Oh my stars!

Mary, Mary Quite Contrary...

Well, we've got three tomatoes in the ground and about 8 more heirloom varieties being sprouted. I'm so excited. Not sure how many lettuces I will do this year. I'm thinking of putting them into pots so that they're off the ground, away from bugs and easier to move according to their solar needs. This is one of

the fancy, shmancy french lettuces from last year. I planted several varieties and I must say, they are about the easiest thing in the world to grow. And when picked while they are smaller than your hand they are so delicious as well.  And at the end of the summer you can let them flower and collect the seeds.
:::

Ellie came home yesterday and informed me that she needed a tunic and costume made for her 'Be a character' book report. She's decided to be Prince Caspian. I dare say she has the medieval 'bob' haircut. So, I get to put together a tunic and find a sword, belt and cloak. Oh, joy!
:::
The 5th grade will be competing in the athletic pentathalon next week. I'm excited to see that. Wrestling, running etc. Just in time to get the Olympic spirit going, I think.
:::
Aida's class walked in the parade last week. So cute! They had a California Poppy theme. A couple of the mothers made these incredible triple-layer silk (hand-dyed) cloaks and each of the children carried an oversized felt poppy on a branch. I can't believe how much work went into the whole shebang. Our teacher, Mrs. K was the Queen of the Poppies. She's such a good sport :) We love her.

:::
Lately, I've been really enjoying visiting these folks:

Portabello Pixie for great fabric inspiration, House Beautiful for this month's  exquisite feature home.
And of course I can't get enough amazing Scandinavian light and sensibility.

Speed typing test

The tricky thing about this test is that you have to hit 'Space' at the end of each segment and it will pop up another 15 or so words. So, don't stop until the 60 seconds are over. It's strangely addictive to keep beating your time.

59 words

Speedtest

MYSTERY SOLVED!

It was my mom. She got the blanket. I highly suspected! Thanks, Mom. Yerr the best!

::

Meyer lemon cake from Domino Magazine. They're in season now and so wonderful!

We had a great time Tuesday at E's string ensemble recital. They sounded great. I can't believe how well 5th & 6th graders can play when they practice. They also have a great strings instructor. She's very strict and all the kids know they've got to tow the line with her.
::
Tomorrow is Parent-Teacher conferences. Both girls. It will be a marathon day!
::
I had my Pre-Calc class last night. We handed in 6(!!!) assignments from the previous week. Monday we'll have 3 due. That's not so bad seeing as we have Thursday-Monday afternoon to get them done. I couldn't believe how much work it was. It was Algebra review and he wanted to cover a lot and not spend too much time on it. I think he weeded about 8 people from the class, too. I'm really glad I didn't skip a semester, I wouldn't be remembering anything by next fall.
::
I'm super-jazzed about the Sassy Apron Swap. I know that it's been a hectic week for her and so many (150!) participants. I shouldn't be surprised if I didn't get my partner's info for a couple more weeks.
::
The weather has been miserable and I just want to sleep!
::
I made risotto for dinner. With leeks, bacon, peas and a touch of smoked mozzarella. Mmmm, comfort! I can't show you how appetizing it was because my camera eez kaput!

New Blanket

Happy MLK day everyone! I sure was surprised to see the UPS man pull up in front of my house today. I came to the front door and he handed me a package from Faribault Mills with a loooooverly merino wool blanket in it. There are a limited number of people who could be responsible for this. I am not one of them. Although I'm sure DH suspects that I ordered it for myself. I assure you (DH) that I didn't.
The list of suspects is as follows:
Mom
Peggy
Autumn
Laura
They are the four that combine the necessary attributes: generosity, a love of surprises, they read my blog, discretionary income.
Thank you whoever you may be. I will find out who it was...eventually!

Who's in charge here?

How come nobody told me that I posted 'Ruby Tuesday' twice. Geez, ladies! You've got to let me know.
::
In other new, our power has gone out twice (!) tonight. Everything is good--no storms or wind etc. I don't know what the deal is. So, I caught up on my email, got accepted for the Sassy Apron Swap and paid my car insurance online. Whew! Now, power, you may go out...
::
TGIF!!! Baby!!!

Ruby Tuesday

Oh, school is back in full swing! My first-grader is in tears by the time we reach the school gate when I pick her up. Poor thing is just pooped! We've been coming home and doing nice, quiet activities with high-protein dinners. And bedtime is a little earlier than usual.
::
This morning:
Me: Hey, sweet girl. It's time for getting up.
A: Groan! But it's dark out! I don't want to get up when it's dark out! I'll get up when it's light.
Me: C'mon, get up. I picked out clothes for you. Besides, if you don't get up soon you'll miss breakfast. And daddy's home and he's making you potato pancakes and gravy.
A: But I like regular pancakes better.

Whaddayado?

::
Currently lusting/coveting/wishing for...

They can be purchased here. I'm loving turquoise so much.
::
Big E and I are working on her book report. C.S. Lewis's The Silver Chair.  I'm supposed to be helping her but I'm web surfing and she has to repeat everything she says to me three times before I'm able to extricate myself from my very IMPORTANT craft reading. Jeez!
::
The weather is total crap. I'm going to make a cup of tea. Ta Ta!

I (heart) the BBC

Can I just share a little of my love of the British Broadcasting Corporation? Thank you.
I look so forward to Saturdays on my PBS station. The BBC is on for,like, hours and hours.
News reports from Everywhere. Smart people interviewing other smart, interesting people.
I even look forward to the flippin' cricket matches. I don't understand what they're talking about, but
I see white flannel, lemonade and summertime. Which is an especially welcome image on this grey, rainy day.
I like to hear those English, Irish, Scottish voices telling me calmly of the world's happenings. They're so dispassionate that when they're reporting something especially gruesome, they manage to imbue such a degree of scorn. By not being hysterical. Amy Goodman has the same effect. The BBC is the antidote to American rashness and asinine 'news'.

Besides, it's always nice to know what time it is GMT :)

a very blustery day...

Such a noise all night long! Wind, rain, scraping bushes against my windows. We woke up to a patrol car parked in the crosswalk at our corner and lots of yellow tape. An old tree had come down across the street. Luckily it fell right down the property line of the two houses it was between and landed in the street. No one seems to have been hurt and it didn't land on a car, either. Pretty considerate of it.

In other news, my daughter has some kind of magical touch with our temperamental camera. It's been working for two days now! I've been crafting madly to finish many, many WIPs and I feel like I've been making headway. I'm really trying not to buy things for new projects. Except that I just bought blue/white polka dot fabric for new napkins. But I finished them within one week! So, it doesn't count, does it? Does it?...

Do you feel them? Do you feel the polka dots? I hope you're not queasy. Macro seemed like a good idea at the time.

Here are fabric Valentine's I'm working on. Kind of mini-quilt experiments. Bear with me...

That one is for my nephews. I'm working on another one for my Mom.

I've also completed some very simple seat pads for my dining chairs. My keister gets cold! They're linen with cotton batting and a wide brown bias trim.

I guess that's about it for today. All this sewing and crafting has been bad for my snacking. I get into a fever and don't want to prepare real food so I snack...

Seriously, who ate all my chocolate!?

Un-Paper Bag Project

I love Purl Bee. Great bag tutorial and they have a great selection of handles. And get this--the handles are pre-punched! They're also leather and priced as sets. At first I thought they were priced at 'each', but then I clicked on  one and  saw the real deal. Tons of great colours and drop lengths.

I'm going to go dig through my stash now...

Baby It's Cold Outside!

I just cannot seem to get warm! I even got a super-plush, comfy robe for myself for Christmas. It makes things better, but Brrrrrrr!

I was doodling around on the Web this morniing. I'm now dreaming of these...

                                        Teton-Whip Stitched Edging Merino Blanket from Faribault Mills
I'm especially enamored of the Green Apple colour.

Right now I'm ready to make small terrier sausages. My dog just came in from the muddy outdoors and jumped all over my bed. I had pulled the covers clear back this morning to let the sheets air and refresh and BAM! little rat-dog footprints everywhere! So, back into the washer the fitted sheet goes. And you know I just washed them last night....
Speaking of which, my new LGwasher/dryer set is a dream come true. My old dryer was dying a very prolonged, painful death. I'm sure the squeaking was keeping  the neighbours up at night. That's my preferred laundry-doing time--after the kiddos are in bed. I figured if I had to get a new dryer, it would be lonely without a  new washer, too. Besides, the  old one liked to clog up all the time. My friend Matt got sick of coming over to unclog it. I really bought the washer for him :) I have a year to pay it off without interest and I'm really hoping to accomplish that feat. I hate interest. Unless they're paying it to me, of course!

See the clever little door on the bottom left corner of the washer? It's a trap for easy clog removal. So Clever!

The other things I love about this set:
Direct drive washer--so quiet
Load sensing washing--senses weight in washer & adjusts water usage(i.e. No more guilt for small loads)
When the dryer is finished is sings a little electronic song--NO BUZZING!!!!

It's very cute and civilized. And the units are so huge, I can't even touch the back of the inside. We're talking Big Daddy capacity.

I feel like a growed-up person with real appliances that work.

In other news, I went back to school last semester (VERY part-time). I switched majors and now have an absolute TON! of mathematics to take. So, I started with 2nd year Algebra. I kept thinking I would hire a tutor if I got stuck. There were a couple of close-calls, for sure. But I kept plugging away at it. I finished with an A in the class, but that is  a secondary benefit. The primary Good Thing for me was the conquering of my math anxiety. It was a really huge hurdle for me. Now I feel like I did in second grade when I loved math and saw it as puzzles to figure out. And, there's no ambivalence in math--there are processes to memorize and then, Bing!, you get an answer. I love that!