It's been a busy past couple of weeks. I finished some house projects I was wanting to get done. I power washed the house and I spray painted the trampoline. I also had a two day teaching conference that was local that was fun. It's a conference with other FCS teachers around the state and we have workshops where we teach each other different things. I actually participated this year and taught a short class showing activities I do in my classroom dealing with measuring equivalents and recipe math.  

With the kids we went to Roaring Springs and met Hart and Jory  and went to the climbing gym. We had a crazy storm on Friday night. It was raining and blowing really hard but we mostly ignored it while we were watching a movie. When I looked on my Facebook feed the next day there were some crazy videos and pictures with giant puddles and hail piled up like snow. My house is on a bit of a hill so we didn't have any giant pools of water and we didn't have hail at our house either. It was wild to see other people's pictures. 

Corbin got a job at Chipotle. He worked everyday last week. He seems to be handling it okay so far. I'm glad he was able to find a job, that's not always easy.

John's birthday was on Thursday. I made fish tacos and a cheesecake per his requests. I've never made a cheesecake before. I did some research and tried to find a good recipe. It turned out pretty good! On Friday night we made calzones. We made those at my teacher conference and I thought it could be a fun family dinner. I think it would take more practice to really dial in the amount of sauce and toppings to make them perfect but they were pretty tasty. I'm trying to think of a project to do this week so I don't get too bored, I haven't figured it out yet. Well, that's all.

Cute snuggle pups.

Calzones!

43!

Piper

Ryan

Gabby, top left.

Trampoline before, you can't really tell but it was REALLY rusty.

My little helper?

This past week was good. I didn't have my kids (minus Corbin), but the time went by nicely. So far this summer, I am having a good mix of relaxing time and getting some things done. I repainted my table. It got roughed up last year, and I hated the finish. I just went ahead and painted it the same color and then used a more subtle finish. We will see if it looks better this time around. We haven't used it yet; time will tell. I'm exercising a lot and reading a lot. I have a few project goals as well. I cleaned and organized my kitchen cabinets and pantry; they were a hot mess. I ended up subbing one day. I'm on a summer school sub list; it never worked out last year, but someone texted me last week. I figure, why not? If I don't have anything else going on, it gives me something to do that day. I love walking/jogging down by the green belt. The green belt and the city parks are my favorite things about Boise. I also nerded out and experimented with a bunch of healthy recipes. They were mostly good; the meatless, noodleless lasagna was a big miss for me; the noodles are my favorite part! It tasted alright, but I NEED the noodles. 

John's best friend's wife had a birthday dinner at Kyotos, my fav. The chef was serving the person next to me his meat, and he splashed some sauce on my arm. It was like molten lava. I have a couple of blisters on my arms. That was a first! I went to Roaring Springs with the boys today; the girls didn't want to come. We had a good time. Well, that's all.

Veggie Lasagna

Repainted table

Hutch has found a nice pillow with my flowers.

This blister looks like a worm! It will scar for sure.

My garden is growing. I'm not sure if the tomato plants are going to kill each other for resources...

Highlights from the week: homemade tortillas, breadsticks, fettuccini alfredo. Staying up late and sleeping in. Enforcing a tiny routine with the kids for some time away from screens, daily jobs, etc. Ice cream, Roaring Springs, yard sales, movies, shows, books, exercise. Summer is going GREAT!

Hutch turned 9 on Thursday, Piper gave him a doggie ice cream treat.

A man with his dog.

Piper and Ryan love to mess with Hutch and cuddle him up.

We got this bike for Gabby at a yard sale. I think it's a good one for a great price. Fingers crossed.

We must not forget the cutest dog in the whole world, Charly!

Summer has officially begun for all of us. Piper and Ryan had school through Thursday. I decided I wanted to do the natural arch hike in Arco this past weekend. I talked my kids into going, minus Corbin, who had plans. I didn't make Piper do the hike; I know my limits. I haven't done that hike since high school. It is only 1/2 mile long, but it's uphill, and at the end, you have to use a rope to scale to the top. I felt like it was too hard for the little kids, so I ditched them and went ahead. Justin and Trisha were more patient than I was, and they took the time to guide the littles to the top. The weather was a little chilly, but it was nice for the hike. The rest of the day, it was too cold to be outside, and it was rainy. We played a bunch of games and had yummy food. On the way home from Arco this morning, I went to my brother Chase's house so he could remove my toenail. To quote John, I've had a "crunk" toe for a few years now. I have a fungus infection that I can't get rid of. Chase also had 3 "crunk" toenails; he removed them and took medication, and they look great. I'm hoping for the same result. I'm tired of my gross toenail. Hopefully, it heals quickly, and I can still have some fun this summer.

Piper is amazing at puzzles. She did this in no time!

Cute dogs getting a sunbath.

Piper, on the last day of 8th grade!

Our first strawberry from the garden.

Ryan, on the last day of 6th grade!

Gabby, one week after 10th grade!

Cute puppy.

The beginning of the hike. Justin came with a couple of his kids, and Trisha also came.

This is no joke!

Go Ryan!

All of us at the top, no thanks for me. haha

"Crunk" toenail removed. Gross!

I can't believe it, Corbin graduated from high school. Where did the time go? Corbin is smart not only
because he can take hard classes and did, but also because he didn't waste his time in high school taking
dumb classes or free periods. He took a lot of math and science classes, and he took 4 years of German,
even though I can never get him to say a word of it. He earned 24 college credits, earned a STEM
diploma, was on the honor roll, and received 2 scholarships. I'm really proud of him! His current plans
are to eventually be a PA. He will be living with me and getting as many credits from College of Western
Idaho as possible, and then either going to BSU or ISU. We will see what happens. Way to go Corb!

The last week of school was easy peasy. My culinary students and I did a lot of deep cleaning of my
kitchens. It feels good to leave things really clean and organized. I have my students do a one-pager for
their final, and that's super easy for me as well. Haha. I have a planner and specific rubric, so it's easy
for me to grade, and it's a forced review of the most important topics of the semester. I love it. This past
school year, for the most part has gone really fast and pretty smoothly. Next year, I have to figure out a
new grading system that the district is switching to, which I'm not excited about. I'm glad it will be in
year 3 at Borah with me teaching the same subjects. It will make it easier for me to figure out new
assignments and new assessments to fit the new criteria, boo. Oh well, that's a problem for August
because I do not prep over the summer. Forget it.

It's the summer of George over here. I'm trying my best to think of ways to relax and also not die of
boredom. We have our roaring springs passes that will keep us busy, and I'm sure I'll think of things to do
around the house.

Corbin got a senior award for his PE class. His teacher appreciated his effort in that class.

Cutest little kindergartner.

My parents made a quick trip to attend the ceremony which was so great of them.

I went on a hike with my friend Shelly this morning.

Cute Hutchie loves to lay on the lawn.

John took me to Big Juds to celebrate my last day of work. He ordered the special. This was his "what have I done face."

A couple of my work besties. Kate, on the right, retired this year. She's taught for over 30 years. I will miss her. She was my lunch buddy. Tina, on the left, is the chemistry teacher across the hall. She's the sweetest, and we both have a million more years to teach before we can retire, so hopefully we will be long Borah buddies. Fingers crossed.