Real Live Woman

Presents

2012-02-01T20:03:00.000-05:00

I can finally show you the presents I made for my two best friends, since we were able to exchange gifts this past weekend - The Trilogy's Friendship:

There is the slightest difference between the two - the sunflowers on the right are different colors. I thought it was a little too dark in the first version, so I made it a bit brighter in the second version. I still have one more of these to finish for myself.

I also received these lovelies as a birthday gift:

They include Christmas Tea and My Pretties by Plum Street Samplers, French Country Snowglobe by JBW Designs, Tribal Crab by White Willow Stitching, The Hamster Did It by Stitchy Kitty and Blackbird Sampler by Blackbird Designs.

2011 Finishes

2012-01-06T18:11:00.000-05:00

Looking back, I finished more projects than I thought in 2011. Shortly after the New Year, since I didn't get them done in time for Christmas 2010, I finished these two Mill Hill beaded ornaments. I ended up using one of them as a hostess gift for a cookie exchange I went to in December.

In February, I also finished the second Octopus's Garden for my other sister's birthday, which was in December. I finally framed both of them in time to give them to my sisters on Easter. (UGH!)

A quick little finish from an old Fulmer Craft pattern - Great Smoky Mountains from the National Park Needlework Collector Patches series. I have a square green frame for finishing.

Bent Creek's cROWS. I left out the words "a fine day" and replaced them with another star. Also, I didn't like the Dark Chocolate that came with the kit to stitch the birds (too brown), so I replaced it with some WDW Charcoal I had instead.

Mill Hill's Pink Sneaker kit. I replaced the heart charm with a pink ribbon and finished it as a pin to give this to my friend who was walking in the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure race in DC back in the fall. I also stitched three of these in green with a green ribbon charm for my sisters and me to wear for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk back in October (I never finished them as pins since we didn't participate in the walk after my grandmother passed away the same weekend). I hope to finish enough for our entire team for the 2012 walk.

Plum Pudding's Spellbinding Witch Hat. Stitched on a very old piece of 14-ct. black Aida that I could finally get rid of. I changed the ecru squares at the bottom to purple to match some of my other Halloween decorations. I saw this finished in a display at Salty Yarns back in October and it was adorable. I definitely need to finish it before Halloween.

Ireland Nutcracker - a birthday gift for my sister that I stitched in December from an Imaginating/Sandra Collozini leaflet. Stitched on brown perforated paper with the called for DMC. Finished as an ornament with a piece of stiff green felt.

It was a last-minute decision to stitch these "Sled Heads" as Christmas gifts for my aunts. I had seen the designs from Dixie Darlin' awhile back and loved them. I think the reason I liked them so much was that I had a bagful of these sleds leftover from my wedding (13 years ago) and knew I could use them to finish these designs. I hope to make some for myself using the Mrs. Claus and Rudolph designs that came with the Santa design.

Finally, I stitched two of The Trilogy's "Friendship" for my two best friends as holiday gifts. I haven't exchanged gifts with them yet, so I'll wait to post those later once the gifts have been received.

2011 Reading List

2012-01-01T23:38:00.000-05:00

Just under the wire, I finished book #25 last week when our books were due back at the library on the 27th, so I reached my goal of reading at least 25 books in 2011. My favorite was "The Last Child" by John Hart. I read it while we were on vacation and it made me cry while I was sitting by the pool with a crowd of people on a 100 degree day. Good thing I was wearing sunglasses! I also discovered author Julia Glass. I read her book "Three Junes" first and couldn't get my hands on her other books fast enough. I hope she has a new novel coming out in 2012.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
Disordered Minds by Minette Walters
It’s All Too Much by Peter Walsh
Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner
Three Junes by Julia Glass
The Whole World Over by Julia Glass
Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman
I See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman
The Drowning Tree by Carol Goodman
Unfinished Desires by Gail Godwin
When Will There Be Good News? by Kate Atkinson
One Good Turn by Kate Atkinson
The Uses of Enchantment by Heidi Julavits
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Bent Road by Lori Roy
Christmas Mourning by Margaret Maron
Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe
The Last Child by John Hart
Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon
The Chameleon’s Shadow by Minette Walters
The Widower’s Tale by Julia Glass
The Ballad of Tom Dooley by Sharyn McCrumb
Summer in the South by Cathy Holton

UGH!

2011-08-13T21:06:00.000-04:00

For the last couple of weeks, I've been trying to compile two new catch-up posts about WIPs and finishes since I last posted (you know, since it's been so long). One thing that's been dragging me down is that one of my WIPs had me completely frustrated.

Last year, before we went on vacation, I started "Sea to Shining Sea" from the July 2003 issue of Stitcher's World. I had the entire project kitted up, but some time this spring, I lost the project bag with all of the floss skeins in it - all 36 of them! Luckily, the pattern and fabric weren't in the bag, just the floss. At first, it wasn't a big deal, because I was just working on the red, white and blue squares on the perimeter and I didn't need the other colors. But as time went on, I became increasingly frustrated that I couldn't find this project bag. I have searched and searched for it several times. I had decided when I first started stitching it that it wasn't an on-the-go project because of all the color changes, so to add to the frustration, I knew it had to be somewhere in the house.

This week, I looked one last time, to no avail. So I finally decided I would re-purchase all of the floss.

Tonight, I went through all of the my floss to see what I might have on hand so I wouldn't have to buy all 36 on a trip to Joann's tomorrow. As I'm going through the floss, I slowly start to realize that I have all of the colors. WTF?!

The only explanation I can think of is that somewhere along the way, back in the spring, the floss got mixed back in with my stash and re-filed. I don't know if one of the kids mixed them together or if I did it without even realizing it was the floss I had already sorted for "Sea to Shining Sea." Regardless of whatever did happen, I'm relieved to have the floss and glad I won't be going on any more wild goose chases through my house.

Now, if I could only find my Tacky BOB so I can finish another WIP that just needs beads to be completed! (I obviously have an organizational problem on my hands here, but that's a post for another day.)

101 Things

2011-02-10T13:47:00.002-05:00

I posted my incomplete list of 101 things to do in 1001 days as a separate page at the top of the screen. I don't have an official start date - maybe I'll just say February 1, 2011 - and I still need to add more things to do, but I thought it was a good start. And on Friday, Feb. 4, I donated blood for the first time this year (I tried to donate in December and January, but I was sick both times), so here we go!

2010 Reading List

2011-01-22T11:43:00.003-05:00

As I just finished my first book of 2011 (The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian, which I liked right up until the Shutter Island-like ending), I realized I didn't post my annual reading list like I usually do. My goal was to read more than I had been and I wanted to read at least 25 books in 2010. It turns out, that's exactly how many I read. I didn't stop at 25 on purpose; again, taking a retail job during the last two months of the year pretty much put a stop to any extracurricular activities like reading and cross stitch. So here's my list for 2010:

1. Back Roads by Tawni O’Dell
2. The Copper Beech by Maeve Binchy
3. Girl from the South by Joanna Trollope
4. Devil Bones by Kathy Reichs
5. 206 Bones by Kathy Reichs
6. 13 ½ by Nevada Barr
7. Life Sentences by Laura Lippman
8. Sand Sharks by Margaret Maron
9. The Dark of Day by Barbara Parker
10. Merciless by Richard Montanari
11. 212 by Alafair Burke
12. Flipping Out by Marshall Karp
13. Strange Angels by Jonis Agee
14. Coal Run by Tawni O’Dell
15. Caught by Harlan Coben
16. Backseat Saints by Joshilyn Jackson
17. Roseflower Creek by J.L. Miles
18. Sister Mine by Tawni O’Dell
19. Badlands by Richard Montanari
20. A Garden of Vipers by Jack Kerley
21. South of Broad by Pat Conroy
22. Faithful Place by Tana French
23. The Liar’s Lullaby by Meg Gardiner
24. Burn by Nevada Barr
25. Dismantled by Jennifer McConnell

Happy New Year!

2011-01-10T14:04:00.002-05:00

I just returned from my annual scrapbooking weekend. I got off to a slow start, but managed to complete 26 pages from 2008 and 2009. I felt like my photos were very unorganized - maybe because I hadn't printed photos since April of 2009 and I was rushing to get things done before leaving for the weekend.

Now that the holidays and the scrapbooking weekend are over with, I'm ready to get back to stitching. I took a part-time, seasonal retail job for November and December and it really cut into my stitching time. I only finished one of the three Mill Hill ornaments I had planned to stitch (and forgot to take a picture of the one I did finish before I gave it away) and only one of the two "Octopus's Garden" design for my sisters' birthdays. I gave the finished "Octopus's Garden" to my older sister unframed and then took it back to finish the framing. At least I have both frames once the second one is finished!

In 2011, I want to start (and maybe finish, dare I say) Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm. I have the fabric and about half of the threads. But I need to finish the other octopus design before I can start anything new. And now that I have my own laptop (the best Christmas present ever!), I hope to post more without having to fight the kids for computer time.

Winner!

2010-12-07T23:27:00.002-05:00

I won a giveaway on the Colorbok blog! I'm so excited. It was their first giveaway of the month and the prize is a "Grinch" Christmas craft kit. THe best part is, I just bought the felt ornament "Grinch" kit on Saturday, so I'm glad I didn't win the same one and we'll have a wreath to compliment our ornaments.

Holiday Stash

2010-11-13T14:06:00.004-05:00

My LNS had their Holiday Open House last weekend and I was able to stop in on Friday. I was trying not to buy too much and just stitch what I have, but I couldn't resist the bargain charts. All of these charts were only $1 each, except for "Ravens & Pumpkins & Cats, Oh My!" by Carriage House Samplings, which was $3. The GAST and WDW threads are for Kringle's Christmas Tree Farm.

Still Here and Still Stitching...

2010-11-10T21:54:00.003-05:00

Yes, I have been stitching, just not posting. I've been spending so much time on the computer job hunting and sending out resumes that I run out of steam when it's time to post about stitching.

I spent most of October stitching these pumpkins from last year's JCS Halloween issue. I had all year to stitch four more for my sisters and friends by Halloween, but waited until the last minute, of course. I finished them with the scrapbook paper backing and green wire on the 30th.

Now I'm working on Christmas gifts and have three Mill Hill ornaments in various stages of progress. Photos to come...

Fall is in the Air

2010-09-12T19:17:00.003-04:00

I saw this tree in the Pier One catalogue that came in the mail last week and fell in love with it. Maybe I can find it for 50% or 60% off after Halloween is over. I think it would be perfect to hang stitchy Halloween ornaments from it.

Speaking of stitchy Halloween ornaments, I found a copy of the Just Cross Stitch Halloween ornament issue at Joann's last week - and was able to use my 40% off coupon to purchase it, which was a plus since Michaels doesn't let you use coupons on books and magazines. This week, I'll have to check for the Christmas ornament issue now that it's available and use a coupon again.

Unofficial End of Summer

2010-09-06T16:51:00.004-04:00

Happy Labor Day to all! To celebrate, here are my patriotric finishes from earlier in the summer (finally!). After stitching the Quaker 4th of July freebie, I was then inspired by Carolina Stitcher's patriotic tree. I stitched "Very Merry Summer" and "Wee Flags" rather quickly, although both still need buttons attached (and to be finished finished, obviously). And I'm trying to finish up The Sampler Girl's "Summer Day 1776" freebie today. All I have left to stitch are the sails on the ship.

A Very Merry Summer
JBW Designs
Stitched on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Jobelan using DMC

Flags (Wee Ones)
Bent Creek
Stitched on 28 ct. Tea-Dyed Monaco using DMC

Giveaway

2010-08-15T19:32:00.004-04:00

If you're a fan of Blue Ribbon Designs (I am!), Belinda is having a "Milestone Giveaway." Be sure to check out her blog for all of the details.

Winner!

2010-08-04T14:03:00.004-04:00

I'm so excited! I was the winner this week of one of Anna's summer giveaways - a collection of Mill Hill kits, one of my favorites. It continues the good vibes from vacation. We just returned from a week in Florida - our non-Disney Orlando vacation. Instead, we went to Sea World, the Aquatica waterpark, Daytona Beach and we stayed at the Nickelodeon Hotel, which was very fun.

We drove down - about 17-18 hours each way - and I had all of these big stitching plans since we were going to be in the car for so long. I had kitted up a few new designs, basted fabric and even started a few borders so I wouldn't have to do too much counting. And what happened? I didn't stitch a single stitch the entire week! I don't know what I was thinking. The kids were constantly asking me for things - food, a drink, change the movie. And it was so hot, I felt like my hands were sticky all the time. So I just read instead. I finished two books, one of which was Pat Conroy's South of Broad. I had been waiting for vacation to read it and it did not disappoint. I love Southern fiction. And when we came home, I had an e-mail from Amazon telling me that my all-time favorite Southern writer, Anne Rivers Siddons, has a new book coming out next week - Burnt Mountain. I can't wait!

But I need to get back into stitching mode. To help me along, I had a chance to visit Needlecraft Corner today - by myself, without toting one of the kids along. I picked up two pieces of fabric - 28 ct. Flax Cashel linen for some miscellaneous ornaments and 28 ct. Rue Green Quaker cloth, which will hopefully work with Octopus Garden - a cute little needle slide with pumpkins on it and one of the new Mill Hill Festival of Trees ornaments (Old Fashioned Tree).

Still need to post those patriotic finishes! Coming soon...

July SBQ

2010-07-16T16:03:00.005-04:00

I guess I should answer this while it's still July. Lee's question this month is:

Stitching is an activity that tends to be solitary. Sometimes I wonder if we choose stitching because we are more comfortable with pursuits that we do alone, or does our stitching cause us to be loners? So what do you think?
And you know that I can never stop with just one question or thing to think about, so here’s something else that’s been on my mind. Since we’re stitching alone most of the time, it seems to me that we get great joy from coming together with other stitchers. It can be such a good
feeling when we find a group of people who speak our language and understand our
stitching excitement and passion. But since not all stitchers are perfect, not all groups can be perfect either. So…if you could create your own perfect stitching group, what characteristics would make it perfect?
For instance, would you all be near the same age, or would you like your group to span a generation or two? Would you enjoy political or religious discussions while you stitch or would that make you shy away? Would you like a big group or a small group? Those are just a couple of variables in groups…tell us what’s important to YOU.
For me, I know I like to stitch because it is a solitary, peaceful activity. It's my "me time." None of my other friends stitch. We share other interests that could be solitary, but we do together, like scrapbooking or discussing books that we've read.

I'd love to find a stitching group of people my age (late 30s into 40s), but I feel like that could never happen. I imagine it might be like the stitching message boards online. Everyone gets so off topic and just uses it as a place to complain or gripe instead of really talking about stitching. I'd like to have someone or a small group of someones with whom I could talk about new charts or bounce questions off of about techniques or fabric, etc. The blogs that I follow come closest to this right now.

I hope to have some pictures of my latest stitching projects in the next day or two before we head out on vacation.

Quaker 4th

2010-06-12T13:57:00.003-04:00

Here is my finish of the Quaker 4th of July freebie. This was quick and easy to stitch. I've never stitched a Quaker design before and I really liked it. This one was stitched on a piece of 32 ct. linen (that looks more cream-colored in person than in this picture) using DMC 304 (red), 336 (blue) and 5200 (white). It's inspired me to stitch a few more small patriotic designs to finish into small ornaments to hang around the house for the summer. I have Heart in Hand's "Wee Flags" that I stitched as a gift a couple of years ago. I think I'll stitch one for myself!

June SBQ

2010-06-10T22:39:00.003-04:00

Lee posted this month's SBQ on Monday:

Tell us about something that you have stitched or plan to stitch for any father in your life. Maybe it’s for your father, your father-in-law, your children’s father, your grandfather, your godfather, or someone who was or still is an important father-figure in your life. Why did you choose this particular piece of stitching? Tell us the story behind it.

Her question made me realize I have never stitched anything for my dad or really for any men - up until this year. I did complete the Christmas stocking for my husband back in February. In the past, I've looked at a few golf patterns that would be a good fit for my dad, but I never got around to stitching anything for him. Maybe I'll change that for Father's Day next year.

Out of Sorts

2010-06-09T23:15:00.004-04:00

I've been completely out of sorts for the past month or so, but I have been stitching. It's just about the only thing keeping me sane right now! I pulled out "Quote the Raven" by Crossed-Eyed Cricket after the Big Family Room Move and realized I only had a little bit to finish - mostly the little motifs on the outside and a few letters in "nevermore." I love the colors in this design! I stitched it on 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not Blue Jobelan with the called for DMC threads.

Since then, I've been working on the fourth Christmas stocking and yesterday I started the Quaker 4th of July everyone else is working on. Hope to have a picture of that tomorrow if the sun is out and an answer to Lee's SBQ.

May SBQ

2010-05-03T19:16:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Lee for starting up these questions again. This month's question is:

Suppose we say that there are two types of stitchers.

There are those who enjoy the “process” of stitching. They stitch for stitching’s sake and
if something gets finished, so much the better, but it’s not necessarily the end
goal. Primarily, it’s the application of needle and thread to cloth that makes
them happiest.

Then there are those who are “project” stitchers. They move steadily through their projects, certainly enjoying their stitching time, but finding their greatest joy in the completed stitching.

If you had to pick one to describe yourself, which type of stitcher would you be? I imagine
that we could all say that we fall somewhere in between, but really think hard
about this and try to pick just one. And once you’ve decided whether you’re a
Process or Project stitcher, tell us if your recognize that approach in other
parts of your life.

I am definitely a "process" stitcher. If I gauged my success at stitching by how many projects I finished, especially compared to what others are able to accomplish, I would not be a success. I find the act of stitching enjoyable and relaxing. I love starting new projects and picking out the floss and fabric. Fin ishing is great, too, and I've definitely finished more in the last couple of years than I ever have, but the act of stitching is more meaningful to me than finishing.

That being said, it's time to get back to stitching, which I haven't done very much of this past month. First, we rearranged the family room and I had to pack up all of my stitching stuff. Then, I spent the rest of the time planning and preparing for my daughter's First Communion. I felt guilty about stitching when I had so much cooking and cleaning to do. But the ceremony and party were on Saturday and now I'm free to make a mess in the family room again!

Cake Wrecks

2010-04-25T19:12:00.004-04:00

If you've never visited the Cake Wrecks website, you must. It's always good for a laugh. On Sundays, the site features beautiful cakes instead of wrecks. Check out the cross-stitch cake (and other needleart cakes).

Reading Update

2010-03-29T13:10:00.003-04:00

Like Anna, I've had books and reading on my mind lately - for a change! My library books were due today and I actually read all three that I checked out. I caught up on the "Temperance Brennan" series by Kathy Reichs with "Devil Bones" and "206 Bones." (I guess all of the more recent titles have to have the word 'bones' in the title to tie in with the TV series.) By themselves, the two books were what I've come to expect from the series. However, reading them back to back instead of a year apart, there were a few inconsistencies and holes in the stories, including a major plot point from "Devil Bones" that wasn't addressed in "206 Bones." I guess we'll see if it comes up in the next book in August.

I also read "13 1/2," the stand-alone book from Nevada Barr, author of the "Anna Pigeon" national park mysteries. I thought the book was very well written, even if it was a bit predictable, and the post-Katrina New Orleans setting was interesting. But I love the Anna Pigeon books and I'll be glad when the next one comes out, also in August.

That brings my total number of books read so far in 2010 to six, so I need to keep moving. I checked out the latest Margaret Maron "Deborah Knott" book (can you tell that I love crime fiction series?) and "Life Sentences" by Laura Lippman, which I've been anxious to read for awhile now.

The Raven

2010-03-28T13:42:00.005-04:00

I finished "The Raven" a couple of weeks ago and finally took a picture of it one sunny day last week. Even with all of the half and quarter stitches, it was a pretty quick stitch, especially since it only has two colors. But now on to something with a little bit more color to it!

Olympic Stitching

2010-03-02T10:38:00.004-05:00

I watched a ton of Olympic coverage, staying up way too late most nights, but I was also able to get a lot of stitching done. First, I continued working on the "Christmas Eve" stocking. Here's what it looked like at the start of the Opening Ceremonies:

And I finished it during the men's figure skating finals!

This one was much faster to stitch than the snowman stocking, since it didn't have that big block of white. I still have to decide if I want to add buttons to it.

After finishing "Christmas Eve," I decided to take a break from stockings and started "The Raven" by Lavender Wings instead. This design is full of 1/4 and 3/4 stitches. I can't remember the last time I stitched a design with these stitches, so I really have to concentrate. I changed the reddish/GAST gingersnap border to DMC 550/purple to match some other raven designs I have planned for the future. Here's how it looked during the Closing Ceremonies:

First Finish of 2010

2010-02-11T14:28:00.002-05:00

The nice thing about being snowed in is lots of time to stitch! During blizzard #1, I finished Bent Creek's Snowman Stocking in pink. This one is for daughter #2. If you remember, I finished #1 in purple last year. I've been looking at fabric online so I can finish finish these, but I think I'm going to wait until I have all four complete and then sew them all at once. I started stocking #3 - Bent Creek's Christmas Eve - during blizzard #2 and it's progressing quite nicely.

1st Year Scrapbook

2010-02-06T14:05:00.005-05:00

Even though it's not very sunny with 2 feet of snow on the ground and still falling, there seems to be enough reflected light to try and get some pictures of the scrapbook pages I made last weekend. I finished 38 pages - a new record for me - out of the 42 I needed to complete the album of Hannah's first year. There is a page for each month, plus the major holidays and events of the first year. I only have 3 Christmas pages and a "firsts" page left to complete. Here are a few of my favorites.

Ready for the Snow

2010-02-05T13:53:00.004-05:00

The flakes just started falling here and I'm ready to stay in the house all weekend and stitch. I went to my LNS this morning for their Super Bowl weekend sale. I had planned to go on Sunday, but we may still be digging out then, so I thought I would go today.

I got everything pictured here for a mere $37. The two Praiseworthy Stitches charts and the Hands to Work chart were only $2 each and the Bent Creek (Gobble and Blackbird Sampler) and Raise the Roof designs were only $1 each! "Kringle's Tree Farm" has been on my wish list since I first saw it, so I can't believe it was only $2. I needed fabric for two different raven projects - 28 ct. Forget-Me-Not blue jobelan for "Two Familiars" by the Cricket Collection and 28 ct. Country French Linen for "The Raven" by Lavender Wings, plus some miscellaneous DMC. The set of Trail Creek Farm seasons designs were freebies, along with the Mill Hill blackbird button.

School is getting out about an hour earlier, so once I get Hayley off the bus at 2:30, we'll be tucked inside the house for the weekend.

Scrapbook Weekend

2010-01-25T17:10:00.004-05:00

I haven't been doing a lot of stitching lately. I'm getting ready for a three-day scrapbooking weekend coming up on the 29th, so I've been busy sorting through and packing up the stuff I need to take with me while also trying to lay out some pages ahead of time. Other than the beach chipboard album, I haven't really scrapbooked since July. I'm planning to work on my second daughter's first year album (never mind the fact that she just turned three). It will be about 40 pages and I've never completed more than 35 pages or so at one of these weekends, but I'm going to try my hardest to complete the whole album this weekend. I hope to have some photos of finished pages to post when I return.

Sand Pail Scrapbook Album

2010-01-14T10:13:00.006-05:00

On Saturday, I was finally able to exchange Christmas gifts with my girlfriends, which means I can finally post pictures of the scrapbook I made for my friend Wendy. They own a condo at the beach and spend a lot of time there, so she has tons of pictures of her daughter Meghan at the beach. I found this little sand pail chipboard album from Art Blanche and decided to make a little mini-album for Wendy featuring pics of Meghan. I had never worked on a scrapbook album like this before, but I think it turned out pretty good for a first try. I used paint as a base on the chipboard and then most pages have the background paper Mod Podge'd on. That could be painfully slow sometimes. When I had time to scrapbook, I wanted to keep moving, but I had to wait for the Mod Podge to dry first. Then I just used different beach and summer-themed papers and stickers, with a few tags and ribbons thrown in here and there.

Now that I have this first one under my belt, I'm anxious to try some more mini-albums. I have two I bought last year to scrapbook my daughter playing basketball and softball, plus one shaped like a cupcake to scrapbook birthdays.

2009 Reading List

2010-01-01T19:27:00.003-05:00

Every year when I post my reading list, I complain about not having enough time to read, blah, blah, blah. Well, this year I have no excuses. After being laid off the second week of the year, I should have been able to read more this year than ever before (and perhaps some more quality reading, but earlier in the year, I become slightly obsessed with Tori & Dean Home Sweet Hollywood after we got digital cable). But, on the plus side, one of the reasons I didn't read as much (other than watching way too much television) is that I was busy doing crafty things instead. I did more cross stitching in 2009 than I have ever done and I also did a lot of scrapbooking in the beginning of the year. So I'm stating here that one of my resolutions is to go back to reading at least 25 books a year. Here's the 2009 list:

1. Killer Heat by Linda Fairstein
2. Show No Fear by Perri O’Shaughnessy
3. Dead Connection by Alafair Burke
4. The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
5. A Darker Domain by Val McDermid
6. What the Dead Know by Laura Lippman
7. The Dirty Secrets Club by Meg Gardiner
8. The Turnaround by George Pelecanos
9. Before You Know Kindness by Chris Bohjalian
10. Death’s Half Acre by Margaret Maron
11. The Grave Tattoo by Val McDermid
12. Multiple Blessings by Kate Gosselin
13. The Way Home by George Pelecanos
14. The Coal Tattoo by Silas House
15. The King of Lies by John Hart
16. Down River by John Hart
17. Angel’s Tip by Alafair Burke
18. Sleepyhead by Mark Billingham
19. Borderline by Nevada Barr
20. The Dark Room by Minette Walters
21. sTORI Telling by Tori Spelling

2009-12-28T12:18:00.002-05:00

SamSarah's "Need to Read" from the Pearls series was safely delivered to Hayley's teacher last Wednesday on the last day of school before the holiday.

Old Cross Stitch

2009-12-15T17:51:00.005-05:00

I found this in my parents' basement today while helping my dad decorate for Christmas. I'm pretty sure, after first learning candlewicking, that this was my very first cross stitch project. I made it for my mom to hang in our blue-and-brown, goose-themed bathroom circa the mid-1980s. The pattern is long gone, but if I had to guess, it was from an old Dimensions or Jiffy kit, maybe Janlynn. The finishing is a wire hoop and you thread the end of the lace bands through the hoop to make the frame. This is one time I'm glad my mom never threw anything away!

Finished Ornaments

2009-12-10T23:35:00.005-05:00

Sunny days have been few and far between here and the ones that have been sunny have been extremely windy, which makes it tough to take pictures outside. But I was finally able to snap a couple of pictures of these completed Christmas ornaments hanging outside on one of our evergreen trees.

Mill Hill "Teddy's Tree"
Is supposed to be finished as a pin, but I finished it as an ornament instead for our neighbor who collects teddy bears.

Mill Hill "Hope" Charmed Ornament
Hoping to get to the post office tomorrow and send this to the hospice where my mother was earlier this year.

I've completely finished three of the Sugar Plum ornaments. Only two more to go!

Holiday Stash

2009-11-07T14:36:00.002-05:00

This wonderful package arrived in the mail on Wednesday from 1-2-3 Stitch!. It's mostly holiday gifts for other people, with a couple of things thrown in for me. The Mill Hill "Teddy's Tree" is a gift for our neighbor, who collects teddy bears. The other Mill Hill, "Hope," I plan to stitch and send to the hospice where my mother was last month. Then I'm going to stitch SamSarah's "Need to Read" for my daughter's teacher. The other two designs are for me, as well as some scrapbooking alphabets that were on clearance. I love that witch hat from Plum Pudding and it will give me a chance to use up this really old piece of 14ct black Aida I have. I want to start it now, because the design itself is not that big, but I need to focus on my holiday stitching first.

Ornaments

2009-11-03T14:35:00.006-05:00

I've been busy working on a few ornaments from the Just Cross Stitch issues.

First up is "Scared Folk Pumpkin" from the 2009 JCS Halloween issues. I had hoped to have this finished by Halloween, but ended up finishing it on Sunday. I just need to get a hanger for it.

front

back

I also completed the first of what will probably be five of "Sugar Plum" from the 2008 JCS Christmas Ornament issue. I'm planning on giving these to my aunts and sisters-in-law for Christmas.

front

back

finishing

The finishing is cellophane and ribbon to make it look like a candy wrapper.

Both of these were stitched on sewing cards from Tokens & Trifles. I loved stitching these, especially the sugar plum, because the detail on the card makes it look like it was a lot of work, but it was very simple. I can think of a million of things to make with these cards. I love the flag banner they have on their website.

Off to keep stitching more sugar plums (and that other stocking, too)!

Stitching Bag

2009-10-27T15:24:00.003-04:00

Picking up the meme from Anna's blog, here's a look inside my stitching bag, which is a freebie I picked up at a work conference a couple of years ago. It's nice because it's tall and has a pocket in the front and two on the sides.

I used to be a one-project-at-a-time stitcher, but not anymore! Right now, I'm working on some ornaments for Christmas from last year's Just Cross Stitch issue (better pictures to come soon) as well as some Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer ornaments for a friend, the baby sampler, and the second Snowman stocking. I only have one pair of scissors and I'm finding that with working on a lot of perforated paper recently, I could use a pair with much sharper points. Like Anna, I reuse other plastic bags. The red one came with a toy in it and the roomy, large one had curtains in it at one time. The small bag is recycled from a Pine Mountain kit and Rudolph is in a plain old Ziploc bag. Everyday supplies such as extra needles and the Tacky BOB are in the front pocket.

Swirlygig

2009-09-29T08:52:00.004-04:00

Now that Anna's challenge is over, I can post a pic of my Bent Creek "Swirlygig" that I entered. Congratulations to the winners, both of whom I voted for (no, I didn't vote for myself!). I pretty much picked the colors for the pattern to match my family room, which is where this is going to hang.

Finishes

2009-09-21T15:40:00.005-04:00

Finally finished that last little bit of "Holiday Seasons" after picking up the WDW Fire last week. On to the framing...

Also, one of my goals for many years now has been to have Christmas stockings for everyone in my family, all four of us. I made one for each of my nieces, but have yet to finish any for my family. I have started and stopped at least three different stockings, all from Dimensions or Bucilla kits, and then realized how awful they were. They just weren't what I was looking for. Eventually, I found a few stocking charts from Bent Creek that I loved. I believe I started "Snowman Stocking" for daughter #1 (who is now 7, by the way) some time last year. I finished it over the weekend on 28 ct. tea-dyed Monaco fabric using DMC threads. I'm going to add black buttons on the snowman and two gold stars on either side of the name after I sew the stocking together.

The finishing-finishing will be the real challenge if I want her to be able to use it this year because my mom sewed the other two for me. She won't be able to right now, so I guess I'll give it a try. Next, I need to start "Snowman" again, in pink, for daughter #2. Then I have "Holiday Home" for me and "Christmas Eve" for my husband.

Stash

2009-09-15T21:28:00.003-04:00

I finally made it to Needlecraft Corner to get the WDW Fire I needed, along with a few other things, of course. I picked up the Halloween issue of JCS, as well as the Christmas ornament issue, which the shop was busy shipping off to those who pre-ordered. I've flipped through both a couple of times, but need more time to digest them. Plus, I look forward to Anna's review when she receives her issue. I also bought "Primitive Wizard of Oz" by Midsummer Night Design and the "Tree Farm" Buttoned & Beaded kit from Mill Hill.

Work in Progress

2009-08-30T20:53:00.006-04:00

Not much stitching this past week, with back to school and then Hayley's birthday party on Saturday. While I'm waiting to get the WDW Fire I need to finish "Holiday Seasons," one of the other projects I'm working on is the "Winter Baby" Sunshine Line by Brooke's Books. This will be Hannah's baby sampler when it's finished. I completed the original "Baby Girl" Sunshine Line for Hayley after she was born and these will hang next to each other in our upstairs hallway next to some baby pictures of the two of them. These are stitched on perforated paper with DMC floss and a little bit of beading.

A Finish

2009-08-12T19:41:00.003-04:00

I quickly stitched this little octopus last week and turned it into a magnet for my mom. She has adopted the octopus as a symbol of her fight against cancer. The design was a freebie from Brooke's Books and I used DMC floss that closely matched the called for colors on white perforated paper.

2009-08-09T21:12:00.007-04:00

After I was laid off in January, I started working on "Holiday Seasons" from Birds of a Feather. I've had this pattern and the supplies for ages. It's stitched on 32 ct. Belgium linen with the called for WDW floss (my first time using overdyed floss). This project was really like doing four different designs (similar to the Lizzie Kate four seasons boxers), but comes as one chart. I was so close to being done last week but then I ran out of WDW Fire, which I need to finish the last design (Winter holidays). Once the design is done, I plan to finish it in a frame I have that looks like a window pane. Lessons learned from this project - I prefer evenweave to linen and I don't like stitching on fabric smaller than 28 ct. (unless maybe I invest in an Ott Lite and magnifier).

Swirlygig Challenge

2009-08-09T20:53:00.002-04:00

Last week, I finished stitching Bent Creek's "Swirlygig" design for Anna's challenge. This only took me a few hours to stitch and usually I'm a very slow stitcher. Now I need to "finish finish" the design and send a picture to Anna. I won't be able to post a pic here until September when the challenge is over.

Brushing Off the Cobwebs

2009-08-09T17:49:00.002-04:00

Well, it's been a long time. A lot has happened, but without going into everything, I've decided to make this more of a cross stitch/crafts blog, since I post most of my every day and family stuff over on Facebook. So look for the links on the right to change shortly and for some pics of projects in progress. There's an incredibly active cross stitch community out there and they are all very inspiring. Since I'm not working right now, I've had a lot more time to stitch and scrapbook and I'm actually getting a lot accomplished! So stay tuned...

2008 Reading List

2008-12-28T23:15:00.002-05:00

Well, this list just gets more pathetic every year. I'm almost embarrassed to post it this year, but here goes. Less than 20!

2008 Reading List

1. Hard Row by Margaret Maron (M) (series) (library)
2. Beautiful Children by Charles Bock (F) (Powell’s) (free download)
3. Schuyler’s Monster by Robert Rummel-Hudson (NF) (new book from Amazon)
4. Certain Girls by Jennifer Weiner (F) (library)
5. Savage Run by C.J. Box (CF) (series) (library)
6. Winterkill by C.J. Box (CF) (series) (library)
7. Strange Piece of Paradise by Terri Jentz (NF) (library)
8. In the Woods by Tana French (CF) (library)
9. Home to Big Stone Gap by Adriana Trigiani (SF) (library)
10. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak (F) (library)
11. The Likeness by Tana French (CF) (library)
12. Winter Study by Nevada Barr (CF) (series) (library)
13. Bones to Ashes by Kathy Reichs (CF) (series) (library)
14. Oral History by Lee Smith (F) (used PB)
15. She’s Come Undone by Wally Lamb (F) (used PB)
16. The Night of the Gun by David Carr (NF) (library)
17. Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons (F) (library)

Did I even post the list from 2007? I couldn't find it. Here is, plus a link to 2006.

2007 Reading List

1. Deception by Denise Mina (CF) (library)
2. The Rock Orchard by Paula Wall (F) (library)
3. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (F) (used)
4. Amagansett by Mark Mills (F) (library)
5. Summer Reading by Hilda Wolitzer (F) (library)
6. The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp (CF) (library) (Powell’s)
7. Red River by Lalita Tademy (F) (library)
8. Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein (CF) (library)
9. Bloodthirsty by Marshall Karp (CF) (library)
10. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos (CF) (library)
11. The Scold’s Bridle by Minette Walters (CF) (used paperback)
12. Dark Hollow by John Connolly (CF) (library)
13. The Woods by Harlan Coben (M) (library)
14. Winter’s Child by Margaret Maron (M) (library)
15. The Straw Men by Michael Marshall (CF) (library) (Powell’s)
16. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty (YA) (library)
17. Sacred by Dennis Lehane (CF) (used)
18. Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. by Debra Weinstein (F) (bookcloseouts)
19. Kill Chain by Meg Gardiner (CF) (library)
20. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger (CF) (library)

Happy 10th Anniversary

2008-12-12T23:24:00.000-05:00

A surprise delivered to work this morning for my 10th wedding anniversary.

Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons

2008-09-22T16:50:00.007-04:00

How did I not know this was coming out? How did I not know that this has been out for the past month? From one of my most favorite authors? Who hasn't had a new book out since 2005? I was randomly checking the NY Times best seller list today and there it was (#21). And I was just in Borders on Saturday. Good thing it's the end of the day. I'm off to the library on my way home!

Hannah Montana Fever

2008-08-06T15:25:00.001-04:00

We were babysitter-less on Monday, and I was thinking about taking a day off anyway, so I took the girls to see the Hannah Montana tour bus, a promotion sponsored by Great Clips to promote the release of the Hannah Montana concert DVD and the "Camp Rock" movie.

It was actually less crowded than I thought it would be, but there was still a good turnout, considering how hot it was, baking in the blacktopped parking lot. The activities available were karaoke, "rock star" hair-dos by Great Clips, giveaways (trading cards, magnets, poster) and the main attraction, a chance to board Hannah Montana's tour bus.

Big H jumped right in and did the karaoke, which surprised me, because she can be shy sometimes. She sang very quietly, but she did it all by herself. Disney videotaped each song and gave it to you on a SD card, but unfortunately, ours didn't work when we got it home.

The wait to get on the tour bus was timed, so we went and got some lunch in the A/C before it was our turn. We were on the bus for all of three minutes, hardly worth the wait, but Big H thought it was cool to see an actual Hannah Montana guitar and wig and where she slept while on tour. It was worthwhile, since Big H enjoyed it - and it was free!

Real Live Teacher

2008-07-11T13:48:00.001-04:00

My "Real Live Teacher" blog is defunct, but I incorporated the posts into this blog. Keeping two blogs was too much and there hasn't been much to update on the teaching front since Little H was born. I really need to get motivated and make some decisions about teaching. If you want to read any of the teaching posts, just click on the teaching tag.

Country Music Question

2008-07-11T11:53:00.002-04:00

Can someone please explain to me why Brad Paisley's "Waiting on a Woman" single, which was originally on the "Time Well Wasted" album, was included on "5th Gear" as a bonus track (although not on the version I have - maybe only on versions sold at one specific store, i.e. Target) and is now his latest single? Because to me, having listened to "Time Well Wasted" a million times, it seems old and not really a new single. I would much rather have seen/heard "Better Than This" released as a single, since it's my favorite track on the album and a great summer song.

Worst Album Covers Ever

2008-06-19T16:26:00.004-04:00

A long slideshow feature, but worth it. From the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

1. Cody Matherson – Can I Borrow a Feelin’? … And Lazy Eye Therapy
2. Roger … He gets bonus points for using the word “facet”
3. Orion Reborn … I’m pretty sure that’s Lyle Waggoner in disguise
4. The Frivolous Five – Sour Cream and Other Delights … I think there’s a dirty joke about “sour cream” in there somewhere
5. Harry and Terry Live … I hate ventriloquist dummies
6. The Handless Organist … At least she’s smiling, or is that a grimace?
7. Have Harp, Can’t Travel … As if the harp isn’t already the most difficult instrument to transport, let’s make the little person carry it
8. Les Baxter – Space Escapade … Judging by everyone’s smiles, maybe it should be called “Space Sexcapade”
9. Bathroom Baritones, Bathing Beauties … I’m sure everyone had a record player in their bathroom in the 1950s
10. Merrill Womach … not just an organist, but an undertaker, too. And he has a MySpace page!
11. Truckers Dream … every girl’s dream
12. Skidrow Joe … I think the name says it all
13. The Braillettes – Our Hearts Keep Singing … Worst. Name. Ever. for a musical act
14. Weela Gallez … I hate monkeys even more than I hate ventriloquist dummies
15. Don & Seymour … I’d like to see more of Don
16. Manfred Sings Love Songs – With a New Accent … I think every artist should put out an album using a different accent at least once
17. Cajun Music – This one actually looks fake (apparently not – he’s the king of Louisiana rockabilly)
18. Little David Wilkins … If only Chris Farley was still alive, this a SNL sketch waiting to happen
19. Rick McKnight – Free Indeed! … from jail, I’m guessing
20. Organ and Firelight … I don’t want to see anyone’s organ by firelight
21. Chicken Coupe de Ville – this one looks fake, too (wrong again – thanks, MySpace!)
22. Music for Dreaming … Last night, I had this dream where I was a giant sleeping in the snow. Then I rolled over and crushed an Alpine village.
23. Wayne & Charlie – Rapping Dummy … I’d actually like to hear this one, but only if he says the word “dummy” in Fred Sanford’s voice
24. The Incomparable Steve Warren – Reflection … literally
25. The McKeithen’s … featuring The Great Gazoo
26. Slim Goodbody - The Inside Story … Hey, don’t mess with Slim Goodbody (the only artist I’ve actually heard of on this list)
27. “Happiness” with Ron Johnson … Because “Happiness’ should always be spelled in a creepy, bloody Halloween font
28. Drums and More Drums … I’m laughing too hard to think of an octopus joke.
29. OK, that made me stop laughing. I’m too frightened to even think of something funny to say.
30. Disco Tango – No thank you, Tommy Seebach
31. Joyce … I didn’t know Dorothy Michaels released an album under a pseudonym
32. ET – Best Friends … Rick James wannabe or lovable alien?
33. Ali and His Gang vs. Mr. Tooth Decay … I bet this was a big hit in its day (and only the second name I recognize)
34. The Electric Amish – A Hard Day’s Work … You’d think they would play acoustic guitar
35. Jonah Jones – I Dig Chicks … And I use the most literal imagery I can find for my album covers to hide my homosexuality
36. John Bult – Julie’s Sixteenth Birthday … Also known as the day John went to jail
37. Anchor’s Away … this one isn’t that bad, since pirates are back in style
38. Gary Dee Bradford … The record company didn’t want to spend any money on album artwork, so they just used his school picture
39. I couldn’t read the title of this one, something about rainbows, but it looks more like it should be about nightmares
40. Understand Your’e Swede – Even if you disregard the misplaced apostrophe, this title still doesn’t make sense
41. Thank You for the Dove … that just pooped in my hand
42. Superman – Every Night and Day … in bed
43. The Best of the Singing Postman … The Cryptkeeper Postman!
44. Country Church … They look like they would be fun to hang out with
45. All My Friends are Dead … In the category of morbid death story songs, this beats “Last Kiss” hands down
46. Happy Louie, Julgia and the Boys … Only Louis is happy because he’s the only one getting it on with Julgia
47. Mike Terry – Live at the Pavilion Theatre … pre sex change operation
48. Moscow Nights – no one ever had that much fun in Moscow
49. Foster Edwards’ Orch. … Who abbreviates orchestra on an album cover? (I’m avoiding the obvious elephant in the room joke.)
50. Ken – By Request Only … Steve Warren could have used this cover (see #24)

In the News

2008-06-03T18:05:00.002-04:00

Designer of Pringles can is buried in his invention

After I read this headline, I imagined a giant Pringles can-shaped casket, but alas, his ashes were buried in an actual Pringles can. I’m kind of disappointed.

Disappearing act: Revue is robbed

Although this is a serious crime, any article that features the phrase ‘breakaway pants’ makes me laugh. It figures a male reporter was assigned to the story. You can practically hear him trying not to laugh out loud as he writes this story.

A Day Late and A Dollar Short

2008-01-09T14:05:00.002-05:00

Of course, now they come out with this - Bindi Partyware. Where was it when I needed it back in September for Big H's birthday? I guess we were just ahead of our time.

Back in September, Big H had a Bindi-themed birthday party. We made our own invitations using graphics from the "Bindi the Jungle Girl" site on Discovery Kids. We went with a green theme for the plates, napkins, etc. and a general jungle animal theme for everything else. We had animal print balloons and all of the little girls received animal print tote bags with an animal print notepad, pen and stickers. Very cute, but I love those Bindi favor boxes. I might have to order a few, along with the stickers, for Big H.

Speaking of stickers, they would have come in handy on Halloween, when Big H dressed up as Bindi. I made stickers with my Xyron machine for her shirt, but those would have been perfect. Here's a pic of Big H on Halloween (the sticker is hidden under the snake but looks like it is embroidered on her shirt, just like Bindi's).

For the record, since I was MIA from updating in October, little H was a bumblebee.

2007 Reading List

2008-01-02T16:19:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought last year's list was pathetic, but 2007's was even worse. I was able to sustain my reading rate even with less free time at home by reading over my lunch hour, but now I'm usually running errands or working over lunch, since I come in a half hour later now due to the bus schedule. I also blame "The Wire." Mark and I have been working our way through all four seasons of the series on DVD since August and it's all-consuming. I can't read and watch TV at the same time when it's on - you have to pay close attention! We finished the last disc of season 4 on New Year's Eve and just signed up for digital cable with free HBO for 60 days so we can watch Season 5 when it starts on Sunday. Anyway, I digress. Here's my 2007 reading list. As before, the abbreviations are: CF - crime fiction, M - mystery, F - fiction, SF - southern fiction, not scifi, YA - young adult and then in parens, where I got the book (usually from the library). Unofficial New Year's resolution - go back to reading more!

1. Deception by Denise Mina (CF) (library)
2. The Rock Orchard by Paula Wall (SF) (library)
3. Sea Glass by Anita Shreve (F) (used PB)
4. Amagansett by Mark Mills (F) (library)
5. Summer Reading by Hilda Wolitzer (F) (library)
6. The Rabbit Factory by Marshall Karp (CF) (library) (via Powell’s)
7. Red River by Lalita Tademy (F) (library)
8. Bad Blood by Linda Fairstein (CF) (library)
9. Bloodthirsty by Marshall Karp (CF) (library)
10. The Night Gardener by George Pelecanos (CF) (library)
11. The Scold’s Bridle by Minette Walters (CF) (used paperback)
12. Dark Hollow by John Connolly (CF) (library)
13. The Woods by Harlan Coben (M) (library)
14. Winter’s Child by Margaret Maron (M) (library)
15. The Straw Men by Michael Marshall (CF) (library) (Powell’s)
16. Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty (YA) (library)
17. Sacred by Dennis Lehane (CF) (used)
18. Apprentice to the Flower Poet Z. by Debra Weinstein (F) (bookcloseouts)
19. Kill Chain by Meg Gardiner (CF) (library)
20. Mercy Falls by William Kent Krueger (CF) (library)

Kidisms

2007-12-12T15:52:00.001-05:00

#1 - While watching "Frosty the Snowman" the other night:

Big H: Why does Frosty have a hammer in his mouth?

Me: It's not a hammer, it's a pipe.

Big H: Then why doesn't it have smoke coming out of it?

In her defense, she's a Baltimore girl at heart and it does look like a crab mallet, which she uses when she does Play-Doh. And now that I think about it, I'm surprised "they" haven't revised Frosty to remove the pipe from all scenes.

#2 - When talking about getting a Christmas tree, Big H kept calling the Christmas Tree farm the "Christmas Tree Patch," like the pumpkin patch, which I think is adorable.

What I Did On My Summer Vacation

2007-11-07T10:12:00.000-05:00

Let's just jump right in, no apologies for the cobwebs around here.

June

Ballet Recital

Pre-school Graduation

Swimming at Aunt J’s

She's a Baltimore girl in her inflatable crab.

Father’s Day breakfast

Surprise 60th Birthday Party for Mom

Sister J hosted and did most of the planning for a surprise 60th birthday party/Hawaiian luau for my mom. We had over 90 adults and about 10 or 15 kids show up. The weather was perfect and there was good food, live music, dancing and the highlight - a pig on a spit (even though it took a VERY long time to cook).

July

A baby shower for a friend

A trip to the Baltimore Zoo

I had the two days after the 4th of July off, so I took the girls to the Baltimore Zoo on Thursday. The day was overcast, but still really humid, but it was nice not to have the sun beating down on our heads all afternoon. Big H loved all of the animals, especially the polar bears.

I hadn’t been to the zoo in probably 15 years and for all of the problems they’ve had with money and closing some exhibits, it was very clean, we saw plenty of animals and even went to hear a talk about alligators. Little H slept in her stroller for awhile and hopefully absorbed something of the experience.

Dinner at "Cheeseburger in Paradise" with BFFs W. and Library Girl to catch up on the June birthdays

Local fireman's carnival

Summer Reading Club fair at Codorus State Park

The theme for this year’s SRC was “Get a Clue,” so the library system held a Mystery Faire outside at Codorus State Park. Each library in the county had a booth with a “clue”-related activity for the kids to complete. Big H and nieces K&K had a great time making spy binoculars and stamping. We were also there to check out “Bob the Critter Guy,” who I wanted to hire for Big H’s “Bindi” birthday party in September. All of the girls wanted to hold the snakes.

More swimming at Aunt J’s

Big H's BFFs 5th birthday party
(I didn't take any pictures because I was holding Little H the whole time and we left for a little while so she could take her nap.)

Hi-5 Concert

Big H and I drove down to the Meyerhoff (the day after Artscape, no less, when half of the streets around the symphony hall were still closed) to see Hi-5 in concert. I bought the tickets back in April and didn’t realize what great seats they were. We were in the fifth row! The show was very entertaining and Big H was standing in the aisle, singing and dancing (it was too dark out in the seats to get a good picture of her). Here she is with her $20 Hi-5 pillow/hand puppet.

Cooperstown

The highlight of the summer, since we didn’t take an official family vacation this year, was the bus trip M. and I took to Cooperstown for Cal Ripken’s Hall of Fame induction. It was not a relaxing weekend, since we were beholden to the bus schedule, but it was definitely a once in a lifetime opportunity. The Hall of Fame itself was very impressive and the exhibits were very up to date – some records had been updated within the last week. We met up with Sister J. and T. on Sunday for the actual ceremony, which was extremely hot (we were sitting in a big field with no shade). I was glad to get home and see the girls after four nights away from them.

If Baldo wasn't in the way there, this would be a good picture of me signing the giant inflatable Cal Ripken jersey set up in the parking lot at Doubleday Field.

August

Visit to see Princess and the new baby princess

Summer officially ended on Aug. 28, when Big H started kindergarten. Coming up – Little H is mobile and Big H turns 5.

Updates

2007-06-19T22:05:00.000-04:00

Scroll down for post-dated entries from June 4 and May 30. I finally got around to downloading pictures from my camera.

Mystery Solved!

2007-06-15T16:35:00.000-04:00

This is going to make me sound like a big dork, but I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am. I have finally solved the mystery of the title of one of my most favorite books from childhood. My sketchy memory can recall everything about the book cover except the title. It was a hard cover with a picture of a girl with pigtails who had just fallen off her bike. The book takes place during one summer during the depression. The girl is learning how to ride a bike with big whitewall tires. She and other kids in the neighborhood read the secret language that hobos write on the telephone polls. That's about all I can remember.

Over the years, I have searched the Internet to try and find out the name of this book. Today, while browsing the groups at Library Thing, I found a group called "Name That Book." I never thought the answer to my mystery would be there. But there it was, a post entitled "2 books: learning to ride a bike and baking soda toothpaste." Thank you, missylc, for asking this question and getting it answered. I don't think it's a coincidence that missylc lives in Maryland. Maybe she checked it out of a Baltimore County library just like me?

The name of my mystery book is "I Would If I Could" by Betty Miles. The cover is exactly as I remembered it. (I think one of the reasons I liked this book so much is that I always thought I looked like the girl on the cover.) This has made my whole weekend. (I know. I said dorky, remember?)

Now I'm off to search the Internet again, this time for a used copy in good condition with the same cover I remember.

Let's Dance

2007-06-04T21:51:00.000-04:00

Big H's first dance recital was on Sunday, the culmination of weekly lessons since September. It was almost too cute for words. Her class performed two dances - a tap routine to "Be Our Guest" from Beauty and the Beast and then a ballet routine to the "Beauty and the Beast" title theme. Big H looked beautiful in her costume, especially with her blue eyes. Too bad it started falling apart on Saturday after the dress rehearsal. All of the fur trim started to fall off. At first, it was just the piece that runs down the center. As I was holding it in my hands to try and sew it, the rest of it started to unravel. I called my mom in a panic on Saturday night at 9:30pm and she came over early before the recital to help repair it. And Big H's wasn't the only costume this happened to; I would expect more considering we paid $60 for it.

But we didn't let it ruin the day. Big H did an excellent job, considering this was her first recital and the large high school auditorium was packed with people she didn't know. She didn't seem nervous at all. Her cheering section was quite large - 11 of us in all. We showered her with flowers like a prima ballerina. I can't wait until the video we purchased comes so we can see the performance again. Big H is the second from the right in the photo (you can see the fur drooping from the skirt of her outfit).

Milestone Accomplished

2007-05-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Hannah rolled over today. She's been trying so hard for weeks and she finally got her roly-poly little body to do it. She goes from back to front, which, according to the baby book we use, is the more difficult way to go (she's a genius, of course). She's also already rolling to both her left and right sides, not just one side. Up next - sitting up unassisted!

I can't figure out how to load a video to Blogger yet without posting it on You Tube, which I don't want to do, so you'll have to settle for before and after pictures.

Swims Like a Fish

2007-05-29T13:34:00.000-04:00

The first official cookout and swim on the first unofficial weekend of summer. We went to Aunt J's pool on Sunday to celebrate Memorial Day. The pool water was freezing, of course, but the kids never seem to mind. Big H was excited to go swimming and wanted to try and swim this year without her arm floaties. Well, I think she was swimming better than nieces K&K. She was diving under the water and swimming using her arms and her legs. I think she's a natural! I stayed out of the water, which meant Little H did, too. I think that cold water would have been a shock to her system. Maybe next time. And next time I have to remember Big H's new Shrek swim goggles. I have to get a picture of her in those!

What's With All the Joeys?

2007-05-10T15:03:00.000-04:00

If I had any discretionary income right now, I would go all-out and sign up for the VIP package for what is surely a very entertaining night out.

Dancing With The Stars, ABC’s #1 rated unscripted show is hitting the road again and bringing its most popular team of stars and professional dancers from the show’s first four seasons to GIANT Center on Monday, July 2, at 7:30 PM.
The second cast of Dancing With The Stars –The Tour features an ensemble of the show’s most popular competitors including season four’s Joey Fatone and Kym Johnson; season two’s winning duo Drew Lachey and Cheryl Burke; season three’s Joey Lawrence and Edyta Sliwinska; season one’s Joey McIntyre and Julianne Hough as well as professional dancers Alec Mazo and Louis Van Amstel.
The two-hour show will feature a larger-than-life recreation of the TV show’s actual stage with an intimate nightclub style table seating on the floor allowing fans unparalleled sightlines and access to all of the action. The tour has again teamed with “I Love All Access” to offer VIP ticket packages at every show. Packages include dance floor level table seating, private bar service and exclusive gifts.

Can't you just hear the announcer guy's voice in your head saying "Louis Van Amstel"?

Who's On First

2007-05-03T18:00:00.000-04:00

This is an actual series of e-mails I had to deal with at work today:

I wrote first, to a general customer service e-mail address on a magazine's website, to try and stop receiving a copy of a magazine addressed to a person who no longer works at the company:

Please delete the following from the PFQ mailing list. This person is longer with the company.
Name
Company Name
Address
City, State, Zip

Here is the first response:
I have looked through our system & there is no one w/ this name or company name under the zip code given w/ an account. Thank you.

So I wrote back:
I just received the April/May issue in the mail today and that was the information on the mailing label. It may be a comp copy for advertising since there isn’t an account number on the label, but we are already receiving another issue under my name and don’t need to receive both.
Thank you.

Yet another response from the anonymous customer service e-mail:

Is the subscription in your name you want canceled, or in the name of [person no longer with the company]? Also, our comp subscriptions also have an account number. It would be above the name, about 5 or 6 numbers a dash & a digit behind it, it may even be along w/ the letters, PFQ. Thanks.

So I responded AGAIN and attached a .jpg of the actual mailing label:

Please cancel the one in the name of [person no longer with the company], who is no longer with the company. The only code on the mailing label is #BXNRMSL#. There is a blank space above the name. I have attached a .jpg of the mailing label for you to see for yourself how it is addressed.

Third response:
There are several accounts w/ this company name for many different subscribers, including you, that I can see in the whole entire zip code. However, there is no account for [person no longer with the company].

I guess that mailing label wasn't convincing enough. I didn't respond again. This is what I get for trying to save a few trees and this company some postage costs. What a complete waste of time!

"The O Usually Stays with the B"

2007-04-30T13:39:00.000-04:00

I had to have an X-ray done today for the one-year follow up to my kidney stone from last year. I have an appointment in a couple of weeks to make sure a new one hasn't grown in the past year, but I needed to have the X-ray before our radiology co-pay through our health insurance increases tomorrow (from $25 to $50). (I'm trying to be frugal now that we're paying daycare for two.)

Anyway, at the imaging center, you go from the regular waiting room to the "gowned waiting room," where, you guessed it, you change into a gown and wait your turn. To change, you use a small three or four foot square dressing room. There are three lockers, so I assume up to three people can use the same room within a certain time span. I changed, waited less than five minutes for my name to be called and then had my X-ray, which also took maybe five minutes. When I returned to the dressing room to change, it reeked of B.O. I'm talking "rampant, mutant B.O." I can't believe someone could have such bad B.O. that their body stinks enough to skunk up a room in less than ten minutes. How could you not realize that? (I cannot imagine having to be an X-ray technician or anyone else in the medical field who has to deal with smelly people. That's why I work at a desk by myself.) I changed as fast as I possibly could, but I was still afraid the smell was going to follow me around all day.

Four-Month Check-Up

2007-04-25T15:42:00.000-04:00

Hannah had her four-month check-up today. She weighs 17 lbs., 8 oz. (!) and is 24 1/2 inches long. Her weight is beyond the 100th percentile, but her length and head circumference are right on target. We can start introducing cereal anytime now. We've tried it a couple of times, but she never seemed very interested, but maybe we'll try again this weekend. All of her other skills were on target as well - grasping, laughing, cooing, etc. We're working on sitting up and she's trying really hard to roll over. She can also scoot backwards when she has something to push her feet against.

Let's Start at the Very Beginning

2007-04-24T15:38:00.000-04:00

It’s a very good place to start. When we last left our plucky heroine, she had just given birth to Little H and almost had to spend Christmas in the hospital.

To summarize my 13 weeks of maternity leave – Christmas, bottles, diapers, waking up at 1am and 3am, New Year’s, bottles, diapers, waking up at 3am, turned 35, bottles, diapers, waking up at 5am, etc. I think you get the picture. Actually, I can’t complain much at all. Little H has been an excellent baby. She’s a good eater and a good sleeper – she’s been sleeping through the night since she was about 7 weeks old. Now, she’s 4 months old and working on sitting up and trying to roll over already. She’ll have her four-month check-up tomorrow – and I’ll already have something new to post about!

So, I went back to work on March 26th and everything since then has fallen under the category of “nothing is ever easy.” I woke up on the 25th with a fever, congestion, sore throat - the works. My fever broke later that day but I absolutely, positively had to go to work the next day. Luckily, my officemate and my boss were both out the whole week I returned, so I kind of took it easy, trying to get my feet wet again, but honestly, the whole first week is kind of a blur.

After I recuperated over the weekend, Big H got sick. She had just finished a bout of strep throat the week before and it sounded like it was back. So Monday morning, we dropped Little H off at the sitter’s and then I took Big H into work with me so I could bring home some work to do and explain everything to my boss. How mortifying! Big H went to the doctor and then to the back-up babysitter on that Tuesday, since she couldn’t return to preschool until we had the results of her strep test. Her strep hadn’t returned; it was just a regular sore throat and she went back to school on Wednesday and I managed to work the rest of the week (three days) without missing a day (which was a short week with the Good Friday holiday).

Week 3 was even shorter. I worked Monday and then went into the hospital on Tuesday for gall bladder surgery. This should probably be a separate post, but I’ll try to be succinct. On President’s Day, I went to the emergency room because I thought I was having a heart attack. (Good thing I wasn’t since I would have died in the waiting room, but that really is another story.) I ended up going to see my doctor the next day and she diagnosed it as a gall bladder attack (I had had a similar, but shorter and not as painful attack the previous Thursday). An ultrasound confirmed “multiple stones” and even though I pleaded my case with the surgeon at my consultation (I’ve already been off work for three months, I can’t be out again for a week; I have a small infant at home who needs to be cared for; I’ve used up all my medical leave for the year), he didn’t want to hear it and scheduled the surgery for April 10th. So I was off from work from April 10th through April 13th. After staying with us for two weeks after Little H was born, my mom returned again to take care of Little H again.

I returned to work (again) on April 16th and that week was uneventful. I worked a full five-day work week. And now I’m two days into what is technically week 5 of being back at work and decided to start blogging again. So I’ll make the usual promise to start updating again.

PS - Wow, I should have switched over to the new Blogger sooner and maybe I would have updated more. It’s so much faster and I love adding tags to things (it’s just like making lists).

New Addition

2006-12-31T14:06:00.000-05:00

Little H was born on Friday, December 22 at 7:35 pm (a Capricorn by one day!). She weighed 10 lbs., 8 oz. and was 21 inches long. My ob/gyn sent me to Labor & Delivery at the hospital Friday morning after my last regular check-up because she didn't like the results of the non-stress test they did in the office that morning. After much back and forth, my c-section that was scheduled for Tuesday the 26th was moved to Friday night.

The surgery wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be. Mark was there the whole time and was even able to cut the cord again. My parents and Big H were waiting just outside. The only bad part of the whole hospital stay was being stuck there Christmas Eve.

But we all came home Christmas morning and moved the Christmas celebration from my parents' house to ours instead. It wasn't exactly what we had planned, but everyone is healthy and happy and we were still able to celebrate Christmas at home.

2006 Reading List

2006-12-11T17:53:00.001-05:00

Unless I read a book while I'm in the hospital, I think I'm done for 2006. I don't think I'll be squeezing in any more reading in the next three weeks, so I might as well post this now. Here is my 2006 reading list. Much smaller than I had hoped - I didn't even average a book a week this year, which is rare for me. I read more young adult fiction than I have in a long time, which was a nice change of pace, and discovered new authors Megan McCafferty and Sarah Dessen. I categorized the list this year by genre (CF - crime fiction, M - mystery, F - fiction, SF - southern fiction, not scifi, YA - young adult) and by where I get my books. As you can see, most of my reading material comes from the library. I rarely buy new books. Past lists can be found here, here and here.

1. Last Lullaby by Denise Hamilton (CF) (bookcloseouts)
2. Cross Bones by Kathy Reichs (CF) (library)
3. The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd (F) (library)
4. Buried Diamonds by April Henry (M) (bookcloseouts)
5. Crosscut by Meg Gardiner (CF) (bookcloseouts)
6. The Rosary Girls by Richard Montanari (CF) (library)
7. Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty (YA) (library)
8. Butcher’s Hill by Laura Lippman (M) (library)
9. Close Range: Wyoming Stories by Annie Proulx (short stories) (library)
10. Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty (YA) (library)
11. Forests of the Night by James W. Hall (CF) (library)
12. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger (F) (library book sale)
13. Trace by Patricia Cornwell (CF) (library)
14. Predator by Patricia Cornwell (CF) (library)
15. Blue Ridge by T.R. Pearson (F) (bookcloseouts)
16. Starting from Square Two by Caren Lissner (chick lit) (library)
17. Keeping the Moon by Sarah Dessen (YA) (library)
18. Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld (F) (library)
19. Cage’s Bend by Carter Coleman (F) (library)
20. Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen (YA) (library)
21. This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen (YA) (library)
22. The Last Girls by Lee Smith (SF) (library)
23. A Bad Boy Can Be Good for a Girl (YA) (library)
24. Crusader’s Cross by James Lee Burke (CF) (library)
25. That Summer by Sarah Dessen (YA) (bookcloseouts)
26. Cold Mountain (historical/SF) (borrowed from a friend)
27. The Skin Gods by Richard Montanari (CF) (library)
28. Dreamland by Sarah Dessen (YA) (bookcloseouts)
29. Stone Garden by Molly Moynahan (F) (bookcloseouts)
30. Charmed Thirds by Megan McCafferty (chick lit) (library)
31. Exile by Denise Mina (CF) (library)
32. The Cheer Leader by Jill McCorkle (SF) (bookcloseouts)
33. Death Dance by Linda Fairstein (CF) (library)
34. Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson (SF) (library)
35. Legacy of Masks by Sallie Bissell (CF) (library)
36. The Twelfth Card by Jeffrey Deaver (CF) (library)
37. The Delta Belles by Penelope J. Stokes (SF) (library)
38. The River House by Margaret Leroy (F) (library)
39. Break No Bones by Kathy Reichs (CF) (library)
40. The Same Sweet Girls by Cassandra King (SF) (library)
41. Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns (SF) (library book sale) (English class)
42. The Contender by Robert Lipsyte (YA) (English class)
43. The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper (F) (bookcloseouts)
44. Baker Towers by Jennifer Haigh (F) (bookcloseouts)
45. A Rip in Heaven by Jeanine Cummins (true crime) (bookcloseouts)
46. The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson (F) (bookcloseouts)
47. Katie.com by Kathryn Tarbox (YA) (bookcloseouts)

A Christmas Miracle!

2006-12-10T14:07:00.000-05:00

Not really, but this is the first time Big H has sat on Santa's lap. I didn't think she would do it and we didn't really talk about it, but she walked right up to get her present and sat down to have her picture taken. This was at my work's children's Christmas party on Saturday, so maybe it wasn't as overwhelming as going to the mall.

Three Down, Four to Go

2006-12-10T13:42:00.001-05:00

Class #3 is over. We handed in our final projects last week - the unit lesson plan on Cold Sassy Tree - so really all we had to do for the final class was pick them up and discuss them as a group a little bit. I got a 30/30 on the unit plan (and should have an A in the class). Only five people in the class received a perfect score, so that made me feel good, especially since some people in the class do this every day for a living.

I'm undecided about the spring semester. Classes don't start until the last week in January, so if I would take one night class, it would be while I'm on leave except for the last two weeks, which wouldn't be that bad. But we'll have to wait and see what kind of baby we have. If she's colicky like Hayley was, taking a class might not be possible. I know I don't want to take another two night a week summer class. That was just too much. Another possibility would be to take a condensed summer class. They offer a few that are a week long from 9-4pm, Monday-Friday and it's still worth the whole three credits. I might use a week's vacation and take one so I don't have to wait until next fall to take another class.

There's still time to decide. You can register right up until the last minute as long as there is still space in the class. I don't have to decide right now.

Thanksgiving Weekend

2006-11-27T22:18:00.000-05:00

I love having four days off in a row! There should be more long weekends like this. I took a nap every day, even after sleeping until 8am on Saturday. Thanksgiving Day was fun and relaxing. Big H and I watched the parade together and then all three of us went to my parents' house for dinner. It wasn't too hectic or crazy and all the kids played well together.

On Friday, Big H's BFF came over for a little while in the morning to play since both of her parents had to work. Then I had a doctor's appointment at 11am and Big H went with me. She's been asking to go to the "baby doctor" all along, so I think it was a fun visit for her and she asked a lot of questions. In the afternoon, we wrapped presents. Big H was in charge of the tape, but she only lasted through three or four presents, then she lost interest. But I did accomplish my goal and wrap everything that I have so far.

Saturday and Sunday, we just stuck close to home and enjoyed the unseasonably warm weather. Big H played outside with Daddy, freeing me up to get a few more things done in the house, like putting all of the fall decorations away.

Tonight was dance class. We had to put down a deposit on the costumes for the recital that isn't until June. At least there's just one costume and not two separate ones for ballet and tap. I think they're dancing to a song from "Beauty and the Beast," so the costumes will be some sort of princess costume.

Next weekend is the second-to-last class for school and our final projects are due (the lesson unit plan on Cold Sassy Tree), so that will keep me busy this week. After class, I'm planning on stopping at a few places on the way home to finish up my shopping without dragging Big H along. I'm almost finished!

Christmas Shopping

2006-11-01T13:21:00.000-05:00

Well, I didn't meet my unofficial goal of having all of my Christmas shopping done by Halloween, but I did check quite a few people off my list. I made a toy layaway for Big H back on October 11 and ordered a few other things for her from catalogs. I'm just waiting for the boxes to arrive. I need to get her one more toy from Walmart, but it was all the way up on the top shelf and, of course, there was no one around to help me with it. Of the 12 other kids we buy for, all but three are done and I atleast have one thing each for them. For the nieces and nephews we don't see very often, everyone is getting a board game this year. I also have presents for my dad, who is one of the hardest people on my list to buy for. I placed a catalog order today that takes care of the aunts, sisters-in-law and my younger sister. My next goal is to do all of my wrapping Thanksgiving weekend. I shouldn't have to go shopping by then!

Happy Halloween

2006-10-31T12:48:00.000-05:00

Have a "wonder"ful Halloween everyone!

Big H, age 4, 2006

And me, age 5, 1977

Inspiration

2006-10-30T13:42:00.000-05:00

A great article from the Washington Post Magazine that could help inspire and motivate high school students.

1001 Books You Must Read

2006-10-17T13:41:00.000-04:00

Some English teacher I'm supposed to be. I've only read 31 of the books (or 3%) on this list from the book "1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die: A Comprehensive Reference Source, Chronicling the History of the Novel." And I haven't read any of the books from the 2000s. I'm not sure what that says about me.

Smooth Ride

2006-10-07T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here's a shot of Big H riding her bike on our glorious new blacktopped road!

Dentist

2006-10-06T08:40:00.000-04:00

Big H made her first trip to the dentist yesterday. I originally tried to schedule her to go with me the last few times I've gone down to Aunt J's office, but it never worked out and we needed to go, so I found a local dentist instead. Big H did an amazing job for her first trip there. She wasn't scared and cooperated with the hygentist through the entire cleaning and fluoride treatment. The hygientist was great, too. She explained everything she was doing and really took her time with Big H. The only bad part of the trip is that the damage to her weird front tooth is a cavity. The dentist thinks it will probably fall out sometime in the next year, especially if she bites into something hard like an apple, because it is very weak, but he recommended filling it anyway to make it stronger. The silver lining is that I think she finally understands she can't drink chocolate milk in the middle of the night any more. We had broken her of this habit and then M. was weak and started giving it to her again. Last night, I didn't hear a peep out of her. He also is going to recommend an oral surgeon to have the piece of skin that connects the lip to the gum cut (Hayley's comes all the way down in between her front teeth, which I think contributed to the cavity and her "perceived" speech problem), which I'll probably wait and do sometime while I'm on maternity leave.

M. had an appointment at the same time as Big H. He hadn't been to the dentist in a very long time (as someone who goes religiously every six months, I'm too embarrassed to say how long) and it showed in his appointment results. Needless to say, M. will be making a few more trips to the dentist between now and the end of the year.

Book Choice

2006-10-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

I finished Cold Sassy Tree a few days ago (I think it took me three weeks to read, very unusual for me, but I'm hardly doing any reading at night because I'm too tired) and I'm glad this is the book I chose for class. In class on Saturday, we had to go around the room and say which book we chose. Three people picked The Giver and two chose To Kill a Mockingbird. No one else selected Cold Sassy Tree and everyone else chose a different book, so we should have lots of different lesson plans at the end. We were given some time in class to start on a couple of the elements of the final lesson plan project. The class continues to go well - everything is new to me, so I'm learning something new every week. And we continue to get out between 10:30 and 10:45, which is great.

Sleep

2006-10-04T10:17:00.000-04:00

After only four hours of sleep Monday night, this was me trying to take a nap Tuesday after work from 5:30-6:15:

After riding her bike for about 5 minutes, Big H comes into the room and wakes me up. Great babysitting, Dad.
Our next door neighbors are mowing their lawn and they are completely inept about it. It is like this every time they mow. For some reason, they turn the mower on and off about every 10 minutes. And of course, our bedroom wall is the wall that faces their yard.
The phone rings and the machine picks it up.
Big H comes in and wakes me up again.
M. decides to start the race car. And then he asks me why I'm up and cooking dinner when he comes in the house a few minutes later.

So at 9pm, after we put Big H to bed, I'm ready to collapse. But this is the moment the farmer who owns the field behind us decides to cut down the soybean crop. Who starts culling a field at 9 o'clock at night when it's pitch dark out? So I turn on the air conditioner to drown out any other background noise and finally fell asleep at 9:30.

Absence

2006-10-02T16:02:00.000-04:00

Okay, so August and September were a wash. No excuses, really. This pregnancy has knocked me out in a way I wasn't expecting. I am supremely tired all the time. I've become an expert at finding a place to nap in the afternoons at work. Otherwise, the pregancy is going very smoothly. I'm currently in my third trimester and almost 28 weeks. Now that October is here, it hit me that this baby will be arriving before we know it. With the expectations of upcoming holidays and finishing my Saturday class, the time is flying. I can barely even read anymore, which upsets me to no end. I hardly make it through one or two chapters and my eyes droop and I'm out like a light. And keep in mind I do a lot of my reading while eating lunch at my desk at work!

I hope to go back and post-date some entries - our big family vacation in August, my ultrasound photos (it's a girl, by the way), etc., and if I do, I'll enter a new post with a link. Plus, there's always plenty going on - Big H started ballet and tap a few weeks ago, all of the fun fall craft shows are coming up and more. So, I'm sorry for the absence and I'll try to do better. Pinky swear.

You Know You Live in a Small Town...

2006-10-02T15:57:00.000-04:00

...when you get way too excited about the fact that the township is paving your street.

Don't get me wrong, our street is paved, but in typical Pennsylvania fashion- some strange mix of rocks and concrete that is one step above a gravel road. Today it is being paved with real live blacktop! The reason I'm so excited is that we live on a cul-de-sac with only one other house, so there is no traffic. But the court area is usually so full of rocks, stones and debris, that it's hard for Big H to ride her scooter or her bike out there. So now it should be the perfect place to learn how to ride a bike and play basketball. It makes our location ten times better than it already was.

#3

2006-09-11T13:39:00.000-04:00

The fall semester started on Saturday with class #3 in the program - the methods class for teaching English. I'm there from 8:30am-11:15am (meaning I leave the house at 7:30am and should be home by noon; we actually got out at 10:45am for the first class). Solely based on the first class and the syllabus, I think this is going to be a great class, on par with class #1. Since this is the methods class, everyone is teaching or will be teaching middle school or high school English. There are only 12 people in the class, with a mixture of already teaching and not teaching. Quite a few are first year teachers who just started teaching a couple of weeks ago when the new school year began. I'm not the oldest person in the class, probably somewhere in the middle. One of the first activities we had to do was "share in pairs" with a partner to talk about our best and worst experiences in school. For the best, I talked about my sixth grade class, which was 1983-84. The girl I was sharing with was born in 1983. There's also a girl from class #1 in this class, so there was one familiar face.

As a class, we'll be reading The Contender by Robert Lipsyte (which I've never read) and creating an entire unit on it. Then, on our own, we have to read one book from a predetermined list and we will be creating similar unit lessons for that book as the main project in the class. I can't decide if I should play it safe and choose a novel I've already read, such as To Kill a Mockingbird or The Great Gatsby, or stretch myself and pick a book I haven't read yet so I will get more out of the class and check off another book on my reading list. I'm leaning toward Olive Ann Burns' Cold Sassy Tree, which I have a used copy of that I found at the library book sale but haven't had time to read yet. I'd like to read a book I already have a copy of, so other potential titles include Lois Lowery's The Giver, Steinbeck's The Red Pony (which I only read once in sixth or seventh grade) and a couple of others I can't think of off the top of my head. Any suggestions? Everyone in the class has to make copies of the final lessons/unit to give to the rest of the class and I'm guessing very few would choose Cold Sassy Tree and half the class could end up choosing To Kill a Mockingbird.

PS - One thing on my list of useless things to worry about: the desks and chairs in the classroom. For class #1, we sat in all-in-one desk chairs. I was afraid that if we had them again, my ever-expanding belly wouldn't fit in the chair and I'd have to sit sideways the whole time. Luckily, we're seated at tables with very comfy adjustable, padded desk chairs.

Finally!

2006-07-31T13:39:00.000-04:00

The day I've been waiting for, the last day of class. Last night was it and now I have a nice break until after Labor Day. I was almost weak when it came time to do the evaluation, but I stuck to my guns. Tuesday night's class was exactly the way all of the other classes should have been - the instructor taught for awhile and then we had lab time to work on projects that were due. If only the rest of the class had been that way, it would have been a much better class, even at the beginner level. Now I'm just waiting for my final grade, which should be available online sometime next week.

Mark Your Calendars

2006-07-20T14:16:00.000-04:00

The season premiere of Grey's Anatomy is Thursday, Sept. 21 at 9pm (which is much better for me, personally, than Sundays at 10pm).

Fame is Fleeting...

2006-07-20T12:49:00.000-04:00

...when you're an Oscar-nominated child star who drives a '95 Saturn.

Unbearable

2006-07-14T13:38:00.000-04:00

That's the only word I can use to describe my second summer class. As good as the first one was, the second one is bad. First, I'm stuck in the beginner's class because of some bad advice from my advisor (the beginner and advanced classes are both held at the same time and are supposed to swap students on the first night regardless of which one you registered for, but both classes were so overbooked that there wasn't room to switch). And is some ways, it's even a pre-beginner's class. I knew I was in trouble on the first night when the instructor asked, "How do we maximize a window in Explorer?" And then a girl sitting behind me asked the instructor to define the word "telecommunications." Huh?

This week, we spent two hours on Tuesday and another hour last night on Word. Word! Even though the project due next Tuesday has to be in PowerPoint. But that's typical of the class as a whole. It's very unorganized and the syllabus is completely confusing in the way that it's written. What's more frustrating is that the people who don't know what they're doing don't listen and end up asking questions that the instructor just answered.

My mantra right now is, "Four more sessions, four more sessions." But the sad thing is that I'm paying for this class.

Car Trouble

2006-07-11T15:14:00.000-04:00

All of our vehicles have been cursed as of late. We've spent a fortune on them in the past month or so. First off, the Neon died at the beginning of June. This is the car M. drives back and forth to work. We knew it was coming eventually and can't really complain. It was a '97 with over 200,000 miles on it, so we got our money's worth. So for two weeks, he drove the truck to work. The first week, he spent $170 on gas; the second week, $190. We had to stop the bleeding, so on Sat., June 24 we went and bought a Chevy Cobalt. We hadn't planned on buying a new car, but we got a really good deal on it and it won't be something we have to sink a lot of money into. And we specifically bought an American car because we haven't been that happy with the Kia.

June is also the month we have to renew our tags and get all of the vehicles inspected, not a cheap investment in PA. The van passed no problem, then we dropped off the truck for inspection and to replace the spare tire. It also passed, but when we went to pick it up, it wouldn't start. It wasn't the battery, it was the starter. Well, M's truck is a 2004 and surely that's covered under the warranty. The warranty to the truck is a measly 3 years/36,000 miles. Guess how many miles M. has on the truck? Guess! 36,433! Can you believe it?! No wonder people don't want to buy American cars anymore and so much for us going back to Chevy. $400 later, it's fixed. My dad thinks I should still call Chevy and see if I can work a deal with them to pay half or something.

In the meantime, the van has been acting kooky. Last Friday, I had to run into the doctor's office. When I came back out, the gas gauge was on E and the gas light was on. I knew I had atleast a half a tank of gas left and was only at 169 miles, when I usually get 300 out of a tank. But I went and filled it up anyway. I only put 12 gallons in to fill it and the light went off and the gauge went back to normal. Now I'm waiting to see if it does it again when I get back down to a half a tank. And to top it all off, on Saturday, as Big H and I were driving up to the mall, we got a flat tire. Yes, another flat tire. And of course, we were in a construction zone. If we had driven another 25 yards or so, there wouldn't have been any place to pull over and the shoulder we were on was already very narrow. I called AAA (my cell phone that I've had for 5+ years paid for itself just with that one phone call) and while we were waiting for them to come, a very nice man and his son stopped to help us. I told him he didn't have to change the tire because AAA was on the way, but he changed it anyway, which was incredibly nice. I tried to give him a twenty, but he wouldn't take it. I am extremely grateful!

So now I'm hoping we can make it through this week without spending any money on our cars except on gas!

Various and Sundry Items

2006-07-05T13:28:00.001-04:00

An excellent long 4th of July weekend! I started it off by going to bed at 9:30pm on Friday night (after an exhausting day of work, a doctor's appointment and entertaining the exterminator). Big H stayed up later than I did. But don't worry, it gets more exciting from there. I spent Saturday morning cleaning. That's right, cleaning all of the bathrooms! But then Big H and I left to go to my parents' house. She spent the day with them at a 4th of July cookout and watched fireworks for the first time while I went out to dinner with Na and Wendy for Na's birthday, where we had a very relaxing and enjoyable evening. I ate so much that I struggled to stay awake to watch the end of the NASCAR race, but did not make it. But those two nights of going to bed early gave me lots of energy for the rest of the weekend.

We went to Aunt J & T's marina on Sunday for a family 4th of July celebration. I spent most of the day in the pool with Big H, who is still a little fish when she's in the water. She did great with the water wings, so I might not have to worry about the other swimming inner tube that exploded and not being able to find another one since Walmart has all of the school supplies out already.

On Monday, we did a family togetherness thing, just the three of us. M., Big H and I went to the Hershey Gardens. I had never been there before and was very impressed. But then again, Hershey is like Disney - they usually know how to do things right. There is a children's garden area with a Butterfly House. Big H was much better behaved than she was at the butterfly house in Niagara Falls two summers ago when she was too rough with the butterflies. We also went to see the Big Bugs exhibit - giant bug sculptures made out of natural materials, which was very cool and Big H really seemed to enjoy it, since she loves all things bugs. The only downside was the weather. We went early to try and beat the heat, but by quarter to twelve, we had had enough and headed off to lunch at Applebees.

Tuesday was more cleaning and playing with Big H. We finally went to get her inflatable pool out of the shed, but alas, a mouse had taken up residence in it for the summer and it was unusable. She was devasted, but we promised to get her a new one this week. We finished the fun weekend with hamburgers on the grill and local fireworks.

Back to real life this week. School starts again on Thursday. Our Monday/Friday summer babysitter is on vacation, so we're using a back-up, but I think that will go smoothly. My doctor's appt. on Friday was fine. I gained two and a half pounds in June and my blood pressure is looking good. We made the appt. for our ultrasound on July 27, so hopefully we'll find out the sex then. Just in time for vacation and lots of shopping!

One Down, Six to Go

2006-06-30T13:37:00.001-04:00

I finished my first class in the ACT program last night. Overall, I was very pleased with the entire class and with my grade of 98% - an A! The instructor was great - very honest about her experiences as a teacher and very knowledgeable about the subject.

Now I have a week off before the next class begins on the 6th. There are a couple of people from the first class taking this one, so I will actually know a few people on the first night. This class is a technology class and I'm afraid it's going to be utterly boring, not unlike other computer classes I've taken that cater to the less knowledgeable users and dumb down the class. A girl in the reading class has already taken the technology class and told us it's pretty much "Create a lesson plan in Word! Create a spreadsheet in Excel! Create a PowerPoint presentation!" The only saving grace may be that the first half of the class is instruction and then you can go work on your project either in the computer lab or at home. So maybe I won't get home at 10:30pm every night.

PS - Last night, we had to do a group activity to complete a chart. One girl was sharing her (handwritten, not typed) chart with a phrase that was supposed to read "a pencil and a piece of paper," except pencil was "pensil" and piece was "peice." Yes, her content area is math, but still, this is a girl who already has a bachelor's degree and those are elementary school vocabulary words. There's a big difference between typing and having a typo and having an error when something is handwritten.

Recitals, Vacations and Birthdays, Oh My!

2006-06-20T13:42:00.000-04:00

Busy June continues. Saturday was a marathon ballet recital-Father's Day-birthday celebration. Big H and I left the house at 10am and didn't get home until 10:30pm. First stop was the card store, then we were off to my parents' house for the first ballet recital. Little K danced in the 12:00pm recital. She was in four groups - tap, jazz, ballet and modern. In two of them, she was the lead at the front of the group. She's really very good! Big H loved watching all of the performances, but she seemed to really like tap (probably because you get to stomp around and make noise). We might have to sign her up for tap in the fall instead of ballet. The finale was a medley from "Annie" and Big H was riveted, which is good, since I wanted to take her to a dinner theater performance of "Annie" that's coming later this summer. I definitely think she'll sit through it.

When the recital was over around 2:30, we went back to the house for a quick snack before Big K's 4:30pm recital. Big K was only in two performances - ballet and modern - but we had to sit through another two-hour recital. We finally made it back to the house again just after 6:30 and prepared for our Father's Day/Mom's Birthday cookout. After dinner and presents, we finally got to the big surprise of the evening, the one we had been waiting for since December. My sisters and I told my parents about the anniversary trip we have been planning for August. K&K & Big H came down the steps dressed in their Smoky Mountain t-shirts and read the following poem (written by moi, but in the tradition of the Block family, all of them master poets):

Honey and Pop Pop-

Come this November, you’ll be married 40 years,
Years full of laughter, joy and some tears.

To celebrate this special event,
A trip with all of us is our intent.

Three daughters, three sons-in-law and one stray Bubble,
Plus Big H, K & K – triple trouble!

We hope you’re free from August five through twelve
Any plans you’ve made you’ll have to shelve

In Gatlinburg, Tennessee, we’ve rented a chalet
For a week-long mountain get-away

Golf, shopping and Dollywood,
How can it not be good?

Forty years is big and we wanted to make a fuss,
And no need to worry, it’s all on us.
Happy Anniversary!

Of course, my mom cried. But they were both really surprised, which is a miracle because so many people in our family knew. Big H said the line, "Triple Trouble!" and was upset that she didn't have a bigger part, even though we explained it was because she couldn't read yet. Now I'm really excited for the trip to be here!

Sunday was more relaxing. We went swimming at my mother-in-law's after M. cut her grass. Even though it was extremely hot out, the water was still freezing cold, but it felt good. Next weekend is another family birthday party, and then it will be 4th of July weekend (a nice four-day weekend).

Class in Review

2006-06-20T13:36:00.000-04:00

Class has begun and I'm actually halfway through already! It's been tough because I'm so tired during class (I had to have afternoon sickness instead of morning sickness), but the class is very interesting. The first session was overwhelming and there are so many terms I don't know, but I'm learning and that's what matters. The instructor is a high school English teacher (at my alma mater) and chair of the English department, so everything she teaches us is very practical and useful. The class is a mix of non-teachers and those already teaching, which made me feel a lot better. We handed in our first project last Tuesday, reviews of three journal articles, and I received a grade of 100%. What a relief! Project #2 is due tonight - three sample lesson plans that incorporate pre, during and post reading strategies. My very first lesson plans! All of mine focused on Truman Capotes's In Cold Blood, since it was fresh in my mind after reading it for the American Lit class I took last year.

I'm debating dropping the class I signed up for in July, only if I don't feel any better by the 4th. I'll hit week 13 of the pregnancy this Thursday, so I'm hoping the first trimester symptoms will pass and I'll feel more energetic. The July classes run until 9:30pm instead of 9pm and I just don't think I could make it, with not getting home until almost 10:30pm after working all day, the way I am feeling right now. We shall see!

MIA

2006-06-06T11:36:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the silence around here lately. Life happens. Mostly, I just haven't had the energy or the attention span to focus on putting a comprehensive entry together. Why, you may ask? That's because all of my bodily functions are focused on growing a new little life form. Yes, baby #2 is on the way, due at the end of December, right around Christmas. I'm tired at work, I'm tired at home, so I just haven't been able to muster the energy to think about all of the things I need to think about right now.

But all of that should change soon, hopefully. Morning sickness (afternoon sickness for me) should be tapering off as the third trimester ends and school starts this week, so look for some updates over at the other blog. I promise I'll try not to turn this into a pregnancy blog, but will keep my few faithful readers updated on any news.

Nothing Like Waiting Until the Last Minute

2006-06-03T13:34:00.000-04:00

I registered for summer classes this morning. I had to do it in person since I'm registering for the first time, so it was hard to fit in my schedule until today. The first class starts on Tuesday. The summer session is two four-week, eight-class sessions, so the first class is from June 6 - June 29 on Tuesday and Thursday nights, followed by a short break for Fourth of July, and then the second session is July 6 - July 27, also on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I'm taking "Teaching Reading and Writing in the Content Areas, Pt. 1" first, followed by "Technology for Instruction and Management" for the second session.

I'm afraid I'm biting off more than I can chew at this point, but I really want to get as many classes under my belt as possible right now. The second class should be fairly easy - it covers how to use the electronic portfolio that you will need for the rest of your classes, but the first class is a real live education class. Even though I took those online classes last year, I'll actually be back in the classroom now. I have visions of Elle Woods on her first day at Harvard Law. I'll be in class with my gel pen and spiral notebook and everyone around me will whip out their laptops and already have read and outlined the first five chapters in the textbook. Gulp!

Stand Up

2006-05-23T10:06:00.000-04:00

Support free speech and the right to hold an opinion that may differ from someone else's without being publicly vilified for it by ignorant, intolerant people and country radio stations controlled by conservative corporate interests. Buy the Dixie Chicks' new CD, out today.

UPDATE 5/31: This is exactly what I hoped would happen!

Mother's Day Weekend

2006-05-15T12:56:00.000-04:00

The weekend started early, since I took a vacation day for Friday, but it didn't start out very well. On the way home from work Thursday evening, I blew out a tire on the van. Luckily, I was near a little parking lot in a county park, so I could safely park the van. Of course, M. was going to be home late that night; any other night and he would have been home before I even left work. So I called our neighbor, trying to catch her before she picked up her daughter at the same daycare as H. I did get her and she was nice enough to come get me and then stop so we could pick up H, too. And of course, it was also tumbling class night. I would have skipped it except we missed last week when H banged up her knee, so we got home and left right away in the truck. I left M. a message, since he would see that both the truck and van were missing, and we made it to tumbling just in time.

After we got home, we called AAA, thinking they could tow the van, but if you have a spare, they will put the spare on instead of towing it. Since it was raining, we decided to let AAA put the spare on instead of M. doing it himself. I felt so bad though, because as soon as we got back to the parking lot, the rain turned into this giant thunderstorm. We asked the mechanic guy if he just wanted to come back in the morning and change it, but he didn't seem to mind doing it in the rain. Good thing we had him do it, too, because the spare was a monster to get off from underneath the back of the van. We would have been there all night if M. had to do it!

Luckily, the spare is a full-sized spare, so it didn't delay or cancel our trip to Ocean City for the weekend. First, I had the Mother's Day tea at H's preschool, which was absolutely adorable. They sang songs and served us iced tea and snacks and gave us flowers. We left for the ocean just after one and got down there right at 5pm. We had a wonderful dinner at a restaurant on the bay and watched the sunset in to the water.

On Saturday, we went to Assateague in the morning. The weather was absolutely perfect. H was more interested in getting her feet wet than building a sand castle. She loved playing just at the edge of the water, running when the water would come up to meet her. We stayed there for a couple of hours and even though we didn't see any ponies on the beach, we did see quite a few along the road in the wetlands area.

We went up on the boardwalk Saturday night and H got on a bunch of kiddie rides. She really wanted to get on some of the big-kid rides - she has no fear - but she's not nearly tall enough. We just had pizza for dinner after walking around and were back at the condo around 9pm. I crashed around 10:30, not even making it to the end of the NASCAR race.

Sunday morning was cold and overcast, so we had a terrific Mother's Day breakfast at some little hole-in-the-wall restaurant and headed back home. It was a very relaxing Mother's Day weekend, even though the usual laundry and cleaning chores were waiting once we returned home. The best present was getting to watch The West Wing finale Sunday night uninterrupted! (And how about the Grey's Anatomy episode Sunday night? I'm so glad it's on again tonight. I couldn't bear to wait for September!)

Interview

2006-05-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

I had my admissions interview at NDM yesterday afternoon. It went very well and I’m in the program, with my official acceptance letter to come in the mail later this week. It was more of an information session than an interview, except for some questions at the end. The interviewer/adviser was very enthusiastic and ready to have me go to the registrar’s office right then and there to register for the summer session. But I need a few days for everything to sink in and to talk over the schedule with Mark, since he will have to take care of Hayley for two nights a week for eight weeks over the summer, beginning just after Memorial Day. So I’m going to enjoy our weekend at the beach and then come back and register and finally get started. Real forward progress at last!

Rough Week

2006-05-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

H had a rough week this week. At school on Tuesday, she cut her finger with the scissors - not with the blades, but she pinched it between the plastic handles and had to have a band-aid for it. On Thursday at school she fell down outside on the asphalt and had a huge scrape on her knee and elbow. She still wanted to go to tumbling that night, even though her knee looked really sore and I didn't think she could participate fully, but we went anyway. Halfway there, she told me she didn't feel good and wanted to go home. I turned around and headed for home when she told me she had to "growl" (her word for throwing up). There was no place to pull over, so I handed her the little trash bag I keep in the car and she growled into it. What a trooper! And then, on Saturday, when the scrape was feeling better and starting to scab over, she managed to get stung by a bee inside the house. She had already had her bath and was in her pajamas and somehow a bee made it inside the house during the day and stung her on the foot. She was exhausted and slept until 8am Sunday morning, which she never does.

Warning, This Post is Kind of Whiny

2006-04-25T17:11:00.000-04:00

Still can't post pictures to Blogger. Is it just me? I guess I need to try from home. Maybe my luck with posting pictures from work has run out, even though I tried it from two different types of computers (network and non-network).

A jumbly, emotional weekend, both good and bad. M. had to work late Friday night and didn't get home until 10pm and had to go back for a full day's work on Saturday, too. When he finally got home Friday night, he told me work had just let him know he had to go to Virginia starting Sunday until Thursday. This is the first time he's had to go out of town for work since H. was born.

So on Saturday, I was scrambling to at least get the laundry started before H. and I left for the mini-Etown reunion in West Chester. The phone rang just before 9am and it was my friend W's mom, who (a) never calls me and (b) probably would never call that early if she was calling me. Ws father-in-law had a sudden heart attack on Friday and passed away. Very terrible, sad news indeed. I volunteered to let N. and my parents know as well.

H. and I were late leaving, the weather was unbelievably crappy (buckets and buckets of rain) and we got lost when we were about 5 minutes from my friend D's house, so we ended up being about a half hour late. But the get-together was wonderful. D. had done quite a bit of remodeling on her house since the last time we were there, we had a great lunch and got to see her business, too, which is just a few minutes down the road. And H. and her daughter got to play together for awhile, which they hadn't done since they were both very little. The monsoon-like rains continued for the drive home, too.

Sunday was a blur of laundry, shopping and spending time with M. before he left. As of right now, H. seems to be handling his absence fairly well, although she was a little clingy when I dropped her off this morning. Tomorrow, I have my follow-up urologist's appointment, then H. is going to stay with my mom while N. and I go to the viewing for W's FIL. My third funeral in four weeks. I hope this is it for awhile - I don't think I can handle another one. We're driving back and forth to Ocean City all in the same day, so it's going to be a long day.

What About Brian?

2006-04-17T11:36:00.000-04:00

I watched “What About Brian” last night, since it took Grey’s Anatomy’s time slot (I guess they’re saving all of the new episodes for sweeps in May, since it looks like next week’s episode is a recap ep and not really new). I haven’t decided if I like it or not yet. Maybe I’ll watch tonight’s episode, if I can stay awake, before deciding. It had a very “Singles” feel to it, which I liked, but it was also very “L.A.,” which was somewhat of a turnoff. The whole story line about the couple with kids who never has sex – that’s such a cliché (although they did have three (!) kids who all seemed to be pretty little). And then the suggestion that they each sleep with other people to spice up their own love life – that was the part that seemed very “L.A./they only do that in California” type of thing. The guy from Legally Blonde wasn’t a very likable character so far (yeah right, a young Harrison Ford) and Rosanna Arquette just seems way too old for the role she’s playing (she’ll be 47 later this year in “real life”). I’ll give the show one more chance tonight before I decide whether or not to add it to the TV rotation.

Holiday Weekend

2006-04-17T00:25:00.000-04:00

Even with the day off on Friday, it was a jam-packed holiday weekend. I cleaned for most of the morning on Friday, and then H. and I went to the grocery store, ate lunch and dyed Easter eggs. She was really good at it this year; a little rough with some of the eggs, but only one broke. She could really balance the egg on the dipper and get it in and out of the cup. Friday night, H. went to her friend J’s for a couple of hours so M. and I could go the viewing and funeral for my sister’s father-in-law. Back to the same funeral parlor we were at two weeks ago!

Saturday was another day of cooking, laundry and playing outside, since it was so beautiful, except for a very short shower in the early afternoon. J. came over to our house to play for a little while in the evening and the two of them were all over the place – four-wheeler, bicycles, swing set, tag and hide-and-seek. On Saturday night, we had Domino’s pizza for dinner. It was so delicious! And worth driving 15 minutes to pick it up. We were gluttonously bad when we had dessert before dinner, stopping for ice cream first, since H. had been asking for some since Thursday, and then eating our pizza.

I cooked a little more Saturday night after H. went to bed and then had to play Easter bunny. H’s basket was light on candy and heavy on little gifts this year. Of course, the Easter bunny made a basket for M. and me, too.

H. slept until seven Easter morning, which was great. She came into our room and said, “I think the Easter Bunny came last night.” She was very patient while I got the camera and video camera ready. Here she is waiting for me to give the all-clear signal. She enjoyed two Peeps at 7am, her first of many on Sunday, and then searched for the twenty Easter eggs I had hidden in the living room.

My sister J. and T. came early to help hide more eggs out in the backyard for a big Easter egg hunt for nieces K&K and H. H. helped Aunt J. put the prizes in the eggs. Everyone arrived on time at 2pm, except for my one aunt, who didn’t show up until 2:30, and the kids were dying of anticipation to look for the eggs. We were so lucky with the weather this year, finally.

I was exhausted by the time everyone left around 6pm. H. passed out on the couch shortly thereafter. I let her sleep while I cleaned up, and then woke her up to get ready for bed. Since she went to sleep early, I saw most of The West Wing, but taped it, too, so I can watch the whole thing without interruption.

Note: Once again, Blogger sucks. It won't upload my photos because the server is clogged. Hopefully, I can add the photos to this entry shortly.

Killing Time Before My Day Off Tomorrow

2006-04-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

I think this sounds likes a cool idea. I’m sure it will take off now that it’s been profiled in the NY Times.

I hope this doesn’t ruin NASCAR the way corporate excess has ruined some of the experience at Camden Yards (and other ballparks, too, I’m sure).

Good for them! And Mark Tooley – what a tool.

"Politically Uncorrect." Try "Grammatically Incorrect." If it’s meant to be ironic, it’s not. It’s just annoying and I can’t even listen to it.

We recently had the Hallmark Channel added to our cable system. They might as well call it the sappy Western channel because every time I turn it on, they’re either running episodes of Little House on the Prairie or one of those movies with Izzy from Grey’s Anatomy, Love’s Enduring Promise Comes Softly or something like that (which are directed by Michael Landon, Jr., so you see the connection).