Trials of Eating

3rd time is a charm

2011-03-20T22:19:00.000-07:00

I am starting to blog again just because my brain keeps spinning, and I want to write! More to come...

Grass-fed beef

2010-01-22T12:44:00.000-08:00

So I was at Trader Joe's and I saw that they had grass-fed beef. So I bought a tiny package on to make "Sloppy Jane's" with. My husband noticed that the beef was from USA and Australia! Anyway, I had a nice conversation with the butcher, and our local health food store sells grass-fed beef from the local University farm. I mentioned to the Trader Joe's clerk the fact that their meat is from Australia. Apparently, she wasn't fazed by the news that their meat had traveled so far because she promptly recommended the lamb from New Zealand. *smile*

Procrastination never dies

2009-10-13T18:30:00.000-07:00

I am at the library....er working on my survey for my master's. I just received a phone message that I was missing one document for my Human Subject application - the message was left on my work phone - which I didn't check until today! So, I received it 8 days late. I just emailed off that piece tonight. I couldn't have emailed it from home tonight anyway because the power went out at 4:30 p.m. My husband was a little cranky from staying home with sick (almost well) Sean today, so I worried about leaving the family. However, they all told me I could go and I left them in the dark. I drove across town to the college library...and voila! Lights! Camera! Action! If only I could turn on the motivation. My goal is to have one night a week at the library instead of playing tennis.
Hope Springs Eternal.

Week Off

2009-10-05T11:22:00.000-07:00

I have a week off from teaching this week, and I have so many things I want to do. The ugly things are figuring out my new prescription service since I changed my health insurance to Dale's. New forms, new websites, new usernames. I am trying to come up with "cute" passwords, like "datafun" I am hoping it will make me smile when I am logging in. I found out that my insurance covers acupunture, so I am adding that to the list of things to do! Monday and Tuesday, I will be working on my thesis...off I go.
P.S. Thanks Tess for the necklace, it goes perfectly with my earrings.

tennis in the morning

2009-08-18T09:42:00.000-07:00

I got to play tennis with Sean's class this morning. It turns out that his teacher, Mrs. Sloan used to go to the racquet club and play a lot of tennis. I walked on the courts to pick up some extra tennis balls and wished that I was playing tennis instead of working on my literature review...

12 years old

2009-08-16T16:31:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have jumped into another world literally. Mom of a preteen. We got my son a road bike, and we went on a nice ride this afternoon. Sean is learning how to crossstitch. We just bought a craft kit yesterday at a rummage sale. (We also bought a toaster oven for $2.00)
Hope you are having a great weekend!

My latest card

2009-08-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

Summer's End

2009-08-06T17:16:00.000-07:00

This morning, Zachary and I rode our bikes to Chico Junior High and picked up his schedule. Math, 1st period! We also bought him a planner. Admittedly, I am more interested in this planner than he is. Speaking of planners, I just purchased a new planner based on finishing the book, "Getting it Done." This is probably my 5th planner in 2 years. We stayed home most of the day so I could get some academic writing done, so we are off to a picnic at 1 mile.
Lisa

Humming along

2009-07-30T08:45:00.000-07:00

I met with my professor for my literature review and she said that I could write! (Maybe I should start a new vocation in writing) I called my mom immediately and she said, "I knew that, but it's nice to hear it from someone else." So now on to finish. Kids will be picked up at 9:30 a.m. for a movie date while I work on more writing. I feel the procrastination bug already! I've been reading blogs, looking at cards, etc.
Lisa

Last Day of freedom

2009-07-10T14:20:00.001-07:00

I have about 30 minutes left on my 5 days of 5.5 hours of tennis camp a day. I'll have to say it's been nice. The first 3 days I was super motivated and I worked on my literature review for about 2 hours. Yesterday I went to the library for an hour. Today was also minimally productive. I set the timer and wrote for about 45 minutes. Next week, alas, kids will be home pumping me with questions, such as: "Can Nathaniel come over?" "Can we watch a movie?" "I'm hungry", "Why do I have to do chores?" I am going to plan to work 2 hours a day next week... Wish me luck.

I just started "Two Cups of Tea" because I figured that it wouldn't keep me from working on my thesis.
Thanks for stopping by!

Mozilla, etc.

2009-07-07T16:34:00.000-07:00

I can totally tell it's summer because I am cleaning up my computer documents, switching internet browsers...I am currently organizing my bookmarks, since I switched to Mozilla. Last night when I was surfing, I found a place where you can stay at a Yurt right on the coast of Big Sur. Apparently it's called Glamping...
Lisa

Books & Stuff

2009-07-07T08:14:00.000-07:00

This week is completely devoted to working on my lit review. I searched all over for my flash drive and it turns out that it was in my computer the whole time. The kids are in tennis camp this week.
Lisa

Happy Spring

2009-03-24T22:44:00.000-07:00

Well, Spring is here. I'm planning a birthday party for my mom in Southern California. I am looking forward to it. I have heard from a few family friends that they will be able to make it.

Brent is encouraging me to blog, but I am not sure how I will juggle stamping, FB and blogging. I'll have to say that there is something therapeutic about blogging.

I am not that tired today because I stayed home all day as the last person in the family to get the flu. Zachary started 12:30 a.m. on Thursday and then Dale and Sean started early Monday AM. I went to work on Monday, but collapsed when I got home. Sean and I stayed home today. The only bummer is that I am now like a doctor and I have to reschedule my appointments which crunches other days. Oh well, I am liking my job, so I won't complain too much!

The family played Sorry! tonight. At times I was sorry becuase Zachary and Sean were a little over competitive and sad/mad/upset when things weren't going their way. I started to reflect on the fact about when exactly Dale and I (who started making "political" moves in the game) became so passive about winning/losing.

Thanks for stopping by!

experiment 101

2009-02-06T23:10:00.000-08:00

Well, I have been missing my blog...because it isn't quite like facebook. So, I don't know if I can multitask between the two items, but I'll try.

The biggest news is that I am now a homeschool teacher. I just started on January 5th, and it's been a very steep learning curve. Last night I did one of the English assignments that I have been assigning all of my new students just to familiarize myself with it.

Lisa

Few Notes

2008-09-04T22:01:00.001-07:00

Well, I really MISS my blog, but I am changing it to only readers that I invite because Dale didn't like all of my information available to the world. So... I'll probably update at least twice a month instead 3x a week.

The biggest news is that I hiked Mt. Lassen with my family on Sunday, I think that I am just now recovering!

Lisa

Blog Recess

2008-07-23T16:49:00.000-07:00

I'm sad to say that I think it's time for a recess of my blog. I really enjoy blogging and blurfin', but it's obvious that I have to devote more time to writing. (and blogging is perfect for procrastinating!) I'm not going to delete it just yet, but I won't be posting regularly. Thanks for visiting my blog!

HALLELUJAH!

2008-07-18T16:08:00.001-07:00

I just turned in a summary of my interviews to Yuichi (by email). Gosh, just think only 20 years ago, I would have to deliver it by person! I feel really good about getting started! My mom had a great suggestion this morning: engage my right brain before I start writing. So I designed some cards and then jumped in! I didn't actually make the cards because I knew I would spend the entire morning on it. Now I can't wait to make the cards...
Thanks for stopping by, blog world!

Tidbit

2008-07-16T22:23:00.000-07:00

First! S* created his own recipe: Mt. Shasta pancakes and he made them last night. The whipped cream is the snow and the sausage is the rocks. (The picture is a little blurry, but the flash washed it out...)

Funny tidbit: I was standing in line for our grad luncheon today talking about corn syrup to one of my fellow classmates (since my sister has upped my awareness), and then a guy behinds me says that high fructose corn syrup is much worse. He also mentioned that everyone should avoid partially hydrogenated oils. So, after we finished our lunch on our lawn. Guess what ??!! I saw Mr. HFCS smoking! I wanted to go over there and ask him what he thought smoking was doing to his body. Funny, huh?

I'll have to say though, Stephanie has helped me. We were in Costco today picking up "one" item that ostensibly turned into $100. Anyway, S* wanted Fruit by the Foot, and I said that we could get it if it didn't have HFCS in it... he looked at the box, and sighed, but didn't argue. Stephanie can make a believer out of you!

Writing Juice, where art thou?

2008-07-14T21:58:00.000-07:00

Master's: I definitely have stats homework. I spent 2.5 hours on the "blue moon" problem Sunday night. I have homework due also tomorrow. I am supposed to turn in some synopsis to Yuichi on 7/18, but it's so hard to write at night. I was thinking of getting up early tomorrow and seeing if the juices are flowing! I did have a fantastic, uplifting, inspiring conversation with one of my friends from the master's program who is finished with his coursework.

Weekend: My funny story... Dale & I met my sister, Dad, her kids + my kids at Lake Siskiyou this past weekend. After my sister hosting my kids for 10 days, she looked exhausted (but was holding up very well). Our families get along very well together, so it was a nice trip. I did have a meltdown at the lake on Saturday, however. I briefly couldn't find Z*who was chasing a tube that was being carried away by the wind. Then, I wondered, where was Dale? I couldn't find J* in the water and I was the only adult because my sister was standing in one of those FOREVER lines to borrow a kayak to retrieve the tube that was still be carried by the wind. Then I wondered, "where is Dale?....I HAVE to go to the bathroom!" So we gathered the kids on the shore so I could make the trek to literally 1/2 a mile to the bathroom. On the way, I see Dale and my Dad sitting in the shade drinking a beer. (90 degrees in the sun) I started to shriek... Only ice cream sitting in the shade could calm me down. Whew!

Kids: Love the energy, so good to have them in the house. I can't get anything done! Laundry abounds. Since S* hated the All day camp, I put him in camp cuisine. Of course, he is way advanced. All they did today (according to S*) was make some fruit skewer with marshmallows (and kids were stealing marshmallows! Horror!) My sister did have my kids reading labels to avoid trans fat and high fructose corn syrup, so I can piggy back on her training. Luckily I brought Hansen's to the camping trip. Did you know that there is HFCS in tartar sauce?

Sadness descends...

2008-07-10T15:29:00.000-07:00

A sad day all around. I just found out that two of my coworkers lost their homes in the Concow fire... Also, the cat of my very good friend might have cancer. This is a day to be thankful for houses, air conditioning, healthy family members and friends.
Thanks for stopping by.

Hiya!

2008-07-08T21:03:00.001-07:00

I'm on creative break right now... Checking out the *new* card sketch for the week at 2sketches4you. I also wanted to post my ONLY pictures from Calistoga. I am now to the point that I only take pictures for my blog! What will I scrapbook?

I'm in between transcribing and doing my statistics homework. There is 3 assignments due on Thursday. It takes me about 7 minutes to transcribe every minute of my interview. I am in the middle of my 7th interview... only 3.5 left. The last interview was actually 52 minutes, though.

Well, it's the 5th day without kids... and I'll have to say:

It's quiet

There's less laundry

Dinner is done in minutes

I can talk on the phone for hours {smile}

I miss them...now

I talked to them on the phone tonight. Z* does not miss home. S* wants to know at what exact time we will be meeting them in Lake Siskiyou (on Friday). I am kind of glad they were gone this week because it's been so hot and yukky here.

On the book scene, I decided to read a light series. It's the No. 1 Ladie's detective agency. I am on the 3rd book. It's kind of fun, and I am allowing myself 15 minutes of reading today.

Off to homework - thanks for stopping by!

Home, Sweet, Home

2008-07-07T22:28:00.000-07:00

Well, we are coming home from our delicious trip to Calistoga. I’m typing this on my laptop thinking about the sunshades that now exist for laptops (luxury item.) I’m also wondering if Nadal or Federer won the final set in Wimbledon. I asked the hotel manager to stay until 11:30 a.m. so we could watch the 4th set of the match this morning.

I’m typing this now because as soon as I get home, I need to finish transcribing my interviews. The boys are in Sammamish, WA, and I have no excuse (except that devilish procrastination) to work unabated. However, I will be indulging in a few “creative breaks.” (Does blogging count?!)

Well, our weekend was wonderful. It started Thursday afternoon with me counting the seconds until my kids were on the airplane. To intensify my desire, the kids argued most of the way to Sacramento. Then, I was selected for special screening and I started to cry. I didn’t know if I was humiliated, hungry or sad about my kids getting on the airplane. It turns out that my BIL was able to procure 1st class seats for them, so they rode in style. (Of course, as soon as they were on the airplane, I wanted to go sit on their laps!) Dale & I got to start our getaway at the Sacramento IKEA, and we also ate dinner there. Friday we did the mud bath and massage treatment and ate two fabulous meals. Calistoga has such remarkable restaurants. We lunched at a nice outdoor table butted up against a fountain. I would have made my grandma proud this weekend because I changed my table and/or seat in every restaurant at least once (trying to achieve the {perfect} location.) Saturday we played racquetball and did some wine tasting. I really wanted to visit Frog’s Leap because they tout sustainable agricultural practices, but you have to make an appointment. We had a light dinner from ingredients that Dale picked up at the store. We ate poolside. Both days we rotated through all 3 pools. The big pool was tepid, the hot tub was hot, and the indoor pool was warm. All of their pools were filled with mineral water. It was a nice hotel, and even though there were a lot of families (mostly Russian) there, it was a romantic setting.

I hope you all had a great 4th of July weekend, thanks for stopping by.

P.S. I'm just getting this in Monday night. I think my stats teacher read my blog... we now have homework!

Roman Spas, here we come!

2008-07-02T22:14:00.001-07:00

Well, Roman Spas, here we come. I found this spa on trip advisor. Apparently it's rated number 2 out of 14 hotels in Calistoga. We scheduled a massage and made dinner reservations, and I bought a cute cover up, so I'm ready to go!

And... I learned a new term today: Boundary Management Issues. I think I need to work on those.

Also, I was a star for a minute (in my math class) because I could multiply 1.5(4.15) in my head when the teacher reached for the calculator. It's amusing considering every time I am in meetings with administrators, I do my arithmetic wrong because they all look to me.

I hope everyone has a safe and enjoyable 4th of July weekend!

sketch challenge

2008-07-01T17:06:00.001-07:00

Supplies for card: paper (berry bliss, purely pomegrante, SU); stamps: friendship blooms, SU); rub-ons (SU); Rhinestones (Kaiserscrapbook); Flowers (Prima); white gel pen (SU)

I saw a sketch on the new blog, 2 sketches 4 you, and decided it was just the creative break I needed! I am having fun with my flowers and buttons, now that I organized them!

Day 1 of tennis camp/school

2008-06-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Classes has started, day 1 of tennis camp has also begun. S* is disgruntled, Z* is amazed that an older kid is throwing his tennis racquet when he missing the ball. Z* comments, "We're just out there to have fun, it's not like we're good or anything." Was I that wise at 10.9 years? Apparently, some girl hit S* with a racquet or ball and whispered that she was sorry which wasn't acceptable at all.

Then the stuff came piling in and I went to collect towels, half-eaten sandwiches, and then I just said, NO. So I typed the following list (below)and told them to do it. Lists work so much better for me because I don't have to be the verbal prompter:
1)Bags emptied
2)Wet clothes/bags hung up
3)Lunch cooler emptied
4)Water bottle in cooler put in freezer
5)Tupperware in dishwasher
6)Racquets put away
7)Water bottles on kitchen counter

I have good news and bad news. My math class seems like a cake walk compared to the last 2 years, not a lot of homework, easy class activities (in fact, I feel a little guilty/chagrined). However, my advisor hinted that I may have to do more interviews next year if my interviews weren't "meaty" enough. So I am thinking about changing advisors. Yikes! I don't know what to do!
Thanks for stopping by!

Off to school

2008-06-29T21:58:00.000-07:00

Well, I'm gathering up some stuff for school tomorrow. I'm curious how much homework my math class will have. I got to make a card today. Z* and I watched Get Smart. Very fun! I laughed through the whole thing.

Thanks for stopping by! Thanks for all of the great comments about the kitchen, we're loving it!

Back to smoky Chico

2008-06-25T19:19:00.000-07:00

Well, my good friend's daughter was sick, so I ended up taking Z* to the concert with me. He was lukewarm about it, but then he is into the "cool" thing, so I think he enjoyed it. We spent the night in Napa and drove home today. We had a nice lunch in Davis at Pluto's to pick up S* who went to my friend's house in Oakdale.

The concert was too amazing for words. Brandi Carlile opened for them and had such an unique and full voice. She played guitar and her backup was 2 guys each with a guitar and a cellist. I got the CD, but it doesn't do justice to her wavering, strong voice. Then the Indigo Girls were so impressive. I was sitting in the tenth row and enjoyed every nuance. The entire concert was 3 hours!! The theater was recently refurbished and was north of Napa on the grounds of a VA retirement home. Most of the audience was singing along with all of the IG older songs. I'm definitely going to try to see them once a year.

Thanks for stopping by!

video of kitchen

2008-06-23T22:04:00.000-07:00

My dad suggested that we should upload a video of the kitchen. We are at 95% completion. We plan to do the backsplash & counter in the next 6-12 months. (Did I say we??! I meant Dale)

Thanks for viewing my first video!

pics

2008-06-23T17:10:00.000-07:00

Here is my father's day card, I used some of my new hardware!

S* & I at SF pier 39

My mom and I at SF zoo (S* took the picture)

All of my buttons organized!

hi, there!

2008-06-23T12:51:00.000-07:00

Well, so much to share, I can't wait to show you some SF pictures. S*, mom and I had a blast. We went to Aquarium of the bay, Gharidelli square and the SF zoo. Dale finished hooking up the gas line to install the microwave. Our kitchen looks very official.

I organized all of my hardware, buttons and flowers (paper) in a tool organizer. I felt very anal when I was separating them all by color. My thoughts ranged from:
a) You could never tell anyone that you actually spent time on this pursuit;
b) If I used one of these embellishments everyday for an entire year, I would still have leftovers...

It sure looks great, though!

Tuesday night, Indigo Girls in Yountville, CA with my good friend Ellen!

Thanks for stopping by!

Week 2 of bliss

2008-06-17T16:39:00.000-07:00

Park City, Utah adventure boy! That's my son living it up! He got to drive the golf cart today. Tomorrow they are going white water rafting. In case I didn't mention this, Z* was invited by our former neighbors to join them for a week in Park City. They own a time share out there. It has rendered our household pretty mellow and quiet. S* told me tonight that he enjoys being the "only" child.

I had plans of cleaning, but I landed on my foot wrong last night playing tennis, so I am taking it easy. I did find two interesting websites reading the Real Simple magazine. (And, since it's summer, I actually got to look them up)

literature map - enter any author you like, and it forms a map of similar authors.

novel action - you can sign up for a year for $25.00 and for every used book that you send them, they send you back a book.

We just got back from a lovely jaunt to L.A. We were invited to a grad party on Saturday and Sunday. To finish off our lovely weekend, Dale & I went to Ikea Sunday night to buy some more organizers for our kitchen. We also bought some cool bar stools. They have white covers (washable). Dale assembled them last night and S* has eaten on them for breakfast and lunch. Unfortunately, S*'s friend used his bar stool and the bar stool next to him as a NAPKIN after eating cherries. (Did I mention they have white covers?) It definitely shows....I was thinking they would be clean for longer than 4 hours. Yikes!

Day 4 of bliss

2008-06-12T19:13:00.000-07:00

I just finished 4 cards for the coaches of Zachary's team. I went to the scrapbook store and they had some amazing paper and chipboard accents. The cost for all my goodies: $12.55 which works out to roughly $3.183 a card. I still have extra goodies which I may or may not use. Ironically, I was perusing the new bobunny baseball paper with a woman who wanted to scrapbook for her grandson, who was on the Giants. I didn't bother to mention to her that the Giants beat us on Tuesday night. Anyway, I was trying to figure out how to put "Rockies" on the card. At first, I tried to mount my Rough Edges Alphabet. It took me 15 minutes to mount the first 3 letters. Then I tried to write "Rockies" with purple stickles, it just looked too corny. I ended up typing it in the computer and printing directly on the paper.

Scrabble: I'm currently playing a scrabble game with Lauri, my coworker and my mom through the website: bugcafe. It's a really fun way to keep in touch and hone your word (what three letter words really do exist?) skills. If you want to start your own game, you just need to create a username and password, click start a new game and invite someone with an email to play with you. I can handle scrabble and my blog during the summer. It is a little addicting...

Summer: I can't believe how many things I still need to do like laundry, manage my kid's cleaning their room, dishes, preparing meals, calling doctors, etc. I decided this summer I would get up between 6 and 7 rather than sleeping in so I had a chance to talk to Dale before he goes to work. I also get some quiet time before the boys get up and start planning our day. My boys and I did tennis lessons M/W. It was very fun!

I bought 2 books today. Careless in Red. I usually never buy hardcover books, but I adore this author. Her last book did not include her usual team of inspectors, but this one continues the saga of Inspector Lynley.

The other book I purchased was recommended to me, Kabul Beauty School. It's a memoir about an American woman who moves to Kabul, Afganistan to work in a beauty school. It looks like a great 2nd read if I finish Careless in Red.

Family Life: Scissors. I. Need. Them. Now. I remember vividly a mom (who has since moved to Florida) stating that she locked up her scissors and various other tools so that she could access them before they mysteriously disappeared. The missing scissors has been a topic in our household lately. Dale & I are stashing pairs in obscure places to locate them when we Need. Them.

Well, long post! There is a fire raging south of us in Chico and Paradise area, but the friends I know are all safe!

Thanks for stopping by!

Ribbon Storage

2008-06-09T12:10:00.000-07:00

Ribbon Ring (from their website)
refrigerator
stuffed already!
blurry oven, the cookies we baked were yummy!

So, I just purchased a "ribbon ring" to organize my ribbon. I got it at this website. I found it on craft critique which is such a great website. They review a lot of craft products. It could be dangerous to read because you end up wanting everything that they critique! I was looking up different storage options because I am try to rearrange items as I am unpacking. I have my ribbon in a ziploc bag which means I just buy more ribbon at the scrapbook store because the ziploc bag is too stuffed with ribbon remnants.

Watched Nadal & Federer. My summary: Federer doesn't like to slide. I totally could see Z* sliding.

Thanks for stopping by!

Appliances are installed...

2008-06-07T21:54:00.000-07:00

I'll load the pictures later of all of our new appliances. Dale and I actually had a conversation in the kitchen while the dishwasher was running. Usually the whole first floor is consumed with the sound of the dishwasher. (And we yell across the room to each other to no avail.) The refrigerator is sweet, but a tiny bit smaller than I had imagined (counter-depth did us in). And, no crushed ice... I convinced my kids to make us cookies tonight (and they did). The oven did not dry them out! yummmm! They are delightful. The only, er, problem is that the cookies oozed in the oven since we didn't really have enough flour, so we have already burned something in our oven. The microwave is sitting on the counter waiting to be mounted. We decided we need a taller cabinet so that the microwave isn't too high.

I am in total vacation mode right now, I even took Z* and company to frisbee golf today. It's been a bit windy, but the weather hasn't been too hot, so I am not complaining. Also, I got to watch the women's final for the French Open. I can't wait to see Federer and Nadal duke it out. (Sorry, you non-tennis folk) And, speaking of duking it out, Z* plays little league on Sunday. If we win, we play more, if we lose, the season is ended.

I'm excited because the next 3 weeks, I am "off" I hope to relax, clean out and organize and work out!

Thanks for stopping by!

The dishwasher is coming!

2008-06-05T11:57:00.001-07:00

Well, the most exciting news is that our appliances will be delivered tomorrow. I can't wait for that dishwasher. Of course, we are still eating on a card table, so it will be nice to get a table soon.

First card created: Here is the card I made on Tuesday. This is the first creation since my craft area was unpacked. I stayed up too late Tuesday night because I did a splitcoast stampers challenge.

Well, only 1.5 days of work!!!

Unpacking

2008-06-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

S*'s original creation!

Ready for a NEW dishwasher!
New 8" deep sink!
Lazy Susan corner cabinet!
Craft Area starting to take shape

Well, I want you to know that our living room looks empty... because all of the boxes are still packed! I started to unpack my craft area today which always proves to bring out those unfinished projects. I am chanting to myself, "If you haven't touched this project in 5 years, you will never touch it." While I was starting to sort and organize, S* made a card for his teacher, he got to use those brand new prima flowers that I bought last week.

I wanted to post some pictures of our new SINK, new cabinets, etc. The appliances are supposed to arrive in the store on Wednesday. We had the kids wash their dishes the last few days which was a little difficult. We will all be VERY happy when we get a dishwasher back! It's so nice to have all that counter space. In fact, I made 70% of the dinner Monday night! We had shrimp because every time S* is in S & S with me, he begs me to purchase shrimp. We sauteed butter, added garlic, red wine and simmered the shrimp in it. S* at first turned up his nose at the dish because of the wine (and what were we thinking anyway???!). Then he had one of those buttery morsels, and he was a believer. He was curious if he could get drunk on the wine.

Well, we are at the home stretch, I have 3 more days of work and then some time off!

Thanks for stopping by!

Happy Monday

2008-06-02T21:10:00.000-07:00

Well, I survived the weekend without Dale. I watched a lot of little league. Z*'s team is 1/2 of the way through the tournament. It's very exciting/tense.

Today was one of those wistful days. At the beginning of the year, I secretly decided that I was done working in the court school. It's a tough place to be with students constantly challenging your very existence. However, the fact that it's going to close in 3 days is just so sad. It's interesting how my feelings have shifted towards the school. It seems as if we are all floating towards Niagra Falls together which makes us appreciate each other and our work together so much more... I made plans with my class (3 students) to play tennis and go to Schubert's. My coworker came up with a plan that the students get a double scoop if they beat me, (this was to encourage participation). I'll let you know how it goes!

Well thanks for stopping by!

2008-05-30T23:33:00.000-07:00

Carnival, Graduation, end-of-the-year staff party.... I won at ping pong tonight, I'm thinking of changing sports. I hope to make a card this weekend, but all of the unpacking of my craft stuff is intimidating me.

6 more working days

2008-05-29T21:55:00.000-07:00

Well, I had to watch all of my French Open highlights tonight on the tennis channel.com. I was complaining... er...discussing the fact that I don't have cable to a coworker (to watch tennis), and he said, "Tennis channel.com does live streaming." Wow!

And, if you have noticed, I changed my "blog banner". I didn't think the picture of the kids in the snow really worked anymore, but it's hard to get them both looking at the camera at once. So... I'll be experimenting with my banner. There are some really awesome banners out there. I was looking at this one tonight. Some blogs play music when you click on their site, like this one. This always flags Dale that I am blurfin'

S* performed tonight in the class play. He was a riot! He alternated between playing with his tail and singing on the top of his lungs. It was fun to watch. (Lauri, I'm sure you were missed!)

8 more working days

2008-05-27T21:15:00.000-07:00

Dale took a few pictures at the tournament yesterday. This is a picture of Sima and I chatting, and then there is a picture of me serving.

So, no working sink tonight ... I took S* out to dinner. He talked my ear off the entire time when he wasn't studying the kid's booklet. He convinced me to go to Chili's which I have stopped going to because the service is usually really bad. I relented, but unfortunately, was keenly aware of any glitches in the service. (There was 4, but who's counting?) I told S* that we were going on a date. When we got home, he wanted to play a game with me. I was curious if giving S* attention just whetted his appetite for more? Interesting. I think I am still recovering from the tennis tournament because I am very tired.

I called my dad for perspective on all of my losses this weekend. He said that he made "Playing well" his goal rather than "Winning." Then I happened to mention that there was some controversy between my partner and I about line calls. Then my Dad (IN ALL SERIOUSNESS) told me which partner should call which line and why. I couldn't grasp it because I had arrived home at this part of the conversation and the boys were leaking out of the house to see Mom. I'll have to ask him again. My Dad is always good for a bit of wisdom!

So, I am yearning to make cards, but my desk is shoved against my craft desk and all of my stuff is still packed. I've asked Dale gently when he thinks my craft area will be available. I think the kitchen is the first priority right now. I mentioned that it would be a BUMMER if this weekend (when he is out of town) I couldn't craft anything. He agreed. Of course, the fact that I can't make any cards (easily) makes it so much more desirable.

And, I want to thank Lauri and my mom for coming out to support me during my tennis matches, thanks guys!

Thanks for stopping by...

Some more...

2008-05-26T21:06:00.000-07:00

I wanted to post a few more pictures. We got to see the "plastic bag" guy at the Schubert's Good Morning America visit. I also took a great picture of Z*. S* was refusing to be on my blog.

Final Kitchen update: Sink is in, but not fully functional yet. (We went out to eat for lunch and dinner again) Dale installed our temporary counter. We have no dishwasher...BUT we have 4 new appliances on order: microwave, refrigerator, stove and dishwasher. We actually still have our "rolling" dishwasher, but it won't fit in the space for the built-in dishwasher. I went with white appliances and not stainless steel because

(1) It was $500 cheaper;

(2) The stainless steel only comes with black accents that won't go very well with our white cabinets;

(3) It shows fingerprints more than white does;

(4) Dale wanted white.

It's interesting to note that I was really considering the stainless steel because my sister has them and most of the advertisements in magazines feature stainless steel appliances. Anyway, just in case you were like me and had never heard of "french-door" refrigerators, I uploaded a picture for you. The freezer is on the bottom, and the refrigerator has all sorts of cool features. We also purchased the refrigerator "counter depth" which means it will align with our counters instead of "sticking out." Ahh, the luxuries! We actually bought all of these appliances while on our date Saturday night!

Enough procrastinating, off to plan our week, hope you have a great one!

pics

2008-05-26T09:20:00.001-07:00

My mom and I got pedicures.

This is a picture of our new coiffed toes.

Kitchen with the cabinets starting to form.
Picture of Sima and I (my doubles' partner)
Picture of Dale & I eating breakfast on a

TV tray. The boys were eating in the living room with a TV tray.

I had a great time at the tennis tournament. I got to play 3 matches and we had a great time even though we lost (boo hoo!). I played tennis with Z* and S* this afternoon. I saw some dad/son combos at the tournament. Maybe next year Z* and I will be out there!
Thanks for stopping by!

Excitement Mounting

2008-05-23T23:01:00.000-07:00

Hey, I am VERY excited about being in a local tennis tournament this weekend. If it doesn't rain too much, I'll get to play Saturday, Sunday and Monday. Yippee! I asked my boys to consider watching me play for at least 10 minutes. I had to remind them of the HOURS that I spend watching them play baseball. Speaking of which the baseball tournament starts May 31st. Z*'s coaches eyes were gleaming when he talked about winning this time (apparently he's been real close twice).
Hey thanks for stopping by, if it rains a lot, I can post a few pictures. Dale has been working nonstop on the kitchen. He has installed most of the cabinets, now he needs to put in the sink and the drawers. The floor looks fantastic!
P.S. I just spent close to $100 on stamping stuff that I can't even open since all of my stuff is packed up. I also got the cutest ever prima flowers. They are print flowers... almost like old magazine pages cut into flowers.

Musings

2008-05-21T21:59:00.000-07:00

So, on Monday, I went to a "retreat" at our educational consultant's "ranch." For some reason, I was imagining movie-theather style seats, but it turns out he built a room above his garage. Anyway, he was mentioning how expository writing is so critical to student achievement and how nifty it would be if students would publish their own writing. And, then I thought,... my blog!! I like being published! Maybe I'll raise my achievement level.

I just finished, "Losing my Faculties" which was a very funny, poignant and biting book. I brought it to Z*'s surprise band performance (on to that in a minute). Anyway, sitting next to me, is another mom about to start her first teaching job at the Waldorf school. She was starry eyed and asked me what I thought of the book. Well, of course, I loved it, but I didn't know if I wanted to admit that to her, so I hemmed and hawed. The author basically details his teaching jobs and his ups and downs and how his experience with his students never is congruent with his experience with administration. It is definitely ruthless at points, and, how could I, with a smile on my face recommend it to a brand new teacher?

On to the performance... At exactly 7:20 a.m. today, Z* announces that "oh! I have a band thing tonight" Needless to say, May is very busy and I had tennis and Dale & S* had farm league. As I tried to explain scheduling to a 10-year old boy, he says, "I get it." I wonder sometimes the things that I attempt to explain in a very rational way to my sons. My voice did have a little bit of a irrational edge, though. I ran into his very cool music teacher at school and found out that Z* was up for an award, so we were in those metal folding chairs for 1.5 hours listening to all the music offerings at Hooker Oak.

So, thanks for stopping by! Continue to support Schubert's (we went there tonight and I got a Mt. Shasta, mmm!)

Home, Sweet, Home

2008-05-18T21:59:00.000-07:00

OK, it's way too late to be posting, but it's really great to be home again (even though we had a lovely time staying at my mom's). The varnish smell is around, but it's not too noticeable. We had a lovely picnic dinner al fresco on our card table (with a tablecloth) with various food items that could be scrounged up in our refrigerator and prepared with a microwave only. S*'s plate was by far the most eclectic: pancake, shrimp dumpling, small bowl of syrup and beef teryaki. Many of S*'s food items would accidentally "fall" into the syrup bowl, and I had to stop him from drinking the remainder of the syrup!!! Yikes!
CHICO MADE GOOD MORNING, AMERICA!
We already had our quota of sugar this afternoon because we got milkshakes at Schubert's (which is one of the 4 best ice cream shops in AMERICA). You can vote for them here. You can watch a video, too! Update: Z*'s head is in the video!! Apparently Good Morning America picked the four contenders. We will find out who the winner is on next Sunday. Z* got 2 coffee scoops and a chocolate scoop in his milkshake, S* got 2 mint chip and 1 chico mint in his, and I got mocha chip (all 3). Very filling, very yummy!

Now that I am home again, I will be posting pictures again because that's what's makes a blog so much fun. Tomorrow I will be spending my day in Zamora as an all day "retreat." Trader Joe's is on the menu for Monday night.

Thanks for stopping by!

Quick Note

2008-05-17T21:47:00.000-07:00

Well, we are still at my mom's because the varnish smell is way too strong. We can walk on it with our socks and have to be very careful (thanks for the comment Alicia). The floors do look beautiful. We had a rip roarin' baseball game and then grandma, S* and I saw Iron Man. It was PG-13, so I covered S*'s eyes at different points. He wasn't happy about me sticking my hand in his face. A lot of movies coming out this summer. The critics have TRASHED Speed Racer, but I still stand by m enjoyment of this flick. My boys want to see the new Indiana Jones movie which is coming out May 22nd.
We have been boiling over here...100 degrees.
Well, we're tired...but excited about how the kitchen is coming along!
Thanks for stopping by!

Best donut in the world

2008-05-14T21:43:00.001-07:00

So... one of my coworker has been talking about a "bacon donut" since I met him 4 years ago. When I saw it on the internet, I couldn't believe my eyes! It's from voo doo donughts in Portland Oregon.

Chico made national news today because our local ice cream shop was chosen as the top 4 in the nation (!). We had a scoop today with the rest of the city.

We are officially bunking at my mom's tonight, so I better get some sleep because the morning will probably take a little longer with a different kitchen. Dale says our floor looks great! (It stills smells bad, though)

Thanks for stopping by!

mother's day demolition

2008-05-11T20:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is Z* mowing his first lawn!! He is donating all of his profits from his fledging mowing business to endangered animals.

Well, the last of our cabinets are gone. Dale ended up having to saw them out. The boys and I left him struggling with a crowbar when we went to the movies to see Speed Racer. I really enjoyed the flick! Z* say he liked the special effects, but it didn't have much of a storyline. (He pretty much agreed with the critics.) I had to watch it because it was written and produced by the creators of the Matrix trilogy. I enjoyed every lavish minute of it, eye candy, predictable story and all! It was funny because I nixed Ironman because it was Mother's Day after all, then I run into another mom who was going into see Ironman with her son & husband.

I had a lazy Mother's Day. Our house is pretty much in disarray which makes it hard for me to do anything. Of course, I wanted to do everything that I couldn't do. I did wake up to blueberry pancakes made in the shape of 2 women. The boys made them for me. Very yummy! S* had to point out that it was his idea and that they couldn't use the heart cookie cutter because it was plastic. I did get to lay in bed and finish Dead Clever. What a fun ride! Dead Clever is the first in a series of British mysteries with a quirky, hip female detective. I want to read the next one, but they don't have them in the library.

Ode to our table:

you gave us a place to sit

we ate heartily

set you, cleaned up

solid, strong, up to 3 meals a day

you were there

spills galore, tablecloths after tablecloths

you withstood it all

we broke bread on you, passed food and did homework

may you do the same in another household

goodbye!

Saturday News

2008-05-10T14:20:00.000-07:00

I borrowed this art from Chico Sustainable's blog, it very appropriately describes the state of our house for the next 2 weeks.

Crafting news: Dale & I just boxed up all of my craft stuff, so I can't THINK about making cards until next week. The whole process made me extremely cranky because I was sorting through all of this half-started and half-organized projects. Also, I have so many boxes/baskets/drawers from my various attempts to organize my craft space. I woke up this morning wanting my ribbon to be organized because right now they are in ziploc bags. We are boxing up the downstairs area because Wednesday the floor guys will be sanding the living room and hallway and dust will surely be floating around.

Speaking of our floor guy, I just found out last night that I work with his sister at Four Winds. The last day with students at Four Winds was Friday. The Four Winds staff has a tradition of going to Quackers (a bar) after their day at the park with their students. The teachers were making plans for their summer, and I felt a little bereft. Then I realized, OH! They are off, I'm not! It should be an interesting schedule with one of my school's dismissed and the other 2 still in session.

We will be moving into my mom's house Wednesday night and returning to our house Sunday morning. We can walk on the floor with socks ONLY. Luckily, blogging is web-based, so I can post from whereever I am.

Table update: The guy from freecycle will be picking it up sometime today. I miss it now, just knowing that it will be gone.

Happy Mother's Day and thanks for stopping buy!

Memories

2008-05-07T21:09:00.000-07:00

This guy is crazy! painting on a week night!

It was fitting today that I was proctoring the exit exam for one of my very first students at NCCS. That first year was pretty crazy! I don't think I knew what I was getting into!

Grad update: Starting interview #7 tomorrow. I am planning on interviewing 3-4 students in Oroville next Friday. I'm getting there. My last 2 interviews were a little lackluster which slowed me down a bit...but I hope I am coming back.

Mom stuff: So yesterday I had 6 boys in my van ranging from ages 7-10. We were going to the baseball field! I had a flash forward to when the boys will be teenagers in a few years. I got to watch S*'s game which I haven't been as diligently watching as Z*'s game. S* isn't the fastest runner, in fact, he can barely outrun his ball, but I got him to look at the base and not his ball.

Kitchen update: We have wood in our living room. Dale is picking up the last of our cabinets on Saturday at Ikea in Sac. Next week the floor will be done. I can't wait! The first thing I said to Dale when I walked in this house almost 8 years ago is, "We have to replace that floor." So, then we will slowly replace our appliances. If you have done any research, please share it with me, I got bogged down with finding the "perfect" appliance!

Thanks for stopping by!

going, going, gone!!

2008-05-05T21:19:00.000-07:00

Yippee! In 34 minutes, I posted my china cabinet, table and chairs on freecycle and someone wants it. Freecycle has a posting board where you can post items that you want to give away for free. My table and chairs are going to a large family who wants a table that seats 10. I guess we will be eating on a card table. I actually had 3 people email me minutes after I posted the item. They have freecycle chapters all over the country!

birthday card + lunch lady

2008-05-05T17:34:00.000-07:00

Just a couple of pictures to share with you! I serve as lunch lady at one of the schools and I really wanted a picture of me with my hair net on! This picture was taken at NCCS in our classroom/lunchroom. My lunch service is coming to an end because NCCS is closing June 6th.

And, I am posting my card for Lauri's birthday because I did it 2 weeks ago (so I wouldn't stress out the night before), but I couldn't post it before her birthday celebration. I am thinking of buying my mother's day cards which feels like heresy. Maybe I can do it this week... I want to be a good mother and not be a wreck with my kids because I was making homemade mother's cards.

Thanks for stopping by!

Weekend is closing...

2008-05-04T19:25:00.000-07:00

Well, I had a very fun weekend, how about you? (Hi, Amy!) I got to play some serendipitous tennis. Dale did some work on the kitchen, and we got to celebrate my good friend's Lauri's birthday. First Joanne, Lauri and I played some games with the tennis pro, then we went to a delicious brunch! Yumm! Then off to Costco, Safeway and Bat Comics. Z* desperately needed some "Hero Clicks."

Yesterday, I cleaned the bathrooms thoroughly. I had S* help me with the downstairs bathroom. It's nice to appreciate one clean day with them! It's funny that I am obsessive about so many things, but I'm not obsessive about cleaning!

Kitchen: Dale patched up the door, so now we only have the sliding glass door. He is going to texturize it and paint it the this week. And, then...... May 12th, the floor guys are going to redo the kitchen floor and sand and re polish the living room and hallway. It's going to look great!

This morning I was thinking about bloggin' and I was composing a blog in my head, but I never got to post it. Hmm... I guess I am brain dead after shopping in Costo and Safeway and coming home to find out that we need butter!

Oh, I wanted to share my packing for Lauri's gift! I was using items that I already had in my house. I am attempting NOT to use wrapping paper anymore. Of course, I regifted the container from a gift that I received. It turns out that the gift was something that Lauri already had so we are crafting an alternate gift instead.

Well off to read for bedtime, thanks for reading and I am wishing you a great Monday.

bloggin' world

2008-05-01T22:27:00.000-07:00

So at work today, my coworkers were talking about a news story that had to do with a mom completely in the dark about her daughter in the basement with 7 kids. It turns out the dad was also the dad of all of the kids. I looked in amazement and befuddlement because, folks, I don't read the news. I contemplate this often: Should I get the ER? Should I read the news so I know what's going on? But I spend my news time reading blogs! I read a funny earth day commentary by Brendan Halpin... he's very tongue-in-check! Hop on over there unless you want to read about the 30-eyed squid instead. I "subscribe" to about 30 blogs, some being more prolific than others. Of course, I am always searching for the perfect blog... but, like friends, they all satisfy different parts of my brain. Speaking of the ER, I was motivated by this post to call ER to stop receiving my Market Value Place Mailer. Of course, spending 20 minutes sorting through my mail to find 3 shreds of useful info was also a big motivator.

I wish I could have taken a picture today. I wore my outfit inspired by the fashion show at the Omega Nu fundraiser. I felt like a million bucks! You'll probably see it though because I'll wear it once a week!

Well my schedule is set for next year: 3.5 days at Four Winds plus 1.5 days at Hearthstone (.75 Chico + .75 Oroville).

I had to post considering I checked my site statistics 4 times today. Why am I so obessive? Oh, that's right, I have obessive traits...
Thanks for stopping by!

A counting we will go...

2008-04-30T12:11:00.001-07:00

I just updated my counter on my blog because my first one died. Last time I looked it was at "444." I just got a more sophisticated counter which will not count my hits to the website. So, now I'll see if I am doing the majority of hits on my own blog. {smiley face} Of course, this new counter has site statistics which will be a huge timewaster! I can see how many first-time visitors, returning visitors (Hi Lauri!), busiest time of traffic, etc... They also have this really cool guestmap that you could add to your blog ~maybe after my master's thesis is done!

Grad Update: I spoke to my grad coordinator on Monday. We had a phone appt. at 1:30 p.m. I waited by the phone, then it was 1:31, 1:32...1:34. I just decided to call him, and he apologized profusely for forgetting about our phone appointment that took me 2 emails to set up. I asked him how I should read my interviews now that they are transcribed. He said I should view each one as a movie and review it. Then I should write down a maximum of 3 themes that emerge from each interview. Now to get motivated to do it!

Work News: I find out on Thursday {May 1st} what my school schedule will be for next year. I heard a rumor that I will be at one school, and I heard a more recent rumor that I'll be at 2 schools. I saw one of my prinicpals yesterday, and she wasn't spilling anything.

Rambling: Do you believe it's May already? I started signing up my kids for summer camps this week! I signed S* up for a Farm Camp at a local farm... I hope he likes it!

Question for you: What do you do with interesting tidbits of information that you read in magazines. Case in fact, I just read something about cool restaurants Portland in the "O" magazine, and I hate to lose that information. I was thinking of saving the page, but I have pages floating around that I never reference. Then I was thinking of making an excel spreadsheet, but then I thought it was way to obessive... Ideas? Thoughts?

Thanks for stopping by!

Wildflower 08

2008-04-29T12:55:00.001-07:00

I have been reading again lately. I finished Light on Snow by Anita Shreve this weekend. I have gotten into the habit of skimming fiction lately. So I wonder if I am reading or not. I started The Hours on Sunday, and I really like it. The author writes great descriptions of what depressed women are thinking. (I can identify with some of those thoughts!) It's a story of 3 women from different time periods. I watched the movie, but I don't remember how it all comes together in the end.

And....drumroll. Dale, Z* and I rode on the wildflower on Sunday. They offer 5 different bicycle routes. We did the 30 mile one which was all flat. Z* zoomed ahead and wants a road bike now. We caved in and got a jersey for him, even though his seahawks jacket is missing. We started planning next year. I would like to do the 65 miles, but I would have to train. We'll see if fantasy matches reality. We saw the Spanfelners on the way to Durham!

Kitchen... we have steps out to the patio. Dale built them Saturday while I was at Chico State pondering the lessons of lesson study!

Blog Candy

2008-04-23T22:02:00.001-07:00

Most of the blogs I read are written by SU demostrators, and they sometimes offer blog candy... What is blog candy? From what I can tell they encourage posts and then randomly pick winners. I was thinking of offering "blog candy" as a celebration of 1,000 visits. The site, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman offer $500 gift cards to Amazon for some of her "blog candy." Of course, she has between 300-500 comments per post. Her blog is very entertaining, I'll have to say, though. Anyhooo... you can leave a post on My Life's inky escape and more to get some blog candy! Her drawing is Friday!

So I just bought this book from Amazon. It's written by the same author of "It Takes a Worried Man." He is writing about his experiences as an English teacher, and I like reading memoirs of teachers (so I don't think I am crazy.)

So, I was a little extra bossy today. I think being the STAR test coordinator has gone to my head a bit! Tomorrow is the last day of regular testing and then Friday I will be in a meeting all day at Chico State learning about Lesson Study. My quick synopsis of lesson study is: Research-Implement-Reflect-Revise-Redo (RIRRR?) with the last 3 R's going for as many iteriations as needed. I am excited because they have the top researcher in Lesson Study, Dr. Catherine Lewis as the speaker. Yes, I can talk academics in the breath after talking about blog candy!

On another note, I made the cutest card yesterday! I am going to try to make my mother's days cards this weekend ~ I am lusting after a tennis backpack for Mother's Day, but I can't decide if I should hint too much....

Thanks for stopping by!

Earth Day

2008-04-22T20:52:00.000-07:00

Happy Earth Day!

So, I stole the whole "earth day" from another blogger because I just plain forgot. I feel like my biggest contribution against plastic reproduction is using my klean kanteen. I thought about buying one for 1 year. I bought it about 3 months ago, and I am happy with it. It's a little heavy, but it doesn't smell like plastic and it's reusable!

Here is my baby card that I made for one of my coworkers! It was so fun to make. It's hard to see, but the trim has polka dots on it.

So, did you anything for earth day? Leave me a post and let me know if you celebrated!

Thanks for visiting!

Kitchen pictures

2008-04-21T07:41:00.000-07:00

The sliding door is installed! We had a BUSY weekend with little league, tennis, stampin' party, door installing and then fun stuff like grocery shopping. (And, at Winco, a woman told me (jokingly) that she hated me because I don't dye my hair. I'm a little stressed out this week because I am the STAR test coordinator for NCCS. (Wish me luck)

(Sorry pics are out of order and one is upside down - but I'm in a rush!)

Thanks for stopping by!

cardmaking!

2008-04-16T22:29:00.000-07:00

I had to share this card I am about to copy for a baby shower on Friday for one of my coworkers. Wish me luck! I think this card is so darn cute!! It's posted on my friend Heide's blog.

Kitchen update: our new sliding glass door is at Home Depot!

Master's Update: finished interview #4, start interview #5 tomorrow. My grad advisor actually called me on Monday, and we had a great chat, but I guess I was talking too fast because he wrote in an email to me: "I just sometimes feel like I have to corral your mind as it does spin fast. " But no matter, I'm almost half way there, and I had students asking me when I was going to interview them (SCORE!) My mom is going to transcribe my interviews for me which took me all night to install software, upload sound files, find said files, copy them to a CD and, of course, beg Dale to come help me out when I got warning messages.

Thanks for stopping by!

Tax Day

2008-04-15T21:11:00.000-07:00

This is a card that I made from a "sketch for you to try" I found on a blog. I actually didn't do any stamping because I used my rub-on set. Very fun!

I just finished a big birthday weekend. S* turned 8 and had 5 boys over to celebrate. He planned the whole party. I couldn't really relax until it was over (Sunday at 3:00 p.m.), and then I was just exhausted. My mom and friend also had a birthday last weekend.

I signed the family up for the Wildflower bike ride on April 27th. We are going to do the 30 mile ride. I told Z* that we need to get out there and practice. He informed me that he didn't need any practice because 30 miles is nothing. So, I made him do a ride Saturday night with me to Eastside Little League (4.8 miles). It was a little warm, but we did fine. I always have images of Z* and I having these really deep and revealing conversations while we are riding together, but didn't happen on Saturday. S*, on the other hand, is NOT happy about this family event. He is going to ride on the tagalong with Dale.

I saw a great play Monday night put on by Hearthstone (one of my schools). They did Romeo and Juliet. I nearly fell in love with Romeo myself, he was so believeable. It was a great production. The kids sat through the whole thing, so I am wondering if we are ready to go to Ashland to see more Shakespeare.

Well, no pics, just baseball fever. Z* got to pitch tonight which was exciting ot watch!
Thanks for stopping by!

Terrific Thursday

2008-04-10T19:06:00.000-07:00

This is the album (girls and boys)that I am listening to everyday. Ingrid Michaelson. It's a mixture of pop & folk with her great vocals. I would highly recommend it!

Well... tonight I went to bb game #1 and skipped bb game #2 to come home and make blueberry muffins for S*'s class party tomorrow. I'm blogging because blogging and blueberry both start with b's and I wanted to upload some pics. The picture is of us playing Settlers of Catan. Usually when you play with adults it takes about 2-3 hours, but I think it took us 4ish hours spread over Sunday, Monday & Tuesday night. S* won the game after some encouragement. I don't think he wanted the game to end, so he took a while to make the winning move.

I played tennis last night. I was surprised I was able to hit the ball because I was so tired. Once I started playing though it woke me up. I was thinking that sports psychologists must do research on the dynamics of doubles' partners. Maybe I should get my master's in sports psychology! I noticed that when I play with a "better" player I tend to slack off a bit and have a hard time "getting into the game" because I am afraid I will make an error. Now that I have admitted that to the blogging world, I feel much better.

I found out that one of my (ex) students was in the paper today. The strange thing is that she allegedly stole a car and I saw her in school on Monday. I saw her with car keys, and I was curious, but she walked out claiming she had a "personal" day. Very sad.

To end on a happier note, I had a fabulous math day! I was working with a student on an exit exam problem and she had a break through with me. There were 2 other things, but it would take too much verbiage to explain. Maybe another post, another day!

Thanks for visiting! Off to make blueberry muffins!

Quick Note

2008-04-10T07:40:00.000-07:00

Should I blogging before work? No, but I have so many things to share with you. I wore my new necklace yesterday from the luncheon and loved the look. I couldn't help but solicit affirmation from my coworkers. The responses ranged from: Yes, that looks nice! to Why are you showing off a piece of jewelry to me? We went to see the Chico science fair offerings yesterday afternoon. I ran into a teacher friend of mine, and her son turned in 2 projects. He had been working on one since the fall. One was an elaborate catapult that was constructed out of a kit (scale: 1/20). It was pretty amazing. She is already planning for next year when her son is in 6th grade because if he gets first place his project will go on to the state science fair. Both Z* and I got a little jealous-inspired. Z* started planning his project for 2009. Check with us in 3 months! He built a really cool marble track with recycled materials. I'll post a picture later.
Happy early birthday mom!
Thanks for visiting!

What shape are you?

2008-04-06T21:08:00.000-07:00

I attended a luncheon that was sponsored by Omega Nu on Saturday. At the luncheon they had a boutique of handmade items and Amy and I bought necklaces. Amy was a model during the fashion show part of the luncheon. Teresa Morisco, the speaker talked about what to wear depending on your shape. She has a blog with wardrobe tips! It turns out that I am a triangle. It was a great way to spend Saturday afternoon after Z*'s first baseball game. Today was a slow day, I felt like I was attacked by allergies. I played tennis, rested and then played Risk (3.5 hours) with S* and Z* while I made chocolate peanut butter chip cookies. Z* was so enthusiastic because he was winning. At one point S* was crying because he was not winning. After dinner, we played Settler's of Catan for about an hour, we'll have to finish it tomorrow. Settler's is usually a 2-3 hour game it combines elements of risk with monopoly.

Can't Wait!

2008-04-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Nothing much has happened except elaborate arrangements for bb practice at 5:30 and a bb game at 6:30 p.m. We have 2 on Saturday too. The weather has been absolutely perfect. My best news of the day, however, is that I have scheduled a doubles match on Sunday, and I found 3 people who could come! Stupendous!
thanks for stopping by!

Interviews

2008-04-02T17:11:00.000-07:00

This is a belated picture of the homemade noodles (scroll down).

So, I'm interviewing students for my master's thesis project. I am basically looking for themes in my disenfranchised student's dark mathematical past. I finished my first interview today. I offered $3 in Dutch Bros. gift certificates for returning parent permission forms. And, I'm offering a burrito if they complete the interview. It should cost me a total of $60, but that's a small price to pay. I also bought a VERY cool digital tape recorder which records audio files that you can upload to your computer. I am starting interview #2 on Friday before work. Of course, interviewing students before work, going to work and then running to little league is a little tiring.... Everyone asks me how many students that I need to interview. Hmm... It's not like I can ask my grad coordinator this question since he wants me to do it for the love of the project not for the menial details like the number of interviews. I am shooting for 6-8 usable interviews, so I am planning on interviewing as many kids are willing. Just the fact that 2 students have turned in permission forms is encouraging. I guess I am encouraged that I have actually started the process. I see an end in sight, and, if all goes according to plan, I could be finished by Summer 2009. The excitement is building!

And, speaking of excitement, we ordered our kitchen door on Saturday. We decided on the sliding glass door with blinds in between the glass. I was having a fashion vs. function moment at Home Depot, but when I saw how we could control the light coming into our kitchen, I decided to go with the blinds. I was thinking, "What if the door looks tacky?" And then it occurred to me that I am NOT living in House Beautiful. Martha Stewart does not visit us on a regular basis. There is a lot of light that comes through the window when there are no leaves on our tree.

And, on to recipes, Lauri, I would love that lasagna recipe (I am starting a collection). Dawn has posted a family heirloom recipe for homemade cinnamon rolls on her blog: Check it out! (Dawn is a virtual friend, I read her blog). Speaking of blogs, it looks like my friend Jillian is going to start one. Who's NEXT? I figured out how to subscribe to the feeds of blogs so that I know when the author has updated their blog. I have about 5 that I really like to read. I would really love to read yours! I found that someone writes a Chico, Sustainable blog. He/she just listed all of the reasons to shop at Chico Natural foods. I guess it's time to pretend that I'm interested in helping with dinner. Thanks for stopping by!

breaking news

2008-04-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Grad news!
I got my approval this morning from Chico State, and I started my first interview this morning!
Yippee!

Homemade Noodles

2008-03-31T17:13:00.000-07:00

So... I haven't let Dale make lasagna for the last 6 months because I didn't like it. So, we tried out a new (time-intensive) recipe. Dale was the operations manager and I was the creative director. We got our recipe out of How to Cook Everything which I would recommend to anyone. So, Mark Bittman, recommends that you make homemade noodles to make the pasta bolonesge style. So, Dale was willing to make them and he made a meat sauce in the slow cooker. I made the bechmal sauce, and Dale assembled it with freshly grated parmesan cheese from S & S ($11.00). So Dale layered the noodles, behmal sauce (white sauce), meat sauce, and parmesan sauce. I'll have to say it was by far the most delicious lasagna I've had. Mmm! I took some for lunch today.

And, I was recovering this weekend from finishing my book Thursday and Friday night. I realized, upon further reflection, that I finished it so quickly because another teacher had told me on Tuesday that she finished the book in 4 days. So, my first thoughts were: "Phew! I'm glad I don't do that any more! Why rush a book and stay up too late when I could pace myself? I am so glad that at my age I understand the value of self-discipline and rest." Also, when I read in bed, Dale wants me to turn the light off at a reasonable hour. However, Thursday and Friday night I was on the couch to all hours finishing the book ravenously. Weird, huh? It' that streak of getting away with something, but all it meant was that I had to take a 2 hour nap on Saturday.

Happy Friday

2008-03-28T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well, we made it to Friday. I'm missing my mom because she's in Sammamish with my sister. I know they are having all of this "talk" time. This is a picture from Easter last week.
The picture of the boys is when I had them help me make dinner Monday. S* is making a frittata. I let him have some creative control, determining the amount of ingredients in the frittata. We had sausage, broccoli & pasta. Z* chopped the strawberries for strawberry shortcake. (This was on a day I was NOT working.) S* was checking out the cookbook for the next frittata: bacon and sausage.

This is a card I made for my boss for helping push through my paperwork for my master's. Don't you love that ribbon? I am hoping to make a baby card this weekend because my coworker's granddaughter is scheduled to be born tomorrow. I just got a cute baby stamp, and I can use PINK paper (always a thrill.) Well, last night, I read 400 pages of "The Pillars of the Earth" and stayed up until 2 a.m. So I didn't get up and do pilates, but tomorrow for sure!!
Thanks for visiting today and have a great weekend!

Thursday - BB #3

2008-03-27T21:54:00.001-07:00

Just took Z* to little league this afternoon. This is practice #3 of the week, tomorrow will be #4. Z* asked me in his most sincere voice tonight if I was going to work part time next year. I said no. It pains me because he is getting too old for his afterschool program and what's a mom to do? So I have been beset with worries about the next school year...after 2 days of perfect bliss brought on by vacation and pilates. I should have taken a picture of Z*, though, he got his hair cut tonight. When he was at practice today, he would take his cap off and shove all his hair back and putting the cap back on. Then we estimated the wrong size of the shirt because minor's shirts are cut differently than t-shirts. So his shirt kept falling his shoulder to show off his collarbone. He was not the most fashionable baseball player today. One of the coaches who refer to Z* by his last name makes many unabashed comments about his hair. So... at dinner we decided that we would get his bangs cut, so at least he could see the ball. Since I beset by afore mentioned worries, Dale offered to leave the house. So Z* came back with a short haircut (not super short). In hindsight, I wish I left the house so I could have controlled the style of haircuts. I don't even recognize him, but I like seeing his face again. Z* is already planning on growing it out again. It actually makes him look younger which I would never say in my outside voice. I'll post a picture later when I have recovered my sunshinyness. (Before picture with his locks)

Grad update: BCOE faxed their approval to Chico State...getting warmer!

Did you know they are planning a "green" high school for Chico in 2010? Who knew? check it out on their website. There is a meeting next week.

Kitchen update: We are ordering our sliding glass door this weekend and basically waiting until May for our floors to be redone. We are also getting our entry way sanded and refinished. I can't wait, it will look so much better!

Little Chicoism: I met my cardio instructor's wife the day after my class when I was buying a custom length of theraband for my new pilates exercises. It was a little dicey because I wanted 7 feet and they sell it by the yard..Alas! math teacher to the rescue!

And I met a mom from S*'s farm team who is taking prealgebra to enter the dental hygienist program. She needs a 3.5 just to enter the program. I told her I would help her if she needed it, and she looked at me closely, "What do you teach??" She also told me about a book, The Secret. Of course I am in page 230 out of 900something of my Pillars book, I'm trying to pace myself. Off to bed!

Thanks for visiting!

Grad Update

2008-03-24T22:13:00.000-07:00

Well, thanks to my Mom, I was able to get a lot of stuff done for my master's thesis. I met with Yuichi to sign my application. I met with Chris at the department to join my committee, and I dropped off my application at the Human Subjects Committee. Keep your fingers crossed that it will go for a short review rather than the full board on 4/4. Yuichi used the metaphor of a garden of how I should "tend" my master's. I should be visiting it everyday. Does he have kids? tennis to play? work to do? Anyway, I was moderately inspired and hopefully that will help with my procrastination tendencies.

And, I hope your Easter was fun. We did our 2nd annual bike ride to grandma's house for Easter lunch. Last year Sean cried for about 10 minutes straight on the ride with passerbys staring at us torturing Sean. This year we only had 2 mini tantrums. The lunch was delicious, and the weather was stupendous. The park was so beautiful. Nothing like Spring Green...

Well, I'm off to bed and back to work tomorrow!

Day x of Spring Break

2008-03-22T11:06:00.000-07:00

Hi, this blog entry is dedicated to Lauri. She told me that she couldn't quite make it through 3 days without an entry. I realize being home with kids and then doing things with kids is a) tiring; b) fun; c) antiblog. Anyway, I have so much to share! So here is a summary of spring break:

Frisbee Golf

Fribee Golf

Frisbee Golf

Seeing Juno

Playdates

Private classes in Pilates

Assembling a LOT of stamp sets
Working on my master's (of course!!)

So, Jillian introduced us to frisbee golf on Tuesday, and Z* thought it was the best thing since... mud. Apparently, they had just opened a small course (9 holes/poles) in Bidwell Park. So we went everyday and then we tried out the "real" frisbee golf course on Friday. There is no map, so you just wander around looking for clumps of rocks with spray painted numbers on them. I invited my mom, and she was the only one up for going out of order. M*, Z*, S* and I thought it was downright sacriledge. We did get some help from friendly golfers. It was an absolute gorgeous day! My only connection to frisbee golf is all of the editorials I used to read in the local paper, the Enterprise Record. There is a raving controversy about the course. I think it's ironic because they mow down field and natural areas for homes all the time.

I finally got do a challenge on Splitcoast Stampers. I usually read them and salivate, but I usually don't have time to do them. This is from the sketch challenge for this week. I am having so much fun creating in my new larger craft area. I need to spend time organizing it, but it will have to happen in stages. I can't wait to try out my new stamp sets!

I also updated my library on library thing. After 200 books, you have to pay a subscription to list any more books. Why did Dale have to walk in the room when I was spending $12, so I could list more books on my virtual library? Of course, the competitive side is coming out in me, and I am wanting to read books so I can list them in my library. I made it through 100 pages of Pillars of the Earth (1/9 of the book is completed!)

I guess I have to blog about Pilates. This all started about a year ago when multiple people told me that I should do Pilates. So my podriatrist (in December) recommended that I go to pilates to work through my back pain since physical therapy was only making it worse. So, I hurt my shoulder in the meantime, but it's getting better and I thought this would be the ideal week to sign up for pilates. I am going to a studio that requires 4 "privates" before you can go to the classes. This is really good for me, since I am a)inflexible; b)clueless about my body; c)inflexible. So I went to 2 classes last week with the owner, Beth. She is from the South and very friendly and basically did a form of wellness "therapy" and assessed me. The only good thing about my body is that my knees are good and my large muscles are strong. The rest is a MESS! So, of course, I desperately need Pilates IMMEDIATELY! And, then, of course, I didn't really ask about the exact cost of the privates because when we talked in December it was $45, but now it's $55. Yikes! Anyway, I am thinking of starting in June because I am afraid if I add it now it might distract me from my master's...or maybe it would make me feel better? I don't know what to do. She just sent out an email about starting a 6 a.m. class on Tues/Thurs... Leave me a comment if you have any thoughts that would help.

Breaking news on my master's: my grad advisor is signing off my application on Monday, and I should get permission from my district on Wednesday, so that means the real work starts!

Well, thanks for visiting and have a Happy Easter!

Day 1 - Spring Break

2008-03-17T22:19:00.000-07:00

I made this card based on a card that I received from Kathy S. It was simple and quick, but fun. I just sold my first card via paypal. I was telling my sister how much I loved my tinkerbella card, but I didn't know anyone who had a birthday in March.

She did, and offered to buy it!

I hope everyone had a great weekend. My Dad & Melanie came out to visit. We went to the park both days and played frisbee and track ball. Melanie & I went shopping at Chico's. They tried to get me to try on some "Spanx" They are basically a girdle. I said no 3 times, but finally relented. Melanie pointed out that women's lib put a stop to wearing foundation garments. Anyway, I couldn't pull the girdle past my knees, so I gave up. No smooth lines for me! You can buy them at Nordstrom's. I did have a lot of fun shopping even though the sales team outnumbered Melanie and I. After we went shopping, Melanie, Dad, Dale & I went to Red Tavern for dinner. They serve all local food with interesting terms like: nibs. The chocolate dessert had "cocoa nibs" on it. Sitting at the table next to us were the parents of S*'s best friend from preschool. Apparently the dad is working on a committee to build a "green" high school in Chico. One major highlight is that Melanie picked up "Breakthrough Tennis" for me at the book sale at the library for 25 cents. (even though it was written .25 cents!) And! I had a breakthrough...hopefully it wasn't a fluke!

So I just finished my first day of vacation with my kids. S* stated at 9:38 a.m. that he was bored. Of course, they woke up and made homemade delicious waffles for breakfast, so they could have only went downhill from there!

Good morning!

2008-03-14T07:51:00.000-07:00

I saw this picture last night, and I had to share because the model reminds me so much of Zachary! It must be the style. And, I am posting this morning because I was able to rewrite some of my interview questions this morning at 5:30 a.m. It took me 15 minutes to get out of bed, 10 minutes to locate materials and 9 minutes to rewrite the questions. So, it took me 7 days to find 9 minutes. Wow! My sister had a great idea to help motivate me. She said I should use a carrot for each little part that I get done. It's ironic that I am using the same system for my boys, but it's always harder when you are trying to motivate yourself. Thanks for stopping by, and happy Friday!

Quick Note

2008-03-13T12:19:00.000-07:00

It's been a busy week, especially since I am busy procrastinating about rereading my interview questions for my master's. I printed them out and am taking them to little league practice today, so I can look at them.
So, I met with my work book club on Tuesday at Upper Crust where we discussed Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I am surprised how many changes we made in our lives after reading the book. My biggest changes are shopping at S&S, going to the farmer's market and hiding all of the prices of my pricey food from Dale. I don't think I am going to give up bananas, though, check with me in 6 months. Barbara Kingsolver refers to bananas as the "Hummer of fruits." I am also on the fence about Organic milk since it's twice the price. One of our members has starting drinking raw milk (!) One member ordered a cheese kit online to make her own mozzarella. There is a whole section in the book about canning tomatoes from the farmer's market (check with me in July).
But the biggest news is that I had a rockin' Stampin' Up party and am getting $95 in merchandise and 6 stamp sets. I can't wait!
We started our first little league practice for S* yesterday. There were a lot of boys from his school and they looked cute. Dale is going to be the assistant coach with another Dad from the team.
And I played doubles for 2.5 hours last night, and I won 1 set and lost 2 which was so much better than losing 3! I got a couple really good smashes in which is the fun part of doubles. So I am feeling some of my muscles today.
And to continue in my computer time as incentive saga... the kids have to completely get ready for bed by 8:20 p.m. with no reminders at all. For every minute that they have to get ready after 8:20 p.m., they are penalized 5 minutes of computer time. (This is a good way to teach ratios!) So Tuesday night, S* was still in the shower and Dale said, "I have to remind him, he doesn't realize how long he's been in the shower." I said, "Absolutely not, the penalty is supposed to work, so that he figures out how long he is supposed to shower without a parent nagging him." Dale got up from the couch, sat down, got up again, and just when he was about to remind Sean....Sean came out of the bathroom! Of course, Dale & I have to remember if they lose computer time which is another thing altogether. I am trying this because we had gotten into the habit of reminding the kids constantly of every step to get ready for bed. It really breaks up the whole evening when you are focusing on what they are supposed to be doing. Dale & I might actually be able to have a conversation!
Thanks for stopping by!

Bella

2008-03-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

So, I've been "oogling" this stamp company for almost a year, but they require acrylic blocks.

This is a whole new system of stamps, so I've been warming up to the idea. This stamp is called "Tinkerbella" (You can see all the bella stamps on the bella website). They even have grumpybella! Anyway, I ordered 2 bellas in February and just got them a week ago, but I had a Stampin' Up party Friday night which inspired many things. Dale and I moved the futon out of the office and into the playroom. We added a 6 foot table to my craft area, but the best part is that if someone is on the computer, they won't bump into me while I'm craftin'! Also I was so inspired after the party I was dying to make a card!

We got our bed yesterday, and I can't stand the new mattress smell. In fact, I wake up with the taste of chemicals in my mouth. So I am sleeping on the futon tonight. I miss a few things about my waterbed, but I know I'll get used to it... stay tuned for the sleepnumber bed saga.

Comments??! Feel free to leave a comment, I love to hear from you! Just click on comments, and if you don't want to sign in, just leave an anonymous comment. You can sign your name in the comment body so I know who you are. Thanks for stopping by!

Online Libraries Abound!

2008-03-06T21:34:00.000-08:00

Hi! I just have gotten reacquainted with library thing. You can sign up to review books on their blog! I almost signed up, but, no, I am working on my thesis, so I don't need another item to distract me right now. But I was thinking of you, my faithful reader. Maybe you want to sign up to review books, sounds fun, huh? Anyway, you can catalog all of the books you've read on library thing. Then, you can enjoy surfing through other people's "online" libraries. If you click on "my library" to the right, you can see all of the books I catalogued so far.

I finally finished Animal, Vegetable, Miracle last night! Wow! That was such an amazing book. The ending of the book was so fitting when Barbara K. realized that her turkeys might procreate. Turkey procreation does not occur naturally among the majority of turkeys in our modern world. I learned, among other things, all of our butterball turkeys multiply by way of artificial insemination.

My creative brain has taken a vacation since I've been sick the past few days. So for family news: S* is on a farm little league team! Z* is doing a science project that is coming together...he did the mentos + diet coke experiment. I am about to embark on Pillars of the Earth as my next book.

2008-03-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

Well, I was blog browsing (I'm sure there is a more hip term for that), and I ran across a link for a tutorial to make girl skirts on How About Orange. (There was a list of other things you could make with fabric.) So I clicked on the link, and it had very clear, easy to read, step-by-step instructions. So, I just had to share! Especially since a) I can't sew worth a bean; b) I don't have a girl. Just seeing it, though, made me want to make one. Maybe you too? Just click on skirt tutorial and voila! You're there! It's part of the Grand Revival blog. Let me know if you make one, so I can drool.

Anyway, I am posting during work hours because I have this real yukky body ache/congestion thing. I am OK when I lie down or sit, but not stand, so I decided to stay home. I only had to make 20 calls to make this happen (I'm not kidding.) I am going back to bed after my post. Last night I was in bed after I nearly killed my family for not understanding that mommy was NOT feeling well. I finished "It Takes a Worried Man" last night. It was a very honest, sarcastic, tongue-in-cheek, funny and touching memoir. I thought the funniest parts were when the author would talk about certain musicians and what he thought of their music. I would highly recommend it. I am definitely in a memoir phase of reading. (Maybe I should write one?)

Blogging Update

2008-03-02T21:57:00.000-08:00

Hi! My good friend's (Ellen) husband just started a blog, Mr. Dad, hop on by to take a peek! This is the 3rd blogger I know personally! Welcome to the club!

Ahh! A surface clean

2008-03-02T19:59:00.000-08:00

Well, I did a little cleaning this weekend. I cleaned the upstairs bathroom, and the boys "cleaned" the downstairs bathroom (*wish I had a picture*). I have written extensive instructions which S*, of course, reads and follows. My favorite part today was cleaning of a little piece of counter that has had clutter on it since it has been installed. (I won't mention where the clutter has found a home!) It brought me joy to see a clean surface if only for minutes. In one of more maniacal moments, I've thought of posting pictures of how surfaces should look around the house.

This morning:
1. Trying to go grocery shopping before picking up Z* at 10:00 a.m....... stressful
2. Going to Safeway instead of Winco to save time.................$25.00 more
3. Seeing one of my graduate committee member at Safeway...............meant to be

Grad progress:
I need to get permission from my district, but I am not sure from whom. I am starting my first pilot interview tomorrow, even though I have been nervous about it all day.

I started 3 books simultaneously this weekend:

(1) It Takes a Worried Man, which is a diary/memior of a husband whose wife has been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer - I like it, but I don't know if I'll make it through the intense medical stuff;
(2)Tuesdays for Morrie which is a sports writer detailing his visits with one of his professors who is dying - A little condescending, but motivational and easy to start/stop;
(3)Queen of Dreams by Chitra Divakaruni is a story about an 2nd generation Indian woman in Northern California - So good so far.

My book club is meeting next week to discuss AVM, we've spent 2 months on it.

Sunshine, sunshine

2008-03-01T21:27:00.000-08:00

Well, the sun was out for the past few days and it has been marvelous. I've been in housecleaning mode especially since I can't find my graduate plan. I am trying out a new system where the boys can play on the computer if the playroom and their room is clean. So, I have NEVER seen the playroom cleaned up so quickly! I'm ambivalent about all of that computer time, but I am experimenting with it until I find the perfect solution. (or, good enough?) So, I was thinking I could also add various chores... folding laundry, cleaning the bathroom, etc.

So, today we were at S & S buying lunch meat when S* saw the shrimp and announced that he wanted to buy some shrimp. So he picked out the shrimp that was intended for salad. I did ask where the shrimp came from, but the butcher said, "Good question." So we made shrimp salad for dinner, but the recipe we picked was a little to heavy on the dressing, so we made up for it by having carmel popcorn for dessert. And, I found out from 2 moms this week that they cried when S* sang, "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" during his share time. Apparently he was conducting the class so they could only sing with him during the chorus.

Z* started minor league practice on Thursday, and they worked him hard. He seemed tired out, but he didn't have any sore muscles the next day. Friday was a hard day for me becuase Thursday night (after practice), I mixed some cosmos wrong, so they were VERY strong. Hope you are all having a great weekend, and thanks for stopping by!

Saved by women

2008-02-26T20:02:00.000-08:00

So... the phone rings at 6:30 p.m. A mom is asking about the homework tonight. Apparently, Z* and his classmates had to watch the debate between Obama & Clinton. When I said debate, (on the phone) Z* had a look on his face like, "I could've had a V8!" I had the impression that the assignment had laid dormat in his brain since 1:00 p.m. I was trying to find the debate on TV, so I called Lauri and got the information. So, if you didn't have cable there was a live feed on http://www.msnbc.com/. Anyway, Z* logged on and watched the debate, without a glitch. He was blissfully unaware how many people helped him complete his assignment. Thanks to all of the women.

I wanted to let my 5 faithful readers know that I am forcing myself to do my graduate stuff first, then blog (if I have time). I made the decision at 2:00 p.m. on Monday to push forward with my master's.
Since October, I have thought about the following possibilities:
1) Stopping the master's altogether, becoming a meter reader
2) Revising and/or changing my thesis because I have to interview my students before June 7th when the school closes
3)Postponing my thesis and taking a math class only this summer
4)Taking this summer off because my kids will say in 20 years, my mom spent too much time working on her master's and that they will be forever damaged/lost/depressed/___________.

I have talked to many of you, and I appreciate all of your advice, thoughts and suggestions. Louise in December told me that I should be interviewing students during my lunch hour, for god's sake and get it over with! So I have been mulling this information over for 60 days, give or take an hour. I called my advisor, Yuichi, at Chico State and he answered the phone at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. He told me to send him a timeline in 24 hours and he'll look at it, as long as it was detailed enough. (He should read my blog!) So the current thinking is that I am close to 1/2 way through and I should interview the students while I can. (The original plan was to interview students in the summer.) The first step is I need to get permission from EVERYONE (in writing). Of course, my immediate dilemma is that I can't find my graduate program that 2 committee members already signed off. So, wish me luck!

Thanks for visiting!

Quick Post

2008-02-24T21:30:00.000-08:00

The first picture is of our old wall cabinet and the second picture is our new wall cabinet that Dale installed today. It's hard to see that much of a difference in the picture, but the new one looks great! That cute blue tile will be demolished too. Our next step is to meet with the floor guy (tomorrow!). Before we get the new floor, Dale will be installing a sliding glass door.

It was a pretty slow day... brunch at Cafe Coda, a nap, avoiding Winco, shopping at Winco, going out to dinner, watching the academy awards with my family, eating too many cookies, folding laundry with Dale. Now I am dying to see Juno (the movie). I am hoping the rain was making me sleepy because I was really tired all day. We did see a bit of sun peeking through around 5:00 p.m. I can't believe daylight savings is 2 weeks away! Z*'s little league practices started yesterday. I went to a school fundraiser and won 1 month of piano lessons at the silent auction. I hope S* is willing to give it a whirl!

Last night I made some quick, cute cards from a template from How About Orange. You just print out the template of the stems (2 to a sheet). You can find it here. Each card I did a little differently. The sample on the blog was with buttons only.

Well, Monday is lurking.... hope everyone has a good week, and thanks for stopping by!

Bloggin' USA

2008-02-22T21:33:00.000-08:00

So... I picked this cartoon up from the blog, How about Orange. We have a busy, windy weekend coming up. Dale is demolishing another cabinet, so I'll take a picture of the next cabinet. This morning was the 3rd time this week that I walked with my mom at 5:30 a.m. in the morning. I keep mentioning this to my coworkers to impress them. (I don't think it's worked.) I got to work with the kindergarteners again. It's wild and fun at the same time. They all have mini white boards, and I try to ensure that the markers stay on the boards not on their neighbors. Dale made the pizza dough from Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. This is the recipe. It was very yummy...

Turnin' Thursday

2008-02-21T20:00:00.000-08:00

Well, Dale kept on trying to talk to me while I was checking out blogs... so he finally ended up reading a book that I got for him: Atlantis. I want to read it too, it's written by an underwater archaeologist. I always encourage reading in my family.

Speaking of reading, I am on page 236 of A,V, M... The latest information to note was that many wild turkey strains are going extinct because everyone buys butterball turkeys. So, when I was in S & S (a local non-chain health/organic store), I bought some Diestl turkey deli meat. It's from Sonora, CA. When the butcher was describing the meat to me, I asked him, "How much is it? A million a pound?" I was joking (of course). Apparently he must've thought I needed the extra cash because he only charged me the price of the ham lunch meat that I bought. BTW, the kids loved the turkey lunch meat!! It was still cheaper than buying sandwiches. I was also trying to buy local eggs at S & S. I was standing at the egg case reading the label...Arcadia, CA. I was pretty sure that Arcadia is in Southern California. So I asked the "young" cashier which was pretty much hopeless. She didn't realize my quest for local products! First, she seemed perplexed by my question. Then, in her sweetness, she tried to determine where Arcadia was. In the end, she went with the "Oh, Well! It's in California!"

So Z* is in the throes of the minor league baseball draft and a science fair project. He was drafted on the Rockies. I talked with the coach tonight. He has 3 practices a week scheduled (one is optional). I didn't say much, and he asked if I was OK. I guess I am still in shock (for other reasons, too). Z* original idea for the science fair was to explode a potato in the microwave. We said no multiple times, but it wasn't penetrating Z*'s enthusiasm. He finally got it!

S* is planning to sing "Lucy, in the Sky with Diamonds" for his share time, so every morning he serenades us with this song, he is in a major Beatle phase.

Finally, I am posting a quick card from scraps I did the other night. I want to make more cards tonight, but I better stop blogging!

Post Vacation

2008-02-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well... the biggest news is that Dale and I went shopping and bought a sleep number bed yesterday. I thought I would get to sleep in it last night, but apparently you have to wait 2 weeks for the bed. I've been having back problems since August, so we have been discussing a new bed, even though Dale loves his waterbed. It helped that we slept on a sleep number bed at Tahoe for a week. I kept giving the salesman hints to Dale's heart at the sleep number store, so that Dale would be more likely to purchase.

I am still reeling from the relaxing/fun vacation. It was really nice to have Monday off. Only one person (a student) noticed that I got my hair cut at work today. I got the wispiest of bangs the Saturday before I left at SUPERCUTS. I was there with all of these men. I couldn't get in to see my hair dresser, and I couldn't go one more week with my heavy, long hair. So, I took the plunge. Quick and cheap and my haircut is OK!

And, did you know that you can get one annual credit report for free from all 3 consumer reporting companies? Yes, you can! Just log onto Annual Credit Report.

And... I helped my friend Amy start her blog Sunday night! My mom also started a blog.. Are you next? I would love to read your blog!
Thanks for stopping by!

Home, Sweet, Home

2008-02-16T21:48:00.000-08:00

So... we are home. We had a wonderful day skiing on Friday. The weather was beautiful again. I was pointing out to S* the beautiful view of the lake when we were riding up the chairlift aptly named "First Ride," S* told me that he had already seen the lake, thank you very much! My favorite part of Friday was eating at Lakeview Lodge. We had a window seat right next to a heater with an astounding view of the lake. The scariest part was watching Z* snowboard up a hill and then flip over and fall on the other side. He's fine, but I had images of other snowboarders crashing down on him. The yukkiest part was carrying my skis AND S*'s skis down stairs to the car. Dale & Z* skiied down to our resort, whereas S* and I had to drive to our resort. We met my sister and family and her brother-in-law's and family at Chevy's Friday night for dinner. They are skiing until Monday.

Well.... we're unpacked and thankfully I don't have to go back to work until Tuesday! Yippee!

Back on the slopes!

2008-02-14T20:28:00.000-08:00

On the way to the jacuzzi, S* told me that he wouldn't take part in the picture because he didn't want little girls seeing him on the internet. Well... luckily he forgot, and when a jacuzzi "neighbor" offered to take our picture, S* obliged. This jacuzzi is steps from our condo, and we met some people from Mass., Ohio, Illinois and California. It was very cold today. On the top of one of the ski slopes, the temperature read 17 degrees. S* and Z* did ski school again, and they gave me a full report. S* rode on a chairlift multiple times! Our plan tomorrow is to split up, and I'll be with S* on the bunny slopes, and Dale & Z* will be checking out the terrain parks.

So, to celebrate Valentine's day, I bought the ingredients to make cosmos! Yum! I spent about $27 on the supplies which balanced out the fact that we ate in the whole day. We were able to eat lunch in our condo since we are so close to one end of the mountain. It was nice to come in and warm up!

Here is a picture of us eating at the table at our condo, I would definitely stay here again. Did I tell you we have sleep number beds???!!! The kids have one too and have played with them incessantly, trying to find the perfect number.

Ski Break

2008-02-12T16:54:00.000-08:00

Well, we had a wonderful time skiing yesterday, and the kids loved the ski school. Z* got to do a little of a black diamond run which was very cool for him. Dale & I ended up in an unmarked black diamond run and struggled through it. Everything went very well, except the morning was a comedy of errors. We set our alarm yesterday morning for 6:15 a.m. since we thought we had to be at the top of the gondola before 9:00 a.m. We got in line for the heavenly gondola at 8:23 a.m., then we found out that it didn't OPEN until 9:00 a.m. Then when we arrived at the ski school at 9:20 on the mountain, we found out that we could have dropped our kids off at the bottom and then had a cappicuno. Oh well, we signed them up for another day ($$$) on Thursday because S* does much better without mom or dad telling him what to do. (S* doesn't want his ski picture on the blog)

Today we are taking a break, kind of, the kids have done a tennis clinic, the pool, ping pong, snowball fight - I need to go, they are building a snowman, and I think I need to admire and take a picture!

Day 1 on the Mountain

2008-02-10T21:33:00.000-08:00

So, our planned 3-hour "dry run" ended up being about 5 hours with S* & Dale being picked up by the snowmobile and taking a ride down the gondola at Heavenly. No one is hurt, but we were a little ambitious about what we thought the kids could do, especially S*. We just wanted to see how to get to the ski school (where they are going on Monday), and it was much more challenging in real life than it looked on the map. And I feel major mom guilt because Sean begged to go on the gondola after lunch, and we said no (because we thought it cost $$$$), but he got to go after all! Z* and I went down the hill together. Z* would fall about every 3- 8 feet. I think it's really hard to stop on a snowboard. BUT both of the kids got on and off their speedy chairlifts, and I crashed into Z* only once. I will have to say, we were very thankful to have our walkie-talkies since I was able to get help for Dale & S*. I kept promising Z* that he would get to swim today, but with all of the glitches, we didn't get home until after dinner around 7 p.m. We went anyway, since I was using the pool as a major carrot to get Z* down some hills. So the kids jump in the pool as if they could swim for hours. Dale and I can barely move we're so tired! Speaking of which, my sleepnumber bed is sounding fabulous right now!
Thanks for checking in.... Day 2 will be Dale & I traversing the mountain together while S* and Z* are in all day ski school!

We've Arrived!

2008-02-09T21:56:00.000-08:00

We left at 1:00 p.m. today and arrived at Ridge Tahoe around 5:00 p.m. We will start our first day of skiing tomorrow. They have a really neat pool at the resort that is half indoor and half outdoor. Z* is nearly outside of his skin dying to go in that pool. (Since we had cable), we watched "house flipper" which luckily stopped the pool angst (for today). And.... Dale might have lost his kelly green beanie cap. If I could have lost it for him, I would have, but maybe he will have to buy a new one. Speaking of new items, I bought a new ski jacket which is a tinge too small, but SO beautiful. It's powder blue with a powder blue fleece. So I guess I will have to lose that 10 pounds after all.

I asked Dale to bring a cable for the camera and only when we were settling into our room, did he realize that I brought the cable for blogging!!

(Hey, Lauri, they have an indoor tennis court here!)

And, one more pic, I made some valentines for my coworkers and filled the mini ziploc bags with red, pink and white m & m's. I love that mouse!

Terrific Thursday

2008-02-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Well, last year was a bummer of a year for valentine's, so I gave Dale a HUGE hint about Theo Chocolate. (from their website, "Theo is proud to be the only roaster of organic cocoa beans and the first roaster of Fair Trade certified cocoa beans in the United States.") So, my gift arrived yesterday, and I thought that the sampling should began. I received the Aphrodisiac Collection (18 pieces). I wish I could say that he didn't mention how pricey the chocolate was.... Anyway, the collection comes in designer flavors, Z* had the ginger-flavored ganache. I had the Licorice ganache, YUM! Then I had S*'s Licorice ganache. (he didn't like it)

So, tonight, I'm on brain dead watching "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Dale, apparently is. He knew the million dollar question. He also knew all of the lyrics on the next game show. Sign him up!!!

Few Thoughts

2008-02-05T21:17:00.000-08:00

So... today was the big day, the first day of the high school exit exam for students across the state of California. I wore a pin all day that said, "I believe YOU can" (Nobody commented on it, except my doctor) I am keeping my fingers crossed for the students I have been tutoring the last few weeks.

We picked up some fast food and used baseball shoes for Z*. S* said that he never used a wood bat before, but maybe if he took steroids???!!

I was teaching 3 digit multiplication to 3rd graders today and the students asked me who I voted for. I told them that it was a personal question, and then all of those cute little boys and girls raised their hands and asked me, "Who did you vote for? Mharia toooooooold us." I can tell you, my blogger friend, I voted for Clinton. (I told them too!) Zachary wanted to vote for Obama. Of course, what I like about my job is "visiting" classes because at times I am like a friendly grandma who knows math.

So my doctor has joined a Primary Care Group. The friendly quiet office has changed into a bustling place with doors with signs "Employees only." I called today to get directions and was on hold for 5 minutes and then called back and was on hold for 3 minutes. I still like him, I just am having readjustment issues. So he used his laptop in his appointment with me and then, voila, he sent one of my prescriptions directly to Rite Aid. I asked him for the prescription and he tapped his head, as if he used mental telepathy to send it. I felt like my grandma, like I can't keep up!

Well, thanks for being an avid reader!

Scrapbook fever

2008-02-03T18:42:00.000-08:00

Well, I got to scrapbook from 10:00 a.m. until 11:00 p.m. on Saturday with my friend Rosanna. Having that stretch of time made the first few pages a little slow. It took me about 5 hours to complete my first 2 pages. BUT.... big news, I started my new picfolio album! (see picture) I was going back and forth on Friday night, should I really switch? Will I miss the regular scrapbook album? (etc.) The picfolio album is a slide in album that is set up like a scrabook page. Each page has a pocket for 3 horizontal photos and 2 horizontal photos. (I'll have to take more horizontal photos from now on.)

My treats were supposed to be heart shaped brownies, but at 8:30 a.m., I just went with squares instead and put little hearts on them. EVERYONE brought cookies and valentine's (I skipped the valentines)

Kitchen Update:

The corner wall cabinets are up. S* & Z* painted one wall and S* helped assemble three of the cabinets. Now we just have to figure out the heights of the shelves. We are looking at a sliding glass door that has mini blinds in between the glass. Dale is taking a break until we return from our ski trip in Tahoe. We just bought our ski lift tickets and lessons for S* & Z*. S* & Z* will be in all day lessons on Monday which means that Dale & I can ski together!! The lessons are from 9:00 a.m. until 3:45 p.m. The resort we are staying at has racquetball courts, a ping pong table, an inside jacuzzi and even tennis courts. It also has a gondola that takes you right to heavenly so we don't have to drive to the mountain.

And we went to the batting cages today which was a huge step for Z* because last time we took him, a ball hit him, and we ended up at urgent care. Z* still refers to it as a "cast," even though it was a sling. We just wanted him to warm up for his tryout on Wednesday. The last 2 were cancelled because of rain.

Superquick Note

2008-01-31T23:01:00.001-08:00

I want to tell you what I am reading, but I can't read and be addicted to my blog at the same time. I'm probably in my honeymoon period. So, the quirkiest, funniest and most fascinating item for today is that I was a "guest lecturer" in a 1st grade class reviewing with the students how to tell time. (Would you believe that's a math standard???) It has been raining here a lot, and when I walked in the students were pretty wound up. So I improvised and had them put their right hands up and say "long hand" and then say "short hand" with their left hand down low. They all did what I said, even though I looked a little silly!

So... I read a wonderful post on another blog about the features of two-year olds, (check it out) and I made dinner (again). And, I started making butternut squash soup for tomorrow night.

Wacky Wednesday

2008-01-30T20:58:00.000-08:00

So.... not much to write, but I thought it was really cute yesterday when Sean asked if he could have sausage, eggs and toast for breakfast this morning. I informed him that our main cook (Dale) was sick and would be unable to make his elaborate breakfast (and that we didn't have sausage). Sean, nonplussed by this, said, "Well, wake me up early, so I can make breakfast." Then he proceeded to remind me 3 times last night to wake him up early. So I did. (This is probably modeled on how many times I remind him of things!) Sean made some delicious scrambled eggs ( I made the toast). I also made an egg dish last night, quiche. It was made from our newly purchased farm fresh eggs. Then I made an apple crisp. Sean asked if everyone could have there own topping on their part of the apple crisp. I didn't oblige. Unfortunately the apple crisp made me a little cranky (after slicing & peeling 10 apples) and then when I needed to make the topping it called for a food processor. We got a new food processor recently, but no one has washed it yet. Luckily, after the topping got stuck in the bottom of the blender, Zachary was able to step in and mix the topping with his hands. He loves getting his hands in cookie dough, etc., basically anything gooey.

So I decided to make the decorated brownies for Saturday. I am showing the professional pictures because I love putting pictures on my blog. It's like photojournalism. I was trying to take a cute picture of Dale & Sean, but they didn't want to be on my BLOG. Yikes! Apparently, you can run out of space and then have to pay to upload more pictures (I know this couldn't be a free hobby!) Anyway, I'll try to remember to take pictures of my homemade creations.

Last tidbit is my record for playing tennis in the coldest weather yet, 43 degrees. I was wearing a neck warmer the whole time. It always feels good to hit the ball in whatever temperature!

Cold Monday

2008-01-28T21:38:00.000-08:00

Hi Janis! I hope you find me in blogworld!

So, it's a really cold Monday here in California. I am signed up for tennis Wednesday night, but I can't imagine playing in 43 degrees (Brrr!). I just got confirmation that I will be scrapbooking from 9:00 a.m. until midnight at the Valentine's Crop at Magic Moments & Keepsakes. We are supposed to bring valentine cookies, how fun! When I saw the cute cover with all of the valentine's cookies, I was trying to read the recipes in the supermarket line so I wouldn't have to buy the magazine. The guy behind me told me that I could probably find the recipe(s) on the internet (Of course, he's 20 years younger than I, and probably right).

Anyway, I bought the magazine, and I wanted to share this tidbit with you. You can send a card from the internet! The website YourCardConnection.com will let you select a card and use your own handwriting font. The cards are printed, stuffed , stamped and mailed for for about $1. (Neat tip from Donna Smallin) I think the US Post Office does that too. Dale pointed out that how it would be cheaper than buying a $4.00 card at the store. I pointed out how it would be cheaper than spending $500 on stamps and accessories a year!

And... to add to my blog obession... I added to gadgets (widgets) by adding java code to my blog: the weatherpixie and the counter.

Homebound Saturday

2008-01-26T22:15:00.001-08:00

Kitchen Update:

Dale drove down to Sacramento this morning to pick up the next set of wall cabinets. He left at 8:30 a.m. and got home in time for lunch. He worked in the afternoon to take down the current wall cabinets. We have the cabinet "stuffings" all over the place. Of course, we couldn't make dinner. And... we are going to try another yellow. We should have listened to Lauri in the first place! She was trying to tell us that yellows always end up being too yellow when you put it on the wall. We went to Joanne's house and brought paint chips to match the beautiful yellow she has on her walls. So Dale has reconfirmed with me 3 times today, "Are you sure you want to change the color?"

I did go to the farmer's market today and buy: walnuts, eggs, butternut squash, gala apples & grapefruit. There was a lot of bok choy and beets for sale, but I am not sure what to do with them.

Sickness again: So Zachary is sick this time, so he has been hanging out on the couch all day. I am hoping that he recovers quicker than Sean did.

Thursday with Barbara

2008-01-24T22:03:00.000-08:00

Well, I'll have to say that my trip to Calistoga was very relaxing, and I am still pretty relaxed. One of my students told me I'm an awesome math teacher today which was sure a nice perk!!

I've been reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, and I am enjoying the author's style. The subject matter is intense and weighty, but she delivers the information in a down-to-earth, readable and humorous way. She was comparing how the American's encourages teenagers to abstain from sex, but how our culture won't wait for vegetables to be in season. Now I am yearning to taste in-season asparagus. Of course, I still have the taste of candy sweethearts in my mouth from this morning when I gave my students a "prize" for using my brand new homework hotline. I was racking my brain for a non-candy prize, but I couldn't think of a quick (& cheap) substitute. (Besides, I am too busy reading AVM)

One of my co-workers husband has been part of the Slow Food movement, and now I finally know what it is! I had all sorts of mental images of slow food.

I have been catching the highlights of the Australian Open Tennis Tournament on the internet because we don't have cable. Of course, if I saved up what I would spend in cable (for a year) I could buy a ticket to New York and see the US Open tournament live. Besides, I wouldn't have time to blog because I would be watching tennis!

Muddin'

2008-01-22T21:43:00.000-08:00

Well, my camera shutter was a little sleepy, so my mud bath picture is very blurry. As this was my first mud bath, I'll have to say that I will definitely do it again. I sunk down into the warm mud and was suspended in it. My mom & sis did it too! After the mud bath, it was a mineral bath, blanket wrap, and, to top it off, an hour massage. It was fabulous! The weather was beautiful and we ate delicious food. We did a little wine tasting at Folie a Deux.

I got 2 books at the bookstore in Calistoga: (1) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and (2) Complaint Free in 21 days. The complaint free book encourages you to get a purple plastic bracelet so that you can switch your bracelet from one hand to the other everytime you complain (gossip or criticize) until you wear the bracelet on the same side for 21 days straight. Since my sister is anti-plastic, I am using one of my own bracelets. I switched my bracelet about 4 times today. Unfortunately, this leads to some extra processing, "Was that exactly complaining?"

P.S. (not complaining, boasting) I won our scrabble game Sunday night!

And, finally, I got my new Stampin' up order today, and I couldn't wait to color my elephant PINK. I also bought some PINK ribbon.