Wearing: Teacher Chic I

If I'm honest, one of my favorite things about school being back in session is the fact that I have a reason to dress nice again. I really love dressing up, but always feel silly wearing nice outfits when I'm just going to be home all day, or just running to the store. Such a waste, ya know?!

In other words, I was pretty much a bum all summer and am enjoying feeling human again. :)

I've also recently discovered this new app that totally appeals to my geeky, clothes-obsessed self. It's called Cloth. You should really check it out!

See, I have this weird phobia of always wearing the same outfit over and over and not realizing it. I don't know what's wrong with me, but sometimes I nearly have a panic attack because "I can't remember what I wore last Tuesday and I don't want to wear the same thing this week, and especially not this Tuesday... I mean, heaven forbid someone see me in the same outfit more than once a month, right?!" 

Honestly, I'm not that bad, but these thoughts seriously cross my mind. And yes, I do realize that sounds ridiculous. But it's true. 

So, that's where my new best friend app comes in... it's basically like a clothing diary. You can upload pictures of outfits, write comments about them {like when/where you wore it}, categorize them by where you would wear them {work, everyday, formal, etc.}, and even tag the outfits with different labels {polka dots, stripes, dress, skirt} which makes it easier to find the outfits you've worn in the past. I've been so excited about it!!

My husband is now completely convinced that I'm a big geek, but what can I say, we make a good pair.  ;)

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy! 

Coming up for air...

Oh geez... real life is back in business! These last couple of weeks have been so crazy. Going to bed at a decent hour, waking up early... getting back into a routine is exhausting!! Not to mention that I actually have real work to do again. 

I have to say, so far this year is so unbelievably easier than the last! So much easier that I almost feel like talking about it will jinx me or something. It's been so nice!! 

Don't get me wrong, I've been stressed. But it's a bearable amount of stress, not a cry-all-the-way-home kind of stress. It's nice to be able to get most of my work done at school and only bring something home if I want to. Last year that wasn't even an option. 

I actually feel like I could have a real life this year. Key word being could, of course. In my world, real life means having time to watch TV at night and maybe do some blogging, so that term should be taken loosely.  :)

I guess what I'm trying to say is, life is crazy, but life is good! Lets hope it stays that way!!

By the way, this where I spend my days. My housing class redesigned and painted my classroom last year, and in my opinion did a great job! Wouldn't you agree??

Happy Monday!

Easiest Pizza You'll Ever Make

Can I just say, I looove me some pizza!!! I could probably eat it everyday, and honestly any way... the only pizza topping that I always try to avoid is Italian sausage, just not a fan. But other than that, load it up! Hubs, on the other hand,  is a strictly pepperoni and cheese kind of guy, so personal pizzas are the way to go in this house. 

Fortunately for me, in a moment of brilliance, I came up with the easiest, most delicious, time saving meal of all time! That's right, of all time. It's just that tasty and just that quick. 

Seriously people, you're gonna thank me for this...

The ingredients:

- Pizza toppings of your choice {in this case: pepperoni, canadian bacon, mozzarella cheese, pineapple, mushrooms, and banana peppers... I decided against the tomatoes this time, but if you've never had a pizza topped with tomatoes and bacon, you're missing out!!}
- Pizza sauce {I like to use crushed tomatoes instead of actual sauce}
- And the magic ingredient: Garlic Naan, that's right, as in the flatbread you get at Indian restaurants. It's the perfect size for a personal pizza and if you get the garlic kind, it becomes a nicely seasoned crust for all your delicious toppings. So good!!

All you have to do is preheat your oven to 400 degrees, top it like it's hot {the pizza that is}, and pop it in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

The longer you let it bake, the crunchier the crust will be. I usually think 12 minutes is just about perfect... the crust is still soft, but has a nice crunch to it too! Seriously, my mouth is watering right now.

There you have it peeps... the easiest, most delicious, time saving meal of all time. 

I think I'm gonna copyright that! :) 

Go make it. Like right now! Seriously!!

Wearing: Lake Style

Sunday we got to have church at the lake! We go to a small start-up church here in GC and it was our first annual church picnic. Growing up, church picnics are some of my favorite memories... we had them every year around the 4th of July, down by the river. So much fun!! So I was pretty excited when I found out that our new church's picnic would be at the lake! Water and Jesus, what more do you need?!

I have to admit, the first time I saw this "lake" I was pretty disappointed. Derek and I rented a cabin here to celebrate our 1 month anniversary of being married. It was a sweet trip he had planned long before I even moved to GC and we were so excited! Unfortunately, I was pretty disappointed when we arrived and I saw what appeared to me to be a large pond. This was not a lake.

It's amazing what a year can do on a person's perspective... when we arrived to Scott Lake this past Sunday, all I saw was beauty! Not the mere size of the body of water in front of me, but the beauty of God's creation. 

As much as I complain about our current circumstances, I really am learning so much about contentment and gratitude and joy. Perspective changes everything.

I honestly had planned to share a new recipe today {from a new dish I took to the picnic}, but decided better of it. The dish wasn't a complete flop, but just wasn't that great either... so I'll show you what I wore instead. :)

Nothing to write home about really, just a couple tank tops, bermudas, and shoes {that were quickly changed to flip flops}. I'll be honest, I'm not much of a fan of summer clothing... I love layers and scarves and close-toed shoes, but when you're at the lake, those things aren't really ideal, if ya know what I mean.

And in case you were wondering, this is what happens when you try to have a photo shoot with my husband... 

Goof!

Happy Wednesday {my last Wednesday of freedom, btw. I'm not freaking out or anything.}!

Linking up with The Pleated Poppy! 

When life gives you lemons...

If you happen to follow me on instagram, you might have noticed that our a/c decided to quit working on Thursday. We were somewhat in denial and decided to "wait it out" but by Friday morning we knew it was done for. Derek told our landlord, who sent someone by in the afternoon, but unfortunately it was more complicated than the maintenance man could handle and we had to wait until Saturday for someone to come by and completely replace the unit. 

Meanwhile, my way of coping included escaping to my classroom to get some work done as well as posting pitiful pictures like these:

I also did a lot of reminiscing about the semester I spent in Tanzania... I lived in Africa for an entire semester without an air conditioner, but it's just different when you actually have one and it's not working, ya know?! 

Such an injustice! haha

I also became very thankful for 1. The invention of a/c 2. Being a renter and not having to shell out the dough for a replacement and 3. An awesome husband who helps turn everything into an adventure!

Our first night without air, we we went to bed with the windows open. Our bed is right under the window in our bedroom, and luckily there was a slight breeze... however about 10 minutes later the breeze was accompanied by the first rain we've had in months! Normal people probably would have closed the windows as quickly as possible, but not us! 

We left it open as long as we could stand it, enjoying the rain drops and their lovely scent. We probably would have left the window open all night, except the lovely scent quickly turned into a smell that made you wish you didn't have a nose!! Ick, gotta love SW Kansas... smells like money. And if you're not aware, "money" smells like cow poop. Gross, gross, gross!

Day two without air was considerably hotter... by the time we were getting ready for bed our apartment was 97 degrees!!! Insane! Chocolate in the pantry was melting; things were falling off the walls in Derek's office. 

Insane, I tell you!

While some people moped around and posted pathetic pictures on instagram {me} other people {Derek} came up with brilliant ideas... like sleeping on the balcony! No need for a tent when you have a deck, right?! 

As soon as Derek even mentioned the idea I was packing up blankets and pillows, completely on board! We entertained ourselves with our tablets and dogs, and also met our new neighbors {who probably think we're complete weirdos now, but what can you do?!} 

I can't say it was the best I've ever slept, but at least I slept! And, not to mention, made yet another memory with my man! 

When life gives you lemons... sleep on the balcony!

Who needs an Olympic medal...

I got a blogger award!! 

How cool, right?! Now I'll be honest, I'm not exactly sure how these blogger awards are supposed to work, but I was still excited to be given the honor by the lovely Danavee of This Vintage Grove! She's my only real "blog friend" so far, but I definitely found a winner! She's so so sweet and I have come to enjoy our little chats. 

So, about the award... I received the One Lovely Blog award and from my understanding it means I'm supposed to tell some random facts about myself as well as give out some blog love by nominating others. Seems easy enough... so here's some facts that you probably didn't know about me and maybe didn't want to. :) 

1. I played 4 years of varsity soccer in high school. 
2. I also played the tuba. Yep, that big ole' brass thing. I've always had this weird thing about being unique, so I guess in 6th grade that translated into choosing the instrument that only boys chose? Makes since, right? :) 
3. Although I teach Family and Consumer Sciences, I never took a FCS class. I loved all the subject areas, but always chose other classes instead. 
4. There are 5 nationalities represented in my family... American {duh}, Mexican {uncle}, English {aunt}, Indian {cousin}, and Haitian {2 aunts and 1 uncle... who happen to be in 10th, 8th, and 6th grade. nbd!}
5. By the time we were married, Derek and I had actually lived in different states longer than we had lived in the same city. When he moved to Kansas we had been dating about a year and a half... the rest of our "dating"/ engagement was just a little bit longer than that. Glad that's over! 

And now, for my nominations... Since I'm pretty new to the whole blogging thing, and don't currently have too many blog friends, I decided to nominate just a few of my "real life" friends who happen to have blogs! 

Drum roll please... The nominations go to:

These Threads of Mine

Emmy in the Making

and

I'm Becoming My Mother

There you have it ladies, all you have to do is link back to me, share a few random facts of your own, and nominate some other worthy bloggers! Or just make up your own rules... like I kind of did. :)

In other news, since this is kind of a wordy post, here's a sneak peak at a project I will be posting about next week! 

What could it be?? I love surprises! 

Happy Friday! :)

This is the month I return to the real world.

This is the month I begin year two of my teaching career, a year that is hopefully much less stressful than the last.

This is the month I get serious about eating right and regular exercise {that's the plan at least... wish me luck!}.

This is the month I get to cheer on the US as they compete in the Olympics {though obviously that's already started}. My favorite is women's gymnastics!
This is the month I begin waking myself up in the middle of the night with new ideas and back-to school nightmares {oh wait, that's already started too! :(}

And this is the month my parents celebrate 34 years of marriage. I'm so thankful for their commitment to each other and our family!

I've gotta admit, it was kind of hard to come up with a list of what I'm looking forward to this month... don't get me wrong, I'm excited to get back in the swing of things, but summer is just so great!

Here's to August... may it be just as fun and exciting as it will inevitably be stressful! :) Happy August everyone!