It's almost been two weeks!

Today, it has been eleven days since I gave up Facebook; and it has certainly been an interesting eleven days.  I have actually found that I miss going on and seeing what people are doing and letting people know what is going on with me, but not enough to break my promise.  We've been finding interesting things to do to fill the gap in the days.  I've started to go to bed earlier, which helps me wake up at a decent time to get ready and I feel more refreshed.  It doesn't take me quite as long to "wake up" after I've gotten out of bed.

I've been experimenting with recipes and am starting to cook from scratch again.  I enjoy it!  There is something oddly relaxing about working in the kitchen and making something yourself.  Cooking, I've found, eases my stress quite well.  On that note, I'm going to share some pictures of what we cooked for dinner a couple of nights ago.

If you go to Applebee's anytime soon, you have got to try their Potato Twisters.  They are fried potatoes and really good Queso Blanco.

Applebee's Potato Twisters

The potato twisters are so good, we decided that we were going to try to make them ourselves.

I started by cutting the potato as thin as possible.  I used a potato peeler, it is tedious, but it did a good job.  When I got to the point that I could no longer use a potato peeler, I used a sharp knife.  One potato makes quite a bit, so it is good for two or three people.  Once you've cut the potatoes, you need to put them in cold water until you're ready to fry them.

You need to fry the potatoes in batches.  I fried about two handfuls each time.  I fried them for about 3.5 minutes, until they looks nice and golden brown.

Meredith made the Queso Blanco and did a really great job.  It tasted just like the stuff you get at Applebee's it even had a spicy kick to it (that might be because she put in some of the jalapeno seeds, though).

Then you just dip the potatoes in the queso!  They were really good.  Might not look as pretty, but definitely just as tasty!

On another note, I got a really great package today at work!  My books from DonorsChoose.Org came in today.  I found them in my school mailbox at the end of the day.

DonorsChoose.Org is a great site that lets people connect with classrooms in need.  Back a few months ago, I posted a project to obtain 30 copies of Avi's Nothing But The Truth to teach in my classroom.  Thanks to the donations of a couple family members, a friend and other donors in the country, my project was funded.  I received my class set today!

I was so excited, I think the newspaper club students thought I might be going insane!  DonorsChoose.Org is a great site and I would encourage anyone who is interested in helping other teachers like me go on the site.  You can search through the projects and find one that you think would be a good option for you!

All in all, it has been a fantastic eleven! :-)