Thank you soooooo very much

Well, it really went pretty well over all! I was interviewed by two board members, the superintendent, the high school music teacher, and the elementary music teacher (whose job I would be taking).  They all sat on one side of the 20-foot long board room table, and little old me all by myself on the other.  Talk about a scare tactic! lol The superintendent told me I was enthusiastic and sure of myself, and that he liked that in a person.  Bombshell of the evening: I had to sing and play the piano for them!!!! Can you believe it?! I mean, I see their point, but I was NOT expecting that at ALL.  Thankfully, the song they picked for me was quite easy, and then the el. teacher accompanied me as I sang "Do-Re-Mi" from The Sound of Music (she picked it out for me, since I totally blanked when they asked me what song I wanted to sing  - I mean, really!) .  They clapped afterwards.  It was really quite cute, although totally nerve-wracking.  

SO, that was my story, in a nutshell.  The whole thing only took about 30 minutes, and of course I came home early from visiting my family in CT to rush around, updating my portfolio, and do you think they even asked to see it?  Of course not.  

Well, at least it's ready for next time.  haha

Thanks for praying! You guys are the best! 

Butterflies in my stomach....

Tonight at 6 I have my first-ever public school music job interview. I am terrified. I fully realize that if this job isn't meant to be, it isn't meant to be, and I have peace with that part of it. I'm just more terrified about the interview itself. I mean, all I know is that it's in the board room. Does that mean the whole school board interviews me? Or just the superintendent? What kinds of questions will they ask? Will my portfolio be up to par with others'? Ahhhhhhhh! :)


So, if you think of me today or tonight, will you please pray? I already feel kinda sick to my stomach, and I'm hoping that when I go to work (last day at CB today!) my mind will at least be occupied with something else.

I'll keep you posted!

Music to Your Ears

I just added a playlist (see below), since apparently it's what all the cool kids are doing. Haha ;)

It's just a random sampling of some of my favorite songs, and I'm sure I'll be adding and taking away as time goes on. I set it so that it won't automatically play unless you chose it to, which should help those of you without hi-speed internet (like me). *Sigh*

Enjoy!

How Ironic

Yesterday I got a call from a superintendent in our area saying that I will be receiving a letter in the near future that details the times I can come in to interview for the music teacher position I applied for. (!)

I would very much like this job - we could definitely use the money, and it would probably be my last hurrah of teaching for oh, a few decades or so. ;)

Would you pray that I get it, if God wants me to? Thanks.





P.S. In my post yesterday, I was in no way implying that I would look down on anyone who works full-time and has kids (hopefully all of you know me well enough to know that!) I was merely commenting about how my own views had changed about the way my life was going to be. I certainly don't have all of this stuff figured out yet. :)

It's Funny How Time Changes You...

I'm not working today, as there was no call for subs (I even called and asked - nothing). I secretly love these days off. I love being able to wake up and make my own schedule for the day, bake if I want to, clean the house a little bit more than normal, and run any errands that need to be done.





Even just a year or so ago I was considering teaching even when I had kids, or thinking about a variety of options so that I would be able to do it all - stay home a little with my kids, yet still be able to do my dream job (that was assuming I would get a high-school music position). But I can honestly say now that the desires of my heart have changed. A few years ago I would have bristled at the statement I'm going to make, but I can honestly say that all I want to do is stay home, take care of my house, and raise children (and eventually homeschool them, at least for a few years).

It was the quasi-feminist in me that felt the idea of staying home and only being a "homemaker" was so oppressive. I had talent! I was a good teacher! I wanted to be fulfilled by taking part in the career I thought would make me happy. Staying at home was so blah to me. All day? Every day? No thanks.

Maybe it is partially my husband's doing that my thoughts have changed about all of this. He would love to have me be able to stay home (part of the reason he is starting his online business). He is never negative about it when I don't get a subbing job - only genuinely happy that I got stay home and get things accomplished. I always thought this would make me feel second-class, but it really and truly doesn't. Making my home a comfortable and lovely place to be - whether that is via my attitude, the decor in my house, or the things I concoct in the kitchen - brings me such joy that I never thought would be possible before.

Do I miss teaching music a little bit sometimes? Of course. Do I wish that I was teaching high-school chorus right now? Absolutely. But given the option between the two? Well, I guess you could say that my heart is leading me home.

So for now, I'll continue to work. We still want to buy a house, and since I can earn money now, I will. But when the time comes for us to start our family, I'll be very much looking forward to it.

(Photos: "We're wild about music!"- one of my bulletin boards in my K-2 classroom last year -the stars on the left are for the bulletin board next to it; leading my 5th-grade Select Chorus in our Grease mini-musical for the Relay for Life cancer event; leading the entire 5th grade in their Grease program - singing "We Go Together"; and me with some of my awesome 5th grade kids. Check out my hair - that is post-program-sweaty-music-teacher frizz for you!)

So sorry about the lack of posts lately. This is usually what happens: I come home from work, and by the time I make dinner, clean up, do some housework (or, as in the case of today, come home from work completely exhausted and eat leftovers and do absolutely nothing besides take a shower), that all I want to do is vegetate in front of the computer and read people's blogs. (By the way, I really do read all of your blogs [I mean those of you lovely people who comment on here], as well as a bunch of other blogs that I lovingly stalk [i.e., I read all about their life everyday and could probably write a paper about the person even though said person and I have never met. I can't help it if someone is that interesting!].)

But by the time I have relaxed and caught up on everyone else's life, I'm usually too tuckered out to write anything on my own blog. At least, that has been the case for the past week or so.

Anyway, I promise to write something interesting soon. Really. I do. So just bear with me, okay?

And thanks to those who encouraged me with Curves. I love it. :) The comments and Curves, that is. ;)

I'm Ready to Roll....

So, I have gained a ton of weight since my wedding 21 months ago. I mean, it's shocking. Like seriously. We're not talking less than 10 pounds, here. I mean, so-much-it's-too-embarassing-for-the-internet-to-behold.

All growing up, I was pretty thin. Weight? Never really an issue. But around my sophomore year in college, things started to change... namely, my metabolism and body weight. I was able to take off 17 pounds for my wedding in August '06, and was able to keep most of it off until maybe January or so.

Then the you-know-what hit the fan. Or so they say ;)

Anyway, through a series of events, including reading a random blog, talking to my mom, and thinking a lot about the subject, I have decided to join Curves (yes, I know, now I really sound like a grandma. Oh well). I tried Curves a few months ago when they had a free fitness study, and I lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks, without dieting. But it was November, Chris was laid off and in grad school at the time, and Christmas was coming and money was so tight. So I didn't join.

I kept telling myself I'd work out when the spring came, since I am now blessed with the metabolism of......a warthog. Well, spring is here. Have I been motivated to just go out and jog? Ummmm, NO. (Honestly, I will never understand the mind of people who can just pop out of bed at 5:30 and jog a few miles. I'd rather be chubby and stay in bed, thanks.)

I kept thinking about joining again, but we're trying to be extra careful with our money in order to continue to save for the down payment on a house.

But over the weekend, I finally realized that money shouldn't be in the way of me feeling confident and healthy about my body.

So, I went back on Monday, and joined.

And it is so refreshing!

I love how Curves is real women - granted, the majority of them (except maybe my 30-year-old sister-in-law and a few others) were born 20-40 years before me. But I love going there and not feeling like an ogre just because I don't have fake boobs and work out in a sports bra and wear little tight shorts with writing on my butt. You know what I mean?

I'm not aiming for my high-school weight again; just a healthy weight that I think would suit this stage of my life. I have a loooong way to go, but boy am I pumped! Can I just encourage you to make a similar choice, if you've been considering it? Thankfully, Chris was totally supportive. (Plus, he's had a full-time job again for the past several months.) The money will work itself out. (And providentially, the owner gave me a great discount on the registration fee, even though I technically "didn't qualify" for any of the current promotions.)

Our bodies are worth it!
Here's to being healthy and confident again!

I'm in CT for a few days visiting my family....be back on Monday or Tuesday!

2 Fun Things to do with Zucchini

Yes, I am very aware that the title of this post makes me sound like an 85-year old grandma from the depression years.

However! (and yes, I'm smiling over here in front of my laptop), since I believe firmly that good news should be shared, I am sharing two of my favorite recipes that utilize this lovely green vegetable.

Numero Uno:
I learned this one from my mama, who (although actually Irish) married an Italian and therefore learned to cook exceptionally well with olive oil and garlic:

- Chop up zucchini, summer squash, and a red pepper into various sizes and shapes
- Saute with olive oil and salt until slightly tender
- Add several teaspoons of garlic and saute for a minute or two longer (because burnt garlic is truly wretched)
- If you don't have red pepper, subsitute crushed red pepper for a punch of color and a little zing
*my addition

Buon appetito!

I can honestly say that my darling husband LOVES when I make this. This coming from a man who used to eat iceberg lettuce with cucumbers and croutons and French dressing and truly believed that was a magnanimous concession on his part in the way of vegetables. We've come a long way, baby.

Numero Dos:
If you've never tried these before, don't groan. These are truly amazing. You will notice tiny bits of green, but honestly, I think I actually might possibly like these even better than real brownies. Try them and see. If you do end up thinking they're gross (which will never happen, but still!), console yourself with the fact that you made your colon happy with the extra fiber. ;)

Zucchini brownies (from Allrecipes.com)

1/2 C vegetable oil
1 1/2 C sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1/2 C cocoa
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 C zucchini, shredded
chocolate chips, as desired *my addition

Preheat oven to 350. Grease and flour 13x9 pan. Mix first 3 ingredients until well blended. Mix next four ingredients in separate bowl. Stir into sugar mixture. Fold in zucchini and chocolate chips. Spread evenly. Bake for 25-30 minutes.

Tonight, I had planned on using zucchini with dinner, but quickly realized that I was going to have two much. So I kept 2 C zucchini out for the brownies, which I'll make either tonight or tomorrow. No waste and two great recipes! Aren't I fancy?

Happy cooking!

So...

If I walked to the ice cream shop last night with Chris, does that count as exercise?

What about if it was soft serve?


Juuuuuust checking.

CVS: Real-Life Example

Okay - I had a great day at CVS yesterday, and you can, too!

This is what I got:

• 3 rolls of CVS paper towels ($.99 each; Buy 2 CVS products, Get One Free in May)
• 1 Chapstick 100% Natural chapstick ($2.99; gave 1 ECB back)
• 1 Adidas deoderant ($4.99; gave 4.99 ECB back)
• 1 Colgate 360 toothbrush ($3.99; gave 3.99 ECB back)
• 1 Aquafresh Extreme Clean toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)
• 1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste ($2.99; gave 2.99 ECB back)

Here's what I used:

• $1.50/1 Aquafresh Premium toothpaste coupon
• $1.00/1 Aquafresh Advanced Whitening coupon
• $1.00/1 Colgate 360 toothbrush coupon
• $3/$15 CVS purchase coupon (see post below)
• $12.98 in Extra Care Bucks

Here's what I paid:

• $.45

Here's what I was given:

• 15.96 in ECB

Here's what I'll soon get:

• $4.99 check (mailed to me) from the makers of the Adidas deoderant (I had a coupon for a free deoderant from the newspaper a couple of weeks ago)

Today's newspaper's SmartSource insert has two coupons you can use on the toothpaste deals. Go to CVS and pick up one Aquafresh Advanced Whitening toothpaste and one Extreme Clean toothpaste. You will spend $3.48 for the two tubes, and you will receive $6 to spend at the store next week!

This could be the start of something really beautiful.

;)

How to Make $18 in Less Than 20 Minutes

Every so often , CVS will release coupons that take a total off of your purchase price. For those of you who have said you're interested in what I do at CVS (basically getting all of my toiletries for free or next-to-nothing!), let me suggest that you take advantage of this offer. You can print out as many $3/$15 purchase coupons as you want if you follow the directions here. Yes, it does take a little bit of effort, but it truly is as though CVS is putting money in your pocket. I printed out six, and so for the next six times I travel to CVS, I can "spend" $12 (with ECB, of course!) and get three dollars to use on something else in the store - kleenex, eggs, candy, toothpaste, you name it! A little time in front of the computer equals $18 I didn't have to spend out of my own pocket. If you have any questions about how to access it, feel free to ask me! I will say that I followed Crystal's directions exactly and I was able to access it.



Speaking of CVS, here is an example of some of my purchases recently:


This purchase cost me absolutely nothing. Usually that doesn't happen, because of taxes, but that day it did. YAY! I had a coupon for the body wash and the dish detergent. The three beauty products cost $6 but gave $5 in return. The body wash also gave $4.99 back. It was a while ago, so I don't remember a lot of the details. April was a great month for body wash and beauty supplies.



I made this purchase on Monday:


I got three gift bags (with their own tissue paper!), four bottles of dish detergent, and two bottles of CVS Pharmacy-brand Tylenol.

• The gift bags cost $4.50 for three (but gave $5 ECB back)
• I had a coupon for the dish detergent ($1/2), and they were BOGO free
• The Tylenols were $3.99 each but gave $3.99 in ECB back.
  

I used my $3/$15 coupon, the last of my ECB (I usually roll them over but had used them on some more expensive, non-ECB returning items, like sunscreen for Chris and Jergen's Natural Glow face moisturizer for me, so I was down to only $10.98 in ECB). I had to pay $3.25 OOP this time, but I received $12.98 in ECB back.



So, next time I shop, I can get $15.98 worth of items absolutely free, using my ECB and my $3/$15 purchase.



Let me encourage you to travel over to Crystal's blog today and check out the monthly deals for May at CVS. Notice all of the items that are "free" at CVS AND have a coupon from a newspaper that would apply to them, too. That's how you can make the most out of your CVS purchasing - for instance, when you buy an item that costs $3.99 and gives $3.99 in ECB back, using a $1 coupon lets you get that item for free plus another dollar item, such as a box of kleenex.



And if it eases your mind a little, my paper printed today that CVS's profits were up this year by several million dollars! So get out there and shop! :)