A Self-Guided Tour...

It's done; I've put up my tree; the Christmas season can begin now. Briana, a friend's daughter whom I watch on Tuesday nights, was at my house and was very eager to help me put up my tree. She was also intrigued by the crawlspace where the tree is kept year round. (I did not tell her that mice live there year round as well!) We put up the tree and in the process had to move the entire living room around!

I have listened to about 3 hours' worth of Christmas music, put up the angel chimes, and I got out the Christmas placemat. To give you a taste of the Christmas joy that has filled my home, you are invited on a virtual tour. Go at your own pace, and most of all, enjoy.

First, my lovely tree. I set it up in a corner this year to discourage the dog from knocking it over!


I love this ornament because I made it for my very first Christmas in C/S. A friend and I literally went crazy that year and made all our own ornaments from "scratch," which really means spending lots and lots of money at Hobby Lobby. Though we are no longer friends now, I wonder every year if she thinks of me when she hangs her ornaments.

This is an example of the kind of ornaments 4th grade teachers get every year. Please don't do this to your kids' teachers- think massage gift certificates instead. :-) Picture this one, multiplied by 30 at least, and that's the Christmas loot I get to haul home every December. The curious thing about teacher ornaments is that whoever creates them usually mixes several themes at once. This one is a snowman, angel, AND a student!

Another example of a classic teacher ornament. I might have loved it, had it not said "A+ Teacher" on it. Do you really think that most teachers want to be reminded of their career on their Christmas trees?

This bear angel was given to me by a friend when I moved out to Colorado. It came from a hip little boutique downtown. I remember the wrapping paper and box so vividly because of the important time in my life. I think it's my very favorite ornament.

Last but not least, the lovely angel found at the top of my tree. It reminds me of a Cabbage Patch doll for some reason. A sweet kid gave this to me my first year of teaching, and while I'm not really into stuffed animals or even stuffed angels, I find this gal's smile irresistible.

I'm Back!

Pictured is brother Mark, lovely stepmom Erica, me, dog Sally, and of course, my dog Royal. This was taken on a boat dock near their house where we took the dogs to chase bunnies. They had the time of their lives! :-) Mark and I also had a great time visiting Dad and Erica in Dolores (small, cute town in SW Colorado).

I wish we could have all been in this fantastic photo. I'll post some more photos later from our trip.

And- I just have to brag that I got my dad to create a blog, upload some photos to flickr, enroll in Blogrolling, and switch to Firefox, all in 2 days. Amazing, eh?

Cool Cuke Finishes Soup

Ah, I love soup weather. Except for the fact that it doesn't stay soup weathery very long in Colorado. It's 57 degrees right now, and I'm NOT teaching this week. Instead I'm making butternut squash soup and listening to music and seeing friends. Oh, the joy!

I think I'm going to take Royal to the dog park now. I can't miss a perfect day like this!

Anti-Gourd Makes Gourd Soup

Yeah, I know, I hate the gourd family. No one needs to remind me. And I should not be cooking with gourds or admitting that I cook with gourds, or, God forbid, admitting on the Internet that I cook with gourds. But I have an amazing recipe for this butternut squash soup, and just had to cave to create this culinary masterpiece. To document this portion of the soup process, I used my handy Kodak EasyShare C340, a la AliThinks. I just adore her food photos and want to take pictures just like her.

I started with this recipe from the Cooking Bible (best birthday gift ever; thanks, Mom):














Then I sliced the butternut squash. As you can see, they really are quite beautiful, even though they smell like a cross between a gourd and a melon, two hated food families of mine.

























After the hour of baking the squash, my house smelled magnificent and cozy. I thought I did such a great job on the baking of the gourds that I might want to wait until tomorrow to actually make the soup portion.

To be continued...

Eeeek! A mouse! (not for the squeamish)

Three posts in one day- what is going on here? I suppose I just have had a very eventful day.

This morning I came downstairs to find Cleo the cat growling as I came toward her. My first thought was that she was guarding one of her fake mouse toys; not really normal behavior from her.

Yep, you guessed it: she had a real mouse in her mouth. I sort of, uh, panicked. Thought she would drop it if I commanded her to, like a dog might. She didn't. When my screaming started, she took her prey and ran with it upstairs.

By the time I reached her, she was going crazy, pawing at the small chest of drawers behind my door. I assume that the mouse ran under it and was trapped because Cleo stayed there for quite a while, persisting with vocal agitation. Now, at this point, my parents had just arrived for the day- and according to my mom, "If Cleo wants to take care of this mouse for you, you should just let her." So while we were at church, the cat stayed intently glued to this dresser....

This evening I got brave and put a mouse trap in the spot where the mouse was supposed to be, just between the wall and the back of the dresser. Several hours later, after checking the mouse trap obsessively, I got up the courage to push the dresser back and find the mouse (presumably dead). No mouse to be found. I don't know how the little guy escaped me, the cat, AND the mouse trap! I'm assuming he was mortally wounded, the way Cleo had him in her mouth... but he still managed to get away!

There were mouse droppings under the dresser... and I've never seen them before in my house, so I'm going to tell myself that this was the lone ranger who ventured out and was made an example so that the others won't follow. (Shudder... I really don't like mice... or killing them. Or thinking about mice in my house.)

On the bright side, I kind of had an "I'm an adult moment" when I chose to pull the dresser back. My impulse this morning was to ask Bill (my stepdad) to find and exterminate the mouse for me... ewww, I don't do these things. But I didn't ask. Yes, I whined and worried my way through church and lunch out with them, though. Mom gave advice and even laughed about Cleo, the mouse killer, but ultimately when the left this afternoon, I still had to deal with it. There are certain things I'd rather not do (involving dead animals lately), and I am realizing slowly that NO ONE loves to do these tasks. It's just that the truly mature, strong individuals grit their teeth and do it anyway, then move on. Sometimes these mature, composed individuals have even done the despicable tasks for me (thank you Melissa, Melinda, and Mom!). I'm ready now to be the adult here.

I'll keep you posted on the mouse hunt.

-------------------UPDATE 11/22:-------------------

Hooray!
Cleo killed the mouse last night! I shut her out of my bedroom for the night so she could do her work in private, and when I came downstairs this morning there was a little, um, present for me left on the carpet. Cleo slept peacefully above her defeated prey in the armchair, and I told her what a wonderful mouser she's become. I'm so relieved that the mouse is gone!

Is this why I don't nap?

My parents left town this afternoon to return to the farm, and I decided that I really needed to... rest.........my.....................eyes. I slept for 2 hours solid on the couch.

I woke up with an odd dizzy feeling and sluggish limbs. My thoughts aren't very clear, and I feel a little like I'm still dreaming. I feel incredibly indecisive about what to do for the next 2 hours before I head off to church movie night.

I wondered long ago if I was not cut out for naps; I'm still not good at them because I don't fall asleep easily. My mind doesn't want to quiet down in the middle of a sunny day. Then it takes me too long to recover from a nap once I've taken it.

Any suggestions from napping experts out there?

Cleo At Her Best

It's been a while since I've posted a picture of Cleo, so I thought I'd give you a photo of her acting a little off... Note: there were no flying insects above this cat as I had initially thought; however, she held this pose for a good half hour while fixated on the ceiling above. This is all the proof I need to show the world that Cleo is a little bit crazy.

What Birth Order Are You?

You Are Likely a First Born

At your darkest moments, you feel guilty. At work and school, you do best when you're researching. When you love someone, you tend to agree with them often. In friendship, you are considerate and compromising. Your ideal careers are: business, research, counseling, promotion, and speaking. You will leave your mark on the world with discoveries, new information, and teaching people to dream.

The Birth Order Predictor

So right on, it's a little scary...

What's the best snack in the world?

Wasabi peas, of course.... just had to clear that up. Peace.

Which Narnia Character are you?

This quiz should help some of you pass the time between now and December 9th!

"As Prince Caspian you are a noble, goodhearted but mischievous scallywag! Fun loving, you are admired for your easy going nature."

TV Tangled

I've been thinking about TV and me, thanks to Barb's post called The TV Monster. I read it earlier this evening and was thinking about the best moments in my life; they've all been away from the TV, or at least engaging in other active things, mentally.

I wrote a poem in college about TV's grasp on me; on many people, I think. I won't subject my faithful and often complimentary readers to the amateur verse, but it was a favorite because it reflected a weakness in me.

See, I never grew up with a TV. Our mom wouldn't let us watch anything unless it was a movie, and even then we had to haul the 13-inch set + VCR up from the laundry room. I have other friends who grew up TV-less, and we think that our brains are less able to tune out the TV when it's on now. When we are in front of a TV, our mouths gape widely and sometimes we say things like, "What? What did you just say...?" TV entrances me, to put it bluntly.

So why do I have one today? Well, I live alone, and while I don't really WANT to watch mindless television very often, I still tend to flick it on when there's a quiet moment. Sigh. I don't know why. I think it's a bad habit, maybe?

So here's the idea I have... the TV will not come on at my house, except for movies and pre-arranged TV programs. Even when I come home from school and I want nothing more than to lie down and just veg... I'll do that without TV. I want to keep this vow until the end of 2005 to see how I feel. I know that I am happiest when I have to create... whether it's art or music or thoughts. When I sit passively, my mind feels soothed for a small period of time... and then comes the regret, later. I want to realize the time lost to television, how precious time is, and that I can never reclaim it.

Passages- A 2005 Soundtrack

A lot of things have happened this season, and as I find myself heading into winter, I am struck with the urge to create a soundtrack. Yes, a soundtrack for this period in my life, where I'm reflecting and thinking often, and listening to a LOT of music. I made my first soundtrack in '01, titled Sarah's Summer CD, and, equally original, later made Sarah's Summer CD 2004.

Well... this is a good one, folks. I did repeat some artists on the disc, and while I don't really like doing that, I am in a phase where I really just love these singers/bands (esp. Ben Folds). The songs don't all have lyrical significance; some are just songs I can't get enough of right now!

Here it is:

On Your Porch- The Format
In Between Days- Ben Folds
White Shadows- Coldplay
You Speak My Language- Morphine
Laura- Scissor Sisters
The Hardest Part- Coldplay
Bruised- The Bens
Title and Registration- Death Cab for Cutie
Trouble- Ray LaMontagne
Give Judy My Notice- Ben Folds
Brand New Colony- The Postal Service
Mary- Scissor Sisters
Places- Blue Merle
Landed (Strings Version)- Ben Folds
Swallowed In The Sea- Coldplay
Leif Erikson- Interpol
Prison Food- Ben Folds
Angry Any More- Ani Difranco

What are the songs on your mental Fall 2005 Soundtrack?

No Internet... a Sad State

I have returned, happily, from my math conference in Denver. It was the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, and a fantastic time. I learned a lot, walked a lot downtown, and had a lovely weekend.

My panic this weekend was that I didn't have a computer or Internet access. Seriously, the Marriott hotel wanted to charge me $5 for a 15 minute stint on their computer. What a waste!

I saw a sight that I wanted to photograph and then blog, but unfortunately I didn't have the camera with me. Instead, I'll share it using words and a photo I found on Google:

Renee and I were walking down the 16th Street Mall after a delicious meal of spicy tuna and eel rolls (plus 2-for-1 wine). We walked past one of those carriages that sit and wait for customers on high traffic corners, and noticed a dog up on the carriage, next to his book-reading master. The dog was a Shepherd; sort of small for the breed but perhaps a mix. He was sitting next to her, so proudly and distinguished, that I almost thought he was the operator. His head was high, his nose was up, and he just seemed to be king of the carriage as he waited, motionless. I wanted so badly to take that photo!

How would you respond...

if a co-worker commented on your new haircut, saying, "Wow, you look SO much thinner."?

What the...???? Was that a compliment? Uh... I think she meant it as one, that's the sad thing.

It does make one a little self-conscious, though.

I'm going to not think about it now, since about 100 kids gave me props for my haircut today, and managed NOT to insult me in the process. :-)

"Before" Shot...

Just minutes before making the cut.

And Here's the "After"...

Any time I've made a drastic hair change, I've always hated the cut for at least a week. But this time- I really like it! I am glad that I finally took the plunge. :-)

And wow- I just have to give Ulta Salon kudos here, for their awesome, free haircut. The stylist spent a good hour on me making sure it was just what I wanted, and they even sent the hair in to Locks of Love for me. I was so grateful for her help... and tipped generously as a result.

And in case you're wondering, all you voters out there, I did choose B. Thank you for everyone who helped me make the cut!

Google Queen

Why do you think I'm currently the number one link under "cucumber baking" on Google? Hmmm.

Ain't technology great?

Arright, it's time for a haircut

Apparently it's haircut season... everyone I know is getting one, and I finally have 10 inches to chop for Locks of Love! I also decided to copy Rob again, so my apologies in advance for stealing his great hair-voting idea.

The question of the hour is, which haircut does Sarah get? Remember, folks, it's for the kids... so I don't want to hear that you want me to keep it long! Here are your options:

A:













B:













C:












Vote early, vote often! I make the cut (ah-ha-ha-ha...) Sunday, so get your vote in now!

Teaching Story For Ya'

I have a child in my class whom I'll call Daniel. He's a fun kid; smart, charming, and very likeable.

I got a big surprise when I received a message yesterday from his mother. Here's what she said:

"Hi Sarah... We have somewhat of a mystery at our house... well, um, I guess we've solved it, but... (fumbling for words) I just wanted to let you know what was going on. I got a call from the school office today to tell me that a screw came out of Daniel's glasses, and they replaced it. Um... but, Sarah, Daniel doesn't wear glasses."

What? 'Yes he does,' I think, 'All year long, he's worn sleek, thin, black glasses!' He puts them on every day before reading class and wears them faithfully throughout the day. Why, just today during our measurement unit, he discovered that the width of his glasses is exactly one decimeter. What in the world....

As it turns out, our charming little Daniel fessed up to stealing his dad's reading glasses from home and wearing them at school... for MONTHS now. His dad has been tearing up the house looking for his favorite glasses, while his son is masquerading as a glasses wearer at school!

I laughed for 5 solid minutes with this parent on the phone. She is a good friend of mine (and, strangely enough, also an EU grad) and I had to just chuckle at the grand heist that Daniel pulled off. Not bad, I thought, although VERY, very naughty.

Read and Weep, Marky

My brother Mark was in Old Navy with me a few weeks ago, and he was adamant about the idea that pet clothes are stupid. I know, and I can sympathize because I used to feel that way. But- that was before I found this tonight... I am now one of those silly pet people who does brainless things just to make their pets look cute. (But he is so darned cute in his fleece hoodie!)