Overheard

The highlight of my spring break was the BF and mines trip to the Dunes. This session of "overheard" is a perfect example of a few things. 

1. Why I frustrate people

2. Why the BF is necessary for me to function some days

3. The BF needs me to sometimes bring his logicalness down a level. I didn't think that was a word, but the good ole Mac isn't flagging it so I'm going with it. 

-Climbing up a large pile of rocks to the top of a Dune-

C: Ow! (Illogical Char was not wearing shoes)

A: Babe, maybe you should put your flip flops back on for this... (Logical BF had shoes on)

C: Hmm maybe. 

A: Wait, where are your flip flops? (Stops climbing to investigate)

C: Hmm I dunno, musta left em on the beach. They'll turn up. (Climbs past worried BF)

A: Oh Char. 

15 minutes earlier the same conversation occurred but that time concerning my cell phone...

Exhibit A: BF wearing shoes. Who wears shoes to the lake?

My flip flops in their natural habitat. I had flipped them off to play in the clay apparently...

Substitute Teaching and Spring Break

Oooooh I want this purse. There's something about it that screams preppy-day-in-the-horse-barn to me...

So substitute teaching. Not bad at all. My first day (Monday) wasn't great, but it wasn't because of the kids. I didn't really like that assistant teacher very much and the actual teacher was in and out because she was doing some curriculum stuff and together they just made me very nervous. I felt like they were a little judgey... But who could blame them, no one likes to know that their sub is a first-timer... Day two was with a problem class but I actually enjoyed that more. The lesson plan seemed simple and the assistant was super nice and helpful but not so helpful as to make me feel uncomfortable. 

So my SB was not at all as planned. I wanted lots of free time to read Portrait of a Lady and play with flickr and my blog. Instead I subbed Monday and Friday. I went to visit the BF Tues and left Wednesday. He followed me home and left Thursday evening. And it wasn't like a reaxing 3 days, we were busy the whole time! Later that night I went out with Hermione and an old HS friend (blog on that later). 

And now tomorrow is my cousin's bachelorette party in Chi-Town and I feel that as a reward for my very hectic spring break I deserve to ride in on the train early and jaunt over to F21 and buy my purse... 

Oh The Sweet Sweet Smell

Of success!!! Attempt two went off splendidly! However I learned a few lessons making it. 

-If a recipe calls for fresh herbs it's not going to be a quick one.

-When a recipes calls for you to make your own crust, just screw it and buy pie crust. It's just not worth your time and effort...

Now the bad news is this, I didn't take any pictures of this recipe. The good news is that I took plenty of the other recipe. The preparation of the first was was just so pretty, there were so many pretty green things and good smelling things that I couldn't resist. I wish I'd taken more but the lighting in the kitchen isn't great so I kept carrying things to the window to take pictures of them and quite honestly I got tired of the traveling. 

Fresh chives and not so fresh thyme

Garlic and onions. Can you just imagine the smell? Glorious... 

And then I ate a Clementine. 

Photos By: Char

If At First You Don't Succeed...

Pick yourself up and try again. You can dust your apron off and try again. Try again...

Cooking attempt #2. 

Please hope it turns out like this...

Substitute teaching experience to come later... It's been a very tiring day. I'm going to take a wild guess that as an adult I won't be working all day and cooking all night. Mrs. Cleaver I am not. 

Photo Courtesy Of

Cooking Laments

Why can't I cook? I followed the recipe exactly, and ya know what? Mine doesn't look like this. 

Photo courtesy of Design Sponge

The Sun is Too Good to Be True

Who else thought it was beautiful today? I'm loving spring being here. Last thursday I walked around campus taking pictures and it was wonderful. The pics didn't turn out that great, but it was so sunny and gorgeous so I didn't care. 

Current discussion in the living room: A commercial came on when everybody is yelling for "mom" because they can't find anything. The sister and I are both complaining because whenever we can't find anything and mom tells us where it is and we still can't find, she eventually comes in and it's exactly where she said it was. Dad said he's pretty sure she just carries everything with her and presents it at opportune moments. 

Photos By: Char

Adventures in Michigan City Pt II

So now for Meijers. The biggest thing I was looking forward to for Spring Break was a chance to try out some recipes I had been seeing. I narrowed it down to here, here, here, and here. (I highly recommend that website btw, it's filled with graphic art, diy, and just general eye candy) Want to know how many Meijers associates it takes to find toffee bits? Four, and then only successful one just happened to also be the one looking down my shirt which was fabulous. It takes two to find chives. And three to find crushed almonds. Good times. 

By the time I wrangled everything together and got home it was 6:00 and all I'd had to eat that day was a bagel and cinnamon cream cheese, I couldn't have cared less about cooking any of those dishes. So I did what any logical girl would do. I watched Confessions of a Shopoholic illegally, ate bacon bits, and drank some very yummy pomegranate and raspberry juice. And of course blogged. 

Adventures in Michigan City Pt I

Michigan City is one of my favorite places when it gets warm. Obviously there is the lake (Lake Michigan for all you non-regioners). But, in these parts, the way you know it's really heading for summer is when Carlson's Root Beer and Hot Dog Stand and Bubble's Ice Cream Shoppe open. Once my friends and I were driving age that is where we headed on the last day of school. They're right across the street from eachother. We would park our cars and the waitresses would bring our food to the bar and then we'd jump out and run across the street to Bubble's after we'd had our fill of the best root beer in creation. 

So today, when I headed out to Michigan City with a long list of chores to get done I was excited.  I headed down 421 and stopped at GoodWill. I needed to find a desk for Hermione and mine's house next year. Hmm no luck. Oh well, onto chore 2, I needed teacher pants and teacher shoes because I'm subbing on monday. That's when I made my first mistake. I went to the lighthouse mall. One a beautiful day. Lighthouse mall. The outlet mall. On a gorgeous day. I hate lighthouse mall on any day. It's confusing and filled with tourists and people that do not say excuse me. But on a beautiful spring day, you cannot imagine the amount of people there! 

I headed to Old Navy and searched and searched but soon remembered just why I never go there. I'm between sizes there so nothing fits. 

So onto 

Hollister. No dress pants there, no surprise really. Then Maurices, just for Hermione. She loves this store, it is her F21. But I hate it, the sizes run big and because of that I don't fit into any of them. They've just skipped me and moved on. And today was so different. So I gave in and went to Aero. I have never liked Aero due to their abnormally high waisted pants. Today however, I found a pair that fit, for sale! So I got two pairs. Because Lord knows I don't ever want to do this again. 

Then I needed shoes. On to Payless. This wasn't so bad. I found two pairs, one for $8 and another for $11. No complaints here, however ask me again Monday after I wear one pair for 8 hours... 

Photo By: Char

Well Hello Mr. Spring

Welcome back dear friend. F21 has been suggesting your arrival for some time now. I have yet to feel completely assured in your staying, I need to fulfill some things first, however I'm starting to feel more comfortable. Please don't let me down. And please bring me all of these dresses in my size, for free. Please and thank you. 

You're the Only Reason I Keep on Coming Home

I briefly mentioned that my cousin Dena got engaged this past year and that her bridal shower was this past saturday but I never got around to actually blogging about it! I just want to say, I love my family. They have their fair share of drama and we are anything but normal, but I love it so much. My dad's side of the family is completely dominated by these strong amazing women with outrageous and fun personalities and when we get together it's like all of these rockets taking off in different directions and occasionally pausing to chat and commiserate but mostly it's just a lot of women telling a lot of stories at the same time and laughing a whole heck of a lot. Dena's bridal shower was filled with her family and the grooms family and their friends. All in all there were 8 tables of people, but no matter what game we were playing or what course we were eating there was one table that wouldn't shut up. That was of course, the aunts, mother of the bride, and grandma table. It was so hilarious. They were rowdy and refused to follow any rules, they flicked the rubber bracelets we were supposed to be competing for across the room and made questionable innuendos the whole time. All in all the absolute best bridal shower I've ever been to, which is a shame because the only other one I've been to was the one I threw for my best friend... More than likely I will be posting some more pics from the shower in upcoming blogs!

I love my family : )

I love that commercial! And the song seemed to fit at least a little...

Photo by Char

Congratulations Are in Order

Hermione and I participated in a "Newlyweds" style friend competition last night. East holds one every year and last year we lost... 

This year we studied. We held a hard core friendship boot camp. 

Favorite food?

Pizza!

Favorite color?

Pink!

If you could be reincarnated into any animal what would it be?

Cow?

We may have cheated slightly, well I don't consider it cheating, but the BF told me he was pretty sure it was. We just made our answers easier to remember. Sure we both like pizza. Maybe it's not my favorite food. But it's easier to remember if we both say it's our favorite. Same thing goes for favorite store, favorite basketball and baseball teams, tv show, and pop...

Anyway we won. We always knew we were the best, not we have a prize to prove it! And if it makes you feel better, we would have easily won even without aligning some of our answers. We are just that good. 

My Honey Bunches of Oats

I was going through my pictures from this last weekend, and I just had to post these. I went home for my cousin's bridal shower and it was so fantastic! But those pics need to be fixed up a bit. However, these wonderful little photos of Wicket and his dirty paws were Blogger-Ready! Enjoy!

This is what my poor mother has to put up with in the springtime... And every time it rains... I love him but he really is like a little dirty mop. 

This is how he spends every moment of his day.