Fundraising!

Hello all! I've decided to do something a bit differently this year. Instead of posting a Donor's Choose project, I would like to receive gift cards to Teachers Pay Teachers. If you haven't heard of this website, it's an amazing resource for teachers to publish the curriculum and supplemental materials they create for purchase to other teachers. Many teachers have a plethora of resources, and there are even those that specialize in curriculum for students with autism.

While I like Donor's Choose for physical items we need, like office supplies, manipulatives and large purchases, Teachers Pay Teachers is not included on their vendor list. There is a way for me to create a special project in order to request these materials, however, it requires me to use all my points to create the project, and substantial processing fees are added. Also, I need to itemize each material, which is cumbersome when I am looking to purchase upwards of 20+ items. Teachers Pay Teachers gift cards never expire, and to have a credit to my account will help me access needed materials for the rest of the year. Some items will be in a bundle, while others I will purchase individually.

It's been a challenging school year on many levels. Typically, I prefer to fundraise at the beginning of the school year, but this year, it's taken some time to determine what we really need in the classroom. Half of my class is new to me, and we have some very high behavioral needs. Now that we have adequate classroom structure and routines in place to support everyone, we are full steam ahead on increasing academic rigor. Although I plan on starting a Donor's Choose campaign, right now we are in need of tasks to maintain skills already learned for independent schedule following. Many times, I create my own materials, however, since I am in graduate school full-time, this is a luxury I have no time to afford. I have ink, laminating sheets, cardstock and velcro ready to go and parent volunteers to help. Now I just need the tasks! Please consider contributing by purchasing a gift card on Teachers Pay Teachers. My email address is christinamoliveri at g mail.

Click here to purchase a Gift Card

Here is a sampling of resources I intend to purchase:

Parts of Speech task cards

Language Task Cards



Thermometer By ABC Fundraising®

What happened to the summer?

So swimming has been amazing, and I've up to over 1000 meters of various drills each day, and it's getting easier.  My stamina is slowly increasing, and yoga is going well, too.  In case I haven't written about yoga, I started yin yoga in the beginning of the summer and have been feeling a big improvement in my daily life.  I can actually touch my toes now, instead of struggling mid-shin.  I highly recommend yin yoga, as I believe it's changing my life for the better.  Also, I should have a magazine article coming out in the winter, and am very excited about that.  Hopefully, people will like it.  I'm hesitant to recruit more articles in fear that I'll have to write them, but slowly, I will get over that fear.  This makes two articles under my belt, and the experience I've gotten going through the process has been great.  It's still scary, but in time will get easier.  I'm really tired now. It's been a long day, and I got to spend the evening catching up with my old colleagues from my previous school.  It was nice to see everyone.

Work starts next week, and in two weeks, the students will officially be welcomed back for the new year.  I'm excited and nervous, and can't wait until the day I feel confident going back to work, and have a good understanding of what to expect.  Every year so far has been filled with substantial changes, and I long for the day there's some more of the same, instead of everything different.  Good night.

Updates galore!

Hello my trusty follower!  It's been crazy here in NC, but that's soon to slow down a bit.  The great thing is a have a new job teaching in a self-contained autism classroom.  Years of hard work, money spent, tears and milestones, and I finally, I mean finally am getting the job I've wanted all along.  I hope I am not disappointed by the reality of it.  Looking forward to being back with my AU population.  I've missed them dearly.

I had a summer job but lost it, since there was no more work.  As stressful as it is to worry about lacking cash, it's nice to know I have a few weeks of free time.  I haven't had more than one and a half weeks off in years.  Haven't had a month off in forever.  This could work.

Been learning how to swim freestyle in the morning, which has been going ok.  Fibromyalgia stuff hasn't come up, and it's going to take a while to get back to a healthy place after years of bodily neglect.  Excited to get back to my old self in some capacity.  One day at a time :D

Tour de Fleece is up and running, so that is going well.  Finished three Loop singles skeins and am looking forward to getting more done.  A while back I joined a group called "50 skeins" with the intention of spinning 50 skeins in one year, but alas, have not done so well with this goal.  Making up for lost time will be fun.  I don't know that I've even spun one skein this year, embarrassingly enough.  To have three now makes me happy.

Lemon Balm Pesto

Lemon balm is prolific in my garden, as in many others.  A member of the mint family, it spreads like wildfire and produces fragrant lemon-scented leaves almost all year long.  Last year was the first year I became aware of its charms.  You see, I thought it was lemon mint, and was expecting fresh and fragrant mojitos in the bright, humid summer of Charlotte.  In any case, I was presented with lemon balm instead, and it took me a while to figure out what to do with it.  A rudimentary search on Pinterest led me to Lemon Balm Pesto.  Now that it's prime season for herbs, I decided to give it a try.

Lemon Balm Pesto

A handful of parsley
Two to three handfuls of lemon balm
Olive oil
Vegetable Oil
Garlic
Scallion tops
Rice Wine vinegar
Fish Sauce

Toasted pumpkin seeds
Salt
Red pepper flakes

Mix until you get something that looks like pesto.  Easy peasy.

The Miracle of Spring

I've been thinking a lot of my plants and garden plans.  This was my first real spring after doing so much planting and planning last year, and it's amazing to see the fight for survival play out in my backyard.  Dawn's mom had bought me a Kaffir Lime plant last year.  True to my indoor black thumb, it was dried up and dead within weeks of bringing it inside to overwinter.  After a time, I stopped watering it, relegating it to the the small list of houseplants I have killed over the years.  You see, I already know my gift of plant stewardship ends at the threshold of my back door.  Without ground to spread their roots, or rain to supply life-giving water, my house is as inhospitable to plants as a desert terrarium.  In any case, I thought I had another botanical victim, until last week, when I swore my eyes deceived me.  Was that green in the lime pot?  Sure enough, the plant was sending up shoots from the base of the trunk.  Tortured, brown and spiny, the main stalk had passed away months ago, leading me to think I had another botanical victim on my hands.   Luckily, it was clear that Mother Nature had granted my plant a last-ditch effort to resurrect itself.  This was my Easter miracle.  As the weather in North Carolina is continuing to warm up, I promptly took my lovely lime outside, to be heralded by the spring sun and showers.  I'm sure it will survive, at least until winter.

This same process happened all over my garden.  I had replanted a sad hosta, which was a Walmart special last year, and it is so happy now.  Double the growth in week!  Also, the striated leaves are more prominent.  Two of the Wally world ostrich ferns poked their fiddle heads above the ground in the new tree beds I made of alpaca compost and leaf mold.  No sign of bleeding hearts yet.   It's possible I planted them too deep.  Recon when the sun comes up!  The potted comfrey and peony are reviving nicely, and the rest of the crew, save the rosemary and lavender that officially died last year from lack of water, are doing well.

Last night, I mixed up a fragrant batch of soil for the strawberry towers, complete with Starbucks coffee grounds.  I will finish it off with some alpaca manure and get them planted, though it is a bit late.  Also, I cut the wood for the salad table cage.  The squirrels are way too interested in them for me to start planting, and my head lettuce is getting leggy.  That's all for now!

Happy Easter Vacation Everyone!!!

I'm happy to be on vacation, and feel pretty accomplished in the last three days.  On Friday, we bought the municipal compost I wrote about last time, and spent much of the day raking and shoveling it around.  We had bought some river rock to put in the firepit area after we laid out the area in bricks.  We're quite pleased with the effect.  Then I used the leftover bricks to build the front garden bed I've dreamed of since the day I moved in.   A quick trip to Lowe's supplied some bedding plants, Polka Dot plants, white Dianthus, two violets that came up in the herb garden this year that I transplanted, a Red Russian kale, to move in the direction of edibles in the front garden, and some lemon balm, which I'm both hopeful and fearful will do well with just some morning sun.   Hubby also helped me put the straw bales in place, so I made the vine bed, and what may end up to be a three sisters garden.  I was thinking maybe I shouldn't plant corn, but now I have decided screw it.  I will move the arch back to the other bed, since the corn will be supplying most of the trellising.

I've started the straw bales with two cups of Milorganite each, and daily watering.  They overwintered in the open Walmart parking lot, so I feel as if they are composted enough to start plants in within the next week. This was a tough decision.  I saw that Milorganite was composted sewer sludge, and did some research.  I have decided at this time, I'm OK with using it in the vegetable garden.  Even though it is labeled as organic, it is not for use in an organic garden.  I have heard that people have gotten some great results from this product.  Even the salesperson at Lowe's was surprised I asked for it and told me he usually recommends it.  Also, it is rumored that it repels deer and rabbits.  For this alone, I am willing to try it out.  

Dawn and I went to the farmer's market, where we succumbed to pie and plants.  (Speaking of which, my rhubarb is coming up!)  On our way, I spotted an upturned plastic bucket indicating a yard sale. We vowed to return on our way home, and could have never imagined at the time what we were getting into.   

After purchasing tomatoes and kale from a lively character who urged us to spread copious amounts of lime on our red clay to improve the soil, we returned to the yard sale only to be greeted with a pile of refuse, the likes of which I haven't seen since garbage day in front of a block-long Manhattan apartment building.  Piles of trash provided a fence for a few worn pieces of furniture and assorted glassware, among some other odds and ends.  Hosting this event were two native Charlotteans, whom sadly enough were helping out the brother, who had not paid taxes in seven years.  It was as if Hillbilly Blood met American Pickers.  There was so much junk.  The man told us that we could have anything we want for $10.  Dawn and I looked at each other, and in a few moments, it was clear we weren't leaving without a truckload of stuff.  

We had spoken earlier in the year about possible starting a weekend home-grown business, maybe flea market booth.  Sadly, as both of us are lacking the funds for starting up said business, it's been on hiatus.  Well, after this trip, we now have enough furniture to start flipping to start it up!  After making a pile, including most of the furniture, used greenhouse pots, random bricks from around the property, glass wine jugs, a lamp, a rain barrel, and other stuff, we promptly returned to my house to empty the truck of the mulch that still resided there from the day before.  Feeling like proud multicultural Picker Sisters, we slept well.  

Hubby and I spent Easter watching a Season 4 Game of Thrones marathon.  It felt really good to relax and do nothing all day, but eat candy and watch TV.  This morning, I started to catch up on Outlander, installed a second clothesline, hung up a few loads of laundry and contemplated the garden layout.  Today I will make a compost sifter, get the strawberries planted in the soda bottle column,  and plant the concord grape in a container.  If there's time, I can finish Dawn's Giant Jenga I started before Christmas.  Still lots of sanding and painting to do for that.  Then I might finish in time for knitting :)

Spring has Sprung in North Carolina

Spring has Sprung in North Carolina

It's a dreary, cold day today, but that's ok.  It's an outlier from the amazing weather we've been having lately.  In the winter, Charlotte is very brown and bleak.  Within a week, the whole place has turned green.  Sad sod has perked up into perky green spears, golden forsythia blooms abound, and spring bulbs like daffodils and tulips are everywhere.  The pansies and violets continue their steadfast contribution to the landscape, while plants like hostas and rhubarb begin their ascent by timidly peeking out above the moist dirt.  I love spring and I love Charlotte.

I thought we might be able to look into buying a house, but unfortunately, things happen (my favorite saying) and it's not likely this year.  What forces me to keep my rental another year gives me more opportunity to continue to develop the garden.  A few recent events have given me more hope for a productive garden this year.

Event #1
Alpaca Manure:
I've bartered a spinning demonstration for alpaca manure, and though it's rocky and filled with fire ants, this black gold is the backbone of my fertilizing program, in contrast to the mainly wood-product municipal compost of last year.  Low in nitrogen and hydrophobic, I will steer clear of it in the future.  I had overseeded my raised beds with rye and vetch, and have since cut the crop down and left it to compost with a layer of alpaca manure and leaf mulch.  Hoping that the vetch and alpaca manure will help the remedy the problems of last year.


Event #2
Straw Bales:
Dawn went to Walmart and discovered that they were getting rid of straw bales that had overwintered in the weather.  Soft, damp and slightly composted, they are a dream come true.  I took the truck and acquired 8.  Will have some straw bale gardens and potato towers,  Going to try to get some free tires for those.


Event #3
Mattress Inner spring:
When Pinterest ideas take hold, it's hard to prevent myself from obsessing over them.  Fortunately, when a free inner spring came up on Craigslist, it was right on schedule.  Pea trellis, here I come.  Along with the straw bales, I have the perfect vine set up.  This will also support the two soda bottle strawberry towers.



Event #4
Bricks
Craigslist strikes again.  I knew I wanted bricks, and have been lurking on free stuff for over a year.  I finally was rewarded with a winning inquiry before the masses.  We loaded up the truck and got about 40-60 bricks, plus some concrete cylinders.  I would have liked more, but they were demoed and had chunks of mortar on them.


Event #5
Mulch
This hasn't happened yet, but I will be going to get municipal mulch for $10 cubic yard to line the paths I had envisioned last year.  It's possible I could end up making stepping stones for the paths to make them last longer.  That would be awesome!

A gardeners work is never done, and there are plans for squirrel cage on the salad bed which will also support a row cover to prevent bugs from getting to the lettuce.  In addition, I'd like to attempt a rainwater collection system for the summer, since the water bill was a nightmare.  Maybe even a water feature...

Ah, spring.  I love it.

Happy Ice Week! Mill tour and Peg Weaving!

It's official!  We're having a nice ice break from school.  This comes at a good time, as we have already started the countdown, 75 days.  Dawn and I went to Asheville this past weekend to go to Echoview Fiber Mill, where I was researching an article.  We had a great time and ended up going to Woolworth's lunch counter for some grilled cheese and tuna melt action, and some egg creams.  We also went to a tea and spice shop, where I got some rose petals to add to some spice mixes, and ate dinner at Luella's BBQ, which was delish.

The day at the mill was lovely and Julie Jensen was a fantabulous hostess.  We made fast friends with the canine pack, and our accommodations had a lovely view overlooking Tennessee.  The mill is amazing, from the building to the layout, everything was well thought out.   We toured the facility and in one room, Julie showed us a peg loom with some weaving in progress from selvedge scraps leftover from a fabric mill.  I was smitten, and the loom haunted me for days to come.  After marathon watching videos about peg loom weaving, it was time to go outside and find a log.  Yes, I have some scrap wood in the shed, but I really wanted a log.  Don't ask me why.  Here are some crappy iPhone videos that document the beginning of the project.

I apologize for not finishing the video series.  My archaic iPhone 4 has met memory capacity, and I was roaring to get started on the cat rug, so I finished my rug in a few hours.  Suffice to say, there are plenty of peg weaving videos, so my novice snippets are all you're getting!

Here are photos of the rug.  Cat approved!

Went hunting and brought back trophies!!!

Hello!  I'm taking a break in the midst of my marathon cleaning day to type a quick entry.  Dawn and I had the most fabulous time yesterday, traipsing around Matthews.  We went to the Habitat for Humanity Re-Store, and I bought a sewing machine.  Now for those who REALLY know me, you won't ask why I bought another sewing machine.  For those who sort-of know me, I assure you, I did need it.  You see, before I left New York, I had a lovely Singer treadle machine with a beautiful cabinet.  It had gingerbread decals on it and was from about 1918 or so.  I sewed my historically accurate dress for Old Bethpage on it, and always planned on having the cabinet restored.  Unfortunately, when moving to Charlotte, I realized I had no place to put it in the new apartment/house.  It was a tearful decision to donate it to my favorite thrift shop, but since it hadn't been used in a long while, I realized it was time to spread the love to another happy owner.

Now that I've been here for a while, I know how much space I have, and it's been a bit of a struggle to keep all the stuff contained.  There have been numerous opportunities for a replacement machine, however, it doesn't solve my lack of space.  A full sized treadle table takes up a good chunk of real estate.  Did I mention this summer I bought a serger, a ridgid heddle loom, and my third spinning wheel?  Clearly, there's enough stuff jam packed into our mid-century modest abode.  Why we'd be lucky to have 850 sq feet in this place.  And that's OK.  But anyways, while living our dream of the perfect Saturday, filled with crepes, navigational adventures, ReStore, discount shopping and thrifting, we spotted a beautiful sewing machine.



She had no tag, so I cautiously asked how much.  The woman hadn't decided yet, and proceeded to go on eBay to price it.  She remarked she found a similar one with minimum of $25, and then we found dollar brushed nickel knobs for Dawn's decidedly uncool brass themed kitchen, so she trailed off mid-sentence to help us find what we were looking for.  My heart sank, as I figured she'd give me a price higher than the minimum, but when we asked again, she said $20!  After a quick inspection, it was determined that she did indeed work.  We said, "Hell yeah!" And I found $20 magically in my black hole purse. It was a sign from the crafting gods.  And Dawn lugged it to the car because it weighs about 30 pounds, lol.

My new baby is a Japanese "badged" or clone machine.  It's marked "Home Mark," however, I've seen it branded "Aux Claire," "Morse," "Fleetwood," "Bradford," "Good Housekeeper," "Edison," "Brother," "Modern," "New Raymond," "Wizard," "Riccar," "Bamberger," "Sovereign," "H.G. Palmer," "Premier," "Compac," "Dress Maker," "Western," "White," "Housekeeper Deluxe," "Remington," "Princess," "Viscount," "Universal," "Marvel,"and that's just with a brief online search.  This list is by no means exhaustive.  If you're searching for one, try keywords "vintage deluxe precision sewing machine."  This seems to gather good hits.  Having seen all the names in a list, it's pretty funny that they attempt to convey modernity, royalty, or domesticity.  If you have this model with a name not listed, please leave a comment and let me know :)

 It is a slightly improved version of Singer 15-series, complete with hinged bobbin cover, exterior feed dog knob with 4 settings, and a fun color.  Take that Singer!  These machines can be inexpensive, being that they were considered "cheap junk" back in the day, and the American market was flooded with them after WWII.  I believe these will be highly collectible in time, especially, working models in good condition.

She works great, just have to fiddle with the tension some more, but more tales from the thrift tomorrow :D

Happy New Year! and Why I Love Trader Joe's

Hello loyal reader!  It's a new year and new things have been happening here in the not-so-deep South.  But first, a message from our sponsor, lol...

Trader Joe's: Fine Purveyor of Stuff to Make an Impromptu Moroccan Meal

So yesterday, Dawn and I went grocery shopping and I found something really interesting.  Now I'm usually pretty good about abstaining from the dreaded, ¨Things I don't need but really, REALLY want¨ category.  I've passed the Roasted Nut Oil Trio on numerous occasions, and no matter how much I dream of a roasted beet with mandarin orange segments, and fennel salad with a drizzle of pistachio oil, or how lovely it would be to have a hazelnut-imbued roasted butternut squash, I persist in sighing deeply, closing my eyes, and walking quickly away. $14.99 is an insane price for 25.5 ounces of specialty oils, but it's too much for me to spend on oil.  I mean, really, it's oil.   But yesterday, I could no longer resist.  Next to the aforementioned oil trio, I discovered a set of four spice blends.

Now normally, I can easily resist spice blends.  The spice cabinet in my kitchen is actually a spice ARMOIRE, and there's a crapload of spices from all corners of the earth.  If I need herbs de Provence, barbecue rub, pumpkin pie spice, or any other spice blend, I mix it up myself.  You see, I am a total control freak.  I like my sweet spice mix to have a shitload of ginger in it, and some cardamom to round out the flavors.  I like my gingerbread spice to have black pepper to add a bit of heat to the warmth of the spices already present.  I like my herbs de Provence to have a noticeable amount of lavender, since I love cooking with flowers.  Which brings me to how I ended up with four Trader Joe's spice blends in my cart.



The draw was sumac.  I have been looking for an affordable source of sumac for years, and while I always keep an eagle-eye out for a stand of staghorn sumac pointing up from the bleak landscape, the opportunity to pick the berries off of said sumac stand has consistently eluded me.  So, when I saw a whole container of sumac in a spice quartet for $6.99, I had to take a closer look.  Having already put my requisite tub o' hummus in my cart (plain so I can personalize it), after reading the label of the Zhoug blend about how to sprinkle on tahini with olive oil, I felt I could immediately put it to work.  But the final deciding factor was the Ras el Hanout.  It has all my favorite sweet spices, with some heat and interestingly, spearmint.  But the last straw was drawn at the last ingredient:  Rose Petals.  For years I've been touting the pleasure of cooking with flowers and people are catching on at last.  Flower liqueurs are mainstream, and Trader Joe's has not one spice blend with flowers, but now two!  OMG!  (The other is the Flower Pepper grinder which I love to use on eggs and salads.)  Clearly, it was a sign from God.

This morning, I stared at the spices on the counter.  I need sustenance, and since it's my day off, I decided to put some effort into breakfast.  Yesterday when Googling Ras el Hanout, (no not R'as al Ghul, I know who he is;  the husbeast would divorce me citing irreconcilable differences if I didn't, lol), there were some recipes for Moroccan eggs or Shakshuka.  Basically, I've been making this for years, but with the wrong spices :D

It's very similar to Huevos Rancheros-pretty much eggs poached in salsa.  The recipes all had Ras el Hanout in them, and Harissa.  Now unfortunately, I don't have any harissa on hand.  While it is completely probable I have ingredients on hand to make it (I'm looking at you Pasilla and Ancho chiles from my last bout with mole), I was famished, and soaking dried chiles to make a condiment when I had Ajvar and Sriracha in the fridge was a no go.  So here's how I made my Shakshuka:

Trader Joe's Shakshuka

Spanish Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Diced Onions
Minced Garlic
Can of Fire-Roasted Tomatoes with Chiles
Roasted Red Pepper Spread with Eggplant and Garlic
Sriracha Sauce
Ras el Hanout
2 Eggs
Olive Tapenade
Sumac
Parsley
Pink Himalayan salt

Saute the onions and garlic in a cast iron pan.  Add the tomatoes and red pepper spread (ajvar).  Squirt some sriracha on top.  Add the Ras el Hanout.  Mix.  Make a well with your spoon and crack eggs into the well.  Cover pan with a lid and cook on low until egg whites are cooked.   Salt eggs.  Put a spoonful of tapenade in the ugly crater made by slightly overcooking eggs.  Sprinkle with parsley and sumac.  Serve in skillet.

What else can I say but it was delicious.  The recipe makes enough ¨salsa¨ for two, so I used a large pan to make it and a small pan to cook the eggs and serve in.  That means I have more for tomorrow!  Yay!  Thank you TJ.  I never thought you could get even better.

It's all Timey-Wimey Up in Here!

Good Morning.  I'm going back in time to write this post :)

Happy New Year!!!!!!

I passed the Praxis!  Woo-hoo and praise be to the Lord Jesus and all his minions.  I sent out all the paperwork to add the area of Adapted Curriculum for Moderate to Severe applications!  Yay!  On the job hunt and can't wait to see where it leads me.  New York was the usual crazy relay race.  I actually went to every borough and Long Island.  There was much shopping to be had and it was nice to see everyone.  On the flip side, it was nice to come home.  We did our shawl practice and learned much as always.  Back to the grind.

I'm tired...tired of playing the game

Ain't it a crying shame?  I'm tired.  (Let's face it people, I'm pooped.)
Still trying to recover from this weekend's shopping craziness.  Did my seven minute sweep this morning to try to clean up this tornado.  Hubby was awesome and did all the dishes, so I should be back on my cleaning schedule.  There's lots of holiday baking to be done, so I'm grateful for any help.

I took the Praxis test yesterday for adapted curriculum and am looking forward to getting the results.  It would be nice to expand my certification to open up job opportunities.  Oh, and I was able to get some writing done, but now it's sleepy time.  Nite nite.

Just a quick update...

Santa's elves have been working overtime to organize this years holiday season. Dawn and I went power shopping this weekend, had a sleepover, and bought lots of supplies for our homemade Christmas. A plan is finally coming together. I love that!  

Taking a test today for adapted curriculum certification. So excited. I even studied this morning!! Can't wait to get it over with. Knitting tonight. Capsule wardrobe working well. Looking forward to not having a huge dressing decision to make when I exit the tub in 5. Still waiting on mag article, but plan on starting to write it this weekend. ;). 

Gotta run!

So much going on!

So yesterday, I wrote that I had two reasons to be happy: one, I finally assembled my capsule wardrobe, and two, well, I never did get to two.

I pitched some ideas to another editor and she was interested!  This is exciting news, indeed.  I am impatiently patiently waiting to hear back with further instructions.  It is my unwavering belief that 2015 will be the year of two or more published articles.  As for editors who may be wading through my personal blog to get a feel for my writing skill, welcome!  I promise I am serious about this endeavor and will strive to do my very best for each of you.  Which is probably about one.  For now ;)

After my one devoted follower Sara-Across-the-Pond commented on one of my recent entries, I started thinking about all the plans I make.  It's true, I suppose, that I have lofty aspirations in my life.  It appears, while my initial dream to be a contributing member of society was a kind of baseline goal, I am now a thriving member of society.  I am no longer satisfied just be be "normal."  I want to effect some change on a larger scale.  Working among 800+ elementary age students makes me happy.  While once my efforts only affected 8-20 students, now I am able to help dozens each day.  I feel the same about my writing.

Right now, my writing affects me and a few others.  Being published gives me the ability to share my ideas with others, for better or worse.  The more I think about it, the more I like it.  You see, my parents have always been egocentric, self-driven, motivated, and confident.  Unlike me. Growing up, my father had two jobs, then retired as a lieutenant in the FDNY, and built a house.  Over the course of her life, my mom has traveled to five continents, speaks multiple languages, pursued careers in modeling, singing, dancing, and retired as an ESL teacher.  In her 60s, she decided to become an actress and after a few months is well on her way, even racking up credits on IMDB.  After decades of self-hate, self-doubt, instability, and lack of confidence, I'm finally starting to cultivate some of the traits my parents had, which were often viewed by me as shortcomings.  I finally am realizing my strengths and potential.  That I am worthy of being loved and capable of giving love.  That I am intelligent and beautiful, no matter what naysayers say.  That I am talented in some areas, and that though I have these talents, it doesn't mean I don't have to work hard at improving them. There. I've going to say it.  I finally love me.

Lastly, if this is just too emotional and stuff, just picture me typing in with a hairy cat strewn across my face. Because that's how it really is.  I can't breathe...

Happy Tuesday Indeed!

It would appear that I'm overjoyed of late, since my most recent blog entries have all been titled "Happy..." While this may be misconstrued as proof that I lack a robust vocabulary of adjectives signifying this sometimes elusive emotion, I feel it is more or less a good indicator that I'm genuinely happy these days.  As Dawn always says, "North Carolina is a Magical Place."

(In case you are pondering this sudden change of tone in my writing, now that I am, ahem, published, I wish to take my writing more serious and skillfully entertain the masses with my riveting content...spoken with a proper English accent. One can never quite know who is trolling the Interwebs and lurking about, judging my sloppily crafted accounts of failed garden mishaps and yarny disasters.  One errant semi-colon and my burgeoning career may leap gracelessly off a cliff.  Preferably on Shetland, if there's a choice to be had.  Visiting is on my bucket list.)

The events that transpired today which have caused me to harbor such glee are two in number.  I've selected a capsule wardrobe after months of deliberation, and I received a positive response to my article pitch for one of my favorite magazines.  I shall divulge further details of the two endeavors in subsequent entries.

Firstly, the capsule wardrobe is a concept that I have been researching (a.k.a. Pinning) for quite some time. An idea so horrific, yet so beguiling.  I am mesmerized by the tales of these brave denizens of fashion who abandon the riches of their cavernous closets in order to pursue a more defined and simplistic style.  Would I be able to accomplish such a feat?  Someone who is known to frequently change her costume multiple times each day to suit her ever-changing moods?  A woman who is no less likely to wear a pleather minidress than a paisley maxidress?  One who serial pins Mori style and Mod style on the same board? For shame!  Well, some mysterious phenomenon happened at 7:00 this morning which had the effect of motivating me to sort through the mountains of clothes in my possession, choose a precious few, fling out the mismatched hangers and line my closet with the remaining soldiers of fortune. For this go-round, I chose a set based on browns and army green, with a dash of teal and burgundy.

Bottoms:

Brown knit work pants

Herringbone knit work pants

Woven herringbone green work pants

Skinny green jeans with zippered ankles

Wide leg dark wash jeans

Jewel tone paisley velveteen skirt

Brown leather mini skirt 

Plaid brown, burgundy and gold skirt

Tops:

Bulky cream cable knit sweater

Oatmeal post-apocalypse drop stitch sweater 

Mock turtleneck ruffle bib short-sleeved burgundy cotton top

Cream, brown and green western floral button down

Teal pouf-sleeved silk blouse

Cream lace empire flutter-sleeved blouse with gold sash

Cream and gold fine gauge knit pouf-sleeved dropped drawstring-waist tunic

Rust cardigan

Grey cardigan-outlier till I find the perfect camel cardigan. Hmm. Camel. I have some camel down in the stash, lol. 

The goals I hope to achieve from taking these drastic measures are to reduce laundry and early-morning decision making.  Some of you may already know I own one of the world's smallest washing machines. Invented for those who feel that a single 350 square foot room equals home sweet home, this marvel of Italian engineering compacts the washer and dryer into one drum. Like many other hybrid appliances, it is not particularly adept at either task. The only skill that it possesses to be worthwhile is its capacity to spin. It can spin like a tornado!  I plan to exploit this feature when washing fleece in the future.

In any case, the miniscule washing receptacle is a beacon of mastery when compared to its penchant for drying. Clothing may tumble on high for an hour and still be as damp as a baby bunny in a bog. With winter encroaching, I am reluctant to witness a clothesline full of icy stiff jeans, sweaters and undergarments. A smaller wardrobe will ensure there is enough drying area in my house without erroneously portraying me as a professional laundress. It was successful today. Let's see how it plays out tomorrow.

Exhausted but happy!

Been tired and under the weather.  The cats keep accosting me:  head-butting my face, sprawling across my chest, pinning down my arms, thus leading me to use my Google-Fu to research such topics such as "can cats detect illness?"  and other related queries.  There must be something wrong with me.  I'll add it to the list.  This long weekend was productive and relaxing at the same time.  I created and viewed my own British historical drama marathon and spun 4 bobbins of yarn for the yarn-eating Whippoorwill shawl, wound two balls off the bobbin of Loop striping roving for an as yet unplanned Granny Square afghan, (and decided that henceforth, all Loop roving will be for the granny square gingerbread afghan.  Did I say it was unplanned?  Maybe loosely planned is a better descriptor...)

I also have officially decided to pursue the HGA's Certificate of Excellence, Level I.  I figure it will challenge me outside of my spinning comfort zone, while doubling to hone my writing skills.  Boo-yah! Two-in-one goal!  Score!

Lastly, I've submitted some article proposals to a magazine and am waiting with great anticipation for a response.  Looking forward to 2015, the year of 2 published articles! In the meantime, I'm going to take a community college journalism course to brush up on my writing and get some insight to the business side of things.  This has been an awesome year :D

In the interest of a side career...

Now that I'm a fancy shmancy published author, (Fall 2014 Issue of Ply), I am excited to start working on my writing so I can get more paid gigs.  This was very exciting .  My aspirations are to write everyday starting now.  Be prepared, dear readers, for an onslaught of writing.  My hope is that through daily exercise, I can hone my skills and become the author I've dreamed of.

Ever since I was a child, I knew I would be a published author.  I didn't know what I would write, but with all my heart, I know it's in there. Because I am a teacher, avid hobbyist, and cook, I always thought it would be a cookbook, crafting book, or book of poetry.  I have a flair for writing about mundane things, such as my previous entry "Ode to an Orifice Reducer."  I also authored the classic three-page short story, "Death of a Purple Pen," chronicling the death of the aforementioned favorite pen while attending High School.

Knit Purl (loosely based on the sonnet form)

Knit purl purl, knit purl purl, knit purl purl, knit.
Purl knit knit, purl knit knit, purl knit knit, purl.
Knit purl purl, knit purl purl, knit purl purl, knit.
Purl knit knit, purl knit knit, purl knit knit, purl.

Slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over.
Knit two together, knit two together.
Slip one, knit one, pass the slipped stitch over.
Knit two together, knit two together.

Knit two, yarn over, knit one through back loop,
Work in pattern stitch for the next two rows.
Knit two, yarn over, knit one through back loop,
Work in pattern stitch for the next two rows.

Knit two, yarn over, purl to the last stitch.
Knit two, yarn over, purl to the last stitch.

Happy Jammy Day!

I officially declare today Jammy Day, an offshoot of Buy Nothing Day in protest of Black Friday.  Suffice to say, I will not be shopping in my jammies.  Just staying at home, watching rom-coms and dance movies, spinning the yarn I swore I would spin all this past year, and planning my homemade prezzies.  I am still happily in my jammies, and I have two new skeins of yarn, even though I haven't bought anything or left the house.  I am proud.  My Whippoorwill shawl, a.k.a. yarn eater, which started out as a Verb For Keeping Warm fiber club stash-buster, has turned into the "How can I keep dyeing  yarn to look like AVFKW so I can continue to knit this blanket shawl?"  These last 10 oz have been quite successful.  If I can get my steamer to work, I will steam, ball and get back to knitting.

Also, I fixed my drum carder belt, a cautionary tale to those who don't mind the advice to keep the belt off when not using for extended periods of time.  Had to cut out a section and re-fuse it to tighten it up.  Now I'm ready to re-card Guilia and get back on track with that program.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Due to hubby's latest schedule, I've been in bed by 8 and up at 4.  I hate it.  He hates it more.  That being said, it worked to our benefit today, as I had turkey parts for gravy in the oven, roasting lazily away, soup/stock on the stove slowly coming up to a simmer,  mirepoix for the soup, stuffing, and gravy, made pan-fried shredded Brussels sprouts with balsamic and Parmesan, and one lone sweet potato for me.  Hubby started the charcoal for our smoked turkey breast, and I soaked some apple and hickory chips for some delicious smoke flavor.  The gravy is going to be insane!  He butchered the thawed turkey last night and broke it down like this: breast and separated drumsticks for smoking, wings and misc. for soup, backbone and leftover carcass for soup/stock.  We rubbed it with a herb salt mix and olive oil, then stuffed some rosemary sprigs under the skin.  The dripping pan has some more mirepoix and rosemary to add flavor from steam underneath.

So every year, my family makes turkey soup on Thanksgiving morning with packaged turkey parts.  It's pretty simple.  Water + Turkey+Mire Poix+Rice.  Cook until rice looks like star pasta.  Even though they don't make a fancy stock or take heed of formal soup rules, we fight over the leftovers.  With a 28 pound turkey, we knew we had to come up with a game plan.  It wouldn't fit in the fridge that well, nor in the grill, or in the oven as is.  So the soup/stock is on the stove.  I will cook it for a few hours with pepper, allspice, bay leaves, and mirepoix, then strain out everything, pick out the meat, and throw in the veg/rice/shredded meat and cook it again till it's ready to serve.  So hungry.  Why does Thanksgiving have to be about dinner?  I propose Thanksgiving breakfast next year, lol.

For sides, I also made maple butternut squash with sunflower seeds and mixed dried berries, have to make some cornbread stuffing, gravy, and roasted corn pudding.  Can't wait to take pics of dinner!

Wishing you all a bountiful and lovely Thanksgiving :D

Ode to an Orifice Reducer

The reason I wrote the previous poem is because I had to clean up the crap to find my missing orifice reducer.  I was not successful. I'm sure I will find it once the new one arrives.

Ode to an Orifice Reducer

Oh orifice reducer, where hast thou gone?
Deep into the depths of the craft room,
Or lost on a voyage?

Prey to feline antics and under the fridge
Or playing peek-a-boo just beyond my field?

I long for the days we were together,
Happily supporting my wee flyer.
Whilst others jest at thy small bobbin capacity,
We managed to spin and ply myriad yarns.

Though I am in need of a replacement,
None will really take the place of you, happily
Heralding me into the time of the Jumbo Flyer,

We comfortably switched to and fro,
Crafting art yarns for display, and
Frog hair for lace.
From rough and lustrous longwool locks,
To camel silk bliss.

I will miss you orifice reducer.
Onward to send off for another like you,
Plastic and round,
Exorbitantly priced with added shipping.
Sniff.