Hosted by Peggy @ The Simple Woman

Outside My Window…it’s very, very, dark except for the spotlights in the backyard (so the dogs can see…grin). I was up at 4:00 this morning (to give Miss Sam a breathing treatment. With the weather changing from 36 degrees to 80 degrees in the course of twenty-four hours, it has really been raising havoc with her asthma) and once I am up, I am up until it’s time to go to bed at night.

I am thankful….that the fall semester is over, final grades have been submitted and the syllabi for the spring semester have been completed and are ready to post to my faculty website.

From the kitchen…lots going on there. Although I have not been posting about my culinary experiments – I have remained committed to trying new dishes. One of the most recent favorites is:

Chicken and Biscuits

1 small can sliced carrotts

1 large can french style green beans

2 pkgs Perdue (already cooked) diced chicken

1 can cream of chicken soup

3/4 milk

1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese, divided

1 1/2 cups Bisquick

2/3 cups milk

1 can (2.8 ounces) french-fried onions

In a large bowl, combine the vegetables, chicken, soup, milk, and 1 cup cheese. Pour into an ungreased 13 x9 x2 inch baking dish. cover and bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes. Meanwhile in another bowl, combine Bisquick and milk. Drop batter by tablespoonfuls onto chicken mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 20-22 minutes or until biscuits are golden brown. Top with onions and remaining cheese. Bake 3-4 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

In fact, this dish was such a success that I have been asked if I could make it again tonight.

I am creating…more inventory for the 2009 Art/Craft Show circuit. Here is what I have accomplished so far.

I only have to fill three and a half more display boxes. That means I have 300 more cards that I need to create (sigh).

So far this one is my most favorite creation:

From the learning rooms…I have made the decision that as soon as we complete the current level of LifePac curriculum we won’t be ordering the next grade. Although it was an awesome curriculum to get us through our first year of home schooling, I don’t believe that it meets all our educational needs. Therefore, I will be creating our own ‘personalized’ curriculum for the coming year. If I can do it at the college level I am certain I can do it at the middle school level (math and science will be a challenge but we will manage..even if we have to travel to the bigger city for a co-op).

I am going…to balance my checkbook later this morning and see if there is enough left over for Christmas presents for a very picky teenager!

I am reading…Hand of Evil by J.A. Jance, a suspense novel. I have loved all of her books and this is part of a new series about an ex-television journalist that writes a blog (grin). I also read the latest craze Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I have to admit I was a bit reluctant to ‘follow the crowd’ on this one. After all, vampires are definitely not my thing. However, I was ‘bitten’ from page one (I know, I know, bad pun). I could not put the book down!!! In fact, I already have the next one ‘New Moon’ sitting on my side table ready to read.

I am hoping…to finish my Christmas shopping this week. We made the decision several years ago to limit our gift giving, so there is not much for me to finish. However, I do most of my ’shopping’ online (we live in a semi-rural area) and I have to make sure I am able to have it delivered before Christmas.

Around the house…we are definitely in the Christmas spirit!! I love the holidays! Each year however, as Samantha grows older and becomes less interested in the ‘traditional’ festivities, I am finding myself sorting through all the decorating bins and ‘downsizing’ by at least two bins a year.

One of My Favorite Things…is blogging. And although I have missed blogging and visiting all my cyber friends, I must admit that I have enjoyed spending time doing all the other things that I enjoy.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week:

• finishing up on Christmas shopping
• wrapping up my counseling ‘gig’ for this year and getting next year’s schedule in place
• wrapping up home school for the year and begin developing the curriculum for the new year
• updating my college curriculum with some changes I feel are important. I know. I know. I always tend to create more work for myself but I was thinking……the students always love the chapter that deals with psychological disorders. Well, this chapter is one of the last ones in the textbook and we don’t get to it until about two days before the semester ends…this leaves very little time to explore the disorders to the extent that the students desire. So here’s my idea (I feel the need to share here). I have decided to include one disorder for each class period that we meet. I am doing my best to tie the disorder in with the current chapter material but this will be a stretch in some cases.  So this week I will be updating power points, video clips, and lecture notes.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing…as I said…..I’ve we’ve been busy.

Decorating the tree:

Putting up the nativity:

Baking cookies:

Ho Ho Ho….I love that Miss Sam is able to ‘participate’ more in getting ready for Christmas.