My Fellow Americans

Dear The United States,

I have a quick suggestion. What do you say to moving up the national election to next Tuesday? Or perhaps the Tuesday after that if we still need time to print ballots. It's not like everyone doesn't already know who they will be voting for. (And if you don't, what the hell are you waiting for? Inform yourself and make a decision!)

So let's just make it official already. This will be a mutually beneficial solution. We won't have to watch any more political advertisements; and you can take the millions (billions?) of dollars you were planning on spending in the next two months and send it to Chicago so we can get the teachers and their students back into the classroom.

How do we make this happen?

XOXO,
Amy

 

S & E Get Married

The final installment in a three part series, S & E Get Married! The wedding took place on an island in the middle of Lake Champlain in Vermont. I headed up alone with my car packed full of wedding decorations and random bridal knickknacks. The trip up was quite the drive. When I turned onto 89 it was down pouring and I still had many miles to go:

I arrived safe and sound at the cabin and had a surprising bed fellow. At some places you get mints on your pillow, at others you get In-Fisherman magazine and a trout to cuddle.

After hanging out at the cabin for a day and watching the men hang outdoor lights, we relocated to the Inn where the wedding would take place. The weather was crappy and we kept hoping for the best.

We made a super fast trip into Burlington to get glammed up with manicures and pedicures then back to the island to get dressed up then back to Burlington for the rehearsal dinner. (It was a busy afternoon!) The rehearsal dinner was a lobster cruise on The Spirit of Ethan Allen. It was rainy and grey but as we were inside with good food, good wine, and good company, nobody seemed to mind.

Psyched about my lobster bib!

After the cruise, the girls headed back to the hotel for some last minute wedding to-do's. We were able to get some sleep and woke up to this:

A 6:30 am wedding morning conversation:

Amy: Hey, Summer...guess what?

Summer: What?

Amy: IT'S SUNNY!

We kept our fingers crossed that the dark clouds on the other side of the Inn stayed at bay...and they did!

The ceremony was short but beautiful. It was so surreal to stand up there and watch my best friend get married. 

The beautiful wedding party.

After the ceremony and luncheon, everyone headed back to the cabin for an after party. The skies let loose but thanks to a tent and a series of umbrellas, people were able to eat and drink till their hearts were content.

The following morning, I headed home with a car full of wedding presents. I stopped briefly to trespass on private property to take some pictures of a beautiful sunflower field.

After days of rain, it was finally a gorgeous day. Sadly, the sunflowers were all looking away from me. 

It was a beautiful weekend and the sun shone just when we needed it!

   

Cooking With Amy: Bridal Shower Edition

The day after the bachelorette shenanigans, we threw a bridal shower for S. I was in charge of invites and party favors. I created the invite using Picasa (because I'm too poor and impatient for Photoshop) and printed them up as photos. I mounted them to some party pink paper and mailed them on their way.

For the party favor, I wanted to make mason jar cupcakes because they are all the rage on Pintrest. I got some fancy quilted mason jars and washed them up all clean.

I used some of the wedding pinwheel paper to make the lids extra cute. 

Next, I affixed a LOVE IS SWEET label...

I baked regular sized, lemon cupcakes and made lots of vanilla buttercream frosting. After the cupcakes cooled, I cut them in half horizontally so I could fit 1.5 cupcakes in each mason jar. Then I layered like a pro. Cupcake half, frosting, cupcake half, frosting, etc. 

Next, I sprinkled the candy heart sprinkles.

Screwed on the fancy, flower lids...

And at long last, I attached a spoon to the jar with a ribbon. They were a bit hit!

 At the shower, we ate lots of food, and cuddled sleepy babies.

Played the Newlywed Game where S admitted her dream vacation would be to Harry Potter World. 

And the happy couple opened date night presents. Good times were had by all!

Back to the Catching Up

I got to play Maid of Honor this summer for the BFF and it was so much fun!

A couple weekends before the wedding some bachelorette shenanigans took place. As we are more mature ladies (i.e. not 23 year olds) and I was the only non mother/mother-to-be the shenanigans were quite tame.

We dressed up fancy...

And started with S's and my FIRST PEDICURE EVER! And let me tell you, it was wonderful!

S and E surprised the bride-to-be. S brought the champagne and E brought the zebra mumu!

 After we all had our nails did, we headed to dinner at The Melting Pot which was super fancy. Figuring out how to order was the most complicated thing ever but it was WELL worth it.

The drinks were also super fancy but MUCH easier to order.

We started with a Boston Lager cheese fondue course which was gooey enough to clog arteries and stop hearts but delicious enough to risk it. We moved on the the main course where you actually cook the meat and veggies in the broth. There were so many rules...don't let this touch, cook that for this long.

The plates were an OCD person's dream!

S worked her fondue fork like a pro!

 Last and most delicious was the chocolate fondue dessert course. We dipped strawberries and bananas and brownies and pound cake and rice krispie treats in pure, melted chocolate. It was heaven.

BFFL's!

   
 

Soundtrack Update

Find my soundtrack here.

In June: I picked up John Mayer's new album Born and Raised. It is so different from his older stuff but so good. Immediately, I popped it in the car stereo and set off for Maine. (I love listening to a new album on repeat on the drive to Maine.) I love so many of the songs but Born and Raised and (what I call) The Submarine Song were by far my favorite. The Submarine song is about this guy who is kind of over his day to day life so he teaches himself to build a submarine.

In July: I listened to Fun's Some Nights over and over again. And I watched the strange Civil War video because the lead singer's facial expressions made me laugh. Case in point:

In August: I listened to a lot of old mix cd's but I also turned up the radio every time Everybody Talks by the Neon Trees came on. It started with a whisper...

In September: I am currently OBSESSED (like listen to it 25 times in a row everyday) with The Head and the Heart's Down in the Valley. All I want to do is drive around back roads with the window down. I can't wait for the new Mumford and Sons album to come out as I have already listened to I Will Wait a billion times. Sadly, buying new records doesn't fit in with my buy only essentials during September budget so it will have to wait for October...unless anyone wants to buy me presents??

 

See Me

So I've survived my first 2 weeks back at school. Last week I was all "why aren't all my kidlets from last year in my class this year?" But it's pretty amazing how after only a few days I'm now totally invested in my new kiddos. My class has 3 new to the school kids who are all adjusting well. In third grade, new students are still quite exciting.

It has been super hot and muggy around these parts and the West Nile filled mosquitoes are out in full force. They sprayed the school with the giant pond with no fence so I guess we are safe now. But in full disclosure, I'm still scared to go outside. Killer mosquitoes are only going to contribute to my hermit ways.

I was looking through the referring papers from last year's teachers and came across this:

It's never a good sign when pertinent information either won't fit on six lines or is too complicated/sensitive to put on paper.

So far only two kids (from my class) have cried which I think might be a record. Luckily, I don't have recess duty this year so I think that will save me from appearing sympathetic to a lot of tears. (I don't have a totally black heart but I couldn't care less that you're crying because you got out in four square.)

What else, what else? Some eight year olds can be fresh. Student I (not mine) was disrupting class and the following conversation ensued:

Teacher: I need to speak to you in the hallway.
Student I: That won't be possible.
Teacher: (giving THE LOOK) Then I guess it won't be possible for you to go to recess.

We weren't that sassy or entitled when we were little...right?

Although to be fair, Student I comes from a family that explained away his constant drumming by saying he has the music in him and who justified a disruptive outburst by saying that he was having an out of body experience. I kid you not.

I love my job.
I love my job.
I love my job.

The Art of Shopping with a Gift Card

After yesterday's incident, I decided a lidded cup was in order. Because I am only buying essentials this month, I hit up Home Goods with a $25.00 gift card from my last year's students.

There were two objectives to the trip:
1. Leave with a travel mug.
2. Don't spend any actual money.

I found the cup pretty quickly and it was only $3.99! I then set out to spend the remainder of the gift card without going over and without buying random stuff that would add to the clutter that I am constantly trying to declutter.

Home Goods has LOTS of random stuff. Exhibit A, B, C and D.

I did not need random animals, picture frames, pillows, candles, giant vases, or clocks. I scoured the store and eventually brought home three things:

A lidded cup, a new cupcake pan to replace the old rusty one I have, and a new hairbrush!  I know it's super random but tell me, when was the last time you bought a new hair brush?  For me it was about 10 years ago and it was time!

I carefully priced items and the total ended up being $23.34! Bad new, sad news...they wouldn't cash out the remaining $1.66 so I'm stuck with a gift card that can't actually buy anything. Next time I'll just pass it off to the person behind me in line.

   

It's Never Too Late to Set Some Goals*

I know we're almost a full week into September but I've been working on some monthly goals without telling.

1. Eat an apple a day for the month of September.

2. Don't spend ANY money beyond necessities (rent, gas, groceries, bills).

3. Fully catch up on blogging.

4. Read a real book.

So there you have it. 

* I don't really know the rules of capitalizing titles. 

  

Mother is Always Right

I like to bring mixed berry smoothies to school in the morning. And just like yesterday, I blended up my smoothie, poured it into a sky blue SOLO cup, and was out the door. My mother asked me this weekend why I didn't use a cup with a top and I was all "Mom, smoothies are thick...it won't spill."

Today, unlike yesterday I knocked my no-top smoothie cup with my lunch bag and this happened:

Yes. That is an entire SOLO cup's worth of mixed berry smoothie all up in my car.  Luckily, my raincoat protected my school outfit but oh man there was smoothie EVERYWHERE.

So what was a girl to do? That isn't something you can clean up with a couple of Dunks napkins. I decided the best idea would be to leave it and deal with it after school. Well...do you know what happens to milk in a hot car over the course of 7 hours? 

After school, armed with a role of paper towels, a container of Clorox wipes, and a measuring cup, I tackled the mess. I will spare you the details but as of now, my cup holders have never been cleaner. The only remaining issue is the smoothie that escaped down into the emergency brake. I stuffed a paper towel down there to sop some of it up but now the paper towel is stuck somewhere in the bowels of my center console. It is highly likely that I'll never see it again but I'm worried about what it will smell like.

Any suggestions on retrieving it?

Annual Haircut

About this time last year, I let my mother give me a hair cut. While I regretted it at the time, I got over it and let my hair grow and grow and grow.

It was quite long but as always, split ends took their toll. It was time for a back to school cut!

Before:

 After: