My Mid January Non New Years Resolutions

So while January 1 came and went, I am still mulling over some resolutions. I decided that I really don't want to have a lot of things that I want to do but will probably ultimately fail at. When I started thinking of things that would be my New Years Resolutions (if in fact I were making any) they all centered around one theme: being a better person - physically, emotionally, spiritually, etc. So, I have decided that the following list is NOT, I repeat NOT, my list of things that I must do this year in order to feel complete, but rather a list of challenges. If I don't do them, no harm, no foul, I am just in the same place I am right now - sitting a my dining room table, drinking pumpkin spice coffee (I know it's January but I can drink whatever flavor coffee I want, whenever I want), and looking outside at the dirty snow and slush. Oh, how I love a string of 3o-something degree days after a huge snow fall.

1. Go to church more regularly. I have a love/ hate relationship with church. I know that sounds bad, but sometimes I'm into it and sometimes I'm not, and in my opinion (which I am allowed to have since this is my blog, thank you very much Miss I'm Going to Post a Nasty Comment Under Your Kate Gosselin Post...oh no your not, sweetheart because I deleted it the second I read it), I should only go to church if my heart is in it. I just don't think that just because you go that it "counts". I know lots of people that go every Sunday and pretty much enter a 1 hour long day dream the entire time they are there. So rather, I guess than say I will go more regularly, I want to be in the right frame of mind that I want to go and that I give of myself for that one hour.

2. You know the whole saying, "My body is a temple", well, you know what, it is. And if this 5 foot 7, 100 and a lot of change pound body is the only one I am getting, then I really should take care of it. I ran a half marathon in September and have only gone down hill from there. It's time I set some goals for myself and get off the couch. As for what's going into this temple, well that could use a little work too. I go in cycles of eating very healthy and then I go on a binge like a Biggest Loser contestant dumped into a vat of pudding. I know I am probably a little too hard on myself sometimes, but I really should take better care of myself.

3. Now here's the biggie...enjoy life! I have an "older" friend who made a resolution last year to have more fun. If someone asked her for a drink after work, she went. If her husband wanted to see a movie and she was tired, she went. At the end of the year she was very proud that she had accomplished her goal. Well, I need to enjoy life a little more. Again, I'm only getting one temple and I'm only getting one chance to enjoy my temple so let the fun begin. There are so many places that want to go and things that I want to do that it seems like a waste to ever sit around doing nothing, yet I feel like I am pretty lazy sometimes. I challenge myself, to go for a walk, to read a book, to call a friend, to write a letter, walk the dogs, to do something that enriches my life rather than wastes more precious minutes of it.

So there it is: my list of 3 Non Resolutions...

Where has Souper Sunday gone???

I don't know. It seems that these few months have been so packed full of long hours at work, social commitments, road trips, etc. that we have had little time to keep up with some of our favorite routines. Brett and i agreed shortly after we got married that Sundays were our favorite day together. It was usually the laziest of the week, neither of us ever felt like working on Sundays and we usually don't have anything that we have to do. Depending on the weather Sundays involve sleeping in or getting up early, church or no church, bike riding, grocery shopping, visits to the dog park, or just being so lazy that we never leave the house. My favorite part of the day is diving into the paper and cutting out the coupons from the inserts. We love Sundays so much that one of the songs on our wedding CD was Sunday Morning by Maroon Five. As I have blogged about before, a few years ago we started Souper Sunday. We both love to watch football and what better way to end the day is with a yummmy soup that simmered in the crock pot all day long.

A few days ago Brett had his wisdom teeth out and is on a soft diet for 5 days. We tried overcooked noodles and even that was a little tough, so basically he has had a lot of scrambled eggs, mashed potatoes, soup, jello and pudding. I thought that a nice treat today would be our delicious crock pot potato soup. I made it like we always do except for the bacon - too chunky -and if the potatoes don't cook enough I can always stick it in the blender to make it into cream of potato soup. Well, the crock pot is full and Brett is still sleepy but already the house smells yummy.Here's our recipe, adapted from several in our Fix It And Forget It Cookbook.

The Clancy's Crock Pot Potato Soup

• 8 medium potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 LARGE onion, sliced and diced
• 1 LARGE celery stalks, sliced and diced
• the inside of the celery, maybe called the hearts?, where all the leaves are; pull out the leaves and wash them, then chop as you would fresh parsley; sometimes i don't bother chopping and I throw the whole thing in - if you do this, pull it out when it's done cooking because it turns into this gross limp piece of celery
• 1 12 oz. can evaporated milk
• 1/2 c. milk
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 4 chicken bullion cubes
• 2-3 T. butter or margarine
• 1/2-1 pound bacon, cooked crisply and crumbled
• shredded cheddar cheese

1. Plug crock pot on and turn to high.

2. Add evaporated milk, milk, water, chicken bullion, butter, celery, bacon, and onion to crock pot and put on lid.
3. While your other ingredients are getting hot in the crock pot, microwave you potato cubes in about 4 batches. I put them on a deep plate with a bit of water and stick them in for about 4 minutes. This speeds up your crock pot time and in addition release some yummy starchy water to dump in. After each batch cooks in the microwave, add to crock pot and replace lid.

4. Cooking time? I don't know. Several recipes say to cook on high for 6 hours and then 3 on low. Some say just 6 on high. Basically I turn it on and let it cook. I always make it in the morning and we don't eat until evening so it cooks all day. If it bubbles too much and is making a mess on the counter i turn it down. The longer you cook it, the softer the potatoes get. If you don't care if it all turns to mush, then let it go. If you want chunks that are in tact, check it more often. That's just how we do it :-)

5. About an hour before you are ready to eat, ladle some broth into a bowl and mix with flour or corn starch. The whisk it into the soup to thicken. The thicker you like it, the more you should add. I use a lot!

6.When you are ready to eat, ladle it into your favorite large mug and top with cheese. Yummy!!!!!!

A Mouse in the House!

Once upon a time there was a boy and a girl. And they were fast asleep. At the strike of midnight, the boy woke up the girl by saying, "Wake up. Do you hear that sound?"

The girl grumbled, "It's just one of the dogs under the bed."

"Both of the dogs are right here."

The girls eyes opened and she listened...then the girl turned on the light and stared into the boys eyes. And together, they listened. What did they hear, you might ask? They heard a creature. In the walls of their house. Scratching. Running. Digging. Scratching. Running. Back and forth. From one side of the room to the other. Inside the wall.

"What should we do?" asked the boy.

"I don't know," said the girl.

So they listened some more. Scratching. Running. Scratching. Running.

After about 20 minutes of listening, the boy and girl and their two STILL SLEEPING dogs went to another room where they fell fast asleep.

The next day, the girl bought poison and traps. She thought of every place the creature might be. The traps were very hard to set. She hurt her fingers many, many times. She got peanut butter everywhere because the traps kept going off, making her scream.

Three days later, the traps are still empty and the mouse has not been heard from again.

Do you recognize this person?

Holy extensions - that's Kate Gosselin! While I was at one time a Jon and Kate Plus 8 fan, I no longer can tolerate this family. I am still baffled by how they got to be so famous. Now, look at her hair! What makes her think she can pull off this look? Sorry for those of you that are still stalking Camp Kate, but I do not like...

Hap-Hap-Happy New Year!

As is customary Brett and I spent New Years at home. (I could go on and on about how I sort of think New Years is an overrated holiday and therefore staying in really works for us) Anywho...we have sort of made it a tradition to spend the evening together, make something fun for dinner, play games and drink some sort of bubbly. Since we recently watched Step Brothers, we set up an "activity table" and did "activities". Not really funny if you haven't seen the movie. Brett took New Years Eve off and obviously didn't have to work on New Years Day. That meant that we had four whole days off together to do a whole lot of nothing. It was absolutely perfect!

Brett getting ready to dive into our "skookie"Our New Years SmoochThe "activities" tableCouldn't think of anywhere I rather be or anyone I'd rather be with

Merry Christmas! ( a little late)

So, as usual I continue to be behind on my blogging and here we are into January and I am just now getting around to Christmas. That seemed to be the story of the season . . . I truly don't know where the time went. It seems like just yesterday we were putting the tree up. A sis tradition, we put it up on the soonest possible date AFTER Thanksgiving and also had National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation on in the background. The dogs love this time of year, especially due to the adorable Santa hats they get to wear!!!
Sometime in mid-December, Brett and I had our Christmas cookie baking extravaganza that includes both of us in the kitchen a little eggnog, a lot of Christmas carols and a blast making way too many cookies!
We traveled to PA again this year for the holidays. With so much time on our hands in the car, we decided to listen to an audio book and Brett gave in and approved Twilight. I absolutely loved it and can't wait to read New Moon. Christmas Eve is my mom's birthday and for the 2nd year in a row, Brett, the boys and I cooked a wonderful Christmas Eve/ Birthday dinner. This year's menu included horseradish encrusted beef tenderloin, corn casserole, baby yukon gold potatoes, foccaccia bread, and German chocolate cake. While I was very nervous that the meal was not going to turn out (the corn casserole took FOREVER to get done, I came thiiiiiiiis close to burning the potatoes, the icing for the cake never thicken and Scott had to run to the grocery store for store bought icing, and the bread dough never rose), everything worked out and we had a perfect meal with good food and family!

I don't know what I will do when we have kiddos on Christmas, because I still feel like one myself. The anticipation of Christmas morning is almost too much for me! Mom made sure things were absolutely perfect as usual and we were all more than blessed with some pretty awesome gifts. (while not pictured, but certainly a favorite of yours truly, I got my gray Uggs!!!!!)
The rest of Christmas day was spent at my Grandparents house with yet another wonderful meal and lots of laugh. You have to love a family the spends Christmas around the table playing a dice game for quarters!!!!
Yes, the hat says "Bingo Nut"!
Saturday night, we had a party at the house and it was great seeing so many additional family members and friends. I got to spend some time with my best friend Julie which was long over due!
We didn't leave until Monday (the trip was extended by a day because we just weren't ready to leave) and had a great weekend hanging out at home and visiting with friends and family. Sunday was dubbed "dirt ball Sunday" and we didn't leave the house nor did we even get dressed! What a cozy day it was!

After a long trip home on Monday, Brett and I celebrated Christmas again and exchanged presents with each other. Man, did I pick a winner with that guy. He sure knows how to shop and make a girl happy! I don't think I could ask for a more perfect holiday celebration!!!

Christmas is just around the corner!

The meaning of Christmas is not lost on me. I truly love the spirit of Christmas! I love the feeling of putting up the tree and being with family. I love church in the weeks leading up to Christmas. I also love the gift giving. I love that this is a time of year that we can show those of us around us in a little extra way what they mean to us. I also love the process of compiling my own Christmas list complete with shopping info and color pictures. Here's a few highlights this year...

A pair of Toms - for every pair sold, a pair of shoes is donated to a child in need. How can you resist that?!?! They come in a variety of colors and designs....here are a few of my favorites!

Uggs - I have the tall chestnuts that are the greatest things to ever grace my feet. This year I would like an upgrade...something just as warm but a little cuter...the gray cardy! I have a feeling that box won't be under the tree as they are quite difficult to attain, but a girl's feet can dream! A Pave Diamond band...I was thinking one, but this twist design is quite lovely!
A microplane grater...one kitchen gadget I don't have!

The movie Prime - I watched this during my week long couch vacation with the flu and fell in love with it!

Happy Birthday Brett!

A little over a week ago (December 8) Brett celebrated his 34th birthday. As is customary on his birthday, things didn't go as planned. I surprised him at the office and he truly was super surprised and then we had drinks with the Berger's. Due to the weather though, plans changed and we came back to the 'burbs for dinner rather than go to Morton's downtown. We did go to Morton's, just not the original one in Chicago, but the new one in Naperville.The walk to the train left us soaking wet, but we were all smiles. Brett loved his gifts, dinner was fantastic and all in all a great birthday!
On a side note, a HUGE thank you to the Morton's in Naperville, that took our last minute reservation and made Brett's birthday so special. We were greeted with a menu that was printed with "Happy Birthday Brett" at the top, had our picture taken and presented to us in a card and a free dessert to round off an incredible meal. Quite possibly the best dining experience we have ever had!

Today's generation of kids...not so bad!

So it's been a while and I don't know who is still reading, but I hope there are a few of you out there.

There are some things going on in my hometown and at my high school that are causing quite a stir. Trinity High School has a new school board, one that has allegedly not followed procedure and made some rather rash decisions, one being firing the football coach/ athletic director and another being firing the head of the food service department. Whether you support or reject what the school board has done, I would like to to bring to your attention the thoughtfulness and passion through which both of my brothers are responding. They have become spokesman for their peers. They have written letters to administration, faculty members, and newspaper reporters. They have posted things on facebook and tried to get the word out about what is being done to show their support and loyalty to Trinity. Teenagers get a bad rap, I should know because I work in a high school. Right now, I would like to commend both of my brothers, Ben and Scott, for their hard work over the past few days. Showing this kind of leadership secures my feelings that they both are in for great things.

If you are interested in what is happening at Trinity, here is the email the Ben wrote to several members of the board, newspaper, faculty, etc. It sums things up pretty well. If you are interested in getting involved, join the facebook page in support of Coach Dalton as well as the "For Every New Trinity School Board Member, Something Good Dies" page.



I would just like to send this email to the school board, as well as teachers, other administration, and the media, in addition to the hard copy I will be mailing to the members of the board, to prevent any misunderstandings in the details of the writing.
I would just like to say Mr. Tuscano's article in today's Observer Reporter (12/15/09) is open and honest about the school board, and honestly represents the feelings of Trinity's constituents, in my opinion, better than our own school board does.
Do not underestimate "those annoying little high school kids," as we have been referred to.
My name is Benjamin Brownlee, and I am a senior at Trinity High School. I know that public notifications regarding the recent changes at Trinity will be 'polite' at worst, and I feel it is necessary for someone to state, bluntly, the destruction and flat out misguided actions taking place at Trinity.
As a student, I have chosen to take every one of my classes at the honors and Advanced Placement level. I have taken multiple AP exams and standardized tests. I can say without reservation that I disagree wholeheartedly that the statement made by Mr. Bodnovich voicing his opinion pertaining to Trinity's 'declining standing.' Trinity has long been an institution characterized by its quality in education, in athletics and in the arts. Trinity students have annually obtained scores that trump national averages in AP courses and standardized tests. If the board is looking to do some good, the board would find it useful to contact officials with influence in the quality of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment. This test, taken by high school juniors in high school as well as younger students, has deteriorated into nothing more than an annoyance. AP students are asked to miss valuable class time, time needed to prepare for Advanced Placement exams in the spring. Students who don't do as well on the PSSA, mostly because it contains some material not covered yet in their classes, are mandated to take a remediation class, taking away from their normal class time which would be spent covering said material. In the classroom, I have had the privilege of receiving my education from, in plain words, the most educated and highly motivated adults I have ever come into contact with. They have been fully supportive of both myself and of my fellow peers during school hours and beyond. Multiple teachers offer after school tutoring sessions, AP exam practice sessions, SAT prep classes, and actively participate in student organizations such as the National Honor Society and every student-run club and activity. In short, the current state of Trinity's standing in terms of education is nothing short of elite.
As an athlete, I have had the privilege to receive instruction from my teachers and faculty members outside of the classroom. One of my coaches, who I consider to be my mentor and the most influential person in my life, was recently terminated for reasons unknown to the public. Mr. Edward Dalton has done more for Trinity than any school board member or other official has even attempted to. Coach Dalton, who was and will always be like a father to both myself and hundreds of other young men, was not only successful as a football coach and as an outstanding Athletic Director, but also as a motivated individual devoted to everyone in his life. Mr. Dalton not only aided in the rise in quality of Trinity's football program as football coach, but was also able to continue the careers of dozens of athletes. From Division I, national-title contending teams, to smaller local Division III teams, Coach has placed many high school students on competitive collegiate sports teams during his tenure at Trinity. Thanks to Dalton's instruction, I have developed my skills as a football player and was an All-Conference selection in football this year, as were eight of my teammates (An unusually high number for members of the board who know nothing about football, as I discovered during my telephone conversation with Mrs. Sandra Clutter. She gave me permission to quote our conversation.. Two that I wrote down are very interesting. 1) "Trinity football has never had a winning season." 2) "Coach Dalton will not get the coaching job back, you can quote me on that. Because I don't want him there.") Coach has done wonders for Trinity's athletic facilities as our Athletic Director, from the new turf installed at Hiller Stadium to a highly advanced weight and cardio center in the high school. He was key in our fight to get men's volleyball to be an official sport at Trinity, and thanks to him I am proud to say I received the distinction of being named Honorable-mention All-section (being named all-section in a sport in its first year is unheard of; i credit every bit of it to Edward Dalton). He was an extremely fair and balanced athletic director, and his accomplishments will not be matched by any replacement. His termination was not only unnecessary and unreasonable, it is a downright shame that the school board would attempt to find any reason at all to fire this individual, a man who has given everything he had for those around him. It is not unknown that members of the school board are not fond of Dalton; many dislike the man. However, this does not matter. Many of the board members did not attend Trinity, and do not currently have children in the district. They are representing their own wishes, not the wishes of the students, parents and faculty. I would do anything for Dalton, because he has done more for me than any other administrator ever has, or ever will. Firing a football coach and allowing arguably the best Athletic Director in western-Pennsylvania to be let go because of a simple feeling of dislike toward the man is not reasonable; it is a classless action showing the true character of the newly elected school board members. In addition to a lack of reason, the action was wrong in that it was done in a cowardly fashion. The Athletic Director of eleven years was informed of his termination by a phone call: the board did not possess the courage to meet a respectable and honorable man face to face. I also witnessed the confrontation between Interval and Mr. Edward Dalton on the morning of Friday, December 11. I felt embarrassed that a school board member would raise such a commotion in the halls of Trinity. No, Colleen. Mr. Edward Dalton is not "nuts," as you referred to him multiple times. You are nuts for causing such a ruckus during school hours in such a fine institution. I remember every speech Dalton has ever made to me; these words, however, are the most powerful: "My girls, Trinity Athletics, and Trinity Football are everything to me and God always has a plan."
As for the termination of other fall sports coaches, I can find no reason for the recent firings. The girls' volleyball coach, for example, led the team to a second-place finish in the section and a playoff appearance in her first year as coach. It would appear obvious that there is in fact a hidden agenda behind the school board's actions; however, I will not continue as this would give the board an excuse to punish a student, and my fight is not finished. Should these firings be merely a coverup of Dalton's firing, as I as well as hundreds of others have predicted even before the release of Mr. Tuscano's article, the events that have taken place are even more tasteless and lack even more class than previously assumed. In a quote from Mrs. Sandra Clutter pertaining to the firings, "We just needed a change." Why would we change such a success story?
It seems that Mr. Chambers and Mr. Knapp are the only faces in this cloud of 'apparent' corruption who is not attempting to dismantle a stunningly successful institution. I am not aware of the "Sunshine Law"; however, our legal council does, Mr. Chambers does, and the fact that a school board member is publicly stating that the process has been corrupted warrants a need for the issue to be investigated further.
As a member of a tax paying family, I find it curious that the board finds it necessary to enact spending freezes, asking Assistant Superintendent Weaver to also assume the position of principal at Trinity South with no additional income, while paying Manley and Dick, a consultant and a new superintendent respectively (to my understanding), for their work two to three days per week. In comparison, Weaver will be losing an amount of money roughly 80% that of her current salary. Mr. Marks is paid only $50/day more than Manley and Dick are paid, and Mr. Marks is extremely interested in the job of permanent Superintendent as many school officials have informed me. Why will the board not consider him for the job? Even if he wouldn't be willing to lose a mere $50, which I think he would considering he has a son at the school and a tie to Trinity unlike many of you, paying only one superintendent would save money. This is simple math.
As a healthy individual, I have supported the school's changes in terms of food service. I disliked the closing of vending machines during the day and removal of snacks, but supported the fact that it was ultimately in the name of nutrition. I was excited for the addition of new foods, healthy foods, in the cafeteria. Trinity has also installed a juice bar in place of the old soft drink stand in the cafe. I see no reason for the termination of the food services director; this issue, like all new legislation brought about by the new school board, is shrouded in mystery. In the cafe, we now have a variety of sandwiches, sides, main line lunches, pizzas, breakfast foods and drinks. The cafeteria and its lunches have never been of higher quality. When I inquired about the reasoning behind Mr. Sabol's termination, Mrs. Sandra Clutter asked me, "Don't you think the cafeteria is just terrible?" First, the cafeteria itself is in fine condition. The tables and chairs are all relatively new; however, I doubt this falls under Mr. Sabol's jurisdiction. If she is referring to the food, it is delicious, which I doubt she can argue with because I doubt school board members dine in the cafeteria on a daily basis. For the record, I received word today that Mr. Sabol had fired Mrs. Clutter's sister in the past. This is merely an observation; I do not claim that it is 100% true or that it infers a motive behind Mr. Sabol's firing.
In conclusion, I see no reason why this frivolous behavior should continue; this action is utterly and completely adverse to the education process and athletic programs. Actions made should be reversed immediately. In the school board's actions, I wonder if any thought was given to the students and parents of the district, the people the board is truly supposed to represent. Since few of the board's members are Trinity graduates, I find it hard to believe that the board could possibly have acted with the school's well-being in mind. They acted on their own behalf and in doing so have forgotten any morals they should have carried into their new positions. Change for the purpose of change is fruitless. It has no place in this world; what we need is purposeful change, backed by those who will keep the wishes of those who matter in mind: the heart and soul of Trinity, the students and faculty.
If there is a personal agenda behind all this, which is seemingly obvious (whether it be in regards to bus contracts, coaching positions, past terminations, or other unknown events), I would advise any member of this process to abandon the idea. Terminating coaches and faculty for the purpose of having a family member hired needs no definition; it is uncivilized and immature, as well as the definition of corruption.
Please excuse my bluntness; if I am fully convinced that what I have said is untrue, I will write a formal apology to each and every one of you.
I speak on my own behalf; I have been influenced by no other student, teacher or administrator, family member or friend.
I have sent this email to a random assortment of teachers and faculty at the high school to let the board know that I am not a coward in my opinions, and will state them in front of anyone questioning either side of this issue. They had no collaboration in this message, nor any influence on its creation.
See you at the board meeting.
Benjamin Brownlee

Our little boy's all grown up!

A few weeks ago, Brett and I headed to WashPa (Washington, PA for those of you not for familiar) for the weekend. Ben's senior rec game was on Friday night and we couldn't miss it. We arrived Thursday night after only minor delays at the airport. Friday was a gorgeous day! We managed to squeeze in a quick run and had a little fun in the backyard with Scotty before the game. He taught both Brett and I how to shoot a bow and arrow. I think he may have given Brett a small desire to kill something. Not me though...all I did was put a whole in the shed!

The game was great - they beat Ringgold 24-10! Ben looked HUGE in his pads...not like mom and dad's little boy any more!Saturday we went to the Strip District to get our coffee fix for while. I think I could fly to Pittsburgh and back just to stock up on coffee. There are two stores that have the greatest flavors of whole bean coffee ever!

Of course a trip to the Strip was only complete after a sandwich at Primanti Bros.!