Bad Blogger!

I've been really bad! Funny how life just gets in the way sometimes. The last time I wrote anything was the day before my birthday! As I mentioned in that post, DH took me to a Caps game the weekend before for my birthday. On my real birthday we went to Timbuktu's for some famous Maryland Crab Cakes. He also gave me these:


Believe it or not, this was all I really wanted for my birthday! I mean, what do I need? For some reason, lately I've become really sensitive to onions, which I happen to cook with a lot! I only buy Vidalia onions, which in the past never bothered me. Now, my eyes burn and water and I end up looking like a raccoon with eye make up smudged all over my face. These suckers really work!

Friday of spring break, my friend Cat and I went to Annapolis where we walked around and browsed in all the neat little shops. We ate lunch at the 1747 Tavern on Church Circle. It is a tea room and it is quite lovely.


Easter weekend we ended up visiting the kids in the Burgh. Saturday evening we checked into the hotel then headed off to the Sharp Edge Creekhouse for dinner. Bird was working the bar and he waited on us. Unfortunately, we were missing the Caps game and we had to watch the Pens instead, relying on the updates during the intermissions. After dinner, we headed off to Sonny'swhere Ems was bar tending. She now has the Saturday night bar tending shift there. Sunday morning we went to mass at the Duquesne University Chapel with the kids and Joan. We met up at Bird's house where I was able to at least get a shot of Ems and Joan:


Note the college boy decor on the mantel! We then went to the Double Wide Grill in the Southside, one of our favorite places, for brunch. We headed home after spending a little more time with the kids.

Tuesday it was back to the old grind. I am totally burnt out this school year. The burnout comes earlier and earlier these days. There is so much pressure to improve test scores that nothing else matters. Kids are not getting a well rounded education anymore and when you teach poor kids, with limited life experiences to begin with, you really deprive them of some of the most valuable learning experiences. With the current economy, we have given up raises for next school year and we have been given a lot more work to do in the same amount of time. I've decided that I am going to more or less work to the rule next year. This means that I'm not staying late anymore. I will bring some things home, but I'm not working hours and hours of unpaid overtime. It galls me that that teachers are actually expected to do that.

Things are getting interesting around here. DH was laid off last week which is a major bummer. He will get 4 weeks of pay after which, we will find ourselves exhausting our savings. I'm just hoping that we won't have to go into our retirement accounts which have already lost about 40%. Needless to say, I didn't attend MD Sheep and Wool Festival this year!'

The high point for us has been the Caps! Not only are they in the playoffs, but they are now in Round 2! It is ironic that they are playing the Pens in round 2. They've never beat the Pens in any playoff round. Game 1 was yesterday and the Caps won! This series is really being hyped up. If you are a hockey fan, then you've read about the Ovechkin vs. Crosby rivalry. To that, I say this:


Kitty Cam: Mikey is on the Caps bandwagon!

Is it June yet?

I should not be asking that question the first week of January. I typically don't feel that way, but the first day back at school after a break is always tough. First off--I'm totally exhausted! I went to bed before midnight last night which is unusual on a Sunday night. I always stay up too late on Sunday and then start the week tired but I was responsible last night. I have no planning periods on Mondays and Fridays so they are harder to begin with. The kids were out of it. When I would comment on their lack of attention, they would complain of being tired. Well, duh! Teachers are people too! It will get slowly better. I will admit that I am doing the snow dance tonight and tomorrow morning--or should I say, the Wintery Mix dance! I'll take whatever I can get!

No knitting today. I did start off the day being somewhat productive at home--I got a load of laundry in the washer, the dishwasher filled and running and dinner in the crock pot before I left for work. I didn't go in early because I anticipated staying late for a staff meeting. Our meeting was cancelled so that we could take the time to "get back in the groove." Thank goodness!

Bird treated himself to some new ink for graduation and he sent me a photo:


I've always told that boy that Mom is the one girl who will never break his heart! I guess he must agree!

Bushism of the day:
"I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand -- but the president doesn't have a magic wand. You just can't say, 'low gas.'" --George W. Bush, Washington D.C., July 15, 2008

Kitty Cam: Ems sent this photo of Mokey. When she got home, he immediately got in one of the bags before she could unpack!

It's been a long time comin'. . .

Finally! Bird getting his "diploma." Sort of, that is. First off, they only give you the diploma cover and you get the actual paper later. For Bird, it will be much later. When he got to the ceremony, he noticed that his name was not in the program. They fixed that. A couple hours later, after the ceremony, his advisor called him to tell him that they didn't have his graduation form which is why he wasn't on the program. Funny thing is, he filled it out and turned it in in October several weeks before the deadline. They obviously lost it. The not so funny thing is that his diploma will be issued in May 2009. If he interviews for a job requiring a degree, then the school will write a letter explaining that he officially has the degree, so that's good. I told him that he should try to get his loans deferred until 6 months after his "official" graduation date (the one on paper). I will say that after 4 and 1/2 years at Duquesne, this has been the first snafu. They have always been efficient at everything. It just figures that the first boo boo would be a big one! That's okay! We still celebrated and had a great time.

What's the first thing that the graduate did?Light up a cigarette ! (much to his mother's chagrin)







Thanks to Andrew for taking the photos. He was an honorary family member for the weekend!

Check this out--I noticed during the ceremony that Ems is her mother's daughter!
The shoe queen gene is passed down to a new generation!

After the ceremony, we went to Fatheads in the South Side. Best sandwiches ever! I can't believe that I actually finished mine. I had a "headwich" which supposedly is a sandwich the size of a human head. It came close! I typically don't eat much, but I finished it and didn't feel all that full! Go figure!


After Fatheads (and Starbucks) DH, Ems and I went to Shadyside so that Ems could go to the Apple Store to get her iPhone looked at. We dropped her there and found parking. While walking to the Apple Store we passed the neatest little shoe store on Walnut Street called "Ten Toes." There was a pair of boots in the window that I loved. After the Apple Store, while walking back to the car, the conversation went sort of like this:

Ems: Ooh! I have to show you the cutest boots I saw there!
Me: Were they the ones with the buckles?
Ems: Yes! Isn't it funny that we love the same shoes.

And we ran to the window to discover that we loved the same boots! We went in the store and most of the boots and shoes were half off! I ended up buying two pairs of those boots--one for each of us!

They can be worn cuffed as well! There was a brand of shoes called Naught Monkey that both Ems and I fell in love with. They were all half off as well. If it wasn't the holidays, I may have picked up a pair or two, but money is a bit tight these days!
This type of situation occurred again when we were window shopping at BCBG. Ems wanted to show me a dress that she loved and I was rushing to look at one I saw that I loved. It was the same dress!

We went back to the hotel for a while then met up with Ems, Bird, Andrew and Ems' boys (her band buds) at Arsenal Lanes in Lawrenceville for some bowling. They have a $9 all you can bowl from 9 p.m. to midnight on Friday nights. There is also karaoke and a bar in there! I must admit that I find the bowling alleys in Pittsburgh a little strange in that the two I've been to are all upstairs! Around these parts, bowling alleys are all downstairs!
Bird and Andrew dressed for the occasion:

Here's Bird singing "Dust in the Wind"
We all did karaoke! We found out that Andrew does a mean Elvis!

Ems and her boys:

We met Ems, Bird and Andrew and the Cheesecake Factory for lunch at 11:00 on Saturday then hit the road at 1:00. We were home at 5 p.m. The kitties were pretty glad to see us. They get such good care from Pampered Pets that they are much more "ho hum" about it when we walk in. They used to be very clingy, but they get spoiled when we're away now. Their sitter forgot she wasn't supposed to come Saturday night and she came over. She said that if we ever get home to find Mikey gone, we'll know she took him! Everyone loves Mikey!

I stayed up until 3 a.m. last night, doing some Christmas knitting and watching HBO. I watched "Definitely, Maybe" which is a cute romantic comedy, followed by Sweeney Todd which is anything but a romantic comedy. I still love that movie, but it is definitely on the weird side. One has to figure that a movie with Johnny Depp that's directed by Tim Burton is going to be quirky, to say the least! Today I will run my usual Sunday errands and work on a few holiday gifts!

Less than one month left of the following--
Bushism of the day:
"You know, I'm the President during this period of time, but I think when the history of this period is written, people will realize a lot of the decisions that were made on Wall Street took place over a decade or so, before I arrived in President, during I arrived in President." --George W. Bush, ABC News interview, Dec. 1, 2008

Kitty Cam: Bar makes himself comfortable like a little prince.

Busy busy!

It's getting to be that crazy time of year! November and December are very busy for us. Not only do we have the winter holidays, but we also have a number of family birthdays as well. My Thanksgiving holiday started in a nice way when both kids arrived home on Tuesday evening. Then Wednesday after lunch my principal told us we could leave early on Wednesday. That was a relief because we had plans that night. When I got home I found a package from my new Secret Pal waiting for me! Here's what was in it:


First a beautiful mosaic tea candle holder and a bag of tea candles in Mexican Pumpkin scent which is spicy with cinnamon.

This went right on the family room coffee table.

Second, there were two skeins of Manos silk blend yarn in a beautiful olive green.

This yarn is destined to become a scarf!

Wednesday night evening Bird's friend Jack and his girlfriend Ally came over to go to the Caps game with us. Jack had gotten tickets that included a buffet in one of the clubs at the MCI Center. So we piled all six of us into my car and headed to DC. DH and I had our matching Caps Jerseys on:

My jersey, like most of the ones you see these days, has number 8 on it for Alexander Ovechkin. DH chose something more original:

Ems:

Bird and Jack:

Ems and Ally:

And, of course, Bird two fisting beer!


It was a great game--especially since the Caps won!

On Thursday, we went to DH's brother's house for dinner in the afternoon. We had a great meal and enjoyed seeing family that we don't see too often. That night, we just hung out at home. Friday, I fixed a turkey dinner for us since we like leftovers and the kids wanted some to take back to Pittsburgh. We had a formal dinner in the dining room after which the kids headed back to the Burgh. Before leaving, we got into a jam session and Ems snapped this photo of me and DH rocking to the oldies:


Friday I also got a package from Webs which included this yarn that I have never used before:

That's a dozen skeins of Northfield by Valley Yarns which is 70% merino, 20% silk, and 10% cashmere. It feels incredibly soft. This is for the Baby Cables and Big Ones sweater. There was other yarn in the package, but it is for Christmas gifts so I cannot reveal what it is at this time!

Speaking of gifts--Our nephew's wife sent these pictures of baby Rupert in the sweater and hat I made for him. Isn't he a cutie?



It's back to the old grind tomorrow. The little kiddies get rather restless this time of year!

Bushism of the day:
"I think it was in the Rose Garden where I issued this brilliant statement: If I had a magic wand -- but the president doesn't have a magic wand. You just can't say, 'low gas.'" --George W. Bush, Washington D.C., July 15, 2008

Kitty cam: Mikey models the newest in E-Collars (Elizabethan Collars) for cats:


Unfortunately the other cats started making fun of him.

Another baby bird leaves the nest!

We moved Ems to Pittsburgh this weekend.  DH rented a truck and they packed up the stuff in her apartment on Friday.  She and Mokey spent the night here Friday night.  Poor Mokey.  He has totally forgotten that he lived here with the other cats.  Ems had to tranquilize him and he staggered around growling all night.  When we put him in the carrier Saturday morning he acted like a rabid animal--screeching, growling and thrashing around.  Once the carrier was taken out of the house, he was fine.  Obviously it was the other cats who freaked him out.  She left around 9 a.m. as she had to get to the rental office before 3 to sign her lease and get her key.  DH left around noon and I left around 1 pm.  A couple of hours into the trip, I received a call from Ems.  She went to her studio apt. to find that it was a basement apartment with no windows,  the toilet didn't work and the entire place smelled like urine.  She was furious and called the rental agency telling them that they had not told her that it was a basement and that she came prepared to move in that day.  She insisted that they find her another place.  Fortunately they had another apartment and the current resident was moving out by 11 am Sunday morning.  She went to look at the place and was happy with it.  It cost $175 more per month but gas was included.  She insisted to the rental agency that she would not pay the additional amount on the security deposit and would split the difference on the rent for the first month.  They were okay with that.   It is an interesting place.  The apartment is in a house that must have been quite elegant in its day.  It was built around 1900 and has an incredible entryway with ornate woodwork and and everything else you see in homes built in this period.  She has an efficiency which has a small kitchen, a very large bathroom and walk in closet and another small closet.  Plus she gets a large room across the hallway that she will use for sewing and doing hair.  There are large old trees around the house and it seems to be a very nice neighborhood.  Here you see her and Joan on the front steps.

And here they are with Ems new neighbor and his dog, Samantha.

Here's a couple of shots of what the entry area is like.



Since we didn't get to move her in on Saturday as we had planned, we parked the truck in front of the house and went to the Quiet Storm for dinner--all 4 of us plus Joan. It was a neat little place. One tends to have some preconceived notions about vegetarian restaurants and this one helped to quell those ideas. It was very easy not to miss meat with the food they served! After dinner Ems stayed at Joans and they went out with Bird since he had taken the night off to help her move. We went to our hotel.

Sunday, DH and I got up, drove to the Southside and went to Starbucks before walking 11 blocks to Bird's house which we hadn't seen yet. After the tour, Bird took us back to our car and we all met up with Ems at the new place. We got the stuff off the truck then Bird showered there and went to work. After moving her stuff, DH, Ems, Joan and I headed to Mad Mex, which is absolutely my favorite Mexican restaurant in the whole world. After dinner DH, Ems and I did a Target run--to the tune of $300--to get stuff for her new place. After picking up Cosmo at Joan's we helped Ems hang some things and get settled before we hit the road for home at 9:30 pm. I'm glad it was a 3 day weekend as we got home around 1:30 am. After unpacking and getting the cats squared away, I finally hit the hay around 3 am. Of course the original plan had us getting home mid afternoon on Sunday, but fortunately we had a little cushion since it was a 3 day weekend.

I had originally thought I would get some things done this weekend, but I'm taking a break. I did make my denim skirt last weekend. Here's photo of Racquel wearing it:

One thing that bugs me about so many patterns with fly fronts is that they have the fly opening to the left side which means you would have to zip it with your left hand. This strikes me as odd as it is opposite what is done in ready to wear clothes. I always end up switching it around so that it is a right handed opening. I made a lot of modifications on this pattern. The original view is very long and I shortened the pattern about 9 inches! It is still several inches below the knee on me. It fits well, but I wish it sat lower on my hips like it does on the mannequin.

No knitting news this week except that I received my copy of Wendy Bernard's new book. There is not one design in that book that I would not knit. While I love top down sweater patterns, hers are my absolute favorites. The patterns are well written and they always fit like a glove!

I may do some sewing today, though I don't know. It's already almost 4 pm and I haven't even gotten dressed! I needed to rest. I get sick every school year. I'm convinced that there are air quality issues in my classroom. My respiratory symptoms--chest congestion, clogged ears, post nasal drip--start kicking in about the second week of school and they last the entire school year. If I get extended time off like Thanksgiving and winter or spring breaks, my symptoms clear up, only to start up again when I go back to school. I've submitted air quality report forms, but since no parents complain, nothing gets done. Since I only see my classes once a week for 45 minutes, the students aren't in the room long enough to develop symptoms. I'm in there for 8 or more hours a day every day. I may have to get the union involved because I cannot do my job with respiratory issues. What good is a vocal music teacher who cannot sing!

Anyway, I will leave you on this first day of the Republican National Convention with my
Bushism of the day:
"You never know what your history is going to be like until long after you're gone." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., May 5, 2006

Kitty cam: Mikey and Samantha have been competing over sleeping in this box. Each one waits for their turn. Obviously it was Mike's turn and he's not budging!

A little bit of this, a little bit of that!

I actually feel like I've been somewhat productive this weekend for a change. Saturday, DH and I attended my annual DAR luncheon and auction at the Candlelight Inn in Catonsville. We had a nice time then stopped at the Sew Vac store on the way home to get this:

The power head on our old vacuum had given out (again) and it was over 20 years old anyway. It was time to splurge. DH keeps asking if he should wrap it for mother's day. Ha Ha! Not if he knows what's good for him!

Obviously I spent part of the afternoon vacuuming. My rugs were covered in kitty fur! Then I actually set out to knit. I've swatched for the linen cardigan I showed in my last post. I love the yarn which is Elsebeth Lavold Silky Tweed, now discontinued. It has a little too much texture to fully show off the lace pattern, but I like it anyway. It has a sort of rustic look which is what I want to wear with jeans.

I have to take off my splint to knit and I can only do it for short periods so it will be a slow process for a while.

Today, I made a lining for DH's haversack. That's his tote bag that goes with his Rev War uniform. He needed pockets for his cell phone and wallet, so I lined the whole thing and made custom pockets for his wallet, phone, glasses and two other pockets! It felt good to sew. I haven't really done so in a little while. I need to make a jean skirt and I need to do my curtains for the dining room. I'm really racking up projects. My Victorian bench that I use in the bathroom is literally shredded. I need to bust it apart, glue it, paint it and reupholster it. I can't do any upholstery until I'm completely healed as it involves removing nails and hammering which takes more muscle than I have right now. Applying the new fabric will be easier this time around a I did buy a power stapler/nail gun when I did my dining room chairs!

The other thing I finally got around to was moving into my new wallet! Moving into a new wallet or purse is a big ordeal for me. I'm one of those who uses the same wallet or purse for years -- until it falls apart. I buy really good ones which tend to last forever. My last wallet was a cheaper one which I didn't particularly love. I did love my funny check book cover which totally fell apart so I decided to get a wallet that held everything! I splurged on an Isabella Fiore wallet on Ebay:




Here's what I had to replace:

Note the caption on the checkbook cover--"Deficit spending--It isn't just for governments anymore!" Boy does that describe my finances to a "T!"

I put my recycling in this bag today:

My local grocery store had these bags on Earth Day. I'm guessing a local scout troop decorated them. I got two with different designs. They will look lovely on the curb Tuesday morning! Much nicer than a run of the mill blue plastic bin. Don't you think?

I thought I would post a beard photo of Bird. Here he is in all his grizzly glory:

He looks like one of those Y2K survivalists from Montana!

Then on April 30, he turned into this:

Now, that's my darling little boy! Apparently he is now clean shaven!

I have to get ready for school tomorrow! Weekends are always too short!

Bushism of the day:
"More Muslims have died at the hands of killers than -- I say more Muslims -- a lot of Muslims have died -- I don't know the exact count -- at Istanbul. Look at these different places around the world where there's been tremendous death and destruction because killers kill." --George W. Bush, Washington, D.C., Jan. 29, 2004

Kitty Cam: The kitties compete for the available sunny spots on the floor. Harley is trying to scare off one of the others so he can get a turn!