Friday, October 7, 2011

Feel Good Friday


Ok, I am here to do Feel Good Friday some justice.  I forgot that once I go back to school, I have to do these on Thursday night so they will appear on Friday. Otherwise, it's like SUnday before I can think about it.

*The garden and greenhouse are still going strong and it's October 7th.  I love running out in the morning and still coming back with a handful of beans.  The tomatoes are just about done, but the 2 that I put in the greenhouse have suddenly exploded with flowers.  It's been in the 40s for the past few nights, so I've been keeping the greenhouse closed which means no bees can get in.  If it's warm this weekend, I'll open the door when I'm home so many we'll get a few more.  I'm not used to being able to harvest anything so late in the seasons except for broccoli.  I planted some new beans a couple of weeks ago and they are just flowering, but I think the frost might cut them short.  I have a plan to keep the frost off.  It's ridiculous.  It involves a mattress pad that I bought at the goodwill.  I can't talk about it. I'll let you know.

*It's cranberry season around here!  These are actually prettier in the picture than they were in real life!  K-ster's boss has his shop at some cranberry bogs and k-ster knows the owner, so he asked if he could have some cranberries when they picked.  He told him to help himself.  So, I had him bring home a paperbag full.  I had no idea how much that would be! 

Well, it was enough to make one batch of cranberry muffins, put about 4 cups in the freezer, give about 2 cups to my sister and can about 6 or 7 quarts of cranberry sauce.  And I still haven't used them all!  Who can turn away FREE cranberries?  And then I canned them myself, so I've only had to pay for the jars!

I have this much left!  Cranberry bread, anyone?

*I have discovered apple butter and I might never be the same. You might have read about my apple picking debut and I've been busy putting those apples to good use.  I'm not sure I've really ever understood the deliciousness that is apple butter.  Until this past weekend.

I read the recipe and decided I'd give it a whirl.  Other than the fact that it took forever to boil down and in its final moments just about exploded all over my stove top, it might be the best thing I've canned this year.  I made little 4oz jars and they came out so perfect looking.  They are the first thing that I've canned that behaved exactly as I wanted it to.  No oozing out the sides, no strange things inside the jar when I was finished.  I can't wait to show you.  If I don't eat every little jar myself first!

OK, so all of those involve food.  Let's see if there were any non food feel good moments this week.

*Well, it did not feel good when our schedule was changed this week and my world turned upside down because I was given a lot more classes.  BUT BUT BUT the feel good piece is that I was given 4 sections of 7th grade instead of 3 and I still have all of those kids that I enjoy so much.  But the huge class of 28 was sort of split, so now I can enjoy them even more because I can actually attend to each of them and they can actually get a chance to particiate.

When you have a class of 28 kids plus an aide in there, a person could drop dead in the corner and no one would really notice because there is so much activity and chaos.  Not that my room is full of chaos but it's mild chaos with that many bodies compared to 16 or 20.  Someone always has to go to the bathroom or throw something away or sharpen a pencil or ask for an eraser or drop their pencil or play with  a clicky thing or the office has to call me or the AP has to come to my door to take a kid or someone has to go to the nurse or I trip over a chair and almost kill myself or the window slams in the breeze and a painting falls off the wall or the kid with Asperger's is marching around in his little circle because he hasn't calmed down yet or the kid who was absent needs the papers I gave out RIGHT THIS INSTANT or the someone's drumsticks fall on the floor and echo like it's the Grand Canyon or I go flying over someone's violin case because they left it in the middle of the floor and everyone laughs or the fire alarm goes off or I forgot to turn on my Smartboard and we're all staring at it  while it warms up.  Oh wait.  Feel Good Friday.  Sorry.

And so far, 7th grade is really stroking my self esteem.  THANK GOD.  If this whole thing took place with last year's 7th grade, I truly would be in a straightjacket right now. 

*K-ster got to go to the opening Bruins game so he was tickled and that's good. I like it when he gets really happy about the games.   He even cleaned out his truck so when I drove it to school, it wasn't all grimy and nasty inside.  He has to take The General because his truck is lifted and too tall for the garage.  And The General gets better mileage and is much younger.  And I look "so hot" when I drive his truck.  I get everyone all stirred up.  It's a tough job, but someone's gotta do it.

Now, go write about your own Feel Good Friday moments and then come back here and give us the link in a comment!

4 comments:

  1. I love cranberry anything! All you bloggers with your gardens and canning make me feel like a real wimp. LOL! Happy weekend : )

    http://musingsandmeanderings-mlp.blogspot.com/2011/10/feel-good-friday-finally.html

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  2. Yes, there was a lot about food in this...apple butter...yum...I've never had it, but now you know i want to!

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  3. 28 kids is a lot!!

    But on the brighter side your food pics look amazing!

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  4. glad you have discovered the joy of applebutter. You might try it sometime in a crockpot. It take ALL day, but you don't have to stir it constantly. (You just prop a knife under the lid to let the steam escape)

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