Off to California!

Well, I'm gearing up for a week long trip to northern California. I leave Wednesday morning for San Francisco to attend a yearly summit put on by a company called CORE. I will be in Burlingame (near the airport) for the first part of this trip. Some well known reading researchers are going to lead sessions, so I'm looking forward to hearing them!

Part two of the trip is spending the weekend in city itself - near Fisherman's Wharf. I'm hoping to get in touch with a friend who lives in the area and be able to see her! It truly has been years since we have been able to see each other.

Then, finally part three of the trip will be in Sonoma. I was lucky enough last year to be part of an intensive reading training. It was the best training I've ever experienced! (four trips; 12 days of intensive training - and it "WAS" intensive) I will be involved in a follow-up session focusing on grades 4-6 this year with the same trainer.

I'm hoping for warmth and sunshine, but in looking at the weather report it will most likely be chilly and possibly rainy as well. Oh well, it will be warmer than here in Alaska! Now to figure out what to bring...

Inservice Day Lunch - Ole'

Well, tomorrow we are putting together an old favorite in the crockpot for lunch - TACO SOUP! There are a million different recipes, all quite similar. Here is the one I'll be using (which I have modified)...

Taco Soup In the Crockpot
(serves around 8)

1 pound of browned extra lean ground beef (drained)
1 chopped onion
1 can of kidney beans (undrained)
1 can whole kernel corn (undrained)
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
2 14.5 oz cans peeled & diced tomatoes (undrained)
1 4 oz can diced green chiles
2 cups water (you will want to judge the consistency of your soup here - very likely won't need to add the water... with the undrained canned goods - you probably will be fine)
1 pkg taco seasoning mix
1 pkg ranch dressing

Mix everything in the crockpot and turn on high for 4 hrs; or low for 8 hours. Top with Fritos; cheddar cheese and sour cream. Enjoy.

Facebook!

Well, this is quite an addicting site I must say. It is a fun way to touch bases - keep in touch, with friends from near and afar. I have "friends" from the Caribbean; England; and an old friend that was a co-cub scout leader with me (eons ago) who is living in Budapest. I'd love to find more friends (you know, those friends you lose contact with when you move away), and I just sent out another batch of "invites".

If you haven't tried Facebook - try it, you'll like it! And when you do, find me as a friend!

Have fun...

Another yummy breakfast!

This recipe again comes from Kalyn's Kitchen (my favorite website). Enjoy!

Southwestern Egg Casserole
Serves 10-12)

18 eggs
4 oz can diced green chiles
14.5 oz diced tomatoes, well drained (organic preferred)
Seasonings (Spike Seasoning; Freshly ground pepper)
12 oz grated cheese (4 cheese mexican blend works great)
3 Tbsp sliced green onions
Optional: you could also top with bacon crumbles; or browned sausage

For Serving:
Sour Cream & Salsa

Preheat oven to 375. Drain your canned diced tomatoes in a collander and let sit to completely drain. Spray a 9x12 glass casserole dish with nonstick spray. Whisk eggs until well mixed, stir in well-drained tomatoes, green chiles with any juice, and seasonings.

Put the cheese in the bottom of the dish. If you are using bacon or sausage, put this over the cheese. Sprinkle the green onions. Pour the egg mixture on top. Bake uncovered 40-45 minutes (until eggs are well set and top is starting to brown). Serve with sour cream and salsa to top. Yummy!

To look at Kalyn's website for a picture and other recipes for breakfast casseroles, follow this link!
SOUTHWESTERN EGG CASSEROLE

Transitioning to new technology can be tough!

Well, one thing always leads to another right? This time around it is all related to efficiency. I went to a wonderful conference that taught us to work efficiently and with our secretary with the utmost of organization. Part of this plan involves calendaring, and how our secretary should be handling our calendar. So, being open and willing to get more organized, I thought I'd give it a try. I dug out the old Palm Pilot, got it all charged up and "synced". Strangely enough it did not want to sync with the Palm software, but it seemed to like ICal. OK, I can go with that - so I spent one night entering all the data I had in my Palm calendar over to ICal. Worked great! But, to make things more complicated we wanted to have my secretary have my calendar on her computer where I could sync my Palm with her ICal. Oops - little did I know there is a rule about multiple computers - a definite no-no. The district IT person said we need to use Google Calendar, then it will load to my ICal, then I can sync my Palm. Easy right? NOT... In order to get Google Calendar to talk to ICal, he had to take my computer away, update it, and he returned it at the end of the day. All my e-mails disappeared in the process - not good. I then re-entered everything from ICal into Google Calendar and tried to sync. Well, Google did move everything to ICal like it was supposed to, but now it has been determined that my Palm is ancient and to not even try it. IT's recommendation: Get an IPhone. So, that was yesterdays journey - the AT&T store.

I've spent the day (Sunday) getting things sync'd (now it works). Next step - take the IPhone to the Ford Edge and get the two to talk to each other so that I can use my handsfree phone. Don't ya love technology? It is absolutely a love/hate relationship!

P.S. My Ford Edge and iPhone can now talk. (I had heard there were issues getting the two to communicate. Luckily, I was not one with trouble...)