Never Boring

Yeah, our life is never boring. Some of my much-needed humor for the week was very appropriate:

Work has not lightened up. I was trying to figure out why I had the April burn-out when it's only October. Then I took a look at my caseload. I knew that my numbers were too high - my caseload is at 368 and climbing, but then I looked at the number of reports that I had written already this school year - 186. What.The.Hell???? No wonder I'm losing my mind! That is a LOT of reports for me to have written and meetings that were held. Sadly, most of those are 30-Day Interim Placements meaning it was just to transfer the student to our school, so I'm going to have to write another report for that student sometime during the year. 

I don't think that I have actually talked about what it is that I do, so here it is: I'm a Transition Specialist. I have a Special Education credential and have spent years teaching mild to moderately disabled children over the years, but I landed in a role that I really love. I get to smash the dreams of children and smack them in the face with reality. It's actually really fun. Most Special Ed students are working so hard for a Diploma that they forget to plan for the "after" part, and it's my job to be sure to have them go through the steps and decide on a Plan A and a Plan B. The Plan A is usually something stupid. I have seen Music Producer, NFL/NBA Player and other decidedly "cool" jobs as the hot list of jobs for these kids to have. This year, it's "Video Game Designer or Tester." Yep, you have to love it. So, I get the students to look at what it takes to gain that employment and the educational/vocational requirements. They usually learn quickly that there's no way it will work for them, so then we buckle down and look at what they may actually do well in. I also help them to realize how to gain part-time employment during high school, how to look at getting that first apartment, etc. 

It never fails - the first impression of me is that I'm a "Bitch" who is trying to kill their dreams, but eventually, the students realize that I'm a total wealth of information, and they usually still contact me a couple of years after they graduate for additional help. 

My reports are a collection of assessments, the assessment result data, interviews with the student and parent or guardian, and sometimes a probation officer or court liaison to best serve each student. Yes, this is a mandated part of the IEP forms, and it's my job to be sure that it is complete for each and every student. So, with our school trying to enroll as many kids as possible, I have been kept very, very busy!! 

In order to manage the other role I have as Wife and Mother, I make sure to stop working after my hours are done each day, and then somehow transition quickly back into the other roles.  Despite the non-stop headache, we went to Ken's ex's house on Friday night for an 18th birthday party for Justin. 

Yes, that's right, Sheryl was in town and she hosted a party for Justin - we attended and somehow, I managed to stay totally polite. Her friend, Sandy, is completely snotty and has no problem bitching in the presence of the one who is pissing her off, but I managed to keep a smile on my face anyway and not verbally rip the bitch to shreds. Seriously, if you're going to ignore my presence and pretend to not hear me, then do not complain that I wasn't helping out with the preparations. Lady, I asked 4 times if you and Sheryl needed help, but you played like you were 5 and that I didn't exist. I quit offering after that, so complaining later that I was "rude" and "didn't even offer to help out" was completely childish and stupid. The fact you whined about it specifically so I could hear you was utterly pathetic. Oh, and bitching about my daughters was seriously the wrong thing to do. You are SO very lucky that I promised to behave! 

OK, rant over.

I had a ton of fun watching Justin open his gift from us. Of course, we supplied him with an iTunes gift card, but the Maybe You Touched Your Genitals Hand Sanitizer was an awesome gift, and the fun was not lost on Justin. Everyone laughed about it, and it was the hit gift because of its craziness.

Sheryl went out of her way, and we thanked her for being a good hostess. She thought ahead and had activities and gift bags for the girls which was very thoughtful. The girls were able to carve pumpkins for the first time - we had them paint them before but never carve, so she found it cool to be able to do this for them. I know she was frazzled having us over there, and she and I  are still tip-toeing around each other, but we managed to pull it together for Justin. Having her over last Christmas to our house was really a great way to start this process, and Ken and I discussed that it was pretty cool that she was making the effort this time.

So, the supper went well with Justin and his friends and family, and then the girls were able to carve after supper was over. I thought it very ironic that Mandy was the one who loved scooping out the guts more than any of the girls. Taylor didn't finish carving because she was helping out to clean up - what a great girl!!

I relieved to learn that the silly string in the girls' gift bags was to be used at her house. She wanted the girls to spray Justin, and it took Sean AND Ken to literally pull Justin out of the house so he could be sprayed.

Saturday was spent with me doing some stitching, and the girls pretending to clean their room. 

 I just realized that November was going to be here within a week, and I hadn't started the November project!

Taylor did the most work, so I rewarded her with heading to Victorville to use her Kohl's gift certificate and the money she had earned from helping Linda next door. Because of the huge sale going on, Taylor was able to purchase one full outfit for herself. I was happy to help her learn how to use the sales, and she was totally stoaked that she could buy herself ONE FULL OUTFIT and she purchased exactly what she wanted. Taylor has managed to lose one full size, so I was happy to help her out with some added shopping especially because of the sale. It's tough keeping her in clothes, but she seems to have stopped growing, it will get easier from here. She loved a sweater but couldn't afford it, so Mama and Dad bought it along with another pair of jeans.

After shopping, we stopped at Mimi's Cafe for supper. She chose a Bleu Cheese and Walnut salad for supper so she could "splurge" on the pumpkin spice cheesecake for dessert. You have to love how she's growing up and thinking clearly. (So far and fingers crossed!!)

Today, Ken was up early to go to the Apple Valley Defensive Pistol shoot. He hasn't played in over a month because of all his travels and hunting, so he was very much looking forward to this morning.

A New Baking Find!

When Ken and I visited Julian, CA last month, we stopped in a little store on Main street that sold honey, jams, and a ton of other assorted items.  I purchased a really cute, decorative teaspoon set, a bag that I'm using for my crafting, some desserts and a couple bags of scone mix that I saw.


This morning, I figured I would whip up the Scones. I wasn't going to be making them from scratch - which was a total plus today - and the family really enjoys a "baked" event in this house. In looking over the directions, what could be easier than "Just Add Water"?? The company that makes these is out of Washington state: Sticky Fingers Bakeries.  In looking at their website, I learned that the store in Julian did have every package they make for scones, and I'm very interested in trying the brownies.


Per their website, there are only three stores that carry their product in the entire state of California, so I will definitely be ordering from their website. For those interested, they offer free shipping at $75. Given that each package is $5.99, you'll have quite the haul when you reach the free shipping stage.  Currently, my wishlist is packed full.

So, I got everything together, and within 8 minutes, the scones were on the baking sheet and ready for the oven. I have NEVER had the scones ready before the oven was pre-heated. Awesome! It would have gone faster if I had looked at their website first and seen these scones are meant to be dropped and rounded. I took the time to wedge them, and the dough was far more sticky than what I'm used to making from scratch.


The baking time was a little longer, but when I walked back into the kitchen after hearing the timer, I have to say, Oh My God! The smell was amazing!

The ones I started with were the Lemon Ginger. I didn't think about the kick that the ginger would give them, but they were very tasty. I didn't have any Devonshire Cream on hand, so that is something I'll have to remember to get soon now that the weather will start cooling down and I can use the oven again on a regular basis.


While I completely prefer to make all of my yummy creations from scratch, I have only ever used a couple other "packaged" brands.  I now have a new favorite to keep on hand for when I want the "yummy" without all of the work!

Fat Tuesday

On Monday, I received my Kindle version of the book I had pre-ordered, "Celebrity in Death."  It's the latest installment from Nora Robert's alter-ego, and I could not WAIT to start reading it.  I was so spoiled when Debbie Goldwasser introduced me to this series being able to read 32 books back to back, and now I'm stuck waiting for the next ones like everyone else.  I love the characters and the way that the book is written.  I'm sure it won't take me long to get through it since I'm such a quick reader, but I'm trying to get so much else done at the same time.  

Then, we had Fat Tuesday.  The girls had heard Ken and I talk about Mardi Gras and they had questions about what it is, why it is, etc. after being at Disneyland.  I figured it couldn't hurt to have a little lesson while enjoying cake, and this month's Family Fun magazine from Disney had a Three Kings Cake.  I omitted the baby Jesus from the cake, but everything else was fun.  

I had never made a cake from scratch before, so I enjoyed watching each step of the process.  I forgot to take pictures of each step, the dough rising, etc., but I did get the pictures of the baking process, and then the fiasco.  There was apparently something I missed, and the cake exploded out the back.  

While decorating the cake, I explained the baking process and why the cake looked funny, but the girls didn't seem to mind.  It also afforded me the opportunity to explain what Fat Tuesday is, Ash Wednesday and Lent to the girls and to explain the colors used for Mardi Gras and what it is.  They were enthralled with the stories and explanations, and because they got to eat cake at the end of the lesson, they totally remembered most everything.  It was a fun experience for me and despite my lack of patience for most everything, I was able to get through it pretty well.  

Now, here's what the cake was supposed to look like:

I will have to try this again and see where I went wrong with the directions.  Mine looked nothing like this masterpiece!


The rest of the evening was spent watching the next installment of Harry Potter - we're finished the 5th movie - and having Girls' Night since Ken had a Quail Forever meeting.  

Supper

One of the highlights in our house is supper time.  The girls love that we turn off the electronics and the lights and just use candlelight to eat by.  Tonight, Ken made an incredible grilled salmon with brown rice.  He had to do most everything on his own because my sinuses have completely taken over my body, and Ken did an amazing job as usual.  Even Amanda - the picky eater - said that it was amazing and had second helpings.  


After supper, I motivated the girls to get done with their chores and showers by baking Cranberries 'n' Cream Shortcakes.  They turned out wonderfully delicious even if I was disappointed in the lack of rise in the shortcakes.  I'm still not sure why they didn't rise more, but they were definitely yummy.  I refused to pay $8 for a vanilla bean, so I used some Tahitian Vanilla that I had on hand from Williams-Sonoma.  It was incredible! And the girls loved how the vanilla made the cream look speckled.

After supper, Ken packed for his trip to Vegas.  I am NOT looking forward to the next couple of nights alone, but I know he is going to have a GREAT time at the Ammunition Show.  He's never been schmoozed by a vendor before, so he should have a great time.  I'm looking forward to joining him on Thursday so I can see what kinds of goodies I can scrounge up for the Women's Programs.  If nothing else - it's an overnight trip to Vegas with Ken.  Whoo-hoo!

Pre-Thanksgiving

We were so excited about Thanksgiving!  I spent a month planning with my friend, Cynthia, as we were going to spend it with her.  Ken spent weeks salivating over the thought of Cyn's cooking - she's a professional chef.  

Our contribution to the day was to be the pies and Ken's famous Buffalo Wings for football snacks.  Now, I had heard the legends of Ken's pies, but in the 3 years we've been together, I had never had one.  I was totally excited to watch him make the pies and they came out beautifully!  He was even kind enough to make two of each so we could keep one at home.  

I happily helped Ken out when he gave me a direction, and I took pictures.  The pies turned out great, and we enjoyed a slice of each to test them out.

After Ken was done making the pies, I got to work on some Cranberry Nut Bread - making one for Cyn's and one for us to keep.  


By the end of the day, Ken and I were exhausted from baking.  We had planned ahead and had Mandy's "BFF" over for the day.  Maddie spent the day with us, the girls were occupied and had a great time while we got the baking done.  It was a win-win for everyone.  

Baking again!

I am getting ready to head down the hill to hang out with some friends.  While others are being asked to bring cheese, I was requested to bring cupcakes since I posted pictures of the Chocolate Jr. Mints I made last week.


So, this time, I decided that I would pull out my old cake decorating set for the icing.  Here's the difference:

Using a knife on the right and icing bag on the left

The girls loved the difference with the icing, and I was rather proud of myself as well.  


Unfortunately, my pride was smashed with my next endeavor.  I tried to make the champagne cupcakes that I found at Betty Crocker:


http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/pink-champagne-cupcakes/26f6f790-0852-4bfc-8f73-8d4cfc8cf496


So, first thing I did was change the pink to green.  As you are aware, I can't stand pink, but the idea of "pink champagne" was cute.  I just couldn't do it. 


I went to Fancy Flour's website for the candy glitter and the edible pearls as well as the paper cups.  They shipped right away, and the prices were really reasonable.


The first part was easy - the cake part:

The paper cups were really pretty and better than anything I could purchase locally.  The cake batter was incredibly light and fluffy having been made with champagne rather than water.  It only took a little bit of food coloring to make the white cake mix turn green.


Then, I thought I would create a short-cut for the icing.  I used the Betty Crocker tub white icing rather than starting from scratch.  Even with adding some powdered sugar, it was way thinner than I thought it would come out.  So, I got this:

The girls said they tasted really great despite their looks, but there's NO WAY I could take these to a friend's house tomorrow looking like this.  So, I took the tub icing on the remaining cupcakes:

Well, there's not as cute and pretty as the picture at Betty Crocker's website, but they taste great!  I'll have to try the icing recipe next time and see how it comes out.