Day 5

Today I'm thankful for the ability to be active.  This is important for me to remember because. . .I HATE EXERCISING!  But at least I have the ability to do it (even in my bitterness of actually having to exercise).  Health is one of those things I take for granted.  I am so fortunate to be as healthy as I am, (I haven't even had the chicken pox!) and I need to appreciate that health instead of being negative about exercising/staying fit/etc.

So, here is to health!  Have a happy, healthy Monday :)

Day 4

Today I am thankful for the animals in my life. . .specifically Naniboujou and Sally.  I love these two so much.  I can't believe how much of a comfort animals can be.  I wish that we had more room so we could have more pets. . .but for now, I'll have to do with these two.

Sally "the dog"

Boujou Bear

Day 3

It's only 8:36am and I already know what I'm thankful for today. . .sleep!

Today I am thankful for a great night's rest.  Too often lately I wake up thinking about what I need to do, or worrying about something.  But last night I had such a great night of sleep that today I feel ready to take on the world!  When I woke up so refreshed, I started thinking about how grateful I was for that great night of sleep, I also considered how blessed I am to have a bed, a home, heat, safety, etc.  Those are basics in my life that I take for granted and so many people (too many people) are without those basics. 

As a special challenge to myself, I am going to try to be more aware of the students I work with who might not have these essentials in their lives and try to make my classroom one that is safe both physically and emotionally (but hopefully not too relaxed that they are falling asleep. . .:)).

Thankfulness Challenge 2012

Well, I'm going to try to do a Thankfulness Challenge this year. . .and I'm already two days behind!  I love the idea of thinking through some of the things for which I am thankful every November.  It's such a simple way to reflect upon all the good in my life and to try in my meager way to appreciate all those who make me who I am.

So, to begin. . .

1. I am thankful for my husband who is so forgiving of all that I do wrong.  So many times I am short with him or quick to judge but he is always so forgiving.  I truly am the luckiest girl to have such a wonderful man in my life.

2. I am thankful for the teachers I work with.  They truly are the most dedicated, caring, and student-focused people in the world.  Thank you for encouraging me to be the best I can be and for giving me great ideas and support from inside your classrooms.

Pasta and Pesto

My Aunt Judy just gave me, my parents, and my sil the recipe for her homemade pesto (along with all the ingredients to make it--she's wonderful like that).  I made the sauce the other day with my dad and Jon and I had it with pasta for dinner tonight.  It was amazing and so simple to make!

Aunt Judy's Pesto Sauce (makes 1/2 c)
2/3 c packed fresh basil
1/3 c grated Parmesan cheese
1/3 c olive oil
2 T pine nuts
1/2 tsp salt
1 garlic clove, peeled

1. Put all ingredients into a food processor and process until well blended.
2. Refrigerate (and use within a week) OR freeze in ice cube trays, with foil covering tray.  Once it is frozen, pop them out and transfer to a Ziploc bag (frozen cubes can be used for up to three months).

And that's it!  It's super easy to make, is healthy, and delicious.  Is there anything better?

PS Jon and I added some bacon to our pasta and pesto.  We figure, when it doubt, add bacon--it makes life happy :)

Spinach Smoothies--They're Good, I Promise!

 Every summer I (try) to eat a bit healthier than I do during the school year.  It's the time of year where I try new recipes and try to get into better eating habits.  I have become addicted to pinterest and through this site I have found a ton of amazing recipes.  One that my husband and I both enjoy is a spinach smoothie.  It is so easy to make and tastes amazing!  At first I questioned how good a spinach smoothie might taste.  But it is super delicious--and I think of it as three servings of fruits and veggies before 9:00am.  Win-win!

The ingredients are very simple--spinach, pineapple, bananas, yogurt, and water (or ice in my case--we like the smoothie to be very cold so we use ice instead of water).  Find the recipe here and enjoy!

Gone Girl = A Great Read!

I just read an amazing book--the kind of book that you cannot put down (hence the four hours I spent on the couch reading this morning).

I would highly recommend, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, as your next summer read.  The plot is simple yet there are so many twists throughout. 

The basics of the story are:

1. Husband and wife have a marriage that is decaying

2. Wife goes missing on 5th wedding anniversary

3. Husband is the main suspect in wife's disappearance

4. Husband has secrets

5. Wife has secrets

6. Neither one is perfect

Soooo good!  Please read this book. . .and, if you do, let me know what you think of it.

On another note, if you do choose to read this book, Real Simple has chosen it as their No Obligation Book Club book for the month of July.  Read the book and then hop on over to their website to see what other people are saying about it.