C'mon Over!

I decided I was tired of the blogspot layout of blogging... it really doesn't work for me very well. I am trying out a tumblr to see if maybe I do a little better with that. I believe it is more conducive to my short, random thoughts... So, if you have any interest go ahead and head on over to my new residence

Impromptu Trips

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Have I ever mentioned how much I love to travel? Well, if not... I LOVE to travel. Whether it is a trip across the nation or across the state I enjoy it greatly! There's just something special about seeing and experiencing places that aren't your home. Whether it's eating at new restaurants, meeting new people, or seeing old friends, I love everything there is about traveling!

This weekend I decided (last minute) to make an impromptu trip to Casper to meet  Megan for a little shopping and girl time. I'm excited for our long chats and eating delicious food and some time to just hang out!

Say Hello to the New Brianna!

My friend, Brooke, went to beauty school several years ago and has gotten into the habit of cutting and dying my hair (for free, or for the cost of a beverage if I beg). Last night we decided to chop all of my hair off and I basically told her to do what she wanted. We looked for some pictures online and found this cute haircut of Victoria Beckham's (aka Posh Spice).

Here is Brooke's interpretation of it on me (without much styling).

The picture isn't that great, but it gives you some idea of my new look. Let me know what you think! :)

Oh The Things I Will Do...

This week I have been a very devoted teacher to my students! I had told my first hour class that if they all got A's on their next test (they took it on Wednesday) I would bring them breakfast. Well, even though the class average was a 90% (which in our district is technically a B) I was so proud of their hard work, that I made them two different types of coffee cake which they will get to taste on Monday! Lucky ducks!!

Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

Blueberry Streusel Coffee Cake

 It was FFA week which included a variety of activities for the teachers and students. Wednesday morning the FFA kids made the teachers breakfast (pancakes, biscuits and gravy, scrambled eggs, fruit) which was delicious! Thursday was the fateful day, though. At the beginning of the week jugs were set out for each teacher (that agreed to it) to see who would be the one to kiss the donkey. By the end of the week my jug had (by far) the most amount of money... which means I was going to kiss the ass. (Side story: one of my students is the owner of Jack, the donkey, and loved telling me I was going to kiss his ass). The way this is done is you put a baby carrot in your mouth and then feed it to Jack. Jack is a very gentle donkey and very polite, he didn't even slip me any tongue! So... without further ado, here I am kissing Jack:

Yummy Banana "Ice Cream"

I really enjoy trying new recipes, especially if they are simple! I had read about banana ice cream on a few different websites that I usually read for new recipes;  I had a few frozen bananas in my freezer waiting for banana bread or something of the like and since I was a bit bored I decided I would try it out. I pulled out 3 bananas, peeled them (I cut the peels off because they were frozen on) and then I cut them into about 2 inch long pieces and put them in my blender. I pureed them until they were smooth and creamy, then I added a splash of vanilla and about 2 tablespoons of peanut butter, and mixed it all together. I was so surprised with how similar it tasted to ice cream and gobbled it up! The three bananas made about 2 cups worth of "ice cream" so I put about half in a mug with plastic wrap over it and returned it to the freezer for later. Now, I've never been all that crazy for bananas, but this was delicious! Try it today as a wonderful snack or desert that's healthy too!!

Ingredients:
3 frozen bananas

Mix ins:
peanut butter
chocolate chips
nuts
honey
vanilla
anything else that floats your rubber ducky!

Design Ideas Part I

I created this space on a website called polyvore. All of the items in this room come from crate and barrel (and are more than anything I can afford). I really like all of the colors. My design style (as of late) is to have neutral background (furniture, walls, etc) and then pops of color with the accessories. It all started with a pillow (the leaf one on the chair) and the artwork, and the color green, of course. Green is definitely a staple throughout my house; it's in my wardrobe, on the walls, and even in my pots and pans.

A To Do List

I saw a To-Do List online that was comprised of all of the different plans a couple had for their home. I am constantly thinking about what I want to do with my home, how I want to improve it, what little knick knacks I could buy to "spruce" it up. Many of the blogs that I follow allow me to search those items and ideas out, so I have decided to make a list of the things that I would someday like to complete on the house I currently own.

Exterior Projects:

Front yard:

• Flower bed - new flowers/plants
• New address numbers
• Plant a tree

Back Yard:

• Buy patio furniture
• Plant a garden
• Outdoor lighting

Interior Projects:

Master Bedroom:

• Buy/make artwork
• Buy a duvet 
• New window treatments

Office/Work Out Room:

• Organize and unpack
• Buy a treadmill or other workout equipment
• Move bedroom TV
• Buy a DVD player for TV
• Buy a shelf for TV and DVD player
• New window treatments

Guest Bedroom:

• Fill nail holes in trim
• Paint trim, doors and ceiling
• Buy/make artwork
• Buy a small table (night stand)
• Buy/make knick knacks
• New window treatments

Living Room:

• Find reclaimed wood and build a new coffee table (like this one)
• Buy/make artwork (this is definitely a reoccurring theme)
• Possibly paint the walls (and stairs) a new color
• New window treatments

Half Bathroom:

• Frame Cassie's painting and hang it
• Buy new hand towels

Kitchen:

• Paint cabinets
• Buy new handles/drawer pulls for cabinets
• Fill nail holes in trim
• Replace countertop
• Buy tile and make a back splash
• Replace stove
• Paint walls
• Build shelves
• Buy a kitchen cart
• New window treatments

Okay, I think this list is about done, but I'm sure there is more I would like to do. This list may seem a little daunting (okay, very daunting) but it's nice to be able to put all of my thoughts down in a place where I can find them. Maybe I'll even start putting some of my decor ideas up here so I can get some feedback!

Whoops!

Well, it has been over two months since my last blog post. I'm not sure why blogging is so hard for me these days, maybe it's just because I read so many blogs on a daily basis and think that I don't have anything very interesting to post myself. These past two months have been pretty great because I've been able to spend a lot of time with the people I love.

Thanksgiving was a nice relaxing time with just my immediate family. We went to my dad's school and played whiffle ball and badminton for a little friendly competition, (well, as much as that's possible with my family). My friend Drew joined us for Thanksgiving and the festivities as well.

After Thanksgiving I had to work for about a month and then it was Christmas. Christmas break presented itself as a wonderful time as well. My dad came over to Saratoga to pick me up because we had had a couple of nasty snow storms right before I was supposed to leave (and he had the week off). The next morning we left for Buffalo and spent about four days with amazing family there. It was so much fun getting to watch Owen open presents and sing and play with all of us. He is such an amazing little boy and so friendly! We left Buffalo Monday morning and headed back to Laramie. After another adventure down in Loveland I returned to Saratoga on Friday night just in time for a New Year's celebration. I got to bring in the new year with a bunch of wonderful friends that I am so thankful for!

I started school again on Monday with another new adventure, a student teacher! Mr. W is the new addition to our math staff, he'll be working with all three math teachers (Mr. H, Ms. S. and myself). The first week seemed to go pretty well for all of us. I am a little lost on what to have him do, but he is more than happy to jump in and help the kids. He is adapting quickly to his crazy schedule (5 preps... and I thought 4 was bad!) and slowly learning the kids' names.

I've started my adventure into graduate school and will be starting classes the end of June to get my Masters of Science in Teaching. It'll be a grand adventure and will keep my busier than I am probably prepared for, but I'm excited.

I think that's the brief update on my life. Now I am off to make Sausage - Lentil Soup... hopefully it's as delicious as the recipe sounds! Cheers to a New Year!