Well, there wasn't wine...

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....

I Survived!

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.....

Be Mine....

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....

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

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?

Oooh, Sparkly....

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?

Sometimes They Tell The Truth

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.

I Think I Need More Friends...

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....).

The Throes of August

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.

Greetings

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......?

When the Kids are Away...

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.

Summertime...

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:

It's Officially Official

Waiting in my mailbox for me yesterday was a letter from the school district I interviewed with a couple of weeks back. (Actually, when The Professor buzzed up from the mailbox and said in a very ominous voice that there was a letter for me, my first thought was that we were getting audited by the IRS. I have an underlying fear of someday being audited, but I digress.) I had been expecting it, but the finality of such a thing is always a bit disheartening.

I have to say, I did enjoy the excruciatingly careful wording of said letter; I'm sure it's never a fun job to have to come up with such a thing, but I did enjoy that it not only commented on how extremely difficult their decision had been to give the position to another candidate, but that I was a professional of very high caliber and interviewed "wonderfully." Rather stunning that they still managed to offer the position to someone else, but, amazingly, they did.

School is ending in a week, so I decided to make some little notecards for the kids' teachers. Big Trouble's kindergarten class has been spending the year talking about peace, so I thought these would be nice. They are 3 x 3 cards, so I made envelopes to go along with them. After finishing the envelopes, I thought they looked a little plain, so I stamped the peace stamp on the flap and embossed them with gold. I thought they looked pretty spiffy, and then I folded over the flap (yeah, you know where this is going...)

Sadly, I did all four at once, so they all have the same problem. What's even sadder is that Big Trouble (who's 6, mind you), when handed the envelope this morning, immediately said (without folding the flap) "But it will be upside-down when you fold it, won't it?"

Maybe I should bring him along on my next interview.

Time Marches On

Well, after being in a funk for several days (as my job interview was last Monday and no calls have arrived to my home asking me to come work for them, my assumption is that they have gone a different way...) I'm back to the blog.

The kids had their Flag Day picnics on Monday. They were fun, and much less eventful than last year. I went to Big Trouble's and The Professor went to Miss Serious'. I have a feeling I won, because Miss Serious had water games at hers, but I guess mud is in the eye of the beholder. Big Trouble's featured a bouncy castle; it was brought by someone who actually owns one (people own way too much superfluous stuff here) and the party was hosted at a house that actually made me catch my breath the first time I saw it (Big Trouble had a playdate there - I always wonder how the parents feel when they pick their kids up from my apartment on the top floor of a 4-story walk-up. The kids think it's an adventure, but I have a feeling their parents have different thoughts going through their heads).

Luckily, as the job hunting is going slow (really slow) I got some things done:

All Done!

Had my job interview first thing this morning, and I think it went well. I didn't stammer or knock anything over, so pretty good in my book! The school is beautiful, and I think it would be an awesome place to work. They said that they will narrow the field down to 4 or 5 to teach a demo lesson (scary - never had to do one of those!) but would let me know either way, which I really appreciate. I was the first interview, and they said they will be interviewing all week, so hopefully I'll hear something next week!

My mom threw a baby shower this weekend, so I was able to divert myself from pre-interview stress by acting as kitchen help and making these:


And outside of the kitchen I made these:



Took the edge off, and made the weekend fly by!

Got Cards?

I do! The kids have had some birthday parties to go to, so I've been making some cards. It amuses me and produces an item I would otherwise have to go out and buy, so a win win! Unfortunately, it's one of those crafts that once you start, you begin realizing all the other things you need which would look really nice on a card. Glitter! Colored ink! Fancy paper! It goes on and on, and sadly, any of your local craft stores will be happy to oblige with aisles and aisles of tons of stuff. A rather harmless addiction, I suppose, and one that ends up with lots of sparkly cards!

Well, They've Done It Again!

Infomercials, that is. As I've mentioned before, I am fascinated by infomercials. Everything always works so well, tastes so delicious, and makes everyone so happy. I've seen the one for the Cricut paper cutter a few times now, and every time I do, it catches my attention. I've never been interested in the whole scrapbooking thing (don't even have printed pictures about - everything is on the computer), but making cards is appealing to me. So, after spending about 90 jillion hours on the internet seeing what people had to say about the thing, I felt the need to order this:


I must tell you, it is most awesome. I'm always impressed when something is well designed, and this really is. Part of the reason I bought it is that it will come in handy for teaching - I can't tell you how many things I have had to cut out over the years, and with one push of a button, this will do that for me. (That's the rationalization part of the purchase - had to justify it somehow, but it is actually true).

In honor of Teacher Appreciation Day, I made these - some of the kids' teachers did a really neat project this year with the Kindergarten about Dr. Wangari Maathai. She is an extraordinary environmentalist and women's rights activist from Kenya. She founded the Green Belt Movement, which has many goals, one of which is planting trees. She won the 2004 Nobel Peace Prize, and the kids in the kindergarten class have been learning about her and her work as part of their study of peace this year. We made a donation in honor of the teachers, so I made cards that had to do with trees and nature. It's amazing what 5 and 6 year olds can accomplish - Big Trouble's class has regular "peace talks" with another Kindergarten, and have really come to such an amazing understanding of the importance of peace and caring for the environment.

If only Kindergartners were in charge of the world......well, that probably wouldn't actually go so well, but in theory it's a nice idea.

One Down

Well, I have two essays to write for the NYC teaching application, one of which is finished (mostly). This means, for those of you playing at home, that I still have one more to go. There's definitely something surreal about being 39 years old and writing essays on job applications again. That being said, here is what I've been doing instead of actually writing essay #2:



Don't you judge me.

And Now For Something Completely Different

I for some reason decided this week (hmm...can you say procrastinating? As in, not wanting to write job application essays? No, no, that can't be it...) that because I uncluttered and got rid of about 700 bags of junk, I needed a new hobby to help fill up those all-too-temporarily empty spaces:

The internet is an insidious and evil thing; there are way too many interesting sites of people's videos and galleries of things they've made, all designed to make us start buying art supplies we don't really need to make cards we also don't really need.

Especially since I seem to be unable to not only send out a birthday card on time, but the e-version rarely gets sent on time either. Obviously, any reasonable person would decide that the cure for this deficiency is to actually make the cards that won't get sent out on time. Obviously.

Done, Done, Done, Done!

YAY! It's done! This is Big Trouble's Christmas stocking that I began cross stitching when he was a baby (mind you, he's 6 now....). But then I learned to knit, and all the cross stitching got tucked away. I've made stockings for Miss Serious and The Professor, and last Christmas Big Trouble finally realized that he was the only one (well, besides me) that didn't have a personalized, hand-stitched stocking. So, I dug out the partially finished stocking, and this summer really began working on it in earnest, as I knew he would be looking for it this year, and I would feel enormous waves of Mommy guilt.

He faithfully followed my progress, and was always so happy when any new section got completed. I finished the embroidery a week or two ago, and rounded up the material to actually make the thing into a stocking. Last week I cut out the satin, velvet, and braid, narrowly avoiding the puddle of glitter glue that Miss Serious was working on at the table, got out my sewing machine, sat down to sew and.....had no maroon thread. Luckily my mother is an avid sewer and has just about every color thread known to man, so she brought me a spool yesterday, and today the stocking is finally a stocking! Hope you like it Big Trouble, and thanks for being so patient.

62 Days and Counting..

Christmas is coming. There are lots of kids in my extended family, and for the last couple of years I've been pretty good about knitting things early for them, but this year I think I will run out of time. As I posted before, I've been working on a cross-stitched Christmas stocking for Big Trouble. Sadly, it was begun soon after his birth (mind you, he's 6 now) and put aside when I discovered how much I like to knit. He finally realized last Christmas that he didn't have a lovely hand-made stocking to match Miss Serious' and The Professor's. I've been working A LOT on this stocking, and it really makes me appreciate how much more I like knitting. After about 19 bajillion hours, it has gone from this:


to this:


It's looking more stocking-like, and even though to the untrained eye it looks almost done, it's not even close. What makes these particular designs so charming are all the details; what makes these particular designs a pain in the patootie are also all the details. I am now in the outline/detail phase, and I've reached the point where I am about ready to stick a tapestry needle in my eye. I would put it aside again, except for this little person that keeps coming in to see how it's going, and who exclaims excitedly over every new section. This child has even gone so far as to say, "It's ok if you don't finish it Mommy; I know it's a lot of work and I'll understand." Pure evil.