today i learned two things:
1. i can burn my finger on the griddle while cooking pancakes for dinner, swear a lot, turn on the cold water in the kitchen sink to run my blistering finger under it, and still finish cooking dinner with one hand (this includes pancakes, sausage, AND scrambled eggs).
2. watching a raging thunder and hail storm through my backdoors from the safety of my couch is awesome. this is what i love about summer.
okay, i learned 3 things. typing one handed because i'm icing my burn blows.
bring on the rain.
5.27.2010
5.25.2010
a list of words
so, i'm a blog slacker. a whole week- yikes. here are my excuses:
1. the weather has been mostly gorgeous
2. i got trained for my summer job this weekend
3. i watched the series finales of both lost and 24
4. sam has been on the laptop a lot lately
5. the house is a disaster so cleaning is in order
6. my vitamin d deficiency has required me to take several naps
7. i'm lazy
anyway. today i learned a lot of things. i'm going to keep with the list theme here and write them below:
1. mint basically grows on a vine-like root underground, which is why its so freaking hard to get rid of (i learned this through experience today)
2. caterpillars shed their skin like snakes do as they grow
3. i NEED to wear sunglasses when i'm outside on a sunny day or else i can't really function
4. my classroom has only black and brown construction paper left (blech)
5. when given the choice between free, half-day school with a structured, effective program, or free, full-day day care for their child with bussing but no real educational benefits for their child, parents will almost always choose the latter, which is sad
6. not all hoses are created equal, and the inexpensive ones really are just cheap
7. my hair is still red when i stand in the sun, 5 months after dying it with a 8 week wash-out dye
8. our basement gets really cold when the a/c is turned on
9. one of the children in my class has gone through horrors that i can't believe i never knew about, and that no person should ever have to experience. i am grateful to have some context to explain why he behaves the way he does, and hopefully i'll be able to reach him more effectively now. my heart breaks for him.
happy tuesday <3
1. the weather has been mostly gorgeous
2. i got trained for my summer job this weekend
3. i watched the series finales of both lost and 24
4. sam has been on the laptop a lot lately
5. the house is a disaster so cleaning is in order
6. my vitamin d deficiency has required me to take several naps
7. i'm lazy
anyway. today i learned a lot of things. i'm going to keep with the list theme here and write them below:
1. mint basically grows on a vine-like root underground, which is why its so freaking hard to get rid of (i learned this through experience today)
2. caterpillars shed their skin like snakes do as they grow
3. i NEED to wear sunglasses when i'm outside on a sunny day or else i can't really function
4. my classroom has only black and brown construction paper left (blech)
5. when given the choice between free, half-day school with a structured, effective program, or free, full-day day care for their child with bussing but no real educational benefits for their child, parents will almost always choose the latter, which is sad
6. not all hoses are created equal, and the inexpensive ones really are just cheap
7. my hair is still red when i stand in the sun, 5 months after dying it with a 8 week wash-out dye
8. our basement gets really cold when the a/c is turned on
9. one of the children in my class has gone through horrors that i can't believe i never knew about, and that no person should ever have to experience. i am grateful to have some context to explain why he behaves the way he does, and hopefully i'll be able to reach him more effectively now. my heart breaks for him.
happy tuesday <3
5.18.2010
VOTE
today i learned that philadelphia has some very interesting polling locations for voting days.
for example, there are several bars and private residencies that are voting stations. there are also roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, funeral homes, a water testing lab, a prison training center, "italian social clubs" (which, i'm sorry, screams the mob to me), and a lot of auto repair shops.
and here i was thinking that polling stations were exclusively located in schools.
but now i know. if i ever move to philly, i may end up voting in someone's back yard.
(i'm glad i live in the 'burbs).
for example, there are several bars and private residencies that are voting stations. there are also roller skating rinks, bowling alleys, funeral homes, a water testing lab, a prison training center, "italian social clubs" (which, i'm sorry, screams the mob to me), and a lot of auto repair shops.
and here i was thinking that polling stations were exclusively located in schools.
but now i know. if i ever move to philly, i may end up voting in someone's back yard.
(i'm glad i live in the 'burbs).
5.17.2010
d for deficiency.
today i learned that a vitamin d deficiency can make your hands and feet tingly, and totally wear you out.
i'm just glad it's not diabetes or something crazy. all i have to do is take a giant pill every morning and i should be good to go. it's also a great excuse to lay out on the deck every afternoon after work.
"oh, i'm sorry sam, i couldn't do the dishes, i need to get some vitamin d..."
yup :-)
also, i think its prudent to share that yesterday i learned how all those chefs on tv can cut up an onion in 10 seconds flat.
they have a SHARP set of knives.
how do i know? i actually got a sharp set of knives yesterday. i actually spent the afternoon trying to find stuff i could cut up just so i could enjoy using them. it's amazing the difference it makes chopping onions and garlic with a high quality, sharp knife that was designed for cutting onions and garlic and things like that.
in case anyone was keeping score, i now have an actual blender, a kitchenaid mixer (whoooooooo!) and a real set of knives.
i am in kitchen heaven.
it makes up well for the vitamin d deficiency.
i'm just glad it's not diabetes or something crazy. all i have to do is take a giant pill every morning and i should be good to go. it's also a great excuse to lay out on the deck every afternoon after work.
"oh, i'm sorry sam, i couldn't do the dishes, i need to get some vitamin d..."
yup :-)
also, i think its prudent to share that yesterday i learned how all those chefs on tv can cut up an onion in 10 seconds flat.
they have a SHARP set of knives.
how do i know? i actually got a sharp set of knives yesterday. i actually spent the afternoon trying to find stuff i could cut up just so i could enjoy using them. it's amazing the difference it makes chopping onions and garlic with a high quality, sharp knife that was designed for cutting onions and garlic and things like that.
in case anyone was keeping score, i now have an actual blender, a kitchenaid mixer (whoooooooo!) and a real set of knives.
i am in kitchen heaven.
it makes up well for the vitamin d deficiency.
5.15.2010
mom was right
today i learned that practice really does make perfect.
which is unfortunate, because i was hoping that this one was the one thing i could prove my mother wrong on.
that aside, what i liked most about learning this today was that it wasn't just something that suddenly happened, like when someone looks at you and says "did you know that...". this was a nugget of life knowledge that has been a long time coming. but i did realize it in one of those everyday moments that usually passes by with redundant monotony, but instead God decided to use it in a way that highlighted a part of my life that i otherwise would have missed out on.
i was cutting tomatoes.
i didn't want my last two to go bad, so on a whim i decided to make a mock caprese salad using shredded mozzarella and no basil. it was as good a topping as any for my hamburger, and it saved me from wasting two perfectly good tomatoes, whose skin was slowly getting wrinkly and i knew wouldn't make it much longer. on any other night, i probably would have skipped it since i lacked the right ingredients, and let the tomatoes go, but i was in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the firming of months of experience that being an adult has brought, and i don't think God was ready to let it slide. and so i found myself hungry enough for those two tomatoes that i took the time to prepare them. i was standing at the counter chopping away when something struck me. the first time i cut up roma tomatoes for bruschetta, i read the recipe line by line over and over to make sure i was doing it right- slice in half, remove the seeds, dice. it took me at least half an hour to get 2 tomatoes de-seeded and diced that night, and it was pain-staking. i went through several tools to figure out the best way to get the seeds off, and sliced them several different ways to figure out how i like them diced the best.
tonight, it took me about 5 minutes from start to finish to get the entire "caprese salad" made, and it had turned into a nearly thoughtless process. my hands just knew what to do with the tomatoes. and as i stood there stirring the balsamic vinegar into the little cubes of juicy red yumminess, i hit me how many tasks in my life have gone from tedious, awkward, and new to simple, learned, and comfortable.
for example: i can make an awesome pot of coffee without agonizing over how many scoops or cups to use. i can butterfly a chicken breast in 10 seconds. i can cut up a head of iceburg and romaine lettuce while the butterflied chicken breasts finish grilling. i can weed my garden without having to put on gardening clothes. i can vacuum the whole house before sam gets home from work and still have time for a snack. i can grocery shop for the two of us, getting enough food to last two weeks, keeping it all gluten free and under $150 without having to worry about if i'm getting it done fast enough to get home and let the dog out. i can blow dry my hair and put on my make up in under 10 minutes and still look thoroughly put together. i can make dinner for two and my lunch for the next day simultaneously. i can carry armfuls of ridiculous things and not drop any of them. i can actually make phone calls to places like the doctor or the insurance company without breaking out in a cold sweat. i can get breakfast set up for 19 kids in about 5 minutes. i can pull out of my garage without having to check to make sure i'm not going to run into the door frame (although i do anyway). i can send a text message without looking at my phone once. i can get from my bed to the bathroom and back again at night without any shin bruises. i can swing the gate on our deck with just the right amount of force to get it to shut without pushing it all the way. i can pray to God for strength or patience or calm without even realizing it.
in short, i have started to get good at living. practice has started to bring me as close to perfect as i will ever be able to get. no one can do all of it right. i still run into things. i still spill stuff everywhere. i still double and triple check new recipes as i try them out for the first time. i still pre-read new books before i read them out loud to my students (usually). i still forget just about everything, even if i write it down. some things, no amount of practice will ever be able to fix. but most things that have become a daily part of who i am, i have found that i can learn, and not only do, but do well.
but only with practice.
which is unfortunate, because i was hoping that this one was the one thing i could prove my mother wrong on.
that aside, what i liked most about learning this today was that it wasn't just something that suddenly happened, like when someone looks at you and says "did you know that...". this was a nugget of life knowledge that has been a long time coming. but i did realize it in one of those everyday moments that usually passes by with redundant monotony, but instead God decided to use it in a way that highlighted a part of my life that i otherwise would have missed out on.
i was cutting tomatoes.
i didn't want my last two to go bad, so on a whim i decided to make a mock caprese salad using shredded mozzarella and no basil. it was as good a topping as any for my hamburger, and it saved me from wasting two perfectly good tomatoes, whose skin was slowly getting wrinkly and i knew wouldn't make it much longer. on any other night, i probably would have skipped it since i lacked the right ingredients, and let the tomatoes go, but i was in the right frame of mind to be receptive to the firming of months of experience that being an adult has brought, and i don't think God was ready to let it slide. and so i found myself hungry enough for those two tomatoes that i took the time to prepare them. i was standing at the counter chopping away when something struck me. the first time i cut up roma tomatoes for bruschetta, i read the recipe line by line over and over to make sure i was doing it right- slice in half, remove the seeds, dice. it took me at least half an hour to get 2 tomatoes de-seeded and diced that night, and it was pain-staking. i went through several tools to figure out the best way to get the seeds off, and sliced them several different ways to figure out how i like them diced the best.
tonight, it took me about 5 minutes from start to finish to get the entire "caprese salad" made, and it had turned into a nearly thoughtless process. my hands just knew what to do with the tomatoes. and as i stood there stirring the balsamic vinegar into the little cubes of juicy red yumminess, i hit me how many tasks in my life have gone from tedious, awkward, and new to simple, learned, and comfortable.
for example: i can make an awesome pot of coffee without agonizing over how many scoops or cups to use. i can butterfly a chicken breast in 10 seconds. i can cut up a head of iceburg and romaine lettuce while the butterflied chicken breasts finish grilling. i can weed my garden without having to put on gardening clothes. i can vacuum the whole house before sam gets home from work and still have time for a snack. i can grocery shop for the two of us, getting enough food to last two weeks, keeping it all gluten free and under $150 without having to worry about if i'm getting it done fast enough to get home and let the dog out. i can blow dry my hair and put on my make up in under 10 minutes and still look thoroughly put together. i can make dinner for two and my lunch for the next day simultaneously. i can carry armfuls of ridiculous things and not drop any of them. i can actually make phone calls to places like the doctor or the insurance company without breaking out in a cold sweat. i can get breakfast set up for 19 kids in about 5 minutes. i can pull out of my garage without having to check to make sure i'm not going to run into the door frame (although i do anyway). i can send a text message without looking at my phone once. i can get from my bed to the bathroom and back again at night without any shin bruises. i can swing the gate on our deck with just the right amount of force to get it to shut without pushing it all the way. i can pray to God for strength or patience or calm without even realizing it.
in short, i have started to get good at living. practice has started to bring me as close to perfect as i will ever be able to get. no one can do all of it right. i still run into things. i still spill stuff everywhere. i still double and triple check new recipes as i try them out for the first time. i still pre-read new books before i read them out loud to my students (usually). i still forget just about everything, even if i write it down. some things, no amount of practice will ever be able to fix. but most things that have become a daily part of who i am, i have found that i can learn, and not only do, but do well.
but only with practice.
5.14.2010
my dad's pipe smoking year
today i learned that my dad smoked a pipe for a year back before he met my mother.
this was just one of those things that came up while we were sitting around after eating a ridiculously yummy dinner provided by my momma for my birthday. as my dad and hubs smoked cigars, my mom and i reminisced on how the scent wafting gently towards us on the evening spring breeze reminded us of the pipe tobacco our respective grandfathers smoked when we were little. my mom said, more for conversation's sake than anything, that my dad should smoke a pipe.
which was when he told us that he had, once, and he just didn't like it.
to which my mom responded "WHEN WAS THIS?"
and he told her how it was before he met her, and only for a year or so, and that he just couldn't find the appeal in it.
i found this so interesting, i told him i would blog about it tonight.
so here it is daddy. the blog about your pipe smoking year. i'm glad it didn't stick. i think nowadays it would look a little snobby and affected. but the image of it will always fit my grandfather, who was dignified and refined with his pipe. you, as my daddy, just make much more sense with a cigar than a pipe.
and i will always inhale deeply when walking past tobacco stores.
:-)
this was just one of those things that came up while we were sitting around after eating a ridiculously yummy dinner provided by my momma for my birthday. as my dad and hubs smoked cigars, my mom and i reminisced on how the scent wafting gently towards us on the evening spring breeze reminded us of the pipe tobacco our respective grandfathers smoked when we were little. my mom said, more for conversation's sake than anything, that my dad should smoke a pipe.
which was when he told us that he had, once, and he just didn't like it.
to which my mom responded "WHEN WAS THIS?"
and he told her how it was before he met her, and only for a year or so, and that he just couldn't find the appeal in it.
i found this so interesting, i told him i would blog about it tonight.
so here it is daddy. the blog about your pipe smoking year. i'm glad it didn't stick. i think nowadays it would look a little snobby and affected. but the image of it will always fit my grandfather, who was dignified and refined with his pipe. you, as my daddy, just make much more sense with a cigar than a pipe.
and i will always inhale deeply when walking past tobacco stores.
:-)
5.13.2010
mouse trap is more fun as a board game
today i learned that my husband and i have very different views when it comes to mice in your house.
let me explain.
a week or so ago, i sat down for breakfast at our kitchen table, and noticed a few tiny 'presents' that i recognized immediately as mouse droppings, having grown up in a 60 year old rancher that had its fair share of little visitors. when i pointed them out to sam, he told me there was no way that we had mice, especially not upstairs in our kitchen, and anyway, how would they have gotten on the kitchen table? so i dropped the subject, and later removed the table cloth to be washed and didn't bother to replace it.
that night, we opened the dishwasher and saw some more gifts from our four legged friends. sam, still reluctant to admit that we could have any such house guests, pointed out that it would be impossible for a mouse to enter our dishwasher in order to leave the suspect droppings behind. again, i dropped it, although i remained wary.
three nights ago (about a week after the initial sighting) i made barbecue chicken on the grill, and i used my little baster brush to get them extra barbecue-y. while doing the dishes, sam stuck the brush in the dishwasher utensil basket, with the bristles facing the top of the dishwasher. the next morning, half the bristles were littering the bottom of the dishwasher. scattered amongst the fallen baster were little mouseterds.
this convinced sam. he was not happy.
the next afternoon, i bought mouse traps. we set all four of them last night.
this morning, we woke up to find that two of the traps had been licked clean of the copious amounts of peanut butter i had slathered them with, one was just as we had left it, and the fourth one was... gone.
yup.
not there anymore.
and all i could think about was that somewhere in our house, most likely behind our fridge or stove, no more than 3 feet where i cook my meals, is a mouse, awkwardly caught in a trap, that is horribly injured and slowly dying. and soon, it will be dead, and it will start to get stinky. and nasty. and dead mouse-like. this turns my stomach.
sam, however, is triumphant at the idea of having caught one of the little 'suckers' (i changed a letter for politeness' sake). he doesn't care that it's off in some remote corner of our house slowly approaching its last breath. he's just glad its dirty little paws can't crawl around in our dishwasher anymore licking our plates and chewing our baster brushes to pieces. he can't stand the idea of mouse poopies showing up at random places around the house.
i can talk to him about mice roaming our walls and floors without even batting an eye, while his stomach turns and his baser instincts of defense and protection of his home roar into action. i, on the other hand, can't stand the idea of a mouse dying slowly in our midst, while sam proclaims it to the heavens as a fantastical victory over some unseen evil.
maybe this is why we work so well together.
in the end, we will both make sure we are rodent free.
let me explain.
a week or so ago, i sat down for breakfast at our kitchen table, and noticed a few tiny 'presents' that i recognized immediately as mouse droppings, having grown up in a 60 year old rancher that had its fair share of little visitors. when i pointed them out to sam, he told me there was no way that we had mice, especially not upstairs in our kitchen, and anyway, how would they have gotten on the kitchen table? so i dropped the subject, and later removed the table cloth to be washed and didn't bother to replace it.
that night, we opened the dishwasher and saw some more gifts from our four legged friends. sam, still reluctant to admit that we could have any such house guests, pointed out that it would be impossible for a mouse to enter our dishwasher in order to leave the suspect droppings behind. again, i dropped it, although i remained wary.
three nights ago (about a week after the initial sighting) i made barbecue chicken on the grill, and i used my little baster brush to get them extra barbecue-y. while doing the dishes, sam stuck the brush in the dishwasher utensil basket, with the bristles facing the top of the dishwasher. the next morning, half the bristles were littering the bottom of the dishwasher. scattered amongst the fallen baster were little mouseterds.
this convinced sam. he was not happy.
the next afternoon, i bought mouse traps. we set all four of them last night.
this morning, we woke up to find that two of the traps had been licked clean of the copious amounts of peanut butter i had slathered them with, one was just as we had left it, and the fourth one was... gone.
yup.
not there anymore.
and all i could think about was that somewhere in our house, most likely behind our fridge or stove, no more than 3 feet where i cook my meals, is a mouse, awkwardly caught in a trap, that is horribly injured and slowly dying. and soon, it will be dead, and it will start to get stinky. and nasty. and dead mouse-like. this turns my stomach.
sam, however, is triumphant at the idea of having caught one of the little 'suckers' (i changed a letter for politeness' sake). he doesn't care that it's off in some remote corner of our house slowly approaching its last breath. he's just glad its dirty little paws can't crawl around in our dishwasher anymore licking our plates and chewing our baster brushes to pieces. he can't stand the idea of mouse poopies showing up at random places around the house.
i can talk to him about mice roaming our walls and floors without even batting an eye, while his stomach turns and his baser instincts of defense and protection of his home roar into action. i, on the other hand, can't stand the idea of a mouse dying slowly in our midst, while sam proclaims it to the heavens as a fantastical victory over some unseen evil.
maybe this is why we work so well together.
in the end, we will both make sure we are rodent free.
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