And so it is...

So much has happened in last few days. My heart is about to explode with the thought of March being only three months away. Why March? Because March 27th will be the date of "The Big Day" as many are referring to it. Ryan and I, however, are referring to it as the day for our big party in celebration of our marriage. Weird, marriage:-). I can't believe how quickly it already seems to be approaching. I feel good though; I have no stress. Ryan has been full of great ideas and is great at helping me to simply make a decision. So, things done: the dress is bought and here, the site of the above mentioned party has been booked, colors picked, flowers just about finished, and music in the works. All-in-all, everything is going well on the wedding front.

As for all this time I have off, it seems to be taken up by plenty of fun things. I'm going Christmas shopping for the first time with my mom this week. We're doing a little brunch before hand. I'm very excited. I'm visiting a middle school this week as well. I want to catch up with as many girlfriends as possible. I feel as though I haven't had friends for the last few months, excluding my MIT-ers of course.

I'm also working on my unit for The Great Gatsby that I will teach in February. I want as much of the planning done before hand as possible. We'll see.

Ryan has made crazy progress on the new room and bathroom. With the help (motivation) of Harley, Ryan has: set the shower, installed the fan and light, and hooked up the heater. In no time we'll have it finished! To say the least, VERY EXCITING!

Well, I hope you all are enjoying the winter weather and enjoying the preparations for the upcoming holidays. Till next time!

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The End is Nearing

It's been a long road these last five months. But, it's the last week of school, and I have only one assignment left to finish. There are so many things I want to accomplish during the next month I have off. More to come... I must finish this last assignment!

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Tonight's Dinner

My mom would make this dish every now and again when I was kid. It always felt like a special occasion when she made them, maybe this is why I always have to gear up for the "big production" before I pull out the lean ground beef and start chopping the onion. Truth is, these meatballs are super easy to make, and the sauce can't be messed up. You can even make the whole dish ahead of time and throw everything, meatballs and sauce, in a slow cooker for all the flavors to mix and mingle.

These hearty sweet and sour meatballs have become a favorite of Ryan's and mine. It will be one of those dishes I make until I'm eighty, and that our future children will be sick of by the time they're ten.

So, try out the recipe below for a good almost-winter dinner. I serve the meatballs over jasmine rice. Dry sake is a nice touch too. Enjoy!


What you'll need for the meatballs:
1 lb hamburger
1/2 cup dry breadcrumbs
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 egg
(I always add in a little cayenne pepper)

What you'll need for the sweet and sour sauce:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 (13 ounce) can pineapple chunks
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 small green pepper, chopped

To make the meatballs:

Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together. Shape into balls. (Insert joke here)

Cook meatballs over medium heat, turning occasionally until brown, about 20 minutes.
Place meatballs in a bowl and set aside.

For the sauce:

Mix brown sugar and cornstarch in the same pan you made the meatballs.
Stir in pineapple (with syrup), vinegar and soy sauce.
Heat to boiling, stirring constantly, reduce heat to simmer.
Add the meatballs.
Cover, simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes.
Stir in green peppers.
Cover and simmer until green peppers are crispy-tender, about five minutes

(Thanks,Betty Crocker)

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Welcome to the "new" blog!

I have decided to focus on the blog more and Facebook less. I will be posting on a larger variety of topics. It seems like all I've been writing about is school, house, school, house. (I feel like I should throw in ROCK). Is that show still on? Anyway, check back for recipes, pictures, and other odds and ends. Thanks for reading!

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Thankful

This Thanksgiving flew by. Ryan and I made the journey up to my dad's for the day and dinner. We had a great time and realized that turkey is meant to be smoked. I made an apple pie, the turkey gravy, and a sweet potato dish. The dinner was enjoyed. Little Kylie Rae is growing up so fast. She also happens to have a crush on my man, typical little sister:-).

I'm trying to finish all my school work this weekend and Monday. So far, so good. It feels great to have an end in sight. I'm looking forward to Christmas, "Winter", break. I'm hoping to texture and paint the dinning room and living room walls and ceilings. Wish me luck. I'm pretty motivated. However, with all this school work, I may be in a coma for the first week!

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Agggg...

Greetings from Tully's on 78th! I must say I haven't been productive this last week, and it makes me wonder, WHAT IS GOING ON WITH ME??? I should be busy, I am busy. But it's not with what I should be busy doing. I should be writing my assessment plan, finishing a unit on Frankenstein, and I should be reading all those wonderful "teacher books" I absolutely treasure. I think I'm afraid to go all out. Wow, I said it. Once I start reading and writing, I don't stop. Suddenly, nothing matters and time gets away from me. What is wrong with this? Nothing, as long as I don't plan on going to class, seeing Ryan, having friends, or feeding the dogs. OK, enough with feeling sorry for myself. I'm working steadily now. Actually, I'm blogging.

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Fall is Here!!

Well, the backyard was seeded just in time for the rain, and blades of grass are shooting up everywhere. Whoo hoo! I have been busy making soup, student teaching, and going to night classes. I'm excited for the upcoming holidays which means some much needed free time!!!

My mom had her annual Autumn party this last Sunday. We made tacos, carved pumpkins, watched football, and even tried Mitch's new inverter machine (scary). It was a great evening, but of course we missed Ryan greatly! He is doing well up in Alaska, and we're planning on him coming home for the wedding in March.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving, Christmas, and hopefully a dive vacation late December. Ryan and I are starting to get antsy:-).

I hope you all have a safe and fun Halloween!

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