...and sometimes it's just fun! Saturday my mom, aunt, and I made our semi-annual trek to the ginormous Florida Mall in Orlando. we love shopping there and usually spend the entire day there. and we always go to the same stores, in the same order. such creatures of habit. today was a shorter shopping day (thank goodness...it's tiring and well, let's face it, I'm not made of $). I have to say though, today was probably the most successful shopping day for me. great bargains...great clothes.
so this is officially now my last week of summer vacation and I plan to enjoy it to the max. have a blessed week!
the most fun thing about this past week: the Olympics! I just love everything about the Olympics...the history, the pageantry, the inspiring stories...just the whole spectacle of it all. and I have to say that since the Opening Ceremony on Friday night pretty much all I've done is watch the Olympics. wheee!!!
I enjoyed most of the Opening Ceremony. my favorite part was seeing JK Rowling b/c as I shared last week...I am obsessed with Harry Potter. and watching the Parade of Nations is always fun too. seeing the different costumes and joyous faces. truly fantastic. I loved Mexico's costumes...I was less than impressed with the costumes of our athletes here in the States. they were super boring. I've been a little underwhelmed by a lot of the uniforms the U.S. athletes have been wearing. oh well.
I look forward to watching many more Olympic competitions in the coming weeks. and I suppose I'll do some other stuff too. but mostly watch the Olympics.
am headed to EPCOT down at Disney later today! hoping we miss the rain. have a good one!
I am a huge Harry Potter fan. seriously, huge. while I would like to watch all 8 movies back-to-back at some point, I'm not quite ready to do that yet. however, I did watch the last two movies (Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows pt. 1 and pt. 2) back-to-back one night this past week. and that was fun. as I was watching them I realized what a great job the filmmakers truly did. they took a massively detailed book and split it at just the right point. both movies pack an emotional punch and it just feels complete when you watch them. Harry Potter is a highlight for me always.
I started work (finally) on my applications for grad school. while they are time-consuming, as well as stressful, it was definitely a good feeling to get going on them. and while working on the essay/personal statement questions I realized what a good choice my chosen field is. it feels really right for me and I think my work and personal experiences over the last several years have been leading me to this decision. educational psychology for the win!
my mom came home from visiting my brother, sister-in-law, and two nephews on Friday...yay! after picking her up at the airport we stopped by our favorite cupcake place on the way home. seriously, this place makes the best cupcakes I've ever had. my personal favorites are the black and gold, and the white raspberry. for real though, they're all good. you just can't go wrong. we always get the minis and split them in half. this way we get to enjoy double the amount. I like them best with an ice cold glass of milk. sooooo good.
do you have a favorite bakery/cupcakery?
I have to say that this past week was probably one of the more relaxing ones I've had in awhile. in fact, there were a couple days I didn't even leave the house. ; ) I don't believe that'll be the case for my upcoming week. at any rate, let's get down to business and discuss my HotW:
1. met a friend at the movies to see People Like Us. I liked it. I absolutely love Elizabeth Banks and Chris Pine in pretty much anything they do so I had a feeling I would enjoy that movie.
2. tried a new recipe using wonton wrappers. I made a version of these mini tacos. they were super yummy and incredibly easy. I think wonton wrappers might just be my new favorite thing to use in the kitchen. in fact, I'll be trying this recipe sometime in the next several days. I definitely think you should give this product a try. I promise it's worth it.
3. my mom was having her house painted and yesterday I got to see the finished product. it looks soooo good. I love the colors she chose. it's pretty unbelievable how a fresh coat of paint can really make all the difference in the world. the house went from being a boring light beige, with even more boring off-white trim, to a beautiful blue with bright white trim and a cranberry front door. it looks super sharp. the front door color definitely has a richer tone once it's painted.
I plan on working on grad school applications this afternoon. although it's looking kind of stormy out right now so we'll see what happens. when it's rainy all I want to do is snuggle up on the couch and watch movies.
have a good one!
okay, so last week I told you I'd be seeing Magic Mike and that was sure to be a HotW. well, I'm sad to say it didn't make the cut. don't get me wrong...there were some really good moments in the movie (it's a Channing Tatum movie, 'nuf said). it just wasn't quite was I was expecting. at the end of the day, I'm glad I saw it but don't feel the need to watch it again.
I did see a movie I loved this week though and The Amazing Spiderman was definitely worthwhile. I would highly recommend it. Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone have electric chemistry (obviously b/c they are dating in real life). and let's face it, most super-hero movies are just good fun.
the 4th of July is always a great holiday and this year was no exception. the end.
this week I was able to read quite a bit...yay! I love to read and am always adding to my "to read" list. I believe I'm currently around 150 books on my list. at any rate, right now I'm reading Joanne Fluke's tasty murders series. I like them because they're an easy read and she includes lots of yummy sounding recipes. if you're looking for a new author to try...check her out: Joanne Fluke...Murder She Baked
tomorrow I'll be getting up super early to take my mom to the airport. we're talking 4 a.m. here people. blech. thank goodness I can come home and go back to bed. anyway, she's super excited b/c she's going to visit my brother, sis-in-law, and two nephews. I am, of course, super jealous and wish I was going to but I'll just have to plan a trip at another time. :) and maybe not pick a flight that leaves so early in the morning!
happy living!
wow. so another week has come to a close. and it's the first of July. complete. craziness.
the weather has been just wacky all over the place the last couple weeks. I am so thankful for the modern convenience of A/C and hope everyone that is currently without power and suffering in these out-of-control temps remains safe and have their power return soon.
last weekend I fell down the stairs when I was getting ready to take the dogs outside for their final walk of the day. I sprained my ankle pretty severely. it was definitely not fun. but, I am thankful I was able to pack up the dogs and myself and head to my mom's for the rest of the week. she has a huge fenced-in backyard so being able to rest my ankle without having to walk the dogs 4 times a day was a big highlight for me.
sadly today was my last day watching the "boys"...but I'll get to see them again soon. if you follow me on instagram (pendygal80), I hope you've enjoyed seeing pictures of the dogs these last 3 weeks. I just love them!
another highlight of this past week was making these. not only are they completely delicious, but they are a healthier alternative to the standard version. and because they are petite, they're just plain cute! you should try them. immediately.
I think the final highlight from this past week was working in the garage with my mom. see, the thing is, her garage is jam-packed full of stuff. there's no room for one car, let alone two. our goal this summer is to remedy that and at least clear out enough stuff to get her car in there. and I am happy to say we are slowly but surely starting to make some visible progress. I must admit, there is a lot of stuff in that garage that belongs to me and she is graciously storing it for me. she's a good mom.
so there you have it. another interesting week in my world. I must say that this week is shaping up to be super busy. I'm going to see Magic Mike tomorrow and I'm uber excited! a couple years ago when I was in Las Vegas I saw the gorgeous men in Thunder from Down Under and every. single. time I see the preview for Magic Mike I relive my time at that show. so much fun!
have fun!
so let's see...the last couple weeks I've been pet/house-sitting for some friends of mine. they have three dogs and they are just the cutest, sweetest things. I love being able to hang out with them. I keep taking pictures of them and posting them to my instagram account. do you have instagram? I wasn't sure if I would like it but I'm finding I really do. come find me @ pendygal80
I've also been trying new recipes with great success. so far I've enjoyed everything I've made. probably my favorite recipe I made recently was these orange rolls. they were great for breakfast and even better warmed up for dessert with a few dark chocolate chips. I froze about a dozen so I'll be able to enjoy them at a later date. because I sell Tastefully Simple I'm used to making things with relatively few ingredients. so I must admit I took a shortcut and used pre-made crescent rolls for the orange rolls. I mean, talk about a quick and easy, as well as tasty, treat to make for breakfast, brunch, or even dessert! you should give them a try!
Pretty Woman was on tv last night and I loved watching it. I haven't seen it in so long; I forgot what a classic it truly is. my favorite scene: when Richard Gere's character Edward takes Julia Roberts' character Vivian shopping. I mean, what fun would that be!
and on that note, I think I'll take a nap and dream about being able to shop, shop, shop! have a good week!
wow. so I haven't done a post in awhile. sorry about that. things have been crazy. my home-school teaching "year" ended a week ago and boy was I ready to be done. definitely time for a break. this past week I was staying at my aunt & uncle's house taking care of their precious cat Maddie. tomorrow I'll head to my friends' place for 3 weeks to take care of their three dogs. so...busy busy busy.
highlights for this past week:
1. challenging myself to try new recipes and having them been deliciously successful!
2. hanging with friends at a "goodbye" party
3. celebrating my nephew Kayden's 10th (!!!) birthday today...much love today and always K-man!
enjoy your week friends!
Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there! I am thankful I got to spend time this Mother's Day with my mom, my grandma, and my aunt...they are three of the absolute best people I know. I definitely would not be who I am without them. Thanks Mom, Grandma, and Aunt Pat for being exactly who you are and for being such great influences in my life. Love today and always!
this past week went soooooo fast. anyone else feel that way?? my most favorite thing that happened---I got to see my cousin and her husband! they flew down for the weekend because E is in a wedding. before they drove down to Vero Beach though they spent a couple nights at her parents' house. my mom and I drove down after work on Friday to meet them for dinner at Disney. I love seeing them and wish it happened more often. *sigh*
at any rate, another HotW was trying a new restaurant. I had a coupon for a fondue place so last night the family went with me to check it out. basically it's just like The Melting Pot restaurant except way cheaper and not-a-chain. oh, and it's fantastic. we all ate way too much but it was seriously good stuff. I love trying new restaurants and all the better when they're local, non-chain places.
and oh yeah, I finally upgraded to an iPhone. I've been wanting one forever but the timing was just never quite right. but, I finally made it work and I picked it up on Thursday. I love it!
have a great week!
there are a lot of things to highlight from this past week. the beginning of the week began with much cooler temperatures than we've experienced in several weeks. it was fantastic! along with perfect temps, we've had just plain gorgeous blue skies every day. there's nothing better than to walk outside, look up, and see the most beautiful blue you've ever seen...and not a cloud in the sky!
right outside the garage is a big, beautiful gardenia bush and the blooms started appearing just this week. the smell is so heavenly. *sigh* I just adore it.
two of my favorite TV shows, The Big Bang Theory and Revenge, had new episodes this week and they were both fantastic. sadly, these shows will be disappearing for the summer in just a couple of weeks. but, I suppose that's alright...I mean, summer's a great time to get outside in the evenings and do lots of fun things. one of my favorites that I'm looking forward to enjoying this summer: mini-golf. I love to mini-golf even though I'm really not very good.
finally, it was my birthday yesterday. even though I don't like the number I turned this year, I am thankful for the many good things in my life. and, not only did I enjoy a free ice cream treat on my bday, I got to spend it with some family members...the most fun people I know!
enjoy your week everyone!
it was an interesting week for me. glad it's over. wouldn't want to repeat it anytime soon. among my favorite things this past week: claiming my free birthday cupcakes from my absolute favorite cupcake place, Sweet! by Good Golly Miss Holly. if you live locally, you should totally check it out. follow the link for all the important details.
let's see, I also enjoyed listening to The Hunger Games soundtrack on repeat. like, a lot repeat. it kind of makes me want to watch the movie over and over again. either that or read the book yet again. it's just so good. wanna listen? check this out:
and finally my definite favorite highlight from this past week: going to a local blueberry farm to pick some berries! I brought my mom with me today and we spent about an hour there. between the two of us we managed to pick about 3 and a half pounds of blueberries. I also sampled a glass of fresh, homemade blueberry/orange blossom lemonade. it was outstanding! I would love to find out the proprietor's recipe. at any rate, my mom also bought a homemade blueberry pie and I enjoyed a warm slice tonight as an after-dinner treat. so delish! again, if you live in the area you should definitely take time (soon though) to check out this local blueberry patch!
enjoy your week everyone and I hope you have plenty of highlights come your way!
so I decided to start a new weekly (hopefully) feature here on the blog. every Sunday I am going to post about my favorite moments from the week. for this first "Highlights" post I have two moments to discuss. first, my biggest crush from high school became my facebook friend. wheee! I was beyond elated. I mean, it just brought back those intense feelings one only has during those crazy teenage years. I would never wish to re-live those years of high school but it sure is nice to reconnect with people from those years on a whole new level.
apparently I have used up all my free picture storage here on google so I won't be able to add any pictures to this post. grrr. that's frustrating. guess I'll have to either start paying for extra storage or will have to figure something else out. I mean, this is a photo blog so it's imperative I be able to post pictures.
rant over. now, my other highlight of the week happened when I ran down to EPCOT for a quick trip. I had to pick up a gift (only available in the park...thank goodness for annual passes!). after I purchased said gift I stopped in the butterfly garden to take some pictures...b/c well, I just love me some butterflies. I got some great pictures...sadly, you won't be seeing them today. at one point I saw one butterfly carrying another one. that is to say, I think the one butterfly was stuck to the underside of the butterfly that did the flying. it was quite the sight...hopefully I'll be able to share that picture soon. I also got a lucky shot of a butterfly with his tongue out! that's only happened to me one another time and I feel so fortunate that I was able to capture that again! 'til next time!
I just came back from a long weekend in DC. my cousin and her husband live in Arlington and they invited a bunch of us to visit for a few days. we spent most of Friday in the city playing tourists. it was J's first time in DC so he wanted to see all the major sites. the weather was chilly and the skies were overcast but we made the most of it. also, most of the cherry blossom trees were bare already because of the early spring. but we managed to see a few and they were quite beautiful. I thought I would share just a few of the pictures I took...
here's a view of the Capitol behind a cherry blossom tree
the next three pictures were taken inside the Botanic Garden center
after lunch in Chinatown we headed towards the White House...it's kinda big...haha
next up on our tour of the city, the WWII Memorial...I got the Washington Monument in the shot as well
we stopped to see the new Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial. all I can say is...powerful.
our last day there we drove out to the Air & Space Museum which was awesome. here's a photo the Enterprise rocket.
okay, so this final picture wasn't taken in DC. this is one of the baby birds that hatched while I was gone. their nest lives in one of the light fixtures by the garage. so cute!
today I present you with my favorite photos of "Angel" and "Buddy" taken outside. they love to be outside as much as possible and I love, well, I love taking photographs in natural light. so, this was a win-win situation. and aren't these kids just gorgeous?!
I started working for a local family about 5 months ago. I provide homeschooling as well as a little nanny-ing. They are a wonderful family and I really enjoy the time I spend with them. I recently spent an afternoon with the kids, "Angel" age 5.5 and "Buddy" age 4, having a photo shoot. They had a great time picking which clothes they wanted to wear and any props they wanted to use. Because they helped pick everything out, including which "locations" we used, they remained into it far longer than I expected.
I took a ton of pictures. And then I narrowed it down. And narrowed it down once more. Finally I was able to settle on my absolute favorites. There are still so many that I'm going to share them in two separate posts. Today's post includes photos taken during our indoor "location", i.e. their house. Enjoy!
this past Tuesday I went to EPCOT for the annual Flower & Garden Show. and my oh my, was it ever gorgeous this year! seriously, so stunning and I'm so fortunate to have captured it. obviously seeing it all in person is so much better than via my photos but for most of you, it'll have to do!
I hope you take time to get out and enjoy the gorgeous spring weather and all of nature's beauty!
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