Life is Good.

As you may have noticed, I haven't been blogging much. When school starts it's hard to get back into the swing of things. It's been a whirlwind start this year because we've got a lot going on at our school. I've got some things that I'd like to catch you up on!

Two weekends ago I had a weekend full of books! It was my first visit to Wild Rumpus in Minneapolis. It's such a fun (children's) book store! They've got animals roaming around as you peruse the books. I picked up a few books for my classroom because I just couldn't help myself. My students have been LOVING the Amulet series. It's a great series to have because kids love graphic novels and the Lexile is low. It's hard to find good books for middle schoolers who need a lower reading level. The book Smile just came out with a new sequel called Drama so I picked up both of those.

Even though the book store was very fun, the following day I went to St. Thomas to hear Lois Lowry talk about her new book Son. Nik had pre-ordered the book for me (because he's amazing) and it came with two tickets to go see Lois Lowry. I wish I would've brought a notepad and taken notes. She was fascinating to listen to. A natural story teller--in person and on the page. If you've never heard of her, PLEASE check out The Giver. It's WONDERFUL. Hands-down, my favorite book. I get to teach it to my eighth graders every spring. I couldn't end the year with my students on a better note. Also, she signed my book! (Geeking out!)

In other news, I've been cooking more! I didn't do much over the summer because I wasn't home very often. I've been educating Nik about good, wholesome Minnesotan food. Or, in other words, the food I grew up on. If you know anything about my family, you've probably heard what an amazing cook my father was. I've been making a few recipes and each time I cook something my father used to make, I get very sentimental. Cooking makes me miss my dad but I think it brings me closer to him.

This weekend I made beef stroganoff. I'd give you the recipe but then I'd have to kill you. Personally, I believe that this recipe was one of the reasons why Pete wanted to marry my sister, Kate, so badly. ;-) I kid, I kid. (Happy one year wedding anniversary, you two!) I know my cousin, Christie, has made this in the crock pot and I think I might have to give that a try some time.

Tonight, for the first time, I made stir-fry! It was surprisingly easy. After the beef was in a marinade (mostly oil, cornstarch, salt, sugar, soy sauce, and pepper) for 24 hours, I threw in asparagus, pea pods, green onions, chopped ginger and garlic, oyster sauce, and some chicken broth. The beauty of stir-fry is that you can throw in so many different things and it'll turn out delicious. I got my stir-fry pan from Ikea a few years back for $5! It's a great meal to make.

Bon appétit!