Mini Vacation!

4th day off from work! One more day to go! Sweet! I started my mini vacation last Wednesday at one of my favorite places...the hair salon! There are so many little joys at the salon...the anticipation of a new fabulous do, the massage when they rinse your hair (I taught Shawn how to do this!!), the warm dryer over your cold hair...anyways...I absolutely love my cut and color. Check out pics down below!

I baked up a storm Wednesday night. Actually, I baked up to much of a storm..I was up until 2 baking! As usual, when I go out, I go alllllllllll the way out and took on a little too much. After I baked 3 (yes 3!) cakes, I ended up decorating only 1 of them. It took a good 3 hours..I make the icing from scratch. But, I was very happy w/ the result...I think it turned out super cute! I didn't have the pattern for the turkeys so I had to modify (ooohhh Shawn would be so proud!). I stuck toothpicks through a big and mini marshmellow and attached it to the side of the cake and then covered them with brown icing. They were actually supposed to have little orange feet and beaks and little feathers...but I very much ran out of steam at 2am! The cake made it to dinner pretty okay...only one turkey lost his head somewhere...he he he...Shawn may find a chocolate marshmellow somewhere under the seat this week. Oh can you imagine his expression!!!

I had a fantastic Thanksgiving with Shawn and his family! We arrived at 4:15 (yes, an hour and 15 minutes late because of me...explanation below). Shawn's sister, Stacie, was able to come up from Orlando and his grandmother is living with his parents so we had a full table. I found out that I actually like squash! Especially when it has cinnamon and marshmellows on top :-) We ate and then all went into turkey comas! I almost fell asleep on their couch!

I've been getting horrible migraines the last 6 or 7 days. I'm changing over some medication and I think that might have something to do with it...So, I did oversleep on my nap on Thanksgiving!

Shawn and I spent a wonderful day together. We went down to Atlantic Station at 9:30 this morning and went to two exhibits: In the Dark and Bodies. We started at In the Dark. It was wild! You have to put all your stuff in lockers and then they give you a cane. You are put in groups of 10 and you have a guide throughout the experience. You walked through different rooms in complete darkness!! And I mean COMPLETE darkness..you can't even see your hand in front of your face. You have to feel around, using all your other senses, and discover where you are. It was absolutely amazing to feel so alone and be so unsure of where you are. It's really supposed to help you imagine what it's like for a visually impaired person and our guide, we found out, is actually blind. At the end, you sit with her and ask questions and discuss the experience. I highly recommend this! Then we went on to the Bodies exhibit. Many of my friends and fam expressed their distaste for this exhibit, but I found it fascinating. I recognized so many of the names of the parts of the body because of my horrible biology and anatomy/physiology classes, but this really broke down everything and let you see the parts individually. Some super cool parts....all the arteries and veins highlighted in the body. Dye was put in them and that was what stood out. The display featuring the central nervous system. It was amazing seeing the layout and how they are all connected. I also really like the female anatomy section. Yes, I suppose I should know all this...but I didn't really know how some of my parts were shaped and how small they actually are. Seeing a heart, with all the chambers and ventricles was awesome too!

We continued our date day at the Atlantic Grille. We were trying to go somewhere we hadn't been. Ugh...it was Southern bar food. TIG! They love damn "bar food" here! Finally, we did a little shopping :-) It was a great spending time with my sweetie :-) xoxo, Jill

The Wilton Rose!

Cake decorating class was so much fun yesterday. The other two girls in my class showed up 20 minutes late, so I got for my own private lesson for awhile! The roses were pretty difficult, but I'm proud of my first attempt! This was the end of course one, but I'm starting course two next Monday :-) I'm attempting a cute Thanksgiving cake project tomorrow. I'll update w/ pics! Hopefully they'll turn out! xoxo, Jill

odds and ends....

I took a sewing class at Joannes on Saturday morning! It was sewing 101 so obviously very basic!! And basic is what I needed, considering I had never even sat down at a sewing machine, let alone use one. There were 8 women in my class. I was 2nd to youngest...the youngest was a little 16 year old that made me laugh...guess what she wants to be when she grows up? A fashion designer...I swear that every 16 year old girl seems to want to be a fashion designer. Products of growing up on Project Runway?? :-) Anyways, everyone had a machine except me, but they had one you were able to check out. We learned the basic functions of the machine and then we had to practice sewing a seam. Of course I had to pick out the adorable doggy fabric! Everyone else had boring solid colors...ugh! Then we learned how to turn...but oops...I went right off the end of the fabric before I pivoted. I got "stuck" twice and the intructor had to pull the mound of fabric out that was under. She thought it was the machine since they often get beat up in class. However, I s.ecretly suspect it was my lack of sewing finesse. :-) So, we just practiced a bunch of stitches, cutting out patterns, etc. Then she gave us a tour of the fabric section and looked at good beginner patterns etc and what kind of fabric is for what. Guess what! I can make some totally cute handbags and the instructor says they're even good to start with since they don't have to be fitted! Woo Hoo! I'm soooo going to learn to sew now! Shawn was so cute. He picked me up from the class and before I'd even finished telling him about the class, he told me he'd already looked up sewing machines on craigs list for me. What a sweetie!
I truly feel like I have the greatest job in the world!! I don't know how many other people get the satisfaction of looking at someone, explaining something, and seeing the realization of understanding hit their eyes. I spent 15 minutes going over the greenhouse effect last week. Well, on several worksheets later that day, in regard to the question, "Explain the greenhouse effect," I got answers like, "You grow things in it." Hmmm...obviously not my best moment. So I reflected and tried again. I brought an apple, wax paper, and my hair dryer. I told them apple was Earth, the wax paper was the atmosphere (I wrapped the apple) and then we talked about being able to get through the atmosphere. We poked holes in the paper to demonstrate this and then I created heat from the sun...my hairdrying. I had kids put their hand under the "atmosphere" at and find out if it was warm...if the heat was "trapped" in the atmosphere. And THEY GOT IT! Seeing the light go off and the understanding in their eyes as they explained the greenhouse effect is the most awesome feeling!



Today, I got branded "the coolest teacher ever" as we were talking about different types of clouds. Per the pic, you'll see why. Woo hoo...shaving cream clouds! :-)

I absolutely am in love with the book series, "Twilight!" Shawn took me to see the movie this weekend. OMG...I loved it!!! My teacher ergirlfriends and I all talked about it today. Shawn got a little jealous of my obsessive talking about Edward (the main male character) on the way home and I had to assure him that it was just a book character and I loved him (being Shawn) the most :-) I totally want to see the movie again..so girlfriends...if any of you want to see it, I'm totally there!! But wow, did I feel old there! These teenagers seeing looked like they were 10! And right when I think I'm in a totally cute outfit, I see them and realize that my totally cute outfit is SO adult looking!



I'm about to take down my fall decorating to change to Christmas. Here are some pics of my fall theme. I can't believe I'm about to decorate for Christmas!!

I have to recommend an awesome movie I saw this weekend. Shawn had recommended it and to be honest, the first 5 minutes, I was like, "WTH is this?" It turned out to be absolutely amazing and I am so looking forward to watching it again. It's called V for Vendetta and I won't give away everything, but it calls out sooo much of how I feel about people and the world. It's set in London in the near future and in the city, a "moral and just" gov't has been created, where they have ALL encompassing power over people's civil liberties and rights. Gay people are hunted down, jailed, and experimented on. The news is completely contolled by the gov't. People cannot choose what tv programs or music to watch. There is no such thing as free speech or freedom of religion. It was such a sad commentary on the world and it is something I fear so much because of right wing fundamentalists. In the movie, there is a beautiful love story told about 2 women. For 3 years, they had roses, then the gov't imprisoned and murdered them for being "morally corupt." Anyways, as the story unfolds, the main character opens her eyes and realizes what a horrible world the "good, moral" people have created, with the help of a masked character. It's a wonderful movie and if you get a chance to see it, I'd highly recommend it. But if it affects you as it did me, have kleenex next to you.

I am off to cake decorating class. I'll post pics of my masterpiece later!! xoxo, Jill

Cooking Fun

I had dinner w/ my friend Katie and her adorable 3 month baby girl, Scout (name from "To Kill a Mockingbird"), last night. I loved it! I got to coo over the little darling, but as soon as I felt the vibration on her butt and realized what she was up to, I sent her back to her mommy! Isn't she precious?? Sometimes I worry that I'm just not maternal or meant to be a mom because I really have no interest in it all right now, but I did get a little tingly in like 10% of my body when I holding her. Maybe someday....



Growing up in California, I totally never knew how gorgeous trees could be when the seasons change. Wow! I took these while driving on Monday. But no worries my California family, I would trade pretty fall trees in a second, to be there in California with you!!




I baked bread on Sunday to go w/ Shawn and I's Italian. Well, I used my bread machine on fast bake because I only had a couple hours until dinner. I found out what happens when you use regular yeast instead of the fast rising yeast. Yowsers! It still tasted good.....










I had my 3rd cake decorating class on Monday night. I love taking the class! Shout out to Amanda for suggestion! We didn't actually decorate a cake this time...just practiced on our boards. I had to share this clown! Ok...I admit I have a weakness w/ icing (thanx a lot mom for sharing that little graham cracker w/ icing treat when I was little), but even I, could not stomach looking at this big glob clown! Ugh! But for a little kid...I guess it might be Heaven! Hmm...looks kinda the clown coming up from the drain in IT, Shawn??!! And here are my pirty little flowers we learned! We are bringing a cake next week..I can't wait to show off my new creation!







BTW, for all my friends complaining about their 90 degree weather in November, think about it...it could say this on the temp. reading at 4:00 in the afternoon!!



I think I'm going to go take that nap now! xoxo, Jill

The first one...

Ok, so I feel like a total dork. But I enjoy reading Stacie, Shawn, and Connie's blogs, so I thought I'd try it myself Thanks to Stacie for convincing me! Besides, there are many of reading this on the other sides of the country and I know I don't call enough (yes mom!) so maybe this will help keep you up to date on what's going on here.

I just have to make a comment about the South. They believe that they are so "moral" here and have such "high values" because they don't allow alcohol purchases on Sundays. But what's the difference in buying it Saturday night or Sunday? Either way they're planning to get drunk on Sunday during Nascar anyways. TIG (for those of you haven't heard me use this reference, TIG stands for "This is Georgia"...You'll probably see me write about that a lot here....) Thanks to Shawn and Devon for thinking it up!

I'm so excited about my new learning endeavor. On advice from Dr. Laura (how cliche is my shrink's name!), I've signed up to learn some new things. So far, I've been taking cake decorating class on Mondays, which is super cool. Concentrating on that for 2 hours really releases stress! So far I've made one cake...not great...but I'll be practicing a lot in the next few weeks! For this one, I kinda ran out of blue icing. I must have mismeasured :-) All the icing is from scratch. It's to die from good, literally. There are enough crisco bars and confectioners sugar in the recipe to clog 100 arteries!

I have this kick ass tool kit. It has so many cool decorating tools in it....

This week in class, we are not actually decorating a cake. We're practicing on these practice boards....very cool...you just put the paper model under the plastic, decorate on top, and wah lah, scrape the icing back into the dish. Then repeat...a million times :-) We will be working on "THE wilton rose." It's supposed to be the highlight of decorating class. We'll see how mine turn out :-)

I really have to go and rewrite lesson plans now. I missed W-F of work last week with a bronchial infection and bronchitis. I've never missed that many days of work in a row being sick! But I'm feeling better now...thank goodness! Teaching while coughing and without a voice is torture! xoxo, Jill (YES, I know I stole that from Gossip Girls, which I absolutely love!)