Random Pictures

The first snowflakes of the season.  Look closely, they are hard to see!

Daughter's cross stitch is finally finished!  It turned out better than I thought it would!

Portfolio Day.  Here, students share their portfolios with admissions officers from RISD.

More portfolio day!  

Beautiful cupcakes in the case at Whole Foods.

Last, but not least: my disastrous pumpkin pie.  Not sure what I did wrong, but I am positive it shouldn't be green!  It's been a long time since I've had a failure of such epic proportions!  It looks disgusting, doesn't it?

I am thankful for

The top ten things I am thankful for:

1) My family - my husband and my kids.

2) My friends.  They've been there for me  through thick and through thin.

3) This amazing country - the United States of America- in which we live.  I know the system seems broken at times, but we are a 200+ year experiment with a freely elected Democracy.  Pretty cool when you think through all of the implications!

4) My Mom.  She's still alive, healthy, and feisty.  Since she's 83 years old, I don't underestimate this gift.  I am very fortunate.

5) My House.  It's not much, but its where I live.  I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and a place to lay down at night.

6) My Job.  Yes, I am a substitute teacher.  I live the life of a vagrant, up and down halls of schools, facing different children every day.  I am very fortunate that I work primarily out of one school, and I know almost all of the kids in that school.  The kids are awesome, the staff is amazing!

7) My Church.  I have a wonderful church, with amazingly gifted leaders.  I feel blessed by them and their leadership on a daily basis.  Even more, I can freely worship at the church of my choice.  Considering world history and religion, that is not something to sneeze at!

8) Good Weather.  We are traveling to my Mom's house today.  I am thankful beyond words that the weather is bright and clear for our travels today!

9) The cats.  If you have pets, you know what I'm talking about!  

10) You.  The people who take the time to read my ramblings!  I see the number of people who visit my site, and I am humbled.  Thank you so much for spending some of your day with me!  You have no idea how much it means to me to realize that someone feels my writing has worth and value. Thank You.

Some Random Thoughts

We hit a perfect storm of events on Monday.

Thanksgiving is in the air, and our grocery stores are always packed the week before Thanksgiving.  A winter storm was headed our way, and whether or not the roads would be clear was questionable.  

I made the mistake of stopping by the store on the way home from work on Monday to pick up a jar of spaghetti sauce.  Every single register (there are 24 of them) was opened and had a line.  I ended up spending well over half an hour in line for my single jar of sauce.

My boys are both home from school.  They finished at 7:30 tonight.  Right now, we're all sitting around the kitchen, talking about the Hobbit Breakfast at Denny's.  it's good to have them all sitting around the table, chatting it up with each other.  Life is good!

I made my pies today to take to my Moms house for dinner tomorrow.  I used a different pie crust mix this year.  The pecan pie looks awesome, the apple pie looks divine, and the pumpkin pie turned out green.  Yep, that's right- the pie is green.  Husband ran out and purchased an alternate one from the grocery store.  The boys have since taken care if the green pie.  They've told me they'll need another pie before they can decide whether or not it is "good".

My laptop is still with the Geek Squad.  I've been following its travels through the tracking numbers.  This morning, it was in Lexington, KY.  Tonight, it is in Pennsylvania.  Since tomorrow is Thanksgiving, I don't think I'll see it before Friday.  I'm surprised at how much I miss my laptop!

We took daughter to National Portfolio Day in Baltimore over the weekend.  So many kids.  So much talent.  Every major art and design school in the nation was there.  What an experience!  My degree is not in the arts, so this was a totally new and enjoyable experience for me.

I hope that you and all of yours have a wonderful, safe, and happy Thanksgiving, surrounded by people you love.

My Accomplishments

I'm having a hard time posting this... My computer is still with the Geek Squad... 10 days after I dropped it off to have a hinge replaced, it was finally moved from a warehouse in Baltimore to the repair center.  Overnight, my computer was repaired.  I'm sincerely hoping it doesn't take another 10 days to get it back!  

In the meantime, I am blogging from my phone.  Always a challenge to use the keyboard on a smart phone for a long period of time!

In the way of accomplishments this past week:

I finished daughters' cross stitch.  It is beautiful!  I plan on taking it to be matted later this week.

I had a booth at the craft fair over the weekend.  I share the booth with a friend.  I sold everything I brought with me, which made packing up super easy!  I made over $100, which might not seem like a lot, but it will cover investment in materials for the upcoming year, as well as the cost of framing daughter's cross stitch.

I've worked every day for the last week.  Today is my last day for this week!  It will be nice to get a chance to sit and rest for a while!

We made pizza from scratch twice this past week.  I made Thai Chicken Curry from scratch - yum - and, I made a huge pot of Brunswick Stew which served two dinners, and lunch for school for me for 2 days.

Daughter needed an artists portfolio for National Portfolio Day over the weekend. I was able to purchase it with a 50% off coupon, saving $20 on the purchase price!

I've started working on goodies for Thanksgiving dinner that I'm taking to my Mom's house!  The supplies have been purchased, and I have pie crust chilling in the fridge right now, and I'll be drying bread crumbs in the oven tonight!

What wonderful things have you accomplished this week?

Ghost Hawk

I read an awesome book for my Books For Teens Blog this week, entitled Ghost Hawk.  It was written by Susan Cooper.

This book was written this year.  It follows the life of a young Indian, Little Hawk, who lived in the area we now call Plymouth at the time when settlers were coming into this "new" land and settling down and building new homes.

Little Hawk has met the manhood test of his people - he has survived alone in the wilderness for three months in the depth of winter. 

When he returns to his village, he finds that his world has shifted forever.  Exposure to the white man has inflicted the native people with a disease that has swiftly killed off much of their population. Where once there were enough people for 5 villages, there were now only enough for 1.

As the white families continue to move in and take over lands once held by the Native Americans, tensions arise.

Little Hawks's life is changed forever when he meets young John, a child of the original settlers.  

Full of unexpected plot twists and turns, I was thoroughly engulfed in this tale.  It was a fascinating look back at a crucial time in our nations history.

It's not often I say "this book is going to win some awards", but I am saying it now.  I am expecting to see this on the nominee list for at least a couple of YA book awards.  This is truly a tale that needs to be heard - it looks at both sides of the stories surrounding the settlement of Plymouth.

An Unexpected Day

II had an unexpected day yesterday.  It began with "What is that?"  During my monthly self check.

I called my doctor, who worked me in immediately.  She took a look and said "It's probably nothing to worry about, but I'm sending you to an imaging center for a mammogram."

Now, here we are facing one of my fears.  My mother, who is 83, is a 10 year breast cancer survivor. I have never had a mammogram because I am afraid of what they might find.  Time to face that fear head-on.

I drove to the imaging center with the thought "Better to know for sure than to not know at all" burned into my head.

I walked in, and the nurse said "I hope you have time, because we're going to keep you here until we can definitively tell you "Don't worry, it's nothing", or "These are your next steps"".

I had a mammogram.  And then, I had two more, because the radiologist needed a better view.  It wasn't as bad as I had anticipated, and the technician was very efficient.

Then, I had an ultrasound.

And then, I was fortunate enough to hear those magic words "It's just a cyst."

I still have another visit ahead of me, but the very scary "C" word has been taken off of the table.

If you are reading this and haven't had a mammogram and are over the age of 40, ask yourself why.

Yes, the process is uncomfortable.  It does more than pinch.  But, the technicians are kind, professional, and explain everything they are doing.  When I went back in for the second round of pictures, the tech showed me the images, and explained what she was looking for, along with the words "it's nothing to worry about yet.  We need a better image, that's it."

The radiologist explained to me that he really needs a baseline reading, so he can compare future images to past images.  It will make it easier to detect changes in the future... Minor changes that can catch a cancer while it is still small and treatable.

Not how I was planning on spending my day, but in so glad I finally did it.  I feel like I've finally grown up.

Have you had a mammogram this year?

Junie B. Jones

"My name is Junie B. Jones.  The B stands for Beatrice.  Except I don't like Beatrice.  I just like B and that's all.

I am a bachelorette.

A bachelorette is when your boyfriend named Ricardo dumps you at recess.  Only I wasn't actually expecting that terrible trouble.

It happened today on the playground.

First, I was playing horses with my friends Lucille and Grace.

Then, all of a sudden, my boyfriend named Ricardo runned right past me.

And he was chasing a new girl named Thelma!

"Ricardo!"  I hollered real loud  Hey, Ricardo, 'Zactly what do you think you are doing, mister?"

Then I zoomed right after that guy.  And I tackled him on the grass.  And we wrestled.  And tangled.  And rolled all around.

Finally, I sat on his legs.  And I smoothed my hair very attractive.

"Hello, Ricardo,"  I said.  "How are you today?  I am fine.  Only, I just saw you chasing new Thelma.  And so please knock it off.  And I mean it."

Ricardo raised his eyebrows very surprised.

"Why?  How come?"  he said.

I sucked in my cheeks at that guy. 

"Because, Ricardo.  Because I am your girlfriend.  And you are my boyfriend.  And boyfriends and girlfriends are only allowed to chase each other.  That's how come.""

And thus begins Junie B. Jones Is (almost) a Flower Girl (Junie B. Jones, No. 13)

The Junie B.  books were written by Barbara Park.  A fun, wonderful romp through those early elementary years, Junie B. is a captivating character who gets into mischief, does things all of our kids did when they were that age, and has adventures we only hope our kids don't have!

Junie B. is very near and dear to my heart.  We own all of the Junie B. books.  When my kids were little, we used to sit on the floor in the living room at night and read her stories.  I would sit on the floor, with the book in my hands.  Oldest son would sit behind me on the sofa, reading over my shoulder.  Middle son would sit on the floor on my right side, so that he could help turn the pages of the book.  Youngest child would sit in my lap, snuggle down with her blanket to hear of the latest adventures.  We would laugh so hard we would end up in tears over many of her adventures.

Junie B. is written as a first chapter book.  They were among the first chapter books that all of my kids read.

Long after my kids finished reading Junie B, I would find myself in a corner of the library, reading the latest Junie B. adventure while the kids searched for their own books.

Publisher's Weekly announced on Sunday that the author, Barbara Park died over the weekend from Ovarian Cancer.

I have to admit, I cried.  I love the characters that Barbara Park brought to life, but none more so than Junie B.  With her captivating style of writing, Barbara Park carried you into her world, and kept you firmly there until you finished the book.

To the family of Barbara Park, you have my condolences.  I hope you know how much of an impact she had on the world around her.  I hope you know how many kids she inspired, and how many she pulled into the world of reading with her charming books.  Her voice will be missed.

If you've never read any of the Junie B books, and you have young children, make the time to get over to your local public library and find some of her stories.  They are irreverent, they are funny, and they are charming.

If you'd like to see the announcement from Publisher's Weekly, it is here:
http://publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/obituaries/article/60045-junie-b-jones-creator-barbara-park-dies-at-66.html

Thank you so much for the memories, Barbara Park.


Mini Van Mom is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.  This post contains affiliate links to Amazon.com.

My Accomplishments

I haven't gotten much accomplished over this past week.  I think that's a good thing, as it means I have been subbing more.

On the down side, I've been subbing more, so I haven't accomplished as much as I would have liked!

We did get the windows caulked.

Our church bazaar is coming up this weekend.  A big draw for me is the White Elephant Sale.  I usually take a car load of old stuff from the basement over to the church, in addition to some crafts that I have made and my world famous pecan coffee cake.  I've been loading up boxes to take to the White Elephant Sale.  I hope to be able to drop my items off on Weds. afternoon.  My crafts are set aside, and I am going to purchase the ingredients for the coffee cake this afternoon when I run errands.

I've shredded a huge pile of papers that have stacked up in the corner of the living room.

I organized all of our photos from 2008.  I have them backed up on flash drives, an online storage system, and CD's.  I've found some photos that I've printed out and have framed to give to the grandmothers this year!

Daughter's cross stitch for Christmas is almost finished.  I have a coupon for 50% off of framing, if I get it in before Nov. 30.  I'm hoping to have it done before the end of the week - but I find that the closer I get to finishing, the lower my motivation!  NOOoooo!!  Must finish cross stitch... must finish...

Daughter and I went to the Concurrent Enrollment seminar at our Community College.  We found out that she can take up to 2 classes per semester at the college.  Our school system demands that the kids take 4 classes per year.  She'll have to take 2 of those classes at her high school, and 2 at the community college.  She can take more than 2 classes per semester, but she won't get as big of a tuition break if she does.  The cost per credit hour for the high school students is $100.  So, for 6 credit hours in the fall, we'd pay $600.  Still considerably less than 4 year college tuition.  Her credits, as long as she earns a C or above, will transfer to a 4 year college.  With an AP test, everything would depend upon how well she does on the exam.  We met a couple of the teachers, we talked with some current and former students, and I am impressed with the program.  She has started contacting the admissions officers at the 4 year schools she is looking into to see what classes they recommend her taking.

In a virtually unheard of amount of forethought, I have actually addressed all of the Christmas cards already.  Pictures for family have been included, and I actually hand wrote short notes in most of them!  I need to pick up stamps, but it looks as if the cards will actually be mailed out this year - BEFORE New Year's Day!

Thanksgiving plans with my family have been made.  We will be going to my Mom's house.  The annual recipe hunt has begun, with everyone claiming on the online invite what wonderful creation they will be bringing with them!  My in-laws will be coming along, also.  I don't know... a 2 hour drive down 95 South with my mother in law in the car.  It promises to be something.  I'm not sure WHAT that something is, though!

A Job Interview

My very first job interview, I walked into a Deli with a help wanted sign on the door. I spoke with the owner over the counter, and 10 minutes later, I shook his hand and walked back out with instructions to report at 9 o'clock the next morning with my social security card, what clothes to wear, and I was told I would be there for the next 8 hours.  I guess times have changed since then.

Daughter had her first ever job interview last week - at our local library, shelving books.

I drove her to the interview and stayed in the car, because I really didn't think it would look good to have Mommy waiting for her inside while she interviewed.

She came back out 20 minutes later, a little shaken and a lot frustrated.  "Is every interview like that?"  She asked.

"I don't know, honey.  Tell me what happened."

She walked into a room, and was told to sit on one side of the table.  3 people sat on the other side of the table.  She had out her hand to shake hands, and no one even raised their hand, they just stared at her hand until she let it drop. They directed her to sit down while they began asking her a barrage of questions, never once making eye contact with her.  One interviewer was on the laptop the entire time, and daughter told me "now I know why every teacher complains about us on our electronics.  I really couldn't tell if she was listening to me or checking her e-mail."

Twenty minutes later, they thanked her for her time and told her "You'll hear from us within a week."

I mentioned this interview to some friends of mine.  I found out that they had interviewed 30 people for one minimum wage position.  I also heard that they already knew who they were going to hire- a family member of a current employee, but that they went through the public interview process to keep up appearances.  I'm still not sure what to believe since it was a casual conversation, and I'm willing to group it under hearsay or gossip.

Daughter got an email yesterday from the library, 10 days after her interview.  "Another candidate was chosen for this position."

I'm glad she had the learning experience of interviewing.

However, can I just say how upset I am that they subjected her (and a whole lot of other kids) to a 20 minute panel interview to shelve books for 10 hours a week for minimum wage?  

Random Pictures

The Halloween decorations over the mantle.

The cat.  He looks so innocent and peaceful, doesn't he?  Looks can be so deceiving!

The first snow flurries of the season!  Can you even see them?

One of the dogs at the shelter where daughter volunteers.  He needs a forever home!

My laptop is experiencing some technical difficulties, so I haven't been able to post the past couple of days.  I'm taking it to visit the Geek Squad tonight, hopefully they'll be able to fix it quickly! (I'm posting this from my phone - not my favorite technology for writing.)

Have a happy Friday!

Dinner Tonight

My husband stopped by my favorite produce market yesterday while we were out and about.  We bought another bag of 50 cent vegetables.

I had originally planned to make chili for dinner tonight, but I decided to make vegetable soup for dinner since some of the veggies need to be taken care of now!

The following is my own recipe for veggie soup:
As always, make sure you wash your veggies well before you cut them up and add them to your soup pot!

8 Cups of water
2 cubes of Veggie Broth
1 onion, chopped
2 stalks of celery, chopped (leaves and all)
2 potatoes, cubed
2 turnips, peeled and cubed
1 tomato, diced, or 1 can of diced tomatoes
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup snapped green beans, fresh or frozen
1/4 head of cabbage, if you have any on hand
1 parsnip, peeled and cubed
1 small can of V-8 juice
1/4 cup of mashed potatoes or mashed potato flakes  (add this last bit LAST, within a half hour of serving to help thicken your soup)

Add everything to a pot, bring to a boil, and simmer until the veggies are soft.  If you are going to cook this in a slow cooker, set your timer for 6 hours on low.  Make certain you stir it all well before you serve it.  I don't know why, but the veggies tend to settle into layers over a period of time in a crock pot!

Don't ask why I add the V-8 juice.  I just do!  My Mom always added it, and I really like the little bit of kick it gives my soup.  I use the little, single serving size cans.  I buy an 8 pack, and keep the extras on the shelf in the cupboard for the next batch.

If you have any extra veggies on hand, toss them in. 

We're expecting a little snow on the East Coast today!  I'm looking forward to the first snow of the season!  I can't wait!!

My Accomplishments This Week

I picked up the oldest child from school this past week for a dentist appointment.  When he got in the car, I did a double take, "Holy cow, son,  you really need a haircut."

"That's what my physics professor said"

"Whoah, if a physics professor noticed you need a haircut, you know it's bad!"


That aside, it was a productive week.  I made dinner from scratch every night.  I stopped by my favorite local orchard this week.  The family owns a restaurant/produce stand on the edge of their property.  I checked the 50 cent rack and found a huge bag of veggies that were no longer fit to be sold on their "First" racks.  Everything in the bag looked fresher than what is in my grocery store, so I bought a bag.  We've had a roasted sweet potato mash, vegetable soup, and roasted eggplants from that bag.  I'll be using the last of the veggies from that bag tonight in a chili pot!

I made two huge batches of muffins with bananas that were on the clearance rack at the grocery store because they were on the "edge" of being thrown out.  I froze the extra muffins so we can pull them out for breakfast when we get hungry.  (3 pounds of bananas for 30 cents!)

We still haven't turned on our heat yet.  We've been relying on the wood stove to keep the chill out of the house.  However, with snow expected this week, and much colder temperatures to go along with it, I am expecting that we will have to turn on the heat in the back bedrooms.  One of the bedrooms has a programmable thermostat.  (Baseboard heat).  We need to get an electrician in to install a programmable thermostat in the other bedroom.

My gift to the family this year is to organize all of our digital photos, and back them up.  I've begun transferring the photos to CD's, and I'm also organizing them into files in an online storage system.  Realistically, I need an external hard drive, but I don't have one of those.  I do however, have a lot of RWCD's to put them on in the meantime.  It's one more fail safe to lessen the chance of losing everything.  Most of our photos are in albums, but I want to make sure that I have a back up of our photos, somewhere!

I did write an actual list of goals for last week!
1) Continue working on daughter's cross stitch.
This is very close to being finished.  I had originally begun this project 3 years ago, and then laid it aside for a while.  I picked it back up over the summer, and then stopped working on it while I worked on youngest child's quilt.  I hope to have it all finished by Thanksgiving so that I can have it framed for her.

2) Caulk the windows.
DH is doing this today.

3) Clean out the window wells.
DH is also doing this today.  The thought of a snake lurking in one of the window wells doesn't bother him as much as it bothers me!

4) Continue piling up the load to take to Goodwill.
The pile is getting bigger.  I should have it out of the house in time for Thanksgiving!

5) Move stuff over to the tall freezer, defrost the chest freezer and clean it out.
The chest freezer is quietly defrosting as I write this.

6) Begin work on quilt for oldest child.
I moved the pile of fabric from one side of the table to the other!  Does that count?

7) Get out and exercise 3 days this week.
I didn't manage this over the week. 

8) Start layering the lasagna gardens in the front yard.
DH objected to the spot I had chosen for the strawberry beds.  Back to the drawing board, again. 

9) Cut up and steam the pumpkins for pies and breads.
Still not done, but the pumpkins look very pretty sitting in the window!

10) Spend 15 minutes a day, twice in the basement cleaning up and sorting.
Done.  I still feel like no progress is being made, unless if I look back at the picture that I took in September.  Then I realize that I have made a LOT of progress!

Goals for this coming week:
1) Continue moving photos to CD's and backing them up online.
2) Continue working on daughter's cross stitch.
3) Begin cleaning and moving stuff around in the living room so that the tree will have a clean place to go over Thanksgiving.
4) Move things from the upright freezer back to the chest freezer.
5) Make muffins and apple cake for the church bazaar.
6) Sort the photos for the girl scout albums by girl. 
7) Put away all of the overtly Halloween decorations, but leave the fun Thanksgiving ones out for a little while longer!
8) Finish writing the review for my YA Book blog.
9) Get the Honda in for an oil change, have the fluids checked, tires rotated.
10) Spend some time hanging out with my hubby!

Another Gold Award Project

I am so proud of the girls in my Girl Scout Troop!  We have 5 girls in our troop.  They are all Juniors in high school.  4 of them are pursuing their Gold Awards.  (And I am an advisor to one other girl who is not in my troop, who is currently a Senior in high school.)

Today is another Gold Award Project!

This young lady is holding a baton twirling workshop for younger girls today!

She has been twirling and competing since she was a wee little one.

Her hope is that she will show kids a new and different way to get exercise, and maybe even get some of them hooked on twirling at the same time!  The ultimate goal is to help combat childhood obesity while having fun.

I'm headed out in a few minutes.  I am working the registration table this morning.

Who knows, maybe I'll learn how to twirl? 

Random Pictures

When I say "random", I mean random!
These were branches, in a parking lot, under the overhead light.
I thought they looked spooky.

This was taken on Weds. it was the leading line of a front moving into the area.
I read that these were called "Mackerel Clouds".  They do look like fish scales, don't they?
There were a lot of pictures posted Weds. night of these clouds over Washington D.C.

Birdhouses, for daughter's last Gold Award class.
She and her father made the bird houses from wood that had been upcycled
from an old shipping crate from the robotics team.

We went to the arboretum over the weekend.
It was a beautiful day and a beautiful walk!
I loved this view, multiple textures, leaves, and colors.

More leaves!  Orange leaves on a tree.
Hard to believe most of our leaves have fallen in the last two days.
 

Tree trunk.
I kind of expect to find Pooh, or a fairy, or an entrance to an alternate dimension here!
When I looked, I just found dirt.
Obviously, I didn't come at the right phase of the moon to make the portal work!

A Really Bad Day

Wednesday turned out to be one of the worst days I've had in quite a while...
I subbed in a new position.  One I've never subbed in before.  I subbed in an elementary school as one of the Fine Arts team.  (PE, Music, Art, Media).  Hmmm... that was an eye opener.   School started at 9, and my lunch break was at 10.  From 10:30-4:00, I did not get another break.  No time to pee, no time to eat, and a constant stream of new classes coming in every half hour to be taught.

By the time 4 rolled around, I was cranky, I was grumpy, and I was seriously beginning to question my need for a set of Depends.

I had a massive headache when I left, and decided I would stop at Chick-Fil-A for a milkshake.  I figured a quick shot of sugar, with a little bit of milk product tossed in for protein would hold me until I could get dinner on the table.  I went through the drive through, the girl in the window handed me my shake, and the lid popped off.  I ended up with shake all over me, my dress pants, my wool sweater, the little coin holder thing under the emergency brake, my purse, the papers in my purse... It was a God awful mess.  I asked the girl for help getting myself back together, and she looked like a deer caught in the headlights.  She gave me a napkin to help me clean up and then asked me to move on.  ONE napkin.  Nope, just not gonna cut it.  I spent the first hour after I finally got home cleaning out my car.

DH decided to make dinner.  We had a dried soup mix.  I was willing to give it a shot.  It was vegan, so we thought it would be healthy.  It was supposed to cook up in 30 minutes.  I guess someone forgot to tell the manufacturer (and me) that dried beans take longer than 30 minutes to cook appropriately.  We sat down to a dinner that smelled really good but was full of rock hard beans.

I ended up having to cancel a sub job for yesterday because that stomach virus that has been traveling around school is now traveling through me.  The school system has told us that if we cancel too many jobs because of illness, they'll drop us as substitutes.  I debated the pros and cons of going into school sick, but finally decided that this was a virus I did not need to share with anyone else.

We finally got ready for bed and found that one of the cats had peed in the bed.  Seriously.  Can things get any worse?  We threw the blankets in the washing machine and slept on the living room floor, wrapped up in sleeping bags.

The bright spot is that we did find out how to get rid of the smell of cat urine.

The blankets were washed three times in hot water.  The first time was with vinegar.  The second time with bleach, and the last time was with our regular laundry detergent.

We were fortunate in that we had a mattress pad on the bed and the cat pee didn't seep through to the mattress.

Yesterday was only slightly better.  Raging stomach virus.  Do I need to say more?

I'm hoping today is better.  I had to cancel the job for today, too.  I'm better, but my immune system is still suffering.  Do I really want to spend a day in a germ factory, picking up some new little microscopic invader?

So sorry to vent, but I just needed a little virtual sympathy!

NOTE:
It's Friday morning, and I just looked through this post.  Holy cow,  you can tell I wasn't feeling well when I wrote it!  Everything happened yesterday! 

Seriously, the bad day of subbing and the milkshake incident was Tuesday.  I spent the evening at a business and public relations meeting for the robotics team.

Weds. and Thurs. were the days of the stomach virus.  Today, I'm feeling better, and I've got a much clearer head.

I'm home again today, but at least I didn't have a job lined up for today!  Instead, I'm picking up one of my boys from school to head to the dentist, and then we're picking up the daughter and heading off to unload Girl Scout cookies from the truck. 

First Aid

How well versed are you in First Aid?  Do you know a broken bone when you see it?  Do you know what to do if you see it?  What do you do for a puncture wound?  If someone is having a heart attack?  Do you know CPR?  Do you know how to use an AED?  Do you know what it is?  Can you think clearly enough to help someone who is choking?

As a mother of three, I've had more than enough practice with First Aid over the years.  I took a Red Cross First Aid/ CPR class before my first child was born, and have kept my certification current ever since then.

When oldest child was 18 months old, I got to test out my ability to perform the Heimlich on him when he choked on a piece of candy.

When middle child was 7, I got to practice what to do with a burn when he dropped a flaming marshmallow on his knee at a campfire.

When oldest child was 8 years old, he broke his arm, and I got to practice how to stabilize an arm so that I could get him to the hospital.  (His arm looked like the letter "L" - Between his elbow and his wrist, his arm formed the capital letter "L".   I'm still not sure how I managed to keep it together long enough to stabilize him, find someone to watch the other two kids, and get him to the hospital!)

Last week, I was outside on the playground with the second graders when a scream broke out from the other end of the playground.  Running over, we discovered that his pinkie was sticking out at right angles from his hand.  Would you know what to do?

I could keep going with the list of my real-life applications of my first aid skills over the years, but THAT would take a couple of days!

The point is that you will always use First Aid and CPR classes.  Emergencies and accidents happen without warning.  (That's why they're called Accidents and not Purposes!)  Thinking clearly in order to help the people around you is critical.  If you are looking through the First Aid App on your cell phone while someone is bleeding profusely, they could loose a critical amount of blood before you find out that you should apply pressure to the wound.  And then, you should be using that cell phone to call 9-1-1, not to keep browsing through the APP!

Did you know that using a tourniquet is not the first line of defense for bleeding? 

Did you know that AED's are easy to use, and will save the life of the person having a heart attack?

Did you know that if a person has a compound fracture of a limb, you should not move them before you stabilize the fracture?

Do you know how to do rescue breathing until a rescue crew arrives?  Did you know that when they arrive, the rescue personnel can ask you to continue until they have their equipment set up and are ready to take over?

Did you know that the process for one person CPR has changed in the last few years?

The accident on the playground last week reminded me that it's almost time to renew my certifications.  The first time I took CPR, I was 8 months pregnant, and I had a belly full of baby in front of me, making CPR interesting, but not impossible.  Having lived through the 21 years since then, I firmly believe that it was worth every minute of my time.  Taking the refresher certification every couple of years benefits me, and the people I love.  I am reminded of how to handle emergencies.  I am reminded of best practices to keep my loved ones safe, and how best to respond to a situation.

Anyone who has ever been in an emergency situation will tell you that your responses to these situations is based upon instinct.  If you have learned response from a first aid class, chances are you will remember what to do.  In every first aid class I've ever been a part of, we always do a lot of role playing of possible scenarios.  We practice CPR again and again and again.  When you renew your certification, you are reminded of the responses, and it they are drilled into your memory a little bit more each time.

The classes do cost money.  It does take a day of your time. 

The cost of knowing that you might be able to handle whatever life throws at you?
Priceless.

If you want to find more information, I have included the link to the Red Cross website.  From here, you can find information about classes in your area. 


It's Peace of Mind.

http://www.redcross.org/take-a-class

I receive no compensation for this, I just believe that you can never be too prepared for an emergency!

My Accomplishments This Week

It's been a beautiful week in the Mid-Atlantic.  Our leaves turned colors with a vengeance over the past week.  They're dropping quickly now.  I've got the spot staked out for the new strawberry patch, and we're going to move the raised garden bed.  We've decided to move it up to the front of the house, along the front walk into the house.  It has wonderful access to water, and because it is visible, I will remember that it's there and keep better track of it!  Now that the leaves are falling, we'll begin to layer out a lasagna garden bed this week.  I'll take pictures as we go, and share with you what a lasagna bed actually is!  (Think: lots of layers!) 

When I was talking with DH about the spot for the strawberry patch, he decided that we should put at least one more bed up front, for the herb garden.  It will have closer access to the kitchen, and the water.  We think we might have space for one more bed beyond that.  I'm not sure what we'd plant in that bed... Since it will be right in front of the house and facing the street, we need to make certain that it isn't overgrown and leggy.  I'll have to think on that one.  We have too many bunnies in the front yard to put out lettuce.  I do love onions. Maybe I'll put an onion bed in there.  Or possibly move the rhubarb.  We're going to go ahead and start layering the beds this week, and I'll think about it all winter long!

This has been a fairly productive week!  These were my goals from last week:

1) Caulk the windows.
 

2) Clean out the window wells.
Started this, but I found a snake skin.  A BIG snake skin, in the window well.  I don't know how recent this is, but it was enough to make me stop cleaning.  DH says he'll take care of the window wells next weekend.  (This is why the windows didn't get caulked.  WHERE is that snake holed up?)
 

3) Keep working on daughter's cross stitch.
Closer to being finished!  I don't think I'll finish this by the end of next week!
 

4) Get load of stuff to Goodwill.
I have a corner filling with items from the basement, and will run them to Goodwill before Thanksgiving.
 

5) Clean out the chest freezer, use the old upright to store what is still edible while the chest freezer defrosts.
Whoops!  Not done yet, however I did finish cleaning out the chest freezer.  I need to shift and defrost this week.
 

6) Get the oil changed in the Honda.
 

7) Start looking for yarn for oldest child's sweater vest.
Well here's an interesting turn of events.  I didn't find yarn for the sweater, but I did find squares for a quilt for him that I started last year.  I had lost track of the squares and didn't know where they had ended up.  While cleaning out the basement, I found them carefully wrapped into a Ziploc bag, with the directions and a picture of what the final product should look like.  Hmmm... once I finish up daughter's cross stitch, I'll start working on this quilt.  I have no idea how long it's going to take me to get this done.   We'll see!
 

8) Get out and exercise 3 days this week.
 

9) Prime the birdhouses for daughter's Gold Award workshop this weekend.
The bird houses were primed, the workshop held, and it was a roaring DH handled the power tools, and he and daughter worked together to assemble the bird houses over the past month.  They built blue bird and wren houses.  She and I will be putting our three blue bird houses up around the house.  We have several others that we are going to attempt to place around the community in the coming weeks.
 

10) Set up a spaghetti garden in the back yard for next year.
The location has been found and staked out.  I'll start layering it over this coming week.

Goals for this coming week:
1) Continue working on daughter's cross stitch.
2) Caulk the windows.
3) Clean out the window wells.
4) Continue piling up the load to take to Goodwill.
5) Move stuff over to the tall freezer, defrost the chest freezer and clean it out.
6) Begin work on quilt for oldest child.
7) Get out and exercise 3 days this week.
8) Start layering the lasagna gardens in the front yard.
9) Cut up and steam the pumpkins for pies and breads.
10) Spend 15 minutes a day, twice in the basement cleaning up and sorting.

And one last thing:  Another girl from my Girl Scout Troop is hosting her Gold Award Project this weekend, on Saturday.  As leader, I will be there for her, cheering her on.  I'm so proud of these girls!

An Orca Escort

Picture from CNN, http://now.msn.com/orcas-surround-seattle-ferry-carrying-native-artifacts

 

Chief Seattle was the leader of the Suquamish Tribe in Washington State.  The current town of Seattle is named after him.  Chief Seattle is known for his wisdom, his courage, and his bravery.  He was a visionary leader of his people.  At a time when white settlers were moving into Puget Sound, he worked to establish trade with the new settlers. 

The relics of the Suquamish Indian tribe had been in Seattle for decades, on display where they could be seen, but not on their tribal lands.

In 2012, the Suquamish Tribe completed a new, state of the art, environmentally controlled museum to house their artifacts.

Earlier this week, the artifacts were moved from their old home in Seattle back to their ancestral home in Suquamish.

Along the way, the ferry carrying the relics across the sound was escorted by dozens of Orcas.  The reports I'm finding say 36 Orcas. 

How cool is that?



The links to the articles about this Orca Escort can be found here:

http://www.therepublic.com/view/story/2655b0e10aed4dd090378b90eda0bb1c/WA--Puget-Sound-Orcas

http://now.msn.com/orcas-surround-seattle-ferry-carrying-native-artifacts


More about the Suquamish Indian Tribe and Chief Seattle can be found here:
http://www.suquamish.nsn.us/HistoryCulture.aspx

http://content.lib.washington.edu/aipnw/buerge2.html

It's a Resource!

I spent a fun day subbing at one of my favorite schools this week.  I was subbing as a floater, so I got to roam in and out of classrooms all day long, supporting kids during the subjects where they struggle the most.

In the afternoon Math time, I was sent down to second grade, where I sat with my friend, T.  I've known T since kindergarten, and I adore this child.  He is smart, he is funny, he is witty.  Oh yeah, and he hates to write.

We were working through a worksheet he had, where he had to write out the number sentence and then solve the problem.  He knew the answers, and he would write the answers, but getting him to write the number sentence was a challenge. 

After much cajoling, we finally finished that paper, and then we looked at another paper.

I knew we were in trouble the moment I saw it.  It was a coloring page.  A math coloring page.  I'm sure you remember these.  The "picture" is divided into parts, and each part has an equation.  You have to solve the equation, and then match the answer to a color key located somewhere on the paper, and then color that part of the picture accordingly.

T hates, absolutely hates to color.  He stormed right through the page, and wrote down all of the answers right away.  But then, he got his stubborn on.  He had to color the sections of the picture.  His teacher was adamant about the pictures being colored in, and he was just as adamant that he was not going to do it.

I cajoled.

I begged. 

I promised a break down in the media center, where he could pick any book that he wanted.

I attempted to bribe him with a pencil.  Not just any pencil, a Halloween pencil.

Finally, a wicked grin spread across his face.

He pulled out his math folder.  ON the right side, the pocket was labeled "Work to be Finished".  The left pocket was labeled "Resources".  The resource side was filled with hundreds charts, a number line, and other nifty little Math resource papers.  He looked at me and declared "This is a resource.   Since this is a resource, I don't have to color it in.  I can come back and use it to help me solve other problems later on!"

He shoved the paper into the left pocket, and then looked triumphantly at me as his math group was called back to the table to work with his teacher.  Unfortunately, when he went back to his group, it was time for me to move on to another classroom.

Well played, T, well played.

ARGO

We watched the movie ARGO this evening.

This amazing movie is based on the real life events of the hostage situation in Iran in 1979-80.

I was a teenager, in high school during the Iran Hostage Crisis.  We were living in Northern Virginia at the time.  I vividly recall the yellow ribbons on all of the trees.  I recall the daily count of the days the hostages had been held, but I didn't recall all of the details of the crisis.

This film reminded me of the crisis, vividly reminded me of the crisis.  The deeper reasons behind the revolution, and why the United States was hated so deeply in Iran. 

Six employees of the embassy ran when the embassy was overrun.  They hid out in the Canadian Embassy.  Every day that went by, the hostages were in more danger of being discovered, and if they were found, they would be put to death.

A wild plot was hatched by the CIA to rescue the six hostages from under the noses of the Iranians.  A movie was planned that was never made.  Actors and Actresses were hired and ads were taken out in Variety Magazine.  A script was written, storyboards were made, and a fake office was set up in the studio offices.  Everything was put into place to make this fake movie believable.

This was an amazing movie.  I enjoyed every single minute of this edge of my seat thrill ride.  If you haven't yet seen ARGO, I urge you to take the time to watch it.  You'll be glad that you did!

The movie is based on the book,  Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History, which was written by the gentleman who engineered the escape: Antonio Mendez.

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