Mia's Boys

Man I Love My Kids

2011-10-13T07:19:00.000-07:00

Tommy had created this little scene with his legos. I said, "Hey, Tommy.....what happened to the heads?"

I was prepared to be annoyed, because I get so tired of the way they take care of things sometimes! Legos are expensive, especially the figures, and to think we'd have all these missing heads??? It was more than I could take as we rushed out the door and into the car during our morning grand prix.

"Oh, I took the heads off," he answered. "Those are the zombies."

Duh.

Canoed

2011-09-22T07:05:00.000-07:00

I had Back to School Night last night. And today I'm yarg. (yawn + argh = yarg)

But! It was back in July when we took the boys on our first big canoeing adventure! We headed up to Strawberry and spent a few days on a private lake (let's call it a pond) and also went to Bardsley Reservoir. No phones. No computers. No television. Best cheeseburger on the face of the planet at the snack shack near Pinecrest Lake. Soft serve ice cream for breakfast. Three fights over how to steer the canoe. Sore shoulders for three weeks. Heaven on earth, really.

Just noticed that Thing Two is doing The Robot in this picture. Dying laughing over here, really.

You can't see her in this picture, but puppy Lego is in Scotty's lap here. She loved canoeing!

I remember laying out in the sun to get a tan in high school. I don't remember a six year old laying on me when I did,

Learned (a bit late) that our canoe anchoring system was not sufficient for the ride home. (not to worry, we made it! and so did our 52 pound, 17 foot, canoe!) Was reminded that I can always call my daddy when I need help. Haven't had to do that for awhile, but I had such a familiar rush of well-being when I looked at Erik, after helplessly tiptoeing down blocked off side roads still an hour and a half from home (a 3 hour drive already creeping up on 4 hours and no end in sight), and said, "Let's call my dad. He'll know what to do." And he did. Love him. When he caught up with us on the backroads leading to the Altamont Pass, with enough rope to secure a navy fleet, he found me giggling helplessly at the absurdity of chasing our foam mounts down the road, through barbed wire fences, and across farmers' fields, as they rolled away like chicklets from our swaying and bobbing canoe.

He shook his head (not without affection) and said, "You're so much like your mother." I'm pretty sure I saw Erik shudder.

Chi-town

2011-09-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

The spring was a very difficult time for me. My amazing and beloved grandma's steep illness and death in May brought one of the most difficult school year's I've ever experienced to a halting and bitter close. I needed the summer to regroup and recoup. I wasn't at all sure that I would be teaching this fall, or at least, I wasn't at all sure it would be at this school, or in this district. It was an impossible situation, and I certainly didn't see this fall coming together any better than the way the spring ended.

It would be nearly impossible to explain the violence exhibited by a great portion of my students last school year. Their stories are not my stories to tell; let me just state emphatically that the kind of chaotic lives that result in 8 year olds who attack adults on campus, stand on kids' necks and try to stab them with a ruler, try to hang themselves in a garage, respond to every interaction with anger and physical aggression....it's not something I wish on anyone, let alone little kids who are still forming. You expect a handful of "behavior problems" in any class of 33. But this? This was not that. Promise. I'm not prone to hyperbole when it comes to children, either. I don't exaggerate or feel sorry for myself; I'm not out to win the Pity Olympics for What I Had To Deal With This Year. I say it with total humility and great sadness, that I don't know how much of a positive impact I was able to have, overall, when I was so worn down and so overwhelmed by the day-to-dayness of those four walls.

All that to say! I tiptoed into this summer and had several great adventures and many quiet days. I can't share them all here, of course, but I few stand out in my mind. Today's is an awesome adventure in Chicago during the last week of June. I went for work as a consultant for the non-profit organization that I work with that works with teachers on improving math instruction. I worked with an amazing group of about 80 K-8 teachers, administrators, and coaches. And I worked with one of my favorite colleagues.

It was my first visit to Chicago, and I totally and completely fell in love. I've not spent much time at all in the midwest, to be honest. Drove through it twice in my life for cross-country trips. Flew over to get to New York and the East Coast. But really? The Rockies to the Appalachians....kind of a mystery to me. Overall impression: incredibly friendly people, insane amounts of steakhouses, and Chicago is a beautiful, fun city.

I'm so spoiled to be from San Francisco, which I happen to think (with some bias) is the most beautiful, vibrant, exciting, and fun city in the country. But I have to say, Chicago was amazing. I spent two days there by myself after the rest of my colleagues went home (long story) and I fell in love.

You better believe I was going to Wrigley, no matter what! But, unbelievably, the Giants

were on a roadtrip to play the Cubbies that week! So Wednesday found us down in

Wrigley Town. It was everything you've heard, and more. It was so rowdy, and cozy, and amazing.

A "W" would have been better, I won't lie, but we got to hear the Cubbie's Song and yes,

I admit, we were humming right along on the way out. : )

The architectural river tour is amazing. HIGHLY recommend if you get down out that way.

The Willis Tower used to the Sear Tower. There are new observation decks made completely of glass, floor, walls, ceiling. It was an amazing experience to walk out "into thin air" and hover over

downtown Chicago. Even more amazing to watch people freak out about it. Holy cow. Watching grown men and women crawl on the glass floors of the balconies? Surreal.

I'm not a shopper (understatement) but I walked all the way down Michigan Avenue, just for people

watching purposes, and ended up down at Grant Park, the Art Institute museum, and the outdoor festival of Taste, where I sweated it out with thousands of my closest strangers, and ate ice cream

and spinach stuffed pizza. Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

The river that runs through the city. It's so charming there!

I stopped to knit under The Bean in Memorial Park.

It's possible that my fabulous two days in Chicago was more attributable to the quiet of my hotel room, (where I read, soaked in a hot tub, and generally thought deep thoughts), or to the quiet dinners at Xoco and Luxe and the Greek food and the deep dish pizzas....

Maybe, afterall, I just needed a few days where I was "Mia" instead of "mama" or "maestra". A nice little palette cleanser to the end of the school year!

Rip Van Winkle

2011-09-17T11:39:00.000-07:00

I love fall. Even though it means the end of my summer garden, and that I need to do SOMETHING about all these tomatoes. I think today will be that day....

Easily the best garden I've ever had! Cucumbers and all manner of tomatoes (those yellow ones? oh my!), plus two kinds of squash, honeydew melon (small but oh so sweet!), and more eggplants than probably any one person ought to eat. But I'm doing my best!

The pole beans were a huge success! Many summer meals consisted of steamed beans and white corn on the cob, with just a little salt added to each. I wish I could grow corn here.....it just doesn't get hot enough with the lovely bay marine layer. Maybe I need a greenhouse....oh yes, I think I do! Let me get right on that.

Oh! By the way? Are you surprised to see me? : ) I've been missing in action....not really checking facebook, or the blog, or anything else for that matter. But I miss it. And I miss you. Fall is the perfect time for new beginnings....don't you agree?

2011-06-09T01:55:00.000-07:00

(yellow)

Do you have any idea how easy it is to make jam? I had some frozen blackberries from one of many blackberry picking adventures. (I planted three black berries on the hill above the artichokes...oh someday i will have my own patch!) But in the meantime, I have good friends and wild berries to keep me busy.

There are great directions that can be found here for preparing and preserving your own fruit jams. But if it all feels too fussy, there's no reason you can't just do what I do, which is 1) take fresh or frozen-from-fresh blackberries. Around 6 or 8 cups worth. Bring it to a hard boil (meaning, when you stir it, the boiling bubbles don't go down) and add a packet of low-sugar pectin.

Let it dissolve, stirring constantly, then add 2 or 3 cups of granulated sugar. Let it dissolve, stirring constantly, then I use a hand masher to mush it all up while it's cooking for another 10 minutes or so.

Then I spooned it into jars and let it cool, jar lids on. Let that sit on the counter. Convince yourself that it will never set, that you'll be left with berry soup at the end of the day. Come back in a couple of hours and be pleasantly surprised that it actually worked, and the jam is, in fact, of jam-like consistency.

So store without bothering to water bath preserve them, I just popped these jars in the refrigerator. They'll stay for a couple of months, good as fresh, but they won't last that long anyway, so it was a good solution. I could also freeze it, pretty much indefinitely.

There are all kinds of snappy ideas about adding lemon (acidity helps it set) or using sugar substitutes (only an option with low-sugar pectin), but don't let that stuff intimidate you. You can just ignore it (I do, and my jam is still fab : )

Keep All Sissy Soft Suckers Off My Corner*

2011-06-08T05:55:00.000-07:00

*Run DMC ~ Is IT Live

Teaching is not for the weak. Nor is parenting. Nor is death. All three have collided for me this week.

In perhaps the most surreal moment of my week so far, I pulled up to my mom's car at my grandma's funeral on this drizzly Monday afternoon. Her windows were up and she was mouthing something to me. I squinted at her through the glass, and it became apparent that she was trying to tell me something.

I could juuuusssstttt make it out. "They all think you're baked." Alright. That's.....weird.

I'm down to the next 12 hours. If I can get through the next 12 hours, I believe I will be able to say that the last 72 hours were not so bad in hindsight.

From my garden! I'm looking forward to a lot more of this. Starting soon!

Epic

2011-06-05T10:19:00.000-07:00

During math the other day, I made a few puzzle-like items available to the students and invited them to explore a bit. Pentominoes, Tangram s, and Pattern Blocks are super fun and offer some really interesting and profound mathematics for kids to noodle on in interesting ways. I also had a box of dominoes, and thought that the kids might make some interesting connections around decomposing numbers (for example, a 7 domino may be represented as a 5 side and 2 side, or a 3 side and a 4 side, or a 1 side and a 6 side) which would be really super helpful for when I want them to do arithmetic without counting on their toes. haha Not even kidding.

It took the dominoes group less than 15 seconds to begin a domino relay. You know what I'm talking about, right?

Do I really need to tell you how addicting these are?

The squirrels have become obsessed with making designs with the dominoes.

This group of girls called me over every few minutes to watch the

progression of their simple face to this fantastic vixen.

I am amazed at the level of intense focus and overall cooperation required to make a relay that 1) works and 2) stays up until you are good and ready to knock it down.

This one minute video is a pretty accurate representation at the fascination with

which they approach this task.

Love Notes

2011-06-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

In a box, somewhere in my house, I know there are two treasures: a note and a card. Both are from my husband. The note was written to me in a college English class. We did not go to college together, but when we were a-courting, he was taking a night class to finish up his degree and I, besotted and unreasonable, basically audited the class by sitting there mooning at him so we wouldn't have to spend one waking moment apart. I am a constant, attention-mongering pest when it comes to him; this was true from the moment I laid eyes on him, right up until I sat down to write this. For nearly 20 years, I've been poking at his neck and whining at him to talk to me, what are you doing, why won't you talk to me, and his response in 1992 was to drop everything and talk to me. In 2011, his more measured response is a small smile, a 'what is it honey?', and usually a pat on my head to let me know he's about to move on to more pressing matters, like, I don't know, living his life. But in the early months of our love affair, he reluctantly wrote me a very silly, one page, passing-notes-in-class-kind-of-note, during an English class that he did not want (and I did not have) to take.

The card is a small field of pinkety-pink-pink flowers with no sentiment inside except the one line he wrote to me, the week before we were married in 1998. What it says is between us, but I promise you, it is a love note.

I am a total sucker for a love note. For reals. Erik has a set of love letters from me, written pages at a time, every day, from a one month return trip to my beloved Mexico that I took the summer after we started dating. This entire blog feels like a love letter to him and my boys, when the truth be known. He isn't moved to write me love letters (drats!) so I keep my treasures and gratefully accept the many tokens of affection that he does offer.

I get dozens of love notes from my students every day.

(I'm going to be totally honest, and tell you that some people ought not a be teaching; some people are damaged and unyielding and angry, and they should turn and walk away. It was one of the most humbling experiences of my life, when I walked into one such teacher's classroom, early in my own teaching career, to find a proliferation of love notes taped to her desk. Teachers are given such a precious gift ~ a child's heart, for a whole year, and maybe even for a lifetime ~ and these love notes are a touch of humility, a reminder of the great responsibility that goes with that precious gift.)

When I had to explain to the students first, that I needed to be gone for a couple of days because my grandma was very sick, and then, that I needed to be gone for a couple of days because my grandma had passed away, I began to receive such an influx in love notes and sympathy cards that I had to actually take some home. There simply isn't any more space in my classroom to house the sentiments. They go from the profound ("Sorry about your grandma hope you get better so you will rember (sic) her in all your heart xoxoxoxoooxxooooxo") to the sublime (a grave, with "RIP grandma rest in heaven" splashed across the tombstone, with the words, "Get Better Soon" headlining the note). A common theme is a student and I, holding hands and or ambling companionably over hill and dale, or through a field of flowers, a bright yellow sun our constant friend. I get books (Super B!) and drawings and notes and missives.

They are treasures.

I Am Lucky

2011-06-02T07:13:00.000-07:00

That's A Lot of Sage

2011-05-31T05:30:00.000-07:00

After this four day week is a three day week and then my summer begins. I'm not going to lie to you: I am ready. Oh, I know, after the first couple of weeks, I'll miss my students, I'll miss the creative aspects of designing lessons and trying to figure out what each little squirrel needs just right now, but let me just state: I'm looking forward to missing it. That is all

I was thinking today, about all the people who have died in military service to the United States (as it is Memorial Day) so I decided to do an internet search. I found this sobering tally right off the top, and it really set the mood for my "three day weekend". I mean....I sort of can't comprehend, on the one hand, how many precious lives have been lost (how many families have ached for their loved ones?) and on the other hand, I can't bring myself to accept, on face value, that this is a wholly inclusive total.

We took advantage of our three day weekend by doing some long-needed chores around the house. Here, Erik "fixed" the dead bolt lock on our front door. Ahem.

And I even managed to clean this front window, which the pup has taken to rubbing her nose on while pacing back and forth, awaiting our return any time we leave the house. I mean. Gross.

It's better now : ). I can see out it now. Oh, except for the two huge cracks that are spiderwebbing across the top of the window. I mean, we're just keeping it classy around here, really.

I also went into a bit of maintenance mode in the garden, even this early in the season there is so much yummy work that needs to be done!

Complex tasks like caging the tomato plants. A chore made even better by adorable fuschia, yellow, and orange cages. Yay! Oh, but that sage plant is out of control. See it there, in the background?

A quick shearing and I had cleared enough space to stake my adorable bean plant experiment. Oh, they're little arms, forever reaching to hug something....I love you, bean plants!

Which left me with some newly harvested sage. Quite a bit of it, in fact! My immediate response was, of course, to do a quick internet search. Now I have another (can't really call this a) chore I can't wait to try.

What did people do, before the internets?????

Cockle Shells

2011-05-30T06:16:00.000-07:00

For the first time in 6 years, everything I planted in my vegetable garden is growing strong. Usually, after the starts have been in the beds for a month or so, I take pictures and think, "Well, this isn't working." It's only when I've compared the new photos to the ones I took on planting day, that I actually realize something is happening.

Not so, this year! Three weeks after I started the beds, I went to water and thought, "Holy cats!" I mean, even to my (oh so critical) naked eye, the garden was growing strong and rapidly! Which should prove to be interesting. I normally overplant a bit, in anticipation of loss...now, if things proceed at the same pace, it looks like I'm going to have 6 honey dew melon plants (was hoping for? 2) to deal with. I didn't even stagger the plantings, so at some point, I will have to deal with a hojillion melons, all ripening at the same time. Also true about the dozen tomato plants, the half dozen cucumbers, the half dozen eggplants, and the trio of zucchini/squash I planted (nobody needs more than one, I can tell you that for free). I think in June I'll still plant a couple of pumpkin starts though. I LOVED those pumpkins, and the sheer volume of pureed pumpkins (and, thus, baked goods) that came from them is enough to bring a tear to my eye.

Sometimes, people in my life (Erik) roll their eyes at my hand-weeding habits. It's how my mother does it, and how her mother did it. I could go on and on about why I think it's so great (no pesticides! learn your soil! who's making that part of your yard a home?) but the number one reason I can highly recommend hand weeding is that you are in total control of what stays, and what goes. These are I don't know what but I like them. They spread all over, naturally, and grow beautifully. That pile I pulled on the left in the photo above was growing in the walkways between the beds. We're calling them weeds. The bunch that started growing themselves in a galvanized steel tub got to stay. We're calling them plants. See how that works?

My entire front yard is covered in volunteer hollyhocks and volunteer these yellow things. If I had just mowed down or weed whacked everything, I never would have benefited from this mini-meadow in my front yard.

Dinner for Three

2011-05-29T06:36:00.000-07:00

The day that Gram died, I got home around 10 at night, and I started cooking and cleaning. As you do.

In this case, I had a very special mission. I needed to make dinner and dessert for Miss Maia and her Pumpkin. (Papa was out of town, so it was girls' night and we took full advantage!)

Maia loooovveeeeesssssss banana bread. I make it for her as much as possible.

I headed into San Francisco and got as many snuggles and toothless grins I could possibly squeeze into the few hours we had together. I know I may be biased, but I'm not exaggerating when I say: this is easily the cutest, sweetest, most lovable baby I have ever met. I mean honestly: look at that mug! swoon And there's nothing that soothes the ache from the loss of a precious life, as holding a new precious life does. Just what I needed, isn't Maia smart? ; )

For dinner, I made her a lasagna with ground beef and a loaf of homemade bread, and of course a loaf of banana bread. Every time I make lasagna, people ask me for the recipe. Here's what you need to know about me and lasagna: I grew up with an Italian mother. People positively melt when they eat her lasagna. They can't get enough! I promise you this: you would vomit if you watched her make a lasagna. For an Italian? "lasagna night" is "clean out the refrigerator night". Everything gets tossed in, and it's not unusual to find yourself eating lasagna comprised almost entirely of shredded beef that was used in enchiladas on Tuesday, chicken that was roasted on Wednesday, and eggplant and zucchini that was not going to make it to the weekend in the vegetable crisper. Add a couple of eggs, ricotta cheese (cottage cheese also works, use whatever you have, because under no circumstances do you ever buy fresh ingredients for an Italian lasagna), and shred the ends of every moldy brick of mozzarella and cheddar you can find in the refrigerator. Layer with noodles and tomato sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour (remove foil for the last 10 minutes or so, so the cheese melts completely).

This is NOT the lasagna I made for Maia. You're welcome. The lasagna I make, that everybody asks how I make it and wants to know my secret for, comes directly from the side of the box that the no bake lasagna noodles come in. I buy the ingredients fresh, and I bake it immediately. I make it exclusively for other people, and every time I pull the 5 pound beast from the oven, Erik always demands to know (only half-kidding in his ire), "Why does everybody else get lasagna, and we never do!?!" To which I can only reply, "If you wanted lasagna, you shouldn't have married and Italian girl."

Gram

2011-05-28T11:21:00.000-07:00

When my grandma died last Monday, May 23rd, I sat down next to her and stared out the window, tears spilling down my cheeks....hands in my lap....lost in my thoughts. My hand went to my head, my head went to my childhood, all my memories wrapped up in the woman lying next to me. 43 trips around the sun, and the next one had to be done without her, for the first time.

I lost my hero, and as I sit writing this, I'm crying again for the first time since I stood up and walked away from her room that day. It's hard to be sad when you think of Gram. She was bigger than life, and as I have stared at the ceiling this week, at 2, 3, even 4 in the morning (more times than I'd care to talk about), overwhelmed by this loss, restless from my helplessness, I have been thinking about all the things that I learned from her. For right now, I'm recording them old-school in one of my (many many many lol) paper journals. But I can tell you that the one that bubbles up and calls for most of my attention, the one string I keep pulling at that continuously unwinds into more and more thoughts and memories, is that I learned that family is the most important thing in our lives....and that family includes everybody we love, whether we are related to them or not. Orphaned at 14, she spent the rest of her life reaching out to the abandoned children who were most lost. I learned that there are a lot of them, that you can never run out of love (patience? that's a whole other matter :), and that when you open up your heart and your home amazing things happen.

When I came into the kitchen at Aunt Barbara's, this is the scene that greeted me. I had to laugh. I've seen this exact tableau a hundred thousand times in my life; dudes at one end and chicks at the other, food everywhere, hillbilly folk accounted for, and laughter. The stories were already being told. The old ones that have been perfected over the years and MUST be told by the appropriate person (my family will stop you mid-memory and say, "No, no! Let so-and-so tell it!" haha; new ones that are unfolding and require the input of everybody at the table, and when those stories feel complete and just right, they'll be wrapped back up and trotted out whenever we need them. And we need them a lot. If you had to die, you'd want to do it in my family, because we really do believe (and put into practice) the idea that as long as somebody remembers you and tells your stories, you will live in their hearts, forever, and that's what immortality looks like.

I love her. I know everybody does, she's universally adored far and wide, but there's no other way to say it. I love her and I will miss her. I already do.

Just Breathe (pearl jam)

2011-05-15T20:34:00.000-07:00

Yes I understand
That every life must end
As we sit alone
I know someday we must go

Oh I'm a lucky man
To count on both hands
The ones I love
Some folks just have one
Yeah others they got none

Stay with me
Let's just breathe

Practiced on our sins
Never gonna let me win
Under everything
Just another human being

I don't want to hurt
There's so much in this world
to make me bleed

Stay with me
All I see

Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Well if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
'cause I come clean

I wonder everyday
As I look upon your face
Everything you gave
And nothing you would take
Nothing you would take
Everything you gave

Did I say that I need you?
Did I say that I want you?
Well if I didn't I'm a fool you see
No one knows this more than me
I come clean

Nothing you would take
Everything you gave
Hold me till I die
Meet you on the other side

A Special Mother's Day

2011-05-09T22:31:00.000-07:00

On this Mother's Day, it seems appropriate to talk about my dear friend Maia, who became a mama just a couple of weeks ago.

Maia is so dear to me, such a precious person in my life. You might remember her as my London Friend haha since she and her husband just came back last summer after living in England for two years. They were here about two minutes, and then she became pregnant. I was (and am) so happy for them, especially because I know that they were waiting until they got back to the States, and they are both so wonderful with kids. What a lucky baby they will have, I thought to myself when she told me they were expecting.

One night, a couple of months ago, they were at our house for dinner when Maia got rather serious, and rather emotional. Neither of these things is unexpected from her; you know what they say about 'opposites attract'? haha! There's our friendship, right there.

She said that they wanted to ask us something, specifically me something, but that it also involved Erik. I glanced at Erik, and thought, well this is strange. They are Jewish, and we are Atheist, so that rules out GodParents. So what the heck?

Then they asked me to be there when their baby was born. Um. YEAH! Of course!! As Kelly said when I mentioned it on Facebook, what an honor, and I have to agree. It felt like such a privilege to be asked, even considered for such a thing. They were both really committed to an unmedicated birth, and as is their nature to totally and thoughtfully plan and prepare for every little thing, bless their hearts, they had made a list of potential Birth Day Helpers, narrowed the field through a series of late night discussions, and landed on me (me!) as the person most likely to be helpful, and, perhaps even more importantly, to not be an ass.

I got The Call (or, because it's 2011, The Text) on a Tuesday afternoon. We went back and forth and who knows what, and by 10 pm that night, I was headed over to Stanford. I pulled over on the side of the 880 freeway so I could snap a quick picture of the moon on my way over to the hospital. This picture, in absolutely no way, does the moon justice. It was a huge, low hanging, harvest moon. Really magical, just like the one on the night Tommy was born!

Her birth story is hers to tell, but it's worth noting that I am pretty sure I was helpful on at least 3 occasions that night; Maia went from 5cm to baby born between 10pm and 230am, without even one aspirin; I was so moved by the two of them together, how much they loved and needed each other, so much sweetness; and, finally, they had the cutest baby I've ever seen.

Oh! Those little folds....I could positively swoon : )

Dear March, You Sucked

2011-05-03T05:14:00.000-07:00

There were some things that happened in March that did not suck:

like when Michele came from Belgium

Leslie came from Oakland (with the blood of virgins on her face, apparently,

because she hasn't aged an iota since 1987)

and Tom came from Walnut Creek (little Gibby and Tommy kicking it lol)

(all photos scraped from Michele's F/Book post!)

There are people I will always be happy to spend some time with. I'm an easy-going person who likes to have a good time, and it is not hard to make a temporary friend to a pass a few hours.

But this little get-together, orchestrated to get us all in the same room when Michele came to the states from Belgium, reminded me that there is another, much smaller, group of people for whom the connection is always there. No need to manufacture a make-shift shanti friendship....just pick up a piece of string that is always tethered to you and to them and then, just like that, you're already caught up and on your way. I love these people, I always have, and watching our kids play together was too wonderful.

Or: Opening Day for Little League and T-Ball

And also: the backyard, through hand weeding no less, went from barren winter stillness:

there are stone stairs and a pond and a huge hill buried under all those weeds : )

it took hand weeding for hours every day of spring break

(here the weeds are transferred to piles roughly the size and shape of two volkswagens)

ah! all that work and now we can say: getting there. lol

and after hauling in newly composted soil and getting veggies in....

it was finally time to welcome in the beginnings of spring.

As for the rest of March? The rest of the month is invited to kindly go fuck itself. Just saying.

Easter 2011

2011-05-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

dipping a toe in.... : )

My famous annual Mr. Bunny Cake....

First time ever using the mini pie maker my mom got me

results: apple and cherry yumminess

My job: salads....Berry Fruity and cold pasta salad.

festive egss

festive project

the season of peeps!

contemplating grandpa's hammock

my brother's kids are trouble lol

mama

and her great granddaughter

(George's daughter, Sarah, her daugher, Lola)

Worst Week Ever?

2011-03-14T07:24:00.000-07:00

Last week, somewhere around Monday (which I thought was Thursday) and then again on Thursday (which I thought was Tuesday), I had the thought that this might be the worst week ever. Busy days of baseball and homemaking and loving my boys, along with the first glimpses of Spring (I love you Spring!!!) all buried under a ridiculous week at work filled with deadlines and chaotic families and exhausting chidren.....I was ready to call it the worst week ever and crawl into bed for the weekend.

I just wasn't prepared for the news that our brothers and sisters in Japan were hit with an earthquake and a tsunami. Already emotionally and physically exhausted, their suffering is so hard to witness.

And now we wait....how can we help? where do we (pitifully) send our money and give our blood, which feels like the only things we can do right now? And now we wait...when will the reactors be stabilized? When will the survivors be reunited?

I have to tell you. I greet this week with a renewed sense of wonder at all the "problems" that make up what I had been secretly referring to as "the worst week ever". Problems like a warm place to sleep, a family to cuddle with, a job that I love (despite weeks like these), and access to all the food and fresh water I could ever need or want for.

I am grateful and I am thankful and I am waiting. Taking a deep breath, I'm ready for this week. Kind of. And this doesn't mean I'll stop complaining, either. Just that I'll know, when I'm doing it, that I am an ass.

Crochet Rag Rugs

2011-03-06T21:18:00.000-08:00

... the multi-media version, I guess! I had written about making crocheted rag rugs several times over the last couple of years. Here, originally; then here for a chair pad I made. Plus all the ones I've documented giving away as gifts. Even placemats!

I've been thinking for awhile it might be fun to turn that one blog post into a small video series. My goal was to have a set of 2-minute videos that showed some of the basics...how to choose materials, prep the sheets into one long piece of fabric (fitted and flat sheets), how to change colors, increase, decrease, etc. (I'm also creating a series of very specific posts that have pictures and patterns for some of the favorite ones I've made...but that's not done yet. Soon!)

Here are those videos...but they aren't two minutes long! And I filmed them by myself, with a tripod, so every video is made without my head. Ahem. And I made some mistakes in what I was saying (I tried to note the mistakes under the video) and oh, basically, I don't even know why I'm posting these! haha

But, I'm wondering if they are at all helpful....and if they are, I'd be willing to re-do them, a little more professionally. It was kind of fun, actually, so any feedback and constructive criticism would be super helpful.

Like, for example, I like to watch really short videos...I can't commit to anything over 3 or 4 minutes! Do you feel the same way? Would you rather see the info in the longest video broken into several shorter segments? Or do the fitted and flat sheet parts just go together? Am I talking to much or not enough? There are a couple spots where you can't see EXACTLY what my hands are doing, so if that's troublesome, I could redo the videos.

Lookit, basically, if you look at these videos, and find them either helpful or troublesome, would you mind letting me know either way? Thanks! :)

I apologize in advance that I'm all "Boobs McBooberson" in these. I watched them fairly critically (as you do ;) and I'm pretty sure that my hair is long enough to make these "Safe For Work and Small Children"... *cough* I promise a wardrobe change if these get redone.

Choosing Materials ~ click to see video on types of sheets and materials. (about 3 minutes)
Preparing Materials ~ click to see video on how to turn fitted and flat sheets into one continuous strip of material. (about 9 minutes)
Simple Stitches for Working a Rag Rug ~ click to see video on decreasing and increasing stitches, for crocheting in the round. (about 4 minutes)
Changing Colors ~ click to see video on how to change colors using a slip stitch (about 8 minutes).

(In the last two videos, I make a couple of mistakes, which I think could ultimately be good to sort of show that you can make mistakes and your rug will still turn out just fine! Lovely, even.)

Mistake number one: I keep saying that you start the next round, when you're moving up in a round rug, with a single crochet. I'm actually making a "chain one", which is correct, but saying "single crochet". Oops! So, in short, to begin the next 'round' in the single crochet circular rug I am making on the video, slip stitch into the first stitch of the round you are ending, to close the circle, then CHAIN ONE, then begin making SINGLE CROCHET STITCHES to create the next round. On the video, I then go on to forget to do the chain one, and just begin single crocheting! heh. What you'll notice is, that it just doesn't matter. It doesn't have to be anything like perfect!

As I get the patterns finished/pictures to go with them, I'll include those here, too.
Good luck and have fun making the rugs...they are addicting!

Video ~ Crochet Rag Rug Choosing Material

2011-03-06T21:16:00.000-08:00

Video ~ Crochet Rag Rug Preparing Sheets

2011-03-06T21:15:00.000-08:00

Video ~ Crochet Rag Rug Increase and Decrease Stitches

2011-03-06T21:14:00.001-08:00

Video ~ Crochet Rag Rugs Changing Colors

2011-03-06T21:14:00.000-08:00

C Is For Cookie

2011-03-04T19:14:00.000-08:00

I got this scarf in the mail last week, and I've been dying to share it here. Because I only LOVE it!

I love scarves anyway, and handmade scarves are my very favorite kind.

But knitted? On one of those looms that remind of making looped pot holders in Girl Scouts?

By one of the people dearest to me in all the world?

Priceless.

Now, in addition to a sweet reminder of my BFF Tracy, I get to be petted by my kids

(at home and at school!) and, because it's made in super soft homespun yarn in blue with

I'm not kidding here

variegated blue fur and fringe, I get to giggle and call myself

THE COOKIE MONSTER.

I can't stop singing "C is for Cookie"! That's almost as good as getting a beautiful, happy, love-filled scarf...I do declare it.

What they do to my heart....

2011-02-27T20:39:00.000-08:00

I don't have time to deal with my camera card, but the following is worth noting from the weekend:

1. Scotty came into my room, and asked me, "Do you want something to drink?" I really wasn't thirsty, but I've learned that it's best to just say, "Yes, please!" to him when he's offering food or drink. He likes to be busy in the kitchen, and getting a cup of milk or apple juice is so pleasing to him that he can't let it go.

I heard him bumping around in the kitchen, then heard a small splash as something spilled on the floor. A minute later, he showed up with a glass of red wine, in a goblet and all! ha!

2. Erik's dad passed away just over two years ago now, and Scotty asks him about "his dad" often. Scotty and Erik are extremely close. When he senses that Erik is feeling sad, he tells him, "I know you're missing your daddy. I'll be your daddy, okay? And you can be my daddy. Then we both have a daddy."

Honestly, sometimes? It's just too much.

Beam Me Up, Scotty

2011-02-22T22:14:00.000-08:00

Did you know that I named Scotty? It's a fact that I had no say in Tommy's name. We were told, after a detailed ultrasound during the sixth month of my pregnancy, that we were having a girl. We stopped discussing boy names at all, at that point, which was a total blessing because it reduced name-related-quarreling-and-eye-rolling by 50%. (It's almost impossible to name a child if you're a teacher...just about every name, after 12 years or so, is less than six degrees of separation from some fool who ruined the name for you. Ruined it, I say!)

So when Tommy was born, we were in total shock...for, like, 15 seconds. In those 15 seconds, Erik was all, "His name is Thomas!" and I was all, "Can I have a popsicle?" and then we took him home. I had no idea that Erik had a card up his sleeve with a boy name on it, but it's worked out. So far.

So it was that I was laid in charge of Scotty's name. Amends needed to be made. Because of the timing and circumstances of his birth (before noon, speedy, nearly violent delivery with not even an aspirin to keep me company), I ended up with TWO WHOLE NIGHTS in a hospital, with just me and My Monster. I was really getting to know him and I tried on dozens of names during that spell. Names that almost stuck? Waylon (after Waylon Jennings) and Zero (after my favorite number). I stand by "Waylon" to this day. That's just a good name. Zero was a longshot.

We were needing to (wanting to) (dying to) check out, and Erik did not want to take him home without a name. He swore to me that he didn't care what the name was, just name him and let's go, I'll pull the car around...that was his attitude. So, I took a nap, I woke up, and I said, "His name is going to be Scott. Scotty." I expected a bit of resistance but he cheerily said, "I'll get your bag; we're out of here!"

I found out much later that Erik was totally fine with the name because in his mind, Scotty is named after Lt. Cmdr. Montgomery Scott, Chief Engineer and Second Officer of the Starship Enterprise. Erik is a HUGE Star Trek fan. He's not flashy about it...you'll never catch him speaking a Klingon dialect or wielding a Romulan disruptor in full headdress at a convention. He's a subtle fan; a ring tone set to mimic a communicator, oblique references to living room recliner being the captain's chair on the bridge, constant references to a particular episode (by title and season/episode number) to something that just happened in every day life, you know...nerdsville.

Scotty is also a huge fan. I wrote about it way back here (2009!?). When Scotty was two, he would yell "Khhhhaaaaaannnn!!!!!" and wave his fists over his head, a tribute to the ending of Star Trek II. His very first theater movie? Star Trek (2009). He saw it three times...in the theater. He's watched the entire original series, with Erik, cuddled up on the couch. He can quote it!

So, man, that's just about the longest way I can think of to say this: how cute was it when he and I "played" the popular family game, Blokus? It involves a lot of strategy, and some rule-following, so actually playing the game with Scotty is out of the question. (He's too young to get 'strategy' and too stubborn to follow 'rules'.) But he LOVES when he and I sit at the table, and we play it kind of like a puzzle, fitting all the pieces of one color together as closely as we can, before moving on to a new color.

He gets so excited when it's all put together! And now I understand why:

He scurried into Erik's music room, and immediately started punching the board and making 'boop" noises...he thinks it's the computer on the bridge!

72 Hours

2011-02-21T23:22:00.000-08:00

I'm a sunny day kind of gal...for reals. In fact, Erik's mom gave me one of those light boxes for Christmas. It's called "the mood improver". Ahem. To her credit, she quickly pointed out that I could also put somebody else in front of it. Nice save.

Having said that, I'm always pleasantly surprised at how very much you can find to do inside when a stormy, long weekend lands in your lap. Things like, cleaning up and organizing a book shelf and a desk in your bedroom...

You're just going to have to trust me on this one; big improvement!

Or, you could spend some time practicing an art...

In pajamas you put on Friday night...and never took off!

Or meeting a new friend...

Or watching (two-thirds of) a favorite trilogy...

And then faithfully recreating the battle at Helm's Deep...

How about a hair cut for your puppy?

It was such a lovely, blustery, Winnie-the-Pooh kind of weekend, which cleared up just enough for a before-dinner stroll over at my mom's house on Sunday night. The rest of the weekend was perfectly spent with my favorite boys.

Now all I need is a sunny, warm, spring-like weekend so I can attack the yards and get out on the lake with our new canoe. I know that's coming, but if we get another stormy weekend...or two...before that, I won't be too sad!

Show Time

2011-02-18T10:05:00.000-08:00

You can't take away his dignity.

(Scotty's pre-K class is getting ready for their June performance,

and we can't get enough of this!)

Bright Bulb

2011-02-17T21:01:00.000-08:00

As I prepared to scrape down and scrub off the cooking sheet yet again, I had a brilliant idea.

I'm going to get a new one.

Seriously? This cookie sheet (like all my cookie sheets and all my towels up until a few months ago) have been in my possession since I left my parents' house for college. And they were hand-me-downs at the time! Some of these, I shit you not, were my mom's when she was a newly wed! I think it's safe to say I've gotten the maximum use from this. In fact, after a quick review of the baking cupboard, there are easily three other sheets that can be replaced.

Because I am freakishly concerned about contributing to the landfill (exactly the kind of thinking that has me cooking on this monster in the first place), I will actually have to scrape down and scrub off the cookie sheet one last time...so I can use it to make a magnetic board.

Any suggestions on good cookware? Because, obviously, my standards are quite high here. :-/

At Night...

2011-02-16T22:08:00.000-08:00

At night, I've been practicing the 'piano' and crawling into bed with a little crochet and ~~a good~~ a ton of good books**. I picked up the acoustic guitar around Christmas, and Erik showed me a few chords. I have such short little stubby fingers though, that playing was a bit painful. I could either strum or place my fingers, but doing both at the same time was an exercise in futility. I had just decided that learning guitar was for the young, who will play for hours every day, having nothing better to do with themselves, when I remembered that we also have an old-school keyboard and a "beginning piano for adults" study book, and I think I may have found my calling.

I play for 20 or so minutes every night, and it is too too too much fun! I've taught myself to read music (it's a cinch!) and I can now regal you with rockin' renditions of Down In the Valley, Clementine, When the Saints Go Marching In, Lavender's Blue, and Merrily We Roll Along (in my mind, "Mary Had a Little Lamb"). Somewhat more laborious, due to the out-of-middle-c finger positioning, I have finally also mastered "For He's a Jolly Good Fellow".

I'm available for your bar mitzvahs and weddings!

** I'm totally the kind of person who reads about 10 books at the same time. When I was in college, my friend Ron asked me, in total seriousness, how many books I've read in my lifetime. I had never contemplated such a thing, but the math-geek in me quickly flipped through some averages and statistics, and I was past my elementary school days (when I would spend the summers devouring a "chapter book" a day, my favorites being Charlotte's Web, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Tuck Everlasting) and through the middle school years (when I met Jack London and Black Beauty and went down a rabbit hole with Lauara Ingalls Wilder) and then high school where honors English brought me Hemingway, Catcher in the Rye, To Kill a Mockingbird, a Vonnegut spree, and I also read everything Stephen King wrote, espionage thrillers, the entire Planet of the Apes (original series) and anything else I could get my hands on...often going late into the wee hours of every night, unable to stop reading. I was just beginning to mentally catalog my college textbooks, plus I was heavily into biographies between 1988 and 1994, when my friend Ron asked me "if I thought it was more than 10 books".

And then I died.

"No, no, I mean, I know you've had to read books, like for school and stuff, but do you think you've read more than ten books for just, like, fun?" It had never occurred to me that there were people in the world who could literally list every book they had ever read. It turns out, there are a lot of people like that...my dad is probably one of them! Not counting maps and travel guides, I bet he hasn't read more than 20 books for pleasure since graduating from high school! That would be unlike my mother and me. I definitely get my love of WORDS from my mom, and she got it from her mom before that. (Tommy, I'm happy to report...a nose-in-a-book kind of fellow. The legacy lives on! :)

On my nightstand:

Painted House by John Grisham

Hideaway by Dean Koontz

Still Alice by Lisa Genova (recommended! deeply emotional book, and so wonderful!)

The New Starting With Bees published by the A.I. Root Company

Little Bee by Chris Cleave (oops, this one is done!)

Bel Canto by Ann Patchette (surprisingly funny for a terrorist/hostage plot line...)

Lies My Teacher Told Me by James Loewen

The Four-Shaft Loom by Anne Field

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris

On Beauty by Zadie Smith (re-reading, very worthwhile)

Mirror Mirror by Gregory Maguire (I think these re-imaginings of classic fairy tales are just fascinating!)

And you? What exactly are you reading these days? What instrument are you practicing? Did you learn as an adult, as I am doing, or were you a child prodigy?

Valentine's Day...Elementary Style!

2011-02-16T06:48:00.000-08:00

If you were to insist that there is a place on earth where one might feel more adored on St. Valentine's Day than as a teacher in an elementary school classroom, I would politely but firmly tell you that you are either crazy or a liar. No offense.

Real roses, fake roses, chocolate roses.

Oranges and ginormous kisses.

A dozen boxes of drug store chocolates.

A helium balloon in a cardboard "flower pot".

Nearly three dozen tiny valentines, proclaiming undying love and affection.

What could possibly be wrong with any of it?! Hope your day was as sweet. :)

Blessings

2011-02-10T19:55:00.000-08:00

I paid for somebody's groceries today. It wasn't a big haul, but it included cheese, chocolate, aspirin, and a forty. Oh, I'm sure there are people who would have drawn the charity line somewhere before hitting the forty ounce bottle of beer, but I'm not judge-y.

The woman was of course shocked that a total stranger was going to pay $22 for her groceries, and the cashier told her, simply, "I guess it's you're lucky day." The woman quietly said, "It's not luck. It's a blessing. That's what it is. A blessing."

This woman, who had her son with her, made all the noises you'd expect in such a situation (oh, no, you don't want to do that....you're not serious?....I couldn't....etc.) but I held my money to the cashier** and maintained eye contact with the woman. How else do you let somebody know you're serious? I guess I could have smiled, but I wasn't too worried about that. I've been told I have a friendly face.

** I once dated a boy in college who told me that one of the things he liked most about me was that I 'showed my money'. I'm pretty sure he was translating from his primary language (Spanish) (and I'm pretty sure he forgot about my boobs, because hi, really, you're favorite thing about me?) but he told me a funny story that goes with it, about this woman he took out a few times, she'd always say, "Do you want me to pay for half?" but she'd clutch her purse like it was Fort Knox when she asked. For the record, he never once took me up on my offer to pay, but he really appreciated the fact that, by 'showing my money' when I offered it, he knew I was serious about being willing to do that.

Anyway, she left and I paid for my own items. When I was loading my stuff into the car, she pulled up behind me and both she and her son waved wildly and grinned like crazy. "God bless you, ma'am! You were such a blessing to me!" Oh, it was so sweet and cute!

Most of the people who know me know that I don't believe in God. Well, more specifically, I don't believe in any gods. haha! Atheist humor is funny! Oh, I kid. I know it can be upsetting when somebody flat out tells you that they don't believe. But when they came up next to me, and they were brimming with such goodwill and joy, I have to say, I was very grateful in that moment that I'm such a friendly atheist. Because, as upsetting as my non-belief can be, your beliefs don't bother me at all. And I was so happy for her. And yes, I truly did feel blessed! :)

Babysitting

2011-02-08T22:12:00.000-08:00

My brother and my mom went to LA, and we watched my brother's puppy, Wicket. Or, as Scotty calls her, "Biscuit!" Unless he's calling her "Bubble Gum!" I have no idea.

They're sisters, I think I've mentioned, and they looked like fuzzy little bookends.

Fuzzy, adorable, bookends. These are easily the most ridiculous looking animals I've ever seen. There are times when you have no idea which end you're looking at!

The boys were so happy to each have a pup for our walk!

Of course, even without the squabbles of who gets to hold the leash that were miraculously resolved with two leashes attached to two pups, we still had the non-stop discussion about what "walking" a dog means. Like, let it actually, you know, walk.

Please, for the love of all that is good, let the animals walk. Four legs. They can do it!

We loved our little visitor! But we REALLY love our pup.

Have I mentioned her name? What we FINALLY landed on, after all the great suggestions?

Lego.

Seriously.

Sunny Sunday

2011-02-07T20:21:00.000-08:00

This weekend was so beautiful. Beautiful-beautiful-beautiful. Sandals and t-shirts; soaking up lots of vitamin-D at the baseball fields; standing outside at 5:00 am in barefeet and a tank top, waiting for our pup to...do her business...it was glorious! It won't last (and I'll be grateful when the rains come, I am so sensitive to drought-like conditions!) but it was amazing and wonderful to throw open all the windows, and settle into our home. The weather dictated spring cleaning, and I obliged, in-so-much as I cared to. :)

(There was a moment, after the sun went down, when it reminded me so much of being a teen-ager, I swear...I'm going to try to describe it, but it may be particular to my own memories: if you've been at the beach all day, and then you come home and it's not a hot summer night, it's just a regular summer evening that cools down, and then you realize that your shoulders and your cheeks are still warm from a day in the sun, and you're still wearing a beach cover up and a swimsuit with flip flops, but it's colder now, and the cool evening air only seems colder than it is, because of the salt water from the ocean drying on your sunburn...that feeling? You know that feeling? I totally had it last night! ~ and yes, I totally thought of my friend Tracy :)

The "teen" feeling quite stopped there, my friends, as I spent most of the morning in my kitchen! I stocked my jars and my buckets with flour and sugar and oats and seeds. I made pancake mix and muffin mix and corn bread mix. And then I cooked...

I'm pretty sure I've perfected my Laurel's Kitchen granola recipe. We LOVE it with LOTS of nuts (this batch has walnuts, almonds, and sunflower seeds) and LESS wheat germ. It is crunchy and beautiful, and absolutely perfect with Greek yogurt and a teaspoon (read: tablespoon) of honey. One of Tommy's favorite treats is to dip a banana in honey and then roll it in granola. He calls it 'banana pop crunch' and I am so glad to have a fresh batch.

As I was pulling the granola out of the oven and cooling it before storing it, I was also browning some ground beef with a jar of our summer-tomato-sauce to add to the calzones (below), and I was also getting ready to rinse some assorted soup beans and cut up potato and carrots for the crockpot. (The soup was finished for lunches today, and it was yummy! No recipe, just throw any root veggies and dried beans you like in the crockpot with either 6 - 8 cups of chicken or beef broth ~ a mix of both, for us, because we didn't have enough of either, plus some plain water, because we really didn't have enough of either! ~ some salt and pepper and a couple of bay leaves with oregano and whatever spices you like, then cook it on low for 8 - 10 hours (9 for me!). I added chicken sausage, heated through at the end, for Erik and we loved it.)

My favorite pyrex bowl. But I say that about them all...

I used the calzone recipe from Gina, and it worked like a charm! (If you're at all interested in learning to make for the first time, and/or expanding your bread repertoire, I highly recommend her whole series that she's been writing! I've made the Miracle Bread too, and you better believe I'm dying to try her sweet dough and the freezing method she describes...)

They were really just for the boys, and while they cooked, I whipped up a dressing for the grilled ahi salad Erik and I had for dinner...AND lunch. :-/ The dressing is delish ~ just equal parts lemon juice and dijon mustard, a few tablespoons of olive oil (I guess; I don't measure), salt and pepper to taste, and some diced onion (red is better, but, theme here, we didn't have red so I used white) all whisked together. I use the same dressing for most salads, with some added crushed garlic.

It was the perfect meal for the sunny day.

I could have added the obligatory long-shot of my completely destroyed kitchen, as you know that I cannot cook even the simplest meal without a total catastrophe from top to bottom, but the calzones were so beautiful...let's leave it that, shall we?

Tell me...what's happening in your kitchen? Are you enjoying your weather...whatever it looks like?!

First!

2011-02-07T06:20:00.000-08:00

While Tommy's baseball season has been underway for several weeks now, Scotty's very first T-Ball practice was this Saturday. (In an unprecedented stroke of luck, the boys have the EXACT same practice schedule this season, and the practices are all at the same field! SHUT. UP.)

He was so excited to wear all his new fancy equipment ~ for about 5 whole minutes!

What's that son? You'd like me to hold your helmet?

Questions from the morning:

"Does my teacher know I have baseball today?"
"Is Uncle Moose going to be my coach?"
"Can I be on Tommy's team?"

We're calling this his "star maker move". Tommy never played at this age (5); he started baseball during "coach pitch" (I think he was 8!) so I was kind of shocked at how...incompetent...the really young ones seemed. He would literally stand like this, frozen and planted, and wait for a ball to plop into his glove! And you know what? It actually worked a few times!

Coach Dylan: "Okay, where is first base?" I mean, we're talking basics!

He loved it!

The Force

2011-02-04T05:38:00.000-08:00

This commercial is ADORABLE and it totally reminds me of Scotty. We put our (artificial) Christmas tree on a table right next to the heating vent in the living room, which means that each Christmas an ornament or two will sway or spin in the breeze of the heated air that comes out of that vent.

You can always find Scotty standing in front of a spinning ornament, hands extended, palms out, fingers spread, his face all earnest concentration..."I'm using The Force, mommy," he'll whisper.

It just about kills me.

Tea Time

2011-02-02T21:20:00.000-08:00

It's been lovely here, during the days; right around 60 degrees, sunny, blue skies. It reminds me of fall, actually, right around 2pm.

But in the morning, and after the sun goes down, it's quite chilly and wintery. Not as bad as it was at the beginning of January, when I was scraping ice off the car each morning and I was certain that, if it had rained, it would have snowed. No. Not that cold. But if it dips into the 40s, we native Californians completely fall apart. (Whenever I hear about the crazy snow-y weather across the country, my head immediately goes to the homeless people who are without shelter and it breaks my heart...also, perhaps, a peculiarly San Franciscan thought. :-/)

Looking at high 30s for the next few nights means that I'm ever-grateful for my favorite mug (full of hot spiced tea, and a well-loved gift from a well-loved family) and my new favorite blanket. It's a ripple blanket crocheted as a gift for me from my friend Kathy. I am addicted to it! It's the perfect size for cuddling up with a pup or a boy, and I am crazy about the purples and greens and blues in all their ripple-y goodness.

Plan for Success

2011-01-30T22:17:00.000-08:00

This weekend started out sunny, me cheerful,
and has ended rainy, me sour.

Slowly but surely, my energy and patience was sapped out
over the last 48 hours.

My adorable children, my long-suffering husband, my precious puppy...everybody is lucky they made it out of this weekend alive, to be completely honest.

Still, the weekend wasn't a total bust.

Homemade ice cream is delish!

And I made some serious headway on some big projects around the house. In fact, so many people start off January with big plans for getting organized that I've decided to share my secret. Let's say you have some looming issue that needs to be dealt with. Maybe, hypothetically, of course, it's 9 loads of laundry, or a living room full of cupboards and drawers that haven't been cleaned out or even been usable for the past two years. Hypothetically, you understand. But let's say "you" find yourself in need of a plan for tackling this issue...try mine:

1. Stand up. (Do not skip this step.)
2. Walk over to the offending area, and pick something up.
3. Either throw it away or put it away.
4. Repeat step 3 until the area is cleared.

BAM! I'm a genius.

Darn It

2011-01-28T12:17:00.000-08:00

I found out a couple of weeks ago that I've been ALL WRONG when I put TWO SPACES after a period when I type. Did you know this? It is how I learned to type, from Mr. Moyer, at my high school during senior year. It's how I've always typed.

I have written three sentences in the above paragraph; my thumb automatically tap-tapped the space bar after each period, and I then pressed BACKSPACE once to adjust it. Just happened again. And again.

What are you doing, currently or in the future? (Just did it again.) Have you always been a single spacer, or are you trying to retrain yourself, or do you not care at all?

Also on my mind lately: the number of times I've read "I hope he's okay" when referencing Steve Jobs stepping down from Apple for "medical reasons". That would be: zero times. I've heard that zero times. I've heard lots about stock prices and the future of gadgets as we know it, and operations flow charts, and all kinds of things that I guess people think are very important, but I've yet to read a single "here's to a speedy recovery, Steve". (Just did it again.) (aaannndddd....just went back and edited out an additional 5 double spaces. People, please schedule an intervention.)

And This Is Why...

2011-01-25T21:41:00.000-08:00

...I keep my old-school, circa 1989, cheese grater.

(It saved taco night!)

...I keep my old-school, circa 1992, husband.

("I read on your blog that your students liked stationary.

You can give them this too, I just found it.")

Teacher's Pet?

2011-01-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

Being a teacher of little kids is a lot like being a mom to little kids. In other words, totally frustrating, completely chaotic, and often horrifying. haha! I am not even kidding.

One thing that comes up a lot is the idea of "favorites". I tell both my kids they are my favorite. And it's totally true, so I don't feel bad at all. Maybe there's some way I'm supposed to avoid using the word "favorite" at all, maybe I'm damaging them both (add it to the long list of things they'll be discussing in the future with either a talk-show host or a therapist), but it's true anyway. They are, each of them, my very favorite person in the whole world. I don't understand the physics of how this works, it just does. It's like the sum of your favorite is greater than the parts of your favorite. Or something.

Okay, so it works with my boys. But then I run into this problem at school, too. And it's not because I have "a favorite" in my class... it's more because every kid totally needs something different at different times, and I can't meet every need (see also: I am only human) but every once in a while, there's such an obvious choice I can make to do something for someone and it always makes me stop for a second. Should I not do THIS THING for THIS KID if I can't do EVERYTHING for EVERY KID? When I write it out like this, it sounds absurd! Of course, any rational person would choose the first, knowing the latter is impossible, and that even the question itself is totally ludicrous.

Yet, here we are.

Bianca is in my class, and she and a few other students gave me presents before the winter break. I got drug store chocolates, a teddy bear, some Dove soap, and a beaded glamour bracelet. I love each and every thing, and I wrote each student a thank you card and sent it to their homes during the two week break.

I probably don't have to tell you the profound effect this had and these kiddos. I totally get it of course. I feel the same way when I get mail today that's REAL mail, you know what I mean? And I'm grown! For a kid to get mail? From teacher? On a handmade card? It's the trifecta!

I don't hand make cards, but I have very talented friends who do (that would be in Real Life and The Internets!) so they got some dang cute cards, I don't mind telling you. Bianca, in particular, asked me about how to make these. She's carrying it around with her, by the way. They all do.

So, I don't make cards, and I don't scrapbook either, but for some reason, I have some supplies in my possession. Pretty papers, some card stock, stickers, embellishments... I can remember coming across a couple of kits at deep-deep-discounts (like, a few dollars instead of forty!) and picking them up, but then never using them. As you do.

I was cleaning the garage this last weekend, and I found this wooden box and these supplies. I loaded a sampling of the papers and cardstock, plus just about all the sticker and embellishments, into the fancy box.

One thing that I included was this fun pattern for making your own envelopes. It's the one thing I've used the pretty patterned paper for, actually, and they are super cute, for sure.

So, I opted for a tactical offensive move. I get to work early, and no matter what time I get there, there are a group of kids eager to come into the classroom with me. (Sometimes I need quiet; but I never turn them away...I turn them away at lunch at least twice a week though. Honestly, sometimes I just need peace. Left to their own devices, 80% of my class would never leave the room. Okay. But get out of my grill for 10 minutes, what do ya say?) This morning, the young ladies who joined me, I shared with them this present for Bianca (she wasn't there) and together we made a sample card, using the supplies so they could see how it worked. Then, we decided there was something missing, so we added glue and a couple pairs of scissors I've had forever, they are fancy scissors that cut wavy edges? I told them this was for Bianca, and because B is such a peach of a kid, and because I managed to make them feel like the present was also from them, they were all on board for the gifting. We left it on her desk and she LOVED it.

B of course is the kind of kid who shares readily, and soon enough, a group of girls was working on a card for Sweet Alice, who was missing her uncle in the cafeteria (I do not pretend to understand) and everybody seemed pretty happy. Of course, tomorrow I'll be parsing out the rest of the patterned papers I have here at the house to the other girls who were such good sports about it all.

I'm such a sucker. :)

Paper-less Towels

2011-01-23T20:29:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my friend Kristie on the phone the other day (hi! *waves at Kristie*) and it was so wonderful. I love friends who call, because I'm such a hermit that, even when I think about picking up the phone and calling all the time, I just can't bring myself to do it. But then, somebody calls me, or like I randomly phoned my friend Kate the other day, and it's so much fun to chat and catch up. And then I always think, you know, what the hell is wrong with me? Thank you friends, who accept me for how I am, and somehow don't hold that against me.

Anyway, one of the things that came up was the idea of cutting back (or making more responsible choices, at any rate) and she was asking about saving money on paper products and I am happy to report that one area that saves money and feels good, is in saying goodbye to paper products.

I used to buy and use a dozen rolls of paper towels every month, but now we use about two rolls during the same time period. And look, it definitely falls under the "little things add up" column of things, I won't lie to you. It sounds so silly to say, "I used to spend $12 on paper towels, and now I only spend $2 on paper towels." But then over a year, you've saved $120 and that buys a lot of wine. Just saying.

I live with a cat, a puppy, two young boys, and a man-child... we need paper towels. But instead of using them, I've taken to cutting up old t-shirts and having an ever-ready, ever-growing, stash of scrap materials has been a real lifesaver. Here's a stack I just made for my mom, using the leftover materials from the t-shirts I used when I made the blanket for Marie.

And here's my collection. I keep them in this basket on the counter, so they are as convenient and easy to grab as the paper towels sitting next to them. Still, no matter how convenient I make the cloths, Erik seems to always grab for the paper towels. I bet if I just stopped buying paper towels altogether, he'd use the cloths more often, except I'm almost certain that the whole time, he'd be thinking, "Man, I wish I had a paper towel for this." This falls under the category of "marriage maintenance" in my house... as in, I'm not going to go pecking at his neck about something this (ultimately) trivial. I'd rather he use cloths. He goes for the paper. We'll live.

They're so small, I just toss them in the washer with whatever load needs to be done; they don't take up hardly any room at all. And when they're really good and gone, they just get tossed into the composting.
If you're not already using this system, I highly recommend it!

January ~ Pillow Project

2011-01-18T20:55:00.000-08:00

Hola! Did you miss me? haha! :) It was nice to take a break (mostly!) from computer-related stuff. I think it was the right thing to do; finding "new normal" is tricky.

I'm not much of a 'resolver' for the New Year. I've never been one, but I do love to have goals...they just aren't typically tied to a holiday! Normally, I just wait until the mood strikes (read: I've put something off as long as I humanly can) and I'm ridiculously reflective by nature (it's exhausting, really) so the mood strikes fairly often.

This year, though, I did make an official New Year's List of Shit To Do (oh! related: resolution number one is to increase casual swearing). There are lists by category, then within category by month, then within month by project. Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE A LIST? Because seriously, I even got a new rainbow notepad in which to write all these lists. Be still my heart.

Anyway, January, under the category homemaking (shut up), I have a pillow case refresh on the bill. There are five pillows on our bed. There are usually four people in our bed. Three pillows are in cases, the other two were tragically naked. Not only were they tragically naked, but they were frightening to look at. They don't bother me in the least, because I know they're clean (they've been through the washer, with vinegar to rinse, and line dried) but they definitely do not look clean. They've been dragged to camp-outs, if that gives you any idea of what we're dealing with here.

So, on my list for January is to get a set of pillow cases together for these extra pillows. Our sheet sets have enough for two of the pillows; Erik has a pillow with a flannel case (decorated with fish) that he won't let me touch (because it's perfect); and that leaves us with two naked, ugly pillows.

On Saturday morning, Tommy had his first baseball practice (OH MY GATO, seriously) and it was thankfully sunny, and not too cold for once, and I sat there for two hours and added the crocheted edging to two pillow cases from the stack Gram gave me. So sweet! I love it.

Oh, but then, you know, it didn't fit. So I was going to just buy new pillows (you can get them for like five bucks each) but then, I would just have to throw these into the landfill. Like I said, I know they're clean, but it's not like I could give them to somebody else to use. I promise you, no matter how good they smelled, or how much you like me, you would not use these pillows.

So, I figured I had nothing to lose...I cut open the end of the pillow, not really sure what I would find there, but knowing that if worse came to worse, I'd end up throwing out the experiment and, net/net, I'd be no worse or better off than before.

I cut off a fourth of the length by removing batting, then trimmed the (now) excess fabric, folded under, and sewed along the edge.

And they look smashing in their new clothes! I know I only saved ten bucks. Well, I also saved the money of buying new cases, by dolling up the hand-me-downs from my grandma. So let's call it $15 saved. Probably not worth it JUST to save money. But, it was a really satisfying and quick project, even with the eye-rolling and mocking I had to endure from Erik. :)

Growth Spurts

2011-01-09T21:38:00.000-08:00

Posting has been light, I realize, but look at this mug! So much cuteness, I'm telling you.

I'm working on a couple of big projects, that I'm rather liking, and that's taking up some of my time (I'll share soon, though!) and there's another project, called my kids that's also brewing. We seem to be hitting some growing pains around here. It happens, but this one seems particularly thorny!

Tommy seems to be moving from Little Boy to Official Tween, and the emotional ups and downs have really taken us by surprise. Erik and I have been (more than at any other time in our parenting 'careers') spending a lot of time trying to figure out what exactly he needs to make this transition. I mean, he's making it, like it or not, but we'd sure love to smooth things out for all concerned. And so far...that ain't happening. We're interested in your thoughts on this, by the way, no suggestion is too crazy.

So, I'll be here. Working on my projects, paying closest attention to My Boys, trying to stay warm, and I'll see ya in a few days. xoxo

No Butter

2011-01-03T22:58:00.000-08:00

You won't believe this, but after ALL THAT, we still haven't settled on a name! My mom (HILARIOUSLY) told me that her animals "just name themselves; after a while, a name will just come to you." Oh, really, mother? Your cats, "Mr. Gray and White Kitty" and "Fat Black Cat", their names just "came to you"? You're a creative genius.

It almost doesn't matter what we name her, since we call her something different every day. puppy wuppy. cutie mccurly pie. kitty. girly-girl. NO! puppers. The list is endless. We tried every name you gave us, plus Tommy tried "Brack" (for brown and black together) and Scotty tried "Miss Brie" (his teacher's name) and we even tried Holly (because we got her on Christmas), and Snowball (because that's funny!), but, not so much.

But you know what's sticking? You know what Scotty, in particular, insists we call her? Popcorn. POPCORN. Come here Popcorn! Get down, Popcorn! I love you, Popcorn! Who's the cutest pup? Popcorn! Tell me it's better than Spock? Humor me?

Can I tell you, I did not even realize how much I wanted a puppy. This puppy is my buddy. I don't want to boast or brag, but this dog is THE BEST. I mean it! Her second night, we put her in a crate. She yipped for 5 minutes. I got up in the middle night and let her out for a ...stroll...then put her back in the crate. She yipped for 5 minutes.

The next night, she went into the crate, turned twice and fell asleep. By the third day with the crate, she puts herself to bed during the middle of the day, and sleeps all night in the crate with no complaining at all.

I am in love with this dog! Erik just shakes his head, but I know my happiness makes him happy. :)

For future reference, so when I vent about this ludicrous animal it doesn't seem to come out of left field, here are some things I do NOT love about my pup: alligator sharp teeth (ow), coming INSIDE to crap (grrr), shoe chewing (no!), completely spaz-tastic for 10% of the time. She sleeps 85% of the time, so let's just say...this first year is going to be rough. :)

Totally Rad

2011-01-02T20:59:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this project. I don't even know how long it's been going on; I've been watching it on and off for a couple of years. It's unbelievable how far they've come in the last few years. It was on my radar last week because they're looking for votes to come to the Maker Faire.

From their blog, Factor e Farm this is their mission:

“We are farmer scientists – working to develop a world class research center for decentralization technologies using open source permaculture and technology to work together for providing basic needs and self replicating the entire operation at the cost of scrap metal.”

Global Village Construction Set in 2 Minutes from Marcin Jakubowski on Vimeo.

They are basically designing and building a set of machines and methods that are open source, which means the plans are free for all, called the Global Village Construction Set. You should check out the videos and the wiki for their group, because it's hard to even fathom what they are doing (it's so AMBITIOUS). Essentially, the set is just about everything you would need to build a community, from the house you live in to the food you eat, from scratch.

On the wiki page, you can see another 2 minute video of progress with the Construction Set, including the compressed earth building blocks. If you scroll down to the bottom of the page, you can see the "packages" they're open sourcing. I mean, really, it's just too much! You can get an operational saw mill going using scrap metal and their free plans. Plus, it's all highly efficient and sustainable. Imagine!

What a beautiful world. *swoon*

Handmade Christmas ~ In the Mail Part Two

2010-12-31T18:41:00.000-08:00

I sent my cousin and his family a box in the mail for Christmas. For Aunt Betty, I sent a pillow that I had made using an applique block from the flower series I was working on.

I had said I wasn't sure about this blue one, and she mentioned it was her favorite one. Perhaps she was just being polite; that'll learn her! haha!

The pillow form comes out (the back of the pillow overlaps) and it was kind of a breeze to put it together. The applique seems well done, which was a pleasant surprise, considering I made it!

I also sent two (semi-)matching candlesticks I had painted. You know, what can I say? They look like they should match, but one has more flowers than the other. Whatever, I figured they can ignore the imbalance, or simply keep them in separate rooms, so as not to offend. What a great gift! oh dear.

I found this dish towel too, when Cori and I went to Bizarre Bazaar a few weeks ago, so that went into the box, of course!

And we put in a letter from Tommy to his favorite "Uncle Moose", some pictures of the boys, and finally, there was this:

Also made from the applique blocks, using all three from the red series, I made them this 'table runner'. I had decided a long time ago to make this for them, because Kelly had written in her blog about wanting to paint their dining room "eating room red", or something like that. They have an amazing historical ~~house~~ mansion, and she was researching traditional paint colors, and so she mentioned it in passing and god I hope she meant it or this is going to be awkward. haha

This table runner was very nearly the death of me, and there were three different times that it nearly didn't end up in the box.

The first time, was when I had sewed it together. Using no pattern, and apparently no skill or sense, either, I managed to fashion a table-runner-esque object around the original three blocks. Here's a picture of me, using my mad measuring skillz, to try and figure out what I needed to do:

Erik actually came up with the idea about how to do the red border and blank blocks. I was pleasantly surprised that he was willing to play that game with me, and I think it was a mistake on his part, because it's a game I never grow tired of.

By the time I got it to here, I thought it was going to be great! Then I layered it and pinned it, sewing the edges and turning it, and I was so bad at doing this that I actually considered cutting out the white blocks with the applique on them and starting over.

The second time it almost didn't make it into box, was when it was finally put together, and I realized there were some smudges on the fabric. It was just dirty in spots, but who could complain? That little square has been kicked around and lugged to football and baseball games for, like, two years or something. What? I'm slow. I was REALLY afraid to put it in the washer, though, because for all I know, it wouldn't even survive one washing. I mean, isn't it better for it to disintegrate on somebody else's watch? Common sense prevailed (eventually) (barely) and it went into the washer and came out sparkling clean. Yay!

The third time it almost didn't go into the box, was when I took it out of the dryer and saw the good news that my applique skills have come a long ways since I first started the flower block project! Wow, am I getting good at it! The bad news was that these red ones were among my first blocks... aaaannndddd....it showed. :-/ In my defense, circles are hard! Well, then, that's that! I thought to myself. I definitely can't send this out now!

But then I remembered this blanket:

My mom made and gave me this blanket, and I LOVE IT. I really, really, do. And you know, my mom is not the most patient, detail-oriented person I've ever met. These octogons had to be pieced together, and where I have spent weeks meticulously weaving in tails my mother simply tied the knots so tightly it was like she was mad at them, then snipped the yarn tails to a low nub, and moved on to the next one. The combined effect is to have little pieces of yarn sticking straight up from various points on the blanket (my OCD was happy to discover that one side was less like this than the other, so now it's a directional blanket, for my sanity) AND I've had to resew the octogons in several spots, just because the little knots don't always hold. I was able to pick up a few pieces of the actual yarn she used when making the blanket, so it still looks great.

Did I mention how much I love it? Because the truth is, my affection for this blanket (and the person who made it for me) is no less diminished by these (slight) logistical issues.

I thought about all these things while I used the blunt edge of a flat, wooden toothpick to push the tiny edges back under, in the (many) various spots that they should have been tacked down with my needle and thread, and when I ironed the whole thing, I was this close to saying, yeah, this might just work.

When Erik held it up from across the room though, I thought all those mistakes just went away and it actually looked nice, from where I was standing. That sealed it. Into the box it went. I should have thrown in some toothpicks, as I'm sure it will need a washing at some point, but I leave it up to Moose and Kelly, who are very competent and will, I'm sure, attack this situation with the vim and vigor it requires. Including, but certainly not limited to, tucking it away, ready to pull out and decorate the table, should we ever come visiting. There must be some statute of limitations on how long somebody needs to give up valuable cupboard space for such an occasion, but I want to publicly say, here and now, that I will never ask them how the table runner is working out for them. It's considered part of the gift, at this point. Just do what you need to do. ;)

To summarize: I will send you a box of half-ass gifts because even though I'm not very good at something, it looked great when I pictured it in my head. Is it my fault that the execution doesn't come to the heights of my vision? I say no. Merry Christmas, Moose, Kelly, and Aunt Betty!!!! :)

Handmade Christmas ~ In the Mail Part One

2010-12-30T13:01:00.000-08:00

The Stitch Family ~ oh how I love them! ~ are so perfectly perfect. They are, collectively, the funniest family on the planet. They are also sweet, sassy, intelligent, generous, and friendly. It's a mind-blowing combination! Because of all their hippie-goodness, I was pretty sure the gnomes were a must have...It looks to me like this picture is missing one or two. Well, no matter, because I need to make more for the boys because these are for Brit. Never underestimate the need for gnomes felt by every adult woman I've come by in the last few weeks. :)

I wrote about making this rag rug before, too, and it was always going to be for The Stitches. I think it's so wonderfully thick and yummy! On a post I wrote last year about how to make these rugs, a commenter recently left a note that her mom made a crocheted rug out of thrifted wool clothing that took years to make, and eventually covered the entire living room floor. The kids still have it, having inherited it after their parents passed away, and it weighs more than 300 pounds! I mean really! More than 300 pounds. It's so joyfully absurd, I just LOVE that story! This rug is not big enough to cover a room (instead, it's about 2.5 x 3.5 feet or so), but it really made me think that if I ever did make one big enough for a room, The Stitches would most assuredly be the recipients.

Every once in a while, Brit or I will email each other with blogs we like to read; she told me about Soulemama's blog, which I quite like. Poor sweet Amanda Soule, who seems like a lovely person, also seems to be the recipient of an inordinate number of angst-ridden posts re: every mother's inability to be her. Oh, folly! :) I have so many hobbies, but this constant comparison is not one of them...even on the one hand, that I can enjoy a voyeuristic peek into somebody's life through their blog, I don't seem to experience the other hand of that, of wishing for what they have or do or believe. It's not that I'm so full of esteem for myself, nor am I so full of disdain for others; I think it's a gene, inherited from my mom, that if you're busy (enough of the time), and happy (enough of the time), and choose to still feel busy and happy (the rest of the time), then it's okay to be cool with that and not worry about anything, or anyone else, while you're at it. I will point out that my mom probably takes this to a mind-numbing, socially-embarrassing extreme, but she's rad so we ignore that.

The point of all that, I suppose, is to say that Brit is sort of my "Soulemama"! I've always thought of Brit's blog as a love letter to her children, and in the best possible way, I'm a fan of her perspective and choices and mama-ing, plus she's so creative and talented; it's like a great big lovely-ball-of-wax, and I'm so glad to know her and her husband in both my real and virtual lives.

They might move pretty soon, and I know it's too much to ask for, but I do wish on a star that they might find their way down to my neighborhood. :)

Handmade Christmas ~ Mom and Baby

2010-12-28T16:25:00.000-08:00

My mom and my niece's baby, that would be! Erik and The Boys got my mom a Rolling Stones Package of the Keith Richards' autobiography Life and the Martin Scorsese film, Shine a Light. My mom, you should know, thinks the drug-addled and semi-insane Richards is hilarious. Okay, Ma.

She is a huge Stones fan...for years, when we were growing up, she had one of those license plate surrounds that said, "Hey you, get offa my cloud". It was custom made, people. Custom made. So, that was a good call. I picked up a dish towel with a squirrel screen printed on it from an etsy shop. Stones and squirrels, she loves them both.

Then I also made her this:

It's just a fabric banner, but I really like the jewel-tones. She asked for one to hang over the french doors that separate her dining room from the living room. The french doors are from her grandmother's house, and she wanted something that wasn't a flower garland. Why? I don't know why. She got a bug up her butt, and this is the result.

I couldn't get a great picture of it on my bed, so I hung it up in the kitchen. The white of my grandma's hutch is similar to the white of her grandma's doors, so it's a pretty fair representation! These garlands are an absolute snap to make. And, looking at it here, it seems I need one too. Dammit.

My niece's baby is due in March, and I gave her this crocheted swing coat. It's so cute! The pattern is from one of the first pattern books I ever purchased....it must have been 6 or more years ago, now. It's all patterns for babies and toddlers. My FAVORITE knit and crochet projects are for babies and toddlers! Partly because every babe needs a handmade welcome, and partly because the time frame for these wee little projects suit my complete lack of focus and commitment. ahem.

Handmade Christmas ~ My Brother's Family

2010-12-27T16:48:00.000-08:00

I already wrote about the rag rug I made my brother for Christmas. We don't actually exchange adult presents in our family (except we all get or do something for my parents, and them for us) so I technically could have given him the rug at anytime. I was going to give it to him a few weeks ago, when I finished it, but then my mom was all, "No! Give it to him for Christmas!" and I was all....okay. Besides, I had found an online sale on good bath towels and got him and my sister-in-law (not through him, through my other brother) a half-dozen towels each. So there you go. Together, they made a very practical present.

Anyway, my brother has two of my favorite girls and I like to make them things.

I made Kaziah this totally adorable corduroy skirt that has running horses embroidered on it. I could die. I want this so badly in my size! It could not have been simpler to make, using the Oliver + S Lazy Days skirt tutorial (or, more to the point, what I remember of it from when I made the skirt before) and with no measurements and no pattern at all, I managed to nail it in both length and width. High fives, all around. She also loved the skirt, and wore it on Christmas Day after she opened it. Love! I also made her this sweet, slouchy, cap which I knitted. (The pattern is free, if you sign up at their website.)

She put that one on right away, too, and as I predicted, it looks awesome on her! It's exhausting being right all the time.

Her entire prize package also included her own pointy scissors (which may or may not have been immediately confiscated by her mother) and Emily Martin's new paper doll book.

For my brother's ex-wife, I crocheted this rasta-inspired hat. I've made this hat for her in several colors, and she loves them and they look adorable on her. She had asked me for one in these colors, and I'm glad I finally made it. When I got to my mom's, Monica was already wearing a gray one I had made for her last year!

And for sweet-girl Giannah, who is just as sweet and sassy as my brother was when he was growing up, I made this little gnome village. This was easily my favorite thing to make this holiday season. It involved a jigsaw and a drill, for one thing. Plus, I am totally in love with these gnomes and their gnome-y kids from Wee Folk Art.

I also loved making the accessories; sleeping bags and a bushel of apples and a basket of eggs, and I even put in a Christmas tree with presents underneath. I crocheted a rug for the bottom floor and had little tables and a flower pot with a rose bush. *swoon*

I can't tell if Giannah actually liked it...I also gave her a Melissa and Doug wooden pizza party play set, and she loved that, but gave no attention at all to the gnome village or anything in it. It may be something that she re-discovers in the quiet of her home; I left lots of room for her to be creative, and to find rocks and wood to use as furniture, so she may end up liking it more when she's made it her own. Or it may have been a (oh-so-fun-to-make) miss. Either way, it's so cute!

Taking Suggestions

2010-12-26T19:14:00.000-08:00

We added to our family this weekend, and now we have this to deal with:

She's pretty dang funny. I don't care for an overly-confident dog, myself. I like my dog's slightly insecure. This one's self-esteem is fully intact, however, as evidenced by her proud and regal stature. There's only room for one top-dog in this casa, my friend, so stand down.

Fortunately, she has personality to spare and she seems very bright. It's the little things, you know? I put a harness and collar on her, then hooked up a leash and took her for a spin in the court. I've had dogs who lay down and make you drag them under similar circumstances, but she got right with the program. She also had the good sense to immediately remove the plaid sweater I was going to make her wear. So I have hope for her.

I can't believe we finally got another dog. We loved our Howard so much, and when we lost him (over two years ago now) I thought I'd NEVER get another one. We've always had big, working, busy dogs, but I insisted that we have a totally different experience this time. A shitzu-toy poodle mix seems about as far from Australian Shepherd as you can get. It barely seems like the same species, and I've never owned a small dog in my life. In fact, I'd probably still be dogless, except my brother found these and got the sister, then Erik shocked me by approving the purchase.

She loves to play fetch. Another point in her favor. We got her situated with a crate today, so forget about sleeping in the bed every night, chump. Now we just need a name. We usually give our pets human names, because we think it's funny to have a goldfish named Keith, a dog named Howard, or a cat named Tim. For some reason, my family has lost its collective minds with this one, though. Without your intervention I'm going to be stuck with Brain (Scotty's choice, who is an Inspector Gadget fan) or Tron II (Erik's choice, who is an ass) or Sparky (Tommy's choice, who seems unconcerned that our new dog is a girl and might want a less gender-ambiguous name). The phone lines are open, and we clearly need a voice of reason.

Merry and Bright

2010-12-25T00:05:00.000-08:00

Scotty believes. We had a box of 10 specialty bakery cookies for Santa. By the time My Boys were finished 'snacking', he was left trying to convince me that one cookie would be enough for Santa. haha!

This week we watched the lunar eclipse in full awe of nature's miracles. The weather was stormy that day, but at just the right time that night, the clouds were blown away and the sky was crisp and clear, the air was cold but without breeze, and Erik laid in the driveway and told me, "I can't believe how spherical the moon looks!"...it was the perfect solstice gift.

The rest of our week was spent visiting family and friends, doing a bit of shopping (Erik) and a bit of making (me), and spending entire days (and nights) without even leaving our house. I'm feeling grateful (always) and wistful (slightly) and overwhelmed (vaguely) and if I know one thing, it's that I'm so glad to be right here, right now.

Merry Christmas!

Today in The City

2010-12-21T23:49:00.000-08:00

Today, the whole family took a ride over the bridge and Erik and Scotty played cards, while I knitted, and Tommy practiced drums at his drum teacher's adorable and quirky artist's bungalow. It was a sweet, slow morning. Before heading back home, we stopped in downtown and spent a couple of hours in Union Square. I love going to San Francisco these days, where I feel like a tourist in my own town.

In the lobby of the Westin St Francis Hotel.

Macy's has used these huge wreaths in every window for as long as I can remember. The look, to me, has lost none of its charm.

Lunch! :)

Saks, through the square, from in front of Macy's. For about a hot second we contemplated getting into the ice skating rink. Decided to pass.

The boys positively love San Francisco. When we come over the bridge, Scotty tells me, with an expansive, encompassing flourish of his hand and a huge grin, "I got all this for you, Mommy!"

Be still my heart.

If you look closely toward the center of the St. Frances, you can see the glass elevator on a quick descent. Sadly, it was being "policed" by lobby officials, and was not available for riding "probably until the first of the year." I'm not sure if we were considered a terrorist threat, or if the crowds just grow to unmanageable proportions during the holidays. No worries. We can wait, and come back any time we please.

It was a good day!

I'm With the Band

2010-12-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

Erik has been playing guitar since he was 15 years old. Do not doubt his commitment to his craft.

When Tommy was born, Erik was so excited! Now he had a person he could train up from infancy in the ways of the guitar. My family name is "Hendrix" (seriously) and when I was pregnant, in the midst of all his day-dreaming about having a prodigy, I would point out that it's probably too much pressure to put on a fetus. His response: "I don't know what you're talking about; little Jimmy Eddie Joe Hendrix can be whatever he wants."

Upon realizing that Tommy was not that interested in guitar, he steered him toward drumming. Tommy loves drumming, fortunately, as it allows Erik's dream of a family band to remain in tact.

Fortunately, we had a second chance at success when we decided to make another person. Enter Scott.

Here's Scotty, enjoying Tommy's "Festival of Lights" pageant from his perch on Erik's shoulders. He loves music! And I love this hippie school, where the kids do a rockin' rendition of "One Love", complete with Bob Marley slide show on the movie screen for the win.

Scotty is the person in our house who breathes music, for sure. He loves to make up his own songs. His most recent one is called "There's No Problems With Christmas". He insists on recording on the four-track Erik uses with the computer.

He's also the prime orchestrator of any and all hoot-en-annies (sp?). This picture actually cracks me up, because this kid is never dressed. If he has pants on, there's no shirt. If he has a shirt on, it's no trousers. We've convinced him that he needs at least pants if he's going to visit the neighbors, and we don't have to argue about full-clothing on school days anymore, but he's stripping down in the car and good to go by the time he hits the front door.

In the video, you can see that Scotty is using the hand-me-down 3/4 size Squire guitar that used to be Tommy's. Which Scotty thought was great, UNTIL he met the 1/2 size Squire guitar in what he calls SUPER RED (candy apple red, instead of the orange-ish red pictured in the jam session :).

Erik had told him "no" at the guitar store, and though Scotty was (clearly) devastated, because, and I quote, "I love this tiny super red kitar", Erik wasn't fooling me. Not even for a second.

Guess what Scotty's getting for Christmas?

Budgets ~ a four letter word?

2010-12-18T19:22:00.000-08:00

Well, I first wrote about budgeting back in May, so it seems apt to make an end-of-year declaration as to the success (or not!) of our budgeting attempts this year.

The good:

We saved a lot of money this year. We made an audacious goal back in May, and we killed it. I feel very protective of that egg, so if you need me to float you a loan, I'll make a face. I'll write the check, but I'll make a face. Sorry.
We worked hard to reduce our monthly obligations. The first thing I attacked were random subscriptions and anything that was 8-dollaring-us-to-death. Then we dumped comcast cable. That's right! Old-school antenna, Tivo (couldn't live without ya, kisses!), and the same Netflix subscription we've had for years is saving us $150 per month. We're still paying for high speed internet, but all television/cable/land line expenses were eliminated.
We pay cash for everything. Erik has been living within his (very generous!!) monthly allowance. It took a while for him to come to grips with the idea that he might have to spend some of his monthly allowance on things he didn't actually want. He's become a bit of a hoarder when it comes to his cash, so when he's obligated to pay $50 for a going-away dinner he didn't particularly enjoy, he couldn't quite understand why that would come out of his allowance! haha! He's so funny.
We bought a cow. Actually, we bought half a cow. It's a grass fed, organic, grain-finished cow, to be precise. I'd been buying grass-fed organic ground beef for around $6.00 a pound at the market. Our chest freezer, which was empty and unplugged, is now completely filled to brimming with a cow. It's around 260 pounds of meat! With the butcher's fee and per-pound-cost of the cow itself, it cost us about $1100 in upfront costs. That works out to about $4 a pound. Which is pretty decent for the (ahem) 120 pounds of ground beef, but it feels pretty spectacular for grass-fed organic porterhouse and t-bone steaks, and the dozens of roasts, etc. I'm not even sure where I would get organic tri-tip roast, but I'm sure it would not be cheap should I come across it. Anyway, having all that quality meat on hand (sue me, we eat meat) makes our weekly grocery bill all about the basics, and that's a huge savings every month.

The bad:

We pay a lot for Scotty's preschool and some after school care for Tommy (uh, roughly half-a-cow every month); Tommy doesn't go all the time, but I pay for it so it's there when I need it. My housecleaning bill is rather ridiculous, but I'm a 'spread the wealth' kind of gal, so I don't mind paying for the weekly service (when I know I can get by on half that) just because I know it's supporting her family and she needs the work, too. I think our cash allowances and 'funny money' are just this side of extravagant, but whatever. I can go all month with the same 15 bucks in my wallet, but once in a while I'll spend like a drunken sailor on shore leave...it all evens out, somewhere, I'm sure. Good for us? That day care, housecleaning, and cash allowances are all easily reduced and/or eliminated should our income become drastically reduced. (knock wood, that doesn't seem to be on our horizon, but who even knows these days?)
Please do not ask me how much we are paying for two iPhones each month. When I saw it, back in May, I literally squeaked. Now I just look away.
We went way over our Christmas budget this year. We had the cash to do it, but it seems like I still can't figure out what exactly we're buying for all that money. Ho Ho Ho?

The interesting:

I'm really grateful that we have money. I say this with total humility, and I'm hoping it doesn't sound otherwise. I mean, it's exciting and fun to watch our balance grow, but if push came to shove, and we had to live on our budgeted amounts without ever dipping into extra cash that we have, this would be a very different story.
It's funny, when you don't just go out and buy something, when you actually plan and save up to get it, how often it happens that, by the time you have the cash and are ready to make the purchase, some other more important thing has already come up to claim whatever money you put aside. It really makes you think about what the word "need" means.
With a freezer full of meat, I'm really looking forward to garden harvest next year! I'm curious about how low our food bills will go when I'm shopping for veggies and meat right here at home...

That's the 2010 status of Operation Quit Wasting Money. Now that we know what that feels like, we'll start looking at goals for the next couple of years. Whatever we land on, it's going to be BIG. I've decided I like to shoot for crazy town when it comes to these kinds of goals; that way, even when we fall short, we end up in awesomeville.

Health Fair Auction

2010-12-16T23:49:00.000-08:00

Tommy's class put on a Health Fair at their school. It was from 6:00 - 8:00 on a Friday night during the second week of December. Really? Oh, but it was so fun! I was swamped with parent conferences, report cards, and teaching, but I carved out some time to make and buy a few things to donate to the the silent auction.

I made this crocheted bag and attached a wool felt flower and lined it with a thrifted vintage sheet of pale yellow and red flowers. It cost about $3.50 to make, and it sold for $25. It was a HUGE hit with the 6th grade girls, who were begging their parents to put in bid after bid. So cute!

I made a set of re-usable grocery bags (hey! same fabric as the lining!) and included a set of Tumbler produce bags. I spent $12 and the set went for $15.

The theme was, of course, healthy eating. Tommy did his whole presentation on how bad fast food is for you. (And can I just say, with a sigh, how equally wonderful and horrible it is for a young boy to get a little bit of knowledge? We don't eat fast food often at all....maybe once a month? And it's usually because we are out after a long of school/work and straight to ____ practice ~ go ahead and fill in the blank ~ and I'm telling you that, under those circumstances, I don't need the scolding from a ten year old when I pull into the drive-through. Just saying. Also, I could deal with the righteous indignation if it weren't also accompanied by the descent into emotional chaos, complete with anxiety attacks, he now suffers whenever a cheeseburger, plain is ordered.)

Anyway, it was a 'healthy food' theme, so I picked up a crockpot on sale and a cookbook to go with it ($40.00 total) because I know my crockpot has saved us from a dinner of take out more than a few times per month. It went for $32.00.

Finally, I picked up a yoga mat and set of yoga dvds (did I mention the HEALTHY?) and that was $35 for both. It sold for $26.00.

Here's Tommy giving his presentation to the Lower Elementary kids, with a monkey on his back.

So. Brisk clap. What have we learned here today? The bag, net-net, was by far the best auction item! It cost almost nothing (except my time) to make, it was universally loved, and it sold for a nice profit to benefit the school. I don't regret buying the other items, however. It was a donation, to raise money for their classroom projects, and I'm glad that the families who ended up with the items were able to get them at a discount. Things are tough all over, and I know the families involved were excited to get something for less than it would have cost them at the store.

So that's what I donated to the auction; you may be wondering what did I win? I won a shoebox diorama of an organic farm made by a 5th grade student. My bid was $6.00. Total bargain, and I love it! Scotty was quite smitten also, because he kept asking where his "game" had gone to. haha! I bought it to show to my own students, so they could understand what a "diorama" is, in case they wanted to do a project themselves.

There's another silent auction (for the school, instead of the class) coming up in the spring. I tell myself, after the holidays, I'll get going on a stable of crocheted and lined bags. But, I think we all know that's a long shot. "procrastinate" is my middle name!

Kathy's Recital

2010-12-16T06:43:00.000-08:00

My dear friend Kathy is a retired teacher who used to share my teaching joys (and frustrations!) from her classroom across the hall. She was my partner in crime, and there are four of us who've maintained our close connection, despite how life has a way of moving on sometimes, you know? (Two of us are retired, one moved to Hawaii to be with her grandchildren for a couple of years, one became a principal, I've had two children, etc., but we always find the time and energy to stay in touch and see each other....getting all four of us in the same room 4 times a year is no small feat!)

Last Sunday, she had her 'recital'. She's a real debutante, having taken up drumming in her retirement. She's been a constant source of encouragement and information for our own little drummer, and even goes to all his gigs, so of course we went to see her perform on her ukelele up in the music hall at the university! This has been one of my favorite December events (in a month of piled up events!) for the last several years. I brought my Nikon with my 70-300 telephoto lens (it's like being right next to you!) but Scotty was able to capture his perspective from my iPhone:

We got there early and staked out our seats in the rear of the theater, as they set up for all the performers.

Here's....me. Ahem.

That's better, son! You got it!

Wait, no, and...is that a splotch of yogurt on my shoe? Ugh.

What the hell, Scott? Who is this?

Here's some that I took, of Kathy getting settled

(her instructor accompanies her on the guitar for both songs.)

I LOVE this picture! Every picture I took, he's laughing like this. Kathy is so funny!

She played two songs, and we enjoyed all the performers. There were a lot more adults this time around (usually Kathy goes last so, as she says, her fellow students can finish up and get home for their naps, haha!) so I think she must be inspiring people! I have my own little dream, so maybe, some day, me too. :)

We left the campus and went out to dinner with Kathy and her husband and some other friends, and it was such a lovely time. I'm so grateful for these little excursions with my boys!

2010-12-14T23:03:00.000-08:00

Such a blur, this time of the year! Every day and evening is filled to brimming with something. Tomorrow night, it's Tommy's Festival of Lights celebration, to the store to pick up presents for my classroom, a batch of something to contribute to Thursday's treats at school, and another round of making that will hopefully result in finishing at least two of the three projects hanging out there on my to-do list.

My birthday passed last week (43!!) uneventfully, but sweetly, with My Boys. Erik bought me a new 18-55mm lens with gyro for my Nikon D90....my precious! :) I can now take clear pictures this close to something.

Like this thrifted sheet I used in a few projects recently (more to come on that, I'm sure!). My kids gave the lens to me while I was trying to pee that morning, so I had to open it on the toilet, with them standing around telling me happy birthday. What can I say? Situation normal.

The other present I got was not being needed for my jury duty summons! Which worked out great, since I was triple booked on my birthday....A class I was teaching, jury duty, AND parent conferences. In addition to getting out of jury duty, I also managed to switch out my teaching duties; and so I spent my birthday doing 17 of the 30 parent conferences I would ultimately finish in two days (two no shows, but that's still pretty good!).

25 of them had to be done in Spanish. Now, I speak Spanish, but that's a special kind of headache, all that translating and thinking so hard! The parents and kids I work with are so sweet though, and very grateful that I speak their language. Habla espanol? Ay, maestra, que buena! Entonces, tengo una pregunta.... and they're off and running! By this time in the year, they all know they can talk to me in Spanish, but at the beginning of the year, when they first find out that la gringa can understand, it's such a funny moment!

Last week was definitely the worst of it...with just a weekend of packed and quick fun to rejuvenate, we're off and running for this last week before our vacation. Oh, oh, please let me get through this week! :)

A Story About a Boy; A Picture of a Skirt

2010-12-09T02:20:00.000-08:00

This week, I feel like my Tommy really needed me, and I'm so relieved to say I didn't let him down. So often, I don't realize until after the fact that he needed something from me. This time, despite the fact that I'm buried at work this week, I managed to do just the right things at just the right time, and he (we both) really needed that.

Tommy goes to a Montessori school, which was not actually an easy decision for me to make. I don't believe in 'one size fits all' education, so in many ways, the Montessori philosophy is well-suited to us. But finding just the right fit for your own kid is a very humbling experience. (Speaking as somebody who has confidently advised other parents on how to handle their children's educational needs. Ahem.) Tommy is intellectually very independent, but quite needy emotionally. The jury is still out on whether or not both of those needs are being met. It's a tricky combination, so there are days when everything is working, and then there are other days when things are just 'off' for him. (PS: I don't judge you, School; there are plenty of days when I'm fairly certain we aren't hitting the mark either.)

His dad encouraged and guided the first project, and I was on call for the second. Last night, I really needed to get ready for my parent conferences and report cards this week, prep for my students, I had a million and one chores that still aren't done....oh, you get it.

But instead, I gave Tommy my full attention. It was the right choice. It was exactly what I really needed to do, and all that other stuff worked out just fine. It's an exhausting kind of energy, too, because it would be easier and faster for me to just do the dang thing, but that serves nobody, so my actual job was to sit quietly, watch him work, answer his questions (with questions; "How do you think it should go?"), and generally keep the focus on and the motivation up.

That's two good moves for us and the week's not even over! Not that I'm keeping score. *Cough*.

And here's that picture of a skirt! Haha! It has nothing to do with anything, except I wrote about buying the embroidered skirt at the thrift, and it was laying on the bed, so I snapped a quick pic of it when I was walking by. Obviously, I like to keep things exciting around here.

December Vexes Me

2010-12-07T05:33:00.000-08:00

I had no idea I hadn't written here since November 30th. I suppose it goes without saying that I've been busy! haha! The whole world lazes around while I alone have been tasked with work and preparing for the holidays.

My friend Claire has a saying: "Teaching: the only profession that simultaneously keeps you young and kills you." I don't know if it's her original thought (I myself have thought a less well-articulated version of it every 6 minutes since 1996) but it's so perfectly true that I could cry. No, seriously. I could cry. Right now. Oh, I kid! Sort of. I'll get through this week, which will be so much worse than last week, but then next week will improve, and then I have two weeks off. Just breath.

I took apart the last rag rug I was making and now it looks more like this:

I can't say it looks better than the last version, but I will point out that it now looks more like I thought it would, in my head, when I first started it. I'm going to call that a win.

A win I desperately need, by the way, as I spent a rainy Sunday this weekend doing quite a bit of sewing. I am...not a great sewer. I spend a lot of time staring at things. I also spend a chunk of time on each project ripping out seams. It's not that I don't understand "right sides together"; it's that if I don't constantly concentrate when I'm pinning two things together, I won't do it right. And let's just say I'm not constantly concentrating. I suppose there's some lesson here about living in the moment and staying mindful, but really, I'm interrupted no less than a dozen times every hour for some boy-wrangling, and I can't say I mind it.

I can happily report, having said all that, that the three things I sewed this weekend make me so happy! Now...if they were just done. Ahem.

Darnit!

2010-11-30T23:10:00.000-08:00

I was just going on last night about how making rag rugs is so fun and interesting because it's always a surprise, what one might look like when you're done. I set down the rug I was working on and went to check on my boys...and what did I see when I came back?

Darnit! It totally had this Americana tip, which, if you're into that I'm not judging, it's just not the direction I would choose. I was going more for woodsy than flagsy (you see it, right?), but it's quite striking actually, so I almost considered keeping it and just trying to even it out with some other blues and greens. But I'd never be able to rest if I left it like this. So, back to the drawing board!

It Dropped 30 Degrees Over Night

2010-11-30T01:28:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had our most successful fire yet. Our fireplace is a bit of a mystery to us. When we first moved here, it was one of those gas logs? I was always afraid to turn it on, mostly due to the fact that a friend of mine screwed up her stove when we lived in San Francisco and it involved an enormous fireball and a long-term lack of eyebrows. I'm good, thanks. Crank up the thermostat and put on some socks. (Michelle, if you're reading this...was it Lindy??? For some reason I think it was!)

When my dad did our kitchen, we went from an electric stove top to a gas range. Because we don't bother ourselves with things like permits or codes, he ran the water for the pot filler faucet from the hot water heater, and he ran gas for the stove from the same area. At that time, he disconnected the gas leading to the log, and we began burning wood in our fireplace.

Amended: We began trying to burn wood in our fireplace. I swear to crimeney, I look at the amount of work it takes to ignite and keep burning a few logs right here in the luxury of our home using a fire starting brick and enough newspapers and kindling to choke a horse, and I think to myself....how in the hell do forest fires happen? Keeping a single log lit is like a full-time job at our house.

Cold weather hobbies: knitting....

... and crocheting. These balls of fabric make rag rugs.

I love making rag rugs...they're such a fun surprise! You just never really know how a fabric will work up, and the whole thing sort of reveals itself over time. So many sheets to prep.

If I ever stop making rag rugs, it will because of this. The stringy bits and elastic bands that are left when you're done tearing the sheets drive me positively batty. Oh, I do hope I'm not jinxing myself going on about all these problems I have! I'm going to completely fall apart when something actually happens to me.

It's Like Saying I Love You, 150,000 Times in a Row

2010-11-28T19:37:00.000-08:00

My cousin Kelly shared this on her blog, and Erik and I laughed so hard!

I think it was a special touch when I hovered over him, during a Halo Death Match, until the game ended so he could watch it. He loved it though! If you don't live with a knitter, you may not understand how totally true it is. I'm going to have to knit him an x-box controller cozy, I'm thinking.

Weekend Wonders

2010-11-23T23:48:00.000-08:00

Sunday morning. Just outside the trailer. Perfect.

Early morning walk, crunching through the snow. Beautiful.

Watching Tommy throw himself, with abandon, into the snow over and over and over again.

Perfectly beautiful.

Behind the Scenes

2010-11-23T06:45:00.000-08:00

We've been very busy at corporate headquarters, sorting out some technical difficulties.

Recently Captured....

2010-11-18T20:22:00.000-08:00

...the beauty of a sunset. I spent some time experimenting with the settings on my Nikon D90, trying to find something that would accurately capture the amazing sunsets we've been watching from the backyard. Nope. This one (the exposure length hinted at in the slight blurring) probably got the closest to the city lights and the amazing, placid, bay water...but did absolutely nothing for the sky. This washed-out version is a crime compared to the electric blue, orange, and pink we experienced all week.

...the beauty of boys. As mama to two boys, you can call me biased, but there is something so sweet and stirring about a gaggle of boys, standing around just being boys. This shot of my kids and our friend, Yusef, at the dock of the lake near our house...it just slays me. The bike, the scooter, the baseball hats and huge sticks Scotty is lugging around, all of it just screams "little boy" to me. Swoon.

...the beauty of the lake on an unseasonably warm autumn day. I took this picture from the other side of the dock, and it's all shadows and mellow ripples across the water and flags lazily flapping in the breeze.

It's funny, I look at these pictures and they aren't photoshopped, there's no bokeh, one is blurry and the land looks parched in the other, but in every picture, I see so much beauty. These pictures, they may not speak at all to you, as the casual observer, but for me, they evoke the sweet calm of holding my honey's hand after a long day of work, watching the sun go down together; I can feel the ache of understanding that these boys, my time with them, of knowing their childhoods, it is all so fleeting; and I can remember what it sounded like, standing on the dock, with the water and the ducks and the laughter floating around me as I closed my eyes and tried to make this moment last.

These pictures won't change the world, but they perfectly captured mine, and I'm feeling really grateful for that, just now.

Yarn for Socks

2010-11-17T19:02:00.000-08:00

It must sound like all I do is enter giveaways on The Internets. I swear, I hardly ever do! Just in the last two weeks, I refrained from entering Brit's Murray the Owl Giveaway and Linda's gift card give away (though she later encouraged me to jump in, which I did, hoping to win the card for a student's family!), to name but a few. I try not to enter lots of contests, and you're going to laugh at me, but the reason why is because I am SO lucky....it's rude to win so much! I know, I know. Laugh if you must.

But, when you've wiped your laughy-tears away, take a gander at this gorgeous skein of fingering silky merino I won. I won it on Amanda Soule's sponsor giveaway a couple of weeks ago, but it came in the mail from Sundara Yarns just this weekend. It is by far the most luxurious and expensive fiber I ever will have worked with (and at $50 a skein, I'm deathly afraid of getting used to it!) and it is so soft and beautiful and the colors....oh, my goodness...the colors! I suspect it's worth every penny.

Sundara Yarns tells me this will be enough for a scarf, but I have my heart set on knitting my first pair of socks! It will probably have to wait until after Christmas ~ I'm kind of up to my neck in gift making at the moment, and I suspect this little project will take my full attention! That's alright though. This yarn is good enough to enjoy on my counter for awhile longer. I'm off to buy some knitting needles the size of toothpicks. Wish me luck...

I Mean, Really!

2010-11-16T19:56:00.000-08:00

I suppose there is a proper way to share this, which would probably involve waiting for the thank you card to arrive in her actual mailbox (hard pressed to meet this criteria, since the card is sitting, stamped, on the passenger seat of my car....still!) but let's just be honest here and say, you know, I'm not known for being conventional.

I am famous in my own mind, however, for being incredibly lucky. I'm telling you...it's a party in my mailbox! Witness:

How adorable is this knitted pouch?!? Kelly's mom Carol (who blogs at Sisters Three about all things homey and family), just out of nowhere, sent it with a sweet note and instructions for making my own. I couldn't resist filling it up already....

Yes! With gnomes! Am I right? I mean, really! It is just a situation so overloaded with cute that I can barely stand it. I think she's a genius. Wee little gnomes? Check! Garden fairies? Check! Tiny wooden bucket and pint-sized hope chest? Check-check! Good times.

As I'm slowly adding to our Gnome Village, I'm learning that Scotty pretty much loves the little wooden people in any state. Flower fairies, gnomes...buck naked. He loves them! And I love listening to him and his little Mickey Mouse voice as he takes them through a typical day.

He slept with a pouch full of gnomes, and I have to say...I approve. Thank you, Carol! We LOVE our sweet gift and can't wait to make more!

Cheap and Easy....Cheasy?

2010-11-10T04:46:00.000-08:00

I love a bargain. I bought an embroidered jean skirt at the thrift store 2 weeks ago (and have since worn three times, so it's already paid for itself!) and every time I wear it somebody compliments it. I should say, "Thank you!" but instead I cheerfully state, "It only cost $5.00 second hand!" My need to be a savvy shopper, apparently, is worth far more than my dignity. But, if you care that I bought some clothes at the thrift, you're probably not the kind of person I'd be worrying about impressing anyway, so we'll call it a draw.

All that to say, I bought some wooden candlesticks at Casey's Wood, and they cost all of $2.50 each. They are solid and cute and six inches tall, but they were also unfinished. I just bought a couple pairs, since I didn't know what I'd actually do with them (a box full of cheap but unused items moves from 'frugal!' to 'stupid!' in a flash...I'm speaking from experience *cough*) so I didn't want a gross on hand to remind me of my impulse purchase.

I painted them red (two coats, actually) using some paint pots gifted to me by a teaching friend. I couldn't even tell you what kind of paint it is! When both coats dried, I wanted to add some easy embellishments. I'm nobody's tole painter, but the one trick I know is that if you want to make 'dots', you don't use the brush end...just dip the tip of the handle into the paint, and use that. It forms perfect, smear free dots, so knock yourself out! These have a blue center dot surrounded by yellow dots to form a simple folk art-inspired flower. I made a ring of them around the candlestick.

I felt it needed more, but my limited talents were already completely stretched. Necessity being the inspiration of so many crafty ideas, it occurred to me after just a few minutes that I could make a ring of yellow dots around the top detailing. The urge to keep adding on was strong indeed, but when you are working more on will than skill, it's best to go the 'less is more' path.

From unfinished but charming to "oh man, why didn't I buy more of these now I want about a dozen" in less than 15 minutes (not tallying dry time, of course!).

Daylight

2010-11-09T06:23:00.000-08:00

I won't lie. "Getting" an extra hour on Sunday felt good...in the morning. By 7:30 at night, when it had been dark for, like, 4 hours already (shut up, it's true) and it felt like midnight I was ready to give back that hour just so I could say, "bed time!" to every person in our family! It was a rainy, stormy day, which did nothing for the dwindling daylight hours. Yesterday it was sunny and mild, a perfect Northern California autumn day, but I saw my breath when I stepped outside in the morning so I knew my job was to get home before the sun went down (at 5:30...ahem) and work on getting the rest of the tomatoes in. Seriously.

I harvested another huge cardboard box full of green, yellow, and red tomatoes. That was two more plants worth. I won't get home before dark today, so I'll try again tomorrow. It's supposed to be in the 60s all week, so I think I 'll have time. Of course, I can't put off too long what to do with these once I get them inside, either! I am convinced that pretending to be a farmer is way more work than actually being a farmer. Because I actually have, you know, a whole other job I'm doing when I teach. Which takes away from the amount of time and energy I have for dealing with three (and counting) boxes of tomatoes.

As I'm putting summer garden to bed, I'm reminded of our October heat wave....by this lone pepper. Better bring him in. I don't think he'll get bigger now.

The rosemary can move into shelter too (they don't love frost, and you never know when a cold snap will hit) but these are the happiest strawberries ever. I have to read up how to take care of them for the winter, but they are loving our bay climate and spreading like crazy.

Inside, with dinner done and cleaned up, I had no other time to do anything except love These Boys, but I did manage to spend just a few minutes setting up a Functional Santa's Workshop.

I think I'm ready for the darkness. Winter, you're not my favorite, but I still love you.

Been Busy

2010-11-08T06:08:00.000-08:00

I am thoroughly committed to finishing some projects for the holidays. I like to give (and get, if you're wondering! ;) handmade presents. But I've never successfully pulled off much of a handmade coup at this time of year; mostly because the projects are too ambitious, combined with I start them too late.

This year, through a combination of starting in October and working on some projects I never finished LAST year, I am quite on track for my most successful (and no doubt still sorely lacking) Christmas exchange.

For example, once the materials have been prepared (I wrote about this here), it was a snap to whip up two new rag rugs in just a few evenings.

It's so hard to photograph these for scale. I think this could be any size based on the picture! Is it a placemat? Or a rug?

Here's the Wii remote for scale purposes. I don't know. Does this really help?

Forget it. Here, let me just hop on it. It's a good size to stand on in front of the stove or the sink, I do think so! And I like this one. I make a lot of blue rugs (I don't even prefer the color blue, but the first one I ever made was for my Grandma Mary, and blue is her favorite and only color, and the materials from several blue sheets will last a LONG TIME. Just saying.) and this one is probably one of my favorites. It came out with a very 'graphic' quality which pleases me. And, also? Is not my asthetic. What can I say? I'm extremely open-minded about such things.

Then i made this one, which is much cuter in person, I declare it so. I like this one because circles are rad. haha Not even kidding. Wee little gnomes and flower fairy aren't doing much for the scale.

But they sure make me happy! These are prototypes I made from the Wee Folk Art directions, and they are a huge hit with Scotty. In fact, I had made the purple and the fairy for testing purposes, and Scotty woke up in the morning and found them and loved them so much that he asked me to "make a whole town" and literally MADE me make another one RIGHT NOW because he needed a Daddy. He claims the originals were him and Tommy. Be still my heart. Yesterday I spent most of the day (and my extra hour!) over at my mom's house. My grand niece and nephew were there, and between the three of them, our three new friends got a quite a workout! Good, I have big plans for these little folks, and hopefully lots more to share about that.

Anybody making anything? I know Michelle is making an argyle cardigan (show off!)...anything else happening? I love to hear about makin'. It just makes me happy. :)

Kind of like this video I shared on Facebook this weekend. Worth sharing again, I promise.

If you can't play the video, you can find it here.

Can't Get Enough of This

2010-11-04T04:52:00.000-07:00

I just can't get enough of this little video of Scotty bowling. We've been watching it over and over, and it still cracks me up! It was on my phone, but it uploaded when I synched, and I couldn't be happier. You can't hear it over me laughing so hard, but the folks next to us were so funny. Some quotes, you may or may not catch on the video:

"Now, he is bowlin'"
"He's bowlin' his ass off!"
"Now he's having a good time!"

ha! haha! They were so sweet to little Scott! You can see his obsession with washing down the bowling balls (which he learned from the neighboring bowlers) and his distinct, stylized delivery (run and toss), but I don't think you get to see his obsession with running back to the automated scoring kiosk and punching button after button. He looked like Lt. Sulu during a particularly pesky Klingon encounter, all earnest concentration and fingers flying across the screen.

I could die.

Class Act

2010-11-03T04:59:00.000-07:00

These last couple of weeks have been all about the Giants' Post Season. Tommy and I have spent many, many, many evenings watching the games. It's hard for me to set still for that long, so we have to keep busy.

I have been finishing up (whew! almost done!) the applique flowers that I started...um....last spring? At least? I've finished the purple set, the orange set, the red set, and the blue set. I have one and a half of the yellow set done. (There are three in each set).

I was originally thinking to make them into a quilt, but oh-my-good-god, that is so not happening. So I think they'll be used in a variety of projects over the next couple of months. Some things, I can picture exactly what they will be, and how they will be finished. Other things are fuzzier. Still others are yet to be conceived. It should be interesting!

Tommy stays busy right along side me. He tends to get lost in his play, but I can do both at the same time. Which means that he would pop up prairie dog style every time I cheered or grumbled. It reminds me of growing up with my dad, who always had The Game on the radio, low, in the background...we'd be talking about something, and every once in a while he would whoop or yell, and it would scare the crap out of me. I swear to you, the radio was barely above a whisper, but he always had one ear on it. Even when the rest of us were oblivious.

I am so happy that Our Giants won. But truly, I am NEARLY AS happy at the sportsmanship and class shown by both the Giants and the Texas Rangers. The Rangers ~ from the coaches to the players to the fans ~ are a real class act. I'm sure there were overzealous fans on both sides (beer + testosterone can be a tricky combination) but I have mostly heard some amazing things. I heard that the Rangers organization let the Giants fans onto the field after the game to celebrate with the players! I heard that the fans welcomed the Giants fans into their stadium! And, despite a few polite but pointed signs re: Huff Daddy's Rally Thong (ahem, did you really think Texas would approve?!?) there was none of the apparent vitriol that the Phillies fans exhibited (Really? "Fix your teeth"? I sort of thought "Hippie Freak" was funny ~ especially since the hippie was whoopin' you ~ but the personal attacks, just....no.) And I love that Washington just handed it to our Pitchers in the sweetest, most relaxed way. I don't know much about the AL, but I kind of have a soft spot for Texas at the moment. It doesn't hurt that I wish only the best for Bengie.

I'm feeling so generous toward our rivals, in fact, that I'm even hoping for a speedy recovery for both the Dallas-based announcer and Josh Hamilton who were both nearly apoplectic that fans were smoking pot..."fifty feet away from the cops!!!" Welcome to San Francisco, guys. I can't believe that's news to anyone, but in the spirit of our new friendship, I offer the sincere hope that you'll not hold it against our city.

WooooooHoooooooooo!

2010-11-02T04:46:00.000-07:00

Giants win the series! Giants win the series!

I love our misfits and castoffs, I love this team, I love this game!

Happy Dia de los Muertos!

2010-11-01T06:40:00.000-07:00

I have a random day off from work today (*cough* furlough *cough*) which happily coincides with a field trip Tommy's class is taking to a local museum. So I get to go, which is always super fun! Tommy's class entered an exhibit in their Dia de los Muertos display, and this will be the first time I've seen it. I'll make it over to Oakland where my grandma and grandpa are buried, and I'll visit their graves and add flowers and clean up the area. I love traditions!

Speaking of which, a very special tradition started around here in the last couple of years. It involves spending the two or three days before Halloween trying on every costume in the dress up boxes!

We saw a parade of pirates, jedis, super heros, and warriors for the entire weekend. I was curious how they would actually end up on Halloween! Tommy eventually went as a gladiator, and Scotty went as Optimus Prime from the Transformers. We headed over to the Harris Family's new house in an upscale neighborhood in Oakland.

We had a blast, watching the Giants game (and getting updates at every house along the way!) while also cheering them on with a portable radio (what can I say? We're fans!) and the kids scored full-sized candy bars from many of the houses. What the what? It was a shocking turn of events for all four sets of parents that were chaperoning our troupe of marauders. Why, back in the day, we got raisins and mini snickers! Good times.

I had my own kind of haul over the weekend....I've started clearing out the gardens as the chill in the air is taking longer and longer to dissipate each day. I brought in the last of the eggplants (that would be about 2 dozen, by the way!) as well as a couple of squash and thanks to a heat wave earlier this month, I also got the last two cucumbers, and two bell peppers. I'm only through two tomato plants (I'll get through the other tomato plants today) but I already have a nice pile of red tomatoes and a hojillion green ones. I think we may be eating fresh tomatoes for Thanksgiving before all is said and done!

Hopefully, all these vitamin-rich homegrown veggies will counterbalance two buckets of candy. Oh wait. Am I supposed to care about the sugar? I think I am supposed to let my kids pick two pieces and chuck the rest, is that right? Ah, well. I'm going to leave that to the good parents. We'll be here, on a sugar high, eating tomatoes.

One time, I had these bees....

2010-10-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

It took me half the summer to move the green bin, where my bees had taken up residence,

to it's new spot at the top of the hill in my front yard.

I had to move it 6 inches every day. This was a familiar sight as I came in from work in the afternoons; my sweet bees humming busily away in the lilac bushes they love so much...working, working, working. I love those bees.

My family has been slightly less enamoured. I was (happily) surprised at how supportive Erik was, all summer, when it came to the bee colony. He NEVER complained about them, even when the green bin temporarily blocked the only walkway into our house. We all trundled up the hillside, inching the bin along in the meantime, and there was no grousing or grumbling at all. He thinks the bees made decidedly creepy house guests, so his general lack of ire was well and truly appreciated.

I have so many pictures like this one, with my family shouting from the doorway about "the bees! the bees! are the bees coming to get us?!?" I never once worried that the bees would ever, ever harm or swarm or attack anyone. Those were (yes, were) the sweetest, sweetest creatures.

Do you know? As I mentioned, I would come home after work and walk right into their busiest hours. I would set my belongings down in the house, and come straight out. I stood next to their bin every single day, and I talked to them. I thought they would get used to me, the more I did that. I can't say for sure what circumstances led to our ultra-peaceful co-existence; I can only tell you that I would often reach out and literally pet those bees...and they would let me.

When we were in Los Angeles and DisneyLand, our housekeeper came by every couple of days and watered the gardens and moved the bees. It is ridiculous how happy I was to see my bees when we got back in mid-August!!! I was so happy to see them, swarming and collecting and bearding and carrying on, all the bee-goody-bee-ness that I had become addicted to.

Then we had a blistering heat wave. And the honeycomb collapsed into the bin. And I frantically called my bee whisperer, who was on vacation in Canada. What's that all aboot? She said she'd call when she came back in a few days. And she did. But it was too late.

For a few days, it seemed like all was well....it seemed not to affect them at all! The bee whisperer had already explained that we'd have to (carefully) cut up the honeycomb to move it, with the queen installed, into the new hive, so I thought maybe, maybe there was a chance that they would be fine. As long as the queen hadn't died in the collapse, they would be fine.

Within a few days, though, with a sinking heart, I knew it was over. I came home from work, and there was one bee walking on top of the can. And no other bees in sight. With tears in my eyes and dread in my heart, I carefully lifted the lid to find...nothing. No bees.

Oh, how I cried. I cried mostly because I knew that this meant my bees would soon be, if they weren't already, dead. They wouldn't survive after they abandoned their hive. The one thing I wanted, all along, was that the bees not die. I was so afraid of killing them! I can't say that anything I did caused this to happen...nature can be so cruel, without my help...but of course I couldn't help but feel responsible. They were counting on me; I let them down.

It was many days before I could even talk to Erik about it. And, obviously, it hurts me deeply still since it's been more than 7 weeks and I can still barely write about it here. When I talked to Erik, he was so sweet...he even said we could try for another hive in the spring. Not too shabby, coming from a guy who had no interest in being an accidental beekeeper.

Those sweet, sweet bees left me a beautiful gift, of their gorgeous honeycomb. I asked my bee whisperer why some of it was so dark (was that a sign that there was sickness in my hive all along?) and she told me, "That's from their feet, where they walked on it and used it over and over for their nursery." It broke my heart to hear that (their feet! oh dear) and it breaks my heart all over again to write it down.

But I loved those bees. I love those bees. And even though their disappearance was a huge, unbearable loss for me, I can't imagine never having had them at all. I'm so grateful to those visitors who chose us.

Don't Stop!

2010-10-22T06:22:00.000-07:00

I have been soooooooo busy this week, trying to get the Giants through this playoff series! It's exhausting. LOL

My cousin (love love love his wife's blog, and both of them!) took Tommy to the game on Tuesday. Oh, my, he's been on cloud nine! What a ball he had, a real once in a lifetime experience with, I swear to you, one of his favorite people in the world. I love that picture of those two, if you click through to this baseball entry! Moose (or Uncle Moose, as Tommy calls him :) is a HUGE fan, and I was so hoping that they would clinch last night, just for him, because he was at all three home games, but that's not how it worked out.

Like I told Tommy, though, don't stop believing!

I have the marketing department working on finding the camera battery charger, so hopefully life will get back to normal in these parts soon enough! Of course, here's what constitutes "normal" around here.

Tommy: Mom! Scotty said p...h....e.....n....u.....s.
Me: [Confusion, slowly] Fennus?
Tommy: [Arches eyebrows and points, discretely, to his crotch]
Me: Oh, he...he... [helpless laughter, manage to finally squeak out...] That's okay, honey, that's what he's supposed to say.

Am now wondering what Tommy calls his penis, and hoping whatever it is does not turn out to be an arrestable offense.

Weekend Freakout

2010-10-17T21:35:00.000-07:00

Apropos of nothing, I found this picture when my iPhone synced with my Mac Book. It was taken at the Lego Store when we went to DisneyLand in August (how could it be that it's already been two months?!?!) and it makes me crazy happy.

**************************************************

It's been a weekend of extremes around here...

The Giants game was SO FUN on Saturday and SO NOT FUN on Sunday.

It was sunny and breezy on Saturday and cold and dreary on Sunday.

Saturday was a whirlwind of activity between farm visits and lunch with friends, errands, a visit with a dear friend for most of the evening and a late-night grocery store run. Sunday was a nothin' doin' day, with the first fire of the season and whole lot of cozy-ing up around The Shire.

Typical of this nutty weather, for the week before our drizzly Sunday, we had near-record setting highs. Each morning, I would get up early and hang a load of wash on the line. When I got home, everything was plenty dry, so Scotty and I would remove everything and start over again the next day. I needed a refresher of clothes pins last weekend, so I chose to stop by a local hardware store, instead of a Target, to pick up a package. I need a clothes pin bag. I really do. I keep them in a bucket that hangs on a hook on the back fence, and that's the reason why I needed new clothespins...the bucket pools water whenever there's precipitation, then the wood gets moldy or the springs get rusty or the whatever gets however and then, next thing you know, I'm down to a small handful of working pins.

This cute and simple pin bag was at the local hardware store. It was only $5.00 so the price was definitely right. A little too right, if you know what I mean? So I flipped it around and, sure enough, made in china was stamped on the back.

I started to wonder: where, exactly, would I be able to purchase something like this that wouldn't have come from China? How do I show my monetary support for products that come from fair trade practices, support local economies, and don't come with the social and ethical burden of being made in countries unhindered by child labor laws or environmental protections?

I went home and decided to just make one myself. I used one of Scotty's old shirts, and basically just sewed up the bottom. Nothing could have been easier. Also? It turns out? It was free, which is actually cheaper than even $5.00. And I love it, I do. But I also recognize that I'm no closer to solving my original dilemma.

This turn to cold, fall weather, reminds me that our family needs a slipper refresher. I found some adorable slippers at Satch and Sol and The Boys and I will get some (nothing there for Erik though...so sad!) and you know what? I will pay about $100 for the slippers. I guess if I went to Wal Mart I could get three pairs of slippers for less than half that. But I can afford it, in the sense that I have the money, but the real trick is that it's how I choose to spend what money I have. Since I'm going to spend twice as much on these slippers, I'm not also going to have money to buy...what? I'm not sure. But whatever it is, I don't need it.

So. Now. I need to get rain coats and boots for the boys, and Scotty really wants an umbrella.

And who can blame him?! That's fun, right there. But I find it so distressing that I can't even find these items made (locally) (in my state) (okay, I give up, anywhere in the country) even though I am ready and willing to pay 3 times what their cheap import counterparts command.

I'm going to go wash my face and lie down. Somebody fix this while I'm gone. Thanks.

Clean Kitchen Strategy

2010-10-11T20:23:00.000-07:00

We're getting another mini-heatwave this week. It's crazy, but I'm getting new growth on bell peppers and all these tomatoes ~ still! ~ I bet I'm getting a kilo of tomatoes a day. Plus, cucumbers! And new growth on the cucumbers! And so many eggplants, and squash. It's been kind of a wild growing season...but I'm starting to feel like I say that every year!

It's so nice to have a clean kitchen! It's inspiring, and I can't tell you how happy I am to have such a modest amount of (manageable!) produce on the counter. Let's just turn around and...

...argh! Well, I guess I could do the dishes. And take out the garbage. And clean off the counters. Put away the food. Sweep. Or...wait, you know what?

There! That's better! Let's just turn around.

This way, we'll have plenty of time to take in the Giants game (hummmmm baby!!!) and we can also enjoy this tidy and lovely stack of hot-off-the-presses embroidery patches. Easy does it.

Quilt Along ~ Episodes Done and Done!

2010-10-09T20:08:00.000-07:00

Quilt along ~ finished!

I'm so glad that Carmen and Nancy did this, it's so much funner to do together....even when "together" means thousands of miles and too many weeks apart. :) Plus, you have to click over and see Nancy's finished quilt...it's pretty spectacular. ;)

I used fabric from the give-away I had won over on RoseHip. The fabric is so wonderful, and it made quilting a pleasure. I usually get all twisted up with 'what colors' and 'what patterns' and argh!

Beata makes the most wonderful crocheted edgings. I've been wanting to make some pillow cases from some repurposed sheets, and I've known I would try my hand at the edgings when I do so. She's such an inspiration! So at some point, when I was imagining this blanket done, I thought maybe I would do the crochet edging on it, as a tribute to sweet Betta and her generous fabric give away.

I struggled with the decision because I couldn't find any source that described sewing, turning, closing, then quilting. It seemed like you need to quilt first, then bind. It just seemed like the whole "quilting thing" was sort of the point of doing the quilt along, so it gave me pause to skip it. I wasn't in the mood to experiment with my blanket (the cutting! so much cutting!) and Carmen encouraged me to stop fretting and go for it, so that's exactly what I did!

And you know what? I LOVE it!!! I've always been in awe of Betta's (and Alice's, too!) perfectly perfect blanket stitches, and I have to say that the green gingham check fabric provided the perfect pre-made grid so that even I could have perfectly perfect blanket stitches. I used 100% cotton for the edging.

Did I mention that I love it??? It's the perfect size for cuddling on the couch, but I really picture it on the sand at the beach, the star of a picnic; later, you can cozy under it as the sun sets on the water.

Or is that just too much pressure to put on a blanket?

Progress!

2010-10-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

My quilt-along-quilt. Dude. It's a six week project. I'm on....um....the fifth month? Yeah, I think that's right. Five months. June to October, give or take? I found this perfect green gingham sheet at the thrift some time ago (ahem) and knew it was exactly the backing I'd been looking for. Score for three bucks! There's a few steps left to go, on this one, but there's a chance that it will be done some time this weekend. Or, in three months. Just saying.

Okay, here we go. I started this ripple lap-ghan almost two years ago. I'm serious. I tried to convince myself it was last November, but no, I'm sure it was the November before that because I had started it for Erik's dad when he started chemo. Pancreatic cancer, however, is a merciless thug, and not even 10 weeks later, he passed away. I set this blanket aside, because his passing was so hard on my honey, and it wasn't until Easter of 2009 that I pulled it out again and decided to finish it for Erik.

It's a lovely variegated wool, and I am hopelessly in love with the (excessively boring to crochet) ripple stitch. It's so sweet and old-fashioned! Last time I set this project aside, I had purchased more of the yarn, in order to make it even bigger, thinking Erik would prefer a full-sized blanket over the lap-sized.. The ripple stitch just eats skeins! I finished a dozen more rows this week, but you know what? When I laid it out it was starting to look like a runner...all long and skinny...so I went back to the original lap-ghan tip and ended up pulling out ten rows.

I won't cry though, because it's just right at the moment, and I have to say, I think it's going to be just perfect for bleacher seats at little league games this spring. :)

Rocktober

2010-10-06T21:25:00.000-07:00

If you've been looking for me, I can be found right here!

Embroidery, crochet, and quilting....I couldn't decide which one I wanted to work on first, so I am working on all three! It feels so nice to be able to come home from work these days and have nothing doin' except spending time with my boys and bustling around the house and making a little something.

Of course, one of these days, I'll have to do just one of these long enough to actually finish something, but just for today, I'm not too worried about that! Tomorrow...that's when I'll worry about getting the to-do list checked off. Today is for rocking.

Perfect October Treat

2010-10-05T22:05:00.000-07:00

Applesauce Muffins

4 cups flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon allspice

2 t baking soda

(Mix all, set aside)

Cream together:

1 cup butter, softened (yes, 1 cup. Shut up.)

2 cups sugar (yes, 2 cups. Do it.)

Add:

2 eggs.

2 cups applesauce

1 tablespoon vanilla

Add dry ingredients, stir until moistened.

Option: Add 1 cup raisins. I put it up to a vote in my household. No raisins.

For some reason, on my recipe card, I have written: "Raisin tip: Pinch of flour to coat before folding in." I've never used this tip, but I find it hilarious that it's documented here.

Fill lined muffin tins. This recipe made 2 dozen good sized muffins. Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 - 25 minutes. These smelled AMAZING while cooking. The aroma actually caused Erik to ask me if I was making apple pie. Erik really appreciates my cooking, in general, but he loves when I get bit by the baking bug. We always have the same conversation, where he comes in and gets faux-beligerent about the amount of time it's taking something to cook, and then I explain that I'm just obeying the laws of physics.

In this case, I downplayed these muffins just a bit. First of all, I was not so sure about the 'batter'. This was not a pourable consistency, in the least. It was quite dense, and had to be spooned into the liners. Plus, I'd never made these before. I have NO IDEA where I got the recipe. Perhaps it came from you? I just don't know. Plus, I used applesauce that I had made myself. So. You know. I just couldn't be sure what would be coming out of the oven.

Turns out? They are delicious! I've got three little mice who tell me so. It took them a half dozen muffins to be certain, but their thoroughness is appreciated.

I Don't Care!

2010-10-04T21:31:00.000-07:00

Scotty's bangs were down to his nose, so I trimmed them. I left the rest of his hair wooly and wild (though it looks awfully tame, in this picture!) and everybody was making fun of me ~ and him ~ and you know what? I. Don't. Care. I think he's adorable, and I happen to think he's even cuter now. He has such an expressive face....both of my kids do, actually. They have their father's eyebrows, and I'm telling you, those things move around the forehead like a caterpillar. They really start winging around when they get wound up, and I couldn't love it more. So, if you don't like his hair-do (or hair-don't, if you must) I understand. I understand, but I don't care. Just saying. :)

October!

2010-10-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

I'm already loving October! The heat wave broke on the first, leaving us 30 degrees cooler than we were in September. I sent off my manuscript on September 30th at 6:30 in the morning...two hours before it was due! And I don't have any consulting work due until late October, and just so you know, that work is just about done already. Me! Ahead of schedule!

I spent this weekend mostly with my family, doing some sewing, some crocheting, some partying (of the kid variety...happy birthday Niece!) and even doing some chores around the house. It just feels good.

On my to-do-list, and officially done:

These turtles were the one thing I asked for after Marie died...and her wonderful, sweet children agreed. So my mom brought them back from Healdsburg on Wednesday, I picked them up from her house on Friday, and I floated them around the house all weekend before hanging them in the very first spot I had considered. Isn't it always like that?

I may have told this story, but it's worth repeating because it's so very Marie, but right after she was diagnosed with lung cancer, my mom and I headed up to see what's-what. Marie was showing me some things she had brought back from Hawaii with her, after Glenn died, and these turtles were hanging on her wall. "These are for good health and long life...." then she turned to me and deadpanned, "And you can see how well that's working out for Glen and I!" She was so funny! So twisted and funny. I miss her. :(

I love love love turtles myself, and so I was so happy when my mom let me have them. I know she would have gladly accepted them herself, so it was very (uncharacteristically) sweet of her. My own sweet dear childhood friend Tracy had sent me these just last week, and I've been so grateful to wear one or the other daily....

My students love the silver one (his legs and head wobble!) as do I, but I am also quite enamoured of the mother of pearl...it feels so heavy, and it reminds me every day that friendships that last a lifetime are precious. I love you, Tra!

I was also so happy that both Jenny and Michael wanted the blanket I had made with their parents' clothing and pictures. My told me that they agreed to 'share it', trading off who got to keep it at their house. Love!

2010-09-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

If all you knew of me was this blog, you might be surprised to find that I have a 'housekeeper'. Anybody who waxes poetic, as I do, about the mundane tasks of the domestic arts (a full clothesline makes me weep with joy!) surely could not abide employing outside help!

Yep. And don't call me Shirley. haha!

Luz comes every Friday and she does all the things I don't love doing. The bathrooms, the mopping, cleaning our stove and hood, the microwave, dusting. Oh, that's a lot! She's wonderful. She brings me enchiladas and tamales and her friend Lupe sent me the best papusas I've ever eaten, outside of a papuseria in Oaxaca, Mexico.

It's easy for me to make the decision to keep her services, even though as a line-item in our monthly budget she comes right after mortgage and preschool. In the spring, I thought maybe I'd cut back to twice a month, instead of weekly, but...actually, I didn't do it because somebody else cut her back to twice a month, and I ~~am a total sucker~~ just didn't have the heart. Plus...I love her!

When I'm not working outside the home, Luz comes over and we work together. She also loves to garden....loves it!...and she always spends extra (unpaid) time hanging out and working the gardens. She knows a lot and I learn so much by osmosis. She even comes over when she's not working to get veggies for her and her friends. We'll also wash the car when we're together.

The fact is, we're so productive, it sort of proves my only-half-kidding belief that, I don't care who you are, everybody needs a wife. It's amazing how much easier life is with one! Just ask Erik. :)

Anyway, if you can swing it, and you find somebody as wonderful as Luz, I recommend hiring some help. Heartily. Not only because it frees up your time to putter around and do the things you love (like laundry...I'm weird...or making beds) and learn new things (like canning and quilting) and make things for the people you love (like knitted Kings and Queens), but also because chances are, anybody who cleans for living will have some wonderful, awesome quirks that will make you happy.

Like this one. Every time Luz comes when I'm at work, I come home to find some little surprise like this ~ a pile of tomatoes I left on the counter is rearranged into a careful ring. Or, the lotions and mascaras and lipstick tubes that littered the bathroom counters are commandeered into a smart little army of straight lines.

It just tickles me so!

Dipping a Toe In....

2010-09-27T21:57:00.000-07:00

This summer, between spending time with Marie, trying to deny that Marie was dying, and the occasional sweltering heat wave, my mom crocheted this blanket.

It's done in these enormous ~~hexagons~~ octogons, then pieced together with squares. My favorite ~~hexagon~~ octogon is that super-fly green and brick one in the lower left corner, but I guess I could say that about them all.

My mom completely shocked me by giving me this blanket. I was admiring it just a few days after Marie passed away, and she said, in the matter-of-fact way that she says everything, "You can have it, I'll make another one."

I LOVE this blanket. I know my mom loves it too, but I'm guessing she can't look at it without thinking about this horrible summer. She buried herself in this blanket project, and a few others, so she wouldn't have to think about what was happening.

I totally get it. I do. But is it wrong that I love it so much? I guess....deep down, I'm neither surprised nor offended that so much beauty can come out of so much ugliness.

I am at the tail end of my math writing project. Between the deadlines and teaching and THIS OPPRESSIVE HEAT WAVE, I am ready to be done with all this and go back to the glorious, happy bubble of my ridiculously charmed life. Last week is gone. And I say, good riddance.

Now I'm just looking to get through the next 36 hours, and then it's home free...wish me luck!!!

2010-09-14T19:15:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have nothing nice to say these days, and I was raised to say nothing at all in such cases as this. I feel like I've been surrounded by death and chaos and mayhem, and I'm sort of worn out from the whole affair.

It's funny. I'm not unhappy. I'm never unhappy (it really is obnoxious) but I'm feeling fragmented. Through a really difficult start to the new school year (hi, class of 39 third and fourth graders that turned into a class of 32 second and third graders after one month of school and a scant 12 hours of notice) and the death of Marie and a seemingly unending number of WHOA and HEY THERE and OH CRAP moments queued up around me, I'm just needing....

You know, I almost wrote "I'm just needing to step back", but really, you know what I really want? I want to sink in. I want to hole up and hunker down and sink in to my home and my family, because it really is the only place I feel completely safe.

I have a whole laundry list of things I want to make, and fix, and do, and cook, and write, and photograph, and....I guess that's what I'm going to do. Because in the doing, comes the sinking, and I think that's exactly what I'm looking for right now.

Potpourri

2010-09-07T19:47:00.000-07:00

On more than one occasion over the last two weeks (the most obvious being this weekend, of course) I've had reason to think to myself that life is sweet and fragile and, no matter how much you're hurting, how much your life can change in the blink of an eye, life does go on. And so it should be.

So much to do in the kitchen these days...most days I'm up by 5 am making bread and I go straight in after work for preserving the veggies from the garden and the fruits gifted to me by all the thoughtful people in my life. I love my people.

So many tomatoes! Pizza sauce and pasta sauce. I really need to figure out the pickles. I need more hours in the day. Still on the list: spiced pear preserves and pickling some of these cucumbers.

I wish you were here so you could smell this cooking. It smelled so yummy and savory while it cooked up and simmered there. Looking at the stove, I also wish, while you were standing here enjoying the aroma, that you were holding a sponge.

A perfect dinner for our lovely three-day weekend that just passed. The weather was so glorious, all weekend! (this is the recipe, seriously, no amounts, just do it!) Chopped romas (and plenty of them!) fresh from the garden and still warm by the sun; basil, fresh from the garden (and lots of it!); minced garlic mixed in; and then covered in some olive oil, salt, and pepper. Let it sit, covered, to stew in its own glory. I let it sit all day while I went to work on Friday! Then I came home and cooked up some sweet sausage and boiled some spaghetti noodles and I don't mind telling you...it was heavenly. So simple, so fresh, so YUMMY. Fresh, homemade bread didn't hurt.

In between The Kitchen Chronicles, Erik and I took the boys to the park to ride bikes and eat ice cream (I'm a fan. Particularly novelty ice creams. Never met one I didn't want to eat. Just saying.) and I gave blood. More blood! I just did apheresis two weeks ago, and Erik said I was crazy, but they called twice asking for whole blood and it seemed like they really wanted me to go. I thought there must have been a run on blood, but they said, not really, it's just a busy time for accidents and lots of donors are on vacation, so, you know, they need you. You should donate. I got a t-shirt! Which is probably the least they could do, considering I just found out that the hospitals will pay $600 a pint for my ultra-rare blood type. I'm not looking to eliminate the middle man, but I did wonder for a second if I could turn this into some sort of cottage industry for extra cash. Is that wrong?

Thank you SO MUCH for your kind words these days. <3 <3

Grief

2010-09-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

If my mom were the type to allow naked displays of helplessness, you would be tempted (the day you found out her very best friend had died while holding her hand) to go directly to her side, give her a big hug, and tell her how sorry you are for her loss. My brother tried to do that, in fact, and her response to his outstretched arms was, and I quote, "Don't touch me." As she pushed past him.

Because I'm no amateur when it comes to dealing with her, I took a slightly different tact. I waited two days (I didn't even call her! let her wonder! haha!) then I showed up unannounced with two propagated hummingbird sages and two transplanted hollyhocks that self-started in my front yard. I said, "Hey. Look what I brought." With no other words, we headed outside to rake, dig, move, load, and water.

Because that's how we roll. Feeling blue? Get to work!

I was there for nine hours today. We worked in the yards, fed the horses, cleaned the goat pen, collected eggs, washed the miniature horse's pool, ran errands, downloaded photos, bought a Waldorf Doll from an Etsy shop for Marie's granddaughter, and watched a little college football for good measure. And in the smallest bits, with no prompting at all, she shared a few thoughts, a bit of her feelings, and some of her grief. Just the tiniest amounts, but it's not about what I needed her to do. It's about whatever she needs to get through this.

"I need you to do something for me," she said through tears as we raked. "Okay," I answered, already tearing up. "You have to go through my hope chest to get some pictures for Jenny for the service. I tried, and I can't do it."

That....wasn't pleasant, I won't lie to you. I giggled at some of the pictures, and cried over others, and generally needed to lie down and wash my face at the end of that little chore. But I can see her point. Obviously, she needed help with that one.

The service will be in a couple of weeks, as we wait for her youngest son to get over here from Hawaii, but it will be months...years...possibly ever....before my mom is able to really talk about what happened.

I plan to be there, if she ever decides to make the leap. I plan to be there if she doesn't, too.

Broken.

2010-09-03T18:56:00.000-07:00

Marie passed away this afternoon, peacefully.

My mother was by her side. Naturally.

How Do You Spell That?

2010-09-03T06:20:00.000-07:00

Now that I'm at day 10 of the school year (39 students now, and going ~~strong~~ crazy), it's easy to remember why I love teaching so much. Specifically, why I love teaching elementary school so much. Over the last few years, I've toyed with various scenarios where I would teach single subject math, but the pull to work with Littles is so strong!

For one thing, you can be as dorky as you want, and they don't even notice. And, lookit, I'm a dork. Full stop. So, yesterday we were doing Writer's Workshop. Next to math, it's my favorite subject to teach. I'm just so charmed by the students and their words!

Me: Writers, your stories are so important and interesting! This year, we're going to tell our stories and I can't wait to hear about all the exciting and wonderful things you are doing and thinking!
Them: One time.... I have a dog..... My favorite toy...
Me: Okay, you know what? I'm soooo excited to hear these stories, but first, let's pick just one story to tell. After you tell your story to your partner...
Them: Can I tell you?!
Me: I can't wait to hear, after you write it down...
Me: After you tell your story to your partner, you're going to get out your super special writing notebooks and get that important story down on paper before it floats away!

Students get busy. And loud. Oh my gato, this class is so spazzy! I tell myself (and cross my fingers) that it's because this room (and my patience limits) were never meant for this many children. We settle back and start to write, in relative silence for these monkeys. Did I mention the 39 eight year olds?

5 minutes in, a hand.

Student: Teacher?
Me: Yes?
Student: How do you spell alcohol?
Me: ....
Me: ....
Me: Ummmm....how about if you spell it like you hear it, for right now?
Student: Okay!

Yum.

2010-09-01T21:36:00.000-07:00

Such a bountiful time in the garden! Tomatoes, eggplant, cucumbers, squash...so yummy!

Oh, did I not mention...that PILE of tomatoes in the background?!? I've already got a batch of sauce going in the kitchen, but from the looks of my counters now, I'm a long a way from done. On the to-do-list over the next couple of days? Roasted veggies (with tofu and pasta ~ always always always a favorite!), Laurel's Kitchen zucchini casserole (this time with pictures!) and cleaning, prepping, and preserving a hojillion tomatoes. I think I can keep pace with the bumper crop of cukes and cherry tomatoes....it's quite a pile, but it's time to man up.

New Beginnings

2010-08-31T21:01:00.000-07:00

Like every other teacher I know, I love the beginning. I love a fresh start, a clean slate, an unopened box, a notebook that's never been written in....you get the picture. I worked hard this summer, cleaning the house and going through closets, and purging and sorting and generally driving my family to distraction with my insistence that it all be done before school starts.

So the boys exchanged their twin beds for a bunk bed. No ladder, you say? No ladder, I say. I only want you up there if you have the mad skillz to haul your ass up on your own volition. (Both of my kids can...but I don't want some play date disaster. Not on my watch!)

There's something so right about only having toys that you actually play with, books that you actually read, and clothes that you actually wear, in your life. It's so liberating!

And this closet is a must have for getting four people ready and out the door every morning, with minimum fuss and no breakdowns. Mine, that would be. Shoes (two pairs each) in their place, dressers (both in the closet) all stocked up, and socks for all my friends. It's a good way to start the year!