--Groceries with Mama and Kidlet

--Fluffy, fluffy scrambled eggs (thanks, Greg!) with home fries (thanks, Justin!) and buttermilk biscuits

--Postcards to work on

--Photo swap to plan

--Schoolwork

--A few stitches of knitting (anyone know a good kid legwarmer pattern that's really quick to knit?)

--Pizza with Mom-in-law and her Mom

--Maybe an early morning desert hike and waffles with friends (gotta mix up the pancake routine every once in a while and I can use the leftover buttermilk..ha ha, Emily! I did find a use for that buttermilk. Cake or buttermilk waffles...a difficult choice, indeed.)

--The pumpkin patch?

--Seasonal decorating?

--Maybe an apple pie...? Who will bake the pie first, Vanessa or me...

What does your weekend look like?

Aha!

Well, thanks to lovely Dominque and Vanessa, I now have some ideas floating about. First off, I think once my class is over next month I will host a photo swap. I will sketch it all out and post details next month. But beyond that, having this mini dialog got me thinking. Muwah ha ha ha! 'Nuff said.

The weekend...cold, cloudy, rainy.
Me...huzzah!

I did what I shouldn't and started knitting my Jaywalkers this weekend. I'm very much in love with the colorway (Lorna's Laces Shadow). I've got the cuff ribbing done and sadly, they probably won't get touched again for another few weeks. The kid has got it in her mind that I'm supposed to knit some socks for her now. I'll be lucky if I can get a pair done before she outgrows them with my oh-so-rapid knitting pace.

Getting really close to finishing my class. I have a couple of lessons left, test...and then...woo hoo! Par-tay! Huh? Who's blog is this anyway?

I've been thinking more about my photography lately. I enjoy the flickr community but beyond that, why do I do this? I have yet to print anything up to hang on the wall. They just pile up and take up space in my lappy. I am better than I once was but I certainly don't expect to sell prints or become a photographer. I guess I feel I'm at a plateau and I want to do something more, but am not sure what that is. And then there's the perfectionist in me. I can't just leave it as a hobby, I have to be good at it and if I'm not (stomps foot), I don't wanna do it (throws camera). Maybe I'm just in search of a project. Maybe I need some focus (ha ha). Perhaps I can work on putting some entries in the state fair next year?

Ok, where's my apple pie y'all promised me? Just kidding. I baked bread but forgot to put salt in it. Come on by and we'll slather it in butter and sprinkle salt on top. It's good. F'realz.

Ani's Almanac

I love the Old Farmer's Almanac. I haven't purchased one in years, but I think I may when I pick up the groceries tomorrow. Perhaps I'll try growing next year's garden according to their hocus pocus-y sounding advice. But on to my almanac. I noticed that this year the trees started turning on the mountaintop two weeks earlier than last year. We had a brief storm that blew in yesterday where the mountains were socked in with thick, steely clouds. When they receded this morning, snow was on the mountaintop. I forecast a heavier winter, although just about anything would be heavy compared to last year. Please start knitting your woolly socks and hats now. Hmmm...despite the fact that I'm buried in schoolwork and two other knitting projects, maybe I'll take my own advice and cast on the Jaywalkers (finally).

Ani's Almanac: weekend forecast good for baking apple pie. Sadly, I won't be able to follow my own advice, too many things to do this weekend already. Maybe you will bake? Save me a slice, ok?

Out of the Haze

Man, what a week. I really felt crappy. The Kidlet had about 1.5 days of minimal slowdown but the hubby and myself, ugh! But today, I opened my eyes and...I'm feeling much better. Wow! Strange and wonderful!

Despite the congestion and wooziness, I was very busy this weekend as I'm quite bad at resting. Gingerbread was baked for my mama and chocolate chai cupcakes for a friend's birthday. I mopped and swept. I changed the sheets and did about half a dozen loads of laundry. I scrubbed the bathroom. I also did schoolwork, started the postcards for my swap and I ran errands. You'd think that my house would be as neat as a pin for all the perpetual motion that I have going on, but no. How do other folks do it?

I still haven't been able to pick up the knitting needles, despite being mightily inspired. I think I have about 10 projects lined up in my head. Hmmmm...at my current rate of knitting, that means that I have enough projects to keep me knitting until 2011.

BTW...Last night in flickrland, I ran across Ms. Chockylit's donuts-n-coffee cupcakes. So over-the-top. So freakin' cool. All they are missing is a maple glaze...just kidding! They couldn't be more perfect if they tried.

What a Wonderful World...

Yesterday Kidlet painted a picture and said she wanted to give it to new friend at school (we'll call him G). This morning as we are leaving for school, Kidlet does a happy dance, with picture in tow. "G is my friend and he likes me! He is so nice, he is so nice." So very glad that school seems to be working out.

Despite the fact that my nose looks like Rudolph and my breathing sounds like Darth Vader, I had one of those feelings of warm-fuzzy-contented happiness today. I love when all feels right in my little world. It doesn't come together like that very often and if I poke and prod, I can find a ton of stuff that's most certainly wrong, but I'll bask in the warmth of my feeling for now.

cough, cough

This just in...we have just received the one of many harbingers of the season, the first sniffle. And boy howdy, it's a doozy. However, I certainly don't mind the day off from work with the tot. Maybe we'll make some popcorn and watch cartoons. While she naps I may even knit. Really! Or perhaps sleep would be better for this body that feels as though it's been worked over by a baseball bat.

One thing I feel sorry about is that I heard hubby say this morning that he has it too. I wish he was here with us. I was just about to rant about sick days and the workplace, but I guess that's not my job (ugh! the pun was not so punny!).

Back soon with a sniffle-free post (I hope).

Balloon Love

Twas a very nice weekend. We had a great crew with us on Sunday A.M. for balloonacy, cookies and coffee. This was the first year I was into the photography thing and I took 80 photos(!). For more photos, go here. (Doh! I had lost my link...it's there now.)

This weekend I also...

baked a lovely loaf of bread

made a yummy salad of spinach, pears, goat cheese, walnuts with balsamic vineagrette

actually bought a fancy-esque outfit for a wedding we will be attending so I won't have my usual gee-the-only-thing-I-have-to-wear-is-this-grease-stained-skirt-and-this-somewhat-fancy-t-shirt-freak-out 30 minutes before we need to be there. And better yet, I will even be able to wear this stuff in day-to-day life and I'll look...dare I say it? Nice? Pretty? Hmmm...

got lots of schoolwork done

I've been listening to lots of fun podcasts while I'm at work. The one that gets me though is a knitting podcast and dang it, I almost wish I hadn't found it. It just makes me want to look up a multitude of gorgeous yarns and patterns and start about 40 new projects. I get maybe a half hour a week to knit, at the most. Sigh. Deep breath. I'll be done with my class in a month and then I'll be able to knit until Spring semester.

That's about all for now. Keep your fingers crossed that Kidlet isn't getting a sniffle. She sure seems like it.

It's coming...

the balloons are in the air, pears are hanging from the tree, tonight the Saints are opening the season (and will be kicking booty for those keeping score) and when I looked to my patch of aspens on the mountain top this morning...the blush of yellow was there. I'm thrilled. And by checking the date for last year's aspen change, well, we're a couple weeks ahead of schedule. Lovely. Now if I could just get my fall postcards ready for the swap, that would be an accomplishment. At least I've got ideas. You can always count on me for that.

These socks are now happily living with my mama. I was very proud when she told me how much she loved them and how they were even better than the ones that her grandma had knit for her. And speaking of that grandma, here are her knitting needles that have been in my possession for a few years now. I think they must be size 0, so tiny.

Not sure what one knits with such tiny needles except some exceptionally fine socks. Time to start looking for a pattern.

5 Things Friday

It's been a while since I've relied on this old chestnut. And 5 hours of sleep make for scattered thoughts...

1--Reading. For school: The Day of the Locust by Nathaniel West
For bedtime: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

2--Eating. Snacks galore when my mama and I watch the University of Nebraska beat the University of Nevada. I've got some mixed loyalties but I was born and raised a Cornhusker.

3--Inhaling. The scent of rain. It rained yesterday for the first time in months. Here at work, the rain came down like it used to in New Orleans. The skies opened up and water spilled out.

4--Debating. Hair, to chop off entirely or just a little? My eternal quandary.

5--Knitting. I'm going to start Secret Project Number Two this weekend because I can't just have only two projects going at one time (Secret Project Number 1 and this poor neglected Daisy scarf). This weekend, I will post a photo of the socks I finished last week.

Have a splendid extended dance remix weekend!

Goodnight, Sweetheart

The world is a'spinning and we're hanging on for dear life. Hubby is up at the crack of dawn and gone before I wake up only to return after I get home. I hope these first few weeks of teaching don't treat him too harshly. I bet it gets easier, Sweetie, really...I bet it does. Despite the fact hubby has every evening off, he is so drained by the end of the day he is in bed as soon as the kid goes to sleep. It's strange being the last one to bed at night. Kidlet is worn out by her own school day so it only takes a half hour to get her to sleep (as opposed to the hour it has been taking the past few weeks). Me, I'm just trying to cobble the remnants together the best I can...household chores, food, yard...I'm sure you know the drill. Add my own scholarly pursuits and work to the mix and wow, no wonder we are exhausted.

I couldn't really tell you how hubby's first days of teaching are going except 'damn, those teachers work hard and deserve waaaaaay more money than they receive.' Kidlet is back at her school and now that it's the actual school, I think it's going really well. As iffy as I was feeling about their 'summer day camp', I'm glad she participated because it gave her a (somewhat) gentle introduction, meeting several of the children in her class as well as her teacher ahead of time. There hasn't been a tear (at least while I've been there) at drop off. There was even a day when she got mad when Nonna came to collect her because she was busy with a friend. I know it's only the first week, but I'm finally feeling positive about the experience (and I'm going to hold it close to my heart, damn it).

Autumn is feeling closer despite the fact it is still a billion degrees during the day and not even cooling down at night like it was a few weeks ago. One of the trees in our neighbor's yard (seen above) changed to yellow overnight and lost most of its leaves. Kidlet gave me one of the dried up leaves and said "Isn't it beautiful? It's for you, Mama." Yes, yes it is. It sits on my desk in front of me, a talisman to bring the new season closer. It's been a hell of a summer.

It's a cloudy morning and I'm loving it. Just had to tell you.

Vacation-Go-Round

Well folks, I'm back. I had a mini-vacation. Six days! Can you believe it? Amazingly, I feel somewhat refreshed despite the fact that everything is ramped up to DEFCON 2 stress levels. Hubby starts his very first day of teaching sophmores today (woo hoo)! Kidlet goes back to school! Somehow I missed the line in the school paperwork that stated she only has a half day today so today is a big race from home to school to work to school to home to Nonna to work again. Oh joy! But that's today. I've got other stuff to relate.

I discovered that if I didn't work, I wouldn't blog or flickr. I don't know if blogging/flickring is a way to remind me that "yes, I can be creative" with the very limited amount of time I have when I'm working, but I had little desire to do either during the past week and it was wonderful. Since I had time, I wanted to do more 'real life' projects like actually print my photos to put around the house (except for the fact I lost the battle with my printer). I went to the state fair and saw the 'creative living' competitions and thought, "i need to enter some stuff. i can do this." I finished the purple socks and started on another (super secret) project. I've got a billion ideas swimming around in my head. I'm mentally prepared for the fall postcard swap. I love recharging the creative batteries.

I got a ton of schoolwork done too, in between trips to the mountain lake, the fair, and eating ice cream. However, last night I had the dreadful realization that instead of the 8 classes I thought I had left for my BA, I have more like 13 classes. That was a big blow. At the rate I'm going, I'll be done in 7 years. Yeah. And that doesn't even include the master's degree I have planned for myself. I'll keep plugging away for now since I only have about a month left with this class and then I won't need to do anything but create(!) until January. Maybe I need to rethink all this and go with plan B or C. Then again, if I quit school then I definitely will never finish. Better to keep on keeping on and finish someday in the distant future, right? Right? I still don't regret dropping out and living the wild life in New Orleans when I was 21. But it sure was easier to take 4 and 5 classes at a time when I was a kid instead of now when I have a kid and work full time.

Ok, that was a big ramble. But that's what you come here for, right? Right? Big hugs to you all and now it's off to catch up with you here in Virtual Land.

Just a moment

Gliding down the freeway: windows open, cool breeze. Mind riding with Brubeck's piano. Taking stock of my New Year's resolutions and I sit up straighter. I simplify where I can. Dreaming of next week, only one day of work. Old fashioned chocolate cake to make, lakes to visit, cotton candy hands. I take pictures with my mind. Wondering if I'll be able to come back and actually use my camera. Nope. The moment is fleeting.

Just pretend

By not blogging, I think I'm somehow pretending I'm away on an extended vacation spending lots of time sitting next to a sparkling body of water, digging my toes into the sand while working on a happy crafty project, eating yummy food while having a glass of wine, and reading good books. In Realityland, I will be taking a few days off next week to watch Kidlet before her two week school break ends, but any travel will be daytrippish. The state fair will be starting and I will take the opportunity of being able to go in the daytime, before all the questionable crowds come out for the rides at night. A trip to mountain lake. A trip to desert lake. And a bunch of schoolwork. No, we cannot write a post without mentioning my arch nemesis, schoolwork. But I'm looking forward to it (minus the schoolwork), as short as that time off may be.

So I think I may continue this blogging vacation for now. Maybe I'll feel refreshed if I stay away. Maybe I'll shut off my computer (except for schoolwork) next week when I'm off. Ha ha ha! Good one. I'm such an addict to the internet but one can dream, eh?

The cool of the morning

I was instantly transported when I poked my head out the back door this morning. There was a certain amount of dampness in the air.* I remembered being in Omaha and going on a field trip with my school to see...a train? I remember the train depot, but I don't know if that was what we were really going to see. But the air. It smelled exactly the same as it did that morning 30 years ago. Fresh. Slightly chilled. And I could even feel the electricity of being away from school with all my classmates. Wonderful.

*Ummm, said dampness would not be caused by me leaving the soaker hose on ALL DAY. Yeah.

The last of the summer swap...

From Ali. Yes, I've had this lovely all to myself for about a month. I guess I didn't want the swap to end and I knew that as soon as I posted the last card it would be over. Thank you, Ali, for such a gorgeous card! Each one she made was so unique and full of care.

I hemmed and hawed and then happily said "yes!" I've joined the fall swap! I don't think I could do the more complicated knitty-sewing-megagoodie bag swaps because, well, it takes me at least 6 months to knit a pair of socks. But this, it is small and can be as complicated or as simple as one chooses to make it. I've got ideas a'brewin' in my head already. What makes you think of fall? Or are you not ready for fall yet?

And back to our regularly scheduled program of kvetching and dreaming of finding enough time in the day to finish knitting a pair of socks

Something has been bugging me hence, an apology

I had a sudden realization the other day and I hope I haven't inadvertently offended anyone. I realized I've been lax about giving credit where credit is due. I can blame it on my hazy state of morning blogging, I can blame it on the state of my overworked brain, but I wanted to say I am sorry if I haven't been making it crystal clear if a photo was not mine. Photos that show up when you come to the blog are mine, taken by my camera (of which I'm not really fond...shhh...don't tell). Links may take you to flickr where it usually will be someone else's photo (and you would be able to see that from the account icon in the upper right hand corner of the page). No one has contacted me stating that I was not making this clear but I realized I had a couple of recent posts that may have been construed as "attribution hazy" as some links were to photos I took and some were not. I have since edited these posts.

Again, terribly sorry. Let's make tea and cookies.

Inspired...

Madre Adoptiva just recently came back from a Sun Dance in Oregon. Reading her blog, talking to her, as well as reading Fools Crow has been getting me thinking about my own (tiny, but hopefully growing) spiritual life, nature, and people in 'civilization'. These things have been stewing for quite a while but have really come to a head for me in the past week. I don't want to leave people with a rant about civilization so I'll just say I think the time has finally come for me to start a meditation practice, renew my efforts to be more kind and understanding, and hopefully get out in nature more often. Sadly, my weekend is already lining up to be full of 'civilzation'. Bleh. I hope yours is filled with juicy, red tomatoes, blazingly bright sunflowers, and dips in cold lakes.