Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

We had fun today celebrating Dr. Seuss!! What better way to celebrate then eating Green Eggs and Ham!! :) I think my little Cat in the Hat's are pretty cute!!!

Yummy..... lol

He thought he would pretend to be "Batman"

March 1st....

It's has been a longggggg time since I have blogged.

Today, is many things....... first off it is BEAUTIFUL in Oklahoma today! The current temp is 80 degrees, yes please! Love it.

Today is also the 2 weeks point that my Spring Break will begin, thank you Jesus!! More on that later..... ;)

AND last but not least today marks one year that I changed my life forever. ONE year ago today I began the Eat to Live lifestyle change. AND I am 30 pounds lighter. I still have so much to learn and more pounds to lose. It is for sure a start. I pray I never return. Diet Coke just doesn't taste the same!! :( which is probably a good thing! ;)

Today, I also know that I can trust my Saviour and that He loves me and has me right in the center of His hands. I am resting in Him and thankful that I can Trust HIM!!!

Play Dough and Packing.....

So I already skipped a day..... Yesterday, I was up and out the door by 6:15 am. I believe it was good for me to start getting back into the habit of early mornings, but thank the Lord I still have a few weeks until then.

I babysat a couple kiddos yesterday. We had a busy morning which included getting ready, eating breakfast, and out the door to take one of the kiddos to VBS. The little guy and I had some fun play dough time.....

Our afternoon included some subtraction, timed multiplication test, and other math concepts!! After babysitting I drove to Chelsea, OK to see my friend Lacey's classroom. My theme this year is Western (oh and I think it is going to turn out adorable) and she had somethings she let me borrow. It was a great day, but I was ready for bed.... ;)

As I am writing this I realize how boring this most likely is to read, so I hope not too many are reading!! ha ;)

So to go along with the title "Playdough and Packing", as of tomorrow I will be BEACH BOUND!!! So today I have been busy making sure I have all may swimsuits packed...... The beach is calling my name.

My dad and sister ran by my house this morning. Aiden stayed with me while they ran a couple errands. I had a lot to do today, so I needed to get ready for the day. I am sure most moms with small babies feel like this, but I had no bumbo or swing here. So I got creative and turned my sink into a chair. ha! Don't worry he was safe, I was right in front of him!

Aiden looking precious with my Mary Kay lotion....

He started to get a little restless, but I still had a few finishing touches. So the picture below is the rigged phone, that had Baby Einstein playing. Thank God for utube and iphones!!

Bright and early I will be enroute to the south.....

Old Friends.....

I love the comfort of old friends..... I love how you can pick-up where you left off. I was privileged to have lunch with my sweet friend Bethany. I love that during summer break, I can have lunch dates in the middle of the week! Seriously only those that work full time appreciate that! ;)

Bethany is in a very exciting season of life, she is getting married this Fall. I am over the moon excited for her. She and I walked many single months together over the years, saying "maybe next Valentine's Day...." She will make an amazing wife. It was so good catching up with her.

Tonight, we had our Girl's Bible study. It was soooo good. Every week I mean to take a group picture and I always forget. I am thankful for the things God is showing me and also the things the Lord is doing in all the other girls. God is so amazing, it is a privilege to serve Him! It is an exciting journey and definitely not boring!!

Summer Love.......

I love Summertime... Yesterday marked the one month point. One month from today, I will be working in my classroom. This summer has been great so far, but I feel it slipping through my fingers. It has been full of family time, pool time with family & friends, camping, eating out, working out, meeting new friends, being a part of a great Bible study with some great girls, and many other things.

I am setting a personal goal to post a pic each day the rest of my summer break. I want to look back and remember how I spend my days. Friday, I leave for the BEACH with my family. So so excited! So I am not sure I will take the time to post, but we shall see! ;)

Today, my sister and her 2 kiddos were in town and dropped by my house! I loved their visit!
I only snapped one picture on my phone.... Aren't they the cutest? ;)

I love this scripture.....

God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection. Psalm 18:30

Granola Recipe and Diet Update

I wanted to do a little update on my "Eat to Live" diet. I am still hanging in there, actually it is really starting to feel like a life style change and so natural. I hate and seldom use the word "diet". I know that I have not been eating enough vegetables the last couple weeks, they say the more greens you eat the more pounds you lose. I sure love fruit. :) It is so much easier to grab fruit on the go, it's better then a candy bar I guess!! I have consumed at least two watermelons in the last couple weeks!! ha

I weighed today at the gym and I was down 3 more pounds which brings my total to 24 pounds.

I found an amazing granola recipe and have been meaning to share with several girls. The recipe calls for agave nectar, which can be found near the honey at Reasors and Whole Foods (not sure if Wal-Mart carries it).

Granola Recipe
* 4 cups Old Fashion Oats
* I cup Sliced or Diced Almonds
* 1/2 cup Agave Nectar
* 2 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoon Sea Salt (I personally leave out the salt)
* 1/2 cups Shredded Unsweetened Coconut
(the only place I found this is Whole Foods)
* 1 cup Dried Cranberries or Raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
Toss oats, almonds, agave nectar, coconut oil & salt in a bowl – do not add your dried fruit yet (coconut, cranberries & chocolate chips).

Bake for 5 minutes. Pull out of the oven and toss. Put back in the oven and then pull out of the oven and toss again at 10 minutes. Bake until it’s just beginning to turn golden but not burned – about 15 minutes total.

Add your dried fruit. Mix and let it cool.

The End of the School Year Week......

This post is on picture overload! Every school year, the last week, is so busy. No matter how much I plan ahead, it is always packed!!

Monday was Memorial Day, Hayley and I were able to go to Joplin to help with the tornado clean-up. Pictures do not do it justice. There is so much work to be done in Joplin. We were able to help a family that had just moved in their new home one month prior. To hear their story first hand was surreal. They were able to get in a crawl space in the garage. They literally felt their home left up. If you are reading this and have the ability to help, I would highly recommend going for it...... We went with a local church that teamed up with "Service International". SI had a great set-up and they were very organized. I love seeing the body of Christ come together to help others.

This was the Service International's Headquarters. They basically have taken over a church building. They sort donations, so they can distribute them, volunteers sleep there, volunteers eat there, and many other things.....

Tuesday was back to school!! The other Pre-K teacher and I planned a water/games/picnic for the kids and their families. We wanted to have an end of the year celebration. Fun was had by all.... We have a park next to our school, so we were able to walk next door! The kids thought it was pretty fun. It was fun, but a lot of work getting all the equipment, lunches, and kids to the park. We enjoyed our last days with our kiddos!!

Wednesday was Graduation!!! I seriously love Graduation Day each year. It is always so bittersweet. Sitting there watching the slideshow of the year, seeing the growth, and knowing goodbye is soon always makes me cry. When you spend over nine months with a child, there is some bonding that takes place. As I always tell the ones that want to stay in Pre-K, it would look funny to have a 10 year old in Pre-K. Change and progress is good!!

The other Pre-K teacher gave me this idea, little graduation caps. They worked out great, as I was passing out diplomas and awards my aide handed them one to eat. It totally kept them busy while I passed out diplomas!

They did so good performing a few songs for their parents!!

After all that work they were ready for cupcakes!!!

Wednesday night, we had a meeting/cookout to plan a Bible study for teens. These girls dressed alike. It's the only picture I took that evening.

Thursday, was the last day with the kids!! We ate popcicles in the hallway and had an AR (our reading program) Disco dance party. A dance party is just what I wanted to add to this week ha ;).

A lot of cleaning and packing also took place!

Thursday evening after all the goodbyes at school, I was blessed to attend a Housewarming Party for my friend Leanne (on the left). God brought her back to live here and provided a great place for her to live. It was great to visit with friends and meet some new girls.

Friday was my last day!! I love being in my classroom without kids, I can get a lot more accomplished! Some of us went and ate lunch together. The two cuties above helped their mommies pack their classrooms!!

Goodbye Kerr!! Hello Summer Break

Saturday, I drove to my hometown. My Aunt Rebecca was here visting from New Mexico and my cousin had a graduation party. It was a great excuse to take a drive and visit the family!! I always love going "home" and seeing family and friends.

My Nanny and I (oh and sweet Aiden)

My mom and Grandma Trump (my cousins grandmother, but we have always called her that)

Some of the cousins....

My cousin Nicole's kids!! The twins and Callie