For Stacy:

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup

6-8 chicken tenders
3 T. olive oil
8-12 cups water
1 T. ground thyme
1 t. garlic powder
3 t. salt
1/2 t. chili powder
1 small pkg egg noodles
1 small pkg frozen mixed vegetables

Place 3 T olive oil and defrosted chicken tenders in bottom of large stock pot. Sprinkle with ground thyme, garlic powder, salt, and chili powder. Cook chicken on medium high heat until no longer pink. Remove chicken and cube. Return chicken to pot and add water. Bring to a boil. Add egg noodles and mixed vegetables. Simmer for 1-2 hours. Add more water if needed. Taste broth and add more seasoning to taste.

First of all, Happy birthday Stacy!

So summer 2 started on Tuesday morning at 8 am. UGH. I HATE 8 am. I really do. If you can hate a time I don't think I could hate any time more than 8 am. I always have. Ask my mother. I wouldn't get up at 8 am when I was 5 years old. Probably not even when I was a newborn. That is just torture for me. Whoever invented 8 am as the time school should start should be shot. 10 am is a good time- that sounds about right for when school should start. I am going to introduce legislation one of these days and petition that all schools cannot begin before 10 am.

I only got about 5 hrs of sleep Monday night. Anyway, the class is cool- it is Earth Science Activities for Teachers. It is going to be easy. She lectures about something while we take notes and then we do experiments or activities that have to do with what she just talked about. I think all science teachers should teach that way instead of the whole 'go to lecture and then go to lab' (which I think is stupid- if you want students to understand that is). Plus I think we will be getting out early a lot (she does what she was gonna do and then lets us go when we're done! what a novel idea! Most professors invent new things to do just to keep you there the full time!) We got out like an hour early on Tuesday and 2 hours early today.

This summer 2 schedule sucks.   Here was this week's schedule:

7 am           Get up
7:30 am      Go to school
8:00 am      Class
12:10 pm    Class over (we have gotten out earlier every day tho. just means more nap time!)
12:30 pm    Arrive home (Andrew is still asleep btw) and go back to bed
1:30 pm      Wake up and take Andrew to work
2:00 pm      eat lunch. watch mystery diagnosis (lol)
3:00 pm      watch dr. phil
4:00 pm      watch Oprah
(sad existence. I dunno why I did the same thing every day this week. prob cause I am too tired to do anything else.)
5:00 pm      clean kitchen while news is on
5:30 pm      take a shower
7:00 pm      cook dinner
7:45 pm      leave to pick up Andrew from work
8:15 pm      eat dinner with Andrew
8:45 pm      go swimming with Andrew
10:00 pm    come inside
12:00 am    go to bed
2:00 am      actually fall asleep

Wednesday morning my alarm didn't go off and Andrew woke me up at 9 am "Erin! You're late! Get up!" So I got to class at 9:20 and disturbed the whole class because someone else was in my assigned seat. Oh and on my way into the science building I tripped on the stairs and fell on my knees. My left knee still hurts. Luckily I was wearing jeans so there wasn't any blood or anything. I missed my first quiz and made a 0 on it. At least she drops one of the quiz grades. I am pretty sure I made 100 on the one today so I should be fine. Yesterday was just not a good day.

I only got 4 hours of sleep last night. took a 2 hr nap this morning. About to fall out again but I still have to make Stacy's birthday cake. I think I will bake it and then go take a nap.

I am SO glad class is over for the week. I am sleeping for 20 hours tonight.

I guess I have fallen behind on my recipe postings since I decided to sell Pampered Chef! I have been too busy with Pampered Chef stuff!

I have contacted a lot of people about Pampered Chef but I am beginning to get a little discouraged at the lack of interest. I have only booked two parties so far- my mom and Stacy. Everyone else I have asked is not interested. Maybe I am not selling it well enough, or maybe people just aren't interested- in which case I have a major problem. I have two catalog shows in the works, as well, but I am not sure how good one will do (it has to sell $150 to count as a show) and the other will be after school starts back in the fall. A catalog show is where I give you several catalogs and order forms and you pass them around to friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors and then collect all the orders within a time frame of about 2-3 weeks. Then I turn in the show and you get the benefits of being a catalog show host- free products, half-price products, and discounted products. A cooking show, which is what I am doing for my mom and Stacy, is where I come into your home and demonstrate the Pampered Chef products while preparing a recipe for you and your guests to enjoy. Then I collect guest orders and you reap the benefits of free products (more than if you had a catalog show), half-price products, and discounted products. Hosting a show is one of the best ways to get Pampered Chef stuff because of all the free stuff you get. My mom had a show about 10 years ago and probably got over $400 in stuff for around $60. And Pampered Chef stuff is the best quality in kitchen ware- I love it so much I don't understand when other people don't share my enthusiasm! I need to turn in 4 shows by August 14 in order to get a bonus, but I don't think that is going to happen at this point. I am so close- I only need one more show... maybe two if the catalog show doesn't work out.

So to curb my disappointment I am going to take a break from pushing Pampered Chef for a couple days, and focus on training and preparations for the two parties I do have.

sigh.