Christmas in August

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!)

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

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

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

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

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

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.