Kitchen Nightmares!

For those of you who know me, you know that I am not very comfortable in the kitchen. At times, I even fear it. I just don't have the confidence when it comes to cooking. I feel as though I will totally bomb a recipe before I even try. I don't know why this is how I feel. Perhaps it is the lack of overal kitchen experience. Another reason that this seems to be a feeling that has continued since meeting my hubby is because he absolutely loves cooking. He has a certain talent for it that comes so natural to him. I am almost envious.

This morning I awoke with a feeling to make a new recipe! ... This certainly does not happen often so I decided to take full advantage. After sleeping-in until 11 a.m. .. I felt as though some type of Brunch-related meal was in order. I searched online for egg casseroles & came across this little gem of a recipe for a 'Brunch Egg Bake'!

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/brunch-egg-bake/detail.aspx

I felt as though this was an easy recipe for me to try. I like recipes that do not involve too many steps or ingredients. This did have multiple steps however; they were all steps that I knew how to do or have done prior to this. Deep down inside, I knew I had what it took to actually make this (hopefully without any slip ups).

>>> I apologize for the brutal picture quality in advance .. I hope to get a new camera soon <<<

Ingredients (with my own substitutes)

• 3 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
• 1 cup diced mushrooms
• 1/3 cupe chopped onion
• 1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
• 1 tablespoons butter or margarine
• 1 cups diced fully cooked sausage
• 4 eggs
• 1 cup milk
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper

Place 1 & 1/2 cups cheese in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. x 2-in. baking dish and set aside.

In a medium skillet, saute mushrooms, onions and red pepper in butter until tender; drain. Place over cheese; top with sausage. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. In a bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour, parsley, basil, salt and pepper; mix well. Slowly pour over the cheese. Bake at 350 degrees F for 35-40 minutes or until a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Et ... voila =

It was actually yummy ... & I didn't make a mistake. Whoop Whoop! The only change I would make next time .. is putting less parsley.

I would definitely recommend this recipe. It would be great for a family brunch gathering & is super easy (trust me)!

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

Sheila xox

Thanksgiving already !?!

I cannot believe that it is ALREADY October 7th!!!. It feels like it was the first day of school just last week. The year is flying by and every year it seems to go by faster & faster.

My class this year is absolutely amazing. They work extremely hard, very quietly, and easily follow directions. There have been moments when they are working in the classroom that have been complete silence and it is at this time that I feel like crying tears of joy ... Simply because the last two years of my teaching career have been two of the most challenging of my entire life.

There were times specifically last year when I found myself second guessing my career choice. The fact that I was studying my master's degree along with planning a wedding probably didn't help matters either. With a month already under our belt in the 2011-2012 school year, I know that this class will achieve great things. I tell them on a daily basis how good they are being and they have stated how great I am which makes me feel so good.

In terms of organization, I am still not where I want to be. I have definitely come a long way though and have felt more organized than ever. However, there are still some areas that I would like to be even more organized with in terms of projects being done in the classroom, assessment as well as differentiation during math classes.

As I ponder the thought of organization a very important question pops into mind ... Is it possible for a teacher to ever feel completely organized ?! I am not sure that this is possible. Things are constantly being thrown at us on a daily basis and it is difficult to stay totally on top of everything 24/7. We are told to do the best that we can and that we will be enough ... What do you think? Can teachers ever be completely organized?

Found a good link that gives 6 tips on how to be an organized teacher:

http://www.time-management-success.com/organized-teacher.html

Sheila xox

Back-to-blog!

Welcome back bloggettes .. I have been away from my blog for quites some time now & have finally returned .. incredibly happy & ... MARRIED : )

This past summer was the GREATEST summer of my life because ... 

I got to marry my Best Friend :)
................................................

Overall, we had an extremely busy summer ...
We attended my cousin's beautiful wedding in Grand Pré, NS on July 9th ...

I was in one of my bestest friends (basically my little sister)  wedding on July 16th ..
 

.................

And then enjoyed a month of pre-wedding celebrations which included 2 bridal showers, a 3-day staguette, week long stag & lots of Pool time (we've got an in-ground in the back yard) ..

And finally our special day was ours ...

on Saturday, August 13th 2011, we celebrated our wedding. 

It was an amazing day spent with so many friends & family..

a day we will cherish forever.

Stay tuned for more pictures .. & many more blogs to come.

Sheila xox

Introducing Mr. Boots

Good Morning Lovelies : )

So, I thought it was finally time to introduce my amazing, sweet, cuddly dog, Boots.

We retrieved Boots from the SPCA last year in the month of March, 2010. My fiance & I moved into our very first home 10 months prior to this date. Over the 10 months, I constantly begged Mr. RJ and told him that we needed, was a cute little puppy. He, of course, reminded me of how much work pups can be & nevertheless, I still desperately wanted a pup of my own.
 

One day over March Break (the week off from our students), we decided to go take a look at the SPCA to see what they had. We had been researching various dogs online to see what we liked and we had a hard time deciding between a small dog and a big one. We are both very active people, so we thought it was only natural to go with a large dog and one that required some exercise.

Upon our arrival, the sight was actually devastating. This was my first visit to a SPCA and to look around at the dogs in those small little cages, crying and whining ... my heart was broken instantly. If my fiance and I had a house and yard large enough, I would have taken all of them home. We walked around the cages and looked at all of the dogs with despair. Finally, we came upon Boots' cage. He was the only dog that was not barking hysterically and was laying down on his back with his head against the cage. We decided, "That's the one we would like to walk!"

We took him for a little stroll and instantly fell in love. As soon as you pet him, he falls on his back and lifts his paws up which is apparently a submission act. This told us that he was easily trainable. The SPCA worker told us that the one thing that would be a challenge for him was with food around the house. He would often grab his food out of a person's hand or plate and this would have to be watched. (This hasn't been an issue in our home whatsoever!)

So, we filled out the paperwork & in about 3 hours the SPCA called us to come pick up this adorable little pup.

Boots is a mix breed of Rottie, Retriever & believe or not - Chow Chow! Although, the SPCA could not really be sure of this, as Boots was brought in to them from someone who was not his owner. He was found running the streets of the Native American Reserve Big Cove at the young age of 5 months. He was probably running from one house to the next to try and get any food scraps that he could, poor thing!

So that is the story of our Mr. Boots. He is precious, cuddles with us in bed and is a joy to have in our home. We really lucked out with this guy as I have heard many horror stories with SPCA dogs, just because some of them have been abused so badly they need some serious re-training which can be difficult to do unless you have experience. I would definitely recommend taking a look around the SPCA, walking a few of them to see how they would react to you, if they bark a lot or have too much energy... that sort of thing. Then you really get a sense of how they are going to be at home.

Our spontaneous visit to the SPCA has been extremely rewarding & I am so grateful!

Sheila xox

101 in 1001

This is totally based on this absolutely fabulous blog - Stress Case - the owner of this blog is a high-strung newlywed who is over thinking her way through life ... I'd like to meet this lovely lady, I think we'd have a lot in common :)

So here goes...

The Mission:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (ie. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measureable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (ie. represent some amoutn of work on my part).

Why 1001 days?
Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as New Year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

The Start Date:
15/06/11

The End Date:
30/02/14
Goals in progress are italicized, goals completed are bolded.

Love
1. Go on 15 dinner dates with the hubby-to-be (10/15)
2. Take hubby-to-be on surprise date with no warning
3. Do the 40 day Love Dare ?! (figure out what this is lol)
4. Have a photo shoot done with the 2 of us
5. Go to the movies 3 times with hubby (0/3)
6. Surprise Handsome Hubby (0/6)
7. Go on a honeymoon (we did twice) 

Family
8. Hangout with brother once a month
9. Do something over the top for my parents
10. Have professional family photos done with both sides of the family
11. Mail a letter to 5 extended family members for no reason (0/5)
12. Surprise MIL with visits 3 times (0/3)
13. Visit aunt every two months
14. Write Grampy a letter once a month
15. Have lunch with Nan

Friends
16. Plan a surprise birthday party
17. Treat a friend to lunch or dinnner for no reason
18. Treat a co-worker to lunch for no reason
19. Go on 5 double or triple dates (3/5)
20. Go on a girl's only trip to somewhere overnight
21. Go on a trip with another couple (Boston) 
22. Throw a themed party
23. Host a murder mystery party
24. Host 3 dinner parties (0/3)
25. Bring someone a home-cooked meal to their home
26. Send flowers 5 times (0/5)
27. Bake and bring someone dessert for no reason
28. Set someone up on a date
29. Host the rugby gal's annual gift exchange sleepover once
30. Host 2 girls only pool parties  (0/2)

Blogging
31. Publish at least 1 post daily for 30 days straight
32. Publish at least 200 blogs (0/200)
33. Make money in some way from blogging
34. Gain 50 followers (9/50)
35. Write about something that makes me anxious to write about
36. Have my blog written about on someone else's blog

Cooking
37. Attend a cooking class
38. Begin Family Favourites Recipe Box (1 side of the family done)
39. Add 10 recipes to Family Favourites (0/10)
40. Make dinner at leats 3 times a week, two weeks in a row
41.Pack Handsome Husbby lunch for work every work day, two weeks in a row
42. Make and bring Christmas cookies for 5 families/people
43. Cook breakfast 5 Saturday mornings (0/5)
44. Make sushi at home
45. Bake bread
46. Try 5 new restaurants (2/5)
47. Eat vegetarian for 1 week
48. Bake a new dessert every Sunday for 2 months in a row

Finances
49. Keep budget spreadsheet updated daily for 1 month
50. Stay under budget in personal spending category for 2 months straight (0/2)
51. Be "over budget" in Savings category 3 months in a row (0/3)
52. Start saving 5% of every paycheck

Wedding
53. Order wedding album
54. Order coffee table wedding albums for both sets of parents
55. Make scrapbook for wedding cards, bridal shower, bachelorette party, and rehearsal
56. Sell or store wedding supplies
57. Get wedding dress cleaned and stored OR sell
58. Write reviews of all wedding vendors

Culture
59. See a musical
60. Attend a concert of a famous person I've never yet seen perform
61. Try 5 foods I have never tried (0/5)
62. Visit 2 new countries
63. Visit a state I've never been to
64. Visit an Atlantic Province city or town I've never been to

Health
65. Get to ultimate goal weight - 135 lbs
66. Run a half marathon
67. Eat a fruit and a vegetable every day for 1 week
68. Don't go through a drive-thru for 1 month
69. Work out at least three times a week, 2 weeks in a row
70. Go 2 months without drinking any alcohol (January 2 -          )

Organization
71. Clean & organize the office completely
72. Clean the file box 2x a year (0/5)
73. Get wedding bands insured
74. Change my name legally
75. Make Family binder for organization of all important information
76. Go through clothing 2x a year (2/5)

School/Teaching
77. Complete Certification 6 
78. Complete Masters in Education degree
79. Run 'Free the Children' for WRES for a year
80. Start either a classroom twitter, facebook or blog to keep parents informed

Personal
81. Read 20 books (4/20)
82. Re-do 2 pieces of furniture
83. Wear my hair down for 7 consecutive days
84. Go apple picking
85. Go strawberry picking
86. Inspire someone to start and publish (somewhere) a 101 in 1001 list
87. Alter tattoo on wrist
88. Don't log into Facebook for an entire weekend (Friday 6pm - Monday 8am)
89. Don't log into Facebook for an entire month (omg)
90. See a movie in 3D
91. Watch an entire TV series on DVD that I've never seen
92. See a drive-in movie
93. Visit Uncle Peter's grave
94. Visit Grammy Shaw's grave
95. Join the Big Sister Program
96. Make a wine kit
97. Don't use technology for a week in the summer (including a car)
98. Paint a room 
99. Get new curtains for every room in our house
100. Write 5 letters to people who have changed my life (0/5) 
101.Save 5$ per task completed for a shopping spree at the end

Sheila xox

Who will Ashley choose ?!? ...

I wonder who Ashley will pick .. I am still shocked that Bentley went home .. it seemed as though he was going to be there right until the end and she was going to get her heart broken. It is probably a good thing that she got hurt early on with his departure.

I am rooting for 2 guys in particular ......................

#1 - J.P.

OR

Pick #2 ..................... Ryan P.

.... & on another note I love Ashley's long brown locks .. super cute!

Sheila xox

HAIR options *

I am having a really hard time deciding on what to do with my hair for my wedding ... Here are my two favourtie options:

Option 1: Curls to the side ...

(Pictures source: Amanda Sampson's Hair Studio)



Option 2: Half up with hair pin ....



I love both so much but I fear that the side do with curls may fall out by the end of the night and that's the last thing I want to worry about however; half up might be extremely warm as our wedding will be in the heat of summer.

What do you think ?! : )

Sheila xox