Menu...Tuesday: Braised Carrots

Every Monday, I think, "I need to get back to blogging."  And then I don't.  :(

As you probably saw with the last post, I lost my mama and have been dealing with that the last two months, which is part of the reason I've been away.  Just as things started to settle back down, I got a new job!  I start Monday as the Associate Director of the Academic Success Center!  So I figured I might as well dive in; otherwise, I will be waiting forever for things to get back to normal.

Speaking of normal--or rather, the abnormal--I've been rubbish about cooking lately.  I haven't been too interested, very little sounds good, and/or I'm too exhausted by the time I get home.  (I've been working until 6 for weeks now to make up for time I missed.

But, by George (the Duchess's baby!), I'm getting back to it this week.  Last night, we did veggies, and I made these braised carrots because my usual glazed carrots recipe was too much work.  I was too lazy/tired to pull out my fancy camera, so iPhone will have to do.

BRAISED CARROTS

1 lb. baby carrots

1/2 cup water

2 Tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

1.5 Tbsp. butter

1 Tbsp. parsley

pepper

-Place carrots in the bottom of large skillet (so none are stacked on top of each other).
-Add water, sugar, salt, and butter.  Bring to a strong simmer and let cook for 15-25 minutes (depending on how thick your baby carrots are).
-Once the carrots are tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, remove from heat, pepper and stir in parsley!  Easy peasy!

Happy New Year!

I'm posting from Chicago today! We are packing up to head to O'Hare because we go back to work tomorrow. *boo* I've been out of pocket since the snow break we had at the beginning of December: once we got back from the snow days, we were busy with finals, grading, Silver Dollar City, wrapping up work, finishing things up for Christmas, Zach's Grandpa's funeral, Christmas festivities, and traveling to Chicago for the New Year. Gosh, December goes by too fast...

Here's to 2014!  I've got some nice goals lined up regarding my health, serving others, showing gratitude to God, reading, writing, and ironing. Yes, I've resolved to iron our clothes more! (They look so much nicer. :)

How are you celebrating the New Year? Any resolutions?

Gratitude Journal: To teach is to touch a life.

I bet you thought I was going to be reeeeeeal sappy with that title, right?

WRONG.  ;)

Remember that teach that wore the same thing in his yearbook photo for, like, 40 years?

(He's over here.)

Yeah, he's still got something on me.

(More accurately, 37 years...)

BUT.

THIS.

I've worn this blouse at some point during the first week of classes for the past three years now. In fact, I bought this shirt during my first week of teaching (at NWACC--I was already teaching at U of Px).

(I paid next to nothing for it with a $10 Kohl's gift card.  They send those babies out all the time in the mail!)

I accessorized it with my chaotic jazz hands, terrified eyes, and gaping mouth. Because those are the BEST accessories. Annnnnd THAT is how scary students are.

BUT. I'm EVOLVING. Not so as scared of those kiddos anymore. I'll get up there and sing jingles, tell them all about my slimy first kiss, and punctuate "y'all" properly to try to get them to learn SOMETHING about writing.

That's why, this year, I'm like: BRING. IT. ON.

Because it's actually quite a bit of good fun to make a foo' o' yo'self.

In reality, I do take this calling very seriously.  I feel so blessed to be teaching my eleventh class this semester, my ninth at NWACC.  I get so excited thinking about how my students are going to move on from my class, get through school, and go on to live their dreams!  I have future nurses and engineers, lawyers and business owners, writers and future colleagues in my class.  And honestly, this is the first semester that I have been more excited than nervous to meet my students and see how we are going to rock this class.  All of the assignments are going to deal with advertisements, which = Mad Men.  Score.

Of course, don't come near me an hour before six Thursday evening.  I'll be quakin' in my boots.

Wish me luck!

What I Wrote This Week

 Of course, I wrote this stud a little Valentine's message last week.  I'm too private to share even the front of the card, but I have to say that his card to me beat mine by miles.  He MADE his card:  It's a photo card with a picture of us on the front and this sweet message inside.  :)  I took it to work to put on my desk.  It makes my heart melt every time I see it!  I took this photo when testing out my new camera over the weekend.

Tomorrow will be celebrated by two special kiddos:

 Three years ago, Mr. Drake Ryder Lockridge was born!  He is the youngest of one of my best friends (Tasha) and baby brother to Briley Renee.  I actually didn't get to be there on the day he was born (unlike Briley, who got me to the hospital at 2 in the morning!) because I had a night grad class, but I made it up there the next day to meet the little man!  It makes me sad that I haven't gotten to watch him grow up like I did with Briley because I was in grad school the first few months of his life before we moved away.  :(  But I am so thankful for this little boy!  He is a BIG blessing (and a handful)!!

I have this photo on our fridge.  :)

Drake's first birthday at Gammy Renee's

Briley was being a little stinker with the icing!

 Drake's First Birthday

 Drake's Second Birthday

This was after I had been sick and was recovering, which is why I have steroid moon-face.  (My hair was super thin, my face was super fat, I had just gotten glasses.  Blurgh.  I cut my hair off that following week!)  We missed 3/4 of the party because we had lunch with Zach's family, then drove two and half hours to visit my sister Amanda who was down from Michigan, and finally made it to Drake's party after driving another hour.  Then we had to drive four back home!  I'm sad we are missing his party this weekend, but I know he will have a great day at Larry's Pizza!  Happy birthday, Mr. Drake!  Aunt Byrdie loves you!

Tomorrow is also Miss Zoe Alexandria's birthday!  Our dear friends Rob (who has been Zach's friend since Zach was, like, fifteen) and Mechelle (who is actually Tasha's Aunt Tay's best friend) adopted these kiddos last year after much prayer and problems over the past few years.  They have been HUGE blessings to all who meet them, and I'm thankful we will probably get to see them next month at the LEGO meeting.  :)

Zoe with her younger brother D.J.

Zoe with the throne she built during the LEGO club meeting

Happy birthday, Zoe!  We are thankful you are in our lives!

Until we can see these kiddos, I'm sending them some cute cards to tide them over.  :)  I love the kids cards at Target--they are so colorful!

What I Wrote This Week

Instead of mailing something, I actually sent something digitally this time around.

Arkansas Children's Hospital is asking for Valentine's for their patients.  The goal is for each patient to receive 10 Valentine's Day cards.  This is a GREAT hospital; it was always where my family took me when I was really ill, it was the hospital my primary physician would always refer us to (and not just because it is a children's hospital), and this is where I was diagnosed with Crohn's and put in remission for several years.

I tried to add a punny little message with each one I sent.  For example, with the Honey Bee one, I added a tongue twister:  Buzy buzzing bumble bees buzz busily below the beehive.  It was a lot of fun, especially knowing how nice it was to receive little "happy's" while I was in the hospital.  To send your own Valentine's, visit here.

How are you spreading the love this year?  I can't wait for our little celebrations this week!

What I Wrote

I've been writing and sending cards and such--I just have been bad about posting that on here.  The following are what I have sent the last three weeks.

My friend Monica has a friend named Stacy who lives in Arizona.  She is so sweet and funny and always sends us a Christmas card though not even I have met her!  (We did talk on the phone once or twice.)  Her friend's little boy has had health problems since he was born, and recently, he was diagnosed as possibly having a germ cell tumor and will have to undergo chemo at some point.  A few weeks ago, his dad asked that, if folks were willing, they could send him some mail.  I found this sweet "Get Wellelephant" card after I had searched high and low in the card aisle at Walmart.  (Um, there are not many "Get Well" cards for small children.)  But this turned out to be perfect as Logan LOVES elephants!  Stacy said he hung it in his room.  We also sent some Batman stickers for his sticker book.

I believe I have mentioned a little boy named Easton on here before.  I went to high school with his parents, and in the summer of 2011, he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.  Praise God, he is in remission now!  When I started following his Facebook page, I also found a page for a little boy named Kipton.  Kipton also was diagnosed with ALL around the same time Easton was, and February 10 marks one year since his rebirth--when he went into remission after receiving a bone marrow transplant.  His mom asked that "Kipton's Krew" (his supporters) send postcards to celebrate his rebirth.  I decided I needed to send one of the Walton 5 & 10, now the site of the Walmart Visitors Center, since we live in the town where Walmart was started.  Can you believe this postcard was 25 cents?!  That's almost five-and-dime prices!  This is an artistic rendering of the center, but here is an actual photo:

I've learned that if we open our eyes, there are people all around us that can use some encouragement.

Finally, my niece Lexi turned 17 (!) yesterday!  Since we couldn't be there, we mailed her birthday present and card.  I found her some darling jewelry--matching blue necklace and earrings, purple earrings and a ring to wear on pep rally days (their high school colors are purple and white), and some silver bird earrings.  She LOVED them and called today to thank us for them.  She also loved that Zach didn't sign her card because he didn't want to contaminate it with germs.  I love that sweet girl!  Here are some photos from over the years (since I didn't get a picture of her gift):

 a picture of Lexi (age six-ish) and me (sixteen, almost seventeen!) at Christmas

Gosh, her hair already looked much better than mine!

 at my wedding reception in December 2009

Lexi was thirteen, and Will was seven.

our most recent Christmas celebration 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LEXI!  WE ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!  LOVE YOU, CHICA!

What I Wrote Wednesday

Last week, I sent a little card to my cousin Erin, who is pregnant and on bed rest.

You can see a bit of the card through the envelope.  It is from a set Zach got for me on our first wedding anniversary (paper) with my name and a bird image.  (He used my maiden name and initial as that is what he calls me.  My first name and maiden name go together very well and are usually said in one run-on breath!)  He also got me a wax stamp, which I used, but as you can see, I dribbled a bit of the wax!

Today marks the 29th day of bed rest, and little Keegan Michael has made it to 37 weeks (technically, full term)!  So my newest second cousin should be arriving any day now.  I can't wait to see Erin and her husband Nick meet their son and grow as parents, and I can't wait to love on that baby.  :)

Erin and Nick have been together since we were in high school and went to the UCA together, where Erin and I were roommates for two years, our roomies helped Nick put together his proposal, and we were all in their wedding, etc. etc. etc.  (Nick proposed on the football field after the homecoming game, and then they got married in front of the school fountain.)  In short, we (Erin, Nick, our roommates, and I) have a long history together.  My cousin was probably my first friend as our dads lived in the same town when we were small, so we were just blocks from each other for a few years.  And after my parents divorced and we moved to another town nearby, Erin and I ended up at the same middle school through high school.

I'm so thankful for my cousin and for all our memories.  And I can't wait to have many more, starting with Mr. Keegan!

Erin and I as babies

We are about six months apart.

I hope you aren't afraid of clowns!  Also, I'm pretty sure the kid in the back went to high school and college with us...

 Maybe we were running away together?  I suspect we were about five or so here.

Easter 98?

We were in middle school/junior high and ever so awkward.

my high school graduation in 2003

Since Erin is six months younger, she just missed the cut-off date and started school a year later.  We were getting slightly less awkward here.

NYE 2006-2007

 This is with our roommate Emily in 2007.  Our other roommate Rose had to have emergency surgery to have her appendix removed and ended up having to withdraw before the spring semester was over.  We took silly pictures with chalk messages on the sidewalk next to our apartment and put together an album for her.  This was the year we started living together and began our "sorority," the Omicron Omicron Omicrons.  That's why we are attempting to make the "O" face.  ;)

celebrating Emily and Erin's birthdays in November 2007

my college graduation in 2008

Erin's bachelorette party in May 2008

 

Erin and Nick's wedding on May 31, 2008

Phillip (Nick's fraternity brother) and Emily's wedding on May 23, 2009

 my wedding on September 19, 2009

 my reception on December 20, 2009

 with Kristen, Erin's sister, at our family reunion (September 2010)

Erin's favorite holiday is Halloween, and as her birthday falls shortly after, she and Nick usually host a Halloween party.  This year, they did a murder mystery.  Rose went as a Hollywood glamour gal, I was a peacock, and Erin was a western can-can girl.  We had so much fun trying to capture a photo of our Omicron faces!  (I posted more of our Halloween adventures last year.)

 at the baby shower Erin threw for Kristen to welcome baby Zachary (June 2011)

at Erin's baby shower thrown by Rose and two other friends (December 1, 2012)

I love you, cuz-cuz!!

What I Wrote Wednesday

I decided that since I failed last year, I would try to send more cards and letters this year.  Last week, I mailed my dear friend Monica a card.  She just recently had baby Autumn (in November), and I've only gotten to hang with them once since then.  :(  I miss her so much and can't wait to see Autumn (and Rob!) again!  She's already growing so fast, and it's a joy to watch Monica become a mama.  :)  Here's a little trip down memory lane...

 back in 2006--our first picture together

Monica and I actually met on Facebook before we met in real life:  Originally, Facebook was just for those enrolled in universities, and Monica was in a few of my classes sophomore year.  I had to miss a few days in October, and I sent a message to a few folks that had added my two literature classes about the assignments I missed.  And we never looked back!

 This is with our dear friend Katie on Monica's birthday in 2007.  We were at the Electric Cowboy, and if you know us, you know that really isn't our kind of place.  *haha*  Senior year, we were a trio; if you saw one, you always saw the other two.  We had so many fun times together (as you can see by this picture)!

For example, here we are at Monica and Katie's graduation in December 2007.  Katie is actually now expecting a baby, and we find out this month if baby J is a boy or girl!

And this was on my graduation day in May 2008.  :)

Zach and I had a joint bachelor/bachelorette party the night before our wedding in 2009.  We went to The Flying Saucer, where we met, with all of our friends.

This was after Zach and I graduated with our Master's degrees in 2010.  We were at The Flying Saucer again with our friend Whitney (who was partially responsible for Zach and my match!).

 

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2 premiere in July 2011

We are nerds.  (Hey, we were English majors!)

At Monica's shower this past fall 

meeting Autumn Gabrielle Elizabeth

We all matched!

I just love my dear friend and am so glad my card helped her have a great day.  I already know who I am writing next!