dear george,

you are so good.  you make dinner so easy.  you make me feel like I am having a weekend barbecue on a Tuesday night.

What is easier than marinating chicken right after work and then popping it on the grill?  I have even been known to grill several portions of meat all in one night and then pack it to eat all week - sliced up on a salad, sandwich, or even with veggies and hummus for school lunch.

I have smothered my chicken in all kinds of concoctions - but this one is my current favorite:

Ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar (I think you can use honey also)
1/2 cup orange juice (I love simply orange)
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tbsp. olive oil
6 boneless, skinless, chicken breasts

Combine ingredients in a bowl (some people use a ziploc bag) and add chicken.  Turn to coat.  Marinate in the refrigerator for about 2-3 hours.  Remove chicken to grill/cook.  If you want to serve the marinade as a sauce, bring it to a boil in a small saucepan and boil hard for 3-4 minutes until it is "reduced."

For the George Foreman, all meat is different depending on size/thickness.  I like to grill it on the GF for 4-6 minutes until thoroughly cooked (not gonna lie, I cut into it a few times to check!).  Serve!

iPhone photo dump...week of many firsts.

Sunday night has me all kinds of worn out so instead of posting with words I am going to use pictures this time around. I have been playing around with Diptic and have always been a sucker for a great collage. :) We'll see how this turns out.

I have had quite a week - met all of my students, their amazing parents, gone out and celebrated a successful first week, had a cowboy kind of night at the rodeo, and got to see my favorite Dallasites tonight for a family birthday celebration. I have never had more hugs, tears, cheers, and fears rolled into five days in my life.

I am practicing patience and gratitude side-by-side. I feel like I've got everything I was hoping and praying for this past winter as I prepared for this huge change, and at the same time and I find myself needing to catch my breath and reminding myself that things don't come without hard work and challenges. You aren't going to get anything perfectly. Nobody is 100% ready on day one. I jumped from small town to big city, traditional school to alternative curriculum, living alone to roommate, being far away from family to living down the road from "cousins" and a family birthday dinner, and relationship-land to single-mingler.

I do have to say that each morning I wake up and cannot wait to see what I am going to learn, what I am going to try, and where I might end up.

So.... I present to you the Sunday Phone Dump Volume 1:

back to school get-up * spirit day earrings * Target flats * 6 a.m. self-portrait 

personality boxes * first day with bells and whistles on * new school tote bag 

ice house evening * school-night dinner * happy birthday jessa 

rodeo friends * national anthem * chicken fingers * cowboys-in-training 

bakerella Dylan * my favorite third grader * dinners at bobby and tutu's 

classroom video tour!

I have been wanting to show my classroom to so many of my favorites who are living far away.  So, with the powers of the MacBook Pro Photo Booth, I am able to share!

Please excuse the "roller coaster" style filming skills - I was trying not to trip while I was carrying the computer around the desks and tables!  

Tomorrow is day one!  I will be sure to let you all know how it goes! XOXO!

How good was it?

THIS good. ;)

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"Texas Forever."

On Friday at lunch time I got a text from my roommate and her boyfriend.

last second invite.  a group of us are going to the ranch tonight to hang out -- interested?  leave tonight - come back tomorrow early afternoon.  should be really fun.  about an hour away.  

This situation pretty much embodies perfect timing.  Long week at school getting ready for my students in a few days, early morning alarm clock calls and coffee cup refills every few hours.  Did I need a get away?  You bet.

Friday night was one of those scenes you see out of a movie, or on Friday Night Lights where it is super Texas-ey.

 I could have sworn I heard Riggins reminding us to make memories.  

Full-blast bluegrass music on the drive up and a stop to get Dr. Pepper and Slim Jims at the gas station on our way out of town at sunset.  

Spicy chips and guacamole accompanied our BBQ tacos and cold beer for dinner.

We laughed until we cried while we played fishbowl until the wee hours of the morning.

Just when everyone was about to fall asleep and change into pajamas -- joyride!

Tangled up legs and arms and giggles in the back of the truck while flashlights and cold drinks bounced in the car in our hands as we chased sleepy cows on the property. 

A stop on the bridge to turn up the dance music - we all hopped out to roll down the grassy hill and kick up dirt as we shuffled along to top 40 hits.

After a sleepy morning in our pajamas, cuddling with the Dachshund Roxie, we ate a breakfast of coffee and bacon biscuits.  Squinting into the bright sun, we donned our swim suits and shorts, raced down the hill and squealed at the top of our lungs while we held hands and jumped into the green water.  

The paddle boats were broken and the bottom of the lake was sticky, but we swam out to the deep, cool part and relaxed in our life jackets in true Saturday style.  

A stop at chic-fil-a on the ride back home - still in our swim suits.  

Soaking through our tshirts, the sunscreen smell filled the car as we sucked down our peach milkshakes.  

Lyle Lovett playing in the background as we drifted in and out of sleep on 75.  

Even Moses smile, when he saw the promised land.

bonjour.

I have always been a lover of eggs.

I always keep my fridge stocked with hard boiled ones for snacks and before-school breakfasts on the go. My parents make one of the most incredible country breakfasts for all 4 of us when we are home together, and I can make a mean egg salad. My Mimi used to have farm-fresh eggs for us growing up at her house. Oh, and don't even get me started on how many deviled eggs I can pop into my mouth at a tailgate and/or tea party. Tonight I was feeling exhausted, not too hungry for a huge dinner and had some egg-cellent inspiration. (I have to have a pun in here - go ahead, judge me...)

This week is what would-have-been Julia Child's 99th birthday and she has been written up all over the place for her unique personality, brave trend-setting and love of eating and enjoying food with those she surrounded herself with. If you have never seen reruns of "The French Chef" on PBS or heard her unique chuckle and voice, you are missing out. I also would highly recommend reading this incredible memoir/adventure in the kitchen. THEN, (because we always read books before we see the movie version, right friends?) check out Meryl's fine performance on DVD. Sigh.

Any who - the first Julia video I ended up diving into on YouTube tonight was her simple French omelette. And let me tell you - make one this week when you are too tired to "really cook" but want something warm, fresh, and satisfying.


I had mine tonight with a simple salad on the side. Took me 30 seconds to make dinner.

Thank you, Miss Julia, for paving the way for other women in the kitchen, for not being afraid to make mistakes AND always admitting that you can't stop eating the things you love. We miss you, ma cherie.

ahhhhhh-stin.

or as some would spell it - AUSTIN. as in TEXAS.

What a wonderful weekend I was able to share with so many people on my "journey back home" last weekend. It was my last slice of summer vacation, an amazing reminder of the wonderful place where I was lucky enough to grow up, and a mix of so many strong emotions rolled into one!

I started off taking care of my godmotherly duties with Baby Everett and his sweet mama, Vanessa. I know I blogged about this sweet baby before, but get ready for some seriously cute pictures on a regular basis because I just canNOT get enough of this little guy. I saw him about 6 weeks ago, but he has already changed and grown so much!

and so begins the Everett montage....

in the kitchen with dad

we introduced the baby to butter and sugar this weekend - sorry mom!

favorite place: bathtub. He's definitely gonna be a swimmer! :)

newest trick - sitting up

so handsome in his homemade smocked outfit

toes!

sunbathing.

I have decided that I want to do 'bathtime' everyday with this little booger!

But seriously, what a special time to spend with this sweet, new family.

Never in a MILLION years did I picture myself holding Vanessa's SON on his baptism day when we were back in 5th grade playing "MASH", learning about boys, and using Instant Messenger in 1996. WOW! Vanessa and Anthony are already turning out to be wonderful parents and have created such a warm and happy home for themselves and their family. Vanessa threw a beautiful brunch for everyone after the service and I was so impressed by her cooking, hostess, flower-arranging, and preparing self. She is great at being an adult. :) Not only that, but it was fun to have some downtime with both of them (we definitely enjoyed ourselves some Maudie's mexican food and a little mini-happy hour with Anthony's home-brewed beers). I had not seen Vanessa's parents since her wedding and it was great to catch up with "Mimi" and "Jasper" as well. We went over to their house and swam in the pool and it was so great to see these two honorary parents again. I spent about 50% of my middle and high school years in their backyard - and what flashbacks we were all having!

The baptism itself was INCREDIBLE. Held in the same church (by the same man) as the Lee-Seach wedding 4 years ago, the small gathering of loved one was "small and perfect" (as Vanessa put it) just like Baby E! We got to stand around the font all together and got to bless him individually - sharing hugs, kisses, and pats along the way. Nick (the godfather and Anthony's younger brother) and I were so proud to be playing a huge part already in this little guy's life. I cannot wait to watch him grow up and to see him regularly now that I am back in Texas. (I already have his first birthday party penciled into my calendar! yay!).

After lots of love, hugging and kissing on my favorite mini-man, I headed across town to see my other favorite "baby boy" who is actually all grown up. My little brother Christopher headed off to college in Austin at UT this weekend and he and my parents were in Austin to move him in and get him settled - and of course to socialize with all of our old family friends.

What a special event (again! are you seeing the pattern? i am one lucky gal) I got to watch. I was a bit overwhelmed with emotions when I saw my parents and Kif at dinner the second night I was in town -
~how amazing is it to see your parents twice in one month's time?
~how did this little guy who used to drive me crazy in the playroom turning into such an adult?
~how has our family been so blessed through every transition we have had?
~how much have we grown and changed since we moved to Lubbock?
~how special is it to be so close to your siblings?
~how awesome to have moved "back home"?

babyface!

Needless to say, I had a bit of a teary-eyed meal with the family that night. My parents and I sat around and remembered all of the cute things he used to say ("SCHWEEET!") and all of the silly things the four kiddos used to do upstairs in our little world after school and on the weekends. I remember feeling unsure about having a boy land in the middle of girly-barbiedoll-land. But boy, have we all come so far! I cannot believe he will be going to frat parties, he won't be at home to answer the phone every time I call and my parents are out working in the yard, and that it is actually 2011 - the year we have talked about since he came home from the hospital!

We had all of our favorites that night -- Mexican martinis, choriqueso, the salsa we have been trying to recreate at home for years, and my favorite....the flautas plate.

After some rest, shopping OF COURSE at the outlet mall as Casanovas tend to do, a beautiful brunch at the you-have-to-try-this place, (did I mention we went to see Glee3D after dinner? No, I am not embarrassed to admit it), and lots of group hugs..... I made one last stop on my way back to D.



Did I mention that one of my swim-team buddies owns this place?

Don't forget to get your kiwi-strawberry with cream. :)

On my drive back all I could think is....I am so proud of Everett and Christopher and hope they know I am their #1 fan.

And now it's back to school time!
I have spent an amazing week with these ladies and am so looking forward to a great year.

Aunt Suzannes Bean Salad

Looking for something amazingly easy to make that you can enjoy for days?

Do you love recipes that taste better with time?

This is what I enjoyed tonight for dinner.


When I was in high school my sister Kiki and I used to babysit twin little girls. Their dad and our dad grew up together and the best part of every summer was when we got to accompany them to the beach for a week.

Those trips were so fun, Suzane and Jeff have been like an aunt and uncle to us ever since, and the first year we went, Aunt Suzanne taught us her favorite summer snack. Since then, the Casanovas have enjoyed this soupy bean salad every chance we get. It reminds me of summer, of my old house in Austin, of the twins Ellie and Rachel (who are so grown up!!!) and my sister.

The Bean Salad Recipe:

1 cup white vinegar
1/2 cup oil, not olive oil
1/2 cup sugar
2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 can green beans
1 can black-eyed peas
1 can corn
1 can red kidney beans
1 can wax beans
1 can garbanzo beans
2 fresh carrots sliced (get them soft in the micorwave)
1 red onion sliced

Rinse all the vegetables when you take them out of the can. In large bowl combine all beans and sliced onion. Make dressing and pour over beans tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate.









This recipe makes like 12-15 cups of bean salad, so take it to a potluck, serve it with BBQ, force feed it to your family/coworkers/roommates, or pack it for lunch for a week!

It is so easy and it gets better every day with the onion and vinegar marinating and the beans soaking up the juice so it will last a while. YUM!!!

Happy eating!

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my day in one picture

if it's the only thing i got done today, that's ok. she cut, copied, reprinted, measured, laminated, hot glued, re-glued and rearranged these letters more times than I can count.



were there moments I felt like screaming?
is it going to be all over the floor when I come in tomorrow morning?
is it worth it?
You bet!

thank god for the glue gun and sticky magnets.

oh, the crazy, tedious things we teachers do for our students!

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rest in peace

Five years ago this weekend my sweet Abuelo passed away. For me, he embodied so much generosity, gentleness of spirit and a love of life. I know we have been thinking about him and missing each other a lot lately. Our family has changed so much since then and I know he would be proud of each and every one of us.



que suenes con los angelitos

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greener grass

I had an awesome time tonight at a new bible study that my roommate invited me to. Loved meeting more people, reading names off of sticky tags and shaking hands with other newbie Dallasites. Of course, what Texas style group assembly would be complete without Mexican food to follow.

The message tonight really spoke to me and has me thinking and smiling to myself so I have to share.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
-from Psalm 23

There were so many layers to reading and discussing these short phrases tonight. Whether you are religious or not, I think that this message of peace and patience is so important, especially in my age group.

Tonight we talked about things that I want to remember and repeat back to myself as I ease into this transition and settle in. I want to think of the road that led me here in this way also:

~lie down~how often do i take the time to be still and just lie down with my thoughts? Are there times when I can, but instead I turn up the volume and put my headphones in so I don't have to think or worry about X, Y, or Z? I want to make myself balance and stop to think more often.

~makes me....green pastures~thinking of this green pasture as wherever you have been put, do we sometimes end up in a pasture we don't want to be in? Are there times when we have to stick it out so that we can learn something or serve a purpose in a "pasture" we never thought we would have ended up in?

I definitely have been feeling like Savannah was a pasture I lived in for a while where I was always looking over the fence at the lush offerings on the other side. But, while you sometimes think that you know what you need, it often times might turn out that you needed what you didn't want. I learned so much there about myself, teaching, all of the time trying to find love, and was in such a hurry to get out of there, but realized in the months before I left how much love was there. Loves like these:












What other pastures come to mind? Certainly jobs I have had in the past where I might have felt frustrated but not realized that the people I worked for were learning from me, or knowing that they taught me things I still use today.

This talk reminded me of Elizabeth Gilbert and her musings on spiritual growth, change, and self-discovery. I have gobs of her quotes saved and love to reread them.

The other problem is...you are never where you ARE. You are always digging in the past or poking at the future, but rarely do you rest in this moment...There's a reason they call God a presence - because God is right here, right now. In the present is the only way to find Him, and now is the only time.

In the end, I’ve come to believe in something I call “The Physics of the Quest.” A force in nature governed by laws as real as the laws of gravity. The rule of Quest Physics goes something like this: If you’re brave enough to leave behind everything familiar and comforting, which can be anything from your house to bitter, old resentments, and set out on a truth-seeking journey, either externally or internally, and if you are truly willing to regard everything that happens to you on that journey as a clue and if you accept everyone you meet along the way as a teacher and if you are prepared, most of all, to face and forgive some very difficult realities about yourself, then the truth will not be withheld from you.

And the newly found singledom I am embracing everyday is certainly one of many pastures I am crossing through on my quest. I am learning to spread out my picnic blanket, take off my sandals so my feet can feel the soft grass. I might put down my sword and lay on my back so that the sun hits the freckles on my nose. I might want to jump over the fence into dating from time to time, but I will sit and lie down in my pasture for as long as I need to. Who knows? There might be a cute boy in the right place at the right time... in a neighboring field who needs someone to keep him company on his blanket. Together we will be footloose and fancy free.




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What I wore

My teaching buddy at my new school Jessa has a precious blog and has turned me onto another site, What I Wore. Both of these precious ladies have me so excited about fashion and back-to-school kicks and I have been feeling inspired to get a little bit gussied up here in the big city.

Today, I give you my back-to-work FDO:
(that's short for "first day outfit" which is commonly used by my sisters to reference those first special days of August when we used to lay out our getup the night before our alarms went off for HCMS.)


Blouse - BCBG
Belt - j.crew outlet
Denim skirt - Anthro sale rack
Sandals - TJ Maxx

I am gonna miss my swim suit cover ups and workout-clothes-uniform but am so excited to explore the hidden gems of fashion in the emerald city.

In other news, my car decided she was not ready to give up her summer when i tried to start her bright and early this am and so we plunged into yet another chapter of "dead battery diaries" and it was a crazy start to my first day. Decided she needed a little wardrobe change and took her down to the auto shop after school. I hope she likes her new look!



I learned so much today. Of course I learned how to sign up for health benefits and how to plan check emails from parents, but there is so much more to be excited about. I got to collaborate. I got to learn new traditions and think about my classroom in a different way. I made room in my thinking for the ideas of my colleagues. I changed my mindset.

human beings, at their core, want to know that they matter

think of a classroom where everyone can be an expert at the same time that they are a learner

I definitely learned that sometimes things are out of your control and that the best thing you can show your boss is that you can be flexible and lighthearted when life calls on you to adapt. I learned that a true teammate shows up late with you on day one because she turned around after she got to work to pick you up.


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my iPhone

dear dallas,

i think i am falling for you.

weekend full of adventures and a brave new self. fresh friends. familiar faces. delicious new restaurants and dancing with an awesome cover band under the big texas sky.


don't let the heat get you down. just make sure you get your margarita frozen.


sunscreen, movie theater popcorn, and shiny store windows. clean sheets, friendly strangers, and charades.

cannot wait for things like football games, new school backpacks full of excitement and crisp evenings. but i am not quite ready to let summer go. she is oh-so-sweet.


alarm clock is set. can not quite believe how early my days will start now.

tonight i will surely be dreaming about pink toe nails, books by the
pool, and milking the warm weather for all she's worth.



r.i.p., first weekend.