Simple Mindedness

Conversation with a 2nd grader today:

Girl: Are you a mom?

Me: Nope.

Girl: Are you a grandma?

Me: Definitely not. If I'm not a mom how can I be a grandma?

Girl: Oh. So what are you?

Good question.

(Note: The conversation went on to me revealing that I'm 22. The girl next to us says, "My mom's 22!" Either she's lying, or her mom really is 22 and she had her when she 15. :(

A friend reminded me of this video today. It gives me the chills every time I watch it. Such a fantastic message. Please share it with others!

I'm Alive!

I have been on a student teaching hiatus for who knows how long. I have had complaints of my absence so I thought it was time to give the people what they want.

This is a picture from the weekend. Kevin, Brian, and I met a girl Kevin works with and her friend downtown at a Zombie street party. A local Cedar Falls band played so that was reason enough for going. Further reason was people dressed as Zombies for the opening of a new restaurant Zombie Burger. It was a lot of fun! I really like this picture of Kevin and I, so I'm posting it. I think we look like an actual couple. Like not just two people. You know what I mean? Like we're one. That sounds ridiculously corny. I'll stop now. Kevin thinks this picture makes us look like grown ups which makes me sad. I don't want to GROW OLD and START ACTING MY AGE. :( So, I'll keep going to Zombie festivals to keep me young. We then went to a karaoke bar. If you want more details you will be forced to read the entirety of this rambling blog.

I have been busy busy with teacher inservice and students coming back to school. I have been working diligently on my Teacher Work Sample as to not get behind and stress myself out. For my student teacher friends (this will not make sense to anyone else)... So far I have written my contextual factors, learning goals, and have defended my goals. I have my assessment plan mapped out and it will be finished up tomorrow! 10 pages of TWS bliss are waiting in Kevin's inbox to proofread :). 40 (ish) pages to go! It has been MUCH easier than expected. Tonia and friend Katie (who teaches here in DSM) have graciously sent me their TWS to reference and it has been very helpful.

Onto the good stuff... I LOVE STUDENT TEACHING! My class is great, I love second grade. I feel comfortable and jumped in right away. The days have been long and I have come home exhausted. I usually get home around 4:45 and I always take a little "me" time to check e-mails, Facebook, blogs, and listen to music. Maybe I can work in a little blogging time of my own in there. Then I eat supper, get my second wind, and start working. I'm hoping to get as much of my TWS done now as I can so I can put my full energy into creating lesson plans in the next few weeks. I know these next 8 weeks are going to fly by.

I wish I could be posting some crafts or fun things I have been doing. I think I may venture back home this weekend with my boy. I'm hoping for a family day of floating the river, relaxing, getting some sun, and having a few drinks! Some more sad news to report-- I have been forced to take a hiatus from boot camp. There is just not enough time in the day and I'm not always able to leave school in time to make it there. I want to put all my energy into student teaching, so for now, I will be taking a break. I'm very sad about this bc I was making fantastic progress and eating fabulously. I'm probably eating better now that there is hardly any time in the day to eat much, and I'm on my feet 8 hours a day. Which reminds me... I need to invest in better shoes!

I do have one exciting piece of news since I posted last... I'M MOVING! I am moving in with Kevin and his current roommate, Brian. We were going to wait until I was done student teaching and had an income again, but, rather than them splitting a more expensive place 2 ways, I'm moving in early and I will split the difference between the new place and their old place. It's a win-win for everyone. I'm tired of packing an overnight bag to go stay at Kevin's. I am always afraid I'm forgetting something important. In just ONE month (Oct. 1) we will become one happy little family. Brian will serve double duties as love child/relationship counselor (NOT that we need it) :).

The place is SUPER nice and cheaper than any rent I ever paid in college! Here is the website (Timber Hill Condos). It's classified as a "condo" but I'm not sure what the difference is between that and an apartment except it's nicer. It's located about 5 minutes from where I am now in Urbandale. It's further west than we wanted but we found a nicer place for less money, so we had to compromise. It's got 2 bedrooms and 2.5 baths. Each room has its own bathroom (Kevin and I have two different vanities, which I'm sure will eliminate many arguments about cleanliness issues!) We have a big walk in closet and Brian has a big closet of his own. The half bath is off the living room. The kitchen overlooks the living room and has granite countertops, wood floors, and TONS of cabinets (I've been watching too much HGTV... can ya tell!?) It also has a fireplace and patio. We're on the ground floor, so it feels like we have more outdoor space with the grass right there. It also comes with a garage that we're giving to Brian, who has the nicest car :). My car wouldn't know what to do if it was in a garage.

Clearly I am very excited about this and I'm sorry for the rambling. Most people think I'm crazy for living with 2 guys. Brian is overly clean and Kevin is OVERLY messy. I am OCD in the fact that I like things a certain way (example: the toilet paper has to come from the top, not from the bottom). This will be eye-opening for Kevin I'm sure. Hopefully with a place this nice he will be motivated to keep it clean. I offered to do the cleaning (WITHIN REASON) since I'm paying substantially less rent until I'm done student teaching.

I'm excited to decorate and use my new crafting finds to spruce it up. That being said, I realize I am living with two boys who won't appreciate any of it. So, visitors welcome! Kevin has a bunch of vintage beer signs (that I secretly like) that he is excited to find a new home for. So it won't be all girly.

That's what's going through my mind now. Here are 5 facts to make this post a little more interesting:

1. I had my first puker today. His dad didn't believe he felt sick this morning. Thanks a lot!

2. I made my first solo karaoke debut this weekend to the song below (pardon the apparent seizure). The karaoke guy was jokingly going to sing it and I told him I could rap it. So, I did. He sang the loud parts of the chorus with me. The place was a dive bar in the East Village downtown. Not too many people there, so we all got to since a few times. I amazed myself that I was brave enough to do this. I even amazed Kevin. He was proud. I got a standing ovation from the crowd :) One of the cooler moments of my life.

3. Today is my aunt's 20 year wedding anniversary with her late husband. I looked through their old wedding album with her. It was bittersweet but their love was more than evident in the pictures and the way she recalled their wedding day. Keep her in your thoughts (and prayers, if you're into that kinda thing) and count your blessings today.

4. Tonia and I are seriously contemplating flying to New York to see Brand New perform on my birthday. However, I don't have the funds for this. :( I welcome being talked into sucking it up and doing it (or funds.)

5. The kids can't say my name. Here are some variations: Spenzley, Springley, Spinley, Springer, and even Mom. And, of course, they put "Mrs." in front of all of these variations. Someday I'll be "Mrs. Clark" and things will be boring. I'm enjoying being Mrs. Spinlie while I can.

FINALLY. This song was popular when I was in Italy and this video is pretty bad ass.

YOU'RE ALL WELCOME FOR AT LEAST 20 MINUTES OF A DISTRACTION FROM YOUR DAY. :)

I'm Goin' Hungrehhh-YEAHHHH-yeahhhhh!

I have been neglecting my readers of music. Tonia and I LOVE this video. It's my beloved Jesse Lacey of Brand New and Kevin Devine covering "Hunger Strike" by Temple of the Dog (Pearl Jam and Soundgarden collaborative band... thanks for the info, Tonia). Every time I hear this song on the radio, which is more often than this song should be played on the radio ever, I laugh. Mostly because of these two videos. And then once you watch them both, watch the original version because it's hilariously corny.

You're welcome. Hahahaha. I love 1:31. Random creepy long haired man in tall grass. Classic.

Start of Another Chapter

I STARTED STUDENT TEACHING TODAY! So much information at teacher inservice but I'm very excited about the upcoming semester.

Mom always takes first day of school pictures and this year was no different. She requested me take one for her, so I did. Nobody was home this morning so I had to use the self-timer. For some reason it turned out blurry and I look a little awkward. Nonetheless, this is what I wore for my first day of school as a student teacher:

Skirt: Sorento, Italy, 15 euro

Shirt: Heritage, $6

Cardigan: Target, $13

Scarf: Podova, Italy, 6 euro

Shoes: Target, $15

Teacher bag: Gift from roommate Andrea, I think she got it at Barnes and Noble? It's the PERFECT teacher bag. I can fit my whole planner, TWS information, laptop, lunch, and other random purse content. I love it! Thanks Andrea :)

Love me some good deals. And Italy clothing. Sigh.

End of One Chapter

I ended my summer of nannying Friday and I miss the girls soooo much! We had a great last day full of hugs and presents. I love giving presents to little ones. As mentioned in previous posts, the girls play Polly Pockets ALL day long. So, I knew I wanted to give them something they'd use often. They are always searching for make-shift beds for the Polly's, which cracks me up. So, I made these:

Don't tell me you wouldn't love this if you were a little girl. I made all of these and they FREAKED out when they opened it. I sewed two pieces of felt together using a blanket stitch. I got creative and folded the top "blanket" down to make it look more like a bed. Then, I got even MORE creative and made pillows by stuffing tissue into it and sewing it up. Took about 10 minutes each. Then they opened hand-made notebooks and flower and puppy shaped crayons. They had no idea what to play with first. In the end, the Polly's won.

I made mom and dad the picture frame with the cutest pictures of the girls, and the girls' presents are in the pretty bag. Of course I said, "You have to SHARE everything in this bag!" before they opened it. 3 minutes later they were divvying up the contents. Go figure. I made a scrapbook from all the pictures I took throughout the summer and the girls decorated it. I thought mom was going to cry :).

They were a tremendous family to work for and I will be back to visit soon!

Update: I ended nannying Friday and took my Praxis test Saturday. One of the questions had an example of the Magic Treehouse series books in it, which Peyton read constantly all summer. I had to text her mom to tell her thanks for helping me on my test :)

Oh, I PASSED THE PRAXIS! Despite my 3 day hiatus from blogging, I hardly studied. Kevin woke me up early Saturday morning to do some practice math problems. I was well above the state required minimum score :) And... math wasn't my lowest score!!!

Date night with my boy. Fat Tire for him, Sex on the Beach for me. Mmm!

Classic example of how I don't "act my age." I would totes wear these. Unfortunately, they don't come in my size. Oh, and they light up! The 5 year old I nanny just got these for school and I'm totally jealous.

More Crafts!

Here are some of the hair pins I have been working to perfect over the last few weeks. I enjoy making them so if anyone has any requests, let me know! Also, I would encourage you to try to make some yourself. They are all super easy. Just click on the links to get to the tutorials.

Click here to learn how to make the rosette. You may have seen these flowers a few posts ago on a to-do picture frame. I made a "UNI" colored pin also using this. (See below)

I made the white and yellow lace hair pins using this tutorial. In the white one, I made two flowers and sewed them on top of each other to make it a little bigger. I also made a mini rosette and sewed it into the middle of the lace flower.

The blue one took the least amount of work! I bought it in the craft section at Hobby Lobby-- I think it would be considered an embellishment. It was maybe $2. I just glued felt and a bobby pin to the back. Just walk around Hobby Lobby and you will find something you like! They had a section of embellishments that looked meant for hair pins.

Below is a bracelet I made from this tutorial. I branched off and used my own type of string. I'd recommend using a glossy string for the black string that goes underneath (doesn't have to be black) and a string that is a little more rough, like hemp, for the wrap around string. The beads were a little harder to find. I made my first one using pearls I found in the ribbon/lace section at hobby lobby but they were too big and I didn't like the look. I found the beads (they're actually plastic, not metal) at JoAnn Fabric near the buttons and lace. I found the hex nuts at Ace Hardware for 10 cents each. Kevin even went with me :) What a good boyfriend.

So this is what I've been doing during my free time when Kevin is busy working or the girls are playing Polly Pockets. I am sad all that free time is about to come to an end. At least I have some hand-made accessories to wear! Let me know if you try anything you see!

Also, I don't think I posted the tutorial for the fabric button earrings I made. Here it is! It will take you maybe 5 minutes total to make one pair. The hardest part is taking the metal part off the buttons with pliers. Everything else is a breeze. If you make these, I'd recommend getting fabric QUARTERS from JoAnn. I think they were $2 and I have used them to make the rosettes as well and I still have a ton left. It's cheaper than getting a yard and more convenient as well, in my opinion.

Last thing! Every website that I find my tutorials from is listed to the right here. I can't take credit. I can only take credit for having an excess amount of time on my hands.

I Have Awesome Friends

This post is dedicated to my best friend Tonia because she just got her first big girl job!!! YAY TONIA! Tonia called me a couple weeks prior to vent her frustrations about the education job market (or lack of) up in Minnesota and the slow processing of teacher licenses. We brainstormed backup plans and worst and best-case scenario options. Well, as luck will have it we didn't need to have that conversation. Tonia got a job! After only ONE interview! In a very random and bizarre fashion she met a grandma at the child development center she was working who passed her name along. One interview later and BAM Tonia had a job. I'm very proud of her and happy her stresses about finding a job are over. I know Tonia will do great in this classroom and the kids are extremely lucky to have her!

Rather than try to explain our friendship, I will do so in visual form. You will never understand it, anyway. I don't even understand it. Most of the time I'm trying to get out of it. ;)

Here are a few of my favorite pictures of us over the years:

I believe this is one of the first pictures of us together. This was at my 21st birthday waaaay ;) back in 2009.

Another picture from long ago. We were at Becks in Cedar Falls watching UNI beat Kansas in the Sweet 16!!!!! (This was also the night Kevin asked me out for the first time!)

This was last November after the Living History Farms race in Des Moines. Tonia had an injured foot but we ran the whole 7 miles together and crossed the finish line hand-in-hand! Haha. (For those of you who don't know what LHF race is find out and then SIGN UP! It was so much fun. Even if you're not an avid runner, you will love it.)

This was taken later that night after the race in downtown Des Moines. I have 23092 pictures of Tonia kissing and/or hugging me. :)

This is us doing what we do best. We are the dynamic duo that invades the Hydrant in Cedar Falls every few months. Our set list includes: It's Tricky by Run DMC, Fat Lip by Sum 41, Handlebars by the Flobots, and Why Don't You Get a Job by the Offspring. I feel like I'm missing one.

These are our shoes. They explain more than you know.

Aaand this past spring we built a fort in my old apartment in Cedar Falls. We ate ice cream and watched Ghost Adventures late at night. It was one of the best days of my life.

I wish Tonia's teaching adventures had brought her back to Iowa. But, now we each have a city to visit when we're bored :) LOVE YOU T-FIZZLE!

Could this be any more "me?" I don't think so. Oh gosh oh gosh I'm so excited! Totally making this asap.

Here is the tutorial if you want to make it, too :)

I also need this. How perfect.

If anyone wants to buy it for me you can do so here :)

Also, I want an iPhone. Mainly because I want to have the ability to Instragram photos. If anyone out there wants to buy me one and pay my monthly cell phone bill let me know.

I'm Baaack!

So studying for the test was a short-lived dream. Turns out my study book had only 10 test questions! Yes, 10! Did I mention the book was over 400 pages long? Money not well spent. Math is the only part I am worried about so I think I'll just google 6th grade math problems to freshen up my skillz.

I am feeling the love today so I wanted to share this song and its lyrics. I re-discovered it on Green Wedding Shoes. A couple used it during their wedding ceremony to exit. I am always always looking for songs to use for my wedding, songs that are meaningful to me and said boyfriend. We have the same taste in music but both have very strong opinions about music. I like to pitch him ideas of songs I hear but he usually finds something wrong, and vise versa! I'd say my taste is a little more eclectic. Anyway, Kevin had an unhealthy obsession with Dave Matthews (much like my brother Dillon) in high school and college, now I would consider it a healthy obsession. I think he might actually go for this one unless there is something about DM or this song I'm missing that only members of the cult know. I think the chorus would be a good, upbeat exit song. My brother would probably poop his pants if he heard this at my wedding.

Lyrics:

Wanna pack your bags
Something small
Take what you need and we disappear
without a trace we'll be gone, gone
moon and the stars will follow the car
And then when we get to the ocean
Gonna take a boat to the end of the world
all the way to the end of the world

Oh when the kids are old enough
we gon' teach them to fly

You and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes
you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes

you and i were not tied to the ground
not falling but rising like rolling around
eyes closed above the rooftops
eyes closed were gonna spin through the stars
Our arms wide as the sky we gon ride the blue
all the way to the end of the world
to the end of the world

Oh when the kids are old enough
we gon teach them to fly

You and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes
you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes, yes

we can always look back on what we did
always memory of you and me baby
right now its you and me forever girl
you know we could do better than
anything that we did
you know that you and me
we could do anything

you and me together
we could do anything, baby
you and me together yes,yes
the two of us together
we could do anything baby
you and me together yes, yes
two of us together, yes, yes
two of us together
we could do anything baby

Hiatus

I'm taking the test I need to get my teaching license, the Praxis II, on August 20th and I NEED to study. I have been procrastinating taking the test all summer, which isn't a surprise, but now it's crunch time. I purchased a study book MONTHS ago and have yet to open it. So, to force myself to study and I not allowing myself to make any more posts until I get some quality study time in. I know this test is supposed to be very easy and I have been told by many who have taken it before me to NOT study. But, I would hate to not pass on account of me not studying and thinking it's going to be "easy." So goodbye blog for at least a few days until I get my butt in gear. Encouraging words and good luck thoughts would be appreciated :). I can't afford to take this thing more than once!

"The truth is you could slit my throat and with my one last gasping breath, I'd apologize for bleeding on your shirt." -You're So Last Summer, Taking Back Sunday

"Roped me in, so mesmerizing, so hypnotizing, I am captivated...

...And I am flawed, but I am cleaning up so well. I am seeing in me now the things you swore you saw yourself." -Vindicated, Dashboard Confessional

I love this boy. That's all I wanted to say today.

Felt iPod Case + other crafts

I have so many crafts I want to make and so little time to do it! My boy came home for the weekend from his business trip in St. Louis. He goes back all week this week :( so I wanted to hang with him all weekend. My mom also came up to visit Friday (thanks, Mom!). It was a great weekend but went by way too fast. I can't believe there is only 2 weeks left of summer! Ahh!

I spent a couple hours this afternoon out on the deck making some crafts and listening to Say Anything on Pandora. Fun fact: Lead singer Max Bemis is married to Sherri Dupree Bemis of Eisley (see her website on the sidebar, "Me: A Work in Progress).

Anyway, back to crafting! My last post showed a picture of an iPod case I was planning on making. For some reason, the pictures aren't showing up anymore. Oh well. This took about an hour to make the first one, and about a half hour to make the second one once I figured out what I was doing. They both turned out great!

I found the tutorial on the Crafted Love blog to the right. She has a lot of cool stuff on there! She is also planning a wedding and has a link with all her ideas :) If you're not interested in making one yourself but would like one, let me know! It was super easy and I love doing it. Pick your colors and I'll mail it to ya!

Here are the materials! I didn't end up using the pearls because it didn't really go with the vibe. You also need a needle that is not shown here.

Finished product! The example I followed used an arrow but I wanted a music note. I found an outline I liked online and traced it, I pinned it to the felt and cut around it.

Ahh how I love it! I gave the purple one to my cousin and I kept the blue one. Seriously, if you want one don't hesitate to ask. I could also make a cell phone cover.

Also, I made this tree at the beginning of the summer and thought I would share it. I love this thing a lot! It took awhile to cut out all the leaves but was very very easy. I'm not sure where I found the tutorial, but here is my modified version:

1) You need paper (I used a pad of scrapbook paper that was thicker than normal paper), floral wire, cardboard, rubber cement (or any kind of glue), and branches.

2) Cut out a few sizes out of the cardboard for leaves.

3) Then cut out a bunch of leaves (however big you want the tree to be) using the samples.

4) Cut the wire about 4-7 inches, depending on if you want the leaves right next to the tree or to hang off a bit.

5) Use two paper leaves for one final leaf. Glue two leaves together, putting the wire in-between, kind of like a vein in a real leaf.

6) Twirl the wire around the branches however you'd like! Arrange in a vase and voila! Super cheap and easy decoration. Mine is on my desk.

I also made this to-do list picture frame a few weeks ago. Here is the tutorial to make the rosettes. I have also made them for hair pins that are very cute. They're really easy, again, and very inexpensive! To make it into a "white board", I wrote "to-do" on a piece of paper and put it in there like a picture. Then you just write with a dry/erase marker.

One more! I have made a TON of fabric covered button earrings. Here is the tutorial. No matter what I wear, I have earrings to match :)

Pumped Up Kicks

LOVE THIS SONG! I finally found an alternative/indie type radio station here in DSM (I think it's 105.1 for those in the area) and this song has been on it a few times and it ALWAYS gets stuck in my head.

It's called "Pumped Up Kicks" by Foster the People. If the name of the song isn't reason enough for me to love the song, here are a few more. The band members are pretty good looking, it's an offbeat song that isn't overplayed a bajillion times on the "popular" stations (yet anyway!), and it's a pretty catchy song that I think is about a kid who is bullied/abused and threatens the bullies with a gun :(. No, I don't support bullying or guns. But the song is so dang catchy for the subject matter! Does that make sense? Now I sound like a terrible person. I'll stop rambling. Here's the vid.

I need to know the lyrics to every song. They're kind of hard to understand here, so here they are! You can form your own opinion on what the song is about.

Robert's got a quick hand
He'll look around the room
He won't tell you his plan
He's got a rolled cigarette hanging out his mouth
He's a cowboy kid
Yeah, he found a six-shooter gun
In his dad's closet hidden in a box of fun things
And I don't even know what
But he's coming for you, yeah, he's coming for you

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
x1

Daddy works a long day
He be coming home late, yeah, he's coming home late
And he's bringing me a surprise
Because dinner's in the kitchen and it's packed in ice
I've waited for a long time
Yeah, the slight of my hand is now a quick pull trigger
I reason with my cigarette
And say your hair's on fire
You must have lost your wits, yeah

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
x1

http://www.songmeanings.net/songs/view/3530822107858837818/

All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, outrun my gun
All the other kids with the pumped up kicks
You'd better run, better run, faster than my bullet
x3

P.S. I spoke too soon. It's #4 on iTunes. I like it a little less now. :(

Fruit Salsa and Cinnamon Chips

Yes mom, I'm actually giving advice about making food! (Kind of.)

In the spirit of eating healthy, I made this recipe the other night and wanted to share in case some of you have never heard of it. It can be healthy depending on how closely you follow the recipe. This is very very delicious and is a good snack and something easy to take along to potlucks. This is the original recipe I followed. Here's how I made it:

What you need:

3 kiwis (you can use two but there was a deal at Fareway for buying 3!)

2 apples (I used one and a half bc they were pretty big)

Strawberries (I just used enough until the bowl was full... you see what kind of a chef I am?)

Raspberries (I didn't use them bc they were too expensive... see what kind of a shopper I am?)

Grapes (I substituted these instead)

2 tbsp white sugar

1 tbsp brown sugar

3 tbsp preserves, any flavor (I used strawberry... the more you used the jucier your salsa will be. I used too much and it ended up being a little runny. Stick with the 3 tbsp and don't be like me.)

10 (10 inch) flour tortillas (if you use wheat they will be better for you!)

Butter flavored cooking spray

Cinnamon Sugar (Not sure how much I used, I just made more as I went)

(Some of the ingredients... I wasn't exactly organized.)

1. Peel kiwi and cut into small pieces.

2. Cut up strawberries, grapes, and apples into small pieces. (The recipe calls for skinned apples but I think that's a waste of time and doesn't make much of a difference.)

3. Put it all in a large bowl and mix it up.

4. Add white sugar, brown sugar, and preserves. This will all make the juices come out. If you think it's not juicy enough to start, trust me, it will get juicier!

See! Jucier! Mmmm :) Doesn't that look delicious!?

5. Mix it all up! Salsa is done.

[Note: This takes longer than you would think, especially if you are multi-tasking like I was. You might want to pre-heat the oven in there too. See below for cinnamon chips directions.]

This is what I was doing instead of paying attention to making this, and why it ended up taking two hours. I love me some Sandra and Property Virgins! I am slightly obsessed with HGTV. It's a channel that you can turn on and there's ALWAYS something on that I can watch. I feel fully equipped to buy a house now. I just need to stop watching House Hunters International........ anyway, back to business!

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Use a pizza cutter to cut up tortillas. They are easier to eat if they are more square than triangle.

3. Arrange on baking sheet.

4. Spray tops with butter.

5. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar mix.

6. Spray again. (I'm not sure this is necessary but I did it anyway)

7. Put in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes.

Note! If you are like me you really need to watch them because it's easy to leave them in too long. Then they get all glazed-like and aren't as good. You want 'em to be golden brown! I also put the broil function on for about a minute and a half. They seemed to be a little flimsy before I did that, and it made them a little crunchier. That wasn't in the recipe so I was pretty proud of myself for thinking of it. Hah!

8. Take them out of the oven using an oven mit. Failure to do so will result in a severely burned hand and a feeling of stupidity for the rest of the day. Set on a metal rack as to not ruin your aunt's countertops (hehe.)

9. Optional: let cool. If you're hungry, hurry up and eat!

[Pardon my post-workout appearance]

The verdict... delicious! And I didn't ruin my workout.

Hope I'm not forgetting anything. I suck at making anything, so if I can do this you can do this. I brought some to the family I nanny for and they loved it and asked for the recipe. Nobody has ever asked me for a recipe. This is probably the only recipe I know.

Let me know if you try it!

Amen, brother!

Come Down, and Waste Away with Me

I love acoustic music. A lot.

Enjoy.

Everlong, Foo Fighters

Oh Comely, Neutral Milk Hotel, covered by THE Jesse Lacey

Your Call, Secondhand Serenade (sorry about the advertisement. patience is a virtue.)

Dark Come Soon, Tegan and Sara (lesbian twins, so you know they're badass.)

MyFitnessPal

I have another cool thing to share today! Fitness enthusiasts take notice!

So, it usually isn't a problem to get me motivated to exercise, I usually enjoy it (as any former self-respecting fitness instructor would.) However, it is sometimes a struggle for me to eat as healthy as I should. It doesn't help that I spend the day with a five and seven year old who love eating mac and cheese and ice cream. I don't always have time to bring my own food (I know, excuses excuses). I also seem to make excuses on the weekends and when I'm out with friends. My boyfriend's ability to eat whatever he wants doesn't help my cause either.

In my boot camp class, my instructor asks us to keep a food log. I did this diligently the first week, but have since slacked off. Now, he has us all on http://www.myfitnesspal.com. This website rocks! Sometimes I find myself wondering, "Is this healthy?" and struggle to find enough meals that are really truly "good for you." On this website, you put in exactly what you ate (down to the brand and cup measurements!) and it tells you exactly what you ate. When you start, you set a weight loss goal and it recommends your daily calorie intake, while YOU set how much you exercise.

You put in your initial weight, your goal weight, and how much you plan to lose a week. It recommends 1 lb a week, which sounds like a good goal to me, however you can adjust that goal as well. I'm not one to get discouraged when I don't see results right away, or when I'm not losing weight. I know muscle weighs more than fat, and I think it's important to keep this in mind (my 2 years as a fitness instructor has also helped to form this mindset.) From what I have set up, I should be 5 lbs down by September 1st.

Anyway, you can form a community on here which is also helpful! If anyone is interested in doing this, let me know! My username is alliespensley and my e-mail is alliespensley@gmail.com. Strength in numbers! It's great for accountability. You can also connect your "ticker" to your blog or other websites, and mine is at the bottom of this site. Hopefully knowing my friends are looking at this will keep me motivated as well! (Tonia and Rachel-- I especially thought you two might be interested in this kinda thing from our previous talks about working out.)

Personal motivation: Hiked up the side of a volcano in Italy. The next time I go to Italy, I want to be able to SPRINT to the top! ;)