chock-a-blog

On Saturday Dave's cousin Traci is getting married. At the last minute we decided to fly to Ames for the wedding and to see everyone who will be in attendance there. At the last minute, I decided to crochet a throw as a wedding gift. I just finished. The colors in this first picture are true; the other two pictures were taken with flash so the colors look brighter than they really are. I started last Monday night with 7 skeins of Lion Brand Chenille Thick and Quick in Periwinkle. It's 72 single crochet in the back loop only for as many rows as you want. Then single crochet around in a contrasting color. I chose Wine. I bought the yarn at Big Lots for half the retail price. It's long and skinny but very texturally appealing. Though all skeins were of the same dye lot, you can see that the top and bottom skein are definitely different, not so much in color as in texture. It's pure dumb luck that they ended up at the top and bottom. It's not perfect, but neither is mar...

This headhugger was supposed to be for me. I've got to stop plunging hell-for-leather into projects without first testing gauge. I can get it on but any extended wear would give me a major headache. I'm trying for an easy mesh skully to wear during the summer but many of the patterns I've found are beyond my current crochet capability. I'm trying this pattern again, with a different yarn, an additional increase round, and several more repeats. I've found a simple recipe for pizza dough that makes the best pizza for boys (and mommies, but I like mine with mushrooms, onions, black olives, basil, a little goat cheese, and some pine nuts). This Last Supper/Life of Christ puzzle had 750 pieces and the edge pieces were indistinguishable from the interior pieces. Took me forever to complete, and kept us from eating in the dining room for about three weeks. I've been making bottle cap earrings... ...and custom cards to put them on. I've opened an etsy shop: thriftys...

where does the time go?

Seriously. I'm so content with my life but my wallet is way too thin. My full time employment at the preschool doesn't resume for another 5 weeks so I'm seeking a second job. Time is my most limiting factor. To avoid paying for childcare (which would negate the income produced by a second job) and to accommodate my preschool hours I can work Monday through Friday between 4:00 am and 2:00 pm and anytime weekends. I'm looking for something part time that I can continue working evenings and weekends during the school year. Anyone know of any Tucson area jobs or any telecommuting jobs? Seeking suggestions, networking, brainstorming. I'll do pretty much anything.

"What are you doing this summer?" my friend Doreen asked over lunch at Maria Bonita. "Nothing." I replied. "Nothing? What's Jack doing?" "Nothing." "Nothing?" "Nothing." "I'm so jealous!" I've had a remarkable number of these "nothing" conversations. I'm leading an enviable life, it seems. I suppose, though, that "nothing" depends much on your perspective. When I look back on my day I see a schedule full of gratifying activity, but because little of it was paid activity, I feel like I'm doing nothing. Today I got up at 5:00 am. I made myself a cup of coffee, which I enjoyed with a Nonni's Biscotti. I checked my email, logged on to facebook, accepted some gifts for my L'il Green Patch, changed my status, and learned Farkle. Then I checked my Bloglines and posted here. Most mornings I take Cassie for a walk or a run, but because I've run the last two days in a row to...

During our Thursday morning walk a week or two ago, Ana said, "It's summer! I check your blog every day but you haven't been posting. What's up?" Yeah. Summer slips by, half over, and I haven't approached my blogs. I've circled them warily, considered where I want them to take me, retreated at the divestiture of cognitive energy. It's mucky in there and I haven't mustered the strength for the necessary mental housekeeping. At the preschool last year I accepted a new position. I was hopeful then, dashed now. Though I don't feel the need to hash it out here, I do feel the need to acknowledge the struggle and to step away from it, shoulders square under the shreds of my ego. Maybe that's enough confession to get me going again. I'll keep you posted.

In my preschool class we've been working with this kid, Eric, who punches. He punches his mom, he punches me, he punches other kids. Especially the kids he likes. Seems the better he likes you, the more he punches you. Standard admonitions haven't been working. When Eric punches me, I say, "Eric, I don't like it when you hit me. It hurts." Still. He punches. So yesterday as I'm serving snack I walk by Eric's chair and he punches me in the butt. I decide to try a different tack. "Eric," I say, "there are better ways to show your love." "This is not my love," he tells me. "This is my fist." Indeed.

Mom sent me a new camera, and I couldn't be happier. I went on a photo rampage! My less photographed kitty, Moxie. The silver mollies in my upstairs fish tank. A collection of hand-made toys, most of which I made myself. My Royal Kitties, made for me by my mom. My mom made these, people. The type tray that hangs on the wall in my hallway. Art I bought at Casa de los Ninos thrift store. Hangs in my kitchen. shelf in my kitchen on the shelf in my bathroom collection scenario that's been on the mantel since about Christmas Thanks, Mom. I love love LOVE the camera.

This weekend the first annual Tucson Festival of Books was held on the U of A Mall. We went on Sunday. Apparently much of Tucson did too: the AZ Daily Star estimates attendance at 30K! Next year I'll plan better, so I can attend lectures by some of the featured authors. This year I would have enjoyed J.A. Jance and Diana Gabaldon. As it went, though, we just hung out for a few hours and had a great time. At the TMC booth you could spin the wheel to win valuable prizes. Evan won a set of ABC magnets. Jack won a car eraser and a pencil. Two years ago Brazey was born at TMC, and here he is a TMC princess turtle (just like Junie B!). Brazey met a real celebrity. Jack's a skeptic, however. Jack said, "I can see his head." Evan got a cool animal book. Good things come in threes: my writing buddies and me (Molly, me, Charlie). My treasured triumvirate.

overnight trail ride smoke a pipe (tobacco) attend a real Japanese tea ceremony go to Jerusalem scuba dive

one for me, modeled by The Tass one for Jack. He's very grateful. Thank you!

As a writing project over the past few weeks the students in Jack's class have been tasked with writing letters to each other. On Friday Jack brought home the letters his classmates wrote to him. This one is my favorite. "Dear Jack: I like how you play football at school all the time at school so did you lern how to play football at your howse with somebody at your howse to play football so you can lern football so you can play at school all the time with your friend at school do you like to play football" All that work and it's not even signed. Awesome.

I got a facebook invitation to make Bottle Cap Art at the U of A's student union through a new group called create/sustain/renew . Mandy and I went on Wednesday to the Union Gallery. The event was categorized as a party/mixer. We didn't know what to expect but this is what we found. Their facebook group describes the approach as "passive education." So we walked in, looked around, found a place to sit, and delved right into the supplies provided. Through chatting with our tablemates we found out who was in charge and asked her a few questions as we selected our materials. We discovered it was nothing we've not done before: use a 1-inch circle punch to extract an interesting image from the pages of a magazine, glue it to the inside or outside of a bottle cap, modpodge the whole schmeer, punch a few holes through the rim of the cap with an awl, insert a jump ring, hang it from an earring hook. Earring! I made three magnets and a set of earrings. Mandy made a set of ...

This is not my dog. But doesn't he look a lot like her? Maybe he's Cassie's brother? I met Maui at my house when his owner came to buy something I'd posted on craig's list. His head was poking out the back window of her truck when I opened my door to greet her. The first thing I said was, "Oh! Your dog could be my dog! They look so much alike!" I talked to Stacy for a long time, and Maui and Cassie met but there was no sweet reunion. Cassie treated him as she'd treat any other dog she'd just met. Stacy gave me many Dog Whisper-er inspired pointers on how to curb Cassie's barking. Cassie went back inside, Maui went back into the truck, and Stacy and I continued to talk. Apparently we talked too long. Maui grew impatient and whined out the back window. Then he moved to the front seat. Then he honked the horn. Three times. No, not my dog. But I wish he was.

A parishioner at my church owns an Arabian horse stables that annually hosts something called The Black Stallion Literacy Program. I imagined a philanthropic and eccentric old lady reigning benevolently over her modest ranch, where a dozen underprivileged kids, each with his own horse and his own caring volunteer, made magic by learning to read. I pictured myself leaning against a haybale, the warm and wriggling body of a frustrated first grader beside me, the two of us on a journey to enlightenment there in the illumination of sunbeams swirling with dust motes. The reality is much different. Still, I'm glad I stepped out of my daily routine to volunteer my time to this program. I arrived on a rainy Thursday morning and signed in, then enjoyed half a donut and a cup of coffee from Bruegger's while I chatted up some other volunteers. We sat for a brief orientation during which I learned that the program is far bigger than I realized, encompassing at least nine states. The progr...