7 random facts/happenings

I was tagged by Tammy, Andrea & Lindsey to tell 7 random/weird facts about me! I guess that was a subtle way of getting me to post something! :) Since I seemed to take a blogging hiatus the month of September I thought I would cheat a little and use this meme to tell you 7 random things I did while not blogging. But to make things fair, and since I was tagged three times...I will actually do another post in the near future that follows the rules better...so you can look for that in the near future.
The weekend of Labor Day there was a fireworks show at a local church. We have great a great view from our house...so some friends came and joined us. Here is Sydney, Eldon, & Gemma enjoying some creamsicles. (I had to laugh at this photo because Sydney is the oldest, yet also the shortest of the three. I love my little runt. :)
September is always a crazy month because Caden's birthday is on the 13th, and two weeks later is Sydney's birthday on the 29th. We started the birthday festivities early at FHE with the Shawn's family. (We get together on the first Sunday of every month for dinner) I will have more details about their individual birthdays later.

Shawn had a work conference at a ritzy resort across town. They paid for a room so I dropped Caden & Sydney off at Nancy's, and joined Shawn for the evening. I didn't get any pictures of the two of us, but Thomas enjoyed the room. We tried using rollers on Syd's hair for the first time. They ended up falling out on one side of her head, but they sure looked cute when we first put them in. Hopefully we will get them to stay in next time.
My good friend Melanie had her cute baby Madysen! Kim and I got to go visit her in the hospital. It always amazes me at how small newborns are (even though Mel's was almost 10lbs...she was still small). It is a constant reminder at how fast my Thomas is growing!
Betsy, my sis-in-law (Shawn's brothers wife) had her baby 3 weeks early! It was a surprise for us all. Baby Cody got a little sick and had to stay in the hospital for about a week, but is finally home. I can't wait to actually see the cute kid!
On October 1st we celebrated the coming of Halloween by watching a scary movie and eating some chocolate sprinkled donuts. This was a tradition that I got from Nie Nie, and the kids LOVED it! We might change it up a little bit next year, but I think it is a great thing for the family to look forward to each year on the 1st of October.

All I have to say is I am glad that September is over!! I still need to post about Caden & Sydney's birthdays, and I am waaaaaay behind on my blessings...but hopefully I will be back into the swing of things shortly!

Crescent Chicken Bundles

The other day while in the grocery line I saw this Taste of Home recipe book for freezer meals. I bought it, and have been enjoying making some of the recipes. It is great because every recipe is enough for about two meals....so I make one, and freeze the other! I forgot to take a picture of the inside of this one, but I have to tell you I thought they were YUMMY! If you make them let me know what you think.

Crescent Chicken Bundles

Ingredients:
2 packages (3 ounces each) cream cheese, softened (or just 6oz of cream cheese)
4 tablespoons butter, melted, divided
2 tablespoons minced chives
2 tablespoons milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups cubed cooked chicken
2 tubes (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent rolls
1 cup crushed seasoned stuffing

Directions:

In a small bowl, beat cream cheese, 2 tablespoons butter, chives, milk, salt and pepper until blended. Stir in chicken.

Unroll crescent roll dough and separate into eight rectangles; press perforations together. Spoon about 1/2 cup chicken mixture in the center of each rectangle. Bring edges up to the center and pinch to seal. Brush with remaining butter. Sprinkle with crushed croutons, lightly pressing down.

Transfer to two ungreased baking sheets. Cover one baking sheet and freeze until firm; transfer squares to a covered freezer container. May be frozen for up to 2 months. Bake remaining squares at 350° for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

To use frozen squares: Thaw in the refrigerator and bake as directed.

Yield: 8 servings.

I Can Breathe!

The month of September brought a whirlwind of events. Many things happened that got me so overwhelmed and preoccupied that I didn't seem to be able to find much time to blog.

The program that I put Caden in for school this year was going great...and then on Labor Day his teacher went into labor and had her baby 4 weeks earlier. That is where my nightmare began. To help explain what happened, here is the copy of the letter that I gave to Caden's teacher when I pulled him from his class yesterday. (Yes, it is harsh, but I can't begin to explain how frustrated I was with the situation.)

I have tried to figure out how to put all of my thoughts into words, but it has been pretty hard. As you know, having Ms. ***** leave so suddenly put us all in shock. We all thought it was great that Ms. ***** (the principal) was able to find a replacement so soon. The first few days were a little hectic...which was to be expected. I thought it would be a short time for things to settle into place, and a routine to be set.

I have to say that I have been disappointed at what this past month has brought us. I am not sure what Ms. ***** (the principal) has told you, but there are many of the parents that are extremely unhappy with what is going on. Many of us leave school frustrated because of the lack of communication. I feel like I have no idea what is actually being taught in the classroom. When I was there to volunteer, and along with others who have been there also, I was disappointed to see no real formal instructions to our children. From our observations it feels as if they are in daycare for 3 hours.

I understand that alot of learning is involved during free play, but I feel that our children need and deserve a more structured environment. I feel that they need more teacher involvement, and more hands on instruction (especially when it comes to writing their letters and numbers). I had to spend almost 2 hours with Caden on his homework last week because he had no idea how to write his numbers. This is something I feel should be taught in the classroom. The homework should be review...not a task that makes my son feel so frustrated because he was not shown how to do it in the first place.

I have been disappointed that there is yet to have been a curriculum packet provided when it has been a whole month since your arrival. I would have thought that one was already made for your other school. (She teaches a YLK class in the mornings at another campus)

Honestly, I have been so frustrated with this whole situation that I am pulling my child out of your class. I feel like he has learned virtually nothing this month, and has actually digressed in areas. I am not alone in this feeling. I actually was fortunate enough to be able to get Caden enrolled in another YLK program and today will be his last day. I know if the other parents had options at least 12 of your students would be going to other schools. Unfortunately, the district has its rules and despite the fact that the majority of the parents would like a replacement, we have been told it isn't possible. Personally, I feel like you should resign from your position. I have recommended to the other parents involved that they go on a rotation to be in your classroom every day in order to make sure the children are getting the education and attention that they deserve.

I am sorry to have to leave under these circumstances, but I had no
choice. I wish you the best in your career.

It appears that she is making some changes, and things may be getting better...but I couldn't sit around and wait for her to get her act together. I feel kinda silly because I did get so obsessed with the whole thing, but for whatever reason I couldn't let it go.

I can't begin to explain how refreshing it was to meet Caden's new teacher on Thursday. I got more information from her in 10 minutes than I have gotten all month from his previous teacher. I walked out of the meeting feeling like I could breathe again!!!

Our Saturdays...

For the next few months our Saturdays will consist of this.... Hopefully it will cool off soon!! I can't believe I am actually a "Soccor Mom!"

Insignificant

The other day I reached into the oven to pull out our dinner. The potholder I was using to protect my hand had been sitting on top of a pot. I think it had gotten a little wet from some steam. Within seconds of me touching the pan, I dropped it back down.

I had burned my finger.
It hurt like crazy, yet at the same time I couldn't help but think at how insignificant my pain was compared to The Nielson's. I know that my blog, as of late, has almost always consisted of Stephanie and Christian...but really I can't seem to get them out of my thoughts.

I have known Christian (or should I Chris...that is what we called him then) since I was in elementary school. He was one of the cute guys at school that every girl (including me) liked. When we 'graduated' from Elementary school we went off to different Junior highs, but met up again in High School. We were never super good friends. We didn't hang out on the weekends, but he was a nice guy. I always considered him a friend.

Last October we had our 10 Year Reunion, and I was able to be a little invovled in the planning process. Christian was our Senior Class President so we were able to catch up a little then. I had come across Stephanies blog a little prior to that, and had fun reading about their family. I was impressed at the things they did as parents to instill traditions in their children. I, myself, want to give my children that same type of security, and strength that comes from creating traditions the kids can look forward to each year. As I read more, I admired Stephanie for her view of life. She has a great way of looking at the positive sides of life. I think I was even jeolous of how joyful she could be when it came to being a mom (because let's face it...it is not always fun!). I met her in person at our reunion, and she was just as sweet in person.
Even though it has been a month since the crash, I think about them every single day. I pray for their children, and families. Last week we went to the "Hope Concert." I was glad that we went, and was amazed at the outpouring of love for these two people. It made me wonder what people would say and do if something like this happened to me and Shawn. Have we lived our lives in such a way that we create such a response? I wonder whose lives I have touched...has it been for good? I know I could do better, but sometimes it is easier to not try so hard.

So for now, I will commit to holding my head a little higher, looking for the positive, hugging my children longer, loving my husband better, and praying for those who need my help. I want to be better, to try harder, to really appreciate all that my Heavenly Father has given me. This whole event has opened my eyes to things that I have taken for granted.

Because really...my life is wonderful. My trials are easy and insignificant compared to others. I am blessed beyond words.