I worked really hard yesterday to finish my mulching. There’s one more area in our yard that needs mulch, but it can wait for now. The garden is now mulched with leaves and straw. The straw is leftover from when our yard was planted last summer after our driveway construction. I’m glad that we raked…
In my yard, I try to let no organic matter go to waste. What am I talking about do you ask? Read on! 1. Save Your Leaves In the fall I save every single leaf that I rake. I load them onto tarps and drag them to their hiding spot behind my shed. Do you…
A favorite dessert at our house is cookies and chocolate chip ranks as our number one favorite. Yesterday I whipped up a batch of cookies using my favorite recipe. I know there are thousands of versions of chocolate chip cookie recipes to be found and I’ve tried quite a few of them. The version that…
My table needed a little something to go with the patriotic centerpiece that I created last summer so I crafted a coordinating table runner using materials that I had on hand in my sewing stash. I like this so much that it may just stay on my table all summer! Materials Needed:Drop ClothPatriotic FabricsStitch…
Do you tend to do the same workout every time you go to the gym? It’s easy to get into a routine and not vary from it. I get inspiration for new exercises to try from Shape Magazine and Fitness Magazine. I usually tear pages out that inspire me and then try to incorporate a…
We had an incredible time at Busch Gardens on Monday. My tip if you want to visit an amusement park is to go before most schools are out. We were able to ride with no wait, except for the first car on a ride. I lost count of how many times we rode each of…
I love dresses and am so glad that they are back in style. For a long time it was hard to find a dress as skirts were more popular. My favorite source for inexpensive but stylish dresses is Dress Barn. There’s not one where I live, but I make sure to shop at the one in…
Last Tuesday I was lucky to get to go on a second PE field trip, this time with the 8th graders. I asked an 8th grade teacher who is not so athletic if he wanted to switch spots for the day and he couldn’t say, “Yes!”, fast enough! We both were happy – I got to…
Friday was my last day of school for two months. Hee-Haw! To celebrate we headed to the beach for the weekend. My principal kindly let us leave on Friday as soon as our work was complete, so for the first time since last summer, it was light when we crossed the bridge to enter the…
Welcome to Fitness Friday! In this series I share some of my favorite exercises that I’ve found to be truly effective and worth every precious gym minute. If you missed a week, here are the links: Week One – Quads Week Two – Core Week Three – Triceps Week Four – Shoulders Week Five –…
Last Saturday my friend invited me over to pick strawberries in his garden. His garden is huge and is all organically grown. I picked two plastic Kroger bags full of berries and used them to make jam. I haven’t been too domestic lately and it felt good to spend a few hours in the kitchen. …
Last Tuesday I went on a PE field trip with the 7th grade boys to Crabtree Falls in Montebello, VA. I was a bit worried about being with only boys for an entire day, but it ended up being the best day of my entire 20 year teaching career. Crabtree Falls is the highest vertical-drop…