A Morning Goodbye

This is the morning goodbye that recently took place at my house:

The Mr. gives The Boy a hug. The Boy doesn't do kisses anymore.

The Mr. gives The Girl a hug and kiss.

The Mr. gives Teddy a hug and kiss.

The Mr. gives me a hug and kiss.

The Girl: Ewww. That's dis-cus-sing.

Me: No it's not.

The Girl: Why do you kiss him?

Me: Because he's hot.

The Girl: (With a puzzled look) No he's not. He's warm.

I beg to differ, but saw no need to argue the point with a four year old.

And there you go.

Comic Relief

A joke, as told by The Boy:

Remember when the mushroom walked into the diner?

The guy said, "We don't serve your kind here."

And the mushroom said, "Whatever. I'm a fun guy."

This is the first joke he has told me that was actually humorous.

I told him it was funny and that his delivery was spot-on.

I have since heard the joke 57 times.

Now it's not so funny.

What's For Dinner?

Chef has been slacking. A menu hasn't been posted in some time.

We have been eating. Here is the evidence for this week:

Saturday: shrimp, pasta with pesto, asparagus, fresh tomatoes, Shiner bread

Sunday: beef and broccoli, brown rice, spicy cabbage

Monday: 2-Minute 24-Hour Casserole, green beans, bread

Tuesday: take-out (Open House at school)

Wednesday: chicken posole, cornbread

Thursday: left-overs

Friday: hamburgers, oven fries

If I bake a sweet treat it will be the brownies found here.

The 2-minute casserole recipe mentioned is a new one. I didn't care what was in it. The name alone assured its place in the menu this week.

Hope everyone is adjusting to new school schedules.

Remember to eat your veggies!

A Promise Kept

Rarely do I break a promise. This past weekend was no exception.

I made:

Classic sloppy joes. The Boy has found a new favorite food.

A side of coleslaw. This is the best coleslaw, in my humble opinion. Sweet and tangy...with some bacon.

Banana oat muffins. It's a melding of many recipes. So I will take the liberty of calling it my own.

The muffins made The Mr. smile. Since I made the muffins that created the smile, I am taking credit for that as well.

The Offspring don't get too jazzed over banana oat muffins.

And lest you think I spent all weekend in the kitchen...


I was able to get reacquainted with my crochet hooks.

I made this wrist cuff. I actually made a version of it for The Mr. last month for our anniversary. He was my guinea pig. I wasn't pleased with the finished product, and after playing around with different size hooks and weights of yarn, this is what I came up with.

I'm much happier with it. It's actually quite simple. Just bands of single stitches with a final row of single crochet all around. I used a size 3.25 hook and mercerized cotton. A piece of black hair elastic sewn to one end and a button (skull, of course) completes the look.

I also have some baby booties and hats in the works....

So soft. And organic.

100% cotton. Nice neutral pallet.

So there you go. Not a lot of wow factor.

But wow factor wasn't part of the deal.

And Here We Go Again...

Today was our first day of school.

The Girl loved every second. Not a tear was shed.

The Boy earned a blue square on his chart. He claims that's a good thing.

I survived twenty-four kindergartners. I'm beat. Really.

Here's to another roller coaster ride, also known as the school year.

And here's to all you teachers.

Bless you.

A Promise

I am determined to make something this weekend.

Something besides lesson plans and name tags.

It's the Little Things

The Mr. cleans the smudges off my iPhone every morning.

It makes me smile.

It lets me know that he still cares.

It's one of those little things.

I am easily impressed.

And that impresses him.

My Day

In-service.

That hyphenated word leaves most teachers filled with a knowing sense of dread.

And that's where I was today. Actually, that is where I've been for over a week now. There isn't one thing fun about it. I assure you.

Imagine this drying.

That was the excitement level today.

The room in which I sat felt like my freezer. It was cold. Very cold. I had on a sweat shirt...including the hood. I would have given anything for some gloves and blanket.

Mind you it was almost 100* outside.

I hate being bored.

I really hate being cold.

Today I was both.

Thank God for Tetris.

Home Away From Home

This is where I teach.

It's where we learn from each other.

We construct.

We investigate.

We examine.

We find new places.

We count, sort, and measure.

We take turns.

We do research.

We share about ourselves.

We create.

We make words.

We build sentences.

We read. We write.

We work together.

We do all of these things and more.

This is where the action is.

This is my home away from home.

Missing You...

Oh crochet hooks. You languish.

Beautiful yarns. You wait patiently for my return.

Dear sewing machine. I miss your sweet sound.

Fabric. Wonderful fabric. It has been so long since I last touched you.

My craft. I long for you. Lest you think I forgot you...please, let me explain.

It is that time of year. The same as last. You remember.

School is starting.

I am called to trainings, meetings, furniture arrangement, room decoration, and lesson planning.

Duties infringe upon our affair.

I promise. I will come back to you.

Patience.

Instant Gratification

This is what I have been busying myself with as of late. Tiny projects. Projects with instant gratification. I just love instant gratification.

That Damn Afghan is the opposite of instant gratification. That's why its parts are sitting in the sewing cave at this very moment. I hit a wall of sorts. No worries. I am determined to finish that thing in time for fall weather. And in Houston it doesn't cool down for quite a while. I dare say I have until November.

The first two projects are more coasters. I have been using my left over cotton yarn. The butt-ends. It's too much to just toss, but too little to make anything substantial. The solution? Coasters.

Set number one is earthy. I like how the two different variegated yarns made complimentary borders.

The pattern is the same as before. These work up so fast. A perfect last minute gift. Assuming you have more than just one minute.

Set number two is mixy-matchy. I wanted them to all be different, yet go together.

The pattern is a bit different, but it goes with the mixy-matchiness.

The last bits of instant gratification are a couple more dishcloths. I have a book with 100 different patterns. I want to try each one.

Expect to see more dishcloths.

And there you have it. Three quickies.

Now back to the afghan....dum-dum-da-dum-dum-da-dum-da-dum-da-dum.

The Slab

This is one of my most favorite places in all the world. It is a landmark in my hometown. Everybody knows where it is. It is a place where memories have been made for generations.

This is The Slab.

My dad swam here as a young boy. It looked different then. The water was a lot higher. Its current was much stronger. He brought my mom here on their second date. He impressed her by skipping rocks across the water's surface. Apparently she slipped and fell in, but I don't think it bothered her. They were married a few months later.

As a child, this was my water park. A natural Schlitterbahn, if you will. The water would carry you over rocks and pull you under. Mema would bring me and my cousins here every day in the summer to swim, catch frogs, and burn youthful energy.

I am so happy that I can continue that tradition with my kids.

The Boy has no hesitation. He jumps right in.

He lets the flow of the water carry him over the rocks.

The undertow pulls him below the surface. It's a little scary...

...but only for a second. The thrill is when you pop back up.

He is in his element.

It is like looking at my former self. We are on the same page. He gets it.

The Girl...not so much. As you can see, she has very different feelings about this place.

She is cautious. She doesn't like the slippery rocks. She doesn't like the minnows that nibble at your toes. She doesn't like the rush of the water.

She's good to sit on the water's edge and wade her feet. And that's OK too.

I can't explain why I love this little swimming hole like I do.

But I do.

It's The Slab.

Yet Another Reason Why I Love Austin

While in Austin for My Last Hurrah, Lia's brood and my brood headed to the squirt park for some evening fun.

The kids splashed, squealed,
ran, and played.

The adults sat back on
vintage sheets to supervise.

As the sun set we enjoyed
a picnic dinner.

There was food for the kids.

And food for the adults.
Lia's Mr. makes some really good sushi.

When all bellies were full, the kids ran off to enjoy more squirting fun.

Parents sat back and enjoyed the late summer night.

This is Austin.

And it is yet another reason
why I love it so.