Divorce

I am wondering..... Before the 1940's, husband and wife slept in the same room, but in separate beds - divorce rate was low. After the 1950's, husband and wife slept in the same bed - divorce rate is growing. Coincidence??? You decide!

I can't decide

What's worse???

1). 100 degree weather?
2). 100 degree weather with 40% humidity?
3). 100 degree weather with 40% humidity and hot moist wind intermittently licking you across the face?

I don't want to complain, because you know, I was taught at a young age (how old was I when I was at Teen Mania?) not to 'state the obvious'. Screw it!!! It is FREAKING HOT OUT and I CAN'T TAKE IT ANYMORE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Some lessons don't stick. :)

All I want for Christmas...

I can't wait until Christmas!!!!! Only 118 days until Christmas. :)

Cherry Delight

Cherry Delight:
1 - 20oz. can of Cherry Pie filling (I use different fillings like Apple or Blueberry too - Comstock is the brand I use)
1/2 box of white cake mix
1/2 stick of margarine
1/2 cup of nuts of your choice

Melt margarine and pour it over the cake mix. Mix it up with your fingers so it becomes crumbly. Mix in the nuts. In an 8x8 baking dish, pour in cherry/blueberry/apple pie filling. Over the pie filling, sprinkle the cake mixture (should be kinda dry and crumbly). Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes until heated through. Serve with whipped cream on top.

I am telling ya folks, this is the easiest dessert ever and it's so incredibly yummy. I swear ladies, make this when your husband isn't looking and he will think you are amazing. It's so easy, but the taste is amazing. My step-dad who was on a diet for most of my teenage years and young adult life would wait until the middle of the night and eat the WHOLE THING. It's irresistible. :)

Bread Recipes

Here are a couple of recipes for homemade breads I made last week:

Carrot-Raisin Bread

1 1/2 Cup sifted all purpose flour

1/2 C	sugar
1 tsp	baking powder
1/4 tsp	baking soda
1/2 tsp	salt
1-1/2 tsp	ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp	ground allspice
1	egg, beaten
1/2 C	water
2 Tbsp	vegetable oil
1/2 tsp	vanilla
1-1/2 C	finely shredded carrots
1/4 C	chopped pecans
1/4 C	golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan.
2. Stir together dry ingredients in large mixing bowl. Make a well in center of dry mixture.
3. In separate bowl, mix together remaining ingredients; add this mixture all at once to dry ingredients. Stir just enough to moisten and evenly distribute carrots.
4. Turn into prepared pan. Bake for 50 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
5. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and complete cooling on a wire rack before slicing.

Yield: One loaf--Serving Size: 1/2-inch slice

Each serving provides:

Calories: 99
Total fat: 3 g
Saturated fat: less than 1 g
Cholesterol: 12 mg
Sodium: 97 mg

Review: I really liked this bread. It comes out a bit orange because of the high amount of carrot, but it was good. It has just enough sweetness without being too overly sweet. I will definitely be making this again.


Apricot-Orange Bread

1	(6 oz) package of dried apricots cut into small pieces
2 C	water
2 Tbsp	margarine
1 C	sugar
1	egg, slightly beaten
1 Tbsp	freshly grated orange peel
3-1/2 C	sifted all-purpose flour
1/2 C	nonfat dry milk powder
2 tsp	baking powder
1 tsp	baking soda
1 tsp	salt
1/2 C	orange juice
1/2 C	chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 350º F. Lightly oil two 9x5-inch loaf pan.
2. Cook apricots in water in a covered medium-size saucepan for 10-15 minutes or until tender but not mushy. Drain; reserve 3/4 cup liquid. Set apricots aside to cool.
3. Cream together margarine and sugar. By hand, beat in egg and orange peel.
4. Sift together flour, dry milk, baking powder, soda, and salt. Add to creamed mixture alternately with reserved apricot liquid and orange juice.
5. Stir apricot pieces and pecans into batter.
6. Turn batter into prepared pans.
7. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until bread springs back when lightly touched in center.
8. Cool 5 minutes in pan. Remove from pan and completely cool on wire rack before slicing.

Yield: 2 loaves--Serving Size: 1/2-inch slice

Each serving provides:

Calories: 97
Total fat: 2 g
Saturated fat: less than 1 g
Cholesterol: 6 mg
Sodium: 113 mg

Review: I thought this bread was ok. It seemed like it was going to be a winner, but I think it's missing some spices - maybe a dash of cinnamon or something. I will make it again because it is a very attractive bread, but I will be adding some ingredients like maybe lemon and lemon zest - and maybe even some raisins or something.

Overall I liked both breads - the carrot raisin bread had a bit more flavor. And, to know me is to know that I really like BOLD flavors in what I eat. The apricot orange bread had mild flavors. Happy Baking!!!

Let's see here...

This weekend has been fun! Here's a rundown:

*Got some stuff worked out with some people
*Had coffee with my mother-in-law on Friday
*Had an unexpected dinner over at Shawn's family's house
*Got together with other family today for lunch
*Finished my syllabus for classes that start on Monday
*Found out that teaching in the Bay Area is possible - still need prayer for this one
*Started to plan a trip to Disneyland sometime in November or December
*...and there's still tomorrow

Overall I feel pretty good about this weekend. Shawn and I desperately need a full weekend to ourselves, but spending time with family is worth it! We have sooooo much fun when we hang out with family - - - - I just wished mine lived a bit closer. :) Maybe someday.

I am awake

It is about 3:30am. A pretty normal time for me to wake up in the middle of the night. But, tonight, like many other nights are the same. I had a dream about a person from high school that I haven't thought about in quite some time, probably years. In fact, sometimes I have dreams about random people out of the blue. These are the times I know that I need to wake up and pray for that person. I kind of think that God does this intentionally, because He knows I will wake up and pray, even if it is a simple prayer. So tonight, distant friend, I pray that the Lord surrounds you with His spirit. I pray that God protects you in whatever situation you are going through in this very specific time. I pray that if you do not know God, that you will turn to Him and acknowledge that He is the One true comforter, protector and One true God.

Baking Stuff

Carrot Raisin Bread - Done!
Apricot-Orange Bread - Done!
Banana Bread - Coming soon
Zucchini Bread - Coming soon

Recipes and reviews coming soon!

If you remember

Hello all out in blogland! If you remember, please pray for me. I am in the midst of making a decision about next semester that will afford me more money, health insurance, and being part of a community that I miss greatly. I contacted San Jose State to see if they will give me a couple of classes next semester. Even though I will still be teaching here in the Sac area, I need a couple more classes but have been unable to find them. The downside, traveling down to the Bay Area once a week again! Yikes!!! But, I only want this if it's God's will. That's it!!! Don't want it otherwise. So, needless to say, please pray that they ducks fall in a line - or not - and that it's VERY CLEAR to me what to do. :)

Uh, yeah!

Today I cut my foot (don't ask). I asked Shawn to get me a cotton square with some peroxide so I could clean it out after our short hike around a beautiful lake in the area (it started to bleed again). He brought me a cotton square as asked. What I discovered a few minutes later is that Shawn wasn't paying close attention to the bottle and in fact had brought me back a cotton square with alcohol. I found that out the hard way.

End of the semester grades.....

I just finished my grades for the end of the semester.....I graded a bit too easy. I knew I was going to do this when I started the semester, which is not necessarily a good thing. But, I think teaching and grading is an ongoing process. I hit about a 3.14 average across the class when I should be at 2.7 or so. This means that I should be at a C+ average, and I was at a B- average. I need to readjust my grading for the Fall. I think I was a little take aback by the lack of ethnicity - the change in location - the differences in schools etc.... I mean really, I am not here to trip anyone up by grading hard, I just could have been a bit more polar. I have had this happen only once before - and it seems to be linked directly with how well I get along with the class I am teaching. Terrible, I know! But, like I said, it's a process. :) There should have been a few more C's in the class. I made stupid mistakes like too much extra credit, and being too soft as an instructor. Now I know! :)

Outsider

Do you ever feel like an outsider in a situation you shouldn't feel like an outsider in?

Farmers Market

Today started out as a really good day. My mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law and two nieces headed down to Davis to go to the Farmers Market. We had a lot of fun shopping for fresh picked peaches, pluots, plumbs, nectarines, purple basil, and melons. We also picked up some baked goods, tamales, cheese curd (for Shawn) and something from Pakistan (I think) that was incredibly yummy! For lunch today I had one of my amazing nectarines and a pluot. Oh, so good!. I haven't been to a farmers market that good since we lived in the Bay Area. I am definitely going back again. I spent entirely too much money, but it was fun nonetheless. Us girls had a good time just talking, checking things out, sampling items, and generally just having a good time. I'll tell ya something - I have been incredibly blessed with a really cool family - on both sides. I am a lucky girl!

Britney Spears

Britney Spears reality must be incredibly difficult. I watched a couple of videos on TMZ.com of her simply trying to leave in her car, and it was madness. Literally, police were there trying to clear the area so she could pull her car out and drive away. In another video, her body guards were trying to get people to clear so the poor girl can get into her car - camera flashes constantly going off. It seems like she is never alone. Most people can go about their daily lives without inconvenience. Everywhere this poor girl goes, she is bombarded by people who want a glimpse of what she's doing. If she sucks on a lollipop, the world knows. If she gets a coffee drink, the world knows, if she stubs her toe it makes the evening news. I know that people say that she's a trainwreck and that her career is over (Hollywood hopes). Think about it - - - everyday, every minute of everyday she is under the microscope. Can trust virtually no one! And as far as a career, what is she going to do? Work in an office somewhere? The girl is in a huge transition period in her life - she's young, a fairly new mom, trying to keep up a career that she possibly doesn't want anymore - but honestly, what other choice does she have?

I watched those videos and I literally started to cry (and that's not an easy thing to evoke in me). Her reality is so far from my own, which, I am incredibly thankful for. I have choices! I can go to the grocery store with no one recognizing me. I can suck on a lollipop without a group of people following after me. I can get in my car without a swarm of people around me. I can leave a building without random people touching me constantly. Alas, she cannot. I don't blame her in the least for trying to figure things out. She is young, but her life is changing.....divorce, kids, career, family etc.... My heart goes out to her. I can't fathom the things she goes through constantly, and how much she probably feels like she is stuck in between a rock and a hard place when it comes to life. Hollywood is cruel. If she tries to fade into the background and live her life, there will always be a news story of what Britney Spears became. There will be no rest for her. And, who is it that created this in her life? Well, when you get catapulted into the spotlight at such a young age, you rarely think about what that's going to look like in the future. All you care about is becoming the next big sensation. That's what she was - the next big thing. But, when you take one step out of line, there are a million people waiting to judge your every move. Like I said, my hear goes out to that poor girl - and all of the young people in Hollywood. They know not, the full extent of what they are involved in....and when they finally do figure it out, it's too late. Their lives are wasted and they are discarded like a used paper cup. It makes me sad!

Strawberry-Lemon Marmalade - DONE!!!

The title says it all!

I'm fairly shallow

I know this sounds terrible, but I am willing to put myself out there in blogland anyway. On Sunday at church I was unable to concentrate on the message because the person giving the sermon was such a terrible public speaker. I ended up writing Shawn a couple of notes, reading my bible and sat there in general amazement that someone could get up in front of so many people and deliver a sermon like that. He even READ HIS PERSONAL STORIES from the myriad of pages he prepared. I cringed the whole time. I know, I know - I SUCK!!!! I should have tried to look past it - but come on people, this is what I do for a living. I'm just sayin'. I am going to try to work on it....my life is not my job, it's just something I do. Repeat 1,000 times and proceed.

Jam

Red Top Peach Jam.......DONE!

Blueberry Lime Jam........DONE and DONE!!!!!

We've made plans

I only have about 2.2 seconds before I need to get in the shower so we can go to church - but last night we spent quite a bit of time with Shawn's step-dad and brother (the youngest brother). They came over for a couple of reasons - the biggest though, to plan where our hot tub is going to go. Apparently we are cementing a large area of our backyard - as if there wasn't already a sea of cement back there. But, with Shawn's grand plans, we are going to end up with an amazing deck that leads right into our new hot tub, which should be delivered within the next few weeks. I will, of course post before, during and after pictures. :) Off to church!!!

Our Old House

I keep up with the housing market in our area, and just for kicks, the area we owned a townhouse in up until about a year and a half ago. So, here's the verdict: We purchased the townhouse in May of 2004 for $340,000.00 - - - - - - we sold it in November 2005, a mere 18 months later for $480,000.00 (and, before you ask, almost all of the profit was turned around and put back into this house - we do not have a huge chunck of money sitting in an off shore account or anything) - - - - - the lady who bought it from us sold it just a couple of months ago in June of 2007 for $458,000.00 - - - - - yikes!!! It always kind of sucks when you loose money on a property deal. I pray that she is doing ok financially.

Hmmmmm, it seems like we bought at the right time and sold at the right time. God is amazing isn't He? I have issues with trusting God - - - I have for years and years, and it only got worse after my father's suicide. But, here's the thing: no matter what, God is still faithful. How else do you explain that we only looked at houses 2 times before we found the townhouse we purchased in the Bay Area? I walked into the house, and 10 minutes later walked out, hugged Shawn and said, "buy that house for me, that's the one I want". I 'just knew' that the townhouse was the one. And, after we purchased it we found out that the person who was selling it had just lost her mother to cancer I think - but here's the kicker - she was a Teen Mania intern just a year or two prior. We bought our house from a Teen Mania intern. Very cool!

On top of that, about 18 months later I got EXTREMELY antsy living there and told Shawn that we needed to sell the townhouse because I was no longer comfortable there. Due to a set of, what I recognize now, as God ordained situations, we sold the townhouse for the price of $480k - a price which God had given me even before we had the house appraised and evaluated by our realtor.

THEN - it gets even better!!! We, at the same time was looking for houses in Placerville because we knew this is where God wanted us. I found a house that was in dire need of work, a task that Shawn and I thought we were up to at the time, and I knew that this was the house we needed to buy! And, one more time, God told me exactly how much we were going to pay for it. I don't want to get too much into detail here - but there is no way I could have known either of those prices....AND....when we went to purchase the house we are currently in, we offered something different than what we paid for. We offered $370k for it, but, NOW GET THIS, our realtor in Placerville calls me and says, "I know you said that $370k was approved, but I feel like we can get it for $365" - - - uhhhhhh, the price that God had told me a number of weeks before that. How cool is God????

All in all, looking back on it, God was the chess master in this situation. I can see looking back how faithful and amazingly coordinated His steps were for the purchase and sale of the townhouse and of course for the purchase of this home. I am amazed!!!! We bought at exactly the right time and sold at EXACTLY the right time in the Bay Area. Had we waited, like we were counseled to by a number of people, we would have lost quite a bit of money.

I find that God works in the most amazing of circumstances. God knew, of course, that this is something that would get my attention. I am sitting here hoping with everything within me that things work out here in Placerville for us. I need more work, Shawn needs to make more money at his job ventures, yet I still question whether everything is going to work out. Seeing our house purchase, sale and purchase, I would say it's gonna all work out just fine. But I have never been one to be satisfied by the unknown. I wonder if this is something I should work on??? Uh, yeah - I think so. I need to trust God, because ultimately He, and only He is the chess master in my life and in Shawn's life. Regardless of the moves He makes, even the unexpected ones, He is still in control. And, the best part about it is that He always wins the game. Check mate!

Overall

Here's what my observer said (she is a Dean of one of the departments at Sierra College): "High energy, thought provoking, comfortable classroom atmosphere. Instructor very approachable & creative; students all engaged. Great critical thinking provoked by student activities, Carol-Lynn GOOD model of excellent public speaking. Carol-Lynn did a terrific job of alternating student group work/projects with standard lectures; broke up lecture with questions to students. VERY GOOD instruction."

She only gave me one suggestion ..... it was about the overheads that I used in the lecture. She said that the font needed to be bigger and also mentioned that I should include less information on them. (This is the 'improvement' comment I always get when I am observed....yet I haven't changed a thing about them in a couple of years). Teee heeee heeee - my thinking here is that I should leave something crappy so they have something to critique....LOL! I will probably change them soon.

My students all gave me absolutely amazing comments for the qualitative part of the review ....and the quantitative part was really good.......all except for one student. There is ALWAYS one student in the class that absolutely HATES me - and it seems like this class is no different. I even told the class on the first day that they may not 'get me' right off the bat - but most will love me and one or two will absolutely hate me. Looks like I was right on!!!!!

I am off to bed now.

I know...

I know it's my job - - - but I don't wanna go tonight. I am tired. Tired of all the questions. Tired of lecturing. Tired of driving 2 hours a day. Tired of preparing. Tired of being 'on' for 3 hour every night. Just tired of it! Only one more week to go and then I'm done. I can't wait!!!!!



Quick update: When I got to work (school) today I received my review of intstructor performance. The person who observed me gave me an amazing review - - - she's a Dean and said that I.....me.....yep, that's right - was a GREAT instructor. My students rated me extrememly well and left me some of the nicest comments I have ever heard. Apparently I am a challenging instructor - but a really really really good one. :) I can sleep happy tonight!

Again

Shawn and I just picked some more wild blackberries.....more jam to come! Yiiiiippppppeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!

Tomato and Bean Stoup

I just got done making this, and from what I can tell so far, it's pretty good. Here's the recipe:

This recipe is straight from the Food Network cite...Thanks Rachel Ray!!!!!


2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, 2 turns of the pan
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 medium onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
2 ribs celery, chopped
1 small zucchini, sliced
2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 (15-ounce) can diced tomato
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans or cannellini beans
1 (10 ounces) box, cut frozen green beans
Salt and pepper
1 cup fresh basil, torn or shredded
Grated Parmigiano or Romano, to pass at table
Crusty bread, to pass at the table Add extra-virgin olive oil to the pot, 2 turns of the pan. Add garlic and crushed red pepper flakes, stir then stir in the onions, carrots, celery and zucchini. Cook 10 minutes, then add in the stock, tomatoes and beans. Bring soup up to a bubble and season with salt and pepper, to your taste. Simmer 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and wilt the basil into the soup. Ladle up the soup and serve with grated cheese and bread.


Some of the comments on this recipe are:
*Add ground beef to make it a bit more hearty
*Definitely use the basil AND the cheese
*Let simmer a bit longer than recommended to get the veggies a bit softer
*Some didn't like the amount of pepper flakes and reduced it a bit
*Add an extra can of beans (this is what I did)
*Serve with grilled cheese sandwiches
*Add pasta or left over chicken to 'hearty it up' a bit

I hope you enjoy!!!!

A new addition

That's right folks, we have a new addition to the household (no I am not pregnant....but I do keep having those dreams....hmmmm).

We finally purchased a hot tub. Shawn and I have been talking about having a hot tub since we purchased our townhouse together over 3 years ago (yes, we owned a house together, and weren't even engaged yet - but don't freak out folks - he was living elsewhere, and I was living in it with renters - it was purely investment). We talked about getting a small hot tub while we were at the townhouse, because, we had a VERY small side yard. But, we really didn't want anyone else using the hot tub while we weren't home - well, because it's a big investment, and because of what could 'potentially go on' in a hot tub setting when no one else is home.....nudge nudge, wink wink! That's just gross to think about. Anyway, we found a GREAT deal at Costco. We ordered it, and it should be here in about a month. The reason why we went to Costco to get it is because of their return policy. Even if you don't want the thing in two years, you can return it. I am good at keeping paperwork, so this shouldn't be a problem. Where else can you get a hot tub with a return policy??? Needless to say, we are incredibly excited. It will be nice to relax in a hot tub again at night - especially when it snows out....which, by the way, is the best time for a hot tub....I'm just sayin'! :)

Done and Done

I am finally done with the 750 page Harry Potter book. My life can resume.

While reading Harry Potter......

So, I took a break from reading Harry Potter to go to Costco. When we got home we noticed that our next door neighbor is selling her house. OUR VERY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR IS MOVING!!!! I don't like it! Not one bit!!! I am hoping that we get some VERY quiet, VERY nice people living next door - - - maybe even some people who we'd like to hang out with. This isn't the cool part of the story though. We talked to the realtor for quite a while. The subject came up that I am a college instructor, and she, after a minute or so, asked me if I wanted to be one of their guest lecturers at their business development luncheons. How cool is that? Hey, look at me....I'm a professional public speaker. He he he he!!!!

I still feel like I'm 12. Shhhhh, don't tell!

Absence

I will try my hardest to blog at some point in the near future, but Harry Potter arrived in the mail today. I have a feeling that 750 pages is at least going to take me a few days to read. Needless to say, I may not be posting until I am done.

Preserves

Today Shawn and I made our first ever batch of Blackberry Preserves. Now, I could talk about the horrible man on the trail who cursed us out because our dog scared him - - - then came back and did it again.....but we had a good day today, so I will focus only on the positive. So, we went out on the walking trail, which is where there are wild blackberries growing, at about 11am and started picking. We only picked up about 6 cups because we wanted to experiment to see if this was something we really wanted to do (and it is, so we will be picking and canning again very soon). So, after about 45 minutes or an hour or so, we picked what we needed and headed home. When we got home we washed the berries and started making the preserves. All in all it was a fun day. The preserves came out great! Next time though we are going to use a bit more pectin because it should be a bit thicker. In the middle of making the preserves though, Shawn turns to me and says, "DoubleP, you are so funny. You are like a girl that grew up in the city and is now discovering all kinds of new stuff. You have a garden and are growing vegetables, and now you are making preserves at home and learning canning."

City girl turned country signing off!

Digusting

In case you haven't heard, there is a man that came back from vacation from Belize with some 'visitors'. Here's a link to the story:

http://www.nbc11.com/news/13713548/detail.html?dl=mainclick

Remember when we were kids and there was the rumor that went around about the spider that laid it's eggs under the skin of a person. All of a sudden the skin opened up and out crawled hundreds of little spiders scurrying in all directions? Of course this is one of those things that isn't true......except, when I hear stories like the one above, maybe it's not too far off. Ewwwwww!!!!! That settles it, I am never going to Belize.

There's simply no good excuse.....

Have you ever had one of those days where you just wanted to stay in bed all day? Today is one of those days for me. The weather is gorgeous! I have all of the windows in the house open and I am loving every minute of it. But, I know I should workout - - - I have to loose those pounds I gained over the last month - - - but I don't wanna. I think I am going to have a full fledged temper tantrum............................followed by the inevitable hour on the treadmill. *#%@&!*(@*^&#$*^%

Introducing Braden Edward McEfee

A couple of our good friends just had their third baby. His name is Braden (pronounced Brayden for those of us pronunciation challenged). He is adorable and amazing!!!!! Congratulations to the McEfee Family on their newest little bundle of joy!

I got 'em...

Yep, that's right. I am officially enrolled in CPR and First Aid and Photography. I hope that I will be able to sit through a 5 hour class for CPR with my back the way it is. I think I will just have to take lots of Advil with me that day. The following day is First Aid which is 4 hours, so I don't think that one will be too much of an issue. And, the photography workshop is only 2 hours so I should be ok during that time too. Good thing this is only for three days. The thing that sucks about it is that it's all in the same week. Too bad it wasn't spread out......but, who am I to complain? I get to take CPR, First Aid (and get my certifications back), take a photography workshop (and get to display my photography at Sierra College for a couple of months), AND......the best part......IS THAT I GET PAID TO DO IT!!!! I am incredibly excited about that.

Enough about that - the treadmill is calling my name!

Sometimes.......

Sometimes when I feel a bit down on myself, or am depressed, or feel like a terrible college instructor, this is what I do. I go to Ratemyprofessors.com and look at my reviews from students. Here's what some of them have said:

"She was an AWESOME teacher! The best i've had so far. Class was never boring, she always kept it interesting. She's easy to talk to and her class is easy if you do what she says and study! :( we're gonna miss u (she moved)"

"very approachable and easy to talk to. encouraging so it makes public speaking not as bad as it seems. fair grader once you get the basis of what she expects on outlines. understanding professor and great class for such an intimidating area for people"

Pretty good I think! :)

Classes

Apparently Sierra College has a week of classes that instructors can take. Yesterday I checked the mail and got a schedule and a registration form. The classes I am hopefully going to take are CPR, First Aid (both classes give a certification - thank God because mine have lapsed), Photography and of course the semi-mandatory Department Meeting. Oh yeah, the best part??? The classes ARE FREE - and even better than that - THEY PAY ME TO TAKE THEM!!!! Yep, that's right, they are paying me to take these classes. I just hope that I can take the CPR and First Aid classes because only 10 instructors out of like 500 or 1,000 can take that class. I faxed my registration form in promptly, so I hope I get the classes. We shall see though. I don't really want to pay for something I don't need to.

I was so excited to get this guide in the mail! Shawn and I were downstairs on our computers when I opened it up and got all excited about being able to take class again. He said to me, "DoubleP (that's his nickname for me meaning "Precious Princess") you are so weird. People are normally relieved when they are able to stop taking classes". Nope! No sir! Not me! I can't wait to take classes again...thus the desire to get a second masters degree. :) We will see how that one works out though.

Oh yeah, and yesterday at church we got to talking to a guy who trains guide or working dogs. Shawn and I decided that once Tess is no longer with us, that we are going to do it. You get a dog at about 8-10 weeks old, and you lightly train the dog, mainly through socialization and basic commands, and then you give the dog back at about a year to two years old depending on how busy the intense part of the training program is. PERFECT!!!!!! This way you have the company of a dog all the time, restaurants, movie theaters, vacations, etc... and you don't have to watch the doggie get old and die (which is what is preventing us from ever getting another dog).

I am a dog lover, but I can't handle them getting sick or dying. It kills me to think that someday Tess won't be with us. And, I don't think I could handle that twice. And, this way we are giving back to the community. It will be intense I am sure - and I will be sad to see the dog go, but there is a better end this way. The dog now gets to do what it loves - - - work! Dogs get so happy when they are able to work and please their masters. How cool is it to be able to be a part of that?

Enough for now!!! Until later.....

Strange

Is it just me or is it strange how people change as they get older?

It is just strange to me where people's lives take them. Through different sets of circumstances, outside forces, decisions made etc.... where people land. You obviously have control over it (mostly), but there is an element of survival and comfort. People settle all the time - crap, I have settled. Not for the things some people settle for, but definitely settled (examples: not going on for a PhD, not starting my own business etc...). But really? My question is this: where could I have gone had I not settled for just a masters degree OR not starting my own business OR getting heavily involved in a church right when we moved OR applying for colleges a year before we moved OR choosing to live in a different house OR taking our investment and lived somewhere more affordable OR had kids a few years ago OR had gotten married younger (we could have gotten married a number of years before we did - crap, we knew we were going to get married, but chose to wait for a number of reasons) OR chose not to buy the townhouse in San Jose OR decided to get a new car with high car payments .....all of these things I could have decided to do, but didn't. Where would my life be?

Had Shawn and I waited to get married another year or so, I would have been well into a PhD program and I can tell ya, my life would have been worlds different than it is now. Any of those decisions could have lead me down a very different path. I think the point here is, is that there is a higher power at work in my life. God has a major place, especially with decisions made. But, any of those decisions could have been 'permissable' and even possibly 'beneficial'. But, I think all in all, I am so thankful of where I am at now. Shawn and I get to spend a lot of time with each other (at first that was hard, but now we found a really good medium and really like it) that we wouldn't have gotten to spend had we chose to do things differently. We may have been in a different house, in a different state, working at different jobs than we are now. But, all in all I wake up every single day thankful to God that we are where we are and in awe of how blessed we truly are. Would I want to be in a different place? Maybe! A PhD would be nice.....having a stable job would be nice.....getting that new car would be nice (except for those payments which I refuse to pay).....living in a different area would be nice.....you get the point! But, like I said, all in all, I am happy where we are. We made good decisions, we didn't compromise, we did what we thought was best, we prayed a lot - and looking back, I don't think I could have done things differently even if I tried. It's just interesting to think about where I could have been had I even made one decision differently!

8 pairs

Yes, that's right folks, I have purchased my husband 8 pairs of the same exact shoes. For those of you that know my husband, you know that he ALWAYS wears the same shoe no matter what. There are a few times that I have gotten him to wear a sneaker - yep, that's right, he sometimes wears sneakers....but rarely! We have been unable to find the particular shoe that he wears (it looks like Airwalks, but alas, they are NOT Airwalks otherwise they would be really easy to find!). In case you were wondering, these shoes are ONLY sold at Payless Shoe Source - not my first choice for buying shoes, but hey, he found a pair he really likes and I am ok with that. Like I was saying, we have been unable to find the shoes anywhere - Payless does not carry them anymore because they carry the look-a-like Airwalk shoe that sells for $7 more than this one. So, to avoid the crisis of having the shoe discontinued in the near future and to avoid the incessant complaining that they do not carry his shoe anymore, I decided to wait until they were having their BOGO sale (buy one, get one half off) and get him the max number that I could order in one transaction - 8 pairs of shoes. Hopefully he won't need shoes again for another 3 years - and by that time he will be 30 and hopefully have changed his style a bit (I won't count on it though, he's had the same style since he was 16, but one can hope right?).

I knew someone who...

I knew someone when I was in high school who said that if you have a fall back plan, you are sure to 'fall back'.

Here's my philosophy: You should have a fall back plan! If plan A in life doesn't work out, by all means, have a plan B. Because if you don't, what's out there? You no longer have plan A, you no longer have plan B - after that, it's simply a 'what can I find situation'. What do you think?

Too much

There is far too much to blog about - so, my default will be posting a new recipe. I could have blogged about my students, who are once again driving me batty (not all of them, just ONE student in particular). This student NEVER looks at the course calendar, yet, will send me an email in a second to find out what is due for the next class session.....uh, yeah moron, try looking at your calendar BEFORE emailing your professor to answer your asinine questions. Sometimes I feel like I am teaching kids to walk, or better yet, potty train...but I digress.

I could have blogged about the rafting, or better yet floating trip and super soaker wars we had over the weekend near North Lake Tahoe with my sister and her husband, which was really fun, but I am thinking something a bit more exciting for our annual rafting trip.

I could also have blogged about the fact that I finally found all of my Victoria's Secret products from living at the townhouse in the Bay Area. I came across my Sweet Temptation and Love Spell Body Spray and Bath Gel - Oh how excited am I? Once, about 3 or 4 years ago I walked by a man who I worked with on occasion and was wearing Love Spell - - - he literally stopped me, asked me what scent I was wearing because he wanted to get it for his wife, and then said to me, "wow, I am blushing, I need to get out of here - I will be waiting outside". Apparently Love Spell works.

But, I shall not blog about all of that. Instead, I will post a recipe that I make at home. It was served at a restaurant near San Jose State where I used to teach classes. Oh how I miss working at San Jose State. If I had my choice, I would transplant San Jose State to Placerville, students and all. I loved working there. Anyway, here it is:

Zucchini
Onions
Bell Peppers
Mushroom
Eggplant (optional)
Salmon, Chicken, Beef, Tofu, Lamb (any meat that BBQ's well will work)
Rice (Jasmine or Basmati will work)
Butter (I use no cholesterol butter substitute)
Extra large bullion cubes
Shallots
Balsamic Vinegar
Marsala wine

Veggies/Meat: Cut veggies BIG - maybe 1 inch pieces (leave the mushrooms whole), put them on skewers. Make sure you put the protein on separate skewers - meat and veggies have different cooking times. Spray with some olive oil spray, a little salt and a little pepper. Cook over on open flame until done.

Rice: Any type of rice will work, just allow for proper cooking time. I really like the herb and vegetable rice medley that is sold in a package at Trader Joe's - but I make it with plain white or brown rice. Any rice that you use, either cook it in chicken broth, or add bullion cubes (I use 2 cups of rice with appropriate amount of water and two extra large bullion cubes). In addition to that, I add a bit of country crock, extra calcium butter substitute. Shawn likes real butter, but then again, he likes butter on everything. :) You can add the butter either during the cooking process (which is what I do), or after it's done.

Sauce: I make a Balsamic reduction to spoon over the rice/veggies/meat. Dice shallots and saute on low heat until soft. Add balsamic vinegar and marsala wine and let simmer until it's reduced by about half (make sure it coats the back of a spoon). I don't have specifics on how much to put in the pan, but I add and taste as I go. You can't get the sauce wrong as long as you do it to your particular taste. Last time I made it I didn't reduce it enough, but I thought it was still good. I love vinegar. :)

Serve as follows: rice on the bottom of the plate, skewers on top of the rice, and spoon the sauce over the top.

If you do it right, it should taste really good, lower in calories and fat than you would get in a restaurant. This recipe is sure to impress your guests. It's simple and delicious!

Still Prayin'

I contacted the Chair of the Comm Dept. at Sacramento State again to find out where in the hiring process they are. I am eager to find out what the fate of the next semester holds. I really want to pick up some classes at Sac State (2 to be exact - or more if possible). He said that the hiring process has been delayed a couple of weeks, but that "I have not been ruled out in any way". I hope that's good news. He said that I was on the hiring list - now all I need is God's favor. My heart is hopeful. :) So, if you remember, please pray that I get a couple more classes, preferably at Sacramento State.

I was invited to a bible study on Thursday nights - of course I want to go, but will be showing up quite late due to my class being on Thursday nights. :) I am going to keep up with them, and for the next 5 weeks I will not be able to attend, but will be in full swing after that. I talked to the facilitator, and she said to just come when I can - so I will miss the actual bible study part (which is the part I really want to go to), but probably be able to at least fellowship with some ladies after my class.

This past weekend was GREAT!!! I will post some pics as soon as I locate my camera again. Some good friends of ours came up and spent the weekend here with us. We went hiking, watched lots of movies and attended the beer festival downtown Placerville (which I am not quite sure I will ever do again). :) We did decide this weekend though that we are going rafting a few times this summer. Shawn and I are probably going to plan a rafting trip every year, starting small this year. It should be a good time. :)

Until later....

A little insight

I think I have figured something out about the attitude differences between people in the Bay Area and Placerville.

Bay Area: People are primarily interested in how they can get ahead in life.

Placerville: People are primarily interested in how they can get by and be happy.

Very interesting differences. I was thinking about this on my drive home last night from class (you know, the one that I teach at Sierra College). The difference seems to be that people in this area are concerned with how they can be happy in life while getting by with the simple things - you know, a house, a car, and of course a family. Those that are in the Bay Area are concerned with how they can get ahead, be rich, famous and make their mark in life. Big differences, very blatant. I think I like the attitudes up here much more. :)