School Keri

My mom was in town a couple of weeks ago when we were holding back to school night. Here's a picture of me in my classroom. Off to the left is my SMART Board. It is the most wonderful tool EVER!!! I honestly can't imagine teaching without it. I have a fully operational TI graphing calculator emulator which I use to show the students which buttons to push. I can have my examples typed up ahead of time and then I can write on the board using the digital pens. I just started saving my notes to my school website, so if students are absent they can look at the examples at home.

T.G.I.F.B.A.L.W!

(Thank God it's Friday Before a Long Weekend!)

School is continuing to go well. Lots of work to do, but I suppose I have to earn my paycheck somehow. Every day is different, which makes teaching appealing to me. I just wish I knew all of my cherubs names- I need to study their pictures in our online attendance/grading program this weekend. I really hate not being able to remember their names right away. Tonight's blog entry will include a bunch of random items.
Here are a couple of pictures from the Hot Air Balloon festival which was held just east of our house at Chatfield Reservoir. I only caught a small glimpse of the action this year.


Our neighbor's house is for sale. Anyone interested in living next door to your favorite pilot/teacher couple?

Eric's chores continue with getting rid of some wasps. This picture was taken in our side yard.

Tonight's supper:

Bar-b-que Chicken Pizza, Corn on the Cob, and Texas Peach Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream.

Keri's Bar-b-que Chicken Pizza
(I made this one up)

Roll out raw pizza dough in 9x13 inch pan, sprayed with cooking spray.

Top with:
-Prego sauce,
-Rotisserie Chicken cut into pieces
-Pico de gallo (or just cut up tomatoes for those who don't care for onions)
-Mozzarella cheese
-Bar-b-que sauce

Follow cooking directions on Pillsbury Pizza dough package.



Texas Peach Cobbler
(In honor of my favorite Texas chickies, Janina and Colette.)

This dessert tops juicy fruit with a biscuit-like topping. The batter goes into the dish first, then rises up through the fruit as it bakes.

Filling:
4 cups sliced peeled ripe peaches (about 2 pounds)
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Batter:
6 tablespoons butter
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (about 5 1/2 ounces)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
Dash of ground cinnamon
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon turbinado sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare filling, combine first 4 ingredients in a medium bowl; set aside.

To prepare batter, place butter in an 8-inch square baking dish. Place dish in oven 5 minutes or until butter melts. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 4 ingredients (through dash of cinnamon) in a medium bowl. Combine milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla; add milk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter over butter, spreading evenly (do not stir). Spoon peach mixture over batter, gently pressing peaches into batter. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar, and bake for an additional 10 minutes or until crust is golden.

Yield: 8 servings

CALORIES 294 (28% from fat); FAT 9.3g (sat 5.7g,mono 2.4g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 24mg; CALCIUM 118mg; CARBOHYDRATE 51g; SODIUM 235mg; PROTEIN 4.2g; FIBER 2.2g

Cooking Light, JULY 2007

Who knew?

Talk about good timing:

Breakfast for Supper

We had waffles for supper tonight- I enjoy eating breakfast any time of day. I used the waffle iron we received from Kelsey's dad, Jim, and other mom, Denise. It's a great waffle iron, and Eric proclaimed tonight's supper, "waffle-rific"! I've also included a couple of pictures of us- I didn't get any us at the Rockies game, so here we are post-waffles.

Here's my favorite waffle recipe:

Waffles with Two-Berry Syrup
Wheat germ and flaxseed are the ingredients that give these waffles a wonderfully nutty flavor and crunchy texture. But it's the syrup, laced with maple and two kinds of berries, that elevates this breakfast to the sublime.

Ingredients
Waffles:
2 tablespoons flaxseed (I buy ground flaxseed)
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole-wheat flour
1/4 cup toasted wheat germ
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups fat-free milk
3/4 cup egg substitute (In a bind, can also use 3 eggs)
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Cooking spray

Syrup:
1 1/2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cups frozen unsweetened raspberries
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Preparation
To prepare waffles, place flaxseed in a clean coffee grinder or blender; process until ground to measure 1/4 cup flaxseed meal. Set the flaxseed meal aside. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine the flaxseed meal, flours, wheat germ, sugar, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk, egg substitute, oil, and vanilla; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist.

Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray; preheat. Spoon about 1/4 cup of batter per 4-inch waffle onto the hot waffle iron, spreading batter to edges. Cook 5 to 6 minutes or until steaming stops; repeat procedure with remaining batter.
To prepare syrup, combine berries, maple syrup, and ground cinnamon in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat until thoroughly heated. Serve warm over waffles.

Note: Look for flaxseed, a grain rich in heart-healthy omega-3 fats, in health-food stores of large supermarkets. Freeze leftover waffles individually on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a zip-top freezer bag for storage. To reheat, place frozen waffles in toaster.

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 2 waffles and 1/3 cup syrup)
Nutritional Information
CALORIES 332(18% from fat); FAT 6.6g (sat 0.7g,mono 2.5g,poly 2.8g); IRON 3.3mg; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 199mg; CARBOHYDRATE 60.5g; SODIUM 400mg; PROTEIN 10.8g; FIBER 6.5g
Victoria Riccardi , Cooking Light, MAY 2000

Take me out to the ballgame...

Eric and I headed downtown Friday night to watch the Rockies take on the Reds. I spent the first few innings keeping my eyes out for a praying mantis which was creeping around the seat in front of me. Ewwwww! I swatted it away with my baseball glove a few times. Finally, someone picked it up and took it away. I also spotted my friend Chad (Mariella's dad) at the game. He was sitting a few sections over from us, so Eric and I sat with him, his three nephews, and Ashley's parents for the last few innings. Despite a late rally, the Rockies lost. It was still a fun and entertaining evening.

You know you're a grown-up when...

you have to caulk around the windows. Woo-hoo! (I'm just glad it was Eric who was taking on this project.)


Feel free to leave your "You know you're a grown-up when..." in the comments section.

My School Website

Well, in case you wonder why "Summer Keri" has been posting less often, it's because "School Keri" is back on the scene. I've been putting time into getting my school website up and running. I learned how to use the (mandated) software a few years ago, but it's very non user-friendly. A few changes were made- namely, the teachers were given better access within the structure of the software to choose personal preferences. I finally felt like it was worth my time to use.

Google Olympics

I've enjoyed the Olympic-themed logos Google has come up with this week. I'm especially partial to the diving piggy. Here they are so far:

The Notebook

While we mostly have been watching the Olympics this week, tonight I'm watching The Notebook, which came out in 2004. Even though I would really like to run a marathon someday, watching a marathon on tv doesn't seem to interest me this evening. Based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, The Notebook is a must-see chick-flick.


"It was an improbable romance. He was a country boy. She was from the city. She had the world at her feet, while he didn't have two dimes to rub together."

Excerpt from a letter from Noah to Allie: "The best love is the kind that awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds. And that's what you've given me. That's what I'd hoped to give you forever."

The Story of Stooey

I love Kelsey's writing! She provided the following story of Stooey's beginnings:


Stuart Amadeus Starrs began as a twinkle in his people's eyes long before he made his grand entrance on June 16, 2008. David and Kelsey had his name picked out for five years before he was born; they just needed the actual puppy to go with the name. After waiting so long for their little dream to come true, David and Kelsey couldn't wait to meet him! Finally the time came when "Stooey's" people were ready for him, and he was ready for them. They drove all morning to the middle of Wisconsin where Stooey had been born. The moment his breeder presented him, David and Kelsey started falling in love. They bonded all the way home from Wisconsin, David and Kelsey promising to love and care for Stooey his whole life, and Stooey promising to rid himself of any 'Sconnie ways he picked up in his short time there (though his people love him, they can't imagine spending the next two decades with a beer guzzling, cheese head wearing, Brett Favre obsessed Wisconsinite). The first nights at home were a little rough, but Stooey made up for it by charming his puppy-daddy and puppy-mama and everyone else he met with his soulful eyes and tiny size. He particularly loved to lick feet, play with women's hair, and snuggle. Kelsey knew their bond had become unbreakable when she got a text from David his first day back at work saying, "Really miss the little guy :(." Thankfully Stooey and his Starrs people have a whole puppy lifetime ahead of them.

Stooey Starrs

David and Kelsey brought Stooey home today. Be prepared for one of the cutest things you've ever seen:

Eric is switching airplanes and goes into training in Minneapolis in October. (He's going from the DC-9 to the Airbus A320) This school year, we have a fall mini-break in October. If it works out, I'm hoping I can go to Minneapolis during my break to visit Eric AND now meet Stooey.

Beijing Olympics

I am watching the opening ceremonies tonight. The precision of the performers is incredible! I thought it was facinating that the teams, which are usually paraded in alphabetical order, are instead put in order by the number of strokes in the Chinese characters which represent a country's name.

Back to School

Today was the teachers' first day back to school. Doesn't my classroom look ready for those eager minds to arrive? The best part- I didn't have to do a darn thing to get it ready this fall. Last year was my 7th room in 8 years. I'm so ready to stay in the same classroom for as long as possible.

Also wanted to share my two publication appearances which came out today:
1. Yourhub.com (part of the Rocky Mountain News) does a print edition every Thursday. Today they picked one of my photos from the leadership retreat to be on the front cover of the yourhub section.

2. In the magazine Creating Keepsakes, I submitted a layout for a call to answer the question "What would you like to tell a teacher who has changed your life?" If you go back to April 2008 of my archives, you'll find the original layout. CK magazine edited out a little bit, which made it read a little weird to me, but they still maintained the same sentiment.



And... For what it's worth, I wore my hair down ALL DAY today. No pony tail. I know- it's fairly unbelievable.

Banff

David & Kelsey spent some time in Banff, Canada this summer for an Oracle gathering. It looks beautiful- I'm putting it on my list of places I would like to visit.

Annessa's Shower

We had a shower for Annessa and Andrew today. I really enjoyed the chance to catch up with some of the teachers who I hadn't seen all summer. Much more catching up later this week- back to school on Thursday!
Took a few pictures, but didn't do as well as I should have. I didn't want to be too annoying of a shutterbug.

Made a Lemonade Layer Cake from Cooking Light
(This time I used a 9x13" pan instead of the 9"-round pans.
I dyed the frosting light blue and added blue sprinkles on top.)
: ) For Janina- I tried to post pictures last night, but it wouldn't work. Luckily, it's up and running again this morning.


Lemonade Layer Cake
Ingredients
Cake:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk
Cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

Yield
16 servings (serving size: 1 slice)

Nutritional Information
CALORIES 322(28% from fat); FAT 9.9g (sat 5.9g,mono 2.9g,poly 0.5g); IRON 1mg; CHOLESTEROL 53mg; CALCIUM 60mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.1g; SODIUM 293mg; PROTEIN 5g; FIBER 0.5g

Cooking Light, APRIL 2002

Parade of Homes

Eric and I visited the Parade of Homes this afternoon. This year, it's located in Lakewood- only 15 minutes away from us. The houses had a Tuscan/European style. It was interesting to see features we both liked, versus features only one of us liked, versus the features that neither of us liked.

Click here to view pictures of some of our favorite features.


-Update-
Colette, to answer your question:
Yes, the houses were really expensive- around $2 million for about 7000-8000 square-feet. There were eight show homes. The other homes being built further down the hill looked to be smaller and the signs said they started in the $500,000-$600,000 range.
-End Update-