Hosted by Peggy @ The Simple Woman

Outside My Window…the backyard has been emptied of the bird bath and the bird feeders. We had to ‘squirrel proof’ our backyard as we leave the back door open quite frequently for our ‘kids’ to come and go as they please and we don’t want them chasing squirrels through the house.

I am thankful….we live in Florida. When we were considering retirement from the military we were considering Georgia and North Carolina – being attracted to the bigger cities. However, family drew us to Florida and a more ‘rural’ environment. But that is not why I love Florida. I love Florida because it does not snow and the heaviest outer wear I need to have on during winter is a hoodie.

From the kitchen…well, the chicken pot pie was not a complete success. Not entirely the recipe’s fault. I altered the recipe for convenience (pre-cooked chicken strips, canned carrots…and I think that the fact that I had no corn starch made a difference in the consistency). With that being said I did not think ahead of time that the insides of the pot pie had the potential to over flow. Therefore, I did not put it on another pan…..therefore….it spilled over into the oven and I had to remove the pie before the crust was entirely cooked or we would have had a visit from the local fire department. My experiment for this week will be ‘spaghetti pie‘.

I am creating…a system to organize my printed photos that I will be using for my cards.

From the learning rooms…this week it is all about Colonial life, immunizations and the Scientific method. Math???? We’re still in review mode with that until I figure something out.

I am going…to help Miss Sam clean her room today. I have both a bottle of Xanax and a bottle of Advil ready (grin).

I am reading…The Warrior Heir by Cinda Chima. It was recommended by a dear friend’s son and I must say I am really enjoying it!!! I can’t wait to read the next one. I did not finish reading last week’s book Baltimore Blues. I got kinda bored with it halfway through.

I am hoping…that Spring semester gets off to a good start this evening. It’s like opening the first chapter of a book that you have been looking forward to reading.

Around the house…even the kitchen floor has been cleaned. Today it’s bathroom duty. Yuck. I only do the mirrors and sinks. Mr. John does the showers/toilet/floors.

One of My Favorite Things…is the planning stages of my projects.

A Few Plans For The Rest Of The Week: trying to get into the routine of teaching and counseling. I have really enjoyed my ‘vacation’ these past few weeks and have gotten quite spoiled with my ‘laid back’ routine. Perhaps I will work on bringing some of that ‘laid back’ attitude into my ‘hectic’ schedule.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing…

Today’s ‘Around the Square‘:  is Barb’s A Chelsea Morning. I have been reading A Chelsea Morning ever since I began blogging three years ago. I love how she always makes you feel as though you have just been invited to join her for a steaming cup of hot chocolate in her cozy kitchen. I am inspired by her gourmet talents and her homemade creativity. I hope you click on over and allow her to wrap you up in her wonderful welcoming atmosphere.

Today I am grateful for: a husband and daughter that honor my need to go to bed at 7:30 pm because I chose to be a ‘weekend warrior’ with housecleaning this weekend.

Today I am going to simplify my life: by organizing my photo inventory so that I will be able to easily determine how my product inventory needs to be increased.