Pinterest Challenge!

It's my favorite time of the year! Pinterest Challenge time! I LOVE Pinterest! And I love Katie and Sherry! So when the three of them join forces I do a little happy dance. This time they also invited Ugly Duckling House and Our Fifth House to play along.

Last week I teased you all with my choices for this season's challenge. After reviewing my pins, and even going back to my boards, I realized one big thing. I am a busy gal right now. As much as I love the casserole carriers (which was the one y'all most wanted me to whip up), I just did not have the time to bust out my sewing machine. I also really wanted to make the Modpodge "C." That would have been a fun little craft. Take a big C, add in a copy of our marriage license and BOOM! A beautiful keepsake of our love. BUT someone in our house (me) put our marriage license somewhere very safe. And now I can't find it. Hmm. Anyway, this long introduction brings me to my Challenge craft... A Grocery List! Ta-da! I know it's not very exciting. But I am hoping that it will cut down on midweek trips to the store when we realize we forgot something.

I found this little ditty on Pinterest via Design Sponge.

She had created a meal planning/shopping list combo. There were 3 different list templates that she created- A menu planning/blank shopping list, a typed up shopping list (with her families most purchased items) and a blank shopping list that was separated into sections. Neither of the lists was a perfect fit for my needs, so I opened up a Word document and combined all three lists into one super duper shopping list. 

My Super Duper Shopping List

I really liked how they had a place to meal plan on the shopping list. I only meal plan for dinner, so I only needed one box per day. I wrote in the foods that we use and buy most frequently. The idea is that the list is up during the week, and when one of us uses something up we can check it on the list. Then when I plan the next week's meals (usually I do this on Sunday) I can add in the rest of the things I need to buy for the meals. Then I take the list with me to the store and viola! I don't forget anything.

Here is this weeks plan. I might add in another row so the Mister and I can write in what evenings we will be home late or have meetings.

Click here for a fully editable document of my grocery list. It's not my exact document because something screwy happened when I uploaded it to Google docs, but you should be able to adjust it as needed. (If you want.) I also wouldn't mind emailing you the document as an attachment if you really want it.

Did you participate in the fall challenge?

Meet The Mister!

I have been reading Becky's Show and Tell Posts for a few weeks now, but I have never joined in. This week's questions is about a subject that I love to talk about...

All About My Other Half

1. Tell us about how and when you met your love and what attracted you most to him.
I have told everyone how the Mister and I met before, but I like to share. :) The Mister and I met on Myspace. It was back when Myspace was still cool and before Facebook took over the world. With Myspace you could browse profiles and you could put things in like an age range, sex, education level etc. I had browsed around a few times, but was always to chicken to send a message to anyone. The Mister had also been browsing and he said he came across my profile. (I had seen his too, but he didn't know because of my chickenness.) Fortunately, he was not as chicken as I was. This is the first email he ever sent me:

After that we emailed back and forth for about a month before we met for our first date. In our emails we were able to learn a lot about each other, as well as joke around. (I haven't gotten rid of my Myspace account because I like to go back and read them every once in a while.) On our first date he asked so many questions (and not in a creeper way) and he really listened. That is probably what really attracted me to him first. 

2. Here are some of our first pictures together. They are all self portraits taken in the spring and summer of 2008.

3. Tell us some of your favorite memories that you two had together.
We've been lucky enough to take some amazing vacations together

San Diego, Disneyland, Vegas, Disneyworld

But my favorite vacation was our week long trip to the Oregon coast when we got engaged.

4. Tell us your favorite qualities about this man, what makes him "the one."

He listens (to what I need)

He makes me laugh (when I need it)

He is practical (when I am not)

He supports me (through all my big and small ideas)

5. Tell us what your "date nights" typically look like.

Our typical dates are dinner, movies... regular stuff. Our best dates are day time stuff: hiking, beach trips, local festivals. 

Come back later this week! I got him to agree to an interview for this little blog!

Swapping Maybe?

Yes. I really can't get over Carly Rae's song. I think I need to go get some help. This is my favorite version of this song. I love it. And I love Jimmy Fallon. Like he's on my list of 5. Funny. Cute. Sings sort of...

Anyway. Oh man I'm so nervous. I've never asked anyone this before. I don't even know if I am doing this right. What are the rules on this sort of thing? I have this little button over there on the right. Maybe you want it on your blog too? And then I'll take yours, and we can be button swapping friends.

What do you say??

The Pinterest Challenge is back!

Sherry and Katie announced yesterday that the fall Pinterest Challenge is back on. In the previous challenges I made a Christmas ornament out of a wedding invitation, a couple of throw pillows, and a dress out of a beach towel. That means I have a week to figure out what I am going to do. Here are my top choices:

Mod podge a copy of our marriage licence on a big C.

Pinned

Make the cuties in my life one of these:

Pinned

Casserole Carrier

Source

Necklace Upcycle

Pinned

Pet Silohettes 

Pinned

A grocery list?

Pinned

Ahh! So many choices! Do you participate in the Pinterest Challenge? Any votes on what I should try to do for this round??

How I Make My $$

I teach middle school health. That is my day job, and it is a job that I love and have dreamed about. Some might use the phrase "livin' the dream."

That "dream" includes teaching 13 and 14 year -olds about the birds and the bees. Before I finish, what the heck does that phrase "birds and the bees" mean? So today I started every 8th graders favorite unit: Human Sexuality.

Source

There are lots of opinions on schools teaching sex education. Let me put it all out there: 8th graders need it. I wish it was a different way, but when I have 8th grade girls getting pregnant telling them to "just say no" doesn't cut it. I teach what is called an "abstinence-based" curriculum. In a nut shell, that means I tell my students that abstinence is the safest, healthiest choice but that there are options out there that can greatly reduce the risk of pregnancy and STD.

Source

Soap box time: Before you get upset about me teaching about condoms and birth control pills, I want to share a little bit of research. Students who are in an abstinence only sex ed class are no less likely to have sex than their peers in an abstinence based curriculum. And students in the "only" group are more likely to have unprotected sex, because they either don't know where to get condoms OR think that they don't work so what's the point.  Research also shows that students need to learn about this information 3 years before they are participating in high risk behaviors. Unfortunately for many of my students, I am a little late.

I try to run my class in a comfortable way. I want to be an adult that my students trust and will turn to when they have questions that need to be answered. I start off this unit with this story. A few years ago I had to use one of the student bathrooms and I over heard some girls talking. One girl was telling her friends that there was no way you could get pregnant the first time you have sex. She made some pretty smart sounding arguments and used phrases about hormones and what not. If I was a middle school kid, I probably would have believed her. When I came out of the stall to wash my hands, the girls looked mortified that a teacher was in there. (I didn't know the girls.) I just told them that they were not in trouble for what they were talking about but what she was saying wasn't true. I point out to my students that conversations like that are super common, and totally normal to have, but it is important to have a place to ask questions where they know they will not be judged for the question, and will get the correct information. That is where my class comes in.

Source

All my students write down a question anonymously, and they are all allowed to ask questions out loud as well. I answer every question out loud (except for personal questions).  I know that sometimes questions are written to see if I will answer them, but the funny usually goes away once they realize that I take every question seriously. (Now if they saw me when I first read through the questions, I am usually laughing and sometimes a little shocked.)

Today I got to talk about: periods, penis length, how twins are developed, how tampons work, hermaphrodites and "what is masturbating." I do this all with a straight face. The hardest are the questions that are asked out loud. I also hate the new slang terms that I haven't learned. Then I have to look it up, and it can be bad. Sometimes I wonder what their parents would say if they knew their kids were asking some of these questions, but the parents are aware that they are in the sex ed unit.  My principal is also well aware of what goes on in my classroom. I always give her a copy of the written down questions and a heads up on any controversial topics that are brought up out loud just in case a parent complains or questions what I am teaching.

Do you remember middle school health class?

Gettin' Political Up In Here

Gah.

That is my feelings about the election. I know that who becomes president could have a huge impact on my job, but I just can't get excited about it.

I finally figured out where my voting apathy comes from. I was talking with my niece, and she is super excited about voting this time. It is her first presidential election to vote in and she is taking this responsibility very seriously. And then I remembered my first presidential election to vote in. It was the year 2000 and I was a freshman in college. All of us in the dorms were excited about it. We made sure we changed our voter registration to coincide with our new addresses. We mailed in our ballots and then it was the night of the presidential election. We watched together as the votes were being counted. At the end of the day the guy I voted for won... but not really. He won the popular vote, but lost the electoral vote and he wasn't going to be president. That showed me that my vote didn't really count. (On a side note, I remember someone in my high school government class asking if that could happen, and my teacher said it was highly unlikely. Just a handful of months later it did.) I wonder if that didn't happen to me ON MY FIRST BIG ELECTION if I would be more "into" voting.

Source

I will say I do vote in my local elections. I think my vote actually means something for the local ones. I voted for the fire department bond measure that let them buy a taller ladder so it could reach the highest building in town (I happened to live on the top floor of that building and did not want to move) and I voted to allow alcohol to be sold in our dry town (beer and wine.) I was unable to vote to allow hard alcohol to be sold in that town because I moved  to the adjoining town.

I think I would watch the debates if it were more like Double Dare (that old show on Nickelodeon) and the candidates would get slimed if they told a lie or stretched the truth. I would watch that one.

Source

How would you make the debates more exciting?

...And a Prince in Nairobi is going to give me 3 Million dollars if I send him my SSN

Alternative Title: I think my cat's vet ripped me off.
Alternative Title #2: I would probably buy ocean front property in Arizona
Alternative Title #3: ...I'm a sucker

I am almost too embarrassed to admit this.









I bought a bottle of cat pheromones.

It is supposed to make the transition for my mom's cat to our home easier. And it is supposed to make it easier for my cat to adjust to another cat in the house.

I feel a little better because I just Googled "cat pheromone spray" and it has a ton of good reviews on Amazon and Petco, (and some not so good ones) but it's still such a dumb thing.

Have you ever tried this cat pheromone spray? Please tell me I'm not an idiot for buying it.

OK Thursday

It's Okay....

...that I have a bunch of saved blog "posts" that are really just the title. I'll get to them. Maybe.

...that I spend time dreaming of vacations. Instead of doing my laundry.

...that I haven't been to the gym in 3 months. Wait. Not okay. I need to go. I miss Zumba.

...that I have been watching youtube videos of marriage proposals. Those lip-singing/dancing ones always get me.

...that I haven't painted my nails in a couple weeks.

...that I think the new season of Parks and Rec is on too late. 9:30! NBC what are you doing to me? This girl has to get up at 5:15! 

Source

...that this cracks me up. 

What's okay with you???

Catch Up!

Life lately:
-Things are starting to get to the new normal around here. It's weird that is has almost been a month.
-We just started the second grading period of the school year. That means a few things to me (and not a lot to you)
              a. my students are doing a group project this whole week, so I am not doing much.
              b. Sex ed starts next week. That means I will have fantastic student behavior and funny            
stories for the blog...
-I did an #OOTD (outfit of the day) picture on Instagram. I felt dumb, but then people liked it :) Here is proof of why I shouldn't be a fashion blogger.

Dress-Modcloth

Cardigan- Target

-I am slightly obsessed with Words With Friends. Play with me? caseys_adventure

-I am thinking about getting a Twitter account. I feel a little left out when bloggers talk about their Twittering (Tweeting?) The problem, I don't really get it. (I think I posted about this one other time too... maybe I should just give in and sign up.)

-I recently discovered that my phone has talk to text and let me tell you what- It is so funny to say a cuss word and have it block it out with little stars. It did block out "butt dial."

-Today I am taking my fat cat to the vet. It's just for her regular shots, but I think they are going to put her on a diet. She's fat. The big reason we are headed to the vet is we are getting another furry addition to our family. It was really important to my mom for us to take her cat. The problem, her cat is  a 15 year old boy cat, who is generally pretty skittish. And my cat is a 7 year old super spoiled cat who has never lived with another cat. Any advice is appreciated!

Tuesday Newsday

I haven't shared my favorite news stories in awhile, but a couple caught my eye lately, so what better time to bring back another installment of Newsday Tuesday. It's a proven fact that 97% of the news sucks. Here is a little bit of the other 3%...

Only in Portland...

Read the full story here

A guy gets his bike stolen. Only to have it returned with an apology note and $10 to replace the lock. The note even told the guy to upgrade his lock so that it wouldn't happen again.

Portland is so weird. 

Rescued Baby Walrus Gets a New Home

Read about it Here

Two super cute baby walruses (walrusi?) were rescued off the coast of Alaska and now they are getting new homes. I am sad that they don't get to be together. One is going to New York and the other to Indiana.

19 Kids in a Little Car

Read the Full Story Here

A preschool teacher decided to take her class on a little field trip. She took them all in her little car, 19 at a time. Since it was in South Africa, she just got a $170 fine. I have no words.

And because one animal story is never enough...

Dog Rescues Canoe Full of Dogs


Um seriously? Labs are the best. My lab would have jumped in the water only if I threw a ball in first. 

Any good news stories in your neck of the woods?

Weekend Adventures #10

Guess what? It was a 3 day weekend y'all!

That makes it sound like I did a ton of super exciting things. Thursday night I started off with a raspberry margarita...

But then the rains came. Friday I did some "serious resting" as my husband likes to call it. Really, after a couple phone calls about my mom's estate, I was over it, and the couch seemed like a good place to be.

Saturday I had plans to go on an apple harvest through my favorite local charity, but it was raining, and I am trying to fight off a cold, so I cancelled my spot and gave it up to someone on the wait list. I did however go out to breakfast with the BFF and had an amazing Garden Egg Bake from a local place. So good. I made a little trip to Target for kitty litter and ended up coming out with this...

I got the litter, but I also decided to try a deoderizer. And then I wanted a red sweater (Maybe it was the Target uniforms everywhere.) I also remembered that my in-laws wanted me to make mini cupcakes for Thanksgiving, so a minicupcake pan and liners were needed. And of course I walked by the Dollar Spot and found this cute little "Boo!" sign for the mantle.

Right across the street is Jo-Ann's, and I had a couple coupons, so I needed to go in. During the Walking Dead marathon on TV I whipped this up for above my mantle

Yes, I was inspired by Pinterest. But I LOVE it. Plus it was super easy to make. I just used the same method that I use when I make tutus, plus tulle is super forgiving. The mister and I ended up going to a movie on Saturday night

I thought it was really cute. It was pretty little kid-ish, but it was silly and funny. Really it was just what I needed after the month I have had.

Sunday we both did house work, and got ready for the week. The weather made me really want some comfort food, so meatloaf and mashed potatoes it was.

Overall, not a bad weekend. How was yours?