Wait....What? I still have a blog?!

Goodness gracious!  Long time no see.  I guess it's about time I dust off this keyboard and get back to blogging!

Guess I shouldn't try to update everything all at once, otherwise this will start to sound/look like one of those Christmas update letters.  Which I apparently only rated a sentence in this year....Guess thats what happens when you live 1,300 miles from your mother.  (Love ya Momma!)

In the interest of brevity today is a puppy post!

 Sandor The Hound came to live with us in June of this year....He's the cutest pup ever!

Sandor, 8 weeks old, June 2014

He's a White German Shepherd.  No, he isn't albino. He's white.  Yes, he is a full german shepherd.

He came to us from Rolling Oaks Shepherds.  He's adorable and amazing and the best puppy ever.  

Spent my summer break hanging out with him and doing the typical puppy thing.  Which I have to admit, I never realized was so dang hard!  That first week we were up every 2 hours through the night and he had trouble sleeping in his crate without someone sleeping on the floor beside him.  

Most of my afternoons looked like this.

Once school started back up lounging at the park was reserved for weekends.  We also began hiking much more to wear the little guy out.  

And then he grew....

August 2014,  4 months

 And grew....

September 2014, 5 months

 And grew.....

October 2014, 6 months

 And grew a bit more.....

November 2014, 7 months

 And is now a 60lb monster.

Comparison to the coming home shot...December 2014, 8 months

Happy Holidays!

Maybe I'll be back again soon!  At least I hope so.  :)

- Jen

It's Been a While!!

Holy Cow!  I've been MIA for MONTHS!  And boy do I have some updates!

I should be updating a bit more this next couple of weeks, so look for posts about the following!

I got a Spring Fling VoxBox!  Woohoo!  I'll tell you all about it and about the AMAZING products inside!

I started (and am finishing this week) my first Grad School class!  Woah!  (thus the busyness!)

I've read a gazillion new books!  I'll have a BUNCH of book reviews to post in the upcoming weeks.

I also had a really cool book club experience, thanks to a local author!

I've done some cooking and baking lately, so I'll update with a few of those recipes as well!

I went on a Spring Break Vacation to Tucson!  It was fantastic and I'll have a bajillion pictures to share!

I got a Fitbit!  I'll tell you all about it and how it's helping me be more accountable for my activeness each day!

That's all for the moment, look for the Voxbox update later today, and the rest are still to come!!

Silence for Sandy Hook

New Influenster!

The awesome website influenster has had a makeover!

I'm loving their new layout.  It is much more intuitive and it much easier to navigate.

I'm especially loving the happenings tab, which fills you in on all of the current VoxBoxes and other awesome updates!

If you aren't already an influenster member definitely head over and check it out, it's a whole new world over there and I'm loving it!

http://www.influenster.com/

Book Review- Death Benefit

I just finished reading Death Benefit by Robin Cook.

Robin Cook is one of my very favorite authors.  He inspired my love of reading as a young adult, I remember getting my first book written by him in middle school and feeling so cool because it was one of the "adult" books at the book fair!  I've read almost every book he's written.  Several more than once.  I haven't read one of his books in probably 5 years, so this was a good change!

Here is the on-line description:

Pia Grazdani is an exceptional yet aloof medical student working closely with Columbia University Medical Center's premier scientist on cutting edge research that could revolutionize health care by creating replacement organs for critically ill patients. Through her work with the brilliant molecular geneticist Dr. Tobias Rothman, Pia knows she will be given the chance to fulfill her ambition to participate in medical discoveries that can help millions while bringing her a measure of personal peace that might once and for all push aside memories of her difficult and abusive childhood. But when tragedy strikes in the lab, Pia, with the help of infatuated classmate George Wilson, must investigate an unforeseen calamity in the hospital's supposedly secure biosafety lab.

Meanwhile, two ex-Wall Street whiz-kids think they have found another loadstone in the nation?s multitrillion-dollar life insurance industry. They race to find ways to control actuarial data and securitize the policies of the aged and infirm to make another killing. As Pia and George dig deeper into the events at the lab, one question remains unanswered: Is someone attempting to manipulate private insurance information to allow investors to benefit from the deaths of others?

The book had a slow start, but once I got into it, I read it pretty quickly.  It didn't get as into the medical side as many of his books do, but it still had some good snippets.  It also had a small cameo by Jack Stapleton and Laurie Montgomery, two of Cooks best repeat characters.  

I give the book an 8/10.  It didn't have as much of the medical drama as his usual books, but it was still sucks you in and you have to keep reading to find out where it goes.  I also felt that it ended a bit abruptly, I could have used a couple more chapters to fill out the conclusion.  

Menu Planning Monday (On a Tuesday!)

Here is my menu for the week with Links to the recipes I'll be using!


Tuesday- Roasted Sausage, Potatoes and Veggies from SkinnyTaste
  This is one of our favorite weeknight meals!  Super yummy and easy to make!  Just some chop chopping and then toss it in the oven!  I use small red potatoes and I use different flavored sausages depending on our mood!


Wednesday- White Chicken Enchiladas with Refried Jalapeño Black Beans from Joyful Momm's Kitchen
  This is super yummo!  We don't make it often because it's not super healthy and you end up eating the whole pan because it's so good!  I'll probably add a big of spice to the chicken mixture just to make it a bit more flavorful!


Thursday- Grilled Cheese and Soup from Me!
   Just a basic grilled cheese, bread and american cheese toasted!  And Trader Joes roasted red pepper soup, Yum!


Friday- Pan Seared Pork Chop with Pomegranate Red Wine Sauce from Bree at SkinnyMommy!
  This is a new one, so I'm excited to try it out!  I'll be making it with Sweet Potatoes!  

Made It Monday!

So excited to be linking up with Tara at 4th Grade Frolics for the Made It Monday Linky!

As I'm sure you've seen ALL over the internet the next big thing in the teaching world is the Teacher Toolbox!  I have an issue keeping organized and neat, so I'm hoping by having one it will keep my desk from becoming a bottomless pit.  

My classroom is a Jungle/Safari theme, so I went with the zebra print mini-tape and the super cute little animal stickers! 

I am loving this color combo!

For my non-school project I made a birthday present for my Mom!  I'm so excited about it, but since I'm not sending it to her until the end of the week, I don't want to ruin the surprise!!  I'll have to link up again next week!

So that is my first Monday Made It!  I'm so excited to have joined in!  A big Thank You to Tara for hosting!