monday...monday...

Have you ever had one of those days that just didn't work as you planned? Today I had a very long to-do list made and I didn't accomplish much at all. I could chalk this up to too many things on the list and not enough time in my day, but really I think it was just me.

Menu Sunday:

Weight watchers is big on planning ahead. They find that people who know what they are eating and when they are eating are more successful at dropping the lbs. Since Mr. R and I are usually unable to decide on what to eat and never have edible food in the fridge I decided to get my act together and plan meals for the week. Using my new WW materials, Rachael Ray's website and allrecipes.com I created a menu of easy meals that can be made in 30 mins or less and are low in points. I thought I would share my meals with you in case you are in my cooking challenged boat...

Sunday: tomato & mozzarella salad with grilled flank steak.

Combine mini fresh mozzarella balls, red onion, sliced black olives, and spring mix. Toss with fat free Cesar dressing. Marinate flank steak with Newman's own roaster garlic marinade. Grill steak and serve with tomato salad.

Monday: Crockpot pork with roasted sweet potatoes.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Slow-Cooked-Pork-Barbeque/Detail.aspx

I am using pork tenderloin instead of pork chops.

Tuesday: Shrimp-n-grits.

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Garlic-Cheese-Grits-with-Shrimp/Detail.aspx

This is Mr. Republican's favorite meal of all time. To make it WW friendly I am using reduced fat Velveeta.

Wednesday: Morningstar black bean burgers topped with corn, avocado, salsa, and romaine lettuce.I am serving this with sun chips. We have small group on Wednesday evening so a quick meal is an absolute necessity.

Thursday: Rachael Ray turkey apple burgers. To quote Mr. R, "It tastes like Thanksgiving in my mouth!" http://www.rachaelraymag.com/recipes/hamburger-recipes/burger-of-the-month/apple-cheddar-turkey-burgers/article.html

I am using reduced fat cheddar, sugar free cranberry sauce, and ww english muffins.

Friday: Chinese chicken and vegetables over brown rice.

Marinate two chicken breasts in Newman's Asian marinade then grill. Toss frozen Chinese vegetables with hoison sauce, 2tbls. Serve over 1 cup of brown rice.

Happy Eatings!

Weekend Update:

This post won't be as funny as SNL, but the title fit.

Mr. Republican celebrating his 27th in Disney and our new favorite rollercoaster! 0 to 60 mph in 2 seconds!

Wednesday was Mr. R's birthday and we spent the day in the mouse trap, as some Floridians say. We left early Wednesday morning arrive at Disney's Hollywood Studios when the magical Mickey gates opened. We rode ever ride, saw every show, and I managed to survive the Rockin' Rollercoaster ride. It was an absolute blast and it was FREE! Disney gives you a free pass to the park of your choice on your birthday. They even gave Mr. Republican a birthday card and dessert during our lunch!

Thursday was rather uneventful. I will admit it was hard to go back after being off the day before. It was the school talent show which turned my usual 7.5 hour day into a 13 hour day. I was exhausted by the time the show kicked off, but the acts were adorable, heart attack worthy, and hilarious. I will say this, no child of mine will ever unicycle. We had a student unicycle while jumping rope! I couldn't watch.

Friday started my weekend of nothing! (I know this shouldn't deserve an exclamation point, but you have no idea how much I was looking forward to a weekend off) Last weekend was insane with hosting our housewarming and Mr. R's birthday. Friday I caught up on bad TV (mostly of the reality variety), perused the new J.Crew summer issue, and hung out on the couch with the pups.

Saturday I joined Weight Watchers. After much thought and months of trying unsuccessfully to return to my wedding weight, I broke down and joined. I have only been following the program for a day and half, but so far I am being a good little soldier and staying within my points. Hopefully all this stress over food quality, quantity and lables will pay off. Wish me luck and please don't mention anything about cupcakes!

Hope you all have a great week!

Mr. R's 27th Birthday in Pictures

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

Happy 27th Mr. Republican!

I decided to dedicate this post to the most awesome guy around. I met him 8 years ago, fell in love with him 5 years ago ,and married him 3 years ago. Today is his birthday and I am thankful that he's here. I am a firm believe that God has a plan for all of us and I am so glad that God's plan was to bring us together (political aspirations and all!).

To honor his 27 years of existence, here are 27 things I LOVE about him!Our Wedding June 24, 2006

1. His eyes are gorgeous! I hope every baby we have gets his eyes.

2. He has an incredibly witty and dry sense of humor that makes me laugh all the time. (Although sometimes I won't admit it).

3. His aspirations... at the age of six he knew he wanted to be President and actually meant it. (I think I was set on being Barbie at age 6!)

4. He is a terrible dancer with no rhythm, but he willingly goes out dancing with me and gladly makes a fool of himself.

Our honeymoon Patmos, Greece

5. He makes excellent hot tea with lemon and honey.

6. He always falls for my puppy dog face. (This is how we ended up in sunny Florida)

7. He abhors all excercise, but runs with me to support my dream of running a marathon.

Our Engagement

8. He forgets everything, but can quote almost every epispode of the Simpsons. (I must admit this sometimes drives me crazy).

9. He never gave up on his dream of working on Capitol Hill and became a hill staffer with no previous expierence at 25.

10. He loses our two pups more than anything in the world and I know he will be a great father.

Sophie & Simon (I think Simon looks just like a gremlin here!)

11. He never tells me I just look "nice". His complements are always sincere and heart felt.

12. He listens to my girlie music in the car even though Metallica is being played nonstop on the next station over.


13. He is a great friend and still keep in contact with his best bud from kindergarten.
14. He tirelessly supports causes he thinks will help us be a better society, community, and nation.


15. He gave up his ratty old Metallica, Black Sabbath,and Ted Nugent t-shirts in favor of polos, button downs, and searsucker pants.


16. He will watch The Hills without screaming at the TV.

17. He challenges me to work harder, run faster, and be better in everything I commit to.

Mr. Republican's first trip to Disney World

18. He has kept all of letters, cards, and emails in a special box in his office.

19. He understands that girls need to pampered every once in a while and gladly supports my need to shop, get a great haircut, or surprises me with a massage giftcard.

20. He takes care of all car maintence including filling up the gas tank when I refuse.

21. He laughs really hard at stupid jokes and always listens to my crazy school stories.

22. He is incredibly patient and never loses his cool.

23. He is amazingly handsome and looks very much like a cross between Topher Grace and Toby Maguire.

24. He is an awesome snuggle buddy in bed and will willign take naps to help me fall asleep (even when he isn't tired).

25. He is always honest with me even when I don't want to hear it.

26. He now listens to and really likes Jack Johnson, OAR, and Vampire Weekend. (I'd like to think I am rubbing off on him)

27. He is an awesome travel buddy and I am so looking forward to seeing Rome with him in December!

I guess what I am trying to say is Happy Birthday Babe! So glad you are here and you are mine!

There was a murder at our house!

Okay, so the title was a bit misleading.

Here is a quick recap of our murder mystery party/open house. The murder was indeed found, caught and charged. Many thanks to Mayor Daily and Sly Sleeze for unraveling the complicated plot and solving the case :)

Make a Smilebox photobook

It's been a while...

Sorry dear friends, it has been a while since my last post. So much for trying to update everyday! I had a crazy week last week and into this weekend. It was my first week back since spring break and I think I was in full denial about having to go back last Monday. Seriously, I walked in the door with no lesson plans and my purse, not even my teaching bag... The week flew by with meetings, parents, homework, and quizzes. Mr. Republican turned twenty-seven on Saturday and I threw him his first birthday party since he was 7!

His lack of birthday parties astounds me (I am the oldest in my family and the favorite among all grandparents, my birth is celebrated for an entire month), but Jeff is a middle child who came from a large family that celebrated birthdays with a cake and family dinner. (Which is fine and he loved it, but compared to my celebration it’s a little sad). I decided to give him a party that would make my mom “the hostess” proud. I planned a murder mystery party complete with character scripts, props, and clue cards. The house was packed and everyone had a blast. We had water guns hidden under tables, lots of mob references and pitchers of Sangria. I am still finding clue cards and suspect envelopes behind tables and in sofa cushions. It was great to mix all of our friends together...

Here are a few pictures below taken by fellow blogger 5K to marathon.

I made a powerpoint to introduce the key players in the game. You can also see our new couch and chaise slipcovers in this picture.

Our friends from church who ended up being the guilty parties.

Clue cards and suspect envelopes.

Mr. Republican and me!

And all was quiet...

I am in complete denial this week about going back to work. Having been off last week I was quiet content with sleeping in, going to the gym midday, and relaxing in yoga pants and tees. On Monday, my vacation from tests, quizzes, backpacks and lesson plans came to a SCREECHING halt and it was back to business as usual. Only 5 days until the weekend!

Everybody Wants to be Italian...

Growing up in a small suburb in Jersey I was exposed to many cultures in our little neighborhood, but I have to say the cultures, traditions, and meals I treasured most were from the Italian side of the block. They had the best dinners, birthday cakes, and Christmas celebrations. And I think a little part of me always wanted to have a Nonni who made pitzelles at Christmas or a mom who made macaroni and gravy (that means spaghetti for those of you who don't speak Jersey) from scratch. Mr. Republican selected the movie everyone wants to be Italian on netflix, I started it this morning (yay for no school!) and finished it while writing this post. It is a no name movie with a big heart and I highly recommend it. (You should know that I am a sucker for romantic comedies and will most likely give a thumbs up to anything with a cute plot and a happy ending).

Today was rather unexciting. My spring break has officially come to an end, back to work tomorrow. I did drop a few dollars on a haircut today. I am frugal by nature, but love getting pampered every once in a while. I ended up at Panache today (it's fantastic, and if you are ever in north Florida and need a cut, color, or spa treatment look them up!) I got my hair dyed back to its original dark brown with light brown and caramel highlights. It looks amazing (thank you Kiara!) and I feel like a European model. Mr. Republican has a birthday on Friday and we will be hosting a house party to celebrate (translation: a great time to show off my new hair).

Easter 2009

He is risen!

For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son so that all who believe in him shall not perish, but have ever last life. John 3:16

Make a Smilebox greeting

Hey Ya'll!

Where to begin? I have been married for almost three years to my college sweetheart. We married two years after graduation while we were both in grad school and our stress level was at a maximum. We survived the first year of marriage, (just barely) living in Washington D.C. on a staff assistants salary and a graduate school stipend. We packed our bags after year two and moved to sunny Florida. We now live amongst retirees, Mickey Mouse, and the beach.

This blog chronicles my life as a big haired Jersey native trying to blend into a sea of Southern belles.