Jessica Leigh

Beyond My Own Blog...

2011-11-13T16:04:00.003-07:00

I got to be a guest blogger on my friend's "Jane of All Trades" blog...

Check it out for a fabulous taco recipe I created a while back!

Cafe Rio Goodness :)

2011-11-12T23:52:00.007-07:00

You know you love it. You know you want to try it for yourself. Now you can! And the best part? I've already tried several recipes and played with them and tweaked them and found my favorites... so you don't have to! Yay!

I haven't found a pork recipe which is good enough to replace the real pork barbacoa, but if I do, I'll add it to the list!

For now, take your favorites and pile them in a tortilla-lined bowl and top with romaine lettuce and enjoy! Let me know if you try it out! :)

(If I don't currently have a picture, I'll try to remember to take one. These I took a year or so ago and forgot that I had them.)

Spanish Rice (via Sherry)

1 green bell pepper (or I used Anaheim), chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 3/4 cup chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato sauce

Saute bell pepper and onion in oil in a skillet until the onions are clear. Combine the bell pepper, onion, rice, chicken broth and tomato sauce and cook normally for rice.

Cilantro Lime Rice (SOOOO good! Not pictured)

1 c. uncooked rice
1 tsp. butter or margarine
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
1 can (15 oz) chicken broth
1 cup water
1 Tbsp. freshly squeezed lime juice
2 tsp. sugar
3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

Combine rice, butter, garlic, 1 tsp. lime, chicken broth and water and cook normally. Remove from heat. In a small bowl combine lime juice, sugar and cilantro. Pour over hot cooked rice and mix in as you fluff the rice.

Cafe Rio Chicken (via Camille)

1 small bottle kraft Zesty Italian dressing
1 T chili powder
1 T cumin
3 cloves garlic, minced
3-5 lbs chicken breasts

Cook all together in a crock pot for at least 4 hours. Shred meat and continue cooking for at least ½ hour. (In this picture I shortened this by boiling the chicken to cook it then shredding it, mixing it with the sauce and cooking in the oven @275 for an hour. You can also use cannery chicken and cook for 1 hour.)

Cafe Rio Black Beans (not pictured)

2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 1/3 c. tomato juice
1 1/2 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

In a nonstick skillet, cook garlic and cumin in olive oil over medium heat until you can smell it. Add beans, tomato juice, and salt. Continually stir until heated through. Just before serving stir in the cilantro.

Pico de Gallo

1 large Anaheim pepper
2 large tomatoes
1 large sweet onion
½ c cilantro, chopped
Juice from half a lime
Salt and pepper

Roughly dice pepper, tomato and onion and mix together. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Mix in lime juice and cilantro.

Creamy Tomatilla Dressing

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix
1 c light mayonnaise
1 c chopped cilantro
2 cloves garlic
3 tomatillos (I prefer fresh than canned. Just make sure to remove the husks!)
1/3 c milk
¼ t cayenne pepper
Juice from half a lime

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Keep refrigerated.

A Bonus Post...

2011-09-18T23:17:00.002-06:00

I'm sending you over to read an entry made by a friend of mine. Erin, like me, is a teacher. We met at EFY in 2008 working as counselors and have stayed in close contact.

She put into words something I've thought many times... so now I share with you...

Day 1: More Random Facts About Me Than You Ever Wanted To Know :)

2011-09-16T19:59:00.007-06:00

So, I'm horrible at staying up on a blog. Honestly, I don't know why I even have one... (yes I do... Camille, I blame you :) Loves!) But since I do, I might as well use it. To get me going, I decided to do the oh-so-trendy "30 Day Challenge (most recently demonstrated by the oh-so-lovely Lauren!). So here I am with Day 1: Post a picture of yourself along with 15 random facts.

1) I love Harry Potter. I know all sorts of random trivia, have read the books several times each, make a dang good Hermione, and went to a pre-screening or mid-night showing for 7 of the movies. (The above picture is me next to Dan/Emma/Rupert's hand/foot/wand prints at the Chinese Theater)

2) I'm very much a girly-girl (I think it was forced upon me as an only daughter)... shoes :)... (ask me how many pair I have... I MIGHT tell you...), though I've got a crazy tom-boy streak surrounding sports. Particularly NCAA Football/Basketball (NBA as well, though less extreme). I've shocked guys more than once when I've started throwing out stats, theories, etc. And I can build a mean bracket in March.

3) I played a year on a comp team for softball. We won. But I can't stand watching the game! BORING (and baseball... though the atmosphere is fun). I'm more for playing volleyball and basketball... but I did pretty much everything.

4) I'm EXTREMELY competitive.

5) I remember all the small details. Not just what people say, but also what they were wearing, how they were standing... etc. It may have something to do with the fact that I remember things in movie form... as an observer rather than an actor... does that make sense?

6) There is nothing I hate more than losing connections. Because of this, I'm in contact with a lot more people than most of my friends. While it was regular in HS/early college for people to contact me when they had questions about someone else, I STILL have people calling me for people's numbers/current locations, etc. since I always seem to know.

7) There is nothing I love more than making new connections and building new friendships/relationships.

8) I have a hard time believing that anyone likes me as much as I like them... as friends or otherwise. Because of this, I've unintentionally passed up some amazing opportunities which I didn't learn about until later.

9) I don't have a lot of confidence/self-esteem in general.

10) I LOVE to travel and have been in 16 countries and 30 states. I have a goal to go somewhere new (big or small) every year. I started this in 2006 and have so far been successful! ('06-Puerto Vallarta, '07-Study Abroad to Paris+5 other countries, '08-Thailand, '09-doubled up on 4 of my previous European countries and added 6 more, '10-Seattle, '11-Hawaii)

11) Speaking of traveling... and my SA... I have a bit of an obsession with all things French. But you probably already knew that.

12) The arts are my life. Music (singing, piano, flute, guitar... listening... arranging... composing... teaching...), dance (12yrs ballet, swing from Jr. High into college, ballroom from HS into college, teaching after school at the elementary school I teach at). Humanities in general really... the arts, art history, cultural backgrounds, literature... (call me crazy, but I love analyzing a good poem!)

13) I've wanted to be a teacher as long as I can remember despite my family trying to convince me to become an engineer or lawyer or SOMETHING (I'm one of those people who really could have gone into anything and done well. Don't hate.). And a mom. But (obviously) that opportunity hasn't arisen yet (I can't decide if teaching makes me more or less baby-hungry?)

14) I started off as an English-Teaching major and sometimes still wish I had done it. I plan on getting my Masters in English with an emphasis in Children's Lit. I want to write a book. And more poetry. (Actually, I have written a picture book. I just haven't done anything with it... confidence, remember? Yeah... I'm scared...)

15) I have the greatest friends and the most wonderful family ever. Seriously. Don't even try to argue. And my two best friends are probably my mom (we had way too much fun this summer) and my youngest brother (15, 6'4" and a crazy teen... yet he and I have this awesome bond and always have!)

Oh... and I'm a TRUE BLUE COUGAR!!! :)

Mother's Day Muffins

2011-05-08T08:55:00.007-06:00

So my mom and I saw this muffin tin at IKEA a while back... but we didn't get it.
(I don't know if you can tell, but the muffin cups are tall and skinny... super cute...)

And there are really cute paper cups to go with it.

And since then, my mom has mentioned several time that she wishes she HAD gotten it.

So I bought 2 of them for her for Mother's Day (and cups, of course).

And made muffins for breakfast.

And they were so good, I thought I'd share the recipe :)
(I mixed and matched a few recipes I found online)

Orange Cranberry Muffins
375 degree oven
10-12 minutes**
Yeild: 12

3/4 cups dried cranberries
Juice of one orange
- Put juice and cranberries in a small saucepan. You may want to add just little water if you don't get much juice (liquid should cover about half the berries). Simmer for 5 minutes to rehydrate the cranberries. Remove from heat.

2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tb orange zest

- Mix together well in a medium bowl and set aside.

2 eggs (at room temperature)
6 oz. cup of Orange yogurt (I used Yoplait's Light Orange Creme)
1/2 cup vegetable oil
- In a small bowl beat eggs well. Add yogurt and oil and mix thoroughly. Pour into dry ingredients and mix until moist. Consistency will be more like an extra sticky cookie dough than a batter.
- Fold in cranberries and separate evenly into lined or greased/floured muffin tins.

3 Tb sugar
2 Tb flour
1 Tb COLD butter
- Cut together with a fork and sprinkle over each muffin.

Cook and ENJOY***!

**Cooking time will vary. Muffins usually take 20-25 minutes to cook. The provided time is when using these tall, skinny muffin tins and a convection oven. Just watch and learn! :)

***As always, best when enjoyed still warm. May be made in advance and frozen. If frozen, thaw overnight then reheat in the oven, covered with tin foil.

Something To Smile About :)

2011-03-02T23:19:00.003-07:00

So remember back in High School when Ken Garff decided to be a big name and donate a car to a lucky student?

Yeah... I wasn't that student...

BUT

As a teacher I now know that Ken Garff does more than just cars...

He does bikes!

In fact, my school gets 6 bikes to give to lucky students as part of the "Road To Success" program.

That's a drawing every 6 weeks during the school year
(none of that waiting around until the last week stuff).

There was a drawing today
(okay, the 6 weeks hasn't been perfectly consistent, but that's the general idea)

It also happened to Dr. Seuss' birthday today.

The Mayor came.

The Superintendent came.

They read their favorite Suess books to the kids.
(2 assemblies... I'm not sure what they read to the older bunch, but my chillins got HOP ON POP and MR. BROWN CAN MOO, CAN YOU? Very entertaining, I must say...)

The Mayor mixed up the bike raffle tickets.
(Students earn one each week they read at least 20 mins/day, 5 days/week -- TWO raffle tickets if they read all 7 days)

The Superintendent picked a raffle ticket.

"Do we have Ms. Turner's class here?"
(My kids squeal a bit and all raise their hands)

"This is a girl's name..."
(The girls all sit a little taller... some of them bouncing on their pockets...)

"Is there a C.?"

You should have seen her face.

Priceless.

Complete shock turned to radiant joy as she stands up.

She is visibly SHAKING as she walks to the front.

She can barely contain herself!

They congratulate her, shake her hand, send her back.

She bounces back... waving... with a huge grin.

Then she turns and gives me a big thumbs up :)

It was awesome.

She comes from very, very little.

As in at Christmas when all the kids were getting awesome toys and Gameboys and puppies, C. got a new shirt and a pair of jeans.

And was super excited about it.

Now, she gets to go pick out her new bike.

Even better is that she is an AVID reader. She LOVES books. ESPECIALLY Dr. Seuss.

I can't think of a more worthy recipiant...

But the VERY BEST PART?

It's her birthday today.

Happy Birthday, C!
You'll never forget turning 7 :)

Back to the Real World...

2011-01-02T23:05:00.002-07:00

'Tis the season for trying to remember what goals we set last year, wondering why we even set New Years Resolutions since we always forget them and then go on making them again...

...oh the human race...

And yet I do it too. Mind you I figure that if I write them down, I have no excuses for forgetting, right? :)

I always set smaller "goals" (really just things I want to do) for the Christmas break. Things I want to do to maximize my time off and enjoy this time of the year.

Some of the things I had on my list (which I completed) this year include:
See the lights at Temple Square
Knit a scarf (ok... I cheat... I use a loom... and I'm not quite done yet)
Do a puzzle (technically I did 2... one with Jessie and another on my own)
Make mint fudge
Make our traditional Holiday food items with Mom (Christmas braids, candies, etc.)
Finish my book (I've been so tired and busy lately that I'd had it sitting around forever)
Give really meaningful gifts
Be social on New Year's Eve
See friends in town (missed seeing Camille's crew -- I was sick -- and Katie's crew :( -- hopefully I'll catch the Pondster before she heads back to Cali)

I really wanted to go skiing over the break, but it just didn't happen.

Other things I did:
Spoiled the Cal-bear :)
Went to Narnia (Voyage of the Dawn Treader) and out to Chili's with some friends
Finally re-watched INCEPTION (still soooo good!)
Saw A BEE MOVIE
Played lots games (and never won :( -- except for Mario Kart...)
Watched a bunch of LIE TO ME episodes
Music, music and more music
Family time! :)
Watched a few traditional Christmas movies
Cleaned and organized to make construction a little more sane
Worked out
Slept in

And tomorrow... it's back to school.

The good thing about this is having a schedule.
And institute is starting up again.
And Thursday is Temple Night.

It's already after 11?

Darn.

I better go to sleep...

Grateful Charts and Open Hearts

2010-12-12T23:21:00.003-07:00

So I've been meaning to do this for a while now, but it required a poster. And I seriously have gone to get a poster for it several times and whichever store I happened to go to has been out of single poster boards.

SERIOUSLY

But then last night I was driving home from a night out with some old roomies (Can I just say I love Nancy and Alyse? I don't see nearly enough of them! And then I happened to end up seeing old roomies Kamie and Brett too... crazy love!) and just got thinking about various things (driving in the car is the best time for me to think) and just felt like now was the time to do it. No matter what.

So I got home, raided the craft closet and was able to find a very large piece of construction paper. It'll do. For now.

I sticky-tack-ed it up by my door and wrote across the top:

I AM GRATEFUL FOR...

Now, any time I go through my door (in or out) I write something I'm grateful for. And I try to put something that is IN THE MOMENT.

For example:
Just now I wrote "memories of Camille"
(yes Mills... YOU! You must say we have a lot... and I'm letting my hair go curly tonight but it was doing something funky on top -- new hair cut -- so I stuck in a claw... which I haven't done FOREVER)

Anywho.

I love it already.

I have a lot to be grateful for...and remembering that really does open my heart.

Life is good.

☼

And I go in/out of my room a lot (11 times in one day! 22 things on the chart!)

☼

And I wrote the start date on the chart. It might confuse some people though. I most definitely agree with this! (sidenote...this same blogger just gave birth to the cutest little boy! I'm super happy for them!)

♥ LOVES TO YOU ALL! ♥

Good "Pointe"!

2010-12-03T00:00:00.003-07:00

How many times in your life do you think you’ve heard the phrase:
“a broken heart and a contrite spirit”?

A LOT, right?

But what does it really mean?

That was a question that came up in institute a few weeks ago and so we turned to the dictionary... HERE…

…easy enough to understand, right?

OK – How about “broken heart”?

(You can’t find it in the dictionary)

But for all you dancers out there, I had a thought.

…A “POINTE” TO MAKE, REALLY…

(and if you don’t happen to be a dancer, you still can read it)

***ahem***

New pointe shoes are beautiful:
Smooth. Clean. Seemingly perfect.
But they are HORIBLE to dance in:
Extra slippery. And they give you terrible liines. (note exhibit A)

(exhibit A)...EW...

In order to get a nice line, you need to beat the shoes up a bit.

YOU HAVE TO BREAK THEM IN

You have to bend them and work them. They’ll get a little dirty. The satin on the platform starts to rub off and fray.
But your lines are SO MUCH BETTER! (note exhibit B)

(exhibit B)

The “broken” shoes are molded and willing to work with the wearer’s will.
(alliteration not intended)

And so it is with us.

Our hearts represent our desires. Our motives. Our purposes.

And they are the “dance shoes” worn by our Savior.

Once we’re beaten up a bit we make not think we “look” as good…
…but the results can reach perfection.

Let Him mold you. Let him shape you and break you in. Let him do this and your will will become his own.

Sharing Some Scriptorial Studyings...

2010-07-23T00:19:00.009-06:00

So the other day I felt the need to write.

And when I started writing, I found myself writing about things that I'd been thinking about in the scriptural sense.

And it was good.

REALLY good.

...(and by good, I mean therapeutic)...

And I figured that if it did me such good, maybe some of my thoughts would serve as a positive reminder to someone else.

maybe.

And if not -- well -- you get an insight into my thinking.

(And I've got my thinking on hand for some future Sacrament Meeting talk☺)

SO... if you do choose to read... ENJOY!

~~~~~~~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

3rd Nephi is probably my favorite book in The Book of Mormon (9:14-22 and 11:7-17 are my favorite passages -- they seem to summarize the Gospel so well! Powerful stuff). The power that I feel each time I read of Christ's visit to the Americas is overwhelming. I've taken to comparing his sermon to the Nephites to the Sermon on the Mount, finding some of the more subtle differences. There is one slight difference that has had a real impact on me. Let me preface it with Moroni 10:32:

"Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all you might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ, and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can nowise deny the power of God."

I think many people (such as myself) tend to look past the word "perfected". We forget it is a process and instead focus on the admonition given in 3N 12:48:

"Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in Heaven is perfect."

What a daunting task that seems! To be PERFECT just as our Father and Elder Brother are. Comparing it to the same verse (48) in Matthew 5, however, I found that slight difference:

"[Ye are therefore commanded to be perfect], even as your Father which is in Heaven is perfect."

...([]=Joseph Smith Translation)...

Here, Christ does not include himself in the definition of perfection. For though he was the perfect example in all things, he was not yet in a perfected state... the Greek word for perfect also can mean complete, finished or fully developed... giving us insight to the fact that Christ could not call himself perfect as He still had work to complete. He had to be finished with his work on Earth and become fully developed spiritually through his sacrifice to be in that state of perfection.

We are here to be perfected... not to be perfect.

We too have to complete our own missions here on Earth and offer up our own sacrifice: a broken heart and a contrite spirit (3N 9:20). That's what I'm trying to focus on.

Another focus I'm trying to make in on my Divine Nature. In working with Young Womens-aged girls in Especially For Youth, you can probably imagine that I bring the Theme into play a lot.

...(One of my Co-Counselors had it memorized. We girls thought that was awesome of him)...

"We are daughter of our Heavenly Father who loves us, and we love Him. We will stand as witnesses of God in all thing, and in all times, and in all places, as we strive to live the Young Women's values, which are:
Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability
Good Works
Integrity, and
Virtue
We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants, receive the ordinances of the Temple, and enjoy the blessings of Exaltation.

As literal sons and daughters of God, we have inherited, through our Divine Nature, God-like attributes which we should be working to develop. Many of these qualities are there within the YW values.

One thing I've found myself focusing on is not only the value of virtue in the sense of being pure, but also in the way it is used in Luke 8 when rehearsing the story of the woman who had an issue of blood. Here when Christ spoke saying that he felt virtue leave him, the word meant power. To me, the YW's value is not only a reminder of the need to be clean, but also of the POWER which we carry over the adversary to say, as Moses did(1:13, 16):

"Who aren't thou? For behold, I am a [child] of God, in the similitude of his Only Begotten; and where is thy glory, that I should worship thee?...

...Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the similitude of mine Only Begotten."

Also as heirs, we are entitled to receive the same blessing given to our Elder brother. Romans 8:16-17 is one of my favorite scriptures reminding us of what lies for us in the world to come.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

♥ Man -- the Gospel is GOOD! ♥

Well, hello there!

2010-07-19T15:48:00.008-06:00

Ok... considering the fact that I haven't written anything since... February? (wow...) You are all probably expecting an update... here is the [very] short version:

1- Mitch got his mission call the first week of March to Sapporo, Japan. He actually said a few days earlier that he felt like he was jinxing himself, but that if he could choose his own mission, he would go to Northern Japan... I guess it wasn't a jinx! He was like a little boy on Christmas morning:
Notice the dazed look? Yeah... he was in blissful disbelief.

2- Mitch left for the MTC (Missionary Training Center) on May 19th. Matt, Michelle and Callan were able to come down for the farewell!

The Oh-So-Handsome Missionary:

The Fabulous Family:

And the most delightfully, darling, chunk of a nephew around!:Mitchell is absolutely loving the MTC and is devouring the Japanese language. He's always had a thing for Japanese culture and language, though -- so we aren't surprised :)

3- School ended. I officially survived my first year of teaching! (With no parents yelling at me either... though I was assumed to be a HS/College aide more than once...) Once the year was over, I spent the next week cleaning out my classroom for the summer, sorting supplies, etc. It's a never-ending job! I miss my kiddies, but it's nice to have the summer off and still get the same paychecks! ;)

4- The week after cleaning and before starting #5, I got to see my dear friend, Camille, her hubby, Cody, and their darling boy Jaden! They were in town for a bit during their crazy 3-week road trip so we took a morning to enjoy a Smoochie Smoothie :) I also got to go to my friend, Greg's, cabin at Bear Lake.

5- I've been working EFY again. I worked three weeks straight, had last week and this week off then go back next week. I love it! I had forgotten how exhausting being a counselor is, though. All three of my groups have somehow worked out with more guys than girls. For anyone who has been to or done EFY, you know that this is unheard of... and yet this year is crazy common. I had it 3 weeks in a row! And 2 of those weeks it was two guy counselors with me! Craziness! (My girls have been loving it... ;) )

6- Last week I was actually somewhat social! (Ok... I have had a few other sporadic social events since summer started...) I went to a birthday party one night and a house party another night.

I also went out to lunch with some of the girls from High School and was pleasantly surprised when another of my best friends, Katie, walked in the door with her baby, Kyson! They're living in Texas, but randomly decided to drive up since her husband wasn't in school and she was still on maternity leave -- it pretty much made my day!

7- Today Alex (16 and 6'1") and Jackson (13 and 6'2") left for a 19-day trip. They are on the 100th anniversary Boy Scouts of America National Jamboree and I'm pretty sure that they were more excited than they were willing to display... they get to tour in NY, PA and DC as well as camp and go to Busch Gardens... I'd be excited! (I love roller coasters...) The rule at our house is that to go they have to be an Eagle Scout... all four of my brothers have gone on the Jamboree now. Isn't that awesome? :)

8- Tonight... I'm going to the Days of '47 Rodeo!

How was that for an update? Still breathing? Seeing straight? Good...

♥ you all! :)

I Love To See The Temple...

2010-02-13T17:49:00.005-07:00

I went inside today! :)

I Have This WONDERFUL Rug In My Classroom...

2010-01-31T13:25:00.000-07:00

...there's just one problem:

What do I do with student number
31?

Houston-- we've got a problem...

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

2009-11-22T16:33:00.005-07:00

First of all -- to my BYU ELED peeps -- this is the same post I put on our page. Just so you don't go reading it again and think "why is this so familiar?"

Ok . . . so remember my terror student ? Well, he's back.

If you haven't heard of him or don't remember what I've said and can't click the link, then here's a VERY short run down . . .

He's been at a provisional school, but got kicked out of it (yeah . . . really . . .)
So they sent him back to me . . .

(I don't get it either)

. . . until they can ship him off to a Unit.

He was suspended again on his second day back.

But lucky for me, I have 3 hilarious tales from that day that override the terror-student issue.

i LOVE kids

Story #1

(sniffling Kiera) "Ms. Turner? I'm sorry . . . (bursts into tears) . . . but I really don't want anyone to have a crush on me!"

"Oh, hon, it's ok. Did you know that it just means that he thinks you're really nice? There's nothing wrong with that."

"But I have a crush on someone else."

"Do you know what? There will be a lot of boys who will have crushes on you as you get older. That doesn't mean you have to have crushes on them."

"Do I have to play with them at recess?"

"You should be nice to them. You can play with a lot of friends at recess."

"Ok." (sniffles back to her desk -- 10 minutes later she's as cheerful as ever!)

Story #2

(the other half of story #1)

"What's going on, bud?"

(boy with his hair slicked back and wearing a button-up collared shirt who had stormed out of the classroom) "I dressed up for no reason!"

"That's not true! I think you look very nice today!"

"But I dressed up for Kiera -- and she won't be my girlfriend!"

"That's ok. You can still be her friend!"

"But I try every recess to get a girlfriend! I need a girlfriend!"

"Guess what? I don't have a boyfriend. But, you know what? Girls like it when the boys are being nice and following the rules -- will you come back in?"

"I don't care! I'm going to wash the gel out of my hair . . ."

Haha -- oh the love life of a 6-year-old! :)

and finally . . .

Story #3

My students were getting several new sight words. So far we had only had one "B" word, but finally we were getting another one: "but" . . . which in itself was giving a few of the students a good laugh (nevermind that it's the wrong "butt").

After I had added it to the word wall (wild words in our class -- to go with my jungle theme), one of my students came up to me:

"Teacher? I know something funny on the wild words."

"What's that, Demetreuz?"

"The 'B's'."

"Why are the 'B's' funny?"

"Because it says 'big' 'but'!"

. . . I think I need to switch the order a bit, don't you? . . .

☺

Dislike & Love

2009-10-08T22:41:00.006-06:00

As I totally stole this idea, I feel the need to give proper credit to Lindsay
who made such a list most recently on Monday.

She's great.

So THANKS Linds!

Anywho. Some of my thoughts on the past couple days . . .

Things I dislike:

~Chapped lips
~My mic still being broken
~Having extra things happening at school, making me feel rushed
~Cold feet
~Swallowing 9 pills in one . . . standing . . . (a bunch of vitamins/herbs plus allergy and decongestant pills plus ibuprofun for the headache)
~Feeling lonely

Things I love:

~Chocolate
~Perfect days for driving home with my sunroof open
~Chapstick
~The loving hearts of children
~Wearing green
~That wearing green makes the red in my hair stand out
~Thunderstorms
~Institute
~My little brother giving me hugs
~New shoes
~My pillow-top queen bed
~Gospel discussions with my dad
~Looking for and finding the tender mercies in my life
~Chatting with my mom
~My friends
~Laughing so hard that it hurts

~LIFE~

*Live*Laugh*Love*

Running through the last few months . . . .

2009-10-03T09:54:00.007-06:00

OK

I'm lame.
I have updated my blog for almost 3 months.

3 MONTHS!!!

Do you realize what has transpired during this time?

***ALOT***

So here I am, and I'll do a quick swing through of life and maybe I'll be a little better at staying up-to-date :)

So let's start with the most important:

Isn't he an adorable boy? He is.
My first nephew -- Matthew Callan Turner (Callan)

Born August 4, 2009 -- 6lbs 4oz and 20in long.

I can't wait to get him in my hands! (they're in Seattle)

And there is also:

Jaden Bradley Cutler
My surrogate nephew! Another precious soul :)
(His mom is Camille - my "sister" who has been my best friend since Kindergarten - so I'm claiming him too!)

Born October 2, 2009 -- 8lbs 5oz and 20in long.

Again -- far away in Indiana. :(

I love babies! :)

So, what have I been doing other than getting excited about my sister-in-law and best friend bringing these beautiful little boys into the world?

Well, I bought this:

And I love it!
Silver 2009 Mazda3 Hatchback

It had 16 miles on it when I bought it.

Now it has almost 3000.
That's what happens when you drive about 50 miles a day!

Why am I driving 50 miles a day?

Because I work here:

Where I teach First Grade.

20 miles there + 20 miles back + other errands = approx. 50 miles/day

I had 28 students, but my . . . challenging . . . student is gone for the time being.
27 6/7 year olds are plenty though!

I love them.

They are exhausting, but I love them!

On Wednesday we went on a field trip to Wheelers Farm.

It was POURING rain.

We were SOAKED!

So we went back to the school early,
ate lunch in our classroom,
played musical chairs for a birthday game,
and watched:

Day well spent! :)

And now, I'm listening to conference (you can watch it here)and enjoying my long weekend.

Life is good :)

Bishop Turner

2009-07-13T23:39:00.004-06:00

We got a new Stake Presidency about a month ago. I predicted correctly that my incredible institute teacher would be the new Stake President (I miss him in class!). What I didn't predict is that now-President Blair Morris would be taking our own Bishop Reed Merkley as a counselor.

But as soon as we knew that, I was pretty sure who the bishop would be!

I was right :)

Yesterday (July 12th), my Dad was set apart as the new Bishop in the Park Meadows Ward in the Centerville, UT Stake of Zion.

Love you, Daddy!

It's all about the kids!

2009-07-13T23:15:00.006-06:00

Back on the 3rd I was unaware of having work off until I was already up and ready for the day (and wondering why on earth Mitch was still in his PJs). So I "randomly" decided to fill out the online application for Granite School District with all my spare time.

I was definitely inspired.

Most of the applications that I've filled out have asked about grade preferences, etc., but this one didn't. Those of you with whom I've discussed my teaching career know that I was quite opinionated when it came to the grade(s) I wanted to teach:

I'm an upper-grade teacher.

5th would be the ideal position.

I don't even KNOW how to PROCESS information at a beginning level.

Good thing Heavenly Father knows me better than I know myself :)

So I submitted the application and didn't really think much of it until I received a call from a principal Monday morning -- she wanted to interview me the next day for a 1st grade position at her school.

My thoughts: First grade? No. But interview practice is always good!

So Tuesday I drove 23 minutes to Rolling Meadows Elementary School in West Valley City. I was the first interview of the day and Mrs. Kayla MacKay would be interviewing all week. She was an absolute sweetheart! One of the 1st grade teachers (Cherrie) was also in the room for the interview and she, too, was one of the sweetest ladies. I didn't even know them and they made me feel loved and welcomed as though they'd known me for years. I left the interview loving them.

Suddenly all thoughts went to 1st grade.
Classroom themes -- lesson ideas -- just how cute those kids are!

Friday morning (July 10th) -- just one week after submitting my application -- I was offered the job. I was feeling so good about it, but it took me by such surprise that I asked Kayla if I could have the weekend to think about it. As soon as I got off the phone, I ran into my dad's office and had a heart-to-heart. He made me recognize how much trust and confidence Kayla was putting in me -- a first year teacher -- to offer me a position teaching first grade. Wow! She picked ME. Not someone with a lot of experience.

ME

So I prayed. I still felt good about it. I called Kayla back and I accepted the job. I didn't need the weekend.

She was thrilled!

She told me that right after she had spoken with me she called Jenny (the third teacher) and Cherrie to tell them that I wanted to think about it. Cherrie is such a sweetheart! Kayla told me that Cherrie mentioned that maybe I just needed some time to pray about it . . . and that she would think of me when she went to the temple later that day. Kayla expressed to me her desire that I would realize I wanted them as much as they wanted me. She immediately called the other two teachers back.

I am so blessed to not only have found a job, but to have the opportunity to work with such wonderful women!

Yep. Heavenly Father's plan is a whole lot better than my own. :)

N'Abandonne Pas

2009-07-06T20:25:00.022-06:00

N'Abandonne Pas

N'abandonne pas lorsque la marée est à son plus bas,
Car bientôt elle changera.
N'abandonne pas en cas de doutes ou de questions,
Car peut-être que tu apprendras quelques chose.

N'abandonne pas lorsque la nuit est à son plus noir,
Car l'aube ne saurais tarder.
N'abandonne pas lorsque tu as courru le plus loin possible,
La course est presque gagnée.

N'abandonne pas lorsque la côte est à son plus abrupte,
Car ton objectif est presque atteint.
N'abandonne pas, car tu ne connaîtras pas l'échec,
Sauf si tu n'essaies pas.

Jill Wolf

Almost 2 years ago I decided it was time for me to improve my journal-writing habits, so I went looking for a journal that would make me want to write. For those of you who didn't know this -- I have a slight obsession for all things French. I found a journal on the clearance shelf in the BYU bookstore with the short story/poem Footprints on it in French -- it was too perfect, so I bought it. And I filled it quite quickly. When it was nearly full, I went looking for another journal, so I'd already have one to continue writing in when the first was full. I again found it on the clearance shelf at the bookstore and again it caught my eye because of the French writing on the front. The poem above is what that writing contained.

I read through the poem again tonight and realized how much I love this poem and so, I'm sharing it with you. I couldn't find a real English translation of it online, but I'll translate it for you:

Don't Give Up

Don't give up when the tide is at it's lowest;
for soon it will change;
Don't give up when there are doubts and questions;
for you may be something to learn.

Don't give up when the night is at it's darkest,
for dawn will never come late;
Don't give up when you think you've run your furthest,
the race is almost won.

Don't give up when the coast is the roughest,
for you have almost reached you goal;
Don't give up, for you will never know failure
unless you never try.

**EDIT** I found an English version. It's not an exact translation, but the same idea . . . and it rhymes :)
Don't quit when the tide is lowest,
For it's just about to turn;
Don't quit over doubts and questions,
For there's something you may learn.
Don't quit when the night is darkest,
For it's just a while 'til dawn;
Don't quit when you've run the farthest,
For the race is almost won.
Don't quit when the hill is steepest,
For your goal is almost nigh;
Don't quit, for you're not a failure
Until you fail to try.

There are times that I feel like I just want to give up on some things, but I know that I'm here and I'm in the middle of it. If I stop trying -- I will fail -- but as long as I keep pushing forward, I will be able to continue on. My Savior is there for me -- carrying me in the darkest times and leading me in all that I do. All I have to do is trust in Him and do my best. I WILL SUCCEED!!!

*Here's the French translation of the Footprints story . . .*
(Photo taken by me in southern France -- 2007)

Empreintes
Un homme, un soir, eut un rêve. Il rêva qu’il marchait au bord de la mer avec le Seigneur.

Sur le fond du ciel se déroulaient des scènes. Dans chaque scène, il remarquait deux traces parallèles de pas dans le sable. L’une, la sienne, l’autre selle du Seigneur.

Quand la dernière scène de sa vie s’alluma, il se retourna pour revoir les traces de pas sur la grève. Ici et la, sur la route de sa vie, il n’y avait qu’une seule trace de pas. Et ces moments de marche solitaire correspondaient aux heures les plus tristes et les plus déprimantes de sa vie.

Intrigué, il interrogea son compagnon. “Seigneur, quand j’ai décidé de te suivre, tu avais dit que tu marcherais tout le chemin avec moi! Et je vois qu’aux pires périodes de mon existence, il n’y a qu’une seule trace se pas; m’aurais-tu donc abandonné quand justement j’avais le plus besoin de toi?”

“Je t’aime, mon très cher enfant, je t’aime st jamais je ne te laisserais. Une seule trace de pas, oui aux temps les plus difficiles de tes épreuves et de tes souffrances, mais c’est alors que je to portais.”

~Auteur inconnu

It's ok that my life isn't exactly where I thought it would be at this point -- it doesn't mean that my path will be any less fulfilling. In fact, it will probably be more fulfilling than if it went exactly the way I had it planned out in my mind. Heavenly Father really does know best.

Trust.Love.Learn.Live

sigh . . .

2009-06-29T23:42:00.006-06:00

I haven't slept in my own bed for 3 WEEKS!

Seriously, people -- isn't that sad?
I got home from Europe last Tuesday and still haven't slept in my own bed.

It's pitiful.

One of the GREATEST things about getting home from any trip is getting to sleep in your OWN BED.

No wondering. No worrying.

Just your OWN bed in your OWN room.
Complete. Utter. Bliss.

Before heading to Europe, I even put clean sheets on my bed so that when I came home I would have that added luxury.
(Girls, can we all agree that one of the most wonderful simple pleasures in life is getting into a bed with clean sheets and freshly shaven legs? Mmm . . . )

So then what happened?

RAIN

And what came of the rain?

FLOODING

And of COURSE it flooded my room.

But TONIGHT is the night. After sleeping the night in 7 countries and on 11 different surfaces, I'm finally on my way to my OWN bed!

Here's a list of where I've slept since last sleeping in my own bed:
June 7 -- Last time I slept in my own bed
June 9-10 -- NH Hotel in South Kensington, London, England
June 11-12 -- NH Hotel in Amsterdam, Netherlands
June 13 -- Apartment in Fussen, Germany
June 14-15 -- Marriott Renaissance in Munich, Germany
June 16 -- Apartment in Bad Mitterndorf, Austria
June 17 -- Hotel in Modling, Austria
June 18-20 -- Apartment in Paris, France
June 21-22 -- NH Hotel in Brussels, Belgium
June 23 -- Living Room couch
June 24-26 -- Alex's bed
June 27-28 -- Family Room couch
June 29, 2009 -- Clean sheets (check), shaved legs (check), own bed (check) . . .
BLISS!

Brownie is the royal dog of Belgium . . . and other things I learned in Europe

2009-06-25T12:19:00.003-06:00

So while I was being a good girl in Europe and writing in my journal daily I started jotting down a list of funny little things I learned while I was there. For the most part, these are just random observations, but a few have stories behind them (ask what they are and I might tell you ;) ). I might add more to list later, but here's what I have for now. Enjoy!

Tube strikes in London are a lot harder to work around and deal with than Metro strikes in Paris.
The Netherlands are full of LARGE women. And by large, I mean tall.
When the light turns green in Geneva you should already be moving. You will be honked at.
You can't buy postcards -- or anything but McDonalds -- at night in Lichtenstein.
McDonalds restaurants are EVERYWHERE! They are officially taking over the world.
Utah's grid system ROCKS!
Germans eat a TON of food!
I can read every plaque and look at every item in a Museum before Mitch finishes a single room.
Munich thunderstorms are awesome -- even though they are missing the thunder echoing through the canyons that we have in Utah and the torrents of rain we had in Thailand.
Anne Frank's birthday is June 12. She would have been 80.
Hallstatt really is a great resting point between Salzburg and Vienna.
Good tomato soup is heavenly :).
Peter and Monique Bearts are awesome.
I ♥ Bad Mitterndorf.
Despite all the pictures, Mozart Balls are NOT green inside!
BILLA grocery stores have great sandwiches.
The countryside between Salzburg and Vienna is made for sledding.
I remember French better than I though I did.
I still know my way around the Metro.
I still prefer the Metro to the Tube!
Living in Paris for 3 months supposedly means that I know everything about Paris/France -- from the population size to the name and use of EVERY building!
When my mind starts shutting down, I can't decipher between French and English.
They tell you that admission to the gardens at the Palace of Versailles are free -- what they don't tell you is that from April 1 - Oct 31 admission is 8 Euros/per person on Sundays.
I found a really really good incentive to stay in shape.
I'm "addicted" to the gym.
If they reprint your boarding passes at the gate, prepare yourself for trouble.
My dad has the best truths for "2 Truths and a Lie" EVER.
My family is full of loud sleepers. Luckily, I'm not one of them.
I've got a whole new list of reasons to get married!

You Know Me . . .

2009-04-30T01:11:00.012-06:00

You know me.

I'm the one who's been there
. . . from the start . . .

w a i t i n g

w o n d e r i n g

. . . like the song . . .
you know the one.

You sang it once
behind me in the doorway.

Does it surprise you?

I think that sometimes
you forget that I'm still there.
Sometimes you forget me

. . . on purpose . . .

But it doesn't matter
I won't leave

. . . unless I have to . . .

I'll always be your friend.

. . . always . . .

Sometimes
you draw me in.

I don't know why.

Do you?

Does my presence confuse you?

Yes,
It confuses me too.

But for now
. . . I'll stay . . . and I'll try . . .
but not too hard

Because I care
. . . too much . . .

Is that possible?
To care too much?

Your well-being is more important
than my own

. . . that much I know . . .
just as you know me.

Do I know you?

♥

4 Years . . . Gone In A Heartbeat!

2009-04-23T10:35:00.009-06:00

Today I am graduating from Brigham Young University.

Weird.

Happy Easter!!!

2009-04-12T12:47:00.002-06:00

Don't forget about all the blessings we've been given on this glorious Easter Day. I love you all!

Life is Grand!

2009-04-07T20:57:00.002-06:00

Can I just say that I LOVE MY LIFE?!? Seriously.

First of all -- I was home for the week (which is always relaxing) and Conference was AMAZING. As I was driving back to Provo after the weekend home, I was thinking about the talks and which one I would label as my "favorite" should someone ask. Well, I don't have one. There isn't even one that stands out more than the others because ALL of them were amazing, wonderful, and directed toward me. I think it was the first time in my life that I didn't even start to doze while watching. Wow. You can REWATCH ANY OF THE TALKS HERE!

Secondly -- I'M GOING BACK TO EUROPE!!! Wahoo!!! My parents told my three younger brothers and I that we're going to Europe for two and a half weeks this summer and I CAN'T WAIT! We'll be starting off in London on June 8th (been there) and ending in PARIS on June 23rd (OBVIOUSLY I've been there ;) -- and I can't wait to go back to my "second home") and we'll be hitting Amsterdam, Vienna, and Frankfurt in between . . . possibly more.

Thirdly -- Yesterday I was feeling all sorts of love from my friends. I have the greatest friends. Ever. Hands down. I also have the greatest family. And I'm getting a nephew in August! :)

Finally -- I had my LAST BYU observation yesterday. Don't worry -- I've really passed! (Not that I was worried) But it's done. Over. I teach a short day tomorrow, have Thursday and Friday off, teach all next week and then Graduate. Crazy.

I'll repeat -- I LOVE MY LIFE!!! :)

A Bit of My Crazy Life . . .

2009-03-21T22:48:00.002-06:00

Ok, so I randomly decided to update you on my life. Now, as of right now, "you" (as far as I know) is Camille and Cody. So I hope you wonderful people enjoy this! If anyone else happens to read this, then I hope you enjoy it as well!

Life in Provo is pretty crazy, so back over Valentine's/President's Day weekend I took a getaway trip up north to Logan. I was fun to be able to spend a couple nights at Merica's apartment, hang out with Kameron and catch up with my B.E.S.T. :). I have the greatest friends!

Camille and I enjoyed the chance to talk and Cody was nice enough to allow us to reminisce on the countless sleepovers that we had growing up. I am so lucky to have such a wonderful best friend and sister! I'm so glad that she married Cody (he makes a great best friend/brother-in-law) and I am so excited for the arrival of Baby Cutler in October! (On a side note -- my brother and sister-in-law are expecting in August, so I get "2" neices/nephews this year! Yay!)

After the weekend, it was back to the real world -- lesson planning, teacher work sample, and my car in the shop. I did finally get my car back the last week of February after having driven my Grandma's car for over three weeks. (Yay!) While I love having the Volvo to drive around P-town, it will be nice to get a new car this summer. Hopefully I'll end up with something a little more reliable ;)

The rest of the craziness deals with the fact that I'm GRADUATING in a month. I love teaching! But working full time (student teaching hours are the same as those of a contract teacher) while still living the college life is a bit exhausting. Correction: it's a lot exhausting. My TEACHER WORK SAMPLE was due at 8:00am (at the school I'm teaching at in West Jordan) on February 25th. I finished it at 6:00am that morning. For those of you who don't know what a teacher work sample is, it's an intensive planning, execution and analysis of an academic unit. Let's just say that it's a good thing I only had 17 students' work to analyze and not the 29 that I have in my class now. Forty pages. Yeah. I'm happy to say that I found out on Friday that I passed it! TWS is now a thing of the pass and I will officially be able to graduate with my teaching licence on April 24th! At that point, hopefully I'll finally have the chance to catch up on sleep! (Gone from 7-5 everyday including 1.5-2 hours of driving and being on my feel all day is nuts. Good thing I love those kids!)

Here are pictures of the wonderful students I've taught. They are the greatest!

Mrs. Burch's 3rd grade class at Sharon Elementary
Winter 2008 -- 4 weeks

Miss Bybee's 4th grade class at Lindon Elementary
Fall 2008 -- 4 weeks

Mrs. Rosskopf's 2nd grade class at Midvale Elementary
1st Block Winter 2009 -- 7 weeks

Mrs. Bodtcher's 5th grade class at Riverside Elementary
2nd Block Winter 2009 -- 7 weeks

Oh, and just to give you an idea of some of the things I've done, at Midvale (with my 2nd graders and a class of 1st graders combined) I read the book THE RAINBOW FISH about the little fish who has beautiful, shiney rainbow scales which he gives away to be a good friend then we talked about what they could do to be a good friend and each student wrote/drew how to be a good friend on a 4.5 diameter circle of bright paper. These friendship scales I then put on a poster I made as the fish's scales. Here's the end result! (and yes, I drew it!)
Even with all the craziness, I still manage to have a good time. Two weekends ago I had a night out with Kelsey and Ashley. We went to the mall and tried on some crazy Chucks! Kelsey's were clear, Ashley's were knee-high, and mine were covered in glitter. I'm not going to lie, there was a part of us that wanted to buy them! We also had an ugly outfit photo shoot at Sears. Yeah. On Saturday I went to the final BYU Men's Basketball game then had a reunion with my Sophomore roommates. Oh -- and Kelsey and I opened the freezer to find the bottle of sparkling cider we'd put in the night before and forgotten about!

Last weekend we went to Kelsey's uncle's cabin for the night -- so much fun! We stopped at Smiths on the way up (in Heber) and the shorter roommates took a turn on the mini merry-go-round! Ash is my favorite -- haha! :)

I also got to go to AIDA at good ol' Viewmont High School last Saturday. Can I just say that my Alma Mater is amazing? Wow. It definitely made me want to go back and do another show. Check out some of the pictures (my friend was the photographer) from it HERE.

This weekend was another roommate reunion -- with the originals! I love my freshman roommates! It's crazy to see how much our lives have changed over the past coming-up-on-four years! It was great to catch up with them and see how close we still are. We were even able to grab Megan for a bit -- that old married woman ;). We missed Alyse though! (She's serving an LDS mission in Belo Horizonte East, Brazil)

Life is grand -- ain't it? :)

We'll See How This Goes . . .

2009-02-14T15:16:00.001-07:00

So I was talking with Camille the other day and she told me that I really needed to start blogging. I've had this thing set up since she and Cody started theirs and invited me to view it, but I've never posted a single item. I told Mills that it's because I have nothing to post -- but she thoroughly disagrees, so we'll see how this goes.

Jessica Leigh

Beyond My Own Blog...

Cafe Rio Goodness :)

A Bonus Post...

Day 1: More Random Facts About Me Than You Ever Wanted To Know :)

Mother's Day Muffins

Something To Smile About :)

Back to the Real World...

Grateful Charts and Open Hearts

Good "Pointe"!

Sharing Some Scriptorial Studyings...

Well, hello there!

I Love To See The Temple...

I Have This WONDERFUL Rug In My Classroom...

Kids Say the Darndest Things!

Dislike & Love

Running through the last few months . . . .

Bishop Turner

It's all about the kids!

N'Abandonne Pas

*sigh . . . *

Brownie is the royal dog of Belgium . . . and other things I learned in Europe

You Know Me . . .

4 Years . . . Gone In A Heartbeat!

Happy Easter!!!

Life is Grand!

A Bit of My Crazy Life . . .

We'll See How This Goes . . .

sigh . . .