Riddle

What can go up a chimney down, but not down a chimney up?

Technology!

Yesterday, I upgraded my phone. This morning, I was cussing technology. Now, I'm feeling better.
You see, my new phone has an MP3 player. And, even though I didn't really think it was necessary, few phones come without them or internet anymore, and this one had other things I liked, so I went with it. Well, I have now spent a large part of this day trying to get music downloaded to my phone. Finally, it sings! I wonder if I can figure out how to make one of those songs my ringtone. Well, back to the drawing board.

Ice fishing again

We went ice fishing again, yesterday! The weather was perfect! It was a warm, calm day. The fish started biting before we even finished drilling holes, and mostly quit biting around 2:00 in the afternoon. And, I caught the biggest fish!! We caught quite a few fish, which made for a decent supper for us last night, and another meal later.

Friendly Flowers

Aren't these pretty? A student showed up with them on Wednesday. They're such a vibrant addition to my classroom. Since I've had gardening on the mind, these fit right in. Daisies are one of my favorite flowers, and these are so fun. I hope they brightened your day half as much as they did mine.

Snowmen

Temps reached at least 42 degrees here, today! It's a regular heat wave! With all the snow that we have, I decided it was wonderful weather for making a snowman. Of course, now that I'm a teacher, I can coerce students into building snowmen, so I don't get wet and cold! Today, I offered up a challenge. Whoever built the best snowman would receive a prize. If anybody went together, they shared the prize. Out of 5 students, we ended up with 3 snowmen. One young man was happy he worked alone, as he didn't have to share his candy cane! As it turned out, we had the cutest snowman, the most industrious snowman, and the snowman who knew how to have the most fun! Can you guess which snowman was made by each group? 2 kindergarteners collaborated, one second grader, and a fifth and sixth grader worked together. Evidently the short one turned his head as I took the picture. Just couldn't keep his attention!

Leftover Taco Soup

Recently, a friend of mine put forth a challenge. She suggested we see if we could spend only $100 in groceries in a month. What was in the pantry/freezer already was fair game, but anything beyond that counted monetarily. Well, I don't know if we've started yet...I spent $103 last Saturday. Anyway, her challenge has pushed me to strive for greater things. I've created a menu for the month (some days are still blank), and have been more conscious of leftovers. Really, we're pretty good about eating leftovers, but there is still waste happening in my refrigerator. On Monday we had tacos, so tonight I made Taco Soup. This is one of my favorites, but I got creative tonight, and John not only thanked me for cooking, he said it was pretty good! So, to make a long story short, here's what I did:
I sauteed onions, added dried cayenne peppers (they were abundant in the garden last year), and threw in the leftover taco meat. To that I added a can of tomatoes, a can of corn, and part of a can of pinto beans. The pinto beans have been in the cupboard for awhile, and I finally found a logical use; we're not regular bean eaters. I also added a can of diced chiles, and a dash of tabasco. I was really looking for the spicy factor! One can of tomato sauce, and a little water, since it seemed more like a casserole than soup, and finally, velveeta. So what's so unusual, you ask? Well, I don't usually go so spicy for one, and that's what John really liked about it, and I've never added velveeta. Actually, I never even buy velveeta, but was really wanting my mom's homemade mac and cheese a week or two ago. So, all in all, I used leftover taco meat, and the last bit of velveeta that probably would have shriveled up, and depleted 4 more cayenne peppers. Try it if you'd like, we enjoyed it!

Okay, okay

Okay, okay, I'll blog already. School is back in full swing and already it's been one of those weeks. Like my friend Mary, I've been thinking gardening already. The more snow that falls, the more I long for blooming flowers. I love winter, and I must say we're getting quite a dose this year, but sometimes it's good to have something to look forward to. And boy, do I need something to look forward to. Perhaps that explains my recent choices of books. I received 2 gift certificates to my favorite book store for Christmas, and ordered a new Bible, "The Power of a Praying Wife," and "Month by Month Gardening in Montana." Just received the latter today, and am posting first, then will read. Can you believe my willpower?
As for the New Year, resolutions have been stated, and I'm jumping in with both feet. These include such things as exercising, watching what I eat, reading the Bible, saving money, making a bigger effort to keep the house clean. So far, I'm off to a good start, but aren't we all in January? It's about April or May when the shine wears off the new year, the dust bunnies attack, and you think "I'll do it tomorrow." I say April or May optimistically!
Okay, so now you're caught up, knowing I didn't fall off the face of the earth, or even the slippery highway! Hope everyone's 2009 is going well. I'm hopeful it will be better than 2008!