Abagail's Fourth Birthday Scrapblog

I gotta job...sorta

Today was a good day!

I went to my "interview" this morning in Winfield. The lady told me that I was going to be the candidate recommended for the Community Education/Art position that I bid on the other day! Wahooo! That was the fifteen dollar an hour one. Better than nothing I guess.... and I can still sub, too. The only catch is that enough people have to sign up to take it.

The interview wasn't really an interview at all... They just had to explain a few things and have me fill out some paperwork. Oh, and I had to get fingerprinted again.
Just in case I committed some heinous crime since the last time I got fingerprinted--90 days ago.

After that I changed clothes and went to Sarah's house to paint Caylan's walls. I had a good time painting. I watched a marathon of CSI on Spike while I painted. I think I saw at least 4 and a half episodes. I was there from 11 to 4:30. It actually turned out really well. It looks better than I even thought it would. After that Caylan called and was so pumped! Her exact words were, "I love it"

When I got home, I ran 4.5 miles.. Then I cooked a late dinner.... Mom's recipe for Meatballs , mashed potatoes, and Irish soda bread, yummy!

Tomorrow a.m I'm going back to Sarah's to finish up my mural painting duties. :)

rainy day

Today was a rainy yucky day as the remnants of "Fay" passed over our area. It must have made for some good sleeping weather because I slept til 10:45! I turned off my alarm in my sleep, I guess cause I don't remember doing it.

When I got up... I did my Legs workout DVD....and then showered and took over 3 bid sheets to Putnam County Board of Education. The first two were for 2 long-term sub jobs (in Biology and Social Studies...so I'm a longshot for those) and the other one was for an Adult Community Education class. That one only pays 15 dollars an hour, but I thought it was worth a shot. I'm assuming that it would be after school hours. It didn't say where it was going to be held or how many hours a week or anything... so who knows.

After that I went to Kroger and bought a butt-load of boneless, skinless chicken breasts as it was on sale for $1.99 a pound.

Then Jesse and I went over to Sarah's (his sister)house and talked to her about what she wants me to paint on her little girls bedroom walls. I am going to paint a cute little mural of a picket fence and flowers and butterflies and stuff. :) Its going to be fun. I'm going to go over there tomorrow after my Putnam Co. Sub interview. I don't know how much I'm going to get done...its gonna be on 2 pretty big walls.

I'm sure I'll post some pictures of the process...and the finished result on here eventually.

Now... I better get to bed cause I gotta wake up a lot earlier than 10:45 tomorrow!

Hannah's Scrapblog

i'm addicted!

Today I woke up and ran in the morning again. It was nice...not as nice as Saturday morning, but still good. I ran over 6 miles this time.

After that I basically wasted the day playing on Scrapblog (As you can probably tell from my Blog!! haha!) I am crazy IN LOVE with that site! Its so fun for me! hahaha....I'm sure I'll get over it eventually. As for right now...I'm addicted. I keep thinking up more things to scrapblog!

I had to work at CB tonight... from 5 to 9. It wasn't that bad, except I kept getting the crappiest tips...AND I had a table of three STIFF me on a 45 dollar check! Plus they left their stupid cell phone on the table and I had to carry it out to them...and they said, "OH thank you!" and I wanted to say, "YOUR NOT WELCOME!" I'm frustrated with waiting tables. blah. I had $216 in sales, but I only made 26 dollars...thats $6.50 an hour....thats not worth my (5 dollar round trip) drive to B'ville.

Art Portfolio

washington dc scrapblog

i <3 morning runs!

I didn't have to work yesterday...so I woke up early, ate some breakfast and then and ran outside. I should have woke up earlier because it was a little hot at 10. It was a bit of a struggle for me to run. I'm not sure why. I went about 4 miles.



I pretty much wasted the rest of the day. I made a recipe for dinner that Jesse hated. It was supposed to be a Mexican version of Shepherd's Pie. I liked it...he did not. My parents gave us a slew of tomatoes from their yard...and we've been eating a ton of them cut up with onions and some herbs in vinegar. yum!



This morning I woke up a little earlier and ran at around 9:30 am. It was nicer.... I ran in a different (more upscale) neighborhood and it was a SUPER nice place to run because it has LOTS of shade.... trees everywhere and it was SO quiet and peaceful. I don't know why but I really enjoyed running today and when I got home I had run (according to my new pedometer)5.87 miles. Although I know that its a little off. My guess is that I actually ran around 6 miles.

I'm contemplating waking up really early tomorrow and running before going to church. I don't know if that will happen though! :)

After I ran... I did some weights and found some Zumba songs on playlist.com and danced my booty off!! hahaha..... Those songs just make me wanna DANCE!!!

Then I spent the rest of the day (literally!) cleaning my house! It REALLY needed it!

I laid outside on the deck for an hour (and I'm slightly reddened)...and finished my latest James Patterson book (the sequel to When the Wind Blows, the last book I read) called The Lake House. It was fairly good. I'm excited to be reading the 2nd book in the Women's Murder Club series now!! I really liked the 1st one (1st to Die) This one is called 2nd Chance.

Since I finished cleaning the apartment I've just been hanging out. Jesse and I went for a McDonald's ice cream cone run a little earlier. I thank God for that stuff. Its delicious and not too unhealthy.

no news is good news?

So... I was SO anxious to find out if I was going to get this job at Hannan Jr/Sr. High School. The Board meeting was on Monday morning and I still hadn't heard anything on Tuesday afternoon!...and I had the day off from Cracker Barrel on Tuesday...so I got REALLY anxious.













So, I called them and asked if I had been the recommended teacher. The receptionist said that the Board meeting on Monday was cancelled and rescheduled for Thursday night. So... again I was waiting.













After I heard that... I decided I wanted to go shopping! I went toin Teays Valley and they had a lot of stuff on clearance...and I ended up buying 5 dressy shirts and a really cute charcoal grey skirt suit. My grand total was around 140 dollars. Not bad for all that.













Then I went to the Clinique counter where I spent over 70 bucks...but it was bonus time, so its ok, right? hehehehe



Then I went to Walmart....brought home a Subway sandwich...and then went for a jog. I had bought a pedometer that measures distance at Walmart and I couldn't wait to try it out. You have to set it up to match your stride length. I estimated mine....and at the end it said I ran over 5 miles. Its a pretty neat little gadget. Today, I ran with it on the treadmill to test it to make sure the distance was right...and I think I have it fixed to be almost perfect.

Today I went to work at Cracker Barrel from 10 to 4. Again, I got to leave right at 4! YAY! I had a whole, full bus tub spilled on me today....ew!! It was nasty! I smelled like cocktail sauce for the rest of the day!

When I got home.. I decided to pull up the Mason County Board of Education's webpage. They had posted an Agenda for the monday meeting (that was cancelled) and when I checked it before it said that number 18 on the agenda was to "Recommend the Board approve the employment of ___________________, _Teacher, Art 7-12. Hannan Junior Senior High School effective for the 2008-2009 School Year"

Of course, I was hoping that the _____________________ was ME!

I checked it tonight to see if they had updated the agenda and to see what time the board meeting was tomorrow. Well...

When I did that.... it was updated....and it said....

"18. Recommend the Board approve the employment of Brianne Solomon, _Teacher, Art 7-12. Hannan Junior Senior High School effective for the 2008-2009 School Year."

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!

I was happy and sad. First of all I realized right away that the reason I was so anxious about finding out if I had the job wasn't because I wanted the job so bad, but because (I'm a perfectionist) and I wanted to start working on all the stuff I had to do!

Second... I was upset because I'm assuming that this Brianne Solomon chick has the same amount of experience as me (since I was interviewed) Mason County had NO info. on me...no transcript, no high school grades, no resume, no recommendations...NOTHING except an application with a little bit of info. So... I guess they based this choice on the 20 minute conversation with me. (that I shortened my stupid vacation for and drove an hour to get there!!)

Oh well.. I guess I'll be subbing this year, but at least I won't be driving to the middle of nowhere and teaching remedial classes instead of Art.

As far as I am concerned Mason Co. is REALLY missing out on a good teacher. Next year, Putnam County! :)

waiting.....just waiting.

So here I am.... just sitting around the house, trying to forget the fact that I am waiting to hear back about that teaching job. I was really hoping that I'd hear from them today, but NO.

Tommorow I hope!

I went to Cracker Barrel this morning....and it was decently busy. I made about 50 bucks from 11 to 4....and I got to leave right at 4 which is rare. My friend, Whitney, was there with me so I was happy! :)

When I got home I did the treadmill thing... 5 miles...and then I cooked dinner....chicken fajitas.

Now, I've just been sitting around.... I actually am starting another blog. (we'll see if it lasts) Its about running and eating right and all that crap. Its called Triumph over the Treadmill.

I'm so happy right now...because I don't have to work tomorrow! YAY! Ive decided that if I find out that I get the job.....I am going SHOPPING tomorrow!!

Back in WV

So... Friday was a crazy busy day!!

We woke up at 5:30...packed up...got a wonderful cup of coffee and the most delicious lemon-filled doughnut EVER from the breakfast buffet....and then, we were off.

Jesse drove most the way... I drove the last 2 hours.

Then I had to get dressed and put some makeup on and head out the door again for my first teaching job interview. Jesse drove me there. We went down Johns Creek past Hannan so I could see how far it was and what the road was like. It took 25 minutes to get to Hannan...but it took 50 minutes to get to Point Pleasant!! :(

My interview took only 20 minutes.. Afterwards I could have kicked myself because I know I could have done better! Oh well! I really hope that I get the job, but they didn't tell me anything. So, I guess I'll be getting a phone call soon.

On the way back to WV on Friday I called the VP of Huntington High School back. He said, "I owe you a big apology" He said he got really excited and thought that he was going to be able to hire someone young and full of energy and he started calling people and leaving messages. But...when he got to the end of the bid sheets he saw that he had one from a Cabell Co. teacher who was under contract and had 33 years of experience!! OH WELL! I guess that ones out.

I even asked him if the other teacher had left a position open....and he said that she had been teaching something else for the past 33 years. so POO!

On friday night I made pizza and we just hung out and watched the Olympics. We both fell asleep really early on the couch.

This morning... I had breakfast...did my Self; Sculpt Sexy Legs Fast DVD....took a shower... went to the library and got a new DVD, a cookbook and a new James Patterson book. Then Brian and Jessica stopped by ..when they came in Brian made a comment (as he has at least 4 times) about 2 of my prints on the wall being crooked. It made me really upset because he was like "I've been gone for a month and you STILL haven't fixed that." So I was like, "I DO FIX THEM ALL THE TIME, BUT THEY MOVE EVERY TIME YOU HIT THE LIGHT SWITCH OR CLOSE THE OVEN DOOR HARD!!!!!" and I said, "ITS GETTING ANNOYING AND I DON'T WANT TO HEAR IT AGAIN!" I was very mean...and I felt bad about it later. Sorry Brian!!..... at least he won't say anything again! hahaha..... I wish I could have said it with a little more tact. ***note to self: work on that*****

After that craziness....we went to Jaiden's 1st Birthday Party at the Valley Park. The boys played tennis...Jessica and I sat and talked. They are going to "adopt" Mike & Alyson's dog, Wilson since they don't want him anymore. I can't wait to hear how that's going.

For the past hour and a half I've been sitting, watching the Olympics and looking up recipes online. My back hurts.

more news

Last night Jesse and I did go to Union Station...and it was pretty boring. The food was expensive..... Later we walked around Chinatown which isn't exactly what I expected. Its mostly trendy-looking restaurants.

This morning...Jesse and I had another nice breakfast this morning. I had a made to order ham, tomato, onion and pepper omelette! YUM! I also had a small bowl of oatmeal with dried cranberries!!

Then we went to the Holocaust Museum.. It wasn't as cool as I had hoped. Then we went to the Freer Art Gallery...Hirshhorn Gallery.....the Air and Space Museum (which stinks, by the way)....the Capitol...the National Botanic Gardens...and then we had a tour of the Bureau of Printing and Engraving. We saw over 300 million dollars!!!!

Then we came back to the hotel as it started raining.... we only got a little damp.

Now we are resting a bit....

now....for my NEWS...... I checked my cell phone when we got in...and I had a message from a vice principal of Huntington High School...he wants to schedule an interview on Monday! :)

I think I've decided that I'd rather work at Hannan than Huntington...but I'm still going to go to the interview in case the Hannan job doesn't work out! :) This is So EXCITING!!

In a little bit Jesse and I will be getting ready for the Nationals versus the Mets!

I've never walked so much in my life!!

Today we had a nice little buffet breakfast at our hotel....

Then we were off to find a Metro station that we heard was in a local hotel's basement.....um, it proved slightly tricky, but we finally found it! :)

We boarded the Metro and we were off. It was pretty neat. I think we need subways in WV! :)

We rode to Arlington National Cemetery and walked a ton around there. We saw Kennedy's tomb and watched the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

Jesse is amazed at how many people at the places we have been are foreigners. Its true. I bet 85% of people I overhear are speaking a language other than English.

After touring the Cemetery we decided to walk across the bridge..over the Potomac River...to the Lincoln Memorial. Jesse liked the huge marble statue of Honest Abe. I tried to get him to take a photo in front of him, but he said that he didn't want me to take a picture unless he could sit on his lap!

After that we walked around the mall, spied the Washington Monument (its huge), and the WWII Memorial. Then we walked down Constitution to the National Archives Building. Thats where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights are kept. We had to stand in line a while, but not too long.

Then we went to my favorite place so far...........the National Gallery of Art. I actually took a few photos, even though I was lookin' pretty rough.

The best thing I saw was a Rene Magritte painting...and a bunch of Alexander Calder's sculptures....oh, and some of Matisse's paper cuttings. I never realized how BIG they were!!!

Then we walked back to our hotel...and now Jesse is taking a nap. This day wore us both out!!

Tonight we were talking about going to Union Station...which is like a mall, I guess.

We're Here! (& I have some BIG news)

Well Here I am in our nation's capitol, Washington DC!!

I am writing this from my hotel here....which is very nice by the way! I really like it! :)

Today Jesse and I woke up early and left our house in Hurricane around 8:30am. He drove most the way, but I drove about an hour and a half through Maryland. We drove through WV all the way up I-79 almost to Morgantown and then got on I-68.

When we got here...we checked in and then decided to see how far we could walk. We first went to the Museum of Natural History. Then we went to the Smithsonian American Art Museum which I really enjoyed!

Now I am watching the women's gymnastics on the Olympics...they aren't doin' so well. Right now I'm hoping for a silver! :)

Tomorrow we are gonna wake up and have our breakfast at the hotel...and then we are going to Arlington National Cemetery. After that I think we are gonna take the afternoon to ride around the mall and monuments and maybe take in a couple more museums...or we might go to the National Archives Building

On Thursday we are going to the Holocaust Museum...in the afternoon, I'm not sure what we'll be doing...but we have tickets to a Nationals baseball game on Thursday night.

But I guess the big news is THIS....... we have to leave early (yeah, like 5 AM early) on Friday morning because.... I have a teaching job interview on friday at 2!! YAY!!

I got called on Monday about the job at Hannan Jr/Sr High School! So pray for me and wish me luck!!

outside all day!

I can't believe the last time I blogged was Wednesday. This week went by really fast.



On Thursday I didn't have to work because I had a doctor's appointment. I was so happy because it was scheduled at 3:20 and I was done by 4!



On Friday I wasted my time at Cracker Barrel from 9 to 3. After work Jesse and I went for a long walk around Hurricane...and then I made a huge dinner...Lemon Pepper Salmon, Cheesy Baked Squash, Sauteed Fresh Green Beans, and Wild Rice with mushrooms. YUMMY! After dinner I attempted to make a Cinnamon Coffee Cake with a light recipe. It was edible.



Saturday morning I woke up early (9 am) and did some research on places that I want to go in DC next week!!



Then around 11 I went on a run outside. I really hauled booty and didn't even stop once. I went around different neighborhoods this time (which are very hilly!) so I have no idea how far I went. But I made it home in 40 minutes and I went pretty fast so I guess that I went at least 4 miles.



From 2 to 4 pm I sat out on our back deck and read my newest James Patterson book, When the Wild Blows. Its kinda crazy. Its about a little girl with wings who can fly. But its really good. The weather was SO nice today so I sat out there forever...and now I'm slightly sunburned.



At 6 Jesse and I went to a little get-together party for one of his old friends, Mark, who lives in Dayton now and is getting ready for his 5th tour of duty in the Middle East. We were there so long that it got dark and I got cold (which may have had something to do with my sunburn)

Now I'm watching the Olympics.

Tomorrow we are going to church and then to my Aunt Jo's house in Hometown for a cookout. That should be fun :?

On Monday after work I'm going to hang out with Cassie and go to her ZUMBA class.

and on Tuesday...we are leaving for DC!

wahooO!

Its another morning before going to the barrel....and today I'm actually really excited to go!

Yesterday I worked with Cassie Hite for the first time in forever!! I had such a good day because we talked all day and it made the time go by really fast.

And... I'm excited about today because she works with me again!! YAY!

We are thinking about going to a Zumba trainer workshop to be able to teach Zumba. I think it would be so much fun!

After work yesterday I ran 4 miles...then Jessica came over and we did a 20 minute Jillian DVD.... then we all went to Walmart together. Jesse and I got the Tuesday special from Subway...and then we came back home and Jessica went home too.

After that I played on the Internet for a few hours. (I know, I feel like a bum)

Well...now I gotta go get ready for CB!

Monday Night Power

Yesterday....on my way home from Cracker Barrel I called Jesse (like I always do) and he told me that his mother had 14 free tickets for the WV Power game in Charleston.

Jessica had already texted me to tell me that she couldn't come work out tonight (too much homework) so I came home...got right on the treadmill...and ran 4.2 miles...then jumped into the shower.

At 6:30 Jesse's brother Jeremy picked us up and off we went to my first ever Power game. I'll have to admit.. I wasn't thrilled about watching baseball for 3 hours, but it wasn't that bad. :) The kids...Braylan, Amiya, Haleigh, and Jonathan kept me entertained...as well as the fun promotional stuff the ball park did. Also...the ball flying past our heads kinda kept me watching the game. It almost smacked Amiya in the forehead...thank God it missed her!

When we got home I was beat... I only had time to watch the last 10 minutes of The Mole...shower (again)....and then I read a bit of a new James Patterson book (When the Wind Blows) until I got really sleepy.

Again.. I just ate some oatmeal and now its getting to be almost time for me to head to CB. Wish me luck!

just another monday

Well I had a very nice relaxing weekend.


On friday night I made my pizza


On saturday Jesse and I just kinda hung around the house. I got up and ran outside..and then I made some breakfast. I've tried to make pancakes from scratch a few times and they've never turned out that well...,but this time they were delicious!!


I got the recipe from allrecipes.com and its called Truck Stop Buttermilk Pancakes! I only made 4 servings and it was great! I saved the batter in the refridgerator and made the rest on Sunday morning!

On Sunday afternoon we went to Amiya's 4th Birthday party which was at Billy Bob's again. Billy Bob must really love us. :) After all those festivities...we went to Jesse's mom's house and I played with Braylan and Amiya for awhile. We played with playdough and we did some artsy stuff. Then we went for a walk.

On the way back home Jesse and I went to Taco Bell cause we were starving! I love their new Fresco menu with the fat and calories listed right on the menu!! I've ordered off there a few times and its always been really good. BUT....last night I order the fresco-style ranchero chicken soft taco...and they forgot to make it fresco style!!! I'm afraid to look at their website and see how many calories I consumed. Oh well.

This morning I gotta be at work at 11. I just ate some oatmeal and now I think I'm gonna have to go get busy getting dressed and ready to go.

PizZa nIgHt!!

Last night I finally got to make my Pizza!

I like it so much that I thought I'd share the recipe.

First you put a package of yeast and one tablespoon sugar in 1 cup of warm water. I use hot water straight from the tap...its supposed to be 110 degrees. (Don't put the salt in yet....Salt will kill yeast.)

Then you let it sit, covered with a towel, for about 10 minutes. It should look foamy.

While that's sitting preheat your oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.... I mixed 2 tablespoons of olive oil with 1 teaspoon of salt, cracked black pepper, yummy herbs and minced garlic. I like oregano, rosemary, basil...or just a mixture like Italian Seasoning.

You can add as much or as little herbs and garlic as you like.

Then I mix the flour into the herbed oil mixture. The recipe calls for 3 cups of flour, but I use 1 and 1/2 cup of all purpose flour, 1 and 1/4 cup of whole wheat flour, and 1/4 cup of wheat germ.

Then, after the 10 minutes, I mix the yeast water into the flour/oil mixture. Only mix as much as you have to...if you over mix it can make your crust really tough. Then cover the dough mixture with a towel and let it sit for another 10 minutes. (the best place for it to sit is in a warm, dark, moist place....like in a microwave that you just boiled some water in!)

It smells really good!

Next...you need to oil up your pizza pan. I don't have a pizza pan so I use a cookie sheet and it works fine.

I also spread some wheat germ on the pan... kinda like the pizza places spread corn meal on the pan....but I have to admit I couldn't even tell.

When the dough has rested for 10 minutes you just throw some flour out on the counter and roll the dough out some to fit your pan. Then just press it out onto the pan, maybe rub a little more olive oil on top, poke a few holes in the dough with a fork, (more holes will make it more thin & crispy), and then put it in the preheated oven.

You just want to bake the crust for about 5 to 10 minutes... just keep checking it. You should be able to tell when its done. Try not to overcook it because you still have to put the toppings on!

After this comes the fun part!!

Top with all your favorite toppings (and guess what, at home they don't cost extra!) and don't forget the cheese!

Then bake until the cheese is melted and bubbly!

are u from Bryan, TX???

according to my hitstats counter (that little blinking number thingie down a bit and to the right) I have a very frequent blog reader (or readerS) from Bryan, Texas.

If you are reading this from Bryan, Texas...I'd like to know who you are!!

Also...anyone else that reads this regularly...then please...leave a comment & let me know why you would read this crap.

have I given up on the blog?

Jesse looked at me tonight and said..."I guess you've given up on the blog?" and I said "No, there's just not a lot going on right now"

So I haven't been writing a lot lately..... but really I've just been going to Cracker Barrel, coming home, exercising with Jessica, running, making dinner, and then going to bed.

Last night, though, Jesse and I went to his sister Sarah's house. His grandfather had a heart attack this weekend so a lot of his family was in...some from out of state. So they all got together last night at Sarah's. We hung out for awhile on Sarah and Jay's back deck.

After that I came home and watched So You Think You Can Dance. I was very happy with Joshua's performances! and then tonight on the results show...he made it on to the FINALE next week!

Tomorrow I have to work from 9 to 3 and I'm kinda depressed that I have to wake up that early! Someone asked me if I could come in earlier..at 7 am! I said, "Don't think I can do that" 7 am is WAY too early, that would mean I'd have to leave here at 6:30!

I guess I better go to bed now.