December Currently

Listening: to Law & Order: SVU - I am looooving these marathons on USA lately!
Loving: that we finally have our Christmas decorations up!
Thinking: I'm so proud of myself for making such good grades this semester! Dean's List and Straight A's
Wanting: I really wanna go the Christmas lights around town!
Needing: Family Time - it's my favorite thing of the year!
Favorite Tradition: Christmas Open House - we've had it ever year for as long as I can remember and I absolutely love it!

My ring

Now I'm not a professional photographer and I will never claim to be, but here are a few pictures of my ring! I fall more in love with it every time I look at it!

and here's me and my handsome fiance :)

It's Official!

We're getting married!

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls!

So, I loooove Chipotle! Like, love it. It's an addiction that an old high school teacher of mine, the wonderful Molly Stillman, got my hooked on during my senior year of high school. Now normally I order the same thing when I go there: Chicken Soft Tacos, and I love them, but I may have to start branching out to the burrito bowl after trying this recipe at home! This was probably one of the most amazing things I've ever had and I couldn't get enough. We had it set up as a make-your-own-bowl type thing and everyone but my mom put everything together and devoured it! It was just that good! The original recipe can be found here. It called for a can of diced tomatoes, but we found that fresh tomatoes worked just fine (especially since we grow our own tomatoes and have them coming out of our ears). It also called for things like guacamole and seasonings, but we didn't use any of that.

Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowls

Ingredients:

• 4 chicken breasts, shredded
• 1 (14 oz.) can black beans
• 1 c. sour cream
• fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 1 (14 1/2 oz.) can corn
• 1 pkg. taco seasoning
• 1 (8 oz.) Taco rice
• shredded lettuce
• 1-2 c. shredded Cheddar cheese
• sour cream
• 2 tbsp. olive oil

Directions:

1. Shred the chicken, add taco seasoning, set aside.
2. Cook the rice according to the directions on the box.
3. Heat on medium-high heat a large frying pan; add 2 tbsp. olive oil.
4. Add chicken and cook together.
5. Open the cans of black beans and corn and put in small bowls (I recommend heating them up).
6. Once chicken and rice are done, you can start plating.
7. In a bowl or on a plate (a bowl works better), place lettuce, rice, chicken, and then add toppings of your choice.

Preschool 2's Handprint Flag

So I saw this idea on Pinterest a few weeks ago and I couldn't help myself, I knew I had to make it with my kids! Since our theme for the month is America the Beautiful and it's the beginning of the school year, I figured this would be the perfect craft for the class to do together. My kids had a blast doing it and they kept wanting to come back and do more! I used a standard size piece of poster board (though I think it would be cute if you made it a little bit bigger and foam board would probably hold up better). Everyone really liked the idea and we've gotten lots of compliments on it so far!

September Currently

Here's my September Currently! Thanks to Oh' Boy 4th Grade for the linky!

Listening: "Goodbye Town" by Lady Antebellum. This song is my new addiction and I can't stop listening to it. I love everything about Lady A.
Loving: My new job! It's awesome! Stressful, but awesome! I'm really enjoying my kids and my class and the people I work with! It's a very nice change!
Thinking: How blessed I am to have wonderful parents. Especially wonderful parents that take me to the Emergency Room at 4:45am when I'm in excruciating pain (like this morning). My dad really is awesome!
Wanting: FALL! I'm so over summer! I hate it! I can't stand being hot and sweating. I'm so ready for chilly nights and sweaters and boots and Thanksgiving. I love everything about fall.
Needing: Even though I'm now on Hydrocodone and it's helping, I'm still in pain and I'm unable to do anything, so I'd like to get better soon!
Love Yourself Spot: 1) File Folder Games: one of the things I'm helping Bree with for the class is working on File Folder Games and Learning Centers. I have tons of ideas but I really need to get rolling and get them done. 2) Exercise More: I've been slacking so much since I started working again and I hate it! I really need to get my ass moving again! 3) Read a Book: I want to read a book, from beginning to end, and I want it to be for more than just school.

Lesson Plans: Sports and Trophies

I had my second working interview this morning (at the same place as the last one), but this was with an older preschool group. I had to do another lesson and activity and my theme for this week was sports! So we started off by reading Clifford: Sports Day! It was a cute book and the kids loved it. Then after that we played a pattern game where the kids had to tell me which sport related item came next in the group. The kids were really into this and they did such a good job, they're super smart! After that, we decorated our own trophies! I found the idea for this craft on Pinterest and I just couldn't resist! I figured it was unique and probably not something the kids had ever gotten to do (or would get to do). They were a hit! Tony, mom, and I put the trophies together over the weekend (to save time) and then I brought them into school with me and had the kids decorate them. They got to use foam stickers (hearts, stars, and sports shapes) and glitter pens. While they were working on them I went around and asked each kid their name and what letter it begin with (they all did really well at this part). I then gave them the appropriate foam letter and let them attach it to their trophy. They turned out super cute and the kids loved them! I wish I had taken a picture. Below is a picture of my pattern board/game and a picture of the trophy that I made. I've also attached a copy of my lesson plan for the activity! Hope you enjoy!