Bruschetta!

It is really an easy thing to make.

These are the only things that you need for bruschetta. Fresh mozzarella, preferably fresh basil, tomatoes (I used roma), nice heavy Italian bread.

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Chop the basil to small pieces and dice the tomatoes. (I don't have a picture of this, but slice the bread into about 1/2 inch slices. Also, slice the mozzarella as thick or as thin as you like it. Pre toast the bread.)

Put the mozzarella on the toasted bread and bake in the oven for about 5 minutes or until the mozzarella is warm.

This is what it looks like when it is done.
Put a small sprinkle of basil on the bread and mozzarella.

Put tomatoes on top and if there is any basil left, sprinkle it on for looks. And there you have it!! Bruschetta. Serve with balsamic vinegar and EVOO (extra Virgin Olive Oil) to individual taste. If you know that all will like it, mix basil and tomatoes in a balsamic vinegar and EVOO mix before puting it on the bread.

Serve room temperature. I love it!!

Bored and Sick

I am just about ready for school to start up again. I am not good with having not much to do. I have slept a lot the last couple of days because I have gotten sick. I think that it was Quinten's fault. Endrit and I got sick just about the same time with similar illnesses. Poor Endrit because he has to work still while I just take some nyqill and pass out all day snoring away. I have still cooked at least 1 meal a day, but I have not been the good housewife while I have time to be the housewife. Because of this, I am bored. I need to go and get some things for church on Sunday, but I just don't want to get out. We get a new class. I am excited for the new adventure for this next year. I am almost 100% certain we will be in primary until 1 of 2 things happen, I have a child of my own, or we graduate and move out. We love it there. So because I am just not motivated it isn't good that I am not preparing my lesson.

I am excited for this Friday. It will be the first Temple wedding that Endrit and I will be at since our own wedding. I hope that both weather and illnesses go away so that we can have a good time. We haven't been back to Idaho Falls in a while. I guess it would be almost 2 years. Fun times.

New years is tonight and we get to go to Endrit's parent's house to celebrate with them. I get to make bruchetta for them and I am so excited!! I went to whole foods to get some fresh basil because Smith's didn't carry the small packages. I am going to try it a little bit different this time than last time. I will have to take pictures of them and a recipe when I am finished with them. It couldn't be simpler. Fun times...

Friend Visit.

Quinten White has been living in Germany for the last few years and we have been pretty good friends since high school. It was really nice to sit and just visit with him for a few hours before he had to head back to Germany.

I have always been the short person in any group of friends. This picture reminds me of that. So, Quinten, if you read this, thanks for stopping by!

2008

Last night it really hit me that 2008 is almost over. I started thinking about how this year has shaped up. For the most part it has been at least a productive year even if it wasn't an enjoyable year. At the first of the year I was under the impression that I would graduate in 2011. About the same time that Endrit should be starting graduation countdown. Spring 2008 semester was probably the most enjoyable part of the year. I took my first summer classes and I was able to pass physics in 1 summer. It wasn't fun at all but it made me very happy to get them done in a concentrated pain. Fall was the hard part of the year. I wanted to just quit school and take a break. The one good thing that came from Fall semester is that I found out that my graduation date moved up a year to May 2010. With that I had a little more stress to get my letters of recommendation, taking the pre-professional exam, fingerprinting and all the other little things that came with applying for the program. After finals I found out that I was fully admitted.

School has been rough. I know that it seems like the only thing that I talk about, but that is my life right now. Endrit and I have had a good year. We still love each other and are starting to get excited for life after school. He has had his trials this year with his research but the year seems to be ending on a good note.

I am really hopeful for 2009. I will be in the middle of my student teaching by this time next year!! I can say that 3 of my last 4 semesters will be in the next year. The light is getting bigger at the end of the tunnel. I am excited to graduate and 2009 will be a major step in that process with starting my licensing program. There are other little things that make me excited about 2009, but they are just small.

I hope that 2009 brings joy and peace to everyone.

Grades...

Well, grades have been interesting this semester as they are quite often while they are drizzling in. This semester it has been one of joy and total frustration. The genetics class I wrote about here is the one that is frustrating me. I have a D-. I would have believed a C, but not a D-. I recalculated the grades I have and there is no way. None whatsoever that I failed that class. I am going to appeal this. I already have an email sent and I will bug the teacher until I get the grade I really made which is a C at the least. I am thinking more of a B-. It was a hard semester. I am just really frustrated with that.

With all of my other grades, I am getting 2 As 2A-s and 1 B+. Not too shabby. The GPA with the D- is enough to keep my scholarships so I am very happy about that.

I am sure that I will straighten up the grade situation for my Genetics class...I guess more to come later.

Funny Kitty

Endrit and I got some wet cat food for Dexter for Christmas. We always did this with my cats growing up so don't think I am weird. We opened one last night to give to him and he is such a stingy kitty! He has yet to finish it. He knows how to savor food. We are going to have to take the can to Endrit's parent's apartment for him to finish it off. I just think I have the coolest kitty. What animal savors it's food?

Accepted...finally!!!

On Friday of last week I got a letter in the mail that said I was provisionally accepted into the teaching cohort of Fall 2009. The provision I had to give by January 30, 2009 was a professional letter of recommendation from an employer. Anyone who knows me knows I haven't had a job in over a year. I had gotten advised from the secondary teaching adviser to just get 2 of my major area teachers to write letters and not to worry about the employer letter. Needless to say I was a little bit angry when I wasn't accepted because I yet again had bad advising. It has been a horrible battle since getting into University; ISU and the U.

I emailed her with my dilemma and I just got an email back from her. She stepped in with the acceptance committee and plead my case. I am now fully accepted into the program without that provision. The only pending thing is my completion of the pre-cohort classes. That is why I will be extra busy next semester and summer semester. (Can you tell I want to graduate as soon as possible?)

This news has made me really happy. I am glad that I have gotten the news before Christmas. It makes less of a stress during my break from school. Endrit was really happy to hear that as well. He is really excited for me to be a University graduate. It is getting so close and we are both getting really excited about it. I now know that I WILL be student teaching Fall 2009 - Spring 2010.

Oh Happy Night!!

It is the start of winter. The best part about this is that last night was the solstice!! Night will only get longer from here on out...well at least until the next solstice. That really made me happy last night! I am not too happy when night is so LONG!!!

fun with optics

Floating water...yeah so the picture doesn't do it justice. It really is cool. We will bring it at Christmas time for all the nieces and nephews to see. Endrit and I = Nerds and we love it.

Genetics...

Today was my genetics final. I have been stressing about it for awhile. I did some math wrong about a week ago and I thought that I was going to have to get a pretty good grade on the final in order to pass my class. I did all of the math again today and I had a HUGE relief. I only have to get a 34.25% to get a passing grade in the class. Because that is such a low grade, I am sure that I will get way above passing. I am very happy about this. I did not want to retake the class this summer. It would have been horrible. It is nice to know that I am still good at school. I have only dropped 2 classes and never failed any classes. Ends of semesters give me great joy in the accomplishments that I have. It is interesting that I now have over 100 university credits. There is a lot of information in my little mind now. School is fun. It will be really weird when I am done.

In a couple of years...

I have wondered for a while if it is good to give a gift to a woman to congratulate her for becoming a mother. I have found one thing that every pregnant woman deserves. It is really inexpensive compared to other jewelery found in the store. It is Tiffany & Co. It is called the bean necklace. How sweet would it be to have a bean in the belly and a bean necklace to commemorate it? I just think that it would be so sweet. It ranges with the sizes, but the least expensive is $150. It is beautiful! You don't have to have the engraving showing the opposite side is just clear. It gets more expensive as well. They even had some in Lapis, that is REALLY expensive...Thanks Isaac!...I write this because a woman I know who is pregnant with her first just got this from her husband. It is so sweet! So about graduation time, remind Endrit to look into it. He should remember it even if babies are still a way off at that point. I wanted to share it because it couldn't be more beautiful.

Finals

Bring on the unconsciousness, bring it on!! I am going to be done with finals on Tuesday!!

Consolation prize

Today we had the science fair in class. No one really understood the significance of mine so I didn't get anything, but I did get a consolation prize and it was better than any trophy. I have determined that my knowledge is wasted on the Elementary education students because they just won't understand the complexity of the things that are in my brain. Talk about deer in the headlights.

The shirt is my FAVORITE!!! It is hilarious!! I love it and so does Endrit. We are horrible geeks and I love it. I love it even more because the saying is so true. The geeks shall inherit the earth; like Endrit and I...beware world.


I also got a gram/ounce digital kitchen scale. It had some good prizes. There were books and posters and other things like that. I wouldn't have minded a book, but I got the most prized prize.


I got people mad at me because I got it and I was a secondary major...whatever! I had fun. I thought I would show you all my loot. :)

Finished!

Endrit went and got me one more string of lights. I think that it looks much better now.

My Tree

I finally got some decorations for my tree. I thought that it turned out pretty well. We only have 1 more little gift to buy and Christmas is bought. It has been a really fun year. The lights on this tree are white and red. I need to go and get one more string of lights for the top. It looks a little weird, but that is life. I didn't know that it would take 5 sets of lights for a tiny tree. My mom taught me to light a tree correctly and I just can't seem to not do that. Fun times. I just thought I would share my tree.

Be Green For Christmas!

I should have researched this earlier on in the year to give this little piece of advice. I had not even started to think of a way that people could get Christmas trees. I have to say that this isn't the cheepest way to have a real tree, but it has a really good spirit with it.

When I say "Real Tree" Most people think, have fun, go into the woods, cut down a good young tree to enjoy through the season. Here is an alternative that I just find so awesome

Burlap bag Christmas tree. If you don't know, when you go and buy larger trees for planting, the roots are wrapped in a burlap ball. If you have a large heavy duty metal bucket, you can place that burlap ball into the bucket and keep it watered. With this, yes it is winter and the ground is cold and whatnot, you can still plant your tree out in your yard after the season is over. You can decorate it and jazz it all up. If anything, you have a new tree in your yard to enjoy for years to come.

When Endrit and I have a house I would like to at least try this and see how it works. Since I am the environmental science person in the family, I thought that I would share.

Church bulletins...funny

I thought that these were funny. I hope that any readers will enjoy them as well.


The sermon this morning: 'Jesus Walks on Water.' The sermon tonight: 'Searching for Jesus.'

Our youth basketball team is back in action Wednesday at 8 PM in the recreation hall. Come out and watch us kill Christ the King.

Ladies, don't forget the rummage sale. It's a chance to get rid of those things not worth keeping around the house. Bring your husbands.

Don't let worry kill you off - let the Church help.

For those of you who have children and don't know it, we have a nursery downstairs.

Next Thursday there will be tryouts for the choir. They need all the help they can get.

The Rector will preach his farewell message after which the choir will sing: 'Break Forth Into Joy.'

Irving Benson and Jessie Carter were married on October 24 in the church. So ends a friendship that began in their school days.

At the evening service tonight, the sermon topic will be 'What Is Hell?' Come early and listen to our choir practice.

Scouts are saving aluminum cans, bottles and other items to be recycled Proceeds will be used to cripple children.

Please place your donation in the envelope along with the deceased person you want remembered.

The ladies of the Church have cast off clothing of every kind. They may be seen in the basement on Friday afternoon.

This evening at 7 PM there will be a hymn singing in the park across from the Church. Bring a blanket and come prepared to sin.

Ladies Bible Study will be held Thursday morning at 10 AM. All ladies are invited to lunch in the Fellowship Hall after the B. S. Is done.

The pastor would appreciate it if the ladies of the congregation would lend him their electric girdles for the pancake breakfast next Sunday.

The eighth-graders will be presenting Shakespeare's Hamlet in the Church basement Friday at 7 PM. The congregation is invited to attend this tragedy.

Weight Watchers will meet at 7 PM at the First Presbyterian Church. Please use large double door at the side entrance.

The Associate Minister unveiled the church's new tithing campaign slogan:
Last Sunday: ''I Upped My Pledge - Up Yours'

A Scientific Thanksgiving

I have to do a science project for my secondary science methods class so I had to recruit all of my family to be my little guinea pigs. All they had to do is 3 things...

Dip your hand in water...

Measure the circumference of your hand...

Measure the length of your hand...

Here is the data.

Length had a linear R^2 value of 0.852. Not very good (that is what I wanted so I guess it is bad but good).

Circumference hand an R^2 value of 0.917. Getting better but still not a great value (I wanted this as well).

Multiplying the 2 values together had an R^2 value of 0.935. It is the best. This is what I wanted.



What I did was investigation of volume. Why does it have to be 3-D? Now I need to go and print everything out and put it all purtified onto my 3-fold board. Funny thing is that people in my class thought that I did a "hard" project. He he!!

My birthday presents from Afghanistan

My big brother Isaac is in Afghanistan right now flying blackhawks in the military. For my birthday he really put some thought into what he wanted to give me. I am an Earth Sciences major in University so I love the earth and rocks and minerals. He got me some of the precious rocks from Afghanistan. They are beautiful. Thanks Isaac!!