Life with Hugs

Things I Miss

2011-11-10T09:40:00.003-05:00

I can not express how happy we are to be back in Ohio, in our own home. It's been three months now (in case you missed how long I haven't posted). I could carry on about all of the things we missed. But there are a few things I miss about our time in California

A Good Morning - it's a breakfast and lunch place that is absolutely yummy. They had a machine that makes fresh squeezed orange juice. The omelets were divine. Chris loved their eggs benedict. There were Mickey Mouse pancakes for the kids. It was just fabulous. Except for the fact that it was a little small and crowded. We usually timed it right to not end up waiting for a table but by the end of our meal there would be a people lined up next to the door waiting for seats.

Squirrels - we don't have any squirrels here in our Ohio neighborhood. It's something I've always had around growing up and it feels weird not to look out and see a couple racing across the yard. For all of the rotten things about the house we rented in California, it did have some nice wildlife. Of course there were also rats and snakes and we once found a dead vole, but I once found a half eaten rabbit in our yard here. Anyway, the hummingbirds and squirrels were nice while we were there. The squirrels were particularly entertaining because it quickly became clear that it was gray squirrels versus black squirrels. There was chasing and leaping and chattering.

The Gym - since I didn't work (with the exception of tutoring over Skype during naptime) I didn't have much to do. We eventually developed a routine to our week and part of that routine was going to the gym. There was a kids room there with someone to watch over the kids while I worked out. Xander and Josie loved Jasmine and asked about her several times when we left. There was a plethora of cardio and lifting equipment. After some trial and error, we ended up going in the mornings three times a week. Two of those days I would attend Body Pump and the last day I would attend Zumba if there was a different instructor than the regular. The regular instructor drove me nuts. Some days I'd even go sit in the jacuzzi and relax. Between the pregnancy and not going to the gym, I feel like I've really regressed with my health since we've come back.

The Car Wash - I know there are plenty of car washes here, but they are all automatic with no one to work it. It was a little more expensive (okay, let's face it, everything was a little more expensive) but it was fun going to a fully manned car wash and seeing everyone doing their part. The penny horse for the kids and the free popcorn also added to the experience.

The Parks - while there were no parks close enough to walk to, there were many small parks with playgrounds in driving distance that I could probably spend a month going to them all. Part of our weekly routine was going to the park two or three afternoons a week. At first I was annoyed because they all had sand which would get into pockets and shoes and make a mess in the car and at home but I adjusted. It was rare for there not to be other kids and their mom/grandmother/nanny playing, so there was always someone to have a little chat with. We even met one family that we became good friends with at one of the playgrounds. The weather rarely became bad enough to stay home and since our house was so small it was nice to get out.

New Camera!

2011-06-30T11:13:00.005-05:00

We finally did buy a fancy new camera. One of Chris's current coworkers let us borrow his Nikon D40 to try it out before buying. I had so much fun trying to take pictures of the kids. I also spent too much time taking pictures of random objects like the mini Christmas tree we have out. I would take a picture, change some setting, take another picture, compare pictures, change settings, take a picture, etc. Since the coworker was going to sell the camera on eBay, we went ahead and bought it.

The lens was lent to us along with the camera but had to be returned. I spend a lot of time trying to research which lens to buy and ended up getting the same one we used. I thought I wanted zoom but ended up getting a 35 mm, which should work well for the pictures of the kids. I already posted a bunch with taken with the sprinkler ball.

Here are a few of my favorites so far.

I really need to work on getting the camera level instead of slightly tilted.

I also need to be careful of focusing on Josie's face and not the hair that is a few inches closer.

That's right, lots of curly hair pictures.

Practicing bowling.

I forget what was happening but this was definitely an action shot.

This is the look he has when asking for a Nintendo DS but before I tell him no.

Revolutionary!

2011-06-09T15:06:00.002-05:00

Here are a couple videos that are changing my (domestic) life.

First, how to fold a t-shirt quickly. They say 2 seconds in other versions but I count getting the t-shirt flat as part of the time. It's easy, I didn't even need to practice. The hardest part is remembering that when you are done one of the sleeves is outside of the fold and that is the side you should pick up the shirt so it doesn't fall apart. You may not understand the words (Japanese) but the technique is easy enough to pick up.

Next, I found out that I have been tying my shoes wrong for 30+ years. Thanks, Mom and Dad. The hardest part of this is I automatically double knot, which defeats the purpose. Also, the laces on my Converse are so long that I need to double knot them anyway. This one is a bit longer because it is explained.

Camera Envy

2011-05-25T16:17:00.002-05:00

A few months ago I checked out a book from the library called something like "How to Take Pictures of Your Baby." Not because we're having a baby, because we're not. Don't ask again. But because I want to take better pictures of the kids. I want cute close-ups of goofy grins and twinkling eyes with the blurry backgrounds. I want to capture the moment they pop the bubbles and run through the sprinklers.

Of course the biggest advice in the book is to get a better camera. A digital SLR is what it was referred to as. The kind where you change lenses and do all sorts of focusing and changing things called aperture and ISO. And when I looked into it, it's kind of expensive. Like more expensive than my fancy Kitchenaid Stand Mixer and fabulous Dyson vacuum cleaner. I mean, if I'd had to pay for the mixer or the vacuum. Anyway, the camera body and lenses are expensive even on ebay or craigslist.

So I have tried to focus on the other parts of picture taking, like composition and framing and what not. But I keep glancing at craigslist.

When we went to Yosemite I was astounded at the number of SLRs. Yeah, some had point-and-shoots like us. But there were obviously serious photgraphing (yeah, I said photographing) going on there. Super zoom lenses, tripods and camera cases were everywhere.

Then it happened. Our camera broke! The lens wouldn't retract. We could review pictures but because it could no longer focus or zoom, no more pictures.

I know we can take it somewhere to get it fixed but this is obviously a sign! All of the research I've done will come to fruition in a fancy new camera! My children will look adorable no matter if I snap a picture of a tantrum or have bad lighting! Well, we'll see. Chris is asking around for suggestions on cameras and lenses and we'll compare notes. Then, new camera! Whee!

Matchy-matchy

2011-04-27T15:26:00.003-05:00

Have you seen my new purse? I've only had it for a year. However, if I'm with the kids I will be sporting the diaper bag. But if you catch me by myself I will have my purse.

I seem to stick with Fossil purses. I don't care for leather purses with a lot of hardware. I want canvas and pockets. This one veered a little from what I usually get but I adored it. But I didn't buy it the first time I saw it. Any time I buy a purse on impulse I end up regretting it. And of course it was gone when I went back for it. I had to do an intense internet search to find it and then I had to wait until it was on sale.

More recently I decided that my wallet should be replaced. My old one has been good for well over five years, why not try something new. And I found this cute one, again from Fossil.

But when I went to buy it, the store had only one and the corner was all rubbed off. I was disappointed but browsed for a few minutes. Then I found this one. And I may or may not have named the little bee on it Herbert.

It wasn't until I went to check out that I realized how well it matched my purse. While I wanted to get a wallet that would compliment my purse, I didn't mean for it to match. Ah well, since the wallet (and Herbert) spends most of its time in the diaper bag I don't really need to worry about it.

Trying Something New

2011-04-18T15:14:00.003-05:00

While on vacation in San Diego, we tried a couple new places to eat. The one that I picked was called Pacific Coast Grill. It had good food reviews, stated it was child friendly and prices weren't bad. Imagine my surprise to show up, see a dark restaurant with lots of couples and not be given a children's menu. But the waitress had the children's menu memorized and bread appeared on the table immediately so we decided to tough it out.

Now most of you know that I am a picky eater. While growing up my mom would make me a hamburger any time there was meatloaf or spaghetti because I wouldn't touch them. In college I survived on cereal, pepperoni pizza and Mountain Dew.

Then along came Chris. On our second date he introduced me pineapple and ham pizza that he made. I was in love (with the pizza). Slowly, over eleven years now, he has gotten me to try new things. I'm still not a fan of Mexican cuisine but I've warmed up to Chinese and am willing to try new things more often.

So will scanning the menu at this restaurant I decide to try something a little different than normal. Kabobs. Ok, so that isn't too new. But I chose to have steak and salmon. I am not much of a seafood person (did you hear what happened to me at freshman Homecoming?) but I keep hearing how it's oh-so-good-for-you. So I took a chance.

And it was fabulous. It was the teriyaki sauce that made it taste not so fishy. It was the first time in quite a while that I actually cleaned my plate.

In an effort to start eating healthier, last night we had salmon, rice and asparagus for dinner. I thought "This needs teriyaki sauce!" but alas there was no such sauce in the house. But in a flash of inspiration I looked up a recipe online. I had all of the ingredients so I whipped out a pot, set it on the oven and threw in the ingredients. Chris had already started to grill salmon and some steak but the sauce was ready in minutes so he poured some on.

Again, fabulous! Xander even ate the fish with no complaints, even asked for extra sauce.

I love it when a plan comes together.

Doctor, Doctor, Give Me the News

2011-04-15T10:10:00.002-05:00

Last week I received a letter from our family doctor in Ohio. He stated that his practice would close in June and he would be moving to West Virgina for a new position. So I am stuck with finding a new family doctor (and perhaps a pediatrician) that will accept our insurance. And I need to this without meeting the new doctor because we are in California until August. But I need to get it done so that records can be transferred over before the old doctor moves away.

You'd think it would be easy with all of the websites and technology nowadays. The insurance website lists the doctors, right? Yes, except that for some reason they don't have any doctor's in our zip code. I can't tell if it's a technology glitch (a message came up one time implying such) or if there are really no doctors close to us. I may try to call the insurance but have to work up the nerve to be on hold for twenty minutes before I talk to someone.

I sent out a couple emails to local friends asking for recommendations. The one doctor repeatedly recommended is not taking new patients. Boo! And since all of the patients from the old doctor are trying to find a new doctor, I am nervous about availability.

I guess I'll wait for a few more recommendations and then just call to see if they take our insurance. I just hope that I don't end up having to drag a sick child on a forty minute car ride to be told it's just a cold.

Weather Warnings

2011-03-18T15:35:00.003-05:00

I woke up last Friday to a text asking if we were going to be okay, with the wall of water heading our way. I was confused a little. I didn't see anything about a big storm heading our way. Then I checked the news on my phone and saw the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Then I turned on the television to hear about the tsunami warnings in our area.

I wasn't worried about us. There is a line of mountains directly between us and the ocean. There is a bay near us but it would still be hard for the water to get through to the bay and then to here. We're down in the lower bay area.

While I wasn't worried about us, I was still glued to the news throughout the day. Some lower regions along the coast were evacuated and the highways clogged. Some people went out to see what was going on and get pictures. One of those guys was actually knocked over and pulled out to sea. Some of the harbors were destroyed. There was a clip of a distraught woman on the news that sticks with me. She clearly was wealthy and upset about the boats getting destroyed but since some of those boats were homes I can see how is was upsetting.

That of course pales in comparison to the destruction in Japan. I saw a clip last night of people wandering through the wreckage while it was snowing and I just can't imagine what it must be like. There are lots of videos out there, but I thought the six minute clip (that now I can't find) really showed the tsunami best. I figured it would be a huge wave that came in (thanks, Hollywood) but these six minutes show the destruction totally differently.

Today, as we are getting ready for lunch, Full House was interrupted with a tornado warning. This one threw me for a loop for two reasons. First, they have tornadoes here? What? Second, where do we go in this shrinky dink house? I texted Chris and informed him of the warning and that we would be in the coat closet.

I thought that when we moved here our biggest concern would be an earthquake. The Big One is coming and California will float away from the rest of the continental US. Tsunamis should be expected, I just didn't know that. Tornadoes though?

Side note: I really should get an earthquake kit together.

I Lost Chris's Heart

2011-03-07T23:44:00.003-05:00

For the Valentine's Day during the time I was pregnant with Xander (2007, for those of you not keeping score), Chris decided he wanted to buy me a special ring. He doesn't buy me jewelry very often and I don't feel the need to have a large collection of expensive baubles. The thought of Chris wanting to get me something nice before the our firstborn arrived appealed to me.

Chris was able to design a ring on a website. He chose a sapphire for the center (my birthstone) and emeralds shaped as hearts on either side (his birthstone). A ring to symbolize how I'm the center of his heart. Squish!

I wasn't able to wear it through the end of the pregnancy. I was scared to wear it while Xander was newborn for fear of scratching him. I was able to wear it when he was a little bigger. Then I was pregnant with Josie and the same order of events occurred.

I've been wearing this ring for a couple months now when tragedy struck Friday morning. I realized one of the green hearts was missing. I have no idea when it fell out and there is no sign of it anywhere in the house (which doesn't mean much).

I'm sad that it is gone. But not as freaked out as when I thought I'd lost my diamond wedding earrings when we moved. Chris said he'll buy me a new ring and at the time I replied "Why, I'll just lose it too" but I wasn't serious. Hint, hint.

Date Night!

2011-03-01T17:02:00.002-05:00

Lori and Dave, my friends from Ohio, decided to vacation in California last week and were kind enough to visit us for a couple days. I feel a little bad that we didn't do anything exciting together but they did say they were tired from days of sight seeing. We treated them to sitting in our living room and going to the playground a couple times.

They were kind enough to repay us with babysitting! Whee! Freedom for an entire evening! Date time! And we were specifically told to stay out as late as we wanted.

Chris and I headed for dinner first and, despite Chris subtly asking for a burger and beer, we ended up at a nice Chinese restaurant called Chef Chu's. The kids don't do well with rice or noodles so I figured we should take advantage of it while we could. There are all sorts of celebrity pictures along the wall of the waiting section. Turns out the son of the owner is a movie director. I was especially entralled by the large Justin Bieber (oh, I had to look up how to spell that!) Never Say Never poster.

We debated going to see a movie but settled instead on bowling! It has been forever since I've been bowling. When I was little my family would go a few times a year. At various stages my grandparents and parents have been involved in leagues. I was a gutter ball queen in those early years but too stubborn to allow bumpers to be put in.

Imagine my surprise as I managed to get a couple strikes, several spares and even scored 101 in my second game. If only I had found a better ball, I could have gotten a turkey! (That's three strikes in a row for those who don't remember their grade school bowling lesson.) (What, you didn't have bowling in gym class? Heathen.)

At one point during the evening the little girl a couple lanes over from us was playing with her bowling ball and dropped it. Of course it rolled right over into our lane and down into the gutter. It proceeded to roll most of the way down, stop, start to roll back towards us, then stop completely. We had to ask an employee to get it. He kidded me about not throwing it hard enough when he went to hand the ball back to me at which point I told him it was the little girl's ball. Her mom made her apologize and I yelled at her for ruining my concentration. Just kidding, I wanted to see if you were still paying attention.

After bowling, Chris and I picked up a couple desserts and headed home. It wasn't a late night out, because the kids will still be up at 6 am, but it was so nice just to be out together and not feel rushed, harried or pestered.

Any of you planning on visiting us better be prepared for some serious children time.

Have Computer, Will Tutor

2011-02-22T16:44:00.002-05:00

Since having the kids, I have been tutoring in order to make a little extra money. I enjoy teaching and, quite frankly, I like talking to anyone over the age of three during the course of the day.

I advertised when I first started. I made business cards, for lack of a better description, and handed them out at the local schools. The last high school I taught at has me listed as a tutor. I even signed up at on online tutor search site.

Each year I've had about three or four students. Some found me through the high school I taught at, some through the business cards. A couple students are from the school I currently teach at, either to prep to get into my class or after they've gone on to high school.

This past summer I had to let a couple students know that I would be moving away for the year and would be unable to tutor them during that time. The one girl left and called within five minutes (seriously, I thought she called because she left something at my house) and said she'd like to continue working with me. She asked if I could get a webcam and Skype.

I talked it over with Chris and we decided it would be no problem. I talked with the parent of the other student I was going to tutor and they wanted in on that too. I even talked to a couple people who said "Why don't you try teaching your class that way, so you don't have to take a year off from teaching?" I decided against that because I am just too hands on with projects and I didn't want to deal with parent conferences, grading and other nuances from across the country.

So now I have three days a week that I put the kids down for their naps and turn on the computer. It has worked out extremely well, thought it's not as nice as being there. I use a white board to hold up problems and show work and my students do the same. There are little problems like feedback or connection issues but they have been minor.

There are only two little problems. The tutoring needs to be during nap time because otherwise I spend too much time shooing the children away and trying to distract them. "Who are you talking to, Mom? Oh, hi Clare! Look at this!" And there is the time difference of three hours. So even if I wanted to tutor in the evening, it's ten o'clock at night for my students.

I'm still getting requests for tutoring from different places. I received a call from a mom from the high school and she said I had such nice things said about me, it was hard to turn her down. And despite putting up a sign saying "unavailable" on the tutoring website, I am still getting requests from their. Which reminds me, I have to go politely decline someone that just sent an email today.

I've thought about tutoring here in California. However, this house isn't big enough for me to tutor a student while the kids play quietly in the other room. There is no other room. It's a dining room/ living room combo. I'd have to lock the kids in the bedroom and then would find every stitch of clothing, every diaper and every wipe strewn across the floor.

Not Cold Enough

2011-02-08T16:05:00.003-05:00

On Friday morning, as we prepared breakfast, we noticed that there was some strange water in the freezer. We figured we'd left the door cracked overnight and went about our day.

After lunch, I noticed that the ice cubes were definitely melting. I had repeatedly checked that the door was closed throughout the morning, so my reaction was "uh-oh."

That night at dinner Chris pointed out that the milk was definitely not as cold as usual. He pulled out the refrigerator to check the coils and vents, but there was a back covering everything. We promptly emailed and texted the landlady to let her know we had a problem. She let us know that she'd come over Saturday to check it out.

Her "checking it out" only involved getting measurements. She didn't bother even opening the doors or pulling it out. Instead she went out and bought a new refrigerator. Which is awesome except that for whatever reason the store couldn't deliver it until Wednesday.

If it were just Chris and I, we'd make do. But having the kids and eating most meals at home presented some problems. So we splurged on a mini-fridge!

Isn't it cute? Reminds me of college. And, oddly enough, it's louder than the old, full-sized refrigerator. We're keeping some basics in it and going to the grocery store daily to pick up meat for dinner.

Meanwhile, Chris rolled the old refrigerator out into the courtyard for the guys to pick up when the new one is dropped off. He tossed most of the food. That created a problem unto itself. They have mini garbage cans here to impose the rules about less waste. The landlady already filled half of it with her garbage and we'd already filled the other half. So, Chris dropped two more garbage bags into the yard waste bin (which is not used) and I transferred them onto the top of the garbage can this morning just before the garbage truck came through.

The new refrigerator should be here tomorrow. I don't expect anything grandiose but I am excited that all of the shelves should work to hold in food and not break and let food fall every time the door is opened.

Fixer Upper

2011-02-02T23:46:00.005-05:00

I keep meaning to post things about the house we are staying in. I plan on doing a nice post about the plants that bloom around here. We saw tulips coming up in a neighborhood lawn while out walking this weekend. Tulips, in January! It blows my mind! I'm used to tulips in March and April and worrying about them when they get an inch of snow covering them. Not here though.

However, things aren't looking all that peachy at our place right now. I could show lots of pictures and rant on and on about things that need fixed or that we would change. Then I remind myself that it's not my house and it is perfectly suitable for living in.

However, when you come home to overgrown bushes and mud every day, it can be a downer.

Funny, the owner did trim these bushes yesterday. I don't know for sure what prompted it but I do know that trimmed off chunks of bush are lying in a long pile out there now. I am confident that they will be there for days to come.

I think I've finally broken Josie of the habit of running through the mud, getting in the car and then smearing her shoe all over the car door.

Ah, but better than coming home to overgrown landscaping is coming home to a water heater next to the driveway!

It's not lawn art, I checked. I left a subtle hint that we'd like it gone in the owner's mail. It's a flyer advertising free pick up of large items this week. I highlighted the date and where it listed water heater. See, I told you it was subtle.

We've told everyone about the compost pile in the back yard.

Nothing to fence it in, just grass and leaves added to it every other week. And children trying to climb into it. And the ant trail leading to it. Squirrels digging into it. Nowhere for it to get used.

The best part of the pile is the plywood and wires thrown into one end of it. Totally biodegradable!

I can only hope that the trimmed bushes get added to the compost pile.

Life Gave Me Lemons

2011-01-25T16:33:00.003-05:00

One of Chris's coworkers invited our family to get together with his family and we've done so a couple of times. It's nice to go out to breakfast with another couple and their little kid. During the course of the last get together they lamented that their lemon tree had so many lemons that they didn't know what to do with them. My response was "Send some over, I've got a stand mixer." And so it began.

It started out with four lemons. After combing through my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook I decided to make lemon bars. The 'furnished' home we are in even had a zester and old fashioned juicer (you know, where you take half of a lemon and crush it onto the juicer and twist it). I have got to get my own zester and juicer.

The lemon bars turned out pretty tasty. I'm not a huge fan because of the lack of chocolate in lemon bars, but I still went back for seconds. We ended up sending most of them with Chris for work (with some set aside for our friends who sent the lemons). They were such a hit that more were requested.

Which meant that I needed a few more lemons. And somehow a dozen more were sent over. So I made the extra lemon bars and then eyeballed the rest of the lemons, debating what to do with them. I actually wanted to try lemon meringue pie, but the stirring and cooking never seems to coincide with the kids leaving me alone long enough to stir and cook.

After more time spent looking through my cookbook, I decided on lemon sponge cake. I was adventurous and put it in a bundt cake pan, but it didn't come out of the pan easily. So it doesn't look all the pretty and had a chunk missing. I made some lemon glaze and dribbled it over the cake.

Oh, it is so delicious. It's angel food cake with a lemon kick. When Chris found out I made it from scratch, well, he used some foul language to express his delight.

I still have at least six lemons left, so that pie might still be made.

Working Out

2011-01-18T16:49:00.002-05:00

As I left the gym on Friday, someone stopped me and said they noticed I'd lost a few inches. Yeah!

We joined a gym when we arrived in California. In Ohio, we have free weights in the basement and we had a treadmill but sold it when we left. I never got into a good workout groove while there, though there were a couple attempts at running and using a Jillian Michaels workout video.

The gym we are at has a kids area where someone will watch the munchkins while I workout. It took a couple weeks for Josie to get acclimated but the kids are now excited to go. It has limited hours (9-1 and 5-8 during the week) and sometimes it is full by the time I get there. And there have been repeated times that the kids have severely runny noses and coughs, so I don't get to bring them in.

Overall, I've really like working out at this gym. I tried the Zumba class a couple times but didn't care for it. I'm not sure if I disliked the class itself or the instructor who wore super tight clothes that displayed enhanced assets. Now I'm taking the Body Pump class. It's weight lifting to music and it's focused on repetitions. It gets my heart rate up and I enjoy being in a class, it's more motivating.

On other days I used the elliptical and have finally worked up to running again. I'm not great at it or fast but I was so thrilled the first time I ran a mile. For Christmas I even received an arm band and ear buds so I can listen to music while I run.

I have to admit, I also like the hot tub in the pool area.

I haven't lost much weight. I've lost a few inches as fat converts to muscle. But I have felt so much better in general. I may have to join a gym when we return to Ohio...

Hugs the Bug Slayer

2010-11-24T16:33:00.003-05:00

When we first moved into our humble new abode it was easy to see the spiderwebs in all of the corners of every room. It was also easy to see the giant spiders in all of the spiderwebs in all of the corners of every room. They reminded me of daddy-long-legs, but a smidge smaller. I call them sonny-long-legs.

The first Monday that we were here I declared war. I had a fuzzy duster and I went from room to room getting all of the webs down and whacking the spiders. Seriously, I whacked them with the duster. Usually I make Chicks do all of the spider murdering, but this was war! I suppose, as general of the household, I could have sent Chicks into spider combat but I wanted to intimidate the spiders into surrender.

The next day I found three more sonny-long-legs. The day after that I realized that about 1/3 of the spider webs had returned. So I pulled out the vacuum and extensions and sucked up the spiders and their webs.

I spent about a month killing at least one spider every day. It was hardcore.

They did get some revenge. I woke up one night with something biting my back. I had the welts to prove it. And there are spiders outdoors that make those gorgeous webs you see in pictures. I walked right into one of those webs one day.

The spiders seem to have retreated. They've sent in the troops though, the ant troops. The land lady mentioned that 'when it gets cold, there might be a few ants in the kitchen.' Turns out that she means if it gets below 60 there will be ants everywhere.

It started out with ants outside. The ant line honestly went around half of the property, from the front corner to the back corner. I mentioned this to her, she didn't care and muttered something about ants being good.

As it became colder, there was an ant here or there. I didn't like it, but put out the ant traps she left for us. Then I sprayed the perimeter of the house with spray she left us. I mean, I saw how many ants there were trooping across the driveway to get to the compost pile out back and I didn't want them marching their way in here.

Those ants are resourceful little buggers. As the temperature drops and rain appears, they get inside everywhere. This weekend I found some on the changing table and then realized that an entire line marched along the wall of the kids room. I vacuumed them up and put a trap in there with the door closed. However, there isn't a good place to leave the trap where the kids won't get it.

The next morning we woke to ants streaming out of the utility closet across the dining room. You probably are thinking that they found crumbs, but I've swept (with images of those ants in mind) and we followed them, they weren't getting food. One line meandered into the kitchen but didn't find anything in there even.

Then I walked back into our room and saw the ants on the floor there, wondering where they came from. Well, obviously the ceiling is the perfect place for ants to come in. We actually stuck sticky tack in that hole which helped for a little while.

This morning the ants were tracking from the closet (right past two ant traps) to underneath the couch. Once again, no crumbs so we don't know what they found interesting.

I'm giving a conservative estimate to killing 800+ ants in the past three days.

Since we're renting, we are trying to get help but are hitting a wall. I don't think I can say much more than that right now. Hopefully we can take care of it because I don't like having to clean ants out of the crib before I lay Josie down for a nap.

Give Me a Break

2010-11-12T16:09:00.002-05:00

Last year I had a nice, cushy part-time job that required dropping the kids off at the sitter's house for about an hour and a half each day. It was a perfect little break for them to see other kids and for me to teach for forty minutes.

Since moving, I have no job. And I have no sitter. So there is no break and Xander and Josie get to feel my endless love all day long. Which sounds great on paper but comes with a lot more temper tantrums and crying in reality. I'll let you guess who is having the tantrums and crying.

Within two weeks I sat Chris down and told him I needed a night off. It's not for me, it's for the kids! They are getting too attached and needy by being with me all of the time. All. Of. The. Time. Chris quickly saw the sense in my words, and possibly a little crazy in my eyes and agreed to take care of the kids on Thursday nights and I could go about my merry way.

So I get Thursday nights free! I can do what I want! Go where I want! Unless Chris has to work late. Or Chris misses his workout. And what am I going to do, really? Shopping? Nice, but we only have so much money. Sit at Panera and read? Yes, unless I don't have an interesting book. Walk in the park? Except it's really dark out.

Yesterday Chris actually came home a little early, bless him. So I went and saw a movie all by myself. I saw Red, which I really liked. It's been a while since I've seen a good action-comedy movie. Of course, it's been a while since I've been to the movies. Um, maybe a year and a half. I think the last one I saw in theaters was the second Twilight movie. Or was it Marley and Me. Anyway, I enjoyed relaxing and laughing in the company of strangers. Chris did not enjoy his evening quite so much. I can't say I'm sorry not to have been there.

Because One Person Asked

2010-10-28T23:08:00.002-05:00

Here it is in all of it's orange-y glory!

So far I've made peanut butter cookies, white bread (which turned out a little flat), pizza dough (so much better than frozen) and oatmeal cookies. I've realized that it's not doing anything I can't do, but, really, I don't have the forearm strength to knead dough or cream butter and sugar well. Therefore I am happy to have this stand mixer.

Xander likes it too. And Josie, she makes me pick her up to watch.

Now the big question is what to pick for the rebate. The current rebate is to get an extra bowl, a food grinder attachment or a shredder/slicer attachment. I'm thinking the extra bowl would be good for when I make and frost a cake. But then I think of the fun I'd have slicing and shredding vegetables. And then I think of how I don't feel like grinding food, so I'm striking that from the list. Should I get the bowl or slicer/shredder?

It's here, it's here!

2010-10-22T15:20:00.002-05:00

Some of you may recall that back in July I had The Challenge. Brief refresher - do all of my chores in July and I could get a fancy stand mixer. And, if you couldn't guess by the lack of follow up, the result was Challenge Fail. I blame it on Chris being gone for a week in July and going on vacation for a week in July. I really didn't take that into account when I thought of the whole thing. Hey, I did get more of the house cleaned than usual, so it wasn't a complete waste of time.

In August it occurred to me that my birthday was coming up in September, so I started dropping subtle hints to Chris. Like when he asked me what I wanted for my birthday I would say "A KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer in Tangerine." Yeah, he didn't get the hint.

So after my birthday I asked if we could use his hotel reward points to get the mixer. It didn't come in the color that I wanted, but it would still be free. Much like the Dyson vacuum cleaner I received last year using his hotel reward points. Darn, I miss that vacuum.

Anyway, there were not enough points to get the stand mixer. Argh! But there were enough to get a gift card. And there were enough credit card reward points to cover the rest of the cost. So can you guess what I ordered and arrived earlier this week? Did you guess a KitchenAid Artisan stand mixer in Tangerine? Because, believe me, Majestic Yellow and Green Apple also caught my eye.

Ok, I did get the Tangerine! I'd post a picture, but I figure that would move me from the 'slightly obsessed' side of the line to 'completely lost it' side.

I broke it in earlier with a batch of peanut butter cookies. Some bread and pizza crust will follow this weekend. I will probably take pictures of those.

For Fun

2010-10-13T16:19:00.005-05:00

There's this website called Woot! that sells one item a day, usually technology related. It has a related site for shirts called Shirt.Woot! where there is a new shirt everyday. There are also some ongoing contests that artists can submit and possibly get their shirts up for a day.

I'm sure if I spent time I could get lots of shirts from lots of websites that I want. Here are just a few that I found on the Woot site. Instead of showing the entire shirt, I'll just show the design (because that is how I saved them).

Because I do love math:

Order of operations is so important in real-world applications:

This one is called "The Four Little Ponies of the Apocolypse."

I just find this one amusing:

Trying Something New

2010-10-08T15:45:00.002-05:00

Anyone who has met Chris knows he loves the band Pearl Jam.

Side story: Our 13 year old babysitter does not know who Pearl Jam is. I told her it was a band and not to tell Chris that she didn't know them. Then I felt old.

Chris has gone to many PJ concerts and gotten a t-shirt at most of them. And every once in a while someone will give him a PJ t-shirt. As time goes by the shirts get worn out or shrink and get retired to my craft closet or my pajama drawer.

Before we left Ohio, I decided that the time was ripe to begin The Project. I would create a quilt out of the Pearl Jam shirts!

First step, talk to my Grandma V about quilting. She has lots of experience at hand quilting and gave me a basic run through. She scoffed at people who use machines to quilt, so that's a little intimidating.

Second step, cut up the t-shirts. I kept looking over my shoulder at this point, waiting for lightning to strike me down. After much deliberation on my part, I decided to cut out 9.5" squares.

Then after more deliberation, I cut the bigger pictures in 9.5" by 15" rectangles.

There is one that will be 15" by 15" when I am done. I think I found all of the shirts that were retired, worn as pajamas or worn for workouts except for two that were shipped off to California.

The third step was to cut out matching shapes of lightweight, woven interfacing. Interfacing is ironed on to things to give it more stability. It will make the squares and rectangles a little thicker than I'd like but they won't pull and bunch as easily when doing the actual knitting.

The next step will be to actually iron the interfacing onto the squares and rectangles. However, the project was left in Ohio and will be put on the back burner until August.

The hardest part is picking what color material to use as border. Chris said black, but he also wants to hang this quilt on the wall and black will probably show cat hair and dust pretty easily. Any thoughts, what color would go well with all of those shirts?

For me? I shouldn't have!

2010-10-01T14:43:00.003-05:00

In the house where we are living, the kitchen has these nice greenhouse windows. I'll show them to you sometime when I give you a 'tour'. I considered buying some herbs to grow in the windows and then I'd always have fresh herbs when I cook. Back home I can't do that because of the cats. But if I did that here, would I even use the herbs? And what would I do with them when we move back?

Instead, I decided that I will just always have fresh cut flowers in the window. Chris grabbed a bouquet when we went grocery shopping the first week here. Some of the flowers died after a few days, but the rest lasted nearly three weeks.

While I was out today I decided to pick up some gerber daises. I love these flowers. They are so big and so bold. I tried growing some in flower pots back home but they never flourished.

There is something about having flowers around the house that just always makes me smile. I used to have a hang up about having Chris get me flowers, but I've gotten over that. If I want flowers, then I'll just get them myself. Although, Chris is always welcome to bring home some for me.

MyPhone

2010-09-20T15:25:00.003-05:00

In preparation for our big trip, Chris and I decided to get new, fancy phones. iPhones, in fact. Our old phones were fine, but we wanted easier texting and liked all of the features and decided to splurge. It turned out to be an even bigger splurge because the only ones available were the phones with more memory. I actually don't know how I made it through the process without having an anxiety attack.

Chris's has been great. He loves it.

I seem to have troubles though. First, my account was set up wrong and instead of being on a family plan with Chris I was set up individually. This was corrected but we still received a bill for the wrong account. Chris fixed that. Then we received a notice that my service would be discontinued if I didn't pay that bill. Chris fixed it again. I'm waiting to see what happens.

Then there is my bad luck with the phone itself. Less than two weeks after getting the phone I was talking to Chris when the call dropped. (This happens a little too often for me, but we don't have great service in either house.) I waited for him to call back and about ten minutes later I figured I would call him. But my phone was dead. Nothing came on. Nothing turned off. Nothing charged. It was just a nicely assembled pile of parts.

I took it to the store the next day and they agreed. Dead. They replaced it with no charge and no hassle, which was great. It was not great that I lost photos, contacts, calendar information, etc. But I picked myself up and moved on.

Last week I was finally able to hook up my iPhone to my iTunes to sync up the information. It asked me if I wanted to restore. Like a ninny, I agreed. I thought "It will warn me if it deletes anything, all programs give warnings." No, it did not. This time it was hundreds of photos lost. Family and friends pictures I took specifically before leaving Ohio. Pictures of the house in case something happens and so I can plan remodeling. Pictures of the kids. Pictures of the beginning of the Pearl Jam quilt I will make for Chris. Gone! I also lost all of my contacts again.

I may have cried a little. Chris didn't know what to say to make it better.

I called and talked to the help people, they agreed it was gone.

I think I've recovered from that loss. I have my contacts back because I did bring my old phone and was able to get some from Chris's phone. There is nothing to be done about the pictures though. When I see you all next year, I may not recognize you.

Update!

2010-09-13T14:41:00.002-05:00

You thought I stopped blogging, didn't you? You can admit it. I know I'm not the best at following through and I've had this blog for a couple of years.

But I didn't stop, I was just unable to blog. This was due to my computer being in a different state from me and having two life forms that formed an alliance to keep me away from any other computers. But now I am in the same state, even the same house, as my computer and can hopefully focus on updating my blog and the kids blog a couple of times a week.

Oh, squirrel!

In case you haven't heard, we moved to California. We are here for a year and will return to Ohio soon after. Although, if you talk to anyone else they think we will end up pregnant and staying here. Seriously, I was going to hit the next person who said 'pregnant' or 'stay in California.' Well, not hit, but at least give a death glare.

There's the black squirrel!

We are renting a house here and it's quite an adjustment. The kids have to share a room, there is less space inside and outside, and it was already furnished so we are using someone else's furniture, cooking utensils, etc. There's also several things that need to be fixed still. And I was told that, by good fortune, the house was baby proofed. It's sad that having half of the outlets with covers is calling a house baby proof. Now I actually have to interact with my children.

Hmm, none of the squirrels are eating the rotten apple Chris put out. Smart little critters.

It is great to have Chris back. He took a week to drive out with our clothes, toys, computer, etc. and then worked for nearly three weeks. It was lonely for him and lonely for me, Xander and Josie. I would have blogged about it, but once again there was no computer for me. I do see that Chris blogged about it. Give him Husband Points!

Hummingbird!

So I will be updating more often and sharing about our adventures here ($30 for a carryout pizza!) and the usual (teaching, crafts, etc.).

The Challenge

2010-07-14T13:11:00.004-05:00

For some time I have (irrationally) desired a stand mixer. As time has gone by this has developed very specifically into a Kitchenaid Artisan stand mixer in tangerine orange or buttercup yellow. Not that I plan to redecorate the kitchen to match. That's just insane.

But as you may or may not know, those mixers are a little expensive. It's not something I'm comfortable asking for as a gift. Chris, being awesome, said I could go ahead and get one. My subtle hints that I needed one really made his eyes roll though. However, it's not something I'm just comfortable walking into a store and buying.

So I have issued myself a Challenge. Now, I've never been great at motivating myself. Workouts and diets fall to the wayside after a couple of days. So when I discussed this Challenge with Chris, I'm pretty sure he was chuckling on the inside.

Many of you have seen this cork board at our house in the dining area. It contains little hanging envelopes for coupons, the calendar and, among other things, the CFO list.

(wow, I need to clean that up)

I can't remember if I've told you about my Chief Family officer list or not, but it's a list of chores that I made so I can keep track of what I've done and what I haven't done for a while. In my world I always just dusted, until I check the CFO list and see it's been an embarrassing amount of time. The list is split up into weekly chores (with five columns for the four to five weeks in a month), monthly chores and seasonal chores.

Here's where the Challenge comes in. I have never once completed every chore on a CFO list. You know, things just get prioritized and polishing the silver just doesn't happen four times a year like it should be.

My goal this July is to completely finish my CFO list, even the seasonal items that don't need to be done until the end of August. Then I will claim my prize!

(And I haven't mentioned this to Chris, but maybe each month after July I will have additional challenges that will result in fun mixer attachments like an ice cream maker)

Let them eat butterfly cake

2010-07-01T12:39:00.004-05:00

For Josie's first birthday party, I wasn't obsessed with having a theme. I did, however, figure I would use the colors pink, orange and yellow. And I would also use butterflies. And so I began looking for ideas for butterfly cakes.

I thought to possibly just use a cake mold. But that would entail buying a cake mold.

I thought about cutting and carving a cake to look like a butterfly. There is a great suggestion of using a round cake, cut it in half and switch halves, then trim a little to make the two semi-circles into the butterfly. However, I seem to have massive crumb trouble whenever I level or trim a cake.

I thought about making a sheet cake and just drawing and decorating a butterfly on it. Boring!

And it was suggested to me to make a cupcake cake. I've read too much Cake Wrecks to even attempt a cupcake cake.

One of the first suggestions to me was to make chocolate butterflies out of melted chocolate. At first I dismissed that idea as too fancy, but after not liking any of the other ideas, I decided to go for it. I bought some white melting candies and melted them in the microwave. I drew template of a pair of separated wings on a piece of paper. I also drew antenna but decided not to attempt them. I put the paper underneath wax paper. I put the melted candies in a pastry bag and drew over the wax paper using the template for a guide. Once I finished one set I would move the paper template underneath the wax paper and draw another set of wings.

Even with the air conditioner running, it was a hot day. So I stuck each sheet in the refrigerator while I made the next sheet. I think I made 16 sets of wings all together. It was the first time I've done anything like this and it took a little practice. They turned out very fragile and I broke more than one while getting them off of the wax paper. Ok, I broke like six. Then I realized I probably shouldn't use a dinner knife to peel them off. Once I used a spatula, they came up nice and neat.

Next I placed a piece of wax paper with a crease into an open book. I put a small strip of melted candy down for the body, stuck the wings in and globbed more candy on top. Back into the refrigerator until cake decorating time.

I decided to make box cakes, fun-fetti for the sheet cake and chocolate cupcakes. The cupcakes just had frosting swirled onto them and butterflies randomly added.

The cake turned out gorgeous but still home-made looking. I loved it!

Here was the one butterfly that broke one wing. I thought it looked cute sitting on the flower.

Turns out that everyone else liked the cake and cupcakes. All of the cupcakes were gone and only a little corner of cake was leftover. There is no better compliment than that when backing.

He Is Their Father

2010-06-22T19:46:00.004-05:00

My Darth Vader imitation is bad enough, so I'm sure having it typed out totally obliterates the reference.

So! For Father's Day I bought Chris something ultra-special. Well, I think it's ultra-special, everyone else may roll their eyes at me. It's Star Wars Pancake Molds! Oh, how I nearly shrieked when I found these. I had stumbled across the cookie presses, but was hesitant because actually decorating Star Wars cookies would be time consuming. Then I found the pancake molds and just bounced in my seat and giggled madly.

They worked surprisingly well even if they don't look as nice as the package. I did buy the fancy 'pancake pen' to squirt the batter into the mold. You can see where the different squirts overlap. I think it just makes Vader look scarier.

The molds don't sit flush against the griddle but didn't leak everywhere, so I'm cool with that.

The best thing is that when you put the pancake on the plate and pour syrup on or slather on the jam, it puddles up in the eyes and mouth and looks really cool and tastes fabulous.

Now every holiday will be celebrated with Yoda. Xander and Josie will find it strange that no one else gets clone pancakes for Flag Day.

For Sale

2010-05-28T13:57:00.002-05:00

We're having a garage sale this weekend. During the past year we have slowly piled up things we haven't used. Then, a little over a month ago, Chris made me clean out clothes that I haven't worn in .... a while.

When I think "Hey, I had two kids" it's ok that I haven't worn those clothes. When I think "Hey, it's been four years since I've worn those and they don't fit", well, it's a little harder to justify everything. Plus, some of the clothes were a little dated. And Chris pointed out that other people could be wearing these nice clothes. So, with a few tears, I purged my closet and drawers.

My sister also is selling stuff at the garage sale. Apparently she had a friend come over to help and her friend had to take the role of Chris.

For my mom, who I know will read this, T and I are not becoming you and Aunt K. Even if we do have the same pair of shoes on the garage sale.

Every time one of her shirts was sold today, T would get all nostalgic and teary eyed. I'm happy to say, I didn't miss the clothes a bit. Even letting go of my Reality Bites CD was ok. Wait, did I just date myself?

Happy Spring!

2010-04-18T16:32:00.004-05:00

I love spring time in our yard. The daffodils were especially nice this year. They are spread out in patches all around the back yard and, even on a gloomy day, they seem like little spots of sunshine. Every year, without fail, the daffodils will bloom and then get snowed on. I used to worry about them, but I've come to realize that the flowers probably expect the snow, this being Ohio and all.

Our front plots have tulips. Our first year, the tulips were all bright red and yellow with a couple of purple hiding in the corners. However, we take advantage of the 10 free bulbs from a local nursery and have added in some white ones.

Yeah, there must be some cross-pollination thing going on. This year there are some gorgeous color combinations coming up. Yellow with red edges, red with yellow edges, white with purple edges, they are all so fun.

I have no idea where the pink tulip came from, but it is a beautiful shade and I want more.

And below is the picture of the really weird ones. They are shorter than the rest, possibly because they are further under the tree. At first glance they look diseased, but if you look closer they are just a strangle mottled white and purple combination. We definitely did not plant these and I have never seen anything like them (I say like I am some sort of tulip expert).

I hope everyone has had a chance to 'stop and smell the roses' with the some of the gorgeous weather we have had this spring.

Emergency!

2010-03-16T07:13:00.002-05:00

Yesterday at about 4 pm Chris calls me and the following ensues.

Chicks: Stop what you are doing and get on the computer now.

Hugs: Ooooookay. But my student will be here for tutoring at any minute.

Chicks: Well, she will have to wait!

I do not question this but assume something monumental has happened like a plane into a tower or landing in a river, or possibly the death of someone. So I apprehensively wait for the computer to boot up. And I try not to make a crack about how the new RAM in the computer does not seem to be making it faster, because joking would have been inappropriate in the face of the unknown disaster I am about to read about.

Hugs: I assume I need internet?

Chicks: Yes. (You can hear the tension.)

Hugs: Ok, where do I go?

Chicks: pearljam.com

At this point I assume that Eddie is hospitalized or Stone is dead. Then it clicks.

Hugs: You need me to order tickets, don't you?

Chicks: Yes! Hurry!

Where resolutions last one and a half months

2010-02-26T14:13:00.002-05:00

I never told you what my New Year's resolution was, did I? Nope, I didn't think so.

It's to be nicer.

Now I imagine there are several of you out there who are thinking that resolution is crazy. "Hugs is the nicest person ever." While I appreciate that thought, I'm not perfect. The rest of you are thinking "It's about time."

Anyway, my resolution was, specifically, to tell people to have a nice day. Like at the grocery store, the bagger puts the last bag of groceries into my cart and mumbles something to me. I look him in the face and reply "Thanks, you have a good day." And I mean it. I want him to have a nice day.

While there isn't always a reaction, it's been nice to see people give me a genuine smile. They can tell I'm saying something sincere and I'm taking the time to notice them.

This has actually been a good resolution in that it's lasted a bit longer than others from years past. Last week I realized I'd driven away from the bank drive through without more than a distracted "Thanks, you too" when the teller told me to have a nice day. Ah, I guess I'm still not perfect.

Anyway, I just thought I'd share this in case any of you'd like to try it.

Where my head is warm

2010-02-09T14:31:00.004-05:00

For Christmas I received Luxury Yarn One Skein Wonders. I was ok with it but didn't think I'd get much out of it. I mean, I'd have to either special order the yarn or make the drive to an actual yarn shop and bring both kids with me. And I'll let your imagination play with the idea of Xander in a yarn shop.

However I stumbled across a pattern for a hat. And I could easily picture the hat in a color I need and I could picture me wearing it.

I really don't knit much for me. As you've seen from previous posts, I like making things for friends and family. Heck, my sister even asked for another pair of pajama pants for Christmas this year, so I must not be making bad things.

So I actually did trek to a yarn shop with both kids (Xander was distracted by the yarn balls so didn't make a big mess) (the balls were not just piles of yarn, they were purposefully made into balls) (that being said, the yarn balls were supposed to be decorative and not play things). The store did not have the specific type of yarn that the pattern called for, so I pondered over the assortment they did have. I bought some and went home and practiced to make sure I had the right size needles.

And I made myself a hat. With a lace pattern even. Just in time for Snowmageddon to strike!

It's by no means perfect, but you can't see the mistakes unless you're looking. So this picture distracts you from the mistakes by the presence of my nose looking huge. Not flattering, but you're supposed to look at the hat.

Oh, and if for some reason you are knitting a pattern from a book, always check for corrections on the internet first. I had to undo two rows to fix the decreases in the top.

Where no returned mail gets lost

2010-01-19T13:53:00.002-05:00

While sending out Christmas cards this year, I realized that we were out of return address labels. The reason is probably because I didn't donate to the causes that sent me return address labels.

And by the way, let me say that I always have guilt when I use return address labels sent by causes that I didn't donate to. But it's such a waste to throw the labels away. But the labels were sent in good faith that I would donate. It's a conundrum. And half of it is Chris's fault because half of the labels are actually his.

Back to the story. We received a couple of Christmas cards that had these awesome stamps used for return addresses. One was a little bird silhouette with the address going around it, the other a letter with some decoration and the address going around. I immediately thought "I want!"

So I tried to find some on the internet, which was more difficult than I first thought it would be. The ones I found were ok but expensive, especially since I wanted a self-inking stamp (the better for Xander to stamp our address on all of the walls).

Then I remembered Etsy! If you like shopping, don't go to the link! Aw heck, I just lost three of my four readers. Ok, for the one person still reading, I found a plethora of stamps there and decided on this one:
Stamp

I'll let you know how it turns out. If it turns out really well, I'll send you a blank envelope with a fancy return address.

It's been too long

2010-01-12T13:53:00.002-05:00

Wow, almost two months since I posted. Oops!

I haven't finished any big projects, so there isn't too much to post there.

I posted about the holidays in the other blog. But here's a funny conversation from while we were opening gifts.

Hugs: Oh, a gift card!
Bub: To....?
Hugs: (in a totally chipper voice) To ME!
*silence*
Hugs: Oh, you mean where to! Did I just have a blond moment? Is the camera still on? (My dad was video recording the event)

Teaching is going pretty smoothly, especially with the awesome babysitter. I'm tutoring two students who are both motivated, so that brings in a little extra spending cash.

My little brother was married last weekend, so I'll post some pictures of that soon (there are some already on Facebook).

Finally! No more cold legs!

2009-11-19T13:57:00.003-05:00

Back in August, I made my way to the fancy yarn shop and bought fingering weight yarn (that means skinny for the non-yarn-initiated) and size 2 DPN (skinny double pointed needles) to make Fortuny Baby Leggings for Josie. It took me quite a while to choose a color, not because of the large assortment but because I just wanted the perfect color that would compliment Josie's coloring and would go with her outfits. I ended up with this nice shade of pink rather than a light pink or purple. The pattern itself wasn't difficulty, it just took forever since it was knitting with skinny yarn and skinny needles.

Ideally, these would be perfect to throw on under a dress on a cool autumn evening. This has backfired for two reasons. First, I'm not a big dress person, so I haven't bought Josie many (any) dresses. Second, I made the bottoms too tight. I was afraid Josie's chubby little baby thighs would be too big, but no I just made the ankle parts a little too snug. That's ok, they are still cute and even if Josie doesn't get good use out of them, there are many babies on the way.

It was disgusting

2009-10-29T13:25:00.002-05:00

Chris picked up dinner the other night and we all sat down to dinner. At one point I reach to the counter for a biscuit and notice a slimey smear on the counter. Then I look a little closer.

Hugs: EW! There's a slug on the counter!

Chicks: Huh, there is a slug on the counter!

Like I would lie about having a slug on the kitchen counter. It obviously snuck into the house on the back of an advertisement that Chris picked up off of the lawn and then put on the counter. When I say 'obvious' I mean that the slug trail led directly back to the advertisement.

Well, I wasn't about to touch it. Chris seemed more concerned about eating (and I can't blame him, it was a late dinner). So I attempt to ignore the slug in the room. That lasted about five minutes. But when I looked, it was gone! The only place it could have gone was over the edge. I slowly walk around the counter, afraid that if I moved too fast it would jump out at me and slime me a la Slimer.

It took me a second, but I finally found the slug hanging from it's own slime trail like a spider. I, of course, shrieked and backed away. Chris, of course, got up and took a close look. Then he got the camera and took lots of pictures.

Chicks: Cool, you can see it moving.

By 'moving' he meant writhing on the end of it's slime trail as it ever so slowly grew closer to the ground.

Finally, Chris took it outside. But I now have a fear of slugs hanging from trees and me walking into them.

And now I'm hungry

2009-09-30T14:17:00.004-05:00

Ah, to be 31. Older but wiser. I totally wore my tiara on my birthday last week, even though it felt a little silly to do laundry in a tiara.

Recently I've become a little obsessed with food blogs. To be more specific, baking blogs. Why don't I just come out and say it, cakes and cookies. Mmmmm. I even happened upon CakeLove at the library and read it. I read a cookbook. Yeah.

Anyway, for my birthday I tried my hand at my grandma's chocolate cake. I always use box mixes for cake, so it was a little weird to sift the flour and melt the chocolate. It looks all fancy with the drippy icing and cake stand, doesn't it? It was all I could do to keep my dad away from it until cake time at Xander's birthday party. It turned out pretty well, just oddly crispy around the edges.

I didn't forget about Xander's cake. I did use a butter cake mix for his and it tasted great. My mom had given a combo gift of a cupcake mold shaped like a penguin so I could make Xander a penguin cake for his birthday. I was a little late getting the icing done, so I used icing bought at the store which was a little thin for decorating. And I didn't want to buy black icing so I used blue. It took me a few minutes to figure out the eyes, but I just popped in a couple of chocolate chips. So here is Xander's blue, juggling penguin that breaks apart into cupcakes.

Just for Filler

2009-09-25T14:34:00.003-05:00

I can't find the pictures I want to include in a blog I just wrote, so here's something to fill the time. It's been a while since I've done a 'Guess the Screen Capture', so here is one on long ago cartoons. Do you know what shows these are from? Leave your guess in the comments. I feel like I may have done these before...

1)

2)

3)

When my little pleasures collide

2009-08-23T13:31:00.002-05:00

Dr. Horrible

plus

Cake Wrecks

equals

(Dr.) Horrible Sunday Sweets

I was going to make Xander a penguin cupcake cake (you read that right) for his/my birthday but maybe I need my own cake after all.

He laughed all the way home

2009-08-18T13:25:00.002-05:00

Chris's mom visited last week and was kind enough to help out with the kids. One day we all piled into Maxxwell the Malibu Maxx and headed out for some errands in town. Things went smoothly and we finished up and headed home when we were stopped in a turn lane waiting for the light.

Just as the light changed, the man in the van next to us signaled for MIL (mother-in-law) to roll down her window. We give each other a look and she does. The man tells us that we have keys hanging from the back of the car.

Huh. I recalled Chris saying he couldn't find his keys for my car after he took my car the day before. So we thank the man, I pull around the corner and pull over.

Yeah, I don't have a keyhole in the back of my car. I always use my fob to open the trunk, so I don't pay much attention. There are definitely not keys hanging from the keyhole in the back of Maxxwell. So I thought 'he didn't say where they were hanging from...' so I look all over the back of the car. I open up the hatchback and look around. I let MIL look around. Nothing.

So maybe they were hanging off the edge of the bumper and slid off. We hop into the car and circle the block, checking for keys that may be in the road. Nothing.

We go home and check the car over again. Nothing.

I call Chris to tell him about this and Chris is like 'I have my keys in my pocket right now.'

By golly, I think I was punked.

All that work for one hour of wear

2009-08-11T13:07:00.006-05:00

The Baptismal gown is done! Which is good since the Baptism was this past weekend. Even though Josie only wore it for about an hour, I'm really happy I made it. Not only did I learn some new things about sewing, it's a real boost to my ego that I can make something nice. Oh, it's by no means perfect. I could point out the mistakes. But unless you are better at sewing than me (yeah, Julie and Sarah, you can look away) you won't notice the mistakes.

I added the little flowers to the front for prettiness. I was going to add some more along the bottom seam but due to time I did not. I think it might have been overkill anyway.

The finishing touch was the shoes I found at the neighbor's garage sale. They are pink and cute!

I made cupcakes and Chris bought chocolate icing. I wanted to make little crosses out of sprinkles on each one but that didn't work out. I won't go into how many ways we tried to get it to work. Finally I just used the cupcakes themselves to make a cross.

Hopefully the cantoloupe will be this big

2009-08-10T07:13:00.002-05:00

We received our CSA delivery again last week and it included one turnip. Yeah, only one. One the size of Xander's head!

Chris has picked several cucumbers from our garden and they are all curved at least a little. The other day I saw one and laughed.

Hugs: Chris, look at this cucumber! It's round!

Chicks: Or it's a cantaloupe and not a cucumber.

You know, that other part of my life

2009-07-29T12:50:00.002-05:00

Ah. Isn't summer nice and relaxing? No school, just a newborn and toddler to sap my energy. But notebooks and pencils are showing up in the stores again, so classes are looming.

Last year, as I'm sure all of you remember, I taught and I tutored. Teaching was awesome, overall. Four students for 45 minutes a day? All of them highly motivated and intelligent? Awesome. They all earned their Algebra credit with flying colors and will start their high school careers with Geometry.

Or, as I found out yesterday, they will start with Geometry and Algebra 2. Told you they were motivated. One of the girls from my class last year lives in my neighborhood and I ran into her and her mother while out for a walk yesterday. The mother even inquired about getting extra help for student when school starts. Hello tutoring!

Yesterday afternoon that same student called and asked to stop by real quick. Turns out that she and her mother bought Josie a few gifts. They like me, they really like me!

As for tutoring last year, I let go of the high school student because she was not showing up and I'm pretty sure just using tutoring as an excuse to get out of the house. I did stick with the 7th grade girl who wanted to study ahead so she could get into my Algebra class. The testing to get into the class was in May and the results took until the very last day of school to get. Keep in mind that my job (the awesomest job) kind of hinges on students passing the tests to get into the class. It was a little tense.

The student I tutored was the only one to pass with flying colors! Yeah for her! And a little yeah for me! Her parents already told me that they talked me up to some future 7th grader parents, so possibly more tutoring!

(Um, about all of that tutoring... I have a newborn and toddler at home. Hopefully that will work out).

Of course, one student does not a class make. So after re-testing, five more students were added to the class. Again, yeah! Of course now I have the fun of being moved to the computer lab that does not have a chalkboard or smartboard. The computer teacher has a plan, so I'll let you know how that pans out. Oh, and the great fun of finding a new babysitter (for a newborn and a toddler already) for while I teach is only mildly stressing.

And finally, there are the classes I am taking so I can renew my teaching license which is expiring... right... now. It involves videos and books and lots of typing. Oh my. I received an A- in the first class. The second class is nearly done. Once I send it in and get the transcript and send in the license application I should be good to go. I hope. *gulp*

Xander's Room

2009-07-22T13:39:00.003-05:00

Since we've moved Xander's room I have had to do a little work to make it 'his'. I decided that he needed to see his name in his room so Chris painted these letters white and I added yellow, blue and green stripes. It doesn't look great on the counter but I think it will look awesome on his light blue walls.

The flowery curtain that the room previously contained had to go. So I found this striped material that worked. This curtain turned out so well even if it does look slightly circus-esque.

And of course a matching pillow. I managed to whip this out today and even learned a new way to make a pillow cover. It's amazing what you learn when you read!

I know many of you are thinking "Wow, she has a newborn and a toddler and she's doing all of this?!" Well, the curtain was done pre-Josie. The letters were done while Josie napped and Chris had Xander. And the curtain was done instead of the massive amount of chores I haven't done in weeks. Obviously I have my priorities in the right place.

And that bunch of green is called what?

2009-07-11T10:39:00.003-05:00

Our vegetable garden is growing really well this year, thanks to Chris. I'm not sure what all we have growing, but it includes cauliflower, tomatoes (of course), peppers, cantaloupe and zucchini. The zucchini plant is huge and is slowly taking over one end of the garden, so I better figure out what else to make besides zucchini bread. Mmm, that sounds good right now. Zucchini bread with chocolate chips, yum! I did see a recipe for stuffed zucchini, maybe I'll give that a try.

We also decided to join a CSA program (Community Supported Agriculture). There were different amounts we could decide on and we prepayed one amount. We decided on getting one portion of vegetables and one portion of fruits every other week. Here's what we received the first time I picked it up.

I don't even remember everything we received. It included those beautiful strawberries, beets, turnips, broccoli raab (??), and a couple other things that I have no idea about. I'm really having to expand my taste bud spectrum here. I don't know half of the veggies that they give me or how to prepare them. I've never really eaten beets! The upside is that the program gave me the nifty bag you see in the photo and they also include a couple of recipes for the vegetables included. Slowly I will learn.

Does nesting = crafting?

2009-06-05T14:40:00.003-05:00

About a month ago I realized there were several projects that I needed to get to, some I just wanted to do and some that have been on the back burner for a while (...Chris's sweater...). So I sat down and made a list of crafts I had in mind. I had 14 things! Some are important to get done, like the baptismal gown I'm trying to sew (have I mentioned that I am crazyinsane and am trying to sew a baptismal gown for Enchilada? that's because it's harder than anything I've tried before and I keep hitting points where the directions make no sense), some are projects that seem like now is a good time to get them done (see below) and some will stay on the back burner (...Chris's sweater...).

Just so you know, a couple of weeks ago we moved Xander from his room (which I now call the yellow room to stop confusing myself) to the old guest room (the blue room). When I moved his curtain (I think the proper term is 'valance') over to the blue room it didn't look right with the blue walls. When I moved the curtain back to the yellow room I became disgusted at how poorly it hung. You know how curtains are supposed to be all smooshed up and billowy? Yeah, this curtain was not wide enough for the rod and hung there like a limp rag.

So I ripped it apart. Really, I just ripped the seams. Then I cut the length in half and sewed together the sides to make a wide curtain. But now it was too short. So I bought purple material to add to the top. Viola!

When I went to mark 'fix curtain' off of my craft list, I realized I'd never put it on the list. Oops.

Next for the yellow room I decided to make a French memory board, roughly using these directions. Xander had a cork board that we'd used to post pictures and such, so I thought the memo board would be cuter. Chris suggested making one for Xander too, since the cork board is old and is not as attractive as it used to be. It took me four freaking trips to the craft store to get everything! The big problem was I kept running out of ribbon, because I definitely used more than the 5-6 yards the directions stated.

Here is the memo board for the yellow room.

Oh, and don't get me started on getting the ribbons to line up either. My poor math brain kept trying to figure out measurements and I kept getting stymied by the ribbon not lining up at the corners. It turned out really nice, but I know they are not exact rhombi and that will always bother me.

Here's the one for Xander in the blue room.

The canal to the root of my pain

2009-05-17T19:27:00.002-05:00

Last year at about this time I was enjoying some ice cream cake in honor of Chris's birthday. And one of the bites that had some of the chocolatey chips in it hit the wrong spot on a tooth. Immense, blinding pain for about two seconds followed by days of aching (enough to wake me up) and not being able to chew on the right side of my mouth.

I caved and went to the dentist where I was told the dreaded words "root canal" and I was referred to an endodontist. The endodontist said that it appeared that the problem was actually some cracks in my tooth and a possible infection. I was told that I can avoid the root canal but possibly get a crown to hold my poor tooth together.

At this point I switched to a tooth paste that contained baking soda and that helped to clear the problem up pretty quickly. So, no pain = no crown and no root canal. I went merrily on my way.

Until April of this year, almost a year later. I was sitting there, enjoying my Raisan Bran and one little grain goes to the wrong area and I get the whammy again. Fortunately, it disappaited by nightfall. But over the next week it is definitely not doing well. So I was off to see the dentist again and was referred to the endodontist again.

As a sidenote, the dentist, endodontist and dental hygentists are all very concerned and helpful when you come in seven months pregnant. Not that they haven't been nice in the past. But if you want an extra pillow and less x-rays, you should consider getting dental work done when pregnant. I don't know what to tell the guys, you'll still have to suck it up and act manly.

So I get the root canal. It wasn't horrible or even bad. It helped that I kept my eyes shut for most of the time and didn't try to ask what the buzzing noise was or what the pincushion of needles was for. I went home an hour later with a lopsided grin and was told to be careful because there were still the cracks in the tooth.

But my tooth hurt for almost another week! My youngest brother was all like "I didn't have any pain after my root canal" so I hit him and asked if that hurt. Me, I was popping Tylenol. And the worse part is that I guess I clench my teeth when I roll over at night and when I sneeze because it would hurt. Then a week later I realized I didn't need any Tylenol. No pain! Huzzah!

The next day I was enjoying a bowl of Capt'n Crunch when I felt a weird sensation that reminded me of my youth. It reminded me of the time I was eating ice cream (or the time with the bubble gum) where I realized that my tooth was loose and about to come out. So I paused mid-chew and experimentally touched the tooth. And the front quarter of it fell off. Yeah, part of my tooth fell off.

I freaked a little, but no one was around to witness so I'm going to say I calmly called the dentist to find out what to do. Since there is still no pain, they kindly moved up the date to get a crown put on. Ok. Well then. No need to panic.

Every once in a while I look in the mirror at the tooth, all the way in the back, and can see a cross section of a filling, temporary filling and the rest of the tooth. I can't wait to get it fixed.

Momma's Day

2009-05-13T13:27:00.002-05:00

Here's a little story for you. Way back in February, when I went to visit Chris in California, I took a long plane ride (shocking, I know). The first leg was on an airline with open seating and since I was at the end of the line I was stuck in between a man and a woman. Turns out that they were together (husband and wife, but that was never specifically said) (and really, what are they doing with a seat between them anyway).

Well, the husband is also a math teacher and goes on to tell me about how calculators and cell phones are the death of math education and why students are so dumb today. I politely disagreed with the calculator thing.

The wife told me about how once a month they take a weekend to go visit her son, son's wife and grandkids in Las Vegas. She proceeded to tell me that her daughter-in-law doesn't like her much because she buys the grandchildren ice cream and such. Turns out that the daughter-in-law is Chinese and has rules that this woman is not used to, such as food restrictions, no athletics, and just being uncomfortable with things like hugs. I'm thinking 'Hey, different culture, it's not like the kids are suffering.' But I didn't say anything.

Then she brings up that the daughter-in-law doesn't understand OSU mania and why family will question the kids being in blue and gold. I roll my eyes a little, but since I'm coming from OSU fan-world I don't say anything. Turns out this woman bought an OSU sweatshirt for the oldest grandchild to purposefully instigate a fight. My only response was that if the sweatshirt only has an 'O' with a buckeye leaf then it doesn't necessarily mean sports.

When I got off the plane I gave thanks that I do NOT have a mother-in-law like that. Really, who tries to start a fight with family like that?

In fact my mother-in-law gave me a gift card for a pedicure for Mother's Day. And my mom gave me a bag of sample size beauty stuff (creams, etc). So I will look great while in labor!

And thanks to everyone who wished me a Happy Mother's Day. It made me feel like it was my birthday :)

Oh, Chris and Xander took me to buy flowers for the flower pots around the house. I'll post pictures at some point because they are really pretty.

Cut it out

2009-04-28T19:24:00.003-05:00

Just before Easter I had the strange urge to buy Easter cookie cutters. I've never before made sugar cookies and cut them out and it's been awhile since I've baked and decorated anything, so I figured it was time. Then Easter snuck up and I saw pre-rolled sugar cookies and figured what the heck. Then Easter passed and I never made my Easter cookies. They would have been darned cute too.

So I had the cookie dough sitting in the fridge and finally managed to use it. Instead of the Easter cookie cutters, I used the train cookie cutters we received from my mother-in-law. And I made buttercream icing and decorated them myself. Unfortunately, it was a day that was hot and I became tired of standing and decorating pretty quickly. It soon became 'wheel, wheel, window, done'. But they taste good and look pretty and that's what counts, right?

On Easter, my mom gave me Hello, Cupcake! and we sat around looking at all of the possibilities. And I don't think I'll have the time to make many of them soon, but there are lots of great ideas and none of them include fondant, which I have no idea how to use.

Return of Chris

2009-04-08T12:50:00.003-05:00

Ah. I didn't quite realize how tough the past three weeks have been until they were over. For those who didn't know, Chris was on a business trip to England for nearly three weeks and just returned on Saturday. I managed to keep up with Xander, not let the house get destroyed (although the CD collection will never be the same) and even ate my veggies like a good expectant mother.

A big thanks to people who visited, babysat and ate out with me (and Xander).

Chris told me that he bought me a souvenir and that it was a shirt from a maternity shop. I have to admit that I expected a big t-shirt with a flag across the stomach. Instead Chris bought me this shirt at a downtown London boutique! Not something I would have picked out, but I love it and I am getting so many compliments on it!

Chris told me to go out and enjoy myself, but I haven't had a chance yet. So I'm totally scheduling a mani/pedi for next week, just in time for the wedding I'm in.

It smells vaguely of roses

2009-03-28T12:46:00.004-05:00

In preparation for attending the Columbus Crew games that I have tickets for, I wanted to knit a scarf. Nothing fancy, just black and gold stripes. But by the time I got around to it I realized I wouldn't finish a long scarf. So I figured I'd whip out a hat. I used the same pattern that I used to make a hat for Chris, just different yarn. What a difference that makes!

Chris's hat is a beanie. This hat is definitely not. When I finished it last night, I had a faint hope that if I blocked it (soaked it, shaped it and let it dry) it might work. But the only way to lay it only accentuated the problem.

So I'll be wearing a beret to the games. And eventually a scarf. And very possibly I'll add a pom-pom to the beret, because I feel I should make it as funny looking as possible.

Have I mentioned that I'm not really a beret person?

Shrinkage Ahead

2009-03-27T13:14:00.002-05:00

Sorry for being unable to update as much. If I'm on the computer, Xander either wants to be on the computer or decides to make a wreck of the CD collection. He goes no where near the CDs unless I'm typing, so I must be doing something wrong. I need to be scarier.

*Insert witty segue here* (I just found out how to spell 'segue', I originally had in 'segway' which I knew wasn't what I meant)

A couple of weeks ago I was shopping for groceries and had to pick up ice cream with all of the other essentials. My method of choosing is to see what is on sale and pick a yummy flavor from the 'lite' selection. No problem, fudge brownie chocolate!

A couple of days later I decide to have some fudgey brownie chocolatey goodness. As I'm pulling off the lid I realize something is off. As I stare down at the container I nearly curse aloud. Ok, I would have just said 'Fudge' but I restrained myself. The ice cream container is definitely smaller! Shrinkage! And probably not caused by the cold!

When you look at the front, the length and width look the same. But the depth of the container has definitely decreased. Sneaky! I noticed Edy's shrank a while ago, but it was a noticable change. This I didn't notice until opening the ice cream.

I know it's what companies are doing, especially to save money in this economy. Shrink the package, thus less product in each package, but keep charging the same price. I tell you, it makes me grumpy! I don't care if they leave out one olive from every jar (mostly because I don't eat olives). Even the dimple in the Skippy jar didn't bother me much. But now they are messing with my ice cream. I'd say those are fighting words, but I'm not really going to fight it. I'm just going to get grumpy and stare at the grocery shelves.

He'd need to shave his legs though

2009-03-05T14:04:00.005-05:00

This morning, as Chris was getting ready to leave for work, I was hanging in the kitchen and Xander was chugging his morning milk, I commented that it was supposed to be nice today and maybe Xander and I would explore the back yard. Chris replied that this summer would be fun playing back there. I said yeah, especially telling Xander what he can't touch. Chris agreed, saying to Xander....

Chicks: Stay out of Daddy's flower beds!

Hugs: I thought they were our flower beds? I mean, I know you do most of the work.... (I was thinking that I at least pick out the flowers)

Chicks: Yeah, there's the raking, watering, weeding, planting, trimming. So stay out of Daddy's flower beds!

Hugs: You know, according to that logic, you are wearing my clothes. Look Xander, Daddy is wearing Mom's clothes!

Chicks: ...... Have a good day Xander. (leaves)

Bitterness

2009-02-04T08:49:00.003-05:00

I mentioned quite a while ago that I was knitting Chris a sweater.

That was sidetracked by the need to knit Xander a hat and mittens.

Now I'm back on Chris's sweater. And I've realized that I've totally messed it up. Oh, it looks all nifty, but it won't make a sweater. I didn't read the directions very well. I'm using circular needles (two needles attached by a plastic cord) which are used to knit 'in the round' or to make a circle or tube. For instance, Xander's hat.

Yeah, they didn't want me to do that at all. They wanted me to use circular needles to knit a flat surface (like a scarf) to make the back of the sweater. And then do the same to make the front. And I have a lot knitted. And it includes cables, which turned out great but were a lot of work. And I've tried to figure out how to salvage my work without ripping it apart. And I spent some decent money on the yarn for this sweater, so I don't want to just toss it aside. But I think it's going to have to be pulled apart and started over.

I'm so mad at myself about this I won't even take pictures of what I have done to show off. Augh!

A Conversation with Him

2009-01-27T14:13:00.002-05:00

I walk by Chris as he is working on the computer and see Facebook up.

Hugs: You know, I don't know if I like you chatting with all of these girls that you knew in high school.

Chicks: She has a boyfriend!

Hugs: And you have a wife!

Chicks: Um....so I didn't have a good comeback?

No, sweetie, you did not.

Twitch, twitch

2009-01-26T13:55:00.003-05:00

I know my life isn't exactly a stressful thing, especially compared to some of the active lives of my friends and family. But I've managed to develop an eye twitch today. My right eyelid just keeps sliding a little bit to the left and right. You don't see it unless you are looking for it, or you're trying to look out of said eye.

The big thing right now is that my teaching license expires this summer and I need to renew it. So here are the issues:

1) What is required for me to renew the license? I originally had a teaching certificate and when I renewed it I received a license. I think I just need 6 hours of classes, but one place on the website said something about a master's degree. When I emailed the Department of Ed asking this, they sent me a copy and paste of the website instead of a yes/no to if I was correct on only needing 6 hours.

2) Where do I get the six hours of classes? I can't really go to a classroom, since Xander isn't old enough to be left alone. So I was looking at online classes and some classes sent on DVD.

3) How do I pay for the classes? Holy smokes, my last school spoiled me rotten and paid for/reimbursed/had special deals for classes. Classes are freakin' expensive! And after that, the actual license renewal is still pretty pricey.

I was going to do a web class but they wouldn't give me any price info without me turning over my first born. And Xander is still kind of cute, so that didn't work. My neighbor is going through the same thing and decided to do a correspondence course. So it looks like I will sign up with her.

To add to the fun, the first Craft Night is a week and a half away! I have to get ready for that!

And Xander is testing his boundaries by trying to play with CDs and sitting on the filing cabinents!

And I'm pregnant and tired!

And the twitch is becoming like a personal strobe light for my right eye!

I quit!

2009-01-14T13:41:00.003-05:00

I don't know if I have mentioned it here, but I am tutoring again this school year. I have a returning student from last year who is now a junior and a 7th grader who is trying to prep to get into the 8th grade Algebra. I've had a few other calls of interest but all have been from the Catholic high school I worked at a couple of years ago and now no longer live near. So once I explain that tutoring is in my home and it's a fair drive (unless you live in the area) I don't hear back.

The junior I am tutoring received her drivers license in November. She was coming twice a week for a half hour each time. Since she has started driving herself, her attendance has been sporadic.

She missed a day and I called and talked to her father who said that she talked like she made it to tutoring. The next time I saw her she apologized and said she spaced out.

Then she missed a week. I left messages with parents and received a text from the junior apologizing for missing.

The next week she texted both days to let me know she couldn't make it. Both times less than an hour before she was supposed to be here.

Then there was the school break. After break she again missed a week and didn't cancel. So I had finally had enough. From the last ten times we were scheduled to meet, she had made it twice. Half of the times she missed she gave me less than an one hour notice. The other times I was left hanging. So I called her parents and left messages saying she hadn't made it and I would no longer be available for tutoring. I was a little chicken and didn't specify that her not showing up was the reason, I was just vague and said I was no longer available.

So imagine my surprise on Monday when the junior shows up at my doorstop for tutoring! "Um," I say, "I left messages with your parents that I wouldn't be able to tutor anymore." She tells me that her dad yelled at her to make it to tutoring. I think I was pretty straightforward in the message, so maybe he didn't listen to all of it? She asks if she can be tutored one more time and I look around trying to find some reason not to, but finally mutter that sure I can today.

I log off of the computer, wheel Xander around in his high chair (where he'd just had his afternoon snack, so I'm wondering how I'll keep him under control) and grab my tutoring binder when the junior says "I don't really have anything to work on, so maybe I'll just go." At this point I try to question her to see what she's working on, but she denies doing any work in class at all. So I see her to the door and roll my eyes as she drives away.

And that entire last paragraph included her texting the entire time. Even while driving away.

Starting something

2009-01-12T14:14:00.004-05:00

As you may have noticed on my blog, I do enjoy my crafts. Some of you may remember that I taught people how to make rosaries out of knots last summer. One of those ladies came to me and asked about setting up a craft night through the women's group at church.

So here I am in the New Year, challenging myself by trying to organize this big activity from scratch with the lady who is also a big crafter. We have to decide on when (once a month, but being more specific is hard), where, what, who, etc.

Right now we are going to spend a couple of months on the rosaries. Several people who were at my 'lesson' last time mentioned that they still haven't finished their first one. So I figure if we meet three times, people can relearn (or learn for the first time) and will have times to come back with questions or to make more.

Then we'll move on to teaching knitting and making rectangles to be sewn into blankets. My cohort even hopes to move onto hats at some point.

All of these crafts would be for charity, so we'd have to pick which charities to donate to. The big problem then would be how to afford the supplies. I'm saying this in the vast optimism that the craft night will be a success, we may have two people that show up and then we sit and stare at each other.

So if anyone has advice, I'm all ears.

A Tasty Waste of Time

2009-01-08T07:52:00.000-05:00

Last month Dandy sent me some pictures from the website Cake Wrecks. And now I check the site every few days. It ranges from ugly cakes to beautiful cakes to grammatically incorrect cakes. December was a fine time to check it out because there were so many holiday messes. One of my favorites were cupcakes with little signs saying "Merry Christmas" surrounded by little, blue Star of Davids.

A Month Later...

2009-01-05T08:36:00.002-05:00

I want to apologize for not updating my blog, but really it's Xander's fault. Every time I'm on the computer, he comes over and a) tries to play with the CDs, b) tries to climb onto my lap and play with the keyboard or c) causes some other havoc.

Chris doesn't have this problem. He spent may hours the past two days on the computer without Xander causing problems. It's because I don't have the loud, scary "No!" voice.

I've managed to get quite a few crafts done over the holidays. Unfortunately, I have no pictures. So use your imagination peoples.

I knitted mittens for Xander, they are a nice, bright yellow to complement his blue and yellow coat. I even made a little cord to connect the mittens and run through his coat. The first time I made the cord too long and he'd walk around with his mittens dragging on the ground, so I fixed that. Now the mittens are getting holes because Xander figured out that to take off the mittens he just has to bite them and pull. I am working on his hat now.

I made my sister a pair of pajama (lounge) pants for part of her Christmas present. I bought a flannel that was plue with purple moons and pink stars. When I arrived home I realized that it was actually a little annoying to look at, but I didn't see anything I like better at the store. My sister asked them to be made long, and she's tall to begin with, so I added like four inches to the length. They turned out pretty well and I even added a little tag so she'd know which side was the back. Well, when she tried them on they were so long that her feet were totally covered. People laughed at me, but she said she liked it (or she was trying to make me feel better).

I also made curtains for our redone master bathroom. I used a sheer, white material and directions from a book. Pretty straight forward, just a lot of material and pinning and ironing. But when I hung them up, one panel is crooked and the other is flat out shorter. When I get up the energy to rip out the seams, I will fix it. So, Ikkin, it's up to you if you'd still like me to hem your curtains.

Aaaaaand, Xander is now acting up. Later!

Shocking and Life Altering!

2008-12-08T15:08:00.003-05:00

Ok, not really. I don't have much to blog about. I could tell you about the new fancy trash can but I doubt the foot pedal would be as exciting for you as it is for me.

So I give you this: The Pop vs. Soda Map! I am squarely a 'pop' gal but am fascinated by the use of 'coke' for all carbonated beverages. I also like the quick history of each term below the map.

Pop vs. Soda

I got schooled.

2008-11-18T16:25:00.002-05:00

Saturday I had an entire day off. All to do with as I please! Whee!

What I actually did was spend the morning in a class to make lounge pants. Because my secret yearning is to be a lounge singer. Ok, couldn't fool you on that one. Basically I made pajama pants and Chris is the lucky owner of the newly created said pants.

Then Chris called and asked me to make an emergency run for bathroom remodeling supplies. So during the first flurry of the season I drove to the store and bought plantation blinds and little tabs to hold the mirror to the wall.

I arrived home for an hour break and then was picked up for my evening activity. It was a haul to get there, but it was a girls' night out to Glass Axis. We made glass ball Christmas ornaments! Well, we picked the color and design and blew into the tube, the knowledgeable expert did the heating and twirling to make the actual bulb. It was a really fun experience and I can't wait to see my final product.

The evening ended with dinner at a small Italian restaurant. It was a little awkward for me because I only knew one person but everyone else worked together. That is ok because I heard some great gossip about the hospital. If Xander ever gets sick, I either know people who work at the hospital or know something about them to get Xander taken care of quickly.

WiPs

2008-11-11T08:28:00.004-05:00

(That's Work in Progress)

In the sewing realm, we know 4 couples that gave birth or will give birth soon so I made a big bunch of burp cloths for everyone! I tried to personalize them a little, one neighbor has a pirate theme, my cousin has pink, yellow, purple, and the others I wasn't sure about and I used the print you see here.

My Renew group at church decided to put together a 'care' package for the priests at church. I decided my contribution would be a couple of the bags I've made. I know I was going to sell them, but with a regular teaching job I don't have as much time to make them as I had planned.

Knitting wise, I'm working hard on Xander's booties. My mom gave me a kit to make that is for advanced beginners. Yeah, sure. I've gotten most of it, and I'll try felting for the first time. But I can't for the life of me figure out the laces that go up the front when they are done.

Here is what they are supposed to look like when done (except tan and green).

And finally, here is Chris's sweater. I've started it over 4 times. The first three because I couldn't figure out something or just really messed up something. The last time was to increase the size. Seriously, it looks like a sleeve for Chris, but it's supposed to be XL! So it might end up for me, or Xander when I eventually finish it. On the plus side, I'm really getting the hang of cables.

Next up, I need to knit X a pair of mittens and a hat to match his winter coat. And Chris volunteered me to make a hat and mittens for his coworker that complimented the hat I made him last year.

Christmas comes early

2008-11-07T15:49:00.002-05:00

For some reason, Chris took it into his head to start searching for my Christmas present extra early. He found it already and it's hanging above the bed. It's The Singing Butler by Jack Vettriano.

It's nicely framed and I smile every time I look at it (or think of it hanging in our room). There something in the picture that I (and many others) just love, though I'm not very good at expressing why. Something about the moment that the couple is enjoying in less than ideal conditions. That's something I would like to remember, to find enjoyment at any time. And a maid and butler would be nice to have too.

I avoid Steve and Jimmy

2008-10-24T15:13:00.001-05:00

To be properly attired for my brother's wedding I needed silver, strappy shoes. And I do not like shoe shopping. And September and October are not silver, strappy shoe season in the stores. And did I mention I don't like shoe shopping?

I don't remember when the dislike started. Shoes just never seem to fit me quite right. I'm not quite a narrow, but some shoes are too wide. I am too picky about style and color. I don't like to spend money on shoes that I don't know I'll wear on some consistent basis.

The exception being my Adidas that I don't wear often but will never get rid of.

To give you an idea, my senior year I bought a pair of tan Vans. The ones with a thick sole and rubber across the toe (I'd get a picture, but can't find one). I wore those things for two years straight. They were my comfort shoes during my first year of college. I loved those shoes and when the tread was gone, my mom tried to find a replacement pair. Unfortunately, fashion moved forward and she had to get a different brand that were not the same thing.

But I digress.

I tried to shop for shoes, but the few I found and that fit cost $50+ which I didn't want to fork over.

I found a friend had been in many weddings and thought she had some. Unfortunately, they were a closed, pointed toe and half of a size too small.

So I packed up Xander and made one last effort to find a pair. Off to DSW and I actually found two pairs that worked and had to weigh the pros and cons and actually decide on one pair.

The first pair were these strappy reptile sandals. They were the first shoes I spotted after walking into the store, so I felt like it was meant to be. Pros: price, wearable with jeans. Cons: huge heel.

After meandering around I found these slingbacks in silver tucked away in clearance. They were ok. Pros: better price, lower heal. Cons: don't stay on as well, not really wearable with anything else I own.

So I wandered around some more and let Xander bop in his stroller to the new age-techno music they had going. I tried on these boots for fun and am still tempted to go back for them. And I finally decided to get the reptile sandals. I felt so cool buying them, I never make a purchase like that! And at the wedding, my sister was totally jealous. Of course my feet killed me by the end of the ceremony, but at least I looked good!

Another day, another dress

2008-10-21T08:19:00.002-05:00

My brother is married! Wow, it's weird to say he has a wife. I'm sure my siblings thought the same thing when I got married though.

We headed home early on Friday so I could attend a surprise baby shower for my cousin's wife. My cousin and his wife live in Florida, so I gave them burp cloths I made (easy to pack) and pitched in for a gift card.

We went to our hotel and got set up there. It is weird to stay in a hotel in my hometown, but we figured if Xander stayed up screaming then at least we'd only keep up strangers. Lo and behold, our neighbors were my other brother and his girlfriend.

We moseyed over to the church for rehearsal. That and the dinner went smoothly. It was just huge, since the wedding party was huge and everyone's significant other and everyone involved came. Afterward a lot of people went out to the bar, but I headed back to the room with Xander. Chris stayed out late and I can't tell you how many people mentioned how he was the life of the party. Apparently Mark (the brother getting married) had to sneak out while Chris was in the bathroom.

Saturday dawned bright and early and I was off to get my hair done. All of the other girls had lots of curls, but I had more of a slicked back thing done since Xander is a hair puller. Then off to the church to get dressed. And I will be writing another post about my shoes.

The ceremony was sweet and went well. Of course this is where I make my first Bridesmaid Flub. Our dresses were strapless and had a small train and a sash that trailed. Trisha was sure to make sure she wasn't standing on my train when we started the recession, but I didn't do that with the bridesmaid in front of me. Fortunately she just tugged on it a little and made a face (I've heard of strapless dresses coming off when stepped on, yowza). I apologized so profusely afterward.

We all headed out to the party bus to get more pictures taken. The bus was pretty cool, it had seats turned around with tables between. Unfortunately I couldn't enjoy it because of my second Bridesmaid Flub of getting a migraine. I tried not to be a needy, attention hog but I ran off the the bathroom when people where getting pictures and kept standing out in the cold. Then I realized I'd committed another Bridesmaid Flub and lost my bouquet. Ack!

We headed to the reception on the party bus (nausea, nausea, nausea). I kept it together long enough for the introductions, but missed some of my favorite parts of the reception like first dance and cake cutting and food. But I didn't want to leave my brother's wedding reception. I mean, really, it's not something to miss. So I stuck it out and took a few walks out in the cold air. Fortunately, the migraine subsided and I was able to enjoy visiting with relatives I don't see often and some dancing.

By the end of the night I had committed two more Bridesmaid Flubs by breaking the strap of my dress (I added them at the reception) and Xander broke the necklace I was given to wear. I was a little worried he swallowed part of it, but I found it later. Fortunately my new sister-in-law was in no way a bridezilla, so I don't think I caused any issues with all of my problems.

Sunday we woke up and packed up the room and went to brunch at Mark's house to watch him and his bride open gifts. I'd hoped to get some more time in with my aunt's family but we had to head home after that.

Overall, a busy but fun weekend. I'll post a few pictures on Xander's site in a while.

Up in the Sky!

2008-10-08T12:26:00.001-05:00

Your results:
You are Superman

Superman		85%
Spider-Man		60%
Wonder Woman		60%
Robin		60%
Supergirl		50%
Iron Man		50%
Green Lantern		45%
The Flash		40%
Batman		35%
Hulk		35%
Catwoman		30%

You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Click here to take the Superhero Personality Quiz

All the king's horses and all the king's men

2008-10-07T15:42:00.002-05:00

After I complained about it, the rash and the elbow miraculously healed themselves.

As for the foot and knee, I went to the doctor. He says the knee is actually iliotibial band syndrome. Which sounds about right. He gave me a list of stretches and exercises to help, but no running or weight lifting.

The doctor thought my foot was a stress fracture and sent me in for x-rays. That was last Monday. I finally heard from him on Thursday at about 6 pm. No sign of a fracture, so it was probably a contusion. I'm supposed to ice my foot several times a day and not repeat whatever I did in the first place (which I still don't know what has caused this).

I'm still limping, but now it's more of a stiff, achy feeling rather than the blinding shot of pain. Doc said to give it about three weeks and call again if it's still hurting. Just in time for me to limp down the aisle at my brother's wedding.

Falling Apart in my Old Age

2008-09-27T13:35:00.002-05:00

What the heck?

I seem to be getting some minor rash again. Just a few itchy bumps on my arm and leg.

Since I've started running at the beginning of summer, my right knee has bothered me. During the run, the back and outside of it feels like it is tightening up. If I push it, I can't walk down stairs for the next two days. If I don't push it, there is just a minor ache. I've tried stretches, weight lifting and taking a break from running, but nothing helps. It still hurts when I run. I'll be setting up an appointment about this soon.

This past week my right foot started hurting. I can't see any bruising, but that is what it feels like. It's across the balls of my feet and across the top of my foot. It didn't help that I also managed to stub my foot on a shopping cart and have a screen door slam on the foot.

And to top it off, I managed to slam my elbow onto the arm rest in my car hard enough to hurt it. I can't lean on it or even lean on my hand. This morning I went to do my push-ups (did I mention I'm trying 100 push-ups?) and just whimpered.

I promise I won't be so whiny in my next post.

Turning 30

2008-09-23T18:07:00.004-05:00

My birthday was on Sunday. I didn't dread turning 30. But it was important for me to celebrate it. Because when I turned 29, we had just spent the first night home with X. So that birthday was a little overshadowed and hormonal. When I turned 28, I was in the middle of the misery and suffering of a horrible job. 27 was pretty good though.

So Chris came home from his most recent work trip early for Xander's birthday on Thursday. And we all went to the county fair on Friday. And Saturday was the big birthday party! Wow, so many people came. Chris and I both felt bad because there were so many people who came from out of town and we didn't get to talk with them as much as we'd like to.

I did make my own cake again. I am so out of practice. I forgot to brush off the cake crumbs and the crumbs mixed into the icing. I used pre-made sugar flowers on it, so that saved time. It tasted awesome though.

On Sunday we went on a family outing and ended up getting new cell phones and updating our plans to have unlimited texts. So now I have speakerphone and cameraphone and can assign pics to phone numbers so your face shows up when you call. I feel like I could be a super hero now.

And my brother Mark surprised me by showing up on Sunday. As great as the party was, it's fun when things actually happen on my birthday. He bought Xander Mega Blocks, like large Legos. But I'll probably be the one playing with them. And Xander will destroy whatever I create.

One last note about 30. I saw at the store a magazine with the cover advertising something like "Happy and Sexy at 20, 30 and 40" and my reaction was "Wow, I have to turn to an entirely different page to be happy and sexy now."

No School Today...

2008-09-16T07:13:00.002-05:00

...no school today....no school today cause it blowed....

Anyone living in Ohio knows that Ike swept through as a giant windstorm on Sunday. I heard the winds matched the Blizzard of '78 (or, you know, a hurricane) but without the snow (or rain). I actually had to drive one and a half hours in it and had to dodge around something in the road about once every mile.

Our electricity was out for about five hours on Sunday, but was back on at about 7 that evening. The flashing was peeling off of part of the roof and one small chunk of siding came off. So we got off pretty easy. Walking around the neighborhood yesterday was odd, seeing how many people were on their roofs to fix shingles. One house put up a tarp (and the owners had just moved in last week), another was missing siding on half of one side. A couple of trees went down, but since most trees are still young, most people were ok on that front.

In the town, half of the electricity is still off, including the grocery stores. I stopped at one yesterday and they were selling non-perishable foods. It's odd walking through with only half of the lights on, all of the meat gone, the frozen foods section roped off and plastic hanging over the dairy. Lots of big trees are down around town. Fortunately, I haven't heard of any injuries.

So no school yesterday or today. We already have off Thursday and Friday. So we may have only one day of school this week. Or possibly none. I may work for less than an hour each day, but I still love getting out of school.

I do have a lot of little things to pick up at stores, but I don't know what is open and what isn't. I think I'll chance it just to get out today.

Little Stories

2008-09-05T12:21:00.002-05:00

Teaching is going really great. The students are definitely getting more comfortable with me as a teacher. They are great at doing homework and asking questions. And yesterday when I changed my mind about the homework assignment and gave them the night off they thanked me. Like honest and proper "Thank you Mrs. Hugs."

I'm still trying to adjust to the whole thing though. The class that uses the room before me keeps running a little bit later every day. I started five minutes late today. I'm just used to having bells to tell teachers to change classes.

But I had steam coming out of my ears today. I have asked twice about special schedules and how they might affect my class. And twice I was assured that my class is close to lunch time and won't be affected by assemblies and such. And twice this week I've had shortened classes. I asked about this and was told it was on the schedule. Yes, there are special events listed, but no one told me that my schedule would be affected! So now it is my responsibility to email in and ask every time I see something on the schedule. Which I can handle. I just wish I wasn't assured that my schedule wouldn't be changed just to have a ten minute class today.

--------

Yesterday I went to the library. Pretty much, I go to the library about twice a week. While I was checking out with one librarian (the cool one who is mid-twenties, wears nice button down sweaters and has tattoos covering her arms and chest) a man walked up to the librarian next to me. He said he wanted to check if he still had a library card and how he could get a new one. The librarian took his driver's license and looked him up. Yes, he did still have a card with them. However, he has two overdue books from '94. He could return them or pay the replacement cost.

--------

Our area had a special election in August over a couple of issues. One was a levy for senior citizens. The other was an income tax increase for a rec center. I'm happy to say I voted and Xander came along and smiled at the ladies working at the polls. I found out later that both issues passed, but the rec center issue was very close. A week later I read a statistic that said only 10% of the area actually voted that day. So about 5% of the local population decided that everyone needs to pay an extra hundred dollars or so each year.

So I made Chris register to vote.

-------

And finally, a fun link. I was actually rather proud that I know 11 of the answers. :)

Movie Poster Quiz

Have an awesome weekend!

He lives in the WOODPILE behind the SHED

2008-08-26T13:35:00.004-05:00

That title is much funnier if you imagine Chris Farley saying it.

Back in the day I mentioned rabbits acting funny. Dandy mentioned that she thought it was a mating thing. Lo and behold we have a cuddly baby bunny in our back yard. I think it's adorable. Chris wonders where the hawk is.

Today was my second day of teaching. So far, so good - all four students returned! I think the students will be great, it's the classroom that is the problem. There are two small chalkboards up front. One is nice, the other old and scratched up. The nice one is magnetic and the regular teacher used it by putting flashcards (with magnets glued to the back) all over it. She also placed the alphabet to hang over the old board. Soooooo, where am I supposed to write all of my fancy math equations (ok, we're actually only working on expressions right now) (and I wonder how many of you know the difference or care) (I know at least one person does)? So today I neatly took down half of the cards and placed them on the table.

This problem would be easily solved if they would only splurge on a SmartBoard. And if I worked full time, had a full class load and more students than I could count on one hand, well then I'd bring it up with the head honcho. For now, I guess I'll just make due.

PS My birthday is coming up and if anyone wins the lottery, you can buy me a SmartBoard. And a TI-84 Plus Silver in pink. Ha!

Christmas in August

2008-08-18T14:09:00.003-05:00

I have three college friends that I try to get together with once a year. When we do get together we call it Christmas and it includes presents. It is getting rather hard to plan these events because I live in Ohio, B lives near D.C., R lives near Pittsburg and M lives in China. This year the event was at our house last weekend. R couldn't make it :( But M brought her boyfriend so I finally got to met him and Chris got some male companionship.

M and her guy showed up Friday night, so we all just hung out and watched the Olympics. It was more interesting watching it with an American who has lived in China for a few years and her Chinese boyfriend. I finally watched one of Phelps gold wins, and it just so happened to be the nail-biter finish.

Saturday we woke up and B arrived. We spent a few hours catching up (while Chris and M's guy dug up spirea in the yard) and we all went to lunch. Then we all walked around downtown, which I don't get to do very often. There are antiques, boutiques, a bookstore, pottery painting, coffee shop, etc. It was a gorgeous day out so when we arrived back home it was voted to play Wiffle Ball in the back yard, complete with ghost runners. And the girls did great until the boys pulled in a ringer from next door. It was the first time M's boy had played and I think we all had a good time, despite running in sandals.

Then was present time for the girls! (Xander was kind enough to loan me a 'Christmas tree')

I provided a thoroughly healthy dinner of beer-cheese fondue with bread and apples for dipping. Afterward Chris started the fire out back and we made s'mores. Yum! I woke up with a stomach ache in the middle of the night, but it was totally worth it.

B had to leave to get back to her guys (husband and baby), so M and I waited up to talk to R on the phone. It was great to hear from her but it was late and a long day, so I crashed that night.

Overall, I love this tradition. We don't do a great job of keeping in touch through out the year, but when we get together it's like no time has passed and I always have such a great time.

Sew no bags

2008-08-13T13:14:00.003-05:00

The past couple of weeks I've gotten to sew a few different things. I'm learning! I've even helped my sister and Ikkin fix dresses.

So. Any guesses what this is?

Why, it's a clothespin bag! Obviously! And (in my best Rod Roddy voice) to go with that new clothespin bag is this fabulous new umbrella clothesline!

And also included in this Showcase Showdown is this, as yet unhemmed, sewing machine cover!

Gotta love the creative use of scrap material, right?

I totally would have modeled a sequin dress while standing next to everything, but Xander doesn't understand how to take pictures yet (only how to pose for pictures).

Emo Tree

2008-08-06T07:43:00.004-05:00

We've had issues with what to do with the trees in front of our house. The one directly in front was nice, but it blocked the view of the entire house. The tree to the left I referred to as 'The Scary, Haunted House Tree.' They were both of the 'weeping' variety. They were both well established. What to do? We were thinking of chopping one or both. Fortunately, Chris talked to a knowledgeable neighbor who suggested how to trim both trees.

So this weekend Chris cleaned them up nicely. So now Scary, Haunted House Tree has become Sad, Tortured Tree. But it looks a lot better!

Chris found Sad, Tortured Tree was hiding a little secret. A perfect little nest was perched at the top of the trunk. Chris picked it up and showed it to me and set it back. It's still there after a big storm blew through here.

Five Year Plan - Check!

2008-08-03T16:24:00.003-05:00

Yesterday Chris and I celebrated our five year anniversary. Yowza! My sister was great enough to visit and babysit while we went out for dinner and a movie.

Dinner was at P.F. Chang's. It's a sign of our relationship that I was the one to suggest Chinese food as opposed to when we first met and I refused to try any. All thanks to that handsome man of mine. I had Orange Peel Chicken, which was fabulous though lacking in vegetables (another sign of Chris's influence). Chris tried Moo Goo Gai Pan, which even I thought tasted bland. I also tried a Pink Bellini. I was all excited because I have loved bellini drinks in the past. They would have champagne and pear juice and would be a nice frozen drink. I must not have read the description very well, or else took creative license with the description. It came out as a tall, narrow glass of pink liquid. It was a little sour but, wow, did it pack a punch.

So we sat and chatted. On our anniversary, Chris likes to think "What were we doing right now five years ago." We discussed the apartments we lived in since then (oh the stories from that first apartment). And we basically enjoyed being out on a Saturday night by our selves.

Afterwards we headed to the movies to see The Dark Knight. When we went to buy the tickets I saw that there were six different rooms showing it. One was the Imax. Four were normal. The last, which was at the time we wanted tickets, had the letters 'AV' after it on the listing. I was curious what it meant. So I asked (and Chris rolled his eyes). Hey, I wanted to make sure I wasn't walking into anything weird. Like the movie time reserved for people who like to come in costume.

Well, the girl behind the counter didn't know. Actually she 'didn't remember.' So she had to turn off her mike and turn to the guy behind her to ask. Sadly, she had to interrupt his air guitar routine. And the answer was, shockingly enough, 'Audio-Visual'. I was confused by this because it seemed to me that all of the movies would be both audio and visual. But I refrained from asking because Chris was giving me the hairy eyeball. So my running theory is that we saw the non-digital version of the movie. And, quite frankly, the digital version of Two-Face might have been too much for me.

Afterward we grabbed quick decaf drinks and headed home. And by golly, we didn't get home until after 11!

There's no singing here

2008-07-30T07:14:00.003-05:00

If you know me, you should know I'm a pretty big fan of Joss Whedon. You know, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly, comic books.... heck he even helped with Toy Story. Well, during the writers' strike he and some others wrote a small musical that was to be released on the internet called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog.

So I eagerly anticipated this. It was released in three acts during one week. Well, when I tried to watch it I was told "This video is not available at this site." Aggravation! I assumed that the site was so overwhelmed that it broke. A couple of days later I tried again. Same thing! Argh! Then we went camping for a weekend. I came back determined to figure it out. And they had already taken it down! Oh, I can buy it through iTunes (which I don't have). Or I can wait for it to come out on DVD. So guess what is going on my freakin' birthday wish list.

(I think I can get most of it on youtube, but not act by act. And I don't want to ruin the experience).

But Joss does have a new show coming out in the fall called Dollhouse. :)

ETA: HOLD THE PHONE - I just found out They have made Dr. Horrible available again here. And I fighting the urge to skip like a giddy little girl. Because I should be a good role model for Xander.

Nothing to see here

2008-07-23T17:31:00.002-05:00

My life is at a fairly even keel right now, not much excitement. Well, there was the camping trip over the weekend, but you probably already read that on Xander's blog.

So. Camping: check. Job: check. Workouts: same as always. Knitting: working on a scarf. Bags: trying to get a small 'inventory' made to sell. Oh, I went to buy fabric today but there were inventory people everywhere. And Xander decided to see just how loud he could be. Not crying, just loud. So, random story time!

When I was in third grade I heard a story about superstitions. Apparently when you find an eyelash, if you close your eyes and blow it away you can make a wish. I don't know why I believed it, I'm not even sure I did believe it. But in my school picture that year I didn't have eyebrows. And by golly, not a wish came true.

And now you know.

Name the TV show, peeps!

Employed

2008-07-21T16:56:00.002-05:00

Well, I've signed the contract and I will be a working mom for the 2008-2009 school year.

The details: It is an 8th grade Algebra class with four students. It lasts for 45 minutes a day. And I will be paid for 3 hours a day. When the principal offered me the salary I had to fight to talk her down. It's not extravagant, but it is way more than I expected to be paid for teaching one class at a private school.

Basically, I am very lucky that this has come my way. I think it will work out great for everyone involved :) Oh, and I already have a new student to tutor during the next school year.

What's old is new

2008-07-08T13:07:00.006-05:00

You know how there are shows you used to watch a long time ago? And as your mind wanders and you think "I wonder where that person is now?" A couple of weeks ago I received answers to two of them.

1)
2)
Do you recognize either of them? Do you know what show either was on or is currently on? I'll wait for comments to see just how dorky I really am. Then I'll fill in the rest of the masses. And try not to cheat with IMDB, because I know you are tempted to.

I know you're thinking "He looks sooooo familiar...."

....

I knew Ikkin would recognize the first one. Yes, John Henson was the host of Talk Soup on E! back in the day. Now is a commentator on Wipeout, a new show on ABC. And while it's amusing to watch people splash around the commentators definitely make the show down right laughable.

Any takers on #2? Ikkin is on the right path with the show but not the name.

....

#2 is JD Roth. Way (way, way) back in the day he hosted a kids' game show called (I think) Play House. More recently he hosted a kids' Saturday morning version of Survivor called Endurance. While watching #1 on Wipeout there was a commercial for a new show that Mr. JD Roth will be hosting called Opportunity Knocks. Looks like Amnesia, but funnier.

Today's Announcements

2008-06-30T08:01:00.003-05:00

1) I do believe I will be employed next year. There is nothing in writing, but I'm hired. I will be teaching one (ONE!) Algebra class to four (FOUR!) 8th graders. I will be paid hourly instead of salary and the principal even said she can get a list of parents who might be willing to babysit. I won't be required to go to most staff meetings and I may get a room so I have use of a SmartBoard.

It really works out best for me and the principal. I have a part-time, local job and she found a teacher who is licensed to teach Algebra and willing to work for 45 minutes a day.

2) I went to my first Major League Soccer game on Saturday with Chris and Ukie. We were given free tickets to the Columbus Crew and even managed to wrangle a babysitter. It was so much fun! It was a faster pace than baseball or football, not quite as violent as football or hockey. The stadium wasn't packed, but the fans who were there were all involved in the game. There was lots of cheering, a little booing. My favorite part is even when the Crew missed a goal, fans still applauded the effort. So many other places the players would get booed for missing. The hooligans had seats in the corner and during one corner kick, they threw streamers and smoke bombs on the opposing player.

The Crew won 2-1. I may have to knit myself a Crew scarf.

3) Chris found the poison ivy that caused his previous rash and then passed onto me. He removed the ivey, but seems to have contracted another rash. I am absolutely paranoid that I will catch it. I still have marks from the last one, they kind of look like bruise-scars.

4) Chris has finally talked me into selling the grocery-style bags I've been making. I don't think I've posted any pics of those yet. But they have been so handy for me and I keep getting compliments. Chris keeps bringing one into work to try to sell, but he brings the first one I made so it is ugly and messed up. I've been making more to give away to a few people just so I can practice.

I'll probably go through a 'green' church group to try to sell them first. Depending on how many I can whip out, I may open an Etsy shop.

That concludes today's announcements.

They might like me

2008-06-19T13:36:00.002-05:00

I have an 'informal meeting' with the principal tomorrow about the Algebra position. Those were her words, not mine. I'm taking her up on the 'informal' part by bringing Xander. I cringe at the unprofessionalism (spell check says that isn't a word, but since when do I care what spell check thinks) of bringing a nine month old to an interview, Chris needs to work, it's too early in the day for the neighbor to babysit and also awkwardly overlaps with playgroup time so no one there can help.

I figure I can pitch it as 'my salary is going directly to his school savings for when he attends here.'

A trip for ice cream

2008-06-16T08:50:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, for Father's Day, we walked a couple of blocks to get ice cream. Along the way is the neighborhood pond. Here are our conversations.

On the way to get ice cream:
Hugs: Look, there is the mommy duck with her baby ducks! I want a closer look! *runs up to the fence*
Chicks: *rolls eyes*

On the way back home:
Hugs: Look, that isn't a duck down there swimming! What is it?
Chicks: It's a muskrat.
Hugs: Really? Cool! Wait, do we like muskrats? Are we pro-muskrat or anti-muskrat?
Chicks: I guess it depends. I mean it's one of God's creatures. But muskrats eat baby ducks.
Hugs: *shock*

I forgot to tell you

2008-06-12T14:14:00.003-05:00

That adoring husband of mine had abandoned me to go gallivanting across England again (at least that's the way I tell it to get sympathy). He's back now and earning his keep as is proper. But while he was gone I had to pick up his slack. That includes (but is not limited to):

a) Cleaning the cat litter. It's not hard. It's not even terribly gross. But it's two cats and one box, so it's often.

b) Mow the lawn. That's right, I took Rocky the reel lawn mower out for a spin. I was nervous because the last time I tried it I had to give up when about 1/3 of the back lawn was done. Granted I was 6 or so months pregnant and it was summer. It was so easy this time! I couldn't strap Xander to my back like Chris, but I had him next to the window so I could see and hear him. And away I went!

c) Taking out trash and recycling on trash day. Once again, not hard or gross.

d) I actually had to wash more dishes even with Chris gone because we only have four baby bottles and that was right when Xander was on formula.

I know there was something else impressive that I did, but now I forget.

Thanks again to Ikkin, Trisha and Lori for helping me to pass the time. Also to my neighbors (who don't actually know about this blog)(or maybe they do and I don't know they know) who helped me and Xander the day I had a fun migraine.

Decisions, Decisions

2008-06-09T09:54:00.002-05:00

This past year I stayed home instead of teaching, but did some tutoring on the side. But I miss teaching and getting out of the house. But when I teach I'm 'all-in' meaning I dedicate a lot of time to grading, making plans and projects and especially staying after school to work with students. That doesn't mesh too well with Xander's plans for me to wait on him hand and foot.

So the perfect plan would be a part time teaching position. But it would have to be local, because part time would not pay enough for daycare and gas prices. And of course, it would have to be math. That's not to much to ask, is it?

Apparently it's not. A local grade school (actually it's the school for the parish we belong to) is adding an 8th grade Algebra. A set of parents we know have been mentioning it all year because they are interested in me teaching it.

So I'm dusting off the resume and cover letter. No j0bs are actually listed on the website, but I'll just email them to the principal.

I'm surprisingly nervous about this. Maybe they won't be interested in me at all (why hire a teacher for one class, even if she has that special Algebra license?) or maybe they will love me (daycare? lesson planning? 8th graders??).

Botched

2008-06-03T08:58:00.003-05:00

I love telling you about the crafts I do because it makes me feel like I'm doing something fun and important. In reality, I figure many of you tune in to read fun antidotes and when you see a craft story, you skip it. For those who don't skip it, you are either amused at my sudden shift to knitting and sewing or you are aghast at how badly I do at it. Either way, I've only told you about my successes, such as they are. Here's a few that haven't gone over so well.

I bought material to make a pillow and curtain for Xander's room almost a year ago. I finally finished them last week. The pillow is nothing great at all. The curtain is not wide enough. I knew it would be close, but after washing and trimming and the seams it has to hang flat and even then there is room on each side. Chris said to just make another one, but I don't want to spend more money on it.

I tried to reconstruct a pair of jeans into a skirt ala the Pink Shoe. Um, it's definitely a skirt. It took so much work that towards the end I was just making it up as I went. The edges are really ragged, which will only get worse as I wash it.

I tried my first skirt from a pattern. I knew that sizes on patterns were not 'vanity-sized', but I forgot that I still wasn't back to my pre-pregnancy size. So it's too small and I haven't bothered to seam the bottom of it. It is sitting down on my craft table mocking me. I should just finish it and give it away already.

But here is one new project that did turn out well. While shopping I found a remnant that I liked, so I bought it (I've got to be careful not to become one of those people). I figured I could at least make another bag. But it was too pretty. So while sitting at the table pondering I noticed a water ring forming around my glass and thought about how Chris likes to put coasters on the table to stop the water rings but coasters on the dining room table drive me nuts. Oh, a table cloth! Or a table runner! But there wasn't enough material. So... place mats! They aren't normal size and have no backing or second layer, so not the greatest place mats. But I like them and when I'm done they will fit nicely around the table. Plus, I learned to miter corners and get to practice stitching straight lines. The fun doesn't stop around here!

Last Saturday was gorgeous, so Xander and I went window shopping with Ikkin. We found these fun aprons called Kitsch'n Glam that are awesome. They are much more fun in real life than on the website. That is totally something I would love to do.

Success!(es!)

2008-05-29T06:13:00.004-05:00

The end of May means that school is winding down which in turn means the end of tutoring season. The totals for this year are roughly a dozen calls of interest, three students who did come for geometry help, one student who stopped coming without explanation or even calling to cancel (can you feel the bitterness) and two students who stuck it out till the end.

One of those students has been struggling to pass but received good grades the last couple of quizzes. Yeah! On her last day, she and her mother showed up with these:

They like me, they really like me.

-=-=-=-=-=-

I mentioned a while ago that the Women's Organization at church asked me to teach how to make a rosary. That was last night and it went pretty well.

I had to order the cord myself, as well as measure, cut and melt the ends. And I had to bring Xander along, but he sat in his stroller and chuckled for most of it.

There were 10 women there, which is a good size when you are walking around showing how to wrap a cord around your finger to make a pretty knot. As with any class, some caught onto it and others struggled. But everyone stayed in a good mood and there were two women who actually finished their rosaries.

Overall, I think it was a good experience. Some were talking about having a 'craft night' for the Women's group and possibly making the rosaries for other organizations. I will be surprised but thrilled if that happened. I'll let you know.

Proof that boys have cooties

2008-05-23T16:31:00.002-05:00

So Chris mentioned that he had poison ivy. It was almost two weeks ago that if first appeared after he had worked in the yard. Within a week he had passed it on to me.

Last week I found a spot of it on my waist. Hey, I've had poison ivy before, no problem, I can tough it out. This week it has spread down my leg and across my back. Suddenly it is insanely itchy. I mean, last night spent an hour rolling and trying not to scratch. And it is red and swollen and ugly.

While tempted to try bleach, I instead went to the doctor. It was confirmed what I suspected - not poison ivy but some kind of contact dermatitis. And the reason that it is just now getting bad is because I was on a steroid for my toothache (did I mention that I am not getting a root canal - huzzah!) but when that prescription ran out this rash flared up with a vengeance.

So now I have more steroids to take. The problem is they are much stronger and Xander can't nurse while I'm taking them. So within the next week you'll find some stories over on his blog about how we are handling the abrupt weaning. This should be interesting.

Another Weekend, Another Post

2008-05-19T09:08:00.006-05:00

Once again, it turned into a pretty decent weekend.

On Friday night we went to eat at a steakhouse with my youngest brother and his girlfriend. Xander was a little fussy with all of the noise and people, but I've finally mastered holding a baby and eating at the same time. After, Lee came back to our place for a fun game of Clue and we watched the second Fantastic Four movie. I don't recommend playing Clue and watching a movie at the same time, but we made it happen.

Chris went to the Rock on the Range concert on Saturday, so Xander and I hung around the house like any ole day. I did work on replanting some flowers I'd received for Mother's Day. Here are the gerber daises and geraniums.

And here are the azaleas that bloomed this week. They are such a gorgeous, vibrant color I just had to share.

I did some other chores, played with Xander and decided to treat myself with trying a new dessert. I made brownie pudding. It doesn't look like much, but it tastes amazing with mint chocolate chip ice cream.

I was carrying Xander while taking pictures. At one point he realized that I wasn't taking pictures of him, so he tried to remedy that.

On Sunday we spent a couple of hours walking around the local arts festival. I checked out the totes and bags being sold there. Pricey, but oh so much nicer than the ones I make. Plus I'd need to get tables and such for a booth. So I don't think I'll be going into business any time soon.

But it was fun just walking around with anther couple and their baby. We checked out some of the small shops downtown, saw the pet parade (they mean dog parade, there were no other animals in sight) and ate lunch while watching the local dance company perform. It was all very Gilmore-Girls-esque.

My first Mother's Day

2008-05-13T14:46:00.002-05:00

What a great weekend.

On Friday, Chris and Xander took me to get my Mother's Day gift. It was 27 Dresses. Then we picked up pizza from a new place. It was actually good pizza with yummy crust. We have had a hard time finding any good local pizza. The place isn't that close to us, but we can save it for special occasions.

Saturday was beautiful, so it was yard day. Chris and Xander mowed and weeded and such. I bought a few marigolds, white petunias and vintas. I couldn't find impatiens, which I usually like. Then we had Game Night! It was a small crowd but loads of fun, I don't think we've ever had such a hard core game of SceneIt.

Sunday I received several phone calls and texts for Mother's Day, which made me feel very special. We packed up and went to visit my family for the day. Good thing too, there was apparently a huge storm here with a tornado. It was really great to see everyone and to just hang out (and let other people hold Xander).

I've gone on a sewing tear these past weeks. I finished making a pair of jeans into a skirt. I made three new bags. Two are based off of grocery bags and a tutorial I found online. They fold up so I can put them in my bag and bring them to stores to use. It's the first time I've actually had requests to make a couple, albeit 'more manly' or 'less bright'. Chris still wants me to make some to sell, but I don't know where to sell except the craft show at the church in the fall.

If only I could make a cozy for my tooth

2008-05-07T11:11:00.004-05:00

About a week and a half ago I partook of ice cream cake and have been paying for it ever since. My teeth hurt. The right half of my mouth felt like it was soaking in ice filled water. Oragel wasn't doing much, but the Arm and Hammer toothpaste helped. Now the pain is mostly gone during the day, but I still wake up with it at night.

So today I managed to finagle an appointment at the dentist. The diagnosis is that one molar in the back is the culprit. The dentist has referred me to a specialist to get a root canal. Then I'll return to the dentist for a crown.

There goes our economic stimulus money. And now I feel old.

Chris thinks I should just get the tooth pulled.

In other news, I gave Chris part of his birthday gift early.

I knit this beer cozy from a pattern in a book called "Knitting with Balls." It required I go to an actual yarn store to buy special yarn with elastic in it. Yeah, I'm one of those people now. It was knitted in the round and turned out pretty snazzy. So snazzy , in fact, that I knitted one for Ukie for his birthday too. But Ukie is special and I tried cables for the first time on his.

Morning of the Lepus

2008-05-02T06:52:00.002-05:00

Last Sunday, as we were getting ready for church, I saw two little bunnies enjoying our back yard. When suddenly one bunny turned and charged full speed at the second bunny! Then the second bunny leaped high into the air over the first one as it rocketed towards him! That second bunny easily reached three feet high.

They proceeded to do this twice more. Crazy!

Is this some sort of display of super-bunny-powers? Or the bunny version of bull fighting? Or were they just training to jump the fence into our new garden?

I was going to do a screen cap from Night of the Lepus, but I couldn't find a decent one. So in a moment of nostalgia, here is a screen cap for you to guess.

Williamsburg or Bust

2008-04-29T14:59:00.007-05:00

We went to Williamsburg, Virginia for our vacation this year. People keep asking us "How did you pick that?" Well, our criteria was that it had to be within a days drive, no beaches (I will not go to a beach during spring break season) and it had to be south of us in the hopes it would be warmer. Williamsburg fit that and it included history and we thought there would be parks nearby.

Sunday
We get up and leave at 3 am so that X would sleep on the way. We get there around 2. We stayed at Springhill Suites, which I really liked because it had a fridge, microwave and a little area to set up X's Pack'n'Play. We had Xander sleep in the P'n'P a couple of nights before we left so he was used to it and I do think that helped on the trip. We puttered around and drove around a little and ate barbecue at Red Hot and Blue, which we found disappointing.

For those contemplating having children, observe the next photo. Last year when Chris and I went to Charleston, we only had those bottom two bags. The rest is for Xander. Seriously.

Monday
We went to Colonial Williamsburg. Dang, I didn't realize how expensive it would be. And you can't take strollers into any buildings, so Chris had to carry Xander in the Snuggli all day. And hold X's head up when he fell asleep. We walked around to some of the businesses and heard about how things were done back in the day. Lunch was at The Cheese Shop, which was tasty, and I found out I do like brie. It drizzled all day and it turned into a downpour in the afternoon, so we headed back to the hotel. Dinner was at a steakhouse, but X was a putz so we didn't get to enjoy it.

Tuesday
It was still rainy and the forecast wasn't great, so we made it a museum day. We went to the Virginia Living Museum first. It had a nice boardwalk to see animals they had and some good indoor exhibits that covered different areas of Virginia. But it was a big kids place and there were lots of classes there, at least one set that was out of control.

Then we went to the Hampton Roads Naval Museum which included the USS Wisconsin. It was nicely laid out and seeing the Wisconsin makes you realize just how big those suckers are.

And then we went across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel. That was one hefty toll road, but pretty impressive to see. On the other side we stopped and introduced X to the Chesapeake Bay (since we didn't have easy access to the Atlantic Ocean at that point). Xander did not like the Bay, but did like the sand.

Wednesday
The weather finally brightened up, so we headed into Colonial Williamsburg for a historic garden tour. We dallied around again looking at different shops and the Capitol building. We had to skip a couple of things because of long lines and Xander's fussiness level, but it was neat just to walk around and look at things. Oh, and we had pizza at Sal's that night that was awesome.

Thursday
Thursday was lovely, as our last day it was an odds-and-ends kind of day. We went to the world's largest Yankee Candle where it snowed in the Christmas section. We went to Williamsburg Pottery, but that was disappointing. We went to Jamestown, but it seemed to be like Williamsburg and we didn't want to pay again. Then we went to Yorktown and walked along the riverwalk for a while. We ended with Mexican food for dinner and called it a night.

The End!
(Look, a picutre with me!)

Returning from Vacation

2008-04-26T17:37:00.002-05:00

Chris, Xander and I spent last week in colonial Williamsburg. It was a good trip, considering we traveling with a teething seven month old. I think Chris is writing up a review of the trip. He sent out some pics, so if you didn't get them and would like to see them drop us a line.

We returned yesterday (Friday) at about 2 in the afternoon, so we had the rest of the day to unpack and unwind. We were getting ready for bed last night when I went in our bathroom and froze. I could hear something. It was coming from either in the shower or possibly the vent above it. And it sounded very much like when we had a mouse in the dryer last year.

"Chris, get in here" I whispered loudly (Xander was asleep, even a mouse in the shower doesn't necessitate waking up the boy).

I listen and hear the scuttling some more. I notice something light and something dark through the door.

"Chris, get in here now" I yelled/whispered. He bolts in and I told him to listen to the noise. He climbs up on the toilet and looks over the door. And starts laughing.

Somehow a hole developed in my can of shaving cream and it was fizzling all over the shower. Cream everywhere. But it did smell absolutely lovely, raspberry something or other.

Back in the slow lane

2008-04-14T08:52:00.003-05:00

I'm not a big runner, but my studly husband and I had a routine of going to the park on Saturday mornings for a run. That came to a screeching halt last January after a certain test came up positive. I know it's not bad to run while pregnant, but my first case of morning sickness came after one of those runs.

So I finally caved and bought a fancy pants Enell sports bra since I found some recommendations for it (I did NOT know Oprah endorsed it until I went to the store). Saturday morning Chris and I got up to go on his neighborhood run with Xander in the fancy pants jogging stroller. I politely asked Chris to go on ahead with Xander. I figured it would be better to run by myself for this first outing.

I was slow, I hurt and my lungs felt like little balloons expanding too much but I ran! According to MapMyRun.com I made it 1.5 miles. Since I didn't think I'd make it further than the end of the block, I am rather impressed with myself.

Hmm, other news. I'm knitting Chris a birthday present. I don't have any more totes to make, but have some material left to make myself another for library books. I made Waikiki Meatballs last week and they were awesome. I made burritos last night and Chris loved them. The ducks from the neighborhood pond are hanging out in our area a lot so I'm guessing they will be nesting soon.

Oh, and we woke up to find a German Shepard in the neighbor's yard. They have two dogs and this was not one of them. We were very confused and thought maybe the dog somehow jumped into their yard. I hope I wasn't too desperate-housewife, but I called one of the neighbors at work to let him know it was there. He actually found the dog this morning wandering around without a collar. So he already called around to local authorities and let them know he had the dog. He was very apologetic about the yipping the shepard was making, I just reiterated I was just concerned.

And finally, here is a video clip for you to guess. Of course at the end there are alternative videos and it tells you what show it is from, so that sucks the fun out of it. But does it ever make me smile!

Grateful

2008-04-08T13:53:00.002-05:00

A great big THANK YOU to everyone who helped to entertain me during Chris's absence. It was a lucky coincidence that Chris's trip to England coincided with several spring breaks, so the visits during the week were really appreciated. The number of people who called to check on me and visit or have dinner was really touching. And of course Xander appreciated getting attention from everyone too.

Chris will be going again, so if you are sick of me you should be prepared to duck and cover. If you'd like to be added to my list of people-to-bug-for-adult-attention, just drop me a line :)

How to get rid of cold weather

2008-03-31T07:50:00.005-05:00

I've been keeping pretty busy lately. Like I said in the baby blog, I went to visit my sister and brother on Wednesday. Thursday Dandy visited and we had a marvelous time at Target. Friday Sarah visited and we went on the Quest for a Jumperoo.

Other than that, I've been schmoozing around the house working on this and that. I finally finished knitting the hat for Chris. Just in time for the 60 degree weather.

Quite frankly I'm surprised it came out so well. There are little mess-ups in it that I know only I can see and a few obvious mess-ups. It's supposed to have the letters PJ (for Pearl Jam) on the side in seed stitch, but it didn't work out so well. But for knitting in the round for the first time, it turned out to be a wearable hat.

Chris is at work, so Xander offered to model for me. Keep in mind that Chris's melon is about 10 times as big as Xander's, especially when you include his hair.

Returning to Rosaries

2008-03-20T15:37:00.003-05:00

Last week I received an email from the church's womens group asking me to teach rosary making at one of the upcoming meetings. Yes, I'd love to! This is requiring me to contact the leader of the group in our old parish, order supplies and plan a lesson. I'm surprisingly excited about this.

In other news, I guess I've lost a tutoring student. He hasn't shown up for two weeks and his friend says she doesn't think he will be continuing. Hey, thanks for calling me to let me know so I don't sit around waiting for you. The first student I had is doing great and is working hard to get a B+. The other student that is still coming is struggling so I'm changing from one session of one hour each week to two sessions of a half hour each week. I hope it helps.

And finally, Chris and I installed our TV converter last night. In the process of Chris lifting the TV so I could switch the antenna and converter wires, I jabbed my thigh into a sharp, pointy ledge on the entertainment center. As I exclaim "oh, fudge" and fall to the floor clutching my leg, Chris looks on and says "gee, I'll bet that hurts." He nearly lost an eye. And I'll bet that would have hurt. But at least the converter box works great.

I've gone tote mad

2008-03-17T12:48:00.005-05:00

So since the only thing I know how to sew is totes, I'm practicing by making them for my friends. So here is Ikkin's. It's like the one I originally made, but different material than mine. I really liked the lining because (and you can't really see it in the pic) it is cream with shiny cream dots on it, which nicely complements the olive bag with shiny metal circles sewn on it.

And here's the one I made for Sarah. It's a different pattern that I did all by myself (yeah me) and is totally cute. It has a pocket on the outside on both the front and the back. I also adapted the pattern to make the bag taller.

Chris has done a good job of acting impressed with each one (I have one more done, but no pics until I can give it to the recipient) and thinks I should make some to sell. I think a little more practice is in order first to make sure I can do things like line up the seams.

Overall I think I like sewing a little better than knitting, but I'm not giving up on the knitting :)