Lucy is so cute, she had her toy in her paws, asleep, while we are watching television before bed. Life is good with Lucy by your side.

Leg Warmers–seriously?

In honor of Sharon Lauricella’s two new blogs, I made healthier muffins.

Here are the two links to her food blogs! Enjoy!

A Little Soul Shine

And a Dirty Hot Dog

Again, I’m linking up with Red Oak Lane for Thankful Thursday!

1. I’m thankful for a great and peaceful first week of classes.

2. I am thankful for a schedule that will allow me to write more this semester.

3. I am thankful for great friends.

4. I am thankful that my students embraced Twitter instead of well, complaining about it.

5. I’m thankful for my health.

6. I am thankful my plants in my office are still alive.

7. I am thankful for an interesting Presidential election season to research.

8. I’m thankful  for the motivation to write and research again. I must get over this fear or more like voices in my head that discourage me from my goals.

9. I am thankful for, of course, my dad.

10. And, I am always thankful for my little girl, Lucy. A poodle who gets REALLY excited to see me when I come home and gets depressed and curls up on the couch knowing I’m leaving her for a few hours. Nothing compares to a dog’s devotion and friendship.

Today was the first day at college for my niece–EVER!  My sister dropped her off and then my sister and I picked her up on her first day. Yes we are dorks.  My sister and I were so excited for her that we went to lunch to hear about her first day.

I remember picking her up when she was in kindergarten. Wow, how time flies.

What did my sister and I have for lunch: The stuffed avocado… YUM! I shouldn’t have, but I did!

Today was the first day of classes for me. Here’s how the day went:

I found my plants survived and even grew while I was away.

I found that I needed a bit more coffee than usual to stay awake.

My window is still awesome!

All my classes were fun!

I get to use the skywalk to get to my third class of the day on Tuesdays. I have to walk from Jonsson to the Engineering building.

I kept running into scary signs on my walk.

After the first day, a glass or two of wine is relaxing!

Overall, a great first day!

This morning I made a small batch of Cafe Du Monde beignets. They turned out very well. They might not be as perfect as the real thing, but they are close enough.

Luckily, I can buy the Cafe Du monde beignet mix at the grocery store.

First you mix the batter with water And fry the pastry. (ok, I didn’t say they were healthy)

Then drain and sprinkle with powdered sugar.

And pretend you’re in New Orleans living it up!

Today I found a Groupon for a facial. I had been to this spa before and it’s VERY nice. For an hour I forgot everything. I recommend Hiatus Spa if you ever see a Groupon or want a nice spa experience.

After the spa I went to a friend’s house where we picked up food and then watched a movie.

The relaxing room. What else is there to say– it’s relaxing.

They serve relaxing tea.

Perfect ending to the night– Italian food.

My academic BFF, Dr. Sharon Lauricella, gave me a fabulous recipe, which I will link to when she starts her blog, for these super healthy gluten free muffins. This time I added blueberries.

Today we went to two estate sales.

I found a lot of celebrities and a cool round dining room.

Dean was a popular person today.

I added the 70′s vintage filter to this picture. The couch, the round dining room and paneling added to the flashback in time.