Mug shots!

Inspired by my cousin's post of her Obama mug, I decided to post a few oldies but goodies that chronicle my mug collection. My favorite souvenirs are those I will use: coffee mugs, of course, fit the category. Here's one from Lockeport, Nova Scotia.

I set up my new mug on the picnic table outside the rental cottage with the beach in the background. I wanted to show the little lobster inside the mug as well as the one on the front, so I propped it with a few of the seashells and stones we'd found.

Then Chuck got into the act. He insisted on including every little piece we'd found on the beach and arranging it "tastefully" around the mug.

Here it is: Still life with Souvenir Coffee Mug.

And the back view, too.

(It says Nova Scotia on the back.)

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Home Sweet Cubicle - the sequel

Readers, you saw the mess before I unpacked all the boxes of teachers' manuals and other important resources. You could have followed up with the eventual "after" shot. Still later, Flat Stanley made a visit to my cubicle.

It's still my cube, and it's evolved a bit. Typical of me, everything important is within reach. It's hard to do otherwise in a space this small! In this small shot, you can get a glimpse of teachers' manuals, see the files trays that hold my plans for the week, and browse the cubicle survival kit that includes my tissue box (Packers cover, a perfect gift for the Green Bay Packers stockholder in your life), coffee cup (Teaching Wisconsin to Read), and animals.

Animals?

Of course I have animals in my cubicle. Doesn't everybody?

I hope Paddington, Snoopy, and Fluffy don't get lonely while I'm on spring break.

Or maybe I should hope they're not hosting a wild cubicle party.

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Sing it with me: Saturday at the O.K. Chorale

On the to-do list:

Remind Amigo to do his laundry. Why can't the kid do it himself? He can. He needs the reminder to actually throw the clothes in the washer and deal with it.

Plant seeds and hope they'll grow. Most of these seeds are a year old; I haven't bought new ones yet. We'll see if they're any good. Still. Yet. If they grow, it'll look like salsa again in the O.K. home; I planted lots of tomato and pepper plants.

Stir the compost. Shh: don't tell Chuck I played in the compost. He's convinced that anything resembling garden work will cue Mother Nature to send in a storm.

Make ice cream - hopefully with Amigo. It's easy and fun and he'll love the results.

Set aside a Care Package for La Petite. She'll be back for appointments on Monday and Tuesday, so I'll send her a bag of food to fill her pantry. I can't help her find a second job, but I can feed her.

Draft a letter of support for a local candidate. If this is really the year of the progressive woman, she's perfect.

Check out the latest news on the local private school that lost two thirds of their teachers due to conflicts over paychecks - namely, the lack of them.

Look for ways to streamline the family budget. Headlines today noted what we'd all expected, but dreaded: my colleagues and I in the local public school district will face another wage freeze along with a higher deductible in our health care coverage.

Keep cleaning the house and purging it of useless items. Sell or donate; make space for what's important instead of storing junk. At the most, we may get a few bucks for some of the stuff. At the least, we'll have less to clean.

In a related category, reorganize the canning supplies. At this time of year I have more empty jars than full. How to store them until I need them - that's one dilemma. How to make more room next fall for the full jars - that's another. It feels like every year I make a little bit more. Well, if my pay is frozen, at least I can still feed the family.

I guess all this means I should get offline and do something. Here goes!

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Germphobia, Virtual School style

I've used only 1 1/2 sick days this year: one for cataract surgery and one half for an appointment. That's a new record for me. March? No influenza? No sinus infections or even colds or coughs? I used to get almost paranoid about germs. Illness for a classroom teacher can be overwhelming: sub plans, catching up, staying in touch, hoping that all goes well for the substitute.

A few neighboring districts have cut their teachers' sick days to the bone. My district still maintains 10 days per year. One neighboring district even told their teachers they couldn't schedule non-essential surgery during the school year, no matter how many sick days they'd accrued. I planned my cataract surgery so that I'd only miss one day; all worked out well.

In a classroom full of children, I kept my own pencils and pens and even scissors. There was a stock of extras for students to borrow; they never touched mine, and I never touched theirs. I kept hand sanitizer in my desk and rarely touched the germ-collecting doorknobs. Still, I got sick. Cough drops and Airborne had a drawer in my desk along with Tylenol and my own, yes my own never-to-be-shared box of soft, name brand tissues. Teachers attempt to stay hydrated, but within reason because we can only use the rest room when we're not with students.

Teaching online is different. Earlier this year, I offered ten tongue-in-cheek reasons to enjoy teaching online. Now, in the final days of winter, I offer ten reasons that teaching virtual school has been good for my health.

• I still have my own tissue box - with a Green Bay Packers dispenser.
• No one borrows my pencils and pens. We all have our own.
• We don't get substitutes, eliminating the need to come in and spread germs while leaving sub plans.
• No one else uses my computer or my phone.
• I have my own phone, too.
• My coworkers and I are meticulous about cleaning the lunch table before and after eating.
• Hydration is easier; there's a water cooler in our supply closet, and (drum roll) I can use the rest room when I need to without waiting for a recess bell!
• I still take vitamin C and eat oranges with my lunch.
• The box of Airborne in my desk is the kind that gets added to a bottle of water.

And finally, a major reason that teaching virtual school is good for my health:

• I sincerely enjoy my job. I go to school eager to get started every day - even on Mondays.

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Ah, that caffeinated aroma of a kitchen floor

At least my vacuum cleaner will smell good for a while.

Let me back up. I just vacuumed the kitchen floor. Vacuumed. Not washed, not mopped, not swept, not Swiffer wet-jetted. Vacuumed. I was out of fluid for the Wet-Jet, and I wasn't ready to get down on my knees and scrub. Besides, all the good rags were in the wash.

Let me back up a little more. I just vacuumed up a pile of coffee grounds. Freshly ground, organic coffee grounds. The floor smelled great. So did my pants. If I'd been wearing brown, maybe I wouldn't have thrown them right in the laundry. But anyway, back to the story. My tiny kitchen was half covered by, no, maybe... Okay. I'll back up again.

It was a typical weekday evening. I made my lunch, got my clothes ready for morning, made sure my Kindle was charged. Of course I charged my Kindle to get ready for bed; doesn't everyone? As a final step, I usually set up the coffeemaker for morning. The filtered water was ready, the coffee filter in place, but before I could measure my life in coffee spoons, I needed one more ingredient. As chief groundskeeper of Chez OkayByMe, I gathered my materials: coffee grinder, container, and cleaning brush.

It all began well. The grinder was working well, sending the organically grown, fair trade processed, deliciously blended beans through the blades to become my refreshing beverage of choice. I inhaled with pleasure. When the container filled almost to the top, I applied the small wooden brush to dust the remaining grounds from the grinder. An important step to prepare the grinder for storage, this was also my undoing.

You guessed it, readers. I spilled. Not all of the coffee grounds fell to their death, but at least one third of what I'd just ground hit the, well, ground. With some on my pants and some on my shoes and more, much more, on the floor, I called out to Chuck. "Is the vacuum still downstairs?" He brought it to me and cautiously backed out of the kitchen without daring to say a word.

So there you have it. At least my vacuum will smell good for a while. It'll smell of freshly ground organic coffee.

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Flat Stanley visits a Virtual School

(By guest blogger Flat Stanley)

I went to work today with Daisy.

Daisy is a teacher in a newfangled kind of school; she teaches online.

Daisy's students (and those of the school) live all over the state of Wisconsin. There's a map in the school offices showing where the students live. Wow! They're really spread out.

Daisy took me around the high school side of the school. I met the Social Studies teacher, and we fooled around with Google Maps. He was looking for Westminster Abbey.

The high school language arts teacher has a cubicle full of posters encouraging reading - everything from Shakespeare to (be still my flattened heart) the Cat in the Hat.

Ah, high school science. I look forward to biology and earth science. I have a little more math to learn before starting physics. It'll take more than just knowing how to add, or so I've been told.

Back in Daisy's cubicle, she taught me to use a rubric to grade writing projects.

She looked over my first one and decided to grade the rest herself. I guess teaching writing isn't my strength - yet.

Well, science is still one of my favorite subjects, so Daisy logged me into a Virtual Class in middle school science.

Cool. Very cool. The teacher called on students and then let them "write" on the virtual whiteboard to connect vocabulary words with their meaning. This would be a great way to learn, at least for a flat geek like me. I could keep on traveling, as long as I had Internet access.

I looked over Ms. W's shoulder as she worked on lesson plans.

Then I moved once again to middle school language arts. They write a lot of essays. Wow!

We couldn't stay away from Daisy's desk for long, so I offered to help her make phone calls.

A fifth grader needed help with her math. Ooh, those multi-step problems. They rock my socks off! Wait. I don't wear socks. Never mind.

Daisy and her coworkers were great hosts. They told me if I want to teach like they do, I need a working knowledge of computers - and a talent for making coffee.

Thanks to Flat Stanley, visitor from Irving, TX, for the guest post today.

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Eating the Opponent - and Michigan's U.P.

We'll be eating a traditional turkey dinner at Grandma's on Thanksgiving Day. Grandma is cooking most of it ahead of time so she can watch the game.

What do you mean, what game??!!??

The Green Bay Packers are playing the Detroit Lions, of course. That's The Game. Turkey Day dinner will be on the table after the fourth quarter clock winds down. In the meantime, our Eating the Opponent project continues. We decided to broaden the definition of Detroit to include the entire state of Michigan, including the Upper Peninsula - da U.P., der hey, to us Wisconsinites. U.P. residents, affectionately known as Yoopers, have their own unique menus.

I stopped at a local pasty cafe and shop -- okay, okay. Stop the snickering in the peanut gallery! That's Pass-Tees. Not pays-trees or pays-tees. Pass-tees. The pasty was a food that miners could carry in their lunch pail and eat with their hands when they had their mid-day break. Traditional filling ingredients are beef, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, onions and other good stick-to-your-ribs edibles stuffed inside of a strong crust. Yooper history contends that the pasty was brought to the continental United States by Cornish miners (not minors) who came to work in the copper and iron mines of the mineral rich U.P. Nowadays, locals serve pasties with ketchup (not gravy) or a special sauce that tastes like a spicy ketchup with jalapeno peppers.

Pasties are baked, never fried, never nuked. I bought "breakfast pasties" with bacon or sausage and scrambled eggs inside - 5 for $10, plus one free - to serve Thursday morning. Our official Turkey Dinner will hit the table after the game, so we'll need a solid breakfast. I think Yooper style Breakfast Pasties fit the bill.

Now if any of you doubt that U.P. food is appropriate for Eating the Opponent, I give you this. I asked the cafe staff, both native Yoopers, if football fans in da U.P. are Packers or Lions backers. Without hesitation, they both declared, "Lions!"

I think I'll serve these with a side of Trenary Toast.

Photo credit to Upper Peninsula Now's site for Pasty Recipes.

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I do recall being political, now and then

Saturday we (all three of us) signed recall petitions for Soon-to-be-Former Governor Walker and his Lt. Governor, Rebecca Kleefisch. Is that spelled right? Well, no matter how we spell it, she's on her way out of office.

Saturday night I found an email in my inbox letting me know that the Barack Obama Made in the USA mug is once again available. Make a donation to the Democrats, get a mug, and enjoy your morning coffee while sticking it to the conspiracy theorists.

Go for it, people. Here's a great gift idea for the progressives in your family. Wrap it up with a pound of Obama Blend coffee, and you're all set.

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Testing, 1, 2, 3

State testing. Wisconsin Knowledge and Concepts Exam. Criterion Referenced Items. Rubrics. Fill in the bubble. Make sure you erase completely and make your new mark heavy and dark. Use only a number 2 pencil. Any questions? You have 40 minutes. Begin.

I teach online, and my students live all over the state of Wisconsin. Since we can't expect all of them to come to us, we go to them for the required tests. I put on my test season sweatshirt (above) and get ready to go.

My destination: a hotel with conference room that will hold all of our area students. Two of my colleagues and I set up camp in our hotel rooms, including connection to the hotel wi-fi and an in-depth investigation of the in-room coffee makers.

I set out my clothes for the next day -- casual, yet teacher-dressy -- on the spare bed.

In the morning, students armed with number 2 pencils would be ready to attack their test booklets.


I hope they all remember that multiple choice items have only one answer, and they should make their marks heavy and dark.

And I sure hope I can forget this repetitive test proctor speech so it stops running through my head and invading my dreams at night!

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It might be September if...

It's September at the Okaybyme Household! How can you tell? Here are the signs.

10. School has started - for Daisy and for Amigo.

9. Trees are falling. I mean leaves are falling - a few, anyway.

8. The crock pot has a semi-permanent home in the kitchen again.

7. The lunch boxes are getting regular use.

6. There's fresh zucchini bread (chocolate this time!) in the kitchen.

5. We're eating the opponent again! Check the GB Packers schedule, find a food from the opposing team's locale, and make it on Friday or Saturday night.

4. I wear a jacket to walk to school in the morning and carry it home.

3. It's hard to decide between hot coffee and a blended latte over ice.

2. The green and gold spirit clothes are at the front of the closet.

1. People are locking their car doors at church so they don't find the backseats full of zucchini when they come out!!

Credit to Garrison Keillor for suggesting #1. He's such a funny storyteller because his anecdotes have a strong basis in read life!

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Peanut Butter Cookies

I'm a little off the beaten path today. Recipe Lion's Blog Hop asked for Father's Day recipes. Instead of re-posting Great Grandma's German Potato Salad or sharing standard grill fare, I'm sharing a simple summer dessert - slash - snack. The best part about these cookies: the texture is perfect. They're not too soft, not too crispy. Take them out of the oven when they're still slightly soft and let them cool for a moment. Trust me: yum.

Peanut Butter Cookies

3 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) butter or margarine

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 large eggs

Sift the flour, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl and set aside.

Beat together butter, sugars, peanut butter, and vanilla extract. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir the flour mixture into the bowl and blend thoroughly.

Shape the dough into 2 inch balls and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Use a fork dipped in sugar to make a crisscross pattern.

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes at 350, until golden brown. Do not over bake!

Let stand for 2 minutes, then transfer to wire rack for the final cooling process.

Serve - well, let family and friends dive in.

Tips:

• I really like my small scoop. It's the perfect size for cookies like this.
• Teens love these. If your home is the hangout for your teen and his/her friends, keep these in stock.
• Peanut butter is a good source of iron (says the no-longer anemic Daisy).

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The best Mug Shot ever

When we travel, my favorite souvenir is a coffee mug. I drink from my Amtrak mug and remember the trip on the Empire Builder. I sip from my lobster mug and remember Nova Scotia. Whenever I finish a major project, I like to pull out my "ducks in a row" mug to show that I do, indeed, have all my ducks in a row.

Now I found another mug, a historic mug, that I must have.

Last year, President Obama said, "I can't go around with my birth certificate plastered on my forehead." When he released the long version because his short version wasn't good enough for the conspiracy theorists, he told reporters that he didn't have time for this silliness. He had more important things to do. A few days later, he announced that Osama bin Laden had been found and killed. Ahem.

To thumb my nose at those who still don't understand that Hawaii is one of the United States, the Democrats have come up with the perfect mug.

Go ahead; go to this link and make a donation of $15 or more and get the Born in the USA mug. Stay active and stay caffeinated and get yourself a piece of history at the same time. I plan on it.

Disclaimer: I am active in progressive politics, including Organizing for America, but I was not paid or sponsored in any way for this post. This mug was too good to pass up.

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Ducks in a row, ducks in a row!

I just finished the workload for my graduate class. Did you hear the cheers? The class meant a lot of work, and it took a lot of energy that I didn't have (darn clinical depression and anemia), but the total time and energy (and monetary) investment was worth it. I learned many fabulous new teaching tools, and I am now certified to teach online. That's the biggest part: I have another option in my future. Just knowing that I might not have to endure another year as damaging as this one - well, knowledge is power.

I know which coffee mug will be my favorite now.

I changed the art on the wall, too.

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Simple Changes

One week ago I posted a few simple pleasures. I'm still adjusting to the major changes in my career outlook and in my health, so when SocialMoms Network asked for bloggers to post about simple changes, I wondered if I could manage to view any of my changes as simple. Long term leave of absence: major change. Diagnosis of clinical depression: major change. Are there any simple changes, less complex than these?

One small change I've made is drinking half-caffeinated coffee. Now that I'm home all day most days, it would be very easy to over-imbibe in the delicious coffee gifts I received for my November birthday and for Christmas. Instead, I'm mixing the lovely flavors with a standard decaf. I still get the pleasure of the flavor, but I don't get excess nervousness or hyperactivity from the caffeine.

Another change is the way I'm eating: increasing the amount of fruits and vegetables in my diet. We already eat a few servings of vegetables and/or fruits every day. I'm aiming to increase that to the recommended five a day in this category. A handful of berries on breakfast cereal or yogurt at lunch. A serving of vegetables at lunch and at supper, with a fruit snack such as an orange or apple for mid-afternoon. It's a small change that will take my diet balance to the next level.

I've always been a goal-setter. This year I'm concentrating on keeping those goals reasonable and writing them down. If I set a goal that takes too much energy and too much time, I'm not likely to achieve that goal, which will be disappointing at best and at worst very upsetting. There's enough negative in my life; I need to stress the positive and keep plans and goals accessible. Big goals are weekly or even monthly; smaller goals are daily, and may be part of a larger goal. This week I had planned to investigate mall walking, but I decided to put that one off and finish progress reports instead. The reports are due at the end of next week, but I wanted them done and out of my mind. The mall-walking exercise goal will have to wait until next week. It's important; it'll happen.

That's the main point to remember with changes, small or large. If it's important, make it happen. Setting goals, eating well, and watching the amount of caffeine in my (I admit it) addiction, all are simple changes that make a difference in my life. If all goes well, these simple changes will make an impact on my full recovery and my eventual return to teaching.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Simply Orange® blogging program. If I am one of the first 65 blogs received by SocialsMoms, I will receive a $25 Target gift card and a gift pack that includes a Simply Orange® cooler bag and logoed fleece. I believe they've already received 65 posts, but I thought the topic was worthwhile.

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Oatmeal Apple Cake

As always, I've modified this from its original version. Chuck and I enjoy having a piece for breakfast. In fact, as delicious as it was warm from the oven, it was better the next day. Second day cake held together better, was still moist but had no liquid, and seemed to taste better, too. Here goes:

Oatmeal Apple Cake a la Daisy

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine, softened (2 sticks)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup packed brown sugar

2 eggs or 1/2 cup egg substitute

1/4 cup flour (pick your kind; I used all purpose)

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)

2 cups apples, diced, cored, peeled

3 cups quick or old fashioned oats - yes, it's a lot. This amount is correct.

1/2 cup nuts, finely chopped - I like walnuts; they go well with apples

1/2 to 2/3 cup applesauce

1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions:

Cream butter and sugars. Add applesauce (or alternative), vanilla, & eggs. Blend well. Mix in dry ingredients (including nuts). Add apples and oats. Stir until moistened. Bake at 350 for about one hour in a 9 inch square cake pan.

Actually, the 9 inch square pan was a little small. I might experiment with a bigger pan next time. The cake will be thinner, but it will be more likely to bake completely during the hour and might not be as moist and crumbly. Not that moist and crumbly is a problem; it's awesome with vanilla ice cream. And coffee. Of course.

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Traveling thrift and coffee

Morning looks like this in Daisy's hotel room. Another hotel, you ask? I don't get out much, really. The privacy, the lack of schedule pressure, the opportunity to take my time - all make the rare treat of a hotel stay extra special. Nothing fancy, really, just a room with a bed and a good wifi connection. Oh, and coffee, of course.

Back to the beginning. I had a small but delicious complimentary breakfast in the hotel restaurant, and then looked at the clock. No rush to get to Amigo's school; he would still be in class. You guessed it, readers; I played with my favorite hotel toy, the coffeemaker.

While the coffeemaker was working, I dug out quarters for the vending machine across the hall. Overpriced, yes, but it had two of my favorites: raspberry shortbread cookies (for dipping in coffee) and original Fritos for a later snack in the car.

Perfect timing: the coffee was ready!!

While I dipped cookies in the coffee, I used my Droid to look up the nearest thrift stores. Packed, checked out, and in the car: thrift time! For less than $30, I came out with five pair of jeans and three small gifts, all packaged in my BYO bags. What a great and frugal way to start my day!

The thrift store? One of my favorites.

Altogether a relaxing and frugal morning, followed by picking up Amigo at school and coming home. Readers, how do you relax away from home? Shopping? Coffee?

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Taking pleasure in the small things

The week ended the same way it began - badly. I spent the drive to Chicago alternating napping and checking email on my phone, trying not to entertain too many work-related thoughts because I felt like I was rocking uncontrollably, hanging on for dear life and wailing "Where am I going, and what am I doing in this handbasket?!"

But after a simple veggie burger and fast food fries for supper with a little Andes mint custard for dessert, my stressed-out stomach began healing and my outlook started facing up and forward, not down and back. Eventually we dropped La Petite at the spare room that was her destination and checked into our treat, a hotel room.

That's where I began to count my blessings in the form of simple pleasures.

-a lumbar pillow, just the right size to rest my aching back while I read a book in bed

-in-room coffee maker, a personal favorite

- and a little hazelnut flavor to make it go down smoothly.

With simple pleasures like these included in my overnight stay, all must be well with the world.

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Dunkin' Donuts Coffee

Me and my big mouth. I mentioned the latest product review for my blog and the lovely package (pictured below) that had just arrived in the mail.

Minutes later, I was surrounded by fellow coffee-loving teachers suggesting that I really needed to expand the pool of taste-testers. They offered the art teacher's coffeepot.

I gave in.

The vanilla nut flavor made a home in the school office with our incredibly more-than-competent secretarial staff. They're wonderful people, and they've helped me out so much this year that there's not enough coffee in the world to say thanks. After I made a couple of pots of vanilla nut at home (I had to try it out myself, of course, or where's the integrity?) I delivered the rest of this delicious blend to the divine Ms. M and superior Ms. K.

The mocha mint flavor tastes like Christmas. The first time I made it, I kept looking outside and expecting snow, not leaves awaiting my rake. I felt like wrapping presents and decorating the tree. I shared about half of the package with my teacher friends, but I'm setting the rest aside for December. They had a similar reaction, invoking statements like "I think I'll go home and find my Christmas music!"

Pumpkin Spice is perfect for November. Harvest-style flavor, just sweet enough, and an aroma that brings Thanksgiving into my home - what more could I want? Well, someone to clean up after the turkey is carved, maybe, but I'll settle for Pumpkin Spice Coffee for now. The P.E. teacher was especially excited to try this flavor because she had seen it in the grocery store, but didn't want to buy a full bag until she knew it was good. Well, now she knows.

My professional colleagues understand the role of a good cup of coffee in maintaining teacher sanity. I predict more of these lovely blends will find their way into our school building's coffeepots.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour campaign by Mom Central on behalf of Smuckers and received necessary products to facilitate my review. In addition, I received a gift certificate to thank me for taking the time to participate. All that and a chance to share with my friends, too - now that's the holiday spirit. Thanks, Dunkin. Thanks, MomCentral. I hope your holidays are delicious and enjoyable.

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Another Apple Crisp

It's election day. Chuck is driving a live truck to cover a candidate's victory/defeat party. Amigo is at his boarding school, and La Petite is out of town, too. It's just me and the news reports.

Readers, you know me. When the going gets tough, I blog and I bake. Apples are in season, so a pan of apple crisp was in order. I added a little rhubarb - the last of the season - too.

Autumn Apple Crisp

from Food to Live By; the Earthbound Farm Organic Cookbook

4 pounds (about 10) small, tart apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/4 inch slices

Juice of 2 lemons

1 cup flour (the book recommends whole wheat pastry flour; I used half all-purpose, half whole wheat)

1 1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

2 Tablespoons ground cinnamon

8 Tablespoons (1 stick) butter, softened

vanilla ice cream or whipped cream for serving suggestion, optional

1. Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Place the apple slices in a 9 by 13 inch baking pan. Add the lemon juice and toss to prevent the apples from discoloring.

3. Place the flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon in a medium-size bowl and whisk to blend. Add the butter. Using your fingers (or a pastry cutter: worked for me!), blend the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. sprinkle the topping evenly over the apples, but do not pack it down.

4. Bake the crisp util the apples are tender when pierced with a fork, the juices bubble up around the edges of the baking pan, and the topping is crisp and brown, 40-50 minutes. Serve the crisp hot or warm with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream, if desired. Coffee on the side, of course.

By the way, eating the opponent? Green Bay played the New York Jets. Chuck made a seafood chowder on Saturday, and we had bagels for breakfast on Sunday.

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Staying sane in an insane world

Well, attempting to keep my sanity intact, at least.

Seeking out supportive people:

• I had lunch with a former colleague, saw pictures of her grandson
• a neighboring teacher brings me Starbucks frequently
• I continue to take training with a literacy coach I respect, and she is one of my strongest advocates.
• I truly appreciate a husband who not only fixes the house, but cooks like an Iron Chef.

Actively taking care of health:

• My Neti Pot and me, we're friends. Friends don't let friends get sinus infections.
• My multi-vitamin + iron, it's my pal. Anemia, begone!
• Weekends are for napping, sleeping in, and drinking lots of fluids. Laundry can wait.

Actively seeking out opportunities for relaxation

• fire in the fireplace on a rainy day: warm and cozy.
• nibbling on chocolate cake made with the last garden zucchini: delicious.
• pumpkin pie spice flavor in my Dashboard Joe coffee: sweet.
• Watching the Wisconsin Badgers with my sporty son: priceless.

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