slow cooking delicious pork

Perhaps it's partially because I bought a new cookbook, bought all the ingredients, and spent some serious time cooking, but I think this recipe I tried today was absolutely incredible. It was an asian pork dish that I made in the slow cooker and served over rice. It had garlic, ginger, hoisen sauce, carrots, broccli, cinnamon, clove, and soy sauce. It smelled yummy and tasted even better. I want to make a page linked to the family site that has favorite recipes and quick meal ideas. My new recipe book is for healthy, slow-cooked meals. I love the crock pot.

Robert has been sick for almost a week. He came home early from the Marriot Library today and slept for several hours. I hope he starts feeling better soon.

longweekend soon?

I know teachers are spoiled and get plenty of days off, but I am in desperate need of another long weekend. Spring Break wasn't even that long ago, it's just that with the sunny weather and all the stress these days---I could really use an extra day to recover.

Only about six more weeks of school. I'm getting better at letting go of all the kids at the end of the year. It's becoming part of the whole teaching cycle---new ideas and new kids in fall, hard work all year, and then a spring harvest of students that have grown and finally letting them fly away. The teaching cycle doesn't fit with any other seasonal cycles---but adding those biological analogies helps me see how it's okay for them to move on.

spring cleaning sunday

Well--the sliding glass door drama is finally over, I think. Robert put up some flippy white plastic blinds behind my shimmery gold curtains so that it can be very dark and feel very private. He also took off all the metal rings at the top of the gold curtains. They still look fine. So---he's happy, I'm happy, and we have a nice enough window covering. I'm just glad the whole thing is finished.

The grass is coming in the back yard nice and full, the willow tree already has thousands of little green leaves and the birch tree has buds. We need to mow the front lawn, but we have spent the day cleaning inside, instead.