Things NOT to Eat During Parent Teacher Conference Day

Today I'm here for twelve hours.

Twelve.Freaking.Hours.

And I almost burned down the house this morning. I won't know for sure that we're in the clear until I get a call from Jeremiah saying that it's still standing. So anyway, after I gingerly set my (dead to me) hair dryer (Fire Starter, I named it.) on the front yard rocks, thinking that if the sparks kept flying a fire outside the house would be better than inside the house, I had to grab/make lunch. With damp hair.

So I grabbed last night's leftover taco meat (lean turkey) from the fridge and some mini-flour tortillas.

Stupid, stupid, stupid.

Spicy food while wearing restrictive undies (so I can look pretty)?

No. Not good.

I hope everyone else is having a less gassy day. Because really? Not good.

Who wants to share the whoopsy-est thing they've done this week? Probably no one but me. But, HELLO. If I can/will over-share, then you all can, too.

Emily? Emily? Anyone? Anyone?

It's been awhile, hasn't it?

Sometimes people just need a break from each other.

It's not your fault. Well maybe just a little. 

Things here have been busy. I even had a HOUSE GUEST for A WHOLE WEEK. Seriously. My first guest. I mean, everyone comes to visit Jeremiah and that's okay, I'm not bitter at all that no one comes to visit me. But this was MY guest.

I've learned a lot about myself in this time that we've had apart.

I'll share. Or not. We'll see.

Ciao.

Odds & Weekends, Part 1

See what I did there with the title?

The other weekend while lunching on leftover Chinese food, Jeremiah choked.

It started out so simple - he coughed a little. This really ticks me off (yeah, hell, I know) because it interrupts a perfectly nice quiet meal - in my undies. Why was I in my undies (and a shirt)? Because it was freaking 115 degrees outside and the AC was set at 82 degrees inside and it was hot and we'd been out running errands and I was sweaty and gross and I didn't want to go upstairs to find comfy clothes. T-shirt and undies it was. He did it, too. So there.

And then suddenly he STOPS coughing (yeah, we're back to the story and also, sorry Chris if your son didn't tell you he almost died.). And he's got a hand on his throat/chest and he's not making any sounds. If you are a CPR/First Aid graduate (As all MI teachers are. They don't require it in AZ. Just sayin'.) you know that this isn't good.

So I asked if he was choking. I got a big nod.

I didn't bother with the other few questions because at this point I'm picturing him lying on the ground because I couldn't smoosh him in the gut enough. I'm picturing him lying on the floor while I'm calling for an ambulance. And I'm picturing the ambulance showing up and me being there on the floor trying to remove the chicken debris from Jer's throat with two barking dogs running all around me like crazy and all I'm wearing is my undies and a t-shirt and there's Chinese food everywhere and I'm thinking, "Damn. He can't die. I don't want people to see me like this. This is too Darwin Awards/White Trash. It won't end like this."

Eventually it loosened up and he started yelling at me to stop and then I hit him. Because all joking aside, it was terrifying. And then I sat down in shock, let the adrenaline make it's way through my system, cried a little, and ate my Chinese food.

It's Chinese food, people. You gotta eat it.

Although now I make Jeremiah eat in teeny tiny pieces.

Oh, Look! It's a Craft!

While I was in Michigan (yes, again, I know that I'm behind) my mom showed me some cool fruit fabric that she had. My mom is multi-talented. She's got skillz. She can sew, photograph, whatever. She MADE her wedding dress. Can anyone else boast that fact?

Didn't think so.

So anyway, she thought it'd be cool to make potholders. More for me. It was a beginner project. So far I've made a pair of jammy bottoms, curtains for two rooms, and pillows. I can rock a homemade pillow, for sure.

And now potholder. Yes, I made one. I got slightly frustrated at one point and ended up taking a time-out while my mom undid some stitching.

But let's start at the beginning, shall we?

First we gathered the materials. Fruit fabric for one side, the middle stuff (stuffing? batting? I don't know.), and jeans for the back. Plus some stuff that goes along the sides. Trim?

Please notice that I'm not calling this a tutorial. I'm just detailing my adventures. I'm a fly by the seat of my pants, cross my fingers, hope it works type of girl.

Anyway, here's what I/we used:

 Um, and then I was supposed to cut stuff evenly and straight. I suck at this. But for this it was extra important because the trim needs to cover all three layers so the whole thing doesn't come undone.

 Here's the finished product. I thought it best to leave out the shots of me crying and pouting after I made an oops (which my mom turned into an Aha!).

I thought it'd be cool to use the pocket part of the jeans (lots of jeans on hand because my mom makes RUGS. On a LOOM.) so I could slip my hand right in there while I used it.

 Blueberries!

I think it is pretty and I'm getting to the point now where I can use it and not think of how I had some stinky moments while sewing it. I did NOT like the trim.

Anyone else got crafty skills?

Basket Update

This is more just me declaring that I get good stuff at a great price. A bragging session, if you will.

For $45 we got seven dozen tortillas (corn and flour, various sizes), five loaves of bread, coffee cakes, and our usual fruits and veggies basket. The tortillas are DELICIOUS. The flour ones we use to make wraps or burritos for lunch. The small corn tortillas we use to make our own taco shells. Fresh taco shells. I can't even believe it as I type it. I never thought that we would enjoy making so many of the meals that we've been making lately.

We've been getting some asparagus, which is nice. I love that there is some variety, so we don't get too much of a build-up or get tired of the same old stuff.

I've got a post on the way showing you Jeremiah's taco making skills, but for now...

Anyone else get some sweet deals on their produce? Anyone have a recipe that includes spinach? Or a good banana recipe? Please share!

Headaches and Boobs

This morning before Jeremiah left to run some errands while I procrastinated on important stuff by blogging and pinteresting worked on my thesis and lesson plans he mentioned he had a headache. Being the wonderful girlfriend that I am, I suggested that he take some Tylenol before he left.

I hear him open the bottle and then say, "I don't think these are right...". He then examined the bottle and discovered that he almost took my vitamins for women. With extra calcium and whatever, to increase a variety of things, including breast health.

I told him he was welcome to the vitamins, but he chose to get all huffy instead. He grabbed his things and left while I was all laughing hysterically and wheezing, "Wait, wait! Don't you want a healthy chest?"

So, he might not be coming back.

The Fourth. Of July.

Yeah.

I'm waaaaaay behind on posting this. Like, two months.

My mom and I took our DSLRs outside on the fourth to play with sparklers. By adjusting the shutter speed on the camera, you can catch some cool images. Like these:

 One thing worth noting is that you have to write the letters backwards in order to get it to be correct for the camera. For example, you still start with the "L" in love, but you write it backwards. Takes some thought and some practice. I mean, for everyone else. I had it perfect the first time. I joke.

Really, I just wanted to show the cool pictures. I had fun and would love to try it again sometime. Probably not in Arizona. One spark touches the ground and the entire dried-up state will go up in flames. So I'll probably wait. Another year. Sigh.


Anyone else try fun things with their cameras? Have suggestions? Questions? Leave a comment!