Finally Friday

It's finally Friday and I am so ready for the weekend because it means time with friends, fun and football.  I am ready to see those Gator fans chomp their little hearts out. I hope we can pull though in the swamp!
I leave you with a couple of great, VERY EASY recipes if you need something delicious to cook next week. Or even this weekend. This casserole will def. get you through two nights of the week. Thats my style. The oreo cheescake...I won't say.

Chicken Rotel Casserole

boneless skinless chicken

chopped onion

1 lb. box Velveeta cheese

1 lg. can mushrooms

1 (7 oz.) pkg. vermicelli

1 can Rotel tomatoes

1 can of cream of mushroom

1 can cream of chicken

Boil chicken and save at least 1 1/2 quarts of broth. Cook vermicelli in broth saved. Don't drain. Add Rotel tomatoes, mashed. Add mushrooms, onions. Add cheese, cut in chunks and stir until cheese is melted. Add cut up chicken and stir thoroughly. 

Cook 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

Oreo Cheescake

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup sugar

16 oz cream cheese, softened {(I used reduced fat}

2 eggs

7 Oreos {crushed into small pieces}

1 Oreo pie crust

Preheat oven to 350. Mix together vanilla, sugar, and cream cheese together with electric mixer on medium speed for 2 minutes until well combined. Add in eggs and mix until smooth consistency--then add in 1/2 of the crushed Oreos and spoon mixture into pie crust. Top with the other 1/2 of crushed Oreos and bake for 35-40 minutes until pie is almost set up. Then, allow to cool completely and refrigerate for 4+ hours until ready to serve!

CHEERS TO THE FREAKIN' WEEKEND!

I'll drink to that...

RTR,

K

Who Drinks First?

Thought I would share. I love this.

Enjoy your Thursday. It's almost the weekend!

Roll Tide!

K

Celeb Talk

Forget Wordless Wednesday, I've got more important things to discuss.
Although this is so not like me, and I do not keep up with celeb happenings often, I do need to report a couple of things.
First, Nancy Grace's NIP SLIP.  How embarrassing. Bless her heart she needs a bigger size dress for "her girls."

A bit TOP HEAVY

It is kind of hard to see. Here is a closer look...

LORD.

And of course, Justin Bieber News

Justin Bieber Rents Staples Center For Date With Selena Gomez

Couple ate a steak dinner and watched 'Titanic' alone in the L.A. arena.

By Gil Kaufman

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Justin Bieber may only be 17, but the kid has crazy mature boyfriend skills when it comes to doing special things for his girl Selena Gomez. Case in point: The dynamic duo went out for a decent-enough date on Friday night to see Gomez's pal Demi Lovato play a show at the Nokia Theatre in downtown Los Angeles.

Then, according to TMZ, he surprised Gomez after the concert with an even bigger show right next door at the Staples Center, the 20,000-seat home of the Los Angeles Lakers.

Check out photos of Justin and Selena.

After 11 p.m., Bieber told Gomez, "follow me," and the pair walked through an underground tunnel that connects the two arenas. As they walked into the empty building, all Gomez saw was a table for two set up on the floor with a steak and pasta dinner from the venue's fancy restaurant, the Lexus Club.

How much would a private Staples Center date set Justin Bieber back? We crunched the numbers!

The major date was inspired by a scene in the Adam Sandler flick "Mr. Deeds," in which Sandler's character surprises his love interest, Winona Ryder, with a date for two at Madison Square Garden. After the superstar couple's meal, things got even more romantic when "Titanic" began playing on a screen in the arena.

According to reports, Bieber got the venue for free as a thank-you from the bosses at Staples for his string of three previous sell-outs there. After making things way harder for his fellow man with his big-balling gesture, Biebs had a message for all the dudes out there who aren't pulling their weight when it comes to the chivalry department. "Romance isn't dead," hetweeted after his date. "Treat your lady right fellas."

Easy for you to say, dude.

And, last but not least....WATCH THIS

Selena Interviewing Justin

Happy Hump Day

K

Memories in Title Town

This past weekend was filled with fun. 

My man. Here we are tailgating before the game.

Pre-gaming at Gallettes.

Roomies for life. Cheesin' real big.

Huntsville gals and our yellow hammers.

Sistas for life.

Hope everyone has a great week.

K

How 'bout dat TIDE?

What a game. I had a great time! Cheers to Big Al. Somebody had to do the dirty work...

#Squeal Pig Squeal!

RTR, (Run Trent Run)

K

Got It, Nick

This weekend I am headed to Tuscaloosa for some much needed football, friends and fun. I am really looking forward to the game and seeing my pledge sisters. I know it will be a good time. According to James, Spann that is, this is going to be a great weekend for football. If YOU are headed to Tuscaloosa and are attending the game, here are a few words to from Saban himself:

"Every time they come to the line of scrimmage, we should make it difficult for their quarterback to play," he said. "Don't think you're not having an effect on the game. ... Make them go silent. Make their players react to the snap of the ball so that they can't hear every play of the game."
"That will be a tremendous advantage for our defense, and it will create some problems for them. But you have to do it."

#GET LOUD!!

"You want our players to our players to play every play of the game, compete for 60 minutes in the game," Saban said. "Well, you know, I don't get any hot dog at halftime. I don't. I don't even drink a Coke. I coach the team at halftime. You get your little halftime break, and then you have your little ... back in your seat ready to go when the next half starts.

#BEST IN THE BUSINESS

"We started out slow in the third quarter. We can't do that. We've got to establish the rhythm of the game from the beginning to the end, and everybody's got to play 60 minutes in the game. That's what we expect from the players. That's what I expect from the fans, because you can affect the game. ..."

#GOTTA LOVE NICK

ROLL TIDE!!

Have a wonderful weekend!

K

Grateful

On Tuesday I went with my friend Lauren to Demopolis, her home town, for a monogram party. They have lots of items you can buy for a good price and have them monogrammed for gifts etc. We had a great time visiting with everyone, seeing her neice and nephew, and eating at the famouns Mr. G's.

On the way back, I asked her if she would drive me through Tuscaloosa so I could see the April 27 tornado damange. Yes, I called T-town home for four and a half years, but had yet to see the horrible distruction. I am sure what I saw was nothing close to what it looked like right after, but it still was HORRIBLE.  I mean HORRIBLE. It was amazing to me how many houses and buildings were taken down.

Looking around at the town made me feel so grateful. Many times I feel I take things for granted. I know that sometimes it is not intentional that I do so, but some things I have never lived without. Therefore I don't always appreiciate them. Such as, having a roof over my head. Not everyone does. At any second, this could be taken away from me. I need to be thankful every day.

“When it comes to life the critical thing is whether you take things for granted or take them with gratitude.”


– Gilbert Keith Chesterton

A few things I am grateful for:
My wonderful friends
A loving family
God
My dog Truffles
My apartment
The opportunity for an education
A car
A computer
My life

I realize that there are many things I have that are not necessities and for that I am grateful.
Not everyone has a computer that they can sit down and type a blog post on. Or the internet to read this blog post. :)

Even when times get hard, remember to be grateful of the GOOD things happening in your life.

What are you grateful for?

K

Tune-in Tuesday

I am loving Adele lately. If you haven't listened, do it. This is my second tune-in Tuesday featuring Adele...ha

Check. It. Out.

K

Lately

The past couple of weeks I have been on the go. This past weekend was filled with fun events including Saturday on the Square in downtown Huntsville followed by watching football at Amendment 21. I got to hang out with all of my friends that day and we had so much fun. That night I met up with more friends at Masons to watch the Alabama game and then headed to another bar next door to watch a really fun band play. Sunday I went home to Birmingham to see my grandmother, then went to dinner and spent the night with mom. All in all, it was a fun weekend. I do have some pictures, but I will upload those at another time.

This weekend I am looking forward to heading to Tuscaloosa with all of my pledge sisters. I am sure we will hit the g-spot and catch up quite a bit. I will also be attending the game. I'm so excited. Ready to be back in my college town! I miss it so much!

Also, I am so ready for Halloween. I can't decide what I am going to be yet. 

In honor of Amy WINEhouse....

Look at Morgan sportin' that beehive...

They tried to make her go to rehab, and she said NO NO NO. 

K

Teacher Tipster

I'm alive. Really. I am. I have been busy and neglecting my blog lately. Saarry.
Here are a few teacher tips.

CHART FOLDERS

PENCIL CUPS

CLOCK SONG

PLACE VALUE SONG

These are all really short. Really fun. And are great!

P.S. They also have printables if you go to the website!

Enjoy

K

Wordless Wednesday

K

Tune in TUESDAY

Tune into ADELE-TURNING TABLES. My new favorite song.

Enjoy

K

Role of Parents in Education

Role of Parents in Education

Alexis Lauricella

Posted: 9/9/11 01:27 PM ET

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  Children ,   Education ,   Politics , Parents , Raising Children , Parents News

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It's pretty clear that the education system as a whole in the United States is struggling to provide youth with an adequate, let alone quality, education. For decades, the US government has enacted policies and programs with the goal of "fixing" our education system by creating new rules and procedures for schools and teachers. Recently, after decades of failing schools, a new bill was introduced to the House of Representatives that recognizes the crucial role that families, and particularly parents, have on children's academic achievement. The goal of theFamily Engagement in Education Act of 2011 is to provide incentives for schools and districts to engage parents in children's education with the hopes of closing the achievement gap. This bill is clearly only in its infancy, but the message is clear: parents and families are crucial factors in the academic success of children.

The teachers and school systems clearly can't do it all on their own. Government funding and regulation are attempting to "not leave any children behind", but unfortunately, kids are getting left behind and no one is coming to pick them up. Recent reports from the Annie E. Casey Foundation indicate that 67% of all 4th grade students are not proficient readers and these numbers are even higher for African American and Hispanic children. Literacy isn't the only issue. Students are also performing poorly in Science and Math, especially compared to children in other countries according to US Department of Education reports.

The US school system undoubtedly needs considerable work and there is no quick-fix answer to the problem. But, parents can help, and even when children in are highly competitive, wonderful academic institutions, parents have a responsibility to be involved and help their children academically. No one expects that parental involvement will fix the achievement gap or the failures of our education system as a whole, but their involvement is crucial.

Research demonstrates that parent involvement does help -- significantly! When parents are involved in their children's education, their children perform better academically and socially (Henderson, 1987; Jenyes, 2003). This doesn't mean that parents have to volunteer at every school function or become the president of the PTA in order for their child to reap the benefits of education. There are thousands of fun, creative, and easy ways to get involved in your children's educational success. Here are just a few:

• Parent-teacher Conferences. Parents can take the lead and work directly with their children's schoolteachers to determine ways that they can enhance their child's education at home. Parents can take advantage of the one-on-one time that is provided during parent-teacher conferences to determine what concepts will be taught in class that year and how to can expand upon these concepts at home.
• Get Creative. The technological advances of the past decade have provided many new ways for children to learn. Take advantage of quality websites that offer educational worksheets or activities related to a particular topic your child is studying at school. Search for videos (either online or at your local library) related to the concepts your child is learning in school; maybe having the information presented in a new way will help your child learn. Take learning outside the classroom by bringing your child to the library to find related books on topics covered in class, to a museum to see a related exhibit, or even to a park where you can find real world examples of the science concepts being taught in class.
• Combine subject areas and interests. If your child is learning multiplication tables in school but really loves to write, work with your child to write a story about multiplication problems. Similarly, if your child loves baseball encourage her to keep scores and calculate batting averages while you watch a game or ask her to write a newspaper article about the game you watched together using some of the new vocabulary words from class.

Teachers will educate and work with children at school, but parents need to help; to expand upon the learning that is occurring in school and help your children prosper and succeed both academically and socially. It would be ideal if teachers and school administrators facilitated and encourage parent involvement with or without incentives provided by the potential Family Involvement in Education of 2011 bill. However, until this bill passes or other action is taken to encourage schools to include and incorporate parents, parents should take the lead and find ways to get involved.

SOURCE: HUFFINGTON POST

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

K