A New Job and a New School = A New Adventure!

My good friend, mentor, and former boss Linda H. always has good, common-sense and wise advice to share. (She also has a great sense of humor to boot - love ya, Linda Kay!!) Many of her statements I have dubbed as "Linda-isms", and have told her on more than one occasion that she should write a quippy little book to share her "Linda-isms" with the rest of the world! ;)

Anyhoo...one of the comments that I remember her making many years ago stuck in my head:

"A woman re-invents herself about every 7 years".

At the time I thought...hmmmm...I'm not so sure about that, but over time as I've aged (ha!) matured, I've come to realize that she was right. Although many things in a woman's life may stay relatively the same, she is always evolving and looking for ways to expand her horizons and grow in both knowledge and experiences. (Even a woman like me who doesn't really revel in change - LOL!)

Soooo....with that being said, after working for Broken Arrow Public Schools for the past 13 years, today I resigned to embark upon a new adventure!! Jamie, my pal and former boss when I worked at the BAPS Special Services Center, recently left her principal position with BAPS to accept the principal position at a brand-spanking new elementary school in Bixby, OK. (Bixby is a smaller, neighboring community just south of B.A.) She asked me to make the move with her to be her secretary again and to help her get the new school up and running. Since I found out earlier this year that the school site where I currently work will be closing at the end of the 2013-14 school year, I decided that I was up for an adventure and start my new job later this month! Our school will house students from Pre-K through 6th grade, and will open its doors for the first time in August. I am SUPER EXCITED about my new job!! Jamie and I work really well together and I am so happy to be working shoulder-to-shoulder with her again!!

Below is a photo of the beautiful school where I'll be working! The construction company is completing the finishing touches on the inside and will begin the landscaping soon. My office window is the arched one to right of the building entrance:

Next is a photo of my new office...I LOVE the beautiful, large arched window and the natural light that filters through it! As you can see, I've already begun to decorate and get moved in...granted my computer and phone haven't been set up yet, but all of that will come soon enough. :)

There are so many cool amenities in this school building...acoustically correct music and band rooms, terrific science rooms, several tornado-proof rooms on the lower level (which is such a relief considering the terrible tornado destruction and lives lost in the recent Moore, OK tornadoes), early childhood rooms have their own bathrooms and refrigerators, a wonderful gymnasium and stage for school plays and musical performances, a fabulous media center, etc. The community and school district of Bixby really pulled out all the stops when they built this fantastic elementary school!

Thanks for letting me share the exciting news with you today of the great new adventure that I am about to embark upon! 

Blessings,

A Wedding Card and a Sympathy Card...

Happy Monday! I've got several projects in the works, all in different stages of completion, so I am not quite ready to post those for you yet. (I should have them completed and ready to post by next week, so stay tuned!!) I have finished a couple of cards, though, so thought I'd post pics of those today...

First off here is a wedding card that I made for my friend Sarah S., who is getting married this week!! (Congrats Sarah and Luke!!) I used the negative space from a Fleur De Les punch, backed with a strip of chocolate brown cardstock, to create the coordinating strip across the top of the card. I added some flat-backed pearls and a simple knotted piece of satin ribbon to complete the look, and I really love how this turned out!

Next is a simple sympathy card that I made using SU stamps. I love the clean, simple look of this card!

This will be a busy week for most of us, with the July 4th holiday falling on Thursday. I am so excited that it will be a long weekend for my hubs to be home too!! Love spending time with my sweetie!!

Take care and have a fun and safe week, friends!

Blessings,

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

(Image found on the internet)

WOW! Who would pass up a deal like that??? Ha! Ha! Have a terrific weekend!!

Look What I Picked Out of My Garden This Mornin'....

While working out back in the yard/garden this morning, I picked this heart-shaped tomato off of one of the plants in our little garden...pretty cool, eh??? Just had to share the photo with you all! Have a blessed day, friends! :)

Recipe of the Week: Banana Rum Brownies

Last week I attended a meeting where everyone was asked to bring a dessert to share, so I decided to try out a new recipe from one of my favorite recipe books:

This has become one of my "go-to" cookbooks for never-fail recipes! I purchased it a few years ago, after I browsed through a copy that belonged to a co-worker. Anyhoo...I decided to try out the Banana Run Brownie recipe and it turned out great!

Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1 box, (about 21 oz.), brownie mix
• 1/4 cup milk, (chocolate milk can be used!)
• 1 Tablespoon rum extract
• 2 or 3 bananas, mashed
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Method:
In a large bowl prepare brownie mix as directed on package. Heat milk and rum extract in a medium sauce pan, gradually stirring in mashed bananas. Pour warm banana mixture into brownie mix and stir. Spread brownies in a lightly greased 9" square pan. (I used a 9" x 11" pan.) Bake at 350 degrees for 35 - 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired, and cut into bars. Really, really good served with a cold glass of milk! :)

Have a great day!

YUMMMM!!! Fresh Strawberry Jam!

Mornin' folks! Strawberries are in season, so I've been a busy gal! So far I have made 3 batches, (25 jars!), of fresh strawberry jam. Soooo yummy on toast or bagels for breakfast!

Have a fun and productive week, friends!

Quote Sunday

Silly Saturday

Beautiful Blooms in My Backyard...

Happy Friday, All! Just a quick little post today to share some photos of the beautiful blooms in my backyard flower beds...

We planted this Jackmani Clematis in front of a wrought iron trellis on the south side of our garden shed about 5 years ago, and it has grown like CRAAAAZY! We cut it back to the ground every year, which makes it come back bigger and better each spring.

Here are a few of the BEAUTIFUL day lilies that grow in some of the flowerbeds in our backyard. My super sweet friend/former co-worker, Penny C., shared starts with me a couple of years ago, and they have flourished!

Hydrangeas are one of my favorite flowers, so we have them growing in large, north-facing flowerbed along the back of our home. I LOVE the giant blooms of hydrangeas - SO PRETTY!

Here's another variety of hydrangea growing alongside the back of our home...

Lastly, here's a photo of some of the knockout roses that are growing along our back fence. The vibrant colors are just GORGEOUS, don't you think so too??

Thanks for joining me for a pictorial "walk" through my backyard this morning! Wishing you a relaxing weekend!