Living is Learning

http://livingislearninglearningisliving.blogspot.com/
Heather's fantastic unschooling blog

Letterboxing North America

http://www.letterboxing.org
Everything you need to know to get started Letterboxing!

Atlas Quest: International Letterboxing

http://www.atlasquest.com
Another great Letterboxing site

DS15

Clog warning

Our grass is finally starting to green up. Spring has taken its sweet time arriving here. We may finally reach the 60's for a few days in a row this week. I can't wait to open up my windows. The House Wren's didn't take long to find the Nyger seed, and Yumi is enjoying making her little cat squawks to let us know there is prey on the deck. I'm hoping we can head out to search for wildflowers in the woods soon. I'm sure it will be soggy though.

I scored a cheap rate at the hotel we stayed at last year for our spring homeschooling conference. Now I just have to finish carving stamps and making log books for our Letterboxing workshop!

Letterboxing is sort of like Geocaching only you don't trade trinkets. You trade stamped images instead. You follow clues to a hidden box which contains a stamp, usually hand carved, and a log book. You carry with you your own stamp and log book. You exchange stamped images and then re-hide the box for other Letterboxers to find. Clues can be found online at www.letterboxing.org or www.atlasquest.com. You don't need an expensive GPS.

One thing I'd like to start doing is making Letterbox Artist Trading Cards. Regular ATCs are art cards artists trade one for one. They measure 3.5 by 2.5 like a baseball trading card. Letterbox trading cards are cards you've made with your hand carved stamps. You leave them in Letterboxes to share rather than trading directly with other artists. I've made RAK cards, (random acts of kindness) where you don't expect to receive an art card in return. I often leave these with tips at restaurants. The idea of leaving them in Letterboxes sounds like fun!

Last night we were bored. We didn't want to read out loud. We didn't want to watch TV. We decided to pose for silly pictures. (What I did before having a digital camera I don't know! Not having to worry about wasting film rocks!) We tried making angry faces but we'd always crack each other up before we'd get the photo snapped. I'll have to post them to my blog.

I have a new goal to get rid of 13 things every week. (Hmm... maybe I should post them on my Thursday 13?) I don't purge stuff as much as I like to, and I hope this helps me. Want to join in? I'll show you my 13 things if you show me yours! LOL!

This time next week, my parents should be rolling through on their way back from Arizona. I've got to get the guest room ready! I'm hoping my mom brings me another giant bottle of Mexican vanilla. Hopefully they'll bring some Arizona warmth with them too!

DS12 has been thinking about getting a hermit crab. DS9 wants a turtle. A turtle habitat seems like it would be more difficult to maintain. I'm leaning towards the hermit crab, but do they need lots of attention? One of the Posse Rats told us his mom threatened to give away his hermit crab because he didn't spend enough time with it. How much time do you have to spend with a hermit crab? They are hermits right?

Okay. I've sat here and rambled long enough. Time to get moving. Hope your Monday is a good one!

Death At A Funeral

Rating:	★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Comedy

Ahhh... British humor! This movie entertained me. It is the kind of movie you have to tell yourself, "Its a movie," and just sit back and enjoy it. Of course its ridiculous. Of course this would never happen in real life.

Its a grown up movie; lots of swearing, mature subject matter, backside nudity and drug use. I did have to scream and gag during the scene where Grandpa has to use the bathroom. Maybe I am cured of my chocolate addiction after all!

Out with the old, in with the new....

Its official. I'm becoming an old person. You know, the kind of person who doesn't bother to follow technological advances. Remember how your parents never bothered to figure out how to set the clock on the VCR and your grandparents couldn't figure out how to use a TV remote?

DH bought a new cell phone. The old one worked fine, but it wasn't cool. It didn't flip open. LOL! We gave DS12, DH's old phone.

Now I've had this same old phone for a year now. You would think I knew everything about this phone and how to use it right? DS12 had DH's old phone for about 5 minutes and he discovered it has a voice recording feature. I had no idea it could do this!

Maybe its because I'm just not a gadget person? Maybe its because DS12 is? How did this kid figure out this phone so quickly without an instruction manual? (BTW- I did read the manual and don't recall the voice recording feature.)

If DS12 wants to actually make calls & text, he will have to purchase his own prepaid units. For now he's just enjoying the games and voice recording feature.

I have to admit, once I saw DH's new phone, I did get a bit jealous. I don't really use a cell phone that often so my cheapo TracFone works for me, but once I tried DH's, mine didn't seem very satisfactory. I reminded him we live in a marital property state! :) What's his is mine! LOL!

I should go back to bed...

I could just bury myself under my down comforter and sleep until Friday. Its cold, dark and rainy outside. I stayed up too late watching a brilliant, but NOT FEEL GOOD movie. I'm trying to go through the motions and get myself moving, but its not working. Head hurts! Eyelids must close!

DS12 has a great idea. He wants to write a story, post half of it online, and ask people for $1 if they want to read the story's end. He wants to donate .50 of every dollar to the Red Cross.

I have to figure out a way to make this work. First off, I explained to him that the Red Cross may want the entire $1. They may not like the idea of him making .50. Second, I have to figure out the Paypal/online payment thing. Third, I need to help him develop his own website and finally, how to promote it. But for right now, I'm making him waffles for breakfast, taking a long shower, putting on comfy clothes and staying under my blankie until its time to get ready for work.

Tonight, I must sleep and not watch movies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleep- good. Late night movies- bad!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Into The Wild

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Drama

Be sure to watch this movie when you are not currently depressed and when you have an entire box of tissues nearby! I think I'm going to see if my boys want to watch this one. I know its rated R but the story's message is very powerful in the end.

I did find myself getting very frustrated with this young man, but at least his lesson learned is now being shared by all who watch the film and read the book.

Happiness must be shared!

Its Firefox

Although I haven't found the cure, I have figured out its my Firefox browser my Multiply page doesn't like. Apparently, you could still see my background photo, while I could not. I couldn't customize anything either. I logged on with Internet Explorer (blah), and now I can manipulate my page again.  I hope I do hear back from Multiply though. I would rather use Firefox.

Last night DH and I had a great conversation about how people refer to time periods. We noticed that while you do hear people say, "That's so 70's," or "Remember the 80's?" you don't hear people say, "Its the one's," and will people refer to the decade from 2010 to 2019 as the tens or teens?

We wondered if around 1803 people had this same experience. Did they refer to the years of 1790-1799 as the 90's? Will we in 2032 look back at the 20's and not think of 1920's but the 2020's?

I'm thinking people before 1900 referred to centuries rather than decades. My reasoning is that within the latest hundred years or so, technology has advanced so quickly. You have inventions unheard of just 10 years prior. The world communicates much more quickly and on a global basis now. With all this comes constant, rapid changes. Time periods have more crunched into them. KWIM?

For weeks now I've felt the weeks and days go by too quickly. I feel like the world is literally spinning faster, the earth cruising around the sun even more quickly. If this was really happening all throughout the universe would we even be able to measure it?

Maybe its because I'm reaching the big 40 this August. Maybe its because my babies are becoming young men, seemingly overnight. Maybe its because overall, I'm loving my life and can't get enough of the blessings God has given me. I don't want the fun to end!

At the same time I do feel like I can't keep up the pace. Every day there are things I don't get to that I wish I could. Last night, I fought off the droopy eyelids because I just had to keep reading. As much as I do share with my children, I have so many other things I wish we could do while we can. I feel like Sandy in the episode of Spongebob. You know the one, she wants to get it all in before hybernation.

Its comes down to making good choices with the time we have. I know this. I'm just not a great decision maker. You do not want to be behind me in line when I'm trying to figure out what to order!

I'm dreading the phone call I know is coming. As I had feared, the library can't offer a very good wage. Gas money included, its much, much less than what I currently bring home. I feel badly, but I think I'm going to turn it down. I would really enjoy working there and all the perks, but the fact remains we need the income. This is probably just another sign that I need to develop my own business.

Well, time's a wasting. Got lots to do and never enough time!

Have you written a book?

Everyone in their lifetime should at the very least, write one book. Don't you think? Even if no one reads it. Just write it for yourself.

I mentioned this to my boys, since one of them is into writing recently, and they asked me what books I had written. I've written many letters, blogs, term papers, reports, procedures, lists and cards, but I can't say I've really written a book. Maybe when I was a young child I wrote something that my teacher would have asked me to color pictures for and then call a book, but I've never really written a real book.

One of my children then mentioned how difficult it was to get a book published. (He's worried no one will read his book, "The Zone.")

I think it doesn't matter if your book gets published. I think just working through the process of writing and finishing it, is worth it alone. Maybe only your family will read it, but it will still be out there, in written form. As they say, "Don't die with your story still in you."

I think this is going to be my next thing I'm into. I'm going to start writing a book. I have no idea what kind. I tend to read non-fiction, but I have this rich fantasy life in my head! LOL!!

I'm bummed my Multiply page is not working the way I want it too. I really hope this is temporary. I seem to be able to post a blog entry but not insert photos, links, change the font etc. I've just tried to edit the post and to my horror, its all one giant paragraph. BLAH!!!!! I hope this gets fixed!!!!!!!!!!

I don't think my blog is feeling well....

Having technical difficulties. I'll give it some time and check back.

Its official. I'm a coffee drinker.....

I blame my sister for corrupting me. For years, although I enjoyed the smell of coffee brewing, I didn't like the taste. Tea was the hot beverage of my choice. Then last year she bought me my first mocha from Starbucks. Chocolate does make everything better doesn't it?

I became an occasional drinker of lattes, although I pinched my pennies and steered clear of Starbucks, stopping at Kwik Trip gas stations instead. I've now taken another step down this dark, java path. I brewed my own pot!

My mom had bought me a little coffee pot to keep on hand for when she visits. I brought it out while DMIL was here and this morning she made herself a little pot of French Caramel Cream Decaf. It smelled so good. She wasn't gone an hour before I decided to brew another pot and give it a try. I added a shot of soy milk and wallah, for around the price of .25, hug in a cup!

DMIL was here babysitting the boys. Last night DH and I headed to Milwaukee to catch the Kids In The Hall show. It was a good time although the experience was marred by the shock of stopping at the box office to pick up our Joe Jackson tickets come to find out they weren't there! We checked when we got home and yes, our Visa card was charged. DH also has the email confirming the ticket sale including seat numbers. I'm really hoping there are tickets waiting for us at will call or we'll both be very disappointed. I'm worried they screwed up and gave our tickets away! I don't want a refund. I want my 6th row seat in front of Joe's Piano!!  DH will call tomorrow to try and straighten it all out. The show's on the 21st.

I did a little "saleing", (not sailing), with DMIL before the date night. We scored at the first garage sale open for the season.  I found a dozen Tupperware containers that will make excellent Letterboxes, and DMIL bought for us an early anniversary present, really nice patio chairs and cushions. I'm on the hunt for a patio table now!

Unfortunately, DH is working again this weekend. Sure we squeezed in a date night, but the poor man has worked 15 straight days now. It stinks!

Well, I can't sit here any longer. We're breaking the 60 degree mark today! I have to get out, even though its windy, and soak this up. Its been a long winter, and I can't get the Beatles tune out of my head- "Here comes the sun....na, na, na, na.... Here comes the sun and I say.... ITS ALL RIGHT!!"

Burr Ball

Who needs paint pellets and paint ball guns?

1. Find a few sticky burr balls and stick them together.
2. Find someone to chase!
3. Throw the burr ball at your victim.
4. Run away quickly!
5. If you are hit, remove the burr ball and seek revenge!

Tips:

Hitting your opponent where they can't reach the burr ball buys you more time to run away.

If you can't run very fast, HIDE!
       
Wear a hat!!!

We are thinking of trying another version of homemade paint ball soon. I just read a great use for old baby socks is to fill them with flour or baby powder and sew them shut. Then chase each other throwing the flour filled baby socks. When you are hit, you'll have a white mark to prove it. We're going to try this outside, when its warm enough to use the hose for washing off.

p.s. We did manage to get half our cleaning done today but the sunshine and 50 degrees called us outside. Here in Wisconsin, you have to take full advantage of any nice day.

Spring Cleaning

Look out dust bunnies! Here I come! I'm gearing up to do some serious spring sprucing. My MIL may be visiting tomorrow as well so I have to get cracking.

Yesterday I bought microfiber towels to use instead of paper towels. Not wanting to pay a high price, I skipped the cleaning products aisle at Target and hit up the automotive care aisle. I found a really great set of premium detailing microfiber towels for $6! I know any old towel cut into pieces would have worked but once you've tried microfiber, you know why I spent $6 on cleaning rags!

After work last night I did something I rarely do. I went out for drinks with my co-workers! I don't drink alcohol, but with my manager friend leaving, I wanted to wish her well. My naive coworkers almost all barely aged 21, decided to gather at the worst Mexican restaurant in Madison, Pedros. Anyone experienced with true Mexican cuisine knows this place is a joke. I think they choose it for the giant margaritas.

My manager friend is my age, and she doesn't really do the bar thing either. We did have a good time though. I realized I missed being 22, but I'm really glad I'm actually not!

I have a job interview scheduled already. I just started looking yesterday and my first interview is Monday. With my friend leaving, I began to think I too should look for something else. I want to stop driving so far. Our local library is hiring. Would this not be a homeschooling mom's dream come true? Actually I'm not getting my hopes up because I'm guessing the wage will be really low. Don't you wish you could just ask,"How much would this job pay?"  I will go through the protocol, ace the interview and then find out the wage is unrealistic for my family's needs. If anything else it will reaffirm that we need to develop a home business.

Alright. Enough talk. Time for action. I want to play infomercial with my new microfiber friends! LOL! Have a great Friday!

Goofy Girl!

Yumi wants spring as badly as I do. I cracked the patio door to get a little fresh air, and she managed to wedge herself between the door and the screen. I just hope the screen holds! She's suppose to be an inside kitty.

DS9 has turned the corner and he's less goopy. DS12 says he now has a sore throat. I guess it wouldn't be spring if we didn't have one last blast of cold virus running through the house.

This is motivating me to spring clean and disinfect. My back is feeling better so I'm doing a little more, but the thought of how much there is to do overwhelms me. I have to remind myself to take baby steps.

I not doing so well with this week's tip from the "I Can Make You Thin show." We were suppose to visualize what we crave covered in something disgusting while pinching our thumb and forefinger together on our left hand. I tried to visual cookies and chocolate with worms but that didn't work. I went further and put the cookies and chocolate in a truck stop toilet in my mind's eye. This did gross me out, but it only worked for me that first day.

I think I need to take more time to visualize and meditate, really training my brain not to crave sweets.  I always thought I was a visual person, but maybe I should actually take cookies and mini chocolate bars into a public restroom? It actually does gross me out thinking about it. Should I take a picture for the blog? Maybe that will cure me from my cravings? (Sorry if I've grossed you out.)

Gotta run now and cut more card stock. DS9 has just asked for 55 cards. He has an ambitious ATC project in mind.

I'm a Poplar.

WHAT TREE DID YOU FALL FROM

 
Find your birthday and then find your tree. This is really cool and somewhat accurate. Then send it to your friends, including the one that sent it to you, so they can find out what tree they fell from, but don't forget to change the subject line to your tree. Find your tree below and see what you are like...

Dec 23 to Jan 01	Apple Tree
Jan 01 to Jan 11	Fir Tree
Jan 12 to Jan 24	Elm Tree
Jan 25 to Feb 03	Cypress Tree
Feb 04 to Feb 08	Poplar Tree
Feb 09 to Feb 18	Cedar Tree
Feb 19 to Feb 28	Pine Tree
Mar 01 to Mar 10	Weeping Willow Tree
Mar 11 to Mar 20	Lime Tree
Mar 21 (only)	Oak Tree
Mar 22 to Mar 31	Hazelnut Tree
Apr 01 to Apr 10	Rowan Tree
Apr 11 to Apr 20	Maple Tree
Apr 21 to Apr 30	Walnut Tree
May 01 to May 14	Poplar Tree
May 15 to May 24	Chestnut Tree
May 25 to Jun 03	Ash Tree
Jun 04 to Jun 13	Hornbeam Tree
Jun 14 to Jun 23	Fig Tree
Jun 24 (only)	Birch Tree
Jun 25 to Jul 04	Apple Tree
Jul 05 to Jul 14	Fir Tree
Jul 15 to Jul 25	Elm Tree
Jul 26 to Aug 04	Cypress Tree
Aug 05 to Aug 13	Poplar Tree
Aug 14 to Aug 23	Cedar Tree
Aug 24 to Sep 02	Pine Tree
Sep 03 to Sep 12	Weeping Willow Tree
Sep 13 to Sep 22	Lime Tree
Sep 23 (only)	Olive Tree
Sep 24 to Oct 03	Hazelnut Tree
Oct 04 to Oct 13	Rowan Tree
Oct 14 to Oct 23	Maple Tree
Oct 24 to Nov 11	Walnut Tree
Nov 12 to Nov 21	Chestnut Tree
Nov 22 to Dec 01	Ash Tree
Dec 02 to Dec 11	Hornbeam Tree
Dec 12 to Dec 21	Fig Tree
Dec 22 (only)	Beech Tree

TREES (in alphabetical order)

Apple Tree (Love) -- quiet and shy at times, lots of charm, appeal, And attraction, pleasant attitude, flirtatious smile, adventurous, sensitive, loyal in love, wants to love and be loved, faithful and tender partner, very generous, many talents, loves children, needs affectionate partner.

Ash Tree (Ambition) -- extremely attractive, vivacious, impulsive, demanding, does not care for criticism, ambitious, intelligent, talented, likes to play with fate, can be very egotistic, reliable, restless lover, sometimes money rules over the heart, demands attention, needs love and much emotional support.

Beech Tree (Creative) -- has good taste, concerned about its looks, materialistic, good organization of life and career, economical, good leader, takes no unnecessary risks, reasonable, splendid lifetime companion, keen on keeping fit (diets, sports, etc.).

Birch Tree (Inspiration) -- vivacious, attractive, elegant, friendly, unpretentious, modest, does not like anything in excess, abhors the vulgar, loves life in nature and in calm, not very passionate, full of imagination, little ambition, creates a calm and content atmosphere.

Cedar Tree (Confidence ) -- of rare strength, knows how to adapt, Likes unexpected presents, of good health, not in the least shy, tends to look down on others, self-confident, a great speaker, determined, often impatient, likes to impress others, has many talents, industrious, healthy optimism, waits for the one true love, able to make quick decisions.

Chestnut Tree (Honesty) -- of unusual stature, impressive, well-developed sense of justice, fun to be around, a planner, born diplomat, can be irritated easily, sensitive of others feelings, hard worker, sometimes acts superior, feels not understood at times, fiercely family oriented, very loyal in love, physically fit.

Cypress Tree (Faithfulness) -- strong, muscular, adaptable, takes What life has to give but doesn't necessarily like it, strives to be content, optimistic, wants to be financially in dependent, wants love and affection, hates loneliness, passionate lover which cannot be satisfied, faithful, quick-tempered at times, can be unruly and careless, loves to gain knowledge, needs to be needed.

Elm Tree (Noble-mindedness ) -- pleasant shape, tasteful clothes, Modest demands, tends not to forgive mistakes, cheerful, likes to lead but Not to obey, honest and faithful partner, likes making decisions for others, noble-minded, generous, good sense of humor, practical.

Fig Tree (Sensibility ) -- very strong minded, a bit self-willed, honest, loyal, independent, hates contradiction or arguments, hard worker when wants to be, loves life and friends, enjoys children and animals, sexually oriented, great sense of humor, has artistic talent and great intelligence.

Fir tree (Mysterious) -- extraordinary taste, handles stress well, loves anything beautiful, stubborn, tends to care for those close to them, hard to trust others, yet a social butterfly, likes idleness and laziness after long demanding hours at work, rather modest, talented, unselfish, many friends, very reliable. Extremely intelligent. Loves life.

Hazelnut Tree (Extraordinary ) -- charming, sense of humor, very demanding but can also be very understanding, knows how to make a lasting impression, active fighter for social causes and politics, popular, quite moody, sexually oriented, honest, a perfectionist, has a precise sense of judgment and expects complete fairness.

Hornbeam Tree (Good Taste) -- of cool beauty, cares for its looks and condition, good taste, is not egoistic, makes life as comfortable as possible, leads a reasonable and disciplined life, looks for kindness and acknowledgment in an emotional partner, is strong, loyal, very independent and serious, self-confidence,mistrusts most people, very conscientious.

Lime Tree (Doubt) - intelligent, hard working, accepts what life dishes out, but not before trying to change bad circumstances into good ones, hates fighting and stress, enjoys getaway vacations, may appear tough, but is actually soft and relenting, always willing to make sacrifices for family and friends, has many talents but not always enough time to use them, great leadership qualities, is jealous at times but extremely loyal.

Maple Tree (Independence of Mind ) -- no ordinary person, full of imagination and originality, shy and reserved, ambitious, proud, self-confident, hungers for new experiences, sometimes nervous, has many complexities, good memory, learns easily, complicated love life, wants to impress.

Oak Tree (Brave) -- robust nature, courageous, strong, unrelenting, independent, sensible, does not like change, keeps its feet on the ground, person of action.

Olive Tree (Wisdom) -- loves sun, warmth and kind  feelings, reasonable, balanced, avoids aggression and violence, tolerant, cheerful, calm, well-developed sense of justice, sensitive, empathetic, free of jealousy, loves to read and the company of sophisticated people.

Pine Tree (Peacemaker) -- loves agreeable company, craves peace and harmony, loves to help others, active imagination, likes to write poetry, not fashion conscious, great compassion, friendly to all, falls strongly in love but will leave if betrayed or lied to, emotionally soft, low self-esteem, needs affection and reassurance.

Poplar Tree (Uncertainty) -- looks very decorative, talented, not very self-confident, extremely courageous if necessary, needs goodwill and pleasant surroundings, very choosy, often lonely, great animosity, great artistic nature, good organizer, tends to lean toward philosophy, reliable in any situation, takes partnership seriously.

Rowan Tree (Sensitivity) -- full of charm, cheerful, gifted without egoism, likes to draw attention, loves life, motion, and even complications, is both dependent and independent, good taste, artistic, passionate, emotional, good company, does not forgive.

Walnut Tree (Passion) -- unrelenting, strange and full of contrasts, often egotistic, aggressive, noble, broad horizon, unexpected reactions, spontaneous, unlimited ambition, no flexibility, difficult and uncommon partner, not always liked but often admired, ingenious strategist, very jealous and passionate, no compromise.

Weeping Willow (Melancholy) - likes to be stress free, loves family life, full of hopes and dreams, attractive, very empathetic, loves anything beautiful, musically inclined, loves to travel to exotic places, restless, capricious, honest, can be influenced but is not easy to live with when pressured, sometimes demanding, good intuition, suffers in love until they find that one loyal, steadfast partner; loves to make others laugh

Bummer

Bummer #1

I'm hoping I go into work tonight and find out it was an April Fool's joke. My manager gave her two weeks notice. I am seriously bumming because she is the best person I've ever worked under. She listened and respected you. She did anything within her power to help you. If you could design the perfect boss, she is it.

She is moving on towards a health field career rather than HR/office management. I'm happy for her because her dreams are coming true, but I'm going to really miss her. I'd like to say we'll keep in touch, but I've been down this road before. Its very easy to lose touch with work friends. New jobs and families take up time.

My fear is the company owner will move over the manager from the other pool. She's the complete polar opposite of my current manager. If this happens, it will motivate me to move on. This is probably a good thing though. When I think about the price of gas, the fact this job is a cake walk, and how I want to show my children how to be entrepreneurs, I know I have to move on. Its just such an easy paycheck right now. I suppose I've grown soft.

Bummer #2

My son is in goopy misery. Its beginning to remind me of the book, The Stand! He isn't running a fever so I can't warrant taking him to see the doctor. Or can I? Are 4 straight days of congestion and dripping with no improvement reason to see a doctor? Or will they simply tell me, "Virus"? I hate giving my highly allergic boy medications, but maybe I should look into that Musinex stuff?

What's really frustrating is that so many children's medications have artificial color. When DS9 is sick, his immune system reacts to artificial colors. He breaks out in hives if he ingests them. Why does medicine have to look pretty? There is dye free Motrin now, but that's it. We've even run into problems with prescription meds when he had strep last year. The doctor's great advice- give him Benydrill with the prescription. This infuriates me. Why give my child more drugs because a drug has unnecessary colors? The best medicine is really to stay well and not get sick!

Bummer #3

My yard is the last one to have a glacier still in it. Does this confirm all the snow blew over into our yard? The glacier has southern exposure. Why is it hanging around? To taunt me of course!!! Every day its here I resolve to plant one more flower come May!

All these bummers mean I need a little retail therapy. I'm stopping by Target to buy "Sweeney Todd"- special edition!

April Fools Day

We told DS12 that DS9 had dripped Popsicle into the Wii and now it was broken. He bought it hook, line and sinker. DS9 and I yelled out, "April Fools!"

DS12 said we were cruel. We're still waiting for our payback.

I think I want to look for a really good bento box, no surprise since our family is fasinated with all things Japanese. I came across a cool website showing you how to pack awesome bento lunches. We don't have the need to pack a daily lunch since we are at home, but there is something artistic in packing a bento box that appeals to me. I think I get from my mother the need to make food fun.

Also like my mother, I have unfinished art projects everywhere. I know this is a sign of genius, (Davinci did as well), but right now I think its because I'm feeling insecure. This is probably stemming from my spine being out of alignment. I made ATCs yesterday and almost threw them out. I stopped and told myself work on them again another day. I know its all attitude. I began carving stamps for the Letterbox workshop and stopped dead in my tracks worrying I'd screw them up. I don't know whether to continue looking for inspiration or just go with the flow. I should have married a chiropractor. I truly believe when your back is screwed up, it messes with your energy.

Well, I better lace up the shoes and get moving.

Today's hot lunch

I decided if I couldn't have any sunshine outside my door, I'd cook some up in a pot. I adapted a black bean soup recipe my MIL sent me. Its very tasty! I also baked up corn muffins to go with it.

Black Bean Soup

1-2 T olive oil
1 onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 celery ribs with tops, chopped
1 Jalapeño pepper, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
large handful of baby carrots, chopped
1 Quart of veggie broth
2 T cumin
1 Garni bouquet *(see recipe below or use a bay leaf)
1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes- I used the kind with chopped chilies in them.
3 cans of black beans, drained and rinsed, (reserve one can for mashing)

Heat the oil in a soup pot and add in chopped veggies, starting first with onions, garlic and celery. Add the rest of the veg, broth, seasons and tomatoes. Mash one can's worth of black beans and add with the 2 other cans of beans. This will thicken things up a bit. Remove Garni bouquet before serving. It freezes really well. 

Garni Bouquets
(makes 12 for use in making soups/stews)
-12 dried bay leaves
-1/4 C dried thyme
-1/4 C dried parsley
2 T dried celery leaves
Crush the dried herbs with a rolling pin and mix together.
Cut a double layer of cheesecloth into 3 inch squares.
Put 1 T of herb mixture on each square and tie up tightly into a little bag using string.
Store in airtight jars.