6 Random Things

Well, I've seen this "6 Random Things" list floating around the blogs I frequently need so I knew I would probably get tagged at one point. I wondered what I would write if I was tagged but never actually got to thinking of specifics until I was tagged. :)

1. I can blow spit bubbles off of my tongue. This took some practice, specifically an entire trip back from Mexico to Santa Rosa, CA, but yes, I can blow actual spit bubbles off of my tongue and have them float threw the air similar to bubbles from a bubble wand. (On a side note...it works better at some times than others...your spit changes throughout the day). Many people think this is a gross talent but I think it's fun.

2. I am an avid snowboarder since my husband took me my first time our 2nd or 3rd week of dating back in 2001. I love to fly as fast as I can down the mountain but don't like going off large jumps because the landing is so much harder if I crash.

3. I have a cat, Puma, who plays fetch...again and again and again and again...you get the point. If I shoot hairties across the room she will bring them back over and over again. One time I counted and she brought it back 36 times in a row without me having to get up from my spot to take it from her. Pretty talented kitty huh? (I can't be proud of my kids because I don't have any so I have to be proud of my cat!)

4. I've had a liver disease since I was 10 years old. I take medicine for it but it doesn't really affect my daily life at this point.

5. I've taught swim lessons for 8 years...heading into my 9th year. I actually started because when I became a lifeguard the pool I worked at told me they would hire me if I would do a combination of 4 different jobs. I didn't want to at the time but needed a job so I started teaching swim lessons. Within a few years I learned that it was much better to teach independantly and I was able to basically pay my way through college. Now I just enjoy teaching kids in general so I continue.

6. My husband and I were truly made for each other. We have so many quirky things that we both agree on. Ie. we don't mind sleeping in sub-zero degree weather in our SUV so we can snowboard without having to pay for a hotel. We both don't like having a top sheet on our bed. We just have a duvet cover that we wash instead. There are many many more. I love Phillip and am glad that the Lord brought our paths together!

I tag: Sarah K, Julie in Germany, & Sarah M.

Grilled Pizza

The other week I was searching allrecipes.com for a good dinner recipe and I came across one called "Grilled Dough." It's a recipe people use to make bread for dinner or pizza's on the grill. So, this morning I said to Phil, "Why don't we make grilled pizza today?" He looked at me kind of funny and said something along the lines of, "No way, it's going to burn." Well, I convinced him to give it a try with the promise of buying Stonefire pizza if our grilled pizza failed.



The dough was very easy to make, it just takes 1 1/2 to rise. After it rises, you just roll it out, throw it on the grill and flip it after a minute. Once it's flipped, you put on the sauce, cheese and any other toppings and cook for 5 minutes or so, making sure to turn it so you don't get a hot spot that burns. (I learned that on the first 2 we made. The last one turned out PERFECT!



About 15 minutes before we were ready to grill the dough, Phil asked me if we had any pizza sauce. Oops. Pizza sauce? Is that really necessary? He wanted me to run to the store and pick some up but who wants to do that on a beautiful Saturday afternoon? I just picked up the computer and looked for a recipe on allrecipes.com once again. Viola! Pizza sauce was made in about 2 minutes (and it tasted good too!)



After the pizzas were cooked and we were eating them, Phil complemented me on how good they were but said a couple times how difficult they were to make. Ha! How does he know? He was playing video games the whole time! I think when he says they were difficult he really meant that it was difficult for him to wait the 1 1/2 hours for the dough to rise! :) From the cooks' perspective, I would say that they were very easy to make and they'll definitely be made here again!

To Phil's credit, he did tell me as I was typing my blog, "Babe, you made a good lunch." He also complimented it again. So, all in all, the grilled pizzas were a success and we didn't have to kick up the money for Stonefire pizza...or pizza sauce for that matter.

Here's the recipes if you're adventurous enough to try them yourself!


Grilled Dough
From allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons white sugar
1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons cornmeal for dusting
3/4 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)

DIRECTIONS:
Proof yeast in warm water.
In separate bowl place flour, salt, sugar, and oil. Make a well in the center and place yeast/warm water mixture in. Mix thoroughly until consistency of an elastic ball. Allow to rise 1 1/2hours.
Flour surface and roll out 1/2 dough. Rub with cornmeal. Sprinkle with your favorite toppings.
Spray grill with cooking spray. Grill dough about 5 minutes or until toppings are melted. Repeat with second piece of dough.

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Easy Pizza Sauce
From allrecipes.com

INGREDIENTS:
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tablespoon ground oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried minced garlic
1 teaspoon ground paprika

DIRECTIONS:
In a medium bowl, Mix together tomato sauce and tomato paste until smooth. Stir in oregano, garlic and paprika.

Special Surprise

At work, my principal (who is awesome!) decided to give out two gifts to two teachers who were present during all of our state testing days. She always selects the receivers by drawing a name out of a hat. Her two gifts were a coupon for dinner at Salt Creek Restaurant and a trip to a spa for a pedicure. Imagine my surprise this morning when I opened my email and found out that I had received the gift card to the spa! Yipee! Since I've never been to a spa before or had a pedicure, this will be quite a treat. It was so funny, my students saw the gift bag with the name of the spa on the outside and they're like "what's that for Mrs. Camp?" I told them I had won it and they were like, "That's the best spa ever!! You're starting out at the best so you'll never want to go to another one!" How do my 5th grade girls know more about spa's than I do!? LOL. So, that'll be a nice end of the year treat to look forward to.

Carnival and "Get-together"

Well, I haven't posted for awhile because I wanted to try to keep it on a positive note. School's definitely winding down!!! Which makes me get wound up tight. Don't get me wrong, I've had a great class this year and wonderful families. However, the kids' behavior is (in my eyes) definitely getting a little too loose. Sigh...I want to end this year on a good note for both me and the students!

Last Friday I went to our school carnival. It was fun watching the kids play games and seeing the many auction baskets. There was some cool stuff there! Unfortunately, Phil and I didn't have the money to compete with the tight competition. :) I put two teacher donations out at the auction and I'm looking forward to fulfilling them. One of my boys won an outing with me and a friend to an icecream place of his choice. The other event will be five of my girls coming over to my place at some point to make cookies for the class. I love to bake so I'm sure I'll have a blast with my students. I wish I could have the whole class over, but alas, I don't think my tiny place would safely hold 28 students and I doubt Puma would survive...let alone me! I would love to put some pictures online from the carnival but I only took ones of my students and I don't think I'm allowed to post them legally.

So, yesterday, Phil and I decided to invite couples from our Sunday School class over. I made a great strawberry pie and we cleaned the condo. Phil even cleaned out the grill! Phil and I like to do things last minute but we're continually learning that the couples in our class are not last minute couples. We waited for 4:00 (the time we had invited everyone over). It sadly came and went with no one showing up. :( We made the most of it and played a few games of jenga with each other and I ate my yummy strawberry pie. If you were one of the ones invited, don't feel bad for not showing! We didn't give a whole lot of notice. Just PLEASE come next time! :) Here's some pictures of the happy couple enjoying Jenga.

44 Jars and Counting

One of the flats of Strawberries
One of the teacher's at school always has a strawberry festival with his class and so I asked him to pick me up 2 flats of strawberries when he bought his own. (He lives out near the strawberry fields). My favorite jam in the world is homemade, strawberry freezer jam. It is the BEST! Little did I know how much jam 2 flats of strawberries would make. Um...let's just say I've already made 44 jars of jam and I've still got an entire flat of berries left! (+ about 2 quarts). I've made 6 batches total so far. There is no way Phil and I will be able to eat all of those strawberries so I think I'm going to keep making jam and just sell the extra to fellow teachers and friends. If you read my blog and would like to purchase a jar of jam, just let me know...must be local though. Sorry. Last night we had strawberry shortcake...mmm mmm good!

Last Nights Strawberry Shortcake
I think I'm going to make a strawberry pie next. Just so you know, it's quite difficult to use 2 flats of strawberries before they go bad!








2 Batches of Jam














3 Batches of Jam














6 Batches of Jam!!!

Decorating

Our loft before the changes...

The new queen bed

Well, we've almost finished the loft. The bed's completely done with a queen mattress, featherbed :) and 600 threadcount sheets. Aaawww luxery! We still would like to do a little decorating as we find items that fit the decor.

Another angle


While we searched for decor for the guest room we decided to look for something to make our own room look a little better. We created a wallhangind, found 3 pillows and a large vase w/reeds. Both Phil and I love our new bedroom decorations. The wallhanging above our bed is actually created with 8 windchimes. They're quiet unless Phil runs his hands down them like he loves doing. So far Puma hasn't messed with them. Check out the before and after pictures of both rooms.




Sorry, I don't have a whole lot else to post besides this. Nothing really interesting anyways. Phil and I went to Pine Mountain Club this weekend to help our friends Sarah & Alan fix up their house and visit our friends Michael and Emily. Not much else going on besides the street outside our window is getting torn up and replaced. Next week we won't be able to park at either of our parking spots for 5 days. That'll be fun, fighting for limited parking with about 200 other cars!

Almost Done...

We still need mattresses, a few "nuts and bolts" for the bed, and a few decorations, but everything else is in place! Tonight Phil and I oiled the wardrobe since the wood was very dry since it's former location had a wood-burning stove that sucked out a lot of the moisture. There is a noticeable difference between the before and after pictures. I don't know if you can really tell but in real life, the colors are much richer. We're almost ready for guests!


Before Oiling

Half-way. Can you tell which side is finished?

All finished. She's a beauty!