Happy [Belated] Pi Day!

This week my worlds collided on a small but very happy scale. You see...as a math teacher at a school that is strongly committed to impoving math schools, I was excited to celebrate Pi Day this year! (March 14 is 3/14 or 3.14) I got a tip from another math teacher about a website where I could pick up an appropriately geeky Pi shirt, but I procrastinated. Initially, it didn't occur to me that I could make my own Pi shirt, but over the weekend I decided that making my own solution was the only way that I was going to get a shirt that showed my celebration/support of international Pi Day. So late Sunday night, I sat down and traced onto fabric paper a Pi symbol in my favorite font that I'd printed from Word. I cut it out and ironed it onto a fabric that is appropriately adorned with circular dots. (Afterall, pi is the symbol found in so many formulas used to find parts of circles). The best part was the compliments I received from my students. I loved that they were suprised that I had made the shirt myself. Before Sunday, I hadn't sat down at my sewing machine to do more than a quick repair in months. It's funny, but this small project has got me thinking...what other sewing projects could I do that would pull that part of me into my job life? Right now I'm thinking I might make a pennant banner to hang above my whiteboard. I've also thought about a table cloth for the table at the front of my room - I could applique formulas and other math-type items onto it. Funny how this has only occured to me recently. If I had all of the time in the world, I'd love to whip out several projects for my classroom - but alas, time is not a generous commodity in my world right now. I think this summer would be a good time to tackle some of the ideas I've got floating around in my head right now!

Hitting A Stride, Even Though It May Not Be Mine

After several weeks in a row of interruptions to a normal routine, this last week was pretty much back to "normal life". I always find it hard to work a full five day week after having a few shorter weeks - and indeed, this last week did feel long. Maybe because I'm now in second half of the school year and June doesn't feel so far away, or maybe because it's been several months of living at a hectic pace and I'm finally "psychologically in shape" for all that I've been trying to do...either way, I found it easier to find calm in the midst of some very full and very busy days. I'm not saying that I like being this busy, because I don't. Just yesterday the husband and I were talking about the future and me having more free time for the things I love but have had to cut back on or give up altogether since last September. I don't know how it happened but, I've found that I feel peaceful even with so much on my plate. It helps that I really love my job...it's challenging me like crazy, and somedays I feel like I'm in over my head, but I truly love it. The other day I used the analogy of the job feeling like running a marathon that I didn't train for...but since saying that, I've realized that I have trained for this "marathon"...if I really wasn't meant to be teaching in the school that I am during this time, I wouldn't be enjoying it and I wouldn't be having the success that I am with my students. Not to say that I've got it all figured out, I don't, but again, I love it and I'm learning quickly on a very steep learning curve.

Speaking of steep, I took a nice walk this morning with Bambino, part of my route is a steep hill. Even though I know I am not in good shape right now, whenever I've taken that walk in the last couple of months, I have been able to keep a good pace, work up a sweat, and end the walk feeling energetic. I am not exercising as frequently as I need to be - especially considering the amount of stress I have in my life right now...but in the last few days I've been trying to turn that around. I'm committed to getting that part of life back to where it should be. I've managed to keep from getting the last round of colds and flu that hit our house and took the husband and s-son out, which is probably why I'm even trying to be more physically active every day. Normally if I get sick, all plans and attempts to exercise and be active are completely derailed.

Next weekend is the daylight savings switch back, one hour of sleep lost, but an hour of daylight gained. Usually I dread the lost sleep, but this year I'm not feeling that way so much. I'm actually kind of excited to have more daylight when I get home from work to enjoy doing things like going for a walk.

While I was out this morning I noticed that our trees have budded out and are getting closer to blooming, and many of my tulip and daffodil bulbs have started to peek through. In a few weeks things outside will look completely different. I love spring - it's definitely the most beautiful time of year (to me) around here.

That's all for now, cheers to another peaceful (albeit busy) week!

Ready To Get Caught Up a Bit

Since the New Year, life has been turned upside down a couple of times around here - if that's possible. My s-son had been enduring some pretty bad situations and relationships at his bio-mom's house. Things were never great or healthy there, but in a combination of him becoming fed up and the circumstances getting worse, it all reached a head. There's lots of details and tangents to the story that I could share, but I don't think I really want to. I've talked about this quite a bit in the last month and a half...with the husband, friends, colleagues, and even in family counselling. Suffice to say that we are still in the middle of a custody battle, but luckily everything in the courts so far has been going our way. The husband and I have had to band together and adjust quickly to everything that has been happening. There's been a new level of closeness to our friendship because of these circumstances. I'm grateful for that, I can't imagine if it was headed the other way and this transition was pushing us apart. After going to family court and listening to the cases of other families being heard, I have decided that if I were in charge of things, every couple who had a baby would be required to sit in family court and see what people go through when their relationships fall apart - the pain they feel, the mess they create and the problems they pass on to their children. I like to think that most people would treat the act of becoming parents together with the sacredness it deserves if they could see first hand how badly it can turn out. I'm a child of a broken home, my parents fought way to much in front of myself and my siblings for far too many years. After seeing the mess their marriage became, and after being up close to witness a couple of my peers go through divorces, I have always sworn that divorce was a life experience that I never want to go through first hand. I think even further than that, I am learning that having a child with my husband would be like marrying him all over again, but at a different level. It's a bond and a level of commitment that goes further than marriage. We've talked about this lately, it's good and it's humbling. We are learning on the fly how to be full-time parents together of a 13 year old that belongs to him, but only sort of to me, in many ways I can imagine it's much more complicated than going through a pregnancy and then having a newborn. But, it is our life and I'm grateful that I have the man that I do as my husband...it's worth the stress and the anxiety that we're going through.In the meantime, I'm still working like crazy. I had to ask to have some of my responsibilities hedged back for my part-time online teaching job because I was becoming too overwhelmed...and my brick and mortar teaching job has not let up any - if anything I'm doing more there and maybe just learning how to manage my work load better.

So why am I even taking the time to sit down and blog if life is so incredibly busy? Well, fortune of fortunes, we are on our second snow day in a row, so I've been home for a bit. We spent some time playing in the snow yesterday and today, and the rest of the time I've been working on a paper (that's technically "due" today) that I need to get done for my National Board certification. Last fall when I had the opportunity to sign up for the National Board's Take One! program, I thought that it sounded like a good idea. I still think it is, in theory, but right now when I'm still four pages of classroom video analysis and reflection away from finishing a 12 page paper, I'm not too happy with myself for the added stress. The thing is, if we hadn't had these snow days, I wouldn't have had it done at all. I mean, yes, I would have still been able to submit my work for this entry, it's not actually due to the National Board folks until April 15th, but I would not have met the due date that the facilitator of the program set up. The due date that allows me the chance to have my paper read by others, critiqued, and edited before I send it in. Two days ago I had decided to be fine with that - after the last month and a half of crazy stress and life changes, I wasn't going to worry about not finishing a paper on someone else's due date. But with the time off, the worker bee in me has to take advantage these days to get it done because that is the right thing to do...so back to my paper I will go. But, maybe I'll be back in the next couple of days with more to say and more snow pictures to share - you never know.

Busy, Busy Life

There's so much to say and yet I don't have the desire or the energy to even sit down and put everything that's been going on into words. Know that I miss blogging, I still will compose potential blogs in my head from time to time...I'm just too busy and overwhelmed right now to follow through. I'll be back. Not sure when. But I know that life can't continue at this pace. It will slow down at some point.

Sleep Saga

It's the end of the weekend and once again I'm feeling that Sunday night angst...it's worse than normal because last week was particularly rough. I had some pretty serious insomnia 4 out of the 5 week nights. It was bad. Even with Tylenol PM in my system was still waking up around 2 am and immediately my mind would switch to go mode and it would be impossible to go back to sleep. When it happened again early Friday morning, I laid in bed for a couple of hours, once again tossing and turning, then I decided to get up. I ended up downstairs and worked for a while at some of my online job responsibilities while watching re-run episodes of "Saved by the Bell - the College Years" with Figaro at my side. That was a low point. Since when does sleep elude me? I love to sleep! Earlier in the week there were a couple of nights where I had Bambino to blame. After coming off of our couple of weeks of winter break and sleeping in, his sleep patterns were completely off. He was barking to be let our to pee in the middle of the night. Even after the husband or I would let him out and then put him back to bed in his crate in the garage, he would inevitably start back up with the barking...it was starting to feel like we had a new born. Laying in bed one night, listening to him bark, knowing that he was barking for attention - he'd already been out to pee - I had an epiphany. I shared my idea with the husband: put Bambino's crate - with him in it - in the back of the jeep in the garage. The husband literally got up and moved the dog, crate and all, right then. It worked, the sound of his barks were muffled by the jeep's insulation. So that was great, but the next night it wasn't Bambino's bark but the husband's snoring that woke me up. It had the same effect though, once I was slightly awake my mind turned on and it was impossible to fall back asleep. By the time I went through the Saved by the Bell morning, I was ready to pull my own hair out. So the past couple of nights (over this weekend), I have been keeping up the Tylenol PM regimine, Bambino is still sleeping in his crate in the back of the jeep, and I've added ear plugs to the mix. Normally I hate earplugs, I don't like anything going into my ears, I also don't like how they amplify the sound of my own breathing. When I was in my last year of college I had a roommate that snored like a family of bears put together. I actually missed a flight to go to a job interview because I was wearing earplugs and didn't hear my alarm go off - she also didn't hear it over her own snores. I didn't get the job, though I didn't hold it against her because it wasn't because I missed the interview. I think the experience stayed with me though because I've avoided earplugs for years. Until now. They have been my salvation this weekend. The husband is going to be on duty to listen for my alarm in the coming mornings - it's a good thing he can hear over his own snores! So here's to a busy work week with lots of restful nights of sleep!

A Year In Headers

2010 has been full of many suprises. There have been many blessings and many challenges. Back in January when I decided to give my blog a new banner every month, I figured it would be easy to keep up with this idea. I didn't imagine that I'd get as busy as I have been this fall. Even still, I did manage to keep my commitment. I think in 2011 I'm going to stick with seasonal banners, that way I get to enjoy a new "look" on a regular basis, but I won't feel the pressure to not fall behind each month, afterall, our seasonal changes here in the Pacific Northwest typically pretty "soft" and rarely coincide with the equinox and solstice dates on the calendar. So I thought that the perfect way to end the year would be to display my twelve banners...

Have a very blessed and peaceful New Year!

Christmas Closet Organization!

Several weeks ago when I was straightening up our master bedroom, I complained to the husband that I didn't have a good way to organize my shoes. For the last few years I've been keeping my shoes on the floor on my end of our walk in closet. This means that typically my shoes have been in a giant heap without order except for maybe a few weeks a year after I got a cleaning bug and straightened them into rows. The pile below is what the shoes looked like after I'd moved them out of my closet recently, but the shoe pile in my closet before I'd moved them was a pretty similar sight. Trying to find the right pair of shoes in the morning when I'm in a hurry to get ready hasn't been easy. I've developed the bad habit of not putting shoes away in the closet, leaving them on the bedroom floor made them easier to find in the morning. Well, the husband heard me and decided to fix my problem...he is a skilled cabinet maker and has a full cabinet shop - I'm not sure I ever got around to mentioning it, but we built a shop on our property this year where he was able to relocate all of his equipment and machinery. He made me the shoe shelf...I'm pretty pleased with it. I can't imagine what we would have paid to have someone make this custom shelf for us...and I love that it matches the other closet units he's made in the past.

Getting the new shoe organizer of course made me go through my shoes with a pretty critical eye - when I was done I had a nice little donate pile. As you can see below, if I want to keep my shoes off the floor - and I do - I don't really have the space for any more shoes. I guess I could go with the option of storing off-season shoes that I know I won't wear for several months...and maybe I will eventually. I also think I'll make a point of trying to get rid of a worn out pair of shoes when I bring home a new pair. I like having my shoes up off the ground because I can better see how worn they are. Maybe because the light to the floor of my closet is blocked by hanging clothes, I was kind of suprised at the kind of shape some of my shoes were in. I just hadn't noticed.

It can't be good for shoes to be kept in a big heap either, I'm sure some of the "wear" that I was noticing could have probably been prevented if my shoes had been stored properly.

To have a clear floor in my closet is wonderful, it makes using the closet and putting things away so much more pleasant...being as busy as I am, this really was the perfect gift. I appreciate anything that makes life feel more organized and manageable in the midst of my very busy schedule. The husband "gave" me this gift a few days before Christmas, he was very excited to get my reaction. Once the shelf was in, it inspired quite a bit of further cleaning and organizing. I appreciate anything that makes life feel more organized and manageable in the midst of my very busy schedule.

Speaking of busy schedules, I have loved having the last week off, I needed the chance to rest and catch up. We had a wonderful Christmas day...fun times playing new board games together, good food, lots of laughter. It's also wonderful that I still have a week left before returning to work. This time of rest will make pushing myself easier. I can't imagine life always being this busy, as a matter of fact, I have found myself saying just that in conversations with friends recently. Even though I love what I'm doing, I know I couldn't continue at this pace for forever. But for now, I am grateful to have a job that is both fulfilling and well paying.

I'm sure I'll be around here sometime in the next few days, I hope the rest of 2010 is as restful for you as the past week has been for me!

A Visit From Flat Stanley

Have you ever met Flat Stanley? He is a part of a wonderful children's story. Stanley was a normal boy until a bulletin board fell on him and made him flat. Rather than being sad about his new look, Stanley has taken advantage of it and has traveled (he fits very easily into envelopes, so traveling is inexpensive). Recently he was sent by a little boy named Colby, the son of some dear friends of mine, to visit us. He was lucky enough to arrive as we were heading down to spend a day in Seattle. After a quick stop to get Stanley some appropriate clothing, he came with us to see the Seattle Space Center and Pike's Place Market. Below are some pictures from his visit.

This is Stanley in front of the Seattle Space Needle.Here is Stanley in front of a huge fountain. During the warmer parts of the year,

children play in the fountain.

As a matter of fact, Flat Stanley's friend Colby has been to this very fountain and

played in it when he has visited Washington. Stanley was excited to arrive at Pike's Place Market, he'd heard that it was a neat place to visit, very busy with locals and tourists like himself.

This is Stanley in front of the original Starbuck's coffee shop.

He was amazed to find out that the huge corporation started in such a simple space.

Seeing the variety of seafood made Stanley hungry...

There was more than just fish, lots of yummy looking fruits and vegetables also.

Some of the produce was like none that Stanley had ever seen before. He was impressed.

Stanley was most excited when he arrived at the fish stall where the employees, called "fishmongers", throw the fish back and forth. In the picture below, there is a fishmonger standing behind Flat Stanley.

Flat Stanley would like to be a fishmonger himself one day.

Flat Stanley had such a fun day, he decided that he liked the Pacific Northwest.

A couple of weeks later, Flat Stanley drove with his host family to Mt. Hood in Oregon. The plan was for him to learn to snowboard, but unfortunately the temperature on the mountain wasn't very cold and so rather than snow falling, it was rainy that day. Both Stanley and his hosts felt that it was wise for Stanley to avoid getting wet. It was a bit disappointing, but Stanley did enjoy seeing snow for the first time.

Right before Christmas, Flat Stanley climbed back into his traveling envelope and made his way back down to California and to his friend Colby.

Visit These Places

Places to visit in Portland:





flutter......and lark press





In Seattle:





The Pink Door (restaurant)

Sooner Than I Thought - Thank You Snow Day!

I'm back much sooner than I would have anticipated...thanks to the snow storm that blew through and froze the Pacific Northwest over yesterday. My drive home from work was pretty dicey - thankfully the husband met me at work so I could follow him home. There are some hills on my route home that when they are covered in ice can be scary. Although I'd anticipated a 2-hour late start today because it was announced yesterday, I was a little suprised when it turned into a full snow day. So even though I've got a bit of anxiety about missing a day and having to re-plan, but on the other hand, I needed the chance to get caught up on housework and get ready to have my mom and brother visit for Thanksgiving. The husband and the pets were also a big part of my day, I loved having the extra bit of unexpected quality time with them....Bambino had a blast playing with us and chasing his frisbee in the snow. This was the first experience with snow for the Buff Orpington hens that are new to the flock this year - they seemed pretty disturbed by the cold white stuff that was on the ground and every surface. I gave them lots of extra scratch corn - I've heard that it raises their body temperatures. It was wonderful to get a bit of time outside...even though it was cold, the sky was perfectly blue and sunny. I took a ton of pictures, I love how the snow makes everything look fresh and new...I tend to go nuts with pictures on snow days! So here's a whole lot of pictures with not a lot of post...Enjoy!