Mother Necessity

Still Knitting

2011-07-12T07:55:00.000-04:00

Now that summer is here and I've packed up my classroom, my brain is free to concentrate on other things besides report cards and grading math homework - things like knitting! Since we're going to Cape Cod soon, I decided I'd better finish the socks I started with the yarn I bought there last year (thus making the case that I definitely need more yarn when we go back). Here they are (complete with Big Trouble's foot, which he felt was a crucial part of the photo):

They came together nicely, and passed the itchy test - I had no idea I had such delicate feet until I started knitting socks. There are so many that have ended up with my Mom because after wearing them for about 5 minutes I want to rip my feet off.

The sock yarn blanket continues to make slow progress - in heat of the summer I am somewhat loathe to drape myself in wool as I work on it, but it's growing:

I like working on it, because you can get a small square done in under 1/2 an hour - there's definitely something more gratifying about finishing one and cutting off the yarn than just going round and round on something that looks slightly bigger than when you started, but you can't tell for sure how much you've done. Instant gratification is definitely not over-rated!

Father Time

2011-07-10T08:32:00.000-04:00

As all of us are, I am getting older. It doesn't bother me, and I'm not really doing anything to counteract it. My hair has lots of white in it, which I don't dye. I claim it's because I want to grow old gracefully, but it's really that I'm both lazy and cheap - I only get my hair cut once or twice a year - can you imagine the fabulousness of my roots if I dyed it? I actually had a woman compliment me on my "highlights" and ask me if they were natural. Ummm, yeah! I thought she was joking, but she was looking at me rather earnestly with her 20-year old face, so I simply said they were. Once when I was substituting in a 1st grade class, a little boy walked up to me and said, "You know, your hair is really different - some is brown and some is white." The other 1st graders decided this was worth a look, and I was the object of wonder for several minutes - where I live you don't see much gray hair (you also see a lot of fake body parts, but that's a different post).

That all being said, I went into Fairway last week, and along with my groceries I bought a six-pack of beer. As part of the cheapness thing mentioned earlier, I keep track of our spending, so a few days later I was typing the info from the receipt into Quicken. And I noticed something odd on the receipt - where the beer purchase was listed, it had a birthday keyed in. Apparently in this store you need to ask the patron their birthday and key it in when they make an alcohol purchase. I don't expect to get carded, as I have long ago passed the age where anyone would think I am below the drinking age. However, I am not a fan when the cashier simply picks an arbitrary birthday for me and punches it in to the register.

Especially when the birthday is 2 years too early. It's enough to make your hair go white...

Summer summer summer summer summer summer

2011-06-29T15:17:00.000-04:00

Yes, it is indeed summer! My last days of school were this week, and my classroom has been packed up and cleared out. My job ended, but as it was a leave replacement for the year, I wasn't exactly blindsided by that fact. I was, however, really sad to leave. It was such a wonderful place to work, and the people I worked with were fabulous. I loved working there, and it was really hard to drive away for the last time.

The good news is I have a new job. The bad news is that it's another leave replacement for a year. But, with education tanking left and right, I'm thrilled to have a job at all. It's in a great district, the school is beautiful, and the people I'm working with seem terrific. All in all, a good start.

The kids are home from school and enjoying the beginning of summer. It's not too hot out, so we can all enjoy the nice weather without melting in our little apartment. Not a bad way to begin (except, of course, for the piles of junk I dragged home from my classroom and haven't yet dug through...).

Sleeping Under the Stars

2011-01-22T19:29:00.001-05:00

Well, the pretend stars. Last night Big Trouble and The Professor had their very own version of Night at the Museum. Big Trouble's Boy Scout Troop (and apparently every other little boy in America) had a sleepover at the Museum of Natural History in NYC. The Professor is Big Trouble's adult for all things Boy Scout (you have to have a background check now, and as they only check one guardian, said guardian is the one who goes on all the activities), so he accompanied.

Apparently, a lovely time was had by all, although apparently not a lot of sleeping was done. Big Trouble usually drops off by 8:30 at the latest, and lights out was 11:45 last night, with the museum staff issuing a firm wake-up call at 7:00 am. Needless to say this has made for a bleary-eyed Big Trouble today, who has not been able to muster up the energy for much trouble at all.

They got to walk around the exhibits at night after the museum closed, saw a raptor show, had a late-night IMAX movie, saw Fossils by Flashlight, and got to sleep in the Hall of Planet Earth. This was part of Big Trouble's Christmas present (sleepovers at the museum don't come cheap, I'm afraid....), and he seemed to be truly excited. I could tell, because he was voluntarily trying to carry their items out to the car, rather than claiming that he was having to do it "against his will." (Big Trouble claims he has to do a lot of things against his will. I tell him my whole life is against my will, but he doesn't seem to grasp this....)

Miss Serious and I stayed home and enjoyed a dinner out and a movie in (and got to sleep in our own beds). Merry Christmas, Big Trouble!

Neither Rain, Nor Sleet...

2011-01-18T19:14:00.000-05:00

Add these to some of the many reasons I'm not a mail carrier. Today I woke up to the odd pitter-patter of freezing rain flinging into my windows. I was then greeted by the more pleasant sound of the phone ringing to tell me we had a snow day.

I like snow days. I think the teachers like them more than the kids. I was thrilled to not have to brave what would have been a slippery and (as I am surrounded by giant SUVs who think they are invincible) scary ride. And since we live in a co-op, we don't have to shovel. (The Professor does dig out my car, for which I am eternally grateful.)

Unfortunately, since this winter has decided to get all out of control, this is our third snow day. We have three snow days in our calendar. It is only mid-January. So, while I enjoy a day off as much as the next gal, this doesn't bode well for vacations, which start getting pulled the next time all that freezy stuff decides to fall from the sky.

I do need to remember to thank my mail carrier the next time I run into her, though...

Goodbye

2011-01-16T17:12:00.001-05:00

Though it may be very natural for some people, it is extremely hard for me to write about my life when it is sad. I had planned to write this blog more often this year, but I usually try to keep a humorous outlook on my life and family. I guess if all someone wrote about in a journal were the happy stories, you would never get a true picture of their life. When Miss Serious was very young, my parents took her picture as she was pitching a fit in her high chair – she was shocked at the ensuing image of herself. Previously she had only seen a cute, smiling Miss Serious, and this was not the picture she had in her mind of what she looked like.

On Monday, my mother called with the news that my grandmother had passed away. We knew she was ill, and she was 87 – by all accounts that is a very long time to live. But her mother lived to be 100, and as my grandmother was always healthy and a rather sassy broad, we expected nothing but the same from her. Her decline was fast and of a speed that was unexpected. She had family around her at all times, and was at peace at the end. We all knew she would not have wanted to linger and be in pain.

But I’ve discovered that all those things don’t make it any less sad. When I got to work on Monday, a colleague asked me how my weekend was. I was still so thrown by the news that I just blurted out that my grandmother died this morning. He asked me how old she was, and when I told him 87, he responded, “Well, that was a really long life. Good for her.” He is a kind, well-meaning person. I know words much like those have come out of my mouth again and again. They were not what I wanted to hear.

I’ve realized that it doesn’t matter that you’re old, or that you had been given a diagnosis and those around you knew it was terminal. It doesn’t make the people who love you feel anything other than sad. And it doesn’t make them miss you any less. And I know that I won’t use those words to anyone ever again.

We love you Grandma, and will miss you. You were outspoken and opinionated and funny. You could squeeze a nickel until it screamed and knit beautiful blankets for my babies. You helped teach me to drive and to make perfect French Toast. I still sleep under the lovely bedspread you embroidered for us when we got married. We looked through all your old pictures and celebrated your life. And we were happy and sad, and will be for a long time. It was a long life, but now I know it will never be long enough.

But It's Sooooo Dark....

2011-01-04T19:01:00.000-05:00

One would have thought the first day back would have been the hardest. One would have been wrong. When my alarm clock went off at 5:00 am yesterday, it was sort of novel. Today, however, the crushing realization occurred that this was NOT a novelty, this was the way things are. And it is very dark at 5:00 in the morning, my friends. And cold. And did I mention dark?

Luckily I love my job, and my room is toasty warm. Very toasty - apparently my heater is malfunctioning, so my room was 82.2 degrees when I walked in yesterday. Rather tropical. Unfortunately I was not sporting beachware, but instead a turtleneck cashmere sweater. And every fifth grader that entered my room (and there were 96 of them) felt the need to ask, "Wow, do you know how hot it is in here?" Because, you know, it's not like I've actually been in that room all day.

At least now I do know that I am definitely smarter than a fifth grader.

Missed the Possum Drop

2011-01-02T10:43:00.001-05:00

The new year is here, and we celebrated pretty much the same way we have for 15 years - at home with Chinese food, wine, and general good cheer. When I was young and thought you were supposed to, I used to go out on New Year's Eve. The night always had a whiff of desperation about it - everyone trying to have a good time, because, hey - it was New Year's Eve!!!! After many years of overcrowded restaurants, dangerous drivers, and realizing it wasn't actually that much fun, I learned to embrace the quieter, happier entrance to the New Year.

I also used to make resolutions, but as they never got me very far, I've become a bit more philosophical about the whole thing, and just have general thoughts for the new year. Who knows if it works better, but at least it doesn't make me feel like a failure when I invariably do something on Jan. 3rd that I've vowed not to do do and decide that the whole thing's off....

I also no longer try to stay up until midnight - I'm not a late night person, and I never quite got the whole dropping the ball thing, so giving it a miss is a relief. I would however, if only the misguided folks in the media would cover it, stay up for the possum drop in Brasstown, NC.

Happy New Year! (The possum is released at the end - I wonder if they release the ball into Times Square?).

Clearing out the Cobwebs...

2010-12-31T16:15:00.000-05:00

Even though this place looks so dusty and unused because I haven't set foot in it since beginning my job, I'm going to try to get back on the blogging wagon. Math and fifth graders have taken over my life for a bit, but now that I have a few months under my belt, I'm ready to get back into the habit of thinking about other things once in a while.

Work has been AWESOME, and this job is everything I could hope for (except, of course, the whole temporary thing). I love my classroom, the kids are fabulous, and I even played in the school concert with the fifth grade band. I've also been saddened by the prospect of having to job-hunt again in a few short months, but you can't have everything, right?

We all enjoyed Christmas, and the blizzard was an interesting surprise. It upset our travel/family plans a little, but all in all it was more exciting than anything else. After having no snow, a whole pile was dropped on us at once, and the kids have been enjoying the whole thing. Not being a fan of the cold, I could do with it all melting and not snowing again for the season, but I'm pretty sure that isn't going to happen. My body doesn't handle cold well, a fact that was documented scientifically yesterday at the NY Hall of Science. This was a cool camera that detected your heat levels, and showed them on the screen. I'm standing between the kids, and now have objective proof that I get REALLY cold, and this is in a well-heated museum (my gigundo blue muppet nose is especially fetching, I think):

Stay warm, and Happy New Year!

Through the Eyes of a Child

2010-09-01T08:23:00.000-04:00

As the first day of school is approaching at an incredibly fast (and frightening) speed, I've been trying to acclimate my summer (read lazy) body to getting up earlier. As I will be teaching in a middle school, the day starts early (kids arrive at 7:40), and as it's about 40 minutes away, my day will need to start quite a bit earlier than I'm accustomed to.

Thus, I've started trying to drag myself out of bed early, and setting my alarm back about 15 minutes every couple of days. What I find fascinating is that no matter how early I get up, Big Trouble is already awake and sitting on the couch watching PBS (being the ~~cheap~~ frugal family that we are, his early morning choices are limited to morning news shows or the children's offerings on PBS). He greets me with a happy smile, and I try to do the same, though I admit it's a struggle.

I've been feeling cranky and rather put-out that I have to get up early (while inside I know I should just be thrilled to have a job to get up for, my outside is TIRED), and as my classroom is a frightening mess, I've been going in to the school quite a bit. Apparently, all the teachers from last year were so happy to no longer have to teach math that it seems they took ALL their math materials - I'm talking old photocopies, textbook series that haven't been used for 10 years, etc. - and dumped them in my room. This week has been spent digging through everything, boxing up all the junk, and sending it to the vast abyss of storage.

When I got up yesterday and shuffled into the kitchen, Big Trouble followed me. He stood in the doorway and announced with shining eyes and a supremely happy voice, "I love it when the light looks like this - it makes the whole kitchen orange! I wonder if the bathroom looks this way?" and he raced over to the bathroom to confirm that it, too, was bathed in orange light.

I couldn't have been more struck about what a different way this was to start the day. Instead of lamenting that I have to get up with (or before) the sun, I could cherish the way it surrounds my kitchen in soft, beautiful light that can't be seen any other time of the day, and that this is a special moment I get to share with my seven year old son.

I can't say it will make me happy about getting up at 5:30, but I'm working on it. Thanks, Big Trouble.

And Now For Something Completely Different...

2010-08-24T08:16:00.000-04:00

A couple of weeks ago, we took the kids to the NY Renaissance Faire; I wanted to write about it sooner, but it's taken me this long to recover.

I've never been to a Renaissance Faire - I thought it would be something like Old Williamsburg, with historical re-enactors and authentic buildings. I was wrong.

Apparently, I'm the only one laboring under this misapprehension. I also didn't realize that everyone and his brother would be going to the Renaissance Faire. When we got there, we parked on a huge field labeled Lot Number 3, which was already almost full, and took a Shuttle bus to the fairgrounds, since there were already a zillion cars parked and the original parking lots were full. As we got out of the car, I noticed several people walking with us to the shuttle bus dressed in full Renaissance garb. I assumed they were late to work. Again, I was wrong.

We got to the fairgrounds, paid our pricey admission (but the kids were free that week-end, so it evened out ok), and started to walk. I'm not sure how long the fair has been going on, but I think many of the buildings and all of the signage have been in use since the beginning. Everything was a bit kitschy, and not exactly what one would call historically accurate - pretty much someone's version of what he thought the Renaissance may have been like, possibly under the influence of some sort of alcoholic substance, and certainly without much help from any reference books....

As we were walking, I started to realize something - we were surrounded by LOTS of people in Renaissance garb, some of them wearing such odd items as pointy elf ears to round out their flowing capes, and wildly tight and inappropriate Renaissance-style bustiers. I quietly mentioned to The Professor that there seemed to be an awful lot of people dressed up, and was surprised that they had so many workers/volunteers. He looked at me somewhat oddly, and informed me that they were all just fair-goers like us. I was floored - so apparently this is a big deal - people have their own Renaissance outfits at home and slap them on in billion degree weather to walk around the Renaissance Faire. I spent the rest of the afternoon in a state of shock and confusion, the remnants of which are still lurking in the corners of my mind.

There was lots of stuff to see, and the kids had a great time. They got to see a joust, a crazy performer named Dextre Tripp who did wild things like juggling with a chain saw and strapping fireworks to his chest, saw some neat birds of prey, watched a glassblower, and generally enjoyed themselves.

Now I have to convince Miss Serious that we don't actually need matching Renaissance capes...

Don't Cry....

2010-08-21T18:34:00.002-04:00

I am a simple woman with simple needs. I don't consider myself high-maintenance (or maybe I'm fooling myself like in Harry Met Sally), and I don't ask for much out of life. When Friday rolls around, I'm happy that the working week has come to a close (even if the concept of sleeping in on a Saturday has been missing 'round these parts for, oh, about 9 years), and ask for very little - an easy-to-prepare dinner, some English comedies on PBS, maybe a tasty dessert.

What I don't enjoy on a Friday night is a really odd sound coming from the direction of my kitchen followed by a slightly hysterical, "Help!" called out in the tones that only a nine-year-old with a big problem can muster.

Now, when I'm in the center of my apartment, I'm only about 10 or 20 feet from the opposite end, and The Professor and I made the short trip from the comparative serenity of the living room to the kitchen in record time.

The scene which confronted us was distinctly unexpected and horrifying - my kitchen is pretty much all white (cabinets, tile floor, appliances), but it had attained an extra veneer of shiny whiteness because of the FULL GALLON of milk that was currently streaming quickly across my tiles in a race to get under all the appliances where it could stay in milky goodness and produce a smell that would surely force us to leave our home after 2 hot days.

Leaping into action (as opposed to Miss Serious, who stood in the center of this puddle holding the now-empty and exploded milk container as if transfixed by the beauty of the stream surrounding her), we grabbed all the bath towels we have and threw them down on the milk, jumping up and down on them in some sort of maniacal tribal dance so they could absorb for all they were worth. Tobie helped out on the hardwood floor in the hallway, and took care of the overflow....

The floor, having been towel-dried, steam-cleaned, and wiped down with cleaner on hands and knees is now dry and no longer sticky. The towels were taken to the basement and washed, and Miss Serious seems to have recovered. The Professor and I treated ourselves to a beer and called it a night.

This is one of the things no one ever tells you about parenting - that some night, when you least expect it, your kid is going to drop an entire gallon of milk on the kitchen floor, and since you're the grown-up, you have to fix it. Just like scraped knees, high fevers, and questions about why that woman in Costco has so many kids - no one will be taking care of it for you.

Luckily the fix was quick, we seems to have caught the milk before it went under the stove, and this particular gallon of milk happened to be a cheap gallon from Costco as opposed to the frighteningly expensive organic stuff.

See - simple needs. Now if only I had some milk for my coffee....

Back to Reality

2010-08-10T16:58:00.001-04:00

Well, we're back from Cape Cod, and I think I've recuperated from vacation. It always seems like it will be restful, but by the end of the week, I'm always pretty zapped (as everyone else seemed to be, as well). Now we've been home a couple of days, washed all the clothes, brushed the sand off the suitcases, and tucked them away. I caught up on some sleep, and even though it was rather a shock to come back to the heat (REALLY tired of this, by the way), I'm starting to get my bearings again.

As usual, a lovely time was had by all; the kids were more interested in water this year, so we spent a little more time at the beach and pond. We did get to the Sandwich Glass Museum and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural History, both of which were interesting (although we did have an orthodontic emergency at the Museum of Natural History - Miss Serious popped off a bottom brace, leading to a hanging wire - luckily the staff was able to dig up a wire cutter for us, the wire was clipped, and they even gave her a turtle magnet for bravery). We even hit the yarn store and picked up some lovely yarn for hats and socks - just what I want to think of when it's 95 degrees outside....

Tying Up Loose Ends....

2010-07-30T13:32:00.000-04:00

As we will be leaving for Cape Cod tomorrow at the crack of dawn (NOT my most favorite time of the day), I've been packing all the necessaries and sundries for our vacation (you know - snacks, wine...) and trying to make sure everything that needs to get done (i.e. paying the mortgage) gets finished before we drive off into the sunrise.

We've been going to the Cape for a few years now, and learned a valuable lesson about departure times on our first trip. We left our home at a decent hour, drove blissfully up the highway towards our lovely destination, and landed smack-dab into some of the stinkiest traffic I have ever experienced (and as I'm from Long Island, that's saying something). Turns out there are only two skinny little bridges that lead to Cape Cod, and everyone who is renting a cottage (pretty much all of the cars on the road) rent from Saturday to Saturday, thus requiring everyone in the world to proceed over those two little bridges at the exact same time. We reckoned we learned from our mistake, and vowed to leave really early next year.

What didn't occur to us (and The Professor and I have a FRIGHTENING amount of schooling under our belts....) was that everyone would also be leaving Cape Cod at the exact same time on the following Saturday. This become horrifyingly apparent as we sat in the traffic going the other direction in our attempt to leave - and this time around I had definitely lost my sense of humor. At the time, Big Trouble was just a toddler, and Miss Serious was probably 3. After spending a week in a small cabin trapped with these little people, I was yearning for some quiet time. Unfortunately, Miss Serious took this opportunity to talk the entire way home. If there's a way to make lots of traffic and a long drive even more unpleasant, that would be it. I think when we got home I went in my room and forbid everyone to talk to me for an hour, but that just may have been wishful thinking...

I have taken a little break from the sock yarn blanket, as it has just been too hot to have it draped across my lap, but I did finish the perfect article for a hot July - wool socks - don't hit the beach without them! They're made with Adirondack Bearfoot Mountain colors, and are wonderfully soft.

And, because it's not warm enough in here and I thought heating the place up with the oven would be a good idea (totally worth it though), I made some lime squares (just a lemon square recipe, but I had some limes, and thought they would be good - they were REALLY good), and a coffee cake.

The coffee cake recipe is from Martha Stewart and uses an obscene amount of butter and sugar in the crumbs, but the resulting ratio of crumbs to cake (about 2:1) is truly genius.

If only I could figure out why my shorts have been feeling snug? I must be retaining water because of the heat....

Summer is Rolling Along

2010-07-27T08:13:00.002-04:00

We're almost at the end of July, and I am, as usual, stunned and amazed how fast the summer goes. As soon as the kids get out of school, it seems like there's all the time in the world, and then next thing you know it's August, and the time starts ticking in earnest. We have to get out school supply lists (I passed on buying the pre-packaged school supplies from the PTA this year - it was going to end up costing around $60, and as I'm pretty sure the pencils aren't made out of gold, that seems a tad excessive).

We just got back from a whirlwind trip to Boston - we met some friends there (who are actually from here); they unfortunately had a sick child and had to leave early, but we really enjoyed our time with them while we could. We went to the Museum of Science (so awesome - I can't recommend it enough - there is absolutely something for everyone there), walked A LOT of The Freedom Trail (and it was hot, so it definitely seemed like more), and went to the Harvard Natural History Museum.

A quick trip, but we squeezed in a lot, and now are all pretty zapped and needing a quiet day to recover (or at least I am - the kids are bouncing around pretty good). We go to Cape Cod on Saturday, so I guess we also need to wash some clothes, unless I could talk everyone into wearing their bathing suits for a week....

Not Dead...

2010-07-15T16:10:00.000-04:00

but I have been uncharacteristically quiet. I've been doing lots of professional development at MY NEW SCHOOL (still awfully exciting!!), and my brain has been unable to focus when I'm home because the heat turned me into a soggy puddle of stupidity. This last couple of weeks have just about done me in, and I was ready to grab an air conditioner (or three!), but The Professor stayed strong and we are still air conditioner free. It is rather distressing and disheartening, however, that we're trying so hard to be green by not using a tiny window air conditioner while every day the news greets me with how many days bajillions of gallons of oil have been pouring into the Gulf of Mexico...

Despite the heat, we've been busy and enjoying the summer. We visited some family in PA and had a lovely time - we hit Longwood Gardens which is just too beautiful for words - this is Big Trouble and me kicking back and enjoying the peaceful gorgeousness of it all.

I've been working on my blanket (even finished another sock), and trying to read all my math books. I got to see the classroom I'll be in, which was really neat. It's such a change to work for a wealthy district - when I taught upstate, I had to buy tons of supplies myself, including a rug for my classroom (which a fifth grader promptly vomited on).

During our writing training this week, a couple of books were mentioned which would be good resources. I promptly wrote them down in my little notebook to check out from the library, but then the principal asked who wanted them, and will order sets for each of us. A far cry from me having to give lessons to my fourth graders on how to properly use tissues so as not to waste the small supply we had of them.....

Well, there wasn't wine...

2010-06-11T13:22:00.000-04:00

but there were lots of happy third graders. And tons of food, sprinklers, games, hula-hoops, and t-shirt decorating. It was a lovely afternoon, and the weather decided to cooperate. The potato salad got all eaten up, so I guess it was a hit. The kids got t-shirts with the school name to decorate using fabric markers. Some kids started having the others sign their t-shirts, and next thing you know, they were all running around collecting everyone's names. All except Miss Serious. That girl definitely has her own drummer, and is amazingly confident to follow her own way. She created a very careful design, and worked diligently to make it as neat and symmetrical as humanly possible, until another child unwittingly wrote his name on her pristine shirt, assuming that she was collecting signatures like everyone else. She managed to contain the scream of horror that I saw flash across her eyes, and was able to disguise the signature with a stripe (which she matched on the other side, of course). Crisis averted.

I've been continuing to knit on the sock yarn blanket, although it's really not a great summer project - having a wool blanket covering your lap while working is not exactly geared to 90 degree weather. I think I might have to go back to socks (and then I'll have more yarn to knit on the blanket......).

The kids have some birthday parties coming up, so I also put together a couple of cards. I got a cartridge for my Cricut with some really cute designs, so thought I'd try out a few. It helps that I'm trying to avoid working on teaching stuff - my job is now official, so I have started digging through some math books. Although it seems far away, it will be the first day of school before I know it, so I need to hit the books. It's time to play are you smarter than a fifth grader for real....

Summertime...

2010-06-10T11:51:00.001-04:00

and the living is busy! Even though the calendar says it's not yet summer, the thermometer begs to differ. Especially last week, when we all sweated through some frighteningly hot & humid days. Being on the fourth (and top) floor, we tend to get pretty toasty up here, and there are times when I definitely regret our green resolve in giving away our air conditioners. However, the really awful days are very few, and we know if we kept the air conditioners, we would definitely be tempted to use them on a more regular basis. Not good for the environment, and not good for our electric bill!

We also decided to try to make some more inroads in both these areas by investing in a new refrigerator. We had planned to do this a while back, but like many projects we start here at Chez Necessity, we lost some of our mojo partway through the researching process, and it languished. However, our old fridge is now rusting and dripping, so we decided to get moving.

Unfortunately, like many things, this was easier said than done. NY State is offering a rebate program if you replace an existing appliance with an Energy Star product. This rebate goes up if you can prove that it was recycled. The recycling bit was the difficult part, because Home Depot told us that they simply crush the appliance they remove rather than recycling it. So, we dug a little deeper, tracked down some local appliance stores, and for just a little more money were able to get the refrigerator we wanted and have our old one recycled, allowing us to get the full rebate. When The Professor dug up the serial number on the old fridge for the application, we discovered that it was from 1987 - a good run, I think, but as it seems to run all the time and the top gets really hot, we should hopefully be seeing a lower electric bill in a month or two. Now we have a couple of days to dig out all the collected nonsense that has managed to find a home in my fridge and freezer (I'm always amazed what I find when I start digging).

Miss Serious is having her class picnic today (and sadly it's a bit gloomy outside, but third graders don't seem to care), and I've been assigned potato salad. I never liked potato salad until I found this recipe (I think it's from my mother's neighbor), and even The Professor (who firmly dislikes potato salad) will eat it. And, it's easy. The recipe is:

Red Potatoes
Red Onion (about 1/4 - 1/2, finely chopped)
Chopped Parsley
Mayonnaise
Salt and Pepper

Cook the red potatoes until tender (not too soft, or you get mashed potatoes - ask me how I know!), and cool. Cut them up, leaving on the skins. Add the rest of the ingredients, and mix. I find it's even better the second day, but it's pretty tasty right away, too! Now it's off to the third grade picnic - including sprinklers, t-shirt decorating, and a large group of loud, excited 9 year olds. Do you think there's any possibility of wine being served.........?

Billions and Billions of Years Ago...

2010-05-25T19:40:00.000-04:00

I know, not billions, but it seems like it! Last month Big Trouble had his science fair, and he did a wonderful job. He decided to do the Solar System, and seemed to have a good time with it. We try to only offer guidance for these things, as it's a science fair for first graders and not their parents. I pick up the necessary supplies, type what he wants on the computer, and guide him to non-pornographic websites (it is horrifying what comes up when kids try to search on Google).

Not everyone seems to hold this view, however, and there were some rather spectacular examples of parental work on display, complete with individual video presentations on portable DVD players in front of the projects (mind you, this is a K-2 building). I think Big Trouble did a great job, and he learned a whole lot about the planets in the process.

Now, unfortunately, all the planets are hanging in his bedroom, as he can't bear to be parted from them. And sadly, it looks like the Big Bang just recently happened in there...

Hello Again!

2010-05-24T18:48:00.001-04:00

Once again, I find myself typing a blog post after an extended absence. Life definitely gets in the way sometimes, doesn't it? Nothing crazy going on here, just the day to day stuff that seems to take over. I also haven't been feeling that blogging mojo because I haven't been able to download pictures off of my camera. I pretty much only read blogs that have pictures, so I hate not being able to slap a few on my own posts.

Luckily, because of this new job (and in in reading over my paperwork, I see that HR has written that it's contingent on the teacher asking for leave - if this falls through, I am going to be one cranky cookie....) we decided to get me a computer. With both The Professor and myself vying for computer time (when you're a teacher, you spend lots of time at home working on teaching stuff), we decided that it would be in everyone's best interests to get a second computer, thus avoiding the inevitable marital strife that would stem from computer waiting time. As I'm aging at an alarming rate and my eyes are no longer what they once were, I got one with a big screen (which still ends up having tiny writing which I can't read without my glasses), and so far it's working out dandy. And, I was able to download pictures. Here's some of what we've been up to:

We went to the local nature preserve and learned all about how horseshoe crabs lay their eggs.

Tobie had his first (and last!) visit to a hotel. My sister booked a pet-friendly hotel for her wedding, so we thought we'd take advantage of it and avoid kennel fees. The dopey dog barked every time someone walked past our door or opened their own door (which, you can imagine, in a hotel happened hardly ever....). I decided around about 4:00AM that the kennel fees are worth every penny.

And I continued to knit on the sock yarn blanket - it's coming along nicely! The kids have been using it as a throw on the couch, and have been trying to convince me that it would make a good blanket for the dog. Clearly what every dog needs - a sock yarn blanket knit on size 3 needles - makes it easier to chew!

Marian the Librarian Goes to Middle School

2010-05-07T08:25:00.000-04:00

I know - it's been forever! For some reason my computer no longer recognizes my camera, so I can't download any pictures. And what's a blog without pictures? I've also been rather busy - getting a job!!! Last month I saw a position for a fifth grade math teacher for middle school (in a really swanky school district - we're talking uber-swanky here). Hmmmm, thought I. I'm not a math specialist, and I've never taught in a middle school. But, late on the night the applications were due, I sent one off, mostly because it seemed wrong to ignore any job possibilities, no matter how remote they may seem.

Lo and behold, I got a call from said school district inviting me to come for an interview. I was tempted to ask the caller if they were sure they were trying to contact me, but decided that probably wasn't the way to play it. I toddled off to the interview (for some reason, even though it was April, it decided to hit 90 degrees on the day I had to strap on pantyhose). Even more shocking, they called me in for a second interview; I guess that went well, because they requested a demo lesson, and I am now hired for next year!!!!

It's a one-year leave replacement, but sounds like it may have the possibility to turn into something further. The most surprising part of this whole situation was that though I've spent almost a year job hunting (and getting few calls), this year I had a whole pile at once. How nice to be the one to call a school and tell them to take your name off the interview list, because you've accepted another position!

Now off to relearn fifth grade math......

Not Again!

2010-04-21T11:25:00.001-04:00

Wow - long time, no post! Things have been busy round these parts, what with another science fair project, family gatherings, the start of soccer, and yes - some job interviews! I had sent out a resume at the last second for a job teaching 5th grade math at a really swanky middle school, and lo and behold, they called! I've now completed my 2nd interview with them, and I guess it was a success, because they want me to come in to teach a demo lesson. Sadly, the words "demo lesson" strike fear into my heart, as I've never done one (I've always gotten my teaching jobs in the summer when there are no kids, hence no demos), so we'll see how it goes. There are some other interviews looming as well - who knew?

I was able to find the time to blog today, because we have once again run slap into "TV Free Week." Now, I don't like TV Free Week. We've done it every year since Miss Serious started Kindergarten, and seem to be the only parents around who actually participate. I figure if we're going to make the kids shut off the TV, it's only fair that we do, too. And, since the whole point seems to be to illustrate how much time we're actually sitting planted in front of the little box with the pretty pictures, it makes sense that we partake. Especially since I'm one of those people who is in serious denial, and keep thinking to myself, "What? I don't watch a lot of TV..."

So - I've read a couple of books, listened to some books on tape (David Sedaris' "Santaland" is really funny - I highly recommend it), but haven't gotten a lot of knitting done. I've come to the frightening conclusion that I may actually knit just so I have an excuse to watch television...

The blanket does continue to grow, so much so that I'm actually using it as a little throw on the couch while I'm knitting on it (TV-less - what could be sadder?), but I can't get my computer to acknowledge that I've connected my camera, so I've stuck in some already loaded pictures of cards. It's starting to do odder and odder things - I wonder if it misses TV too?

Baby It's Cold Outside

2010-04-10T09:09:00.000-04:00

Of course, it's all relative, but compared to the week we had (I think it actually hit 90), a morning in the 40's is cold. Of course, because of the bizarre weather, my kids think they can wear shorts even though it hasn't cracked 45, and they were asking me when the local pool would be open. I tried to explain that as it is only the beginning of April, the pool will have to wait for a few months. My favorite part of this hot week was that I actually had to slap on pantyhose on the hottest day to toddle off to a job interview. One would think that in the first week of April I wouldn't have to sweat while wearing interview clothes, but one would be wrong.....

I did make some springy cards - I got some spiffy new paper from PTI (lovely company) with my hoarded birthday money, did some coloring and even slapped on a little glitter - because nothing says spring like a sparkly butterfly, right?

Spring, Spring, Spring, Spring

2010-04-03T09:15:00.000-04:00

I love the advent of spring. I think I must have a touch of SAD, because the winter always gets me down a bit. It doesn't help that the cold and I are not friends, and that my circulation is stinky and causes me to lose feeling in my fingers and toes as soon as I go outside in cold weather. I get so weary of darkness, and every year when spring starts to appear, I feel a definite lift of my spirits. I love the buds on the tress, the warm sun coming through my windows, and all the flowers shoving their way up through the cold ground. I even finished some really springy-looking socks, and though they are wool, they're pretty lightweight and good for this weather.

Geek that I am, the main reason I finally finished these socks is because I wanted the leftover sock yarn for my blanket (you can see a big square of it at the top). I thought I had a lot of leftovers, but the blanket plows through them pretty fast, so I'm going to have to purchase some odd skeins if I want to continue with it, as my rate of sock knitting is not nearly fast enough to get ends to add squares.

I also must admit that I got a chuckle from knitting squares with the sock yarn while wearing the socks, but then, I am easily amused that way....

It's Raining....

2010-04-01T12:14:00.001-04:00

unfortunately in my apartment. (Well, not anymore, as this is a post from Tuesday that I couldn't get the pictures to work on.) We have been battling leaks around our windows for years (supposedly it's coming in through the bricks of the building), and numerous companies have been called in; they set up scaffolding, bang around on the side of the building for a few days, declare the job completed, charge the building many thousands of dollars, and are on their merry way. And then it rains again, (it has to be a rain with hard winds, and since we are so close to the coast and tall, these are not infrequent), and my windowsill once again looks like this. It drips in weird places around the top of the window frames, and then the drips splash onto our window seat, hence the myriad of towels and containers.

Now it's finally dried out, and I've washed all the soggy towels, and put back my curtains and the cushion for the window seat. The wood surrounding all my windows is totally trashed, but our building will take care of that once they tell us that the outside is, once again, fixed. I'm sure it will work this time.....

Skywalk

2010-03-31T08:16:00.003-04:00

This weekend we took a drive up to visit The Professor's parents, and they suggested that we go to a newly built park called Walkway Over the Hudson. (I know the weekend was quite a few days ago, but for some reason Blogger steadfastly refused to publish my photos until today...) It's the longest walking bridge in the world, and was built on top of a disused railroad bridge. It was really neat - about 1.25 miles across the Hudson River, with a gorgeous view. This picture was taken from over the side (by The Professor, his palms don't sweat about that sort of thing, and thus he can hold the camera steady.)

It was a beautiful day, and there were lots of people on the bridge. You're even allowed to bring dogs, so Tobie tagged along (he actually pulled the leash the whole way - I wish we could have hitched him up to a plow and he could have been doing something productive with all that energy).

Big Trouble brought his binoculars to check out the birds, and a lovely time was had by all. If you're in the area, check it out - free and fun - two of my favorite things!

It's Not Easy Being Green

2010-03-24T18:02:00.001-04:00

I think I've done at least one other blog post with that title, but my brain cells are running low. The kids had a superintendent's conference day today, so that meant no school for them.

I have been in charge of battery recycling at their school, and it's been really successful; people drop off their used alkaline batteries at the school, and I periodically scoop them up and recycle them. This is a tad easier said than done, because although many places accept used rechargeable batteries, it's harder (but certainly not impossible) to recycle alkaline batteries. For a long time our county was telling people to just throw them in the garbage (the amount of toxic disasters and heavy metals in batteries is truly horrific), which was just unacceptable to us, so that's why we started the program at the school.

I've been taking them to IKEA, a store which is near and dear to my heart because of its oh-so-Swedishness. The store also accepts used fluorescent lightbulbs (which shouldn't be thrown in the garbage because of the mercury content), printer cartridges, and cell phones. The kids think it's a really fun outing - we walk through all the rooms set up with furniture, they have some Swedish meatballs in the cafe ($1.99 and served on a real plate - can't be beat!), and I might pick up a Malm or a Hoppen - I love that they keep the Swedish names - makes shopping much more fun and exciting (and Scandinavian).

We haven't made the trek in a while, and I therefore had about 9 jillion pounds of batteries residing in my tiny kitchen. For those of you who haven't tried to carry 9 jillion pounds of batteries, batteries are really heavy. I mean seriously heavy. I separated them into three bags, I handed one to each of the kids, and we trekked to the car (amidst a fair amount of whining...). We drove the 40 minutes to IKEA, dragged the batteries out of the car, got to the little recycling kiosk, and were met with a sign stating that they no longer accept batteries for recycling.

Hmmmmm.....so the batteries got hauled back to the car, and we had our day at IKEA - even brought home a bag of frozen Swedish meatballs for the kids. (Who of course had to help me haul the batteries back up to the apartment, as I wasn't sure if 9 jillion pounds of batteries in a hot car were a terribly good idea).

Where shall I drive my batteries to tomorrow? They do so like getting out of the house.

Spring has Sprung

2010-03-23T13:56:00.000-04:00

But then it decided to go back into its little hidey-hole - we had a whole pile of days in the 60's (I think it may even have hit 70) which were really lovely, but also make me a little irritated because I know it's only March and it's one giant tease. Yesterday we woke up to heavy fog - so much so that Big Trouble woke me up exclaiming that something was wrong outside. The only thing wrong in my book is that it's not summer, but whatever....

Now that all the birthday festivities are over (we jammed just about all of my family into my little living room this weekend - what good sports!) we've been getting back to our regular routines, such as they are. I made another pile of thank you notes for Miss Serious to send - she's pretty good about writing in them once she can bring herself to put down the latest book she's reading.

It does so pain my heart to have to tell my children to stop reading. However, if I didn't, my house would be covered in underwear which never seems to make it to the hamper (still don't know what that's about) and nobody's bed would ever be made (although I don't know if you can really call the half-hearted pulling up of comforters actually making the bed, especially with the myriad of lumps caused by various stuffed animals and discarded clothing....). Take what you can get, I guess.

I Survived!

2010-03-17T18:50:00.001-04:00

The week of vast difficulties is now over, and I survived the Pine Wood Derby (Big Trouble's car won twice), multiple requests for cupcakes and desserts, a birthday dinner (at the Hibachi place by request of Miss Serious - always a good time), a Greek Mythology birthday party with 10 small children (it was fun), and my final teaching tests (not fun, but THEY'RE OVER!!!).

The storm we had this weekend was nothing short of spectacular - really strong winds, buckets of rain, and trees down all over the place. The testing site lost all their heat early on, so it was a real treat sitting in a room for four hours which progressively turned into an ice cube. We actually did quite well in our home, considering, but the rain blew so hard against the side of our building that water leaked in through the bricks. This is an ongoing issue, which has supposedly been fixed about elventy times, so sadly we weren't surprised. But, we didn't lose power, so it's all good.

Now that all the hard stuff is out of the way, I've had time to make these (Miss Serious sent them out to her little friends for her birthday thank you notes):

I was trying out some different things, with varying degrees of success. And - I've also been working on this (I just can't stop!):

It's now as wide as I plan to make it, so now I just need to complete the nine jillion squares needed to make it the right length. It's still way too much fun - luckily I'll probably be able to be having this much fun for the next twenty years or so.....

Buried

2010-03-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

I have my final teaching tests to take on Saturday, and I will be thrilled when this whole process is over. Another thing I realized about taking tests meant for 22-year olds - when I was 22, I pretty much had all my time to myself. So if I needed to study, or practice writing essays, I would just sit down and study.

I didn't have two little kids running around who kept insisting on being fed and having clean clothes (how dare they?), or a daughter who was turning 9 this week and needed cupcakes for her class and her kids' birthday party this weekend (the theme is Greek mythology - still have to come up with the crafts and goodie bags), a game night at the church who also want dessert, a son who has his Pinewood Derby race for Cub Scouts, and the school science fair. What happened here? The rest of the month is pretty much blank, but everything else decided to land on this week.

So, of course, I have decided to knit:

This is the blanket laid out on my bed - and it's almost as wide as I'd like - I think I might add 3 or 4 more squares, and then it's all about the length, baby.

A very lovely knitting friend gifted me with these:

I believe these are all Socks That Rock, and let me tell you, they really do rock (as does she!). She even wound them into tiny center pull balls for me, so they are a pleasure to work with as opposed to the snarls of yarn I have been pulling apart from my own stash.

Now back to the studying (or shhhhh - maybe the knitting - got to try out all those beautiful new colors!).

One Down

2010-03-09T09:29:00.000-05:00

two to go! I took my first CT teaching certification test on Saturday, and it was fine. Long and far away, but fine. This is one of the tests that all new (or soon-to-be-new) college graduates must take, and thus I was surrounded by 22 year olds sporting their sorority sweatshirts. I looked like one of the proctors instead of the test takers, and the fact that I had to get up at 5:30 AM to get there didn't help any.

I had taken the practice test on the net, and it's a good, solid test which is specific to teaching reading, with 100 multiple choice questions and 2 essays. Although my life plan didn't include sitting hunched over a middle-school desk filling in circles with my number 2 pencil with a bunch of fresh-faced college students (and being required to raise my hand and get a bathroom pass if I needed to use the facilities), the whole thing was over in a few hours and I was on my way.

I heard an interesting analogy the other day about life plans - it involved the GPS unit in a car (I covet one of these, as I get lost just about every single place I go - the kids are so used to it, that they just assume I will have to turn around when I realize we have gotten far off the track); when you take a wrong turn, or go a different way, the GPS doesn't mock you, or deride your decisions (like I do to myself in my head). Rather, the voice simply says "Reconfiguring."

No judgment, no second-guessing - but getting the job done.

Somebody Stop Me....

2010-02-27T09:19:00.001-05:00

because this is way too addicting. I am loving the immediate gratification of this thing. Usually when I knit, I work for about a jillion hours, and when I look at the work, it looks about the same. A slightly longer sleeve, a slightly longer sock, but nothing dramatic. I can't tell you how much I like being able to churn out a little square in half an hour!

As yesterday decided to cover itself in snow, I got quite a few of the silly little squares done. (I figure if everyone else gets a snow day, then I get one too.) Today it's back to real life - Tobie has his last obedience class this afternoon. He's smart as a whip, but still has quite the attitude. When I mention that to any sort of animal professional (vet, trainer, etc.) the answer is always, "Well, he is a terrier..." I've decided that he's like that really smart, really obnoxious kid in your class that you can't help liking the best. Happy graduation, Tobie!

Oh The Humanity!

2010-02-25T08:43:00.000-05:00

Big Trouble has started exclaiming this recently. Today it seems especially appropriate, because their school will be closing early because of...............RAIN. Yes, rain. Supposedly snow will be coming, but apparently we are all frightened by the droplets of water falling from the sky. Good times.

On a knitting note, because I don't have anything else to do (you know, like find a job or study for my upcoming yucky teaching tests....) I was cruising the web and found a project that had been done with the ends of sock yarn. Every time I make socks, I'm always left with a pile of yarn that I can't bear to throw away, but don't really have a use for. I did make some Barbie clothes for Miss Serious, but I have amassed more over the years, so this seemed to fit the bill.

It's fun to knit, and I must admit I like the instant gratification of being able to finish a square in about half an hour. Much more appealing than knitting forever on a sweater sleeve which never seems to get longer. I've realized, however, that I'm going to need to supplement my leftovers, or I would be knitting on this thing for the next 20 years as I finish socks.

A bit of amusement on this treacherous, rainy day.....

Back to School

2010-02-22T08:53:00.000-05:00

Well, the week of school vacation is over. Big Trouble recovered from a stomach virus (he got all of the vomiting out of the way at Grandma & Grandpa's - sorry!), Miss Serious worked on her science fair project (yes, those letters are made with the Cricut - see how crucial it was that I purchase it...),

we spent many hundreds of dollars at the vet because Tobie wasn't feeling well (doing much better now), The Professor took the kids to a program to view the constellations on a frigid evening (they enjoyed it), I made some cards, the kids played in the snow and went sledding (we borrowed friends' sleds - we tried to buy some at Target, but apparently it is impossible to buy anything winter related during winter. There was, however, a giant assortment of pool toys available...), I finished knitting a sock, and all in all we had a nice week.

Now vacation is over, and I need to start studying in earnest for my teacher tests. Yes, that's right, at the tender age of only hours away from 40 I will be sitting in a room on two separate occasions for 4 hours at a time with recent, fresh-faced college graduates, and taking tests for certification in CT.

I think my excitement is palpable....

Waterfalls in Winter...

2010-02-16T17:02:00.000-05:00

Due to a combination of school vacation, snow all day, and Big Trouble recovering from a stomach virus, we stayed in and made some cards. Miss Serious and I decided to try out something called a waterfall card which I've seen floating around these here internets, and here is my version. I thought I'd include directions, in case anyone wants to play along at home.

The card is made up of 4 equal-sized images mounted on a long strip. For this card, I used:

Card base: 6 X 6 1/2 folded white cardstock
Layers for front: 6 X 3 1/4 black, 5 7/8 X 3 1/8 pink, 5 5/8 X 2 7/8 polka dots
4 1 7/8 X 1 7/8 white squares
4 2 X 2 black squares
9 X 2 pink strip
3 1/3 X 3/4 pink strip

I stamped my images on the white squares and embossed with clear embossing powder. I colored them in with Copic markers, and glued them onto the black squares.

The 9X2 pink strip gets scored at 2", 2 3/4", 3 1/2" and 4 1/4"; fold on the score lines to get clean folds.

After gluing all the layers onto the front of the card, I attached the 3/4" strip with brads on either side. It's important not to put adhesive on this strip. Line up the long pink strip, with the scored side on top. Place the unscored end under the strip secured with brads, and adhere only the edge closest to the score lines. Adhere this right to the bottom edge of the short strip.

Adhere the first stamped image onto the square at the edge of this strip; then, adhere the remaining stamped images, but only on the top edge, where the pink strip is scored. Repeat with the remaining images, then punch a hole and thread a ribbon on the bottom of the long strip. I stamped a greeting above the ribbon, so that when the strip is pulled, the greeting is revealed.

I made a video of the card being pulled:

Monday, Monday...

2010-02-15T08:57:00.000-05:00

Monday is here once again, but as it's a day off, I'm all confused and keep thinking it's Saturday. (This tendency to confuse dates is endlessly amusing to The Professor...). The kids have been at their grandparents' for the weekend, and I have enjoyed not having to make a meal (well, I did make Valentine's breakfast for The Professor) or snack for anyone. You know the bar has been set quite low when that's all I need to make me happy!

Several years ago I had to have a test on my thyroid where I swallowed some sort of radioactive pill (you know it's going to be a good time when they bring your medicine in to you in a metal box with a radioactive symbol on the outside) and they scanned me. I couldn't be around the kids for 24 hours, so I had to stay in my room surrounded by books and DVD's and quiet while The Professor brought me my meals on a tray. (He also made a fall-out shelter sign for my door, but I digress).

A day of bliss, although I found it impossible to explain this properly to the childless. My friends with children nodded their heads, and looked at me with envy. I knew they wanted radioactive pills too, but they were all for me....

Announcing....

2010-02-12T08:24:00.001-05:00

Miss Serious' shiny new mouth accessories!! She had her top braces put on yesterday, and even got to pick the color. I find myself saying things like, "Boy, back when I had braces, we didn't get colors. And we had bands on every tooth." I know it's only a hop, skip, and jump away from telling her I walked to school in the snow uphill both ways, but it is what it is.

She was a trooper about the whole thing, and even went to her pottery class afterwards. This morning she's feeling sore, but as there's a Valentine's party at school, she happily toddled off after a dose of Advil.

Now let's hope they serve smoothies at the party....

Well, They Meant It This Time...

2010-02-10T18:55:00.000-05:00

After last week's tease of a snowstorm with no flakes in sight, we were all understandably skeptical about today's snowstorm. I am no longer skeptical, as there are now piles of snow on the ground, and it seems to keep coming. The kids had a lovely time playing outside with The Professor (and I had a lovely time staying warm inside - thanks Professor!) as everyone had a snow day today. I took the picture while standing on a rather wobbly stool and leaning out my fourth floor window - would've served me right if I'd catapulted myself to the ground, but luckily I stayed indoors and in one piece...

Tobie went outside for a little while, but as he doesn't have much body fat or fur, he got cold and had to return. He spent the rest of the day in his usual sleeping spot.

A bit different, but then he does seem to move to his own drummer...

Be Mine....

2010-02-09T11:55:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day is fast approaching, and that means the kids need cards for school. We usually toddle off to CVS and buy some little cards for the class, but this year, since I have a bit of paper about, and am continually seeking justification for buying the Cricut in a fit of infomercial-induced insanity (but it is really quite awesome), I decided to make Big Trouble's. Miss Serious made the ones for her class as well - she just needs to put on the finishing touches.

Love that Cricut - it cut out all my shapes lickety-split. These are all 3X3 cards; I attached the flowers with brads, and embossed the hearts before gluing them down. Clean and simple, because I didn't think Big Trouble would want anything too fussy for his first grade buddies.

Now for the tricky bit - getting him to sit down long enough to write in everybody's names....

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

2010-02-05T09:40:00.001-05:00

Many, many (many, many, many) years ago, while I was getting my Master's Degree, I worked as a cake decorator. It was a wonderful job - fast-paced, interesting, creative, and it gave me the instant gratification of seeing my accomplishments all laid out in the bakery case at the end of the day.

I had visions of starting a cake decorating business from home when my kids were little, but the health department had other ideas - no home-based food businesses allowed in my county. So now I decorate to amuse myself and my family; the kids want to do their own cakes these days, so I just color the frosting and hand over the pastry bags.

Like any creative endeavor, however, it requires a lot of stuff, which is sitting in my (very) small amount of storage space, and gets pulled out every once in a while when needed.

A few years back, I made this cake for my mom's birthday (clearly, her hobby is woodworking...); everything on it is edible, and to jazz it up, I purchased supplies like sparkly powder for the buttons.

Fast forward to this week, when I made a card with sunflowers. The centers looked a little dull, and I was hunting around for something to brighten them up - glitter was too shiny, and I couldn't think what else would work. And then, thrifty gal that I am, I remembered the sparkly cake powder - perfect!

And now, the sunflower centers are not only sparkly, but edible....

Socks, Socks, Socks, Socks

2010-02-04T09:20:00.000-05:00

We go to Cape Cod pretty much every summer (when we ask the kids if they'd like to go someplace different, they are horrified - kids (and me!) don't like change...), and I have them pick out some yarn to remind us of the trip. A souvenir they can wear, as it were, that isn't a t-shirt.

This past summer, we found a new place, which was lovely and I hope is still there when we go back. The kids decided to each get the same yarn, and now have matching socks. I finished Big Trouble's quite a while ago, and now Miss Serious can sport hers as well.

I also picked up some lovely Cascade sock yarn for myself (hand-painted yarn sucks me in every time, and this is really soft and lovely), which, after my regrettable winding experience of a few days ago, is turning into a really lovely sock. I guess I'm looking forward to spring, because all the colors I'm knitting with are cheery and bright, even if it's cold and gray and snowy outside.

* It was really cold and gray (and dark) this morning at 5:06 when the sub service called, even though I'm supposedly still not available for work....

Cute as a Bug

2010-02-03T08:57:00.001-05:00

I've taken a break from subbing, because I decided that the whole waiting for an early morning call and then babysitting a classroom full of somebody else's kids for the day for less than what a babsysitter actually gets paid was taking a toll on me. So, with The Professor's urging, I blocked out two weeks and told the system not to call. Easy peasy, right?

Apparently not, because the phone rang early this morning when it was still dark (I had it in my had that it was 5:63....) and mechanically asked me if I wanted a job. When I checked the computer, today was still blocked out as a non-work day, so I have no idea what was going on. I must be so irresistible that the computer missed me....

I did bust out some cute stamps I got at Michael's - they have a new line (I think it's their own) called Recollections, and the stamps are both cute and cheap - thus meeting some of my more important purchasing criteria (of course, I also use my 40% off coupon, making them a whole lot cheaper....). Round these parts, people throw ginormous birthday parties for their children, involving inviting anyone their child has ever said hello to, so my kids go to a lot of birthday parties. I thought some little cards to stick on the packages would be good, so I put together these 4X4 cards, and I think they'll do the trick.

Now to make some envelopes....

Older, but not Wiser....

2010-02-02T08:57:00.000-05:00

I spent a large part of yesterday re-doing my resume cover letter. When I originally wrote it, I was still incredibly (perhaps overly....) optimistic about finding a job, so it was safe, said the same things everyone else's said, and basically was rather vanilla (of course, I am basically safe and rather vanilla, but that's another issue for another day).

As I am still a member of the large pool of unemployed, I decided to revamp. My cover letter is no longer safe, talks about the bad economy and lack of jobs, and toots my own horn more than the last one did. I decided it's time for some tooting, because goodness knows the previous letter isn't getting it done.

My new letter also stresses the fact that I have experience and wisdom. I know this is a euphemism for old, but as I am now on the cusp of 40, I need to put a positive spin on all those gray hairs.

After putting the finishing touches on the letter, I decided to start a new pair of socks. I had bought some lovely Cascade sock yarn in Cape Cod, and thought I deserved a little knitting time. I dug up the skein, which needed to be wound. In my infinite, almost-40-year-old wisdom, I decided that it would be easier to just wind it up into a ball instead of getting a chair and retrieving my ball winder and swift from the top of my closet.

Now, I've wound a lot of yarn, both by hand and using a ball winder, and I know which is easier. However, it seemed so logical that it would be better to just sit on the couch and do it old school, completely discounting the fact that every time I do this it takes about eleventy times longer and involves knots and disasters and a general hot mess. After a ridiculous amount of time (and a little bit of bad language....) I ended up with this, which my dog thinks is a gift for him.

Do you think I need to change my cover letter again?

I Am Weary, Let Me Rest

2010-01-26T11:23:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, in a fit of hoarders induced de-cluttering (seriously, if you haven't checked out this show, it's worth a peek, if only to inspire you to clean out that closet that keeps getting more and more stuffed) I dug through the various hidey-holes in our little apartment (you wouldn't think there would be that many opportunities to amass stuff in this little space, but that's where you would be sorely mistaken....) and cleaned out a lot of the junk that I keep thinking I'll need someday, but never, in like 5 years, have I needed any of it.

So, yesterday was a good day. Today is looking less good, and here's why. The Professor and I just returned from a consultation with an orthodontist for Miss Serious' apparently giant teeth. Said giant teeth do not have room to fit in her tiny, almost 9-year old mouth, so she will soon be the proud owner of braces. And we will soon be the proud owners of a monthly fee deducted from our credit card to pay for said braces (not to mention the 1/3 down-payment). This isn't a crisis, it's why we save our pennies, and Miss Serious really needs to have the work done.

To add to the financial fun, I began the exciting process of refinancing our mortgage this week. We had gotten a 7 year adjustable mortgage under the (apparently incredibly misguided) notion that we of course wouldn't still be living in this little apartment in 7 years. Lo and behold, 7 years have come and almost gone (as of March), and as I'm not too excited about what the whole adjusting mortgage payments will do to my bottom line, we are refinancing. Refinancing is expensive - like braces expensive. However, we got a good rate, it's a fixed-rate 20 year mortgage, so it even shaved some time off the total loan, and now we don't have to deal with any adjusting.

And, after 20 years, if we're still here (and as the magic 8-ball would say, "All signs point to yes") we'll be paid in full. Now let's hope the dog won't need braces.....

I'd Like to Phone a Friend....

2010-01-24T08:39:00.002-05:00

In an effort to go green and streamline (you'll soon see the fallacy in this intention), I have gone paperless on as many bills and statements as I can. Unfortunately, every single account and website requires me to come up with a user name and password. This is where the trouble comes in, because as I have gotten older, my brain has slowly turned into mashed potatoes (I blame the children) and I am incapable of remembering all these little tidbits of information.

I finally started writing them all down (I know, I know, not supposed to, but if someone is willing to break into my home, get on all my various website and find the paper with the information, more power to them...they can have my tiny amount of worldly goods - they clearly want them more than I do), but didn't start this process until about 6 months ago.

Therefore, any accounts that I haven't heard from in a while have retained only a vague, hazy memory in my head, which is often somewhat less than accurate. Especially since some sites require numbers, some sites won't let you use numbers, some need special characters, etc. I know you all feel my pain.

Fast forward to today. I have put off checking on the kids' 529 college funds since the whole economy decided to tank, but thought I'd give them a peek yesterday. I couldn't remember the entire user name (for some reason, they won't accept partial answers...), so sent an email which was dutifully returned with my new info to log on. Over the years I have sent and received so many of these "reminder" emails (which should really just have the words "Here, idiot" in the subject line...) that The Professor has created an entire file in our email program for them.

The kids' accounts are held by the same company I have an IRA account with, leftover from my time teaching and actually making money. So, I go on to the site, and can't remember (imagine my surprise!) any of my log-in info. Luckily, they have a helpful section for those of us who are memory challenged. However, when I go to said section, it requires me to have my account number. Now, even though I keep just about every scrap of paper that has anything to do with anything in my little files, I have NO file for this IRA. So, I decide that maybe the username is the same as the kids' accounts. Then, when it starts asking me security questions and I get them all wrong and it locks me out of the system, I am finally forced to get on the phone.

The phone call goes something like this:

"Hi, I have an account with you, and have forgotten my log in information. I also don't seem to know my account number. And, I'm now locked out of the system for getting the questions wrong." This is not a particularly high point in my attempt to make others believe I am a competent human being.

The chirpy voice on the line says, "Oh, no problem. I'll just need you to answer your security question. In what city were you married?"

I have drawn a blank. And, I'm on the phone with a person who is doing her best to act like I am not a complete numbskull. I finally remember, and tell her the city.

"Hmmm...," she says, "that's not right." It actually is, so now I have no idea what I did when setting up my security questions. "How about this one - What's your paternal grandmother's first name?"

I am now so appallingly embarrassed that I make sure I take my time and figure out that, yes, this would in fact be my father's mother. Thankfully I get that one right, and am allowed access. I did ask her what I put down as the answer to the wedding question, and I seem to have given them the city in which I was born (you know, born, wedding, same difference). I also found out that I was not locked out of the system, meaning that I locked out some other poor, unsuspecting soul.

Sadly, I think I am definitely not smarter than a fifth grader....

Oh Yeah - It Plays Music Too!

2010-01-22T10:50:00.003-05:00

I am not a particularly techie person. I know how to use the aging electronics that we have, and I'm not interested in getting the newest, shiniest, most up-to-date gadgets. That is, until Apple wormed their evil way into my home via my (ancient, giant, not flat screen, LCD, etc.) television.

This evil influence came in the form of a commercial for the iPhone. Now, I almost never use my cell phone. I got it so the school could contact me in an emergency, and mine has pre-paid minutes and costs me about $5 a month. I have no interest in actually talking on an iPhone. What immediately captured my attention, however, was the touch screen.

I was entranced. I couldn't look away. Every time the commercial came on, I would call The Professor in to come and see it (a request which was met with not a little eye rolling....). I loved the way you could flick the pages with your finger. I loved that you could just touch the screen and make it do what you want. I even loved the level application they showed on the commercial (you know - so I can check to make sure everything is level when I'm out and about).

However, I'm cheap, I don't want an iPhone, and I tried to move on. Then, I saw the iTouch. All the cool touch screen features of the iPhone, but without the whole phone thing (which also requires a giant monthly fee - something I always try to avoid).

Again, I let it go. I already had an iPod, it worked fine, and it was silly to yearn for this ridiculous toy. The Professor, however, had other ideas. He's been doing some consulting work (which sadly pays almost as much per hour as I get all day subbing) and at this point my old iPod started refusing to interface with my computer. So with a little (sadly only a very little) prodding, I am now the proud owner of a shiny, sleek awesome little box of ridiculousness.

I downloaded a whole pile of (free!) games and apps (including the level thingy, of course), and it is amusing not only me, but my children.

I'm actually embarrassed to own it, because it seems to go against all the things in my nature I hold near and dear (the cheapness, the unwillingness to change, the lack of techie-ness - you know - all those wonderful qualities that make me into the odd package that I am). Now, off to make sure the world is level....

P.S. I added fish to the blog (silly, I know, but again, it amuses me, and that's really what it's all about....); you may have seen this before, but if not, if you click on the tank it gives them food....

Bonding....

2010-01-21T09:16:00.000-05:00

This year Big Trouble joined the Cub Scouts. So far it has required very little on our parts (except for the $65 I had to spend on a shirt and patches....) as the meetings are only once or twice a month, and are held at the church just down the street. There has been some parade marching, and a popcorn sale, but we took all of that easily in stride.

That all changed this week however, with the email that came entitled "Cabin Campout". It seems that the Cub Scouts are going camping this weekend; they will be staying in cabins, so everyone will be warm and snug at night. The best part of this scenario for me is that the Cub Scouts require everyone to have a parent companion, and I'm not it!!! The Professor has that gig, so he will be accompanying eleventy million little boys into the woods.

The daytime activities include a hike and a Nerf Gun fight. We don't own a Nerf Gun, but apparently we will soon be the proud owners of two of them, as the adult helper is also involved in said Nerf Gun fight. The kids are required to have safety goggles for the activity, and when I mentioned this fact to Big Trouble, he announced that he had formed a strategy. I asked him what that was, and he calmly replied "I'm going to shoot everyone in the safety goggles."

Ah, the lessons a young boy takes from Cub Scouts....

You're Looking for What?

2010-01-18T18:50:00.002-05:00

The job hunt continues, and I must say, I'm become less and less enthused with the process. The window for obtaining a full-time teaching job is absolute and short; as school starts in September, if you haven't gotten your job by then, you get to wait until the following year to try again. In the meantime, there is always subbing, but as I've waxed rhapsodic on that topic once or twice, I shan't bore anyone again.

I was looking up job postings this weekend, and one caught my eye. It was for a teacher at a charter school, and under the section labeled "Qualifications" (where you usually see degree required, experience needed, etc.) they listed that the applicant should have "zest, grit, and entrepreneurial spirit." Hmmmmmm..... I get the reason for the zest and the grit, but entrepreneurial spirit eludes me - are they looking for someone particularly good at bake sales?

I decided that this job probably wouldn't be for me, as I'm not sure I actually have any of the aforementioned personality traits - do you think there's a job for someone with the qualities of anxiety, trepidation, and a judgmental spirit? Yeah, I didn't think so.

Now I have to figure how to make my cover letter zesty, gritty, and entrepreneurial - maybe I should ask them for money in an excited yet slightly street-smart way.....

It's Raining, It's Pouring....

2010-01-17T19:30:00.000-05:00

So, instead of actually doing much today, after church we hustled home and holed up inside doing our various activities. The Professor took a much deserved nap (he had co-op board nonsense to deal with early this morning - someone broke one of the windows in the building, so he was contacting the Super and the police - good times....), the kids were playing on the computer, and I was playing with paper.....

I didn't even have to make dinner, as we had leftovers from dinner last night; The Professor's college has a Christmas party every year, which we dutifully attend. They have a raffle with about 5 or 6 prizes, and every year my children hold their tickets in their small, optimistic hands, and learn that they didn't win anything. Well, this year changed all that - they actually picked one of our numbers, and we won a gift certificate to a lovely restaurant. Last night we dressed everybody up, dropped the car off with the valet, and had a marvelous dinner on somebody else's dime (well, mostly). Who could ask for anything more?

Spa Day

2010-01-16T14:53:00.000-05:00

Unfortunately not a real spa, but every once in a while Miss Serious likes to play Spa Day. She writes an appointment for me in a little book, and allots time for various spa activities (massage, hair, makeup, etc.). Well, she's done now, and I'm a little disheartened to realize that her ideal look for her mother is that of an aging prostitute.....

Dirt Is My Rosin

2010-01-14T19:48:00.000-05:00

Well, it's been quite a week. Last week, while putting away Christmas decorations, I fell off a chair. Not like I was sitting on the chair and happened to fall off, no, I was standing on said chair and decided that I needed to find out what was in the back of the top shelf of my kids' closet. Next thing I know I have fallen from midair and THUDDED onto the floor. I cannot imagine what the noise sounded like from below, but as it was the middle of the day, hopefully my downstairs neighbor didn't have to hear it.

It was one of those falls where it happens before you know it, and as I lay on the ground making sure everything moved the way it was supposed to, the only real thought that comes to mind is something along the lines of "Idiot.....". I landed mostly on my left side, and apart from being a bit sore, no big deal.

Fast forward to today. I made the mistake of vacuuming (see - putting things away, vacuuming - I knew they were dangerous, and thus why I try to avoid them at all costs...). I was walking across my living room rug holding an empty coffee mug and took one step onto the hardwood floors. Next thing you know, there was another fabulous THUD, and there I was on the floor again. The mug was miraculously unbroken, and other than some bumps and bruises on my right side I seem to be ok.

Luckily, my bruises are now symmetrical, and I've sworn off cleaning until my skin has regained its former hues.

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

2010-01-11T13:53:00.000-05:00

It has been really cold here the last couple of days (I know this is relative, so some of you who live in scary cold places will think I'm a big pansy....). The temperature was 20 when I left the house this morning, and sadly I was not dressed at all appropriately. This is not because I was unaware of the temperature, but rather that I had a job interview and had on the dreaded pantyhose/suit combo. I am a person who does not handle cold well, so wandering around New York in the freezing weather while wearing the equivalent of NOTHING on my legs is not my idea of a good time. However, I survived, and after a really hot cup of coffee, I have thawed.

I also snagged the mittens I knit for my mother for Christmas when she was here so I could get a picture. I gave away all the Christmas presents I knitted this year without remembering to photograph a single one, so I was glad to get this picture. They're from Mostly Mittens by Charlene Schurch; I've made a couple of other things from this book, and her patterns are really nice. I used Knitpicks Palette for the solid color (I got a sampler of all the colors long ago, and am desperately trying to use some up - it isn't working, however. I think the yarn might be multiplying in its container, because I swear there's more in there than when I got it....), and I think Louet fingering weight for the variegated. My mom seems to like bright colors on her hands and feet, so this combination seemed to fit the bill.

Now for another cup of coffee...

Oooh, Sparkly....

2010-01-08T17:15:00.001-05:00

My daughter, Miss Serious is 8 years old, and from about the time she could talk, she has loved anything that is sparkly. The more eye-catching the better, and if she could, she would have something that sparkles on everything she owns, from bathing suits to shoes. I'm hoping she can tone down her preferences a bit as she gets older, or she is going to be one fantabulous fifty-year-old.

So, when my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas, and I told her I wanted glitter, she commented that I sounded just like Miss Serious. But, I very kindly received a sparkly package of all the colors of glitter I could stand on Christmas, and I finally got to try some out yesterday.

I must say, black glitter is really cool. I originally put it on this card because I tried to just write the word "thanks." Unfortunately, my handwriting leaves much to be desired, and I thought maybe if I made it sparkle it would look better (because, as my daughter often comments, "Everything looks better with glitter..."). After that, Miss Serious (of course) suggested that I make the tree sparkle, and we were off to the races! I'm not sure if all the glitter will fall off onto the recipient's lap, (sort of negating the whole "thank you" thing), but who said opening cards was for the faint of heart?

Is Subbing our Favorite?

2010-01-06T18:56:00.003-05:00

No, subbing is not our favorite. Quite a few years ago I had a little boy in my class with autism. He was a really interesting little guy who had a particular aversion to gym. When I would walk the class down the hall for gym, he would keep his eyes closed, I believe on the premise that if he couldn't see us, we couldn't see him, and therefore wouldn't make him go to gym. Also, on the walk down the hall, he would repeat over and over, "Is P.E. our favorite? No, P.E. is not our favorite." I think of this phrase often when I'm confronted with a distasteful task...

I got back on that subbing horse today, and it was actually a pleasant day. I was in first grade, the class was amazingly well-behaved, and there was a bonus assembly which took up a block of time in the morning.

Even though the day went well, I'm still not a fan. And here are some reasons why:

1. Sub pay is excruciatingly low
2. You get phone calls at 5:00 AM to ask you to come work that day
3. You never know if there will be plans left for you (my personal favorite is that empty desk when you walk in, and an entire day with 25 little kids that you need to figure out in 15 minutes or less)
4. I think the main problem is that I'm just not a change-on-the fly kind of gal - I like going to bed knowing what I'll be doing the next day, and flexibility has never been one of my finer characteristics

Good things about subbing:

1. If you don't want to/can't work, you just tell the computer not to contact you
2. No lesson planning
3. No parent conferences
4. If the class is horrible, you only have one day with them, and don't have to go back

And, of course, the fact that nobody pays me at all when I stay home, so I could do worse than a class of cute little first graders....

2000 what???

2010-01-05T09:25:00.000-05:00

I had to write my first couple of checks of the New Year this week, and it's always a struggle. I'm amazed at how fast the years seem to flip these days. (And, I'm disturbed to hear myself saying things like that. Soon it will be "In my day....") All in all, 2009 was a good year, with ups and downs like any other.

We got a new dog, I got (and finished) a leave replacement job, the kids successfully moved on to their new grades, The Professor hooked up our church with a soup kitchen and has done fabulous work arranging (and hauling) food deliveries, and I think everyone has generally been pretty happy. I even got some knitting done (although I didn't take pictures of all the Christmas knitting I did before I sent it on its way..duhhh).

It's been an interesting year. Sadly, this was the year I had planned to re-enter the full-time work force, just about the time that all the schools started laying off teachers, and people put off retirement because their 401K's tanked. As in many things, my timing was impeccable... I know I'm in a better boat than many, because we have been living off one income for many years (while I've been home with the kids), so nobody's losing their house or anything. It's just that I had always assumed that when I was ready to go back to work, work would be ready for me. Staying home with the kids was a huge transition for me, as I've worked since I hit high school. I finally got into the groove with that, but, as kids do, they kept growing and ended up in school! Ahh, outsourcing.

Now I find myself having to write essays entitled "Describe a challenge that you had to overcome in your academic or professional career" and taking tests with 22 year olds. While age has given me (I hope!) wisdom, it's also made me more tired (and way more intolerant, but that's a whole other post...). Now, off to write 500 words on that challenging experience - do you think they'll accept an essay about potty training?

The Never Ending Battle....

2010-01-04T15:42:00.000-05:00

and I think I'm losing! I had a commenter who asked about how we store the kids' toys in a small space. We live in a 2-bedroom apartment (I think it's under 1000 sq. ft.), and it's a constant struggle to keep the amount of stuff down to an acceptable level. Now, my acceptable level may be higher than yours, but I do what I can.

I think the biggest battle with living in a small space is keeping things from coming in. I'm pretty good at going through old/outgrown toys and clothes and sending them on their way. What is really hard is the constant stream of things that come in (the holidays are especially painful, although as the kids get older, their toys are getting smaller).

My kids share a room, and it's a decent sized space. They have bunkbeds, and their room has quite a large closet in it (which is used by all of us, because the two closets in our bedroom are split up so you can't hang anything long in them - the previous owner was a man, and I think forgot that half the world might want to hang a dress....).

A couple years back, I got this for the kids room from IKEA. I really like IKEA - I'm Swedish, so I'm amused by all the silly names on the furniture, and for something the kids are going to be banging on every day, the furniture is cheap enough that it won't break my heart if it doesn't last forever. This unit is big (almost 5' X 5'), and I got the square drawers for the bottom squares - they each have a row, and they are supposed to use the cubes to organize (i.e. Barbies, cars, dinosaurs, etc.). The top 2 rows have some tubs of things like Legos, and stacks of games. It's worked out pretty well, although getting it up the stairs was a trick - the boxes were REALLY heavy, as The Professor can attest. It also bolts to the wall, so I don't have to worry about anyone toppling it over on themselves. It has a flat top, so all the pottery creations the kids keep bringing home (and can't bear to part with) have a place to live other than on my kitchen counter.

Dealing with "stuff" is definitely an uphill battle, but I've found some pretty good motivation - catch "Hoarders" on A&E - I've been watching it on the computer (being a cheapie, I don't have this channel on the actual television) and it always gets me going to clean out a nook or two!

Fa La La La La....

2009-12-26T13:24:00.001-05:00

'Twas the night after Christmas, and all through the house,
not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.

And, of course, Big Trouble calling me because he had just thrown up in the bathroom.

Actually, to be more specific, I should probably say that he threw up on the bathroom. I'm not sure of the chain of events, but it actually looked like he had executed some sort of spin in the process of losing his meals of the day. He claims to have no memory of the actual event, so he's no help at all.

I always enjoy the moment when I'm standing and staring at the aftermath of such an event; my newly-awakened eyes are blinking in the shockingly bright light, and I have to get my semi-functional brain to figure out how to clean this particular disaster up. At one point during the cleanup, I felt like one of those CSI people trying to piece together the crime based on spatter patterns, but I decided that this was neither helpful nor kind to my own stomach.

Luckily, he did manage to make it to the bathroom, so the bed was unscathed - a Christmas Miracle after all!

Otherwise, Christmas #1 (we have a couple others coming in the next couple of days with various relatives) was a big success, and we hope yours was as well.

Sometimes They Tell The Truth

2009-12-09T20:14:00.000-05:00

I like to make things, and I have to say, I love the way the internet helps you learn how to do just about anything, from baking cookies to taping your drywall. However, even though steps are given, and the author swears that the task is easy peasy, some things go better than others (cookies - excellent; drywall taping - less so...).

So, I was hunting on-line for some things to make for Christmas, and I came across about a jillion videos on YouTube (love YouTube) about how to stamp on candles:
1. Stamp image on tissue paper
2. Cut out image and place on candle
3. Wrap a piece of wax paper around candle long enough that you can hold it in the back
4. Use your heat gun (I bet a hair dryer would work dandy) to melt image onto candle.

Now, I've made quite a few items in my day, but these were probably some of the quickest and they really worked as advertised. If you want to see a video, YouTube would take good care of you.

Saved by the L

2009-12-08T13:10:00.000-05:00

Well, we're finally back in the land of DSL. About 3 weeks ago our internet service starting getting a little wonky, and only working sporadically. So, since I'm home these days, I dutifully got on the phone with our provider, who told me it was the power cord, and they would send me out another one, which would arrive in 3-5 business days.

And in the meantime? Oh yes, I was cheerfully told, you can go back to your dial-up connection. Ahhh, the old days. So, since everything takes about eleven times as long to work with the dial-up (and my cheapie self doesn't want to pay by the minute for the phone connection it requires), I have been skipping the internet for a while. Luckily, the cord came in the mail yesterday, and we are back in business.

Luckily, not too much has been happening around Chez Necessity, but the other day Big Trouble was making Lego creations and bringing them out of his room to show them to us. They were all combinations of 2 different things put together, and he created a name for them accordingly (i.e. he made a dird (dragon + bird), and trog (truck + dog)).

Finally, he came out of his room with his last creation, and announced that it was a combination of a flower and a duck.

He called it a "Fluck" and saved me from what would have been a wildly inappropriate fit of the giggles.

Home Again, Home Again....

2009-11-30T20:44:00.000-05:00

jiggity jog. Now that my library job is over, I am once again among the unemployed. It was a really neat experience, and allowed me to get paid, and to put on my grown-up clothes every day and interact with not only students, but with adults. Sadly, there doesn't seem to be another job lurking anywhere on the horizon, so at the moment I'm trying to get some Christmas gifts knit and crafted.

There's always subbing, but at this point, the thought of getting those 5:30 AM phone calls to tell me where I'll be working that day (and not knowing what to expect when I get there) is excruciatingly painful to me; the whole concept goes rather against the grain of my ~~control-freaky~~ planning-ahead type personality.

So, instead I decided to stay home and eat an indecent amount of Veggie Straws (sadly, I succumbed in a moment of weakness in Costco yesterday, and now have a GIANT bag of these in my house. They will soon be gone, which is why I don't buy junk food - I have zero self-control, and have learned that I just can't keep this sort of thing in the house - the same goes with Tootsie Rolls, but I digress...).

I did teach a flute lesson this afternoon; sadly, said lesson began with my student announcing that she hadn't had a chance to practice for the entire week. I never quite know what my response to this sort of honesty should be.....it is so exciting to know I'll have to spend the next hour listening to music that desperately needs practicing. On the other hand, I do get paid for 1 hour what I would make for a HALF DAY of subbing - and I didn't even have to wake up at 5:30 AM for the privilege.

Expired

2009-11-22T09:26:00.000-05:00

I am going to be 40 in March. I don't mind turning 40, and in fact have been calling myself 40 for a while now (The Professor's birthday is 6 months before mine, so when he turned 40, I jumped on the bandwagon too). Unfortunately, however, this milestone seems to be coinciding with everything I own breaking down.

About 2 months ago, my Kitchen Aid died (granted, it was almost 20 years old, but still...). Then my cell phone's screen went completely blank and refused to return. Then the toilet handle broke off, followed, in quick succession by the flapper in the tank. And then, while standing in Michael's yesterday purchasing a birthday present for one of the bazillion birthday parties the kids go to (it's standard to invite the ENTIRE class to these things 'round here) the strap on my purse snapped off, sending it to the floor with a loud thump.

Do you think my life could qualify for some sort of extended warranty?

What to do on a Tuesday Night?

2009-11-17T20:19:00.000-05:00

I know - go to the Humane Society and get a dog! As it's been almost a year since we lost Sophie, we finally decided that it was time to get another dog. We went to the Humane Society based on a picture they had on their website, but this little dog just sucked us in. He was so friendly, and so odd-looking - he definitely looked like he needed us. His name is Tobie - yes spelled with an ie - seems to match his offbeat look.

They told us he's about 8 months old (he's definitely young - really playful and chews on whatever he can find) and I would guess he's around 15 pounds, although I'm never good at guessing anyone's weight. He's very sweet, and hopefully housetrained. The Humane Society provided us with a crate and a bed, and he was very happy to hop right into the crate as soon as I set it up.

We stopped at Target for a bowl and treats, and of course the prerequisite squeaky toy, which he has pretty much squeaked since we got him home. He and Big Trouble deserve each other, I think. Maybe I'll put them both into a room with their noisy toys and they can wear each other out!

Welcome to the family, Tobie!

Not a Clue....

2009-11-16T19:08:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally celebrated Big Trouble's 7th birthday with his friends. For those of you playing along at home who know his birthday is in the very beginning of October, it was the earliest we could come up with. He wanted a mystery party, so I made some funny invitations with magnifying glasses and a fingerprint (courtesy of yours truly) inviting 7 little children to come to his "Mystery Party." Then, of course, we had to actually come up with a mystery!

As we live in a fancy schmantzy area, many of the birthday parties 'round these parts are held at a party location, or if they are at home, they involve a giant blow-up bouncy castle or a petting zoo for entertainment. As we are not of the fancy schmantzy persuasion ourselves, we have to provide our own entertainment.

We came up with a backstory that some priceless pearls were stolen from Lady Dowrymple (myself) with the characters of Princess Clara and Princess Sara Pizzabox (Miss Serious and a friend) and Professor Wafflemeyer (The Professor, of course!). We secreted clues around the house, and the kids had to figure out riddles to find the next one. The jewels were finally located, with the Professor's fingerprints all over them, and I think a good time was had by all.

We made detective badges, played freeze dance to spy music, pinned the magnifying glass on the detective's hand, and created codes. All in all, an excellent day, even if the power went out an hour before it was to begin (I had frugally planned to make pizza, but even though my oven is gas, it's got electric buttons, so the pizza place across the street, who did have power, came to the rescue). Luckily the power came back on right before the quests arrived, and the birthday boy enjoyed his day.

P.S. The Professor wrote some really funny clues - I've included them in case anybody is interested - he sat down and not 1/2 an hour later printed these out. We cut each one out and put them in their appropriate locations. I'm trying to convince him that we can parlay this talent into some sort of lucrative position, but I'm not having much luck...

If you wish to find the jewels,
you will need the proper tools.
Step one: find a growing green.
See the clue you've never seen.

Searching hard? With all your might?
Look for music black and white.
Think of keys that make sweet sound.
And your next clue will soon be found.

Lady D. is in your debt.
You are close, but not there yet.
You've walked by me lots of times.
Find the book that's full of rhymes.

Pearls were stolen just today.
A mighty wind blew them away.
You will find a clue with ease,
if you search inside the breeze.

Never was a thief so bold,
to hide a clue inside the cold.
Go to where you feed your belly.
The clue is sitting by the jelly.

Dirty hands? Make them shine.
Or the jewels will still be mine.
Solve this and you'll still have hope.
Go to where we wash with soap.

Getting close, detective buddies.
Time to finish off your studies.
Find the place where students write.
A clue is hidden in plain sight.

Boys impress the sweetest girls
with the gift of precious pearls.
The way to our dear Lady's heart
is pinned up there with paper art.

A Week Already?

2009-11-07T07:33:00.002-05:00

I can't believe how the time is zipping by - Halloween has now been over a week, and all we have left are an embarrassingly big bowl of candy on the counter (sadly, quite a bit less big than last week - and the kids only get one piece a day, so you can draw your own conclusions about where it's going....) and what is left of Mr. Pumpkin.

I figure if I'm going to have to drop 8 bucks on a pumpkin, we are going to get our money's worth. So, Halloween night found me slicing him up and cookin' him down. When I mention actually cooking a pumpkin to people around here, they look at me oddly, as if I just said we cook up our furniture. I like to think of us as not cheap, but rather like the Native Americans, we use all the parts of the pumpkin after the hunt.

The kids had a good time - Miss Serious dressed up as Pippi Longstocking - I fashioned a hat with wires and braided red yarn pigtails, and Big Trouble was an abstract painter, complete with palette, painter's smock, and a big curly french moustache (his request).

We went trick-or-treating with friends, and had brought some Fair Trade chocolate for reverse trick-or-treating. One of our friends (a true-red Republican) dubbed them our leftist-liberal chocolates, but we handed them out anyway. All in all, an excellent evening.

Minty Fresh

2009-11-04T20:26:00.002-05:00

Although I haven't blogged in about a bajillion years, I have very few available words of wisdom, except for these: Whatever you do, don't get toothpaste in your eye. Just don't. And then, don't tell your husband that your eye is burning because you got toothpaste in it, because he will oh so helpfully ask you if the tube says anything about what to do when you get toothpaste in your eye. The same tube that you can't read, because - oh that's right - you've got toothpaste in your eye.

WWMD?

2009-10-19T18:06:00.003-04:00

The weather is finally better. When it wasn't better (all of last week)it was cold, raining, and thoroughly nasty. My mom and I even had to cancel our much looked-forward-to jaunt to the Sheep and Wool Festival. Imagine how happy I was to see sun this morning. Then imagine my spirits quickly lowering as I realize the reason the sun is shining so brightly off my car is that is is covered in ice.

Now, this is a new car, and as it's only the middle of October I have yet to outfit it with any of the appropriate winter accoutrements such as an ice scraper. As I looked at my sparkly car, my first, optimistic thought was that it was just a thin, delicate little coating. This (perhaps misplaced) optimism was quickly dashed when I opened up my door and said ice let out a loud, cracking sound.

Then, I sat in the car and pumped up the heat and defrost. Ahhh, this will do the trick. Hmmmm.....still icy, and in fact it looked like I was sitting in an igloo. What's a gal to do?

I decided to go all McGyver - I opened up my purse and spied my credit cards! Five minutes later, the car was scraped and ready to roll.

I guess it's true what they say - "For everything else, there's Mastercard."

Oh the Weather Outside is Frightful.....

2009-10-16T19:33:00.002-04:00

That's right - snow in mid-October. We didn't actually see any here, but a few towns north got a bit last night. As the weather is supposed to continue its downward spiral this weekend, I will sadly be skipping the Sheep and Wool festival in Rhinebeck. It's a really fabulous festival complete with thousands (I'm talking tourbuses thousands) of knitters all bedecked in their knitting finery. I do find it a little creepy that there are quite a few food stands offering various lamb dishes, when the real live article is bleating and looking cute just a few yards away, but that might just be the vegetarian in me talking. However, as the temperature isn't supposed to climb past the mid-thirties, and there is a little picture of rain/snowflakes (yes, snowflakes, which the web designer made to look cute rather than cold and irritating) on the weather site, I'll be giving it a miss. I can do rain, or I can do cold, but I really am not in the mood to do both.

Guess I'll just have to knit at home (where the heat is abundant and lovely - our apartment building seems to think we need a temperature akin to being in the Bahamas) and pretend my children are sheep.

Happy Columbus Day!

2009-10-12T19:49:00.003-04:00

I don't particularly have any strong attachment to Columbus Day, but a day off always makes me happy. This year, we actually attended the local Columbus Day parade to watch Big Trouble march with the Cub Scouts. He joined a couple of weeks ago, and has only attended one meeting, but today was the big day. Unfortunately, the day began with me having to sew the many patches onto his new (and frighteningly expensive - I actually suspected that it was sewn together with gold thread, but discovered this not to be the case) cub scout uniform shirt. I made the tactical error of deciding to sew them on by hand rather than drag out the machine, because, as my thought process went, it will just be easier.

Dur. My typing is rather slow at the moment, because my fingertips are sore and tender after being poked numerous times with a needle that didn't want to go through the patches. They are now all applied and he made an adorable little Cub Scout. It was a bit on the chilly side today (even The Professor pulled his jacket out of the closet, which is always a sign to me that I am going to be freezing), but the parade was fun, and it's always interesting seeing the local culture, such as it is.

Back to real life tomorrow!

It's Awfully Dark

2009-10-07T06:58:00.002-04:00

That was the thought in my head when I woke up this morning. It was raining, so I wasn't expecting it to be bright at 6:15, but I do remember thinking that it was awfully dark. I showered, dressed, and began making breakfast for me and the kiddoes when I noticed the clock over the stove read 5:45. I thought I was reading it wrong, but imagine my surprise when the microwave clock agreed with it. Were the appliances plotting something?

I ruefully laughed at my error, mistaking the 5 for a 6 on the clock radio, until I went back into my room and saw that it was a 6. Meaning the time button had been pressed and advanced the clock.

Now that it's finally my usual waking time, I am noticing that it's quite a bit brighter outside, and I have the feeling it's going to be a loooooong day.

Fakin' It

2009-10-05T18:04:00.002-04:00

Well, I continue to teach technology (teaching myself first and then just relaying what I've learned....), and I guess I'm doing an ok job at it. Today there was a sub in for one of the teachers, and at the end of the lesson she asked me for some tech advice on her computer. Imagine how proud I was - both because she bought the whole tech thing, and because I actually gave her a correct answer to solve her problem!

Now for a more interesting question - who got hold of the camera?

The Big 7

2009-10-03T20:40:00.002-04:00

Well, one day late, but Happy Birthday Big Trouble! Every day for a couple of weeks he has woken up with the question, "How many days until my birthday?" answered by the inevitable, "Check the calendar." Well, the big day was yesterday, and the family party was today. We ate, we drank, we opened presents, and I think a good time was had by all, especially the birthday boy.

We were looking at old pictures of him, and it's amazing how his personality showed through in even those early shots. He has always been full of sweetness and humor, a good-natured little soul who looks out for the feelings of others.

We are so happy to have you as our son, sweet boy, and wish you a very happy 7th birthday.

Marian's Back!

2009-09-30T16:31:00.003-04:00

I haven't had much time to myself these days, because I'm working!! Yes, that's right, a wage earner once more. I was supposed to start last week and shadow the exiting librarian for 3 days, but her baby had other plans. So, I started last Monday all on my own, and have been scrambling around ever since, trying desperately to look/sound/act like a library media specialist. I can easily pass for the "library" part of that job description, but the "media specialist" bit is more of a sticky wicket.

I am not a techie type person; I know how to use my computer, and how to do the things I need to do to go to my little websites. Now, however, I find myself teaching 4th graders how to use flash drives; this involves me having a meeting with the awesome tech assistant, writing myself a little cheat sheet, and then teaching the class. So far, so good. I think if I were teaching middle school I'd be in big trouble, but these guys are young enough that we are (sadly) about on the same technical level.

Next week I have to teach 3rd graders how to graph in Excel. That is, after I've taught myself....

The Joys of Children

2009-09-26T08:56:00.004-04:00

When I was planning a family, I gave a lot of thought to what my kids would be like, what things they would need, what we would do together - you know, all the happy, idyllic thoughts you have about children and what your life would be like with them.

It never once occurred to me that vomit would play such a central role in my life as a mother.

Now, I know I've mentioned vomit before, on more than one occasion. This is probably due to the fact that vomit figures so prominently. It boggles my mind that in all my planning, it never once entered my mind that I would have to get up in the middle of the night and scrape incredible yuckiness off a small child's sheets, pillow, arms, and anything else they happened to plant their hands on.

Then, of course, those incredibly lovely sheets, blankets, pillows, etc. need to be washed. Which for me involves a trek down to the basement laundry room, as I'm on the 4th floor of a walk-up building. We aren't supposed to do laundry at night, so I've developed a system (isn't is sad that this has happened enough times that I have developed a SYSTEM!!) and just stuff all the offending items in plastic garbage bags, seal them up, and wait for morning,

This morning, as all the washers are full, I am sorely tempted to actually pitch these bags into the garbage, but I think my cheapness gene wins over my disgusted gene on this one...

Catch 22

2009-09-17T09:50:00.001-04:00

Want a simple way to know if you are desperately in need of coffee? When the coffee you have just made comes out clear, it becomes glaringly apparent that you didn't actually add any coffee. But then, of course, in your most dire hour of need, you have no coffee...

Let The Crazy Begin...

2009-09-10T12:54:00.004-04:00

Things have been toodling along here at Chez Necessity. I got a start date for the new job (this is where I start freaking out, because until now, it hasn't seemed real. Now, with an actual date on my calendar, serious plans must be made....) and have been trying to pick up some of the detritus left around the house after summer ends - I don't know where we get so much STUFF, but it just keeps coming. Maybe it multiplies when it's sitting around on the floor.

So, I've been digging through closets, dresser drawers, and hidey holes to try to get things looking a little more together before MY JOB begins. I had visions of painting the living room, but there are some problems with the drywall tape - it's been separating from the wall for quite some time now, and must be attended to before any painting can occur. Unfortunately, I don't know how to do drywall tape (I did a spot in my bedroom a couple years back, and the results where not what they could have been), but I think I'm going to give it a shot. Also, unfortunately, this will require the moving of about a jillion books, the computer (and table) and the TV (and table). I just don't have that much mojo going today, so I made these instead:

No heavy lifting required!

Well It Happened Again

2009-09-07T07:37:00.006-04:00

The kids started a new year of school! Even though today is Labor Day, the kids' school district decided to be all mavericky and start last week. I know Labor Day is late, but we have never gone back beforehand. I checked all the area school districts, and we seem to be the only ones. I was happy with it - they were ready to go back, and now they have some wiggle room if there are snow days. Miss Serious, being a 3rd grader, moved to a different school; though she was a bit apprehensive at first, she did announce that "Third grade is going to be the best year ever!" Big Trouble was as cheerful as ever to toddle off to first grade, and everyone already seems to be settled in. The Professor goes back tomorrow, and as I've got a couple of weeks before I go, I'm going to try to do some of the little jobs 'round the house that never seems to get taken care of when everyone's here and asking for meals and snacks around the clock.

I took the quiet time to finish these. They are from the Cascade Sassy Stripes I got in Cape Cod, and Big Trouble is very pleased with them. Now to start a pair for Miss Serious - she has requested anklets, so my lucky day!

Introducing the Newest Member of the Family....

2009-09-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

Baby Blue (BB for short)! Now that I will be gainfully employed (at least for a while....), we needed to get a second car. We have been a one car family for 8 1/2 years now, and while it has required some planning and creative thinking, it has worked out well. It's saved us buckets of money, and helped us keep our carbon footprint lower. Alas, while the new job is only 7 miles away, they're highway miles, so it's not a feasible bike ride. So, after lots of research and angst, I finally decided on a car - a Honda Fit. It gets great gas mileage, and for the first time I was able to actually choose a color I wanted!! It's going to be my car, so even though it's a little girly, The Professor was all for it. It's also fun to drive, and small enough to park. We were looking at hybrids, but the cost difference was just too painful, and we'd have to drive to Guam (often) to make it up in what we pay for gas.

We have on-street parking, and when I brought it home last night I parked about eleventy miles away, which allowed me to keep my car away from others, and also to avoid parallel parking (haven't quite got a handle on where the front and back end, but I'll get there...maybe).

The Curious Tale of Marian the Librarian, conclusion

2009-08-31T06:00:00.002-04:00

Part the Third:

Marian, our trusty but unemployed teacher, returned home after her sweltering interview, and drank about 11 gallons of water. She had luckily recovered from her odd day, and was thrilled to receive an early morning phone call the following day from a mysterious voice which bid her to come to one of the elementary schools to meet with the principal.

Marian was understandably excited, and as the interview wasn't for a week, she was able to research the school, learn the curriculum for 3rd and 4th grade, and generally make herself as employable as she knew how to be.

On the appointed day, Marian once more pulled on the offending pantyhose and proceeded to the school. She met with the principal and an administrator. Marian was dutifully prepared with all of her teacher answers, and the interview seemed to be progressing well. About halfway through the interview, however, the principal mentioned that one of the jobs they had available was the library/media specialist position, and asked how Marian would handle working in that capacity.

As Marian naively assumed that this was just a general inquiry, she searched her mind for what she knew of school libraries and/or media (which wasn't a lot), and gamely answered the ensuing questions. It soon dawned on her, however, that the questions were all now taking on a definite librarian flavor. It occurred to Marian that things had taken a rather confusing turn.

When asked if Marian had any questions for them, she asked about the available positions, and that she knew that there was both a 3rd and 4th grade position available. Thus, one can only imagine Marian's shock and confusion when she is told that these jobs have already been filled, but there is a library job available in the school. It now dawns on Marian that she has no idea what she's talking about, and as she is one who takes a bit of time to wrap her head around things, she is glad that the interview has come to an end.

Marian leaves the school in a fog of confusion and disbelief, and proceeds home. Even though she is not actually a librarian, she decides that it's a job that would be interesting and that she could do well. In fact, Marian knows that she has always had librarian tendencies (such as wardrobe, haircut, etc.), so perhaps this job is her destiny. Marian, is sad, therefore, when there is no phone call day after day.

Finally, to Marian's happy surprise, she receives a call to meet with a further administrator for another interview. While Marian is excited about the opportunity, the thought of having to answer more questions is ~~appalling~~ somewhat unpalatable. Imagine Marian's pleasure, therefore, when she meets with said administrator (again wearing the ridiculous and horrible pantyhose) and is offered the position of leave replacement for the library/media specialist.

The job starts in October, allowing Marian to attend her lovely children's first day of school, while simultaneously giving her time to learn how to be a school librarian. It's short-term, but is a foot in the door and steady work.

Marian rejoiced, the family celebrated with Italian food, and everyone lived happily ever after.

The Curious Tale of Marian the Librarian, continued

2009-08-30T06:00:00.000-04:00

Part the Second:

We rejoin our heroine, Marian, on the day of her job interview. Unfortunately, the interview date coincided with the hottest day of the summer, and Marian was forced to wear pantyhose on a day that was so hot her hair was sweating. Marian, dressed in her grown-up interview clothes proceeded to the interview, where she was met with a large sign proclaiming "Job Fair - Library."

This gave Marian pause. Job fair? Hmmm...She gamely proceeded to the library, where she was ushered into a room containing about 10 other poor souls also wearing clothes completely inappropriate for the tropical heat of the day. Marian hoped that they were here for other positions, but in her heart of hearts, she knew this was not true. She broke the painful silence and asked if they were all elementary teachers, and as she expected, the answers were glumly, "Yes."

The interviews were conducted on a simultaneous basis; desks were set up throughout the library, and 5 people were interviewed at once. It was something akin to speed dating, but Marian wisely chose not to make this particularly inappropriate observation to the principal interviewing her. After about 20 minutes, she was told to return to the holding pen, where she was met with about 10 new people who hadn't been there before, but also wearing equally uncomfortable clothes and expressions.

Marian, being something of a talker, broke the silence and again asked if they were all here for the elementary jobs. They were. One teacher, who was also clearly rather a talker, asked about what the procedure seemed to be, and Marian relayed what had happened to her so far today. The other teacher remarked that it seemed akin to American Idol, and Marian replied that they would probably have to run the Gauntlet of Fire at the end of the day. Only the other woman laughed, and Marian was saddened that the warm day and obvious stress had caused her colleagues to lose their senses of humor. Gauntlet of Fire, people - that's funny!

Marian was then called to meet with 2 more administrators, where she once again did her interview thing, and tried not to faint from the heat. At the end she was blessedly told she could leave, and she said her good-byes appropriately.

Little did Marian know that she would, actually, be running the Gauntlet of Fire, and that it would consist of her walk through the 9,000 degree parking lot while wearing pantyhose on a day when even the foliage was sweating.

What will happen to Marian next? Stay tuned for the final chapter in her saga....

The Curious Tale of Marian the Librarian

2009-08-29T10:56:00.004-04:00

Part the First:

Once upon a time there was a teacher, who we will call Marian. Marian taught elementary school for several years; she loved her job and her students, but her husband got a job requiring them to move away. Marian subsequently produced two lovely children, and stayed home to give them motherly affection (and snacks).

The years passed, and the lovely young children started school. Marian wanted to go back to teaching, with the hope of edifying both her mind and her bank account. Unfortunately, Marian made this choice the same year that the financial markets around the world decided to no longer function properly. This untimely event caused two things to happen - schools began laying off teachers in horrifying numbers, and teachers didn't retire because their prospects of retiring on the two dollars left in their retirement accounts were less than pleasant.

This made job hunting quite difficult for Marian. She arranged for good references and sent out many (MANY) resumes, but to no avail. She had one interview at the beginning of the summer, but they somehow managed to disregard her obvious charms and hired someone else.

Poor Marian! Labor Day was now looming, and she knew that if her fortunes didn't change quickly, she would be without hope. Then, she spied a posting for 2 leave replacement jobs for 3rd and 4th grade. They weren't for very long, but would get Marian a foot in the door in the district, and some steady work and money. Marian applied for these jobs and was granted an interview. Marian, in her excitement and innocence, had no idea what awaited her.....

To be continued....

Oh, And I Have a Coupon...

2009-08-28T07:57:00.005-04:00

I love a bargain. I try to be careful with what I buy for many reasons - one of them is that we live in a 2 bedroom apartment with 2 kids, and anything that is purchased has to have somewhere to go. (The aftermath of Christmas, after the kids' presents get hauled up our 4 flights of stairs can be excruciating...) Another is that we are trying to be more aware of what and why we buy, and be less materialistic (it's going slowly...). The final reason is that we don't have lots of extra cash hanging about, so if we want to eat and pay the mortgage and all that other wild and crazy stuff, we have to watch our pennies a bit.

This brings me to my trip to Michaels last week. Miss Serious had a gift card, so we stopped by and browsed a bit. They're revamping some of their sections, and had big piles of clearance things, and as I do so love a clearance we dug through and I found a couple of stamp sets. They were a good price, and I thought I would get use out of them, but being me I hehmed and hahwed a bit before I decided to finally get them both. I also picked up a little tree stamp from the $1.49 section.

We toddled up to the cashier, and she started ringing up my purchases. This was the ensuing receipt:
Even though it's gloriously blurry (I have yet to figure out how to take a decent close-up with this camera), hopefully it can be seen that my final cost for these items (with tax, mind you) was 98 cents. That's right - each of the stamp sets rang up at a penny a piece. Now, as I am a person who is quick to make sure I mention it when I am overcharged, I also try to do the same when I'm undercharged. I figure fair's fair, after all. The cashier said that some of the clearance items are out of the system, so they just ring up this way and they've been told to leave it. And then, of course, I presented my 40% off coupon for the remaining $1.49 stamp.

For some reason, everything is more fun to use when it only costs a penny!

I Think I Need More Friends...

2009-08-27T07:41:00.003-04:00

Not because I'm lonely or bored, but because I've been making cards and they are now languishing in their little box. Birthdays are over for a while, and no holidays for a bit. Maybe I should send out Labor Day cards this year....

Summer is really flying by - the kids will be starting school next week! As we have never started school before Labor Day, and as every other district in the area starts after Labor Day, my (I thought) reasonable assumption was that our school would start after Labor Day. Not so.

The kids got their letters last week telling them who their teachers were, and giving class lists and so on. I got distracted by all of this information, and finally realized that the start date was Sept 2nd. They go back before The Professor this year, a fact which I think he is quietly enjoying (and I don't seem to be be going back at all, as the job hunt has not been kind. I know it ain't over 'till the fat lady sings, but I seem to be hearing some warm-up scales in the background....).

These Little Piggies Went to Cape Cod!

2009-08-26T08:35:00.003-04:00

The perfect accessory for a 96 degree day - a hand-knit, wool sock. This is from some of the lovely sock yarn I got while vacationing on Cape Cod, and Big Trouble is so pleased with the result that he was willing to pull it onto his hot, sweaty foot to model for me. Now to finish the other one, and he can wear them to the beach!

Well, It's Cooler Now

2009-08-23T18:29:00.002-04:00

Yup - that's what was hovering outside our window yesterday afternoon. It has been rather warm the last week, and I guess the weather finally gave up. This began forming, and it was so dense that you could see it moving past. Quite spectacular, and the ensuing rain did cool things down, for which we are all grateful.

The Throes of August

2009-08-18T21:40:00.006-04:00

Well, summer has really hit with a vengeance these last couple of days, and Chez Necessity is rather warm. When I say rather warm, what I really mean is really freakin' hot. Our fans have been running full blast, but they can only do so much. Luckily, tomorrow is supposed to be a much cooler 89 degrees, and, because life is relative, I'm really looking forward to it.

I put a couple of cards together, but probably should have done Christmas cards to try to fool myself into being cool.

Life's A Beach

2009-08-15T06:00:00.000-04:00

We have a really pretty, local beach about a 20 minute walk (unfortunately the way home always takes at least 30 minutes, and is replete with whining, but that's neither here nor there) from our house. It has a lovely playground, pretty walking paths, a sandy beach, a spray ground, and the harbor. Now, I don't let my kids actually swim in the harbor. When we first started taking the kids there, there was some sort of problem with the water quality, and every other day it would be off-limits for swimming. Being a harbor, it's kind of the depository of all the filth the ocean decides it really doesn't care for. I decided that if it's not safe for swimming on Tuesday, I certainly won't be dipping my toes in the water on Wednesday, no matter how many signs tell me it's ok; they have a really great little spray ground there, with water piped in from the drinking water line, and my kids have a blast in there. I don't think they realized that you could go in the water until we met some friends there one day whose kids jumped right in. The shocked looks of recrimination my children sent me were a sight to behold, but they're still not allowed in the water.

Yesterday we went to the beach, and I made the unfortunate tactical error of setting up next to the sexy moms. I don't like sitting by the sexy moms. I wasn't sexy even before I had children, and it is beyond me how these women are able to maintain the sexiness. There were 3 of them, all sporting diamond rings large enough to blind you when the sun hits them, and all 3 were wearing string bikinis with not an ounce of fat on them.

Now, we live in the land of the nip and tuck, and not being a nip and tuck gal myself, I'm never sure how to tell if one has been nipped and or tucked, but I've become pretty good at spotting breast work (is this a marketable skill???). Having birthed and nursed 2 children myself, I know from painful experience that one's chest, when left in it's natural state, will never be what it once was after such abuse. Now, while these women were not sporting BOUS's (for those Princess Bride fans, that's Breasts of Unusual Size) I did conclude that they must have all visited their friendly plastic surgeon for a little help.

I don't begrudge anyone this sort of thing, and if it makes you happy and you can afford it, more power to you. And I know that these women must spend countless hours working out to be able to wear such tiny bathing suits (I could probably have outfitted all 3 of them with the amount of material in my own suit), which I think is laudable.

But I definitely won't be sitting next to them again, if I can help it.

So Pretty!

2009-08-14T06:00:00.000-04:00

On our first day in Cape Cod, The Professor spied a yarn shop we hadn't seen before (I actually noticed it because the two heavy-duty motorcyclists in front of us turned in as well. (They didn't stay long.) It was called The Black Purls Yarn Shop, and was off of 6A in EastSandwich, if you're in the neighborhood. (The official address is 685 Route 6A).

They had only opened a short while ago, and the shop was beautifully laid out with simple, black shelves for the yarn. It really set off the colors, and allowed you to browse through the yarn without being distracted. There was a nice mix of basic and more high-end yarns, and I even won a door prize!

Here's what I left with - from left to right: Cascade Pure Alpaca (absolutely lovely and soft - and part of my prize!), Debbie Bliss Pure Cotton (equally lovely, and the rest of my prize!), Cascade Heritage Handpainted Sock Yarn (I'm always a sucker for handpainted yarn), and Cascade Sassy Stripes (the kids both picked out the same yarn for socks).

I've never won yarn before, and let me tell you, it just makes it that much more lovely!

Greetings

2009-08-13T11:00:00.000-04:00

I had some cards to mail out this week, so I got myself together, dug out my supplies, and made some things. I bought some new markers, and have been revisiting my inner kindergartner by coloring. Very soothing, and still fun as an adult.

I wonder if I can list good coloring skills on my resume......?

Trying Hard Not to Lose That Vacation Weight

2009-08-12T15:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I decided that as I didn't consume nearly enough calories through mountains of ice cream and fried seafood on Cape Cod that I should produce some rich, high calorie food at home. I dug out my food processor and pasta maker, and the kids and I made a lovely pile of homemade fettucine noodles.

Many years ago, being younger and more foolish, I first attempted homemade pasta. I watched a chef make it on tv, and the dough looked beautifully simple to prepare - just put the flour on the counter, make a well in the middle, pour in the eggs, and beat gently with a fork, incorporating the flour. Easy peasy.

Until about 2 seconds after I put the eggs in the well, and they broke through the walls of the flour creating a charming mess all over the counter, floor, and me.

Enter the food processor - dump everything in, mix it up, and voila! Pasta dough ready to go with no need to scrape a pile of slippery goo off your kitchen.

I made Fettucine Alfredo with it, and it was yummy (even though Big Trouble decided he didn't care for it - I will never understand what makes them like or dislike something - pasta, cheese, cream, and butter - what's not to like?), and it made a tasty lunch the next day, too.

* My original reason for choosing this dish was that I had bought heavy cream a while back for a recipe I didn't end up making, and thought this would be a good way to use it. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that I had bought it quite a loooong way back, and it had congealed into something rather unpleasant. However, necessity being the mother of invention I discovered that you can make a great Alfredo sauce with half and half - I just reduced it for a bit until it was thicker like cream, and added butter and cheese until the consistency looked right. I know - not really the most efficient way to drop those vacation pounds, but life is short!

Vacation is Hard!

2009-08-11T18:39:00.000-04:00

Last week we spent a lovely vacation in beautiful Cape Cod. We've gone to the same place for several years now; every year we ask each other if we'd like to go someplace else, and every year, we decide to go back. I can't imagine why - beautiful beaches, hiking trails, fabulous wildlife, great weather with cool nights, delicious seafood, and for some reason, the kids' favorite - the place we stay has free munchkins in the morning.

That seems to be the thing they mention as the highlight of their trip, making me seriously consider saving the long drive to Massachusetts and just hitting the Dunkin' Donuts down the street. (They are building one across the street from us - donuts within easy walking distance doesn't bode well for my thighs - maybe if I jogged there....)

We had great weather this time - we often have one day of pouring rain, but this year we only had a couple of sprinkles on one afternoon. We hit the beach, went on a nature hike at the Audubon, went to the Wood's Hole Aquarium and Oceanographic Institute, did a very odd scavenger hunt at the Edward Gorey house, took a boat ride, and ate more ice cream and fried seafood than anyone should put away in one week. (Oddly, and on a totally unrelated note, I seem to have gained four pounds - must have been the salt air.)

Now we're home and recovering. It always seems like a great idea to cram all this stuff into one week, but by the end, I'm pooped and ready to go home. It's always a treat to take a break from my real life, and an even bigger treat to realize how much I miss it and how glad I am to get back to business as usual, such as it is.

Mostly a Pile of Yarn

2009-07-29T12:12:00.000-04:00

I struggled with a title for this post, because sadly I've discovered that a disproportionate amount of the time I want to title my posts simply "Well, Duh!" As I can't have eleventy-two posts with all the same name, I've decided that I can't use that one at all, even though it pretty much sums things up.

Summer is definitely in full swing, and it's finally really hot here at Chez Necessity. The weather has been very kind this year, and stayed at a pretty comfortable level until now. The humidity's been pretty good too, but that all seems to be over now. In an effort to both be green and save money on the old electric bill, we freecycled our air conditioner a couple of years ago (the woman who picked it up looked at us like we were nuts, and asked "Don't you know it's going to be hot?") and have been getting by with fans and drapes to cover the blinding amounts of HOT light that come through our windows. The amount of light is something I really like about this apartment, and one of the reasons we (well I - The Professor much prefers a more cave-like home, but he kindly humors me) bought this place. Unfortunately, this same amount of lovely light can make you feel as if you are sitting on the surface of the sun, rather than your living room in the middle of the day.

So, as it is so very hot, like any rational person I decided I needed to knit some wool mittens. These are from Mostly Mittens, and I've made a couple of patterns from this book. I really like it, and the patterns are spiffy. I always enjoy colorwork, and mittens are small enough that I can satisfy my need for an interesting pattern without having to spend 6 months on a sweater.

Sadly, however, I forgot one crucial component to making any item which someone is expected to wear. Yes, you guessed it - gauge. I can only blame the heat, because I knit quite a long way on this little (I do mean little) mitten before it occurred to me that it looked a tad on the small side, and that I hadn't bothered to check the gauge. Once I discovered that it would probably fit someone as long as they only had three fingers and a freakishly skinny palm (and I don't happen to know anyone like this) the lovely, tiny mitten now looks like this:

Well, duh!

But Don't Put Them in Your Gin and Tonic...

2009-07-28T19:22:00.000-04:00

Summer is here, and that means that we get a farm share box every week. We joined a couple of years back, and it's been very successful. The food is organic and really fresh; we go once a week to the delivery site (it's only about 5 minutes away) and pick up our box. It's always like a little surprise to see what we get - most things are easily identifiable, but sometimes we get something that I have to look up (like garlic scapes). You take what comes in the box, which is good for me (although the children may disagree) because it gets me to try some new recipes and we get to eat something different than the same old things I tend to churn out of the kitchen.

Pretty much every week we get a handful of basil. The first year we joined the co-op, this little handful generally got shoved to the back of the refrigerator and forgotten, resulting in a little pile of black leaves in a startlingly short amount of time. Last year I decided to make pesto out of it, and it was very successful; we ate pesto all winter. Since it's generally a small amount of basil, it doesn't always make a full batch, but it doesn't matter, because I just take what I've got, freeze it in ice cube trays, and then bag the frozen cubes. Then when I need some, a cube or two comes out and gets plopped on my pasta. Voila, dinner is served!

Here's the pesto recipe I use, and it can easily be halved when one only has a little bit of basil:

2 cups packed basil (I use just the leaves - the stems are a bit fibrous for my taste)
1/2 cup olive oil
2 Tablespoons pine nuts
2 cloves garlic

Plop all these in the blender and whiz them around until you've got a paste. Then scrape it into a bowl and add:

1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup grated parmesan or romano cheese
3 Tablespoons softened butter

Mix it well, and either freeze or refrigerate. It keeps beautifully in the freezer, and lets you have a little bit of really yummy summer in the middle of winter when everything is rather gray.

When the Kids are Away...

2009-07-18T22:01:00.000-04:00

Mom and Dad get a quiet, quiet day. The Professor's parents kindly took the kids for the weekend, and after speaking to them on the phone tonight, it's apparent that they are having a wonderful time and doing everything possible, including swimming, a carnival, and a petting zoo. The Professor and I, on the other hand, have opted to be sloth-like.

Last night after the kids left, he was suggesting all kinds of things to do - museums in the city, hiking, etc. I, on the other hand, thought a day of a quiet house with nobody asking for a meal (or a snack, or another meal, or spilling something during a meal...) sounded pretty awesome. I had a tutoring gig this morning, and when I returned, The Professor announced that he had seen the wisdom of my suggestion, and we stayed put.

I even made some cards, and it was lovely to not have to clear the table off for the inevitable meal (or snack, or other meal); we ordered in Chinese and picnicked on the floor. It was one of my most favorite days, ever. I definitely miss them when they're gone; I've been home with them so long that I feel like my arms are missing when they're not here, but the time off is nice too.

We're picking them up tomorrow, but won't be bringing them home until all the meals (and snacks) of the day are done. Awesome.

Toasty Toes

2009-07-16T20:44:00.000-04:00

Several months ago my mother mentioned that her local AC Moore was selling off sock yarn really cheap, and asked if I wanted any. I, of course, answered quickly in the affirmative, and soon she presented me with a large (actually, very large) bag of yarn.

I really like making socks - they're portable enough to bring in the car or just stuff in my bag at the playground, and I've learned that I only like making plain ones. I've tried several patterns with cables, lace, and other fancy stitches, but apparently my attention span is happiest when I can just knit around and around endlessly, broken up by the occasional heel flap and toe shaping.

One of the yarns she got was Red Heart sock yarn. I was so pleasantly surprised by this yarn - it's lovely and soft, and the color changes are really neat. Not only does it stripe, but it makes a changing fair isle kind of color pattern in some of the stripes. One of my favorite things - something that looks complicated when I didn't have to do any work. Win win! Thank goodness, because I have a few (ok, more than a few) balls of it left in my giant yarn bag.

No Wrench Required

2009-07-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

We got a new dishwasher about a year and a half ago, after our old one gave up the ghost and refused to distribute soap anymore (plus I think it was older than I am, so it had fulfilled it's useful life span long before we even got here). I love having a dishwasher. This is the first place I've lived (since leaving my parents' home) with a dishwasher, and I can't tell you the hours it has freed up in my day. It disturbs me that I have been given all these extra hours, but oddly, don't have any particular accomplishments to account for them.

I like the one we bought, and it's really efficient - it uses only about 5 gallons of water for the whole cycle. However, it has recently started grumbling at me. It started as a once in a while thing - like someone being just slightly annoyed and then leaving the room. In the last couple of days it has turned into a full-fledged angry fight about 5 minutes after it's turned on.

Hmmmm....I'm not a particularly handy person, but my dad is, so I gave him a call. He suggested taking off the sprayer arm and checking to see if anything was caught. Sounded good, so this morning I emptied it out, took out the lower basket, and realized that my spray arm is completely smooth on top. No convenient little bolt holding it into place that I could unscrew and thus remove said spray arm. I examined it a bit more, and discovered that the mechanism seemed to be threaded, and could be lifted, twisted, and then removed. I was so excited to have made this earth-shattering discovery, but was promptly disappointed to find nothing stuck in there which could account for my clearly angry dishwasher.

Off to Google (I love Google) rumbling noise in the dishwasher. It's amazing how specific you can get in your questions to find an answer. Lots of people seemed to have this problem with GE dishwashers, and the fix seemed silly. It involved only a twist-tie. It was easy. Can't possibly work.

Well, one twist-tie later, and my dishwasher is now my quiet, uncomplaining and faithful companion once again. Welcome back old friend.

Out of the Mouths of Babes

2009-07-11T19:04:00.000-04:00

Well, dinnertime came again here at Chez Necessity. It seems to have the annoying habit of doing that every day, and 'round about 6:00 everybody keeps expecting to be fed. Go figure! Now, I like to cook, but meals are an unrelenting part of being a parent. Before we had kids, The Professor and I were perfectly happy to grab a sandwich, plop ourselves down in front of the television, and call it good. And then those kids came along. Not only do they expect dinner, but breakfast and lunch too! Maddening - I've tried to actually cancel lunch a few times, but this has promptly been met with eye rolls, and the ever popular, "Oh, Mommy!"

Summertime is good, though, because our farm co-op kicks in, so rather than cooking the same 5 things every week, I'm forced to branch out a little bit and use what comes in our farm share. We are vegetarian (though we do eat fish) so I'm always on the lookout for something that not only appeals to me, but to the youngest members of this household (and the oldest - he can be unhappy with the best of them).

Thus, tonight I made tortilla and black bean pie from Everyday Food. I find most of their recipes are really great - they use what I have in the kitchen, aren't too fussy, and are usually pretty yummy. This was no exception. I did have some misgivings about the kids, however. I never know what will be a hit and what will cause them to create faces as if I just placed a severed foot on their plates. These misgivings were dispelled, however, when Big Trouble looked at his plate and happily said, "Oooh - nacho cake!"

His speech was a tad on the lispy side, as he lost his first tooth today. This tooth, mind you, has been loose for about 2 months, and as you can see in the picture the adult tooth had not only broken the surface but was about halfway in. We've been working on it all week, and today it finally dislodged itself (with a little help from The Professor and a length of cotton sock yarn. I love it when someone in the house asks me, "Do we have any string?" Ummm, yeah!).

I'm glad we were able to save him from having a double set of teeth, and hopefully the tooth fairy will get not fall prey to some of the previous difficulties she has had in this house and will visit him tonight.

One can only hope.

I'm Absolutely Positive I'm Pretty Negative

2009-07-10T18:44:00.000-04:00

So, The Professor brought this book back from the library a couple of weeks ago, and as he was in the middle of something already, I took a crack at it. Although the title has the ring of one of those touchy-feely self-help kind of things, (something I have never seen The Professor's nose buried in, and thus was surprised when it was in his bag on return from the library), it's written by a psychologist (Dr. Barbara Fredrickson) distinguished in this field and is based on years of rigorous research. This is big with The Professor (being a professor and all), and whenever I mention a study or announce a finding someone's come up with, he always wants to know about the research it's based on. (Sadly, I am rarely able to tell him anything more conclusive then, "Well, they said...)

While it is written by a professor/researcher, it's a good read for those of us that have only the most minimal of understanding of both psychology and research methods. The crux of the book is that having positive emotions is important to flourish, not only emotionally, but physically as well. She actually has worked out through about 20 years of research that there is a ratio of positive to negative emotions that is important to reach - it's 3 to 1. She even has a test in the book (is it a bad thing that when I went to take the test, I sighed and announced that I was pretty sure it was going to go badly?) to figure out your ratio. Mine was 1.2 to 1. Hmmmm...seems I have a little bit of work to do.

She has a website where you can take the tests and even track your scores to see if you are getting more positive. It's a really interesting idea, and the book is full of useful suggestions that you can use in your everyday life. It's definitely given me some food for thought recently, even if I have staunchly refused to take the test again (I took it a second time and aced it - 3.4 to 1, but my answers may have been slightly affected by the fact that I was pretty bummed out by my first score and refused to see such numbers again...don't judge me).

It's kind of like starting a new diet - I'll start being more positive tomorrow; today I need to bask in a little negativity (or ice cream).

The Kindest Cut

2009-07-06T18:57:00.001-04:00

Miss Serious did a wonderful thing today - she donated her hair to Pantene's Beautiful Lengths program. They make wigs for cancer patients, and this is the second time Miss Serious has sacrificed her long hair for them. We donated together about 1 1/2 years ago, but as they have a requirement that your hair be no more than 5% gray, I knew that I wouldn't be able to do it again (as it was, I was picking gray hairs out of the ponytail before I mailed it).

She now has a sporty new haircut, perfect for summer. I don't think it's been this short since she was really little, and I'm glad we're not going anywhere with a crowd in the next few days, because I know I wouldn't be able to pick her out - I keep expecting to see long, blond hair!

Summertime...

2009-07-01T21:02:00.001-04:00

And it's true - the livin' is easy! The rain finally decided to give it a rest, so we got some lovely summer weather. Spring was such a bust that I am not in summer mode yet, but I realized that I better get myself there quick, as the kids are done with school and looking for something to do. Monday we actually put on suits and went to the local beach, and today we hit the free movies. Living in an affluent area but not being possessed of an affluent income, one must hunt for cheap entertainment; luckily The Professor and I have gotten quite good at it. My favorite is free, but I'll go for cheap, also. Camp for the kids is real big around here, and we are one of the few families that forgo the whole camp thing. As we're both home, it seems a little silly to send the kids off while paying dearly for the privilege, so we get to hang out as a family, and have a good time doing it.

One of the nice things about living in such a spiffy area is that there are lots of really great things to do. There are several nature conservancies (free) within about 10 miles, there are really nice parks on every other corner (free), and the library hosts excellent summer reading programs (can you say free?). While The Professor took the kids to their program this afternoon, I made these:

That Probably Wasn't What They Were Going For

2009-06-26T09:00:00.000-04:00

I caught the preview for a show on shark attacks on PBS last night. The announcer stated that people shouldn't be so frightened of shark attacks, as they actually have more chance of being hit by lightning than being bitten by a shark.

I must admit, this did nothing to lessen my worry about shark attacks, but definitely ratcheted up my fear of being hit by lightning.