I love...

... watching my dog, Belle, sleep. I can't wait to do the same with a child some day.

... watching Law and Order, CSI, and Criminal Minds. If I liked science, I think I could have been a criminologist. As it is, I'll just be an armchair investigator.

... reading the "stuff" my students like to read. When kids are in their early teen years, the books tend to be high interest, quick reads. That combination is perfect for me. The other benefit is I get to connect to them through literature... a reading teacher's dream. :-)

... seeing my husband when he comes home. Sometimes I have to wait a few days while he is away on a business trip; other times I am lucky enough to see him every night. My heart still skips a beat when I know he's home.

... Yankee Candles (most of them). I wish they hadn't discontinued Hearts and Flowers, but I can forgive them... I suppose.

... being creative through so many different mediums: cardmaking, scrapbooking, knitting, cross-stitching... it's a good release.

... seeing my students when they "get it" finally after hard work. Their eyes light up and a smile starts to stretch across their faces... 'tis a beautiful moment. Wish I could capture it with a camera and store those images for the times when I am frustrated and want to cry from the anger and hopelessness that can also go along with the process.

... making lists. List-making is an easy brainstorming method for me. I like brainstorming in general though... don't tell my mom about the lists. Seriously. She'd never let me hear the end of it. ;-)

Kelly

The Sopranos

We started watching The Sopranos this past week. Since we don't have HBO, we hadn't seen it before. It's pretty intense. The mom/grandma on that show is a manipulating wench, isn't she? I've only finished through season one, so don't spoil it for me if you've watched it more! :-)

Speaking of not that at all... two weeks until spring break. I'm looking forward to some relaxation. Scrapbooking has been a thing of the past... cardmaking has taken a back seat... I could use some time just to take some walks, be creative, read for fun... time for myself. All of this adoption "stuff" has been grating on my last nerve and stress at school hasn't been helping. I need some "me time"... that selfish, self-energizing time we all need from time to time.

The fun news this week is that I won some ribbon from Jen! :-) That will inspire me to do some scrapbooking, won't it? Woohoo! Should arrive in time for spring break too... guess this partially-Irish woman had some March luck. :-)

In honor of the luck of the Irish... here's a yummy 'tater soup.

Irish Potato Soup

1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3 leeks, sliced
3 large baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
3 (14 1/2-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
Toppings: shredded Cheddar cheese, crumbled cooked bacon, chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in a large saucepan over low heat; stir in onion and leek. Cover and cook 20 minutes. Stir in potato; cover and cook 15 minutes. Stir in broth, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 30 minutes or until potato is tender. Remove from heat, and cool slightly.
Process soup in batches in a blender until smooth, stopping to scrape down sides; return to saucepan, and cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Serve with desired toppings. Yield: 11 cups

from Southern Living, MARCH 1999

Enjoy,

Kelly

Six years...

Well, it's been almost six years since my dad died. (He passed away from a brain tumor six years ago on March 25.) I miss him terribly. He was my compass... my guide for right/wrong. When I would have a problem I just couldn't solve, he was the one I called. As a result, these past six years have been tough because he is the one I would have called for advice to handle the stress of the death. Irony is an evil, twisted thing, isn't it?

Rain, rain... and other weather

We've had so much rain. The rivers and streams are all muddy and running out of their banks. I can't even imagine what it must have been like in New Orleans and other areas in the South after hurricanes have gone through. I've seen the aftermath of tornadoes, but that's such a strange natural disaster... in our town there was a grocery store that was 95% destroyed, but one aisle in that store was still standing and there was soda pop still on the shelf. Mind you, the entire REST of the STORE was pretty much missing, but the pop was there! Very bizarre.

We're in the upper 60's now and expected to have SNOW tomorrow morning. Welcome to Ohio.

Dinner tonight smells delicious. We're having a deli reuben bake from Market Day. It's a reuben casserole, basically. Yum.

Walked today? 0.8 miles... total thus far... 0.8 miles

Fine... here's your update

Bob was asking me why I hadn't updated this... um... because I've been busy?

Anyway, here's your update! ;-)

Today is an overcast day. One of those slightly miserable Saturdays where it's raining and dreary. In my opinion, very calming, actually. The hustle and bustle of the outside world seems to slow down a bit and even our dog is less obnoxious. (Granted, she's huddled up in a corner because she is afraid of storms, but at least she isn't barking at birds who venture into our territory.) I need days like today from time to time. Days that remind me to slow down. Days that seem to gently say, "Take it easy; you're stressing out too much." Days that just help remind me there is a bigger picture. I like these days. :-)

Because it's the kind of day that reminds me of Belgium, I'll include a Belgian recipe for Perfect Boiled Potatoes. Enjoy!

Perfect Boiled Potatoes

INGREDIENTS:
boiling or all-purpose potatoes such as red-skinned, Yukon Gold, or Yellow Finn (1/2 pound per person), peeled and halved or quartered depending on size
salt to taste
finely minced fresh parsley to taste
1
In a large saucepan, cover the potatoes with plenty of cold water, add the salt, and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook over medium heat until just tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
2
Drain the potatoes and return them immediately to the saucepan. Reduce the heat to low and dry the potatoes by holding the saucepan over the heat and shaking the potaotes around until all visible moisture is gone. Serve at once, sprinkled generously with parsley.