April Fool's

What are your thoughts on April Fool's Day? Do you love it or despise it? Are you plotting and scheming for days, or doing everything in your power to avoid another prank?

In years past, April Fool's has been a holiday of "watch out, because I'm going to get you" in our home. When it comes to life outside of work, Adam is a total kid a heart. He loves super heros, we watch way too many Disney movies, and playing pranks on April 1st is a given. Who knows why it started, but each year, I am on high alert all day. Heaven forbid something genuine and nonfictional ever happens on April 1st, because more than likely I will balk at the news.

But here is the strangest thing: the ultimate jokesters holiday came and went in our home without one trick, hoax, or escapade! I didn't even know that was possible! The closest attempt happened around dinner. Adam came home to eat, took off his duty belt, and announced he had the rest of the night off. I laughed, stuck out my tongue, and told him he needed to try harder if he was going to fool me...but it wasn't a joke! On a holiday that normally brings healthy anxiety to my world, I had one of the best stay at home evenings in weeks. We watched Mulan (what did I tell you about Disney movies), ordered pizza, worked out, and went out for ice cream.

The pizza and ice cream may have cancelled out the workout...oh well!

Yesterday was a perfect, prank free day. I loved every moment of it, and the resulting good mood is lasting into today! However, with my young at heart husband, I can't imagine "No Prank April" becoming a tradition, so I'm already scheming for next year. What pranks were pulled in your world this year?


In honor of this holiday of jest and joke, I am including a few pranks from our household's past.

1. The toothpaste Oreo switch: all you need is a white toothpaste, a knife and gullible pray.
2. You have now been subscribed to Cat Facts! text trick. Classic!
3. The "I was moving things at work and broke my collarbone" phone call. Adam tried to pull this one on me a few years ago, but luckily his mom was privy to his ways and warned me ahead of time. 
4. Your head in a jar in my fridge trick: Be careful who you pull this one on, because it can get pretty frightening. 
5. Plastic wrap over the bedroom door frame: a slap in the morning face. 

Update: As Adam and I were driving to the gym last night he said, "I'm sorry yesterday was a prank free day." He then leaned over, gave me a kiss on the cheek, and whispered in my ear, "Don't worry, we can now have 364 prank filled ones." Uh oh, America! I'd better think of some good ones quick! :-) 

People Pleasing and Breakfast Pizza

2014 has become the year of self awareness in my world. 2013 was full of so many amazing, wonderful, incredible events (became a Mrs., bought a house, went on a honeymoon, etc.) but somehow, amongst all the wonderful, I lost myself. In a time when I should have been focusing on myself, I poured myself into making everyone else happy. It just seemed easier to agree than to fight for what I wanted. All of this people pleasing caught up to me late in the year, so when it came time to make resolutions, I knew exactly what needed to be done.

2014 would be the year of self awareness! I love making other people happy, so I will always have a people pleasing side, but I also vowed to remember that my feelings and opinions were important too. 

Steps I've taken for me:

1. Join a workout group: I needed to make some friends in our new town, and this has been a perfect plan.
2. Remember that asking for help around the house is ok: Adam isn't going to love me less if the laundry doesn't get done. We are a team, and he is more than willing to help me out! 
3. Go to Des Moines/Iowa City/Chariton to hang out with my old friends when the opportunity arises. 
4. Be creative in the kitchen.
5. Attend church regularly: For the first five years of my adult life, church was my job! I worked at a Catholic school and loved teaching about God. When we moved, I got lazy and cut out organized religion completely.

The last one has been huge for me. When I ignored my faith, I didn't feel as strong and independent. But now that I'm back on track, I love starting my week at mass. It gets my head and heart ready to tackle whatever the week throws at me. 

Alright, now that I've been emotionally reflective and sappy, it is time to get to the meat of things...literally! For Adam, the best part of my new found church going ways has been the resulting Sunday brunch each week! 

This week was breakfast pizza, and it will be a repeat for sure! The gooey cheese, the crispy bacon...the easy prep! Oh breakfast pizza heaven, here I come!

I really need to invest in a good camera, but I'll have to save up for that! 

I had attempted breakfast pizza in the past, but had never quite understood how Casey's Pizza was so much better! This time I decided not to pre-bake my crust or eggs, and it made a world of difference! The eggy mixture ended up making a slight mess due to the holes in my crust, but a cleverly placed cookie sheet took care of that problem. Plus, any amount of mess would have been fine by me once I bit into this Sunday brunch delight. 

Heavenly Breakfast Pizza

• Pillsbury Classic Pizza Crust
• 3/4 c shredded mozzarella cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 c milk
• shredded cheddar cheese
• 8 precooked bacon strips, chopped 

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. 
2. Spread pizza crust on a pan. Make sure there are no holes in the dough! It also helps if you keep a lip around the edge to catch your eggy mixture. 
3. Evenly sprinkle mozzarella cheese on the crust. 
4. Whisk eggs and milk together in a small bowl. Pour over mozzarella covered crust. 
5. Sprinkle half of the bacon on the egg. Cover evenly with cheddar cheese. Top off with the remainder of the bacon. 
6. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until the egg is firm and crust is slightly browned. 
7. Take a bite and pat yourself on the back for being such an awesome cook :-)

What are some of your favorite quick and delicious brunch recipes? 

Sisters Plus 1

During Ashlynn's birthday last weekend, her sisters decided we should all find a time to get pedicures together. Ash and I thought it was a great idea, but coordinating a college student, a pharmacy student, full time construction engineer/mom, and a teacher's schedules seemed like a daunting task. For months, the four of us had been talking about an IKEA trip, but every time we got close...something got in our way. So when only one week passed from idea to pedi fruition, I was thrilled!

Toe Makeovers! Photo credit to Ailey

A little background: I didn't grow up with sisters. What I did grow up with was my older brother Christopher and a giant imagination. My imagination entertained me for quite a few years (thank you farm life where you have to make your own entertainment), but there comes a time when a girl needs something a bit more real. In high school, Ashlynn became that sister I wished for and has never wavered from the position. One of the best parts of adopting Ash into my family, was being adopted into hers!  Ash is the oldest of four; three girls and one boy. They were all pretty young when I came along, so I quickly became Aunt Molly. I loved having a place in a bigger family, but I love it even more now that we're older.

Ashlynn's whole family at our wedding

On Saturday night, Ashlynn, Ailey, Mariah, and I started our evening at Venetian Nails and followed it up with a night of tapas at Trostel's Dish. The restaurant has a high class atmosphere with a laid back bar undertone. There was even a two man acoustic band playing, which added a jovial vibe. Have you ever been to a tapas place? Basically you order several small dishes to share with the group. Yum!  We went through four rounds of delicious world wide foods, topped off with a dessert sampler. Double yum! I wish I would have thought to take some pictures this weekend, but I was so wrapped up in the conversations and fun, it didn't even cross my mind.

When Ashlynn dropped me at home Saturday night, I wasn't ready for the night to end. Hanging out with those girls is good for my soul, and hopefully we get to do it more often.

March Date Night

I'm not always sure it is okay to publicly pat myself on the back, but when it comes to the 12 Dates for Christmas, that is exactly what I'm about to do... Making the 12 Dates of Christmas was one of my best ideas decisions ever!! I honestly cannot think of a more amazing present I could have given Adam/our marriage! It is so gratifying to know that at least once a month, we get to spend a prepaid, preplanned, stress free night together. No worrying about schedules, jobs, or money. With life's crazy demands, any time with my husband is a blessing, so a full night is just what the doctor ordered.

When Adam opened his envelope this month, he found a $50 Visa gift card, a Panera Bread card, and the following note.

March
Let’s take this date night to new heights!

 You and I have a date with a rock wall. 

I’ll spot you if you spot me! 

Climbing = no makeup date! 

This month I planned a physical date at Climb Iowa in Grimes, followed by a "we have chalk all over our body so let's not go someplace nice" dinner at Panera Bread. We both climbed a bit back in college, so I thought it would be a perfect date for us. Adam was working on a case, so the date started later than planned, but it still worked out perfectly. Thankfully, the gym was pretty empty when we arrived, so we were able to auto belay the whole time. 

Blurry cell phone pic, but look how high I am!

I mentioned we had both climbed in college, right? Well it turns out college was a long time ago, and we were out of practice! The gym staff was awesome and gave us a great rundown of the belays and rules. Rule number one: the auto belay must be clipped to something at all times. Apparently it is fairly difficult to retrieve the belay if it snaps up to the ceiling. We kept joking and laughing that we didn't want to be that guy. The walls are marked with different routes and we tried our best not to cheat, but I only made route once or twice. The rest of the time, I used whatever rock pleased me to reach the top! In the beginning, I  thought we could climb for a couple of hours, but my hands were sore after about 45 minutes. I felt like such a wimp! After a few more runs, Adam mentioned his fingers were also feeling less than awesome, so we called it. I'm still not sure if he was actually feeling it, or if he was just trying to be nice to me.  

It was pretty obvious that we didn't want the night to end so soon, so we went to Dick's Sporting Goods to kills some time. It turns out Dick's has a mini putting green, so we pretended we were interested in buying some new clubs and played around a bit. Even though it was, yet again, off of the original plan, I think that may have been my favorite part of the date! A smile was permanently on my face. That smile lasted through dinner at Panera and the drive home.

P.P. was pretty happy to see us when we got home, and the three of us cuddled for a bit before I needed to head to bed. Happy family time! 

Looking forward to next month!

P.P. is always glad to see us :-)

Our little family

BFFs and Oreo Cakes

Ashlynn and I have been best friends forever since we were fourteen years old, and we have known each other since we could dance. She is one of my favorite people in the world, and my life wouldn't be near as much fun without her! Do you want to know the best part of the whole relationship? Seven years ago, she married my brother...so she is also my sister! Can you take a moment to imagine this situation? Ever holiday, I get to hang out with my best friend. And, I am literally her son's aunt. I love it! So when her birthday came this year, I knew I needed to make a fun cake in celebration. 

Decorating cakes has sort of become my joy. A few weeks ago, I made a bulldog cake for my old roommate, Emily. A few months before that, Adam celebrated with a Superman cake. At our age, we all have enough stuff, so creative cakes are a way for me to show how much I love my people without adding to anyone's hoarding problem. 

But the cakes have to be special to the person. Emily and Adam's cake ideas came to me right away, but Ashlynn stumped me. While several ideas bounced around my head, none seemed right...until I found the Oreo cake! Ashlynn is this tiny, athletic human being...who loves her Oreos! I couldn't tell you the last time I bought Oreos for my own house, because I know I can get my fix if I go visit her. Thus, it only seemed right to make her a big, fat, giant Oreo cake! 

Did I mention I gave up chocolate for Lent? This was going to be a challenge!

The big birthday celebration was scheduled for Saturday evening, so when the idea struck late Friday night, I ran to the store to gather my ingredients. I found a yummy filling recipe here (they have great ideas!), and adapted the rest for my own needs. 

Without further adieu...

THE OREO CAKE

1 package (2-layer size) devil’s food cake mix

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup sugar

2 cups thawed frozen whipped topping (I used the fat free kind)

12 OREO cookies, coarsely crushed (I just grabbed one of those small packages they sell by the checkout counter and called it good.)

1. Bake the devil's food cake according to the directions on the box. If you want to get fancy, you can always make this from scratch, but who doesn't love the ease of a mix! Completely cool before adding any fillings or frosting. 
2. Once the cake is cooled, beat sugar and softened cream cheese together until smooth. Gently fold in whipped topping and crushed Oreos. Set aside. 
3. Using a long knife, level off the top of both layers of cake. You want them to be flat, so they look like the cookie part of the Oreo!
4. Place one cake layer on a plate and top with the filling. Place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until it has firmed up a bit. 
5. On a separate plate, frost the top of the second layer with chocolate frosting. Carefully use a toothpick to draw out the Oreo design. Then pipe the black on with a round tip. This can become time consuming, but remember, it doesn't have to be perfect! 
6. Finally, place the decorated layer on the filling layer. Use a knife to smooth out the sides. Refrigerate until serving. 

I wasn't able to taste test while I was baking because of Lent, but the rest of the group said it was pretty darn yummy! If you decide to try it out, please let me know what you think! I am living vicariously through all the chocolate eaters out there!  

Yum, yum yum! 

The Year of Creative Cakes: A Small Sample

Fourth of July 

A superhero cake for my Superman

Easter 2013

Tater Miska for Emily!

The Batman Workout

Our house is a superhero house. We both go nerdy for all things superhero related, and I'm ok with that! So when Adam came to me with a Batman workout, you'd better believe I was on board!

Back story: Batman is my favorite superhero because he isn't actually a superhero at all; no toxic sludge, alien parents, or poisonous spiders. He is simply this rich dude, with a tortured past, who has a lot of fun gadgets and a vigilante attitude.  In contrast, Adam's favorite superhero is the Man of Steel himself. For the last four years, we have had several discussions about which superhero is the best (wow, we really are nerds), so the fact that he suggested a Batman workout was a very sweet gesture.

Did I mention spring has sprung in Iowa? People are coming out of hibernation, enjoying the sun, and smiling more than they have in months, which is why we decided to enjoy the weather while it lasted and bring this workout out to our front yard. The nice thing about the Batman workout, or any bodyweight workout, is that you don't need a gym. As long as you have enough room to do squats and planks, you are good to go.

Who wouldn't want to work out to this view?

The Batman consists of nine exercises, ten reps each, ten rounds. Did you do the math? That is 900 exercises by the time you are done! I only made it through seven rounds before I needed a break, but I blame that on the hill sprints (yuck!) and tire flips we added after each round. If you're an occasional fitness fanatic like me, this is a great workout... if you push yourself. If you are like Adam, an always fitness fanatic, you might need a little more.

Geeks of Doom

The Batman Workout: 10 reps each, 10 rounds

1. Squats - Adam is always on me about my form: hinge your hips, lift your toes... Even during this workout, I really have to focus on pulling up my toes so my bodyweight is on my heels. Form is important to avoid injury. Check this video out if you need some more pointers. 
2. Pushups - What a difference a few months can make! Before the wedding, I was pushing out pushups like it was my job. Ten months later, my arms are not quite as ripped as before, so this was a challenge for me after round four. 
3. Mountain Climbers 
4. Triceps Dips - We used our front porch as the ledge, but you could also use a chair, bench, whatever you have around. 
5. Cross Punch Sit Ups - Adam had the brilliant idea to bring our punching bag out on the font lawn. You could just punch the air, but I sure do love hitting a bag. I feel so tough! 
6. Jumping Lunges - This became my nemesis, but mostly because my legs were torn up from the hill sprints and tire flips. 
7. Side Plank Crunches - I hadn't done these before, but I sure could feel then come round seven. 
8. Leg Raises
9. Bicycle Crunches - slow and steady
10. *BONUS* - Between each round we did hill sprints and tire flips. I'm not quite strong enough to flip the tractor tire alone yet, but it is all about knowing where you are and then pushing yourself! 

Like I said, I only made it through seven rounds, but next time I'm going for all ten rounds! It took us around 50 minutes, but if you did a 30 second rest between sets and cut out the bonus, I think it could be done in around 30 minutes.  

The most hilarious part of this workout was not workout related at all. Since spring has sprung, so have the kids in our neighborhood. During round two of seven, a few of my students came outside and started riding their bikes in our driveway. For a few minutes, I had the panicked feeling that my students were seeing me out of the teaching element, but that quickly went away when I started punching the bag. It is good for my kids to see me working out and taking care of myself! Hopefully it will inspire them to get more minutes for our classroom Live Healthy Iowa Kids challenge!

Do you have any fun bodyweight workouts that would be great for this time of year? I'm guessing Adam will find a Superman fitness session soon, and I'm looking forward to it. 2014 is the year of fitness and self improvement! Watch out Iowa: soon there's a new superhero in town! 

This workout was found on Geeks of Doom.

Notes

In the last 24 hours, I have been on the receiving end of five handwritten notes. I'm not sure about you, but handwritten notes always fill my love bucket in this age of texts, tweets, and emails. Please do not misunderstand; I love how amazing modern technology is. I am, after all, writing this on a blog instead of a diary. Plus, without the previous mentioned technology, I would miss my best friends terribly! Daily emails and multiple texts are how I stay connected! However, there is something amazing about a physically written note in today's technology driven world.

The first note of the day came at 6:15 a.m and stretched about four foot by three foot, covering my bathroom mirror. Adam made sure I knew he was thinking about me even though we didn't get to see much of each other yesterday.

You do so much to keep this house looking great! 

More work than I have time to even give! 

You're awesome! 

Thank you! 

Have a great Friday!

 ps. Use my side of the mirror and I will clean this up :-)

What an amazing way to start my day! Mood booster! Plus, it meant so much more to me in huge print than it would have via text message or email.

The following three notes were from students. One young lady let me know that she thinks I am "the best teacher!"and she was very sorry for her attitude over the last couple of days. The next note came with a Hello Kitty drawing and a message to let me know she would keep drawing for me until she went to middle school because I was the best. Finally, I had an anonymous note...

You teach math so I can understand. Nobody had done that before. Thank you!

I think the last one struck my heart the most. Going into this school year, I was most concerned with how I was going to teach 5th grade math. It had been years since I had used an exponent or did long division with decimals, so I have focused hard on teaching to the ten year old brain. It is nice to know it is paying off.

The final note of the day might be my overall favorite. Adam came home for a late dinner, and just before he left, silliness ensued. Somehow we go into a mock case interview about and "incident" I had "encountered". He took out his notepad and started jotting down notes. I was laughing because he was being so serious in such a funny moment. When the interview was over (AKA, dispatch called him back out) he ripped out his notes and handed them to me. Here is what they said...

Life was good today.