Another holy Sunday

Well, this was a relaxing weekend before the first day of school--the eye of a hurricane.

Friday was a lazy night--we cooked a frozen pizza and enjoyed a movie on TBS. Shadow had a blast, not leaving Bryan's side.

Saturday was a productive day. We went to Delafield, near here, to do some shopping. I bought about $30 in school supplies, and Bryan found some great deals at Kohl's department store--he bought a wicking hiking shorts and shirt for a grand total of $8! Cool, huh?

And last night, Bryan and I went out to eat at a New China Buffet. We were both craving Chinese, but I think we had too high expectations, especially after being a frequent customer of A-Tan's in Memphis. After splitting with our $18 for 2 buffets, we soon exited the restaurant and took some tums. Yes, that restaurant is a mistake we'll never make again.

Today we went to Elmbrook Church. Bryan and I begin our membership class in about 2 weeks. It should be insightful. We enjoyed a lunch of leftovers before I began class work. After a while, we went on a lovely walk around our neighborhood where we went "househunting." Shadow chased a bunny (there's a ton of little rodents around here).

Well, I'm off to bed--I have an early morning tomorrow! I must be at the school at 7:15 am sharp!

AB

ARRRRRRRRRRR!

It's official--I am a pirate. This is only temporary; however, it may become long-term, through the year.

In other words, Ashley is EMPLOYEED with Pewaukee High School as a long-term subsitute English teacher. I officially begin tomorrow (Wednesday), which gives me approx. one week before classes begin. Since I haven't begun my preparations, I am nervous about learning and teaching the curriculum...

Feel free to check out my high school: http://www.pewaukee.k12.wi.us/ and click on "schools"

Another great point about my job: it's only a 6 minute drive from our apartment! That's excellent, especially considering the gas prices. By the way, gas is currently 2.70/gallon in our area.

Tomorrow can't come soon enough!

AB

Crab apples galore!

Hi friends!

We have a lovely crab apple tree outside our apartment complex, and I'm thinking of utilizing some of its ripened fruit. Any comments or suggestions? Does anyone know what crab apples taste like?

I found an on-line recipie for crab apple pie. Also, I'm going to try freezing the crab apples.

Wish me luck!

--Ashley

No job but new opportunities!

Well, unfortunately, I didn't get the job at Greenfield High. However, new jobs for teachers around the area are being posted each and every day online. This is great news for me, so I'm constantly working at home (yes, we do have internet at home now--yay!). Also, I'm selling books on amazon.com, so I'm trying to keep busy.

Trying to keep busy is the keyword. Unfortunately, this doesn't work all the time, so I'm trying to read lots of books and learn new cooking skills. Currently, Bryan and I are reading Ron Blue's Master Your Money. Our friend Todd Schulz (who, by the way, moved back to Iowa with his lovely wife, Melissa) recommended the book to Bryan a couple of years ago. We are about half way through with the book, and we enjoy discussing it. Many of his concepts (live on less than you make, aviod car debt and consumer debt) we already practice. Hopefully, we will pull out more of his concepts as we continue with the book.

I recently finished Jonni McCoy's Miserly Moms: Living on One Income in a Two Income Economy. This book gave great advice on cooking homemade meals and getting the most out of your grocery budget. I hope to use a lot of her advice one day, eespecially when the day comes that Bryan and I will be living on his income (ie, when we have rugrats). She also has inticing recipies in her book, including how to make homemade jams. I hope to use this recipie as soon as I learn how to can fruits.

What else is new?? Oh, Bryan and I will be attending a new member orientation at Elmbrook Church this Sunday. Check out their website at www.elmbrook.org. The people in the church seem very devoted to the great commission and carrying out biblical teachings. In fact, two of the pastors have radio segments: one is called Telling the Truth, and I listen to it each morning. Oh yeah, another thing keeping me busy is talk radio! I enjoy listening to the ACLJ (counterpart to ACLU) each morning around 11am. At noon, the James Dobson Family Minute comes on, and then at 12:30pm, Dennis Rainey's show comes on. At 1pm, Dave Ramsey comes on air, and I enjoy listening to him and people who call in with their debt-free stories. They're so inspiring. Check out his ministry at www.daveramsey.com

Hopefully soon Bryan and I can learn how to post pictures. Until then, I hope everyonoe stays safe and has a wonderful day and week!

Ashley's first interview

I am SO happy to announce that I had my first job interview today. The position is with Greenfield High School in Greenfield, WI, teaching American Literature and multi-media. I feel that the interview went well--I enjoyed talking with the administrators, sharing my educational experiences, and highlighting my teaching abilities. However, I did stumble on one question: What are my experiences with MacIntosh computers? Unfortunately, I have not used macs for 4 years. But I did highlight the software I have used on them, such as Adobe Photoshop and QuarkExpress.

Whatever the outcome, I know I am blessed to even GET the interview. I'll keep everyone posted.

--Ashley