Erin Expounds

December 2011 Round Up

2012-01-22T20:37:00.001-05:00

Will be back dated to 12/31.

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Still chipping away at A Mystery of Errors by Simon Hawke. I'm about half way done now (which means I've had too many doctor's appointments recently). Really want to finish it in January, if possible.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: With most major network shows in reruns for December, I spent a lot of time watching movies this month, but I did do *some* television watching. Caught the excellent San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker (from 2008) on PBS (though I can't hear the Chinese dance without seeing dancing mushrooms). TNT shows were back briefly, so we did watch The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. Finished up The Next Iron Chef, though I was disappointed with the end result (even of the two finalists, I would have chosen the other one). Plus there were some standard Christmas shows: Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, Prep & Landing, and the new Prep & Landing: Naughty vs Nice (not as good as the original, but Luke likes it).
* New Films: I saw 10 new movies this month! (I know, that seems like a lot, even to me.) They were:

Twilight: Eclipse (they're not really getting any better, but clearly they aren't so bad that I've stopped watching)
Pirate Radio (not typically my kind of movie, but it was very interesting; loved Kenneth Branagh and Jack Davenport!)
Burlesque (completely predictable, but good heavens, does Christina have some pipes!)
Cinema Verite (quite interesting)
White Christmas (yes, the original; no, I'd never seen it; have to say, I didn't love it, prefer Holiday Inn)
Dorian Gray (the 2009 with Colin Firth; it was just okay, not really my thing)
The Englishman Who Went Up a Hill But Came Down a Mountain (this was very sweet and charming)
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (yes, the original; no, I'd never seen it, and I'm not at all sure how. I mean, come on - Ian Flemming, Albert Broccoli, screen play by Roald Dahl! it was okay, with some good spots, but I didn't love it)
Lost in Translation (I clearly did not get it; I mean, it was fine, it was just sort of there; I don't see how/why it was nominated for Oscars)
That Lady in Ermine (1948 Betty Grable and Douglas Fairbanks Jr.; quite disappointing, actually)

* Old Favorites: Hello, Dolly!, The Princess Bride, That Thing You Do!, The Incredibles, WALL-E, The Dark Crystal, Ocean's Eleven (Clooney/Pitt), Three Men and a Baby, The Three Musketeers (1993), Somewhere in Time, Housesitter, Grinch Stole Christmas, Gladiator, The Replacement Killers, Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, Little Women, The Young Victoria, Speechless, An America Tail, Muppet Christmas Carol, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Sommersby, Inception, Tarzan, Ice Age, Toy Story 3, Jurassic Park

What special days did I celebrate and how?

Spent the days before Christmas with DH's family. Spent Christmas Eve with my grandfather and mother in law. Spent Christmas with my parents and brother. Spent New Year's with my mom's family. Can't really ask for more than that!

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
You know I always feel really awkward covering all of my Christmas gifts, so let's just say I got a bunch of stuff that I absolutely love (including new kitchen tools, woohoo!), and leave it there. I'm sure you will see/hear about quite a few of them as the year progresses (like the two LEGO Wii games!). I also made a temari for my friend Melissa.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
Luke being sick (again!) was no fun, but the bacterial conjunctivitis from getting poked in the eye was the worst! Actually, Luke *still* has a runny nose. Feel like it's been running for months now. Really getting old! Also, for me, my ENT follow up showed that my ear is simply not getting any better. We'll give it to March to see if it will get with the program and start healing itself, but the doctor didn't seem hopeful.

However, for the first time in several years, I managed to *not* be dead dog sick on either Christmas or New Year's. Such a nice change! However, we also have not yet had our "movie day out" yet either. Apparently, I have to wait until then to be sick.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Cooking and eating and chatting with my family is always fun!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
A whole bunch! We made all kinds of new things over the Christmas holidays, most of which I profiled here (with recipe links). Peanut Butter Creme Cookie Cups, Tree Breadsticks, Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup, Creamy Chicken Marsala Pizza, and the most excellent Swedish Meatballs (yes, I keep talking about them; yes, they were that good!). I think there was a new squash recipe and two new broccoli recipes, but I didn't try those.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
I made up a basket of gourmet type items for my mom and brother for Christmas, and I couldn't just let them have all the fun, so several of the items I also got for me! Examples: black lava salt, pink Himalayan sea salt, balsamic vinegar, vanilla beans (both Madagascar and Tahitian), and saffron. Can't wait to start playing with them!

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
I also got a bit frustrated with myself. It took me forever to figure out a gift for my mom and brother. To compensate, we overspent on Luke by, well, a bunch. ::sigh:: The CD calendars I ordered that should have arrived within a week took 11 days to come in. I was already out of town by the time they showed up. I was NOT happy!

What were my accomplishments this month?
Finding the Swedish Meatball recipe! (I know, I'll try to stop, I promise.) Getting acceptable gifts finally rounded up for the rest of the family was a last minute accomplishment, but accomplished nonetheless. I also spent the last few days of the month writing over 30 blog posts to try and get caught up on November and December blogging that never got done. I knocked off a few 101 Things items.

- 33. Acquire 5 new kitchen tools. Must be "new to me" tools, not just replacing tools I already have. - Knocked off all 5 of these at Christmas. Thanks, Mom and Dad!
- 74. Have family portraits made with parents and brother. - My friend Christi took our portraits on Christmas Eve! (Really need to get some prints ordered.)
- 77. Visit Trader Joe's. - I know, it's about time, though I will say that I didn't see the fascination. Maybe this one was just super small and had a more limited selection? It was not large at all inside! Still, it was interesting, and they did have some specialty items I can't find elsewhere.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

Luke received a certificate at Winter 2011 Awards Day for being on the Principal's Honor Roll (all A's and S's). He's already leveled up one of his Skylanders to maximum levels! LOL He was *extremely* well behaved for the entire Christmas break, which was very nice. He definitely enjoyed the Christmas break. I think he really needed the break from school, though I hope it won't cause trouble getting back in the swing of things in January.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Not really.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: rounded up for the year

Living in the Future

2012-01-21T14:46:00.004-05:00

A few days ago, I was sitting in my den, surfing the web wirelessly on a laptop about the size of a magazine, wearing bluetooth headphones and listening to music streaming from the Amazon cloud to my husband's smart phone in the kitchen. I was struck quite suddenly by the fact that I am, in some ways, living in the future I imagined when I was a child. What an awesome thing!

Then today, I found a Buzzfeed article summarizing some 1901 predictions of what life would be like in 2001 (the article title incorrectly says 1911-2011, but the first paragraph clearly states "before the dawn of 2001 - a century from now"). The 1901 author spoke with various experts of the era, and most of the ideas are eerily accurate! Some, not so much (what I wouldn't give for mosquitoes and roaches to be extinct!), but on the whole, the article is much more correct than not. I would love for someone to recreate the article for present day (with genuine credible experts, not the most far-fetched outrageous headline-grabbing predictions to be found) and save a copy for my great-grandchildren. I wonder what they would think of our predictions?

Currently feeling: ready for a transporter!

Wordless Wednesday - January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T22:26:00.002-05:00

Currently feeling: lucky little ladybug (it survived the curious kitten!)

The Missing Disney Hotel

2012-01-16T21:59:00.002-05:00

I got a bit panicked a few days ago. As I started planning our Disney trip for this year, I could not find our favorite Country Inn and Suites anywhere. It had disappeared from the website, and most maps no longer listed it. Did it close?! How is that possible, they were always so busy. I thought I was going to cry!

I could have gotten a semi-reasonable price on a Disney moderate hotel, which was tempting for a while. We've never stayed in one before, and I thought it might be a nice change of pace. But the price was eating at me. It wasn't *that* much more expensive than some of the other places I was considering, so I was just about to pull the trigger, and then I went on one final expedition to see if I could find the missing hotel.

As it turns out, it's still there, but it's now a Fairfield Inn and Suites, not to be confused with the Fairfield inn and Suites in the Marriott complex that is just on the other side of the interstate from this one. (I looked into the Marriott complex, and I could get a slightly better rate, but I know from *many* years of trying to get through that interstate intersection that it was "on the wrong side of the tracks," so to speak. Not worth the slight reduction in price.) It has been completely renovated on the inside, so it will be interesting to see what it looks like after all these years (I think it's been at least 3 years since we stayed there). And it ended up being about 25% cheaper than the Disney hotel we were considering (though we will have to pay for parking, which is now $14 per day; ouch).

So, we now have a place to sleep while we're there! Now I just have to figure out which parks we're going to (don't think we'll make them all), where we're eating, what our primary and secondary targets are.... um, excuse me, I think I need to get cracking on a plan!

Currently feeling: ready for the house of mouse!

First Grade ITBS and CogAT Scores

2012-01-14T15:10:00.003-05:00

Luke's first official standardized test scores came home this week. Frankly, they didn't tell us anything we don't already know about him. For the ITBS (Iowa Test of Basic Skills), he was at or above the 50th percentile in 5 categories, but somewhat below the 50th percentile in 2 categories: Vocabulary and "Reading: Comprehension", two of his well known weaknesses. His two highest scores were in "Reading: Words" at 93rd percentile (even his teacher says he is exceptional at sounding out words) and, ironically, "Listening" at 83rd percentile. I must admit, I am incredibly curious as to how they test that one! Clearly not by how well he listens at home, but I've said all along that as long as he is doing those things at school, I'm (somewhat) okay with that. I know standardized tests don't tell the whole story, and I'm trying not to be ruffled that a couple of the categories were less than stellar. I keep hoping the whole reading thing will click soon; it's driving us all crazy.

He also took the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). Again, nothing we don't already know. In fact, it sums him up quite perfectly! First, let me define the categories, copied from the handout they sent home with the scores:

The Verbal Battery measures a child's ability to remember and transform sequences of English words, to understand them, and to make inferences and judgements about them.
The Quantitative Battery tests the child's understanding of basic quantitative concepts and relationships that are essential for learning mathematics. Tasks measure both the understanding of relational concepts and the student's ability to discover relationships and to figure out a rule or principle that explains them.
The Nonverbal Battery measures reasoning using pictures and geometric shapes. This reduces the impact of language on the student's score. The Nonverbal Battery also appraises the student's ability to use her/his cognitive resources in new situations.

Ready?

Verbal Reasoning: 48th percentile
Quantitative Reasoning: 65th percentile
Nonverbal Reasoning: 94th percentile
Composite National Age Percentile Rank: 77th percentile

Yep, that's pretty much Luke in a nutshell!

The only thing I am truly frustrated about regarding any of these scores is that I don't know how to help him improve in the areas where he is weakest. Most of the suggestions revolve around essentially "practice practice practice." Yeah, YOU come make him practice! I'm trying to encourage him and help him and *maybe* require him to do a teensy bit of reading on occasion, but I don't want to just make him loathe it by pushing too hard. If I have one more person tell me "he needs to be reading 20-30 minutes every day," I'm going to cut out his or her tongue! It's such a difficult balance between getting him the necessary practice and keeping our sanity. I suppose we will all survive, and I am confident he will eventually learn to read (and more importantly, comprehend) effectively, it's just not going to be easy or quick. I need to accept that, but it's hard for both DH and me. Keep your fingers crossed, for all of us!

Currently feeling: a little frustrated, but also very proud

500 Pounds of Concrete

2012-01-12T19:09:00.004-05:00

Five hundred pounds of concrete can turn this:

Into this:

No more Pit of Despair! And we can actually use our front door again.

Currently feeling: full

Wordless Wednesday - January 11, 2012

2012-01-11T20:26:00.001-05:00

Currently feeling: settled in for a long winter's nap

Luke's Audiology Follow Up

2012-01-06T21:39:00.002-05:00

You may remember that Luke failed his hearing screening at the pediatrician's office back in November. It took me a while to get the audiology follow up scheduled, and then they were booked out past the Christmas holidays. His appointment was today, at the same facility where he had speech therapy 4 years ago. It was rather strange being back there after all this time.

They ran though three different tests, including two that were run at the pediatrician's office. All three came back completely normal! He was quite congested in November when the test was administered, and it is more of a "quick and dirty" test there than an audiologist would perform. Her suspicion is that he tends to have fluid build up in his hears when he is congested, and that can temporarily affect hearing. However, the fact that his hearing is now reading normal without him ever getting an ear infection means that his body is handling the fluid just as it should. It's not (always) staying there and getting infected, and it isn't causing any sort of permanent hearing trouble. He's just fine. So, a bit of a hassle to do, but nice to know nothing is wrong.

It also means that when I'm having to call his name two and three times while he's watching television or playing video games, he *can* hear me just fine, he's just choosing not to. Busted!

Currently feeling: can you hear me now?

Project 365 - 2012 Edition

2012-01-05T20:36:00.001-05:00

Some of you may remember that I did Project 365 in 2009. Almost every day for a year, I took at least one photo. I actually wasn't sure if I could do it for a whole year, and I missed a day here or there, but I did it! I really enjoyed it (most of the time), and I learned a ton about my camera and how to use it. I've wanted to do it again for a while. Why not this year? And given that I have a spiffy "new to me" camera, I figure it's time to put her through her paces.

As I did last time, I will be posting (probably not daily, but somewhat regularly) on my Project 365 blog. The URL is the same as before, so if you're still subscribed, you should already be seeing the new posts. I will also be posting the "summary mosaic" on each month's round up, just as before, and there will undoubtedly be some overlap with Project 365 photos and things like Wordless Wednesday. Hope you enjoy!

Currently feeling: photographic

Wordless Wednesday - January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T21:25:00.003-05:00

Currently feeling: Happy New Year('s Eve)

Where did my real child go?

2012-01-03T20:48:00.001-05:00

I think an alien has come down and replaced my son. (A beta unit, perhaps? Name that movie reference!) You know, Mr. Picky Eater? This is the child who decides before he's even put something new in his mouth that he doesn't like it, and even if you can see on his face that he clearly *does* like it, he will swear that he does not and refuse eat any more of it. That is the child I am used to. That is apparently *not* who I was dealing with today!

We've been trying for years to find some version of chicken fingers that he will eat at home. Homemade certainly didn't work, but neither did any of the 5 or 6 varieties of frozen that I tried! Didn't matter what brand or type, he still said he didn't like them. I have noticed that his taste in restaurant chicken tenders has improved (he's now a Zaxby's boy, when he used to say he didn't like them), so when a coupon popped up in the paper the other day, I decided to try them again. I made him some for lunch today, and he immediately said, "Yum!!! I want to eat these every day!" Um, okay, maybe not every day, but it's nice to have an at home option besides peanut butter, pepperoni, and grilled cheese. I was certainly getting tired of making them for him for dinner, especially when he takes peanut butter or pepperoni in his lunch at least 4 days a week. Maybe in another few months, we can try homemade baked ones again?

Then, this afternoon, the *same* day that he had already tried (and liked!) the new chicken tenders, he starts asking me why we don't eat "the beans in the brown sauce" anymore. I'm sorry, the what? "You know, it had the brown sauce and the beans and it was my favorite." Do you mean chili? The chili that you ate starting around age 2 through age 4 or 5, and then have flatly refused to eat for at least the last 2 years so I stopped trying? That chili?! He couldn't say for sure, so I made some tonight for dinner. "Yeah, this is it. I love this! It's my favorite." And he proceeded to eat the entire bowl!

Okay, who are you, and what have you done with my son?! It's possible it's a fluke and he won't eat it next time, but for now, he seems to love it, and it's easy enough to microwave on nights that he doesn't want what the grownups are having. [Updated on 1/5/2012: He requested chili again for dinner tonight. I heated up Tuesday's leftovers, which he promptly downed and asked for more, which I sadly didn't have. I will definitely make sure we have some on hand at all times going forward!]

Look out, world. There may be pigs flying tomorrow!

Currently feeling: you want to eat what?

My Seven Objectives for 2012

2012-01-02T20:32:00.002-05:00

You know I'm not much on resolutions; it's just not really my thing. Lists, however, I love (as you may have noticed), so when I saw the Seven Things at the Day Zero Project, I thought they sounded great. So here are mine. Care to join me?

Learn how to ... Use my DSLR effectively/efficiently.
Start ... Exercising regularly (even if only once a week).
Stop ... Drinking so many calories (i.e. drink more water).
Take a vacation to ... See Connie in Texas.
Find ... A good weekly routine that includes grocery shopping.
Try ... Quinoa.
Be more ... Patient with my child.

Currently feeling: hope this works

Happy New Year 2012 - CD Calendar Reveal

2012-01-01T10:00:00.002-05:00

(Still working on the December 2011 Round Up! Will post when finished.)

And for my traditional New Year's Day post, I give you the reveal of the 2012 CD Calendar.

Currently feeling: ready for the new year (I hope)

December 2011 Pinterest Inspirations (Recipes)

2011-12-30T21:24:00.000-05:00

We were busy making Pinterest food over Christmas! Some Mom found, some I found; she made some, I made some. These are pictures of the actual food that we made. Here's a quick recap:

Peanut Butter Creme Cookie Cups (Pin, Direct Recipe Link) - This was Mom's find. There was no doubt that these would taste good, but I admit that when we read the recipe, both Mom and I were skeptical that it would work. There's no way dropping packaged cookie dough into a baking cup in a muffin tin was going to bake up the sides and then fall in the middle to create a well, all by itself! Well, the joke was on us; they did *exactly* that!!! It was the darndest thing I've ever seen. Instead of rolling the cookie in nuts, we just used the Pecan Ultimates which have nuts on top. We also used double the peanut butter filling, since one batch didn't seem to fill the cups enough for our liking. I think they would be absolutely perfect if we could figure out a way to do a bite-size version. Super simple, super yum. Winner!

Breadstick Trees (Pin, Direct Recipe Link) - This was another of Mom's finds, and also another case of "it can't be this easy, can it?" Yes, apparently it can! I thought they would puff up to the point that the tree would be unrecognizable, but obviously they didn't. We didn't sprinkle them with anything because we were afraid Luke wouldn't eat them if we did, but the definitely could have used a hit of something salty, either straight up Kosher salt (or other flaky salt) or maybe parmesan cheese.

Tomato Basil Parmesan Soup (Pin, Direct Recipe Link) - This recipe was my find, but Mom and Jacob did all of the cooking on it. All I did was eat it! (Wait, I think I opened the cans of tomatoes, too. We used garlic and olive oil diced tomatoes.) It was very good! We made it on the stove instead of in a crock pot, but I definitely think I will try it in a crock pot next time. I think the extra time involved would make it even better! (Sorry, it doesn't photograph well.)

Creamy Chicken Marsala Pizza (Pin, Direct Recipe Link) - Mom did all of the chopping on this one (we chopped the sliced mushrooms so they would be a bit smaller), but I did all of the cooking. Everyone seemed to like it. I thought it was quite good, but I would tweak it slightly, I think. I think I would back off the mushrooms a bit (good, but not my favorite) and use a bit more chicken. I would also ironically back down the Marsala wine some (it was sweeter than I like with that much in it) and add chicken stock to make up the difference and intensify the chicken flavor. Still very good and worth trying to tweak.

Swedish Meatballs (Pin, Direct Recipe Link) - These were *the* find of the week, possibly of the year. They are phenomenal!! It was one of the last recipes I pinned before we left for Christmas, and Mom saw it and thought it looked good. Boy, was it! Wow, were these yummy. We made them nearly exactly as the recipe called for, with just a couple of very minor changes. We used 90% lean ground beef instead of 80%. We whizzed up the onion in the food processor instead of grating it. Nutmeg and Allspice are both pretty powerful, so we knocked them down to half what the recipe called for, figuring we could add more in later if it needed it. We used Anne Burrell's trick of making a "tester" and thought the seasoning was perfect just as it was with the half level of seasoning, so we left it there. We actually only made a half batch of meatballs but a full batch of the sauce (effectively doubling the sauce recipe for the amount of meatballs we had) and served it over rice, though it would probably be good over egg noodles, too. The half batch of meatballs (with the rice and a side dish or two) was still plenty of food for 4 adults with two small lunch-size portions left over. They're not fast, and they are extremely unhealthy, but holy cow, are they fantastic! I can't wait until we can make them again. You know, next Christmas.

We tried some other recipes, too, but they weren't from Pinterest. Besides, these were really the best of the bunch. Hope you enjoy!

Currently feeling: yummy in my tummy

So how was your Nov and Dec?

2011-12-29T20:44:00.000-05:00

Long time, no see, I know. Obviously, blogging has taken a back seat for the last couple of months, primarily to work. Between the volume of projects and the learning curve, I am exhausted by the end of the day. The thought of the time and effort involved to write things down, and especially to process the photos, made me want to cry. Other than the October Round Up that I finally got posted on November 12, I haven't done any real blogging since October 31.

Things are a little calmer for the moment (if you consider traveling for Christmas "calm," though we are home now). I expect them to get crazy again by January 9. Between now and then, I'll do my best to start getting caught up. Forgive me if things start posting in batches or are posted out of order. I apologize now for filling up your Twitter and RSS feeds. I'll be backdating things to the appropriate time in a couple of weeks.

Hope you all had a great fourth quarter 2011! I really did miss you.

Currently feeling: outta time

Wordless Wednesday - December 28, 2011

2011-12-28T19:23:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: excited

Another Christmas Temari

2011-12-27T17:21:00.000-05:00

Another Christmas, another temari. Gee, I wonder what inspires me to start working on these again each December? Last year, my friend Melissa commented that she didn't have any special Christmas ornaments. Well, we can't have that, now can we? So I promised her one, thinking I would get to it right after Christmas. I didn't, and rather than send it to her in like April and her have to keep up with it, I waited until this December to make and send her one. I am absolutely thrilled with how this one turned out!! (And she seems to like it, too, which is the important thing.)

Please pardon the crummy photos; I was in a hurry to get it in the mail. Melissa's photo of this temari is actually much better than mine! This was my first time stitching this design, and I usually keep my first attempt at any new pattern (because, let's all admit, the first time you do anything it doesn't always turn out the best). But this one turned out *so* well, I decided to send it on instead of making a new one for her. It's not perfectly round, but it was pretty close. I also feel I have a much better grasp on the C8 division. I don't know why I had it in my head that dividing the ball into C8 was hard. It's not! Now, to conquer my fear of C10....

Currently feeling: crafty (sorry,they don't make temari emoticons)

Christmas 2011 Recap

2011-12-26T15:55:00.000-05:00

Our Christmas has been very busy so far, but it's good busy. Thursday was DH's annual pot luck lunch holiday office party, so I went ahead and took the day off. They get to leave after lunch without taking vacation time for the remainder of the day, so we headed on down for the next stop on our tour: Vidalia. We hadn't see DH's dad's family since Labor Day 2010, so we were way overdue. Had a great dinner and really enjoyed the time visiting, though I somehow managed not to take a single picture! There were other out of town guests taking up most of the spare sleeping quarters in the various houses, so we went on and drove the remaining 2+ hours to my parents' house. It was a long but enjoyable day.

Friday, we didn't have many plans. Mom had to work part of the day, and Luke actually slept in (for Luke), so we met up with her for lunch, then did some shopping for Christmas clearance sales and groceries. As you know, we're usually at our house for Christmas, but with my grandfather having more frequent spells, it made more sense for everyone to be down there in case something happened. Luke doesn't remember ever being at Nana and Papa's house for Christmas, so it was a great novelty for him. Mom even had a small Christmas tree just for him to decorate.

We checked in on Luke before we went to bed Friday night. For a minute there, we thought we'd lost him! Where's Luke?

Can you see me now? LOL Crazy kid.

Saturday, Christmas Eve, was an absolutely insane day, but we did manage to get it all done, and miraculously without a single meltdown. First up was a portrait session with my friend Christi. This is the same Christi that I didn't get to see when I went to Virginia/Washington DC back in September due to all of the flooding in the area. She is an avid amateur photographer, and we really enjoyed the session. I'll post some of the images later when we get them. We invited Christi and her mom to lunch with us, then it was time to hit the road.

Our next destination was Waycross to visit my grandfather. He was having a pretty good day (though not a great one) and we enjoyed seeing him. I forgot to download those photos before we left, sorry. Next stop was Kingsland to visit DH's mom. We chatted for a while and played with the dog, then went to dinner, and back for a present opening session. Again, I somehow forgot to take pictures (bad case of camnesia this trip, except for Christmas morning, of course). The elves were busy while we were away, and nearly all of the gifts were wrapped and ready by the time we returned. Next stop, Christmas!

But first, we have to eat some breakfast.

And take pictures of the tree, though it is impossible to get one of those beautiful glowing long exposure shots of a tree that spins! (Mom's tree is on a turntable.)

Come on, Papa, is it time to open gifts yet?!

First, we pass them out.

Luke's first "real" stocking (that he can remember). He was very excited.

Okay, go!

Nope, can't open that one yet! It's "the big one" and needs to wait a bit

Try some others.

Yes, other people got gifts, too.

And just to be fair, here is a picture of me, and it's even a candid that I don't completely detest.

Still working on the "enjoying everyone else opening their gifts" part. He was (for the most part) very patient.

Okay, now it's your turn again.

You know you're getting old when...

... not only do you get luggage for Christmas, you are very excited about it! (He travels a lot, and he is going on a cruise over New Year's, so he needed it.)

Okay, Luke, *now* you can open "the big one." Wait for it....

Oh my gosh, is it?

Yes!!!!!

The look every parent wishes for on Christmas morning; success!! He's been wanting a Nintendo 3DS for months now (over a year, really), but he wasn't "ready" by his birthday. For the past several weeks, every time someone asked him what he wanted for Christmas, 3DS was always his one and only answer. His behavior and maturity have increased dramatically since then, so we granted his wish. Yes, we his parents, not Santa. A) You don't "go around" Mom and Dad and get what you want from Santa. And B) If you get it from Mom and Dad, then Mom and Dad can (more easily) impose rules on its use.

We got him all set up, then took a quick Christmas cake breakfast break for the adults. After that, it was time for Papa to open his "big one." Like a lot of fathers in this world, we all feel like Dad tends to get the short end of the stick most Christmases. He's fairly difficult to buy for. Either he buys himself anything he wants or needs, or the few things we can think of need to be specific types or models, so it is really better if he buys them himself. This year, however, my brother hit on the perfect gift.

It is called the Saint John's Bible, the first hand illuminated and lettered Bible since around the invention of the printing press. You can read more about it here. Jacob saw a segment on it on television one day and mentioned it to Mom and me as a possible Christmas gift for Dad. We loved the idea, so we all split the cost and purchased the reprint volumes of it.

I think he likes it, what do you think?

So that was our Christmas day. Mom and Jacob loved their box of "gourmet goodies" I gave them, DH adores his slippers (again, you know you're old when....), and I need to add on to my kitchen to hold all of my new kitchen gear (food processor, immersion blender, cast iron dutch oven, waffle maker). We'll be leaving Tuesday evening, and we don't really have any plans between now and then. Just chill, relax, enjoy each other's company, and eat lots of yummy food (will share some recipes after we get back). At least we know what Luke will be doing.

:-) Hope you all had a Merry Christmas!

Currently feeling: Christmased

Merry Christmas 2011

2011-12-25T08:00:00.001-05:00

Happy Holidays to everyone who celebrates anything this special time of year! This was our Christmas card insert this year.

And, of course, the posting of my favorite holiday poem, found on a Christmas card many years ago. (I posted it annually for a while, then skipped the last two years for some reason.) Wishing you all a wonderful Happy New Year!

Believe
Believe in Christmas Magic
Believe in Ancient Lore
Believe in a hundred impossible things
The New Year may hold in store

Believe in Heavenly Angels
In Santas and Elves by the score
Believe in a hundred impossible things
In Flying Reindeer and more

Believe in a Babe in a manger
In Wise Men and gifts galore
Believe in a million impossible things
You've never believed before

-Author Unknown

Currently feeling: in the spirit of the season

Radio: A Conversation With Luke

2011-12-22T13:42:00.000-05:00

As we drove *down* into the parking deck below my husband's office building....

Me (clearly not thinking about where we were): What happened to the music?
DH (taps radio): Loss of signal.
Me (sheepishly): Oh.
Luke: Yeah, Mom, we're *under* the building, so the radio can't hear the satellite singing.

Currently feeling: in orbit

Wordless Wednesday - December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T14:51:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: spoiled rotten!

One LEGO to Rule Them All

2011-12-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

LEGO Lands Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit

Oh yeah! Dare we hope there is a video game in the making as well?

Currently feeling: ready to play!

Have Capitalization Rules Changed?

2011-12-16T22:02:00.000-05:00

Graded papers come home from school every Thursday. We do our best to review each one. He worked hard doing them, and the teacher worked hard grading them. We also want to be aware of what he is struggling with, so we pay special attention to questions he missed on tests. Most of the time, I can figure out and understand why he got them wrong, and most of the time, it's not a big deal. Every once in a while, we see he is missing something a lot and try to work with him on whatever that issue might be.

But this week, we were both really confused. It was a multiple choice question asking which of the following had the correct capitalization for the holiday:

A: fourth of July
B: Fourth of July
C: Fourth Of July

Luke had marked answer B. The teacher had marked that as wrong and circled C as the correct answer. Um, I don't think so. At least, it wasn't that way when *I* was in school! Then again, they don't teach the Oxford comma anymore (which I obviously still use!), you shouldn't use two spaces after a period anymore (which I still do half the time), and Pluto isn't even a planet anymore, so what the heck do I know?

I poked around on the internet, and as best I could tell, "of" is correct. Then, I asked around on Facebook and Twitter. Admittedly, those are not always the most reliable sources, but I trust my friends, and if the rules *had* changed, one of them was bound to know it. Again, all agree that "of" is correct. Hmm. I didn't want to make a big deal out of it, but this was on a test! If he had the answer right, I wanted him to receive credit for it.

I certainly didn't want to sound angry or accusatory, so I sent a note to his teacher asking if there is a source showing that "Of" is correct. Maybe the key was wrong and she didn't really "read" the question, just graded them according to the key? Or maybe the rules really had changed and she could show me.

The test came back today, with a return note on it. She agreed that it was a grading mistake on her part and updated his score accordingly. Whew! I know my grammar isn't perfect, but it's nice to know I'm not losing my mind and things haven't changed *that* much since I was in school.

Currently feeling: relieved

First Grade Awards Day - Winter 2011

2011-12-15T20:50:00.000-05:00

A note was sent home last week announcing that Luke would be receiving an award at First Semester Honors Day. The note didn't say what the award was for, but I suspected it was for his grades.

(Sorry for the blur; should have taken the big camera!) He was awarded a certificate for being on the Principal's Honor Roll - All A's and S's. Sounds really awesome, and it is, but keep in mind that about 2/3 of the First Grade was on the Principal's Honor Roll. Most of the remaining kids received an award for being on whatever Honor Roll covers A's and B's (can't recall the name right now). Then, the remaining few received "Academic Improvement" for bringing up their grades since the first of the year. Basically, every kid received something (or it sure seemed that way, which is fine). There were some other things, like Good Citizenship awards and one for having finished the First Grade Reading List (doubtful Luke will even get that one by the end of the year, which is fine).

I wanted to include this shot for a sense of scale. Notice how much taller he is than most of the others. But also notice on the far right! Yes, that is "Hermione", the little girl from our neighborhood that we photographed at Halloween and again at the First Grade musical program. She was more or less his height at Halloween. Now look at her! She's got 1-2 inches (3-5 cm) on him (though her shoes are also taller than his (I looked!)).

Well done, First Graders!!

Currently feeling: so proud

Wordless Wednesday - December 14, 2011

2011-12-14T18:41:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: the front porch thought *now* would be a good time to collapse?!!

Not a good day on any front

2011-12-14T16:37:00.000-05:00

Work, cooking, parenting: I pretty much failed miserably at all of these things today. And that doesn't even count my ENT follow up! Remember back in October when we discovered that my eardrum was ruptured? They told me to check back in December, including a full hearing exam.

Turns out that my hearing drops off to moderate hearing loss in low tones in my left ear. My right ear, by the way, has excellent hearing at 10 decibels or less across the board! She said there is no reason to think my left ear wasn't in likewise excellent condition before the rupture. (No wonder I feel like I can't hear anything. Having conversations with my bass-voiced husband have been especially frustrating lately; now I know why!) She even gave me a copy of the chart, which reads low tones on the left to high tones on the right. It reads 10 dB for the first half or so on the right, then drops off steadily to the left until the lowest tone hits 40 dB. Not good.

When the doctor examined my ear, he said it is not healing at all, not even a little bit. It's no worse, but it's also no better. For some reason, he wants to wait until the weather gets a little bit warmer, so I'm to see him again in March. I can live with a hole in my eardrum for the rest of my life as long as I keep water out of my ears, but if I want it repaired, they will likely have to do a fat tympanoplasty, which will take some fat cells from behind my ear and use that to patch the hole and see if my body will take over the repair from that. He says it has about an 80% success rate. There are other options if that doesn't work, but we'll cross that bridge when we come to it.

I completely forgot to ask if the surgical repair would (likely) restore my hearing. If yes, then I will definitely do it. But if all it will do is patch the hole and my hearing won't ever improve, then I may not bother. I've been obsessive about NOT getting water in my ears since I was a child (it always causes ear infections, even to this day), so that's nothing new. If the surgery won't accomplish anything, then why do it? I'll be sure and ask in March, and I'll let you know. Why can my son and I not have *normal* ears?!

P.S. Luke's eyes are fine now, though after 6 days, he's starting to balk at taking the medicine. Only 4 more days!

Currently feeling: peeved with my ears

A Poke in the Eye

2011-12-09T14:15:00.000-05:00

Oh, how I wish that title was metaphorical! Luke got poked in the eye with another kid's finger on Wednesday. Apparently, they were "practicing karate." (Please note that neither boy takes karate lessons.) It happened sometime at school, though I later discovered that the teacher was unaware (and Luke is incapable of giving any sort of accurate timeline). His after school care program made a point of specifying that it was that way when they picked him up. I didn't pick up Luke that day, and when DH came home relaying the story to me, I misunderstood and thought it had just happened less than 30 minutes before I saw it. Thus, when it was still red and watery, I didn't think too much of it; that would make sense for a fresh injury. It was after 6PM, and given that I thought the injury was recent, I figured we would wait and see how it looked in the morning.

Whoa!! It was angry and red and nearly swollen shut. It was also crusted closed from the drainage drying on his lashes; I had to get a warm washcloth and rub his eyelashes so he could open his eye (what little it could open). It looked like he had been hit in the face with a baseball bat! Scared the snot out of me. No school for you, young sir, it is off to the doctor instead. Sure enough, she confirmed my suspicions: it was infected. He was officially diagnosed with conjunctivitis, known to most parents as pink eye. *However,* his is bacterial, not the viral version everyone panics about.

She was more concerned about the extreme puffiness around the eye than anything. She suspects he may have already been working on infection underneath the eye (he's been congested for over a week). Without the poke, the other infection may have come and gone without us even knowing it was there, but the poke (and whatever other bacteria was on the finger) acted as a catalyst and brought it "to the front," so to speak. That's the only explanation she has for it being THIS bad in less than 24 hours. She is also concerned that it may turn into cellulitis, so he will be on the super antibiotics. He was also free to go back to school, which is good, since I didn't want him to miss his science test on Friday (today).

(This photo was taken at 8PM yesterday evening, after being awake all day and one round of antibiotics. Sleeping makes the redness and puffiness temporarily worse, so you can imagine what it looked like this morning!)

As we left the doctor's office, we started having trouble with our insurance. Now, first, let me say that I am grateful we have it. So many don't, and it would have been very financially painful. However, when you do have it, it should work! They shouldn't randomly decide not to pay the doctor because they "have a question about alternate coverage." If it is so dang important that you are willing to NOT pay for services already rendered (they hadn't paid for his birthday visit or his November well visit yet), then pick up the phone and call me to ask your stupid question! Don't just leave a message for me with the doctor's office (who also should have called me, IMO; it's possible they would have, and I just showed up before they had a chance to; this was our third visit in four weeks!) and hope I come in sometime to get it resolved.

Then, I get to the pharmacy, where I expect the prescription to have already been filled, since it had been sent electronically. The pharmacist confirms they have received it, but they have a call in to the doctor to confirm the dosage. "This dose is too high for a 7 year old child. How much does he weigh?" In fact, they weighed him this morning at the office, I'm sure so they could indeed get an accurate dosage if such a thing was needed. He weighs 65 pounds. "Let me run the numbers." [pause while she works the calculator] "Well, that is the maximum dose he can take, but it is within the proper limits. I'll go ahead and fill it." Thank you so much for taking my word for it!

Then she tries to run it through the insurance, who refuses to fill it because, you guessed it, the dosage is too high for a 7 year old child! In between this time, the doctor's office had returned the call to the pharmacist, so she didn't just have to take my word for it when justifying it to the insurance company, who thankfully was willing to take her word for it that the doctor had confirmed the child's weight. (Now I'm just waiting for the letter in the mail from the insurance company telling me to get my "overweight" child on a diet. ::grumble::) An hour later, I finally left with the awful nasty Augmentin, which is the "white medicine" Luke always fearfully asks about each time he gets a new prescription. It is foul stuff, but the bubble gum flavoring that Target adds is a tremendous help. He also hasn't had it in a couple of years now. Here's hoping 2-3 years of maturity will help the medicine go down a little better.

The doctor did warn us that the swelling and redness will get worse when he sleeps. He was also rubbing both eyes constantly. I tried explaining that he didn't need to rub both eyes since they would both end up infected, but he's only 7. Sure enough, by this morning, both eyes were infected. Both were swollen, the originally injured eye was crusted over again, and both eyes were bloodshot. But, he had been on antibiotics for 24 hours (well, okay, 21 hours), which means he met school requirements for going back, plus the doctor said it was okay, so I sent him with a note to his teacher. All is well, right? Ha!

The kids are held in the cafeteria until 7:30, when they are released to their classrooms. My phone was ringing by 7:40 with a call from the school nurse. He hadn't even made it to class with the note; the principal herself had pulled him out of the lunchroom and sent him straight to the nurse. Both women were borderline hysterical, terrified he had viral pink eye. I explained what the doctor had said, that it was bacterial and not viral, that I had expressly confirmed with the doctor that it was okay for him to return, and that he did meet the school district's own requirements about being on antibiotics for a day before returning. "And you're sure it's bacterial? Viral pink eye is something we almost consider evacuating the school for." According to the doctor, yes. I even gave her the doctor's phone number if she wanted to verify my story. Just please let him stay at school! She agreed that those 3 hours were negligible and we had met the requirements, so she allowed him to stay. Hopefully things will be much better by Monday and no one else will panic.

Whew!! Let's not repeat this exercise any time soon, shall we?

Currently feeling: bleary

One Year Ago....

2011-12-08T11:34:00.000-05:00

A Star was born! Okay, maybe not born, but she came to live with us a year ago yesterday. Remember this?

Look at her now!

She has even earned some jewelry for her anniversary of joining our household: a new collar. I still think it looks funny on her, but I'm sure that's just because I'm not used to it. I don't think she even weighs 8 pounds, so she is definitely the "munchkin" of the bunch. But she never did grow into her tail, as you can plainly see; it's long enough to wrap all the way around her paws in front and then some. (She reminds me so much of Shadow when she does that.) It is also amazing how much she looks like Tigger, to the point that all of us confuse the two unless we take a really good look.

Thank you, Star, for coming to live with us! You have been such a joy this past year, and we're looking forward to many more.

Currently feeling: still smitten with the kitten

Wordless Wednesday - December 7, 2011

2011-12-07T10:21:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: muy bueno

November 2011 Round Up

2011-11-30T23:02:00.000-05:00

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I've been chipping away at a book with all the doctor's appointments of late, but it's not done yet. I have started getting Southern Living and Good Housekeeping magazines (getting ready for the inevitable collage projects sure to come in school), and I read most of both of them this month. I mainly get them for the recipes! LOL

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: Pretty much the usual. Still watching The Next Iron Chef. Chuck, Rizzoli & Isles, The Closer, and Mythbusters are all up and running this month, in addition to the usual suspects.
* New Films: Catwoman (just as bad as everyone says, maybe even worse), Salt (eh, this was just okay), All the President's Men (truly excellent! highly recommended), Robin Hood (Russell Crowe, Cate Blanchett; eh, this was just okay, not sure how a movie with so much going on could feel so slow), Twilight (not really understanding the fascination; maybe they get better? sure hope the books are better (have not read them)), Twilight: New Moon (well, somewhat better; semi-interesting concept if you leave out the high school drama/foolishness; officially Team Jacob, for what it's worth)
* Old Favorites: Tangled, Treasure Planet, Sneakers, Tron: Legacy, Stargate, Ferngully: The Last Rainforest, Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Last Starfighter, The Count of Monte Cristo, Batteries Not Included, Toy Story 2, Bolt, The Mummy, Toy Story, Up, The Bugs Bunny-Road Runner Movie, Dumbo

What special days did I celebrate and how?
Spent Thanksgiving with my family at my parents' house. Great feast, saw my brother for the first time since last Christmas, good visit with my grandfather, excellent leftovers.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
A DSLR! Dad finally upgraded to a new one, so he gave me his old one, including the nice flash with diffuser and the big zoom lens. Yay me! Thanks so much, Daddy!!

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
DH had a one night tummy bug, but other than that, I think we stayed more or less well this month.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Played Canasta with the family over Thanksgiving. May have been a year since we did that. Dad trounced us so bad in a single hand that it took the rest of us 2-3 more hands to catch up.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Tried a new recipe called Hot Chicken Salad (my cooking blog write up and direct recipe link. It was along the same lines as the Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole from a few weeks ago, but different enough to make it worth trying. Turns out, it was extremely similar in taste to our family favorite Ritzy Chicken Casserole. The Hot Chicken Salad was quite good, and I really enjoyed the corn flake and almond topping, but in my opinion the Ritzy Chicken Casserole is easier to prepare, so I'll probably just stick with that one. Might revisit the Creamy Chicken and Rice casserole, though.

Not doing nearly as well on my cooking blog as I hoped. Just *so* busy with work right now. Here are all of the current posts to Clueless in the Kitchen (forgot to do this in October, so that's what these are):

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Seems like there was something, but it's not coming to mind right now. Bought some Christmas gifts, but that's about it.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
Work was frustrating, but for a good reason. (I know, that doesn't seem to make much sense.) I kept making mistakes, but at least I was catching the mistakes, or I knew they were mistakes I should not have made, which means maybe I'm starting to sort-of learn what I'm doing.

What were my accomplishments this month?
Made some progress on some of the "over time" 101 Things items, but I'm still failing miserably on some as well. If I don't hurry (like on the pantry/refrigerator, etc inventory items), I'll miss them completely. I did complete one item, though.

22. Find a barbecue sauce I like (bottled or homemade). We settled on Sweet Baby Ray's. DH's Aunt E has a better homemade recipe, but I haven't gotten it from her yet.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

Luke had a pretty good month. School seems to be going pretty well for him, the reading is still making slow progress. His report card shows all A's (and S's for non-letter grade items), so we can't really argue with that. He also received a trophy for the completion of fall soccer. Overall, it was a pretty quiet month (which was nice for a change, especially with December/Christmas coming up).

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Nope, that pretty much covers it.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: rounded

Wordless Wednesday - November 30, 2011

2011-11-30T16:06:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: pretty

Pinterest Inspirations for November

2011-11-29T15:52:00.000-05:00

Yep, still a wee bit addicted. I didn't get to as many of these as I would have liked this month. Things just got busy at work. This one was actually done in October, though after my original October Pinterest blog post, and it is worth going out of my way to mention.

"Best Ever Hot Cocoa Mix" is how this pin was described. (Recipe here.) I have to say, this was yum! I don't think it is as good as my recipe that is made on the stove (I'll try to post that to my recipe blog before Christmas), but for an instant dry mix that's ready at any moment, it is quite good. I made half a batch, and I have a small food processor, so I had to pulse it in 3 batches. As you can see from the photo, the color is a little odd with the dutch processed cocoa, more of a gray/black than the warm chocolate brown most people are accustomed to, but it tastes really good. I actually thought it needed to be just a touch sweeter, so I added some extra powdered sugar (1-2 tsp per serving; I didn't measure exactly). I'd love to figure out how to get some vanilla in there, and I think maybe swapping some of the powdered milk with nondairy creamer might be good. I'll tinker with it, if I get a chance, but even as is, it is very good.

There were also a few more recipes:

Asian Turkey Meatballs (Recipe Link) - These were just okay. I thought they were rather dry, heavy on the ginger, and not enough soy sauce. Might be worth fiddling with, but there are so many other recipes to try, I'm not sure I will.

Hot Chicken Salad (Recipe Link) - This tasted very similar to a recipe I already make routinely (Ritzy Chicken Casserole), but mine is easier, and I prefer the sour cream to the mayonnaise. I'll just stick with mine.

Creamy Chicken and Rice Casserole (Recipe Link) - For comparison to the one above, I also made this one. It was quite good! I will definitely try again, maybe with some tweaks. I think I should have made it in a deeper and narrower vessel; it dried out a little at 9x13 size.

Didn't get to any crafts or anything this month like I'd hoped to, and as busy as December is looking, I don't have high hopes for that month either. Maybe I should make it a mini-goal to do a non-recipe related pin from Pinterest each month? We'll see.

Currently feeling: pinned

Disney Rides: A Conversation With Luke

2011-11-27T15:22:00.000-05:00

While discussing that Luke will get to ride a new roller coaster at Disney next year.

Me: Big Thunder will be closed while we're there.
Luke: Awww! That's my favorite ride!
Me: I know, but you'll get to ride a new roller coaster while we're there.
Luke: Yeah!! I love Disney! It has all my favorite rides except for some.
Nana: So there are some rides you don't like?
Luke (nodding): Mm-hmm.
Me: Like what?
Luke: (shrugs his shoulders)
Nana: So you like them all?
Luke (looking confused): No.
Me: So which ones do you not like?
Luke (still looking confused): I don't know.
Me (a little frustrated): So you *do* like them all?
Luke (equally frustrated): But they don't have rides at the mall!

[He was hearing me say "them all" and hearing "the mall," as in the place you shop.]

Currently feeling: confuzzled

Happy Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T15:20:00.000-05:00

Hope yours was great!

Currently feeling: thankful

Wordless Wednesday - November 23, 2011

2011-11-23T14:45:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: sleepy

Appetizers: A Conversation With Luke

2011-11-21T14:17:00.000-05:00

At Applebee's for dinner.

[waiter brings our fried cheese stick appetizer]

DH: Do you want to try some?
Luke: No, thanks.
DH: Are you sure?
Me: It's like inside out pizza.
Luke: No, I don't want any.
DH: Okay.

[pause a few moments while DH and I start eating]

Luke (whining): I'm hungry!
Me: They're cooking your food. They'll bring it out when it's done.
Luke: But I'm hungry now!
DH: Gee, if only they would bring us some food that cooks quickly so we would have something to nibble on while they cook the rest of our food. Wait, look, cheese sticks!
Luke: But I don't like those! I want my chicken.
Me: I think you're missing the point.
Luke, No! I'm missing my chicken.

Currently feeling: too funny

Life Magazine - Not Much Has Changed

2011-11-19T14:09:00.000-05:00

Every few weeks, I run across a link to a LIFE Magazine photo spread. Most of them are very interesting and usually include links to a few never before published photos. I can't even remember what I was originally looking at, but I followed a link within the LIFE Magazine site to a list of the top 75 covers. While I disagree with some of them, it was very interesting to flip through them, especially in chronological order.

Many of the covers included only a photo, or at most a few words regarding the cover story. But there were a few years in the mid to late 50s where they included some other headlines on the cover as well. Here are the two that especially caught my eye.

"The Need for Better Scientists and M.I.T.'s Answer"
May 7, 1956 Life magazine headline

"Crisis in Education Part III - How U.S. Wastes Its Giften Children"
April 7, 1958 Life magazine headline

Not much has changed in 50+ years, has it? Sad. I think it would be fascinating to actually be able to read the articles. Anyone know of a (free) online source where I could do that?

Currently feeling: hmmm

Luke's Official 7 Year Old Stats

2011-11-17T12:21:00.000-05:00

Finally, I have Luke's official 7 year old statistics growth statistics. You have to make your "well visit" appointments about a month in advance. I originally had it scheduled for the last week of October, then discovered that it occurred during the week of standardized testing for first grade. I know those test scores can make a big difference to the teacher, so I rescheduled the appointment. By then, November 17 is the best I could get. On the one hand, six weeks late doesn't seem like a big deal. On the other hand, I think he grew at least 1/4 to 1/2 inch in those six weeks! Drumroll please....

Height: 51 in/ 129 cm (90th percentile), up 2.5 inches/6.35 cm from last year
Weight: 62 lb/ 28.1 kg/ 4.43 stone (85th percentile), up 4 lb/ 1.8 kg from last year

Overall, everything looked great, except for one minor issue: he did not pass the hearing screening. The nurse ran it twice and got the same failing result. She did say that she suspected it was just wax in his ear (his ears are very waxy; always have been). But when the doctor checked it out, she said there was actually very little wax in his ear and had the test rerun. Three more attempts, and three more failures. She said he should be able to hear the sounds around 20 deicbels, definitely by 30, but it was taking until around 40 before he would indicate that he heard it. We're being referred to an audiologist. :-( I can't help but wonder if it is the same fluid problem he was diagnosed with right before speech therapy. Guess we'll find out. I'll let you know how it goes whenever we get an appointment.

Currently feeling: frustrated

Wordless Wednesday - November 16, 2011

2011-11-16T11:51:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: sneaky

First Grade Musical

2011-11-15T11:37:00.000-05:00

Remember the musical program put on by the Kindergarten classes last year? We were so very impressed! So when Luke came home a few weeks ago singing songs from the musical Oklahoma, I couldn't wait for this year's show! So imagine my surprise when the First Grade musical performance at the PTA meeting was so.... disappointing? There really isn't another word for it (well, there is, but I'm trying to be nice). Apparently, the former music teacher retired and they have someone new. I'm trying to resist the urge to send her video from last year and say "If they were capable of *this* in Kindergarten, then imagine what they can do now. You are squandering their capabilities; please give them more credit!" Also, instead of doing a single longer program for all of First Grade, they sent the classes up on stage 1 or 2 at a time to do "musical interpretation and assistance in reading." Translation: the music teacher read the book while the kids either "sang" the book's refrain (if there was one) or added sound effects. Yeah.

DH and I suspect that this was her master's thesis or something, how music can assist in reading. And I'm sure it can and does! But I really wanted something more, um, traditional when it was advertised as a "musical program." And naturally, Luke's group was the last to go, so all of the kids who had already performed (and their parents) were wiggly and not very respectful. I was not a happy camper. I know it's her first year, and I'm trying to cut her some slack, but I expect much more next year.

But he did look terribly adorable on stage. He almost got upset when it looked like all of the xylophone seats were taken, but there was one spot left, next to "Hermione" from Halloween (that's not her real name, but I think it's a good code name for her for now).

Also, I don't think the PTA has children. Otherwise, I can't imagine they would have started the program at 7PM (already too late, IMO, though I understand many parents can't be there any sooner), then the after school music program group performed (which was *much* better, given that it is still managed by the former music teacher), then the four groups of kids each performed one reading/song that lasted about 3 minutes, not to mention the extra time it took getting four groups of children on and off the stage. It was nearly 8PM by the time we left, WAY past my son's regular bedtime. Do normal children stay up that late? Maybe we're the weird ones putting him to bed around 7:30, but when he gets up at 6AM, he needs it! Here's hoping next year's program is better.

Currently feeling: underwhelmed

Last Soccer Game for 2011

2011-11-12T10:50:00.000-05:00

The last game of our Fall 2011 U8 season was today. The last few games were in a type of "playoff" format where we played teams we'd already seen. We were fairly evenly matched with this team last time, though the score didn't really reflect that. I didn't do very well with the pictures or the video this time. This is about all I got that is worth showing.

This time, our boys played some of the best soccer we have seen them play. The other team only had 2 or 3 shots on goal, and they scored one. The problem was, we couldn't score a goal to save our lives! There were a minimum of 12 shots on goal for our team, and at *least* 8 of those hit the post and never went in. If we had paid the boys to hit the post, they couldn't have done it as well or as consistently. It was agony! Our only actual goal was a little roller into the net that the other team's goalie accidentally kicked in, and we ended up tied 1-1. That's okay, though. They had fun and played some really good soccer.

For some reason, starting at the U8 level, the league no longer supplies trophies to the teams. We all decided that wasn't fair, so we purchased some for the team. I was the trophy committee, and I think they turned out really nice. The boys loved them, which is all that really matters. :-) Looking forward to spring!

Currently feeling: like a winner

Job Update - Things Going Well

2011-11-11T22:37:00.000-05:00

I finished and closed my first projects at work today! Guess that means things are going well. It's cost me a couple of 10 hour days, but they were done and on time. Overall, I feel like I'm starting to get the hang of things, though we haven't really gotten to the "hard part" yet (the complex projects that I was hired to manage because of my previous experience with the systems). But, I am officially billing and bringing in money, so I'm finally earning my keep (I hope!). Yay!

Currently feeling: working hard, trying to keep up

Wordless Wednesday - November 9, 2011

2011-11-09T22:21:00.000-05:00

Currently feeling: hungry

Luke The Giant

2011-11-08T22:18:00.000-05:00

We were informed today that Luke is officially tied with another boy for the tallest person in all of 1st grade. That's about 100 kids! Given that he is on the 90th percentile height line for his age, that means there should have been at least a few more about his height or taller. Should be fun to see them all standing on stage singing at the PTA meeting next week.

Currently feeling: huge

Nerdcore and The Browncoat's Mix Tape

2011-11-05T22:08:00.000-04:00

I learned a new geek term today: Nerdcore. According to UrbanDictionary.com:

Nerdcore: Any form of music that is made by nerds, for nerds, or about nerdly things. Nerdcore can be made in any style of music, but most people identify it in either its pop-punk or hip-hop forms. Although many people think the term "nerdcore" was made up by MC Frontalot, it has in fact been in use by rock bands for many years prior to Frontalot's use of the term. Nerdcore should not be confused with bands that are simply stereotypically popular with nerds such as They Might Be Giants, DEVO, Ween, etc.

So why has this bit of nerd culture recently come to my attention? Because of a link posted by Nathan Fillion on Twitter. Go ahead and read the article; I'll wait!

The article is discussing The Browncoats Mix Tape by Adam WarRock. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is rap about Firefly (the Joss Whedon show, as if there were any doubt among most of my readers). Allow me to present a taste:

I've only listened to a couple of songs so far, but I have to admit, I am completely amazed. Who knew such a thing existed?! I feel like I've upped my geek quotient by a few more points today.

Currently feeling: nerdy

Wordless Wednesday - November 2, 2011

2011-11-02T21:04:00.000-04:00

Currently feeling: sporty

October 2011 Round Up

2011-10-31T23:46:00.004-04:00

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
I've nibbled at a couple of books, but nothing really stuck. It is catalog season, though, so I've been flipping through at least 1-2 of those a day. Probably doesn't count as "real" reading, but it's the best I can offer right now, particularly since I was sick most of the month.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: Still running with the usual. Rules of Engagement is back (yay, our one and only sitcom), as is Mythbusters (our Wednesday is starting to get cramped). We tried Penn & Teller Tell a Lie; it was interesting, but we didn't love it, and since we already watch too much TV, we dropped it. I'm not usually big on "reality TV," but The Next Iron Chef has two different chefs on it that I really like (Robert Irvine and Anne Burrell), so I'll give it a shot. Will probably stop watching it if/when they are both gone. The first episode was interesting, though.
* New Films: Red (pretty cute, loved all the folks in it, though I was expecting a little more), and I think that's all we managed this month. It was busy!
* Old Favorites: Peter Pan, The Replacement Killers, Return of the Jedi, The Princess Bride, I.Q., Newsies, Cocktail, Working Girl, Gattaca, Alice in Wonderland, The Aristocats, V for Vendetta, Daredevil, Tangled

What special days did I celebrate and how?
Luke's 7th birthday! We had a small but fun party at home. We also did both the elementary school fall festival and the Halloween parade this year, which Luke chose to do in place of trick or treating this year.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Birthday gifts for Luke.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I spent most of the month sick with a serious sinus infection that lead to an ear infection and tried really hard to become bronchitis, but I managed to beat it off with some antibiotics. Still, it was not fun. Discovering a perforated eardrum, with no obvious cause, was quite a shock! Luke was also sick early in the month, but thankfully, he managed to just have sniffles and a fever without it getting much worse.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
I was too sick to have much fun. The party was good, and of course, we continued with soccer. The Halloween parade was pretty fun, getting to watch Luke play with a couple of his friends from school. I know he had a blast!

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
We did a home taste test of BBQ sauces that was pretty fun. DH's Aunt E's recipe won, followed closely by Sweet Baby Ray's. I tried a couple of new recipes:

Taco Cornbread Bake, which was okay

Hot Cocoa Mix, which was very good!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
I had to buy a new alarm clock after mine jumped off the night stand and shattered the LCD face. I also bought Luke a timer dedicated to teeth brushing, since he's broken two of my kitchen timers in the last 3 months. It sticks to the mirror via suction cup. Just push the tooth button, and a green light blinks for 2 minutes. When it turns red, you're done. Seems to work great for him so far.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
Being so sick for so long was both a disappointment and a frustration. Neither DH's brother nor mine made it to Luke's birthday party, both for legitimate reasons, but we still really missed them. I also got hit with a Twitter spam/spoof thing that was *super* frustrating for a few days. My first project at work started (yay!) and hit a glitch on day 2. ::sigh:: Such is the job. I keep reminding myself that if the processes all worked seamlessly, they wouldn't need a project manager!

What were my accomplishments this month?
I'm making a pretty good dent in my new 101 Things list, but primarily on the weekly or monthly items. I haven't actually marked any "single shot" items off yet, but I'm not worried at this point. Still, I missed a few monthly goals, too, so there is always room for improvement.

As I mentioned, my first work project got started, so I'm actually, you know, *doing* stuff now at work. I am also feeling the pressure of expectation weighing heavily. I just hope I can live up. I did go in to one of the systems and make my updates pretty quickly and without too much trouble, so I consider that progress.

I started a new recipe blog called Clueless in the Kitchen to help me track the new recipes for my 101 Things list and to document some of our family favorite recipes. I was really hoping to get quite a few recipes posted in October, but being sick really kicked my rear. I didn't cook as much as I hoped, and I went to bed early (like around 9PM) more nights than not because I was just so tired. Doesn't leave much time for blogging. I didn't even blog here in real time for 2-3 weeks. Hope to start back up with the recipe blog in November.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

Luke's reading seems to be coming along fairly well. He's doing great according to everyone at school. Soccer is going okay; he could be a bit more focused, but that's just Luke, to some extent. We survived jeans shopping, which is always an adventure, though we only got 3 pair (he can still wear a couple of pair from last year, though they're a bit too short and the knees won't last long), so we'll have to torture ourselves again a bit later. We had to cancel his 7 year well visit doctor appointment because it interfered with ITBS testing at school, so I don't have his official 7 year stats yet; those will have to wait to November.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Steve Jobs died. It will be interesting to see how Apple fares over the next few years without him at the helm.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: ready to feel fully well

Halloween 2011

2011-10-31T20:22:00.003-04:00

The Grinning Ninja has come for you!

Check out the awesome ninja moves....

Look out, those blue eyes are killer!

And here he is with a couple of his classmates who live in our neighborhood.

"Hermione" there seems to have a bit of a crush in him. They were pretty much inseparable while waiting for the parade to start. We ended up walking over a mile (over 1.5 km) to the parade end and then back home. That means I can have some candy, right? LOL

Hope you had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Currently feeling: silent and stealthy

Wordless Wednesday - October 26, 2011

2011-10-26T22:58:00.004-04:00

Currently feeling: zen

Finally on the mend

2011-10-25T20:16:00.001-04:00

Today, three full weeks after I first reported on Twitter that my throat hurt, I finally feel like I am getting better. I still have a bit of a post nasal drip, which makes me clear my throat a lot, but other than that and some lingering fatigue, I feel pretty good. No sore throat, no sore ear, no cough, no trouble breathing. It's about time! Now, if I can just get caught up on sleep....

Currently feeling: on the mend

BBQ Sauce Taste-Off

2011-10-23T19:16:00.006-04:00

I've never been a huge barbecue fan. It's just never been my thing, and I'm not sure why. I can eat it to be polite if I need to, I just don't crave it. Or I didn't. Then a friend of mine took me to Maddy's in Decatur this summer, and I've started craving it. Yum! Then, when we visited DH's uncle and aunt at Labor Day, her "party favors" were small bottles of her homemade barbecue sauce. Okay, well, that's great, but what do we eat it on? I have no idea how to cook a pork roast. A week or so later, I read someone's blog raving about Kirkland's (Costco brand) pulled pork. It comes already smoked and shredded; all you have to do is heat it up. Okay, fine, I'll take the hint!

The problem, of course, is that not growing up eating it at home and never really being a fan, I have no idea what brands or even styles of barbecue sauce I might like. I don't even know what to look for. Wouldn't you know it, the papers had barbecue sauce coupons in them for the next few weeks, so I could sample several without spending a ton of money. Wasn't that nice of them? I knew there was no way to pull off a double blind taste test, but DH did do the tasting blind. I mixed up a couple of bites of pork with each of the five sauces, and off we went.

Turns out, Aunt E knows what she's doing! Hers was our favorite, so I will definitely have to ask for the recipe. Following close behind, though, was Sweet Baby Ray's, which I had never even heard of before Pinterest. I am now a believer! Still not as good as Aunt E's (or Maddy's), but very good, plus quick and easy. The Kroger KC Style was just okay. Surprisingly, the KC Masterpiece Original has very little flavor of any kind. It's almost like it just made the meat more moist; very strange, and very disappointing, considering I love the KC Masterpiece BBQ Lays chips so much. And bringing up the rear was the Kroger Traditional, which neither of us liked at all. So there you go, the results of our own little private taste test.

Currently feeling: ready for some barbecue

More Pinterest Ideas in Action

2011-10-22T19:15:00.007-04:00

Yes, I am still addicted to Pinterest! LOL It's taking up less of my time these days, but I still check in nearly every single day. And I've put a few more ideas from there into practice. This is my current favorite:

Store hair elastics on a carabiner. (See pin.) This is so much easier and faster than the flimsy cardboard they come on! I find myself putting them back on the carabiner and back in the drawer much more than I used to. I got the carabiners from Amazon. They're not high quality (certainly not for climbing, and they say that), but I don't need them to be. For this, they are perfect.

This is more of an inspiration. The actual pin is about using chalkboard paint on baby food jar lids to store your spices. While that is a good idea, I like the tall narrow bottles that the spices I buy come in. The problem, though, is that I store them in this plastic bin and I ended up picking up half the bottles looking for the right one. But hello, why not just write the names of the spices on the lids like the pin does?! One silver Sharpie later, and I am a very happy girl.

And last but not least is a recipe, Taco Cornbread Bake from food blog Plain Chicken (see pin or direct recipe link). It was just okay. Part of the problem is that the cornbread is way too sweet, in my opinion. It would definitely be better with a savory cornbread, but I think it was also missing something I can't quite put my finger on.

So that's the latest on Pinterest. Anything you are loving from there at the moment? Do y'all like this, or would you prefer that I hush about it already? LOL Let me know.

Currently feeling: wondering what's next

Minor Work Breakthrough

2011-10-21T19:13:00.004-04:00

Hey, I might actually be starting to get the hang of things at work. I went into the database today and quickly *and* successfully updated the database with my dates and shipping instructions. Still learning how to set the dates, but I know what to do with them when I have them. Woo-hoo, go me!

Of course, the universe couldn't let me feel good about myself for very long. I got a call less than 15 minutes later informing me that my very first project has hit a glitch. Yay. Of course, if all of the processes worked like they are supposed to, I guess they wouldn't need a project manager!

Currently feeling: hanging in there

ENT Results

2011-10-20T22:12:00.003-04:00

I saw the ENT today. Dr. S was much more concerned that I've been this sick for two weeks now than he is about the perforated eardrum. He is equally baffled by how the perforation occurred, other than just a pressure buildup with my sinus infection. Since I am a heavy sleeper, it could possibly have burst while I was sleeping, especially with how tired I've been. Hhe wants to wait for the infection to clear up before even thinking about poking around in my ear. He did give me some "magic mouthwash" with a steroid in it to help with the ulcers and the infection. I *hate* steroids! And I'm supposed to be on them for the next 60 days? Ugh! Sure hope the eardrum repairs itself before I go back so he won't have to do anything. So, no action to take now (just steroids). We'll recheck it in December.

Currently feeling: relieved

Wordless Wednesday - October 19, 2011

2011-10-19T20:57:00.002-04:00

Currently feeling: well read

Clueless In the Kitchen: New Recipe Blog

2011-10-15T19:18:00.002-04:00

Yes, I know, another new blog. I haven't done as well on my thrifty blog as I hoped (funny how getting a job affects things), though it is still going and I am still recording my thoughts on generics and such as I try them.

But, in support of my "Try 101 new recipes" item on my new 101 Things list, I decided to start a cooking/recipe blog as "proof" of completion, instead of posting them all here. Bulletin board friends will recognize the title as my usual signature when I'm asking "dumb" cooking questions on the board: Clueless in the Kitchen.

I'll post all the new ones as I try them (with pictures!), plus some of our family favorites. I'm not sure yet if I'll have them post to my twitter feed or not (thoughts?). I'll list any new recipes in the monthly round up, though, so you'll know what I tried, and the photos will probably show up sometimes as Wordless Wednesdays and such. If I find something awesome, I'll be sure and post it here, too!

There's not a lot there right now, just a couple of recipes to whet your appetite (pun intended). I thought I would have more up there by now, but being so sick has prevented me from doing much of anything except surviving my day at work. Hope you enjoy following me along. I'm not much of a chef or any sort of food photographer, but I think it will be fun nonetheless. Bon appetit!

Currently feeling: like cooking

Getting Sicker (Again)

2011-10-13T19:11:00.003-04:00

Yes, again! I know!!! After my visit to the Minute Clinic Sunday, I was feeling much better Monday and Tuesday, which was awesome. Wednesday was a bit of a step back, but that's not uncommon with antibiotics. Then this morning, in just 4 hours, and including *after* taking medicine and giving it time to work, I was rapidly getting considerably worse. The sniffles were back, the head congestion was back, I'd started coughing again, it was getting harder to breathe, and my ear was hurting worse than ever. I knew by 10 AM that it was time to go back to the doctor.

I called to ask if she had anything available that day. "Oh, I think I just gave out her last appointment for today. What symptoms are you having?" I gave her the 30 second version of the story. "Hmm. You know she doesn't see patients on Fridays." I know, but I can't wait until Monday; I'll have bronchitis by then. "I can make you an appointment for one of the other doctors." Grumble, grumble. I guess beggars can't be choosers. "She can probably squeeze you in if you can be here by 11:30?" Yes, I can absolutely be there by 11:30! Working from home does have its perks. :-)

I actually didn't even wait that long. She was frowning as she came in; apparently she could hear me coughing from 2 rooms away. They cleared the wax from my right ear, and yes, it is definitely infected. She also confirmed my suspicions that I have developed ulcers all over my soft palate in the back of my throat, making it painful to swallow. Naturally, the antibiotic the Minute Clinic had given me is well known for *not* working on my ear infections (and likely caused the ulcers as well), so she changed me to something else. She also told me to increase the Mucinex dose I was taking (basically from regular to max strength). Will do.

Just to be safe, she checked my left ear to see if it was also getting infected. "Hmm. Have you had any pain in this ear or done anything to it?" Noooo, why? "You have a perforated eardrum." I have a what?!! "You have a hole in your eardrum. A big one. Perforations are usually like a pinprick, maybe the size of a pencil lead. Yours is taking up a quarter to a third of your eardrum, 3-4 mm." Oooookay, shouldn't I remember something like that happening? I thought those were supposed to be painful. "Usually, yes. Have you done anything involving pressure changes lately? Jumped in a lake? Had a blow to the head?" Um, no! "Had pressure issues on an airplane?" I flew just after Labor Day, but that was a month ago, and I didn't really have any issues. "And this ear hasn't hurt since you've been sick?" No, not at all! "They didn't mention it at the Minute Clinic?" No one said anything. It's only my right ear that has been bothering me with pain or pressure. You know, the infected one. My left ear has been fine! "I'm going to have one of the doctors come in and take a look." She's actually the PA (physician's assistant), but I've been seeing her since before Luke was born, and I adore her. This is only the 3rd or 4th time she's gone to get one of the doctors in all the years I've been seeing her. Scary!

Dr. B took a look and his eyebrows went up. "That's a big hole. Are you sure you didn't just miss it before now?" Look, buddy, you're new here, less than 2 years at the practice. I've been seeing H for nearly a decade! She's looked in my ears at least twice a year in that time, sometimes several more times than that, since this is not my first ear infection (or even my second; probably my 4th or 5th since I've been with her). If it was there before, especially if it is as large as you say, she would have noticed! After some deliberation, they decided to send me to an ENT. Normally, even with a hole that size, if we could pinpoint a cause or circumstance for it, she would have just sent me home to see if it would heal itself in a few weeks. But, with absolutely no idea when or how it got there, and given the size of the rupture, they wanted a specialist to take a look and make sure there isn't some oddball serious cause for it that they aren't aware of. They also wanted an expert to make the call on whether or not it needs to be surgically patched. Great, more doctors, and now possible surgery. And all on the ear that *wasn't* hurting!! Sheesh. I just can't win!

They're supposed to call me tomorrow with my appointment, which I'm pretty sure translates to: it usually takes a few weeks to get in to see this ENT, but you need to be seen sooner than that, so we'll call them and make sure they see you sometime next week, but you'll have to take whatever they have open. I've only been at my new job for 5-6 weeks, and I now have a second doctor appointment and possible surgery (would just be a single day outpatient thing, but still!). I'm sure my boss is going to love this. ::rolls eyes:: Actually, he is very understanding (so far), I just hate having to do this so soon during my tenure.

Currently feeling: wishing I could be sick and get over it like normal people

Wordless Wednesday - October 12, 2011

2011-10-12T23:57:00.002-04:00

Currently feeling: clean

Luke's 7th Birthday Party

2011-10-09T21:07:00.001-04:00

Time for Luke's birthday party! But first, we must play soccer.

::sigh:: Ah, one day, I will have a DSLR! All of these were taken by my parents, who each brought their big cameras to the field.

Some fun full action shots.

And some great close ups (both of these are completely uncropped).

By the way, it is heart-stopping when *this* happens. They didn't actually touch him, but it is so scary watching the possibility unfold before your eyes.

How about some field play?

Not that it helped; we got absolutely trounced. Admittedly, we played badly. All of the boys were either getting over something or coming down with something (or, like Luke, actively sick; he was still running a low fever that morning). But I'm not sure it would have mattered even if we'd been in top form. Those kids were *good,* and they knew it.

But these sure seemed to make the kids feel better (I decorated them myself):

And Luke loved these, although he didn't get to actually hold them while we were outside. It was *way* too windy. I don't care what they said on Mythbusters, I'm convinced he would have blown away while holding them.

But there's no time! We've gotta get home, bathe, eat lunch, and prepare to party! We did Phineas and Ferb this year, per Luke's request.

And Mom did her usual fantastic job on the cake.

I literally spent days working on these. Six collages, sporting roughly 35 photos each, starting with October 7, 2010. There was basically one each for fall, winter, spring, and summer, plus two for Boston. Everyone seemed to get a real kick out of looking at them, and I let everyone (all adults) take what they wanted as party favors.

It was a small party this year. Neither DH's brother (and wife and girls) nor my brother could make it, and we missed them terribly. But my MIL's sister and her husband came for the first time, which was great! I think it had been a few years since we had seen them, and here was our second visit in a month (they were at DH's uncle's house over Labor Day). Plus my parents, my mom's mom, and the three of us. Probably a good thing, since I just continued to get sicker as the day progressed.

After refreshments came cake and gifts.

I love this shot. He's practically drooling!

The party was a great success. Everyone really seemed to enjoy it, and it was a nice mostly quiet affair. Things broke up around 5PM, and we had dinner around 6. Mom pretty much made me sit while she did all of the clean up, for which I am very grateful. By now, my right ear was hurting, usually signaling an ear infection, and the coughing was much worse. Not only did she have nearly every dish in the house clean, she had me packed off to bed by 9:30.

I woke up the next morning with what I knew was a sinus infection. My grandfather's facility called to say his blood pressure was low, so Mom and Dad decided to leave a bit early and swing by there on their way home. Mom whipped up a casserole and tossed it in the refrigerator before she left, which meant that I didn't even have to worry about dinner. Have I mentioned lately that my parents rock?

I basically followed them out the door and headed to the Minute Clinic. I knew if I waited until Monday that I wold have bronchitis, and I really didn't want to go down that road. I arrived a little after 10 AM, and I was waiting on a prescription to treat my diagnosed sinusitis by 11:30. She couldn't check my ear because it was occluded by wax, but the antibiotics will hopefully take care of all of it. Hopefully I'll start feeling better in a day or two.

Currently feeling: is he really 7?!

Too sick to blog

2011-10-08T20:02:00.001-04:00

I am actually posting this on October 16. I have done nothing since Luke's party but be very sick (and work, since I can do that from home while sick). I am finally starting to feel human again, and I will get back to posting eventually. Just wanted you to know I am still here. Since this is just an FYI post that will hopefully be deleted in the next week or so, I'm turning off comments. Hope you are all doing well.

Luke is 7

2011-10-07T20:31:00.000-04:00

I remembered to snap a photo of Luke on his actual birthday right before he went to bed. Today was.... well, it was a day. He was out of school, and we let him pick where he wanted to eat lunch. I had to run an errand, so when we met at the restaurant, I noticed Luke had that "glittery eye" look that he gets when he's running a fever. Sure enough, he was hot to the touch, likely 100+. So instead of getting party stuff ready during my Friday off, I ended up taking Luke to the doctor. Not exactly what he wanted for his birthday! With his party set for tomorrow, it wasn't worth the risk of not being seen, especially since he was already out of school.

We got the last remaining sick appointment of the day at 4:30, which I think actually translates to "come at the end of the day and we'll try to work you in." We arrived 15 minutes early, hoping that would help. Instead, they were short two nurses, so they were running about an hour behind. We were called back around 5:20. One ear was fine, one eardrum was not moving, though it wasn't inflamed. She decided to trust me and wrote us a "just in case" prescription, and I agreed not to use it unless he starts complaining of ear pain, spikes a fever over 102, or if he continues to run a low grade fever for the next 4 days. Here's hoping we won't need it!

Happy birthday to my brand new 7 year old!

P.S. I am also getting sicker by the minute. I probably should have gone to the doctor today as well, but my doctor isn't in the office on Fridays, and I really didn't have the time. Will almost surely have a sinus infection by Monday, and maybe bronchitis. Yeah, this will be fun.

Currently feeling: not so great

Wordless Wednesday - October 5, 2011

2011-10-05T21:55:00.002-04:00

Currently feeling: seeing my own bright red cheeks on my son

Watermarking Photos

2011-10-04T19:35:00.000-04:00

Someone asked about watermarking photos that I mentioned on my new 101 Things list (items 57 and 58). There are lots of different ways to do it, depending on what type of photo editing software you use. I personally use Picasa for 98% of my photo editing. (Every once in a while, there's something it can't do and I have to pull out Paint Shop Pro, but it's rare.) Picasa by Google, and it's free. I'm sure it can do lots of things I don't even know about! No affiliation, just a happy user talking about a program I use and love.

I absolutely live on the tuning tab sliders. I find them very intuitive for adjusting contrast on my photos and for altering the color if it is affected by the surroundings. Nearly ever photo I ever post has been tinkered with on this tab, at least a little.

On the Basic tab, I also use the straighten function a fair bit. It makes things blurrier, so you have to be careful, but sometimes it is just critical (like for straightening beach horizons and such). And of course, the red eye removal, always important with a point and shoot camera.

But there is also an "add text" function. You can obviously pick the color and font of the text, but there is also a slider where you can alter the transparency of the text, which is how you make it softer and sort of blend in a bit more (if that's what you want).

I don't think it is a very big deal, for the most part, to have my photos watermarked here on my blog, but I did want to watermark my photos for things like my box braid tutorial, in case they get pinned somewhere like Pinterest (hey, a girl can dream! LOL). May as well just watermark them all; better safe than sorry. And I didn't watermark these because they aren't really "my photos," they're just Picasa screen captures! :-)

Currently feeling: creative

8th Blogoversary

2011-10-03T21:19:00.003-04:00

Wow, it almost went whizzing by! I've been so caught up with planning Luke's birthday party and getting my next 101 Things and 1001 Days up and running. It's sure been a busy 8 years. Thanks for hanging with me, everyone! (And thanks to Teena in Toronto for reminding me! LOL)

Currently feeling: where does the time go?

101 Things in 1001 Days - Round 3

2011-10-01T10:21:00.003-04:00

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, I am starting Round 3 of 101 Things in 1001 Days. (See Round 1 and Round 2, if interested.) Hard to imagine that I've really done this twice now, and I'm ready to go on a third. Whoever originally posted about this idea on my favorite bulletin board had no idea what sort of monster they were creating! LOL What can I say, I love lists.

Believe it or not, I've actually already started my round 4 list, which won't go into effect for another 990+ days! Hey, item 101 on this list is "Have new list of 101 items ready by day 1001." May as well start now, right? (In my defense, the round 4 list only has one item on it: do something big for my 40th birthday.) But let's focus on round 3 for now, shall we?

101 Things in 1001 Days - Version 3

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities. See also Day Zero Project.

Begin Date: October 1, 2011
End Date: June 28, 2014

Body Building
1. Use facial moisturizer twice a week.
2. Use body lotion once a week.
3. Weekly Item #1.
4. Weekly Item #2.
5. Weekly Item #3.
6. Monthly Item #1.
7. Monthly Item #2.
8. Take a multivitamin and doctor-recommended supplements every day for 90 days.
9. Get a pedicure.
10. Learn CPR.
11. Complete the Couch to 5K program.
12. Weigh less on day 1001 than I did on day 1.

Bon Appetit
13. Try 101 new recipes (can include items below). New cooking blog created for tracking.
14. Try 5 new kinds of cheese.
15. Use the crock pot 15 times.
16. Add 5 new meals to the rotation.
17. Have salad (at home) once a month.
18. Try making Mommy Alice's Chicken and Dumplings.
19. Learn to make biscuits and gravy from Mom.
20. Learn to make pizza dough from scratch.
21. Learn to make pecan pie from scratch (including the crust!).
22. Find a barbecue sauce I like (bottled or homemade).
23. Find a homemade taco seasoning mix I like.
24. Try quinoa.
25. Try Israeli couscous.
26. Make popovers.
27. Make bread from scratch.
28. Make oatmeal from steel cut oats.
29. Roast a whole chicken.
30. Deep fry something.

Home and Hearth
31. Have dinner by candlelight once a year.
32. Buy fresh flowers 10 times.
33. Acquire 5 new kitchen tools. Must be "new to me" tools, not just replacing tools I already have.
34. Acquire additional serving pieces and/or soup spoons.
35. Hang curtains in the master bedroom.
36. Replace overhead lights in kitchen and den.
37. Have gutters cleaned once a year.
38. De-Christmas the house every year before February 15.
39. Get rid of 101 things. Current Total = 0
40. Eliminate 30 boxes from the basement. Current Total = 0
41. Use reusable bags for every trip to the grocery store and Target for 3 months.

Penny Pinching
42. Meal plan every week when home.
43. Track coupon savings weekly.
44. Trash expired coupons monthly.
45. Track Costco savings (every trip, roughly monthly).
46. Keep a running inventory of the pantry (top and bottom). Verify monthly.
47. Keep a running inventory of the freezer. Verify monthly.
48. Keep a running inventory of the baking cabinets (include flour in refrigerator). Verify monthly.
49. Keep a running inventory of all surplus/bulk items stored elsewhere (including location). Verify monthly.
50. Find a good method/location for storing bulk items.
51. Finish reading The Complete Tightwad Gazette.
52. Save "Boxtops for Education" for our elementary school.
53. Search for SwagBucks 20 days a month.

Technobabble
54. Backup photos monthly.
55. Backup documents monthly.
56. Backup blog monthly (including photos).
57. "Watermark" all blog photos going forward.
58. Go back and add watermarks to all photos currently on blog.
59. Backup tweets monthly.
60. Review Twitter followers every 6 months. Block all spammers/bots.
61. Reduce number of people I follow on Twitter by 20%. (Remove from lists, too.) Starting Total = 211, Final Total =
62. Reduce total number of feeds on Google Reader by 20%. Starting Total = 275, Final Total =
63. Review email newsletters every 6 months. Unsubscribe from all those not read in the previous 6 months.
64. Purge email inbox(es) every 3 months.
65. Purge the DVR deleted file weekly.

Strike a Pose
66. Continue with Wordless Wednesday on my blog.
67. Take a picture of Luke once a week (different from Wordless Wednesday).
68. Post at least one non-Luke photo (different from Wordless Wednesday & mosaic) on each monthly Round Up blog entry.
69. Take a picture of the three of us together every 3 months.
70. Take a video every 3 months.
71. Post 5 videos (of mine) to my blog.
72. Keep a running folder of favorite photos to be printed. Have prints made every 6 months.
73. Have 8x10 prints made of some favorite photos and hang them.
74. Have family portraits made with parents and brother.
75. Do Project 365 again (photo a day for a year).

Out and About
76. Visit Ikea.
77. Visit Trader Joe's.
78. Visit the Buford Highway Farmers' Market.
79. Try 10 new restaurants.
80. Go out for a day or evening by myself every 6 months.
81. Visit a friend who lives west of the Mississippi.
82. Volunteer for something at Luke's school.
83. Accept an invitation I would normally turn down.

Fun and Games
84. Have cake/dessert for my and/or DH's birthday every year (homemade or bought). Use candles and sing happy birthday!
85. Read 20 new to me books, including: pre-1950 classic, biography/autobiography, non-fiction book other than a biography.
86. See 50 new to me movies, including: pre-1950 classic, "modern classic", foreign language, film I wouldn't normally choose.
87. Read An Echo In the Bone, by Diana Gabaldon (counts towards the 20).
88. Watch 5 movie commentaries.
89. Watch all episodes of a new to us television show. Must be at least 4 seasons.
90. Complete two (new or previously started) LEGO Wii games. (Complete = story mode, free play, all bars and canisters; superstory, etc. are optional)
91. Learn a song on Guitar Hero or Rock Band at expert level on drums.
92. Learn to whistle loudly (or make a sincere effort to do so).
93. Visit a bead show with Mom.
94. Take Luke bowling.
95. Take Luke to Medieval Times.
96. Take Luke to the Tellus Museum.
97. Teach Luke to play a new card game.
98. Attempt to teach Luke to ride a bike.
99. Attempt to teach Luke to swim (either ourselves or with outside lessons).
100. Complete more items on this 101 list than I did last time. Version 2 Total = 52. Current Version 3 Total =
101. Have new list of 101 items ready by day 1001.

September 2011 Round Up

2011-09-30T23:43:00.010-04:00

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Finally finished Wuthering Heights (ick; didn't like it at all). I also read How to Help your Student Succeed in School by Paul Kip Grimm, and Conquering an Enemy Called Average by John Mason, both very quick reads and fairly inspiring, but neither as insightful as I hoped.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: Finished up the finales of The Closer, Rizzoli & Isles, and Suits. Just in time, too, since fall network television programming has resumed! Current slate discussed here. Person of Interest is so far quite interesting; I like that it is different from most shows currently on the air (and we're huge Jim Caviezel fans). We're enjoying the banter on Unforgettable; we'll have to see if they can keep it up. Been watching a fair bit of Law & Order and Murder She Wrote as well.
* New Films: The Green Hornet (eh, not really my cup of tea; I think most of what I laughed at wasn't supposed to be funny), Megamind (it was definitely different; I liked some of the points it had to make, but again, not my style of humor), Unstoppable (not bad; worth seeing once)
* Old Favorites: Cars, The Princess Bride, Catch Me If You Can, Tangled, Star Wars Ep I, Star Trek II, Star Trek IV, Terminator 2: Judgment Day (20 years old, wow), Star Trek: First Contact, Independence Day, Dante's Peak, Men in Black, The Lion King (at the theater in 3D; not a bad conversion, all things considered), First Knight, The American President

What special days did I celebrate and how?
We celebrated Dad's 60th birthday visiting over Labor Day weekend. He chose local seafood for his birthday dinner.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Just cards for Dad's birthday; Boston was "the gift."

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
I had an absolutely awful headache for first time in months. Took me several hours to get it to let up. I know I've been stressed with the new job, but I'd really like to *not* have to increase my BP meds.

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
While we were visiting my parents for Labor Day, we took Luke to the beach, visited with my grandfather, and stopped by DH's uncle's house for a family get together.

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Tried two new recipes this month: Pepperoni Pizza Puffs (direct recipe link) (didn't care for the texture, probably won't make again), "supposedly the best ever cupcakes" from Pinterest (these were pretty good, but I think my scratch butter cake recipe is better). I also attempted to make up my own recipe for Pizza Balls (think Bisquick sausage balls, just substitute pepperoni for the sausage and parmesan and mozzarella for the cheddar). It was okay; better texture than the pepperoni pizza puffs, but the cheese flavor just wasn't strong enough to cut through the breading. I will be discussing these at some point on my new food blog.

For new foods, I tried my first ever real sushi. It was fine, but I don't think it is something I'll really be going out for on my own. It also counted as a new restaurant, Umezono in Smyrna. Our other new restaurant for the month was Three Dollar Cafe Jr., which opened where The Loop used to be, not far from where we live. The food was pretty good, but I certainly wouldn't want to be there when any sort of sporting event was going on. Between the zillion beers on tap and the 14 flat panel TVs I could see just from my chair (not counting the ones behind me or upstairs), it would be bonkers.

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
I guess Luke's birthday supplies qualify here as special purchases. That's really the only thing "nonstandard" I remember buying.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
I got hit with twitter spam/spoof/virus thing sending out direct messages "from me" to my friends with some sort of malicious website link in it. I also received about 40 of them from various accounts. I felt bad for frustrating my tweeps!

What were my accomplishments this month?
Completed 52 items from 101 Things in 1001 Days Version 2. Not too bad, I guess. Better than Version 1, where I completed 46. Eventually I'll work my way up to 90% or better, right? Version 3 starts October 1!

The big news for the month was officially starting my new job, which also involved training in Virginia for a very rainy week. The boys seem to have survived just fine on fast food. I've also had homework every week this month; I'm grading Math Stars sheets for one of the 3rd grade teachers, which is a combination of about 10 word problems every week intended to stretch the kids and teach problem solving. It has been very interesting!

I found a new nail polish love: The Next CEO from Nicole by OPI (soft metallic gold), which is actually quite neutral on my fingers. It reminds me of the shiny gold polish that Pussy Galore wore in Goldfinger. As mentioned previously, I tried a hair style and some cupcakes that I found on Pinterest (yes, I am obsessed!). And I really branched out of my comfort zone and had sushi with my former boss.

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

We had our first parent/teacher conference for the year. Luke is doing very well! He is one of the top kids in his class in both reading and math, and he is apparently very well behaved. Always good to hear. She thinks we need to work on maybe building up his confidence a little bit so he isn't afraid to try even if some of the other kids are juts a little bit faster than he is, but otherwise, he is doing great!

He also had his first soccer game at U8 level. He spends at least one quarter at goalie every game, which he really enjoys. He also usually plays full back for a quarter, and if he plays a 3rd quarter (which he usually does; only 8 boys to cover 5 positions), it is usually as a midfielder. He also took his first ball to the face (not terribly hard, but I know it stunned him), but he shook it off and lived to tell the tale.

And I finally got around to posting Luke's kitty song videos for your enjoyment. These were collected over the last couple of weeks of August and Labor Day weekend.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
Can't really think of anything.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: trying to catch up

The Results: 101 Things in 1001 Days - Version 2.0

2011-09-29T21:16:00.002-04:00

Wow, is it really that time again? Hard to believe I've managed to complete a second one of these projects. I'm so proud of me! Okay, so complete might be a strong word, since I am unable to check off all 101 items. But I'm okay with that, because I did accomplish quite a bit in the last 1001 days. So here's the final verdict:

101 Things in 1001 Days - Version 2.0

The Mission: Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria: Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on my part).

Why 1001 Days? Many people have created lists in the past - frequently simple goals such as new year's resolutions. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 Days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year, because it allows you several seasons to complete the tasks, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips or outdoor activities.

Begin Date: January 1, 2009
End Date: September 29, 2011
Time Remaining: The 1001 Days are up!

Items Completed: 52
Progress:

~~Strikethrough~~ indicates a completed item
Italics indicates an in-progress item

Secret Plots
~~1. Plan and implement "Operation Wellington."~~ (morphed into Boston) Completed June 2011

Personal Touch
2. Learn to make cheesecake in a spring form pan.
3. Learn to make a seafood dish (shrimp or fish).
~~4. Try a new recipe or restaurant every 3 months.~~ Completed July 2011

1Q09 - Liberty Tree Tavern at Disney in March 2009
2Q09 - Stone Mountain Inn in April 2009
3Q09 - Lovezzola's in Pooler in August 2009
4Q09 - Cornbread Dressing from 5 Ingredient Fix in November 2009
1Q10 - Crock Pot Roast in January 2010
2Q10 - Twisted Taco in May 2010
3Q10 - Buckhead Pizza Co. in July 2010
4Q10 - Red Beans and Rice in November 2010
1Q11 - Napoleon's Pub and Grill in January 2011
2Q11 - Red Robin in April 2011
3Q11 - Bubble Pizza in July 2011

5. Use china and/or crystal once a year.

2009 - Crystal at Christmas
2010 - no
2011 - no

~~6. Send an RAK every 3 months.~~ Completed July 2011

1Q09 - Feb 2009
2Q09 - May 2009
3Q09 - no
4Q09 - Nov 2009
1Q10 - no
2Q10 - May 2010
3Q10 - July 2010
4Q10 - November 2010
1Q11 - March 2011
2Q11 - June 2011
3Q11 - July 2011

7. Contribute to a Roth IRA.
~~8. Correct my tax withholding on my paycheck.~~ Completed 11/29/2010
~~9. Start applying for a new job.~~ Completed 9/11/2010
10. Give blood.
~~11. Weigh less on day 1001 than I did on day 1.~~ Officially down 11 lbs (5 kg) from day 1.

Multimedia
~~12. Read 15 books, at least one non-fiction.~~ Current Total = 15

The Eight by Katherine Neville
My Word is My Bond by Sir Roger Moore (non-fiction)
Heat Wave by Richard Castle
Lord John and the Brotherhood of the Blade, by Diana Gabaldon
My Life in France, by Julia Child
Julie & Julia, by Julie Powell
The Exile, by Diana Gabaldon (graphic novel)
Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale, by Joss Whedon, Zack Whedon, and Chris Samnee
The Imagineering Field Guide to The Magic Kingdom, by Alex Wright and The Imagineers
The Imagineering Field Guide to Epcot, by Alex Wright and The Imagineers
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Hollywood Studios, by Alex Wright and The Imagineers
The Imagineering Field Guide to Disney's Animal Kingdom, by Alex Wright and The Imagineers
Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte
How to Help your Student Succeed in School, by Paul Kip Grimm
Conquering an Enemy Called Average, by John Mason

13. Read a Jane Austin novel (counts towards 15).
14. Read an Ayn Rand novel (counts towards 15).
~~15. Read Wuthering Heights (counts towards 15).~~ Completed September 2011.
~~16. Read a graphic novel (counts towards 15).~~ Completed 9/25/2010.
17. Watch 30 DVDs from Netflix (each disc counts separately). Current Total = 16

Ice Age 2: The Meltdown
From the Earth to the Moon - Disc 1
From the Earth to the Moon - Disc 2
From the Earth to the Moon - Disc 3
From the Earth to the Moon - Disc 4
Night at the Museum
A Knight's Tale
The Devil Wears Prada
Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Failure to Launch
Daffy Duck's Fantastic Island
Chess: In Concert
2001: A Space Odyssey
Phineas and Ferb: Season 1
Pride and Prejudice - Disc 1
Phineas and Ferb: Season 2

~~18. Watch Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version; counts towards 30).~~ Completed August 2011.
19. See a new (to me) IMAX film on an IMAX screen (theatrical films shown on IMAX do not count).
20. Write up musings on new movies within 14 days. Have missed too many to consider this completed.

Hobby Lobby
21. Attend an out of state stitching convention or GTG.
22. Stitch for 25 hours on Midsummer Night's Fairy.
23. Stitch and finish the sun and moon fob from Toronto.
24. Make a snowflake fob.
25. Make 3 new temari, each a new pattern.

Chrismtas Star Temari - November 2010

Interlocking Square Temari - December 2010

26. Learn to set up the sewing machine and sew a straight seam.
27. Take a quilting class.
28. Make a quilt.
29. Learn basic bead stringing.
30. Make a scissor fob with Granny's crystal bead.
31. Take a cake decorating class.
32. Scrap 30 pages, not including CD calendar pages. Current Total = 6
33. Have a book of layouts printed (Shutterfly or similar).
34. Make a Christmas card alphabet scrapbook.

Fun and Games
~~35. List 101 things that make me happy.~~ Completed 1/4/2009, posted to blog 1/11/2009

~~36. Eat Japanese Hibachi once a year.~~ - Feb 2009, May 2010, January 2011, with pictures.

2009 - February (Valentine's Day celebration)

2010 - May (Mother's Day)

2011 - January (just because)

~~37. Ride a new roller coaster.~~ Completed 3/11/2009, with pictures.

~~38. Ride the Duck Boats at Stone Mountain.~~ Completed 4/26/2009, with pictures.

~~39. See the Christmas lights at Stone Mountain, Lake Lanier, or Callaway Gardens.~~ Completed 12/22/2010, with pictures.

~~40. See a new (to me) Cirque du Soleil show.~~ Completed November 2010.

~~41. Take a long trip to Disney World (6 or more consecutive days in FL).~~ Completed 3/7 - 3/14/2009, with pictures.

42. Visit Connie in Texas.
43. Visit the Atlanta Botanical Gardens.
44. Visit Oakland Cemetery.
45. Go to the symphony.
~~46. See a special exhibition at the High Museum.~~ Completed 4/11/2009, with picture.

47. Go to Six Flags.
48. Go to an NBA game.
~~49. Finish LEGO Star Wars on the Wii.~~ Completed Summer 2011 (as complete as we care to be).
50. Finish LEGO Indiana Jones on the Wii.
51. Learn to juggle (3 balls for 20 seconds).

Life With Luke
~~52. Take a picture of Luke each week.~~ Completed September 2011.
~~53. Take Luke on MARTA.~~ Completed 5/2/2009, with pictures.

~~54. Take Luke to a MLB game at Turner Field.~~ Completed 5/2/2009, with pictures.

55. Take Luke to Medieval Times.
~~56. Take Luke to play miniature golf.~~ Completed 3/12/2009, with pictures.

57. Take Luke to the Atlanta Zoo.
~~58. Take Luke to the Fernbank Museum.~~ Completed 1/17/2009, with pictures.

59. Take Luke to the Fox Theater.
~~60. Take Luke to the planetarium.~~ Completed 7/16/2010, with pictures.

~~61. Try Luke on Fraggle Rock again.~~ Completed September 2011 - He decided he prefers He-Man! LOL
~~62. Enroll Luke in a physical class (gymnastics, swimming, etc).~~ Completed 6/1/2009, with pictures.

~~63. Decide whether or not to send Luke to private school.~~ Completed 8/14/2009

Neat and Tidy
64. Replace DH's medium blue shirt.
65. Update DH's wardrobe matrix.
~~66. Have my Holly Hobby quilt repaired.~~ Completed July 2009, with pictures.

~~67. Get new bedding for our bed.~~ Completed 11/28/2009, with pictures.

68. Get Hide and Seek custom framed.
69. Update the DVD list every year. Have missed too many to consider this completed.

2009 - got part way done, then lost the list when we moved
2010 - no
2011 - no

70. Weed out 150 scrapping folders (average about 1 per week). Current Total = 28; pick up at DDE
~~71. Start using curbside recycling.~~ Completed May 2009, with pictures.

~~72. Clean out my chest of drawers.~~ Completed 9/2/2009, with pictures.

~~73. Clean out my closet.~~ Completed 8/31/2009, with pictures.

~~74. Clean out my dresser.~~ Completed 9/13/2009, with pictures.

~~75. Clean out the guest room dresser.~~ Completed 9/16/2009, with pictures.

~~76. Clean the inside of the windows.~~ Completed December 2009.
~~77. Clean the outside of the windows.~~ Completed 4/5/2009.
~~78. "De-kitty-fy" the other sofa pillow.~~ Completed 9/14/2009, with pictures.

Home Improvement
79. Change foyer light bulb and/or fixture. No longer valid; house sold without it.
80. Have leaking shower head repaired/replaced. No longer valid; house sold without it.
~~81. Replace kitchen floor.~~ Completed 9/30/2009, with pictures.

~~82. Decide what to do about the carpet, and do it.~~ Completed January 2010.
~~83. Decide what to do about the sofa, and do it.~~ Completed Sept 2009.
84. Paint interior of house. No longer valid; house sold without it.
85. Paint exterior of house. No longer valid; house sold without it.
~~86. Have gutters cleaned.~~ Completed 4/5/2009.
87. Reroute gutter/downspout on front of house. No longer valid; house sold without it.
~~88. Remove/replace front bushes.~~ Completed 10/16/2009, with pictures.

89. Have yard improved (grass or landscaping). No longer valid; house sold without it.
~~90. Put the house on the market.~~ Completed 12/22/2009, with pictures.

Digital Bits
91. Make 12 of my own blinkies.
~~92. Post at least one photo with each month's round up.~~
93. Record Superdog and burn all episodes to DVD. (recorded but never burned)
94. Try to recover photos from old computer hard drive.
~~95. Label/relabel all blog posts.~~ Completed 5/10/2009.
~~96. Fix photos/formatting in old blog posts so that the photos show.~~ Completed September 2011.
~~97. Revamp my website (change graphics, update template).~~ Completed 6/26/2011 (index page now points to blog; new template)
~~98. Decide on a better way to archive Movie Musings.~~ Completed 6/6/2009, with picutres.

~~99. Make and install a favicon on my blog and website.~~ Completed 7/26/2011.

~~100. Post a photo or video of at least half of all complete items from this list.~~ Final count: 28 of 52 (54%).
~~101. Have ahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif new list of 101 things ready by day 1001.~~ Click for Version 3!

That's right, there is a Version 3, and it starts in just 2 days! See you there.

Currently feeling: ready to go again

Wordless Wednesday - September 28, 2011

2011-09-28T21:26:00.003-04:00

Currently feeling: happy

Shutter Happy

2011-09-23T21:40:00.003-04:00

Good grief! I was flipping through photos while preparing for Luke's birthday party. I usually do a photo montage that runs on the television (gotta love TVs with built in card slots), but with so many photos this year, I decided to go with prints instead, and I'll put them up on the wall for guests to peruse at their leisure. How many photos? Well, I literally at least glanced at every single photo taken this year by both myself and my parents (I don't have all of theirs, just the ones that pertain to joint family events), which means that in the last week, I have looked at 13,500+ photos. My eyeballs are tired!

I also did a little experiment. I had a coupon for 101 free photos from one company, but I would have to pay shipping. I had a coupon for free shipping from another company, and I paid 9 cents per print. I ordered nearly the same number of prints from each company (101 from one, 106 from the other), and the final cost was about the same! So it costs just as much to print the photos as it does to ship them. Interesting.

Currently feeling: shutter happy

Real Sushi

2011-09-22T20:58:00.001-04:00

Look out! I'm getting all wild and crazy now that I've turned 35. I had my first real sushi experience at a client lunch yesterday. "Client lunch" sounds so formal, when it was really just lunch with my former boss and the sales guy for my new company. I don't think sales guy C realized that former boss D and I are such good friends. It was so great to see D again! We've talked every 2-3 weeks since June, but I don't think I've actually seen him since the spring sometime (March or April, I think; hard to remember). He lived in Japan for 12-18 months in the early 90s, and his aunt is Japanese, so he is extremely picky about his sushi, and he really wanted me to try it. I did make the condition that it couldn't be raw, and he assured me that there was still plenty for me to sample.

I had the Ebi Nigiri (shrimp "cooked" in lime juice, like ceviche), Tamago Nigiri (egg cooked and folded into layers, like an omelet, but oddly sweet), Anago Maki (grilled/charred eel roll), and Negi Maki (thin strips of beef wrapped around a green onion mix, then cooked in a teriyaki type sauce and served hot). He did get some of the Tekka Maki (raw tuna rolls), but I wasn't quite brave enough to try them. The beef was excellent! I could have eaten a whole order (5 pieces) of that by myself. My favorite of the more "traditional" sushi (i.e. what most people think of when they hear the word) was actually the eel. Very tasty! The shrimp was good, it was just a little tough, which made it hard to bite it in half (wasn't sure I could get the whole thing in my mouth in one shot). The soy sauce nearly knocked my socks off. It was *so* strong! It seemed like maybe it was reduced; it was powerful and slightly thicker/with more body than what I'm used to (probably also more authentic than what I'm used to). Fantastically good, but a little dab will do you.

The sushi (sushis? what is the plural?) were all appetizers; my entree was Oyako Don, which is a bowl of rice with a sauce of some kind, topped with essentially a chicken and onion omelet. It was quite tasty, but after 5 pieces of sushi (I had two of the beef), I could only eat about half of it. And I have to brag on myself for just a minute: I ate my *entire* meal with ONLY chopsticks! I think I impressed the heck out of D. I know I certainly impressed myself! I've obviously used them before, but not for such an extended period of time, and never successfully with rice until yesterday. I do think it helped that the chopsticks were much lighter than the (I think) bamboo ones I usually get, and they were less smooth, so my grip on the sticks was better and gave me more control. Lunch was a leisurely 2 hour affair, and I started having trouble picking up pieces of chicken (something I've been able to do for years) around the 90 minute mark. I think my hand was just tired.

I've tried one piece of sushi before. I don't even recall where, but it was back in college, and I did not like it at all. The seaweed tasted bitter and nasty, and whatever was in the middle was all slimy, which did not sit well with my texture-sensitive palette. It was also very spicy with what I assume to be wasabi. *This* experience, however, was totally different. I can't say that I truly loved anything (besides the beef), but it was tasty and enjoyable. D ordered in Japanese, so I'm not sure if he told them to go light on the wasabi or if I just didn't notice it (hard to believe, but I guess it's possible), but what I had was not spicy at all. A very pleasant experience all the way around.

Don't get me wrong, I don't see me turning to my spouse in a few days or weeks and saying "hey, lets go out for sushi!" But I do now feel confident that if a group of friends ever really wants to go out for sushi, instead of turning them down like I would have in the past, I can order a few things and enjoy myself. And it dawned on me after I left that I order my steaks medium-rare, so maybe the actual raw tuna isn't such a big leap. I doubt you'll ever be able to talk me into the raw squid or octopus, but I'll certainly at least give a Tekka Maki a try if I get another opportunity. Go me!

Currently feeling: adventurous

Wordless Wednesday - September 21, 2011

2011-09-21T20:35:00.004-04:00

Pepperoni Pizza Muffins

Currently feeling: hungry

First Pinterest Experiments

2011-09-19T22:37:00.005-04:00

So, for everyone who has thought "yeah, but will you ever really use any of those things you've pinned?", the answer is yes! In fact, I tried two this week. And I do have more invites now if anyone is interested/needs one. :-)

The first was this hair style (pin here). Cute, but I definitely need more practice.

The second was this recipe for what is "supposed to be the best cupcake/cake batter recipe ever." (Pin here.) They were supposed to be white (i.e. no egg yolks), but I was trying to separate the eggs directly into the bowl (stupid on my part), and I accidentally dropped one yolk in. I don't think it overly affected things, though.

These were pretty good. We certainly ate them all (and it makes a bunch; took us nearly a week). It's a doctored cake mix recipe, which I don't mind, though I think both my standard "cake mix additives" and my scratch butter cake recipes are better. I thought these were much better the second day. I don't care for the tang of the sour cream. It became less pronounced over the first 2-3 days, then started to reassert itself near the end. (I realize most folks don't have cake hanging around for a week! I wanted to test it before Luke's birthday party, so it was just us.) Not bad, but I have two recipes I prefer, so I probably won't make these again.

I tried a new icing recipe, too, though not from Pinterest. It was terrible! The texture was not good at all, which is a recipe problem, plus I misread how much salt to add, so the flavor was bad, too, which was totally my fault. Thankfully I only frosted 3 cupcakes with it for immediate eating, then I pitched the rest and made "the good stuff."

More pin reviews to come in the future, I'm sure!

Currently feeling: pinned

Fall 2011 Television

2011-09-16T20:34:00.005-04:00

Despite the fact that we're only picking up one new show (maybe two; Person of Interest for sure, maybe Unforgettable), our schedule is quite full, particularly with The Sing-Off moving to a weekly format. That gives us two 2-hour shows plus a 1 hour dramedy on Mondays. Sorry, can't fit in anything else on Mondays. If you're a new show and would like us to watch you, you need to move to a different night. Thanks! (Example: we *were* going to give Terra Nova a try, but it's a Monday show.) Here is the current schedule:

Monday: DWTS, The Sing-Off, Castle
Tuesday: NCIS, NCIS:LA (and DWTS results)
Wednesday: Criminal Minds, CSI (Mythbusters by end of month),
Thursday: Person of Interest (only new show for 2011; different), The Mentalist
Friday: CSI:NY, Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Most 10 PM shows will roll to the next day, as will The Sing-Off (absolutely no way to get in it and DWTS on Mondays). We're also still missing two shows: Chuck (final season, sniff sniff), which I hear it will start back in October (no idea what night, but it was previously on, you guessed it, Mondays!), and Rules of Engagement, which I believe has moved Saturdays, but I have absolutely no clue when it will be back.

Any new shows you're excited about?

Currently feeling: full

Kitty: A Song in Four Movements

2011-09-15T21:52:00.002-04:00

An original film, directed by, filmed by, and starring Luke. Music from or inspired by classical composers.

Currently feeling: warm and fuzzy

Wordless Wednesday - September 14, 2011

2011-09-14T21:24:00.004-04:00

Currently feeling: sideways

First U8 Soccer Game

2011-09-12T22:31:00.003-04:00

Soccer has started up again, and Luke has moved up a league to U8. This means some new rules and setups, such 8 players to a team and playing 4 on 4, plus having goalies (which is new to U8 this year). There referees now and no coaches actually on the field, though they do still help the kids with getting set up for each play and to help the kids remember if they are supposed to do a throw in, a corner kick, or a goal kick. The field is about twice the size as U6, the goals are much bigger, and you practice twice as often (twice a week instead of once). They also don't provide trophies at the U8 level, but we've already talked to Coach C, and the parents who can/would like to will all pitch in for trophies. (Guess who's in charge of that? Yep!)

There was an assessment a few weeks ago that allowed the coaches to see what each of the players could do. I'm sure it was supposed to act something like open tryouts, to make sure none of the teams end up with a stacked deck, so to speak. The problem was that we were trying to keep as many players from our old team as we could, not because they're a powerhouse team, but because at least 4 of the boys had been playing together for a year and we just didn't want to be split up. We all genuinely like each other, boys and parents alike! We ended up keeping 5 of our 6 players from the spring season (number 6 moved out of state), which made everyone happy. The three new boys are also fitting in pretty well.

I was genuinely surprised that Luke is still either the tallest or second tallest on his team (he and J are very close!), and at least half of the kids on the other teams are also smaller than him. I just assumed that moving up a league would make him look really small out there, but it doesn't. I had brought my sun sleeves, thinking I would need sun protection for the game, but at 8 AM, the spectator side of the field is completely in shadow. It was also not even 60 degrees yet; so glad I had my sleeves for warmth!!

Coach C really wants to train Luke up as a goalie, and Luke is actually fairly good at it. He seems to like it. With the rotation the way it is at the moment, Luke usually plays one quarter as full back, one as mid-fielder, and he'll likely be the regular 4th quarter goalie going forward. Coach C purchased the goalie jerseys and gloves out of his own pocket for the team. He thought it would help the kids not be as afraid of the ball, and I have to say, it really works. They are all so proud when they get to wear them.

Doesn't he look sharp? I can't get over how tall and grown up he looks!

Today (Monday) was Luke's 5th trip to the soccer fields in 6 days, with only Sunday off. Since last Monday was a holiday, our regular Monday practice got bumped to Friday, plus there was an extra "goalie camp" on Thursday to try and be as ready as possible for the first game and first time playing that position, and the game on Saturday. Those poor kids were so exhausted by the end of this evening!

Currently feeling: like a proud soccer mom

9/11/01

2011-09-11T21:11:00.005-04:00

Ten years ago today, I was sitting in my cubical on Peachtree Street. I remember scoffing on my way into work that the "top national news story" on the radio was an unconfirmed report that Michael Jordan returning to the NBA. I clearly recall thinking, "Does this really qualify as news? There isn't some *actual* news you could be reporting?" To this day, those thoughts still haunt me.

I learned about the first plane on an electronic bulletin board, a community I am still a part of today. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. A friend of mine from work was actually in New York, staying at the Marriott that was part of the WTC complex. I frantically called the office where she was supposed to be, and they did eventually find her. She had decided, for reasons she can't explain, to skip breakfast and head into the office early, and it may well have saved her life. I was so grateful she had survived this "accident." Then came the second plane. Then the Pentagon, which required more phone calls, this time to DH's family members to find out if his uncle was okay. He works at the Pentagon, but he was out of town on business that day.

They sent us home from work sometime after the collapse of the first tower, not knowing if other cities and other high rises were at risk. I learned about Pennsylvania and the collapse of the second tower on my drive home. I was completely numb, until my husband walked through the door a few minutes later. Then the tears came. I just sat on my sofa and cried. And prayed. For the huge loss of life. For the loss of the New York skyline as the world knew it, and as I remember it even now. But I also prayed for the people who hated this country enough to do something so horrible. No amount of asking "why" would yielded a satisfactory answer, then or now.

I remember the silence of the skies, with no planes in the air for days. And I remember the chill that ran down my spine when I heard the first post-attack plane flying overhead. Would this one make a safe landing at its intended destination? I had never wondered that before, but I still do sometimes, even now.

Today, ten years have passed, and I will be avoiding all anniversary coverage as much as possible. It just hurts too much. Instead, I will spend the day playing with my son, who has never known a world where the towers stood.

I will never forget, and I will continue to cry. And pray.

Currently feeling: sad

Soggy Virginia

2011-09-10T23:30:00.003-04:00

I spent last week in Virginia for training for my new job. Headquarters is in Virginia, very near Washington-Dulles Airport. I was up at 4:30 AM on Tuesday so I could make my 7:30 AM flight. We landed around 9 AM in rain. Joy. I picked up my rental car (special thanks to my father for reminding me to take my GPS!), checked into the hotel where my room was blessedly already ready, and headed to the office. After picking up my badge, I was shown to my temporary seat for the week. I couldn't believe I found myself sitting in a cubical for the first time since 2004!

It was weird to be wearing (limited) makeup and dressy work clothes and shoes every day. And clearly my dress shoes were not made for rain, ugh! I also realized what a blessing it is to have my whole kitchen at my disposal for lunch every day when I work from home! (Of course, if I'd been in an office at home, I would have at least been able to bring leftovers.)

The hotel was nice enough. Comfy bed, okay pillows, and the most excellent black out curtains I have ever had in a hotel room. They extended well beyond the window on all sides by several inches, including top and bottom. I couldn't tell if it was night or day, even with all the lights out in the room. It was great! The bathroom was pretty spiffy, too. (Hey, what was I going to do on a rainy night in a hotel room by myself with no internet (had to pay extra, and I didn't want to cough up the $10 a day) besides take pictures? Well, and watch lots of TNT and USA.)

That last photo is of the wallpaper in the bathroom. It doesn't really show in the picture, but it was sort of metallic bronze-ish, and the pillow effect was very convincing from the doorway. I never did get a decent photo of the shower, but it was one of those glass walk-in deals with a traditional shower head, an overhead "rain" type shower head, and a bench!

It continued to rain and rain (and rain and rain!) the whole time I was there. Even the locals thought it was excessive. I was supposed to meet a friend for dinner Wednesday evening, but it was raining so badly that we put it off until Thursday. I hadn't seen her in 6 years, and we both desperately wanted to make this work! It did rain less during the day Thursday, but it started up again quite hard between 3 and 4 PM. By the time I got on the road right at 6PM, traffic was a nightmare. One road was washed out, but it was a very small road running through a residential area. I thought surely the major highway would be okay, though, even if it was a little slower. Yeah, right.

My friend called me from the restaurant to let me know that she had arrived around 7:15. In those 75 minutes, I had traveled a grand total of 5 miles (8 km), and I still had 20+ to go. I hadn't even made it to the interstate yet, and the restaurant closed at 9. No way I was going to make it, so we cancelled, and I decided to head back to the hotel. It took another 30 minutes to go less than one additional mile (1.6 km). Why so slow? The major highway was washed out and they were funneling 4 lanes of traffic onto the shoulder and onto a mall service road! Once I made it to the interstate from the mall parking lot, I was going against traffic, and it only took about 15 minutes to go the last 10 miles (16 km). So, 16 miles in 2 hours, and I was right back where I started *and* still hungry. Not a great night. :-\ I got dinner at the hotel "lounge" (way over priced), then just packed and went to bed.

Friday was all kinds of fun (note dripping sarcasm). It was *still* raining, I (supposedly) had a noon flight, and it was Friday, September 9, which means there were "credible terroristic threats" being made in the Washington DC area. Please, I just want to go home! I left the office around 10 AM, and everything went remarkably smoothly, including the rental car return and getting through security. I saw the sun for the first time in 6 days when I landed in Atlanta (it had also rained the 2 days before I left).

The training itself went well. Everyone was very nice, and I took a ton of notes. I was also assigned my first project, but there isn't a lot I can do on it until my orders (that someone else writes) come back approved, which usually takes 10-ish days. I sure hope I still remember what to do by then!

Currently feeling: wet

Wordless Wednesday - September 7, 2011

2011-09-07T20:23:00.005-04:00

Currently feeling: creative

Labor Day 2011

2011-09-05T22:19:00.000-04:00

Labor Day was a whirlwind trip. We drove down after school on Friday, but things worked out better to come back Sunday for multiple reasons.

We arrived late Friday, as usual, but we couldn't sleep late Saturday. We had to get up and dash to the beach if we were going to squeeze it in. Luke played in the sand,

collected seashells,

and of course, there was the water.

We celebrated Dad's 60th birthday with local seafood, and there was an unexpected guest hiding under the docks. Luke was ecstatic!

Sunday was more out and about. I'm not quite sure where the morning went, but we spent the afternoon on the road once more, first visiting my grandfather.

Then heading to DH's uncle's annual Labor Day family reunion (and where I failed to take even a single photo). This is MIL's brother; she was out of town in Florida, but we hadn't been in several years and really felt we needed to put in an appearance. MIL's sister was also there for the first time in years, and it was so great to see her. I suspect we'll be seeing her at Luke's birthday party in October!

After that, we had to get back on the road and head home in the rain. We spent Monday (the actual holiday) letting Luke enjoy some downtime while I packed for my business trip. I have to be on a flight that (supposedly) departs at 7:30 AM Tuesday morning!

Currently feeling: like a cyclone

First Days of New Job

2011-09-02T22:28:00.000-04:00

Well, my first two days at my new job have gone fairly well. I am working from home again, which I absolutely love. Naturally, I had great difficulties getting connected to my home network; turns out they never loaded the driver for the wireless card! Once we got that figured out, I discovered that my learning center login wasn't working, which makes it rather difficult to get in all that mandatory HR training like information security and code of conduct. After 40 minutes worth of Windows updates and 3 emails to the help desk, I was able to complete the training, though one class took 30% longer than estimate, which is incredibly unusual, since I typically come in 10-20% under the estimate, or at worst, right on it. Maybe I'm slipping? LOL So, overall, it went well. I'll be heading to Virginia on Tuesday after Labor Day for my real job training. Wish me luck!

Currently feeling: like a working girl again!

August 2011 Round Up

2011-08-31T23:57:00.009-04:00

Click mosaic to biggify. Created using Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker.

What books and/or magazines did I read this month?
Still plugging away at Wuthering Heights. Less than 50 pages to go. Still not enjoying it.

What movies and/or tv shows did I watch this month?
* TV Time: Was up very late one night not sleeping, so tried Franklin and Bash (it was okay; prefer Suits) and Memphis Beat (surprisingly good, though Alfre Woodard needs to work on her accent; might try it again). In Plain Sight is done for the season, with one final season to go. Still going with The Closer and Rizzoli & Isles. Watched LEGO: The Adventures of Clutch Powers; not good for adults, but Luke loves it.
* New Films: another big list, so let's go with bullets again:
- Cowboys & Aliens: okay; seen better, seen worse
- Pride and Prejudice: Colin Firth version; stopped after 3 hours of it, not really "getting" it
- Despicable Me: a couple of cute moments, but mostly not my taste in humor
- Phineas and Ferb The Movie: Across the Second Dimension: really cute, lots of great touches and references to various episodes
- The Mark of Zorro: 1920 Douglas Fairbanks; interesting from a historical and technique perspective, but a little boring as a film
- West Side Story: Good, but a bit long. I had seen probably 70% of it in bits and pieces, but never the whole thing at one time.
- Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief: not bad, better than much kiddie fare
- Knight and Day: not great, not bad; better than I expected (I did not have high hopes), and cuter than it had any right to be
- The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: um, okay.... truly a bizarre movie, but I'm sure the book is equally bizarre
- The A-Team: eh; some cute moments, but mostly just blah
* Old Favorites: An American Tail: Feival Goes West, How to Train Your Dragon, Psycho, The Lost World: Jurassic Park, Chicago, Tron, Chicken Little, Robin Hood (Disney), The Dark Crystal, Stargate

What special days did I celebrate and how?
DH's birthday, just did cards (had been to a movie earlier in the week). Also sent little brother cards for his birthday.

What gifts did I give and/or receive?
Don't really think there were any.

What illnesses or health concerns did I have?
Don't really think there were any. (Yay!)

What fun things did I do with my friends and/or family?
Don't really think there were any. (That's sad, but things were so crazy with school starting and the job thing.)

What new foods, recipes or restaurants did I try this month?
Tried the Keebler Samoa knock-offs; not perfect, but close enough for when you get a craving between cookie seasons. Also tried basmati rice, which is wonderful. Made a Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit clone recipe; again, not perfect, but easy and in the ball park, and most importantly, Luke loved them!

What special or unusual purchases did I make?
Bought my first 2011 Christmas gifts! And the usual back to school stuff.

What were this month's disappointments or frustrations?
Had really super bad day, just total meltdown; apparently more stressed than I thought. But that stress resolved itself (and created a new kind) when I was offered a job!

What were my accomplishments this month?
I think the only 101 Things Item I completed was this one:

18. Watch Pride and Prejudice (the Colin Firth version; counts towards 30). After 3 hours of it, I simply gave up. I really don't see what the big deal is; I found it rather boring. I'm sure someone will say that I needed to see it through to the end, but I just wasn't feeling it, and I didn't feel it was worth sitting through another 4-5 hours.

I spent all my creative juices on Behavioropoly. It's working okay, though not as well as I hoped. Part of the problem is just remembering to actually do it with everything going on, particularly....

My new job! Not sure that's really an accomplishment, though in a way, I suppose it is, since it is basically good word of mouth from several people who got me the job (and I guess I earned/accomplished earning their good will). I start September 1.

I joined two free online "services." One is Spotify, basically a free cloud of music. I haven't used it a ton, but so far they've had everything I have searched for (primarily Broadway and Josh Groban). The other is Pinterest (blog post about it here), which is a "visual bookmarking sight." I am totally and completely in love, and I have already ~~wasted~~ spent countless hours there. So much good stuff! And I got my first physical stickers printed from GetGlue, which I am ridiculously proud of, LOL.

I've also been cooking a lot and quite enjoying the food, if not the cooking process itself. Restaurant food just doesn't taste as good as it used to. I guess that's an accomplishment! LOL I'm sure it contributed to the fact that I can now wear the shirts I bought back in the spring that shrank in the wash, to the point that I couldn't wear them in June. They fit great now. :-)

What were Luke's accomplishments this month?

The primary Luke accomplishment was starting First Grade. We really liked his teacher on first impressions, and we've seen nothing so far to dissuade us from that opinion. His reading is coming along, though not as swiftly as I'd like. The desire/ability to pay attention is truly his biggest enemy.

Soccer practice has also started back for the Fall 2011 season. Only one practice so far, and it went okay. We have 5 kids returning from our previous team (4 of whom, including Luke, who are now on their 3rd team together; it is so nice to already know half the kids and the parents). The accomplishment will come over the coming months, with surviving twice a week practices! We shall see.

Anything else noteworthy to record?
It was hot hot hot this month, around 100F/38C (give or take) for more of the month than not. I also did not feel the Virginia earthquake, though some friends who work in high rises in downtown Atlanta reported feeling it.

Monthly Round Up courtesy of Katie the Scrapbook Lady.

Currently feeling: very very late with this update (posted Sept 25)

First Post-Melanoma Check

2011-08-31T22:17:00.000-04:00

I had my first skin checkup today since the melanoma incident. I guess it shouldn't surprise me that there is a higher than average number of redheads sitting in the dermatology waiting room than you would usually find in the general population? LOL Everything looks fine. She didn't even find anything to biopsy or remove, and she complimented me for having made it through an entire Atlanta summer with virtually no tan. "Look at that beautiful pale skin!" Yeah, well, I still have a *little* bit of a tan (i.e. my arms aren't as pale as, say, my stomach, which never sees sunlight), but she was very pleased, which is all that really matters. I have to go back in 4-6 months, and if she doesn't find anything to remove at that visit, I can go into "maintenance mode."

She did, however, change her mind about the frequency of my maintenance visits. Originally I was told that I could eventually go to a one year cycle, if I could make it three years without having to have anything removed. After seeing me (and my ghostly yet freckled skin) again, she's decided that I simply have to be checked every six months for the rest of my life. ::sigh:: It's a bit of a pain, but certainly better than the alternative.

Currently feeling: like people need sunglasses to look at me!

Wordless Wednesday - August 31, 2011

2011-08-31T21:36:00.000-04:00

Currently feeling: ready for a nap

2011-08-28T20:28:00.004-04:00

(This is just me talking about a new site I love. No one asked me to post this, and I'm not getting anything for it, other than hopefully new people to follow! LOL)

Have you heard about Pinterest? It is my current online obsession! LOL I believe it is generally referred to as a "visual bookmarking" site. When you find a webpage and/or image that you want to remember, you can "pin it" to your "boards" on Pinterest. The board will then store both the image (there must be an image, or you can't pin) *and* the originating link, so you can go back to where you found it. You can also add your own caption to make it easier to remember what and/or why you pinned that particular item. You can organize them into whatever boards you want and name them whatever you want. You can pin things that you find on the web, or you can see what other people are pinning and "repin" those items directly from their boards. If you find people whose tastes mimic yours, you can "follow" them (similar to friending on Facebook or following on Twitter) so you can easily see what your favorite folks are pinning.

At first, I didn't see the big deal. I have a bookmark file in my browser, isn't that good enough? But I have to tell you, being able to look at the pictures all grouped together is awesome! My favorite board holds recipe links. I can flip through the images and check out my notes, and find something new and yummy looking to try. But I have other boards as well. Fun crafts I'd like to make, cute hairstyles or shoes I'd like to try, super smart home ideas, great quotes. Then there are the "just dreaming" types of boards, like fun shoes or dresses I know I will never wear, or jewelry I love but can't afford. Just things to look at and dream.

Anyway, I believe you can only get in by invitation, which means you have to know someone, or you have to request one and wait for it to come via email. I requested one, and I was invited in less than 72 hours. Can't promise yours would be that quick, but mine was. I would offer to invite you, but the number of invites each member can issue is extremely limited, and I've already used mine. (Sorry!) Shouldn't take too long, though, if you go the website invite route. It is still more or less in beta, so it does have the occasional technical issues and it does go down from time to time, usually due to excessive traffic. It usually doesn't take long to get back on track, though.

But the main reason I wanted to post was to find out if any of you are on Pinterest. I'm always looking for new people to follow, so if you're on Pinterest, please leave me a comment with your link or username so I can find you! I'm moviemuse, of course. http://pinterest.com/moviemuse/

I have to warn you, though, it is the world's biggest time suck! (I mean that in the best possible way, of course.) You think Twitter or Facebook are bad? They don't hold a candle to Pinterest for me. I could lose hours there without even realizing it, and I did the first few days! I now literally have to set a timer and limit myself so I don't get lost in cyberspace. But I am having a blast! So if you're looking for me online and can't find me, I'm probably lost on Pinterest.

Currently feeling: happily pinning my time away

Camera Cow

2011-08-26T21:51:00.000-04:00

"Mommy, why is there a cow on my camera?"

It really is all about your perspective on the world, isn't it?

Currently feeling: moo

Wordless Wednesday - August 24, 2011

2011-08-24T21:35:00.002-04:00

Currently feeling: that is one contented cat

Operation Red Lobster Cheddar Biscuit Clone

2011-08-21T15:02:00.003-04:00

You may recall that my son asked to go to Red Lobster recently, just for the biscuits! This prompted me to find a much cheaper alternative, because that is just too expensive to do very often, especially if what he wants is the biscuits and not the other food (though he will eat the shrimp). I knew there had to be some clone recipes out there, and I was not disappointed. I found three fairly distinct versions of it, ranging from out and out simple to much more complex. Figured I may as well start with the simple one and go from there.

I put one on Luke's plate this afternoon for lunch. "What's this?" What does it look like? "Bread." Any special kind of bread? ::shrugs shoulders:: Why don't you try it? I really expected him to balk, but he didn't. He sniffed it, then took a big bite. I wish I'd had a camera ready. His whole face lit up with a huge smile! So what do they taste like? "Red Lobster biscuits!" Are they good? ::flashes two thumbs up while chewing his third bite:: Mostly we figure that means yes.

They're not perfect, but they're in the ballpark. I imagine one of the more complex recipes I have would be closer to authentic, and I'll probably tinker a tiny bit with this recipe. But if he's happy with them the way they are, and they are dead simple to make (literally took 20 minutes from start to finish), then I'm happy to make them for him. He even asked if we could have them at his birthday party! LOL I'm sure that can be arranged.

So, score one for me (and the internet)! We can now make Red Lobster biscuits at home. The recipe I used is here. I used Bisquick, and I think I might mix half the garlic powder into the dough itself next time. But for a "quick and dirty" clone recipe, it is great.

Currently feeling: chef-ish

Boston 2011 - Day 3, Part 2: Duck Boats

2011-08-20T23:34:00.004-04:00

Previously: Boston 2011 - Day 3, Part 1: Freedom Trail, Part 1

After finishing the first part of the Freedom Trail, we headed back towards the hotel to pick up the Boston Duck Tour at Prudential. We didn't have Duck Boat tickets yet, since we didn't know exactly what time we would be finishing up with the post-lunch activities. As we were waiting for our tour to start, they asked to take our photo for purchase later. It turned out really great!

After taking our photo, we chatted with the photographer, discovering it was her first day at work. We asked how it was going, and she said not bad, though she wasn't looking forward to the warmer weather later in the week. She kept glancing at my husband's t-shirt, giving it a funny look. "Does your shirt say 'Browncoat'?" Yes it does.

(Image from AllPosters.com, though his shirt came from ThinkGeek.)

"Shiny! You just totally made my day!!" I'm pretty sure Shiny is the Browncoat password! LOL We all had a good laugh about it, including my parents (also fans). I wish I'd thought to get a photo of her with my husband, but we started boarding about that time and she had to take everyone else's picture. Still, it was a nice little moment in our day. But as far as Luke was concerned, it was time for the main event!

Duck Boats, for anyone who may not know, are amphibious vehicles. They were originally designed for WWII, though most of the ones in use today are replicas. We did not do the Boston Duck tour in 2003 when we visited, and we were always sorry. They looked like great fun as you watched them drive around the city! Missing out actually promted us to take Luke to ride the Duck boats at Stone Mountain in 2009, and made it a must do for this Boston trip. Our boat in Boston was called Old Gloria, considered one of the most beautiful Ducks in the Boston fleet. (I actually took this photo myself later in the tour.)

Our conDUCKtor (that's their term!) was MacInQuack, and boy, was he a character! His bio from bostonducktours.com says:

MacInQuack’ s Scottish ancestors invented the game of golf and his parents were great golfers. MacInQuack just had to play golf. Unfortunately he was a horrible driver. One time he drove the ball into a tree, it bounced back and hit him in the head knocking him unconscious. When he finally woke up in the hospital his parents told him he better learn how to Drive the ball and to Duck! When MacInQuack finally came to his senses (this is questionable) he thought they said he better learn how to DRIVE a DUCK! So here he is loving beautiful Boston driving for Boston Duck Tours!

Most of the items on the tour were ones that we had just seen or would do later, so there actually aren't a zillion photos, believe it or not. We circled Beacon Hill, Boston Common, and the Public Gardens. We intended to go back later ourselves and get closer to Cheers, but we never did.

Note the statue of Washington in the Public Gardens is wearing his Bruins jersey. After the victory, both the jersey and Washington's sword were stolen! We also traveled most of the Freedom Trail, which allowed us to actually get some better shots of some destinations from earlier in the day, due to the sun finally shining and the height of the vehicle. These are the Massachusetts State House, King's Chapel, King's Chapel Burying Ground, and the Parker House (where we had eaten lunch earlier that day).

We also got some great shots of the Leonard P. Zakim Bunker Hill Memorial Bridge, the widest cable-stayed bridge in the world. I think my husband (the bridge engineer) was more fascinated by it than everything else on the tour!

I posted that third picture because those were all the vehicles and news vans parked in the median near Boston Garden, preparing for Game 6 of the Stanley Cup playoffs later that night. Now, remember that Game 6 was in Vancouver, not Boston! The city was going absolutely nuts, and it was only to get worse.

But enough about land:

Let's get to the fun part, the water!

It doesn't really matter that I've done it twice now, it is still slightly frightening taking a wheeled vehicle and just driving it right into the water. Super cool, but a little scary. Anyway, we got some nice skyline shots.

You'll see that Citgo sign again later, though from a different angle. Anyone who watches baseball probably recognizes it, though. And here a couple of other landmarks. This is as close as we would get to either the Hatch Shell (where the Boston Pops perform for July 4) or the Bunker Hill Monument.

Again, we intended to hit the Hatch Shell (and Cheers) when we went to the Public Gardens, but it was not meant to be. I know it doesn't look like much from the back, but the inside is beautiful. Our intention was to recreate this photo from 2003 with Luke in it with us, but we never made it. It is my only regret about this trip, but we were just too dog tired that day!

(July 4, 2003, our 5th wedding anniversary)

But we did get a zillion photos of this bridge. This is the Longfellow Bridge, formerly known as the Cambridge Bridge. According to Wikipedia

Construction began in July 1900, the bridge opened on August 3, 1906, and was formally dedicated on July 31, 1907. The Cambridge Bridge was renamed as the Longfellow Bridge in 1927 by the Massachusetts General Court for Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, who wrote about the West Boston Bridge in the poem "The Bridge", in 1845.

It is known locally as the "salt and pepper bridge" for the towers' obvious resemblance to table shakers. The seals above each ship are different, depending on which side of the river they are closer to: Boston or Cambridge.

The details on those ships are amazing, though. This first shot makes them look really flat.

But they're not, they are extremely dimensional. They are intended to look like Viking ships, honoring the supposed trip up the Charles River by Leif Ericson (a theory first proposed by a Harvard professor, according to our driver).

Here are some close up details.

The bridge is undergoing a ton of maintenance right now. There were these special metal plates hanging beneath the bridge to keep rust and debris from falling down on the Duck Boats. I took this shot just as we were coming out from under the bridge. Nice of the sailboat to add atmosphere!

Hey, anyone want to drive this thing? He thought you'd never ask! LOL (Luke had actually commented when we boarded, "maybe I can drive it!" But when we just nodded and said "maybe," he gave us the "yeah, right" look. Perhaps you should believe your parents sometimes, young padawan!)

The tour is about 90 minutes long (no stops, no getting on or off, though we did give Luke a snack). By the time we were back on land, Luke was really starting to fade. It had been a long day, expending lots of energy, and he'd been sitting for too long. At least we were dropped off less than two blocks from our hotel!

There was also an Uno's about another block up, so we popped in there for dinner before tucking in for the night. Dad got the Turkey Bacon Swiss, Mom had the Shrimp & Crab Fundoo, DH decided on the Personal Numero Uno, and I enjoyed the Mac & Three Cheese. We got Luke the kids thin cheese pizza, but he he didn't eat it at all. Not sure if he was just too tired or what. After that, we had to get him into bed, so we headed back to the hotel, while Mom and Dad went to the Public Library just around the corner. There would be a second excursion to the library later, so I'll save those pictures for then.

Currently feeling: just ducky

Nifty Nails

2011-08-18T20:15:00.005-04:00

Fingernails, or more precisely, funky polishes and manicures, seem to be all the rage at the moment. I see them everywhere on Pinterest. Most of them are really cool to look at, but not something I would ever actually do, certainly not if I have to do it myself! I don't really even paint my nails that often, but I get on a kick every few months. Plus I'm a little picky about my nail colors (greens and blues don't generally do it for me, or really dark shades of any color). There are even whole blogs devoted to cool manicures. My favorite is Chloe's Nails. Lots of inspiration there!

After seeing so many pretty nails over the weekend on Pinterest, I decided on Monday to paint my nails. I had bought a few bottles of polish several months ago, and I knew there was one I hadn't tried yet: Pure Ice Purple Reign (262CP). In the bottle, it looks like a dusky purple with tiny gold specks in it (not really glitter the way I tend to think of it, but definitely shiny gold; I'm sure there is some sort of official nail polish term for that!). It looked much darker on my nails than I expected, and the gold flecks didn't show up nearly as well as I hoped. It also wasn't very shiny (not matte by any means, but not glossy either), which was disappointing.

Now, I will admit, I had a "duh" moment while poking around on Chloe's nail blog. Other than the "clear with glitter in them" type polishes, it had never occurred to me to layer nail polish colors! That was a complete revelation. All those nail colors that I've thrown out over the years because they were so sheer that even 3 and 4 coats didn't cover as well as I'd like! All I had to do was put them on top of something similar in color that is more opaque to get a truer representation, or use them to alter a different color that has better coverage and make something new. I felt like an idiot! So when I didn't really like the purple as it came out, I went fishing around in my bathroom drawers. I put on a coat of Wet N Wild's Crystalic in Psycho (477B). I don't think the predominantly green, yellow, and orange iridescent colors worked super well with the purple, but it upped the shine quotient and made it better, so I lived with it.

Then this afternoon, the chips were really starting to show, especially on my right hand, so I prepared to start removing it. Just before I did, though, I thought "you know, before you take it off, you might want to play with layering some other polishes." So back to the drawers I went, and I dug out three more that I hadn't been happy with as straight up polishes, just to see what would happen. From left to right, they are: Sally Hansen Diamond Strength in Lavender Marquis (57), Wet N Wild Shine in Sparkled (435G), Milani 3D Holographic in Hi-Res (514), and the Wet N Wild's Crystalic in Psycho (477B) that I had already used earlier. Here are the results:

Fingers are in the same order as the bottles above, and remember, each one started out the same, with two coats of the Pure Ice Purple Reign. I'm not loving the first one; need to find a better "under color" for that one. I think the holographic (third one) is great, it's just not what I was in the mood for right now. But the second one, with the pink glitter? I *love* it! I wasn't sure the pink of the glitter would work with the dark purple, but I think the overall effect is awesome. It is much more sparkly than even the picture shows. I can't stop looking at it! I was planning to put on something completely different when I take off the polish later tonight, but I love it so much I may just redo all the nails that way! It is way hard to get a good picture of your own nails, by the way. I don't know how all you ladies do it! LOL

So, that was my fun little polish experiment. (The only reason I can even do this is because nail polish dries *so* much faster than it did when I was a kid.) If I do any other fun or amazing things with polish, I'll let you know, though I don't really expect it to become a "regular" feature on my blog. But if you have any good polish colors or websites to recommend, I'm listening! (And before anyone recommends the Seche Vite top coat, I have a bottle sitting in my Amazon cart, waiting for my next order.)

Currently feeling: girly

Wordless Wednesday - August 17, 2011

2011-08-17T23:35:00.001-04:00

Currently feeling: wondering of Star will be competing on the balance beam soon

New Job!

2011-08-16T19:46:00.002-04:00

I think most everyone has already heard via other means, but I wanted to officially announce that I have a new job. My parents made it too easy. When I called my mom, she asked "so how are you?" Employed! When my dad called, he asked "so whatcha got?" A job! LOL

For my old job, there were two sides of the coin, the company side and the vendor side. When I was laid off, I was doing the company side. For my new job, I'll be doing the vendor side for one of the installation vendors. Needless to say, having previously done the company side is a *huge* advantage and is likely the reason I was hired (as was good word of mouth from the 5 different people I know he spoke with, former coworkers and former managers). And it's for the same pay I was making at my old job! I start a week from Monday. Woo-hoo!

Currently feeling: beyond thrilled!

Flash Card Funnies: A Conversation (or Two) With Luke

2011-08-14T13:28:00.006-04:00

While running through his sight words this weekend....

Luke: For.
Me: Can you use it in a sentence?
Luke: We have four cats.
Me: No, this isn't the number four. It is the word for, like when you do something *for* someone. Can you read this sentence on the back of the card? [note: I hoped seeing it in context would help. I also had to help him with the word bought, but that's okay.]

Luke: I bought a toy for my self. [emphasis mine]
Me: Luke, you need to actually *read* the sentence, not just guess. What is that last word?
Luke: Oh, sister. But I want the toy!

Me (rolling eyes): Let's try another one.

Luke: To.
Me: Use it in a sentence.
Luke: I want two toys.
Me (sighing): No, this isn't the number two. [holds up another flash card]

Me: *This* is the number two. So if this [shakes the two card] is the number two, then what is this? [shakes the to card]

Luke: The letter to!

At this point, all conversation and flash card practice ceased, because DH and I couldn't stop laughing.

Currently feeling: where do they come up with these things?!

What happened to the other me?

2011-08-11T22:13:00.002-04:00

We gave Luke his choice of where to eat after the first day of school. "Red Lobster, because they have the best bread in the whole world!" And what did I say next that completely shocked both my husband and myself? "We don't have to go to Red Lobster for cheddar biscuits. I can make those at home."

Ponder that statement for a moment, please. Remember, I am the person who hates to cook, and I generally don't think I'm very good at it. I am the person whose child used to eat out so often that he would beg to eat at home! And suddenly, I'm the person who says "hey, we don't need to go to a restaurant, I can make that." And, I can tell you that the last few times we've eaten out, I've been disappointed. It just hasn't tasted that great. Even if I can't make exactly what it was we had at the restaurant, most of the time lately I feel I could make something different that is better.

Clearly something is wrong with me! We used to eat out 3-4 times a week, sometimes more. How is it that none of that stuff tastes nearly as good after only a month of diligent cooking at home? And I'm making weird things like poached chicken and brown rice! If you'd told me in June that I would actually prefer to cook at home because it tastes better, I would have told *you* to have your head examined.

Don't get me wrong, I'm still craving a few things "out" here and there, like Golden Corral (their pot roast is wonderful), Mexican (we've been eating at Los Loros for nearly 15 years; I miss the people as much as the food), Sonny's (they have the best smoked turkey), and Japanese. Oh, and McDonald's sweet tea, mmm! Yes, I can make sweet tea as good, if not better, at home, but it causes kidney stones, and I can't control myself with a whole pitcher of tea in the house. I have to settle for the occasional cup from McDonald's (just $1 for a large). But I've also really started craving some of the things that *I* make, too, and more than just my favorite dish. So strange.

Hopefully, this is a permanent taste bud change, and it will continue even after work/funding returns to normal (I've had a few nibbles, but most have fizzled out, and one is still hanging out there in "I have no idea" land). Until then, I'll just enjoy it. I can't say that I'm really "enjoying" the process of cooking any more than I was, but it does seem like less of a chore with the recent practice. And I really am enjoying the food.

Who am I, and what happened to the other me?!
Currently feeling: who is this person?

Wordless Wednesday - August 10, 2011

2011-08-10T22:35:00.002-04:00

Currently feeling: some disparity in size

Behavioropoly

2011-08-09T10:12:00.006-04:00

Ever since about mid way through the last school year, I've been pondering some sort of points or reward system for Luke to encourage good behavior. Not sure what was up with him, but sometime after Christmas, his usual good behavior (especially at school) really took a nose dive. We learned long ago that motivation with him is key. I could have gone with the "points" system, where certain behaviors earn certain points that can then be redeemed for rewards. I had a loose list of behaviors I wanted to work on, but I wasn't sure that just points would really do the trick. A friend suggested tickets, like you earn at the arcade, which is almost what I went with, but it still didn't feel like *the* idea. I'm very much an "I'll know it when I see it" type person, and I knew I just had not hit on the right concept yet. But, I wanted to implement the new system with the new school year, and it was coming down to the wire!

Then two weekends before school was to start, Luke was poking around in a closet in the basement and found our still factory sealed X-Men Monopoly game. He'd never played Monopoly, had no idea what it was, but he wanted to open that thing so bad! Um, no, but we *do* have an open Star Wars Monopoly game, let's play with that instead. And from that moment on, he was hooked. It is all he has wanted to do every day since, come home and play Monopoly.

Lightbulb!! What if the properties were behaviors, and he earned them by performing the desired behavior? ::ding ding:: In two days, I had cracked out the basics of what I wanted. Within another two days, I had named all of the properties (thanks to my bulletin board buddies for some of the names, or for the inspiration that led to other names!), and I made all of the properties and cards and money in a single night.

I present Behavioropoly!

These are the properties you can earn. There are 25 of them, color coded by category.

- Reading (black): Reading Railroad (red property), Chapter Choo-Choo, Author Express, Bookworm Boxcar
- Sight Words (white): Flash Card Company, Site Word Works (red property)
- Chores [specific chores shown on cards] (pink): Laundry Lane, Grocery Avenue, Kitty Corner
- Trying New Foods (orange): New Flavor Drive, Tasting Trail (red property)
- Setting the Table (yellow): Flatware Avenue, Plate Place, Napkin Lane
- Behavior (green): School Stoplight Square (red property), Manners Drive, Good Behavior Place
- Homework [without fussing/whining] (blue): Homework Drive, Math Square, Language Arts Avenue
- Bedtime Fast (purple): Pajama Place (red property), Toothbrush Trail (red property), Bedtime Boulevard, Get Changed Lane, Slumber Street

Instead of a board, there is a list showing how many in what categories there are to earn:

The term "red property" that follows some of the property names correspond to the pink numbers you see on the list (the properties are also marked with pink dollar signs instead of green). I wanted certain behaviors to happen for sure, or there would be a penalty. He gets enough "money" each week to buy every property in play. For simplicity's sake, that means 20 green dollars (instead of 19), 6 red dollars, and one "gold" reward card to start each week.

If you haven't purchased all 6 of your red properties with your red dollars by the end of the week, you have to give me a green for each red you still have. You also must pay a green if you earn any "Attitude Adjustment" cards (the orange ones below; think Chance and Community Chest) for misbehaving, earning a Talk Back Tax or a Not Listening Tax (Luxury Tax or Income Tax on the original board). If you do not have any greens left when you are taxed, then you will receive a red dollar, which you must then pay out of next week's "salary." Extra greens can be earned for performing the behavior more times than there are properties, like doing sight words a third time in a week. There are also "behavior bonus" cards (the yellow ones below) for extra special occasions. Still not sure yet if those will be greens or golds; maybe one green for each, unless you get three and then you can have a gold? Obviously, I'm still ironing out some of the specifics.

If you earn all properties in a group, you get a "gold" (akin to buying houses or hotels in the game). I really wanted to use gold coins for this, but it was too hard to find something to easily hold them where he could still see them. Luke is such a visual person (gee, I wonder where he gets that from) that being able to see his properties and his money is very important. It's easier with the cards, because we can just drop them in this magnetic basket on the refrigerator, which we keep right at his eye level.

But I still wanted the golds to be special, so I made up our own symbol: a G (for gold) with two lines through it, similar to the S with lines through it for the dollars. If I'd had a gold metallic pen, I'd have used it! Maybe in the next version.... The golds are what you actually use to purchase rewards, like a piece of candy after dinner (cost is one gold, limited to 4 times a week and assumes you ate enough of your dinner), or saving them up for things like Pokemon cards or a small LEGO set. We're still working out the specifics of the reward system. Right now, he's just excited about earning properties, which is fine.

It is still a work in progress. I only had about 10 days from concept to when it had to be put in place, and I'm sure it will need some tweaking along the way. For starters, we need to see how he does on which categories. Three might be too hard in some cases, or too easy in others. Since we're not restricted by a board, I can have as many or as few properties in a category as needed. I want him to do well and not get discouraged, so it can't be too hard (but I don't want it too easy, either).

There are other details I haven't worked out yet, some of them even very basic. Like:
- Should he get the greens at the beginning of the week and have to buy the properties as he earns them? Or should he just earn the properties outright (except the red properties)?
-How many golds for various rewards? I'm sort of waiting to see how many he will typically earn in a week before I set that number. I'm thinking Pokemon cards every couple of weeks, and maybe a small LEGO set or pack of Star Wars figures in 4-6 weeks. Remember, I'm still not working, so we have to factor in what we can afford! I could also use some other smaller fun reward ideas, if you have any (a new coloring book is about the only other idea I've had).
-What about properties earned but didn't make the set to convert to gold? It doesn't seem fair for him to not get to keep some reward for them. That's where I'm pondering going to earning the properties outright, without having to buy them. Then, for any not converted to gold buy getting the whole set, he can get a green back. Then I'll need some sort of conversion rate for green to gold (maybe 20) so he will eventually get something for the properties he earns that don't make a set.

There will be other improvements as well. Eventually, each card will have some sort of fun clip art or something on it, like various trains for the reading cards, etc. I didn't have a ton of time to spend on it, and I didn't want to spend a bunch of time if it's not going to work. But if it does seem to be working, I'll probably make them out of poster board or heavy card stock next time. (I don't recall index cards being so flimsy when I was a kid!)

As I said, it is still a work in progress, but overall, I'm very proud of the idea and how well it has worked in the first few days. I can tell you that his speed with getting ready for bed has increased dramatically! He was lollygagging for a good 20 minutes just to change his clothes and brush his teeth. It was driving us crazy! Now, it's about 5 minutes flat. Awesome! And he is very interested in completing sets after purchasing his first piece of after dinner candy, too. But I am open to suggestions, so if you have any, please let me know!

Currently feeling: monopolistic

First Day of First Grade

2011-08-08T21:28:00.003-04:00

Luke started 1st Grade today! He is very excited about not being a Kindergartner anymore, and we're excited for him. He feels like a big boy, his teacher is very nice, and he will be in the gifted and talented program. Hard to ask for much more than that as a parent. How about a few more pictures? Yes, I had to throw in the comparison shots.

See, for example, that his backpack seems to have shrunk.

I think maybe the front door shrank, too!

We were ready just a little early (didn't want to have to rush through pictures like last year), so he got to chill in the recliner for a minute. When did he get so big?! Remember this recliner shot? ::sigh::

The bus was about 5 minutes late, but that's fairly normal for the first day.

I guess things went well. He got a green smiley face and an "awesome" in his planner, something they are required by the principal to have (as in, you must purchase the ones provided by the school) starting in 1st grade. The cover is lenticular, so it looks 3D, with the globe pattern of the leaves coming forward, and the rest of the tree receding. (It doesn't photograph well, but it's really neat in person!)

Different teachers use them in different ways, but his teacher will report on his behavior daily, mention any special school work or assignments (like if it is his week for show and tell or something), and if he needs any supplies (like more crayons). We can also communicate with her by writing in the planner. Not a bad little system, I guess, just an adjustment.

Relaying details of his day has never been Luke's strong suit. All I could gather is that the teacher read a book to them, and they played. Sounds about right for the first day, I guess, since first graders don't really need to review the syllabus or anything. His requested post-school meal was Red Lobster. That will teach me to say "we'll go anywhere you want!" LOL (We were anticipating Stevi B's or IHOP, but we honored our word.) Here's to a wonderful new year!
Currently feeling: like a 1st Grade mom

Literalism: A Conversation With Luke

2011-08-07T19:37:00.002-04:00

After asking Luke to bring his dinner dishes into the kitchen....

Me: Luke, where is your glass?
Luke (looking confused): My glass?
Me: Yes, your water glass from dinner. Where is it?
Luke (still confused): I didn't have a water glass.
Me: Yes, you did, you were drinking water.
[Luke goes into the dining room and returns]
Luke: You mean this?
Me (exasperated): Yes. Isn't that the glass you were drinking water from?
Luke: Mommy, this isn't a glass, it's a plastic.

Currently feeling: silly

Summer 2011 Movie Musings Shorts - Part 2

2011-08-05T21:52:00.004-04:00

Green Lantern - Not bad. Had some good moments, but actually took itself a little too seriously in places, which was a surprise. Better than Thor, though.

Cars 2 - Not a bad Bond spoof, but I thought it was way too violent for a "Cars" movie, considering how young that audience skews. Luke loved it.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon - Meh. Better than the second one is about all I can say for it.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2 - Well acted and well done, but ultimately not any more satisfying to me than the book was. Sadly, Deathly Hallows is my next to least favorite book (Order of the Phoenix is my least favorite).

Winnie the Pooh - Absolutely delightful! Laughed more than I had in weeks. Already fully reviewed here (if not officially "fully mused").

Captain America: The First Avenger - Great movie! Truly enjoyed it. Probably second behind only X-Men: First Class as our favorite of the summer. Old fashioned, sweet, genuine, and romantic. About as close to a "chick flick comic book film" as there will ever be.

Cowboys and Aliens - It was okay. Seen better, seen worse, even this summer. Fun to see James Bond and Indiana Jones together, though neither man looked overly happy to be doing what they were doing.

Currently feeling: current on current movies, for a change!

Wordless Wednesday - August 3, 2011

2011-08-03T17:16:00.003-04:00

Currently feeling: that's 41C for my metric friends