PERSONAL: Co-Workers Night Out

A couple of weeks ago I was able to merge my two worlds by having Ben go to dinner with two of my co-workers and their significant others. We decided to go big or go home and went to the Plaza and ate at Fogo. If you haven't ever been there, it's a Brazilian steakhouse that you pay a flat fee for all-you-can-eat meat.

We had a fun time eating and grabbing coffee after dinner, so I thought I'd share a few snapshots:

 

   

 

TRAVEL: South Bend

Over the past weekend, Ben and I went to spend our "Thanksgiving" with his side of the family. As you can imagine, with our families living in two different cities [Kansas City, MO --> South Bend, IN], we have to split holidays. Usually how it works is on any given year one family gets Easter + Christmas and the other gets 4th of July + New Years. This year we got to spend a great week in Wisconsin with Ben's family for the 4th, so we also headed there to celebrate Thanksgiving a little early due to some work issues.

Generally when we visit now, we don't do a ton of tourist-y things, so I don't have a ton of pictures. Here's what I did end up capturing:

[Our airport wait & a beautiful shot of Chicago as we came in for our landing.]

 

[Yummy treats you can only get in South Bend - Hot Chocolate from SB Chocolate Company + Powdered donuts from Rise & Roll.]

 

[Thanksgiving dinner was filled with plaid, turkey, & spending time with the cutest nephew].

  

[Bonus photos: SB got 7" inches of snow while we were there + we had Thai food!]

 

Overall, it's always nice to visit when we can. We love when we can fly because we get to spend a lot more time with them rather than in the car. We are already looking forward to our next visit! :)

GIFT IDEA: Thanksgiving Trail Mix

Over the past couple of years, I've come to find that I really enjoy putting together gifts for the people around me. I think it sparked from when I was wedding planning and wanting to pay back my bridesmaids for dealing with me - ha! With Thanksgiving being this week, I knew I needed to give a little something to the people in my hallway at school. I have had a pretty tough semester. Between personal and family illnesses, Nessie moving in, stress, etc. I'm sure that on more than one occasion my co-workers were like WOAH, CALM DOWN.

When I was browsing Facebook here recently I saw a friend of mine post that she made this yummy looking trail mix for her family, and I knew right away that was what I wanted to do for my co-workers. It was cute, yummy, and super easy!

  

I also gave them all mini cards [cards I cut into four], and even with those I only spent $10! Happy Thanksgiving week!!

FASHION: November Additions

I have never claimed to be a fashionista. I find myself trying to put together "cute enough" outfits for my business-professional job. With that said, I do like certain things and find myself drawn to certain pieces or looks. I thought rather than trying to keep up with "What I Wore" posts, or something of that nature, I would go ahead and put together posts with items that I've added to my wardrobe each month. This month I've added the following pieces: 

  

[Boyfriend Tee $4.50]                          [Quilted Green Coat $20]                          [Plaid Button Up $18]

• I have spent the better part of six months looking for the perfect white t-shirt to wear under cardigans or button ups. I was thrilled to find this white, boyfriend tee on sale to fit the bill.
• I got this quilted coat as an option to wear on a day-to-day basis. I liked it because it is longer and pairs well with boots and jeans!
• I picked out the plaid button up, because honestly, I have never had a plaid button up. I thought it was about time to grab one up.

  

[2-Tone Quilted Sweatshirt $4.50]                          [Collared Black Cardigan $12]                          [2-Tone 3/4 Sleeve Tee $4.50]

• I picked out this 2-tone sweatshirt because it was light weight and neutral toned. I thought it would pair nicely with jeans or skinny dress pants and boots.
• I'm a sweater girl. Enough said.
• I really loved the green of this t-shirt, which is why I decided to pick it up.

As I'm sure you are surprised, I purchased all of these items at Old Navy. I spent a total of $63.50.

When your Heart hurts

I wasn't sure if I would address this on the blog or not. I'm not sure how "political" I want to get on here, considering everybody is a politician these days. Seriously, about 98% of my Facebook friends think they're expert at foreign policy and relations. Well, I am not an expert. I won't pretend that I am. On the contrary, I am a human. I am a human with strong ties to France, with the strongest being to Paris. With that said, it has also taken me a few days to collect my thoughts to say what I want to say.

When I was a senior in high school, I participated in a French-exchange program at my high school. A group of about 30 of us hosted as many students from a school in Châteaubriant, France. They stayed with us for about two weeks over Halloween 2006, and in March 2007, we went to stay with them. Châteaubriant is about 3.5 hours from Paris, so naturally we traveled to various cities with Paris being one of them. I was given the opportunity to stay with a loving family and see some of the most beautiful parts of the world. The pictures below are when I saw my host sister, Elodie, in 2007 and 2010.

 

If you have followed me and what I've been doing for a while now, you know that I also studied abroad in Carpi, Italy during 2010. [Here is the blog from that experience]. Once my Maymester was over, I hopped over to France to see Elodie and my family's old foreign-exchange student, Patrice. For more summers than I can remember when I was growing up, Patrice came to stay with us. So many of my childhood memories include him; from going to Worlds of Fun, to visiting family, and so much more. Below are pictures of Patrice and me from 2010, and then again when he came for my wedding in 2014. Patrice lives in Paris.

 

Knowing so many people who live within just a few hours [if not minutes] of where all of these things are happening scares me. I haven't really been able to watch the news or read much about what is going on because it leads me to tears. So many people that I have such fond memories of, people who I love in this life, are in harms way and that makes my heart hurt. Thankfully, those that I know are safe. Thankfully, Patrice was out of the city visiting his mother. Thankfully.

 

Today, I keep Paris, France and Beirut, Lebanon in my heart.

Breakfast in KC (Stop 10/16)

For our 10th stop on our Brunch Journey, Ben and I took his mom to The Classic Cup. The Classic Cup wasn't originally on the list, but when we had heard some things about Blue Bird Bistro, we decided to switch this one up. We had both been a long time ago, and thought we would check it out again when his mom was here!

To start, we went the Saturday of the Plaza Art Fair. We were worried about getting a table at first, but we were able to get online and book a reservation from down the street (haha) and got to skip the line of people waiting outside. Silly, people. We were very excited about the food and experience to start with because my brother has a friend who has worked there for a very long time. Sadly, he wasn't there to wait on us, and sadly, our experience and food were both fairly poor.

I started out the meal with juice. Normally I would have coffee, but with the nice weather and the Art Fair, I don't know, something came over me! I ordered my typical Eggs Benedict. [I've kind of decided that it is most fair to judge the different restaurants by ordering the same thing at each one unless there is something that REALLY jumps out at me on the menu].

  

Ben ordered a breakfast combination plate, while Lynne ordered an order of their French Toast. This is where things became problematic. While my food was quite good and Ben's food was decent, Lynne's food was a disaster. Somehow in the kitchen they had over-baked the baguettes being used for the french toast dishes. Even using a knife, they were so hard that she couldn't eat them. The waitress was very nice and offered an explanation and replacement, but Lynne declined because at that point she was just ready to go. The management did comp her meal in the end. As a side note, Ben ordered ham with his meal and was given bacon - not a huge deal, but also not what he ordered.

 

While it wasn't my meal that wasn't great, it still put a damper on the experience. Lynne has only been to Kansas City a few times, and we were disappointed that a place we had spoken so highly of delivered such lack-luster results.

With all of that said, I'd give The Classic Cup a 6.5/10. I will say, I do think if we had gone on a different day, this score may have been different as well.

For fun, a photo of us with Ben's mom while she was visiting us in late September!

Breakfast in KC (Stop 9/16)

With the blog hiatus there for a while, I wasn't sure if Ben and I would continue our "Best Brunches in KC" adventure. Thankfully, my wonderful husband knew that going to new places with him is one of my favorite things to do, thus making life a little less stressful sometimes. With that, we continued going to places off our of brunch list. Here is a reminder of brunch spots on the list, with the ratings for places we have already visited:

1. You Say Tomato

2. Julian

3. Beer Kitchen (Michael's graduation)

4. Blue Stem

5. Happy Gillis

6. 12 Baltimore

7. Genessee Royale (9/10)

8. Blue Bird Bistro Classic Cup

9. The Farmhouse (9/10)

10. The Corner Restaurant (9.5/10)

11. Succotash (7/10)

12. Eggtc. (Post-wedding family brunch)

13. Room 39 (6.5/10)

14. Westport Cafe and Bar (8/10)

15. Chezelle Creperie and Coffee House (9/10)

16. Harvey's at Union Station (6/10)

For stop nine, we visited Eggtc. We had previously visited Eggtc. on the day after our wedding, but we decided to go back because when we went for the family brunch that day, we ate a buffet style breakfast. We thought it would be worth checking out again to get the Sunday-brunch experience.

We went to Eggtc. just a few days after my stint in the hospital. We went on a whim, not really knowing where we were going. We ended up having to wait almost an hour for a table. Yikes!! Once we were seated, I ordered Eggs Benedict - my favorite. Ben ordered the Southwestern Benny, which is a "biscuit topped with sausage patty, scrambled eggs and chorizo gravy," and a pankcake on the side because he couldn't decide what he actually wanted.

I was pretty pleased with the meal that I had. The ham was in think slices, the eggs were cooked correctly, and the potatoes that came with were delcious! Ben also enjoyed the non-traditional take on a classic dish. I just liked that it had Benny in the name! :)

 
 

Overall, Ben and I felt like we got good service and that the food was pretty good.  Based on that, the wait time, etc. we give Eggtc. an 8/10. With that said, it will always hold a special place in our hearts thanks to its' roll in our wedding festivities. :)

Recipe: Pumpkin Spice Muffins

I know, for me personally, the holiday season is one of my favorite times of the year! I love holiday get togethers, food, and DESSERTS! Usually, pie is a great go-to sweet... but what if you don't like pie? What if you like cake or muffins??

Last spring for teacher appreciation week, our secretary made delicious Pumpkin Spice Muffins. That same day I e-mailed her and asked her for the recipe. Just a few weeks ago, I got around to finally buying the stuff to make them at home. Today, I share this recipe with you because you should also have your life changed by these delicious treats!

Here's what you need:

• 1 box Spice cake mix
• 1 can Pumpkin

Seriously... that's all you need! How cool, right?

Here's what you do:

• Mix the Spice cake mix and the can of Pumpkin together
• Bake at 350 for 40 minutes

Seriously... that's all you do.

You can mix it up by melting butter over the top. When we had them at school, Maggie had done that and topped it with oats for texture. Ben put honey on his. I've also heard adding cinnamon chips is a delicious addition. Really, though, I like them just plain too!

 

Do you have any easy, yummy dessert that are perfect for upcoming Thanksgiving??

New Roommates

I swear that I made up a calendar. I swear that I scheduled out posts to type up and publish on certain days for the rest of the month of November. I swear I did. Then life happened. Work happened. Taking care of a home happened... I've been debating in my mind for about a month now if I should or should not write this blog post. What do I say? How do I explain? Upon reflection though, my life has taken a huge turn, and I feel it's only fair to share that with you. A month ago on November 9th, my 14-year-old cousin moved to Kansas City to live with Ben and me. Things weren't going well for her at home, and this was the best option.

Can I be honest? I love Venesia so much, but being thrown into raising a child when they're 14 is rough. We are so glad she is here. I cannot express to you how much we wanted to do this, to have her here, but we are all still learning. I've never been any type of parent before, I'm not HER parent, and it's hard to JUST START PARENTING when just one day before that you weren't a "parent." We're growing together now, which is hard. We've had to crack down on her for homework, deal with her emotional reactions to those consquences, and hold her when she's upset and just needs to be loved on. I've cried in my car on the way to or from work I don't know how many times so that I wasn't doing it at home, I've confided in coworkers and friends, and I've been angry. We're growing though.

While it's hard, I'm having fun with her quirks, her weird accents that she practices for her theatre class, movie nights, talking about boys, and eating pizza in front of the TV because the Royals were about to win the World Series. I'm only a month in and I know that taking care of this child has already changed me in so many ways to make me better - a better parent (for her and my future biological children), a better teacher, a better human. I try to savor these happy moments because I know I am destined to worry about her every second of every day for the rest of my existence now. I also know that things will be harder (and easier) than they are on this day.

I am not Venesia's mother, nor will I ever be her mother. I love her though, and we're growing together.

 

Education: Standards-Based Grading

After attending the Bea McGarvey Grading Symposium in September, I hinted that I was interested in making changes to my grading practices. With the support of my administrators and a pocket of teachers already on this track, I made the switch to a modified version of Standards-Based Grading.

For those of you not in the education field, I'm sure that you're wondering why I would be posting this on my personal blog, right? It is my thought that being an educator is a large part of who I am. It is the foundation of a lot of things about me. With that said, I thought I'd share a little bit of information about the switch I made, and then explain why I made it.

WHAT IS STANDARDS-BASED GRADING?
SBG is “a system of reporting student proficiency in a number of specific learning goals (or standards). Rather than give students one grade on a test that assessed multiple skills, this system gives students a number of scores that represent their proficiency in each of the skills assessed. The idea is that at the end of the class a student has mastered the essential content necessary for the next level. You are focused on knowledge, not on points.”

WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
In the grade book, assignments will be listed with the specific standard that they address. For example:

                          RL10.7 - Technology Exit Ticket

This means that the Technology Exit Ticket addressed Reading Literature standard 7 for 10th graders, which states:

Analyze the representation of a subject or a key scene in two different artistic mediums, including what is emphasized or absent in each treatment.


HOW DOES THE GRADING WORK?
Students are will receive a score of 1-4, with the scores meaning the following -
4: The student demonstrates an in-depth understanding of the material by completing advanced applications of the material.
3: The student has mastered the complex, targeted knowledge and skills for the class.
2: The student understands the foundational material that supports the targeted learning, but is still working to master the complex material for the class.
1: The student is able to demonstrate an understanding of the foundational material for the class with help from the teacher, but still struggles when working independently.


WHY ARE THE GRADES PERCENTAGES?
Because our PowerSchool grade book is not set up to handle SBG, we use a modified percentage conversion. Students’ scores will be entered as follows:
- 4 = 100%
- 3 = 89%
- 2 = 77%
- 1 = 65%

WHY DID I MAKE THIS CHANGE?

I decided to make the switch to SBG in my Special Education classroom, because I wanted to place a focus on what the kids CAN do versus what they maybe can't. In my opinion, it makes SENSE to base my instruction on the standards that students are expected to learn. It helps gear my units toward the end goal, and it has helped me to make my assignments more authentic and effective.

Recipe: Lemon Brussel Sprouts

 

Today, I have for you guys a quick, easy brussel sprout recipe. I realize that not everyone is a huge fan (when I googled brussel sprouts, the top auto-search option was "Why do brussel sprouts smell like farts?"), but in our household, we really like them. Living near a Sprouts, we are lucky that we have access to reasonably priced produce all year round. Normally, during the summer, we will buy produce at the City Market, but Sprouts offers a great alternative.

LEMON BRUSSEL SPROUTS

Ingredients:

• 2lbs of fresh brussel sprouts
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup lemon juice
• Salt to taste
• Pepper to taste

Directions:

• Start out by cutting all of your brussel sprouts in half. I choose to do this from top to bottom.
• Place sprouts into a large saute pan.
• Dress sprouts with 1/2 cup vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.
• Let cook on high for 5 minutes.
• Add 1 cup lemon juice. Stir to distribute.
• Cover pan and let cook for 20* minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so.
• Serve warm.

*Your cook time may vary based on your preference of texture.

Royals WIN the World Series

No matter what city you reside in, if you're a baseball fan, you've been hearing about the Kansas City Royals. Currently, the Royals have been playing in the World Series for the second year in a row. Following a heartbreaking, Game 7 loss last year, they rallied back, defied all projected odds, and made it back to the World Series to claim the crown that we all thought should have been ours.

Growing up, the only option as a member of my family was to be a sports fan. I went to my first Royals game at 13 days old, we have Chiefs season tickets, and in the past we've had season tickets to various Kansas City teams. Nothing compares to that of the post season, I have found though. The life in our city during October these past couple of years is like no other feeling.

Attending my first post-season game this year has been one of the most fun parts about it, but watching games with friends, cheering loudly from home, and adding to my Royals wardrobe have been fun too! Here are some of my favorite shots from this post-season:

 

 

  

Between attending Game 5 of the ALDS, supporting the Royals at the Chiefs games, going to a Game 2 World Series watch party at Union Station, the city being DECKED OUT in blue, and the boys on this team never giving up late in the game, this has been one of the greatest sports seasons of my life. GO ROYALS!!!! WORLD CHAMPIONS!!!!