Adios 2010!

New Year's Resolutions

(Maybe if they are published for the world to see, I will actually stick to them? hmm?)

1. Work on my horrible habit of procrastinating. It's not even a "habit" anymore, my brain just automatically thinks I have all the time in the world, until I don't...and then it's time to freak out! I already make to-do lists, but I think it would be more beneficial to organize them by importance. Yes, I'm a dork. :P

2. SEND BIRTHDAY CARDS! I am so bad at this...and it's embarrassing! I think this goes along with procrastinating lol.

3. Think CAN, instead of CAN'T. *Someone* says that I can come up with a million reasons why I can't do something, instead of finding one reason why I can. Maybe I'm channeling President Obama for this one, but this will be a year of YES I CAN! :)

4. Keep collecting children's books! I'm going to need as many as possible when I get my own classroom :) (Insert an embarrassing, goofy smile because I am so excited!!!)

5. It's just un-American to have a new years resolution without something exercise-related (lol) so...I WILL tone back up to where I was pre-Indiana. In no way do I think I'm fat these days, but I do need to make healthier choices and tone up some parts that didn't jiggle so much in previous years! lol!

So here is to an organized, positive and healthy 2011! :)

Betty Draper Would Approve!

Louis Vuitton Penelope Sunglasses (Cruise 2011 collection)

::swoon!::

Anyone have $800 I can borrow?

"Ummm...I think you need a timeout"

I'm watching How the Grinch Stole Christmas, with Jim Carey, and I can't help but wonder...how did Taylor Momsen go from this...

To this...

What happened to Cindy Lou Who???

Can we go back to 1959?

So I can wear this...

Dior, Fall 1959

The year that hemlines were raised to the knee (again)! Scandalous AND gorgeous :)

Hilarious!!

If Facebook had existed years ago...

1 Year!!

We celebrated our FIRST WEDDING ANNIVERSARY on September 6th! Where in the world has the time gone? Wasn't it just yesterday that I was running a sweatshop in our kitchen in order to finish up those crazy invitations??

In my attempt to start keeping up with this blog again...since its been a tad bit neglected...lol...here is how we celebrated our first year of being married!

We spent Sunday (day before anniversary) at a family reunion, where we witnessed someone taking a Frisbee to the face and the new baby cousin being showered with beer...since he decided to bat his aunt's drink out of her hand! That will definitely be a story for all his future girlfriends ;) How many people can say that their first beer was at 5 months old? lol!

We drove back home that night and Matt was so excited to give me my present, that we opened gifts right at midnight :)

Matt got me a GORGEOUS set of pearls with a heart clasp :) I love them!! Everybody has been saying it is a very "Jess-ish" gift lol. I got Matt the new NHL 11 game for PS3, a big book of hockey player bio's and a funny t-shirt that I had been laughing at while at work lol.

Later that day we decided to shop around in Greenwood and then went to eat at The Cheesecake Factory :)

Somebody doesn't like their picture taken ;)

♥

And of course we had to eat some cake to celebrate! The lady that made our wedding cake, Debbie, from Tulip Treats, made us an anniversary cake and delivered it to the house!

She even decorated it with the black swirl design that we had on our wedding cake!

Remember this one? Before it started slipping and sliding all over the place ;)

How sweet is she?? I highly recommend her for any special occasion!

Hmmm...this is the exact same face that our dog uses when she is trying to steal food from your plate...wonder where she gets it? lol!

And I can't forget to mention another thing that we did while shopping in Greenwood...

I have been saving for what seems like forever for this bag and it finally got to come home with me! :)

(Coach Kristin leather satchel in "blue smoke")

Ok, enough about the purse...back to the anniversary! lol!

Throughout the whole day, all I could think about was how lucky I am to have such an amazing person to share my life with. Nobody makes me laugh like he does, nobody motivates me like he does, nobody makes me feel as special as he does...even when I have just woken up and my hair resembles a bird's nest and I have eyeliner smeared all over my face. Don't pretend you wouldn't love to wake up next to that everyday! lol! And as sappy and corny as it sounds...these lyrics sum it all up- "I don't see what anyone could see, in anyone else, but you." ♥

I love you husband! 1 year down, 75 more to go?? ;)

The Big Picture

After hearing countless news stories about this horrific oil spill, I have to say that I think the pictures of the wildlife are what hit me the most. I am right alongside those who believe that BP should take responsibility for their actions. Accountability-it's what we teach children and it is what we expect from adults. However, I can't help but think that we as Americans need to also reevaluate the actions that brought us to this point. I am in no way trying to diminish the intensity of this disaster, but I also think this event needs to be used as a call for change. I can't help but wonder whether or not this could have been prevented if we did not have such a great demand for oil...

On a recent episode of 60 Minutes, which can be found here, one of the last crew members to escape the explosion stated that it was common knowledge that the most important safety feature of the oil rig, and the part that would have prevented the explosion in the first place, was severely damaged 4 weeks before this happened! When management was notified of the damaged safety feature, they chose to not fix it and even ordered that the pressure be lowered so they could drill faster.

While I realize that 60 Minutes is a show that is ultimately looking for the highest ratings possible, this really made me stop and think. Would oil companies drill in these difficult areas if there wasn't so much pressure to produce as much oil as possible? If we are so horrified by this oil spill and become so emotional while looking at these pictures, this should be our wake up call to start making changes in our lives that include changing our demand for oil (energy). I still believe that BP should be held accountable for their actions, but we cannot stop at that. We need to make changes if we do not want this to happen again.

♥

If I had to live in one outfit for the rest of my life...after I got over the shock of having to choose just one...this would be it...



Valentino...you crazy talented, Italian man! ♥

Just Breathe.

My stepmom gave me the link to this and I think it is something that everyone should see. Ryan Star was a contestant on Rockstar: Supernova, a reality show, a few years ago. He didn't win and now I'm kind of glad that he didn't. It seems like he was destined for better things :)

This was made for Breathe For Jobs and if you click on the link, it will take you to a page where you can see all the people that were in the music video. It is meant to grab the attention of employers and to help these individuals find jobs. If you could pass around this information, you would really be helping these people :)

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

NOT my picture...although I do have that bowl ;)

(Photo credit)

I made these a couple times for my class and I keep forgetting to post the recipe for everyone! This is the perfect recipe for brunches, cook-outs, or grilling out as people call it in Indiana! I'm learning ;)

Fruit Salsa & Cinnamon Chips

Original recipe can be found at http://www.tasteofhome.com/

Ingrediants for Fruit Salsa

1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries (super tiny pieces, think the size of ingrediants in a regular salsa)
1 medium orange, peeled and finely chopped
3 medium kiwi, peeled and finely chopped
1 can (8 oz) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. sugar (add more to taste, I usually adjust this based on the ripeness of the fruit)

Ingrediants for Cinnamon Chips

10 flour tortillas (8 inch)
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. ground cinnamon

Fruit Salsa Directions

1. In small bowl, combine all six ingrediants.
2. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
3. See, I told you this was easy!

Cinnamon Chip Directions

1. Brush tortillas with melted butter and cut each into 8 wedges.
2. Combine sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over tortillas
*NOTE: I usually have to make 2 batches of the sugar/cinnamon combo in order to have enough for all 10 tortillas.
3. Place tortilla wedges on baking sheets
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp.
5. Allow chips to cool before eating (I learned this the hard way! lol)
6. ENJOY! :)

Christmas in...March??

In a desperate attempt to put off writing a paper for as long as possible...I am catching up on some recipes that I never posted :) Definitely not very productive...but it beats writing that paper! lol.

So I'm starting off with two treats from waaaaaaay back...Christmas :)

Treat #1
Peppermint Bark
I got this recipe from my mom's friend, Kelly, from high school. Gotta love the power of facebook!



Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 cups of crushed candy canes (in about 1/4 inch chunks)
2 bags of white chocolate chips (12 oz per bag)
1 bag of milk or dark chocolate chips (12 oz bag) I used milk chocolate
1-2 capfuls of peppermint extract (I used 2)

Directions
1. Melt milk/dark chocolate in double broiler and pour onto a wax paper lined cookie sheet, spread evenly.
2. Chill in fridge for about 15 min.
3. Melt white chocolate in double broiler. Once melted, add candy cane chunks and peppermint extract and mix together.
4. Pour on top of milk/dark chocolate layer and spread evenly.
5. Chill in fridge for about 45 min. or until firm.
6. Remove from cookie sheet and break into pieces, like peanut brittle.

I had never made peppermint bark before and I thought the whole process was going to be very hard. I was totally wrong! This was super easy, it makes a lot and its delicious! Thank you so much for the recipe Kelly!

Treat #2
Cranberry White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
Recipe retrieved from: Good Things Catered

Ingredients

3/4 cup butter, softened

2/3 cup packed dark brown sugar

a little more than 1 1/2 cup oats

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup dried cranberries

2/3 cup white chocolate chips

(I also added about 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon spice blend)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper

2. In bowl or stand mixer, combine butter and brown sugar and beat on medium high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.

3. In another large bowl, combine oatmeal, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt. Stir to combine.

4. To butter and sugar, add eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla.

5. Stop mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl and turn back on at the lowest setting.

6. Add oatmeal mixture, then cranberries and white chocolate chips, beating until barely combined. (I added the cinnamon spice blend at this point)

7. Pick up loose balls of dough about 2 to 2 1/2 inches in diameter and place onto baking sheets at least two inches apart.

8. If you have any leftover cranberries or white chocolate chips, top cookies with a couple of each.

9. Bake for exactly 10 min.

10. Remove from oven, cookies will be slightly golden around edges and middles will look a little underdone.

11. Let cool for 5 min. on cookie sheets and then place on wire racks to cool completely.

Result?? Christmas in a cookie! Seriously. The oats...the cinnamon...the cranberries! This is my favorite out of all the cookie recipes I have ever tried :)

Changes in Education

READ ME! ---> http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100313/ap_on_re_us/us_obama_education

Finally some changes to the No Child Left Behind Act!

A few things that I am excited to see...

*I LOVE the fact that the new plan is proposing to move away from punishing schools that don't meet "benchmarks" and is instead focusing on rewarding for overall progress, especially with minority students. I think the best of intentions were there when they put the original plan into action, but unfortunately, schools that weren't meeting the benchmarks often couldn't afford the penalties posed by the NCLB act and many of them had to close....which caused even more problems :(

*The idea of allowing schools to use subjects other than reading and math to access their students ability to meet federal standards. This will hopefully put more value on subjects like history (YAY!), science, art, etc. In my opinion, with the current system, students are not prepared for college when their sole focus for 12 years has been on reading and math. Don't get me wrong, those subjects are extremely important, but these subjects are limiting students to certain careers. What about the science majors? Art majors? How are students getting a well-rounded education when they aren't exposed to these things in the classroom?

*Say "adios" to the name "No Child Left Behind!" I think this is a great idea! It may be just a minor detail in comparison to other changes, but the name has such a stigma attached to it and I think most educators would like to just completely erase it from meomory ;)

Something that I am still a little skeptical about and would like to research more...

*Aggressivly punishing the 5% lowest performing schools...define "aggressivly" please! And while your at it...define "lowest performing"... Are we talking lowest test scores? Lowest attendance rates? I have seen some high academically performing schools recieve low ratings just because they didn't meet the required attendance rate. I would like some clarification on this one :)

Overall, I am excited to see what these changes will bring! NCLB has been a problem for a while now and a part of me is giving a sigh of relief over the possibility that I won't have to deal with it in all of it's crazy-ness when I graduate ;)

Note: President Obama plans to send the rewrite to Congress next week.

Somewhere Between "Fresh Milk" and "Blank Paper"

I can remember being 11 or 12 and laying outside for HOURS without sunscreen trying to get a tan. Horrible, I know, but I just couldn't accept the fact that my sisters and friends could tan at the drop of a hat and I only had two colors to my skin...white...and red lol. One sister in particular...you know who you are Miss Katie B!...she has always had GORGEOUS glowing skin, no matter the time of year. Colorado could have been covered in snow without a glimpse of the sun for a whole week and she would still look like she just came back from a month vacation in Cabo. NOT. FAIR!



Over the past couple of years, I have really embraced my "porcelain skin." I have always idolized celebs from the 40's and 50's and it probably has to do with the fact that they wouldn't have been caught dead outside without a hat to shade their fair skin. Nowadays, I wear sunscreen 24/7 because I love the way my skin looks :) Now don't get me wrong, I think people with healthy tans are beautiful too, I just think that us "whities" (lol) need to realize that our skin color isn't unhealthy or ugly.



Being a huge history buff, I could go on and on about how fair skin was a sign of beauty and wealth in the past, but I have a feeling if I start talking about the 18th century, most of you will become bored and stop reading this post lol. So, instead...I will show you why I got so excited while watching the Academy Awards last night!

Words used to describe these lovely ladies included...elegant, classy, classic and gorgeous. I never once heard anyone say that they needed "some sun" or that they "looked sick." I have to say the little pale girl inside of me was jumping for joy last night!

And even though she is not as fair skinned as some of the other ladies, I still need to give Sandra Bullock a HUGE round of applause for her win for "Best Actress in a Leading Role." She too looked absolutely stunning (and not too tan! lol) and really deserved the Oscar :)

Will this be the new trend for Hollywood? While I am very hopeful, summer is just around the corner...so we will just have to wait and see!

Regardless of whether or not it is "on trend" with Hollywood, everyone should embrace the skin color, skin tone, body, hair etc, that they were given. You don't have to fit into the model of what society thinks is sexy. If you feel beautiful and confident, that is all that really matters. Confidence is sexy, not the constant desire to fit into the Hollywood mold.

And on that note...PALE CHICKS UNITE! Somewhere with shade and sunglasses ;)