Friday, January 11, 2013

One Week Down!

The first week of student teaching is in the books! 

Marc has had a wonderful week of student teaching! He was really nervous going into it, because you never know what kind of person you'll get as your supervising teacher. Marc lucked out, though, and it seems like he as a good one. That can make all the difference in the world!

All the student teachers I've ever had have always taken the first week to observe and get into our classroom routine. Rarely have I ever had one that was willing to teach a lesson or a group during that first week. Marc, however, started teaching on his first day! I'm so proud of him for taking the initiative to do that.

The kids seem to really like him, although he has had a few to try to test him. He handled it, though, which is great because that sets the standard for the rest of his internship. The kids seem really intrigued by the fact that he "owns so many pairs of shoes!" (If only they knew...) He said they also ask him all the time how he gets his hair to spike and stay up for the day. Hilarious! Kids notice all the little things!

One of the perks of him being so close to my school is that we can now carpool together in his Fiat. He's made two round trips to Athens, and we have driven back and forth together for four days on $25 worth of gas. And he still has a 1/4 tank! My gas-guzzling Explorer is mostly likely going to stay parked for the next couple of months! 

I'm so happy to see Marc finally doing something that he loves. He just said this morning that it's going to be awesome when he gets paid to have fun at work all day. I love that attitude! He's going to make a great teacher!




Thursday, January 10, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 7

Well, the weekend is almost here! Both of us are exhausted so I thought I would make some comfort food for dinner tonight. I needed something quick, though, because both of us are running on zero energy!

We seemed to have lots of breakfast food in the fridge/freezer so it seemed to be the meal to make. I made some country ham, eggs, hash browns, and Sister Shubert's rolls. (Marc's not a fan of biscuits. Darn Yankee!) It was so good! You really can't go wrong with breakfast for dinner!

Speaking of country ham, I don't think I've actually bought any, with the exception of in a restaurant, the whole time we've been married. My mother always picks out a whole ham, has it sliced, and sends it home with us in labeled Ziploc bags. I always have a stash of it in the freezer, but we seem to eat more of it during the holidays and colder months. It's also a Christmas morning tradition that Marc and I have continued in our house, although now we invite my parents over and I cook it.

Dinner has been cooked and cleaned up after, my daily laundry is done, and clothes are ready for tomorrow. I think it's time to wind down...



Wednesday, January 9, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 6

This afternoon was a new one for us! Marc and I both had faculty meetings after school. My meeting wasn't very long, and I was finished by 3:15pm. Marc's meeting, however, was running really late so he had to leave school at 3:45pm. He had to be at ASU for a 6:00pm class, but before he headed over there, he needed to drop me off at home. 

Since our time was limited, I stuck with something simple for dinner: Brats and fried potatoes. They are quick to make and filling, just perfect for a guy who's about to burn a lot of calories learning how to teach dance. (I so wish I could've been a fly on the wall for that class!) 

Marc got home just before 10:00pm, and he passed out asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. Poor guy!

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 5

Marc began his student teaching today! He had a great day, but he said it's going to take a little bit for him to get used to being called "Coach." He's also a little sore, but I think that will get better with time. 

Now, back to our eating plan. Due to church and our Bible study group, we always plan to eat out on Sundays. We didn't go to our study group on Sunday night, because Marc had to drive about an hour that night to meet someone for a sale. We ate at Logan's, and good grief, that meal was $40 and change. I had one of the best steaks I've ever had, though, so it was all good!

Last night, we were BAD and ate out again! We ordered pizza, and we had leftovers for lunch today. Nice! Tonight, though, it was back to the plan. 

I made some crispy shrimp po'boys, and they were so good! I used my favorite way to pan-fry shrimp, because it has a light, crispy coating of just flour and Cajun seasoning. We loaded up some fresh French bread with the shrimp and cocktail sauce, and it made for a quick, filling meal. I really was supposed to have lettuce for the po'boys, but I completely forgot to get some when I was at the grocery store this afternoon. Oh, well!

We'll be back on track through at least Friday night. We're going to switch out and eat in on Friday night, because we had a change of plans for Saturday night. My uncle's memorial service is also going to be on Saturday, and my parents are planning to feed everyone since they will be coming from Florida. I'm sure we'll hang around over there and visit for a little bit before heading out for the night. It will be good for everyone to have some closure. 

So, busy week ahead!




Saturday, January 5, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 4

On Friday nights, we always get take-out of some kind. I figure it's our little reward for eating at home all week. Last night, we were able to get Chick-fil-a (for me) and Chinese food (for Marc) for less than $10, thanks to a survey coupon for a free sandwich. 

I had planned to make shrimp po'boys tonight for dinner, but both of us were worn out from shopping all day. Marc is beginning his student teaching internship on Monday, and he needed to buy some new shoes and exercise clothes. Shoe shopping for size 15s is never fun, but he racked up with three pairs of shoes, four shirts, and two pants! 

So, right now he is making some Hamburger Helper (blech!), and I'm going most likely make breakfast for dinner. Or I may still make some shrimp. Decisions, decisions!




Thursday, January 3, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 3

Back to school today! 

After getting about three hours of sleep, it was really hard to wake up this morning, and it was oh so cold! My students were really tired, too, so it was a long day!

Thankfully, I had planned for that and made sure tonight's dinner was nice and easy. I asked Marc to pick up a rotisserie chicken, because let's be honest, they cost less than $5.00. By the time you add up the cost of a raw chicken, seasoning, heating the oven, and my precious time, I'm better off just buying one already made. I also asked him to pick up some mashed potatoes and gravy from another place (for about $3.50), and I made some stuffing to go with everything. And we ate everything at home. Good comfort food for a cold night!

We had half of the chicken left, and I had planned to make a chicken casserole to freeze for later. Marc had different plans, though, and he claimed it so he could make chicken salad. I'm so glad it won't go to waste!

Dinner was done and cleaned up by 5:30 so I'm planning to take it easy tonight!




Wednesday, January 2, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 2

Today was the last day of our holiday break, and I'm so happy to say that it was a productive day!

It has been so cold and rainy that I haven't been motivated to do much during break. I kept the house straightened, finished my Christmas shopping, attended several holiday get-togethers, and went to Nashville and back. The rest of the time I was lazy and enjoyed my share of Christmas movies. Those relaxing days were simply glorious!

Today, however, I entered way too many receipts, balanced the checkbook that hadn't been balanced in a really long time, finished knitting a scarf, talked on the phone for two hours, and paid Marc's last tuition bill. Entering receipts and balancing the checkbook are two of the chores that I dread most, and I had put them off long enough. But I'm thrilled to say they are done, balanced, and we are good to go!

Tonight for dinner, I warmed up some Charleston She Crab Soup that we picked up at Publix. It is so yummy and inexpensive, and I love that it only needs to be heated. We buy it cold by the bag, but you can buy it already hot at the store. They rotate soup days, though, so you may miss out on the crab soup. Add a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches, and dinner is done! Easy, peasy!

Tomorrow, it's back to work. Back to faculty meetings, lesson plans, and grading papers. I'm really excited to see my students, though. I can't wait to hear all about their break. Only five more months of school!




Tuesday, January 1, 2013

Eating at Home: Day 1

I mentioned earlier today that we're going back to the "Eating at Home" plan since we're going down to one salary for a few months. Over the weekend, I made out a menu for January and a detailed grocery list. (Marc and I shop so much better and spend so much less when we have a list!) We were able to buy most of our list for less than half of our grocery budget. (Yay!) Now all we need to do is make a quick grocery shopping trip each weekend to pick up perishables. I can't begin to tell you how excited that makes me because I despise going grocery shopping.

It has been a cold and rainy day so I decided to make loaded baked potatoes for tonight. A few months ago, I discovered that you can make potatoes in a crock pot using this method. I was so excited, because while I love baked potatoes, I have always thought they were a pain to make. Now I just throw them in the crock pot, and four hours later, I have perfect baked potatoes!

I had butter, sour cream, and cheese for the potatoes. Sometimes, I also make bacon, but not tonight. I had also planned to make grilled cheese sandwiches, but Marc picked out some HUGE potatoes, and both of us nixed the sandwich idea. I'm sure we'll just have them later this week with something else.

So, we are one day down into our plan, and I'm feeling really good about being organized and saving money. Win-win!




Happy New Year!

Welcome 2013!

2012 was a bittersweet year for us. Marc and I were able to travel to some interesting places, and I was able to knock off a bucket list item in November...Seeing the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in person. Toward the end of the year, though, we lost two family members. Marc's aunt lost a long, courageous fight with pancreatic cancer, and my uncle was in a horrible motorcycle accident. Both deaths really hit us hard, to say the least. We also had an adoption fail that was heartbreaking.

So we are looking forward to 2013 and all the changes it promises to bring! 

Marc is leaving work for a few months to complete his student teaching internship. He is on track to graduate in early May, and I'm thrilled for him! I can't wait to see him walk across the stage! We're hoping and praying that he'll be able to get a teaching position soon after graduation, and I have a really good feeling he will. 

Since we'll be without his income, we're planning to go back to the "Eating at Home" plan that worked so well for us in October and November. December was really hectic so we got off track, but I'm looking forward to spending more time at home, especially during the week. 

I don't normally make resolutions for the new year, but I'm planning to make some personal changes, too. I'm going to try to build some new bridges, repair some old bridges, pass over some bridges that need to be crossed, and most likely, burn some bridges, too! How vague is that analogy? Seriously, I have a list of things I want to address, and I pray they bring about some positive changes!

For 2013, I plan to love, laugh, live, learn, and most importantly, forgive!