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August 31, 2007

Murphys Rule
While I've learned to more or less peacefully coexist with this floor-to-ceiling mirror over the past 2.5 years, I still wouldn't mind seeing it go bye.

While browsing Craigslist yesterday, I found a tasteful and useful concealer -- this handcrafted, custom Murphy bed. The bed would be perfect for guests, the table for crafts (or for Daniel to play at), and the lighted shelves for books or whatnot.

Not budget-friendly, but a girl can dream.
08/31/07 11:53 AM |  Comments


August 30, 2007

Tisket Tasket
Yesterday we came home with a big eleventh-hour summer berry haul from our favorite local organic farm. Some for eating, some for freezing (both pureed and halved), and some made into frozen yogurt and berry pops (the bub had a great time with one in the bathtub today!).

And then we were left with a bunch of green plastic baskets. There are some really terrific ideas for reusing them at make-stuff, though.
08/30/07 06:28 PM |  Comments


August 28, 2007

Loser!
Down a painstakingly slooooow 15.5 pounds since March -- but three of those in just the past week. I'm beginning to think that getting up early might be good for more than just motivation and sanity.

In other news, the bub woke up pretty much as early as I did today, he was even more tantrumy and talkbackish than normal, and this morning's behavior at the library has scared me off taking him there again for some time. Clearly quite tired, but no nap. Needless to say it's been an incredibly long day. I've been hiding behind my borrowed copy of The Road (just, wow) and counting the minutes until (early!) bedtime.
08/28/07 06:21 PM |  Comments


August 27, 2007

Fall Semester Again
So class started back up last week, and, for lack of any Adobe courses that I want/need, I'm taking something a little bit meatier -- JavaScript. Haven't taken a lick of programming since *cough* 1990 *cough*, so it should be interesting. My brain can use the workout, and my site the adrenaline.

Because goodness knows it's not seeing much in the way of writing these days. You can blame that on 1) boredom, 2) a bit of grumpiness, because of 3) complete stoppage of naps, and also 4) dealing with the mental fallout from tantrumy refusals, much of the live-long day. I'm not really sure where studying is going to come into play, and then all my crafty plans, and exercise. I've been trying to get up very early now, and tomorrow it'll be six (coffee machine timer at the ready!), so I hope to at least get my assignments squared away, bit by bit, in the peaceful times before anyone else is up.

Several times now, I've read that rising early can ward off depression, too -- and I think I can definitely use a little of that, in any case.
08/27/07 09:03 PM |  Comments


August 21, 2007

Playing Girl
Sometimes, when I get in a staying-at-home rut, I like to dress up a little bit for errands -- you know, pretend I won't spend the rest of the day scrubbing up cat puke and "washable" stamp ink (another story for another day). Which for me just means pairing my usual plain tee with a skirt instead of jeans or short pants, and wearing sandals nicer than my aging Timberlands.

I guess I don't do it enough. Because this morning, after I'd put on my long linen skirt (courtesy Old Navy c2006), the bub pointed and said "What's THAT?"
08/21/07 09:50 AM |  Comments


August 17, 2007

Shiny
While on a small Pyrex kick (it seems the approaching fall always brings out my inner bear's foody-prep-nesting), I've also noticed the pretty vintage-styled green glass Martha oven-to-table bakeware at Kmart. The round 2 qt. casseroles with the steel serving cradle are available at our store, but not online.
08/17/07 05:25 PM |  Comments


August 11, 2007

Out
Did I mention that we went out last week? As in, adults only? I don't blame you if you don't believe me; I hardly believe it myself.

In a place with no social or family network, finding a sitter is a daunting (if not terrifying) task, reasons for which I'm sure you can imagine. Over a period of months, I watched Craigslist, passing up hundreds of ads, most of them more than reliable, I'm sure. But paranoia won out. Then, in a cartoon-style lightbulb moment, it occurred to me that I could look on the local college job boards, instead, where students who needed experience for their child development degrees would surely be abundant.

They were, and I started making calls to bright, promising, and presumably motivated students. To my disappointment, then frustration, and then fury, a string of no-shows commenced. Doing nothing to bolster my faith in younger Gen Y-ers, and demolishing my resolve for another half year.

Last month, as our fifth anniversary, D's 35th birthday, the bub's third, and The Simpsons Movie were about to converge, I resummoned my pluck and tried again. And success! This time 'round, someone more our own age, someone with a degree, and stellar references, and a day job.

Unfortunately, that job may or may not have her relocating soon, and so back to square zero for us. But it was nice while it lasted.
08/11/07 10:00 AM |  Comments


August 08, 2007

Hum Dee Dum
Here we are, in the mood to go some distance for a drive-in, and the only bub thing playing is Ratatouille. Which, according to other moms of young children, doesn't hold their interest long at all. I almost don't care -- it's double-featuring with HPatOotP (which I've already seen, but, hey, free), and he'd fall asleep before then, hopefully.

We've got a chart and star stickers taped to our downstairs bathroom mirror, a seat "permanently" installed in the toilet. So far, things aren't... well, going. I wouldn't push, but I'm thinking he'd really, really benefit from a handful of preschool hours per week (and honestly, so would I), but he needs to be out of diapers for that. Plus, it just feels like it's more than time.

You'd swear it was fall this week. Fall, in the middle of August. I've been wearing jeans for days! Rock.
08/08/07 08:58 AM |  Comments


August 07, 2007

Oompa Loompa
That's what we've been calling Olompali State Historic Park, just south of us, because of the letterbox that lives there. And, you know, it's more fun to say.

We never did find the box, but we did get to see some great old buildings and ruins, a re-created Miwok village, and signs warning us about mountain lions. And no weekend jaunt would be complete without a handful of photos, a healthy dose of trail misbehavior and bickering, and contracting some kind of woodland flea (now apparently banished to all but D's vehicle, and hopefully deprived of blood long enough to have extinguished there).

There are "kitchen rocks," large, deeply-pitted slabs once used by Native Americans to grind grains, that we'll have to catch another time. Maybe.
08/07/07 03:16 PM |  Comments


August 02, 2007

More Fun With Beads
In a hurry to ship, I didn't take a photo of my last set of jewelry, but happily Sarah did!

I fell so much in love with those swirled glass beads while working with them, that I really need to get some for myself.
08/02/07 02:12 PM |  Comments


August 01, 2007

At This Very Moment
Bloglines was down all night. Unannounced, unacknowledged. I think I "lost" a bunch of updates. Bah. ETA: looks as if the lost updates are trickling in now.

It's our fifth (?!?) anniversary. The traditional gift (which I just now looked up) is wood. My naughty mind can't help but wonder how many innuendoed "gifts" have been attempted by men over the years.

Going through yet another contact-hating phase of fascination with the bladeless IntraLASIK procedure. It's readily available all around us, now.

Been mooning a bit over Harry Potter. Silly, being a supposed adult, and all. But I always have been apt to get a little too attached to my literature. I'm going back and watching each film to string at least the major plotlines together in my head. Here there be some of Rowling's epilogue commentary, if you're done reading and curious.
08/01/07 09:27 AM |  Comments