What's A Teacher To Do In The Summer?

Well, life can be rough being paid not to work but I have found some things to do during the day...


I've slept in and made delicious breakfast more than once. This is my favorite thing to make for breakfast and if anyone ever wants to come share them with me you are more than invited. After two years of my blueberry muffins, Stephen's a little burt out. 

Muffin Ingredients:

1 large egg (beaten)

1/2 c milk

1/4 c oil (olive or canola)

1 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

2 t baking powder

1/2 t salt 

1 c blueberries (fresh is best but frozen is ok if they aren't in season)

2 t vanilla paste (or 1 t vanilla real vanilla/extract)

1 t lemon extract (sometimes I put this in or if I don't have it, I've left it out or used just a touch of lemon juice)

Muffin Topping Ingredients:

2 T butter (cooler than room temperature but warmer than refrigerator temp)

2 T sugar

3 T flour

Rinse the blueberries in a strainer and set aside to dry. In a small bowl mix the egg, milk, oil, vanilla, and lemon. Place the dry ingredients in a separate bowl and blend well. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and stir with a spoon until just moist. Add the blueberries and mix as little as possible, batter should not be over-mixed but quite lumpy. Separate batter into the greased or lined muffin tin (makes 10-12 depending on how full you make them).

Blend the topping ingredients with a pasty blender (a fork or food processor can work if you don't have a pastry blender but not as well). Blend until the mixture looks like coarse crumbles and most of the flour and sugar is stuck to the small pieces of butter. Top the muffin batter in the tins using a spoon or fork. Bake muffins at 400 degrees for 20 minutes. I think they're best hot but they are good leftover or you can freeze them and thaw at room temperature.

I've been spending a lot of time with my cute young women. Here is a picture of some of them when we tie dyed shirts for camp (that's an adventure to look forward to in a couple of weeks).

I've been riding my bike almost every day. This is on the fourth of July when Stephen dragged me out of bed to conquer Suncrest with him. So hard but so rewarding. 

And I have spent some time with friends. This is a group of teachers from my school at Libby's wedding. As you can see, we are all having a really hard time not working.

I remember thinking it was kind of sad as a kid when I saw crafts by my teacher's desk that said things like, "The three best things about teaching are June, July, and August". I got over thinking that was sad pretty fast. I go back to school in just four short weeks. Getting back into my routine will be rough,I have to be honest about that, but I really do love teaching and I'm excited for a new crop of students that don't have to be my guinea pigs...as much as last year at least.