So, I have a web cam on my computer. It came with my computer. I promptly covered the webcam with a piece of paper, and taped it down. I haven't been able to completely cover the microphones, but they are muted by the combination of tape and paper. My kids thought I was nuts when I did it, but I noticed the last time that the boys were home from school, they had taped over the cameras on their laptops, also.
Why did I do this? Well, I remember the things we, as teenagers, used to get into in the 80's. I took one look at the web cam on my computer and idly wondered if someone could hack into my computer and access the camera on my computer and see the inside of my house.
No sooner did the thought cross my head than I had the tape and paper out, across the camera. Flash back to earlier this week, when I heard that a family woke up to the sound of someone screaming at their baby. It turns out someone had hacked into their web cam in the baby's room, and they were screaming at the baby to wake up.
I often wonder what, if anything, can be accessed on my cell phone. I no longer carry my phone with me to the grocery store since I heard that marketers were now tracking your phones through the store, and sending you offers on your cell phone for merchandise, based upon your location in the store and your shopping history.
That seems like a pretty huge intrusion on my privacy.
Have you noticed that there is currently a case before the Supreme Court about cell phones? This case is challenging whether or not police can search your phone for your information without a search warrant. That's just the police. Imagine if you left your phone somewhere, and a stranger were able to access your account information.
Think about the information you keep on your cell phone.
E-mail? GPS? Facebook? Bank Accounts?
I've got my totally wicked Angry Birds and Tetris games. My e-mail, oh, and wait...Pinterest!
However, I know people who have more, so much more on their cell phones.
Did you know, if you have an Apple phone, your phone sends updates to Apple, letting them know how you are using your phone? What other information are they sending to Apple, and how are they using it?
I know, we live in an age where very little privacy exists anymore. However, I like to keep hold of just as much of my privacy as I can. I really don't want all of my daily moves tracked by someone, churned around with a whole bunch of numbers, and handed off to marketers somewhere in order to market to my interests and needs. And then what? Once the marketers get all of that information together, then what? What ELSE do they do with that information?
Gives you pause, doesn't it?
Wednesday, April 30, 2014
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
My Accomplishments
There is a terrible storm raging across the Eastern half of the United States as I write this. Homes, lives, and entire towns have been destroyed by the damage from the tornadoes ravaging the country... and there is still more to come.
We in the Mid-Atlantic have not yet been impacted by these storms. We have the rain, but I believe the unstable air mass is supposed to come into our area tonight.
I hope that those of you who are living in the path of these storms is safe.
If a tornado warning is issued for your area, get to the lowest level of your house. Move to an interior room with no windows, and make yourself as small as possible. When I was a child growing up in the Mid-West, we used to shelter in our interior bathroom, in the bathtub, with a mattress over top of the tub. Now that we live in the Mid-Atlantic, we don't have as many violent storms, however we still have violent storms. I have a safe area, under the stairs in my house. We put a sturdy door and drywall under the stairs, and that is our safe area. I have some water bottles and other emergency supplies stashed down there, along with a couple of blankets.
Stay safe today!
On a more positive note, I did have some pretty phenomenal accomplishments this week:
I made a big pot of soup for dinner last week that provided us with dinner for two nights.
For some reason, I have a plethora of bell peppers. I flame roasted them over the weekend, skinned them, and froze them in a plastic bag to use them later.
I found the refrigerator and staff lunch room at work! I've started taking my lunch to work, and make a point of eating lunch before I leave work each day.
I finished a beautiful infinity cowl that I plan on giving to one of my friends when her husband goes into the hospital later this week for open heart surgery. It's a big enough cowl that it can be pulled down over her shoulders to be used as a shawl, or wrapped through her arms to use as a shrug.
We had salmon for Easter dinner. I used the leftover Salmon to make a batch of gluten free Salmon-Pasta Salad for dinner later in the week. (And the leftovers from that were my lunch for another day!)
After the Food Pantry distribution at our church on Saturday, the leftover produce was distributed to the volunteers. We came home with two heads of lettuce, some scallions, and carrots. Combined with the produce we had sitting in our refrigerator, we had an awesome salad for dinner that night.
I have bought the materials to put together a keyhole garden. Now, I'm waiting for our weather to clear enough for me to actually put the garden together!
I went to a bingo with a group of friends on Saturday night, and I won a beautiful basket of flowers that we have hung outside on our front porch. This basket would have cost well over $20 at any of the stores in town. As a rule, I don't participate in games of chance (the odds always favor the house) however, this Bingo was for a good cause, so I spent $15 on a ticket and enjoyed spending time with my friends and somehow, I managed to walk out with a basket of flowers! First time I've ever walked out with something!
Our library ran a program last week in their new, sustainable garden. Sustainable gardening methods were discussed, and we were given a list of native plants that tolerate the really hot, dry summers we have around here.
I had acquired Kohl's cash before Easter when I bought a pair of shoes for Easter. I took the Kohl's cash back to the store over the weekend, and I was able to buy a professional shirt, and I received $1.11 in credit back on my certificate. (It turns out that my teaching wardrobe is not quite up to the professional standards of my new job.)
Our grocery store rewards program offers a cash discount for gas. We had well over $1/gallon discount for this promotional period, so we took the van and two gas cans to fill up on the last day of the promotional period.
I also found a gas station that offers a discount per gallon when you pay cash for gas. It's an 8 cent discount, which doesn't seem like much, but if you add that up over 10 gallons, that's 80 cents. Like Ben Franklin says, a penny saved is a penny earned. Those nickels, dimes, and pennies really add up over time!
What did you do to save money this week?
We in the Mid-Atlantic have not yet been impacted by these storms. We have the rain, but I believe the unstable air mass is supposed to come into our area tonight.
I hope that those of you who are living in the path of these storms is safe.
If a tornado warning is issued for your area, get to the lowest level of your house. Move to an interior room with no windows, and make yourself as small as possible. When I was a child growing up in the Mid-West, we used to shelter in our interior bathroom, in the bathtub, with a mattress over top of the tub. Now that we live in the Mid-Atlantic, we don't have as many violent storms, however we still have violent storms. I have a safe area, under the stairs in my house. We put a sturdy door and drywall under the stairs, and that is our safe area. I have some water bottles and other emergency supplies stashed down there, along with a couple of blankets.
Stay safe today!
On a more positive note, I did have some pretty phenomenal accomplishments this week:
I made a big pot of soup for dinner last week that provided us with dinner for two nights.
For some reason, I have a plethora of bell peppers. I flame roasted them over the weekend, skinned them, and froze them in a plastic bag to use them later.
I found the refrigerator and staff lunch room at work! I've started taking my lunch to work, and make a point of eating lunch before I leave work each day.
I finished a beautiful infinity cowl that I plan on giving to one of my friends when her husband goes into the hospital later this week for open heart surgery. It's a big enough cowl that it can be pulled down over her shoulders to be used as a shawl, or wrapped through her arms to use as a shrug.
We had salmon for Easter dinner. I used the leftover Salmon to make a batch of gluten free Salmon-Pasta Salad for dinner later in the week. (And the leftovers from that were my lunch for another day!)
After the Food Pantry distribution at our church on Saturday, the leftover produce was distributed to the volunteers. We came home with two heads of lettuce, some scallions, and carrots. Combined with the produce we had sitting in our refrigerator, we had an awesome salad for dinner that night.
I have bought the materials to put together a keyhole garden. Now, I'm waiting for our weather to clear enough for me to actually put the garden together!
I went to a bingo with a group of friends on Saturday night, and I won a beautiful basket of flowers that we have hung outside on our front porch. This basket would have cost well over $20 at any of the stores in town. As a rule, I don't participate in games of chance (the odds always favor the house) however, this Bingo was for a good cause, so I spent $15 on a ticket and enjoyed spending time with my friends and somehow, I managed to walk out with a basket of flowers! First time I've ever walked out with something!
Our library ran a program last week in their new, sustainable garden. Sustainable gardening methods were discussed, and we were given a list of native plants that tolerate the really hot, dry summers we have around here.
I had acquired Kohl's cash before Easter when I bought a pair of shoes for Easter. I took the Kohl's cash back to the store over the weekend, and I was able to buy a professional shirt, and I received $1.11 in credit back on my certificate. (It turns out that my teaching wardrobe is not quite up to the professional standards of my new job.)
Our grocery store rewards program offers a cash discount for gas. We had well over $1/gallon discount for this promotional period, so we took the van and two gas cans to fill up on the last day of the promotional period.
I also found a gas station that offers a discount per gallon when you pay cash for gas. It's an 8 cent discount, which doesn't seem like much, but if you add that up over 10 gallons, that's 80 cents. Like Ben Franklin says, a penny saved is a penny earned. Those nickels, dimes, and pennies really add up over time!
What did you do to save money this week?
Saturday, April 26, 2014
5 Dishes A College Student Can Make
I was looking back through my posts, and I realized I had not yet posted the fifth thing I taught the kids to make while home over break.
The thought was to teach my oldest son how to make quick and easy food - that does not involve peanut butter and a loaf of bread - or leaving something on the stove and forgetting about it until the smoke detectors go off - 5 quick, easy, healthy, and affordable meals.
To Date, the recipes I've shared were:
Chicken Salad
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/04/chicken-salad.html
Eggs in the Microwave
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/03/eggs-in-microwave.html
Hummus
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/03/hummus.html
Next Up?
Personally, I'm a very big fan of the toaster oven when working with college students. My toaster oven has a timer feature on the side. I can set the time and walk away. There's always a risk of fire when dealing with food, but there's less of a chance of something burning when the toaster oven turns itself off. Okay, wait, there is one key item here. You do, on occasion, have to empty the crumbs and other flotsam and jetsam off of the bottom of the toaster oven, or it will eventually catch fire!
No pesky fire alarms in the building going off! (Not that I would know about this from personal experience or anything....)
The thought was to teach my oldest son how to make quick and easy food - that does not involve peanut butter and a loaf of bread - or leaving something on the stove and forgetting about it until the smoke detectors go off - 5 quick, easy, healthy, and affordable meals.
To Date, the recipes I've shared were:
Chicken Salad
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/04/chicken-salad.html
Eggs in the Microwave
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/03/eggs-in-microwave.html
Hummus
http://mini-van-mom.blogspot.com/2014/03/hummus.html
Next Up?
Roasted Veggies
Can be made in either a toaster oven or the oven on the stove.
Preheat oven to 350*.
2 potatoes, cut into quarters
1 onion, cut into quarters
2 carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
Mushrooms, (4 or 5) gently washed and sliced into half
Coat the baking sheet with a little bit of olive oil (About 1 TBSP of oil, depending on size of pan.)
Place cut veggies on the baking sheet, stir to make certain oil coats all veggies evenly.
Sprinkle the veggies with spices: Choose one: several shakes of Mrs. Dash, salt and pepper, rosemary, etc. Use your own judgement - start lightly, you can always add more flavor later, but you can't take it away!
Place all veggies on the baking sheet in the oven. Bake at 350* for 20-30 minutes, or until all veggies are tender when pierced with a fork.
Personally, I'm a very big fan of the toaster oven when working with college students. My toaster oven has a timer feature on the side. I can set the time and walk away. There's always a risk of fire when dealing with food, but there's less of a chance of something burning when the toaster oven turns itself off. Okay, wait, there is one key item here. You do, on occasion, have to empty the crumbs and other flotsam and jetsam off of the bottom of the toaster oven, or it will eventually catch fire!
No pesky fire alarms in the building going off! (Not that I would know about this from personal experience or anything....)
Friday, April 25, 2014
I'm a Chocoholic
Hello, my name is Bettina, and I have a problem with chocolate and highly refined sugars.
Seriously.
I don't mean to make light of this. It's a serious problem, and I'm trying to break it.
If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I had an abnormal mammogram back in November. I was put on a 6 month call back. As a matter of fact, each one of the girls has well over 100 cysts. It's a nightmare.
As a result of that appointment, I've been attempting to cut out everything that the doctor told me to cut out.
Caffeine went first. I don't drink coffee, but I was addicted to Caffeinated Fountain drinks. (Coke and Pepsi). A very long, cranky 6 weeks ensued.
It was about this same time that I found out I can't tolerate gluten. (Good lord, that explains my intestinal issues for the past many years!) Once I got rid of the caffeine, my favorite pastries, breads, etc. were next on the chopping block.
Meanwhile, I've been doing some research on how to stop cancer cell growth, and what to do that is best for my body.
I've discovered that pretty much all refined grains are treated by your body as pure sugar. Metabolized quickly, they lead to a pretty quick sugar rush in your body. Actually, the sugar rush is just the same as what you get from a carbonated beverage.
Cancer cells feed on sugars. Turn off the sugar nozzle, and cancer cells have less to feed on.
And then came the last challenge. Cutting out the sugars in the processed foods, and chocolate.
For weeks now, I've been working on cutting sugars and processed foods. Things have not gone as well as I'd like. I cook from scratch most nights, but on occasion I still have gluten free muffins from a box mix or gluten free pancakes drenched in syrup. (Maple Syrup, since most OTC syrup has caramel coloring, which is made from GLUTEN, as well as high fructose corn syrup.)
However, I have to have chocolate in some form or another every day. A candy bar, cookie, something. I find something that gives me that sugar rush.
I need to cut that out somehow.
So, Wednesday, I decided I was going to go cold turkey. No chocolate. No sugar.
I made it through the morning, no problem. Around lunch time, the headache began behind my eyes. By dinner time, I had a raging migraine that just wasn't going away. 2 Motrin later, and my head was still pounding. I finally gave in and had some ice cream with chocolate syrup. Hey, presto, zingo, headache gone.
Thursday, I made the decision to give it another shot. Again, around lunch time the headache began behind my eyes. And then, I went to the dentist. Ick. I always have a headache after a cleaning, and it was worse yesterday. My dentist has a new dentist in his office, and she poked and prodded at me after my cleaning was done to the point that I was getting ready to scream and run out. But that's a story for another day. Anyway, I walked out of the dentist office and the migraine was so bad, I wanted to throw up. I stopped on the way home, picked up a Dove chocolate bar, downed it in the car, and began to feel immediately better.
Today, I made it through lunch without the headache. The migraine didn't begin until 4. This evening, I drove my son up to the Boy Scout Camp where he works during the summer. We left the house at 5, and when I dropped him off at 7, the headache was bad, but not as horrid as it's been in the past.
I stopped on the way home and picked up a Snickers bar. Once again, the headache began to immediately improve.
I need a plan.
I really need to cut out the sugar from my life somehow.
I've got to cut out this sugar addiction.
The very fact that it controls so much of my chemistry is disturbing. I'm wondering what kind of effect it has on my overall blood sugar, and what effect it has on my overall blood chemistry. I'm thinking that it's not good.
I know that it's too late for this to have any big effect on my call back mammogram next month. Whatever will be will be.
Nonetheless, I'd still like to cut the sugar addiction for my overall long term health.
This is going to be a difficult cord to cut.
Seriously.
I don't mean to make light of this. It's a serious problem, and I'm trying to break it.
If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you know I had an abnormal mammogram back in November. I was put on a 6 month call back. As a matter of fact, each one of the girls has well over 100 cysts. It's a nightmare.
As a result of that appointment, I've been attempting to cut out everything that the doctor told me to cut out.
Caffeine went first. I don't drink coffee, but I was addicted to Caffeinated Fountain drinks. (Coke and Pepsi). A very long, cranky 6 weeks ensued.
It was about this same time that I found out I can't tolerate gluten. (Good lord, that explains my intestinal issues for the past many years!) Once I got rid of the caffeine, my favorite pastries, breads, etc. were next on the chopping block.
Meanwhile, I've been doing some research on how to stop cancer cell growth, and what to do that is best for my body.
I've discovered that pretty much all refined grains are treated by your body as pure sugar. Metabolized quickly, they lead to a pretty quick sugar rush in your body. Actually, the sugar rush is just the same as what you get from a carbonated beverage.
Cancer cells feed on sugars. Turn off the sugar nozzle, and cancer cells have less to feed on.
And then came the last challenge. Cutting out the sugars in the processed foods, and chocolate.
For weeks now, I've been working on cutting sugars and processed foods. Things have not gone as well as I'd like. I cook from scratch most nights, but on occasion I still have gluten free muffins from a box mix or gluten free pancakes drenched in syrup. (Maple Syrup, since most OTC syrup has caramel coloring, which is made from GLUTEN, as well as high fructose corn syrup.)
However, I have to have chocolate in some form or another every day. A candy bar, cookie, something. I find something that gives me that sugar rush.
I need to cut that out somehow.
So, Wednesday, I decided I was going to go cold turkey. No chocolate. No sugar.
I made it through the morning, no problem. Around lunch time, the headache began behind my eyes. By dinner time, I had a raging migraine that just wasn't going away. 2 Motrin later, and my head was still pounding. I finally gave in and had some ice cream with chocolate syrup. Hey, presto, zingo, headache gone.
Thursday, I made the decision to give it another shot. Again, around lunch time the headache began behind my eyes. And then, I went to the dentist. Ick. I always have a headache after a cleaning, and it was worse yesterday. My dentist has a new dentist in his office, and she poked and prodded at me after my cleaning was done to the point that I was getting ready to scream and run out. But that's a story for another day. Anyway, I walked out of the dentist office and the migraine was so bad, I wanted to throw up. I stopped on the way home, picked up a Dove chocolate bar, downed it in the car, and began to feel immediately better.
Today, I made it through lunch without the headache. The migraine didn't begin until 4. This evening, I drove my son up to the Boy Scout Camp where he works during the summer. We left the house at 5, and when I dropped him off at 7, the headache was bad, but not as horrid as it's been in the past.
I stopped on the way home and picked up a Snickers bar. Once again, the headache began to immediately improve.
I need a plan.
I really need to cut out the sugar from my life somehow.
I've got to cut out this sugar addiction.
The very fact that it controls so much of my chemistry is disturbing. I'm wondering what kind of effect it has on my overall blood sugar, and what effect it has on my overall blood chemistry. I'm thinking that it's not good.
I know that it's too late for this to have any big effect on my call back mammogram next month. Whatever will be will be.
Nonetheless, I'd still like to cut the sugar addiction for my overall long term health.
This is going to be a difficult cord to cut.
Thursday, April 24, 2014
My Job
I recently switched jobs.
I went from being a super fantastic substitute teacher, to being a super fantastic librarian. (I know you didn't ask, but my degree is in Library Science. I've been trying for years to get a job in a school library, but that was not meant to be.)
I love my new job.
I drop daughter off at school in the morning and drive to work. I finish at noon, come home, and pretend like I have a lot of time to do things. I don't have as much time as I'd like to think I do!
Meanwhile, I adore the library where I work. It's a highly specialized library. I don't know much about it, but I constantly feel like a kid in a candy store. I just love being surrounded by books, and I am enjoying finding out more about the subject.
What makes this job even more amazing is that I am actually able to meet some of the people who write the books on the shelves. People who are considered to be the leaders in their fields.
I miss the kids. I am planning on going in Monday afternoon to volunteer for a few hours with some of my favorite kids. I'm really looking forward to it!
I am fortunate beyond words to have found a job that is equal mix challenge and fascination.
I went from being a super fantastic substitute teacher, to being a super fantastic librarian. (I know you didn't ask, but my degree is in Library Science. I've been trying for years to get a job in a school library, but that was not meant to be.)
I love my new job.
I drop daughter off at school in the morning and drive to work. I finish at noon, come home, and pretend like I have a lot of time to do things. I don't have as much time as I'd like to think I do!
Meanwhile, I adore the library where I work. It's a highly specialized library. I don't know much about it, but I constantly feel like a kid in a candy store. I just love being surrounded by books, and I am enjoying finding out more about the subject.
What makes this job even more amazing is that I am actually able to meet some of the people who write the books on the shelves. People who are considered to be the leaders in their fields.
I miss the kids. I am planning on going in Monday afternoon to volunteer for a few hours with some of my favorite kids. I'm really looking forward to it!
I am fortunate beyond words to have found a job that is equal mix challenge and fascination.
Wednesday, April 23, 2014
Keyhole Gardens
I ran across an article about Keyhole Gardens this morning in Herb Quarterly. The Spring 2014 edition arrived in our box at work. I took a stroll through it before putting it on the shelf, and I found a fascinating look at Keyhole Gardens.
These gardens are an idea from Africa. These gardens are designed to conserve water and nutrients, and to help nurture a garden in even the most challenging of garden climates.
The idea was brought to the United States by Dr. Deb Tolman, These nifty little gardens combine a raised bed, a lasagna garden, and an active mulch pile to help nurture plants in even the hottest and driest of climates. Dr. Tolman grows her gardens in the Texas Hill Country... a very hot, dry, and inhospitable place for gardens under the best of conditions. Remarkably enough, these keyhole gardens grow thriving vegetables!
The secret to these gardens is twofold: first, the gardens are constructed in a circle. A small keyhole, or access area extends from the center of the garden to the exterior. The soil is layered with manure, green stuff, brown stuff, and potting soil. Second, a circle is left in the middle of the garden. This circle is maintained with chicken wire, and this is where a working compost pile is kept. Vegetable scraps, lawn clippings, and manure are layered in this center circle. When you go to water your garden, you water through the center hole, so that the nutrients from the compost pile go out into the garden. Because of the small, compact nature of the garden, it is easy to mulch the garden as needed.
These keyhole gardens can be any size that you wish. Dr. Tolman's gardens are 6 feet across.
They can be made of any materials that you have laying around. The ones I've shown here are all made of stones and bricks. But, when I was looking through the website at http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html, I noticed that they were made of just about everything, from rocks to landscaping bricks to wine bottles and beer bottles. The gardens in the U.S. and the U.K. tend to be a little higher. Those in Rwanda tend to be shorter and closer to the ground. As the organic matter in the garden rises, the walls also rise.
It's a fascinating concept! Since I have yet to plant my gardens this year, I'm looking at the keyhole garden and thinking that it looks like a fantastic idea. It looks easy to manage, and it looks as if it can be made of recycled materials that I already have laying around the house.
So, I've been researching all afternoon, looking to see how feasible this idea is for a garden, and I'm liking what I see. I will be building one of these in our back yard this year.
Take a look at the websites I've been visiting and take a look at what I'm talking about. This is an exciting idea for sustainable gardening!
Keyhole Gardens
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html
Keyhole Farm
http://keyholefarm.com/
Deb Tolman
http://debtolman.com/
Horticulture Magazine
http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/garden-design/the-ins-and-outs-of-a-keyhole-garden
 |
| Image: http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html |
These gardens are an idea from Africa. These gardens are designed to conserve water and nutrients, and to help nurture a garden in even the most challenging of garden climates.
The idea was brought to the United States by Dr. Deb Tolman, These nifty little gardens combine a raised bed, a lasagna garden, and an active mulch pile to help nurture plants in even the hottest and driest of climates. Dr. Tolman grows her gardens in the Texas Hill Country... a very hot, dry, and inhospitable place for gardens under the best of conditions. Remarkably enough, these keyhole gardens grow thriving vegetables!
 |
| image: http://keyholefarm.com/ |
 |
| image:http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html |
They can be made of any materials that you have laying around. The ones I've shown here are all made of stones and bricks. But, when I was looking through the website at http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html, I noticed that they were made of just about everything, from rocks to landscaping bricks to wine bottles and beer bottles. The gardens in the U.S. and the U.K. tend to be a little higher. Those in Rwanda tend to be shorter and closer to the ground. As the organic matter in the garden rises, the walls also rise.
It's a fascinating concept! Since I have yet to plant my gardens this year, I'm looking at the keyhole garden and thinking that it looks like a fantastic idea. It looks easy to manage, and it looks as if it can be made of recycled materials that I already have laying around the house.
So, I've been researching all afternoon, looking to see how feasible this idea is for a garden, and I'm liking what I see. I will be building one of these in our back yard this year.
Take a look at the websites I've been visiting and take a look at what I'm talking about. This is an exciting idea for sustainable gardening!
Keyhole Gardens
http://www.inspirationgreen.com/keyhole-gardens.html
Keyhole Farm
http://keyholefarm.com/
Deb Tolman
http://debtolman.com/
Horticulture Magazine
http://www.hortmag.com/weekly-tips/garden-design/the-ins-and-outs-of-a-keyhole-garden
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
An Incredible Act of Kindness
I was in Kohls on Saturday, looking at shirts when a woman tapped me on the shoulder and asked "Do they have fat women dresses here?"
I turned and looked into the eyes of an older woman.
The woman standing next to me looked over her shoulder and said "You're not that big! What size do you wear?"
"I wear a 24. I need something black to wear to my daughter's funeral, and I don't want to wear pants. I want to wear a dress. I have a black dress at home, but I didn't bring it with me. I'm from Pennsylvania."
The woman standing next to me answered "I agree. You're in luck. I happen to have a closet full of clothes that are a size 24. I have at least one black dress."
And then, before anyone could say anything, she whipped her cell phone out of her purse and called home, and we all listened, astounded, to the following conversation:
Honey, I need you to go into my closet and pull out all of my black dresses.
Yes, every single one. I'm at Kohls. Could you bring them all over here right now, and meet me in the parking lot?
No, it's an emergency, and don't go into it over the phone, just bring everything.
I left the conversation as the two women exchanged a hug, and the older woman began to cry. Her daughter in law was standing behind the group, looking astounded.
As I left the store, I saw the two women outside. I heard the woman as she pulled the dresses out of the car and hand them to the daughter in law:
Take them, take all of them. I've just lost 50 pounds, and I don't need them. Find something you like. Everything else, donate them to Ruth's Closet or the Rescue Mission for me. Does your daughter in law know where those places are?
Just an amazing act of kindness. Neither woman knew each other, and yet, one person was able to take some of the burden off of the other person, and take away one of the worries of a horrible situation through one very profound act of selflessness.
God bless both of those women. The one who had lost her daughter, and the one who gave someone else some peace of mind.
Little things like this give me faith in humanity and the world we live in.
I turned and looked into the eyes of an older woman.
The woman standing next to me looked over her shoulder and said "You're not that big! What size do you wear?"
"I wear a 24. I need something black to wear to my daughter's funeral, and I don't want to wear pants. I want to wear a dress. I have a black dress at home, but I didn't bring it with me. I'm from Pennsylvania."
The woman standing next to me answered "I agree. You're in luck. I happen to have a closet full of clothes that are a size 24. I have at least one black dress."
And then, before anyone could say anything, she whipped her cell phone out of her purse and called home, and we all listened, astounded, to the following conversation:
Honey, I need you to go into my closet and pull out all of my black dresses.
Yes, every single one. I'm at Kohls. Could you bring them all over here right now, and meet me in the parking lot?
No, it's an emergency, and don't go into it over the phone, just bring everything.
I left the conversation as the two women exchanged a hug, and the older woman began to cry. Her daughter in law was standing behind the group, looking astounded.
As I left the store, I saw the two women outside. I heard the woman as she pulled the dresses out of the car and hand them to the daughter in law:
Take them, take all of them. I've just lost 50 pounds, and I don't need them. Find something you like. Everything else, donate them to Ruth's Closet or the Rescue Mission for me. Does your daughter in law know where those places are?
Just an amazing act of kindness. Neither woman knew each other, and yet, one person was able to take some of the burden off of the other person, and take away one of the worries of a horrible situation through one very profound act of selflessness.
God bless both of those women. The one who had lost her daughter, and the one who gave someone else some peace of mind.
Little things like this give me faith in humanity and the world we live in.
Monday, April 21, 2014
My Accomplishments
It's been a very busy, whirlwind couple of weeks! The boys were home for Easter weekend, and it was so wonderful to spend time with them, laughing over accomplishments, and encouraging them through their current obstacles. (Differential Equations for the Math class.)
My Accomplishments:
1) When we went to New York to look at schools, we stayed with the hotel chain that we usually use when we travel. We are a member of their Honors Program, so we were able to bank up a few nights towards our next free stay.
2) We packed lunches for all of us for the days we were in the city. This worked very well on the sunny days, but not so well on the rainy days. We ended up eating lunch standing under a tree, under our umbrellas outside of the Central Library.
3) Daughter needed some new clothes for spring time. We hit up Goodwill, and for $5, we were able to pick up 3 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts.
4) Lettuce is coming up in the garden! Salad with baby greens for dinner one night!
5) Onion sets are in the ground. 300 onions.... It seems like a lot, but somehow, I don't think it's enough.
6) We had another bonfire Friday night, and burned down another stack of twigs and small branches. Our wood rack holds a half cord of wood. It is currently filled with the downfall from this winter - completely filled - and we have so much more left to cut down.
7) On Friday night, while the bonfire was going, we made Silver Turtles for dinner and put them into the fire to cook up. (Silver Turtles - meat and veggies wrapped in tinfoil. Cook in the fire until done. Your choice of meat and veggies. It's a scout thing.)
8) I stopped by Home Depot and bought new rope for the clothes line. The old line was so old, worn, and stretched out that every time we hung the clothes out, they were dragging on the grass. I also picked up some new clothes pins as many of the old ones had broken.
9) We got several items out for the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day. Florescent Light Tubes, Old Paint, and some other old chemicals were taken to the dump to be safely disposed of by the county.
10) Husband attempted to get the lawn mower started this weekend. No dice. Keep in mind, this lawn mower is second hand, and it's close to 30 years old. It's a riding lawn mower. He's been attempting to charge the battery, and then a second battery, and now we're onto the third battery, since Saturday. Hopefully, a new battery will fix the problem and we aren't looking at a new lawn mower.
11) At daughter's art classes that she taught in the fall, she ran one class on Bird Houses. We put the bird houses up in the back yard over the weekend.
Another exciting week awaits us! What wonderful things did you accomplish this past week?
My Accomplishments:
1) When we went to New York to look at schools, we stayed with the hotel chain that we usually use when we travel. We are a member of their Honors Program, so we were able to bank up a few nights towards our next free stay.
2) We packed lunches for all of us for the days we were in the city. This worked very well on the sunny days, but not so well on the rainy days. We ended up eating lunch standing under a tree, under our umbrellas outside of the Central Library.
3) Daughter needed some new clothes for spring time. We hit up Goodwill, and for $5, we were able to pick up 3 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts.
4) Lettuce is coming up in the garden! Salad with baby greens for dinner one night!
5) Onion sets are in the ground. 300 onions.... It seems like a lot, but somehow, I don't think it's enough.
6) We had another bonfire Friday night, and burned down another stack of twigs and small branches. Our wood rack holds a half cord of wood. It is currently filled with the downfall from this winter - completely filled - and we have so much more left to cut down.
7) On Friday night, while the bonfire was going, we made Silver Turtles for dinner and put them into the fire to cook up. (Silver Turtles - meat and veggies wrapped in tinfoil. Cook in the fire until done. Your choice of meat and veggies. It's a scout thing.)
8) I stopped by Home Depot and bought new rope for the clothes line. The old line was so old, worn, and stretched out that every time we hung the clothes out, they were dragging on the grass. I also picked up some new clothes pins as many of the old ones had broken.
9) We got several items out for the Household Hazardous Waste Disposal Day. Florescent Light Tubes, Old Paint, and some other old chemicals were taken to the dump to be safely disposed of by the county.
10) Husband attempted to get the lawn mower started this weekend. No dice. Keep in mind, this lawn mower is second hand, and it's close to 30 years old. It's a riding lawn mower. He's been attempting to charge the battery, and then a second battery, and now we're onto the third battery, since Saturday. Hopefully, a new battery will fix the problem and we aren't looking at a new lawn mower.
11) At daughter's art classes that she taught in the fall, she ran one class on Bird Houses. We put the bird houses up in the back yard over the weekend.
Another exciting week awaits us! What wonderful things did you accomplish this past week?
Friday, April 18, 2014
Happy Easter!
I'm going to take a break from blogging for the weekend. My boys are home from college, and the house is a big, rowdy wonderful home full of noise and laughter.
Enjoy this blessed weekend with your family!
Enjoy this blessed weekend with your family!
Thursday, April 17, 2014
Random Pictures
We made it home safe and sound yesterday afternoon. I'm slowly getting myself into the mindset for Easter. Daughter and I are going to visit the labyrinth at a local Catholic church this afternoon, but before then I'm headed out to go grocery shopping - the boys are both coming home for the weekend, and I need to have food on hand when they walk in the door!
The back of my heel is slowly getting better. No infection has set in, that's the best news of all! It's still a mess of loose skin and new, raw skin, but the Neosporin has been doing it's job and keeping bad bacteria at bay. I could actually sleep with the weight of a blanket on top last night. Right now, I'm sitting on a chair with my foot propped up on a footstool, and I can actually put the back of my heel against the footstool cushion. It's progress! (I'm still not certain I'll be able to put my shoes all the way on though.)
Below are some pictures that I took while we were in New York that I wanted to share. I took a lot of them! I love the city, it's a beautiful place to visit!
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| This picture and the one below are from the independent bookstore across the street from the Fashion Institute of Technology. Wonderful people! The owner and several of the employees talked to us at length about the school since the school was closed for break. Can you image a book store full of craft supplies? I swear to you, my daughter had to literally drag me out of the store! |
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| One of those beautiful little pocket parks that are scattered everywhere. Tiny oasis of green, dwarfed by the huge buildings surrounding it. We stopped here and ate our lunch on Monday. |
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| The Queens Borough Bridge. We didn't drive anywhere in the city, we walked. We got out of the subway and were attempting to find Central Park. We missed! Two NYPD officers who were walking their beat directed us in the correct direction. (Six or so blocks in the OTHER direction!) |
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| The library in one of the schools we visited. I tell you, the libraries in New York are amazing. I thought our libraries in the suburbs were great, but they don't have the grandeur that some of the libraries in the cities have. |
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| Adorable, isn't it? This is a part of a series of sculptures entitled Life Underground by Tom Otterness. Statues like these, and others are scattered throughout one subway station. Now, don't ask me which station. I don't have a clue. We were transferring from one line to another, and this was the last stop for the L line. If you go to New York, it's worth finding which stop this is, just to see the entirety of the collection! |
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| Grand Central Station. It was smaller than I expected it would be, and it was busier than I thought it would be! If you look closely in the center of the picture, you can see the big round lit clock. It's on top of a round information kiosk. |
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| The reference collection in the Grand Central Library. |
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| The reading room in the Grand Central Library. My words fail me when I attempt to describe this place. I had to sit at a table for a while and just soak up the atmosphere around me! |
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| We finally found some cherry blossoms! Snow on the ground when we woke up, and cherry blossoms swinging in the breeze- the first day they were open up by the Hudson River! |
Wednesday, April 16, 2014
More Colleges
We visited the last of the college campuses yesterday. (In Brooklyn).
Awesome school! We've found the match! But, with only 10% of all applicants selected to join the freshman class, we have to be realistic. The odds are great that she might not be accepted. She's a very competitive candidate, but we won't know until she applies if she's good enough. She's got 2 other excellent schools on her list of final choices, but this school is #1.
Once we finished looking at schools, we spent a rainy day walking through New York City, visited the Grand Central Library, Grand Central Station, and Times Square.
Notes to self:
#1) Do not buy a new pair of shoes the day before you leave on a walking trip.
#2) If you insist upon buying a new pair of sneakers, make sure you get the correct size. I swear I tried on an 8.5 and a 9. Up until yesterday when I wondered why my feet hurt so much, I could have sworn I bought the 9's.
#3) When the blister begins to form on your foot, use regular band-aids on your foot. Do NOT use the special blister healing band-aids.
#4) If you do use the blister healing band-aids, be very careful when pulling them off. I managed to pull the band aid off last night, but not before it had torn the blister and a good chunk of skin out of my heel. Band-aids, Neosporin and ice were the order of my night last night. Looks like I'll be wearing my slip ons home in the car today!
#5) If its a beautiful sunny day in New York, packing a lunch and finding a spot to sit and eat is easy. If its a wet, rainy day, you will NEVER find a spot to sit down. Ever. Ditto with restaurants with a wait less than an hour.
This was fun, but I'm ready to go home now!
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
College Tours
This week is our spring break, and we are doing a tour of the colleges that daughter wanted to look at that are farther away from home. We saw 2 yesterday, and have 1 more to visit today.
There've been some interesting insights along the way that I want to share with you.
The college that told us: we know we're not for everyone. We don't believe in testing or grades, so you will be submitting graded high school papers to us. If you can afford the $60,000 a year to come to school here, we're willing to work with you.
The school in Manhattan that refuses to let the kids see the dorm rooms, but told the kids "you're 4 in a room, with bunked beds. One shared bath down the hall. $25,000/year for this housing. After freshman year, you're on your own for housing."
The tour guide: we have a lot of businesses who don't hire the best students, they hire us. (Wow.. I'm sure she meant to say that differently. I hope.)
Our professors all work in the real world. What I hear is: our professors are all adjunct, and you won't be able to track them down for help outside of class because they're never here!
Fortunately, daughter seems to be turned off by these schools. We have one more to look at today, and then we're done with her list.
I am hoping she goes to school a little closer to home!
Saturday, April 12, 2014
Tales from the Classroom
Like every 6th grader in our county, my daughter went to Outdoor School in the fall. Outdoor School is run at our county nature center. The kids spend a week in residence there, learning about nature, our environment, the ecosystem, and what is so unique about the area in which we live.
The kids both love and hate outdoor school. I've never been sure how the teachers feel about it. On the one hand, they don't have to plan lessons for an entire week, and someone else is in charge. On the other hand, they are sleeping in the teacher's quarters for the entire week, on uncomfortable mattresses, sharing bunk rooms with the teachers that they work with. (Separated my men and women, of course.)
There was one particular teacher in our middle school who will forever be stuck in my mind. Do you remember Mrs. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus books? This teacher looked like a 50 something Mrs. Frizzle. Stout figure, Lucy Ricardo's red hair, that frizzed out all over her head. She always wore crazy outfits, and her shoes... OMG, her shoes.... Always stilettos, and never the same shoe twice. They were something to see. For convenience's sake, I'm just going to call her Ms. Frizz from here on out.
My daughter went to Outdoor School in the fall. It was perfect weather. Jeans and a sweatshirt. The kids didn't have to worry about snow, and they didn't have to worry about frostbite. They could take the nature hikes and get wet without worry.
So, Ms. Frizz was chaperoning a group as they began a hike down a nature path. Ms. Frizz was wearing her stilettos, jeans, and was mincing her way down the path, behind the PE teacher. A large tree was across the path, and the PE teacher called out a warning to the kids that the tree was down, and he stopped to make sure the kids stepped over it without a problem.
Ms. Frizz was in a world of her own. She just kept walking, paying no attention to the world around her until *smack* she walked straight into the fallen tree and did a face plant, sprawled awkwardly over the tree trunk.
Laying face down in the dirt, the kids all rushed over to her and began asking, Ms. Frizz! Are you okay? Are you dead?
"Leave me here. Go on without me. Enjoy your day." She said, still laying face down in the dirt.
Shaking his head and muttering things not quite fit to print, the PE teacher picked her up and got her on her feet.
"Are you good to go?" he asked.
"No" she said, "The ground is all muddy. I can't go on. My heels keep sinking in the mud. I'll just stay here until the ground dries."
My daughter said that at this point, the PE teacher's mouth hardened into a straight line. He looked at the kids, and he looked back at the teacher. At this point, they were over a mile from the camp if they went forward, and a mile away if they went back. He is a good man, though. He looked at the kids, and then, he scooped the Ms. Frizz up and carried her all the way back to the camp.
You know, Ms. Frizz is retired now. At her retirement party, this story was mentioned over and over again. She is never going to live this story down.
I am most impressed with the PE teacher. He managed to carry a teacher - an adult, no less- over a mile back to the cabins without complaining. The kids all learned a very important lesson that day - about taking care of each other - about being gallant, and caring for other people - about doing the right thing, without complaining that it's uncomfortable.
Ms. Frizz also taught them something, too - sometimes you do a face plant in the middle of a situation, and you need other people to help pull you up and get you on your feet again.
On the days when the kids are having a rough day, and they see that Ms. Frizz is subbing in the high school, they all smile and remember the day she was laying in the dirt, muttering "Just leave me here, go on without me," they all smile thinking about that bright autumn day.
(Seriously, who wears heels on a nature hike through the woods?)
Love you Ms. Frizz! You are an awesome teacher!
The kids both love and hate outdoor school. I've never been sure how the teachers feel about it. On the one hand, they don't have to plan lessons for an entire week, and someone else is in charge. On the other hand, they are sleeping in the teacher's quarters for the entire week, on uncomfortable mattresses, sharing bunk rooms with the teachers that they work with. (Separated my men and women, of course.)
There was one particular teacher in our middle school who will forever be stuck in my mind. Do you remember Mrs. Frizzle of the Magic School Bus books? This teacher looked like a 50 something Mrs. Frizzle. Stout figure, Lucy Ricardo's red hair, that frizzed out all over her head. She always wore crazy outfits, and her shoes... OMG, her shoes.... Always stilettos, and never the same shoe twice. They were something to see. For convenience's sake, I'm just going to call her Ms. Frizz from here on out.
My daughter went to Outdoor School in the fall. It was perfect weather. Jeans and a sweatshirt. The kids didn't have to worry about snow, and they didn't have to worry about frostbite. They could take the nature hikes and get wet without worry.
So, Ms. Frizz was chaperoning a group as they began a hike down a nature path. Ms. Frizz was wearing her stilettos, jeans, and was mincing her way down the path, behind the PE teacher. A large tree was across the path, and the PE teacher called out a warning to the kids that the tree was down, and he stopped to make sure the kids stepped over it without a problem.
Ms. Frizz was in a world of her own. She just kept walking, paying no attention to the world around her until *smack* she walked straight into the fallen tree and did a face plant, sprawled awkwardly over the tree trunk.
Laying face down in the dirt, the kids all rushed over to her and began asking, Ms. Frizz! Are you okay? Are you dead?
"Leave me here. Go on without me. Enjoy your day." She said, still laying face down in the dirt.
Shaking his head and muttering things not quite fit to print, the PE teacher picked her up and got her on her feet.
"Are you good to go?" he asked.
"No" she said, "The ground is all muddy. I can't go on. My heels keep sinking in the mud. I'll just stay here until the ground dries."
My daughter said that at this point, the PE teacher's mouth hardened into a straight line. He looked at the kids, and he looked back at the teacher. At this point, they were over a mile from the camp if they went forward, and a mile away if they went back. He is a good man, though. He looked at the kids, and then, he scooped the Ms. Frizz up and carried her all the way back to the camp.
You know, Ms. Frizz is retired now. At her retirement party, this story was mentioned over and over again. She is never going to live this story down.
I am most impressed with the PE teacher. He managed to carry a teacher - an adult, no less- over a mile back to the cabins without complaining. The kids all learned a very important lesson that day - about taking care of each other - about being gallant, and caring for other people - about doing the right thing, without complaining that it's uncomfortable.
Ms. Frizz also taught them something, too - sometimes you do a face plant in the middle of a situation, and you need other people to help pull you up and get you on your feet again.
On the days when the kids are having a rough day, and they see that Ms. Frizz is subbing in the high school, they all smile and remember the day she was laying in the dirt, muttering "Just leave me here, go on without me," they all smile thinking about that bright autumn day.
(Seriously, who wears heels on a nature hike through the woods?)
Love you Ms. Frizz! You are an awesome teacher!
Friday, April 11, 2014
Cleaning Up Some Brush
So, over the winter, we had several large branches fall off of the tree in the backyard. Probably, I should call someone in to look at it. However, it's a very old tree, and I live in fear of the fact that if I call out a professional, they'll take one look at the tree and tell us that it's time to take it down.
The branches are still all over the ground, laying where they fell.
Today, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a pair of loppers and went to work on the branches. I had visions of stripping off all of the smaller branches and burning them in the fire pit this afternoon, and then having husband cut the big branches up into wood stove size pieces that we could stack in the wood pile to season for next winter.
I had forgotten one little problem. Those branches are huge, and there were hundreds of small branches on each branch.
After one hour, I had managed to take out and break down one entire branch. I attempt to haul the big branches that were left away from the tree, but the branch was so heavy that I couldn't get it to move.
I hauled all of the twigs and mid-size branches over to the fire pit, loaded them in, and then attempted to light them up.
And there was my second miscalculation of the day. The wood was green. Attempting to get it lit and to keep it lit was the product of an hour. I ended up having to take the wood out of the pit, layer in some seasoned firewood, finally got that going, and then piled on the twigs and mid size branches.
Every once in a while, I would pile on more branches and weigh them down with another piece of heavy firewood.
3 hours after I started, I put the last of the wood from THE FIRST BRANCH onto the woodpile and looked up worriedly at the sky. Rain clouds were quickly gathering, and the breeze had picked up.
Thankful that I wasn't going to add anymore wood to the fire, we began the nervous countdown to see if the fire would burn itself out before the rain started.
We were fortunate. The first raindrops began an hour later, and the fire had burned itself out just as the raindrops started to fall.
I surveyed the mess in the back yard by the light of the setting sun. One huge branch had been cut down. The thick center section had been cut down for firewood. The twigs and mid-size branches were all burned down. I'd even managed to cut down and burn two smaller branches that had fallen.
Based upon my progress today, I've got 8 more burn nights to get through the brush pile just under that one tree. That's not counting the other branches that are down under other trees.
We just might have to break down and haul the smaller branches to the dump. I suspect our neighbors would like to see the downed branches go away. I know I'd like to see them go away before the termites move in and start keeping house.
The branches are still all over the ground, laying where they fell.
Today, I stopped at Home Depot and picked up a pair of loppers and went to work on the branches. I had visions of stripping off all of the smaller branches and burning them in the fire pit this afternoon, and then having husband cut the big branches up into wood stove size pieces that we could stack in the wood pile to season for next winter.
I had forgotten one little problem. Those branches are huge, and there were hundreds of small branches on each branch.
After one hour, I had managed to take out and break down one entire branch. I attempt to haul the big branches that were left away from the tree, but the branch was so heavy that I couldn't get it to move.
I hauled all of the twigs and mid-size branches over to the fire pit, loaded them in, and then attempted to light them up.
And there was my second miscalculation of the day. The wood was green. Attempting to get it lit and to keep it lit was the product of an hour. I ended up having to take the wood out of the pit, layer in some seasoned firewood, finally got that going, and then piled on the twigs and mid size branches.
Every once in a while, I would pile on more branches and weigh them down with another piece of heavy firewood.
3 hours after I started, I put the last of the wood from THE FIRST BRANCH onto the woodpile and looked up worriedly at the sky. Rain clouds were quickly gathering, and the breeze had picked up.
Thankful that I wasn't going to add anymore wood to the fire, we began the nervous countdown to see if the fire would burn itself out before the rain started.
We were fortunate. The first raindrops began an hour later, and the fire had burned itself out just as the raindrops started to fall.
I surveyed the mess in the back yard by the light of the setting sun. One huge branch had been cut down. The thick center section had been cut down for firewood. The twigs and mid-size branches were all burned down. I'd even managed to cut down and burn two smaller branches that had fallen.
Based upon my progress today, I've got 8 more burn nights to get through the brush pile just under that one tree. That's not counting the other branches that are down under other trees.
We just might have to break down and haul the smaller branches to the dump. I suspect our neighbors would like to see the downed branches go away. I know I'd like to see them go away before the termites move in and start keeping house.
Thursday, April 10, 2014
Tales from the Classroom
At the end of a very long day, I went to grab my favorite little friend T. from his classroom. I was subbing in Special Ed, and T. has been involved in Sp.Ed. for help with writing for years. He's a wonderful, smart, amazing kid, but that child hates to write. (As I'm telling this story, keep in mind that T. talks in a monotone. It makes the story all the better...)
I walked him out of the classroom and into the hallway.
"My body is just too exhausted to go on. I can't write. My hands are just exhausted. LOOK." He showed me his hand, and flopped it down to his side. "I can't even make it stay up in the air."
"Don't worry about it." I told him. "I'll write for you. You tell me what to write, and I'll write it down. You don't have to do anything."
We got down to the resource room, and he slumped down into a chair at the table. His entire body posture just exuded exhaustion. His class had been doing research on insects, and they were synthesizing their research into books. Each page of the book was dedicated to a different aspect of the insect. The rest of the class had finished their books, but he was still stuck on the first page. He had researched the mosquito.
The first page was about Habitat.
"I just can't write. I can't make my body cooperate with me."
"I'm not asking you to write," I reassured him. "Just tell me what to write, and I'll write it."
And so, we began. He dictated the sentences while looking back at his notes, and I wrote down what he said. He proofread my work when we finished the page, approved my spelling and punctuation, and we moved on to the next page, Body Parts.
So, he begins telling me what to write. He begins describing the proboscis, and he tells me the name of the chemical that the mosquito secretes through it's proboscis. It's this chemical that causes the bump on your skin. I write down the name of the chemical, and he looks over at what I've written.
"You're not spelling that right, here give me the pencil." He carefully erases what I've written, and then writes down the correct spelling. We continue on, and I write what he says until he pauses and looks at my paper.
"You're still not doing that right." He then erases what I've written, and writes his own words. He hands me back the paper and gives me that hard, steady look over the top of his glasses.
"I don't know," he says. "You're not a good dictator. You're messing up my spelling and punctuation. I can do it better if I do it myself. You've done you're best job. You should be very proud of yourself, but I will take it from here. You need to rest your brain for a while."
Funny kid! I probably did need to rest my brain for a while! He managed to finish the second page before our time was up and take him back to his class.
You know, I do wonder how bad of a dictator I was if someone who hates to write as much as he does decided that it was easier to write everything himself than to trust me to write it for him!
I walked him out of the classroom and into the hallway.
"My body is just too exhausted to go on. I can't write. My hands are just exhausted. LOOK." He showed me his hand, and flopped it down to his side. "I can't even make it stay up in the air."
"Don't worry about it." I told him. "I'll write for you. You tell me what to write, and I'll write it down. You don't have to do anything."
We got down to the resource room, and he slumped down into a chair at the table. His entire body posture just exuded exhaustion. His class had been doing research on insects, and they were synthesizing their research into books. Each page of the book was dedicated to a different aspect of the insect. The rest of the class had finished their books, but he was still stuck on the first page. He had researched the mosquito.
The first page was about Habitat.
"I just can't write. I can't make my body cooperate with me."
"I'm not asking you to write," I reassured him. "Just tell me what to write, and I'll write it."
And so, we began. He dictated the sentences while looking back at his notes, and I wrote down what he said. He proofread my work when we finished the page, approved my spelling and punctuation, and we moved on to the next page, Body Parts.
So, he begins telling me what to write. He begins describing the proboscis, and he tells me the name of the chemical that the mosquito secretes through it's proboscis. It's this chemical that causes the bump on your skin. I write down the name of the chemical, and he looks over at what I've written.
"You're not spelling that right, here give me the pencil." He carefully erases what I've written, and then writes down the correct spelling. We continue on, and I write what he says until he pauses and looks at my paper.
"You're still not doing that right." He then erases what I've written, and writes his own words. He hands me back the paper and gives me that hard, steady look over the top of his glasses.
"I don't know," he says. "You're not a good dictator. You're messing up my spelling and punctuation. I can do it better if I do it myself. You've done you're best job. You should be very proud of yourself, but I will take it from here. You need to rest your brain for a while."
Funny kid! I probably did need to rest my brain for a while! He managed to finish the second page before our time was up and take him back to his class.
You know, I do wonder how bad of a dictator I was if someone who hates to write as much as he does decided that it was easier to write everything himself than to trust me to write it for him!
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
My Accomplishments
I wish I could say I had accomplished something this past week. I really wish I could.
I started a new job, working in an academic library last week. It's a great job. It's part time. I work in the morning only, and I'm finished by noon every day.
The problem is getting used to a different schedule.
I have yet to get myself organized enough. I finally figured out how much food I need to eat for breakfast in order to see myself through the morning. (I don't have any breaks, and I'm not allowed to eat while on duty.) My next challenge is to figure out something quick to take for lunch, and to find out where the staff lunch room is located.
I also need to figure out how to work in exercise. I'm used to doing it first thing in the morning right after I drop daughter off at school. As of now, I'm driving to work as soon as I drop her off at school.
It's a change in routine. It's always harder than you think it's going to be.
I have still managed to cook dinner from scratch every night this week. Actually, now that I'm done by noon, dinner is much less frantic than it has been in the past! I can stop on the way home and pick something up if I need to, and I'm able to plan meals out and prepare meals without feeling rushed.
And so, having said that, I have my goals for this next week:
1) Find the staff lunch room.
2) Take my lunch every day and eat before I leave the premises.
3) Make a point to get exercise every day.
I started a new job, working in an academic library last week. It's a great job. It's part time. I work in the morning only, and I'm finished by noon every day.
The problem is getting used to a different schedule.
I have yet to get myself organized enough. I finally figured out how much food I need to eat for breakfast in order to see myself through the morning. (I don't have any breaks, and I'm not allowed to eat while on duty.) My next challenge is to figure out something quick to take for lunch, and to find out where the staff lunch room is located.
I also need to figure out how to work in exercise. I'm used to doing it first thing in the morning right after I drop daughter off at school. As of now, I'm driving to work as soon as I drop her off at school.
It's a change in routine. It's always harder than you think it's going to be.
I have still managed to cook dinner from scratch every night this week. Actually, now that I'm done by noon, dinner is much less frantic than it has been in the past! I can stop on the way home and pick something up if I need to, and I'm able to plan meals out and prepare meals without feeling rushed.
And so, having said that, I have my goals for this next week:
1) Find the staff lunch room.
2) Take my lunch every day and eat before I leave the premises.
3) Make a point to get exercise every day.
Thursday, April 3, 2014
Resolutions
3 months into the New Year, and I hate to admit, I've kind of forgotten about some of this.
Good thing I've got the blog to keep track of what I said I'd do!
1) 365 Grateful
I am keeping a daily journal now. Every day, one entry of what I am thankful for.
2) Lose 10 Pounds
Shut the front door! After a stellar loss of 1 pound in January, and 3 pounds in February, I am proud to announce that I lost 5 pounds last month! 9 pounds total! WHO-HOO!!
3) Run
I've been out a few times. Not running, but walking. I've got my 3 mile course mapped out, and I'm walking it. My time is down under an hour. I wish I could say it was under 45 minutes, but it's not.
4) Get Out of Debt
We're getting there.
5) Finish Cleaning Out the Basement
Husband and I have been working on the basement recently. We've taken a van load of trash to the dump recently, and even better, we've set aside a lot of stuff to sell at a yard sale later this month.
6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt
I've got the pieces out of the bag, and back upstairs. Next step is to get the sewing machine up here, so I can get started on it.
7) Spend More Time With My Family
It's been a great winter for family time. The boys were home on their spring break over the last month, and we had a great time cooking, laughing, and joking around together.
8) Finish Writing the Book I Keep Saying I'm Going to Write
Another month, 3 more chapters edited. I still have some pictures that I need to take to add to the most recent chapter. So, I'm halfway finished now. 6 more chapters to go!
9) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
Still saving money for this. The goal is to start working on this in June.
10) Get Back Into my Music
Done and done. We're practicing for Easter and Palm Sunday now. Love the music for Palm Sunday - a fantastic gospel piece!
How are you doing on your resolutions?
Good thing I've got the blog to keep track of what I said I'd do!
1) 365 Grateful
I am keeping a daily journal now. Every day, one entry of what I am thankful for.
2) Lose 10 Pounds
Shut the front door! After a stellar loss of 1 pound in January, and 3 pounds in February, I am proud to announce that I lost 5 pounds last month! 9 pounds total! WHO-HOO!!
3) Run
I've been out a few times. Not running, but walking. I've got my 3 mile course mapped out, and I'm walking it. My time is down under an hour. I wish I could say it was under 45 minutes, but it's not.
4) Get Out of Debt
We're getting there.
5) Finish Cleaning Out the Basement
Husband and I have been working on the basement recently. We've taken a van load of trash to the dump recently, and even better, we've set aside a lot of stuff to sell at a yard sale later this month.
6) Finish Oldest Child's Quilt
I've got the pieces out of the bag, and back upstairs. Next step is to get the sewing machine up here, so I can get started on it.
7) Spend More Time With My Family
It's been a great winter for family time. The boys were home on their spring break over the last month, and we had a great time cooking, laughing, and joking around together.
8) Finish Writing the Book I Keep Saying I'm Going to Write
Another month, 3 more chapters edited. I still have some pictures that I need to take to add to the most recent chapter. So, I'm halfway finished now. 6 more chapters to go!
9) Finish the Hallway Bathroom
Still saving money for this. The goal is to start working on this in June.
10) Get Back Into my Music
Done and done. We're practicing for Easter and Palm Sunday now. Love the music for Palm Sunday - a fantastic gospel piece!
How are you doing on your resolutions?
Wednesday, April 2, 2014
Chicken Salad
If you're thinking of diced chicken, coated in mayo, and resting on a bed of lettuce, this is a very different recipe.
Continuing with the theme of food that a college student can make (without setting the house on fire), we have our version of a grilled chicken salad.
I had the boys bake the chicken in the toaster oven. I love the toaster oven for the boys precisely because it has a timer feature on the side. I set the temperature, dial up the number of minutes I want it to cook, and walk away. When the timer goes off, the oven goes off. Voila! Less of a chance of forgetting the entire thing and setting something on fire.
We buy the big bags of chicken in the store, that are flash frozen. When I was at the store last week, a pound of chicken breasts was running close to $10, and the 5 pound package of individually frozen chicken breasts was selling for $12. I don't know who did the math on that particular deal, but I did snatch up several packages while I was there. The nice thing about the individually frozen chicken breasts is that you can pull out as little (or as much) as you need.
Chicken Salad
One or two chicken tenderloins
black pepper
lettuce, 1 head, washed & torn
1/4 cup of chopped nuts
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
Italian Dressing
assorted chopped veggies
Spray the toaster oven baking pan with non-stick spray. Place the chicken breast on the tray, and grind black pepper over all.
Bake in a 350* toaster oven for 30 minutes. (if frozen) Keep an eye on the chicken for the last 15 minutes. If the inside center is white, the chicken is done. If it is still pink inside, cook in 5 minute increments until it is white.
Meanwhile, tear and wash the lettuce leaves.
Dice any salad veggies. (I must confess, for the boys salad, we bought a mix of pre-cut salad veggies in a box. Red & Green Pepper, Red Onion, and Celery. Alternately, they can buy veggies from the salad bar.)
Prepare the Italian Dressing.
Slice the chicken into strips.
Toss everything together in a salad bowl, top with dressing.
Italian Dressing
(From the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, 1981, pg. 351)
In a screw top jar, combine 1 1/3 cups olive oil, 1/2 cup high quality cider vinegar, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (if desired), 1 TBSP sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. celery salt, 1/2 tsp. white pepper, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1 clove of garlic, minced. Cover, shake well to mix. Chill, shake again just before serving. Makes 1 3/4 cups.
Honestly, the boys have been mixing up salad dressing since they were little. Whipping up a batch doesn't take them very long. You'd think it would be easier to buy a bottle of dressing, but this is quick, easy, tastes fantastic, and isn't very expensive to make.
Continuing with the theme of food that a college student can make (without setting the house on fire), we have our version of a grilled chicken salad.
I had the boys bake the chicken in the toaster oven. I love the toaster oven for the boys precisely because it has a timer feature on the side. I set the temperature, dial up the number of minutes I want it to cook, and walk away. When the timer goes off, the oven goes off. Voila! Less of a chance of forgetting the entire thing and setting something on fire.
We buy the big bags of chicken in the store, that are flash frozen. When I was at the store last week, a pound of chicken breasts was running close to $10, and the 5 pound package of individually frozen chicken breasts was selling for $12. I don't know who did the math on that particular deal, but I did snatch up several packages while I was there. The nice thing about the individually frozen chicken breasts is that you can pull out as little (or as much) as you need.
Chicken Salad
One or two chicken tenderloins
black pepper
lettuce, 1 head, washed & torn
1/4 cup of chopped nuts
1 can of mandarin oranges, drained
Italian Dressing
assorted chopped veggies
Spray the toaster oven baking pan with non-stick spray. Place the chicken breast on the tray, and grind black pepper over all.
Bake in a 350* toaster oven for 30 minutes. (if frozen) Keep an eye on the chicken for the last 15 minutes. If the inside center is white, the chicken is done. If it is still pink inside, cook in 5 minute increments until it is white.
Meanwhile, tear and wash the lettuce leaves.
Dice any salad veggies. (I must confess, for the boys salad, we bought a mix of pre-cut salad veggies in a box. Red & Green Pepper, Red Onion, and Celery. Alternately, they can buy veggies from the salad bar.)
Prepare the Italian Dressing.
Slice the chicken into strips.
Toss everything together in a salad bowl, top with dressing.
Italian Dressing
(From the Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, 1981, pg. 351)
In a screw top jar, combine 1 1/3 cups olive oil, 1/2 cup high quality cider vinegar, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese (if desired), 1 TBSP sugar, 2 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. celery salt, 1/2 tsp. white pepper, 1/2 tsp. dry mustard, 1/4 tsp. paprika, 1 clove of garlic, minced. Cover, shake well to mix. Chill, shake again just before serving. Makes 1 3/4 cups.
Honestly, the boys have been mixing up salad dressing since they were little. Whipping up a batch doesn't take them very long. You'd think it would be easier to buy a bottle of dressing, but this is quick, easy, tastes fantastic, and isn't very expensive to make.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Random Pictures
I don't remember if I shared this one before... Praying Mantises emerging from their egg case. Way cool...
Last but not least, the soccer field in front of the school where I subbed on Weds. of last week. Look at that snow. It's unusual to still have this much snow on the ground this late in the year in the part of the Mid-Atlantic.
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