Happy Baking!

   I guess this holiday season I am learning a few valuable lessons--many of which my mother tried to teach me when I was younger, before I realized I would ever have to be doing grocery shopping on my own.

    One of the lessons...Never wait until the last minute to go Thanksgiving grocery shopping. For if you do, you'll be shopping with the rest of the town and fighting your way down an aisle just to find out they are out of the item you needed...like canned pumpkin (but I'll save that for later).

    One of my friends sent me a very cute recipe for Turkey Cupcakes, and I decided to give it a shot. I made my list, categorized the items by aisles and set of for the store. Just to clarify, I'm not always this anal about making my shopping list, however, I did anticipate the stores being crowded, so I figured this way would make things easier.

    I think I set my own personal record for a Wal-Mart visit--even with standing in a line for 20 minutes. But when I got home, unpacked, and started baking, I realized...I did not get the candy corn. Well, being the good husband that he is, Justin volunteered to go back to the store and get it. I was beginning to get worried when he wasn't back in an hour... Right as I was picking up the phone to call him he comes walking through the door. Before I could even ask, he begins, "Do you know that NO ONE sells candy corn this time of year? I went to Wal-Greens, Kroger, Wal-Mart, and CVS. None of them had it." First of all, kudos to him for going not only to one extra store, but the 3 in search of candy corn.  Needless to say improvising was needed.

This morning I went to the store in search of a substitute. Nothing remotely resembles candy corn... After staring at all of the options, I decided to go with Fruit Slices, Twizzlers, and Hot Tamales. I figured, one out of the three would certainly work.

...And it did. The Fruit Slices were deemed the winner and used as the turkey's tail feathers.

Turkey Cupcakes Recipe: Click Here

*Note: In the future I would not put the Oreos and Nutterbutters in the cupcakes until the last minute. The cookies became soggy overnight.

   The baking did not stop with our turkey friends, however. Since Justin and I both feel that, since we are married now, we cannot show up for Thanksgiving dinner empty handed. So, desserts had to be made for both sides of the family.

I made a Double Layer Pumpkin Pie. This combines the best of both world’s, a pumpkin pie, and a cheesecake.  What could be better?   I have not tried it, but I have licked the spoon...and oh boy, it was yummy. This was one of the easiest pies to make because there was no baking involved...just chill time.

*Sensational Double Layer Pumpkin Pie

4 oz. cream cheese, softened*

1 Tbsp. milk or half-and-half
1 Tbsp. sugar
 1 1/2 C. Whipped Topping
 1 Graham Cracker Pie Crust (6oz.)
 1 C. milk or half-and-half
2 pkg. (4-serving size) Vanilla Instant Pudding
1 can (16 oz.) pumpkin
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. ground cloves

 *Helpful Hint: Soften cream cheese in microwave on HIGH 15 to 20 seconds.

Mix cream cheese, milk and sugar in large bowl with wire whisk until smooth. Gently stir in whipped topping. Spread on bottom of crust. Pour 1 cup milk into bowl. Add pudding mix. Beat with wire whisk until well blended, 1 to 2 minutes. (Mixture will be thick.) Stir in pumpkin and spices with wire whisk; mix well. Spread over cream cheese layer. Refrigerate at least 4 hours.

   Lastly, the pumpkin pie. What's Thanksgiving without a pumpkin pie, right? Well, this is Justin's expertise. He made the crust and the pie without my help!

   Earlier in the season, we cut up and baked a pretty Cinderella pumpkin to make pies out of it. We froze the left overs to use later....which came in handy last night, because I only purchased one can of pumpkin at Wal-Mart, and I'm sure Justin was in no mood to go back, either.

    Thanks to Lindsay and Beau and our "Taste of Georgia" cookbook, he was able to make this pie. He used the Butternut Squash Pie recipe and substituted pumpkin for squash. We've made this same pie several times and we LOVE it!

Butternut Squash Pie
Oven: 425 degrees 15 minutes
          350 degrees 30 minutes

Yield: 2 pies

3 cups mashed, cooked squash (we used pumpkin)
1 cup sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 can evaporated milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 Tbs butter, melted
2 unbaked pie shells

He also added:
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground cloves

He substituted:
whipping cream for evaporated milk.

Mix all ingredients well. Pour into 2 unbaked pie shells. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes, then at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until a knife inserted comes out clean. Cool and serve with whipped cream! :)

Happy Thanksgiving! Bake well!

A Time for Thanksgiving

   As I sit in a nice, big, comfy chair, (while Justin makes homemade biscuits) I am reminded of how much I have been blessed with and how much I have to be thankful for. Which previously mentioned statement makes me thankful, you ask? The comfy chair or the husband making biscuits? Well, I'd have to say both...but I'll get to that.

    Since today was the Sunday before Thanksgiving, our church service was dedicated to giving thanks. On this Sunday, the tradition at Moriah Primitive Baptist Church in Colbert, GA, the men of the church are welcomed to stand and give thanks for the blessings they have been given over the past year.  I have come to love this service because we are all reminded of how much we cannot do it alone. We are in need of our families -be it blood, in-laws, or church families-, our salvation, and most of all our God to make it through not only tough times, but delightful times, too.

   As Thanksgiving draws close, it occurs to me that I, all too often, complain, take for granted, and overlook all the blessings that are right in front of me. In the spirit of the season and hopefully far beyond Thursday, I want to share a few blessings that I do not say thank you for near enough.

1.  My God who is forgiving, understanding, and gracious.

• A while back, when I was struggling with the sickness and death of my grandfather, I was reflecting on several issues. In that reflection I wrote,

"   It never fails. Every time I fall flat on my face, barging into sin like a bull in a china shop, I come face to face with my own humanity; my imperfection and the inadequacy of my self imposed attempts at holiness. And each time, I am ever more aware of my inability to produce good works on my own and of my ultimate reliance on God’s grace.
    However, I am slowly learning that God works everything together for good--yes, even my sin.(See Romans 8:28). The past two weeks have been an emotional rollercoaster ride for me. I have fallen short but as long as I remain in this body, I will never measure up.  With all of my slip-ups, failures, and flat out rebellion, God still says "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9.
    So, I will stand under grace. In an ever-changing world of high pressures, lofty expectations and disappointments, God is the same yesterday, today and forever. I do not change Him. My actions do not change who He is. And my sin does not make Him less holy.
His grace is sufficient for me!"

• I am very thankful to be a child of the King and I strive to live in a way that serves him. However, I do have slip-ups, I am often a failure, and I can not be thankful enough for the one who gave his life so I could live.

    2. I am thankful to have an adorable, patient, and selfless husband.

• As most of you know, Justin and I got married in May and then set out on a beautiful (sometimes frightening) adventure. Since then, we have experienced far too many changes for me to document in this one blog post. Through the changes, Justin has been rather calm and collected and I....well, we don't always have the same temperament. He has been patient through many mood swings... and when I come grumbling through the door at 6:30pm crying over my monstrosity of a day. He lets me cry, makes my favorite dinner, and then asks what else he can do for me-- all while he's had  a pretty crummy day, too. For him, I am truly thankful! There is much more I could say, but for now, I'll move on.

    3. My family.

•  I recently had a conversation with a friend about the attitudes, demeanors, and personalities of some of the students we teach. During the conversation we came to the conclusion that many of the issues we deal with in the classroom are issues that should be dealt with at home. However, judging from the students in my class, many of children do not have a loving, caring mother and father at home to teach them appropriate social behaviors. No one to teach them how to respond to conflict. No one to inspire them to do well in school, to read a book, to play a sport. This thanks is to my parents for raising me in a way that is socially acceptable, for punishing me for inappropriate behaviors, for having high standards and expectations, for holding fast to Christian values, and for loving me through it all, (from when I cried as an infant to when I made you cry as a teen). They have been the best example a newly wed could ask for. Without their leadership, dedication and love I would not be who I am today. I do not say it enough, Thank you!

   4. My In-Laws:

• To some, this may sound strange. However, I have to admit and I do not ever want to forget, how lucky I am to have married into such an incredible family. They are all supportive, hard-working, and talented beyond imagination! Between Mr. Tony, Mrs. Mona, Travis, Emily, and Nathan, there isn't much that can't be done! (I would throw Justin in the mix, too, but he's not an in-law). Travis plays any instrument you throw at him. His band played at our wedding reception. You know they're good when even my dad says, "Man, that boy can play!" Emily - what doesn't she do? Organize decorations for a rehearsal dinner held in Georgetown, SC from Iowa, make an awesome groom's cake, and being a wonderful bridesmaid - all while keeping her 1 year old daughter entertained. Kudos! Nathan can fix anything mechanical and does metal working to compliment Justin's woodworking.  Nathan helped Justin install a muffler and fix his tailgate in exchange for Justin helping him build a garage door this weekend. Justin's parents are also very helpful. On so many occasions they have dropped whatever they could have been doing to make a trip to Clayton to help us fix up our house. Several jobs around the house could not have been completed without Mr. Tony's strength. We are also very thankful for the delicious meals they prepare every time we visit or even pass through.

   5. My job.

• In this economy, it is hard to be anything but thankful to have a full time position anywhere. However, I am very thankful to be in a profession that touches and changes lives everyday. Some days are rough, I'm not going to say otherwise, but as a special education teacher, that is expected. I am thankful to be given the passion for kids, and the opportunity to live out my passion everyday. I have a good support team at school- a principal, a mentor, and a special education coordinator- who all make it a point to encourage me and sing my praises on a regular basis.

Does anyone want to buy a house in the mountains?

"You mean, the next time we visit we can just vacation??" 

We are proud to announce that our house is finished. Yes, the one that we have spent 9 out of 22 weekends of our married life fixing up, yes, the one that has taken 2 years and 11 months to complete. I know, we can't believe we're saying it either...WE ARE FINISHED!

Before

     In the yard of our little house on a hill once stood a giant pine tree with limbs all the way to the ground and a pretty large magnolia that unfortunately blocked our beautiful view. The blue/grey color scheme was a little dated and the fascia boards were rotten.

After

 Now: The pine and magnolia trees no longer adorn our front yard. And those overgrown shrubs in the first picture? Justin took those out before I had the pleasure of seeing them in person. Although the landscape still leaves something to be desired, we now have an (almost) uninterrupted view of the mountains across the valley. Not to mention, the blue/grey color scheme has been changed, and I finally got my red door!

Before:

The storage shed on the property was in awful condition when Justin bought the house. The hillside behind had slowly creeped up on the shed, rotting out the back corner, the floor joists, and all of the plywood. The foundation was too low for the site and had no ventilation. The inside had only bare studs, there was no electricity, and only two small windows to let in light.

After:

Now: The foundation is a layer of cinderblocks higher and has adequate ventilation. The floor joists are made of 2x10 treated lumber instead of rotted 2x8s. The swinging door that took up half the floor space in the shop when it was opened has been replaced by a sliding barn-style door. The two small windows are gone, and three larger windows have taken their place, And of course the color scheme has been slightly modified!



The bare studs inside the shop are covered with 12" wide knotty pine paneling. The lighting is more than sufficient, and there are 110V and 220V outlets throughout the shop for the plentiful power tools that now inhabit the space.

Before

I mentioned how awful the kitchen used to look in a previous post, but here you can see it in its full glory: dingy yellow walls, dark plantation blinds, and of course the old fake-walnut cabinets and fake-marble countertops.

After:

Now: The old cabinets have been given new life with a fresh coat (several coats, actually) of white paint, new doors and drawers, brushed nickel hardware, and a couple additional lower cabinets. The walls are a more inviting blue, the ceilings are adorned with crown molding, and the linoleum is gone, in favor of solid white oak floors. Although you can't see the partition in the old photos, the wall that separated the kitchen from the living room is now gone, and we have a spacious great room instead.

Before

Believe it or not, this photo actually doesn't reveal just how awful the living room looked. The flash must have brightened it up considerably, because walking into this room was much like walking into a bat cave. Add up the dark fake wood paneling, the plantation shutters, the overgrown shrubs and trees in front of the tiny window, and the single, 40-watt light bulb that was intended to illuminate this space, and you have strong evidence that the previous inhabitants were descended from vampires one very dreary room.

After

Now: The room is now much more open, much brighter, and much more inviting. Out with dark wood paneling, in with a cheerier paint color on our new drywall. Out with the dark green(ish) molding, in with the white. And one of my favorite touches - out with the ridiculously placed closet in the middle of our living room, and in with a brightly painted entertainment center (well, actually, a space where one could put an entertainment center if one so desired).

Another view of our entertainment center, and the hallway that also used to have fake wood paneling halfway up the walls.

Before

The "Master" bedroom pretty much speaks for itself. Off-white walls coupled with a delightful pink wallpaper border. A giant king-sized bed that took up half of the floor space. But hey, at least the bedspread matched the wallpaper, right?

After

Now: It looks a bit bare without any furniture it, but it's definitely not bland anymore!

The closet that was once completely covered by an oversized dresser (functional, huh?), is now adorned with cedar shelves and wainscoting and smells as good as it looks!

Before

The hallway bathroom continued the "fake wood paneling" theme that you saw earlier, but this time the paneling was not dark brown, but rather off-white with little gold cracks. Yeesh. The cabinetry matched the kitchen cabinets, and colorful linoleum floor didn't improve its appearance. Although it was not caught by the appraiser, the inspector, or by my own dear husband before he purcharsed the house, the toilet in this bathroom had a very small crack in it that was slowly leaking water under the linoleum and rotting out the subfloor beneath. For this reason, this was the first room to be tackled when he finally did notice it. (I really am quite saddened, by the way, that I never got to see this bathroom in all its original glory. Justin was already laying tile in here during the first few nights that we spoke on the phone.)

After

Now: In this room, my jack-of-all-trades husband really earned his title. He tore the bathroom down to the bare studs, except for the tub which was still in good condition, and reworked the wiring and plumbing, hung new drywall, patched the subfloor, installed tile floor and walls, and built a new cabinet and molding from lumber that he sawed himself. The floor, the lower 3' of the wall, and all around and above the shower are now covered with ceramic and slate tiles. The wallpaper has been replaced by a nice sage paint color. The leaky toilet is long gone, and a new throne stands in its place. And best of all, the cabinet, the door frame, and the crown molding are all made from beautiful solid cherry wood.

Before

  The "Master" bathroom was hardly better than the hallway bathroom. Although the shower was tiled, decades of mildew and changing styles had taken their toll. The wallpaper, which was peeling, the linoleum, and the cabinets were equally outdated. We weren't too fond of the pink towels but those were a quick fix!

After

Now: The bathroom has a new, larger vanity with a granite countertop, new tile floors, new paint and drywall, crown molding, new toilet, new shower doors, and my personal favorite, a shower tiled floor-to-ceiling with multicolored slate tiles on the floor.

Before

You can't see much in this picture, but there's not much to see anyway. (Just as a side note, the table seen in this photo is actually a crib with a piece of plywood on top and a sheet covering it.)

Now: The wall color is rich chocolate brown, which really isn't too dark because of the three large windows, two of which overlook the mountains. 

This is a third bedroom and there is no before for this one, just an after (but you got the idea from the previous two bedrooms: beige walls, greenish-brown trim, and outdated furniture.) This room only had a small single window, so we gave it a bright color to lighten things up. 

Just picture some dark wood paneling and orange linoleum and you will be grateful there is no before picture for this one either. The laundry room now has drywall, tile floors, and plenty of functional shelves - not to mention a brand-new water heater.
  As you can see we have put a lot of sweat, a lot of time, and a lot of money into our little mountain getaway. Now that we finally have a beautiful, comfortable, and inviting place to spend the weekends....does anyone want to buy it? ;) 

Because USC Upstate taught me to be a reflective practitioner...

Time to pull out my sweatpants, curl up on the couch, and write. To be honest, I'm not exactly sure how this blog post will end or really even begin, but we'll see... Justin was spontaneously called to go to the Bartlett Research Lab in Charlotte for tonight and tomorrow for an urgent pesticide update or something like that. I've really only talked to him for a brief minute today for him to inform me he was taking my car and leaving me his truck. Delightful.

 Nevertheless, I have plenty of time to reflect upon other matters...like my job.

Its an interesting and never boring life that is led by middle school special education teachers, especially first year ones. Waking up in the morning there are certain things you look forward to, like the OH! I get it! and the Good Morning, Mrs. Tyson! How are you today?' 's, the smiles, the high fives, and did I mention the smiles?  It's fun to see the students really enjoy a lesson, get involved, and offer great ideas. It's really rewarding when a student, who knew nothing on the pre-test, aces the post-test. Now, that's cool!

However there are things that have unfortunately become routine by now that you dread... Mrs. Tyson, I feel like I'm going to punch someone, Mrs. Tyson can I borrow a pencil for the 14th day in a row?, It's hot in here! and the ever so often, Mrs. Tyson your projector smells like it is on fire.  Some days I want to yell back, Yes, I know, I have ancient technology in my classroom that smells like a burning dust cloud, but ignore all of your grievances and answer the question I have already repeated 7 times before? But I don't. Patience takes over, I remember why I went into teaching in the first place, smile, hand out pencils, apologize for the inconvenience and keep teaching. Sometimes you just have to keep moving forward, as much as you would like to do the complete opposite.

Needless to say, there are certain things that cannot be taught in the college classroom and only learned through experience. Since I have time and a little energy left before bed, I thought I'd share some of my very own conclusions.

A few things they do not teach special education majors in college:

1. You'll feel as if you were thrown into a lions den at feeding time the first couple weeks but then you get used to the gnawing and gnashing of teeth and are able to relax a little.

• During 6th grade registration, I was confronted by an angry parent who wanted their student out of my class. This was very intimidating because I had not even finished decorating my classroom, much less looked at my caseload for the year to see the disability of the student she was even talking about. I remember being completely appalled by her and nervous about the legal procedures that I must take in order to remove him from my roster.
• Currently, I have parents harassing me all the time (some angry, some not), even on Saturdays. (Word to the wise, do not make the same mistake I made and call a parent from your personal phone. They'll save the number and call you at the most inconvenient times). The difference between 6th grade registration and now?...time and experience. My skin is a little thicker, I'm a little wiser, and a little quicker with my resolving conflict tactics. It gets easier, you learn to manage your time, plan meaningful lessons and write IEPs that are in compliance with state code. It just takes time, patience, and a few boxes of Kleenexes.  

2. You get SUPER excited over the little accomplishments, the kids laugh, but they secretly enjoy your excitement, too.

• Yesterday, as we were going over our Daily Language Review I was so impressed that my students remembered that you underline a book title but put article titles in quotation marks. They continued to make me smile throughout the review with their knowledge on commas, capitalization and conjugations.  I guess the class noticed my excitement because one of the boys who sits in the back said, I guess when you're a teacher this IS a big deal.

3. When the students make fun of you, it means they are learning.

• The other day, I showed my students a video of a song about Author's Purpose that was sung to the tune of "All the Single Ladies" by Beyonce. They initially acted as if they were too cool to even pretend to enjoy it. Later that same class period when I asked them comprehension and application questions, I caught them singing the song to themselves and remembering the details of Author's Purpose. Caught 'em learning!

 4. (Caution: an ounce of negativity may be used here.) You do not have planning periods.

• Your schedule may indicate you have two, however those times are taken up by administrating tests to students with accommodations, writing IEPs, emailing 8 different people and trying to coordinate times to schedule an IEP meeting that has to be held before the end of the week (because the student is a transfer and the district does not want to be responsible for providing compensatory time). It truly is difficult to juggling the behavior-problem students, schedule special reviews, read the Special Education Process Guide, and find time to still breathe. Don't think you're going to leave school before 6pm your first month...it won't happen!

5. The social lessons we were taught in our behavior management classes are a joke---especially when you teach 6th, 7th, and 8th graders who are involved in gang related activities.

• Teaching is about being creative, coming up with new, inspiring ideas everyday in order reach, change, and teach our students. It is obvious there are some students who just do not get along...and ultimately, I've come to realize, that's okay. Sometimes it is easier to have them sit clear across the room from each other than take 10 minutes out of a 50 minute class to address a problem behavior that has taken 12 and 13 years for them to master.

6. You'll want to adopt every student with a bad homelife that you meet.

• I think this one pretty much speaks for itself...and I've experienced it several times, and its only the start of the 2nd quarter. There are some students that tug on your heartstrings and make you want to just take them home...and you probably would if it wasn't for their unpredictable 'just out of jail parents' showing up at your house at 3am looking for them.  

To wrap it up, I am very grateful for my job, and on most days I truly do love it, but like most jobs, its stressful, unnerving and tiring. Thankfully I have a great mentor, a wonderful teaching staff, and cooperative kids! Each day is an adventure to say the least! :)

Day Trip to Savannah!

    We woke up this morning, looked out at the glorious day and decided not to break the on-going count of weekends *not* spent in N. Augusta...so we decided to hit the road. Last night, as I was waiting for Justin to get off work, I took a look at the map and calculated the time it would take to get to several locations from our house. The most reasonable location was Savannah coming in at only 2 and a half hours away.

    As soon as we set foot on River Street after finding a parking spot, Justin turned to me and asked me what I would like to eat for lunch. The words barely escaped Justin's lips when a man on the corner smoking a cigarette said, "Go to Tubby's! You'll love it." We were not really in the mood to make decisions anyway, so we said, "What the heck! Tubby's it is!"   

 

      After taking a while to make up my mind (a women's prerogative) I decided on a yummy crab cake sandwich, which I would totally order again! It's not everyday that you can get local seafood when living in North Augusta. A low-country girl needs her seafood fix quite regularly...and prefers it to be local!  :)

    We enjoyed being tourists and walking up and down River Street. In one of the store fronts Justin spotted a giant pumpkin. It reminded us of the pumpkin we saw in Franklin, NC last Fall, which we thought was huge. I'll let you compare them. 

    The city was full of historic charm, with old cobblestone streets with a still-active trolley,

   second floor doors that open into thin air,

lots of brick and stone architecture,

and city squares decorated with fountains.

     Savannah was absolutely beautiful and reminded me a lot of Charleston, SC. Both are gorgeous cities with Live Oaks draped in Spanish Moss, iron gates and fences, waterfront walkways, cobblestone, and rich in history. Both Savannah and Charleston once were their respective state's capitals and are still their major seaports. Even though I have never spent much time in Savannah, it felt familiar because it reminds me so much of Charleston.

         We have seen trees growing on top of bare rock at the top of a waterfall in Yosemite, but we are still always intrigued by plants growing in unexpected places. Of course we had to stop and admire these ferns that were growing out of the side of this brick wall.

     We love this building's unique combination of brick and stone. A lot of the stone used around the city is ballast rock brought over from England on ships bound for Savannah. These stones were added to less-than-full cargo ships to keep them stable on the journey overseas.

     

   

  

  

  

  

  Around the city we saw vendors selling pictures of letters that are found in everyday life. We thought this was a really neat idea, but instead of buying the pictures, we took it on as an activity to look for and take our own pictures of that spell our last name. We enjoyed using our imagination and creativity which was combined with a friendly competition of who could find the best letters! :)

   We had a fun, relaxing, spontaneous Saturday. Couldn't have been any better!