I enjoy cooking and over the past few years feel like I've figured out this whole cooking thing...a whole lot better than I used to, anyway! So what happened tonight? Goodness!!
Menu: spaghetti with sauce and meatballs, garlic bread, green beans. Pretty straightforward; made this meal many times.
What happened? Everything went fine with the boiling of the water! :) Put the garlic bread in while spaghetti was cooking, then decided meatballs should go in, too. Set timer for meatballs. Drained spaghetti, set back in pan on turned off burner. Decided we'd have cooked carrots. Turned on stovetop, moved spaghetti pan, burned finger because I'd turned on the wrong burner. Also had some dried spaghetti on bottom of pan from turning on wrong burner. Smelled something funny. Dark brown garlic bread in oven. *Sigh.* Went out to garage freezer and got more garlic bread. Put new garlic bread in oven. Decided it would take too long for carrots...we'll go with microwaved beans instead. Checked on meatballs - juice from them spilled on oven floor because I'd put them on a cookie sheet with no sides. Turned vent blower on high. Finally got to dinner, thanks to Nathan setting the table willingly, and the garlic bread tasted a bit funny due to meatball juice running on top of them.
I did notice when Ken prayed, he said, "And thank you for all of Mommy's efforts in preparing this dinner." What he normally says is, "Thank you for Mommy's good work in preparing this dinner." Ha ha. :) I wasn't offended, though - by that point (6:15) we were all starved and Ken had a meeting at 7! The good news is the dinner tasted good and the meatballs were especially good. Some other Mom friends and I are meeting monthly and making 6 meals to freeze and a few to give away. It has been SUCH a blessing to have good, healthful meals in the freezer on those nights when who knows what the dinner would be otherwise! So, the meatball recipe is a definite keeper.
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Exam week at school this week - good but busy. Most of my students stay the same next semester, which I'm glad about - overall I have fine groups of students. Two 10th grade girls - who I've had to remind/give consequences for excessive chattiness in class - gave me a belated Christmas card today. They wrote, "To Mrs. Vanderwest....we think you're the best English teacher ever!" It made me smile and feel good, and I'll assume they were being sincere. :) I think they secretly liked it when I gave them a consequence of writing an essay about why excessive socializing in class was a problem for them, others, and the teacher, what they planned to do differently, and what their consequence should be if they don't follow through. They've paid quite good attention since then! :)
Found out a dual-enrollment English 101 college class (through Muskegon Comm. College) is meeting at KCHS next semester, two days a week in the morning. The principal asked if the professor could use my room "because it is pleasant and close to the library." I told her that would be fine (since I teach in afternoons) - I think that will assist in one of my resolutions - to keep a neat desk with no piles! At least on Mondays and Wednesdays my desk will be neat!
That's all for now. The rumblings upstairs tell me that it is time to read Ramona and her Father (our current read aloud book) and send the rowdy ones to bed. Early to bed on Tuesday nights since Wed nights (AWANA) are not early to bed.
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