the adventures of a modern housewife

Hamster wheel and a thank you to Mr. Lincoln

2011-02-11T11:08:00.000-08:00

Do you ever feel like no matter how much you do you just can't get ahead? That has been my entire month of January. Well, actually, it goes back to the end of December. I left for the east coast to spend the holidays and much needed time with my family. I was very excited and a little apprehensive because at that time we didn't think that my husband was going to be able to go and we already knew my little brother wouldn't be home as his leave time was moved to the spring. Anyways, my husband ended up surprising me and flying over night a few days into the week and was standing outside of the mall when my mom and I went shopping! We had the best time all together - I hadn't been in Rhode Island for more than a week in over 2 years. The day after Christmas we got a huge snow storm and were snowed in for days. I had planned to leave on Thursday and then I would 4 days to do a lot of things around my house that were projects that were just too big for weekends after working all week (i.e. sorting, organizing, and cleaning all of our clothes and closets, deep cleaning the cabinets and corners, and finishing the office) and getting ahead on all of my planning. I didn't get home until Jan 3 and had to miss my first day back at school. Since then our weekends have been filled with projects around the house but it still hasn't felt like we were caught up from not making it home in time. I have also had to create, administer and grade 130 finals and start a new semester. Enter President Lincoln. For some fabulous reason the school system has given us today off in honor of his birthday and so I have a whole day with nothing to do other than get caught up so that tomorrow, Saturday, will be a Saturday to relax and work on some Valentines Day surprises. I am giddy about this (I know as I type this how dorky it sounds) But, I am off to blast my Glee sound track and get to work. Have a great weekend.
What do you do when you feel like you just can't get caught up?

image from cartoonstock.com

Soul Food

2010-12-19T19:45:00.000-08:00

Early this morning, after three hours of sleep last night, I hopped on a plane and flew to Rhode Island. Within an hour of landing I was at my parents house drinking coffee from Dunkin Donuts and laughing with my family. As a teacher, there are only two times through out the year that I am able to travel to see my family. Last summer I was only back for a weekend and so this is really the first time in a year that I am able to relax and enjoy my family and boy do I need it. The last three weeks of school were filled with students conferences, holiday activities, grading grading and more grading, working on my house, some awful tagging incidents at work, and multiple late night/early morning combinations. My husband is extremly supportive of my need to spend time with my family (as we live near his) and so he has always encouraged me to head east as soon as can any time that I have a break. Several of my friends will be back in the area and I am looking forward to seeing everyone, catching up on their lives, and meeting the first baby born into my circle of friends. I am blessed with a group of friends that I have stayed in touch with since high school, some since elementary school, and being home with them is always a great part of Christmas.
While I have planned out the next few days: a girls night out with some of my oldest and dearest girlfriends on Monday night, school with my dad on Tuesday (he teaches first grade) a shopping/mani/pedi/lunch date with my mom on Wednesday, and an all-day-yet-undetermined-day with my sister on Thursday, tomorrow is the beginning of my rejuvenation and relaxation. My parents are both working and my sister has school tomorrow so I have a day of lounging, a dvr full of real housewives and office episodes, and Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix to occupy my time. A major benefit of spending time at my parents house is that I can completely relax - there are no papers calling out to me to be graded, no projects around the house to work on, and no cleaning to take care of.

Now I just need my hunny to be able to make it out here to relax with me in a few days

image courtesy of http://ropegardenhammock.com/

Baby it's cold outside

2010-12-15T14:29:00.000-08:00

Today is one of those days where I cannot seem to get warm. I am sitting in my class, holding individual conferences with each of my students on their grades and I am freezing. I was hoping to run out a lunch time for some soup or some coffee but there have been kids here nonstop so I haven't been able to venture out yet. Here are some of my go to items for warming up: Ghiradelli's Hot Chocolate, Paula Dean's soup, Old Navy Fleece Pants, and Boots - of course my favorite thing to keep me warm will be home from work soon!

What helps you warm up?

Sounds of the Season

2010-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

The past few weeks I have been on a music frenzy and have bought several Christmas cds. My little brother won't have his leave until the spring and so he will be overseas during Christmas this year so I am making him a cd of all of the music that we used to decorate our trees to - How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Rudolph,The Muppets Christmas Carol, Charlie Brown, and the Chipmunks.

I have also purchased the Glee Christmas Album and will be getting the new Mariah Carey this weekend. I did resist the irge to play everything as soon as I got it and wait (per request) until after Thanksgiving and so now they are all on full rotation in our house. I am always looking to add to my collection - what are your Holiday must have sounds?

Thankful all year long!

2010-12-01T15:21:00.001-08:00

Is anyone else is complete shock that today is the first day of December? While the month of thankful posts has come to a close it helped improve my attitude each day as I looked at the blessings in my life. Here is a list from the sweet Natalie over at The Bobby Pin - her blog is one of my absolute favorites and a definite daily read

Things I'm thankful for

1. Husband
2. Puppy
3. A roof over my head, a quilt on my bed and food at the table (totally putting three things on one here)
4. Friends and Family
5. Blogging. It brings me such joy.
Thanks Natalie

As we head into a new month, the last one of 2010, I am thankful for another year, for a supportive family that spans both coasts, for a principal who cares about his students and staff, for a youth group and church family that challenge me to constantly grow and become better, and for my best friend who loves me unconditionally - I could not ask for a better husband and teammate.

image courtesty of thepiferfamily.blogspot.com

Where the Heart Is

2010-11-23T09:44:00.000-08:00

Last week I got a suprise package from my mom containing a new Vera Bradley purse. The other day, when I was talking to my little sister, I laughed so hard that I cried. I am already in the Christmas mood because I am equating that with heading back east. I have lived here in beautiful San Diego for over three years now and I am finding the fourth year to be the hardest. When we were making out plans before we got married, we decided that we would start out on the West Coast and settle down back East. Fast forward 3 1/2 years and we own a home and have great jobs in our career field when both are relatively scarce and it wouldn't make any sense for us to just pick up and move somewhere else where we most likely would not have either. I love the life that we have built here, I just have to convince my family to move out here rather than the two of us moving there. Despite the fact that we will have spaces missing at our thanksgiving table on Thursday, I am thankful for my family and even for the fact that I miss them. So many people don't have a loving family or have a family that they do not love or miss and so as hard as it can be to be 3000 miles apart, I am thank for them and for the love that we have together.

what are you thankful for? Email me 5 things that you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com - I'd love to feature your list

Break Glorious Break

2010-11-22T12:08:00.000-08:00

This week I have a to do list that is about 10 miles long and I am so thankful for a few days off from work. We get the entire week off and I need it! We have a long stretch from when the kids come back to school (I've been in since that end of August) until Thanksgiving break and then we start rolling down hill. On Friday I had to kick two students out of class (the first time all year) for constant talking, singing loudly, and playing on their cell phones. I got so frustrated when I was trying to read something out loud that I flipped my book down on to my desk and told them that they had to leave. This was a sure sign that we only had 3 more periods until break - they are always a lot more wild before a break. On the good side, both students came to me before the end of the day, apologized, and told me that they would come back different next Monday. We shall see. Thanksgiving break, I am thankful that you are here and I will make good use of the time off that you are giving me!

What are you thankful for? Email me 5 things you're thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com - I'd love to feature your list

image courtesy of http://czechmatediary.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/schoolteacher.jpg

Comfort Friends

2010-11-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

What thoughts (or maybe more importantly what smells) come to mind when you think of comfort foods - home made mac and cheese? peanut butter? ice cream? apple pie? freshly baked chocolate chip cookies? Whatever it is, we all have those things that we love to eat when we are upset, overwhelmed, cold, or exhausted at the end of a long day. We often crave them and when we eat them they never disappoint.

At the end of this great weekend, I am so thankful for our 'comfort friends'. We had our very best friends over and it was such a fun night. My husband and I are blessed with best friends who are also married to one another. They are our comfort friends - the ones who fly across the country to be in your wedding and spend the entire week getting to know your family and helping out, the ones who don't bat an eye if there's still folded laundry on the back of your couch, or judge at even the most embarrassing situations or stories, and who you jump from a serious conversation to laughing so hard you can't breathe in a matter of seconds, the ones where you watch a movie and at least two out of the four of you end up asleep on the couch, and as was the case on Saturday night, the ones who think that eating homemade pizza around the dinning room table is the best way to spend a double date. As I continue to reflect this week on things that I am thankful for, I am especially thankful for my fresh-out-of-the-oven-homemade-chocolate-cookies-best-friends

what are you thankful for? Email me 5 things you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com - I'd love to feature your list

Home of the Free, Because of the Brave

2010-11-11T16:27:00.000-08:00

Today, and everyday, I am thanful for those brave men and women who risk their lives to keep our great country safe, as well as for those who are left behind, loving and supporting them. One of my brothers is currently stationed in Afghanistan and this week has been a particulary rough week. I found myself choking up on my way in to work on more than one ocassion this week after listening to different commentaries about Veteran's Day and the War. Last week we were lucky enough to be able to talk to him and despite the fact that he was thousands of miles away, we laughed like we were sitting around my parents table. I held it together during our conversation and thought I was fine until I was praying with my husband. I was saying a prayer of thankfulness for being able to talk to him and his safety and just lost it. I look forward to the day when not just my brother but all of our men and women are home. We are a country that is truly blessed with their willingness to defend it. Thank you to all of our veterans.

what are you thankful for? Email me 5 things that you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to feature your list

image courtesy of

http://mommythedre.blogspot.com/2009/11/veterans-day.html

The Morning After

2010-11-09T11:23:00.001-08:00

Thankfulness the morning after the rain

What are you thankful for? Email me your list of 5 things you're thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com - I'd love to feature it

Rainy November

2010-11-08T07:12:00.000-08:00

This morning I woke up to a fairly foreign sound here :rain (although we've had more rain in the past 2 months than in the 3 1/2 years that I've lived here). Despite the fact that it's Monday and the rain makes it even harder to get out of bed and I now have to leave for work an extra 45 minutes early, I am so thankful for it. We desperately need it and all too often there are dangerous fires this time of year so I, along with my vegetables, flowers, and grass, am very thankful for the rain today. - Plus, we are both going to be home tonight and this makes a perfect movie-and-breakfast-for-dinner-indoor-date-night

What are you thankful for? Email me your list of 5 things you're thankful for to modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to feature your list

image from http://pulverblog.pulver.com/archives/007489.html

Hooray

2010-11-05T07:19:00.000-07:00

Today I am thankful that it is Friday because that means 5 classes and it's the weekend! Friday is one of my favorite days of the week - it always just seems like such a hopeful and happy day, especially if it's been a long week. I woke up with a smile today and can hopefully spread that on to my students to. Have a wonderful weekend!

What are you thankful for? Email me a list of 5 things you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to post your list

image courtesy of picturesdepot.com

Don't blame it on the sunshine

2010-11-03T22:02:00.000-07:00

My husband always tells people (mainly my family when they are trying to convince us to move back east) that we live in a place where millions come to vacation. While this is generally true, I do miss the fall. I miss the colors of the leaves changing and going apple picking and the cool, crisp air. What I tend to forget is that after the leaves change they fall and there is a gray cloud that tends to hang around from November to February that brings cold raw weather. This I do not miss and I was reminded today, as I was ridiculously overdressed in a sweater and long pants, how thankful I am for the sunshine and gorgeous weather. It was almost 90 degrees in Novemeber and there was not a cloud in sky. I do love the cooler weather but I am thankful for a sunny November day

What are you thankful for? Email me your list of 5 things that you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to feature your list

image courtesy of andthenshewokeup.blogspot.com

Let your voice be heard

2010-11-02T07:20:00.000-07:00

This morning I woke up to work out before heading to work but didn't quite make it. I made the mistake of turning on the news and became enthralled in all of the election talk. I'm leaving early for work this morning to hit my polling site. I am so thankful that I live in a democratic country where we the people have a voice in everything from local propositions to national congress. While the system is flawed and the vote doesn't always swing my way, I am thankful for our ability to vote and to choose.

What are you thankful for? Email me 5 things that you are thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to feature your list

image courtesy of markwyman.blogspot.com

Give Thanks

2010-11-01T07:14:00.000-07:00

As much as I try to reserve the weekends for playtime, Sundays have ended up as chore day lately and I've been ok with it. Yesterday, as I was trying to get through my massive to do list, I thought about how challenging it is (for me at least) to keep up with our house. It seems that no matter how much I do there is always laundry to be done and a few stubborn dishes that pop up in my sink. I was thinking about this while I was elbow deep in soapy water but then I began to think about how grateful that I am that it takes work because I am so blessed to have a home. I am thankful that I have all of that to do because this is a time when foreclosures and homelessness is a huge issue. Looking at it this way made the work go by a little bit faster and so I began to think. It is November 1. Thanksgiving is a mere 3 1/2 weeks ago. While it can be so much easier to complain, my entire attitude changes when I look at things that I am thankful for. Rather than waitinging until Turkey Day to give thanks I am going to write each day about something that I am thankful and start Thanksgiving Month. Today I am so thankful for my home and our ability to live here. What are you thankful for? Email me 5 things you're thankful for at modernhousewife@yahoo.com I'd love to feature your list

image courtesy of www.miconian.com/tag/dishes/

9 short years

2010-09-11T11:48:00.000-07:00

image via cnn.com
Nine years later and I still can't fight the tears while I watch the news and memorials after the attacks of 2001 that changed our country and our lives forever. I was a freshman in college in Arkansas. I am from New England and the events literally hit home for my roommate and I who frequently went to New York. That morning she had decided to skip chapel and sleep in. The president of the school got up and told us that we were releasing after a time of prayer. He said that a plane had flown into one of the twin towers in New York City. My very first thought was that it was an accident and I hoped that no one had been hurt. It took awhile for the magnitude of the events to sink in because I knew those towers and I knew that city and never in my life would I imagine anyone attacking our country. I ran back to my room, shook my roommate, who had been my best friend since we were 11, awake and turned on the tv. We watched in shock and immediately called home. My mom was nearly hysterical and kept telling me how much she wished I was home. She had already been in touch with the parents of a good friend of mine because he went to school in Brooklyn and wanted to make sure that he was ok. This day was the beginning of my world changing. The bubble that I lived in was popped and there was a great sense of innocence lost. We became a country that was grieving together, questioning together, and coming together. As difficult as those times were right after we saw a unity that we hadn't seen in a very long time. That unity has since been ripped apart as we are now a country more divided than ever and we need to get back to that. We need to remember, when we are torn apart by political differences, that we are Americans above and beyond party affiliations. I have since had two cousins, several very close friends, and my two brothers who have all joined the military to protect our great country and to prevent this from ever happening again. My baby brother is currently serving in Afghanistan and while there is a part of my that is missing until he returns I am so grateful for all those that haven't forgotten and continue to pray for and support the men and woman and all of their families that are risking and giving their lives for our freedom. We are stronger than the actions of September 11 2001

Gleek

2010-08-26T09:07:00.000-07:00

This summer I have caught a few reruns of Glee and am seriously contemplating buying the previous seasons before the new one starts. My sister tried to fill me in on the plot line but hearing or reading an explanation is not the same as hearing these kids sing and any show that can do this with one of my favorite musicals ever is worth it in my book

any fellow gleeks?

Snickerdoodles - Home and Garden Style

2010-08-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite cookbooks that I received before I got married was by Better Homes and Garden. The recipes are simple and easy to follow, use simple ingredients, and come out great! These snickerdoodles were my go to when I didn't have much time but wanted to send my husband (who is currently working nights) off for the night with warm sweets.

You get a line and I'll get a pole . . .

2010-08-16T10:14:00.000-07:00

On Thursday I surprised my husband with a day of deep sea fishing for his birthday. We went out on a charter boat down to the Mexican coast. We had a lot of fun (minus the sunburn and getting sea sick) and came away with almost 15 fish betweent he two of us and his best friend. The crew fillets the fish right on the boat for you and so we have several fresh fish steaks in the freezer for our next night off. I'm looking for good grilling recipes and fish taco recipes if you have any!

The view on the way there and back was amazing - we even saw several dolphins early on

This is the coast of Mexico in the distanceFlock of Seagulls anyone?This island had a light house off the edge - very Shutter Island

we had a little seal that followed us the entire way

Wedding Wednesday - a Newport Wedding

2010-08-11T14:52:00.000-07:00

On June 26, 2010 my sweet friend Katy married her soul mate. We've been friends since we were 7 and we have one of those friendships where we sometimes go for awhile without talking but never lose the closeness - we somehow end up talking about everythings - and share a bond that transcends distance . Our lives are very similar and it was such a wonderful wedding. Given the fact that we live on opposite sides of the country, I didn't get to meet her husband until their wedding day. After seeing the raw emotion and love (see below) on his face, I know that she's in good hands. The wedding was at the Hyatt on Goat Island in Newport Rhode and beautiful doesn't begin to describe it. Katy's photographer was the amazing Carla of Carla Ten Eyck Photography. We first met Carla at my brother's wedding in Connecticut in October 2007. She is amazing. I had stalked her blog since the wedding and she just released some photos. Here are some of the moments that she capturedI cannot look at this shot without choking up here myself - take good care of my girl Kyle!Loved this cake!The flowers were by the fabulous Gity of Busy Bee Florist who was my florist 3 years ago. She knew that I had recommended her to Katy and she waited at the ceremony until we got there to say hi and thank you ! She's amazing - she took both of our visions and gave us exactly what we wanted our most important day. Also - the details at the wedding were awesome - those purple bracelets were in memory of "Margie" a dear aunt of Katy who had passed away when we were in college.

I happen to love this shot as it is the hands and feet of my oh so fashionable baby sister

Cheers to the new Mr & Mrs Gibbons - love you both

check out the whole blog post here

Summer Reading

2010-08-09T11:53:00.000-07:00

I've always loved to read. When I was in the 5th grade I was in the local paper for having read the most books in the town library's summer reading contest (I know - dork alert) There was always a list of books that we had to read for school each summer which I generally had finished within the first two weeks so I could go on to read whatever I wanted. Now, while I still love to read, it seems like the summer is the only time I actually read for pleasure. The school year is filled with planning, and grading, and the only books that I seem to read are the ones that I assign to my students. This summer I have decided to read the entire Harry Potter Series (something as an English teacher I should have read a long time ago) and several others. Any recommendations? What are you reading?

Here are some of mine

1. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer's Stone J.K.Rowling

2. Where are you now? Mary Higgins Clark

3. Whatever it takes Paul Tough

4. Readicide Kelly Gallagher

The Jury's Out

2010-08-04T07:40:00.000-07:00

I'm off to jury duty today. While I do not expect to be chosen I do anticipate a long day in court. I have decided that this summer I am going to read the Harry Potter Series (shame on this English teacher for not having already read them) and so I am armed with Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone. Should be fun . . .

I die

2010-08-03T08:43:00.000-07:00

She's back. Tonight at 10 on Bravo. Can. Not. Wait.

We were on a break!

2010-08-02T09:58:00.000-07:00

* must be said in Ross Gellar's nasily obnoxious voice. obviously.

Well it's August 2 and I'm finally in the swing of summer break. According to my blog roll I haven't posted since June 14th so I have a ton to get caught up on. In the that time I had more drama at work than I thought possible, I had a new job offer that I seriously considered, my director resigned which prompted me to stay, I co-ran graduation, took 19 seniors to Disneyland overnight for grad night, flew to RI for a dear friend's wedding, had my 15 year old sister visit for two weeks, taught vacation Bible school, and worked downtown during Comic Con. I know that people think that we teachers have it so easy because we have 2 months off in the summer but unless you have worked as a teacher or lived with one, it is impossible to understand that massive amount of stress a teacher has during the year and that it takes at least one month to simply decompress from the year on top of having to get everything ready for the next year.

The past month I have taken some time to reflect on my past year. This past year was the most stressful one that I have ever experienced. Things at my work were so awful that it spilled over into every aspect of my life; I've gained weight, I've had trouble keeping a good schedule with cooking and keeping up with my house, I've had trouble with my skin and even my hair! (wow I should like a wretched old hag - one of the highlights was one of my difficult students telling me one day - "wow Ms. T I saw a picture of you from the first year here - you were hella skinny". Thanks - this is what 3 years inner city will do to you) I've spent hours crying or wanting to rip my hair out. I've had very little time to work on things that I enjoy such as my jewelry and so my little shop has suffered. I allowed my stress to affect everything in my life. The only calming factor I had was my wonderful and supportive husband. Last month I decided that never again would I allow stress to do this to me. I am in control of my life, the elements around me are not.

When my sister was here, my husband and I took her to LA for a few days. We spent a night in Malibu, exploring the Pepperdine campus and dining at the fabulous Paradise Cove. The next day (which happened to be our anniversary) we went to Universal Studios. I told my husband that even though school was out I was having trouble relaxing. I had been in such a fast gear for so long that I was having difficulty relaxing and just slowing down. That day my blackberry died. It would not charge for the remaining two days that we were in Los and guess what: no one died, my house did not burn down, not one of my students had a dire emergency, my dogs were fine, and I had no choice but to stop worrying about everyone and everything else and take a break. And. It. Was. Wonderful. Since then I have worked on relaxing and getting things in order. After a much needed break I am back on track and feeling great. Pictures to follow.

"and who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life" Matt 6:27

Mod Cloth

2010-06-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

I bought my first dress from Mod Cloth tonight. We are heading over to the East Coast for a dear friend's wedding in two weeks. I am looking forward to time away from the craziness that has become my job, some quality time with family, and a night out celebrating my friend's love and dancing for hours with my sweetie. I have been eyeing this dress, the aptly named 'come hither dress' for awhile and bought it tonight as the time is getting really close. I'm thinking a low side bun, dark nails and either red or silver heels (or possibly red nails and dark shoes). Fingers crossed on how it will fit . . .

Rock the Vote

2010-06-08T09:15:00.000-07:00

Today there are primaries all across the country. According to the Associated Press, only 30 % of people that are eligible to vote will actually go out today and vote. Our right to 'speak out' through voting is a great one, especially during this time when our country is in such a state of disagreement and division. My lovely state of California is a hot mess right now. I tried to go before work but ended up at the wrong station so I will have to go after and then flip anxiously between the polls and the Celtics Lakers game tonight.

Insane in the Membrane

2010-06-07T07:29:00.000-07:00

Despite all of the 'studies' telling us that this not good, my husband and I often fall asleep with the tv on. (When he was on night rotation I was not fan of a) sleeping by myself b) being in total silence in our bedroom when I could hear every sound both inside and outside of the house so I got into the habit of sleeping with the tv on) This leads infomercials working their magic: after several weeks of waking up to Insanity commercials and hearing, while half awake, people's success stories, I bought the workout set. It is a series of 13 workout dvds that come in neat little book, a calendar that shows what workout to do on which day, and a nutrition guide. Today was day one and I had to do the fit test. I retest myself on day 15, day 36, day 50 and on day 63, the end day. I am determined to stick with this as we are going on a cruise in August and I'm far from where I'd like to be. I'll keep you posted on how it's going - anyone else out there tried this yet?

Happy Memorial Day

2010-05-31T13:06:00.000-07:00

Soldier's Prayer

Hearts are heavy now, dear Lord
For WAR is looming there.
Our prayers are calling out to you,
Our thoughts too much to bear.
Be with our loved ones--THEY NEED YOU.
Guide them, lead them, see them through.
Bless our leader, for we know,
He asks Your blessings, and needs them so.
Protect the innocent, shield their lives,
As bombs and missiles streak the skies.
Open our hearts and fill us with grace,
Guard our loved ones in that place.
This I say, in earnest prayer,
THANK YOU LORD
I know YOU'RE there.

http://www.saintsandheroes.com/prayer/

As we celebrate today with barbecues and relaxation let us always be thankful for the brave men and women who have fought to protect this great country and who are willing to give their lives for the freedoms we have every day. I am proud and grateful for all those close to me for their selfless service to our country

They're baaaaccckkk

2010-05-03T22:26:00.000-07:00

The original ladies from the Jersey shore - Pay Attention Puh-leez

For any of you that partake in this guilty please - which city/state do you like the most? I'm a New York City/New Jersy girl

PS Theresa teaches her three girls to make sauce the day before they go to school - LOVE IT!

Gown Town

2010-04-26T22:21:00.000-07:00

image via san diego radio
I have been in 9 weddings.9. This means that I have 9 dresses in various shades and lengths somewhere between my house and my parents house. Every bride inevitably believes that she has chosen gowns that you will be able to use again in the future (we all know the cliche - "you can totally shorten it and wear it again right?) but of course they usually just end up hanging in the back of the closet. AJ and his morning crew at Star 94.1 is promoting Gown Town which collects dresses and gives them to girls to wear to their prom for free - no questions asked. This is a wonderful way to not only reuse an already existing dress but to help provide a beautiful dress to a girl that otherwise may not be able to go to the prom. If you're in the San Diego area check out this website for drop off locations April 26-Friday April 30. The actual even is on Saturday May 1 from 9-5 at the Carmel Mountain Plaza so bring your formal dresses and give excitement to a san diego student

A Bit of Perspective

2010-04-25T22:27:00.001-07:00

This weekend was long and relaxing and exactly what I needed. After 4 days of headaches and stress and exhaustion, I took Friday off and it was amazing. My school is currently a battlefield between staff and administration and changes and stress and testing and I needed to just be away from it all for a day to gain some perspective. I feel awful for even complaining when I am so fortunate to have a job right now but I have come to realize that the stress from my job has entered into almost every aspect of my life and that needs to change.

I spent the weekend doing a lot of this,

plenty of this,

even more of this

made one of these

and even tried this from Heavenly Cupcakes downtown

While my dreams of supporting us while at home are larger than ever I am ready to go back tomorrow and continue to get my students ready for the state tests. I realize that I need to do what is the best for myself and my husband rather than trying to please everyone else and at the end of the day my family and health are what matter the most. I have a lot more praying to do over the next few months and I am back to work full force both at school and in other outside endeavors.

Housekeeping 101

2010-04-11T23:16:00.000-07:00

I wish that my house could clean itself. I love the feeling of coming home after a long day of work to a clean house but it often seems like there are just not enough hours in the day. The reality is that maintaining a clean house takes a lot of work. In an effort to be more organized and remain sane while working crazy hours I am going to try a weekly cleaning schedule so that by the time I make it to Saturday my house is clean and I have time to relax. This would be for the actual cleaning not the putting away/doing the dishes/maintenance/ picking up/daily use type of this, this is for cleaning. I'm going to start it tomorrow and see how it goes

Monday: Kitchen

Tuesday: Bathroom, living room, bedroom

Wednesday: Laundry, office, dining room

Thursday: bathroom, car

Friday: dust, sweep, mop

Next weekend I will reevaluate and see how this worked. Added bonus to this week is that my husband is on his 5 days off at the end of the week and he is really good at cleaning and organizing. Any suggestions on maintaining sanity and a clean house while working 65+ hours per week? I'd love to hear what works for you

*image from http://images.esellerpro.com/2243/I/577/7/medscaleCool%20Coaster%20I%20DONT%20DO%20HOUSEWORK%20ON%20DAYS%20THAT%20END.JPG

Uninsultable

2010-04-09T11:09:00.000-07:00

One prerequisite for teaching high school is to be 'unisultable' meaning nothing that a students says to you can hurt your feelings. This past weekend I went to Target to get a few things for Easter and of course came home with two bags of stuff for myself - one of which was a pair of new purple flats. I wore them on Wednesday and I heard 'Uh Ms. T what is going on with your shoes? I do NOT like those . . .can I borrow 5 dollars?" Apparently the best way to get some money is make a rude comment. I wore the shoes again today

Wedding Wednesday

2010-04-07T17:46:00.000-07:00

I had a few wedding related things in my week so far. This past Sunday I attended what to do before I do put on by Simply Solis event planning. It was held at the Palm in downtown San Diego. I was invited by my sister in law as she knows my love of all things wedding/event planning. She is an amazing photographer who spoke at the event - she and her husband make up Tangerine Tree Photography and if you are getting married in the San Diego/Orange County I highly recommend them. When we got married in Rhode Island they were both members of our wedding party and took some of our pictures as well. Since then I have been in two other weddings that they have photographed. They have a unique approach to photography and work not just to capture memories but to tell each couple's love story. Stop by their blog to see some recent wedding and engagement photos. On Wednesday my wonderful friend Katy posted her engagement pictures. She is one of my oldest and dearest friends and is getting married this summer at the Hyatt Hotel on Goat Island in Newport Rhode Island, my home state. After she got engaged last May, Katy said there was one thing she knew she had to have for her wedding: photographer Carla Ten Eyck. Carla photographed my brother's wedding in 2007 and Katy loved her work and knew this was who she wanted. This past week she had her engagement shots taken by the lovely Carla herself and the result is amazing. Katy is naturally one of the most cheerful, gorgeous girls you will ever meet and while I have yet to meet Kyle, judging from the love captured in these shots I have confidence in him and welcome him to the family. These pictures are also special because they are taken in spots all around where I grew up and as I currently live 3000 miles away, it warms my heart to see people I love in a place that I adore

You will certainly be seeing more from Miss Carla after the wedding in June!

And to end, here are a few handmade wedding lovelies

This gorgeous white clutch is made by Koopdegrace and is perfect for holding all of your wedding day essentials

Splendid Things makes an adorable hand stitched wedding card Check out Glad Raggz for some original jewlery for bride or maids

Here is a lovely hairpiece that can be custom ordered in your colors from Jenny'streasuresforu

Do you have any items that you'd like to see featured? leave a comment or email me at modernhousewife@yahoo.com

Most Favorite Book Ever

2010-04-05T13:14:00.000-07:00

We have mandatory silent reading every day at the end of second period - for 15 minutes before lunch. At the end of it one of my seniors came over and asked me what is my favorite book ever. He was done with the book he was reading and was looking for something else to read. His criteria: excitement and bad words. This made me stop to think: what is my favorite book ever? I have always loved to read - so much so that I don't generally read during the school year, with the exception of the books that I am teaching, because otherwise what is the only thing that I wasnt to do. I thought for a few minutes but I am sure that I missed about 100000 books - so many came to mind that I had to break them down into categories:

Favorite mystery: Where are the Children? by Mary Higgins Clark

Favorite Cheesy Love Story: The Notebook

Favorite Guilty Pleasure: The Twilight Series

Favorite author/book to recommend to students: The Outsiders/ S.E. Hinton

Favorite Christian author/books: C.S. Lewis - The Chronicles of Narnia, The Great Divorce, The Four Loves

My absolute favorite could read over and over never want to put down think that the characters are real LOVE is The Anne of Green Gables series by L.M. Montgomery

What is your most favorite book ever?

Peanut Butter + Chocolate = Perfection

2010-03-29T12:33:00.000-07:00

My husband and I are both big fans anything containing peanut butter and chocolate (his idea of a perfect lunch is Dr. Pepper and a king sized Reeses AND he's one of those that can eat like yet gain no weight)We hosted our church's monthly couples study last week and he made a request for chocolate peanut butter no bake cookies - these cookies are delicious, made with three of the most magical ingredients - peanut butter, chocolate, and oatmeal, and take about 5 minutes to make! There are several variations of the recipe for it but I like this one.
What are your favorite food combinations?

Adventures in Wonderland

2010-03-18T12:44:00.000-07:00

As this is one of my all time favorite cartoons,

I have been looking forward to Tim Burton's continuation/version of it for awhile. I am hoping this weekend, in between working, buying a car, participating in a jewelry show, and teaching the teens Sunday morning, my husband and I can spare a few hours to see this.

I have heard mixed reviews but still am excited to see it. Anyone else seen it yet?

Wedding Wednesday

2010-03-17T13:31:00.001-07:00

I'm starting a new weekly feature: wedding Wednesdays. Each week Wednesdays will be devoted to all things wedding whether it's suggestions and ideas, items from Etsy shops that have wonderful wedding items, interviews, shared stories of weddings and engagements and pretty pictures. Here are a few lovely things from Etsy to get us started

Giftbearer's Carmella Collection is beautiful and the procedes all go to a great cause. Stop by her shop and check out her blog for some lovely beaded ideas

KittyKatKards has some awesome origami that can be personalized to ask your attendants, family, or anyone else in a special way to be a part of your special day

A Dusy Attic does alphabet photography and can create an original with your new last name on it - great gift idea!

One of the most important things (next to the dress) that you will wear is jewelry - for both the brides and the wedding party. Here are two shops with absolutely gorgeous jewelry

For girls in pearls:

Be sure to check out JED bridal - they're have a beadkit give away on their blog as well

Head over to Vibrant Vows - they have gorgeous, original jewelry as well. Here's one of their sets of bobby pins that are perfect for any hair do

Can you tell I love pearls?

At a wedding, the more personal touches you add the more the day reflects you and your spouse. For some unique centerpieces and candle holders check out Confections in Glass They have an entire line of centerpieces and welcome custom orders.

Nutfield Weaver has a great collection hand woven items for weddings such as petal cones, ring pillows and garters

This beautiful ring pillow can be custom ordered with your intial and color

Crafts for a cure has some super cute sets of wedding invitations. Be sure to stop by their shop - all proceeds go to Susan B Kohlman 3 day for the cure

Java girls has a line of bridal journals - this could be used to keep lists and jot ideas for your wedding, gifts for bridesmaids, to keep a journal of all the time leading up to your wedding or as a one of a kind guest book - check out their photo albums for some great gift ideas too

For an original twist on flowers check out Perfectly Paper

Here is an example of one of their bridal bouquets

If you have an items that you'd like featured next week or any questions you'd like addressed feel free to email me at modernhousewife@yahoo.com

Features

2010-03-15T22:53:00.000-07:00

To celebrate two of my passions: weddings and Etsy, I am going to begin two new weekly features: Wedding Wednesdays and Etsy Find Fridays. On Wednesday I will be sharing everything wedding from ideas to personal stories of engagements and real weddings to beautiful photos. Fridays will be devoted to all things etsy: cool finds and great shops. If you are interested in sharing your shop or your story - leave a comment here or email me at modernhousewife@yahoo.com

Back in the Saddle . . .or uh treadmill

2010-03-13T12:34:00.000-08:00

My excercise routine seems to go in spurts (my husband seems to think that I always turn it about a month before a trip back to see my fam hmmmm) and I've fallen off for the past 2 months. After working the past few weeks at getting back into good eating habbits I am determined to start back at the gym this week. About a month ago I started waitressing a few nights a week at a trendy restaurant downtown. I always hesitate to mention this to people because my reasons for doing this are not the usual that people assume: my husband is back on the night shift at work and so he is done several nights out of the week so I thought that this would be a productive use of my time. I work for a charter school and it's not the most stable place to work right now so while finances are not an issue right now, this is providing me with a peace of mind incase something does happen at our school plus a little extra cash is always nice for future endeavors! Anyways, I have notice small changes in myself just from the constant movement of being on my feet for several hours at work and I know that I will feel even better after reestablishing my workout routine. While I really enjoy my job at the restaurant (I am a genuine fan of the hospitality business) the later nights are causing me to hit the snooze a few more times before getting up for school. My goal for this week is to do some type of physical activity 5 times this week - whether at the gym or in our workout area here at home. So, here we go . . .

March Madness

2010-03-01T12:44:00.000-08:00

I cannot believe that it is already March! We are in our third month of 2010 yet it seems like New Years was last weekend. While March is a long month, it's going to be a great month. While there is not much of a season change here in San Diego ( compared to my family back East there is no such thing as bad weather here - although it has been exceptionally rainy) we are quickly approaching spring. There are things I love about all seasons and for spring it is the brightness, the smells, and the new beginnings. This month I am looking forward to: getting back into my excercise routine, my niece's performance in Peter Pan for her middle school, working in the yard and the possibility of planting new things - all of last years plants were accidentally sprayed with too much weed killer, working on new items for my shop, going to my friend of many many years' (friends since kindergarden) wedding, and the wonderful week at the end of the month that we teachers look forward to starting the day after christmas SPRING BREAK when I will have my annual trip to the spa with two of my coworkers/close friends. Welcome March with all of your maddness - you are going to be a great month

What are you looking forward to?

I always feel like somebody's watching me . . .

2010-02-27T12:12:00.000-08:00

In the past two years my husband and I have completely switched places with our driving records : he has not been pulled over or issued a ticket in 2 years and I have been stopped 4 times since moving to California! I am not a bad driver nor do I travel at excessive speeds (usually) and I have NEVER driven a car under the influence of anything. This morning I received a ticket from the 'automated enforcement program' (aka cameras that watch and video tape you) at a stoplight where one could turn on right red of me TURNING RIGHT ON RED. It provides you to a link that shows your video. It does not however tell me how much this ticket is going to be but I have heard horror stories. There are areas of San Diego that have these cameras on every stop light in a 5 block radius. The cameras themselves are very expensive and then are also manned by employees who sit in a room and watch these videos all day long. I need to do some research to see if these cameras are actually helpful or are mainly adding to the growing amount of debt our beautiful city is in.

Etsy

2010-02-22T15:53:00.000-08:00

I am new to the world of Etsy but I am quickly learning that, much like the blogging world, it is important to branch out and make connections. I am still trying to get used to updating both regularly. I am so excited and honored that two of my items have been featured on two different blogs:

My blue scarf was featured on I Love Etsy by KnitNicoleknit http://iloveetsy.knitnicoleknit.ca/page/3 veetsy.knitnicoleknit.ca/page/3

Blue Knit Scarf by likealilyamongthorns on Etsy

Posted at 2:30pm
href='http://iloveetsy.knitnicoleknit.ca/post/374557338/blue-knit-scarf-by-likealilyamongthorns-on-etsy'/>Permalink ∞

And by funkydivadesigns http://funkydivadesigns.com/news/?p=299&cpage=1#comment-130– check out her adorable bags and wallets

It is Monday Mosaic time again! This week the colour from the Etsy sellers is pink because it is nearly Valentines Day.

I hope you like the selection this week. There are so many lovely things to choose from so it has once again turned in 12 gorgeous items!

1 SusanGreenBooks

2 especially4ubyEandT

3 deancustomdesigns

4 silverunicorns

5 flauntdesignsjewelry

11 Durhamhinny

12 likealilyamongthorns

(mine is number 12)

Dextermania

2010-02-17T22:43:00.000-08:00

As this was our 6th Valentine's Day together, we tend to fore go traditional gifts and go for more unique/creative gifts. For the past year my brother and sister in law have been telling my husband that he would love this show that they watch: Dexter. The basic premise is that this man is a blood analyst who actually hunts down and kills these heinous criminals. All of a sudden it seems that everyone we know is in love with this show. Hubby hasn't show much interest in it until a few weeks ago when he looked for it at Best Buy so I thought that it would be a rather ironic gift - the first season of a show about a vengeance killer for the 'most romantic day of the year'. We have watched one and a half episodes so far and are not yet seeing the appeal . . . For anyone that watches it - does it get better or is it a show where if we are not hooked now we never will be?

Share the love

2010-02-15T21:14:00.000-08:00

Disney is doing a 'give a day, get a day' deal this year - you do a day of service, you get a day at one of their parks and so husband and I decided to do it with the girls in our youth group. We spent all day Saturday hiking through a canyon and inspecting different man holes for tampering. It was a gorgeous day and a great way to start off the Valentine's Day weekend! I love that we were able to help the girls do something for others for Valentines while bonding with each other

Gaga Glam

2010-02-11T23:03:00.001-08:00

I heard on the radio this morning that MAC has come out with a Lady Gaga lipstick as part of their women's health ad campaign. Guess what store happens to be across from my work downtown and guess what I most definately am going to have to go in and get tomorrow . . .
http://www.maccosmetics.com/giving_back/vivaglam.tmpl

Where there’s smoke there’s fire

2010-02-08T16:07:00.000-08:00

While I very rarely complain about the weather here in Southern California, I do occasionally miss the cool crisp weather of New England. Last night my husband made our very first fire ever and it was the perfect ending to short, busy weekend

Uggghhh

2010-02-04T21:41:00.000-08:00

Grades are due tomorrow. At the end of every semester I am reminded of why I resolve at the beginning of every new semester to stay organized and up to date with all of my grading. It's going to be a long night. NOT.FUN.

And they call it puppy love . . .

2010-02-03T17:36:00.000-08:00

I did not grow up with animals so until recently I never understood people's infatuation with their pets. About a year and a half ago we started talking about getting a dog. At first I really wanted to get a Yorkie but the prices were quite far out of our range and so I just kept on looking. I saw some advertising puppies for sale and the picture was so cute that we went to look at them. We fell absolutely in love and went back the next day to put a deposit. We had decided to get two because we both work and they could play together while we're gone ( we have a good size fenced in yard so that they can also be outside during the day)Aside from out house, these two little guys are the best investment we have ever made since we've been married. Their mom was a chow and their dad was a pug and they are just the sweetest things. While they are now too big for me to carry, my husband still carries them around our home like babies. He grew up with animals and is Dr. Doolittle when it comes to dogs. It is such fun to these two who are so affectionate and caring. They love to snuggle on the couch when I am doing school work, greet me in the morning with happy licks and trying to jump over one another while popping their heads up over the fence when they hear my car pull in. I now completely understand this thing called puppy love

And the Grammy goes to . . .

2010-02-01T12:47:00.000-08:00

While the show itself was quiet and uneventful there were a few performances that I really enjoy. Lady Gaga opened the show and it was very tame compared to her usual performances. About half way through the show Ryan Seacrest introduced Taylor Swift and she came out to perform and was then joined by Stevie Nicks! Fleetwood Mac is one of my mom's all time favorite bands and so I grew up listening to them and Rhiannon happens to be on of my favorites. While this is not a combination I would have expected I thought it made sense. Taylor went on to win a few Grammys and her acceptance speeches were so grateful and sweet - love her or not I think she is one with an incredible story, talent, and the ability to say true to her 19 year old self in a generation full of girls that grow up far too fast

My favorite performance of the night was Pink. I didn't even know the song that she sang but a few minutes into singing her dress transformed into a swing and she sang while suspended from the ceiling with Cirque du Soleil style performers around her. There was even water! I am not one who runs out to buy her latest music but she is amazing - at the last award show she performed while on a trapeze! Pink is a rock star!

Looking forward to . . .

2010-01-31T18:32:00.000-08:00

Watching the Grammys while plowing through senior mid term exams. My big win predictions for the night: Lady Gaga and Taylor Swift with possibly some Kings of Leon mixed in there

This weekend I will be . . .

2010-01-29T21:28:00.000-08:00

* working on a custom order for my shop

* taking a punch and pound class

*in a correcting coma. I have 80 mid term exams to correct each of which takes approximately 20 minutes to correct. Note to future self: do not put so many short answers on next text. I also have a lot of end of the semester grading-catching up to do.Our grades are due on Thursday and my goal is to be caught up by Monday.

*cleaning/organizing/throwing out as much stuff as possible

*making the most of the few hours my hunny doesn't have to work this weekend

Have a wonderful weekend!

*picture taken outside of Trader Joes Monday night

Sticks and Stones

2010-01-27T22:23:00.000-08:00

One of the first things that you learn as a high school teacher is not to let anything a student says to you both you. It is very important to have good self esteem because most teenagers (at least at my school) lack a filter. Some of the things that I have had students tell me - very nonchalantly - "Mrs. T - do you even brush your hair" (this was on a day that I did not straighten my hair - it is naturally thick and curly) "Mrs. T you don't have any makeup on do you? Why not? - you look dead". "Mrs T you look like a secretary today." Now none of this is every said to be mean or malicious - for the most part I have a really good relationship with my students. Some of them even think they are helping when they offer me advice on how to wear my hair or tell me to use the hair product that they use that gives their hair that beautiful shine (translation greasiness) and for everything rude thing said I get about 10 compliments. Today, during a review for our final, one of my seniors asked me "Mrs. T, did you go to a party last night? Your eyes look like you went to a party" All of these comments simply add amusement to my day! Thankfully, my sense of self does not coming merely from who I am but from WHOSE I am.

Confessions Part 1

2010-01-25T07:32:00.000-08:00

My husband is a better cleaner then I. Of course, I do it about 10 times more often BUT when he does it my husband is fabulous. I have cleaning ADHD - I tend move room to room to room doing one area at a time - I might start in the kitchen and clean the dishes and then move to the bathrooms and clean the sink and then do a load of laundry and then put away papers in the living room and then head back to kitchen to clean the stove. My husband will stay in one area and work on that until everything is clean and sorted before moving on. He has a unique schedule at work where he work 5 days, has 5 days off, works 2 days and then has 2 days off. He was off this Wednesday through Sunday and did amazing things around our house. Our home improvements from the past 5 days include but are not limited to:

*rearranging all of the furniture in our living and dining rooms completely opening up house and creating more space

*purchasing and painting a table that folds out from the wall in our kitchen. This cleaned up the room by allowing us to get ride of this rolling cabinet in there that housed a strange collection of canned goods, plastics bags and our Kitchen Aide

*sanding, painting, and reinstalling our bedroom and closet doors

* throwing away at least 5 bags of things that we no longer need

*organizing the 'office' so it can actually start functioning as an office

*cleaning our bedroom, kitchen, and bathrooms

We both love the feeling of going to bed on Sunday nights with a clean house and lunches made and starting the work week off on a good foot and a day of gorgeous sunshine here in San Diego after 5 days of rain helps too!

1 Cold Rainy Day + Slow Cooked BBQ Chicken = Coming home to a warm and delicious smelling house

2010-01-22T07:19:00.000-08:00

My husband does not like any type of chicken that involves a bone but sometimes I just cannot resist the excellent prices so I just slow cook the chicken for 8 hours so it falls off of the bone! We both had a late night last and there's nothing like coming home to a meal that has been simmering in the crock pot all day

Now and Then

2010-01-21T12:39:00.000-08:00

Housewife: whether negative or positive we all have an image that comes to mind when we hear the word housewife. The term/idea has changed over the years - in the 50s and 60s June Cleaver was the epitome of domesticity: beautifully dressed with an immaculate home and delicious dinner ready every night. She never appeared tired or overwhelmed. In the 70s and 80s there was more of a movement towards working outside of the home and by the 90s there was an air of disdain (among some) for those who chose home over career. I'd like to think that in the 2000s we saw a shift away from the dramatic discrepancy between home and work. Women realized that we can have and do it all and that there is no shame in wanting both a successful career and a deep sense of pride in creating and maintaining a home. As we enter a new decade my goal is that during this time I find that balance between caring for my home and my husband and loving my work and the children I teach and do not lost myself in either but rather define myself though both.