No school today due to snow!
Wednesday, March 21, 2018
Tuesday, March 20, 2018
How to Make Enough Potato Salad to Feed the Entire Cast & Crew...
It is Tech Week for the cast and crew of the Spring Musical - meaning the kids are staying late every night to run through the entire play with lights, sounds, costumes and make up. The parents are bringing in food for everyone. Last night was soup night. Tonight was sloppy joes. I was tagged to bring in potato salad - enough for 50 people, but I never made that much before!
So, here's what you do: Peel and chop 10 lbs of potatoes and hard boil a dozen eggs. Chop 2 onions and one bunch of celery. Mix it all together with 1 1/2 jars of mayo, and a bunch of other stuff.
To make a huge mess on the way home from rehearsal, stick the warped Tupperware bowl with its ill fitting lid containing the remaining potato salad in the back of the car. When you arrive home, you will find the back of the car nicely smeared with potato salad.
Thank goodness for uber washable Subarus!
The show starts Thursday night...hooray!
So, here's what you do: Peel and chop 10 lbs of potatoes and hard boil a dozen eggs. Chop 2 onions and one bunch of celery. Mix it all together with 1 1/2 jars of mayo, and a bunch of other stuff.
To make a huge mess on the way home from rehearsal, stick the warped Tupperware bowl with its ill fitting lid containing the remaining potato salad in the back of the car. When you arrive home, you will find the back of the car nicely smeared with potato salad.
Thank goodness for uber washable Subarus!
The show starts Thursday night...hooray!
Friday, March 9, 2018
Still Not Spring
It is snowing again today. Nothing is accumulating, but it is still disappointing after experiencing a couple of weeks of mild, Spring-like weather.
I started seeds for my garden a bit later than usual, but already some of them are coming up! That at least is encouraging!
In the meantime, I spent some more time working in the wood shop with my dad. I can't say that everything is going smoothly, although it is going well. I have had to re-do several pieces, some of them a couple of times. I will consider it a success if I end up with a box that open, closes, and plays music, AND still have all of my fingers.
This weekend is L's last Basketball game - yet another sign that Winter is almost over.
I must close for now and go collect sap from the Maple trees. It is Maple Sugaring time, and my dad has already given us about 6 bottles of Poplar Ridge Maple Syrup - delicious!
I started seeds for my garden a bit later than usual, but already some of them are coming up! That at least is encouraging!
In the meantime, I spent some more time working in the wood shop with my dad. I can't say that everything is going smoothly, although it is going well. I have had to re-do several pieces, some of them a couple of times. I will consider it a success if I end up with a box that open, closes, and plays music, AND still have all of my fingers.
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| This is the outside of the music box, made of walnut, with bottom trim of oak |
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| This bottom-less box is made of oak, and it will slide inside the decorative box. The groove will hold a piece of protective glass, so that the works of the music box can be observed. |
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| This is the lid - also walnut with oak trim.
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I must close for now and go collect sap from the Maple trees. It is Maple Sugaring time, and my dad has already given us about 6 bottles of Poplar Ridge Maple Syrup - delicious!
Monday, February 26, 2018
Odd Jobs
I spent a couple of days in the wood shop with my dad last week, starting to build a music box. I had intended to do this last winter, but I didn't get the music box parts in time. So far, I've had a few accidents, which didn't injure anything except a few pieces of wood that I had intended to use. (Which is pretty amazing, given my lack of history using power tools!)
I started off by planing a BUNCH of pieces of wood.
This will be the walnut lid to my music box. You might notice my new silicon Groove ring. JP got us matching ones for Valentine's Day.
Later, I cut 45* angles in the pieces, and cut a groove into the bottom to form a box, which was glued and clamped together.
There is a second box made of oak inside the main box. This is removable, and acts as a sounding board for the music box.
Over the weekend, I spent a few hours outside clearing out my flower beds. I trimmed and discarded a lot of the old dead parts of the plants, and uncovered a few Spring flowers:
Hooray for Spring!
I started off by planing a BUNCH of pieces of wood.
Later, I cut 45* angles in the pieces, and cut a groove into the bottom to form a box, which was glued and clamped together.
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| Hellebores |
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| Crocus |
Sunday, February 11, 2018
We Are Family
One of the reasons that JP recently changed jobs was that for the past 9 years or so, he has spent several hours each weekend, holiday and vacation day fielding phone calls from his office or from the call service, and dealing with labs, letters and radiology reports coming in on the electronic medical records. Because of this, even when he was home, he was not able to spend quality family time with us.
It has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us getting used to his new schedule that is not at all regular. Before, I felt like I was single parenting a lot of the time, but now JP is very involved in carting the kids around and doing things around the house on his days off.
There are still a few single parenting days, but we are managing fine, and they are fewer and further between than in the past. Friday was one of those days. Unfortunately, he missed J's ukulele debut at her Choral Cabaret fund raiser. She played the uke and sang with her friend, and did a wonderful job!
Yesterday he missed seeing L make a basket in her Basketball game. Only 5 team members showed up, so she played the entire game, although they pulled in another teammate's little sister to give a couple of the other girls breaks.
I wanted to show a picture of one of my favorite birthday gifts this year:
Totoro and friends join my family of other matryoshka dolls, which I find nearly irresistible.
They all have stories, too. My brother brought back the light colored set from Russia when he went on a school trip. The blue set was purchased when JP and I took our trip to Alaska...we found it in an old Russian settlement near Soldotna. The singing pigs are also Russian, I believe, although I found them in one of our favorite haunts, Glen's Fair Price, in our college town in VA. The snowmen only come out at Christmas time with my other snowman decorations.
Today JP is home, so we can sit around and watch the Olympics together as a family.
Happy Sunday.
It has been a bit of an adjustment for all of us getting used to his new schedule that is not at all regular. Before, I felt like I was single parenting a lot of the time, but now JP is very involved in carting the kids around and doing things around the house on his days off.
There are still a few single parenting days, but we are managing fine, and they are fewer and further between than in the past. Friday was one of those days. Unfortunately, he missed J's ukulele debut at her Choral Cabaret fund raiser. She played the uke and sang with her friend, and did a wonderful job!
Yesterday he missed seeing L make a basket in her Basketball game. Only 5 team members showed up, so she played the entire game, although they pulled in another teammate's little sister to give a couple of the other girls breaks.
Totoro and friends join my family of other matryoshka dolls, which I find nearly irresistible.
Today JP is home, so we can sit around and watch the Olympics together as a family.
Happy Sunday.
Saturday, February 10, 2018
Ups and Downs
The temperatures have been going up and down around here. We are currently on a spring-like streak, and it is in the 40's. This follows 2 or 3 days of ice on the driveway that made me feel like I was risking my life every time I tried to leave the house!
Not only the temps are going wacky around here. Crazy stuff is going down.
The low tire pressure light came on while I was driving L to school yesterday morning. This is the second time in 2 weeks, so I took it to the tire shop. They found a nail AGAIN. This time they were able to patch it, however. Today I am going to take the big magnet and search around in the barn for nails because I suspect it is happening when I back into the barn to unload bags of chicken feed from the Subaru. (Down.)
I spent a good part of the day out and about with my friend. Although we didn't have much success shopping, it was good to spend time with her again. (Up.)
When I got home from my outing, I took some scraps out for the hens. The majority of them were clustered at the far end of the chicken yard, one was trapped in the walkway area, and there were feathers EVERY WHERE. I went into the chicken house and found this guy staring at me!
One poor hen was trapped in there with the hawk and the partially eaten body of her sister. I am now treating her for PTSD with counseling and corn.
My dad rushed over to dispatch the murderous bird, and I cleaned up the mess and tried to soothe ruffled feathers as best as I could. (Down.)
Later last evening, J had a special concert at the HS. I bought some raffle tickets, which I rarely do, and ended up winning a gianormous basket of awesome stuff. I got all of this loot...
...PLUS a Contigo travel mug, an essential oil dispenser, a scented candle, and some fancy hand lotion. (Up.)
Whoop whoop!
Today is Saturday...a definite UP.
Hope you enjoy your weekend.
Not only the temps are going wacky around here. Crazy stuff is going down.
The low tire pressure light came on while I was driving L to school yesterday morning. This is the second time in 2 weeks, so I took it to the tire shop. They found a nail AGAIN. This time they were able to patch it, however. Today I am going to take the big magnet and search around in the barn for nails because I suspect it is happening when I back into the barn to unload bags of chicken feed from the Subaru. (Down.)
I spent a good part of the day out and about with my friend. Although we didn't have much success shopping, it was good to spend time with her again. (Up.)
When I got home from my outing, I took some scraps out for the hens. The majority of them were clustered at the far end of the chicken yard, one was trapped in the walkway area, and there were feathers EVERY WHERE. I went into the chicken house and found this guy staring at me!
One poor hen was trapped in there with the hawk and the partially eaten body of her sister. I am now treating her for PTSD with counseling and corn.
My dad rushed over to dispatch the murderous bird, and I cleaned up the mess and tried to soothe ruffled feathers as best as I could. (Down.)
Later last evening, J had a special concert at the HS. I bought some raffle tickets, which I rarely do, and ended up winning a gianormous basket of awesome stuff. I got all of this loot...
...PLUS a Contigo travel mug, an essential oil dispenser, a scented candle, and some fancy hand lotion. (Up.)
Whoop whoop!
Today is Saturday...a definite UP.
Hope you enjoy your weekend.
Sunday, February 4, 2018
Super Bowl Sunday
We woke this morning to more snow coming down. Our winter weather has been on and off lately - we will have a few days in the 40's or 50's, and then it will get colder again and we'll get some snow. It doesn't stay cold long enough for the snow to stick around, and we are only getting an inch or two at a time. This makes it seem like it's bobbling back and forth between Spring and Winter.
I thought I would take advantage of the huge, soft flakes dropping to take a walk this morning. It was beautiful and still - almost gorgeous enough to make me love winter again.
Here are a few of the pictures that I took:
This evening we are planning to make a bunch of homemade finger foods (chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, and pigs in a blanket) to nosh on while we watch the Eagles vs. the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
I thought I would take advantage of the huge, soft flakes dropping to take a walk this morning. It was beautiful and still - almost gorgeous enough to make me love winter again.
Here are a few of the pictures that I took:
This evening we are planning to make a bunch of homemade finger foods (chicken wings, jalapeno poppers, and pigs in a blanket) to nosh on while we watch the Eagles vs. the Patriots in the Super Bowl.
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