Company's here!

We are thoroughly enjoying day 1 of our visit from Tico Joe, my fil. it's so fun to see him and catch up on the year's events. We last spent time together during the holidays. Tomorrow he's heading to school with me (in the evening) for a family fitness event. Then we head to a Dodgers game on Friday night.

I

How to keep some Spring in your Autumn

recent house pix

As you can see...the house is ready for HOUSEGUESTS! Tico Joe...your room is ready!

A cozy fallish saturday

We had rain overnight. Our first real rain since buying the house last May. It rained and rained and when I woke up the streets and patio were slicked and the plants dripping with joy. It is a perfect day for staying inside and relaxing, which works out perfectly since I'm a little "under the weather" myself. The sore throat that attacked Thursday night has subsided, but the sinus issues remain. I went to school yesterday regardless, as Fridays are usually a little too much fun to miss, and I'm already out of the room a lot this fall due to coaching seminars( for first year teachers in the district), trainings, etc. Apple week ended witha bang when we taste-tested applesauce and in the afternoon made funny fruit faces witih pears, cherries and raisins. Fun stuff.

Today is all about cozy. we're talking tea and coffee, vaccuum cleaners, candlelit bubble bath, and fresh laundry (with maybe a little grocery shopping thrown in) I would love to make something cozy for dinner. Please post your favorite cozy meals in the comments section~ what a perfect time for all you "lurkers" to make your first comment!

Hope the weather in your area is cooperating with your plans today, whatever they may be!

we've got clouds!

The first 24 days of school, we had to mark an X next to "sunny" on the weather chart! Today we rejoiced and marked "cloudy". Some kids wanted to mark "foggy" so we debated the differences between the two. Looks like we might even get some rain in the next couple of days. I came home and put on cozy "fall" clothes. funny, a little chill doesn't seem to be bothering me here as it did in the city. hmmm.

on another note, today was picture day. My 28th if you count preschool and college senior portraits. hmmm. I don't think they make those "class photo" frames with 28 openings. Today I had a picture taken no less than three times:
the first, a staff photo in front of the school on risers at 8:10
the second, an individual pic for staff id at 10:10
and the third, a class group photo on a riser in a grassy field at 10:30.

Needless to say this threw us off schedule and a little out of whack. My afternoon "intervention" session also began this week, and wouldn't you know someone came knocking at my door at 2:21 (we usually line up to dismiss at 2:10) looking for us. We are lucky no one missed the bus. That's how much fun we were having. We didn't even pay attention to what time to go HOME!~

Two Sundays

His:
football
baseball
leftovers

Hers:
free cell minutes
raspberry iced tea
writing letters on the patio

Theirs:
happy co-existence

Wishing K/S a very happy 2nd anniversary and a great week to all!
check out my new avatar to the left...

Imagine That!

Leaving for work at 7:10 and arriving at 7:15 (no I didn't ride my bike.)

Calling for a dental appointment and being offered one only SIX DAYS away (instead of 3 + months)

Just two more reasons I love my new hometown!

A Wrinkle in Time

D. is the newsmonger in our family. Somehow, whenever I go to update him on "current events' he's known about "it" for a number of days, if not weeks. He attributes this to his internet news sources; I rely more on NPR or network newscasts. Last night, he said there was a new piece of news he was sure I would want to know, but he couldn't remember it at that moment.

This morning, the first news I saw online was that of Madeleine L'Engle's passing at age 88. I showed him the screen, and he said "That's what I wanted to tell you last night." I think her 1962 story about Meg Murry and Charles Wallace is probably the standard against which I compare most children's literature. It had all the elements;the dark, stormy, night, a big old house, eccentric old women, playing with time and space, an alternative society, a caring family. The image of all the children bouncing balls outside their cookie cutter homes has stayed with me. It birthed a curiousity about utopian societies and the conformity within them. She created a place I could visit in my mind. My love of futuristic societies and curiousity about places such as Celebration, Florida was born out of her story. Her name connotates creative spirit and beauty in my mind. That, at least, will not change with her passing. I can only be further inspired by the fact that the book had over twenty rejections before it was finally published in '62.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/07/AR2007090702690.html

Peppermint syrup

Among the many improvements D. made to our home while I was away, he reorganized the pantry, creating a fun coffee/tea/or me (i mean or cocoa) shelf. The first thing I noticed when I swung open the cupboard door was the tall Torani bottle. 'You found it!", I exclaimed. He nodded happily. We had been searching for peppermint syrup for months. (You know, to make liquid peppermint patties?) Now, instead of spending $3.50 a pop at *$'s, we can make them at home. In fact, I'm sipping one right now!

Recipe for Iced Liquid Peppermint Patties (AKA iced peppermint mocha)

1 tallish pretty glass
1 cutesy straw (I suggest pink or yellow stripes)
lots of crushed ice!
1 Trader Joe's Mocha Triple Espresso (in cans, .89 cents each)
splash of Torani peppermint syrup

total cost: < $1.00
what to do with $2.50 plus tax you saved?: apply to mortgage.


yum!

From the weekend