Crochet Earrings

So I made these crochet earrings a couple months ago and they are so easy! Plus, they are so light! I almost forgot I was wearing them one time. So here's the pattern:

Ch 13
Row 1: ch1, skip 1, 4 dc, skip 1, sc, skip 1, 4 dc, skip 1, sc, skip 1, 4dc, skip 1, (sc, ch1, sc, ch1, sc – you should now be on the other side of your work), skip 1, 4 dc, skip 1, sc, skip 1, 4 dc, skip 1, sc, skip 1, 4dc, skip 1, (sc, ch1, sc), ch1, sl st into first st, sew in ends.
Add a pearl to one side.
Add an earring hook to the other side.
Make another one just like it.
And voila! Beautiful earrings!

And if you don't want to make them yourself, you can buy them from my Etsy shop here.

Review: Miller Park Zoo

I have been to this zoo more times than I can count on my fingers. It's a great little zoo. My family has a membership so we get in for free with our card. It pays for itself after the third or fourth visit for us. Once you enter, you can go left or right. The zoo is pretty well set up in a circle so it doesn't really matter which way you go. We normally go to the left, but that's just us. Right now, there are no concessions, but I believe they've been talking about putting some in when they do their next renovation.

Update: They are currently under construction right now so you can't turn right when you first walk in. They're putting in a flamingo exhibit.

There are some really great animals here. The river otters are always entertaining. We love to see the harbor seal feedings. They do training exercises with them. In the back are the large animals like the Sun Bear (who has terrible arthritis, I've been told by the trainers) and the tiger and the 2 snow leopards (who just had 2 babies in early 2015, which is very rare). There are also 2 eagles, singing dogs, reindeer, and many other animals. We love the petting zoo. It's always fun. There is also a carousel in the middle.

One of our favorite things about this little zoo are all the events they hold. We have been here to see if our reindeer could pass Santa's tests to be a backup for his Christmas Eve trip. We have been here for Halloween (always the Sunday before) to go trick-or-treating. We have even been here for Star Wars Day! In 2015, we went to the Zoo Wild Lights event for the first time. This was pretty cool. One thing to know about all the events is that you need to come early. Come right when the event starts. These things get very busy very quickly. We normally finish up about an hour after it starts and by then, there are lines 30 people deep for everything.

Now, if you're not visiting during an event, you will probably need 1.5 hours to see everything. It's a great way to spend an afternoon with the kids. Don't pass up the zoo if you're in town.

We have a couple things planned in the next couple of months with the zoo that I'm really excited about! First, we're doing a 5k through the park as a fundraiser for the zoo in March. My 5yo son is even going to do the Fun Run (¼ mile). Then, we're having our son's 6th birthday party at the zoo in April. There will be a post about that later. I just love this place.

Recipe: Spinach Dip Bread Bowls

I said I wanted to post more than just reviews this year so here is my first recipe of 2016!

I made these in a regular-sized muffin tin first, but then a couple weeks later, I made these in a mini muffin tin and in my personal opinion, they were much better. They're super filling, so if you're making these as appetizers or for a party, the mini just makes more sense. These have just now become my go to appetizers. I have actually made them 3 or 4 times in the past year (which is a lot for me). Hopefully, you'll love them as much as I do.

Ingredients:
Roll of refrigerated french bread loaf, I used Simply Pillsbury
2 Tablespoons oil, I used canola
2 cups baby spinach, coarsely chopped
1 clove fresh garlic, minced
3 oz softened cream cheese
½ cup light sour cream
2 Tablespoons parmesan cheese, I used grated
1/8 teaspoon garlic salt
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spray 20 mini muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray. Unroll the package of french bread and slice into 10 equal slices, about 1 inch thick. Then, cut each of those slices in half. Press each slice into a circle with your hands. Press into the bottom and up sides of the muffin cup. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Cook and stir spinach until wilted. Add garlic, cook and stir for another couple of minutes then turn the heat off.
3. Place cream cheese, sour cream, cooked spinach and garlic, parmesan cheese, garlic salt, salt, and pepper into a medium bowl. Mix until well combined. With a spoon, scoop dip into each of the centers of bread bowls. Top evenly with shredded cheese and bake for about 15 minutes or until the edges start to turn brown. Remove and let cool for a couple minutes.

A New Year

So 2015 is gone and 2016 is here (and has been for 10 days). Last year, I made some resolutions. They included to blog more on the regular, lose a little weight, and get a job. Truthfully, I didn't do too bad. Except for August, September, and October, I blogged about once a week. But I'm pretty okay with that because that is exactly when I started my new job. I am an assistant teacher at 2nd Pres Preschool. That's two boxes I was able to check off. As for the last one: lose a little weight. Well, we all know how easy that is. I lost about 17 pounds so at least I didn't gain any.

All of that being said, I have a few resolutions I would like to make for this year.

1. Keep up with blogging. I have been increasing my number of blog posts every year (2012: 18 posts; 2013: 32 posts; 2014: 62 posts; 2015: 70 posts). Let's see if I can keep up that momentum, huh? I also want to keep my posts diverse. In 2014, I did a lot of recipes and reviews. In 2015, I did a lot of reviews (like a lot!) and the 25 Days of Christmas. I mean seriously. I did like no recipes or crafts. What was I thinking? Oh well, I want to put a lot of my school crafts on here too to help out some fellow teachers!

2. Lose Some Weight. And I seriously mean just a little. I hate having unrealistic expectations for myself. I want to lose like 40 pounds this year. I got a FitBit for Christmas. I'm hoping that helps keep me on track.

3. Become a better teacher. Now, this shouldn't really be THAT difficult since I just started 4 months ago. But still, I think we should always strive to be better.