Are you all doing your let-it-snow-lots-and-lots-so-school-or-work-gets-cancelled-dance? I'm bargaining with fate already. If I make it through this stop light, we'll have a snow day. If someone says f*** in the hallway in the next couple of minutes, we'll have a snow day. If I don't eat any junk food today, we'll have a snow day. So far, I'm winning.

I wish I had some cool pictures to post today. I'm taking a quilting class with my friend Rebecca, so maybe I'll take some pictures of our quilts this weekend. The class is at Crafty Planet, which is also called Crafty Ways of Getting All of Julie's Spending Money. I really do love that place. I wondered if I was crossing a boundary during the last class when I asked if it was alright for me to bring wine to the next class. I'm making a quilt for our baby. It feels wonderful to not worry about planning too much because I might "jinx" it. We just need to worry about finishing the paperwork, at right now we're just barely crawling through it. It's so hard because it's filled with questions that we haven't even thought of yet! Who gets your baby if you unexpectedly die? Exactly how will you work out day care? Tell us all about your childhood...

This is probably a boring thing to write about, but I just rediscovered the public library. I love it. It feels like I'm stealing books and then bringing them back when I don't need them anymore. Here's what I've got checked out:
A love like no other : stories from adoptive parents
/ edited by Pamela Kruger and Jill Smolowe.
By the way, I hate the title of this book. It feels so gushy and superior.
Traveling mercies: some thoughts on faith/ / Anne Lamott.
I'm not religious, but a friend mentioned that she Loves Anne Lamott and it peaked my interest. I did really like Crooked Little Heart and liked the one that was something about a Blue Shoe. It was slightly churchy though.
All new people : a novel / by Anne Lamott.
Simply pottery : a practical course in basic pottery techniques / Sara Pearch ; with text by Geraldi
Fodor's France. Have I mentioned that we're going to Provence in July? I'm incredibly excited.
Fodor's Paris.
Sew vintage : new creations from found fabrics / Jennie Archer Atwood
This is the worst sewing book ever. Boring and ugly. Barf.
Gee's Bend : the architecture of the quilt / contributions by William Arnett
This book, however, makes we quiver.

Well, today is the last day of February. Can you guess where I'm going tomorrow? Target. I haven't even looked at their Sunday circulars, much less set foot in the stores. I'm very excited to stop at our local Super Target tomorrow. (Lame, I know) March's challenge: No sugar whatsoever. Youch.

I call this painting "Scary Bonnet Girl". I picked it up at the northeast Unique Thrift store for under $2. You're thinking I was robbed, aren't you? I purchased it for the glamorous frame, but I'm starting to like the scary little girl. It's like I want to get to know her. She's so cute, and yet she looks like she could turn on you at any moment. Maybe she has fangs beneath that closed mouth grin. And why is she wearing those black little things on her wrists? My dark side assumes that she's a cutter. Zander thinks it's a tribute to those who have suffered from carpal tunnel syndrome. IF, and that's a big IF, we get rid of the picture (and keep the frame) who would like to be the first to claim it as their very own?

Happy Valentine's Day!

Life at the all-American high school where I work, on a romantic day like this is predominantly one of two things... 1)The bliss one feels when love is eternal. Of course it's eternal, you dumb old person, and here's a bouquet of carnations to prove it. 2)The crushing pain one feels when there are no carnations. Who cares if carnations are ugly? Who cares if there's not really anyone worth being interested in. I need a carnation. At least one. Please. Not everyone here fits into my two very neat emotional states. The sweetest red-haired boy came to my class early this morning to see if we'd like to hear some acoustic guitar while we were painting. Sure his girlfriend was in the classroom at the time, but while he was playing I got a little weepy thinking about how sweet life can be. How lucky we all are to have a lifetime ahead of us, how lucky we are to have people who love us, and how lucky I was to start my day thinking about it. Speaking of lucky, how lucky is it when you find someone that you love, and like, and think is funny, and creative, and kind? Very. Thank you lucky stars.

How Much is Too Much?

How much would do you in?

This weekend we met the Deets. He introduced me to the concept of a monthly challenge. This month my challenge will be not going to Target. You might think I'm setting my sights a bit low on this one. Not so. I have a bit of a Target obsession. You never know when you might need a new sports bra, or possibly a lip gloss. Oh, and spring shoes might be in and you just can never be too prepared. But to omit Target in February is especially tough. Every year I eagerly wait for their Valentine stuff to arrive, and every year I buy up a bunch of heart themed chotchkies (you get what I'm saying, but how do you spell that word? Even spell-check doesn't know!). This year I'll have to get a smidge more creative, because Target is out until March 1. Maybe they'll still have some Valentine clearance left. Sniff, right guys? What's your February challenge?

Look Who's Turning 1 Today!

Our little nephew Joey is turning 1 year old today. We had his birthday party on Superbowl Sunday, mostly to irritate his Grandpa Mike. Joey ate the cake with his fingers, walked around a lot, tried to bite the cat's tail, said "da-da," "clock," and "quack." He smiles and laughs and is SO ticklish. We love you Joey!

The Power of Broccoli

Despite the fact that I never wear aprons when I cook, I have several really cute ones. I put one on the other night while I was making dinner, and it instantly made me feel domestically competent. (Never mind that the toilet has had cat hair stuck to it for as long as I can remember) While I can't remember what I made for dinner that night with the apron on, it undoubtedly contained broccoli.

When we lived in Japan, I could eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted it because I had no choice but to bike everywhere I went. When we moved back here, I continued to eat whatever/whenever with almost no biking involved and my body has puffed out considerably. In all directions. So I started Weight Watchers online, and after a few weeks I figured something out. I can eat as many vegetables as I want and it won't make me gain weight. Also, I can add vegetables to anything and that'll make me feel fuller and less likely to reach for the tube of cookie dough in my fridge. I've quit paying the monthly fee for the program, but still stick with the veggies. So broccoli mixes in with my eggs in the morning. It also gets stirred into my microwave lunches. Yes, our dinners almost always have broccoli stirred in. It's working. I'm losing weight pretty slowly, but the scale is going down way more than it's going up. I'm half way to my goal. My last real weight loss was almost immediate: 20 pounds in a little over a month just by wrapping bacon around cheese and sausage. This way feels healthier. It feels like it's something I can do for years and not worry about clogging my arteries. It also feels slow and frustrating and quite honestly I think it's harder to lose weight in my thirties. Anyway, here's a recipe I haven't made in a while, but is REALLY good hot or cold:

Weight Watchers Broccoli and Bulgar in Spicy Peanut Sauce
1 cup of bulgar, cooked according to the directions on the box
3 cups of steamed broccoli
peanut sauce: 1/2 cup of cilantro, 3 tablespoons of peanut butter, 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of rice vinegar, 1 packet of splenda, and some cayenne pepper.

New Laundry Room

Before: Lots of crappy looking dark wood that looks like it might have blood dripping from it.

After: Paint definitely brightens things up. Doesn't it look nice? It's not like it's elegant, or modern, or even kitschy, but it is so much better. Still, there's a LOT more painting to do before we can officially check this one off the list.

Alright, excuse the crappy concert picture, but it was dark in there, and sometimes, when I do remember to bring the camera, I just basically suck.

Mondays aren't so hard to swallow when they're the follow-up to a fantastic weekend away. We booked the tickets so we could hear Patty sing. The concert was wonderful, partially because I know every word to every song and had to try my hardest to not sing along, but also because it was such a tiny venue. I need to go see more live music... HOWEVER, that didn't really even compare to the fun, fun, fun time we spent with Zander's long-time friend Matt, and his lovely wife Brandi. We all stayed up late, slept late, talked for hours, drank loads of coffee, and even got some thrift-store time in. I can't wait to see them again!

True to my New Year To-Do List, I'm learning how to crochet. This is my first hat, but I've already made a scarf and some little crocheted flowers. I started out with a nice looking ball of $7 wool, but it's so scratchy that I've switched over to acrylic, which is nice and cheap. The color of yarn for the above hat is officially camo. Camo with turquoise stripes. The hat is a little bit tight, but the camera angle was kind enough to not show my forehead fat actually popping through the little holes. I think I'll make another one. A bigger one. It was pretty fun, and much more relaxing for me than knitting. I really like the Happy Hooker crochet book for explaining how to do the stitches and most of the included patterns are pretty cute, too.

Man oh man. If I owe you an email, please know that it's on it's way, and that I'm more tired than I ever thought was possible. After a lovely weekend, getting to see a handful of my favorite ladies, we started back to work on our basement ceiling. This time, armed with a kind-of-crappy-for-this-kind-of-job paint sprayer. We started at 9AM and quit around 6:30. My back and neck hurt from looking up for so long, and my hand feels like a taxidermy claw. I have paint in my ears and in my hair. I've also got both pair of glasses splattered with paint, so maybe tomorrow I'll need to break out the old contacts. I also ran this morning, pre-paint, to make up for a few of the beers consumed last night at my step-dad's 50th birthday party. It's exactly 8:38PM right now, and I'm heading to bed in abour 2 minutes. I owe much of this exhaustion to my mom and my girlfriend. Without the two of them here to help, we might have quit around lunch time. We're still not done yet, but the light is definitely at the end of the tunnel. This week starts semester II at school, and there's been a bit of drama at work lately, but I'll try and post some pictures this week! Take care friends!

Check these hats out. Man, I've been wanting to make a hat for a while now, and these totally inspire me. It won't happen this weekend though. My family is giving me one of the best bday presents EVER. They're coming over to paint my oh-so-ugly and unfinished basement's ceiling. We'll all have white paint in our hair and on our glasses, but I can't wait to see how it looks when it's all one. I'll take some before and after pictures.

To do list: 7 in '07

1. Complete all of the mountains of paperwork and be not-so-patiently-waiting for an International Adoption to happen.
2. Run a half marathon.
3. Learn to crochet.
4. Drink lots of wine... In France.
5. Sell some of my stuff at a craft fair.
6. Go see Patty.
7. Keep working on my photo booth project. (Took first set of pictures on Saturday)

Some things that aren't on the list, but I still want to do: lose 15lbs, make a quilt, try out some winter sports, floss everyday, laugh lots, buy less, keep adding onto the gardens in our yard, water-proof our basement, do all the yoga salutations a couple times a week, get together more with friends, and call my sisters more often. Whew.

Photobooth Help

Attention all twin city folks! I'm looking for photobooths. I want to compile a complete list, and visit them all. Here are the ones I already know about:
1) The state fair (I'm assuming this is seasonal, but does anyone know for sure?)
2) The Kitty Kat Club
3) The Turf Club
4) Lake Street Kmart
5) Is there one in downtown Minneapolis near the shoe entrace to Macy's?

Please comment if you know of any more!

Balance

On New Years Day I was on my way to get groceries when I saw a man running off of the highway and away from his smoking truck. I pulled over and asked him if he needed help, and probably (buried deep inside) I hoped that answer was no. But yeah, he did need some help. He needed my cell phone, which I handed over, no problem. Then, he needed a ride home. At that point, a tiny little voice inside told me that it's not safe to pick up strangers off the side of the road, but an even bigger voice yelled about how much of a jerk I'd look like if I refused. So I let him in the car and started to drive him home. (Some of you are now thinking how stupid I am, and some are probably wondering what the big deal is) Anyway, I was a little bit scared, so I called Zander to let him know what I was doing and then he rode along. Of course we're safe, but I keep thinking about all the what-ifs. Crap! What if something happened to me or to Zander because I said yes to something that I really didn't want to say yes to in the first place? I've seen that movie about passing it on, and I think karma happens, and of course I want the world to be a better place, but WTF, how do ya do it all and take care of yourself, too?

Happy New Year!

This picture will be just one of 2007's many reminders to not take myself so seriously. Could I possibly look any dorkier?

Going up to Two Harbors was a great weekend getaway, and such a fun way to bring in the new year. The weather was crap, but who cares when there are fun people to hang out with.

By the way, I got to the gym tonight at 4PM for a free weight training lesson, only to find Channel 9 News there interviewing the trainer I was scheduled with. They followed us around for a while and I'm absolutely sure that I looked ridiculous, which isn't so bad, I mean I am trying not to take myself so seriously, right? It'll air tomorrow at 5PM.

Pesto madness

While I was explaining to Zander's mom how sick I am of coming home from work and making yet another salad, (because it's quick and easy) she suggested having a few easy foods that I hadn't really thought of on hand. Pasta, pesto and shrimp would make a delicious dinner. Like practically everyone I know, I love pesto. It's good on anything, and it's good even when you're just licking it off your finger. I've made it myself plenty of times, and thought this time I'd try and buy a 'light' version. As far as I can tell, you cannot buy lite-pesto. So I made some. It's darn good. Spread some on your sandwich and see what you think.

1 cup of fresh basil
1/2 cup of low fat cottage cheese
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
garlic (I got a bit zealous and used 5 cloves! I'll reduce that to 3 next time)
a dash of tobasco, just because
salt to taste, but it's already a little salty from the cottage cheese

Throw it all in the Cuisinart and you're done.

Christmas Break

Jeez, I haven't updated this site in a while, and I still feel like I've got nothing but kinda boring stuff to talk about. Things here are good. Wow, having a little bit of time off has been FANTASTIC. We've been eating too much, seeing a couple of movies, spending time with our families and friends, making big messes in the house, and pretty much everything that has nothing to do with work. I love it. I've also been inspired to spend a little extra time at the gym with my new little ipod shuffle from Zander. I sound like a commercial, but it really is the size of a matchbook, holds 300 songs, and is so easy to use. I need tricks to get myself to do things that I'm normally lazy about, and this trick is working. Thank goodness, because seriously, by behind is on the large size these days.

Today I'm hoping to get a little sewing done. I just bought some gray cordoroy overalls for 5 bucks and now I'm hoping to turn them into a jumper. I've done this before, but this time it'll be a shorter version. As an overalls lover, I'm perfectly aware that they are not in fashion, but I wear 'em all the same. I've heard there is a scene in Mean Girls that I need to see that will make me stop wearing them. I doubt it.

Tomorrow afternoon we're taking a little trip up to Two Harbors for a New Year get-away. I don't know if there'll be any snow, but no dress-up clothes required and dang that makes me happy. Hope you all had a great Christmas!

This sign has made a surprisingly big difference in my teaching career. While it wouldn't have been appropriate to hold it in the faces of the offending elementary students, it works quite nicely for that purpose in a high school setting. Now if only I could find one that says, "Throw clay and your grubby little fingers get chopped off. P.S. I don't care if you think it's funny".

Speaking of school, here's our shiny new raku kiln. Before I actually tried this process, I thought it was only for the renaissance festival folks, and that I'd either need to be into men wearing tights or braiding baby's breath into my hair. Not so. It's fun, pretty, and all about the anticipation. Oh, and you get to be outside. I'd like to document our day, so bear with me. First, put your raku in the kiln. Heat it up to 1800 degrees and heat up the next batch on the top of the kiln.

Next, open up the kiln and notice how boring the glazes look at this point.

The fun really begins when you throw these hot pots into a trash can full of leaves and newspaper. The change in temperature makes the glaze crack a little bit, and then the cracks get filled with smoke.

Finished!

Well, even just a week later, things are feeling better around here. All the kindness that came our way was very-much-needed medicine. Thank you.

This weekend is a busy one. I'd really like to venture out and start some Christmas shopping, but I'm not sure that's going to happen. My co-worker (the ceramics teacher) recently bought a raku kiln and we're trying it out/firing stuff all day Saturday. I'm interested, but feeling over-worked right now, and the thought of going in on the weekend practically gives me hives. Especially when I really like to lay around reading books and drink coffee in my robe all weekend long.

I just finished Julie and Julia, and yes, I was drawn to it because of its elegant title. However, I finished it and LOVED it because the Julie in the book was so quirky, and smart and funny. She's also some-what impatient, which I can relate to whole-heartedly. All that reading about cooking got me to thinking about cooking something at home that is slightly more challenging than bagged salad mix and english muffin pizza.

Wouldn't this be a fun pan to bake with? The entire lasagna/brownie pan could have crispy edges! Link

Dear friends,

We recently gave you some news that we were going to have a little one this summer. We are sorry to say that this past Wednesday we lost our baby. At 13 weeks we believed we were out of the woods, and began to tell family and friends, but unfortunately luck was not on our side.

Julie is doing well after the procedure yesterday, and we are both feeling better than we were. The doctors are doing some tests to see how we should proceed from this point, and I'm sure they will find something that will help us. We are very lucky to have our health, each other, family, and friends, and we thank all of you for having been so kind and supportive and excited for us.

Zander and Julie

Zander sent this out to a few of you last week. Last night when I was trying (unsuccessfully) to sleep, I was thinking about how this terrible grief feels so many different ways. In the very middle of the night I thought I was pretty profound when it felt very much like a dip cone. Crackly on the outside, but soft and melty on the inside. One wrong step and what appears to be neatly tidy and delicious falls completely apart on your lap in a messy and inedible pile of mush. That's so me. I work really hard to smile and make it look like it's kind of alright, but I might also be fighting eye contact because I'm afraid that when that connection happens I'll just lose it. I'll get snot on your sweater or something. And really, I'm so thankful that we've got so much love around us that is more than happy to have to just wash that off a little later. For now, we're sad and vulnerable and raw. We are getting through it though. It seems impossible, but I already feel better than I did last week, and I trust that next week will be better than right now. I'm already looking forward to some happy day very soon where I'm camera*-ready, and wanting to get home and write all about it.

*I'm saving up for a fancy camera. When I was in high school, I'd blow all of my babysitting money right away. On hairspray and curling irons. When I was a little older, I was so broke, that there was no saving to be had- I was always scrounging for change under the seat of my car so I could buy a little bit of gas at a time. Now that I'm alright for gas, and don't need much curling or spraying, I'm ready to save up. In fact, I just got a $160 check from the consignment shop for a bunch of name-brand crap I bought at Saver's.