30 for 30: Sunday Update #1

I just taught a lesson on goal setting to my students, and one thing that I told them (and is totally true!) is that the more people you tell about your goal, the more likely it is you will accomplish it. In all honesty, I wasn't sure I was going to post my blog address on facebook. As the Mister said "a blog is your private thoughts." (He has still not looked at my blog. I think he looks at it like reading someone's diary.) But, when I decided to write my 30 for 30 list I knew I had to tell people about it, to keep me accountable and to get some support in my 16 week challenge. For the record, I am glad that I shared the address with my FB friends, and I hope you continue to read my thoughts on life and things!

In the spirit of honesty, I will say that I had already booked a trip to Vegas before I wrote the list AND I had already registered for a 1/2 marathon in December. BUT I'm leaving them on the list. I also put things on my daily "to do" lists that I have already done so I can cross them off. (I am not the only one, am I?)

That was a pretty long introduction! Now to the good stuff- what I have been up to!
#9 Cook a new recipe a week (1/16): Check out my Recipe Thursday post for how it turned out this week!
#10 Tell people about the blog/get followers: The word is out. I have one follower right now :) I am also making sure to comment on other blogs to maybe genreate some more hits
#11 Blog 4-6 posts a week: not too shabby this week I have 4. I missed My Top 5 Friday, but it will be back next week :)
#18 So something from Pinterest: I so wish this was "do 10 things from my Pinterest boards." This week's new recipe was from Pinterest and so is this little sign that I made for my classroom.

#28 Floss: Check! Nightly! The Mister thinks it's gross that I put this on my list. He said he would be embarrassed if people knew he didn't floss daily (He does. He has bugged me about flossing since we moved in together.) He also thinks I should floss in the morning too. I think thats weird. It's not like I ate anything in my sleep to get it caught in there.

Not too bad for Week 1!

Do you agree with The Mister? Should I be flossing in the morning AND at night??

30 before 30: Recipe Thursday

Part of my 30 before 30 challenge is to cook a new recipe every week (that would be 16 different recipes if you are keeping track at home). Here is this week's recipe and review!

WARNING: This is not healthy. I know its called Zucchini Casserole, and it does have a TON of delicious veggies in it, but it also has a cup of sour cream and a stick of butter! (Paula Dean would approve.) Here is the link to the original post/recipe. I changed it up a smidge.

Zucchini Casserole

1 Giant zucchini- sliced (you know the one that was hiding under the leaves in the garden)
1 small onion- sliced
2 carrots- sliced
5 mushrooms- sliced
1 small head of broccoli- chopped
1 c. sour cream
1 box Stove Top Stuffing Mix
1 can cream of something soup (I had chicken)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/4 c. shredded Parmesan cheese

Slice vegetables and place in a large pot filled with water. Bring water (with vegetables) to a boil. Get annoyed that your pot is too small and you never really see a boil. Let boil for 2-3 minutes and then remove from heat. Drain vegetables. Set aside.

Mix together the sour cream and cream of something soup.

Melt the butter and pour on top of the Stove Top Stuffing mix.  Combine until the stuffing is moist.

Realize that you didn't cover the butter in the microwave while you were melting it so like 1/2 of it is now on the bottom of the microwave. Add some extra virgin olive oil to help moisten the Stove Top.

In a 9x13 pan, pour 1/2 of the stuffing mix on the bottom of the pan. Pour 1/2 of the drained vegetables on top of the stuffing. Spread 1/2 of the sour cream and soup mixture on top of the vegetables. Place the rest of the vegetables on top of the soup. Spread the rest of the soup on top of the second layer of vegetables. Sprinkle the stuffing mix on top of the soup.

Sprinkle the Parmesan cheese on top of the stuffing mix.(I forgot the Parmesan in the ingredient picture so I gave it a starring role right here)

Bake casserole at 350 for 30-35 minutes or until soup begins to bubble and stuffing mix is browned.

Clean the microwave from the butter incident, and wonder why you chose to bake something on one of the hottest days of the year.

Enjoy!
So, how was it??
Yummy! The Mister and I both enjoyed this, a lot. I served it with some left over bbq'ed chicken, but it could stand alone as a main dish.

Next time I make it, I will cut down on the sauce which will cut down on the calories. I also don't think it needed the cheese, it was yummy but there was already a lot of sodium in the stuffing mix and the can of soup. It would also be delish with some red pepper flake mixed in.

What would you do to make this healthier??

What are you pinterested in??

I love pinterest. There I said it. At first when I started hearing about it around blogland and seeing a couple FB friends "pinning," I wasn't sure. So, I decided to check it out. I had to ask for an invite before I could start looking around and using it, and then I had to wait. I do not like waiting. I had these fears that the pinterest people wouldn't think I was cool enough to be a part of the cool people's club. But then I got the email welcoming me to pinterest and explaining how to start.

I have tried to explain pinterest to a couple people, since it is still fairly new. (By the way, I feel so cool that I am "in the know" about something.) If you don't know what it is, basically it's like "liking" things on facebook but a thousand times better. Back in the day, before Pinterest, I would add webpages to my favorites if I found a cool thing for a Christmas present, or I would save a picture from the Internet to a folder on my hard drive. This was fine, except it wasn't really organized and sometimes I would forget about it. It was also a pretty solo activity, unless I emailed someone about what I found. With Pinterest, I put them on boards I can create/name AND when you click on the picture, it links you to the original post. So you can have a picture of yarn balls, name it "yarn balls tutorial" and then be able to go to that page when I am ready to make my yarn balls. (I am really excited about this yarn ball wreath that I pinned for Christmas time!) And, I can share what I am doing with all of my followers. And, people I don't know. (I'm not really sure how that works, but man do I love seeing everyone else's pins.)

I have been on Pinterest for about a month. And for that month,  I have been hooked. I love seeing what other people are pinning and sharing cool things I have found as well. I have found a ton of things that I want to do, (pet silhouette anyone??) and I try to pin frequently so I can be sharing things as well. Then the coolest thing happened, (well it is cool to me) someone I don't know repinned one of my ideas. That just made my day!

Have you joined Pinterest yet? You should follow me there and here!

Back to school!

For the last  24 years, I have had a similar experience every September. This year is no different. It is the night before the first day of school and I am excited, nervous and hopeful for the new school year to begin. The night before it's hard to sleep, my lunch for the next day is packed and I have always picked out my first day of school outfit at least two days in advance. For most teachers, the new school year is a lot like a New Year's Eve, without the booze. There are usually resolutions, and overall things just feel new. The kiddos are excited and I think they are looking forward to a fresh year, and for some, a chance to start fresh from how they have done in the past.

This year, I have my own classroom (again). I am more than excited to get off the cart I was on last year and have my own space to decorate and put up my student's work and make it our space. I do have some "resolutions" this year. These include getting work back to the kids promptly, keeping my desk cleaned off, and dressing more professional this year. But mostly, I am looking forward to the year. The last two years have been rough on us as a staff, with test scores and budget concerns. Those things aren't going away this year, but I know I am ready to just do the best job I can for my students. I am determined to stay positive this year. I am so thankful to even have a job, especially one that I truly do love going to every morning.

Here is a peak at a poster I made for my room this year. Middle school is such an awkward time, and when I first saw this saying I knew it had to be up in my classroom. It is also a good reminder for me too! AND, it helped me cross one off my 30 before 30 list. I will be doing a weekly update on the list starting later this week!