High Five for Friday!

1. This week was what I deemed my first official week of summer. 

No obligations, no travel, no anything!

2. My women's bible study is off to a good start. 

We're reading through The Power of a Praying Wife.

It has already lead to some great discussions and a new mindset on how to truly pray for your spouse.

3. We finalized vacation plans finally. 

I always feel so much better once everything is finalized. 

4. I spent a good chunk of my day on Pinterest this week and came away feeling super productive.

Pinning = Productivity?

For real, I found some great things for my classroom for next year!

I can't wait to start making some of the projects I've found.

5. I successfully made ribs in the crockpot this week. 

I've always been nervous to try them, but they were on sale this week so I decided now was my best bet.  

Ready for some more butterbeer!

Not too much going on around here, but I'm okay with that!

Hello Summer!

Between switching over computers, trips, and the end of the school year there just hasn't seemed to be any time!

However, it officially is summer now and I actually have time to post. 

Lots has happened since I took my unplanned break. 

1. My niece lost her first tooth!

It fell right out of her mouth after dinner one night and we had to search the sidewalk in the rain for it. Lucky for her, we found it and the tooth fairy was able to make her first appearance.

2. Right after that, she celebrated her 5th birthday!

We went to Legoland and Sea World to mark the occasion. 

Sea World has gotten way better over the years, Legoland, not so great.

       

3. It's been the beginning of wedding season around here. 

The following weekends were filled with bridal showers, including my beautiful best friend's!

4. That brought me right up to the end of the school year.
I'm so thankful my first year is finally over and can't wait to dive into next year!

Some lovely parting gifts!

5. Right after school ended, we left for a family vacation to the beach.
Despite Kyle and I getting slightly burned the first day, we had a lot of nice relaxing time hanging out on the beach.
           
6. We left vacation early in order to get back for my best friend's bachelorette party.
We stayed on the beach, and luckily it was gorgeous weather!
    \    

High Five for Friday

 1. I finally have my new computer up and running! 

Going from a Mac back to a PC is NOT fun!

 2. My birthday was a few weeks ago and I go some wonderfully sweet cards from my students!

3. On the night of my birthday, Kyle took me out to dinner. 

When we got home the power was out in the house. 

Thankfully I had gotten a new huge candle for my birthday. 

Unfortunately, we didn't get to do a lot of the things Kyle had planned. 

This one makes me think of The Help "you is kind, you is smart, you is important."
 

And of course, who doesn't like "poos" sometimes I'm really thankful for pictures!

4. Teaching Kindergarteners how to write makes me giggle. 

Their sweet innocence trying to sound out the words is wonderful. 

5. I joined a life group at my church finally! 

I've been wanting to get involved in a women's one and they just started one!

It's a bible study and fitness class which is pretty awesome, and has been a great motivation to start working out at least a little.

Goodbye Mac, Hello PC

For my birthday, Kyle built me a new desktop.

My laptop has been getting slower and slower even after being fixed. 

So I agreed to let him get me a new one.

However, it's taking FOREVER to switch everything over since I'm going from everything Apple back to a PC.

I'm still slightly sad to be switching away from my Mac, but I love the new computer

At the moment I can't get any pictures off of my phone!

Hopefully we'll get it all switched soon and I'll be able to make a real post!

Peasant Bread

I found this bread, where else but pinterest. 

Of all the bread's I've tried this one is not only the easiest, but my favorite. 

I've made it multiple times since finding it in December.

The original recipe makes two loaves. 

I typically only make one at a time so the ingredients and directions below are what I do. 

Ingredients:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon salt

1 cup lukewarm water

1/2 tablespoon sugar

1 teaspoon active-dry yeast

1 tablespoon butter. 

Directions:

1. In a large bowl mix flour and salt. 

2. In a smaller mixing bowl, dissolve sugar into the water. 

Sprinkle yeast on top and allow to sit for a few minutes till foamy. This ensures that the yeast is active.

Stir it up and mix it in with the dry ingredients.

 This is what your dough should look like. 

3. Cover with a tea towel and set in a warm place to rise for 1.5 - 2 hours, until the dough has doubled.

4. Using the butter, grease an over safe bowl. I use a 2L pyrex bowl. 

Using two forks, scrape the dough out of the bowl making sure to flip the dough in on itself. 

Place the dough in the grease bowl. 

Allow to rise for 30 minutes. It should be about to the top of the bowl.

In the greased bowl before rising.

5. Pre-heat oven to 425F.

Once the dough has risen, bake for 10 minutes. 

Reduce the heat to 375F and allow to cook for 22-25 more minutes.

Remove from over and turn out onto cooling rack. 

The bread should fall right out!

 Finished bread!

Bits and Pieces

Spring Break was wonderful.

Unfortunately realty hit and it's taken me a few days to get back into the swing of things. 

Randomness from the past week include:

1// Made my favorite bread (recipe to come!)

2// We bought jellybeans around Easter. 

Kyle keeps leaving me piles of my favorite colors. This one was on the side of the bed.

3// We've had some crazy rainy weather.

There was even a tornado warning at school the other day!

4// I hate making bacon on the stove because it always pops at me. 

Kyle decided using his sunglasses would be the appropriate way to avoid splatter.

5//Got my birthday reward on my Starbucks card!

Can't wait for my birthday!

 6// Kyle started looking into building me a desktop computer this week. 

I'm sad to switch back from my mac, but excited to have a computer with no issues again!

 

 

The Fault In Our Stars

I rarely read a book that makes me feel as many emotions in a 300 page span as this book did. 

 Once again, this book was on my to read list, but not one that I would typically read. 

I started The Fault in Our Stars, only knowing that it was about a girl with cancer.

I had no idea if it would be funny, sad, or keep me interested.

At one point, I was laughing and Kyle looked at me weird and said, 

"isn't that a book about kids with cancer?"

Yes, yes it is, but their situations are so real.

I really enjoyed this book because it felt so real to me. 

As I read I wasn't sure where it was going to go, 

yet at other parts I couldn't figure out what else was still going to be written.

Not that I could ever relate to what was happening in the story, but I felt connected to the characters.

I felt like their story was real life. 

It didn't gloss over the harsh reality of disease to give you this happy story. 

There were so many parts and so many things that happened.

It didn't feel like a story to me, but that I was hearing about their daily lives. 

Everything was connected, but not really.

I loved Hazel and Gus's relationship, 

no, their relationship isn't a normal teen relationship, 

but at the same time it really is. 

They were just two teenagers falling in love and trying their best to navigate the situations that they were going through in life. 

They were so defined by their disease, and yet they were just normal teenagers trying to get the most out of their lives before they ended. 

I loved how Hazel tells her parents she feels like a grenade, destined to damage those near her. 

Then later, when she realizes that her parents are planning for their future it seems to give her closer on her own life. 

You won't walk away happy, I cried my eyes out in the end, 

but I'd still recommend this book and am really glad I ended up buying it.