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happy birthday, mama!

{photo from 2006}

happy birthday, dear friend.

here's to more years of silliness together.

love you.

sweet treat

this weekend we had our first cupcake experience in the city. we decided to try out our neighborhood smallcakes. the shop wasn't anything spectacular, but wow can they make a cupcake! we chose decadent fudge, strawberry, and birthday cupcake for tyler's mom's birthday. the cakes were so moist and the frosting was amazing. definitely way better than gigi's!!! now if they could only make a strawberry cake with that fudge icing...chocolate covered strawberry perhaps? i need to go back soon and tell them...

today in room 19

it was an exciting day! not only was it valentines day, but it was also the day to celebrate my half birthday. who knew?! the pictures from the day include:

lots of valentines/birthday cards

a card with my picture on it that a student got from the internet :)

a lady bug card with 27 dots on it to represent my age...minus 2 please

trader joe's dark chocolate truffle hearts. go get some, now!

an absent kid's desk...

and sweet tulips.

see, ten year olds can be sweet.

trifecta ::

taylor. civil wars. hunger games.

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friday to friday

happy monday, folks! i just wanted to pop in and share some photos from last week, friday to friday. the weekday evenings were fun and eventful, and the weekend proved to be the same!

pictured above:

ready to walk with friends

snack stop at yoforia

piedmont park at sunset

antico pizza, margherita

supper in the secret dough room

practicing our french cooking

hair cut with new layers

husband visits my classroom and brings me lunch

hydrating after school with my lady bug friends

hope everyone has a great week!

easy veggie pasta

i took this picture back in november, in hopes of sharing a new recipe before christmas. alas, that did not occur! i made this dish for supper club a few weeks back, and after rave reviews, i decided it was time to share. i discovered this dish about a year and a half ago in one of my cooking light issues. this dish is a trifecta: inexpensive, easy, and healthy. i have made it so many times, i don't even need to look at the recipe. but, you don't know it yet! so, let's share.

ingredients:
8 oz of whole wheat farfalle pasta (i have also used penne)
1 tsp of olive oil
1 large pack of baby spinach
1 onion, sliced thin
1 pint of grape/cherry tomatoes, halved (2 C)
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 tsp dried oregano (i use fresh when i have it...a couple of sprigs)
1 TB white wine vinegar
shaved parmigiano
3/4 C crumbled feta
salt and pepper to taste

what to do:
1. cook pasta
2. in a large pan, saute onion in oil until golden
3. add oregano
4. add garlic, saute' for 2 min
5. add tomatoes and vinegar
6. add spinach and cook down until soft
7. add pasta
8. remove from heat and add cheeses
9. salt and pepper
10. yum!

i have used more garlic before, less cheese, more white wine vinegar, and even some red pepper flakes. it all just depends on what i have in the kitchen :)

evening plans

the last full week of january was loaded with evening plans. between bachelor watching party, date night, cooking class, and supper club, my after school schedule was amazing. i love weeks like that! it keeps me from just counting down to the weekend.

now, i want to report specifically on the events pictured above. we dined at flip burger for our date night, which solidified my feelings on that restaurant. i chose to go there for dinner because i was craving fried pickles and a chocolate shake, thanks to a zaxby's commercial (disclaimer, i do not like zaxbys). unfortunately, flip's fried pickles were horrible and i will have to make the trip out to roswell's fickle pickle next time this craving occurs. on the flip side (haha) the nutella milkshake was heaven like always. seriously, the best chocolate milkshake in the land. it is thick and creamy and comes topped with torched marshmallows. after the expensive bill came, i decided that other than the nutella, flip just isn't really worth it. i have decided that when it comes to burgers, i like mine simple, without the foaming cheese. i would much rather go to yeah burger or five guys any day.

also pictured above, are pictures from a cooking class that katie and i took. it was such a fun night out in the city, trying new foods and learning some good cooking tips. the class was a lot of observation, but we did get to make our own crackers! we also enjoyed scallop and shrimp pesto appetizers, salad with homemade dressing, butternut squash puree, and delicious mouse pastry with strawberries. yum!

i am obviously loving all these new food options in our city. now if i could just get paid to photograph, eat, and review food all day long, that would be great!

back in the swing of things

january was a very busy month for me - trying to get back in the swing of school and starting a new calendar year. third 9 weeks is always so stressful, trying to teach everything before the beloved standardized tests roll into town. thankfully, teaching science has been entertaining, with lots of exciting experiments. girl scouts have also been in full swing and we have unfortunately already purchased 8 boxes. eight! thankfully, we did get a break from our busy work schedules and got to spend the weekend in the mountains with our new small group. more pictures to come from that weekend, soon!

50 days until