Stone Soup

I know you are probably sick of hearing about the class I am student teaching in, so sorry, but I love sharing what they are doing. Wednesday they had a play at school that I went to. The play was on a popular story called "Stone Soup." It was really cute. The kids came in on Friday and made stone soup.

Everyone had to bring an ingredient from home. This is how it turned out...

Just Like My Cousin Katie!!!

Many of you read my cousin Katie's blog, because, well, many of you are family. Therefore, most of you know she is in the midst of birthday season at her house, which results in her making a plethora birthday cakes.



These are no ordinary cakes, these are works of art. I have been watching her produce these fantastic cakes and have been fascinated. So, last week I went out to Michael's and decided to try this artistic process myself.







Me with my work of art





Not too bad for my first time, eh?

Green Eggs and Ham!

So, as many of you know, Dr. Seuss' birthday was a few weeks ago. To celebrate the occasion, the students made green eggs and ham. This was a lot of fun. Many of the kids were not sure what it was at first. There were a lot of confused looks on faces and some questions.

"Mrs. Ostapeck, are you cooking avocados?"
"I am not eating that."
"It's barf, I know it!"

A lot of the kids gathered around and watched me cook the eggs. It was pretty cute. They were VERY interested!




Each of the students ended up getting some green eggs, ham, toast and EVEN green juice. They all ended up having at least a little bit of it.









After we were finished eating our Dr.Seuss breakfast, we had the kids make a "yum" and "yuck" chart. The students then got to put a happy or sad face under the chart to see how many people liked it and how many didn't.

The students got a bit carried away. Some of them put a sad face under "yuck," but I think they just thought it was "cool" to do because all of them ate it.

Leprechaun Traps

The students in my class had a project to do for St. Patricks day. They were supposed to make a Leprechaun trap to catch the Leprechauns on St. Patricks Day. The students came into class on Friday, and shared their traps with the rest of the class...



The point of the project was to persuade the Leprechauns to come to their trap. Once they were there, you were supposed to construct something to catch them in.





This was by far, the most extravagant trap. There was even an owners manual for it. Apparently, it was called the L2000.



I found this one hilarious. If you look at the trap, it says "free beer."



The following Monday (St. Patricks Day) the students were allowed to set their traps up to see if they could catch a Leprechaun. When they came in from recess they were SHOCKED that they had been visited by a Leprechaun. The Leprechaun had left chocolate gold coins in their traps. Unfortunately, the Leprechaun had gotten away before they came in from recess, shucks!





Nathan and Connor looking in their traps for gold.





Sophie with her gold.





Look Mrs. Ostapeck...Gold!





Ava realized it was chocolate!

The dress.

My friend Roxi is getting married at the beginning of August, and I have the privilege of being in her wedding. I went to try on the dress the other day and I told her I would post the pictures so she could see what it looks like on. So, here you go Roxi. (Sorry it took so long)

It was really busy in the place, and so I tried to take pictures of it myself. I did the best I could, and tried to get the whole dress in the picture.

These are the pictures I took. The dress is actually going to be celedon (a shade of green).

My Class...

I finally have a placement. I am in a combination class consisting of Kindergartners and 1st graders. It is split down the middle, so we have a 1:1 ratio. My master teachers name is Ms. Shaver. She is super nice. I have been observing the last two weeks, and have gotten to know the students quite well. I will be taking over the class in two weeks, so this is what is supposed to happen.

Since I have started, I have made a new best friend. His name is Connor. Connor struggles to stay in his seat, and always needs to be doing something. He has grown VERY fond of me in the last few weeks. He ALWAYS needs to sit next to me and go where ever I go.

This is Connor. I have noticed that when I give him my individual attention he excels in his school work. He is such a smart boy, and I love working with him.

My first couple of days I got to lead an art lesson with the kids. We painted a huge picture of a flower. Ms. Shaver said that we will use this poster to teach about the life cycle of a flower.

New Bed...

Maddie and Motley got a new bed. We had a great little crate for Maddie and Motley that they shared, but then they started getting out of it, and eventually chewed a hole in it.



David and I decided that we would have to get them something else because we have to have somewhere to put them when we're not home. So, we went to Wall-mart and looked at all the crates, and decided to get something that would hopefully last FOREVER, since they are a little bit expensive.



We decided to get one that was made of metal so that they couldn't ever chew through it. We then thought that since we would be getting a new one, that we planned on having FOREVER, we should get one that is bigger than the one they use to have, so that when we are gone we don't feel so bad.



Needless to say, we narrowed it down to two. One was bigger and one was smaller (or so we thought). We decided to go with the smaller one because the pups are small.



When I got home I assembled it and was SHOCKED to see just how big it was... They def. won't be cramped!







It is so big that even I can fit in it.





Motley always wants to be in hos cage. I think he likes the bed in it.





There is something wrong with this picture. Isn't the dog supposed to be in the cage?

::Cute Pups::

So, today David and I were going through some cute pictures we have taken of the puppies over the last couple months. So, here are a few of them...





He is the only baby I have right now...





She can sleep ANYWHERE!





...and so can he





One day I thought it would be funny to put the covers on her.





Uh, David....





...my head hurts







You can call me Muddie...





We tried to keep Motley away from bad influences when he was going into his adolescent stages, but all puppies go through a rebellious stage. :)







She's an independent soul





Best buds...





...FOREVER

Furniture Shopping...

On Saturday Dave and I went with my parents furniture shopping. My parents decided to invest in some new furniture items, so I thought it would be fun to go help them pick it out.




I am sure glad I did because David and my dad were not very helpful (see picture below)



Haha. My dad said that furniture shopping is fun when they have massage chairs and Starbucks coffee...

Before we left, Dave and I decided to put the puppies in their crate so that we wouldn't have to worry about them.

This is what the crate looked like when we left...



and this is how the crate looked when we got home...



We walked in to Maddie and Motley greeting us at the door. Some how Maddie learned how to unzip the top zipper with her paw. I guess she just decided that staying in the crate wasn't something she wanted to do, so she opened the crate and her and Motley jumped out. I am not sure how long they were out for, but we were gone for about 5 hours.

David was so shocked. He swore we didn't zip it, or that someone had come in our apartment and let them out. Haha.

"It's about time you two strolled in, we have been worried sick... Can you take us to the park now?"

We knew for sure she was behind the opening of the cage because when we woke up the next morning she was sitting on the couch chewing on her bone, and we had put her in the cage the night before. Silly doggie. David calls her Madini now, after Houdidi.

A night out with friends.

Dave and I went with some friends of ours to dinner for a friends birthday. We ended up going to BJ's. It is always fun going there because of the Pazookies that they have (they are wonderful cookie deserts). Here is a picture of us there...

Graduation!

Many people have been asking about my graduation information so that they can come. For anyone who is interested I have finally gotten the info:

Who: Me, the graduate

When: Sunday, May 18, 2008

Where: California State University, Fullerton

Time: 8:00 a.m.

Expect there to be a HUGE party to follow (just kidding...well...maybe not :))

FYI. I have heard that I am only getting a few tickets to start out with, but there are not tickets required for the main ceremony (so don't worry). Apparently there is only a ticket requirement for the second part or something like that. I am kinda confused honestly. I hear they aren't too hard to get if I need extra ones, just let me know if you want to come so I can get extra. :)

An Unexpected visitor. Is there a baby on the way?

So, I was at my mom and dad's house today and my mom and I saw a stork (or a bird that looked VERY similar to one) in the front yard. It was pretty awesome. My mom and I were joking around and it made us wonder if this is a sign. I wonder if there is someone in the family who is pregnant??? (Besides the ones we already know about) Haha!
I got a few really great pictures of it in the front yard. Hope you like them.

Bodak...(Spinach and Feta Pockets)

I wanted to post this recipe. My mother-in-law has been asking for it for a VERY long time, and I have been lazy and haven't taken the time to write it down (as I do it by memory). Then, the other day my friend Roxi asked me for it after she tasted it. So, here you guys go, sorry it took FOREVER!

Okay, this is a dish that I learned from a friend. She is Lebanese, and I LOVED it. They (Lebanese) call it bodak (bo-dak) but I have heard that it is a Greek dish, and they just call it Spinach Feta pockets. Whatever it is, it sure is tastey (this coming from someone who could easily live without vegtables). So try it...IT'S MY FAVORITE FOOD!!!

Spinach and Feta Pockets (Bodak)

1/2 onion, chopped
1 package frozen chopped (chopped is optional) spinach, drained and squeezed dry (I get the 3lb bad from Costco, its $3 and makes about 20 pockets)
about 1-2 cups of crumbled feta cheese (Dave prefers more, I prefer less)
Olive Oil
Oregano (as much as you prefer)
1 tbl spoon black pepper
pinch of salt
20 sheets store-bought filo dough (found in the frozen section)



1. In a small skillet, saute onion over medium heat.

2. After onion is brown add spinach slowly (as spinach shrinks add more and more, until it is all in the pan) While cooking spinach add olive oil, pepper and oregano. (I use a lot of oregano, it really brings out the taste, so I would suggest using 1/4 of a bottle.)

3. Next drain the spinach in a strainer (leave it in the strainer for awhile to get rid of all of the water, I usually squeeze as much out with the spatula as I can)

4. In a medium bowl, combine spinach, feta, more pepper, oregano and a dash salt. Stir until well combined. Set aside.

5. Remove one sheet of phyla from stack (cover the remaining sheets with a damp cloth to keep from drying out) and lay it on a work surface. Brush entire sheet with a thin layer of olive oil.

6. Fold filo sheet in half (hamburger style)

7. Fold again the same way. (making a long rectangle shape, see picture)

8. You now have a long rectangle of filo in front of you. Place about 2 Tablespoonfuls of filling on the bottom right side of one of the rectangles.

9. Fold the bottom left corner up and over the filling so that the bottom edge is now even with the right side. Continue folding up and over until you end up with a triangle.



10. Brush top of triangle with olive oil and place on a baking sheet.

11. Repeat steps 5-10 until you have as many triangles on your baking sheet as desired.

12. Place baking sheet in preheated 375 degree oven for about 20-25 minutes or until golden brown.

Cool on wire rack and eat either warm or at room temperature.
Enjoy!