Sunny Sundays and Sewing February 1, 2009

This weekend was beautiful which means everything now is wet and slushy. We still have plenty of snow left, so it isn’t as if we are in the home stretch. I did begin thinking about the garden this weekend though. We don’t have a plot of our yard set aside for this, but we do have some room in our flower bed for tomatoes. I’m thinking that maybe a couple large pots for some container gardening might be the way to go this year. I also need to put the bug in my husband’s ear about a compost pile too.

Sunday mornings I always look forward to a cup of coffee while reading the newspaper. I sit in the back living room on my rocking chair that I bought specifically to nurse my son in and drink and read. That is how I spent this morning.

I got very ansy to sew today seeing as Jack has been sewing like a madman lately. I have been wanting to sew coffee sleeves which I found in the Sew Pretty Patchwork book I got about a month ago. We finally got a printer which meant I could copy off the template and enlarge it by the required 200%! Though I spent about 45 minutes searching for the stupid cd and loading it, it worked great.

These little things went together in about 20 minutes each plus a little time to handsew the ends together which I did while watching the Super Bowl. I really love the little birdie on them. I used scrap fabric from a quilt I made for Jack. Tomorrow I will be purchasing a coffee at work so I can see if they fit the cups. I am very excited…both for the test and the coffee.

While I was sewing, Aaron took the kids sledding for the second time this weekend. Each time the kids came home soaking wet, but they were glad to have had gotten some fresh air. I also took the dog for a walk today which was nice except for having to cross the people’s sidewalks that never shoveled. I nearly slipped and fell twice. Drake nearly slipped once as well. I’m sure the people driving by had a good laugh at our expense.

Unintended Consequences January 8, 2009

Yes, I know it has been a long, long time since I blogged. I have been enjoying my last three weeks with family. It has been quite nice.

January is in full swing which means we’ve got the Boy Scout Pinewood Derby Race, my cousin and her family are coming down, sledding, a YW gals reunion (hopefully), me working 40 hours per week and, of course, Wii Fit to help with the post-holiday diet.

I’ve been reading Jane Eyre for a couple weeks, and I am really enjoying it. I can’t believe I was 35 before I ever picked this book up. It almost makes me a bit upset my book friends never made me read this before now!

Jane Eyre in combination with my 7:30 am work start time has put some serious crimps in my sleeping time. This morning, I feel asleep on the bus ride in (30 minutes) and woke up two stops past where I should have gotten off! The only reason I woke up was because the hydraulics on the bus were beeping. I know, I’m a loser.

I’m also teaching Monday – Thursday all day long as well which is quite tiring. I’d forgotten. Teaching basic computer skills can take a lot out of a person, but it is quite rewarding as well.

Jack got Shaun White Snowboarding for Wii last night, and it is quite cool! He is loving it and caught on to the balance board movements quite well. I only tried once so far, but let’s just say, I need some practice. It is fun to watch as well.

The Ant by Jack October 28, 2008

Once upon a time there was an ant who had a happy life in the desert. Well, happy but there was still dinosors, you see. Well, I will jest tell you this story before I tell you that story. Well, it all started when a littel ant was climbing up a surrow (saguaro) cactus. An an owl poped out of a hole. The ant fell to the grownd. I am lost. the ant side. Wher am I? What is all that noise? Where is it coming from? Who cares about the noise? But where am I? The ant walked around for a few minutes. What shoud I do? Leav, stay, go left or right? What shoud I do, what should I do? Maybe I shoud go see what that horibell noies is. Sints I’m lost I will go. Maybe I shoud get a closer look? What is that? Look out! Somewon shouted. Crosh!! But it was to late. (with tears)

Below Jack’s story is a picture of an ant getting crushed by a dinosaur and the dinosaur is saying oops.

We are very proud of this story that was inspirired in part by Dav Piley’s The Adventures of Captain Underpants. Jack used several techniques that author utilizes to help his story along.

I fought the beginning of summer with Jack to get him to read. He refused to read anything. Now, he is reading nearly every night and actually asks for reading time!

An Evening With David Sedaris October 9, 2008

Aaron and I just got back from an evening with David Sedaris whom we both LOVE! He was so funny! A few new essays and some great stuff on the election season. I laughed so hard which was absolutely perfect after the crappy day I had. He even had a great piece about Costco involving condoms, strawberries and his brother-in-law. OMG it was funny!

Aaron’s sister also went, and as it turns out, she was sitting in the row in front of us. Our position near the end of the row was PERFECT for getting to be one of the first in line for the post-event book signing. He signed Dress Your Family in Courduroy and Denim to Aaron and I since we were each reading, or in my case listening to, the book the first time we ever met. We had him sign When You Are Engulfed in Flames for Aaron’s brother Matt who is also hilariously dry and sarcastic. I had him sign Holidays on Ice for a friend who shall remain nameless until the gift is given. David was trying to chat with me and find something interesting about me, but unfortunately, I am not interesting. Fortunately, this came as no big blow as I pretty much already knew this.

I will not let this ruin my terrific end to a crappy day!

Bees, Bones and Stanley Tucci July 8, 2008

I just saw that The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd has been made into a movie! I just read the book this spring and absolutely loved it. I can’t wait to see the movie…I hope it is true to the book which is hard to say with movie adaptations of books. IMDB.com says its release is in October 2008 and that Queen Latifah is in it. I love her. She is an incredible role model for women of all ages.

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold is due out in October of 2009! It seems like I’ve been waiting for this movie for a long time. I was so excited when I heard Peter Jackson was making a movie version. I just added this book to the Good Reads page…I cannot believe I didn’t have it there already. I listened to the audiobook which made it even more powerful in my opinion because it was as if Susie was speaking to you from heaven. UGH!! Stanley Tucci is playing the George Harvey; Stanley Tucci is such a great actor. How can you not love his work? One of my favorite movies of his is Big Night. It is about family, frustration and food. I just love the ending.

This week the kids are with grandparents, so A and I get a date!!! We NEVER hire a sitter which is terrible seeing as how I once gave A a gift of dates (lining up the sitter once a month for one year). I thought it was a good gift because my intentions were good, but as it turns out, I suck at lining up a sitter. Evidentially, I also suck at being in charge of the Netflix queue if you ask A.

So, we are going to a farmer’s market, then to The Happening movie. I’m a baby when it comes to scary movies, so I’m hoping that I can watch some of it.

Kristi Who? May 21, 2008

J enjoys Dancing With The Stars. I have to admit that after watching many episodes, I kinda like it too. It isn’t something that I would be sure to watch, but if it is on and nothing else interesting is on, I’ll watch it. I am completely impressed at what it takes to move like that. At any rate, J started watching last year after Grandma Mary got him hooked. She is a DEVOTEE of the DWTS…never misses an episode.

Last night was the season finale in which we found out which of the three couples would win - Jason Taylor (fire burning hot), Christian de la Fuente (who danced great despite a torn tendon), or Kristi Yamaguchi. They didn’t announce the winner until well after J’s bedtime, so at dinner tonight, I informed him.

Mom: Hey, J, Kristi Yamaguchi won Dancing With The Stars last night.

J: Kristi Mamaguchi?

A: Kristi who?

J to A as if he’d known all along and was not just told: Kristi Mamaguchi. She won the gold medal.

I like Kristi Mamaguchi so much better!

We are still living in a constant state of clean which I have to admit is a bit stressful, but at the same time is kind of nice because the house is always clean! It is annoying in the morning though when you are trying to get out the door and you see things that should be put in order just in case we have a showing.

In my old life, I was something of a MS Paint stick figure artist. I could create stick figure worlds which were impressive to stick figure aficionados. Granted, there are relatively few, but hey, my brother could outdraw me from the time he could hold a pencil, and he’s a year younger than me…MS Paint stick figure art is the closest I’ll ever come to any kind of art talent! At any rate, one day last week, I made a drawing of our house sale pending situation thinking it would make me feel better. As it turned out, it made me feel worse, but I’ll share it with you here.

I borrowed a book, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, from my friend Sarah about four years ago before she moved to Arizona. I just picked it up and read it. The book is about a Hmong family’s experience with the American medical system when their daughter is diagnosed with epilepsy. It is incredibly interesting from a clash of culture anthropological perspective. I learned a lot, and it reinforced my belief that I would not survive if I were forced to leave all that I know and dropped somewhere that all my knowledge was completely useless. No doubt about it, I would not last long as a refugee.

I’m looking for new books to read as I’m in an anti-audiobook funk right now. I think it is mainly because I haven’t found a good one in a while. Suggestions are welcome!

March 25, 2008

Nothing much “blogworthy” for nearly two weeks. Sorry, but sometimes life in Iowa is just life in Iowa.

What has happened….

I listened to the audio version of Barbara Kingsolver’s Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year in the Life of Yesterday this winter. Ever since, I’ve been trying to make better choices at the grocery store. Unlike the Kingsolver family, I am not willing to live the winter without fruit or lettuce. However, I am purposefully purchasing foods grown in the United States and fruits that are in season. I’ve been refusing to buy tomatoes because they taste horrible right now. And if I do buy a tomato, I make sure it is a good one (this means expensive right now). The last tomato I purchased was an Ugly Heirloom tomato that cost me almost $4 but it tasted really good. This is the context of the latest conversation with J at the grocery store .

J: Can we get some apples?

Mom: No, they aren’t in season.

J: So? I want some apples. And, look at this giant watermelon!

Mom: They won’t taste good because they aren’t in season. You have to buy the fruit when it is in season so it tastes good. Right now, it is winter, so the oranges taste best. When the oranges stop tasting so good, then the apples taste really good.

J: Hmmm

Later in the car as we are driving home….

J: That is really interesting about the fruit. It is the opposite of what it seems like it should be.

Mom: What do you mean?

J: Well, oranges are orange like the sun, so it seems like they should be best in the summer when there is lots of sun.

Mom: That is an excellent point. I never thought of it like that, but you are right. Maybe you should take this up with God.

J: The apples should be best in the winter except for the yellow ones. I won’t even go into all the reasons that is right with you.

What else has happened…

We got a Wii which according to the bargain I struck with A had to be accompanied by a flat screen tv. Talk about exhausting (choosing a tv, not the Wii). Here is what we learned -

1. The most informative and professional people were at our small locally owned appliance and electronic store. They also had very competitive prices. I had done weeks of research online prior to shopping, but we still learned a great deal that we never thought to consider when talking with them.
2. BEWARE when shopping at Walmart and stores like this. You think you are comparing the same models, but Walmart only carries the low end models of the popular brands. They likely look nearly identical, so it appears as if you are getting the same tv for hundreds less but you are getting a lower quality television.
3. Buying an online subscription to Consumer Reports is worth the $25/year. We checked this several times as we moved through our shopping mainly because as we learned more, our preferred size seemed to keep shifting.
4. We would have saved a lot of time had we brought our computer with us on the shopping trips and accessed the internet to check consumer reports and other sites for reviews of the tv we most recently saw. This constant confusion was the most draining of all. At one point, A could have said “we’ll take the $3945 one” and I would have said ok. Fortunately, A would NEVER say that! Wireless internet can be accessed nearly everywhere so there was a possibility of avoiding this.
5. We do not get cable and only use an antenna which is placed in our attic. You do NOT need anything more than that to get great HDTV with a great tv. Look online for the main network local HD channels. We get more channels now than we did before. PBS has three HD channels in our area (one is all day, all kid shows), CBS, NBC, FOX, CW and others are all in HD. We do not get the ABC affiliate’s HD channel for some reason. We also get some channel that is always on fishing shows…A is in heaven!

We ended up purchasing the Samsung LN-T4061FX, and we are really happy with it. We were going to purchase it from our local shop, but found it online for what amounted to $500 less when you included tax. (This was even after paying for shipping.) We would have spent $100 or $150 more to purchase it locally, but $500 was just too much particularly when we had already increased our base price of the tv that were were getting.

Now, back to the Wii. The Easter Bunny brought Mario Party 8 which the boys liked, but I am really disappointed in it. The games are  board game simulations and the games take FOREVER!!!! Set aside at least 1 hour for only 2 real players and 2 computer players. Unfortunately, you have to always play with 4. I am thinking now that the Easter Bunny should have went with her gut and got Super Mario Galaxy.

Since this purchase I have learned that you can rent Wii games from the video store and test them before you smack down $50 to buy them! (You can tell we have never owned a game console before!) We had Gramma Babs here playing Wii bowling as well as Grandma Kathy and Grandpa Rex. Fun for all!!!

What else has happened…

I had my first cavity in more than 25 years. SERIOUSLY!!! I so rarely require any kind of dental work, that when I do, I get all worked up and am tense and stressed out. Lucky, YES, but still. So, yesterday morning, I had a small cavity filled. (Technically, it wasn’t a full blown cavity yet, but instead an area of decay that was going to be a cavity soon.) Because J was out of school for Spring Break, he watched the whole thing including the huge shot they gave me. I wanted to grab the sides of the chair but didn’t because he was watching. He drew a terrific picture of me on the chair which I’ll scan and post in the next few days. He was AWESOME!

This American Life February 11, 2008

I am a HUGE This American Life addict. (For those of you not in the know, this is the BEST non-news show on NPR! For those of you keeping track, All Things Considered is the BEST news show on NPR.) I will listen to the same one over and over. I hate it when we are driving somewhere during the show and we drive away from the reception. Quite literally, I get all anxious and my stomach gets cramped. I start searching continuously for another radio station for a solid 5 minutes. (A just hates that about me…sometimes I get distracted in thought while I am searching for a radio station and he needs to bring me back to earth to yell at me to pick a channel.)

After my friend Sarah moved to Flagstaff, she emailed me to tell me about this show on NPR that I would just LOVE…it was This American Life. I told her that she I’d discovered it years ago.

I sometimes wish my life were interesting enough to be featured as a little vignette on the show. For those of you who love David Sedaris‘ dry, sarcastic humor, he is a frequent contributor. David Sedaris holds a special place in my heart and NOT because he makes me BUST out laughing when I hear him read his essays. When A and I first communicated, we were both reading his Dress Your Family in Corduroy and Denim…actually I was listening and he was reading. It was a good start, but he still needed convincing that I wasn’t morally corrupt for being ten minutes away from becoming a vegetarian, and I needed convincing that he wasn’t morally judgmental because he was a Republican.

I remember a time when I actually thought my life would be so awful if I listened to NPR all the time….Boy was I wrong! I rarely turn it off of NPR. In fact, I don’t even know who Amy Winehouse is outside of all the trouble and winning the Grammy’s. I have absolutely no idea what her songs sound like. What is ironic is that A told me the other night about how he heard this thing about her on NPR…it was about how she has transformed the British music scene and whatnot. A likes to think he is in the know about the music scene, so I felt better about the fact that he didn’t know any of her music either. I then asked if he’d heard about Reel Big Fish. He scoffed and said yes, but meant who do you think I am? Of course, I know who they are…duh!

Thanks to The 10,000 Hours Show, I’ll be attending the Reel Big Fish concert in April. I asked A if he wanted to go too, but I told him he’d better change his attitude first!

An Absolutely True Review February 2, 2008

I just finished The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie and it was such a great book. This is a teen book that is partially autobiographical (I believe). The writing is absolutely brilliant, and by brilliant I mean that he writes exactly as you would expect his character, Arnold Spirit, to speak. My heart broke with him and my spirits were lifted with him as Arnold navigated through his new world – leaving the reservation school to attend a white school, being shunned by his best friend and his reservation, having people expect him to do well.

The writing is honest and true, so it must be heartbreaking. I don’t find many authors tackling such difficult topics as racism with such a voice.

This is a quick read, so if you can spare a night, maybe two, it will be well worth your time.