Chicken Noodle Soup

Another great recipe because you just throw it all in the crockpot and it does all the work! Now that's my kind of cooking!

Put the following in a crockpot in the morning on LOW:
3 cans of chicken broth (14 oz)
2 cans cream of chicken
3 boneless, skinless chicken breast

1 1/2 hours before dinner add:
16 oz bag Reames Noodles (HEB has these in the freeze section.)
Vegetables (I grated 3 carrots, but you can add more veggies!)

Meet the Teacher!

Meet the teacher was a success! I got to meet about a third of my sweeties and hopefully make them feel a little less nervous and a lot more excited about the first day of school. It definitely made the teacher feel less nervous thank goodness! Yes, teachers get first day of jitters too. Maybe even more than the students. We just can't show it. Though most of the students were shy at first they quickly warmed up when they noticed Peanut, the class hamster. Who would have thought that a small little rodent could be the perfect bridge between teacher and student?

Thankfully, I only had one family in my room at a time so I was able to pay special attention to each student. While the parent was filling out all of the necessary paperwork and goodness gracious there's a ton and more on the way, I got to surprise the students with a little treat...magic confetti! Each student had a poem on their desk with a bag of confetti attached. I'm sure parents will love me after having to vacuum this up on the first day of school when the morning is already crazy enough. (All credit for this wonderful creation must be given to one of the most amazing 1st grade teachers I know, Mrs. Stagg, who was gracious enough to share this with me!)

A few memorable moments from the night...

One, when a curious little first grader attempted to open the door to Peanut's cage. That'd be a great first impression at my new school and a great way to make a name for myself, right? Thankfully I've started to gain those necessary "eyes in the back of my head" and happened to turn around just as he was opening the door. Avoided that potential moment of chaos. This will definitely be one of the first lessons taught on Monday.

Two, when I'd hear parents and students walking down the hall trying to pronounce my new last name. Some of the attempts to pronounce it were quite humorous, but it made for the perfect ice breaker. Good thing I'd already planned on being called Mrs. G! That'll make things a little easier for my little six year olds. Once they master how to spell it, they've pretty much mastered the alphabet though!

Three, when one student came in smiling ear to ear bursting with excitement and explained that he was ready for summer to end so he could be in my class. Talk about melting my heart! The sweetie didn't stop smiling the whole time he was in my room and gave me the biggest bear hug when he left. Teachers  live for little moments like that, and it's true...they make it all worth it.

Bring it on Monday!

Bar-B-Cups Recipe

One of our favorite recipes! It's already become a staple in our dinner menus! Takes barely any time at all to make and leaves leftovers! What could be better? Borrowed from the kitchen of the wonderful Karen Winn!

Ingredients
1 pound ground beef
1/2 onion, diced
1 cup cheddar cheese
Pillsbury Crescent Rounds or Pillsbury Biscuits (8 to 10)
BBQ Sauce of choice

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Brown meat with onion. Make sure there is NO pink left!
3. Stir in BBQ sauce, your preference on how much!
4. Grease a muffin tin. Press the crescent rounds/biscuits into the tin, as thinly as you can without going up and over the edges.
5. Fill each crescent with the beef mix.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes. Take out, sprinkle on cheese. Put back in an watch until crescents start to brown and puff!
7. Serve and enjoy! Try not to eat all of them!

Self Realizations After Marriage

1. I'm a sheet stealer...so says the hubs! Honestly, I like to think of him as a sheet pusher because he's just so selfless. I just benefit from his act of service and subconsciously & willingly accept his offer of the covers somewhere in the middle of the night. The result...I have all the covers in the morning, leaving him with maybe a corner of the sheet. Oops!

2. I'm not afraid of the kitchen anymore, much to Kyle's relief! True story...Kyle's a better cook than I am, but I'm out to change that! Watch out babe! During college and our three and a half years of dating, he was the main cook, and I'd  always clean up the dishes. I used the excuse that I love cleaning and doing the dishes...which is actually true...but the real story is that I was afraid of the kitchen. Well, you can't really be afraid of a kitchen with a yellow oven. Not yellow because of dirt and grime though. Yellow because that's how it came back in the 70s when our apartment was built. At first, I didn't like it and thought it was an eye sore, but feelings can change. I've come around and am quite fond of it now. I like to say that it adds personality. So since my recent friendship with our yellow oven, an assortment of meals have arrived at our dinner table that I think have met the hubs expectations. Homemade chicken noodle soup, chicken parmesan, Bar-B cups, and Ritz crusted basil and parmesan tilapia just to name a few! I'll get around to posting the recipes at some point!

3. I've gone from type A to type A minus. I'll never be a type B, but I must admit the perfectionist in me has begun to dwindle. This is a good sign as I think a 1st grade teacher would go crazy trying to keep twenty something kids perfectly clean, organized, and mess free 24/7. I began to notice the change during the weeks leading up to the wedding. For anyone with an upcoming wedding, it's true...the last few weeks you keep finding lots of little things that have to get done that you wouldn't have thought of back in the beginning stages of planning. (I'll make a post about tips later!) Well most people may think I'd be very particular about these little details, but you're wrong my friend. My favorite answer became "do whatever you think is best". Thankfully, this attitude continued post wedding. When our TV stand finally came in...a month after we ordered it I might add...we were surprised the next day to come home to a large crack down the side of it. The crack wasn't there when we got it but rather was caused by our lovely TV given to us by Kyle's groomsmen...props boys! The TV was just too heavy, but I'm not complaining. I love watching Say Yes to the Dress on a 47 inch TV just as much as Kyle likes watching sports on it. Well how'd we fix the crack? Did we call up the store and ask for a new one? Nah, logically, I just let Kyle color it in with a sharpie! And yes, I'm quite proud of myself.

A Taste of What's to Come...

Here goes nothing! I must confess I've never been one to write in a diary, journal my thoughts, or just sit and reflect. My "have to be busy all the time" personality and the slight perfectionist in me hasn't served me well in these areas of life. However, times have changed and though life is about to get crazy busy, I want as many ways as possible to remember this exciting time in our lives.

On May 20, a week after graduation for both of us I might add, I married the love of my life and have absolutely loved every second of married life with Kyle! About a month later, he started his new job as the Relationship Manager & Volunteer Center Coordinator at the Brazos Valley United Way! Getting to make him breakfast in morning and pack his lunch is by far one of my favorite ways to serve him and my favorite times of the day...other than at 5 when he gets home! We're both so excited to see how the Lord uses him, what He teaches him, and how He grows him in this new job. Now, I graduated as an Interdisciplinary Studies major...really just a long name for Education major...in one of the toughest times to find a teaching job. The Lord showed his faithfulness though as I was offered and gratefully accepted a 1st grade teaching job at Crockett Elementary in Bryan ISD. For me, this means pouring into and loving on over twenty 6 year olds, but for you it means funny stories and hopefully some good teaching ideas!

So we'll see what this blog evolves into! I'm thinking it may just be some of this and some of that...a little bit of everything from a new wife and a new teacher!