C-Joy........Dreams

Results are in!

2012-01-02T09:47:00.000-06:00

The goal was to read 100 books in one year. After carefully updating my reading page, blogger promptly refused to post it and managed to lose the last 18 books I recorded. Phooey. I'm too lazy to retype them, but I'll have you know that most of the last 18 books came from the Hannah Swenson series by Joanna Fluke :-P

But I am proud to say that I managed to log ***91*** titles this past year! Had I updated my list at the beginning of winter break, I probably would have hit the magic 100. I still feel as though I did well.

How did you do on your reading challenge? Do you have any reading goals for the next year?

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T07:45:00.000-06:00

Let the feasting begin!!

Simple Pleasures: Monkey Bread

2011-11-05T08:38:00.001-05:00

I had a few tubes of refrigerator biscuit dough in my fridge. Originally, they were intended for a school project that I never atually got around to doing. Turtle was wanting a project to do on a Saturday morning when inspiration hit: Monkey Bread!

I remember it from my childhood as a Sunday morning treat. All it is really is biscuit dough cut into pieces, rolled in cinnamon sugar and pressed into layers in a bundt pan with melted butter poured over and baked. I don't have a bundt pan, so we used a regular loaf pan. Really, is there a recipe out there more suited for a preschooler to do?

It did not turn out the way I envisioned -the layers w too deep to get all the dough to bake :( Maybe I need to add "bundt pan" to my Christmas list so I can make this again!

BTW, these pictures are driving me NUTS! I took them with my nifty new tablet. Love the pixelated effect? I also can't get them moved to where I want them to be. Oh well, looks like I'll be blogging from the ol' laptop from now on :-P

Music Monday: Halloween Edition

2011-10-31T08:00:00.000-05:00

Boo!

Did I scare you? hehehehe

Because it is Halloween, I'm giving you not one, but TWO tunes to get you going:

That head-thingy on the stage certainly creeped me out! At any rate,

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Simple Pleasures: Candles

2011-10-29T08:38:00.001-05:00

I got out of the habit of using candles around the house because of the bird and Turtle. Now that we no longer have a bird & Turtle is old enough to leave lit candles alone, I'm bringing candles back into my life.

One ritual I read about in Simplicity Parenting was eating breakfast by the light of a candle. I get up very early on workdays so that I have time and space to get myself ready for the day, and having a candle lit while I read blogs is absolutely delightful. It is so peaceful to see the light flickering on the walls, to see the flames dance when the furnace turns on, to know that my loved ones are nearby. It also means I'm not completely stumbling in the dark while I make my tea in the morning.

I've also started lighting a candle when we sit down for our evening meal. Again, I feel like the candle makes the statement that this is a special time. Turtle loves blowing out the candle when we are done!

Being the overcautious mommy that I am, watching kids blow out candles leaves me a little bit anxious. So I scoured the stores yesterday and finally was able to bring this little lady home:

an angel candle snuffer! Turtle loved learning to use it to put out the flames. Are you a candleholic?

Midweek Giggle: Cat and Mouse

2011-10-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Some days, you're the cat. And other days, you're the mouse. What kind of day will you have today?

Seeking Simplicity

2011-10-25T08:00:00.000-05:00

I read an amazing book at the beginning of the school year, Simplicity Parenting. It was written by someone with a Waldorf background, but it ties in beautifully with what I am trying to accomplish with Montessori. I was so inspired that I decided to redo Turtle's room (in the midst of preparing for her first friends-at-the-house birthday party). It was elegant, it was beautiful, it worked, it was short-lived. Because of course after the birthday party, we had more toys to accommodate, which I hadn't planned for when I redid her room. Now we are back to chaos.

It seems to be a recurring pattern for me: seeking to streamline and simplify, but instead managing to over complicate. I do it at home. I do it at work.

Recently my sister and I had a Christmas planning session & we decided that THIS year we WILL keep the celebration simple. Simple menu, lots of time for outdoor fun, streamlined gift giving. I shared the plan with DH. He laughed. Apparently there is some doubt in our ability to keep the menu simple. (I blame all the shiny holiday magazines that brazenly stare at me in the checkout lanes!)

Where does this longing for simplicity come from? How do I stop the "you know what would be a great idea" from getting in the way of reaching simplicity? What is simple these days anyway (asks the woman who is blogging from her laptop)?

While you ponder these deep questions, I'm off to read another chapter of Little House in the Big Woods to Turtle :)

Music Monday: All You Need is Now

2011-10-24T08:00:00.001-05:00

It took me awhile, but I finally got the latest Duran Duran album. Can I just say HAPPY HAPPY C-JOY?!!!

Let your hair flop in your face & slap on some bright red lippy while you bop to this catchy tune-enjoy your Monday :-D

Music Monday: Strange Love Addiction

2011-10-17T06:00:00.000-05:00

I find it a tad difficult to get myself going on Monday mornings. I know, I know: I'm the only one who has transition problems between the weekend and the work week. But I figured I would share this motivational technique: music! Music puts me in a good mood faster than chocolate & champagne delivered by a cabana boy.

So kick back and enjoy this tune that gets my toes tapping & my synapses firing happy messages: Strange Love Addiction by the Supreme Beings of Leisure.....

Reasons why I don't want another pet bird

2011-10-12T18:47:00.000-05:00

We had a pet parakeet. His name was Fernando Alonso. He was a good bird, but he passed away a year & a half ago. I've been warmed that a campaign to replace him is about to begin. I'm trying to solidify my reasons for resisting another bird invading my territory. Please feel free to add to my list!

I don't want another bird.
Birds are noisy.
Takes a significant amount of time and patience to hand train
More bird poop than I am currently willing to deal with
Hand trained bird means bird poop in places OTHER than the birdcage
I don't want another bird
Hand trained, talking birds ALWAYS swear when the most "sensitive" visitors are present
No more lighting candles
No more using teflon pans on the stove
I don't want another bird
Birds don't travel well & finding bird sitters willing to let a bird fly around their home pooping wherever they please are hard to find
Fernando Alonso is a hard act to follow
Have I mentioned the bird poop? I'm still finding it!
I DON'T WANT ANOTHER BIRD!!!!

Apple of my eye

2011-10-10T18:53:00.000-05:00

We made our annual trip to the apple orchard!

We were at the beginning of the season, and the trees were loaded!

Turtle was thrilled because she got to wear her brand-new rain boots.

Taste-tested, Turtle approved.

Then there was Mt. Haymore to conquer.

Finally managed to catch a glimpse of this bewitching creature.

Now, who's for apple crisp?

Morning Glorious

2011-10-08T18:47:00.000-05:00

What started out as 2 seedlings in 3 inch pots turned into..............................

....a 10 foot wall of morning glories!

It makes a cozy corner of the patio right outside the garage. Already I'm dreaming of what I can do next summer to add another "wall". And possibly a "roof". My own secret garden!

Just Because I Need a Laugh

2011-09-28T18:29:00.000-05:00

Chores for a preschooler

2011-09-25T14:29:00.000-05:00

Turtle recently turned four. She's always been a very capable, independent young lady. This past week she stepped up to the plate while I was ill and really helped her daddy around the house. The helpfulness has continued now that I am in recovery mode. In fact, her first words to me yesterday morning were "Mommy, I made my bed!" I decided the time was right to introduce a chore chart.

All the chores I selected are things I know she can do with minimal assistance from us:

	Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Make Bed
Clothes in hamper
put away papers
Put toys away
Make school lunch						X	X
Lay out tomorrow’s clothes
sweep under table

This chart fits on a standard piece of paper and can be printed out at the beginning of the week. As each chore is finished, we will put a sticker in the box. The sticker will be a way to visually recognize what has been done and what has not been done. I will not be telling her "make your bed every day for the week and you can have a treat." I will find a way of acknowledging the work she has done to help her take pride in her accomplishments. It will probably start with "Good for you -you made your bed everyday this week!" and work up to "Oh my goodness, you have made your bed every day for a month -we should celebrate! Let's make a new batch of play dough."

Once we have worked with the chore chart for a while, I'll introduce the concept of paid chores, but I think I'll save those thoughts for another post :)

Do your kids have chores? What age did they start?

And please don't call her CinderTurtle -we're not keeping her home from the ball or having fun in order to do our work :-P

Tastes just like a tootsie roll!

2011-09-11T11:04:00.000-05:00

New taste sensation! It really does taste just like a tootsie roll (I'm looking at you ms. caboo)

1 shot chocolate vodka
orange juice

Pour orange juice over ice. Add chocolate vodka, stir & enjoy!

One of the best children's books ever!

2011-09-10T08:05:00.001-05:00

Every once in a while, we stumble upon a great book. DD found this on a trip to the library with her aunt. It was read several times that first night, and at least once a day until it was finally returned (late) to the library. Someone had a meltdown when it was time to take it back!

Sally Jean begins her bicycle love at the tender age of one. As she gets older, her skills improve and her love deepens. She even names her bike because they are such good friends. One day, Sally Jean realizes she is too big for her beloved bike and the real drama begins.

As a parent, what I love about this book are the subtle messages in the story. Sally Jean's first real bike is purchased at a yard sale. When she outgrows her bike, her parents say sorry but you'll have to wait until next year for a new one because they can't afford to buy her another. Sally Jean doesn't pout or throw tantrums, nor does a fairy godmother bequeath a new bike to this deserving young lady. She figures out a way to earn money to buy a bike! When she realizes she hasn't earned enough, she comes up with plan B to get what her heart desires.

I took this book to school to read to my students. They also loved the story and begged for me to read it again. This has never happened before! I feel that Sally Jean's "can do" attitude really speaks to children. She gets an idea, it fails, so she tries something else. The adults in her life support her work, but do not interfere or take over. Sally Jean is the one to solve her problem.

I happen to know that a copy of Sally Jean will be coming to Turtle soon, so I'm looking at many more rereadings of this story. But I don't mind at all because I love it too!

Still Reading!

2011-09-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

I've been very naughty about tracking what I have been reading. I'm sure you are all SO surprised about this! I spent some time updating my reading list yesterday. I still have a few more to add, I just need to look through my piles of books to refresh my memory of what I've read :)

Some titles are ones I have read before, but I'm very much a kid at heart who loves to hear the same story repeated. Besides, I couldn't resist replacing a few favorite tomes with digital copies on my nook.

What? Isn't this how you display your books at home?????

Sneak peek: Work in progress

2011-07-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

Nearly done with this embroidered beauty:

Oh yes, I may not have been blogging much this summer but I have been busy!

Time for ice cream

2011-07-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

It is summer and I don't believe I've mentioned yet how much I LOVE MY KITCHENAID ICE CREAM MAKER!!

Just pop the bowl in the freezer, mix your batter, pour in frozen bowl & stir!

Easy Vanilla Ice Cream

Ingredients:

2 cups whipping cream
2 cups half-n-half
3/4 cup vanilla sugar
1 vanilla bean

Method

Pour milk into a container.
Add vanilla sugar (or regular sugar if that's all you have)
Slice vanilla bean open length-wise. Carefully scrape out the seeds and add to milk mixture. Set vanilla bean aside
Stir milk mixture until sugar has dissolved. Cover & refrigerate at least one hour to ensure it is as cold as possible before freezing.
Once milk mixture is thoroughly chilled, freeze according to ice cream maker's directions.
Either serve ice cream immediately (it will be soft-serve style at this point) or pour into freezer container and freeze for minimum 2-3 hours before serving. If you put in freezer first, allow it to rest at room temperature for 15-30 minutes before scooping.
Sit back and enjoy household members fight over who gets to lick the paddle.

Don't have vanilla sugar? You can make some easily by putting the scraped vanilla pod into a mason jar and pour in enough sugar to fill the jar. Let it sit for a couple of weeks, shaking occasionally. You can keep topping off the sugar in the jar to have a bottomless jar of vanilla sugar!

I got my vanilla from Beanilla -I love the glass jars they come in! We're working our way through the vanilla sampler pack :D

Knitting fever

2011-07-27T08:00:00.002-05:00

Thanks to the internet, I've been teaching myself how to knit. I'm totally addicted now! I'm not particularly fast & prone to leave dropped stitches when they happen, but I'm having fun. Mostly I've been making wash clothes.

I'll make some scarves as soon as I can get my hands on some really good yarn. Most of what is available around here is from chain stores. Great for practicing with, but nothing really special.

As I said, I'm pretty slow so I'm not sure many hand-knit items will be going out as Christmas gifts. THIS year.

Miracle cleaning product!!!!

2011-07-26T08:00:00.002-05:00

Being the good sister that I am, I agreed to help my sis clean her screened-in porch in order to get her house ready to sell. The porch is where the grill is located, and the walls were coated with years of built up grease. Not a fun prospect, especially during the hot & humid spell we've been having. I grabbed these microfiber mitts on impulse thinking they might come in handy.

Boy, did they ever! We scrubbed with a variety of materials and methods for a couple of hours. Finally we tried these and managed to clean more wall space in 15 minutes than we had in the previous 2 hours. It cut thru the grease like butter! I was excited to try some at my own house.

Remember Turtle's artfully decorated walls? After 15 minutes with a wet mitt (no cleaning product), the wall went from looking like this:

to this:

There are still faint red lines left that will probably never come off (without sandpaper), but a HUGE improvement nonetheless. It still took some elbow grease to get the marks on the wall, but at least the mitt is still intact and ready to tackle the doors in her room. I successfully used Magic Erasers to clean one of her walls, but I used an entire box to do so. Yes indeed, these mitts are FABULOUS! I've since found finger-sized versions and slippers. I haven't tried the slippers yet :-P

Tutu cute bedskirt

2011-07-25T10:28:00.000-05:00

Slowly but surely I've been working on Turtle's bedroom, changing it from a toddler's room to that of a Big Girl. Right before the end of the school year, Turtle asked for a big bed. Since birth she has slept on a floor bed, so it was just a matter of bringing in the box spring & frame we had stored in the basement.

I rearranged her room so that she can use it as a play house. She has her table & chair as well as her play stove on one end of the room, and her bed in the corner. Turtle had also asked that her bed be pretty, so I decided to create a tutu bedskirt.

15 yards of tulle & a thrift-store bedskirt as a backing later, this is what I came up with:

Not bad for for $20! Cutting the tulle into strips was tedious. Thank goodness the bed is against the wall so I only had to cover one short & one long side of the bed. We may need to trim the tulle as we keep stepping on the tutu. Oh well, I love it! Now we just need a little princess canopy. I saw one at IKEA that would work well, or I may get ambitious and create one using the directions from Girl's World: Twenty-One Sewing Projects to Make for Little Girls

Keep Calm!

2011-06-18T08:07:00.000-05:00

Keep Calm, Harry is Still Single

10 Things in June

2011-06-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Hooray! Summertime, summertime, sum sum summertime :D

New month, new goals. As time is not as much of an issue, I'm prepared to go WILD with my goals for the month. Are you ready?

Makeover Turtle's bedroom
Create a studio space
Walk a new trail
Invest in some chalk paint
Get a new swim suit for myself
Attempt grilled pizza
Attempt to make cheese
Let Turtle stay up late enough to catch fireflies
Make ice cream each week
Family picnic at a state park

What are your plans for June?

The Rue Montorgueil, Paris, Celebration of June 30, 1878

Still Reading

2011-05-31T08:22:00.000-05:00

Reading took a backseat during the last few weeks of school. But now I have the whole summer to catch up! As you know, being a mom means I have so much free time to read.

Lucky for me Turtle is used to seeing me with my nose buried in a book (or my nook) and sometimes lets me read for five whole minutes without interruption. She has started taking naps again, so I can get a lot of reading done then. In fact, I knocked out most of a book yesterday whilst she slept!

Can I just say I'm looking forward to having my nook on vacation? Never again will I have to lug a suitcase of reading material on my travels!

Celebrating

2011-05-27T11:30:00.001-05:00

School's

out for

SUMMER!

Preschoolers and Housework

2011-05-21T09:48:00.000-05:00

I really don't want to spend all my waking hours working at my paid job as well as my unpaid ones (home & family). I need help caring for the house in order to have time to recharge my own batteries. Sadly, the Kitchen Fairy was last seen with the Cabana Boy heading for the Seychelles Islands so that source of free help is no longer available.

There is however one source of help available to me nearly 24/7. She's got red hair and loves being with mommy all the time. She loves to mop the kitchen floor and handwash dishes. She can scrub potatoes and carrots like a pro and loves to wipe down cupboards and baseboards. Turtle is a Montessori kid so she's learning how to do dishes, wash windows and scrub tables at school. However she's not always the most motivated helper so one can't always depend on her helping when one needs it the most. Due to my work with small people, I'm getting quite good at identifying the "currency" each little one uses. My Turtle is turning into quite the girly-girl, so the key to motivating her to help around the house was the word pretty.

The words "clean your room" were replaced with "make your room pretty". We have gone from Turtle emptying her dresser drawers and closet on a daily basis to keeping it tidy with just a five minute rescue. Making things pretty is a concept she can understand. It sounds like playing! Cleaning is something Mommy doesn't like to do and should be avoided at all costs. But now when Mommy says "I'm going to make the kitchen look pretty," a little voice can be heard to say "I want to help!" It is also motivating Mommy because making things pretty is a lot more fun than doing chores. Reading design/home/crafty blogs is finally paying off because they are inspiring me to prettify my home :D

Take THAT, Mary Poppins!

2011-05-11T18:39:00.000-05:00

Buy This Allposters.com

Let Mary Poppins be "Practically Perfect" -I'm claiming the title of PERFECT!

Warning: May Be Funny (or Not)

2011-05-10T06:22:00.000-05:00

Buy This Allposters.com

I just had to laugh at this one coz yesterday morning Turtle was trying to convince me she needed a baby brother or sister :)

Yes, I've been here & NOT blogging & NOT reading much. We have undertaken the Conscious Discipline series for school and I must tell you it is turning my little world upside down. It makes sense and fits beautifully with Montessori's vision of education. It is effective and I see it working in my classroom. However, it also means I have a lot of work to do on myself. I had no idea how much baggage I have and how much I was bringing into the classroom everyday. Seriously, it is like going through therapy: I see how and why children behave the way they do and learn how we are to respond. At the same time, I'm thinking "Whoops, I behave that way too!" Basically, my brain has been in overdrive the past 6 weeks. But I am hopeful that I will find a way to be at school all day yet still have it in me to come home to give my own child the same attention and affection I expected to give to other children all day long. I'll share more of what I have learned once I wrap my head around it.

The good news is that there are now less than three weeks until the end of the school year. My brain will finally get a chance to rest after working two years straight. (Nota Bene: not all teachers get summers off -some work crazy hard to move into different buildings & then teach summer school. Some work summer jobs coz they can't afford not to. Some work summers because their schools are still open.) this teacher has been given the summer off! No fooling: orders from the boss.

I haven't made a Things To Do in May list yet. Basically because I have only one thing: make it to the end of the school year with a sincere smile on my face :D

Silly Again

2011-04-29T18:09:00.000-05:00

Are you ready for Silly 4? I just signed up myself -hopefully I'll do a better job of keeping up with the assignments this time!

Blah

2011-04-23T08:11:00.000-05:00

Is there an award for Most Inconsistent Blogger? I'm sure I would be nominated! I am in awe of those of you who post regularly. You feed my reading obession, don'tcha know? I just haven't been able to summon the mental energy to put any words on the screen.

I've got it -I'll blame the weather! It has been gloomy and rainy for nearly two weeks now and it has seriously affected my mood. I know, I know -April showers bring May flowers. Maybe April shouldn't have given us 80 degree weekends before pulling this "cold-wet-gray" stunt. Just sayin.

Anyhoo, I've been here. Dreaming of summer vacation. Not blogging. Stuff. Taking Turtle to swimming lessons. Failing to do much of my April to-do list. We haven't even decorated any eggs yet!

But after two weeks of blah, there is a glimmer of hope. The day is starting out sunny. We are heading out soon to buy some white eggs for coloring. Later I plan on taking Turtle to The Dreaming Bear for their Bunny Hop event & maybe play in their studio a bit. The last set of school conferences has been done & delivered and there is now just ***ONE*** month of school left.

Yes, I'm feeling sunnier inside already!

New Playground in Town

2011-04-05T22:14:00.000-05:00

Turtle had a chance to ride in Aunty's minivan this evening. Because she was riding higher than normal, she noticed for the first time "a great big playground with lots of stones!"

I'm not superstitious or anything, but I'm thinking if she wants to play in this playground, she'll have to depend on someone else to take her (hint hint ms. caboo).

BTW, did anyone else play the car game where you had to hold your breath while driving past a cemetary or was that just another joke my cousins played on me?

10 Things in April

2011-04-02T08:25:00.001-05:00

I nearly forgot to come up with a list for this month! For some reason it did not register in my brain that it was a NEW month starting, so time to make some NEW plans. I'm quite proud of the number of things I was able to cross off my list for last month, BTW :)

Finish reading at least 1 of the professional titles I have for school.
Sign up for the Photo Silly workshop
~~Embroider at least 1 image from my new Sublime Stitching collection~~
~~Plan school garden~~
Buy fresh flowers each week
Play outside w/DD every day
Order seeds/plants for garden
Get patio table and chairs out
Find enough stuff to donate to fill 4 boxes
Make a batch of ice cream

What's on your agenda this month?

Buy This Allposters.com

Very Pinteresting

2011-03-29T21:14:00.000-05:00

I finally found the blog post and tutorial that got me started on Pinterest! Have you joined yet?

Source: etsy.com via Candace on Pinterest

Experimenting

2011-03-29T06:49:00.001-05:00

Have you tried Pinterest yet? It is a lot of fun! Dream board, vision board, pretty pictures -it's all in one. You can create "boards" and add (or pin if you will) pictures you find online.

A couple things I have on my garden board:

Source: etsy.com via Candace on Pinterest

I'm still trying to figure out how to share the boards, but as with all new shiny things -I can't get enough of it right now! I'm just now noticing how many people are using Pinterest as I frantically search for the fab tutorial on how to use it.

Have you been doing something new lately?

Keeping Calm

2011-03-27T10:05:00.000-05:00

Spring Break is over, but I will

Buy This Allposters.com

After all, it is only 8 weeks now until summer vacation!

Longing

2011-03-18T05:59:00.000-05:00

Theories in Laundry

2011-03-12T08:40:00.000-06:00

The results are in -WE CAN GET A WASHING MACHINE THROUGH OUR DOOR!

Which is great news because I'm getting tired of the washing that is piling up around me. It's a little sad as well because I had postulated some great theories on how our existing machine actually made it into our basement utility room.

Theory 1: Grow-Your-Own Washing Machine
A group of scientists develop an instant-grow washing machine (just add water!) for utilization in future space colonizing missions. The tablet weighs one ounce and springs to full-size after being doused in water. Unfortunately the lead scientist died in a bizarre gardening accident before developing a shrinking formula for the washing machine. The other scientists in the team were so devastated by the loss that they all gave up their earthly possessions and are living in various ashrams across India. A prototype tablet was among the possessions given away and made it to a local garage sale. At this point a previous owner of this house bought it and happily installed it in the basement knowing they would never again need to haul laundry to a laundromat ever again..

Theory 2: Alien Technology
(Inspired by Torchwood) A secret government agency has been utilizing captured alien technology and has been experimenting with teleportation. A previous owner of this house happened to be an electrician doing work at the secret agency. He was a nice guy that everybody loved. When he mentioned that he would love to get a washing machine in his basement, but couldn't because the doorways were too narrow, a grateful agency employee transported a washer/dryer set over. Being a secret government agency, the electrician had to sign a document swearing never to speak of the teleportation incident ever again. Not that it would have been a problem because soon after selling the house, the electrician passed away in a bizarre gardening accident.

Theory 3: Laundry Fairy
On the eve of the Vernal Equinox, the Laundry Fairy visits all the laundry rooms and leaves gifts of new washer/dryers to those that are the most sincere. Either my laundry room is not sincere enough or we need to presume the Laundry Fairy is just missing in action, presumably suffering from a bizarre gardening accident.

So as you can see, all these wonderful theories will never be put to test as we can just replace our washer the boring old normal way.

On Top of Mt Washmore

2011-03-09T18:20:00.000-06:00

I'm very Laundry Focused at the moment.

I have such huge piles of things to wash that it may take me several days to reach the summit of Mt. Washmore.

And we don't have a new machine yet.

You see, after measuring the width of the most logical door to get a machine through and measuring the width of the machine we have, we were left scratching our heads & wondering "How the heck did they get this in?!?"

We gamely went to the store with our measurements & crossed fingers. The nice lady helping us got the delivery guy out for us to talk to. He actually told us "We won't sell you anything until we are sure it will get through the door. I'll come out and take a look before you decide." The visit is free as well! Service is one thing you can count on when you buy from "the little guy" instead of a big box store.

Now "we" have to make sure that the laundry room is in good order before his visit early Friday morning. We may end up with scratches on the sides. Mr. Mercer is not so concerned because he feels it will be a talking point when we host one of our many Laundry Room Cocktail Parties. That and the fact that our washing machine and dryer will no longer match.

And in case you need some entertaining reading whilst you are doing your laundry, may I suggest

Dirty Laundry

2011-03-06T13:49:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago the belt on our washing machine broke. DH was able to obtain a replacement belt and fix it. Or so we thought.

On Friday, the darn thing broke again!

We decided we would try replacing it one more time and do only small loads. (Please keep in mind that I hadn't really caught up from being without a washing machine the FIRST time it broke.)

Being the dutiful, frugal wife that I am I placed a small load in the washer. It made it through the cycle with no problems. However, when I unloaded it I noticed a strong odor. A strong odor remarkably similar to the odor that the burnt out belt makes. So now I'm scared that if I attempt another small load, the machine will end up in smoke once again. The stress is just too much.

We need a new machine!

Fortunately DH found a replacement. Isn't she beautiful?

I don't think we'll be getting the pedestal, although it would be nice not to have to bend over so much to load and unload. Frankly, I'll just be happy to toss in a load without worrying that I'll set the house on fire!

NEWSFLASH!!! Turtle has just reported that the TV stopped working. Hardly unexpected, it's been operating on its last tube for a long time now :-P

10 Things in March

2011-03-01T08:00:00.000-06:00

March. What a wonderful time of year! St. Patrick's Day, Spring Break, return to Daylight Standard Time -there is just so much to look forward to.

But it means that it is time for me to come up with another list of things to do in March. I think that this time I'm going to make the goals a little more fun and less practical. One might even call them "Pamper Missions"....

Eat lunch at Croissant du Jour
Test Nigella Lawson's Banoffee cheesecake recipe
Buy an unlined journal
Do a lab from Collage Lab
Hang the Eiffel Tower print (purchased 2 years ago) in MBR
Register for Disney Half-Marathon
Register for Des Moines Half-Marathon
Buy daffodils/other spring flowers for our table
Celebrate the Spring Equinox
Take the first long walk of the season

Buy This Allposters.com

Book Challenge: Week 8

2011-02-27T08:15:00.000-06:00

I have made my goal of 5 books in February!

The first book I finished is one I have been working on for at least a month: The Distant Hours: A Novel. I have a naughty habit of reading while I eat, and this is the book I've been reading during meal times, hence the long time to finish. I'm unsure if I enjoyed this book or not. The fact that it stayed on the table and took me so long to finish has me leaning toward "did not enjoy". Oh well, they can't all be winners!

I'm sure you'll be totally surprised when I tell you that I read Beyond the Attractions: A Guide to Walt Disney World with Preschoolers (2011). I know the trip is a year from now, but I completely ADORE planning vacations and I haven't had one to plan in years. Not only is it full of good advice on how to keep your preschooler from being in perpetual melt-down mode, it is full of resources and tips to make planning the trip less overwhelming.

That's it for me this week, what have you been reading?

London Calling

2011-02-26T22:13:00.000-06:00

Planning a trip to Disney has me in the mood to travel now. Shall we go to London?

We could hop on a bus.....

....and head for St. Paul's Cathedral. Do you feel strong enough to climb the stairs to the top of the dome?

I'm sure we would have another breath-taking-bird's-eye-view from the London Eye.

After we rode around on the bus, we could catch the Tube

to get to our favorite pub. Is it quiz night?

We can't stay out too late because Liz wants us to come over for tea tomorrow.

What do you say -is London calling you too?

Because I Could Not Stop

2011-02-23T20:26:00.000-06:00

Because I Could Not Stop For Death

Emily Dickinson

Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

We slowly drove, he knew no haste,
And I had put away
My labour, and my leisure too,
For his civility.

We passed the school where children played,
Their lessons scarcely done;
We passed the fields of gazing grain,
We passed the setting sun.

We paused before a house that seemed
A swelling of the ground;
The roof was scarcely visible,
The cornice but a mound.

Since then 'tis centuries; but each
Feels shorter than the day
I first surmised the horses' heads
Were toward eternity.

Remembering you, Aunt J <3

Look Out Disney, Here I Come!

2011-02-22T05:49:00.000-06:00

Buy This Allposters.com

It is semi-official: I'm heading to Disney World for the 2012 Half-marathon! I'm considering it semi-official because registration for the event doesn't begin until mid-March. But I have approval from my boss to go for it, essential as it would mean missing school for a few days. More importantly, my DH is on board with going.

I don't think we'll be doing a full 6 day/7 night extravaganza. And we'll probably be staying at one of the value resorts. I've ordered the free vacation planning DVD, but I would value your input as well. For those who have gone ahead of me, what is your advice? Will you be doing any of the races in 2012?!

Book Challenge: Week 6 and 7

2011-02-21T06:31:00.000-06:00

I'm still reading! My time to read has been very limited this month due to evening school activities and weekend family committments. I'm well on the way to making my goal of reading five titles this month.

I read through Collage Lab: Experiments, Investigations, and Exploratory Projects (Lab Series). I'm really excited to try some of these -I'm thinking I can easily adapt some of these projects for my classroom too! I have so many how-to books on art. Maybe its time I stop reading about art techniques and get practicing. Hmmmmm.

The next book I'm adding to my list is actually a kid's book coming out in March: Spiky, Slimy, Smooth: What Is Texture? (Jane Brocket's Clever Concepts). I love the realistic pictures. They aren't your standard pictures: these are styled, magazine quality photos. It will be perfect for my Montessori Classroom and I am already thinking what extensions I can make to go along with this book. I'm hoping that "Clever Concepts" splashed across the cover means that there will be other books in this series. If they are of the same visual quality then I'm sure each and every one will be part of my curriculum! In fact, a review of this book will probably show up on my other blog........

Pants

2011-02-19T12:44:00.004-06:00

In our family, it is easy to see who wears the pants:

She also absconded with the money DH had left in his pockets. She says she needs it to buy food to eat.

And just because I have too much spare time on my hands, I'm starting a new blog for my Montessori stuff. I've been neglecting my Montessori writing for too long now!

Book Challenge Art?

2011-02-16T07:31:00.000-06:00

I won a nifty journal to record my books for the challenge in. But rather than make a mere list of the titles I have read, I took some inspiration from someone who has a great art journal and decided to jazz mine up a bit.

Its a start! All I had on hand at the time were some old color pencils and a fountain pen. Since creating this first entry I splurged on some grown-up crayons to play with. Yes, I've only recorded one book so far!

It may take me longer to record titles this way than to actually read the books! I couldn't draw a picture of the book as I have a digital edition and for some reason, there is no cover pic :-P

How are you keeping track of your reads?

My Funny Valentines

2011-02-14T16:47:00.000-06:00

Turtle has really been into lacing cards recently. I thought we could make some cute Valentine cards that she laced. Two stitches into the first card and she decided she didn't want to do anymore.

Hmmmm.

Was I going to lace all those cards for HER classmates?

No!!!!!

But I did leave enough sparkly yarn on each card so kids could lace them on their own :-D

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Bee in my bonnet

2011-02-13T09:32:00.000-06:00

I had a ton of pink sparkly yarn leftover from the Valentine project. I just knew there was something I could make for Turtle. Scarf? No, Turtle is in a "no scarf will ever touch any part of my body" phase. She asked for socks, but I'm not ready to attempt those. Inspiration: Hats! We can never find a hat for her when we need one -surely there must be a hat pattern out there simple enough for my basic crochet skills.

As luck would have it I found the perfect hat to make:

Not that the hat was made perfectly.

3/4 through the first attempt I realized I was using the newborn pattern.

3/4 through the second attempt I realized the pattern switched stitches 3 rows earlier. Rather than start over for a third time, I kept calm and crocheted on (and switched to the appropriate stitch beginning the next row).

Turtle has been wearing it all morning so I think it is a hit. If you want the pattern for yourself, go to Ravelry and look for McKinley's Perfect Springtime Hat.

Book Challenge: Week 5

2011-02-07T17:29:00.000-06:00

Another week, another 3 books finished. Only 2 more to go until I've met my monthly goal!

First up was the The Apothecary's Daughter. It was a nookbook freebie on bn.com (gotta love freebies!) I'm glad I got it for free because I didn't enjoy it much. One of the reasons it took me so long to finish was because I was forever going back and trying to figure out what just happened as there were a lot of abrupt time & setting changes -I kept thinking I missed pages because the story stopped making sense to me! The main character was likeable enough, but I could have sworn that during most of the book she liked being in the apothecary, but at the end she stated she hated it. Still not sure which it was and I'm not about to reread the story to figure that out. She also had not one potential suitors, but three. That confused me as well as I couldn't make up my mind who I was supposed to be rooting for. Too bad I don't have the main character's infallable memory!

The next book was a wonderful balm (pun intended) to its predecessor: The Lost Girls: Three Friends. Four Continents. One Unconventional Detour Around the World. I LOVED IT!!!! I was thrilled to find a new story of circumnavigators. Honestly, I'm totally jealous of their journey & wish I had made something like that happen before I became a mom. After reading this though, I think I'm prepared to take some more adventurous journeys. I'm sure ms. caboo will join my own Lost Girls group, anyone else care to hop on board?

Finally, I read Anne of Avonlea (Sterling Classics). It was fun watching Anne take on her first teaching job. I'm not sure I could have done the same thing when I was 16! I'm looking forward to seeing what hijinks Anne gets up to once she goes on to college in the next book.

That's it for me -what did you read last week?

The results are in!

2011-02-05T07:53:00.000-06:00

After a tough week of sticking to the Cinch! Fast Forward 5 Day Plan, I'm pleased to announce that I lost...........

6 pounds!!!!!

I'm stunned and amazed. I'm definitely feeling lighter in the thighs and hips (and you know, the hips don't lie).

The plan has you eating 5 foods in different combinations for 4 well-timed meals. I had to make an immediate substitution as one of the foods was almonds. Being allergic to tree nuts I figured it would be better to eat sunflower seeds rather than strictly follow the plan :-P

The first day I was fine. The breakfast was so filling that I wasn't feeling hungry by the time I ate lunch 5 hours later. I'm ALWAYS hungry well before lunchtime! Teaching means that I do not get to choose when I eat my lunch, so I have to time my breakfast based on when I can eat my lunch. (The plan calls for meals to be eaten every 3 - 5 hours). Finding a filling breakfast was just a small miracle in my book!

The second day and third days, I found myself getting anxious after my snack. I was wanting to eat, but not really hungry. I just thought I was hungry. Emotional eating monster rearing its ugly head?

On the fourth day, I realized I was feeling really FULL after each meal. I figured out how to season things so the meals tasted really good rather than something to endure to get the desired results.

By the fifth day I knew I could finish because it was the last day. Let's face it, eating only 5 foods for 5 days is challenging, especially when you are used to eating a wide variety of foods.

Things I learned:

I'm not brimming with energy, but I wasn't exhausted by the end of the day. In fact, I felt pretty good after work. I never once felt weak from lack of food.
I actually LIKE balsamic vinegar
I can eat plain yogurt (without adding honey or other sweeteners)
I can eat copious amounts of spinach without once belting out "I'm strong to the finish coz I eats my spinach"
vanilla is my friend
I'm really ready to move on to the next 25 days of eating. Let me eat grains again!

Reasons why I would recommend this plan to others:

It isn't an extreme plan (except for the Fast Forward which you don't have to do)
It is well balanced (each meal contains a lean protein, fruit or vegetable, plant based fat, whole grain and seasonings)
There are no calories to count
It will work if you are vegetarian or vegan
There are lots of recipes included, but there is also information on how to build your own meals
There are no special products or equipment you have to buy
You are required to eat dark chocolate EVERY DAY

Check out the author's website for more information. You can also get some recipes from the book in the January issue of Shape magazine. Turtle and I had chocolate oatmeal and minted blueberry yogurt for breakfast today :)

So what do you think, am I completely nuts or do you think you will give it a try?

I know it added extra ounces when I weighed in, but with legs like that you gotta wear heels ALL THE TIME

Finally

2011-02-02T07:25:00.000-06:00

A SNOW DAY!!!!!!!!

Mounds of Snow Cover Cars on an Unplowed Street after a Bad Storm

Turtle wants to bake cookies. Do you do something special on unexpected days off from school?

Book Challenge: Week 4

2011-02-01T06:12:00.000-06:00

Have you ever read books that make you say "I cannot believe what remarkable timing this was!" This past week I experienced not one title that made me say this, but two!

First up was Cinch! by Cynthia Sass. I decided I wanted to read this book after the author cleverly wrote an article in a magazine and gave a few of her recipes from the book. Get this, Cinch! is about a healthy eating plan that PROMOTES EATING CHOCOLATE EVERY DAY!!!! Any food plan that tells you to eat chocolate every day has got to be worth at least looking at, right?

Well I believe it was definitely worth reading. Basically the plan is a Mediterranean diet which I absolutely love but had a hard time figuring out on my own. The book is very detailed as to what foods to eat and when. There are many tasty-looking recipes included, but the author also gives you the tools to build your own recipes as well. I'm actually trying the 5 Day Fast Forward plan and have already survived the first day. I'll report back my results at the end. I've never really been a huge fan of fad diets, but this is an eating plan that sounds doable not just for me, but one I can get my family on board with. (DH actually told me my dinner last night smelled really good!) It is sensible, it promotes eating real food (as opposed to manufactured food products),no food groups are eliminated, it is based on lots of scientific research, and has already been proven to be successful at helping people lose weight.

The other amazing book I read this week was recommended by my buddy Monika. Somehow I missed it in all the Flylady chatter, but it is Switch by the Heath Brothers. I love reading about the psychology of motivation and change, and this is about dealing with change. There are so many ways I can apply the techniques from this book, but I'm most excited to see how I can affect change in my classroom and personally at home. After reading this I think I can make my ACTION plans actually work (I have an elephant problem). And now I truly belive that Cinch! will work for me because it gives me all the tools I need to deal with the change in lifestyle. What an inspirational week for reading!

10 Things in February

2011-01-29T08:20:00.002-06:00

I've seen many people write "100 Things To Do This Year" lists. I'm afraid that if I were to create such a list I would fill it with things that I know I probably won't do, and therefore not do anything at all from the list because I know realistically they can't be don. So I figure if I break it down to 10 things a month and fill it with practical goals, by the end of the year I will have done 100 things! Well, it makes sense in my head. I tend to think about things I'd like to do rather than actually doing anything. I've decided unofficially that my mantra for the year is "action", and creating a list of 10 things to do each month fits nicely along with the idea.

10 Things I Want To Do In February

Read 5 books
workout 3 times each week
~~Try the Cinch! eating plan~~
Reschedule my missed hair appointment
~~Decide what my garden plantings will be~~
Play in the snow with Turtle
Take down the rest of the Christmas decorations
~~Finish the first drawing lab from my Sonheim book~~
Make a cover for my nook
Create an office space in or near the kitchen

Dreaming of Spring

2011-01-27T06:10:00.000-06:00

I'm longing for a change in weather. I think mostly because I'm tired of dealing with children who are cooped up inside all day because DHS says it is too cold for them to play outside.

On the bright side, only 7 more Mondays until Spring Break :D

When you give a girl a bookstore

2011-01-26T06:33:00.000-06:00

she's going to buy some books. That's exactly what happened last night after the first Book Challenge book group meeting. I know that even if you weren't with us personally, you were with us in spirit as we discussed books from Manga to Crime and Punishment.

Anyhoo, I hardly ever get to the bookstore these days. You know, it is such a long drive for me (all of 15 minutes AND you have to cross a river to boot). So I took advantage of being Turtleless to prowl around a bit. It was tempting. It also didn't help that the Queen of Handselling was walking around with me pointing out scrumptious titles that I just Have To Read. I'm thinking it's a good thing for my wallet that this group is meeting once a month. It is already far too easy to purchase nookbooks!

I escaped with one magazine and 2 books that will hopefully help me along my artistic path:

Laminator Love

2011-01-25T06:06:00.000-06:00

Remember how excited I was to buy a laminator? Well I finally used it :D

It is a dream to work with too! I make a lot of the materials I use in the classroom. Most of these materials require a color printer. I don't have one of those at school, so my materials were not being made because they would get lost in the shuffle of traveling between my home and the laminator at school. So now I can print off what I want, cut it, and then IMMEDIATELY laminate the work so it is then ready to take to school. My goal is to do one new work on the weekend.

My first attempt was a calendar.

I used velcro so we can change the dates to match the actual calendar from month to month. There are special cards for holidays, and a couple that say Happy Birthday. I found a calendar in a CD case for 50 cents, so that is going on the tray as the control for the kids to build the month. I got the free printable from Montessori For Everyone. So far it has been a popular work in the classroom!

Book Challenge: Week 3

2011-01-24T08:00:00.000-06:00

Two more books finished!

First up was A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table. First, let me suggest that you DO NOT read this book if you are hungry. Yes, there are lots of yummy recipes. I am just dying to try the Banana Bread with Chocolate and Crystalized Ginger and the Cornbread with Cream. Each recipe is prefaced by an essay about how the recipe comes into the author's life. Great for those who love reading about food. The author achieved what most bloggers secretly dream about: her blog turned into a book deal :D

Next, Anne of Green Gables (Sterling Classics). I loved the PBS series that came out in the late 80's, but I never got around to reading the books. When I was trolling the cheap nookbook section, I found the whole ebook set available for 99 cents. Anne of Green Gables is absolutely charming! I can't believe that a girl like me who loved the Little House series somehow missed out on reading about the adventures of Anne Shirley. After reading the first book, I realize that the TV series was so well done because it was faithful to the original story. Hmmmm, I wonder if I can instant watch the series on Netflix.........

What have you been reading this week?

Playing with paint

2011-01-23T08:00:00.003-06:00

You may remember a few months ago I won art supplies from Shona at The Artistic Life. The art supplies are necessary for the projects in her book The Artistic Mother: A Practical Guide to Fitting Creativity into Your Life.

In keeping with my vision of creating more this year, I cracked open Shona's book again and got busy making myself some background papers. This is one of them:

Santa was very kind and left a collection of paint brushes in my stocking (how did he know?) This was done with basic red, yellow and brown using a coarse bristle brush. I like the feathery look the brush made. I didn't gesso the paper before painting. I have no idea how important the gesso step is. Guess I'll find out! I've prepped some paper with gesso for the next round. I picked up a few more paint colors to try out as well :)

Dreamboard

2011-01-22T09:18:00.000-06:00

I tried making digital dreamboard, but it just wasn't working for me. I happened to have poster board on hand and a bunch of (little used) art supplies, so I just made one the old fashioned way.

It was a lot of fun to just play around, slapping things on whimsically. Have you made a dreamboard?

An Evening's Work

2011-01-21T08:00:00.000-06:00

I dusted off my sewing box and settled down with my needles and thread last night.

Will I win awards for my stitching? Probably not. But just so you have an idea of what it took to make this kitchen towel:

First stitch...."Mama, are you done yet?" Turtle asked plaintively.

"No, I'm just starting." Stitch, stitch, stitch.

"Are you done now Mama?"

"No, I'm just starting." Stitch, stitch, stitch, stitch. "Turtle, please stop kicking me." Stitch, stitch. "Turtle, I mean it -please stop kicking me!" Stitch, stitch, stitch.

"Mama, are you done yet?"

It will probably come as no surprise to learn that I finished it AFTER Turtle went to bed.

Pattern from Sublime Stitching: Hundreds of Hip Embroidery Patterns and How-To

No more excuses

2011-01-20T06:46:00.000-06:00

Did I forget to mention I embarked upon my first Scaredy Cat Challenge of the new year? I've signed up for boot camp.

Not an exercise-until-you-puke kind, a mental boot camp, offered by Flylady friend Jonathan Roche.

I've had the No Excuses Workout (NEWO) system for almost 2 years now. "Obviously the NO EXCUSES part has not quite sunk in!" *sayeth the Queen of Excuses*

So I'm trying again. Hopefully boot camp will help reset my thinking patterns so I am less likely to MAKE EXCUSES when it comes to keeping myself healthy.

It is 12 weeks of daily missions, weekly writing assignments and video pep talks. I'm happy to report that so far I am not behind AND.....wait for it........I actually exercised today!

It felt pretty good, especially as I haven't really done anything resembling exercise since completing the half marathon in October (excuse: runner's toe). I'm also using Weight Watchers online to help me keep track of what I eat.

I know, sounds like a New Year's resolution. But I'm choosing to look at as picking up where I left off last spring when I last tried to seriously get back in pre-baby shape.

Do you find yourself making excuses to avoid something?

Maybe it's the full moon

2011-01-19T19:43:00.000-06:00

Or maybe it's the wine I'm drinking.

But I really don't know what the deal is. I'm fighting the same bug that kept Turtle home from school most of last week. I could barely drag myself out of bed this morning. My head has been pounding for most of the day. But for some reason I am positively BRIMMING with energy!

This is not like me. At all.

Usually by the time I get home from work, all I want to do is sit on my patch of the sofa and rock back & forth while sucking my thumb. And nursing a glass of wine.

The kitchen was rescued in record time upon our return. A school project was finished. I got some creative work done. I even managed to hang out on Twitter and catch up on some blogs! Granted, my living room still looks like it was attacked by a three year old, but still -wish I knew where this was coming from. So I can make it happen again. At this rate I might reach "moderately productive" speed! I might even exercise again!

Book Challenge: Week Two

2011-01-16T13:28:00.000-06:00

I managed to do a lot of reading considering I had parent/teacher conferences to prepare for!

I managed to finish In the Company of Vampires: A Dark Ones Novel. Apparently it is a sequel to an earlier story. I'm a little miffed because I thought I had read all of KM's work! It is a fun, light read. If you like humorous vampire books, then definitely check out the Dark Ones Series by Katie Macalister. From the ending of this book, it looks like Ben and Francesca's adventures are just beginning!

Another fast read was 21 Projects Guaranteed to Keep Your Kids Occupied This Weekend. I can't give you a link for this one because it looks as though Amazon doesn't carry it, only bn.com as a nookbook! It is a collection of projects from Instructables. It is pretty neat because each project reads like a webpage. If you are in a WiFi hotspot you can click on the links to get to videos about the projects or other details. Each project ends with a collection of other projects you might be interested in. Yes, you could go to the website and get this info for free, but as I am still new to using my nook I appreciate all the help I can get when it comes to browsing the web with it! Plus, it was only $0.99. Turtle is still a little young for these projects, but a few I may be able to adapt for the classroom.

Finally, I learned that one of my fave authors Katie Fforde has a new book out. I haven't picked it up yet, but while I was checking up on it I stumbled upon a title recommended by Katie Fforde -A Winter's Tale by Trisha Ashley. Ever dreamed of unexpectedly inheriting a stately manor home? That's exactly what happens in this story. Sophy grows up at Winter's End, but at a young age she is whisked away to lead a nomadic, hippie lifestyle with her single mom. All grown up and a mother herself, Sophy learns she is the new owner of her childhood home. Sophy returns and is immediately immersed in the responsibility of caring (and paying for) a stately home that is falling apart as well as an entire crew of people dependent on the crumbling estate. Not only is there a potential love interest for Sophy, but ghosts and Shakespeare also play a role in this tale! I felt it a little slow moving, but the story itself is charming and a perfect read on a cold winters' day.

I'm still trying to work my way through The Montessori Method: Centennial Edition and Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education (2nd Edition) to support my professional growth as a teacher. Never fear, I've also got my nose well into A Homemade Life: Stories and Recipes from My Kitchen Table.

What have you been reading?

It's Chai Time!

2011-01-14T06:46:00.000-06:00

I'm becoming highly attached to my evening cup of chai tea. "Chai" kept appearing in my Tweetstream so when I spied a box of TAZO Decaf Chai at the store I just knew it was meant to come home with me.

Even opening the tea bag is heavenly because the aroma is so spicy! And being decaf I knew I could drink as many cups as my heart desired at night without worry.

To the first cup I added a squirt of honey along with my milk. It was tasty, but a bit too sweet for my tastes. The sweetness is what has prevented me from purchasing premade mixtures of chai -I guess most people like it sweeter than I do. For the second cup I only added milk. Bliss!

To clinch matters, I was playing Putamayo's Music From the Tea Lands in class yesterday. It has a little booklet attached to the CD giving information on the music. It also contains a recipe for making chai! I think we'll make our own batch of chai tea next week while we continue our look at Asia in class. Don't worry, I'll share the recipe :)

How do you drink your chai?

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The Book Challenge Update

2011-01-08T14:33:00.001-06:00

Reading has taken a back burner to Real Life and School. Still, I have managed to finish a few tales worth mentioning.

First and foremost, I finished reading A Discovery of Witches: A Novel. It has to be the most amazing book I have read in a long time! It is a romantic tale, but not in the typical romance style of writing. Without the relationship between the two main characters, you wouldn't have much of a story. But the romance takes a back burner to the plot, which is complex and rich in historical and scientific detail. Seriously detailed. Think The Da Vinci Code with a lot of weight and substance. And with chapters longer than two pages. Do you like witches and vampire stories? Then you MUST read this book.

I was sucked into this story & refused to emerge until I was finished. Once finished I howled in frustration because this was an Advanced Readers Copy, so you can't even get it in the stores until February and the sequel is in the distant future. Sigh. Curse you ms. caboo for loaning me this book!

Speaking of ms. caboo and books, I won a copy of The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All from her last month. This was a quick, easy read about someone who suffered at the hands of Bernie Madoff. I don't fully understand the entire situation, but basically Madoff conned a lot of people into believing he was protecting their money when in fact he was just taking it. The author had all her money with Madoff so when he went down, she lost everything. The book is about how she recovered from her loss. She may have had an enviable life, with a fantastic apartment in New York and sophisticated tastes. But she also worked hard for that lifestyle, so when she lost everything, she lost BIG.

On the lighter side of things, I read Great Gals: Inspired Ideas for Living a Kick-Ass Lifeby Summer Pierre. It is basically a summary of important women in history, but it is also a journal with writing prompts after each entry. Considering it is part journal, it was a BIG MISTAKE on my part to read it as an ebook. Of course, if I really wanted to I could transfer the writing prompts to a journal of my own choosing.

At any rate, I'm continuing to read even though school has started up again for me (only 9 more Mondays until Spring Break!). Currently, I have my nose in: The Montessori Method, Tools of the Mind: The Vygotskian Approach to Early Childhood Education (2nd Edition), and In the Company of Vampires: A Dark OnesNovel.

In honor of the first week of the reading challenge, I would like to pass on the book that I won from ms. caboo -The Bag Lady Papers: The Priceless Experience of Losing It All. If you are interested in reading this book, just leave a comment (open to entries from around the world). I will pick a winner from random next Saturday, January 15.

What have you been reading?

More prezzies for me!

2011-01-06T06:47:00.000-06:00

I'm tired of putting off making materials for my classroom, so to make it easier on myself I bought...........

Haven't tried it out yet because for some odd reason I've been really tired at night, so I've been going to bed early. Hmmm, I wonder if it could be because school is back in session?

Snow

2011-01-04T06:39:00.000-06:00

Well, we've done our very best to insure that there will be NO major accumulations of snow for the rest of the season.

We now have a snow blower
We restocked sand
We restocked ice melt
All shovels are in prime snow-removing condition
We bought Turtle a sled

Right now there are just patches of snow on the ground. We had some warm weather and RAIN that pretty much took care of what was on the ground. Now it is just COLD.

I want me some snow days!!!!!!

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I Am What I Am

2011-01-02T08:00:00.001-06:00

For my 1st entry in the book challenge I present I Am What I Am by the lovely and delightful John Barrowman. Some of you may know him as Captain Jack Harkness from Doctor Who and Torchwood. But before that role John was already an accomplished entertainer on stage and film.

In this this memoir John recounts his life during his time as Captain Jack. (If you are interested in his earlier life, check out Anything Goes.) John's personality is BIG and that shines through his writing. John is the life of every party he goes to, and pretty much everywhere John goes is a party, even when he's working (which appears to be all the time). I bet John would just LOVE to come to a #flyinglushes gathering.........

Anyhoo, I'm exhausted after reading about his life. Where does he get his energy from? I think I'll be heading over to itunes to check out some of his musical work (At His Very Best, John Barrowman, Music Music Music) Then I'll head over to Netflix to see if I can spend An Evening with John Barrowman.

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T09:44:00.000-06:00

As you may have guessed from the last post, I have begun the new year with my nose buried in a book. You see last year my pal ms. caboo challenged herself to read 100 books in a year. I thought it sounded like something I can do, and certainly less physically challenging than preparing for a half-marathon.

So I'm going to go for it! I'm off to a good start, but I'm sure that my pace will slow down a lot with school starting back up on Monday. The Light of My Life was a total dear & got me a NookColor for Christmas, so I'll be able to carry a ton of books with me while I'm out & about. Care to join the challenge?

Silence is NOT golden

2010-12-31T11:54:00.000-06:00

........it is actually "Amazing Amanda" from the Bare Minterals collection.

Applied with a combination of fingers & feminine hygiene products scavenged from mommy's purse while she was reading.

In case you are wondering, it came off easily with a premoistened makeup remover cloth.

Happy New Year!

Twas the Monday before Christmas

2010-12-21T10:06:00.000-06:00

Yesterday afternoon I fell in my classroom.

My assistant was mopping the floor and I needed something from my cuboards nearby. I KNEW the floor was wet and I was walking carefully. Honestly, I was! But still, I slipped and fell forward, arm out. I managed to twist so I didn't fall straight on my hand. The end result was a little trip to have my arm x-rayed.

The good news is that there are no broken bones. Yet. I have to go back in a few days for a follow-up to make sure a hairline fracture hasn't appeared. The bad news is I've sprained the heck out of my wrist and pulled several muscles in my arm, neck and back. Not to mention the giant bruise on my leg from landing on a block.

The really freaky thing about this all? A year ago, on the Monday before Christmas, at the same time of day, I had the incident with the wicker splinter under my fingernail. Coincidence? What is the universe trying to tell me about Mondays before Christmas?

I think my administrator is already putting my name down for a personal day for the next Monday before Christmas. For now, I'm typing one handed & trying not to over-stress my many pulled muscles.

Can you imagine the damage if I were to ice skate?

His name is Stort

2010-12-19T08:41:00.000-06:00

To some of you, this is a picture of Stuart Minion. To us he is known as "Stort".

It is an amusing tale how Stort came to live with us.

It was a lovely, sunny Friday afternoon. I spent extra time at work getting my classroom back in shape and preparing for Monday. Turtle was in a good mood and I needed to replace my copy of The Nutcracker Suite that was lost in the flood, so I decided we would go visit "Susie's Bookstore" to buy a copy. Turtle didn't want to leave school, but I lured her with promises of a drink and a treat.

The bookstore was fairly hopping & we spotted ms. caboo as soon as we walked through the door. Nothing doing, Turtle reminded me immediately that she was promised a drink and a treat so off to the cafe we went. Her choice? Chocolate milk and a blondie bar (picture a white brownie topped with M&M's), also known as "The Treat That Will Guarantee Extreme Behavior in Children". Yes, I knew this as I purchased the food but what can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.

After many side-adventures we made it to the music department. Our buddy R met us there and tried to get Turtle to speak to her. Turtle was in a "shy" mode -you know, when kids bury their heads in your legs when an adult they don't know speaks to them.

Turtle actually loves R dearly and they have fun together, so why she was being shy I don't know. So I started teasing Turtle that I would drink her chocolate milk since she wouldn't look at us. This didn't provide any response, so I made the fatal error of saying "Should R drink your chocolate milk?". Instead of shaking her head or even saying no, Turtle just burst into hysterical tears. Loud hysterical tears. Loud, hysterical, inconsolable tears.

I felt bad because really, I had no intention of making my child cry. At this point of the day she was tired and full of treats. But never fear, R handed Turtle a Stuart Minion doll and the tears stopped. My punishment for making my child cry? Buying a seriously weird stuffed creature.

Yes, I know I didn't have to buy the doll. Had I said no I would have prompted another round of hysterical crying. Plus I knew I was to blame for the outburst anyway.

So now we have Stort whom Turtle carries around the house. "I love Stort. R gave him to me!" She announces proudly throughout the day.

Flying By the Seat of My Pants

2010-12-17T19:45:00.000-06:00

I love to plan. Research, plot, strategize -give me a task & I'll figure out how to "gitterdone". I also like to wing things as I go along. It sounds like an odd combination, but they really do work together. The trick is to prepare yourself enough to be ready to respond to any situation.

For example: traveling. I'll read up on all possible things to do in the destination. Then when we get to the destination, we already know what our choices are so we can plan as we go. "The weather is horrible, let's go shopping at Harrod's" or "I'm really too tired to go to another museum, let's go to a pub instead". It's a lovely balance between being uber-organized and spontaneous.

The Christmas celebration we have at my sister's is usually planned like a battle, down to how many bottles of bubbly each person is bringing. Each year, we vow to keep it simple, and each year we manage to over-complicate things and wind up in the kitchen trying to get everything done in time to unwrap presents before Turtle falls asleep.

This year is a bit different. Usually we have our celebration together before Christmas. This year we will be doing it the day after Christmas (I believe it is known as "Boxing Day" in some parts of the world). My sister is also getting ready for a milestone birthday party for her mother-in-law as well as Christmas, so we haven't been planning as much.

As we were speaking on the phone today it occurred to me, "If we wait until the last minute, maybe we won't over-complicate the food!" So it shall be so. We'll be Flying By The Seats of Our Pants this Christmas. I'm bringing leftovers from our Christmas meal (Forloren Hare) plus whatever looks good in the store on the way to my sister's that day. My sister will serve her leftovers plus a couple of other standard Christmas dishes. We will go over to her place in the morning, slip into jammies and spend the day sipping lovely beverages and playing games. Just like we always TRY to do.

Don't worry, we'll still figure out how many bottles of bubbly we need.

Do You Know What I Know?

2010-12-15T15:22:00.000-06:00

Today while eating lunch, Turtle announced to DH that we left his present at Grandma's. And told him EXACTLY what the present was. I tried to laugh it off and change the subject, but nooooooooo -she had to persist and give him all the details. Sigh.

I knew it was risky having her with me when I made the purchase, but I wasn't planning on getting it when I did. I had hoped she had forgotten about the purchase but obviously she hadn't. DH has been instructed to act surprised when he gets it. I don't know about you, but I really don't want to know in advance what gifts I'm getting.

One year when I was young, my little sister & I went snooping for Christmas gifts. We were successful! Sis was very good at carefully removing the tape so you couldn't tell the tape had been moved. When we "officially" opened our presents, it was such a let down. It just wasn't much fun knowing in advance what was in the box. Plus it was hard looking suitably surprised and happy. I don't know about my sister, but I never peeked into presents early again. It also means that I'm not really bothered by taunts of "I know what you're getting for Christmas!" so don't even try it, Lee :-P

Am I the only one who dresses up like this to decorate the tree?

Chocolate Playdough

2010-12-12T08:47:00.000-06:00

I found a great recipe for chocolate playdough! We whipped up a batch this morning and now Turtle is happily using her cookie cutters to make her own Christmas "cookies". It has a similar texture to playdough that is cooked on the stove, but it was much easier on the arms as I mixed it all in the KA. This will be a better recipe to use in the classroom when we need to make playdough.

The same author has a wonderful gift idea using her chocolate play dough as well. Maybe I'll get myself on the ball next year & do this as gifts for my students!

Warning: The dough smells really good. Be prepared for your child to ask to put the "cookies" in the oven! Good thing Turtle has her own oven to use :D

The Gingerbread Baby

2010-12-08T06:17:00.000-06:00

I fly by the seat of my pants quite frequently at school. I have themes planned out and lessons to go along with the themes, but I like to leave wiggle-room so I can entertain last minute ideas. Just minutes before typing this blog, I saw a tweet referring me to activities around the very book I am going to read today in my class, Jan Brett's The Gingerbread Baby. What an amazing coincidence! I checked it out because quite frankly, the activities I have to go along with this book are pretty lame. If you are a homeschooler, a teacher, or a parent in desperate need of things for Junior to use, check out this Gingerbread Baby Preschool Pack here. I haven't patrolled this site much yet, but it looks like there is a lot of good stuff here!

Tis the season to be JOLLY

2010-12-05T07:07:00.000-06:00

I apologize if you have seen this already, but I can't help but laugh when I see this.

Rock on!

Now, does anyone else feel
its a nice day for a
White Christmas?

Flybaby's Day Before Christmas

2010-12-04T07:00:00.001-06:00

Sorry, but I just can't resist subjecting you to another round of..........

A Flybaby's Day Before Christmas

Twas the day before Christmas
And all through the home
All surfaces were gleaming
From hardwood to chrome.
I remember how dreadful it was last year,
Before I learned habits, CHAOS lived here.

The stockings were hung in early December with care
Knowing that FLYLADY presents soon would be there
The children were off all making their beds
While visions of feather dusters danced in their heads.
And me with my tea had just Royal Ragged the last tap
Decided I would be pampered with a well-deserved nap.

When out on the porch there arose such a clatter
I sprang to my feet to see what was the matter.
Away to the clean window I flew like a flash
Tore open the shutter and threw up the sash.

The sun on the breast of the freshly shoveled snow
Gave a luster of paradise to the objects below.
When what to my wondering eyes should appear
But a miniature cooper decorated with reindeer.
With a little old driver so lively and aware
I knew in a moment it was Great Aunty Adair!

More rapid than timers my children I found
And handed out duties to all around
Now Janey,you swish and Tommy, you swipe,
Petey, you dust then the counters you'll wipe!
Jenny will sweep the stairs and the front hall,
Max will finally put away his football!
You've got your orders no need to stall -
Now Declutter Away, Declutter Away, Declutter Away ALL!

As luck would have it, my weekly home blessing was done
But I wasn't expecting to entertain anyone.
A quick crisis clean was all we could do
But the routines we had made would pull us through.
And then in a instant I heard the front bell
And the familiar voice of my Great Aunty yell.
As I opened the door and turned around,
In come Great Aunty with a leap and a bound.

She was dressed in all purple, with lace-on shoes to boot,
And her clothes were all pressed, a lovely new suit
She seemed quite surprised we let her in the front door
For CHAOS had kept her from visiting before.
Her eyes searched for clutter, but none did she find
She was welcome to look for I did not mind.
A gleam in her eye and a twist of her head,
But my kids had done well, there was nothing to dread.

She spoke not a word but looked high and low,
Nary a speck of dust found on any objects, you know.
Laying a clean finger aside of her nose,
She gave me a nod and produced a red rose.
I sprang to the door, to my kids gave a shout
They all rushed right in for they loved having Aunty about.
And I heard Aunty exclaim with great Holiday cheer
I can see that you all follow the Flylady here!

Many thanks to @flybabymoni who was a wonderful collaborator in this Work of Classical Poetry - I know I couldn't have done it without ya, babe :D

BTW, If I had an Aunty Adair, it would take a bit more than a few minutes' crisis cleaning to get her thru my door right now :-P

And a picture just because I think DianeDenmark will get a kick out of this,

Tivoli Gardens During Christmas Season at Night

Too late?

2010-12-03T06:11:00.000-06:00

I had high hopes of picking up this marble run for Turtle's gift from Santa. You see I was a good girl and took my mother shopping. Doing lots of walking to get shopping done is hard on Mom these days, so we're doing what we can to help out. (hint hint Santa). As I was out without a Turtle in tow, it was a perfect opportunity to finish my own shopping. I dropped Mom off at her home, then battled the traffic to get to the teacher supply store where the marble run was located. The teacher supply store happens to be right by the craft supply store. I needed a few things for school activities, so I stopped there first.

Let me just say, I love wandering around the craft store! Right now it smells strongly of cinnamon and the aisles are packed with all kinds of things that sparkle. Needless to say, I was there for some time. After stowing my bags in the car, I found myself outside the teacher supply store. I waffled a moment. There was another store I wanted to go to as well. Should I go there first or get Turtle's prezzie? I decided to go to the other store instead, and hence my fate was sealed.

I finished my shopping at the other store, and happily walked back to get the marble run. Feeling proud of myself for having been so productive, I reached to open the door only to find it.......locked. "That's odd" I thought to myself, "the door must be broken, I'll just try the other one." To my puzzlement it too was locked. I could see two ladies inside the bright lit store, talking by the cash register. I'm sure they were talking about me, laughing as I dithered outside the store, walking away then coming right back to check the store hours sign. Walking away again, then pulling out my cell phone to check the time, then back again to check the hours sign once more. It was only 7. Apparently I'm such an American that I expect ALL stores to be either open 24/7 and failing that, at least until 9 during the holidays.

So now if I want Turtle to have the marble run for Christmas, I'll have to drive ALL THE WAY ACROSS TOWN again (a popular rant here) to pick it up or order it online. Such heartbreak, such drama! Have I ruined Christmas? Will Turtle still believe in Santa if he fails to bring her marble work? Will Santa bring anything for me after saying many bad words & thinking bad thoughts after arriving at the store too late?

The Christmas Party

2010-12-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

Did I remember to take any pictures at the Reed Family Christmas Soiree? No. So you'll have to make do with these images.

The guests arrived, all nattily attired:

The table was set with great care......

.....and laden with goodies such as Forloren Hare, Scalloped Tomatoes, Focaccia, Hob Nobs as well as a preview of ms. caboo's Homemade Limoncello.

We enjoyed many glasses of wine:

and even more witty repartee:

A most glorious party indeed!

Be good and next year you'll be invited to the Reed Family Christmas Soiree. Be bad and next year you'll be invited to the Reed Family Christmas Soiree and get kitchen duty.

Catch Me If You Can!

2010-11-29T06:02:00.000-06:00

Like many things, building a gingerbread house is something I've always wanted to do, but never got around to.

Thanks to ready-to-assemble kits, Turtle & I made this one during Thanksgiving Break.

We only had one panel break -it is on the back side so we don't have to see the damage control. The picture of the finished product on the box was really cute, but I let caution to the wind and had Turtle choose MOST of the candy placement. But I maintained control of the frosting. Some of the time.

This means that it is time to haul out my copy of

I wonder how long it will be before Turtle is standing next to the house, listening for a tiny voice........

Holiday Houseworks: Decor Storage Week

2010-11-28T09:37:00.000-06:00

Did someone say DECORATIONS?!?!

Generally I put up decorations the weekend after Thanksgiving, but DH had an unexpected Sunday off last weekend so we struck while the iron was hot & put the tree up then.

This is the first year since Turtle was born that we've had a tree. I decided to go with an artificial tree -that's what we had when I was growing up & I actually do have a place to store it when the holidays are over. I must say, I LOVE having a pre-lit tree! Maybe some year we will do a real tree, but this will do for now.


Oh look -bubble wrap!


Doesn't look like much


You mean it lights up?


We're still working on the Vanna skills


Adding ornaments was lots of fun!


DH thought that not ALL the ornaments should be hung on the bottom 2 feet of the tree


The final product

At Christmas time, you can find almost anything your heart desires boxed up and ready to give......

Even Turtles!

Just a bit of decorating now to finish, but the rest of the holiday assignments left to do are

Finish gift shopping
Mailing domestic gifts
Charge batteries for the camera

How are your holiday preparations going?

First Ever Crafternoon

2010-11-27T08:40:00.000-06:00

Sister and I had an idea for a craft project to make for some Christmas gifts. Finally, I was able to start putting my craft and art supplies to good use!

The main gifts were centered around this graphic I whipped up on GIMP:

I had an idea for some ornaments to make for myself as well. So we started arranging and playing while waiting for the gel medium to dry on the main projects. Then I got a bee in my bonnet to make some ornaments for my nephew who has just moved into his first apartment (on the west coast :( ). Surely he & his Sweetie Pie need ornaments to decorate the first home, don't you think?

So my little printer, with help from the Graphics Fairy, got quite a workout as we transformed a cereal box into these little beauties:

Graphics Fairy image covered with rice paper then glued to cereal box

Graphics Fairy image resized, tinted and glued to cereal box

Graphics Fairy Image glued on cereal box

Graphics Fairy image glued on cereal box

Graphics Fairy image glued on leftover photo mat with scrapbook doodads

Yeah, I know -you're jealous. Tell you what, ask nicely after Christmas and maybe I'll make an ornament for you.

I learned an important lesson after this First Ever Crafternoon. Two, in fact. The first,
is really amazing stuff! I highly recommend it for gluing paper to cereal boxes. The second lesson: keep all your adhesive products together so you don't "discover" the perfect glue to use AFTER you have assembled your item.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm Glad I'm Not a Turkey

(sung to the tune "Did You Ever See a Lassie"}

Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey

a turkey

oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey

on Thanksgiving Day!

First they stuff you

then bake you

and then they all taste you

oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey

on Thanksgiving day!

The Great Frozen Cranberry Escape

2010-11-24T07:59:00.000-06:00

I was nearly caught by a Holiday Decorating tip.

You see, I'm far too smart to fall for the shaved soap trap. But as I was perusing a Holiday mag (I know, I know -I shouldn't even look at them but for now they're my guilty pleasure) I came across what could be a cool idea:

Simple, sophisticated -could look fantastic on the steps leading up to my house for the Holiday Soiree.

"I'll do it!" I found Impulsive Me saying. "I know just the containers to use for this project. Now, I wonder if there are enough twigs in the yard to pull this off, or will I have to trim some off the tree? I think there are some cranberries in the freezer that are left over from last year, might as well use them for this project."

"Cranberries?" asked Practical Me.

"Yes, Cranberries" Impulsive Me replied in that tone of voice usually used by teenage kids when talking to parents.

"I see, cranberries. Somewhere in the bottom of the freezer you say?" Practical Me paused a moment. "Have you looked inside the freezer lately?"

Impulsive Me nodded her head, aware that her world was about to be unceremoniously turned upside down.

"This would be the freezer that you were supposed to declutter. The one that is currently packed to the brim?"

Impulsive Me nodded again.

"OK. Well, I really like the frozen luminaria idea -really, I do! I'm just wondering how you are going to fit them in the freezer? You know, alongside the bread and veggies already there, not to mention the Christmas cookies and the Holiday main dishes that you are also planning on putting in? Remind me again, how many were you thinking of making?" asked Practical Me sweetly, knowing she had Impulsive Me right where she wanted her.

"Four" said Impulsive Me in a very small voice.

"Four." With great self control, Practical Me managed to stifle a snort that accompanied the thought of Impulsive Me trying to cram 4 two-foot luminarias in the already-full freezer.

"But look the magazine clearly says Merry in Minutes -so it must be a good idea!" Impulsive Me cried, frantically trying to save a shred of dignity.

"Have you consider the merits of a simple holiday welcome mat at the front door instead?" Practical Me asked using that tone of voice usually used by parents placating a heart-broken child.

Thus Practical Me once again saved the day by refusing to let me recklessly use frozen cranberries to decorate my front porch.

Stay tuned: Impulsive Me is bound to cause a lot more trouble before the holiday season is over.......

Visions of Sugar Plums

2010-11-22T18:45:00.000-06:00

There are so many layers to the Christmas holiday season: spiritual, traditional, emotional, commercial........it's one of the reasons I love it so much. With all the hoopla and beauty that comes with this time of year, I find myself asking yet again,

WHAT THE HECK IS A SUGAR PLUM?

According to Wikipedia, a sugar plum is any dried fruit that has been chopped to bits & mixed with honey & spices, shaped as a plum & then rolled in sugar.

Bah humbug.

That doesn't quite live up to my romanticized-Victorian-Christmaslore I had always imagined. I was expecting something along the lines of what I found in the Vermont Country Store catalog -I may just order some of these anyway because I really like the idea of a special choc left on the pillow on Christmas Eve.

But in case you are now also in the mood for a bit of Sugar Plum, I'll leave you with these ideas:

Now, do I have Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy stuck in your head yet?

A-maizing!

2010-11-20T10:57:00.000-06:00

Indian Corn is a popular material in Montessori classrooms. There are so many uses for it!

For example, you can

pick the kernels off one by one with either your fingers or with tweezers

sort the kernels according to color and/or have fun sending kernels down the spout of a gravy separator

Other classroom uses:

transfer from one container to another with tweezers
transfer from one container to another with a spoon
add to small glass containers for pouring practice
use in a sensory tub
soak kernels in warm water, poke a hole through with a push pin, dry & string on fishing line for bracelets and necklaces
add to art projects with glue
feed wildlife

If your corn came with the dried husks still attached, you can make your own corn husk dolls which are a fantastic addition to the North America continent box!

I Love Fridays

2010-11-19T06:36:00.000-06:00

Back in the madcap adventure days of retail, Fridays didn't really mean anything to me. Weekends in general weren't seen as a time to rest and recharge, but the busiest days of the week. Now that I'm seeking my thrills in the world of early childhood education, weekends have been returned to me. And you know what?

I FRICKIN LOVE FRIDAYS!!!!!

It is a half-day for me, so technically my work day is done at 12:30. That leaves the rest of the day to do as I choose. On Friday afternoons, life looks rosy. The weekend stretches ahead of me and I'm bursting with energy and plans. In fact, I love Fridays so much that I mentally start my weekends on Thursday nights. (Heck yeah, I can stay awake to watch Cold Case on PBS -tomorrow is a short day!) My tea tastes better, getting myself & Turtle dressed and out the door is easier, and my mornings fly by with the greatest of joy.

I wish everyday could be Friday.

You know what makes this Friday even more exciting? Extra time off next week for Thanksgiving :D

Crazy Carrot Soup

2010-11-18T08:00:00.001-06:00

We love Crazy Soup at our house.

It's real name is Crecy, but hey -why not mangle another language whenever possible?

Its souper (hehehe) easy and a great way to get a veggie in. Turtle loves this soup!

C-Joy's Crazy Soup

Ingredients:
2 TBSP olive oil
1 shallot (or small onion + a clove of garlic) chopped
6 carrots, sliced
1 TBSP sugar
1/4 cup rice
6 cups veggie broth
1 tsp herbs de provence (rosemary and/or thyme work just as well)
1 - 2 TBSP butter
Salt & Pepper

Method:

Saute shallots (med high) in olive oil until soft.
Add carrots. Cover & cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add rice, broth & herbs. Bring to boil, then partially cover & simmer 30 minutes.
Use immersion blender to process until smooth, or transfer to blender & process in batches.
Season w/salt & pepper to taste, serve with a dollop of butter.

I would estimate that this serves 4 main course servings. We usually have just enough left for DH to take a serving to work for his lunch. I usually serve this with a fresh bath of cornbread, but when I'm really on the ball I serve it with focaccia.

Me Want

2010-11-17T17:00:00.000-06:00

Which wall could I put these lovely ladies on?

Russian Dolls Wall Decal

But this is nice too:

Or if I want to beef up the number of attendees at the Holiday Soiree:

Holiday Houseworks: Dining Space Week

2010-11-14T09:37:00.000-06:00

Dining Space Week? Now that's a treat because my "dining space" is actually a table placed at one end of the living room. (Yes, it looks exactly like the picture above, except completely different) No storage spaces to tackle, the furniture is not worthy of polishing so it is swathed in fabric. This is going to be a great catch up week for me, so please pardon me while I gloat a bit. WOOHOO I DON'T HAVE MUCH TO DO THIS WEEK!

OK, I feel much better now. Mind you, I won't be totally slacking off. I'll toss the chair covers in the wash and scrub the table down to the best of my abilities. Maybe I'll catch up on my Christmas cards. Or maybe, I'll just make more cookie dough to put in the freezer to bake later!

Oh, the endless possibilities..................................

..........such as finding a bunny to dress up and serve us food for my Holiday Soiree.

PS I did find the source of the shaved soap idea: it was in the November issue of Everyday with Rachel Ray. I suppose there are some people who have time and the inclination to shave soap with a vegetable peeler for their guests. But I bet they are all magazine stylists :-P

I may be Christmas Crazy

2010-11-13T07:22:00.000-06:00

But I don't care! I will actually be festivizing my bathroom this year. Holiday shower curtain, bathmat, the works. Why? Because holiday decorations make me smile. But I am not so crazy as to make my home magazine-perfect. I'm sorry to disappoint my guests for the rapidly approaching Reed Holiday Soiree, I will not be shaving bars of soap so my guests know exactly how much soap to use when they wash their hands as one magazine suggested. No, I'm serious -it was in a magazine as a "Holiday Tip". (If I can find it I'll let you know exactly which magazine!)

I love my friends. I adore my friends. But I will never, not ever, shave a bar of soap for their handwashing pleasure. I monitor soap usuage and handwashing at school all day long. When I am at home, I shall assume my guests are au fait when it comes to handwashing and therefore be able to use liquid hand soap I keep next to the sink.

I will however be hanging these signs as gentle reminders:

The whole shaved soap for guests reminds me what a slippery slope (get it? soap - slippery? hahaha) getting ready for the holidays can be. It is easy to become led astray by these "good ideas" we read about in magazines. We strive to have perfect holidays, with our homes beautifully decorated, handmade goodies and just the right outfit. Well, maybe that's just me. I want the holidays to be special and not a big disappointment because it didn't live up to my expectations. Last year we all had the stomach flu -ho ho throw. Very special indeed, especially as I nearly ended up in surgery to remove a 1 cm shard of wicker lodged under my fingernail 2 days earlier. So my holiday mantra this year is "Special doesn't mean perfect". And if you happen to come to my home and see shaved soap in my bathroom, I give you permission to laugh heartily in my face. After you have washed your hands.

PS It wasn't fun to be sick on Christmas, but because I had prepared adequately I had enough toilet paper, pepto bismal and pedialyte to make it thru the crisis without anyone having to leave the house :)

Rememberance Day

2010-11-11T11:00:00.002-06:00

Note: Yes, this was written for England's fallen heroes, but I think it is a remarkable work all the same.

For The Fallen
by Robert Laurence Binyon

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

Gimme Gimme Gimme

2010-11-10T05:55:00.000-06:00

Usually I don't get the newspaper. The writing is marginal at its best as well as having little I want to read about. The comics lost their appeal about the time Calvin & Hobbes stopped running. Then there is the whole sensorial experience I thoroughly dislike (too big, noisy when you turn the pages, the smell of the ink & the feel of the pages -ICK!) However, during the month of November I usually get the Sunday edition for the store circulars. There really wasn't anything useful (despite the $80 in coupons inside!), but one thing came out of the paper that was worth its weight in gold: the Target Toy Catalog.

Turtle's face lit up when she saw it. "Is that mine?" she asked incredulously. "Uh, sure!" I replied. She crawled up on the sofa next to me, put the catalog on her lap and reverantly began to turn the pages. Then began the barrage of "I want that!"s

"I want that!" she shouted excitedly, pointing at (Matchbox Stinky The Garbage Truck).

"I want that!" she shouted again, pointing at (Hot Wheels Color Shifter).

She also wants a Buzz Lightyear scooter, Barbie's Three Story Dream Townhouse, and the Zoobles Gift Pack (whatever those are.) The most terrifying want so far is the K'Nex Loopin' Lightning Coaster -all those pieces!!!!

She has however decided that she is NOT going to put the shopping cart on her Christmas list. She is going to get it for Halloween. Next week. After gently pointing out that Halloween is over and won't happen until next year, she replied "But mommy, I want Halloween again!"

So far one item has struck her fancy. An item she has seen advertised on television (BTW Thanks Qubo) and in different store circulars. It is the first advertisement she saw that made her claim "I want that!"

I think perhaps she knows that I ate my body weight in DQ Snicker Blizzards the last few months I was expecting her!

Hello me beauty!

2010-11-09T17:31:00.000-06:00

For the past 15 months, I have been living with this in my kitchen:

It is a glasstop stove, and it is CRACKED.

I know I could have purchased a replacement for the cracked portion, but I wasn't really impressed with the performance before it cracked. I hated the thought of spending money on something that didn't work well to begin with.

So I've been hemming and hawing, picking and choosing, changing my mind again. Cooking with electric skillets and an electric kettle, I've been making do without the stove top (too scared to use the stovetop once it cracked). But last week, I finally plucked up the courage and made a DECISION and purchased a stove.

Anyhoo, I far more excited about this appliance than a nice girl should be. Isn't she loverly?

I have a roast in there right now & it smells heavenly. I expect that the new stove will hit it off with this guy

and soon the house will be filled with lovely little baked offspring. Good thing DH & I both work outside the home so we can offload some of the goodies!

Holiday Houseworks: Food Storage Week

2010-11-08T05:15:00.000-06:00

It is a good thing I started prepping for the holidays back in September! I'll admit, the past few weeks I have only been half-heartedly getting tasks marked off my to-do list. But now, everything seems frighteningly close

Last week was the cooking space week and I actually got back down to business. Motivation came in the form of getting the kitchen ready for a BRAND NEW STOVE! Just a few surfaces to wipe down and we'll be ready for the delivery :)

I thought I disliked the tasks on the bathroom week more than anything. I was wrong, because now I have to tackle food storage. This means cleaning the fridge folks! Because of the dangerous nature entailed with cleaning this appliance, I'll be sure to announce exactly when I'm going in. Just so you know when to send in the Search and Rescue team. If you don't see anymore posts from me, you will know that I lost my battle with the Food That Time Forgot in the unmarked plastic container from the back of the bottom shelf.

Food storage also means tackling my pantry spaces. Yes, I said spaces. I have a small cabinet in the kitchen that can be used for pantry items. I also use the big drawer in the buffet to hold things that don't sit on the shelf easily. The rest is on a shelving unit in the basement. And all three are completely out of control. Organizing it is a daunting task, but I have a cunning plan that just might turn my functional kitchen into a Fabulous Kitchen.

Stay tuned.....................

The Christmas Pudding, Poster 1928 Giclee Print

Ducks in a row

2010-11-07T05:12:00.000-06:00

Or in this case, fish.

You just never know what you'll find when you live with a preschooler!

Princess Turtle

2010-11-06T06:58:00.000-05:00

Despite last-minute declarations she was going to be a ghost for Halloween, Turtle dressed as a princess for trick-or-treating.

We had a hard time keeping her crown on -the Queen made a tactical error & purchased said crown from the dollar store. Then Princess forgot her wand when she went out to visit her people.

Before making the rounds, Princess posed for a picture with her little pumpkin. She got the pumpkin from "the pumpkin patch store", also known as the market by auntie's house that features pumpkins from a farm just down the road.

The King did what all good daddies do -he helped carved a pumpkin to put on display outside the castle.

The pumpkin looked none-too-pleased to learn that he had pulled sentry duty that night because.........

during the photo op with Princess we discovered Zombies were just around the corner.

Hope your Halloween was as SWEET as ours!