School's Out!!

My 7th year of teaching is over! It was a good feeling to walk out of there yesterday. I had a good year and overall great class but I'm so glad it's over! Next week I'll go in Monday to finish packing up my room for summer cleaning. Andy is going to come help for a while as my muscle man. Then Wednesday and Friday I have PD for next year. My team and I have reservations for PF Chang's on Wednesday. We received a gift certificate from our student teachers to use as a team so we've saved it for our end of the year celebration. I need to find a long term sub for maternity leave in the fall and that is worrying me right now. I'm dreading back to school time since I will be cow sized and having to unpack and set up my room without any energy! I hope I can find a good sub. Summer plans aren't set yet but we're hoping we'll be moving. We are going to West Virginia for several days - Andy has a youth mission trip there and the boys and I will be visiting his Nanny. We've talked about a short trip to Cinncinatti to take Wilson to an indoor climbing place and then take the boys to Kings Island. I want to take the boys swimming a lot (just have to get a maternity bathing suit first) and spend lots of time relaxing! I hope to have several Mary Kay parties over the summer (let me know if you want to host!!). Have a great summer!

Rori Ember

I'm an aunt, for the 8th time!!

Rori Ember was born last night around 7:30 pm. She was 9 lbs 11 oz and was induced early!! She was 21 1/2 inches long. James and Erin are the proud parents of two boys and now a little girl! I haven't seen any pictures yet but will post them when we receive them by email. They live pretty far away from here so we don't get to go visit them in the hospital.

*Update, Rori is home with her two big brothers now! Isn't she a doll?!

Good News!

I told you I believed in miracles! God is so good! Read the update post on Silas here!
The paperwork has been in China all along... Fed Ex is really confused!!

Why?

Please pray for Cara, Jason and Silas. Why do things have to happen like this? Things were moving so well and the tentative travel date was set for the end of June. Not anymore. Stupid Fed Ex.
http://seekingoursilas.blogspot.com/2008/05/really-disappointed.html

I guess this is not a smooth adoption time. My friend Jenn is also having adoption trouble with Guatemala. Stupid new PGN guy.
http://optimisticallywaiting.blogspot.com/2008/05/wrong-kinda-news.html

Sorry for the negative post. I just hate this for both of them. It makes your heart hurt. They want their babies so badly to be home and with their forever families. I wish that things would just miraculously work out SOON. I believe in miracles! Pray!

Signed Contract!

We have an official deal on the house!! We came to an agreement last night and re-wrote the offer with our realtor this morning. Our next 2 steps are to get a complete inspection and to go see the loan officer. Pray that the inspection will not produce any major problems. I'm starting to get excited! We went to Lowe's today to look at stove's. The stove in the house is about 30 years old, it is original to when the house was built. Apparently, it was a top of the line stove...THEN. It looks really old now! While we were there we picked up paint samples. Lots of khaki, blues, and greens. I'm excited about new paint colors! I was wanting to repaint here! Now we might get to do it in our new house!

We had a good day off. Wrote contract with realtor, went to the bank, post office and out to lunch. We tried Puccini's which was really good. Andy and I both got the lunch special b/c I had a coupon for it which came with 1 slice of pizza, salad, and a drink. The boys shared a slice of pizza and then we ordered 1/2 an order of breadsticks that come with homemade marinara. It was yummy! They also have calzones and pasta. The calzones looked really good. I definitely want to go back! Andy is off to high ropes training for a local college, he is wanting to be able to lead high ropes. The boys and are are having dinner at my mom's. I just made a dessert with Wilson - not sure what to call it. It is part of the Pampered Chef Confetti Crisps recipe but just the cracker/caramel/chocolate part. They are cooling right now. Yummy! Gotta finish up some laundry too.

I think I need to start putting a note on my alarm clock on days off that says, "Yes, you get to sleep in (until your boys wake you up!) today." I don't think I told you about how I woke up the day after my NB test and thought I'd missed the test. I woke up and said "I overslept, I missed the test." Andy was like, "no, it's Sunday. You took the test yesterday." Since then I've woken up panicked about oversleeping at least one other time. Today I shot up in bed at 6:15 and said "Crap, is it Monday?" Andy said "no, you're off, it's Tuesday." I don't like waking up with that panicky feeling!

Luke/House

Luke has the croup. I took him to the doctor today afterschool. He has a bad cough and had a fever yesterday. Apparently the croup is going around and there isn't anything you can do for that other than ibuprofen for the fever, cool mist humidifier, and honey for the cough. He did ask for more green beans tonight at dinner!
The basement floor of the house we're looking at is uneven due to settling. The structural engineer man came out to look at it today. He said this is very common with basement floors. They pulled the carpet back and checked it out. There aren't any cracks in the walls of the foundation or anything so he said it's not a big deal. If we get the house, before we get new carpet we can level the floor out. We are waiting to hear from the other realtor to see if he accepts our offer or not.

Picture Post

Here is the dinner from our PF Chang's post. Hungry anyone?

Andy got some really good pictures on his backpacking trip. I picked a few to share. Here's the group shot. I think this is the only picture with Andy in it!

He has a cool waterproof case for our camera which allowed him to get this picture.

He is planning to rappel off THIS in June. Don't even get me started...

Pretty flower!

Updates Around Here

* We're getting the basement floor of the house we made an offer on checked out tomorrow. After we know the cause of the uneven floor we'll continue with the counter-offer process. I really hope it's nothing major. I'm ready to know if the house is a possibility or not!! If it passes tomorrow then we'll just need it to have a good inspection. I'm just praying for peace about the situation and I know if this is the house we're supposed to have it will work out. It's just hard to wait and see!
* Wilson had two t-ball games this past week. He struggled at the beginning of each one since Daddy was working and couldn't be there. He pulled through though, each game and played in the outfield and batted! I'm SO proud of him when he hits and makes it to the base! Yesterday he told me when he grows up he wants to be a t-ball player!
* Wilson helped me with the cleaning yesterday! He vacummed the living room/dining room while I dusted. Then he wanted to clean some windows! He did a pretty good job. It was nice to have a willing helper!
* 8 more days of school!!! EIGHT!!!
* This next week 2nd grade has a BIG performance on Thursday and Friday. Our annual Fractured Fairy Tales program. I'm crossing my fingers that we can pull it off!! The kids are doing a great job.
* Mary Kay is going pretty well. I was the top seller in my unit last week! At the meeting I was the Queen of Sales and had to wear a tiara. It was a little embarrassing! Jenn and I kept laughing. Although she was technically the Queen of Pampering herself!!
* Andy got to go backpacking this weekend, one of the activities he loves to do the most! We're glad he's coming home! The boys and I did have a good weekend though!
*Friday night we went out to eat with my mom, dad, grandparents, aunt, and a couple friends. Saturday we ran some errands and did t-ball. Then had dinner at my grandparents. They had made Chicken & Dumplins, one of my favorites. But for some reason I wasn't feeling well. Got sick. Threw up everything in the middle of dinner. Came home put the boys in the bathtub and just felt awful. It passed and I'm feeling better today.
*Looking forward to Tuesday, no school!

P.F. Chang's?

Well, last night I tried a new recipe and it was a big hit! Andy isn't real fond of new recipes but when I found this recipe I really thought he'd like it. So our menu consisted of Chicken & Cashew Lettuce Wraps and Fried Rice. It was delicious. We love the Lettuce wraps at PF Chang's and these were a good at home version. Today at school Gayla suggested adding the rice noodles and I think that would be a good idea. The fried rice was made from a little seasoning mix, like a little envelope of seasoning. It was pretty good for fried rice at home. Here is the recipe for the Lettuce Wraps.
3 T soy sauce
3 T honey
2 T canola oil
1 1/2 pounds chicken cut into small chunks (I used 3 pieces)
pepper
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped (I buy the little jar of garlic that is already peeled and finely chopped)
1 t ginger or 1 T grated fresh ginger (I used the spice)
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and sliced
1 can sliced water chestnuts drained
1/4 cup unsalted cashews OR rice noodles like they serve at PF Chang's
1 small head Boston or Bibb lettuce, leaves separated (we used Boston but it wasn't sturdy or crispy enough!)

Combine soy sauce and honey. Set aside.
Heat oil in large skillet or wok over medium high heat.
Season chicken with pepper and cook, stirring occasionally,until it begins to brown, about 3 min.
Lower heat to medium and stir in garlic and ginger. Add the scallions and cook 1 minute longer. Stir in water chestnuts and half of soy sauce mixture. Continue to cook until chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat and sprinkle with the cashews. Spoon onto lettuce leaves. Serve with the remaining soy sauce mixture for drizzling.
We didn't have leftovers!
I'll have to post the picture later, Andy has the camera!

My toe...is NOT broken!!

Well, my clumsiness got the best of me Monday night. Our realtor had just come over so we could make an offer on the house and I was pushing the highchair away from the table. Somehow I managed to stub the 4th toe on my right foot - bad. It hurt so much but I couldn't yelp in pain or cry because our realtor was there. No one knew what I had done I hid it so well. While we were sitting at the table I knew my foot was hurting . I took my sock off (inconspicuously) and checked it out. It was swollen and already bruising. Now, I've stubbed my toe several times in my life time and NEVER had a toe bruise. This one is pink and purple all over, top and bottom as of today. It's been sore. I called the doctor this morning and they said they did want to check it out. My appointment was a 3:40. I walked out at 5:20. I saw the doctor, had 3 x-rays on my foot, (I was triple shielded and they only got x-rays of my foot) then went back upstairs to the doctor. No fractures. Just a bad bruise. Whew! (I had trouble getting a good picture of the bruising. A lot of the bruising is underneath my toe.) If you haven't read my other foot post about my clumsy foot stabbing you should read this!

News!

So last night Andy and I made an offer on a house! We heard the counter offer today and re-countered this evening. We've found a realtor that has been very helpful and nice. She has offered good advice. The house we've made an offer on is 2900 square feet! Over twice as big as our current house. It has 4 bedrooms, 3 full bathrooms, a huge rec room in the basement a laundry room and a small room that is a big storage closet. Plus a deck, two fireplaces, a huge garage, and a whirlpool bathtub in the master bathroom! It seems too good to be true. The house needs work. Lots of work. It has so much potential though. It has been a rental for 5 years and renters just don't take good care of things it seems. The house we are in currently was a rental and it needed TONS of work. That is how we get good deals on homes we couldn't otherwise afford! Thank goodness I have a super handy husband that fixes things very professionally.
So honestly I'm trying not to get overly excited- there is an uneven area on the basement floor we're getting looked at this week to make sure it's not damage to the foundation from water damage or something. Plus, he has to accept our offer/come to an agreement. And the home has to pass the complete inspection. So, I'm trying to be cautiously excited about the possibility. I'm honestly not obsessing over it- I have a sense of peace about the whole thing. I know if this is the home for our family it will work out. Oh, and the best news of all- the realtor that is selling the home also owns the home. He wants to do a trade. Meaning he will buy our home - AS IS - . Yes, you read that correctly. We would have money to put down towards the new home and only have 1 closing and not have to get our house ready to sell or on the market or ANYTHING!!! This is HUGE! So a big plus for this specific home to work out. Say a prayer that we can come to an agreement and there are no major issues with the home.

Happy Mother's Day!

It has been such a wonderful day! I got to sleep in and the boys woke me up with breakfast in bed. Wilson chose to make cinnamon rolls and Andy had made me an omelet. Wilson and Luke had colored me pictures and brought in these balloons they had gotten when they had pictures made for mother's Day!! Andy took the boys to the mall and had their pictures made for me without me knowing! I've had "picture appt" on my to do list FOREVER so this meant a lot to me. The pictures are so good and they are in coordinating polo shirts and look so happy. They were so proud of themselves for having kept it a secret and I was proud of them too. It was a GREAT present. After church we ate lunch at Moe's and then I cam home and took a good, long nap. The best part is Andy doesn't have to work tonight so he is home for the rest of the evening! He usually leaves for work about now and gets home around (or after) bedtime. We will really enjoy having him home tonight!

What a Week!

Wow, it was a busy week. I'm so glad it is the weekend. I was very spoiled at school this week, however, with it being Teacher Appreciation week. Each day my students brought in gifts- Monday they each brought a flower which made a beautiful bouquet, Tuesday they brought snacks and filled a cute tub up with Twix, Diet Dr. Pepper, Wheatables, and gum! Wednesday they brought in notecards- one that they had written in and a blank notecard for me to use. Thursday was teacher supplies so I now have lots of new stickers, post its and colorful pens! Friday they went over the top and presented me with a very generous gift card to Ann Taylor Loft, for after the baby! On top of that the PTA had something for us each day as well. Monday morning was Panera bagels, fruit and coffee with tons of flavored creamers. Tuesday was a salad luncheon- tons of different salads and desserts. Wednesday was snack day so they had all kinds of individually wrapped snacks you could take as you walked through the lounge- so much variety they must have bought out Sam's! Thursday was a picnic luncheon with Stanley J's potato salad, pickles, chips, Jimmy John's subs, and cookie cake from the mall! That was probably my favorite! Friday was dessert- they had brownies with vanilla icecream, whipped cream, and homemade fudge sauce for after your lunch. Everything was so good. I am so lucky at my school and I feel VERY appreciated!

Done!

The NB certification process is done!! At least until November when I find out if I passed or not! I feel very good about the test I took yesterday. I think I did well. It wasn't as hard as I thought it would be!

We had a great rest of the day. I came home and ran down the street to a birthday party of one of my students for about 1/2 an hour. My mom came and took the boys to see the racetrack, horses, and all kinds of stuff. They ended up having so much fun they were gone for a long time!
During that time Andy and I had a lunch date and went to eat Chinese food. That spur of the moment, just the two of us stuff doesn't happen much anymore so that was really nice! Then we came home and relaxed and I started getting ready for my Mary Kay Debut. Which is this afternoon. Andy went to Lowe's and bought a shelf for my inventory and I unpacked the boxes and cleared them out of the foyer! Much better. Hopefully there will be at least 10 people at Cara's today for the debut.

Yesterday early evening Wilson had a t-ball game. He did great! Ran after several balls in the outfield and was up to bat twice. He hit the ball and made it to first base both times! He even scored his first run. At the end he walked across the field with his team to give high five's to the other team. That was the first time he participated in that. He is really enjoying t-ball now!

Last night Andy and Wilson mowed the front yard while Luke and I picked up sticks. It was a great day!

Test Day

So, I'm up getting ready to go take my National Board test. Wish me luck and PRAY! I'm feeling pretty good. I know I can do this. I have to be there at 8:30 and should be done by 12:30 or 1 according to the info I've read. In just a few hours, this whole NB thing will be DONE! Then we'll just waiting until Novemberish to see if I passed this year or not! (It takes many people 2 years to receive certification). Off to get ready!