Awesome new feature of Gmail

Posted on April 1, 2008 by Laura
For all you users of Gmail – check out this new custom feature that they just added.

You’ll never be late again!
Posted in just for fun | 1 Comment

A Busy Saturday

Posted on March 31, 2008 by Laura

Saturday morning, this is what I got at the Farmers’ Market:

Pretty slim pickings right now but pay closer attention to these:

What you see is a praying mantis egg case and a piece of sassafras wood.  The asparagus (in the spring) and gourd (in the fall) farmer was selling the egg cases for $1 and the sassafras wood for $.50.  So I’m planning on making some sassafras tea (which will taste like root beer I guess) and then watching as over 100 little praying mantises emerge.  I’m hoping that I get to see at least a few of them.  There shouldn’t be too many bugs around our house this year!  (Editorial comment:  I really like that farmer.  He always talks to me and remembers that I’m from Alaska.  This time he asked me if we had praying mantises in AK.  I told him that I didn’t remember seeing any.  And next week, he’s bringing me a rhubard plant to put in our garden!  And I absolutely can’t wait until his asparagus comes in. Every year I wait very impatiently until he has it.  And then I buy it every week until it’s gone.  I figure that if he isn’t selling it, it’s not in season.  So I pretty much only buy asparagus from him.)

Then, around 2:00, Nik and I left for DC to visit…Uncle Jim and Aunt Linda!  Of course, I forgot the camera so I can’t even put up a picture to show you but anyway, we had a great time with them.  They were in DC for two weeks and so it was wonderful to spend a little bit of time with family.

After that, Nik and I decided to go to the Kennedy Center for their free 6:00 concert (which is there and free, 365 days of the year.)  It was classical/flamenco guitar and alto sax.  Not as good as we’d hoped but still fun to be there.  (If you want to watch the concert or at least get a taste of what we saw, go here and then search by March 29th.  The last 10 minutes of the concert was the best so go there if you can.))   Then we walked to a kabob place on Pennsylvania Ave. and had some really good food!  Nik is very good at researching on the Internet – he found that restaurant for us to go to and it was a great choice!  It was a great evening.

The whole night, I was a little bit worried because I had forgotten to put the praying mantis case outside.  So I was a little worried that we would come home to 100 praying mantises inside our house.  Never fear, it stayed intact and now it’s living safely outside!

P.S. Nik and I are about half way through the first season of Arrested Development.  It’s really, really good.  If you haven’t yet, you all should beg/borrow/rent the DVDs and watch them!

Posted in gardening, just for fun | 4 Comments

Finish It! Friday

Posted on March 29, 2008 by Laura

From this (although I’d already been working for awhile when I remembered to take a picture, it was definitely worse):

to this (note that Dillingham is no longer swimming in algae-infested waters):

And also, I finished my corn sack!

And, even though this wasn’t on Friday, Thursday night, I repotted four plants, including this one, my newest addition from the Country Cupboard.  The Country Cupboard is where I always stop on the way to and from Lisa’s.  It’s about 1/2 way and they have a wonderful greenhouse. So on the way up, I get out, use their beautifully clean bathroom, relax in the greenhouse, and plan which plant I’m going to buy.  On the way back, I repeat the routine, except that I buy the plant!  Most of my plants come from there, including the baby tears in the corn sack picture.  My new plant is a streptocarpella.  Kristen has had one for at least five years and it just keeps on flowering almost year round.  So I’m hoping that mine will do the same!

Posted in house/neighborhood, sewing | 2 Comments

Signs of Spring

Posted on March 29, 2008 by Laura

Nik likes to call this picture, “Cutting the Grass, Wendell Berry Style”  See our nice, new push mower?  Nik likes it much better than our old, smelly, heavy gas mower!


(These are peonies, right?  I didn’t even know we had so many.  I thought there was only one plant!)

Posted in gardening | 4 Comments

I’m glad Mom remembered!

Posted on March 28, 2008 by Laura

I’m on break –  so I’m glad Mom and Zona reminded me about Poetry Thursday!

Here’s the next middle school installment…

THOUGHTS ON GETTING OUT OF A NICE WARM BED IN AN ICE-COLD HOUSE TO GO TO THE BATHROOM AT THREE O’CLOCK IN THE MORNING

by Judith Viorst
Maybe life was better
When I used to be a wetter.

 

Posted in books | 1 Comment

I’m starting to think this is going to be a very long project…

Posted on March 27, 2008 by Laura

Well (which is, as Granny would say, a very deep subject for such a shallow mind! [She did say that, right?]), I’ve been working on the Roman shade project since lunchtime and I only have two of the three shades sewn.  That doesn’t even approach doing everything that it will take to turn them into shades.  It took me like 2 1/2 hours just to cut out the three curtains and 3 lining pieces.  But, I think (I hope!) I’ll get faster at all of this, the more that I do it.  At this rate, it’s going to be a long time before we have curtains for all the rooms in our house.  But, I’m not going to do Roman shades for all the rooms in our house so hopefully some of the projects will be faster!

On a positive note, whatever I was doing wrong with my sewing machine, I have fixed now.  So the thread isn’t bunching up underneath and all seems to be well with that.

It’s fun to be sewing again! (But my back is aching!)

I got fifty pounds of corn yesterday, when I was up visiting Lisa in western NY.  So I’m hoping to finish a corn sack tonight too.

If I get anything finished, I’ll post a picture.  Otherwise, tomorrow will be Finish It! Friday.  Again!

Posted in sewing | 4 Comments

Posted on March 23, 2008 by Laura
Christos Anesti!
Alithos anesti! 

Christu uyirthezhunnettu!

Theerchayayum uyirthezhunnettu! 
(That’s supposed to be Malayalam)


Christ is Risen!
He is Risen Indeed!

Hallelujah!

 

 

Posted in faith, holidays | 3 Comments

FINISH IT! Friday

Posted on March 21, 2008 by Laura
Here’s what I have to finish:

That’s the fabric that is supposed to be Roman shades for our office.  Then I also need to put on the slipcover that Tina just got us for the loveseat in the office.  It’s my big project for Spring Break.  I’ll try to post pictures when I’m finished.  I’ve had the fabric for almost 5 weeks.  I’m just putting off doing it – probably because I’m not really sure what I’m doing.  But the directions are pretty straight forward.  So I just need to start!

(This post is at Meggan’s request.  What do you need to finish?  Want to join in the fun?)

Posted in sewing | 1 Comment

Three reasons to be Happy

Posted on March 20, 2008 by Laura

1.  It’s Spring Break and I don’t have to teach until Monday, March 31st!
2.  I have a sexy new hair cut! Actually, I just have a sexy new hairstyle, thanks to Valerie, my hairstylist who used a flat iron, of all things, to make my hair wavy.  She says flat irons are what all the Hollywood stylists are using right now to create the Hollywood look. So just call me a Hollywood star!  And as soon as I wash it, it will go back to just being a really good hair cut!

            
And three:
Christ our Lord is Risen Today, Hallelujah!.
(a little early, I know, but that’s OK!)

 

Posted in health and beauty | 2 Comments

And Meggan is the winner again!

Posted on March 20, 2008 by Laura

Even though she didn’t spell it correctly!  The correct spelling is onomatopoeia, which is using words that sound like the sound they are describing.  Think old-school Batman “Bam!  Bang!  Boom!”  I’ll have to think of another prize for Meggan.  It might have to be a niece or nephew on the East Coast that doesn’t belong to Margie.  (And no, this is not an announcement that I’m pregnant.  Because I’m not.)  When (Lord willing) I am, I’ll try to call you all before I announce it to the world on Xanga!

And, for the record, I think the first time I ever learned that word, “onomatopoeia” was in the book, I Used to be an Artichoke, which, in looking for it just now, I discovered is out of print.  Mom – do you still have it?  Should I just buy it used and be grateful it’s still available at all?  Siblings – if Mom has it, will anyone be mad if she gives it to me?  Mom – did you commit the unforgivable sin by giving away a book without asking every single one of us if we still wanted it? (You do have a track record on that one, you know.    And I know, I’m not supposed to bring that up anymore but I just couldn’t resist!)  The onomatopoeia page was one of my favorites.  I liked how the page looked and I loved saying the word.  I think I probably just about had the book memorized at one point.  And, crazily enough, I’ve still never eaten a fresh artichoke – just those canned hearts from the salad bar.  I guess I should get working on that.

And Katie (and all others who I may have confused), I get to stay at my school until the end of the year, THANKFULLY.  So this shake up doesn’t affect anything until the next school year, for which I am very grateful.

Posted in books, school | 2 Comments