After the 4th of July, I came to the sad conclusion that summer is more than halfway over for me. I report back to PDSD on the 29th of this month, but I'll probably go back the Thursday before to look over my room and get a few things set up. But enough about that. :)
So here's some updates:
Work
Sylvan is going well. I'm working about 1/2 of the hours that I worked last summer. It's averages to be about 6-9 hours a week. I guess tutoring is a luxury that gets bumped when gas keeps going up. It is nice to work for a few hours then relax the rest of the day. I also love the summers because I don't work on Saturdays!!! During the school year, Saturday would be the day I would get the most hours from Sylvan, so I would feel like I have a very short weekend. It's nice to have a full weekend now.
Cooking Class
I LOVE IT!!!! I can't say much more about it. I wish I had taken more advantage when I was living at home and learned from my mother (who's a terrific cook). I've made a vegetable soup that was easier than making mac and cheese. I've made a Shepard's pie that was tasty with Mexican spices and chilies. And I've learned to freeze and reheat the left overs so I have like my own frozen microwave dinners already in my freezer.
Another bonus - I've lost 20 pounds since the end of May!!! I guess I never learned until now how much damage I was doing by being lazy and going through the drive thru on the way home from work. Now, I just by pass Panda Express (my normal spot) because I know I have food ready in the freezer. I Love it!!!!!!
Arizona Heat
Well, it's been a pretty hot summer. But the monsoon storms have started so it has cooled us down. I think that today is the first day that the height temp is supposed to be under 100 degrees!! Yeah! Anything is bearable with AC and lots of water!!!
I guess that's it. More later......
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Summer Goal - Become "Chef" Christina
I have signed up for an on-line cooking class for this summer. (It will keep me busy and away from the T.V. - hopefully). It started today and I'm going to try one of the dishes tonight - Chicken a la King. (The above picture is how it turned out - I made a few substitutions like green beans for mushrooms, but it tasted good!)
The class is called Luscious, Low-Fat, Lightning-Quick Meals. I hope to get more ideas on what to cook instead of my basic tuna pasta salad and cold cereal dinners.
Here are some of the recipes to come:
Italian Meat Loaf
Turkey Tetrazini
Ground Beef Stroganoff
Cinnamon Chicken
Pan Broiled London Broil
Grilled Ginger-Lime Salmon
Asian Tangerine Scallops
Farmer Chili (with soybeans)
Tofu Pumpkin Custard (?????)
Oven-Fried Chicken
Speedy Lasagna
Tofu Key Lime Pie (if I like this one - then the class is definitely worth it)
I'll keep you updated on my culinary adventures. :)
Sunday, June 1, 2008
Summer Vacation is HERE
I'm writing this from my brother's computer in Washington D.C. We just wrapped up a week reunion with all of the Waites in tow. We took all 11 adults and 5 kids to a beach house in North Carolina. It was so much fun!!!
Mothballs
I spent most of my time resting from a hectic last 2 weeks of school. Our maintenance crew had found a stray cat in the air ducts in the building I was teaching in. They were able to get the cat (and her kittens) out, but had the idea that to keep them away - they would put a box of mothballs in the vent. Well, that's fine and well, but two of the teachers (I would be one of them ) happened to have asthmatic attacks to the mothballs and had to be moved for the last 2 weeks. So, I taught out of the school conference room. The kids liked the more comfortable chairs and the big screen HD TV that was in the room. Through less exposure, and 3 steroids, my lungs are back to normal.
Waite Reunion
It took a lot of planning, organizing, and patience, but we all arrived at the beach house. It was only a 5 minute walk from the beach. It also had it's own pool, ping pong table, billiard table, bedroom and bathroom for each family, a big upstairs kitchen and living room, and a magic closet (known to the rest of the world as an elevator). Adrienne (age 5) and Cooper (age 3) would often drag their Aunt Christina to go up and down in the magic closet many times a day. This rule was set up after Cooper tried to go on the elevator by himself and couldn't quite get back to the right floor.
It was a lot of fun seeing all the cousins getting to know eachother and seeing their personalities. Adrienne kind of took a mothering role. She's the oldest and only girl so it was natural for her. Cooper was taking advantage of his 2 year head start over the others by trying to get them into trouble. He saw himself as an instant leader of his own posse. Logan (20 months) was sick for the majority of the time (poor guy). He kept close to Mom (ie Jessica) for the most part. He would venture out a few times and by the end of the week was feeling well enough to try the pool and surf. Jayden (13 months) was all smiles for Grandma Sharon. His personality is starting to show through, as are his two front teeth. Jaxxen (12 months) will probably become a member of the WWE or other professional wrestling circuit. He would tackle and wrestle all of the cousins he could get his hands on.
We also took family pictures by the beach. They turned out really well and with the children as young as they were, they did GREAT!!! Our family has a tendency to take pictures every 10 years. Between the last family picture and now, we've added 2 sisters in law, 1 brother in law, 1 niece and 5 nephews (at least from my point of view). It will be interesting to see who will be added to the next family photo.
Vacation Plans
I'm afraid this is my big trip for the summer. We spent a week in NC. Tyler, Kamry, Jaxxen and I are staying another week in D.C. to see the tourist sights. (Kamry hasn't been here before). We'll head back home on Saturday. I'll be teaching at Sylvan for 7 weeks. And then, back to school. I start back around July 28 or 29. The students start back August 4. It will go by quick but I'm glad it's here.
Mothballs
I spent most of my time resting from a hectic last 2 weeks of school. Our maintenance crew had found a stray cat in the air ducts in the building I was teaching in. They were able to get the cat (and her kittens) out, but had the idea that to keep them away - they would put a box of mothballs in the vent. Well, that's fine and well, but two of the teachers (I would be one of them ) happened to have asthmatic attacks to the mothballs and had to be moved for the last 2 weeks. So, I taught out of the school conference room. The kids liked the more comfortable chairs and the big screen HD TV that was in the room. Through less exposure, and 3 steroids, my lungs are back to normal.
Waite Reunion
It took a lot of planning, organizing, and patience, but we all arrived at the beach house. It was only a 5 minute walk from the beach. It also had it's own pool, ping pong table, billiard table, bedroom and bathroom for each family, a big upstairs kitchen and living room, and a magic closet (known to the rest of the world as an elevator). Adrienne (age 5) and Cooper (age 3) would often drag their Aunt Christina to go up and down in the magic closet many times a day. This rule was set up after Cooper tried to go on the elevator by himself and couldn't quite get back to the right floor.
It was a lot of fun seeing all the cousins getting to know eachother and seeing their personalities. Adrienne kind of took a mothering role. She's the oldest and only girl so it was natural for her. Cooper was taking advantage of his 2 year head start over the others by trying to get them into trouble. He saw himself as an instant leader of his own posse. Logan (20 months) was sick for the majority of the time (poor guy). He kept close to Mom (ie Jessica) for the most part. He would venture out a few times and by the end of the week was feeling well enough to try the pool and surf. Jayden (13 months) was all smiles for Grandma Sharon. His personality is starting to show through, as are his two front teeth. Jaxxen (12 months) will probably become a member of the WWE or other professional wrestling circuit. He would tackle and wrestle all of the cousins he could get his hands on.
We also took family pictures by the beach. They turned out really well and with the children as young as they were, they did GREAT!!! Our family has a tendency to take pictures every 10 years. Between the last family picture and now, we've added 2 sisters in law, 1 brother in law, 1 niece and 5 nephews (at least from my point of view). It will be interesting to see who will be added to the next family photo.
Vacation Plans
I'm afraid this is my big trip for the summer. We spent a week in NC. Tyler, Kamry, Jaxxen and I are staying another week in D.C. to see the tourist sights. (Kamry hasn't been here before). We'll head back home on Saturday. I'll be teaching at Sylvan for 7 weeks. And then, back to school. I start back around July 28 or 29. The students start back August 4. It will go by quick but I'm glad it's here.
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