Oh What Do You Do In the Blizzard-time?

I discovered something interesting about myself this past week. I actually really enjoy being at home. Don't get me wrong, it was a huge relief to actually leave the house on Thursday after (literally) staying inside all day on Wednesday. But while all my friends seemed to be going a little crazy, I was really enjoying myself. Cooking... painting...crocheting (or at least prepping to crochet and looking for my crochet hook...)... plenty of movies & reading... This may have something to do with not loving my job these days, but being able to spend days on end NOT doing work was really refreshing. Here are a few of the ways that I spent my Snow Week:

Jillian Michaels' 30 Day Shred DVD. Ouch.

Crocheted Round Rug. Check out the link for a kind of unique project to crochet. You start by cutting or ripping about 9 yards of fabric. The instructions here tell you to use t-shirts, but I just bought a couple super cheap twin flat sheets from IKEA that work great.

and...

A Couple Recipes I Tried.

Roasted Red Pepper & Feta Dip.
This is what I made for our (all-girl) Super Bowl party. That seems like forever ago at this point, but that's just because The Game was at the beginning of the Snow Week. The past several days are pretty much a blur. With this recipe, I used bottled roasted red peppers instead of roasting my own, and they worked fabulously and I left out the olive oil completely. And to be honest I'm not sure how much of any of the ingredients I put in (I'm not very good at using measuring cups when I cook). But this is a good jumping off point at least.

Butternut Squash Ravioli with Sage Cream Sauce
I used a butternut squash ravioli that I found in Costco's refrigerated section, but you could definitely make your own pasta as well if you're feeling really adventurous. I added caramelized onions as well, which was delish.

What's In a Name?

The clever folks over at the Washington Post Capital Weather Gang have been taking polls to name the storms of this past week. The Friday - Saturday storm was affectionately (?) dubbed Snowmageddon (although I prefer Snowpocalypse). And Snowmageddon it was. Grocery stores were jam-packed Thursday and Friday in preparation for the predicted dumping. People were stocking up on flour, sugar, eggs, any milk-based product and produce. You couldn't find a banana to save your life. The storm hit as promised, dumping something like 24" of snow at our house and more in other parts of the area. And after a 3-hour DCPS-is-still-requiring-us-to-go-to-school-on-Monday scare, the Mayor announced that the school system would be closed and I was able to enjoy my Super Bowl party in peace.

After a truly fabulous Snow Day (the first in years), we got another one on Tuesday. And then Wednesday, for storm #2. I've actually kept prety sane until now, but I'm sure the stircrazycabinfever will set in soon. Just found out we're out again tomorrow (not surprising considering the roads outside), which means with the Presidents Day holiday, I won't go back to work again til Tuesday. Awesome.

My car. I thought the December storm was bad, but we (literally) reached new heights with this one.

Not my car, thank goodness. Luckily the tree didn't seem to do much damage.

Favorite picture of the week.

The latest storm's name? Snowverkill.

Pictures to come as soon as I'm brave enough to go outside.

The Waiting Game

A couple weeks ago I was sitting in my classroom at lunch and decided to blog about the most exciting change in my life right now ... applying to grad school. I had composed a paragraph or two about "the waiting game" before some kids came in to make up some work, so I put off the blog until I got home.

Upon arrival at home, I promptly forgot about the blog because there was a big white envelope waiting for me in the mailbox. Not a mission call, but my first acceptance letter! I'm still waiting on a couple schools, but I'm feeling a lot better about things with a letter in hand. :)

So here's the plan. I'm not sure yet where I'll end up going, but I will be starting a Masters of Public Administration program sometime in July or August. That means quitting my current job (shhh, don't tell my boss yet) so I can either move to a new city or focus on school / internships.


If you care to vote, here are the schools. I'd love to hear your comments.