Iced Yum

  Okay, so I am kind of biased when it comes to "Iced Coffee"...well Coffee in general. I give all the credit to working at Caribou Coffee for 2 years in college. Being a teacher, a Kindergarten teacher more specifically, I think coffee will forever be a permanent word in my vocabulary; arguably one of my middle names even. Although, I have learned a mass amount of useful information from working with the 'Bou Crew...all of which I argue is of great value. However,  I have been weened off it over the past few years due to my move south.
    I am still completely infatuated with Caribou and think their drip coffee is a standard other coffee roasters should strive for. Talk about withdrawal when moved to SW-Iowa. Closest Caribou OR Starbucks (hiss) is a blasted 40 miles away. I have had to grow accustomed to gasp, gas station coffee...at times, and only from Kum & Go...well now Casey's because we even got rid of that. I still have mad skills when deciphering and discussing good and appropriate coffee. Living in a small town, I have come to love the 'local' shops the best...they are usually pretty legit on their coffee specialties (shout out to The Sanctuary here in town).
   This leads me to my purpose of posting, (not just to more so reveal my obsession with Coffee). I wanted to make an iced coffee/latte from home, that was low in calories and pretty comparable to that of my dear coffee shop. Granted, the following recipe is the only one I have tried, I am sure there are more delightful ones out there...as for me, I like this one and I will continue to tweak it as my taste-buds see fit.


Ingredients:

* = more or less or none

-1/4 or 1/2 cup of Vanilla soy milk
-1 1/2 cup of Coffee (place in freezer for 15min. after brewing)
-1tbsp. Vanilla
-2tsp. of Truvia sweetener *
-1tbsp. sugar free Carmel (flavoring) *
-1tbsp. unsweetened Cocoa Powder

Directions:
-blend together (add ice cubes in blending if desired)
-pour over ice
-ENJOY!

Go light on the Sugar Free to avoid Aspartame....Truvia does not have any. This is a healthy iced coffee, clearly not zero calories....but less than even the iced lattes at Caribou. BOOM.

Holding on...

My Love for you won’t walk out, 

fail, or ever come to an end. 

 (Deut. 31:8)

 ********

*Today my mind is getting in the way of being receptive to the Word. To letting it sink in and penetrate my heart and soul. I want His words to be written on my heart (Psalm 40:8). A deep struggle of mine is fully grasping, accepting, and understanding that God is 100% for me and Loves me at all times. That nothing changes that, no matter how horrible, ridiculous, or passive I am. It is not about me, it is about Him. I fear if I let my guard down to vulnerability and hope, I will be left and rejected. As if I am striving to be accepted by God; forgetting that I cannot earn grace and that I am already accepted by Him. In the Bible it says His love is constant, He is for me, He remains faithful even in my unfaithfullness. Although I am fleeting in my thoughts and decisions and acceptance...He is not. Have I ever truly accepted this and trusted this? I want to, and I need to. God's word is unchanging and His love is steadfast...I need to grab on to that, white-knuckled and all.

 ******** 

He is alive and real and present. Although my feelings may change, or my thoughts tell me otherwise...he is ever present and FOR ME!

      

Sticky Fingers

    I decided to put one of my Pinterest pins from my "Scrummy-Snacks/Sweets" board to use. (Making it Happen) mind you. What a perfect day to do so. Rainy, yet at the same time humid. It was also a perfect day to bake because my friend Kat brought over "Little Mikey" this super cool kiddo she was baby-sitting for the day. His parents are pretty neat and he is ridiculously adorable.

    We baked "Banana-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip" cookies...and they were a mouthful to eat just like the tittle is to say. Having a 4 year old be in major control of the baking process was tedious and entertaining to say the least. "I am going to have 1 cookie, and then 2 more cookies too." After every single ingredient dumping, Mikey thought it necessary to not only lick his fingers; but to help out and get rid of the remaining ingredients off of the utensils...every so savory this child is. Needless to say, Mikey put a lot of work into these cookies. 

Cookies!

 If you are interested in making these delicious "Banana-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip" cookies, here are the ingredients...I differed from the original recipe on Pinterest...I used real banana's instead of banana pudding mix; great choice.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
3-4 ripe bananas
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350˚ F.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, combine the butter and peanut butter. Beat on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1-2 minutes. Add in the granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, baking powder and bananas. Beat till combined. Beat in the egg and vanilla till combined. Add the flour (slowly) and mix.. Add in the chocolate chips gently with a spatula.
Drop small rounds of dough onto the baking sheets, spacing about 1 inch apart. Bake 6-8 minutes, or until just barely turning brown. The cookies may seem soft immediately after coming out of the oven but they will set as they cool. Let cool on the baking sheets about 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Makes approximately 2 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Give Me 5

Handprints...each one is unique just like the person who they belong to. I have always loved little hand & foot prints. My first class last year put their hand prints on a bookshelf that is now in my classroom. Each holiday I incorporate a project that involves their hands. It was only fitting that there was an end of the year 'hand-print' picture too.

Purpose: 

As a class we discussed the importance of being a class who respects one another, "We are a family" one of my students said. I had a notebook and I told the class that I was going to say a students name and as a class we were going to say encouraging and meaningful words that came to mind about that specific friend in the class. The kiddos loved it, and the things they said about one another were heart-warming. In a class (even Kindergarten) some are better friends than others...but they all had kind words to say to one another. 

This group of kiddos are caring and kind learners. :)

Supplies:

*Construction paper

*Washable paint

*Black sharpie marker

*Photo of each student (we had stickers from the school)

*Glue

I included the project in an 'Envelope Gift' for each of my Kinder-Kiddos. 

KinderGarten

     I finished my 2nd year as a Kindergarten teacher here in Shenandoah on May 23rd. This past year has been one of great blessings. My 2012-13 class has impacted me both professionally and personally...all for the better. Looking back on the past year; it is difficult to express in words how precious and priceless my group is (thankful to a classroom blog I have that were able to capture some of those moments and share with the parents). At the beginning of the year I dearly missed my 1st class of kiddos. However, although I still hold my 1st class close to my heart; this 2nd batch, my heart quickly made room for them and I will truly cherish the moments forever.

The K-family

    It is the little things in teaching, the moments that are brushed by -unnoticed at times, smiled or waved away in-between those 'lessons'- that create such raw and true moments. My kiddos this year were sponges who soaked in what they were learning. They wanted more, they wanted the why, the how, the who, when, and yes, even the what. Above that, the were interested in each other and concerning feelings and thoughts.
    We became a family...so much more than just a room of 20 students and 1 teacher. They care about one another and even though have arguments (they are only 5 &6) they truly enjoyed each others company and learning with one another. I rarely heard sounds of despair when I mentioned we were doing the Daily 5 or Math Centers...success on the teacher part. The left reading and adding and with the confidence that although things are hard at times...they are encouraged to dream anything and work hard.

Our countdown paper chain...each child is important just like each chain link.

    Some of my fondest memories are spawned from,  "Oh! Miss Samuels I JUST had this great idea!!" "Mommy! I mean, oh Miss....Ah!!! I can't figure out who you are!" :) They are too adorable. Each morning they would come into the classroom talking to one another...some coming straight towards me with a list of comments, concerns and questions (yes the hand did have to go up and tell them to return to their seats and wait for me to come to them). As one child freezes with mouth opens and backs up to his seat to sit down...this class was usually able to redirect quite quickly.  Yes there were many times of redirection, discussions on appropriate times to talk, and practicing good listening skills. They are young and they need reminders...just like me. The look in their eyes when they were 'caught' or 'stopped' instant remorse or realization quickly replaced with the look of relief and determination to try better the next time; most often. Ha ha.
    Hugs from my dear ones are the best...they can mend any bad day or hurt heart. The picture below is a class picture that was taken at the beginning of the school year. This is one of my favorites, because it shows our Mustang pride (home of the Mustangs & Fillies) it was during Homecoming week...and it has 2 kiddos in it that moved away before the end of the school year. We had a total of 4 students move from our class this year...and it was a big deal for each one. We continued to call their spot by their name and say, "so-&-so is with another K-family"...they were so concerned about one another. :)

  With summer here they left me with a hug knowing they would see me throughout the summer and encouraged to come back and visit me as they were confident "1st Graders".

This SoutWest

My view as I am posting :)

    My afternoon took a turn for some physical productiveness after leaving the aroma of coffee and library with a few novels tucked into my 31 bag. I was sitting on the patio; a place I have truly become to embrace the past few weeks (oddly, I neglected it last year). Needless to say, I decided that since I had no plans for the day I would go on a 'little bike-ride'.
    Here in SouthWest Iowa, a bike ride most usually consists of traveling on the Wabash Trace; outfitted with dirt paths and old wooden railroad bridges. I had initial plans to ride to the 2nd road..about 3 miles out...round trip of a total 6 miles. However, in the back of my mind I thought...why not just bike all the way to the Emerald Isle (located in Imogene if you looked at the Wabash Trace map)? It was a rather daring thought; 8 miles of gravel and up-hill...alone, with no phone (don't read this mom). However, my casual ride had turned into a work-out, I have biked the route many times last year (emphasis needed) and felt the motivation to do it today.  I was cruisin' on my set of wheels...feeling the burn. It was a great ride, the weather was fabulous, sun shining, tractors planting, birds chirping, I even caught a scent of lilacs (thank you Lord).
   

only 2 stops while cruising

     Upon arriving, I shakily walked in and straight up to the bar. "Large water please". I felt accomplished, and kind of liked that I had done it all alone. "Just out cruising for the afternoon" was how I said it. Kind of silly because there were actual "bikers" (vroom vroom) eating in the restaurant too. I chatted with the owner's for a little bit and then I was on my way.

     The ride back was a little less intense then the ride there, but 1/2 way I was wishing I had eaten a fuller lunch. :) Needless to say, I enjoy looking at SouthWest Iowa from the view of the Trace and crossing those old wooden railroad bridges.

Ahhh...the aroma of coffee beans...

  Saturday morning coffee-time at 'The Sanctuary'. I woke up this morning to a sunny/breezy day with the assurance that it would soon turn humid as the sun beat down. Most morning I awake wondering what to do, sometimes I end up going back to sleep. Not today! I am MAKING IT HAPPEN.

I packed up my bag and walked the 4 blocks to, 'The Sanctuary', ordered a cup of coffee, opened up my MAC (in which I will be returning to the school in 6 days) and logged onto "Blogger". After staring at the blank screen for what seemed like minutes, I poured some cream into my coffee (shamelessly because of my past of 'just black coffee') and started typing. I made 3 entry's on my school blog; with a completion of uploading pictures. After 4 months of 'update blog' on my To-Do lists, it finally happened! (MADE IT HAPPEN)...although I still have about 4 more posts to go until i am completely caught up. I even created a poem to send with my Kinder turned 1st graders on their last day of school next Thursday.  This was a huge accomplishment, I am going to include a hand-print of theirs and some pictures.
    Poem:

-->

Kindergarten, Kindergarten has been fun.

Kindergarten, Kindergarten is over and done.

Learning, laughing, sharing, and growing.

You sure have grown throughout the year.

Learning different things without any fear.

I've enjoyed being your teacher, you are so dear.

Make sure you come and visit me next year.

:)

You leave this classroom glowing and knowing.

Keep that smile, you will be a 1^st grader in a little while.

**With 2 cups of coffee down, 6% battery life yet, and a growing crowd of well dressed Saturday morning lunch goers...I think I am going to pack up and head out. It is 12:22, and I am sure the sun is ready to use my body to radiate heat off of. I shall stop by the library, pick up some books, and visit the local paper shop...I wish I could say this is a typical Saturday...not so much...but like the quote goes... "drive out nails with nails...habit drives out habits" (something like that***

-Although I am alone, I will try not to be lonely...there is plenty to do today-

:)