Friday!

It is finally Friday again!

Today, Matt and I are taking a trip to Knoxville to see family and friends. I know I am excited for the trip, even though it will be very fast and super busy! We will get to see my nephew turn one, visit with all of the parents except Matt's mom, see Alexis in downtown Knoxville (yay!) and then party it up at a wedding recpetion! It will be a great time.

Only one more week of summer school. Slowly the kids are leaving after they complete all of their work. Also, one week until my birthday! No big plans yet. I do plan on eating cake and playing in the pool right after school gets out!

Happy weekend, everyone!

Our Week Off

Hi All!

Matt and I had one glorious week off together before starting work and after school got out for me the first time. We had such a nice and relaxing time. I started off my weekend (before he was home) by going to Iowa to see my family up there and to visit for my cousin, Brittany's, graudation. As always, it is great to see everyone. We ate yummy food and relaxed. I love Iowa in the summer!



Per usual: the lookout



We look alike



Daisy found a bone and was entirely content



Pretty flowers



Home made ice cream!!



Brittany and Christina



Proud Pop





Grandma Love



After that trip, I picked up Matt from the bus station and we got to know each other again after being apart for so long. We joined the gym by our house and bought a gas grill and went to the movies and just had a really nice time together. We then went camping for a night at Mark Twain State Park. I always like doing that with our little family and am glad for the time away together in nature. Here are some pics from the trip.


Ear licking...





Butters actually got in the lake and swam!



At the beach in the park. I didn't go in; too chilly for water



Family pic by the campfire. I was a little cold, I don't know if you can tell.




Father & Daughter Portrait

Since we started our jobs we have of course been busy with work. We are still trying to find time to do fun things on the weekends though. I have some more photos from our Turkey dinner and also a picnic and fishing session from yesterday. Those will come soon. I hope you all are enjoying your summer with your loved ones. Maybe we will get to see each other soon!

Make something Sunday: Dog Treats!

Hello,

This morning I woke up thinkin about my pups. I bought all the fixings to make them homemade dog treats and decided to try it out this morning. They really weren't hard to make and could be very worth it in the long run. In case you want to try to make some as well, I will put up the instructions.

Gather all of the ingredients!

Roll out on a floured surface. I didn't have a dog bone shaped  cookie cutter, so I chose stars and hearts.

Bake in the oven for 30 minutes 

Butters coveting Daisy's cookie

I got this recipe from a friend several years ago and am just now getting around to making them. The pups seems pretty happy with them. 

2 and 1/4 cups whole-wheat flour

1/2 cup nonfat dry milk powder

1 egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 beef bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 cup hot water (I used chicken bouillon since it was on-hand)

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Mix all ingredients until well blended. Knead dough 2 minutes. Roll on a floured surface with a floured rolling pin to 1/4 inch thickness. Bake 30 minutes on ungreased sheet. Let cool on a wire rack and store in an airtight container. Yields ~4 dozen.

I got 52 cookies! I have another dog testing the cookies as well. We will see what she says. 

Hope you all have a great night!

Happy Father's Day

This year, neither Matt nor I are able to be with our father's on their special day. Happy Father's Day to our dad's and everyone else's out there!! We love you both and can't imagine a world that is good without you. See you next weekend!

School is out! (well, kind of...)

Tay and Red promising to stay friends :)

My girl Lindsay

Daniela and Alexis from my notable 5th period

So the last few days of school went by so fast! It was definitely a bittersweet time. Here are some photos that my students took. I really miss so many of these kids! I am glad that I will get to see some of them again at Battle and I wonder how much they will change between now and then!

Now I am in the thick of summer school. I appreciate the opportunity to teach but it is hard to do when I know I could be home relaxing by the pool and with the pups!

Matt decided to cook a turkey over the weekend. We had our friend Gigi over to partake in the feast. It was quite yummy. Just workin' for the weekend here. Hope you all are having a great week!