High School English Classroom

There are never any pictures on Pinterest of High School classrooms. I am a Pinterest junkie and quite upset by this. There are always elementary classroom links. Do high school teachers just not decorate? Or is it that they are not on Pinterest? Well, here are some pics of my classroom. It is not yet finished, but we are getting closer!

This is my favorite corner. We are studying Romeo and Juliet in my 9th grade class and all of these posters were hand me downs from other teachers.

The colorful bulletin board is a mystery. No idea what to put there.

This the front of my classroom. The posters are literary terms.

My personal corner! The chinese lanterns were leftover from my sister's wedding.
I like anything that adds more detail to my room!

The wall of shelves is a blessing and a curse. The previous teacher left them very unorganized,
so I need to work on that area!

Trying to decide whether to leave the glass open or cover it with posters.

Back to my corner. Unfortunately, it is a very small room with no windows! Trying to make it work the best I can! :)

There is my classroom, so far! Do not get me wrong, there is still a ton of work to do, but it is already looking more colorful! I have used cloth on all of the bulletin boards, as the school does not have the colorful paper to tack on. Stay tuned for more update!

Classy

My creativity is running low, today, hence the lame post title. I am heading into my classroom, again, to try to tackle the bulletin boards some more. Hopefully, I can make some more headway! It is looking pretty good, if I do say.

Just finished leftover eggplant parmigiana for lunch and it was delicious. It was a 'skinny' recipe, so it is a lot healthier than the traditional recipe!
On that note - I have lost 3 lbs! That is halfway to my goal of 6 lbs! I may up it to 7lbs, though, since my shopping trip has been delayed another week. I am going on August 18th for my school shopping trip! We have to wait for Thomas to sell a car before I can take the money and run! LOL. I cannot wait for that first paycheck I will receive!!!!!
I have been drinking lots of green tea and eating a grapefruit everyday, along with watching what I eat more closely. I have also cut out almost every drink other than water and green tea. I love juice, but the sugar content is terrible!
Sorry for such a short post, but I need to get dressed to head to town. After I work in my room, I have to attend a contract meeting. I am not sure if I am eligible to vote, yet, but I do want to know what the new contract entails! :)

"Healthy is the New Skinny," RIght?

Exercise and Diet. Two things which I do not enjoy, that is, until I see results. Then, I am all about it!!! :)
This past year, I have tried to be more careful about what I eat and it has paid off! I am exactly 10 pounds lighter than I was at this time last year! No, I am not going to tell you what I weigh, but I will say that it is still not quite where I want to be. So, my new plan is to finish off those last few, pesky pounds before school starts. The goal - 6 pounds in 6 weeks. I feel that this is a healthy goal and within reach!
I have always despised diet and exercise plans because they were never quite what I wanted, so I made up my own, today! :) I printed off a blank calender page and dated for the next six weeks.Each week has a goal weight and a daily exercise routine. I am wanting to focus on getting more fit and not just losing pounds by dieting. So....
The diet routine is still a work in progress...Last year, I was able to cut out all sugary drinks and (most) alcoholic drinks and that accounted for over half of the ten pounds lost. Now, that I do not have that 'quick fix', it will be a bit more difficult. We rarely eat out for dinner, and I do not keep junk food around the house. I believe my overall goal will be to include more fruits and veggies in my diet and drink more water.
Well, that was probably more than you want to know and you are most likely bored to tears. LOL. Hopefully, recording this goal will help me stick to it!
I will let you know how it goes.....

Mrs. Langenwalter - English Teacher

My goodness, I haven't updated the ole' blog for quite some time! Yes, I am finally and officially, a high school English teacher. Holy Cow! :) I will be teaching 9th and 10th graders, including some remedial reading courses. The reading classes are really exciting because I hope to eventually have my reading specialty certification. This will be a great foundation! I start a 3-day in-service, tomorrow, which will cover the new Common Core Standards that will be implemented this year. I am quite excited to learn more about these standards, because, to be honest, I know nothing about them. Another exciting bit is that  I was able to see where my classroom will be! The other teacher hasn't moved out, yet, but I hope she will, soon! As soon as I can sart decorating, I will try to get some pictures on here!

Other than that wonderful news, things have been fairly quiet. Thomas did lose his job, but we hope that GE will get their act together and finally call him in the next couple months. Until then, he will be working for his dad at the BMW shop. I will be headed to North Carolina in just a few days to attend my sister's wedding! I am not so crazy about the flight, but I am sure it will be a blast once I get there! Many pictures to come! Oh, we are still Figure 8'ing it! Our next race is Saturday night, which is great, except that I have to drive the 4 hours up to KC as soon as its over, for my 7am flight. Fun stuff!

Here is a picture of me in the 'race car'!

I usually like to have more pics, but I guess I haven't been very good at that lately! I will work on that for next time! ;)

My Dreams Have Come True......

...I am now a Figure 8 Race Car Driver!!! Okay, just kidding. Well, I AM a 'Figure 8 Racer', now, but I also accepted a teaching job!!!!!! Yippee! :) I am just over the moon about gaining this position in the town that I wanted to. In August, I will start teaching High School English. I interviewed for the position one week ago and was called on Monday with the job offer! I was so excited I could barely speak when the principal asked if I would accept. I said yes, of course! It is just so exciting to think that I will be planning my own lessons and decorating my classroom, soon. Awesome!

Alright, back to the Figure 8 Racing....The car that we have kept up with in the blog is the one that I raced on Saturday night. It was the biggest adrenaline rush that I have had in years! Going in to the arena, I was scared to death and almost chickened out, but after a couple laps, I was having a blast!!! I even placed 2nd out of 5 cars, which isn't bad, considering I expected to be dead last! Our friend took a video and I cannot wait to see it. Thomas and Derek also raced, and placed second. We left with a total of $50 in prize money. Maybe we will go pro....just kidding!

Here is my 'pit crew'. They are trying to quickly replace a tire, in between the boys' race and mine...

Here's the car after our night of racing....only cosmetic damage! ;)

 

Below is not the best pic, quality-wise, but you get the 'picture'.....

We have all been enjoying the nice weather and leaving all of the windows open! The critters love it!!!

What else? Not much has been happening in Burden. Unfortunately, Thomas will most likely be getting laid off in a month or so, but it is okay; we have backup plans! :) I suppose that is about it, for us. We will be racing again in May, and I cannot wait! ;)

Woodcarving

I am needing to get enthusiastic about carving! LOL. The animal shelter has the Wine Tasting coming up in April. Since I'm on the board, I should probably contribute something, right? Well, what better to auction than art? So, woodcarving it shall be. However, I have trouble getting excited about carving something that I NEED to carve. Make sense? Now, I just have to decide what it is I would like to carve. I basically have a month and a half to come up with something. I am going to attempt to make some bottle stoppers to go with the whole Wine theme, but I am tossing around the idea of finishing this cowboy that I am working on. He is much more impressive, and I feel as though he would sell better. I know my grandma prices hers over $100! Mine are nowhere near that fabulous, but I am sure I could put an estimated value of about $70 on one....That doesn't mean it will sell for that much, but its better to overestimate, I suppose.....Anyhow, with that being said, I am headed out to the farm where Thomas is working on the Figure 8 car. Hopefully, being out in the country and outdoors will help keep me inspired! :D

Well, here is a flashback to my first relief carving, ever. I finished it when I was 18, I think. Still one of my favorites! :)

The T-bird

Okay, folks. We officially have a T-bird. Thomas isn't the biggest fan, but I LOVE IT!!!! It is a 1971 T-bird and has suicide doors! How awesome is that?????? Anyhow, we have driven it, but it has a few transmission issues. It HAS been sitting for over ten years, but he ran some gas thru the carb and put in a new battery and she started right up! Woo Hoo! Anyhow here are some pics of the 'green machine'.

 

Awesome isn't it?

Oh, here is my little dirt bike that Thomas bought me for Christmas. It now has a new seat and I am just waiting on Thomas to fix the tire and we will be good to go!

:)

Dwight Yoakam Concert

I was finally able to attend a Dwight Yoakam concert! It was not very far away and the tickets were a decent price. For some reason, he is one of my favorite artists. I am sure it has to do with my addiction to Buck Owens and Classic Country. Anyhow, it was a wonderful concert and I would do it again, in a heartbeat. :)

Amazing!!!! :)

The Honeymoon

We went to San Antonio for a belated honeymoon, the week after Christmas. It was a wonderful time and we were able to see so many different things while we were there. Luckily, we were able to stay right on the river, so we parked the car when we got there and didn't have to move it until we left. I learned that walking in heeled cowboy boots is one of life's greater challenges, but it was a great workout for the calves! :)
The drive down went wonderfully....until we hit DFW. Oh my goodness, traffice was stop and go from Dallas to Austin. It took  us 6 hours to get from DFW to San Antonio! It should have only taken 4. However, we made it and were able to go out for some wonderful Tex-Mex at Rosario's. AMAZING!

We also ate at Casa Rio, while we were there. They had umbrellas, I think, so the pigeons would stay out of the food. They were like little beggars. The busboys kept having to slap them off the tables when they were cleaning them. It was hilarious!

Amazing Mural/Mosaic about the historic river crossing. There were so many 'hidden' treasures allong the river walk!

This gigantic building was amazing. Supposedly, it was built in 1929 for 5 million dollars. Do we remember what happened in '29? Yep, the market crashed and they had to sell it for 27K. Sad, yes? Anyhow, it was neat because it is built like a ship, with a huge mast. it also has real gargoyles on the top and a row of grotesques on the second floor. Beautiful!

Here is the view out the back of our hotel. We couldn't have asked for better!

Our hotel. We stayed on the second floor in  a room that looked over the river.

I believe this pic is outside the Hemisfair Tower of the Americas. Cute, huh?

I am not sure what this place was, but it was beautiful. I couldn't belive how green everything was there! The weather never got below 40 at  night and the highs were in the mid 70's. It made me want spring to get here in a hurry!

Okay, I have a lot more pics, but I need to make some lunch! More to come!

Horses and Horsepower

Thomas and his friend Derek have decided that they need a Figure 8 car, so they bought one. They have also decided that I should race it in the Powderpuff division. Hmmmm. I can't decide if I am super excited or super scared, but it will undoubtedly be a new life experience!
Also, I had the opportunity to ride the colt, Jack, for the first time outside of the roundpen, while the boys were working on the car at the farm. It was a fun day all-around!

This is Jack's first ride out of the round pen! He did wonderful! He is still a little iffy about what exactly he is supposed to do once I am on him. However, he has yet to buck or spook!

Jack looks like a typical colt in this pic. He just is not quite strong enough for much riding. I have NO idea why I am sitting so crooked.

Derek's adorable kids - Taylor is leading her big brother, Hunter, around on Dan. Both kids rode Dan at least 3 times each. They were in love!

Drumroll please......



Yes. Yes, folks, that IS a Caprice. Beautiful, isn't it? Thomas is posing quite nicely. He said he felt as though it were senior pics all over again! LOL. This is the Figure 8 car, by the way! Oh, and he will probably kill me for posting this pic! :P



I was in charge of interior demolition. I managed to tear out the headliner and most of the plastics. Thomas and Derek had to finish it off!



Serious demolition! :) The boys had the front end and the engine off of the car in under two hours. I helped for an hour on said interiors, then became distracted. LOL.

Stay tuned for updates on Clarence the Caprice! :)

The End of a Great Year

Since I haven't blogged for a while, expect a series of blog posts to catch up on everything! :) Lots of pictures in these posts, as well. I didn't put up as many Christmas decorations this year, as I was very busy finishing up my degree. I am officailly a college graduate, now! Yea! :) I now have a B.A in English and Secondary Education. With any luck, I should be able to gain a teaching position in August. In the meantime, I plan on subbing as much as possible.

Mo and I have been enjoying the wonderful Fall weather. This semester of student-teaching went pretty quickly, despite the terrible KPTP assignment. Somehow I made it through it, along with passing all licensure exams, successfully.

Yes, another picture of ME. Haha. Anyhow, I was having an absolutely wonderful hair day and that is what prompted the pic. Since then, I have dyed and cut my hair, but nothing drastic. :)

This is the picture of my tree without any ornaments, I only put on a few this year, since we left for a week right after Christmas, and I didn't even get the tree up until a week before Christmas. An upside of less decorations is that it is easier to put up after it is all over.

Okay, I need to get off the computer for a bit. Stay tuned for more pictures from December 2011. :)

Hemi

My little Hemi puppy is all better! :) I get to take him home from the vet at 4:30 pm! It was rat poison that he got into and Thomas has now picked up every single one that he set out. he promises to never again set out poison. Thank Goodness!!!! Today is also my last day of student-teaching. Oh, and I passed one of my teaching exams, only one to go! :)

Silver Bells. Jingle Bells. School Bells.

Brrrr....It is finally snowing outside. It is absolutely gorgeous, of course. Snow is one of my favorite things, as long as I don't have to go out in it to work. Luckily, I am about to graduate college with a degree that will insure that I stay inside during the winter. Good planning, right?
Anyhow, it has been a little while since I blogged, as I have been super busy trying to finish everything up for the semester. This is my last week teaching, so I should have more time for blogging, woodcarving, cooking, and anything I so desire. Still haven't heard anything on the job I am seeking. Winfield High School has posted an opening for an English teacher which would start in January. I submitted all of my application materials on Friday, so I am praying that I will hear something soon. If not, I can always substitute teach. Now, for some bad news. Yesterday was a pretty crummy day. I had to take our puppy, Hemi, to the vet. Kip (my vet) said that Hemi had most likely gotten into some rat poison, which means it is No Bueno. Poor little guy. Hoping to hear some good news about him, this morning. Will keep my fingers crossed.
Well, I should probably return to doing something productive, or semi-productive...To heck with it, I think I will just read a book....

Chip Carving

It is about time to get back to my other wonderful hobby - woodcarving. Throughout the semester, I was only able to steal brief moments with my carvings, but in two weeks, my time shall once more be mine. Currently, my woodcarving endeavor is Chip Carving. It is an amazing process that creates intricate designs on flat surfaces, such  as wooden plates and ornaments. I am slowly improving at this venture and am finally starting to enjoy it more. It is such as calm and quiet form of woodcarving that requires very little space and energy. One thing that I have noticed, however, is that it starts to wear on my eyes. I should probably try a magnifying lense to carve under. Anyhow, I have already created 5 oraments for christmas presents, the most recent two, are not that bad, honestly. I need to get my own knives for this, instead of using my grandma's. I cannot use my usual carving knives, as this requires a different blade, which faces the opposite direction. Okay, I am tired of typing...TTFN!

Counting Down the Days....

Soon, I shall be free! Well, sort of...
After this week, I only have two weeks until I graduate. WOW! At least, I hope I will be graduating, he he. I should have my KPTP scores by this evening, which makes me extremely nervous, and I am hoping it is over a 20. Just hoping, and praying, and dreaming....
Yep. Spazzing a tad, today. I just finished teaching my last lesson of student-teaching AND my last observation. Big weight off my shoulders. Now, if I can just pass that darn KPTP and the exams... Bleh.
I am off this evening, so headed to carving around 6pm. So thankful because it helps me to relax AND I am making Christmas presents. Not sure who gets them, yet, but someone who will like them, for sure!
Starting to miss my sis, even though she hasn't been gone that long. Honestly, I probably miss her just because I know she is so far away. Plus, I am a little jealous that she lives only a block away from Hobby Lobby. On second thought, it is a VERY good thing that I don't live that close to Hobby Lobby because I would be even more broke than I am...
Keeping my fingers crossed on a potential teaching job......

It's a Raptor!
A really, cute Raptor!

I'm thankful for.....

1. My Family (including in-laws) :)
2. My Critters - all 9 of them!
3. My lovely, warm home which is MUCH warmer now that Thomas fixed the wood stove.
4. The fact that I have less than 3 weeks of school before I graduate!
5. The chance that means I may have a teaching job in January, even a small chance.
6. My wonderful friends...
7. The news that Thomas will move to 2nd shift in January...
8. Chocolate
9. Pepsi - even though I don't drink it anymore, at least I know its there if I need it! :)
10. Mexican food, especially black beans and chips & salsa!

There are so many more things I am thankful for, but I'm tired of typing..... ;P

Thank You Cards....

I feel like a terrible person because I still have not sent out my Thank You cards. However, they will be going out this week! YAY for me! :) I only have 1 page of people left, I have already written 3 pages worth. Thomas needs to sign his name on them still. lol. Anyhow, that will be a big relief. I am just getting things whipped out and finished - KPTP was submitted last night, took my exams on Sat, TUs going out this week. All that is going to be left is wrapping up the Student Teaching paperwork and I will be DONE! Soon, it will be Thanksgiving and then, I can decorate for my favorite holiday - Christmas! I even bought a new mini tree for my kitchen table - it's cute, for sure. Still keeping my fingers crossed for a possibility of a job in January...
Here is another recipe or two from my email chain....

Cheez-it Chicken

Ingredients:

Cheez-its Chicken

Chicken tenderloins

1 cup sour cream

3 cups of crushed Cheez-its

½ cup of melted margarine

Directions:

Dip clean chicken into sour cream coating it on all sides. Then roll it into the crushed Cheez-its making sure it is covered well. Place in baking dish with melted butter and turn it over so that margarine is on both sides. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes at 375 degrees

Laura Johnson-  Garden City, Kansas

__________________________________________________________________

Zucchini Banana Bread

• 3 eggs
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 2/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup grated zucchini
• 2 bananas, mashed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1.     Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease and flour two 8x4 inch bread loaf pans.

2.     In a large bowl, beat eggs until light yellow and frothy. Add oil, brown sugar, white sugar, grated zucchini, bananas, and vanilla; blend together until well combined. Stir in the flour, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix in the cranberries and nuts. Divide the batter evenly between the two prepared loaf pans.

3.     Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 50 minutes. Allow to cool in the loaf pans on a wire rack before removing and serving.

Beth Bellinger

Recipes and Ramblings.....

I am well on my way to actually graduating and becoming a certified teacher. On Saturday, I took both of the exams required for certification and should receive my scores in the next few weeks. I feell very good about one, but the other is iffy. I also finished the KPTP on Friday and am going to finish editing it before submitting it this evening. Only 13 more school days until I am finished! WooHoo!
My deaest sister is leaving for TN on Saturday. :( We had dinner at Mom's for her 'going away' last night. It was a lot of fun and we had a lot of good food. Allie also cleaned my house on Saturday! Yea! :)
I am participating in a fun email exchange with recipes, so I will include a couple that I have receieved:

Yummy!

1 whole grain english muffin sliced in half
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 slices thin sliced deli ham
1/4 granny smith apple
1 piece swiss singles

spread the mustard on the english muffin, then put 1 slice of deli ham per side of the english muffin, slice the apple into thin slices and place on top of ham, top with cheese and broil in the oven until cheese is melty and bubbly!

Easy Holiday Truffles

Oreo Truffles –

1 package Oreos (Blended)

1 package cream cheese

1 package white chocolate bark

Crush Oreos or blend them in a food processor. Mix with softened cream cheese. Roll mixture into 1’ balls. If the mixture is too thin or thick, add more Oreos or cream cheeses, accordingly. Chill Oreo balls for at least half an hour. Melt chocolate. Dunk the balls in chocolate.

Lay out on wax paper and chill until serving.

Peanut Butter Truffles

1 part Peanut Butter

1 part Powdered Sugar

1 package Chocolate Bark

Combine Peanut Butter and Powdered Sugar until mixture will form a ball, easily. Create 1’ balls and chill at least half an hour. Melt chocolate. Dunk PB balls in chocolate. Lay out on Wax Paper and chill until sevring.

Enjoy!

November at last...

It is FINALLY raining! Thank goodness, I was wondering if we were ever going to experience the rain in Kansas, again! Maybe the Oklahoma earthquakes shook up the skies so that they would open. Ya think? Anyhow, went to a wonderful field trial in Eureka on Saturday and had a great time. I even scouted for my dad while he was running Rowdy Bo Dandy, a 2 year old Brittany. The pup had two finds and a stop to flush, but he just doesn't run quite big enough to compete with the big boys. However, I am betting this dog really does well in the next couple years. Right now, I am sitting at school trying to work on this KPTP. I am on page 23, so that's good, right? I should probably quit procrastinating and get back to it before I have to teach 7th hour. Eventually. Thomas finally signed me up on his insurance last night and I just hope I have a chance to use it. Another warn notice is coming out at his work on Friday - hoping his job code is not on it. At least we have a few options if he does get laid off. He has started looking into the railroad a little bit. He thinks it is something he might want to try if the aircraft industry keeps nosediving. He would be gone a lot, but the money is good, I guess. He is still working on Ground School, I think he is about halfway through. That's it for now. TTFN!

Happy Halloween!

What a great day for Halloween! It is the perfect fall weather, even a little bit on the warm side. We got to see all of the little preschoolers parade through the high school this morning and they were freaking adorable! Bless those that are preschool teacher, they must have unlimited energy and patience!
This afternoon, Mom, Allie and I are going to see Puss in Boots 3D. Haha. We all love Shrek and have decided that this movie is a must-see. There won't be many more evenings with the three of us, since Allie is moving to Tennessee, soon. :(  Oh well, I know it will be a great adventure for her!
Thomas is busy cutting trees at my Great Aunt Paula's today, instead of working at the shop. He has decided that there are limited nice weather days and he won't have many more days for working outdoors. Paula really appreciates all of his help, as most of her family avoids work like the plague. Thomas is getting a Thunderbird in return, it has suicide doors and is a early 70's model - really neat looking!
Anyhow, I need to get back to the KPTP.
TTFN