may I seek to understand

Can you feel it?  Fall creeping in?  It feels so good!  I leave the house pretty early in the morning -- when it's still pitch black outside -- and it has been significantly cooler this time of the morning than earlier in August.  College/high school football, pumpkin brews, and not sweating when I wear jeans outside... I love this season. 

So I've started my new teaching position and we've been in school for just over one week now.  My students are great.  I've taken some time to get to know each and every student in my classroom, and I cannot even express how must I have enjoyed doing this at the start of the year.  It's truly amazing how honest some students are with you -- telling you their life story in just one measly little letter to "Ms. G".   

My students are pretty amazing.  Some face some of the most hardest life situations outside of school.  These are the ones that make my heart hurt and challenge me to see past the mathematics curriculum to the heart of the student sitting right in front of me.  And then I have students who will likely never have to face those same situations at such a young age, and I'm jealous of all the neato places in the world where they've already traveled.  :)

To keep it simple -- my students are inspiring me.  They are inspiring me to be a better leader in the classroom, to really talk and listen with them when they need someone, to not always be so "math" driven every single day of the year.  Some are inspiring me to laugh and joke around with them more (likely because they need to relieve the pressure of school) and to just understand what it's like being a high school student.

Wait, that's it.  My goal this year is to understand my students.  And in turn get them to understand many things -- why they need to continue to pursue education, why we have the classroom/school rules that we have, why it's important to learn how to work with a partner on an assignment.  I think that as long as I can understand a student's motivation to act/be however they choose to, only then will I have enough to gain their trust in being their leader, their encourager, and their educator.  It's that kind of knowledge and action that fosters the relationships with my students, which in turn has an impact on both the student and myself.  An impact that changes things for the better.

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love;

where there is injury, pardon;

where there is doubt, faith;

where there is despair, hope;

where there is darkness, light;

and where there is sadness, your joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not seek so much

to be consoled as to console;

to be understood as to understand;

to be loved as to love with all my being.

For it is in giving that we receive,

it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.  Amen.

-Prayer of St. Francis

Re-Do: Clothesline Picture Frames

J and I just got back from our week long summer vacation.  We were blessed to have spent time with friends and family on the coast of NC.  Is it bad that I want to go back?  My school year officially starts TOMORROW... for me anyways. 

I made the decision to leave my current position at at charter school and accept a new teaching position at a nearby public high school.  Luckily, I'll still be teaching AP Calculus, my favorite subject to teach.  Depending on how cool you are, you either smiled, laughed, or gagged at that comment...

The kiddos arrive on the 25th.  So I still have some time to get back in the groove of things before the school year truly starts.  As much as I've loved this summer break, I'm eager to start back.  A new school brings new students, new friends, and new challenges.  Every school is different.  I think I'm just ready to get started.  The sooner the school year comes, the sooner I can transition and feel settled in my new classroom.

+ + + + +

So here's to my summer of crafting, knitting, and reading.  Here's a project that I completed a while ago and have just completely forgot to post.  After surfing the web for some decorating/design/DIY blogs, I came across a neat idea of how to reuse some old picture frames.

I found these two frames at Goodwill for $1 each.

I removed the pictures and twisted in some fish eye hooks (I think that's what they are called).

 [Now, sorry for the lack of pictures.  I didn't take pictures along the way...]

I spray painted (my new best friend?) the frames and some clothes pins. Then, I stapled some fabric to the back, strung some twine, and hung some pictures from our wedding.  The frames are pretty big, as the large photos are 8x10's and the small ones are 5x7's.

I love them!  And one reason why I like them is that I can always change the photos or even hang other little goodies we collect along the way.  Pretty simple and inexpensive.

Make-It: Framed Silhouettes

So I'm not taking credit for this idea.  I got it from Design Sponge -- a neat little blog.  Visit it sometime.

So some of my walls desperately need something on them.  And fast.  School is rapidly approaching (have I mentioned I'm a high school math teacher?), and I know that once it starts, I won't have time for these crafty little adventures.

So here's my attempt at filling some space in our dining room.  For the project, I contacted about six or so paint/hardware stores in and around town for some free wallpaper samples.  The most common reply was, "Well Ma'am, we haven't sold any wall paper since the '90's".  Shoot.  

I improvised with a trip to the craft store for some scrapbook paper instead.  It turned out just as nice, but perhaps with a little less texture than planned.  

If you don't know, I love birds.  It started with an owl obsession.  And has transformed into cute little finches and sparrows.  I chose some paper that reflected other colors throughout the room.  The frames were bought from Bekah (with The Yellow Pepper) at our yard sale for 25 cents a piece.  I spray painted them (as I did to others in this post).  

I think they turned out quite nice.  They aren't up on the wall yet, mainly because I have another idea in mind that might find its way to the blog later...

Re-Do: New End Table Update

For some reason, these last few weeks I have been flat out l-a-z-y.  Or at least it feels that way.  So when I had a busy four days of math teacher workshops, my husband made it his mission to finish our end table.  He slaved one afternoon/evening painting layer upon layer of yellow and brown paint and "scuffing" it up with some steel wool in between.  Tell you what -- painting those spindles wasn't easy (likely because sanding them wasn't an easy job to begin with).  

Before:

After:

We are both super happy with it!  Now, I'm going to keep my eye out for a sweet lamp to add some height to it.  Anyone have any lamp ideas?  Pinterest folks?

I'm sincerely thankful for his "make it happen" attitude... especially when mine seems to have checked out for the rest of the summer... <3

one wall down...

So I also picked up a sweet mirror from Jess at the yard sale.  Oh I sold some stuff, too, even though it appears I just collected more things... Jason and I collected some picture frames when we first got married in hopes to make a "picture wall" in our then apartment.  That never happened.  So here's the start of one.  

Two of the frames were gold in color -- we picked them up from Sleepy Poet and Value Village.  A little spray paint makes them new again.

Two photos are of my hubby and I on our wedding day.  The gold photo on the top row is of J's mother and father on their wedding day, and the one on the bottom row is of my parents.

And the yellow pillow on the couch is my first finished sewing project.  Ever.  This fabric is what inspired the paint selection for the end table in the previous post.

Re-Do: New End Table (+ Yard Sale)

So I've been up to quite a bit of "crafting" this summer despite the lack of blogging this month (sorry).  I'm still working on a few projects, but here's one I started this past week.

J and I bought this neat little (big) end table from a dear friend, Jess, when we had our multi-family yard sale several weekends ago.  That was my first ever yard sale, and I must say, we did pretty well.  I invited all of our friends who wanted to pitch in, and we ended up having six total families (including Kristina, Lauren, Bekah, and Lorean).  And if that wasn't enough -- my husband and TJ, with Charlotte Photography, set up their instruments and played some jazz tunes on our screened in porch throughout the morning.  #Coolest.Yard.Sale.Ever.

(all yard sale photos courtesy of Jess)

So here's the end table.  I remembered to take a picture just as I started to paint it.  

Note:  Thankful for my hubby who sanded it for me.

I've been itching to get our little place "homey" ever since summer began.  My free time is dwindling as the start of school will come sooner than I think.  Obviously, the table needed a makeover.  I decided to paint it and "rough it up" a little bit to give it a worn/weathered look.

I chose a mustardy yellow as the base.  Next up, I'm going to scuff it up around the edges using some steel wool, and then wipe some brown paint into the scuff marks.

The yellow and brown will actually match the same yellow and brown that appear in some of our sofa's throw pillows -- pillow covers that I actually made with my new sewing machine my mother in-law gave me.  More of that to come... Be looking for the finished product soon.  :)

from the cookie jar: pignoli cookies

My husband recently spent a day in NYC to attend a friend's wedding.  Little did I know that he ended up walking miles out of his way to visit an authentic Italian bakery for me.  He brought home some of the most delicious canolis and pignoli (pine nut) cookies for me.  Boy they were yummy...

Sadly, Moses happened to steal the last two cookies while we were watching a movie.  Needless to say, my husband was super upset.  To brighten his mood, I found a recipe and made my own.

 

You can find the recipe here.

oh italy, i miss you

Seems like everything these days is reminding me of my times spent in Italy.  For those of you who don't know, I was blessed to have spent about 5 months living in Firenze (Florence) during my junior year of college.  I met the best of friends, living in a stone cold apartment just north of the Duomo.  Myself and six other girls, shared rooms, shampoo, and food in our apartment... all of us from different parts of the "stati". 

 My frequent view of Florence from Piazza d' Michelangelo.  That's Piazza della Signoria to the left & il Duomo and its bell tower to the right.

My husband surprised me with some authentic Italian treats straight from "little Italy" in NYC.  Love him!  In the midst of enjoying them, we turn our backs, and two of our pignoli (pine nuts) cookies were stolen by our oh-so-sweet Moses.  

One of the girls who I roomed with in Firenze just got married this summer... in Firenze...  Jealous!  And unfortunately, I couldn't be there to witness it.

I'm currently reading/listening to Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver.  I'm in the middle of the chapter where her and her husband take a trip through Italy, indulging on the cuisine and food attitudes of Italians.  They also stayed at an "agriturrismo" -- a method of hospitality where instead of staying in a hotel in the city, why not stay in a renovated farm house, help pick the harvest (if you want), and enjoy breakfast, lunch, and dinner made only of ingredients fresh from the farm you're staying at.  Complete with the Italian family who owns the farm at their rather large kitchen table. 

I was thus inspired yesterday to browse through my, or the, "bible" of Italian cookbooks, The Silver Spoon.  This 2,000 recipe was finally translated to English recently.  Italian recipes, unlike the Americanized versions, are usually very simple.  The fewer the ingredients the better.  As long as the ingredients are fresh and local. 

And then... I decided to take a trip down memory lane to my months spent traveling all throughout Italy back in 2006.

 

A windy day in Pienza, home to one of my favorites -- pecorino fresco. 

My friend (mentioned above) and I took a night train down to Siracusa (in Sicilia -- Sicily).  My grandfather was born here, and Siracusa happens to be my mother's maiden name.

Our FAVORITE trattoria in Firenze, Trattoria Casalina.  Home to my favorite meal of all times, Ribolita (a stale bread soup) found below.

 Venezia, or Venice, is enchanting.  

 When the city floods, which happens to be often, wooden walkways on stilts are placed throughout the streets.  This happened one of the handful of times I've visited this special place. 

Cinque Terre.  Five little cities that you either have to hike to or take a boat taxi.

Spending time in Italy is not complete without attending a few soccer games.  Fiorentina, home team for Florence, beat Milan this game.

This was our favorite thing to do on the weekends when we didn't have class.  Hop a train to some small Tuscan town, San Gimignano here, purchase some bread, fresh cheese, sundried tomatoes, olives, and a few bottles of vino...

Luna's & KaleKaleKale

Happy belated 4th of July everyone!  This past week has been semi-busy for me.  Hence the lack of blog posting.  My mother drove up from Georgia to take a mini vacation in The Queen City.  When my mom visits, it almost always equates to yummy food.  Ever since I graduated from eating nothing but cereal and chicken fingers (yes... real... i think... chicken fingers... I wasn't always vegetarian), my mom has been my right hand woman when it comes to having/making good food. 

For lunch one day, we visited Luna's Living Kitchen nestled in the Atherton Mill on South Blvd.  When I first moved here, I was PUMPED to find a vegan/raw restaurant just a few miles from my house -- only to find them mysteriously closed.  Well, the mysteriously reopened not too long ago and I've been enjoying their tasty alternatives to my usual meals.

They have the best veggie burger in town.  That is, if you're into the non-traditional veggie burgers.  There's nothing "meat" like about this one.  It doesn't come in the normal "patty" shape, and it tends to fall apart easily.  But that has never bothered me.  Delicious. 

Here's a picture of their veggie burger taken from their online Lunas Living Kitchen Menu.  That's avocado-deliciousness on top.

I enjoyed my burger with a homemade beet kamboucha.  My body was in heaven.  Funny -- sometimes when Jason and I are out running errands, and I'm either tired of cranky, he'll usually suggest that we stop and get me a kamboucha.  Key to my heart.  All things are better.  :)

For me, Luna's is definitely a treat.  It can be somewhat pricey, but when you consider the amount of time that it takes to prepare such dishes on top of the amount of fresh and raw ingredients that go in to each salad, sandwich, and juice... it's well worth the price.

Onward to the kale portion of this post...

We spend the night of the 4th at friend's cookout.  I decided to bring a marinated kale salad to share, as I have not been having my daily "green meal" since I've been on summer break.  So kale it was. 

My recipe is adapted from my 30 Minute Vegan cookbook that I usually turn to when I don't have a lot of time on my hands or am feeling a little lazier than usual (don't judge me).  I think the authors call it Rainbow Kale Salad.  Regardless, it was delicious and a huge hit.  I'm not sure about everyone else, but our Harris Teeters have local kale on sale for super cheap.  I probably got 15 cups of raw kale for only $0.79.  No joke.

Marinated Kale Salad  

(adapted from 30 Minute Vegan)

*eyeball all veggies to your preference.  you can never have enough.*

Raw Kale, chopped

Red and/or Yellow Peppers, seeded and chopped/diced

Carrots, chopped

Red Cabbage, chopped

Raw Almonds, sliced/chopped

Dressing: (if you have about 6 cups kale)

2-3 T Olive Oil

1-2 T freshly squeezed Lemon Juice

2 t Soy Sauce (or Tamari)

1 clove Garlic, pressed or minced

1 t Maple Syrup

Pepper to taste

Combine all veggies in a large bowl.  Whisk together dressing separately.  Distribute the dressing evenly amongst the salad.  Gently massage the dressing into the salad with your hands for 2-3 minutes.  You're marinating the kale at this point and it should be getting softer.  I stuck mine in the fridge for an additional 10 minutes to let things soak.  :)  If you haven't thrown in the almonds already, you can garnish the top with 'em.

Variations -- Add any vegetables you have on hand.  While eating it, I thought that some raisins might be nice.  You can probably substitute sesame oil for 1 T of olive oil mentioned above since you've got the soy sauce flavor going.

Happy Eating!!

tempeh tacos & summer pasta

Two dinners as of late...

Tempeh Tacos & Mango Salsa  (vegan)

ww tortillas

tempeh, tamari, onions, cumin, chile powder, black pepper

black beans

fresh tomatoes

fresh cilantro

mango salsa (mango, cucumber, jalepeno, red onion, cilantro, lime juice)

This Is Summer Pasta On The Porch  (vegetarian)

ww penne, aldente

fresh tomatoes

mozzererlla

fresh basil

olive oil

sale & pepe

urgh

Welcome  to my life.  As both a math education major in undergrad... and a high school math teacher.

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trip to guernsey?

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My copy of The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society arrived at my local library branch a few days ago.  And ever since I picked it up last night, I haven't been able to put it down.  After realizing that I have been reading oh-non-stop today, I decided to take a break to investigate this magical channel island nestled between England and France.

The novel is a series of letters back and forth among the many characters.  Some short, some long.  It has me wanting to write letters to my long distance (or nearby) friends.  Real letters.  Sent via mail.  Anyone down?

I caught myself (a few times) wanting to be Juliet -- writing letters back and forth with people she has never met only to develop everlasting friendships with.  To meet Dawsey and Kit.  To play in the wild flowers that lie in the meadow outside her little house just before the cliffs.  To have tea with silly Isola.  And to dream about The Elizabeth that so haunts (in a good way) the story.

I have a feeling that Juliet and Dawsey are perfect for each other.  Shh.  Don't spoil anything for me.  So long as she is not with Mark.  He's just not right for her.

I thought that now, with a mere 50 pages to go, would be a good time find pictures of Guernsey Island.  I love a book that removes you from the present reality and captures so much of your attention that you daydream about what life would be like if you yourself were the protagonist or the character in the corner.

I found some great old photos of Guernsey.  Perfect -- because the novel is set in the 1940's after German Occupation of the Islands.

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I found a few sites that have cottages to rent weekly if anyone is up for it.  Yes?

new love = gardening?

I admit.  This was my first time planting flowers.  Why I never ventured to plant before... I don't know.  Despite the sweat dripping down my face in this 98 degree weather we're having, I enjoyed being outside, jamming out to some tunes, and gettin' in the dirt.  I made no attempt to arrange them in any order.  I'd rather they mingle.

It's not much, but it's a start. I got the flowers from The Gardens of Blackhawk Hardware -- a tucked away gem in the Park Road Shopping Center. 

I've usually always planted mostly herbs and some vegetables.  With Athens' crazy water ban during the summer, maintaining a garden just wasn't possible.  This year, I started late because we didn't move in to our new place until the very end of May.  But I was able to start some basil, cilantro, mint, parsley, cucumbers, and a tomato plant which we decided to hang -- never had a hanging tomato plant before (all of these purchased from some lady at the Charlotte Regional Farmers Market). 

He's kind of worn down from the storm last night.  :(

Jessie's "a new title"

I thought I'd pass along a dear friend's most recent sharing on her blog.  I suggest reading "the grass is always grassier" before reading "a new title".  Jessie is attempting to redefine the title of Stay At Home Mom. 

You have to watch the videos of her children.  They. Are. Adorable.

Jessie is perhaps one of the most amazing women I have ever met, and I have the pleasure of having a friendship with her.  Her outgoing personality, sense of style, and willingness to share her life with me has moved me.  I was introduced to Jessie by my husband, who has been good friends with Jessie and Mark for quite some time.  They were one of the first couples to welcome me to Charlotte, and I'll never forget their warm hospitality and instant acceptance.

yoga-time

I thought I was in heaven this morning when I found the yoga studio at the Y not-so-crowded.  It was my first yoga class in well over a year (urgh!).  The few yoga classes I tried to go to last summer were just too crowded for me.  And the instructor went through poses way too quickly.  I had a bad taste about the Y yoga classes until this morning.

It brought me back to my college years where I frequented RubberSoul.  Man how I miss the luxury of practicing yoga 5 times per week (no full-time job, just studying).  At the time, RubberSoul just took a $3-5 donation per class.  You can't find that price anywhere here in Charlotte.  :(

I thought I'd share with you some of my favorite yoga poses.  These are my top 5 poses, mostly focusing on balance, opening the hips, and just overall feel-goodness.  Enjoy.

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 #1  Tree.  My students often laugh at me because I find myself standing like this, minus the praying hands, during class.  Yeah... they think I'm weird. 

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#2  Dancer.  After "tree",  go straight into "dancer".   

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#3  Pigeon.  Opens the hips.  Hurts a little... but a good kind of hurt.  ;)

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 #4  Plow.  I like a variation of plow where I place my knees into my eye sockets.  Or I massage my forehead with my knees.  Sounds weird.  But try it.  You'll love it, too.  Note:  After plow, your body will want the counter pose, "fish".

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 #5  Eagle.  Another balancing pose, similar to "tree".  But this one really opens up my traps and upper shoulders to relieve the stress that tends to build up from being on a computer all day.  Except I don't usually have a cheese-ball smile on my face.  ;)

knitted snuggly

So most of the women in our circle of friends here have had or are about to have children.  It's truly a blessing to be surrounded by such caring and confidant mothers.  And when it comes to baby showers, I've found a knitting pattern for a bunny snuggly that I absolutely love.  And the mothers do, too.

I got it from one of the ladies who runs Charlotte Yarn on East Blvd.  These ladies are incredibly friendly and generous with their time.  I feel like I can walk in there any day, and they will drop what they're doing to show me how to perfect my mattress seam or anything else.  I haven't quite gotten the same response from other yarn shops in the area.  With some, you ask them a question or for help, and they want you to pay $20 an hour for a class.  Urgh.  Not this place.

I saw this little snuggly sitting on some yarn, and was pleasantly surprised to find that one of the women working actually made up the pattern.  Below, you will see the pattern completed with bunny ears.  There are also bear and mouse ears.  Cute.


With no further ado, here are some sub-par pictures of my recent snuggly gift I made for a dear friend and co-worker.  We were about to present our hamper full of gifts to her when I remembered that I had forgotten to take a few photos of the finished snuggly before wrapping it up... so these are the best photos I could salvage from my non-smart phone.

 

I chose a light purple machine washable yarn for the body and pink yarn for the stitching.  I then made a card to go around its neck (If you don't have lettered stamps on hand, they really come in handy for crafty card or label making projects).

Next knitting project (once I have $$ to buy some yarn):  Montavilla Market Tote.  

I've always wanted one of these bags.  They've been taunting me at Earth Fare every time I see them.  So I've decided I'll just make my own.  Why not?  I've got some time on my hands for the next 9 weeks...

summer has officially started

Grades are in.  Report card envelopes have been stuffed.  Classroom is clean.  Keys are turned in.  Done.  Done.  Done.

And my summer vacation has officially started.  :)  What a year it has been.  I somehow managed to survive the many setbacks that occurred this year.  From pulling in my teacher desk in the rain at 5:30am the morning that school started, not having heat through most of the winter, to my classroom lights mysteriously not working for a month.  Tell ya what, I've never had a job more challenging than teaching this year.  I had some of the best and some of the most challenging students.  All I know now is that I am so ready and deserving of this summer break.

Here's a peek into my Summer Top 10 To-Do List (in no particular order):

1. Plant flowers in the front and along the side of our house.
2. Sleep in.  Often.
3. Read the rest of The Hunger Games Trilogy... plus a lengthy list of other books.
4. Make more dishes out of my favorite vegan cookbook.
5. The River Bound 15K at the White Water Center.
6. Attend a good friend's wedding.
7. Start and finish a braided winter hat.  Bright red.  I want a bright red one.
8. Visit my family in Georgia.
9. Write a curriculum for an independent study program I created at my school.
10. Go to more concerts.  Next up:  Over The Rhine and David Gray.

Simple Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

My vegan/vegetarianism has hummus being a staple of my diet.  It is packed with flavor while adding quite a bit of protein.  I mostly eat it as the base of a sandwich with avocados, tomatoes, sprouts/cabbage (if handy), and salt and pepper.  Yum!

Warning: I eye-ball everything and prepare things according to taste.  So the following measurements are mostly guesstimates.  Adapt it to your own liking.

Also note:  I usually use freshly cooked garbanzo beans/chick peas.  They taste 10x better.  But when you don't have time to sit around for 3-4 hours while they cook (because I didn't on Sunday), canned beans work just as nice.

Here's what you need:

Ingredients:
2 cans garbanzo beans or a little more than 2 cups of freshly cooked garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/2-3/4 cup tahini (think peanut butter but with sesame seeds)
1 jar roasted red peppers, drained (I opt for the more peppers the better.  J agrees)
2-4 cloves garlic (depending on how snuggly you plan to be later), chopped/minced depending on how good your food processor is
1/4-1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp salt
1-2 tsp freshly ground pepper
and a little less than 2 Tbl tamari (or substitute soy sauce) -- this is my secret ingredient :)
less than 1/2 cup of water to thin the hummus out while processing.

Place all ingredients (except the water) in a food processor.  Add water slowly, and blend until you reach the desired consistency.

I prefer my hummus kind of thick and chunky.  I can't have it pouring out the sides of my sammy at lunch time.

That's it.  Super simple.  Garnish it with some pine nuts, olive oil, and a sprinkle of paprika.

The hummus keeps in the refrigerator for at least a week.  We go through ours pretty quickly.  The humus will thicken with time, so just add small parts of water to it and stir, and you should be fine.  When olive oil gets cold, it hardens.  So setting the hummus out before consuming will likely help your consistency, too.

All hummus recipes vary.  My mother prefers lemon juice instead of the tamari.  I've tried one that adds apple cider vinegar... and that just tasted weird to me.

Variations:  You can substitute the roasted red peppers with a combination of any of the following:  edamame, jalepenos, or artichokes.  My favorite combination involves replacing one can (or equivalent to) of the garbanzo beans for cannelini beans and instead of roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts.  The cannelini beans have a creamier consistency.  But the variation above is J's favorite, it is often made more often.  :)


Another variation note:  If you do not use roasted red peppers, you will likely need to up the olive oil.  Use your judgment.

Enjoy!  Let me know if you like it or have any suggestions.

-Kate