Greatest Failures Are My Greatest Lessons

This is my 10th school year in the classroom.  It's amazing to think of the students that have entered my classroom and how I have kept in touch with many of them.  The seeds that are planted and then irrigated with tears  (both mine and theirs) have made me and hopefully those kids better people today.  I love teaching because of the artistry of the craft that completely engulfs all of my creative juices.  I also love teaching because everyday is an opportunity to make a difference in some one's life.  Teaching is a career that more times than not, you don't get to witness the full growth of the work you put in.  I teach 4th grade so there is a lot of growing and other influences for my students until they graduate.  I have been so very honored to be chosen as a "Most Influential Teacher" to one of my students in 2011.  Kortney was a student of mine my very first year in the classroom.  Even though I thought (and still do) that my college program prepared me well -- what I learned is nothing can truly prepare you for all that is the classroom! :)  I joked with her and told her that I hoped I taught her well since I was so GREEN in my career when I had her.  She told me that she didn't remember anything in particular that she learned in 5th grade, but she remembered that I made her feel special everyday.  I'm getting chills just typing this and thinking about her.  This year another one of my former students (who is a junior this year) has chosen me as a teacher to be recognized at her softball banquet.  I am so honored that through all the wonderful teachers and coaches that these students have encountered that somehow I  made a lasting impact on their lives.

I feel like I do a great job at connecting and building relationships with my students though I realize it is hard to make a connection with every student for various reasons, but I still try.  The greatest lesson has been the 1 student I KNOW that I didn't capture his heart and it still haunts me today.  His name was Charlie.  My first year of teaching I finished my student teaching being a long term sub for a teacher in 5th grade math (where I taught Kortney) and then graduated in December.  There was an opening in the same building in 4th grade so I took that job. (I love how God works things out)  That was a harder semester because those kids had bonded with the teacher that was there the first semester and my classroom was structured very differently from hers. It was a hard adjustment, but I think we managed pretty well----except for Charlie.  Well, first let me say that I am a red head with the stereotypical hot headed attitude.  I hadn't taught long enough to learn to NOT let the kids push my buttons and if they did you certainly don't let them see it!  Charlie found out quickly how to push them and did on a daily basis.  No matter how much I thought, "I am going to get along with Charlie today,"  typically that was a fleeting thought for it was a matter of walking in the door and it was on - for both of us.  The next year a student asked if I knew Charlie and I said yes.  The student said laughing - he didn't like you, did he?  AND... continued on to say, "and you didn't like him either, did you?"

It was that moment that my heart was broken.  We all know that there are people (of all ages) that are harder to love than others but I made it obvious to this child that I was not invested in him. Now that I have had more experiences, I wonder what made Charlie defy authority so much?  What was going on at home?  Could I have made a difference?  These are questions that will forever swim around in my head and never have the answers to.  Charlie has taught me to stop and look at my students when they are constantly trying to push my buttons.  I have learned to react less and observe more. 

So, my greatest failure with Charlie has probably become my greatest victory to many other "Charlies" I have encountered over the years.  As you can see, I often wonder about Charlie.  He would have graduated in 2012.  I wonder what he will make out of his life.  I hope he has the brightest of futures but most of all I hope that another teacher - at least one- captured Charlie's heart in a way that I didn't.  To Charlie - I am sorry but I also say thank you for making me a better teacher and person.

Run like the wind....or more of a light breeze in my case!

I went through my blog to see what all I had posted since I started in the summer and really didn't pick it up again until recently.  I loved reading my first post about training for my first 5K.  My friend, Angelee, and I worked 4 sometimes 5 days a week training to run an entire 5K.  I remember the first week of interval runs where we thought we could never run for 3 straight minutes, then 5, then 8 and then 20?  Are you kidding?  But the most amazing thing happened.....WE DID IT!!!

My first run was the Glow Run in Dallas in August.  The fear was how hot it is even at 8 p.m. in Texas but the park had a nice breeze that kept the heat down somewhat.  Angelee was unable to make the run but some other co-workers ran and the best part was my niece ran with me and encouraged me the entire time to keep running and NOT stop or walk.  It was also cool to see everyone "glowing".  We finished and was so excited until Taren said her ap calculated only 2.3 miles!  MAN!  But we went for snacks and a margarita afterwards so it was fine! :)

I was determined to run a full 5K!  So, Mary, Crystal and I signed up for the 9/11 Heroes Run at the same spot as my first run.  This time is was a full 5K and I ran every bit of it.  The men and women that serve our country every day were my inspiration to keep going when I felt like my legs could not take one more stride.  There were moments I slowed down but I was determined to run (and I use that term loosely) the entire way and you can see my excitement as I came up to the finish line.  The was a little more special because my sister's brother in law lost his life while serving in Afghanistan.  I am wearing a shirt with his picture on it.

I didn't have a run in October but was signed up for our city's Turkey Trot to benefit our DI (Destination Imagination) teams in the district.  It was a good run but I had to do a lot of self talk and turn up the radio to keep going.  I find the first mile and the last 1/2 mile the toughest and I know it is all mental!!  I try to make sure my playlist has the most upbeat songs during that time to keep my mind occupied on anything other than running! :)  Of course we treated ourselves to Mimosas and brunch after the early morning COLD run.

I had to leave my headband on because my friend, Morgan Power, said my hair looked bad for pictures! LOL.

I HATE running in cold weather so I didn't run much in December - February and every so smartly, I signed up for a run in Rockwall in Feburary.  It was for a great cause so I can't be upset about that but.... having not run for consistently for a couple of months and hardly EVER (if ever) running on inclines.... OH.MY.WORD.  About mile 2 my butt was cramping so bad.  I refused to stop but my pace was considerably slower than ever.  My wonderful Steve was at the finish line to cheer me on.  I saw him and told him that I was struggling.  He ran the last tenth of a mile with me. :)  He's a keeper.  So.... needless to say - there are NO pictures of that race.

The next race I am signed up for is the Color Run in Dallas.  I'll be doing that with my sister and the other hundreds of people in the DFW area on April 6th.  I will have pictures of that event to post!

If nothing else, this journey of running has showed me that I can do anything when I put my mind to it.  The end result may seem daunting but taking it step by step keeps the ultimate goal from seeming so overwhelming.  This has been a great life lesson for me.  And my legs have gotten pretty shapely to boot!!

Wine Tasting - Grapevine, TX

Since I am always the planner, I looked at the list of wineries that we (Whitney, Rob, Steve & I) didn't get to on our last trip. There are 7 and we STILL have not visited them all.  I should preface this whole wine tasting thing to say that I know nothing about REAL wine tasting and all the things a true wine connoisseur would know.  I just know what I like - which is usually white and sweet. :)

Our first stop was Delaney Vineyards.    http://www.delaneyvineyards.com/

The fellas were ready to go but Whit and I wanted to take pictures!  There are vineyards to the left of the entrance and inside is beautiful.  We did the tasting which was $10 per person for 5 tastings of which were predetermined.  It was a nice variety and there were a couple I enjoyed.

The lady that was helping us with our tasting was so funny and personable.  It made the experience perfect.

I was glad we arrived when we did because (if you can tell in the background) they were getting ready for a wedding in a few hours.  It was simple yet lovely.  I tried to have Steve take his picture with me under the lighted archway in the middle of the wedding scene but he said he would need more wine! LOL!  Someday..... so we just took one at the bar!

We didn't stay for the tour but that comes with the tasting fee.  I'm sure we will visit again and do the tour as well.

Next, on the agenda was to hit La Buena Vida.  I didn't see on their website if they had tastings but their snacks looked good and we were getting a little hungry.  They usually have live music from 2-5 on Saturdays and close at 7.  We got there about 4:20 and unfortunately for us they were closing because they were having a wedding too.  I did see that there was a tasting room and it had a lovely patio where a lot of people were enjoying the beautiful day.  We will return and I will give you my thoughts then. :)

As we were driving to La Buena Vida, we passed Cross Timbers Winery.  They closed at 5 so we knew we wouldn't make that one either.  Again, on the list for next time.

We decided to go back down Main St. and get wines we liked from our last visit and then do a little window shopping as well.  May I just say here, that I love Grapevine's Main St. district.  It is thriving and has some really unique shops.  Some are a little to pricey in my opinion but it is so cozy and quaint.  It gives you that small town feel inside a BIG town.

We stopped at Su Vino.  http://www.suvinowinery.com/
We did a tasting there before and Steve loved their "Samba" wine.  Of course when we went back, they were out but we did find something similar that he liked.  We were just going to have a glass of wine and some snacks but a glass cost about the same as a tasting so we figured we would try some things we didn't get to try last time.  The people that work there are very friendly.  It's a very laid back and relaxed atmosphere so don't go if you are in a hurry! :)  They also have some great gift ideas for the wine lovers in your circles.

We then were going to walk down to the Homestead Winery and then eat at Esparza's Mexican Food.  We made a quick stop into D'Vine Wine. http://grapevine.dvinewineusa.com/
for my VERY most favorite peach wine.  I was introduced to D'Vine Wine when my best friend, Shelley and I went to Fredericksburg last summer.  The Grapevine store actually had some of the Fredericksburg bottling "Fredericksburg Gold".  I think the Grapevine label of the same is called "Sunset".  Remember I said I like white and sweet!  This is the PERFECT wine for me :)

When we turned the corner and saw the floods of people at the restaurant, we thought we better get on the wait list.  It was 6 and the crowds were not going to get any smaller.  It was a long wait for the patio but only had to wait about 10 minutes for indoor seating so we took it.  We had heard RAVE reviews about this place.  I wouldn't say it's the best Mexican food I've ever had, but definitely worth going to if you haven't tried it.   http://www.esparzastexas.com/

At that point we were so full, we didn't even try to make it to the last winery.  Oh, well - we just decided that we would make a trip in a couple of months to finish out the wineries we haven't yet visited and then of course run by our favorites again as well! :)

Open House 3/5/13

Open House is always a challenge because the parents want to see something cute and you want the kids to get excited as well.  So of course I went to Pinterest searching for ideas for a jumping off point.  I also found a blog that had the "lucky" tags but I'm sorry I printed it and didn't pin the site to give credit to the originator but it wasn't me! :)

We were studying the end of the Indian Wars and the Open Cattle Ranges in Texas so we took white butcher paper and traced around each student to decorate his/her cowboy or cowgirl.  I had so many cute and original ideas.  This is one of my favorites.  Students also added his/her autobiography to attach to the cowboy/girl but my Molly wanted hers to sit on the desk so we could see her outfit! It was definitely a hit! :)

Herb Crusted Chicken in Basil Cream Sauce

OH MY GOODNESS!!  That's all I can say about this recipe.  It's by far my favorite pinterest recipe that I have found and it will become a staple dish for me!  I am copying the recipe from http://hopeandjohnbasher.blogspot.com/2012/05/herb-crusted-chicken-in-basil-cream.html

This is the picture of my dish.  I decided to serve over noodles with a salad and bread sticks.  YUMMMMM!!!  Try it - I'm sure you will love it too!!!

Serves: 2

Prep Time: 15 mins

Cook Time: 15mins

~496/cal per serving

** I did cut the chicken breasts in half after pounding to go a little further.**



Ingredients:

• 2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts, pounded thin
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/2 cup Progresso Garlic & Herb Bread Crumbs
• 2 teaspoons 'Perfect Pinch' Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning
• 1 teaspoon freeze dried chives
• 3 Tablespoons butter
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup Chicken Broth
• 1/4 can of Italian diced tomatoes, drained and finely chopped
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese blend
• 2 Tablespoons freeze dried (or fresh) basil
• dash of fresh ground black pepper

Procedure:

• Place bread crumbs, Roasted Garlic and Bell Pepper Seasoning and freeze dried chives in a shallow bowl; mix thoroughly.
• Place milk in a separate shallow bowl.
• In a skillet, heat butter on medium heat. Meanwhile, pound chicken flat and thin for even cooking (if you haven't done so already).
• Dip the chicken in the milk, then coat with crumb mixture.
• Cook chicken in butter until browned and cooked through (about ten minutes). Remove and keep warm
• In the same skillet, add garlic and saute for approximately 1 minute. 
• Add chicken broth and bring to a boil over medium heat. Stir occasionally to loosen browned parts from the pan.
• Stir in cream and tomatoes; bring to a boil and stir for one minute.
• Reduce heat to low; add Parmesan cheese, basil and a dash of pepper, stir sauce and cook until heated through and thickened. (about 5 minutes)
• Serve by pouring the sauce over the chicken. For added flair, serve the chicken and sauce over cooked pasta. 

Enjoy!

Steve's Favorite Turkey Pot Pie

What to do with left over Thanksgiving turkey?  That's always a dilemma so this year after Thanksgiving I decided to make a pot pie.  It was a HIT!  I tried it later and used the already cooked turkey breast and cubed it and it was not a hit with the man.  He said it tasted "too processed" so... we bought a small turkey breast that needed to be cooked (just like at Thanksgiving - only on a smaller scale).  I did that over the week-end and shredded it to have it when I needed.

I looked at a recipe from All Recipe and then adapted to my taste! :)

Ingredients:
2 pie shells
4 Tablespoons butter
1 small onion, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
3 Tablespoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon garlic powder
salt & pepper to taste

(Actually - I use all spices "to taste"  I probably use less parsley and a little more oregano.  I never measure but if you do - this will be great!)
2 cubes chicken bouillon
2 cups water
3 small potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 small package of mixed vegetables (picsweet has a mixed vegetables for soup that I LOVE - I probably use 1/2 of the bag - again you can add as much or little veges as you like)
2 cups shredded turkey (or as much or little as you would like)
3 Tablespoons flour
1/2 cup milk

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Roll out bottom pie crust in 10" pie plate.

Add 2 Tablespoons butter and melt in a skillet over medium heat.  Add onion, celery and spices until soft.  Stir in bouillon and water.  Bring to a boil.  Stir in frozen vegetables and add potatoes.  Cook until potatoes are tender but firm.

In medium saucepan melt remaining 2 Tablespoons of butter.  Stir in flour and milk.  When slightly thickened, add turkey and coat with mixture.  If mixture gets too thick just add a little water.  Stir mixture into skillet until thickens.  Sometimes I have to add a little more water depending on how much veges I add.

Pour into pie shell and cover with 2nd pie shell.  *** Because I add a lot of vegetables, I always have enough for 2 pies.  I put the remainder in a freezer bag and pour it in pie crusts when I am ready for another one****

 Cut slits in the top.

Bake at 425 for 15 minutes, then at 325 for 20 minutes.  I let my pie sit about 5 minutes before I cut and serve!

I love "Copy- Cat" recipes!!

My best friend, Shelley, introduced me to P.F. Chang's years ago and I fell in love with their Mongolian Beef (among other dishes).  I bought a cookbook that has copycat recipes from restaurants and ummmm ummmm!  Chang's Mongolian Beef was included.  It has become one of Steve and Camryn's (his son) favorite dishes as well as mine.  Steve also loves the ginger dressing at our local hibachi restaurant so I found a copy cat recipe for that too.  We love it and make it often.  We went back to the hibachi grill and thought the copy cat recipe was better than theirs now! :)  I am including both recipes for you to try!  The ginger dressing cam from All Recipes.  NOW.... if I could find a copy cat recipe for LeMadeline's Lemon Tart!  If anyone out there has it, help a sista out! :)

I know it may seem like a lot of steps but it really is simple and totally delish!!!

 

 

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger, minced
• 1 tablespoon garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 3/4 cup dark brown sugar
• vegetable oil, for frying (about 1 cup)
• 1 lb flank steak
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2 large green onions

Directions

1. Make the sauce by heating 2 tsp of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over med/low heat.
2. Don't get the oil too hot.
3. Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.
4. Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, then raise the heat to about medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.
5. Remove it from the heat.
6. Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices.
7. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts.
8. Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch to apply a very thin dusting to both sides of each piece of beef.
9. Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.
10. As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).
11. Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking.
12. Add the beef to the oil and sauté for just two minutes, or until the beef just begins to darken on the edges.
13. You don't need a thorough cooking here since the beef is going to go back on the heat later.
14. Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly.
15. After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels, then pour the oil out of the wok or skillet.
16. Put the pan back over the heat, dump the meat back into it and simmer for one minute.
17. Add the sauce, cook for one minute while stirring, then add all the green onions.
18. Cook for one more minute, then remove the beef and onions with tongs or a slotted spoon to a serving plate.
19. Leave the excess sauce behind in the pan.
20. Next is the Fabulous Copy Cat Ginger Dressing 
21. 

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup minced onion
• 1/2 cup peanut oil
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons water
• 2 Tablespoons minced fresh ginger root
• 2 Tablespoons minced celery
• 2 Tablespoons ketchup
• 4 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons white sugar
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

 In a blender, combine the minced onion, peanut oil, rice vinegar, water, ginger, celery, ketchup, soy sauce, sugar, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper . Blend on high speed for about 30 seconds or until all of the ingredients are well-pureed.

Some "bucket list" items

I have lived in the Dallas, TX area almost my entire life and there is still so much that I have not even ventured out to do in the area.  I am making myself a list of things "to do" in and around Dallas and in Texas that I think I should do sooner rather than later.  Please feel free to comment on other unique places are MUST DO's.   These are in no particular order just as I think of them! :)  Yes, I realize the teacher is coming out in me on many items on the list! LOL

Some great friends along with Steve and I will be going to Grapevine next week-end to do some wine tasting.  We had so much fun when we went about a month ago.  I can't wait to hit the ones we haven't been to yet.

1.  Schoolbook Depository - JFK Museum
2.  Studio Movie Grill  2/1/14
3.  Drive in Movie in Ennis
4.  iPic Theatre
5.  Reunion Tower
6.  Marfa Lights
7.  McDonald Observatory
8.  Re-enactment of the San Jacinto Battle
9.  Dallas Zoo
10.  Tour the Gov. Mansion in Austin
11.  Dallas Aquarium
12.  TopGolf Dallas
13. Dallas Museum of Arts
14. Boardwalk at Kemah, TX
15. Improv in Addison (must do with my sister or she will kill me!)
16. Lone Star Park (haven't been in a while but love it)
17. Palo Duro Canyon (would love to go back)
18. Gruene Hall
19.Scarborough Faire
20. Plano Balloon Festival

I think that will be a good start.  So, now when the boyfriend asks me what I want to do.... HE can choose from my list! LOL  I will report as I cross each adventure off.

Sometimes change is GOOD!!

So, I have gone with a strict policy of if I have a good recipe that is tried and true that I will not try to "improve" on it with another recipe because I am usually disappointed - kind of the "If it's not broke - don't fix it" mentality but I have to say that today I broke that rule and I am SOOOO glad I did.  I have been told my cinnamon toast is pretty awesome. So when I saw this post from the Pioneer Woman's cinnamon toast I thought I would give it a try and OH MY WORD!!! It was wonderful.  It even got thumbs up from the boyfriend and his 17 year old son!  This one is a keeper and I will never make cinnamon toast any other way!  FRIENDS - TRY IT!!!! I bet you will love it too!!!


I halved this recipe because I didn't need 8 slices of toast.  I still ended up using the same amount of cinnamon and vanilla!

Ingredients

8	slices Bread (whole Wheat Is Great!)
1	stick Salted Butter, Softened
½	cup Sugar (more To Taste)
1½	teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1	teaspoon Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
¼	teaspoons Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.
Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.
Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!
Remove from oven and cut slices into halves diagonally.

Picture borrowed from FoodieWife F. because I forgot to take a picture of mine this morning! :(

For my classroom

If I didn't mention, I teach 4th grade and have taught this grade level for 10 years.  I always thought I would teacher Kinder up until almost graduation and then thought "God Bless those that teacher 5 year olds" because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I COULD do it but I also know that it is NOT my calling.  I much prefer a little bit older and self sufficient. :)  I have taught self contained classrooms, team taught, departmentalized... you name it.  Being a 4th grade teacher in Texas means a lot of writing.  Sometimes we are writing multiple things at once and it is so easy to get lost as to where each student is in the process.  I found this solution on Pinterest (of course) and with the help of one of my awesome room mom's, I have something that is a visual at a glance not only for me but my kids too.  I love it and will continue to use it until I get another job (as an Asst. Principal since I am not certified!  Yeah me!)

The sections are as follows:  Brainstorming, Prewriting, Rough Draft, Revising, Final Copy, Rubric

There are clothes pin with each child's number on them to identify where each child is in the process.