Thinking about Church

I've been thinking, reflecting, and above all, praying about church lately.  For a variety of reasons which I don't feel I can go into in this somewhat public space, I've been taking what I'm calling a sabbatical from church.  I resigned my position as church moderator in April after much prayer, and with the exception of a funeral, I haven't gone to a service at my church since March.  I am seriously wrestling with the idea that perhaps I need to find a new congregation to which to belong.  But before I make that decision, I need to figure out what it is I'm looking for.  So I've been attempting to define what it means for me to "go to church," and what I think I need to find in a church.

Here's what I know I need in order to be faithful in attendance, service, (and financial support) to a specific congregation.

• A congregation infused with the Spirit led by a pastor similarly infused
• A progressive theology that includes all 
• Inclusive worship experiences - newcomers, life-long members, children, teens, young adults, middle aged adults, seniors, LGTB, seekers both churched and unchurched . . . .I want anyone who enters the building to feel as though there is a place for her/him - not just "at the table" everywhere else too.
• A pastor who preaches what we really need to hear -- the pastor's words must make me squirm in my pew and force me to wrestle with the scripture throughout the week (maybe not every Sunday, but most of the time). I don't want constant "feel good" sermons. I don't think that I should feel comfortable and satisfied when I leave church.  I should feel "fed" and nourished, I should feel excitement and empowerment, but not complacency.  I'm also someone who honestly believes that church AND politics have to be integrated.  How can a Christian not have a stand on hunger, poverty, abuse of power, war, etc?  How is that not political?  Obviously I am not suggesting that a pastor tell me for whom to vote, but a pastor should be forcing me to think about which candidates/laws/policies further God's kin-dom.
• Music that enhances the worship experience --- while I can't say that I would be super excited by a rock band led service and projection screens,  I am open to many music genres and instruments.  I want the music to be intentional, helping to open me up to hearing and experiencing God.
• Leadership (both pastoral and lay) which is open to challenge and change, and that can support those in a congregation who aren't "on board" with everything
• Opportunities to serve - but without the sense of obligation, guilt if you can't or don't want to.
• Opportunities to grow in faith through Bible study, book study, service work, classes, prayer groups, etc. 
• A congregation attuned to the needs of the local community.
• Leadership (both pastoral and lay) that plans with intention, that looks beyond the moment

My present church possesses several of these qualities, but it's missing some too.  So now the question for me is to determine which qualities are "non-negotiable." What would it take to change the missing ingredients, and are those things that can be changed?   

Meanwhile, it's a strange experience to be intentionally not going to church.  For 59 years I've been within the walls of a church on Sunday mornings.  (My mom used to carry me in an infant carrier to Sunday school where she, her sister and mother taught, starting at 6 weeks old!) Even in college, in the 70's, I regularly attended church.  I also have to admit that I've been in the same denomination all my life too --- Congregational, and then UCC when it was born.   I am not ready to explore other churches, yet.  Perhaps I will be led back to my present congregation where I've been a member for over 30 years.  Perhaps God is leading me somewhere else.  But for now . ..  

A Friday Five

I haven't done a Friday Five from  RevGalBlogPals  in a very long time.  Finally circumstances have converged to give me time to do one, and this one is fun!

Here's the prompt:

From  revjkarla
Because I am feeling silly, or perhaps, just out there, our FF is dedicated to creating silly sentences.  We all need a little meaningless creativity and humour, right?

Use these five words (in any tense) in a sentence:

1. pulpit, puppy, wrench, word, mouse.
2. weep, love, prayer, bassoon, chair
3. heart, shutter, wish, turtle, walk
4. howl, worry, window, story, trust
5. garden, hat, shepherd, laugh, sigh.

Here's my offering:

1.  Without a word, I rushed up to the pulpit and wrenched the mouse from the worship leader's hand when she started to project cute puppy videos up on the hymn screen during the silent prayer.

2.  Despite the fact that I love music, the sound of the off-key bassoon playing during the meditation prayer made me weep in agony, while other parishioners fidgeted uncomfortably in their chairs.

3.  I wished for a different outcome as I watched the solitary turtle walk across the porch in front of the now-shuttered door, stop, and withdraw deep into the heart of its shell.

4.  As Grandpa finished his spooky story, the howling of the wolves through the open window worried me, but I trusted that he would keep me safe.

5.  I laughed, and then sighed, at the spectacle of the silly hat perched on the head of the shepherd statue in the middle of the garden.

Very Slow . . .Progress in Teeny Increments

The house construction is moving at a snail's pace, and every time we take a step forward, we seem to end up going back 2 spaces!

The tiling is still underway in both bathrooms.  The first delay was waiting for the shower shelves, the soap dish, and the grab bars to arrive.  They came in yesterday.  Now we are waiting on the vanity countertops to arrive.

The kitchen is still in transition.  There was a major error by the contractor (who is no longer working for us) and the measurements were off by 3 inches for the cabinets.  That meant we had to re-order 2 cabinets and then wait for them to be installed.  Meanwhile all the appliances arrived.  The final cabinets were installed yesterday, but the installers discovered a crack in one of the previously installed cabinets (another contractor goof).  Now we need to figure out the best solution for that.

Meanwhile the painting is almost finished.  There's a ton of trim to complete and then some final touchups.  Other tasks to be completed before we can think about moving in include:

template and install the granite kitchen counters
installing the toe kicks and crown molding on the cabinets
install the gas cooktop and downdraft in the island
install the rest of the appliances
install the plumbing fixtures (toilets and faucets)
install the central AC unit
get railings put up on the deck so that no one falls off (required for occupance permit)
finish choosing cabinet and vanity hardware and getting that installed
finish choosing lighting fixtures
installing the closet shelving in master closet, coat closet, and pantry

There are some other items that need finishing but don't HAVE to be done before move in -- installing the overhead garage doors, and finish getting the garage taped, mudded, and painted.

Oh and did I mention a plumbing leak in the basement that is now fixed, but the sheetrock got wet and mold started to grow?  That is also a solved problem, but just another wrinkle.

The original plan was to be MOVING in this month and getting settled before school started.  Oh, such foolish and naive dreams!

I did buy some new furniture for the living area however.  Fortunately we needed a new couch and chair anyway.  We've been suffering with a couch and chair we bought on the very cheap 12 years ago,  knowing that we wouldn't get much wear out of them.  I fell in love with this beauty in February and then spent a lot of time looking for a compatible reclining chair.  And then I waited for the store's summer sale!

Both are leather, and they are super comfortable for both of us.  Once the appliances get installed, I can have the furniture delivered.

We will be able to furnish the rest of the house with what we have . . . maybe slightly repurposed.

So, that's the scoop on the new house.

A Salad for Hot Humid Weather

My husband is not a fan of quinoa, but I like it.  I keep trying new quinoa recipes, but so far no luck as far as enticing him.  So this recipe is mostly for me --- and there's enough to keep me in lunch all week.  And maybe, just maybe, he'll tolerate this one.

My Asian-Inspired Quinoa Salad

1 cup uncooked quinoa
pinch of salt
1 small onion diced (use more or less, depending on what you have, and your taste)
1 carrot diced
1 red pepper chopped
2 garlic scapes (or you could use green onions) chopped
1 cup of celery diced
1/2-1 serrano chili, diced (according to your taste)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro  (or more if you wish)

Prepare quinoa per package directions.  (2 parts liquid to 1 cup grain).  I added a pinch of salt to the cooking water, but after making the dressing, I think I will eliminate it another time.  You can do this ahead of time.

Chop and dice all the other ingredients and toss with the cooked quinoa.

Dressing:

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 TBS honey
1 TBS lime juice (can add more to taste)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 TBS sesame oil
1 TBS olive oil
3 TBS soy sauce

Put all the dressing ingredients in a microwavable container and heat for about 20 seconds.  Remove from microwave and whisk until smooth.  Adjust with extra lime juice or oil if needed.  You can add some black pepper too.

I couldn't find my sesame oil, and then realized I'd used it all, so I just used more olive oil.

Pour dressing over salad and mix well.  Eat immediately or chill.

This is a very forgiving salad --- add other veggies as  you desire, and adjust quantities of veggies as you desire.  Most of the Asian quinoa salads I've seen use red cabbage, but I didn't have any so I used the celery instead.  My celery was on its last legs, so I just sliced off all the bad tops  and used the bottom 4 inches of the head.  Lots of crunch!

The Decluttering Begins

Another drippy, rainy, humid day.  Everything feels like a wet sponge, including me.  But at least the heat is at bay for now --- 70°'s instead of high 80°s.  So I decided it was time to start weeding out.

I tackled something relatively easy and painless --- Kitchen drawer #1. And this wasn't even the junk drawer!

Before

I had a bit of a battle to take the drawer out as you might imagine, so things got a little more disorganized, but you get the general idea.  Don't know where to put something?  Need to clear a counter fast?  Put it in the closest drawer.

Here are the after pictures:

This is the collection of stuff to clean up if possible, and either put in the yard sale (yet to be scheduled), or give away.

Here is the trash:

For some reason, each battery package was either empty or had only one battery in it.  I also tossed some plastic cards with info regarding a car we haven't owned for over 10 years, some broken crayons, some beyond hope serving utensils, a bunch of sketchy bamboo chopsticks, unidentified appliance cords, some ear buds for defunct media players (CD player that is long gone!)  WHY oh WHY do we keep this stuff?

And here's the result of my work:

Now I have 8 more kitchen drawers to go through.  I am sure that the final result of all the organizing will result in discovering items that can be consolidated even further.  Just what do you do with a vintage brass whistle that belonged to my father-in-law?  Or the wooden dreidel my husband played with?  And the sugar spoon that belonged to your grandmother?  And the multitude of screws, washers, nuts, and keys?   For now, I have a jar of the hardware, and the keys will all be tested to see what they might fit.  

This isn't even a drop in the bucket of decluttering that has to happen, but I'm at least I've turned the faucet on!     

It's FINALLY Summer

The last week of school was endless.  We've gotten out this late before, even later, but for some reason this end-of-year passed much more slowly than usual.  The kids are "checking out" earlier and earlier too which doesn't help.  The week passed in a blur of 2 field days, some grade level happenings, and the school talent show.  And finally, 11 am on Friday arrived, and the kids departed.  I spent the afternoon packing away my room and pushing the furniture to the perimeter of the room per policy.  I'm curious as to what other teachers in other districts have to do to "close" their rooms.

School ended none too soon with the advent of very hot, humid weather. I had to go into school yesterday briefly to hand in my purchase orders for next year, and to bring in some old sheets and tablecloths to cover up my bookcases and computers.  My room was 87°F at 10 am so I was very grateful that I didn't have 22 kids to control.  I only spent about 45 minutes there.

Since school got out I've been reading up a storm and watching Netflix.  I've been enjoying two very different Netflix offerings.  The first is called "Lilies."  It's a BBC offering from a few years ago about 3 sisters in Liverpool at the end of WWI who are trying to earn a living.  The accents are sometimes a little hard to follow, but after a short time, I get acclimated (mostly).  I've watched about 6 episodes - I think there are another 3 or 4 left.  The other series I'm watching is "Brothers and Sisters" with Sally Field.   I never watched it while it aired since the time slot was too late for me and I had too many other shows I was following.  But I have gotten hooked!  I just finished season 1 which had 24 episodes!  Nowadays you're lucky to get 13 new episodes each season.  I also recently watched "House of Cards" - the Netflix offering.  This was terrific!  I'd seen the BBC version a number of years ago which I thoroughly enjoyed.  Netflix did a great job of Americanizing the characters and plotline.  It's "West Wing" on steroids!

So that's what I've been up to since vacation finally arrived.  I have a ton of house stuff to do - both new and old, but that's the subject of another post.

I Know, I know

It's been over 6 weeks since last I posted.  I've either had too much to say, or nothing to say.  I think I'm in the same boat but decided to put something out there into the blogosphere.

In no particular order of significance:

1.  We still have 10 days of school.  I have 4 more lunch/recess duties, and at least 3 more bus duties.  We have 5 days of actual teaching - or what passes for actual teaching-- and grades close on Friday.  That leaves 5 more days to fill.  Two of the days are scheduled as field days.  Why 2?  Who knows, we've always done it that way.  One day is a trip to a camp where kids can swim, play basketball, climb a rock wall, play ga-ga, and soccer, and hang-out.  The other is at school where we have a mock Greek Olympic games - foot races, long jump, our versions of javelin throws, shot puts, discus, and a few group games like "Drip, drip, drop" and a tug of war.  The other 3 days include 2 assemblies --- a school wide talent show on the last day of school, and a grade level awards ceremony fitted in somewhere.  We will also have the kids race the Roman "chariots" they built out of shoe boxes and recycled materials, and a sponge war using the shields made out of cardboard and the Roman military formations we've practiced.   There may be a real estate show too, using the dream homes the kids designed  in their math classes.

2.  Our own dream house construction is ongoing. We've run into a few glitches --- who doesn't.  One major glitch is a design flaw that resulted in our custom kitchen cabinets not fitting correctly.  There was a change in contractor between the time the measurements for the cabinets were taken and a wall got built that wasn't supposed to be there. The 3 inches of wall width was needed for the cabinets.  The tiler who's doing the bathrooms is very good, but very laid-back. He works on his timetable, not ours, and he's not a great communicator.  We just found out after a week wondering why he hadn't shown up that WE needed to order the grab bars and soap dishes.  He allowed that he didn't remember telling us that.

3.  We went through a spell of unseasonably cold weather followed by a spell of unseasonably hot, humid weather.  That was followed by the remnants of Tropical Storm Andrea.  The mosquitos are ferocious.

4.  Someone I got to know over the internet, who became a friend, was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery that resulted in many complications, and in the space of a few weeks died.  That has made me very sad.  Although we were only internet friends we had a lot in common:  teaching, church, knitting, building retirement home, and we both kept the books for family businesses.  We both read many of the books too.  In my personal life, a very active member of my church also died and that has left a big hole too.  The daughter of one of my colleagues was in a freak accident last weekend.  While she will eventually make a full recovery, her injuries were pretty serious.  My teaching partner is also dealing with some potentially serious health issues.

5.  On the bright side of life, I've seen two good movies in the past 6 weeks. First was the new Star Trek movie.  I enjoyed that a lot, surprisingly so.  It was classic Star Trek -- action and humor, mixed together.  I also went to see The Great Gatsby which I also liked.  My biggest quibble with that movie was the sound track.  I wish they'd used 20's jazz instead of current day hits.  I loved the costuming!

6. I"ve read 2 books back to back that impressed me.  The first was "The Paris Wife," about Ernest Hemingway and his first wife Hadley Richards.    The 2nd was "The Orphan Train."  Both are well-researched historical fiction, and well worth the time to read. You can see my reviews on Goodreads, here and here.



I think that's about it for now.  I hope that it won't be another 6 weeks before I write again.

In the Middle of Spring Break

We've been busy since spring vacation started.  On Satuday, I got caught up with all the bookkeeping for the business, and started on transferring the winter clothes into storage, and pulling out the summer clothes.  That  project got put on hold pretty quickly due to multiple interruptions.  On Sunday, my husband informed me that he was taking Monday and Tuesday off.  Did we want to go somewhere?  Our somewhere turned out to drive down to Stoughton, MA where we met Son #1. The three of us explored the IKEA store there, a place I'd never been.  I wasn't looking for anything in particular, but I wanted to get some ideas for the new house, particularly for the office.  The store is pretty overwhelming, after a while, so we enjoyed the famed Swedish meatball, and then exited the store.  My husband and decided that we'd head to SW Connecticut and maybe visit my cousins and his uncle.  We dawdled along the CT shoreline, and spent some time at Hammonasett (sp?) State Park.  We found a comfy hotel room for the night, and made some phone calls to "warn" folks that we'd be popping in on Monday.  Imagine our surprise to discover that one set of cousins were in Belgium for the week, another set of cousins was visiting grandchildren out of state, and my husband's uncle was not available at all! So Monday found us meandering back north.  We stopped at the Penzey's store in West Hartford, CT because I've always wanted to visit the storefront.  I order all my spices from their mail order catalog, but it was fun to go into the store.  I managed to leave with only a small bag of plunder.  We then continued northward to WEBS in Northampton. If you've never been (and you're a knitter, crocheter, or weaver) this is paradise on earth!  I usually only go when I have specific projects in mind.  I didn't have anything particular in mind except buying a size 15 circular needle, and maybe taking a look at a set of interchangeable needles.  I spotted a sample sweater that I really liked, and made a note of the pattern and yarn for the future.  My husband had been wandering around the place on his own, and when he found me again, he told me that there was a sweater that I ought to knit.  You guessed it.  It was the same sweater.  So of course, since my birthday is Friday, I told him that the yarn would make me a nice birthday present.  And since WEBS is in the middle of their anniversary sale, the yarn was also on sale.  So I purchased this lovely yarn.

It's Berroco Vintage in Wild Blueberry.  The pattern I'm making is a free pattern, also from Berroco, Drift.

I also decided to treat myself to this set of interchangeable needles which were also on sale:

They are the Knitters' Pride Dreamz short tip set of needles in 7 sizes, with 2 16 inch cords, perfect for knitting small items in the round.


When I got to the checkout counter, my husband pulled out a receipt and asked the cashier to look up an order number. He'd ordered me a gift card for my birthday!  The cashier asked me my name and she pulled the gift card out from the cash drawer with my name on it!  Between the gift card and the sale, I made out like a bandit.  Plus, I paid the balance of the bill with a prepaid Visa card I'd received as a rebate from the appliances we bought for the new house.   As an added bonus, WEBS is donating 5% of all sales this week to The ONE Fund, to help victims of the Boston Marathon bombing.

We finally headed for home with 450 miles on the odometer.

Today was errands for the new house.  We went to the lighting supply store to pick out lighting fixtures for both bathrooms, the entry ways, and the perimeter lights.  We also needed to pick out a ceiling fan for the great room.  I started looking at pendant lights for the island, but got overwhelmed.  I fell in love with a fixture, but had to fall out of love with it when I discovered that ONE pendant would cost almost $300.  I need 3 of them.  The fan, lights for 2 bathrooms,  entry lights, and perimeter lights came to just over $1000.  I couldn't see spending almost the same amount on 3 lights!  Then we headed to the home center for interior doors, and then to the grocery store.

Tomorrow's agenda includes sorting through all my Christmas decorations - 30 years of accumulated decorative items---- and discarding at least half of it, either to trash or yard sale disposal.  I still need to get back to the seasonal clothing transfer too!

Oh, and somewhere in all this, I want to catch up on a few TV shows and movies!  And finish transferring computer files . . . in all of the busy-ness of the last few weeks, our computer died.  We had to purchase a new one in  a hurry (for bookkeeping purposes!) and most of my files (music, pictures, email addresses, docs) are still on the old computer.  So I'm also learning how to navigate Windows 8, which is a huge upgrade from XP!

Spring at Last?

The yard is finally clear of snow, except for one small pile over in the shade of the house.  I actually have a couple of crocus blooming, and a few hardy daffodils are threatening to blossom in a couple of days.  But I finally heard the peepers today --- the small frogs that inhabit the swampy areas.  Spring IS here.  We had a lovely sunny day, that almost reached 60° . Of course I spent the major part of the day inside my classroom!

Next week is our spring vacation, and then it's on to June 21st.  We have to make up 6 days of school which  is not going to be fun!  Our vacation plans include cleaning and decluttering.  As the new house approaches completion, the reality of moving is also approaching.  I look around my house and wonder what am I going to do with all of our stuff!  A lot of the decisions will be easy, but there will be too many difficult ones ---- what do I do with some pieces of furniture that probably won't fit into the new house but I can't bear to get rid of them.  Where in the new house will my collection of angels and artisan glass go?  What are we going to do with things that we've been storing for our sons who live in tiny apartments at the moment, but someday they want.  (Like the 6 ft bar mirror one son came home with as "tip" when he was in college, making money as a valet at a prestigious restaurant in Boston.  The restaurant had hosted a charity auction, and one of his customers won the mirror, but didn't really want it.  Seeing his admiration of the mirror, the woman gifted it to him.  He had it in his apartment in Boston, but when he moved to LA he left it here.)

I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make paint color decisions.  I'm halfway there.  Next on the agenda is lighting.  We need to make final choices about pendant lights and bathroom lights, and outdoor lights.  Oh, and a fan.  And window trim and baseboards,  And what color will the doors be painted.  And . . . . and. . . .and....

I've been so busy I haven't been getting much reading done, and even less knitting.  Maybe I will catch up next week!

Two House Notes and a New Experience

House Note #1

Here's a pic of the granite slab we picked for our countertops:

It's not the clearest picture of the slab but you get the general idea.  One less decision to make!

House Note #2

The siding is going up.  Another not great picture, but the sun was in the wrong position.  The color is a dark, grayish green.

New Experience:

My husband is out of town tonight so dinner was on my own. I usually head home and have leftovers, or open a can of soup, or something like that.  Once in awhile, I'll grab a sandwich at the local sub shop to take hope.  Tonight however, I was in the mood for Chinese, especially the wonton soup our local Chinese restaurant serves.  Normally, I'd do takeout.  However, I really wanted the soup, and they don't do take out soup.  So . . . .I actually went in and got a table for one.  I ordered the soup and one of the dinner combos, and I sat there in the restaurant ALL BY MYSELF!  I enjoyed my dinner,  chatted with the server and one of the owners, and watched one of the home improvement shows on one of the TVs.  My husband wasn't impressed; he does this frequently when he's out of town on business.  But I have NEVER done this.  Maybe going to the movies alone is the next step???

Some Disappointment

The good news is that the kitchen cabinets will be in this week!

This isn't the actual cabinet, but it's the same wood and same stain.  It's red birch with "espresso" stain.

The bad news is that the vessel sink for the guest bath that my husband absolutely fell in love with and had his heart set on is not available.  I have never seen him so heartbroken!  We spent some time this morning with our fabulous designer at the home center trying to find something else he liked.  I have to admit that his first choice was gorgeous, but it wasn't what I would have picked.  We ended up choosing this one ---- it is lovely, but again, it's not what I would have picked.  (I have to let him have final say on a few things!)

We had re-think all our choices for the bathroom vanity and countertop, and obviouslymy original paint color  color choice will have to change.

I also started looking at paint colors for the great room and the bedroom.  In our bedroom, I think I'm going to use Benjamin Moore's Antique Glass.

The great room I think will have the color, Misted Fern by Benjamin Moore, as the base color.

I still need to look for coordinating colors for the great room.  I'm thinking the green as the base wall, what you see when you first come in, and along the kitchen cabinet wall.  Then as you turn into the dining area, I think I want a lighter shade of the color, and then around the TV/fireplace wall, a neutral.  I might carry the neutral color down the hallway towards the bedrooms.  Decisions, decisions!  But at least paint color is easily changed!  (Relatively speaking.)

More White Stuff

It's snowing again, and we have ANOTHER snow day.  So far we've gotten about 10 inches since midnight, and more is coming down. I am really tired of it! And at this rate it will be July before we're out.  I think this is snow day #5, but I could be wrong.

We were teased last week with a short spell of spring-like weather, and a lot of melting happened.  I actually started to see some bare ground around the foundation of the house and was hoping to be rewarded by some daffodil or crocus stems peeping up.  No such luck.

All's Well that Ends Well, But It Was a Long Time Coming

This was a very long, difficult, frustrating week, at least until today.  All week long, my kids were off-task, unfocused, and general nudges.  I'm sure the time change had something to do with it.  My partner and I share 41 kids, and our group is top-heavy with boys (about 2/3 of the group.)  In that group, there are 5 with severe ADHD, 2 with anger issues, 2 are totally unmotivated, and the rest are normal, energetic, and very young 11 and 12 year olds. And EVERYBODY is chatty. So our classes are anything but dull. We hit some new lows this week for focus and behavior.   Both my partner and I had "come to Jesus" talks with our classes about expectations,  and then in my last class  I actually resorted to bribery!
I had had it up the wazoo with one group in my last class of the day, and I semi-jokingly bet one boy that he could stay quiet for the rest of class.  He took me up on the challenge, and the rest of the boys wanted in.  So, I told them that if we could get through the remaining 40 minutes of class without disruptions, interruptions, calling out, or other disturbances, I'd bring them in a treat.  (Of course, I added, the girls had already earned a treat).  So they became little angels and we actually finished up our class with 5 minutes to spare!  So I treated them all today to a piece of candy. The icing on the cake today came when I took the class down to the computer lab.  We have a school expectation that classes move silently and in single file while in the hallway, but trying to keep them silent is often an exercise in futility.  Today as I walked them to the lab, I kept checking behind me to see if there were actually students behind me.  They were perfect!  When we got the lab I asked them if they'd all been abducted by aliens and replaced overnight.  One of the most frequent offenders told me, "We took your talk with us to heart yesterday!"  And indeed, for one day at least, everybody did!

And to end the week on an especially high note, I had a good review with my principal.  He told me he was impressed with my adaptability, my willingness to try new things, and my ability to integrate my "years of experience" with the new technologies of today.   This was especially gratifying because when he arrived at our building 4 years ago, he assumed I was a dinosaur stuck in the past. He's young enough to be my son (and is the same age as our oldest!).

Kind of the Blahs

I haven't had a lot to say or much time to think about blogging.  My Feb. vacation was busy with taxes and bookkeeping, and the weather has been wintry --- if it's not snowing, it's gray and chilly.  We seemed to go through a spell without seeing the sun for what seemed like weeks.  We had another storm Thursday night that left us with another 9-10 inches and a snow day.  And despite all the new snow, at least the sun is finally shining! The forecast is for temperatures in the 40°s all week, so I'm hoping a lot of the stuff melts.  It's good sugaring weather now, though, and the sugar houses are all busy boiling the sap.

The house is coming along --- most of the sheet rocking is done, and they're starting on the "mudding."  The siding has been delivered, but there's too much snow to start putting it up!  The heating system is in, now too.

I have been knitting what I'm calling the "Never-Ending Scarf."  It's a pattern and yarn I bought at the NH Sheep and Wool show a few years ago, and I pulled it out last fall to start it, thinking it would be a snap.  Boy, I was wrong.  Despite the "simple" lace pattern, there are some rows I frogged and re-knitted 4 or 5 times.  Thank goodness I use life lines!  It's also cobweb weight yarn.  I still have at least another 10 inches to go, so I don't think it will be done for this cold weather season!  I am also a knitting monogamist so until this blasted scarf is done, I won't be working on anything else.  I told my husband the other day, that as soon as it's done, I'm gifting it because I'm sick of looking at it!

Quick Pic!

The fireplace has been installed!

It's a gas fireplace and it will have a black frame around it.  The flat screen TV will go above it.  The walls are all insulated and the sheetrocking will be finished this week.

Catching Up

It's been a very busy February so far!

We "enjoyed" a big snowstorm last weekend, receiving approximately 30 inches of snow.  Aside from canceling a day of school, we were relatively unaffected.  

On Monday we enjoyed warmer weather and rain, so now things aren't quite as pretty.

I had a "professional day" on Tuesday.  Our district performs two "walk-thrus" a month.  One is done by administrators only - they visit 5-6 classrooms within the school for 5-8 minutes each to observe kids, teachers, and what's being taught.  The second walk-thru includes 4-5 teachers as part of the observing team.  I was selected to "walk-thru" my building and the high school.  Our directive was to observe student engagement, and evidence of the Common Core being taught.  We visited 2 classrooms at my grade level, an 8th grade classroom, 2 7th grade classrooms, and a music class at my school, and a number of classrooms at the high school.  By the end of the day I was totally wrung out!  I saw a lot of really good things, but I also observed some less encouraging things.  In some classrooms, especially in the high school, I didn't see the rigor I expected.  I know that a short visit doesn't tell the whole story -- you come in to a classroom in the middle of something so you don't know where the lesson started or where it will end up--- but I was really shocked to see a college prep classroom where the sophomores were doing an activity identical to something I do with my 6th graders.    I will say I was very impressed by most of the classrooms I visited.

Wednesday and Thursday were fairly normal-paced days, and then Friday was a workshop day for the district teachers.  That was another exhausting day.  We were given the day in our building to "play" with technology.  We've been given a lot of tools and software over the past 6 months, and we've been given some formal training, but we haven't been given a lot of time to explore possibilities or to test ideas out.  So yesterday was the day for this.   The nice thing was it was a day of colleagues helping each other and collaborating with each other.  Those of us who are experienced bloggers helped newbies set up their classroom blogs, and those of us who use Edmodo got others started. I actually spent most of the day teaching others and didn't get much of a chance to work on a few things I wanted to do, but that was okay.
If anyone is interested, my classroom blog is here.

House construction updates:
The kitchen cabinets have FINALLY been ordered.  I don't have pictures yet but they are being made by Candlelight Cabinetry in upstate New York.  We chose the Madison style in red birch with the espresso stain.  We also finally ordered the kitchen appliances, the bathroom vanities and counters, all the plumbing fixtures, and my husband picked out a gorgeous vessel sink for the guest bathroom.  The picture has too much reflection in it, but it's tempered glass and has a coral reef scene within it.  It's truly beautiful!

We also finalized the tiles for our bathroom.  We're going with a black and white canvas, which I can punch up with color with accessories.

So things are moving along!  And I really have to start think about physically making the move over the summer.  Most of the time I can't wait, but we have lived in this house for 30 years, and I still do love it. It's just too big for us now.  I do keep thinking of all the things that will be better in the new place ---- the 5 minutes I save in my commute, the more logical room flow, the lower maintenance and utility expenses . . . .It will be odd to think of another family living here.

Our February vacation is coming up-one more week of classes. We don't have any vacation plans other than heading up to the quarry to pick our granite for the kitchen and picking out light fixtures.  I look forward to not getting up at 4:45am!

Sick Day

I took a sick day today.  I have been fighting some sort of sinusy problem for almost 2 weeks, and with the super cold weather we had last week, my rheumatoid arthritis started to flare a bit.  I made it through to my RA doctor's appt yesterday afternoon, and after my visit, decided I needed to give in to my body and get some extra rest.  I'm glad I did.  I spent about 80% of the daylight hours sleeping.  I had a brief spell of energy which allowed me to finally get some decisions made, and I put an easy dinner together.  Now the urge to sleep is getting strong again, so I will give in to it shortly.

The decisions that I  made?  I ordered my kitchen cabinets and I ordered my appliances.  I've know what I wanted for a couple of weeks, but we still had a few niggling questions and decisions.  The biggest decision was to find a microwave that would work with all the rest of the appliances I wanted.  The one that I wanted was more than I wanted to spend, especially if I wanted the trim kit.  After spending the last 2 weeks looking at every possible microwave, I gave in and got the matching microwave.  I found most of the money by choosing a less expensive baseboard trim.  It feels terrific to get those decisions out of the way.

Now I have to find vanities/sinks for the bathrooms, and have to seriously start considering the color scheme for the house.  The contractor wants to know soon what style baseboards/trim I want and whether I want the trim painted or stained.  I'll probably go with painted, since it's easier to change up in the future, and it's a less expensive option.

My husband ordered the siding today too, and we've picked out the flooring last week.  We decided on a subcontractor for the tiling, and have picked tiles for the mudroom and one bathroom.  We found tiles we liked for our bath, but they are pricey so we're going to look some more.

The house is on target for completion in May.  We have to host an open house for the community since it's being built by the school's building trades program.

Exciting times around these parts.

Not Exactly a Lazy Saturday But . . .

I've been pretty silent here.  I haven't had much free time lately.  This is the first Saturday in almost a month that I didn't have to be up and out the door running errands all day long.  I told my husband last night that I was "sleeping in" today.  I did too ...until all of 5:37 am.  For the life of me I couldn't go back to sleep. I tried, until 6 am, to fall back asleep, but once I'm awake, that's it.  I compromised, and didn't get my breakfast until 8:30, and I didn't take my shower until almost 10 am.  I spent the morning on FB, playing Words with Friends, Bubble Safari Ocean, Solitaire Blitz, and reading my favorite blogs, and a ton of emails.  I did manage to throw in a load of laundry.

It's afternoon, now, and I have accomplished a few goals, all from the comfort of my kitchen!   My neighbor, a hairdresser by trade, stopped by and cut my hair.  What a relief!! It should have been cut 2 weeks ago, but our schedules didn't mesh.  While I sometimes have to wait a bit longer than I like to for a trim, I can't beat the convenience of having the hairdresser come to me!  I also (drumroll here!!!) ordered the appliances for my new kitchen.  After what feels like eons of research - Consumer Reports, websites, talking to repairmen, etc. --- and visiting a few appliance stores, I made my decisions, and got in touch with the salesperson with whom I've been working.  With the exception of my washer and dryer, we ended up choosing Bosch appliances.  We worked with a locally and family-owned store that provides delivery, installation, and service.   We received a volume discount, and we are eligible for a huge rebate from Bosch.  And since all our appliances are Energy-Star rated, we will be able to apply for some further rebates from our state!  I ended up choosing a Maytag washer and dryer over a similar Whirlpool model.  Whirlpool owns the Maytag brand, and the prices were almost identical.  I picked the Maytag because it's rated (by Consumer Reports) as gentler on clothes, it has a hand wash cycle as well as delicate cycle (like my current model), and I've never not used a Maytag. My mother only had Maytag washer, and I've owned 2 in my householding career, both of which lasted 15+ years.

The big appliance changes are that we will be using a gas cooktop and an electric wall oven, instead of an electric range. I'm looking forward to "cooking with gas" -- my mom used to say "Now you're cooking with gas" when she wanted to tell us we were finally on the right track.

So now I have to get the kitchen cabinets ordered.  I am waiting on some specs from the gas installer so that we can double check the cooktop cabinet dimensions.  Hopefully that will happen in the next couple of days.

We're still waiting for tile estimates --- we've pretty much picked out the tile, but we're waiting for the labor estimate on one more installer.  And I have to finalize the sinks/faucets/shower fixtures.  And then . . .. paint colors for the interior have to be decided by midMarch!

Since the house is being built mostly by the building trades program at school, they're hoping to have it done by mid May so that an open house can be scheduled before the end of the school year.  The clock is starting to tick!

Now I just have to spend a little more time pondering the children's sermon for tomorrow.  The pastor is away tomorrow, so another lay leader and I are leading worship.  We've designed a prayer service for our church.  We're about to start a visioning project (we've hired a consultant, and everything!), and we felt that a time of concentrated intentional prayer around our hopes and dreams for the future would be in order.  We've designed a service of scripture and silent prayer, and I want to talk about different ways of praying with the Sunday school kids.  And quite frankly, I want to prepare the adults in the congregation for praying differently from the way we usually pray.  There's very little silence in our usual service, and some of us have been missing the time for silent meditation.  We've focused the service on reflective prayer:  We will read a scripture passage, pose a "challenge" question, and ask the congregation to reflect/pray silently for a few minutes.  After the 3rd scripture passage, we will invite the congregation to come forward with their prayer, and light a votive candle on the altar as a way of offering up their prayer.  I know that some people will be uncomfortable with the silences, but we're doing it anyway!

That reminds me. I need to gather some candles and a tray!

My Reading Goals for 2013

Somebody asked me yesterday how many books I was going to try to read this year, and I replied, "No idea."  I decided not to set a goal for myself; I don't need the pressure.  Last year I set a goal of 125 books, and I did achieve it.  However, as 2012 approached the end, I found my self in a panic that I wasn't going to make my goal.  And because I'm someone who hates not meeting a goal, I found myself stressing over the attempt.  Not a good thing.  So this year, I decided  not to set a goal.  I am going to read because I love to read, not because I have to keep pace with some sort of target.  So what?  Who cares how many books someone reads?

My goals for 2013:

• Read for pleasure, escape, and relaxation
• Learn some new things or gain new insights by reading nonfiction occasionally
• Find some new authors to follow

So far this month I've made progress on the last goal.  My son recommended a science fiction/fantasy series that starts with Ilium, by Dan Simmons.  I reviewed it on Goodreads.  I found the book interesting and challenging, and I will look for the next one Olympos later this year.  

I really appreciate suggestions that some of you have made.  I am usually not disappointed, and that's mostly how I find new authors nowadays.  I sometimes feel guilty that I don't get into my wonderful public library often anymore.  It's a function of the disjoint between their hours and my schedule. That's where I traditionally found ideas.  So since I can't get into the library often, I really do depend on digital recommendations.   Keep the suggestions coming!

Looking Like Home

As the interior walls go up and the plumbing/electric decisions are being made, the new house is looking more and more like my future home!

The front door has been installed!

And so has the bathtub in the guest bathroom.

I also stepped out on the deck off the dining/kitchen area.

I was blindsided (as usual!) with the fact that the plumbers were starting to install fixtures.  I haven't even picked them out.   When I expressed dismay to my DH, he had a hard time understanding why I wanted a say in picking them out!!   I received a phone call yesterday afternoon while I was on my planning period at school. The conversation went this way:

"You have to go over to the house and let the plumbers know how high you want the shower."

"When?"

"Right after school.  They're there until 4 pm."

"But I have a staff meeting, and then I have a meeting at the SAU. I won't be home til around 5."

"Yeah but they're at the house, and they're going to install fixtures."

"Wait, a sec!  I didn't know the plumbers were installing fixtures.  I thought they were doing the rough work."

"They are, but while they're here, they are going to starting putting in the fixtures. The bathtub is in."

"What?? We haven't picked anything out."

"What's to pick out?  A tub is a tub.They're going to work on the master shower next."

"But we haven't even finalized what the shower's going to look like!  We're still waiting for the 2nd quote from the other tile guy.  We don't even know which wall the shower head will be on."

"But there are 3 plumbers here all day.  They have to get to work."

And so forth.  So, last evening instead of getting some schoolwork done, I spent 3 hours going through the Kohler and other websites, trying to figure out what type of showerhead, faucets, and toilets I wanted.
My eyes started going buggy.  I chose a couple of items, but I really wish I had time to go to a showroom or even Home Depot!

My biggest complaint about this construction project is the double speak I get.  "You don't need to make this decision right now, you've got plenty of time" on Monday, and on Tuesday, 'We're here to install X"  A bit of exaggeration, but you get the idea.

The universe is taking pity on me.  We have a totally unexpected snow day today!! So, once more into the breach.  At least I can review the choices I made last night and continue the search for faucets.  I didn't realize that your sink choices (which I haven't made yet) can impact your faucet choices! And I certainly haven't escaped the "champagne taste, beer budget" conundrum that most people face!

What Keeps Me on the Run!

It was an exhausting and busy week and I'm still recuperating.  Wish the exhaustion was the result of all the fun I've been having!  It was a pretty full school week - 5 days that included 3 parent meetings during my planning time, plus an association meeting, and a meeting with a teacher about a potential grievance issue.  We also had a workshop on Tuesday in lieu of our staff meeting.  On Wed. I was out late at church, moderating our annual meeting.   I stayed at school until 5 pm on Friday, getting all my grading done, planning this upcoming week, and copying all the resources the kids will need.

On the home front, we finally got the upstairs toilet (which broke New Year's Eve day) replaced.  The water tank fell off the back of the toilet and couldn't be fixed.  It took almost a week to get that taken care of which meant a long trip down the stairs in the middle of the night for that 2 am trek!  And then on Friday, we discovered that the fridge was malfunctioning.  We pulled everything out and thoroughly cleaned it, and unplugged it overnight because apparently ice had built up at the bottom, preventing cold air from circulating. It's still not 100% but it is working better.  I'll have to call the repairman tomorrow to take a look.  I certainly hope that it can be fixed because I do not want to purchase a new fridge for this house.

Yesterday we spent most of the day meeting with various contractors.  We spent an hour with the electrician figuring out where we want outlets, appliance hookups, and lighting.  Decisions, decisions, decisions!  We met with the insulation person (who happened to be a former student of mine!) and decided on the type of insulation to use.  Then we headed to a tile store to meet with the tile contractor, and to look at possible tile for the mudroom entry, and the guest bath floor, and the master shower and floor. I had wanted to tile the bathroom walls up halfway, but the budget won't support that right now.  Then we headed to some appliance stores to get some research done in person instead of just online.  Wow!  Are appliances expensive nowadays!!

Today was mostly bookkeeping and laundry.  I had hoped to get to church but it didn't happen.  I still have a few chores to get done, and then I hope I can get some down time.  Another busy week looms!

                                                          Looking into the master bedroom.

Happy New Year?

We were out at friends until just after midnight, so I didn't crawl out of bed until almost 8 am.  I had a lot to accomplish today since Elder Son announced that he and some friends were going to go skiing Wed and Thursday at a mountain about an hour north of us.  He wanted to bring his friends home Wed. night to sleep so they didn't have to spend money on hotel rooms.  Being an accommodating mom, I said of course they could come.  I then realized that meant I had to change the sheets in the bedrooms since Elder Son hadn't stripped his bed when he left after Christmas.  And of course, the upstairs bathroom needed a good cleaning and I needed to get some vacuuming done.  So I started in on my chores about 9 am after a couple of cups of coffee.  Stripped the beds, got 2 loads of laundry done, and got the living room dusted and vacuumed.  My husband went out to do a few errands and chores, and I headed up to the bathroom.  That's when the day started going downhill!  As I was scrubbing the toilet bowl, I heard something drop, and next thing I knew the water tank leaned forward and water started leaking out of both sides of the tank!  I grabbed the wastebasket to try to catch the water, and realized I needed at least 2 more pairs of hands.  The tank was threatening to fall, water was pouring out of the tank, and I couldn't reach the valve shut off.  To make a long story short, the water tank eventually drained, I managed to contain about 1/3 of the water into a wastebasket, and the rest of the water . . .. leaked through the ceiling into the family room below, soaking a chair.  However, it narrowly missed a bag of yarn, so I took some joy in that!    So now we have a broken toilet in the upstairs bathroom.  That means that until the plumber can fix our problem, I'll be trekking downstairs at 2 am for my usual bathroom sleep interruption!  And of course, tomorrow is the first day back to school!    I emailed my son to let him know that he and his guests will be sharing the downstairs bathroom with us.

But wait!  That's not all.  I had decided to wash my shower curtain, and I carefully double checked the washing instructions.  When I took the curtain out of the washer, the fabric backing had shredded!  I can still use it; because it's a fabric curtain, I do have a vinyl lining under it, but it doesn't hang right.  I'm really annoyed with that because it took me a long time to find a curtain that worked with my color scheme and my taste.   I will have to buy another curtain, but since we'll be moving later this year, I really don't need the expense! Our new bathrooms will not need shower curtains!  Oh well.

I'm not a good housekeeper.  I hate cleaning, and my standards are not high.  But occasionally, (like when there will be guests), I do get motivated.  And I WAS motivated today.  But somehow I feel I got the message that I should have left well enough alone!

I Did It!

I managed to complete my goal of reading 125 books this year.  I just finished the last one of 2013, an early Jodi Picoult, Picture Perfect.   I have to admit I didn't much care for it.

Looking at what I've read this year, I can count 12 nonfiction titles.  I read 2 books about American military nurses during 20th century combat,  a fascinating but devastating account of life during the Dust Bowl, a challenging book about genetic research, a book about where creativity comes from, an anthology of true-live survival stories, a humorous look at our Puritan heritage, and a couple of theological/spiritual books.

I did  most of my reading (62 books) on either my Kindle or my Ipad!  While I do miss the physicality of a book, I really appreciate the convenience and ease of ebooks. And it's done wonders for keeping my counters and kitchen table clear of book piles.  I have fallen in love with my state library's ebook collection too.  I miss going to my public library, but their open hours aren't always convenient which is a problem now that the book collection bin outside the library is gone.  I have had too many overdue books this year because the library isn't open when I go past it in the morning or in the evening after work!

I read series, mostly police procedurals.  I started began to read Tess Gerritsen's Rizzoli and Isles series, started re-reading Elizabeth George's Inspector Lynley series, continued with Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache series and Charles Todd's Inspector Rutledge series,  and read some of C.J. Box's Joe Pickett series. I also read Ann Perry (Thomas Pitt) and Jacqueline Winspear (Maisie Dobbs).   I tried some new authors: Karen MacInerny, Elin Hilderbrand, Leslie Meier, and Peter Lovesey to name a few.  I enjoyed some Mark Schweitzer  and Alexander McCall Smith.

What am I looking forward to reading in 2013?  I would love to discover a new series from a prolific, interesting writer!

Some books that are on hold at the state library are:
A Discovery of Witches   Deborah Harkness
This Body of Death  Elizabeth George
Berried to the Hilt Karen MacInerney
Perfect Hope Nora Roberts

Others I want to read:

Dana Stabenow's new Kate Shugak novel Bad Blood due out in February
Maeve Binchy's A Week in Winter due out in Feb.
Jacqueline Winspear's Leaving Everything Most Loved due out in March

And I am still working away at the The Fall of the Roman Empire: A New History.  I got a bit bogged down in the Balkans(!) and have to have some time to get myself clear about where everything is.  ONe of the drawbacks I've discovered with an ebook is that it's hard to use the maps which are referred to often!


I haven't decided if I'm going to set a reading goal this year.  I don't want reading to be a chore!  I do like keeping track though of what I've read.  It IS a lot!  And I don't keep track of magazines, blogs, and journals I also read either!  (Time, Real Simple, Cooking Light, Education Week, the Huffington Post, Money, Sojourners, etc.)

I wish good reading to all in 2013!

Merry Christmas 2012 - Food Tidings to You!

Our traditional Christmas Eve meal - Swedish meatballs over egg noodles with green beans.  The one year I branched out and did something different (because the boys complained that they didn't like the meatballs), I almost traumatized them.  So when either or both are home on Christmas Eve, these are on the menu.

Dessert is almost always an assortment of cookies and maybe ice cream.

Cranberry-Citrus Coconut Bundt Cake at Breakfast

Definitely good, and different, but when I figure in the effort, not sure I'll be making it again soon.  My usual "Farm Journal Best Buttermilk Pound Cake" gives more bang for the buck!  (Effort wise AND cost wise!)  Our traditional Christmas breakfast is the cake, bacon, and orange juice.  And of course coffee!  Simple and quick to prepare, this evolved out of the kids' impatience to get to the present opening.  No presents until after everyone is up, dressed, and fed!

No pics from our dinner, unfortunately, but it was a continuation of tradition.  We usually splurge and get something like a standing rib roast.  This year we splurged on a spoon roast instead because it was "only" $4.89/lb instead of the $7.99/lb for the rib roast.  I worried a bit that it might not be as good, but frankly, it was one of the best roasts I've made.  It was a huge roast (over 9 lbs!) but a lot of it went home with others. It took about 3 1/2 hours at 325° F.  I seasoned it with garlic, marjoram, thyme, rosemary, and black pepper rubbed into the meat which I had lightly misted with olive oil.  I then sliced some onion thinly and laid the onion over the meat surface.  I poured in about 1/2 can of beef broth, and then tented it with foil.  After it finished cooking, I made a beefy onion gravy from the pan drippings and a little more broth, thickened with some corn starch.  This was served with Yukon gold mashed potatoes and steamed carrots, and homemade horseradish sauce.  For dessert (yes, another splurge!) we had this Raspberry Walnut Tart from Simply Recipes.  (their photo, not mine.)

This is all that was left!

This recipe is DEFINITELY a keeper!

As I told my family, I'm done cooking for the rest of the year.  We have tons of leftovers, and when they're done, we're going out to eat.  I feel like I've spent the past 4 days in the kitchen. Not that I have to, it's because I want to.  But it's still exhausting!!

Merry Christmas to All!

Relatively Relaxed

Most of the preparations are done.   The presents are wrapped and with the exception of tonight's meal, and the actual cooking of tomorrow's feast, the cooking/baking is done too.  I only made one batch of cookies this year - our usual Cranberry Almond Biscotti ---

-- and my son made our traditional Ginger Crinkles.  A friend gave us a huge platter of cookies too, so I decided not to make the rest of our usual cookies.  I did try a new recipe for tomorrow.  For years I've made a buttermilk pound cake (one of the best recipes I've ever baked) but I'd made it recently for a party and wanted to try something new.  So this year we will have a Cranberry-Orange and Coconut cake with our Christmas morning breakfast.  I hope that it's as tasty as it smells because it involved both the food processor and the mixer, as well as a spilled bowl of orange glaze!

Now I just have to start the Swedish meatballs which I'd hoped to skip this year.  Unfortunately for me, the family insisted!  I would have been happy with takeout Chinese!

I was pretty minimal with the decorating this year too.  The tree has only a few ornaments on it.  It looks prettier in real life than the photo above shows. I have about 50 small red teardrop shaped crystals on it as well as 100 silver twists.  A few choice ornaments:

This Santa belonged to my mother.  It was originally part of a light set, I think.

This one we bought for Eldest Son's first Christmas!

I truthfully don't know from whence the crystal bird came, but I really like it!

This cheerful bird was a gift from some friends a Christmas or two ago.

 

And Christmas isn't Christmas without at least one pointsettia!

So I will get the meatballs made while listening to a variety of Christmas music, and then settle down for a bit of knitting.

Merry Christmas!