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Back in the Saddle

Posted on January 5, 2015 by auburnchick

After a little over two weeks off, it’s back-to-school time.

A Twitter friend sent me this last night…

I had to chuckle.

Although I’d gladly retire if I was financially able, I have to look on the positive side.

I feel rested.

My soul has been restored by the time I spent relaxing.

I spent my entire Christmas break focused on the things that are most important in my life…my family…my fur baby…my home.

Going back is never easy, especially after a break that stretches more than a week.

Changing up the routine from one of sleeping late, shopping, and <gasp> cooking is never easy for me.

Still, I will enter my classroom with a mostly-cheerful heart.

It will be tempered by the sense of loss I, my fellow teachers, and students are feeling…the unexpected passing of a young man in our school family has shocked all of us.

God is gracious, though, and I can’t help but be awed by the way He is always tending to my needs – ahead of time.

I’ve never felt this rested coming out of a break before.

He knew I’d need to be in order to get through the next few days…days of adjusting…days of questioning…days of saying goodbye.  The funeral for the young man is scheduled for Wednesday.

In the midst of all of that, I have a job to do.

I need to prepare my students for the semester exams they will be taking in a couple of weeks.

I need to help them grasp author’s purpose…solidly…for we will move on to a new unit after the Martin Luther King holiday.

We’ll be hitting things hard for the next three months.

There are, as of today, 77 days (including weekends) left until Spring Break.  After that, the time will fly as students begin taking end-of-the-year exams.

I am determined to guard my heart…to not become too grumpy…especially after reading an interesting article titled 7 Habits of Chronically Unhappy People.

And so today, I’m choosing to be joyful…to count my blessings…to be happy, even with school starting back.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: | 3 Comments »

Vegan Mac and Cheese

Posted on January 4, 2015 by auburnchick

You might recall that the Mr. bought me a box of vegan mac and cheese from Publix a few days ago.

I might have also mentioned that I heard angels singing.

Being lactose-intolerant stinks, but the world is a different place, food-wise, than it was twenty years ago when I suddenly, as in over night, woke up to a body that rejected anything made with milk.

Thanks to that tasty frozen dinner the Mr. bought, I am now on a mission to find a mac and cheese recipe I can make at home.

Go ahead and stop laughing.  I know you are because you know how often I cook.

Anyhoo…

I did a bit of searching and found Detoxinista’s recipe here.

Two things about this concoction appealed to me:  the small number of ingredients and the amount of work/time required.  I’m both lazy and allergic to spending inordinate amounts of time in the kitchen.

heehee

I found the elbow macaroni and cashews at Walmart.

I couldn’t find the nutritional yeast at either Walmart or Publix, but I got lucky when I visited my favorite health food store.

I made this recipe twice.  The first time, I baked it after mixing the macaroni and sauce.  The Mr. was appalled when he saw paprika sprinkled on top, but the taste was delicious anyhow.  I will say that if I ever bake this again, I’ll make more sauce.  It lost much of its creaminess because of the baking.

For fun, and as part of my experimenting, I made it again the next day.  This time, I decided not to bake it.  I was reminded of the years I spent preparing Kraft Mac and Cheese…the kind with the foil cheese packet…for my children.

It took about the same amount of time to make this recipe as to open a boxed kit.  The sauce can be made while the pasta is cooking.

As you can see from the picture below, the result was a much “cheesier” pot of yumminess.

Here are my thoughts about the recipe.

Use a food processor bowl instead of a blender.  I have the Ninja system, and the first time I made it, I used a blender.  It was a little harder to scrape down the “cheese” in the larger container.  The second time I made it, I used the larger food processor bowl.

You need to blend the cheese mixture between 7-10 minutes, scraping down the sides every so often.  The longer you blend, the smoother and thicker the mixture becomes.  It really does look like cheese, thanks to the tumeric and mustard.

The first time I made the recipe, I used yellow mustard; the second time, I used Dijon.  I couldn’t discern any difference in taste.

This recipe packs a punch flavor-wise…a pleasant and unexpected surprise given the limited number of ingredients.  It will now be my one of my go-to dishes and a comfort food for sure!

Filed under: Vegan | Tagged: | 1 Comment »

Would You Have Noticed?

Posted on January 3, 2015 by auburnchick

Yesterday, I left the house with several errands to run.

I had recycling to take, Walmart to brave, and a pop-in at the grocery store to make.

While I was in Walmart, my second stop, I received a phone call, during which some very sad news about one of my students was relayed.

At first I was in shock, but after I hung up, the news began to hit me.

I began to cry…so much so that I had to stop pushing my buggy.

I probably should have left, but I had a list of things I wanted to accomplish, and all I needed to do was check out.  A return trip was not what I wanted.

I began to push the cart from one end of the store to the other.

Because I was visibly upset, I decided that I’d go to the self checkout.

I cried silently the entire way.

People made eye contact with me…both as I navigated around crowded aisles and then waited for a register to become available.

One couple actually tried to joke with me as they moved from one register to another.

Meanwhile, tears were pouring down my face.

I couldn’t remember what I was doing and fumbled for several minutes.

A gentleman standing near me chuckled about something he’d apparently said to me…something completely unrelated to my heart hurting.

I walked out to my car, still very upset.  The tears continued to fall.

I called the Mr. to share the news that I’d received and sat in the car to collect myself before resuming my route.

That’s when it struck me…the fact that not one single person had asked if I was okay.

Nobody had offered to help.

No one smiled in gentle commiseration.

I notice these kinds of details, even when I’m sad.

I wondered, too, if I had ever been guilty of not seeing people in the midst of their need.

Are we so busy rushing around, trying to live our individual lives, that we cannot see those around us who are hurting?

Do we try too hard to stay aloof, all in the guise of “not butting in” and giving people their privacy?

I remember a drive to work several years ago.  I happened to look at the car in the lane beside me at a traffic light, and I saw a woman sobbing.  Oh, how I wanted to hug her, and when she turned her head, I gently smiled at her.

Folks, we have got to slow down.  We’ve got to start paying attention to those around us, because sometimes all it takes is one person taking a moment or two to let us know we aren’t alone.  It doesn’t take long for us to speak a gentle word…for a heart to be lifted, if even for a few seconds.

My prayer is that I will notice…that I will be brave enough to speak to someone I don’t know…that I will slow down enough to make a small difference wherever possible.

Filed under: This-n-That | 3 Comments »

New Years, Knitting, and Football

Posted on January 2, 2015 by auburnchick

Happy New Years to all of you!

I thought about posting yesterday…a couple of times throughout the day…but chose instead to vegetate.

I had a swatch to knit up and an OWL proposal to submit.  I’m going to make the Laminaria Shawl.

My yarn is Malabrigo Lace…

The color is Indigo.  I’ll use the pink if I see that I’m running low by the time I hit the edging charts…

The pattern uses Estonian stitches.  Below, is the swatch, which is the 3-into-3 star.  I have notes on my Ravelry project page for how to correctly execute the stitch should you decide to make this shawl.

An OWL is a three-month project that must meet certain requirements.  This term in my Harry Potter knitting group, I’ll be working my magic on a Charms project…one that requires a lace project and a minimum of 800 yards of fiber.  My proposal was accepted today, so I can officially cast on and begin!

I managed to find time to eat the most delicious vegan mac and cheese!!  Oh word, but this stuff is DIVINE!  I’ve been lactose-intolerant since I was seven months pregnant with Rooster.  Being able to eat this comfort food is like having a taste of heaven on earth.  I’m now on a mission to find a good recipe to make at home.

I watched a lot of football and knit a beanie…

I chose Auburn colors…

Watching my team lost in overtime wasn’t fun, but it was par for the course this season.

Meanwhile, I kept knitting…and watching more football.

I might be a teensy bit happy…Go Oregon!

And the following…

Um…no.  The game was a blowout.

😀

And I kept knitting on that beanie…

While watching the other school in Alabama get beat by Ohio State…

While I looked like this…

I finally finished the beanie, but it didn’t fit the Mr., who I’d knit if for.

My head is obviously much more inflated, because it fits me perfectly.

I submitted it for my Flying assignment in my Harry Potter group.  It’s supposed to be an upside-down cauldron.

Be impressed.

Oh, and before I turned out the light, I had to watch a couple of episodes of Downton Abbey.  I love, love, love this show!  It’s so smartly written and makes me tear up frequently!  The one-liners are hilarious too!

Here’s one from my viewing yesterday…

I hope you had a good first day of 2015!

Filed under: Knitting | Tagged: , , | 1 Comment »

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