Goodbye August

August 2010.
Days 31.
Blog posts 31.
Photos 31.

Okay. That last part is a lie. I took way more than 31 photos. I took at least one every day. 

I played around with a template from Designer Digitals to showcase the photos. I'll play later with a Cathy Zielske monthly template, too, to give myself a space to tell some stories from the month. I just haven't gotten to that yet.

I'm curious. Which of the three do you like?

Bring on September.

How cool.

I was going to bore you with this week's meal plan. Then, I considered telling you about how I used last night to clean my bedroom for the first time since June. Then, this happened:

Natalie learned how to read. She read to me once before tonight, but tonight was the first time I busted out the camera.

Tonight, we were playing house. Natalie was the mom. She's wearing an apron because she was cooking us fish (from the toy fishing game) on the stove (also a toy) for dinner. I was the baby. She put me to bed and was reading me a story (I Like Bugs), so I could go to sleep because "that's the bed-time routine."

She starts kindergarten on Wednesday. I wished her luck before I left tonight. She just smiled and said, "I'll be fine." My heart melted. It was the weirdest feeling. Time just sort of sped up and in a matter of a blink I thought about kindergarten and driving and high school and prom and weddings. She suddenly went from five to thirty five.

Seriously. I don't know how you moms do it.

Sinking Feeling of Dread

I have a sinking feeling of dread in my stomach.

I get it every Sunday night that preceding a working Monday.

That's right. Tomorrow is a working Monday.

The end is here.

Paper: Win Some - Lose Some

I want to love these layouts - really I do. I love the pictures and the product. I just don't love how they came together in the end. Maybe it's because the pictures are so big. Maybe it's because I didn't leave space for journaling. I'm not sure. I think I'll try again with each picture, though.

Sweet
Studio Calico June 2010 Kit (Partly Sunny) and Add-ons 
Alphabet: American Crafts
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics
Embellishments: K & Co. (flower)
Patterned Paper: Studio Calico, We R Memory Keepers, Websters Pages
Stickers: October Afternoon, Websters Pages
Tools: American Crafts (pen), Fiskars (border punches), Staz On (ink)

 
Bring on the Sunshine
Studio Calico March 2010 Kit (Quilting Bee) and Add-ons
Lifted from Laura Kurz
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics
Embellishments: American Crafts (alphabet, brad, flower, ribbon, rub-on), Jenni Bowlin (stick pin)
Patterned Paper: American Crafts
Other: American Crafts (pen), Martha Stewart (punches)

You've made things you don't really like, right?

Gun-due

Angie and I have had all kinds of adventures. Most recently, there was the hot pepper jelly. Last summer, there was the Sconnie Cheese Tour. Before that, we collaborated on Fancy Word for Simple. There have been parties and Thanksgiving dinners, too.

This adventure might just top it all, though.

Last night we learned how to shoot handguns - lots and lots of handguns.

 

I was pretty confident and excited about the whole thing. I had a moment of hesitation when the guns actually came out. The first one was a lot heavier and bigger than I thought it would be. It felt really "real" to see the guns (there were about six of them) and the ammunition just sitting on a table. The man who was our teacher was fabulous, though. He explained how the guns worked, their history, and safety precautions. He was patient, calm, and knowledgeable. 

 

When it came time to actually shoot I wasn't nervous at all. I was expecting the gun to have some kind of kick when it was fired. Some of them did but nothing that was difficult to control or uncomfortable. And, aiming the gun was actually pretty easy. I hit the target every time and even hit a bulls-eye. I was amazed by how different each gun felt both in my hand and when it fired. My favorite ended up being the "NCIS gun" - a Sig Sauer 226.

He talked with us about using handguns for home defense and shooting just for sport. I didn't come out of the experience feeling like I need to have a loaded handgun in my house for defense. In reality, I would need to become a much better shot for the gun to help me. Plus, what are the odds that I would actually be near where the gun is and be able to access it in time for the gun to actually be helpful. Our teacher also talked a lot about the legal ramifications of using a gun for home defense. I'm just not ready for all of that.

I came away really understanding that there are a lot of steps involved in being a responsible gun owner. I don't want to weigh in at all on the larger discussion about gun ownership, but I will encourage others to learn more about guns, gun ownership, and gun safety. I'm glad I went shooting, and I look forward to doing it again.

And, in case you're wondering about the post title. . . Gun-due.

Each of our adventures involves food. So, we ended the night with fondue at the Melting Pot. How's that for interesting. We shot hand guns and ate fondue.

What I Read: Charles and Emma

I read this because it was selected for a Printz Award in 2010. There really was no other reason.

 Charles and Emma by Deborah Heiligman

Charles and Emma is a non-fiction young adult biography about Charles Darwin. Specifically, Heiligman's book is about Charles's relationship with his wife (who was also his cousin), Emma. Charles wanted to research evolution. His questions about the role of God in the creation of species deepened as his research progressed. Conversely, Emma's faith deepened throughout her life. Each trial - whether the death of her sister or of her children - made Emma more devout.

Sounds like the ingredients for an interesting and turbulent love story, right?

Wrong.

Charles is not likable. He is physically weak and sickly and constantly analyzing everything (and I mean everything) through a very scientific lens. Emma never stands up for herself. She silently supports Charles and all of his work, never really expressing her own views.

The only reason I was able to finish this was because I was stuck in a car on a very long trip.

2 truths. 1 lie.

This picture is a strange choice for today. I've done nothing but work all week. 

Three days of working (except when I bailed out on working for an hour to get a massage this morning) is quite a shock to a girl who has been busy enjoying summer for two months now.

I am going to learn to shoot a handgun.

I would love to travel to Jamaica.

I do not eat chicken if it has been re-heated.

Which one is the lie?

2 pair day.

I left the house at 6:45 this morning with two pairs of shoes.

I wore one for my morning thing.

I wore one for my afternoon thing.

I put the first pair back on for my evening thing.

Now, I'm barefoot and in pajamas.

It's been a long day.

Meal Plan (and a question)

I know y'all have spent the entire day just sitting in front of your computers waiting to see what I'm eating this week. Well, wait no longer.



Monday:
Italian Beef and Antipasto Salad

Tuesday:
I have a dinner meeting.

Wednesday:
Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, and Green Beans

Thursday:
Hot date with Angie - more info to come.

Friday:
Beef Enchiladas and Guacamole Salad

Saturday:
Sloppy Joes, Potato Chips, and Cauliflower

And, a question. I really struggle with finding things to eat for lunch. What do you suggest? Here are my confines:
I get tired of eating the same thing every day.
I don't like lunch meat.
I eat salad, but it needs to have lots of stuff in it besides lettuce.

Thoughts?

August 22.

I did something similar on July 23 and it was kind of fun, so. . .

(And no idea why I'm feeling so nostalgic these days. Sorry about that. No more trips down memory lane in the foreseeable future.)

I was looking back through pictures today and came across the last two August 22nds.

August 22, 2009. Grilled peaches from the Farmers' Market made a great dessert.

August 22, 2008. Katelyn - 15 months old in this picture and more than three years now - eating an orange.

Not much else to say today.

Happy Sunday!

Mindset List

Have you seen the Mindset List (from Beloit College)? It is meant to "look at the cultural touchstones that shape the lives of students entering college this fall."

Just to get you in the right frame of mind to look at the list from when I entered college (2003), I leave you with this picture of me when I was 13.

Don't get confused. I was no Doogie Houser. I didn't enter college at 13. The list below just made me think about being 13.

Take a moment to laugh.

Take a few more moments to laugh. You know you need it. The bangs? The flannel shirt? The eyebrows? Come on. Laugh with me. It's funny stuff.

Anyway. . .

Here are a few items from the Mindset List from my graduating college class (2003):

1. There has always been a woman on the Supreme Court, and women have always been traveling into space.
2. They have never needed a prescription to buy ibuprofen.
3. They were born and grew up with Microsoft, IBM PCs, in-line skates, NutraSweet, fax machines, film on disks, and unregulated quantities of commercial interruptions on television.
4. The moonwalk is a Michael Jackson dance step, not a Neil Armstrong giant step.
6. The term "adult" has increasingly come to mean "dirty."
7. They have probably never dialed a phone or opened an icebox.
9. ET, Gremlins, and The Hulk provided their Halloween costumes and lunch box themes.
10. They were introduced to Kramer on the TV show Friday's.
11. They remember when Saturday Night Live was still funny.
12. They owned and operated a "trapper keeper."
13. They can name at least half of the members of the elite "Brat Pack."
14. They could breakdance, or wished they could.
15. Partying "like it's 1999" seemed SOOO far away.
16. They thought that "transformers" were more than meets the eye.
17. They can, right now, hum the theme to Inspector Gadget.
18. They wore banana clips at some point during their youth, or knew someone who did.
19. They HAD to have their MTV.
20. They actually thought Dirty Dancing was a REALLY good movie.
21. They collected Garbage Pail Kids.
22. They own(ed) cassette singles.
25. Poltergeist freaked them out.
26. They have occasionally pondered why Smurfette was the ONLY female smurf.
28. They wore bike shorts underneath a short skirt and felt stylish, or knew someone who did.
29. They had Swatch Watches.
30. They had WonderWoman or Superman underoos.

Which of these can you relate to?

Because we're friends.

Angie and I had lunch on Thursday. Upon seeing this in my car, she quickly said, "Um, it looks like you need a 12-step program and not a 12-punch program."

(And do you notice what is tucked right between my Dairy Queen frequent buyer cards? My membership to the Y. It hasn't been used since May.)

Just for Angie, I tried the Blizzard mini. Completely adorable and oh-so-tasty.

Thank you, Dairy Queen, for always knowing just what I need.

What I Read: The Monstrumologist

I cannot even believe that I am telling you about a monster book today.

I. do. not. read. books. about. monsters.

Except when I was a kid. Then, I loved this book about Grover called There's a Monster at the End of this Book. But, I digress.

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey

Will Henry is a teenage orphan. After the mysterious death of his parents (in 1888), Will is "adopted" by Doctor Pellinore Warthrop, his father's employer. Dr. Warthrop is no ordinary doctor - he is a monstrumologist.

A man arrives at Dr. Warthrop's door in the middle of the night. He unloads a strange and terrifying bundle. Some investigation reveals that the package is actually a creature - an anthropophagi.

Trust me.  You don't want to meet an anthropophagi. They are hairy, smelly headless creatures with eyes and a menacing mouth located around their crotch. They feed on humans - preferably live humans. There are actually historical and mythical documents about the anthropophagi. It is imagined they look something like this:

 Illustration taken from here

Anyway, it doesn't take long for Will Henry and Dr. Warthrop to realize that the deceased anthropophagi on their examination table most likely lives in a pod of at least 30. The hunt for the anthropophagi begins, and a larger mystery about how the creature arrived in America (it is native to Africa) is also unraveled.

The characters in The Monstrumologist were complex. I cared about Will Henry and his relationship with Dr. Warthrop, as weird as it may have been. Yancey also used the book to bring up some ethical questions about the work of scientists and the value of human life. It was a story about a lot more than flesh-eating monsters.

The book is a Printz winner for excellence in young adult literature. There is lots of complicated vocabulary and some serious gore; I would recommend it for advanced middle school readers and definitely for high school readers.

And, there is a sequel (The Curse of the Wendigo) to be released on October.

Trust me on this. You won't be disappointed.

Scrapbooking Nerd.

This time of year is always a good time for me and the paper. In the past it's been an entry for Memory Makers Masters that has gotten me going. This year, I'm having a great time with Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook class.

Weekend Get Away
Studio Calico July 2010 Kit (Continental) and Add-ons
Inspired by Kelly Purkey Sketch # 2
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics and Core'dinations
Embellishments: My Minds Eye (gems), Pink Paislee (trim), Tim Holtz (receipt clips)
Letters: Basic Grey, Girls Paperie
Patterned Paper: Cosmo Cricket, Studio Calico, Girls Paperie
Other: Fiskars (punch), Staz On (ink), EK Success (punch), Studio Calico (stamp), Maya Road (mist), American Crafts (pen), Sand paper (unknown), Computer font

I Confess
Studio Calico April 2010 Kit (Joyland) and Add-ons
Inspired by Kelly Purkey Sketch # 3
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics and Core'dinations
Embellishments: K & Co. (photo stickers), Studio Calico (rub-ons), My Minds Eye (gems)
Letters: Cosmo Cricket
Patterned Paper: 7 Gypsies, My Minds Eye, Sassafras
Other: Tim Holtz (ink), Staz On (ink), Studio Calico (stamp), American Crafts (pen), Fiskars (punch), Sandpaper (unknown), Computer font

Did you notice the embossed cardstock obsession?

Recipe: Amish Friendship Bread

1. Jamesport Mo Amish Community, 2. Amish Barn Raising in Ohio, 3. Amish Friendship Bread 965, 4. Quilting, Amish Country Northern Indiana, 5. Amish Girl, 6. Amish Children, 7. Amish Hats, 8. Amish Farm, 9. to lead an amish life

I normally post my recipes here, but I thought it would be fun to share a recipe this week instead of my normal Meal Plan.

About the bread. . . 

I'm pretty confident the Amish do not actually make this bread. I can't be 100% confident about that, as I've never asked an Amish person about it. Honestly? There are so many questions I have about being Amish that I don't think I would even reserve time to ask about this bread recipe. I'd rather know about their quilts or barn raising or religion or school or horse-drawn carriages or shopping at Aldi.

Anyway. . . this is a very tasty bread recipe. Do not be freaked out by the fact that it contains milk which sits unrefrigerated on your counter top for 10 days before being baked. No one (that I know of) has gotten sick or died from consuming this.

Amish Bread

Starter
1 C flour
1 C sugar
1 C milk

Day 1: Mix starter ingredients (listed above) together into a quart size zip-lock bag.
Day 2: Mush bag together to mix contents together twice today.
Day 3: Mush bag together to mix contents together twice today.
Day 4: Mush bag together to mix contents together twice today.
Day 5: Mush bag together to mix contents together twice today.

Day 6: Add 1 C flour, 1 C sugar, and 1 C milk. Seal bag. Let as much air out as possible. Mush thoroughly.

Day 7: Mush bag together and let air out twice today.
Day 8: Mush bag together and let air out twice today.
Day 9: Mush bag together and let air out twice today.

Day 10: Squeeze contents out of the bag and into a large bowl. Add 1 C flour, 1 C sugar, and 1 C milk. Stir thoroughly. Measure out into 4 zip-loc bags (about 3/4 to 1 C into each bag). Give these bags to friends and family along with the instructions or freeze extra bags and take out to make the recipe below when needed.

Bread
1 C oil
1/2 C milk
3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
2 C flour
1 C sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 large box (5.4 oz) instant pudding or 2 small boxes
Nuts (optional)

To small amount of starter left in bowl (about 3/4 to 1 C) add the oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla and mix well. Add flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, baking soda, and pudding and mix well. Spray two large loaf pans and sprinkle generously with sugar. Pour batter into the pans and sinrkle tops with sugar. Bake at 325 degree F oven for one hour or until knife comes out clean.

VARIATIONS:
Use pistachio pudding and top with sugar.
Use chocolate pudding and add chocolate chips, sprinkle with sugar.
Use vanilla pudding. Add 1 tsp cinnamon, sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on bottom of pan and on top.
Use lemon pudding and add poppy seeds and spinkle with sugar.
Use butterscotch pudding and add butterscotch chips.

NOTE:
You can use a bundt pan, muffin tins (regular or mini), or mini loaf pans. Baking time will need to be adjusted accordingly.

Right now.

Some ridiculous self-portraits for your viewing pleasure and a little about right now.
(Idea taken from Tina)

listening: Tender at the Bone (book on tape)
eating:  Manicotti tomorrow (a new recipe I'm excited about)
drinking: Iced coffee with honey and milk
wearing:Yoga pants and a hot pink tank top
feeling: Hesitant about going back to work in two weeks
weather: Beautiful with a breeze
wanting:  To be much thinner
needing: To pay bills
thinking:  About being independently wealthy
enjoying: Afternoon naps
wondering: About ways to be independently wealthy

August Break

I took a picture almost every day in 2009. I didn't try again in 2010. . . until I saw August Break.

I found the idea on Tina's blog. She found it on Susannah Conway's blog.

I have been playing along. My photos are stored in a set on Flickr. I write just a little bit about the day when I upload the photo.

I also used a template from Designer Digitals and have been dumping my photo in each day.

It's been really fun!

A list: Fall

The meteorologist actually described yesterday's weather as "juicy". It's hot and humid here - so hot and humid that I've found myself wishing for fall.

In honor of the next season, here are some things I love about fall.

1. Colored leaves
2. Frost in the morning
3. Pumpkin Spice lattes
4. Tights
5. Oatmeal for breakfast
6. Candy corn
7. Cardigans
8. Getting closer to my birthday
9. Orange
10. Apple orchards
11. School supplies

What do you love about fall?

School Supplies

I'm going back to school.
That's a cold, hard reality that it took me lots and lots of courage to actually type.

Here is the list of what I *need* to go back to school:

Lunch bag

Reusable sandwich bags

Calendar for my office wall 

Work bag

School outfit

Dress

 

Sweater

Another sweater

Shoes

Technology

This list is, of course, not complete. I still need:

at least two more pairs of shoes
a fall coat to match my school bag
pants
a few cute skirts
some tights
pens and pencils
a new box of crayons
jewelry and other accessories (scarves)
new lip gloss
a new phone

What is on your back-to-school supply list?

Fairest of the Fair

State Fair. I have made a pilgrimage most summers for as long as I can remember, and I do the same things almost every time. Most of those things are related to food. This year wasn't any different.

Menu:
Cream puffs
Fresh corn dipped in melted butter
Beer (Monkey Wheat from Lake Shore)
Baked potato
Kabobs (I didn't partake in this)
Swiss cheese dipped in rye batter, fried, and put on a stick (I didn't partake in this)
Italian sausage sandwich
Milk
More cream puffs (to-go)

My parents are such good sports.

My dad took this one.

I was feeling perfectly comfortable until I slammed two glasses of milk (one chocolate and one strawberry) in less than five minutes. Actually, I think it was the milk that did me in last year, too. Note to self for the future: only have one glass of milk.

Entertainment:
Polka band
Exhibit Hall
Home and Garden winners
Jake (the world's tallest horse)

This is my favorite picture from the day. I have no idea who these people are, but they were polka-ing like crazy. It was over 100 degrees, and they are clearly older, but that didn't stop them from dancing and dancing and dancing. I hope Brad and I are like that 50 years from now.

I love paper.

I've been making all kinds of fun stuff lately - encouraged at least in part by Kelly Purkey's latest sketch class.

 Home ec.
from Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 2 (sketch 1)
Studio Calico July 2010 Kit (Continental) and Add-ons
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics
Embellishments: Girls Paperie (stickers), Making Memories (brads and ribbon), Unknown (staples)
Ink: Tim Holtz for Advantus
Letters: Basic Grey
Patterned paper: Cosmo Cricket, Girls Paperie, Making Memories, Studio Calico
Other: Typewriter (vintage), Fiskars (punch)

Little Pumpkin Man
from Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 2 (sketch 2)
Studio Calico April 2010 Kit (Joyland) and Add-ons
Cardstock: Bazzill Paper Basics
Embellishments: Jillibean Soup (stickers), Making Memories (staples), Pink Paislee (cork buttons)
Letters: Jillibean Soup (yellow), Sassafras (orange)
Patterned Paper: 7Gypsies, Crate, Jillibean Soup, My Minds Eye, Studio Calico
Other: American Crafts (pen), Marvy Uchida (punch), Tim Holtz (ink), Ranger (Glossy Accents)

Sisters
from Kelly Purkey's Sketchbook 2 (sketch 3)
Studio Calico April 2010 Kit (Joyland) and Add-ons
Cardstock: Core-dinations  
Embellishments: Jenni Bowlin (butterflies), Pink Paislee (artisan tape), Unknown (staples)
Patterned Paper: Basic Grey, Crate, Sassafras
Stickers: Basic Grey (alphabet), October Afternoon (label), Sassafras (letters, banner, border)
Other: American Crafts (pen), Maya Road (mist), Tim Holtz (ink)
Tools: Fiskars (border punch)

What I Read: The Glass Castle

The Glass Castle was my book club's pick for August. I suggested it because I've heard so many people speak highly of it, and I've had a copy sitting on my shelf for more than a year. I actually ended up listening to it and finished really early. I'm looking forward to the discussion on Monday.

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle tells of the author's early life in extreme poverty. The Walls family often did the "skidaddle," moving all of their possessions in whatever car they had from Arizona to California to Nevada to West Virginia to New York. This instability did not, however, concern Jeannette or her brother and sisters. Transiency, scrambling for food, dragging her father home from the bar, and indulging her mother's desire to create art were all part of Jeannette's normal.

This book was devastatingly sad.  Jeannette, her brother, and sisters were creative, hard-working, and passionate children despite the fact that their early life was colored by their parents' struggles with addiction, abuse, and mental illness. I thought a lot about the mind-set of people living in poverty especially what led them to poverty and the factors that prevent them from being financially stable.

I'm glad I read The Glass Castle and would recommend it. At some point, I will read Walls's next book, Half Broke Horses.