Summer!

Today I found this blog, which is totally awesome. I love that school lunches are getting so much attention these days, because I think we can accomplish some wonderful things with our children, like teaching them moderation, healthy choices, and how to enjoy food.


(Of course, some "wellness policies" take this much too far in the opposite extreme, where we are only allowed to munch on carrot sticks and pretzels to celebrate birthdays in school.)


(And I'm saying this as someone who likes carrots and pretzels.)


Anyways, I think she might have to adapt her blog soon because of some new policies at her school, but it's still very cool. And I love that a 9-year-old is being encouraged to write like that.


Today was also something wonderful....


THE LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!


*insert wild cheers and large margaritas*


Yes, even though I'll be teaching the summer school program for our multiple disabilities class, I still consider this summer vacation. I always work in the summer. It's what I do.


Since it's summer, I'm hoping to tackle a few projects; simple, fun things that will entertain me and hopefully be useful in making my apartment look nice. I'll be posting pictures of things (we hope) as they happen, but here are a few ideas:

Trace a print onto the glass of a picture frame with a white sharpie, then back with colored paper. 

Liz will have to help me with this one, but the pattern is so simple!

This is like, the easiest craft ever--put some pretty paper in a picture frame and add handles to the front of the frame. Instant decorative tray! You could even use it for breakfast in bed, and the glass would wipe up easily from spills. 

Reusable bags, taken to a whole new level--transform old t-shirts into bags! 

So it'll be a busy summer--these, coupled with what I hope will be plentiful walks in the sunshine with Lily, half-day summer school for four weeks, a trip to California, and a couple cases with my old job.

N.B. - all these pictures and ideas were found on Pinterest. Just sayin'. 

Yay summer!

Green things in the Ground

Gardening is so satisfying.

Bean plant (that I didn't intend to buy, but is doing well anyway)

Four pepper plants, picked by Peter Piper personally. 

Cucumbers that are finally flourishing. 

Pea plants, taller than I am, and yielding the sweetest, crunchiest delights. 

Four tomato plants, two Roma and two cherry. Homemade bruschetta in the making.

Pretty little yellow flower that will become a sweet, juicy tomato. 

One of the most satisfying things about gardening is that it requires so much patience. In March I turned over the soil in my garden, mixed in some mulch, and started seeds in peat pots onto my windowsill. 

In April I hesitantly put my tender little peas and cucumbers in the ground, and seeded some lettuce right into the garden. A couple weeks later I bought the rest of my plants and put them in. 

Now, in the beginning of June, it's starting to look like a real garden, big and green and leafy, and we are immensely enjoying the produce. 

The waiting reminds me that good things do not always happen right away. It takes time, and slow, steady effort. I can't always see the results in real time, but when I stand back and remember how it used to be, I see that I am indeed making progress. 

Productive Day

Dan's away in St Louis visiting his dad's family for the weekend, so I'm keeping busy in the old homestead.

Today I completed the following:

• Purchased new storage drawers for my craft supplies
• Sorted through all my craft supplies 
• Put craft supplies in drawers
• Went through the Christmas stuff in the attic and put all of it in the box that previously held my craft supplies
• Rescued a baby bird from the attic (seriously, how do they get in there?) 
• Posted a dartboard and dog crate from the attic on Craigslist
• Swept and vacuumed all the floors
• Washed two loads of laundry and folded a third

I still have to wash the dishes from last night (whoopsie), get a shower and get dressed for my friend's birthday dinner. We're going downtown to Monk's, which is a really great pub and restaurant. Poor Danny, missing out on Monk's Belgian beers. 

(I tried to link this back to the restaurant website, since it's not my picture, but it didn't work. Check out www.monkscafe.com)

Tomorrow afternoon I'm hoping to assemble another shelving unit for the Christmas (and other seasonal) stuff in the attic and get everything on the shelves. I'm also hoping to give an old dresser over to a happy new owner. 

Busy weekend! 

Currently...

I have seen a number of blogs participate in the "currently" series, and I am jumping on that bandwagon.


Because I can.


Also because I don't have anything major to say.



Currently....


Watching: Season 2 of The Office. Yep, I'm awesome like that. I think Season 2 might be my favorite, there are just so many good episodes. Also, the show got really weird after season 4 or so.


Anticipating: My half-day tomorrow. I'm having a psoriasis flare up, so I'm going to the dermatologist and that means I'm taking a half-day. Believe me when I say I'm ready for a break from the kiddos at school. They are adorable. And exhausting.


Waiting: Dan went to NYC with a friend today to see Phillip Seymour Hoffman (!) in Death of a Salesman. Sosososo jealous. They got a snack before they got on the ferry to come home, but they decided to eat dinner downtown and they're gonna pick me up on the way. Normally I wouldn't be party to such extravagant excitement on a school night, but again, half-day tomorrow.


Loving: this blog. She is so funny and clever and honest. Also her son is adorable.


Trying: I have two main goals right now: one, stay on track with my eating and exercise plan (I'm not calling it a diet because I still eat mostly whatever I want, but I try to fill myself up on nutrient-heavy foods and I'm monitoring my portions closely) and two, find some new books to read. My love in Louisiana gave me a couple titles last night, but if you have others, let me know.


Annnd that's really about it. I've been really tired lately, but I'm hoping that getting back into some exercise and sleeping more (duh) will help.


Yeah, I'm clearly a rocket scientist.

To the Mothers in My Life

Mother's Day is upon us.


That momentous day when mothers everywhere are showered with love, gifts, flowers, meals, etc, etc.


And they more than deserve it.

Who else showers me with love every single day of my life?


Who has given me more gifts than I could ever ask for--from my curly hair, to my library, to my sense of humor, to my very life?


Who taught me not only to appreciate flowers (and the men who give them!), but to actually grow them in my garden and share them with the world?


Who invited me into the kitchen, even when my chicken nuggets and chocolate chip cookies left an enormous mess for her to clean up?

It's true, Mother's Day is something of a Hallmark holiday. Kids and husbands worry about finding that perfect gift to repay their moms (and wives...an irony that still amazes me!). The books we read in my class about Mother's Day were all about the children freaking out because they didn't have the money/resources/creativity to come up with the perfect present for Mother's Day.


But to me, Mother's Day is more about (should be about?) reflecting on all the things my mother has done for me, and attempting, in some small way, to demonstrate that appreciation.


Our limitations in that arena are, I suppose, the reason we resort to diamonds and fancy restaurants.

I, however, cannot handle diamonds and fancy restaurants. So here's my shot.


To my mom:
I love you. You are the single most influential person in my life. You have taught me who to be, and who not to be. You have stood by and gently hoped, never pushed or shoved, me into who I should be.  You loved me through all my ups and downs, encouraged me when I found a man I loved, and never gave up on me. You are one person I can tell pretty much anything. No matter what happens, what circumstances we stumble through, I will always love you and want you to be a part of my life. And it will always amaze me how many times a day I realize that I look/sound/think like you.


To my mother-in-law:
I love you too! You have shown me so many ways to be a gentle and loving wife; you have raised this wonderful boy into a man for me to love. You welcomed me into your home when I most needed it, and cared for me without a thought. I will always wonder at and appreciate your willingness to serve without glory or recompense. Thank you for being my mother-in-law.


There are other women out there who have served as mothers in some capacity to me (Nancy, Sue, Tricia, Ginny) and I will cherish the lessons I learned from you. Patience, communication, laughter, diplomacy, friendship. So much more.

To moms everywhere. We love you!

That Spinning Rainbow Wheel

Any Mac users will get the reference.


Any PC users....well, you should switch to Mac. Talk to me then.


(Yes, Daddy, that's for you.)

I've been processing all sorts of things lately.


From my great need to develop patience and perseverance and attention to detail,

to slow down and take things as they come,

to really acknowledge and appreciate the fact that I am utterly useless and pointless on my own.

I'm learning to not count on things of this world, even when they seem sososo important to me.

I'm learning to rely on the only One who really knows what's going on and how things will turn out, and relax in the face of that understanding.


I'm also learning that grace is a beautiful thing, and sometimes it takes on surprising forms.

I'm learning these things from my garden, from my husband, from my friends, from my Thursday night gig as a barista, from my day job, and from my Bible. I'm learning that family is really about love and commitment and humility. I'm learning that cucumbers don't flourish until later in the season than peas, and that marigolds need to really be plants before transplanting them. I'm learning that I break fewer glasses when I slow down washing dishes, and that I cry less when I choose to laugh more.

These are all still works in progress. This doesn't at all mean that I've mastered any of these. But I'm processing, my little rainbow wheel is spinning (or hourglass is dumping...ugh, PC) and eventually I will be made into who I am really meant to be. And I'm learning to enjoy the journey.

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary, and Thyme

Ok, so none of those herbs are actually in my garden. Except the parsley.

This parsley is actually from last year. The winter was so mild that he just hung out there shivering, and now he's back in full force.


My in-laws bought a new house last fall, complete with a giNORmous backyard. This backyard came with a small, fenced-in garden. After a couple hints and an outright request, they ceded control of the garden to ME.


Commence joyous leaping and scribbling of amateur garden plans.


I'm by no means a skilled or experienced gardener, but I love being outside and growing green things (especially when they become edible green things). Dan even built me some planters on our porch, like window boxes but on a porch, and I've grown flowers, herbs, and even a tomato plant last summer.

He got pretty big for living in a 5-gallon bucket ($2 buckets from Lowe's and a $5 can of reddish-sorta-terra-cotta-colered spray paint are way cheaper than huge planters), and he yielded a handful of cherry tomatoes. He was supposed to be a Roma, but oh well. They dressed up a couple salads and were perfectly delicious!


Anyways, I'm super excited to have a real garden this year, one that goes into the ground. I've spent the last couple weeks cultivating some seedlings in peat pots, and now that we're just about to the last-frost-date for Philadelphia, a few plants have met their long-term homes in my in-law's backyard.


I've got peas, cucumbers and marigolds planted as seedlings (marigolds keep away rabbits and certain bugs) and I just planted some lettuce, direct-sow style, today. This is one giant experiment, and the first time I've planted a whole garden by myself, but I'm pretty excited. I figure if I can harvest a handful of edible items it'll be a success, since I don't really know what I'm doing.


Within the next couple of weeks I'll be adding tomatoes, broccoli, peppers, onions, and maybe some herbs (pretty ones--lavender and such). I'll also plant flowers in my porch boxes, and a few more herbs that I like to use on a regular basis (basil, maybe some chives or cilantro). There's even the possibility of a strawberry plant or two!


However, it's been awesome so far. I'm totally five years old--digging in the dirt is the most fun ever.