easy homemade granola

I don't know about you guys, but a LOT of granola gets eaten at our house. Whether sprinkled on greek yogurt with some fruit for breakfast, grabbed by the handful when the afternoon munchies hit, or served atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream for dessert, we like granola. We like granola a lot. But unlucky for us, most cheaper granola options at the grocery store come with way too much sugar (I'm talking 20+ grams per serving). Since unfortunately/fortunately (the jury's still out on this one) stumbling upon the Food, Inc documentary this winter on Netflix, Alex and I have tried to put the kibosh on excess sugar, so those are a no go. I have found some delicious and lower-sugar products (holy moly, Love Crunch's Apple Crumble - yum!), but I've been determined lately to start making my own. Enter this amazing recipe I found on a pair & a spare, a favorite of mine on bloglovin. 

I hope y'all enjoy it as much as I do!

reflections of a first year teacher

Just less than eight months ago, I stood outside the door of room C-16 at Kennedy Middle School watching as 25 sixth graders - some terrified at the thought of middle school and others already confident in their multi-colored Jordans - filed in to take their seats on the first day of school. 

it's been a little while ...

I've been wanting to update this space for a long time now ... but every time I think to come online and update y'all on life, I get completely overwhelmed at just how much there is to share.

But alas, here I am. Rejoining the blog world because, frankly, I seriously miss it. I miss writing and sharing random tidbits of my life with y'all, and I miss that sweet gift of looking back and remembering all of the happenings I wrote about and seeing God so present in many of the moments that I couldn't seem to find him anywhere.

This post is a daunting one - how in the world do I start fresh when there are a million things to share that have happened since ... when was my last post? June 19? Woah. It's only been the biggest, most challenging, most exciting, and most (fill in the blank) eight months of my life. So ... I'm not going to write it. It wouldn't do any of the events justice to place them on a pretty little bulleted list (although, as a teacher, I have become an A+ list maker and probably wouldn't disappoint you).

So be on the lookout (and I do promise it won't be eight months before they come) for some fun life news and updates. A couple hints? I have some really pretty new jewelry and over 100 new children in my life - both of which have completely turned my world upside down.

corporate to classroom: an update

Greetings from Ms. McConnell in sunny Tulsa, Oklahoma!

It's been a really long time since I've ventured over to this space and gave y'all an update, and I apologize for that. To say that the last month has been crazy would be an understatement. Since May 7, I have:

• Finished up my job at General Mills (and trained my backfill)
• Moved out of my house in Minneapolis
• Moved onto my friends' couch for 2 weeks in Minneapolis
• Shipped all my earthly belongings to a Charlotte storage unit
• Made the 18+ hour drive from Minneapolis to Charlotte with my mom
• Said goodbye to the Twin Cities
• Spent a week in Charleston, SC, with my family & Alex
• Said good-bye to Alex for 6 weeks (He's in Spain!)
• Freaked out
• Moved out of my storage unit and into a great house in Charlotte with 2 amazing girls
• Had TFA induction at JCSU in Charlotte (made some great new friends!)
• Packed up enough clothes, toiletries, teacher supplies, bedding, a printer, etc, for 5 weeks in Tulsa, Oklahoma
• Driven to Tulsa, Oklahoma (with a pit stop in Nashville, TN, to see Sarah!)
• Moved into a dorm for the first time since freshman year at IU in 2006
• Found out I'll be teaching 8th grade math at Hale High School this summer
• Survived my first week of institute (think LONG 16-18 hour days, lots of classroom management, lesson planning, etc, being thrown at you, and spending all your time with people you've know for 2 weeks or less)
• Found out I'll be teaching THIRTY-SEVEN kids this summer
• Freaked out
• Decorated my classroom with my co-lab (team of 4 that rotates through teaching our class - 2 ELA teachers and 2 Math)
• Freaked out again
• Wrote lesson plans on decimals, rational numbers, linear equations, positive and negative slope, and solving one-step equations
• Discovered I'm more type A than I thought ... kind of love writing lesson plans
• Met the kiddos I'll be teaching for the summer (only 25 actually!) They're awesome.
• Discovered that educational inequity - the reason TFA exists - it's a real thing. And my kids have been the victims of it.
• Fell in love with the classroom already
• Taught my first lesson plan on Comparing and Ordering Decimals
• Had a kid tell me I made the material make sense to him for the first time (yay!)
• Completely didn't see a kid on his phone for 40 minutes yesterday morning
• Realized I've got a lot to learn
• Confirmed that this is exactly what I want to do with my life

Well, it's 5:54 am (I've been up since 5) and I have to wrap up a few things before I head to breakfast and then to Hale for school! I'm teaching on Comparing and Ordering Rational Numbers today - get excited!

I'll try to give a more detailed update on what this whole teaching thing is like. In short, though, I'm falling in love with it and have developed the utmost respect for the people who taught me and invested in me throughout my life. 

Happy Wednesday!

{corporate to classroom} every child needs a champion

My favorite quotes from this incredible talk by Rita Pierson, an educator for over 40 years whose energy and passion for what she does is so evident in how she speaks about her role in the classroom, her relationships with her students, and the commitment she has made to providing them an education and the confidence they need to succeed:

"I gave [my students] a saying to say: ‘I am somebody. I was somebody when I came. I'll be a better somebody when I leave. I am powerful, and I am strong. I deserve the education that I get here.’”

"You see, -18 sucks the life out of ya. +2 says, 'I ain't all bad.'"

“Teachers become great actors and great actresses. … We come to work when we don't feel like it, and we're listening to policy that doesn't make sense — and we teach anyway.”

{lately} back from indiana

top row: 1) our duplex in Charlotte! 2) me & Ashley 3) Sophs in the bathtub
middle row: 1) Ben Rector concert <3 2) IU Graduation 3) A & me on Friday night
bottom row: 1) the McConnell ladies 2) me & Kels 3) the IU spread at the grad party!

Guys. Why did last weekend have to end?!

1. My brother, Clay, and cousin, Marissa, became the (I think) 11th and 12th members of the McConnell Hoosier Alumni Club on Saturday! I was on cloud 9 driving into Bloomington to attend their graduation. So many memories of that town. IU pride is so deeply ingrained in my fam - it makes celebrations like this weekend's all the more fun!

2. Speaking of IU, the first 332A (the house of girls I lived with at IU) wedding is officially on its way! Natalie got engaged this weekend to the most amazing guy, Nick, and I couldn't be happier for them. There is seriously no better match for Natty Ice, and it's been so much fun watching their relationship grow into all that it is now - through over a year of long distance, grad school, internships, etc, to their finally living in Albuquerque, NM, together now. I can't wait to celebrate their wedding day - it's certain to be the best 332A Reunion yet :)

3. Saturday night's grad party doubled as a mini-reunion of some great friends, one surprise, one planned! I'd invited and got to see Kelsey and her boyfriend, Jeff, and then my friend Ashley was randomly at The Willard and joined us for the party and for a much overdue catch-up!

4. Before heading off to Indiana at an ungodly hour on Saturday morning, A and I had an ABSOLUTELY AMAZING Friday night. We started with drinks at an Irish bar in Dinkytown, followed that up with Greek food and wine at one of our favorite restaurants, Kafe 421,  and ended the night with the BEN RECTOR CONCERT AT VARSITY THEATER. I don't think the night could have gone better in any way (okay, except for maybe the weather, but we'll forget about that) - Ben Rector was amazing live. I love his music and how you could see how passionate he was about it. And the way he interacted with the crowd was hilarious and fun. Varsity Theater is also just a great venue, making the concert feel really intimate. Seriously, guys. If you knew how much A and I love Ben Rector, you'd understand just how huge it was for us to get to go on Friday. I was sooooo happy! Did I mention the tickets were a birthday present from A? He's the best.

5. I stopped to see Kelly, one of my oldest friends, yesterday after taking A to the airport. She's 8 months pregnant with baby Wyatt, who is sure to be a handsome little man! It's so sweet to me how easy it is so start off right where we left off, as though hundreds of miles and way to may days between texts doesn't separate us at all. Love that girl.

6. Last night, my dad and I threw ourselves over the arms of our two leather family room chairs and enjoyed a glass each of Malbec together. I've talked before about how amazing my dad is, and every time I get to see him I am reminded again of that truth. How did I get so blessed to have him and my mom as parents??

7. I woke up at 2am CST this morning to catch a flight back to Minneapolis. Holy cow, I'm tired. I've got a big presentation at 3pm today, and then I may have to head home and call it a night. Oy vey.

8. I went to a Pampered Chef party last week hosted by Tristin and her mom, and now I want everything in their catalogue for my kitchen.

9. The kitchen I would use said Pampered Chef products in is in an amazing house in the Elizabeth neighborhood of Charlotte because we found one and got approved today! I'll be living with Haley and Laura and can't wait to move in!

9. I have 3 weeks left in Minneapolis. 15 work days. 20 real days. 3 Small Group nights. 3 Girls Nights. 3 Yoga Nights with Melissa. 1 weekend actually in the state. And then I leave this amazing (I'm choosing to forget the snow last Friday) city that welcomed me in and let me call it home for over two years. It's really setting in now that I'm moving, and my heart hurts a little about that.

{recipe} simple summer salad

I never thought I would say this, but sometimes, a girl just needs a salad. After a weekend filled with indulgences like brats from the grill, mac & cheese, jalapeno-corn muffins, pints of beer, mexican tortas, nachos, stuffed dates ... the list goes on, this past Sunday night all I wanted was something light and healthy to ease me back into my norm of healthful eating. But I didn't want something lacking in taste. If I'm learning anything about eating healthy, it's that I'll never stick to it if the food is flavorless and unenjoyable.

So A and I set out on Sunday to make a salad that would be healthy, filling, and delicious. I'd call our efforts a success!