Look at me, with all my fancy accomplishments

I did it. I made it through another year of NaBloPoMo and came out the other end unharmed and successful. This year seemed much easier for some reason. I only felt the pressure of posting a couple of days—which I'm sure is apparent. NaBloPoMo was the only thing that stirred me enough from my impromptu nap at 8 o'clock to get my ass out of bed. I may have just stayed there otherwise.

Looking back over the past month I'd say my favorite post is this one. That was a good day. Of course, a big majority of my posts were about the bathroom. Which went on for two very long weeks. I taught the world about suet cakes—or at least a few people. And I learned a little bit more about all of you. I love it when our quirks bring us together. I had fun. I may just do it again next year.

I'm like a modern day Sleeping Beauty

Sometimes I swear there is a steady stream of sleeping gas being piped into our house each evening. It happens around 6 o'clock. Dinner is in our bellies, the TV is off, the house has a slight chill to it (in an effort to keep the gas bill down). Next thing I know, I'm sleeping—fully clothed—on whatever surface allows me to stretch out (the bed, the couch, the floor).

All it really takes is climbing into bed for story time with the boys and a handful of books. By the time JQ gets to that last line in Goodnight Moon, I'm out. It's just so comforting. A tiny body pressed up against me, a little heart rhythmically beating out a slumber cadence. It's my own personal brand of lethargy kryptonite.

And you know what? I don't really mind. If it wasn't for the fact that JQ would harass me to no end, I might just go bed at 8 o'clock every once in a while. Know what I mean?

We take our fort making seriously around here

Tuesday night JQ and I made a fort for G-tot. It was so cool that we left it up until this afternoon. We love making forts. Whether they are simple forts made out of just the cushion of the overstuffed chair or elaborate forts like the one we made the other day—they just rock. G-tot thinks they are awesome and squeals with delight when he realizes what is going on.

Last night—after eating too much—the three of us snuggled up in our fort and proceeded to fall asleep. At 8 o'clock. I woke up two hours later. If it wasn't for the fact that I thought G-tot should sleep in his own bed, I'd probably would have stayed there all night.


Yep, forts are awesome. Don't you think?

Happy Thanksgiving

The Macy's Day Parade.


Alice's Restaurant.


Lots of delicious food.


Good Company.


Happy Thanksgiving from my family to yours.

Super suprise inside!

Oh. My. God. While searching around on Amazon this evening I discovered that the box set I bought today has set of 4 collectible prints included! Each print has the a cover image on one side with a quote on the other. They smell even better than the books and are BEAUTIFUL. What an awesome surprise! They were tucked in the end next to Breaking Dawn. I only took the first two books out of the box and had no idea they were in there.


Super Cool. Photo Booth does them no justice.

Am I the only one who smells printed matter?

I had to take a long look at one of the bookshelves in the office to remember the last hard cover book I purchased. It was The Dangerous Book for Boys—purchased around April of this year. I get a new book or two quite a bit throughout the year but they're usually paperback and more often than not, design/academic related.

The last hard cover novel I purchased? Unless there is something in a box in the basement I'm forgetting about, it would be The More Than Complete Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Which I didn't technically purchase. It was a gift. From my high school graduation. In 1994.

We go to the library all the time, but it has been so long since I've been the first person to open a beautifully bound book. I had forgotten what a wonderful experience that is. Until today. I walked out of the bookstore this afternoon with $80 worth of hard cover books. Four books that are very dear to my heart. One of the best set of books I've ever read.

The Twilight Saga.

Why, yes, I am such a dork that I'm showing you a picture of my new books.

I had been hoarding money from my birthday—which was in August—for whatever reason. I suppose I didn't want to waste it. I had planned to buy clothes, but I hate shopping for them. I think that's why I've had the money for so long. When I finished the Twilight saga in August I knew I wanted to buy the set—and they had to be hardcover. Such a well written series deserves as much in my opinion. Plus, I love the way the way a nice set of books look on a shelf.

When I was shopping this afternoon I knew it was time to part with some of that money. I sprung for the box set which comes slipcased with each of the four cover images on a panel. The set came shrink-wrapped so I can guarantee you, nobody else has opened any of the books.

Cracking open my copy of Twilight was so satisfying. The creak of the front cover when I made that first crease. The smell of the ink on the paper. The sound of the pages running through my fingers. The shiny black covers with the simple yet beautiful typography.

I wonder how it will be my second time through now that I've seen the movie? My visions of the characters were so different than the casting in the movie. Now, Rob Pattinson is Edward. I can't get that vision out of my head.

You know what I mean?

Do you think they'll notice if I'm gone for a few more minutes?

Unexpected visits from old friends are great. Friends that you've known forever who live hundreds of miles away. The ones you're lucky to see once a year. A phone call out of the blue. In town for just a day. Can we come over and catch up? Absolutely.

But I have to sneak away for a minute to make sure I get my post in for NaBloPoMo. I'll just say I'm going to check on G-tot.

You won't tell will you?

We keep our fat in a jar under the sink

It's not fudge.

On Saturday afternoon I made a batch of suet cakes for the bird feeders. It's one of the items on my 101 in 1001 list and since the weather has turned cold I thought this was the perfect time to cross it off. I like to give the birds suet cakes in the winter so they have some extra fat in their diet. We keep a 20 gallon tub of bird seed in the garage year round—a mix of millet, corn, and sunflower seeds. When we make bacon we pour the grease into a glass jar and keep it under the kitchen sink until it the jar is full. This fat became the main ingredient for the suet cakes. Let me tell you something about grease that has been sitting at room temp in a closed jar for several months—the smell is overpowering.


I found a few recipes online as a guide and adapted them to use what I had on hand. For the 11 x 7 block I used:

Bacon fat (approx. 1 Tony Packo's pickle jar & 1 med. salsa jar full)
Peanut Butter (a heaping tablespoon or so)
Bird Seed (probably two cups worth)
Flour (the recipe called for 5 c. per 1 lb. lard—I just poured and stirred until I found a consistency I liked)

Doesn't this look stratum or a multi-scented Glade candle?

In a large glass mixing bowl I microwaved the fat for 45 seconds to soften it up into an almost liquid consistency. Then I mixed in the rest of the ingredients until the mixture had a soft fudge-like feel. I lined a 11 x 7 pan with foil and poured the mixture into it to cool. I stuck the entire pan in the freezer for a few hours. The foil made it easy to lift the entire mixture out of the pan and cut it into 6 squares to fit the suet feeders.





I put one in the feeder on Sunday, stuck the rest in a gallon ziploc bag and threw them back into the freezer. This one batch should last us through most of the winter. I hope the birds approve.

I had to pee about twenty minutes into the movie

It's 12:12 and I'm sitting in the theater waiting for Twilight to start. I don't have text capabilities on my phone and there isn't a wi-fi signal for my iPod to pick up. If there was I'd be twittering all of this—I guess you can consider yourself lucky.

The show starts at 12:30 and is in the Director's Hall which = more money & minimal perks. I don't mind this time. As I was standing in line I noticed the normal priced tickets already listed a 1:00 and 7:00 show as sold out. Crazy. I'll pay the few extra dollars and enjoy the cushy seats with fewer patrons.

Right now there are about 25–30 people in here and it's 12:18 pm. I'm second row from the top, dead center. And I'm alone. I felt an odd pang of guilt as I left the house today. Spending time alone—outside of the house and NOT at work is just something I don't really do anymore.

I think I'm the only person here alone. It's starting to fill in and there is a low droning sound from all the chatter. It reminds me of the office chatter from the old school Sims Tower game. JQ, you know what I'm talking about.

It's dark in here. I can't see the paper at all.
Holy crap it's hot in here.
What's with all these commercials trying to be like a movie trailer? Are they trying to trick us into watching them?

12:24—Putting away the notebook. Getting ready for two hours with Edward and Bella.

Crap, the screen has been black for at least two minutes. I'm starting to freak out. HALP! MUST SEE TWILIGHT!! Ahh…okay, deep breath. Relax you nut job.

12:38—Still nothing and now the crowd is harrassing the usher. Poor girl. Crap it's hot in here.

12:41—The usher just came in and said the movie would start in 10 minutes. We get to sit in the dark. Lovely. Damn how I year for wi-fi.

I hear rustling in the projector room. The crowd (probably 50 people or less) is getting restless. I want to ask the people behind me if they've read the books. But I feel like a turd doing that so I won't. Hmm…is the Mom with her pre-teen son here because SHE read the series? Or does the boy want to be here because of the previews?

12:47—I hear a reel running. Here we go.

---

Holy crap that was good. I'm the last person in the theater waiting for the end of the closing credits. I can't believe everybody left. Are we the only people who wait through the credits to see if there is something extra at the very end? Am I the only real fan in here?

But yeah, I loved it. Beautifully shot. Well acted—even the minor characters were enjoyable. I thought Robert Pattinson did a great job as Edward. I had read the first chapter of Midnight Sun awhile back and he played the classroom scene perfectly. Bella was great—I thought Kristen Stewart did an excellent job. I loved the surprise cameo appearance in the diner. I laughed more than once and even though I knew the story I jumped at one point in the film.

I'm so glad I had the opportunity to see it opening weekend. It was everything I hoped it would be and it will be a part of our collection as soon as it comes out on DVD.

They may have called me greedy and lazy but they're still cute.

I saw this at Dutchy's the other day and had to try it. I chose the little green guy. I came back today and while I'm still most drawn to the greenie, I also like the brown critter with the antlers. Here's what they both had to say. What's your cute monster?

What Your Cute Monster Says About You

You are a very natural, real person. You're comfortable with who you are - and your spirit truly shines through. You are free of inhibitions and hang ups. Because of this freedom, you tend to be very creative. Your inner demon is greed. You can't help but lust after wealth and shiny objects. People think you're cute because you are so lively. Your natural glow makes you charming.

You are a deep, thoughtful, down to earth person. You don't put much stock in appearances. You are never superficial or flippant. You take time in life to study, learn, and get to know people well. You inner demon is laziness. You can get so caught up in your own world that you neglect everything around you. People think you're cute because you're intelligent. Your wit and wisdom are charming.

The Cute Monster Test

You should have seen my armpits earlier today

We are very, very close to having a shower again. This makes me so happy. Some caulk, a bit of paint and putting on the faucet/handles is all that stands between me and a shower in my own home again. I have no words to express the joy I feel when I stand in the bathroom. It's like I've just taken a really satisfying shit—without any of the stink.

Friday afternoon. Watching the glue dry.

I had alterior motives with one of those questions

These are the gift tags I had in mind when I asked the question regarding pricing the other day. Thanks for all the feedback! It was quite helpful. As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I have several more sets utilizing different papers and photographs. I just have to get them photographed and listed.

Flecks and Flowers Gift Tags

Lily Pads Gift Tags

I'm in the guide—you should check it out.

Sometimes I work with my head up my ass

Umm…on every one of my syllabi this quarter I put down the wrong office hours. I somehow managed to write 5:00–5:30 instead of 3:15–3:45. Which aren't even close to one another. Where did I get that first time frame from? I have no idea. I also wrote on one of my syllabi that the class meets twice a week. Which it doesn't. And I didn't realize this until this morning when I was checking the posted meet times for the room I teach the class in. If I hadn't looked at that I probably would have been sitting in the classroom wondering why everybody ditched today.

I'm so pretty.*

*This is one of our favorite sayings when we do something stupid. "You're so pretty." Most effective if accompanied by petting your hair.

I've got a question or two

Eighteen days into NaBloPoMo. That's over the halfway mark. With all that has been going on this month it's amazing that I've made it this far. Today, I've got questions. Answer one, answer them all. It's up to you.

How is it that it still takes me several minutes of clicking to connect wirelessly to the internet on my laptop? I've had it since JULY and it's incredibly annoying to not be able to connect instantly, but I fail to try to remedy the problem.

How much would you pay for a set of 5 fancy handmade gift tags?

How many of you readers exercise on a regular basis? What do you do (generally) and how often?

Do you drink the recommended daily intake of water regularly? Plain? With lemon? Other ideas?

Dishwasher or by hand?

Church?

Normal bedtime? How about when you wake up?

Will you click through and answer?

Cutting it close

11:20—Crap. I'm running out of time.
11:21—Crap. Crap. Crap. What should I write about?

I woke up this morning knowing that I had a 13 hour work day ahead of me and no shower available to wake me up and start off my day. I didn't let it bother me. My just-washed-in-the-kitchen-sink hair looked FABULOUS after drying it. Awesome. My classes were great. A lot of enthusiasm running through the students. When I got home around 10:00 JQ was still beaming from the guitar ensemble concert he had performed in tonight. As he recapped the concert, his stories had us both cracking up. I wish I could have been there to see it. I'm so happy for him. All the stress leading up to the concert—it can play tricks on you. He was even complemented by one of his instructors on his solo. ROCKIN'!

11:33—It was a good day.

Optimistic

Wow…I've been a real treat these last few days, haven't I?

I'm doing better. Saturday morning was my tipping point and we got through it and are on the upswing again. Well, at least I am. JQ is too, I just think he will be better once the bathroom is done. Which it's not.even.close. Despite that suckfest, I feel pretty good.

I'm back to work tomorrow for the start of a new quarter after a week off. New quarters are fun. All the students are excited to get into new subjects. New classes change the dynamics of student interaction. It's good stuff. It also equals a couple of 13 hour work days, but that's the way it goes.

How about a couple of random pictures?

6.10.07

11.14.08

Defeated

Our morning started with G-tot puking all over our bed. Multiple times. We are officially defeated. The three of us are going to JQ's parents to shower and just get out of the house for awhile.

Send love and encouragement.

I did get to shower yesterday

Right now I'm feeling a little numb about the bathroom situation. It's far from finished but if I let myself get too concerned about it I'm going to have a mental breakdown. I've cried at least once each day since it happened. Not just over the bathroom, it seems that it is the proverbial straw on the camel's back. The culmination of events of a shitty past month or so has left me in a crumpled heap this week. I worry that JQ is worse than I am. What we both desperately need is a break. If some greater power could just ease up on the hardships we've been dealt—even if just for a few months—that would be awesome.

Don't you think?

But anyway, the bathroom. If you missed the debacle I wrote about on Wednesday, go ahead and read it. I'll wait.

Want to see a picture?


Lovely, right?

That's what the bathroom looked like Tuesday night after the initial tearout/freakout. The door isn't entirely open so you can't see the right hand side of the tub, but it looks pretty much like the left side at this point. Minus the faucets of course. The arrow points to the section of the wall that was right below the leaking soap dish. It was pretty nasty.

The entire shower was covered in those ugly plastic tan/cream swirled tiles that you can see directly above the little white door on the left (t's a laundry chute, btw). I'm cursing those crappy tiles to no end. Not only were they in the shower area, but they're in the entire bathroom—about 3 feet up the wall. But that's a whole different project that I can't think about right this second. The shower is the priority.

After much freaking out, researching, and doubt about how to handle the situation—followed by lots of encouragement from Nobody (thanks!)—JQ picked up some supplies to, at the very least, get walls back up around the tub. From there we'll decide how to finish. The biggest bitch is handling the window. We want to put up a shower enclosure but we have to cut out a hole for the window. At the price these walls are going for, it cannot be screwed up. We (and by we I totally mean JQ) only get one chance. Taking out the window is not an option. We just put in new windows in January. That's would be like throwing away money. Our other option is tile but I really don't want to go that route. We could save ourself the headache and hire somebody else to do it but that would cost three times what it would for JQ to do it. That's about four times the money we have in our budget for this project.

And the bitch of it is that we don't have TIME for this. JQ has work and a full load at school as well as taking care of G-tot when I'm at work. He can't really do anything after G-tot goes to bed because the bathroom is right next to G-tot's bedroom. That leaves about an hour a day to work on rectifying the situation. And an hour? That's almost enough time to just get into things. We also only have one bathroom. I like to shower daily. We have some friends and family that have graciously offered up their facilities to us, but it's not the same. Trust me.

So here we are on Friday.

With the very little attention JQ has had to give to the bathroom, we have some progress. The walls will probably go up this evening. I don't expect to be able to shower at home until sometime next week.

Wish us luck.

All you need is love

Happy Love Thursday.

If anybody knows where I can get the Ringo I'm missing on the Beatle's side, let me know. It's the only one we're missing.

I'm sorry for how I might smell if you happen to stand next to me in the next couple of days

Want to know how to expedite a project you've been putting off? Go down to the basement to switch over a load of laundry while your spouse is showering. When you get down there, notice WATER RUNNING DOWN THE WALL from the bathroom above. Freak out, run upstairs, get towels to wipe of mess and tell your spouse to hurry up and GET OUT OF THE SHOWER.

Tearing out the tile and drywall will commence within an hour of this discovery.

So, yeah, that busted, ancient soap holder built into the shower wall was apparently letting water in behind it. Which was disintegrating the drywall right below it. I think my no-holds-barred scrubbing of the wall with a homemade bleach paste the other day open up a hole in the wall. Which then ran down into the basement in buckets. Okay, not really, but when you see water running down the wall that should not be, any amount seems massive.

That was our evening yesterday. We now have lots of exposed wood in the shower area. And by lots I mean, out of the three walls that enclose the shower, we have three walls that are exposed down to the structure. Super fun. Remodeling the shower area has been on our to-do list for awhile. It just became a priority.

We can use the money to buy diapers

Woo-hoo! Three more prints in my shop.

http://birddoodle.etsy.com

You want more of me?

Well over a month ago, Shades tag me with this random things meme. Specifically she said, "Pixie, because I haven't seen enough of Pixie these days." Ouch. Then Vegas Princess tagged me with the same thing. Shit. So here I am MANY weeks later attempting to find something random and interesting about myself. I think that's why it has taken me so long—I can never think of random bits when the pressure is on. Plus, I'm not big on tagging people, so I'll probably skip that part.

I'm such a rebel.

Here are the rules:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Blog 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people at the end of your post
4. If you're tagged, DO IT and pass on the tag

1. I recently received packages from both of the ladies mentioned above. Both packages contained the same gift—a BUNCH of mixed CDs full of music. A while back I had written a post asking for some suggestions on new music. Shades and VP took my request seriously and sent me dozens of CDs with music of all genres. How awesome is that? Thank you so much ladies!
2. I've decided to participate in NaBloPoMo again this year. I'm sure that's part of the reason I'm finally getting this post done—it's been in the draft pile since October 4th.
3. When I make Ramen soup I crush up the dry noodles in the bag before I open it.
4. I have a bunch of prints for my Etsy shop but am having a hard time writing decent copy for them.
5. A couple of months ago I found out that a current student of mine was a Pink Lady in her high school production of Grease. So was I. At the same time. At the SAME SCHOOL! How we could have been in the same production and not know each other is crazy. I'm sure I have a picture of us on stage—at the same time—somewhere around here.
6. I don't like maple syrup but I enjoy pancakes and waffles. I eat my blueberry Eggos plain and put butter and a sprinkling of a cinnamon/sugar mixture on my pancakes. I also like to fold my pancakes in half and eat them like little tacos. But only at home.
   

That wasn't so bad. If you haven't yet done this one (or if it's been awhile) have at it. (That's me passing it on.)

growing up—19 months

Dear Gideon,

A couple of weeks ago you turned 19 months old. Here I am, yet again, running late with your monthly letter. It's a good thing you won't get them for years to come—that way I'm not exactly confined to a strict schedule.

As always it's been an amazing month for you. I'm so proud of you and the way you're developing. You love school—that anxiety took about a minute to get over—and I find it bittersweet that you don't cry when we drop you off. You hardly take a second look as we walk down the hall. It's wonderful you—but holy crap—the reality of my baby becoming a little boy can be hard to swallow sometime.

19 months—October 26, 2008

Smart does not even begin to describe you in my eyes. You are a little genius. You've been talking in short sentences, learning your letters, singing songs, and comprehending way more than I thought possible. You love to do puzzles. You love music. You love creating works of art. When we talk about getting out the markers, you run to the office and head straight for the cabinet where we keep them. If we're going to paint you find the brushes. When it's time for stories before you go to bed, you grab some books and take them into our room. You in a nutshell, are Magnificent!


You did something on October that had me making up a little song and dance in excitement. On the evening of 26th—as we were getting ready for bed—you ran towards the bathroom pulling at your pants. When I asked if you wanted to sit on the potty you said "yes" and I got your pants and diaper off for you. You sat there for a moment, made a little strained face, and then lo-and-behold you peed. In the potty! We were hugely excited about it. So excited in fact, that your Daddy and I celebrated with a little song and dance. I think it will be bittersweet when you poop in the potty—excited that you did it, sad that I now have to clean it out of the tiny toilet.


Love,

Mommy

The pile isn't as cushy as you would think

When you looked out the window yesterday you couldn't see a speck of grass. The trees in the yard had dropped a huge amount of leaves over the past few weeks and yesterday the leaves blanketed the entire front lawn.

Temps were in the low 40s—but with the wind felt like the 30s. Even so, during lunch JQ told G-tot he would rake the yard and make a pile for us to play in. I thought it would be the perfect opportunity to shoot.

Shutter Sisters recently posted a superhero photo challenge to shoot from the perspective of a leaf. So while JQ raked, G-tot and I marveled at the leaves. The possibilities were endless.


Needless to say, we had a blast.

Can you tell me how to get…how to get to Sesame Street?

My Grandma came over yesterday to visit G-tot and I—she brought with her a relic from my childhood. She has a small number of toys in her basement that have remained over the years as the waves of grandchildren ebbed and flowed. At least two of those remaining toys come directly from my childhood—a Cabbage Patch Kids Pony from the 80s and the item she brought over today.


A Sesame Street Playset.

With a copyright date of 1974. Which you can see if you click on the picture above. I swear.

When opened that's what you see from the outside. Check it out bigger to see Hooper's Store sign and the details in the facade. There are even nails keeping it together. Here's the inside.

That's a chalkboard in the center.

She didn't have any of the original characters that came with the set, but it doesn't matter. It's in really good condition and G-tot loves it. As soon as he saw it he was going, "Wow. Wow!" I cleaned it up and found a little bendable Elmo (also from Gam's—this time from the 2nd generation, 14 years later) and some other random figures to play with.

Two views of Bert and Ernie's pad upstairs.

A close-up of the records on the floor.

The set was most likely purchased around 1978 or 1979. I would have been a toddler at that point and safe from the potential choking hazard of the small figurines. I can still remember the Cookie Monster and Big Bird "Little People-esque" characters. I also remember the Oscar the Grouch figure was a trash can with a pop-up lid that revealed Oscar. I might have to dig around and see if I can find them anywhere. That would be awesome.

The Count's place?

Any person that EVER enjoyed Sesame Street can appreciate the coolness that is this set. I'm so excited that I can share a direct link to my childhood with G-tot and relive a piece of that joy all over again. Do any of you remember this set? Or had one?

Half of Hooper's Store (more goodies on the other wall)

The rest of the set can be seen here.