I'm getting lazy!

How could I miss my sunday post about whoopies? Easy.. I was too busy eating them!

This week I made Lemon Whoopie Cake with Lemon Mascarpone filling and Lemon Cake with Dark Berry Jam.

This has been my favorite one as of yet. The savory/sweet filling and tang of the mascarpone cheese. The soft subtle lemon flavor and fluffy sponge of the cake. SO GOOD! It was mom's idea to pair the lemon with a dark berry jam. My favorite part, blackberry, raspberry and blueberry, the perfect treat with tea. I have eaten way more of these, than any of the previous whoopies. Now it will be hard to find something that can even compete!

Another reason for my belated post is that I got my DS back from little one. So of course I went to get some new games. and OF COURSE I have been addicted to playing them, spending every spare second with my fingers glued to the DS. Which then means the dishes don't get done, laundry isn't folded. Dinner does not get cooked till late, and then I am too lazy to 'really' cook. A passing phase, I hope.

Meet the teacher for preschool is on Thursday, I was told to "dress nice". 'Like I already don't?' well.. its not the dressing nice part, its the looking presentable (i.e my crazy morning hair) and remembering when I get ready in the morning. Hopefully it all goes smoothly (as smoothly as 36 3 - 4 yr olds can go).

I've blabbered enough! Time to go make myself a proper lunch and not just live off of whoopies!

Things I should never do

Where do I even begin?

1. Move large furniture by myself:

I am way more ambitious than I ought to be. I look at things and tell myself "I can do that"

Well, it turns out I can.. I just shouldn't. Even when I was younger, I would take it upon myself to re-arrange my bedroom. Scooting large dressers across the floor, using the wall as a push board for leverage. To this day the same applies. You would think by now I could learn to ask for help.

Mr. went out shooting this morning, leaving me to my own devices. When the cat is gone the mice will play.. or just re-arrange the house. So I needed to move a large wing back chair from the office to the bedroom. My dad had helped get it into the house in the first place, so I had not moved this monster of a thing since. Not only is this thing wider and taller than I am, our door ways are put in obscure places with little spaces to get through.

So I make an ocular assessment of the doorway and chair, Dad got it through there, couldn't I? So I begin shoving the chair across the room, twisting and turning the chair, trying to make this thing fit. 20 minutes and several explicits later and its crossed the threshold of the first door way. If it made it out of one doorway, logically it could fit through another right?? Wrong, I am angling this thing, flipping it over (by myself) in a tiny hallway, and shoving it each direction through the doorway. Nothing. Finally I get half of the chair and and...

ITS STUCK! I push and pull and its not budging. As I try to move it, its going to scrape the door frame. Great, what do I do now? Sit and wait for Mr. to come home and show him my embarrassing mess I created for myself? Of course not, I am going to try and fix this problem on my own.. which leads to..

2. Never remove or touch or deal with anything with the house fixtures.

In a moment of brilliance I decide it is in my best interest to remove the door from the hinges, just to give me that extra inch I need to make this thing fit perfectly. Never having removed a door before, I tackle this thing from the only way I can think how. Just remove the hinges. WRONG with a capital W. I should of turned to good ol google or Mom for help, but I was determined to get this done. I get the door off, get the chair into the room. That was much easier than expected, until I have to put the door back on.

At this point its been about an hour of an ordeal, I hadn't bathed in two days, I was in my pajamas and I didn't even eat breakfast (thanks to sour milk). So I looked like a crazed maniac trying to put this thing up. Shoving wood pieces and towels under the door to prop it up. When my room mate comes home, walks by and just stares at me.

I don't even want to know what it must of looked like, a crazy mess for sure. He helps me prop it up, and screw it back in. In the end he tells me of a super easy way to remove the door pin and put it back on. Great, why didn't I think of that ( and mom made me feel it all over again when I told her) Thankfully my room mate knows I do crazy things, and it comes to be expected with me in the house.

From now on I am just going to make the men do all the heavy "man work" no more for me.

They grow up so fast

This evening I helped my little sister move out, into her own new space.

This is hard for me, We use to be super close, now she is just a passing shadow.

She has her own friends now, a job, a life, and soon I feel I will not be a part of it.

So of course I took time to help her, hang her clothes, organize her belongings.

My baby sister, all grown up, a woman ready to set out and make things work.

I am so proud of her, and so worried. I can't imagine how mom feels.

Good luck little one!

In lighter (or heavy) news I am pretty sure I ripped off starbucks today. Lately I've been brewing my own, and I am not fond of the prices or taste of (S). For some reason today I had a hankerin' for a Tea Latte, something I would not make at home.

So I go in, I never know "the language" "the lingo" The how to of ordering. So they ask while in line "what can I get started for you" I ask for my latte.

Then, when I get up to the register, I have a yogurt and tell them I got the earl grey...

She rings it up, I pay with a GC and everythings all good. Till I walk away to wait for my drink and think...

Wait a sec, a yogurt and a VENTI latte for THAT price. I totally didn't even think about it when she rang me up.

I sheepishly (and nervously) wait for my drink, and walk out feeling like a criminal. Should I of mentioned she only charged me for a 'normal tea' and not a 'latte tea'. I am too honest of a person to walk away.

and sadly I DID! If someone gives me the wrong change, I will tell them and give it back.

But a couple dollars can't hurt right?? Will I hear about this in the end, reading from the book of my sins...

To Cut or not to Cut...

Why do I feel like I am breaking some kind of rule right now, sneaking around at night to write a blog.

Okay, so its only 9:40 currently, not late at all right? Well Mr. already went to bed, made it so I went too. "You need to start going to bed earlier" he tells me. So I try to sleep, but it just not gonna happen. So I start browsing through old pictures on my phone.

For a while now I've been trying to grow my hair out. I look at old photos of when my hair was really long and beautiful. This process is just killing me though, I hate this yucky in between stage. I can't really do anything with it, I just wear it up. This heat isn't helping either. So looking at the photos, I see really cute pictures when my hair was shorter. A cute A-line cut, or a cute bob. I really liked how easy it was to take care of, manage and style.

So now, I am thinking about chopping my hair off. It would be about a good 5-6 inches chop, shocker! I have never cried when I've gotten a cut done, at least that I can remember. Little one is like that, she always likes a cut, gets home and hates it. Usually I care less about what happens with my hair. Lately I've just felt so frumpy. It could just be the heat, but I don't know if I can wait it out till it cools down. I figure I could just write about it, help me take my mind off it, else I will never get to sleep!

So back to sneaking around. I slip out of bed, tip toe to the office and here I am in the dark. Maybe what I need is a hot cup of tea. If I didn't already brush my teeth, I think I would be stuffing my face with Whoopie pies. I am just too much of a night owl to be crawling into bed before the sun goes down (exaggeration of course).

Time to bust out the reading light, a good book and slip into another world for an hour. I'm sure with the dim light I will grow sleepy... or just blind.

Waiting for Fall.

I am counting down the days.

I will celebrate it like a holiday.

The first day of Fall.

I can't wait for the leaves to start turning.

I want cool breezes, and crisp blue skies.

I want sweaters and boots.

I want perfectly mild temperatures.

Not the 106 , sweltering heat we are having right now.

Wish I had more to say today, instead I am just dreaming of fresh picked apples. Crunching leaves beneath your feet as you walk, and cold weather...even rain!

Preparing for Preschool

Only a few more days till I am back on a regular (non-summer) schedule. I am so excited to start a new year of preschool. The site that I am at, just moved into a brand new building. So today I had to organize and put away all of our stuff. Makes me kind of wish when we had packed up, we had done a better job of organizing it in the first place, oh well.

36 new little snot noses, and I say that endearingly. A popular name this time around is Isabella, with 3. It seems people are either choosing the same names for their kids or really strange ones. Always looking for ways for their kids to stand out, replacing common spellings with strange letters.

It will be so nice to be able to have a set schedule again. Off work by 12:30, the rest of my day to get things done. I will once again be able to go on walks with Mom, no more lazy bum. I have to be able to burn off all those whoopie pies...

which leads me to...

Red Velvet Whoopie Pie with Cream Cheese Frosting/filling. SO good! Too sweet for me to eat a bunch of (I am crazy, I know) so I am packing them up and ready to spread the joy.

I am really happy with how they turned out this time. Much more Whoopie shape, things are improving! well that's all for me. I have a hot cup of tea to enjoy, laundry to fold and tv to watch!

How could I ignore you?

One night missed, daily adventures not recorded.
Second night missed, now becoming easier to ignore the computer.

I really did mean to write, and I do have some good excuses!

So this weekend I have been a very busy little bee. I finally finished painting this for Mom...

A lovely shade, It turned out really nicely. Even Mr. Complimented how it looked. (and remember he thinks 'colors' are tacky) so I was surprised. +1 for me.

On top of that, I got the chair stripped all the way down to it's birthday suit.
(censored for all the kiddies out there.)

I was now ready to try, and reupholster this bad boy. My first attempt ever at this sort of thing. I had everything I needed, except a staple gun. I was going to buy one, but Dad offered to let me use his, awesome. Save some money where ever I can. This thing is like a gun, "KaBlammy!" (thats the technical sound)

I will spare you the boring part, putting it all back together. It is not perfect, and I had some troubles along the way (ie. the arms breaking ) all in all I am very happy with the way it turned out. Its squishy too!

I added some details to the back, maybe the shiny will distract people away from my craftsmanship.

Now I don't have an excuse not to blog.

Wish I had time to get to Whoopie Pies, Maybe later this week.

Hope everyone had a productive weekend. I did so much, I am tuckered out, SO not ready for the work week!

Should have worn my depends!

I walk into work at lunch time. Usually we eat outside at a set of picnic tables. With the beginning of school approaching, the tables are being cleaned, so lunch is indoors. All the kids greet me, and I find an open chair. I begin to eat my lunch, chatting with the kids when suddenly I feel a cold wetness on my lap...

I look down and the kid next to me has spilt his entire water bottle, right into my lap.

I love my job.

Too Good To Be True

It's late, and I am exhausted. But.. I am not going to let that stop me from making my post!

Everything seemed all good and dandy today. Went to work, things went great, off to go help Mr.'s Mom with her classroom set up (A family of teachers! ), but then on my drive there...

Okay, so not really that bad. In my world it is, my car had a warning check engine malfunction death scare things are going weird, light come on. Soon after the car was running funny, I could hardly accelerate. Of course, knowing nothing about cars, not wanting to be stranded, I start to freak out. It was 'too good to be true' that my old hoopty of a car was still running, and treating me well. This was bound to happen, it was just a matter of when.

I call Dad, He asks me to start out by popping open the hood, yeah like I do that all the time. Look for things like belts and spark plugs, It is like he is speaking in another language. No help, tells me to tow it if it wont run. Thankfully I was really close to the school, where I then could be followed home by Mr's Mom. I felt so thankful for my back up, At least I would not be on the side of the road alone!

Long story short... Oh and it could be longer. They (as in manly men who know things about things that run, as in Mr.) replace the 'Spark plugs' and other wires and "thing-a-ma bobs". And now after hours of sweating it out, biting my nails, worry warting over it, it runs. It runs better than before, I about had a heart attack of happiness.

I am just so glad someone is looking over my shoulder.

Sore Fingers!

Work today was a little rough, the kids were naggin' on each other, she did this, he did that. I was about to pull my hair out.


Thankfully I got out at an early time today, so I decided to go out, and shop around town. My first stop was Ye' Ol' Good Will. With little one moving out, I promised her that I would keep an eye out for anything good, or worth refinishing. Of course I always have an eye out for myself as well. Giving cryptic messages to Mr. when he calls and asks what I am doing. He does not approve of any more items, none the less fixer upers, coming into the house.

I am doing my usual route, giving the 'once over' to isles. There are a couple items that might interest little one, so I send her a text. Then I see a desk chair, needing work, of course. It is mostly fine, but has seen its days and shows its age. Someone is already looking at it, sitting in it, contemplating. I hover around, pretending to be interested in other items. Aha, they are not getting it. Just curious, I look at the price.. 2.99! Okay.. I can justify this ONE purchase, I have been mentioning to Mr. for a few months now about getting a new desk chair. I always sweet talk my way out, I just have to do it one more time.

It is a rather good size, rolly wheels, large padded seat and back. Will this fit in my old corolla? I make an ocular assessment, deem it plausible and check out. Surprisingly, it fit just fine across the back seats. Although I must of looked a mess trying to get it back there.

The next destination, was going to be the mall, but now it was the fabric store. Conveniently right across the street. I always get lost in this place, rows upon rows of crafty things, shiny things. Of course I am suuuuper indecisive, I can't decide what I like or want. Then there is another issue, what will Mr. say or like? Seems silly to make that part of my process, but we always have this conversation back and forth. I like bright colors, he thinks they are tacky! We share the office together, so I had to take in mind what he would be okay with looking at everyday. I would love a bold bright print, that is fun and cheery. He would prefer plain and boring, Yuck!

An hour later, I have some supplies and a nice dark grey color. It is super soft, and should be much more comfortable than my current chair. Mr. will like it, and then we will both be happy. Now the big thing is going to be to reupholster it *dramatic music here* which I have never attempted before. Yikes!

So to get to the point of why I have sore fingers (gosh finally right...) I have spent the past 3 hours plucking staples from the underneath of the chair, and they are not always so willing to be pulled out. Slaving over the over zealous stapling, which I deem very unnecessary, trying to break this thing into pieces. So Alas here is my chair... before deconstruction. Wish me luck, and wish my poor fingers a good nights rest..

planning to paint the wood.. I am thinking teal... or some bright yellow. HA stickn' it to the man.

Mini Me Monday

Today was a pretty uneventful day. So because Mondays are just awful, ripping you away from weekend bliss, I need an easy post. So I will post a picture of me from when I was a wee lil tot.

Nothings really changed, not even really my height. Funny, I still pose just like this for most pictures. I am incapable of taking serious pictures. I will always throw up some bunny ears, or make a goofy face. My mom always gets so frustrated whenever we take group pictures. Sorry mom.

Little One is moving out of Mom's place and picking up a spare couch I have here. I guess this is forcing me to fold my laundry, that currently resides on top. She is also looking for some art to be done for her space. I really need to start brain storming, I have not even started on the "Sketch Book Project" eek! I need some serious inspiration! Work is just sucking some life out of me right now, when I get home all I want to do is watch tv.( Bad, I know!)

Thats Just Beachy

After almost a month of saying "oh hey, we should go to the beach" and then plans changing, things coming up, we finally went. We wake up early in the morning, prep our items to take and I check the weather. 57 as a high on the beach, 93 here locally. I feel insane packing a sweater and long pants. In retrospect I should of brought a parka and a heavy blanket. 57 on the beach maybe during the peak. We ended up getting there still early in the morning and it was frigid! So this is on our drive to the bay. Passing through the heart of San Francisco.

Foggy and grey. Which I love, I wish it was cold year round. I can't stand it when it is so hot. My motto is "you can always put more on, but you can only take so much off"

There is the famous Alcatraz Prison!

We finally reach the beach, cold, but beautiful. I love the smell of the sea water in the breeze, the soft sand between the toes. I can even stand the sound of the sea gulls, unless they are trying to steal your food! We bundle up, walk out to a good spot to set up camp. Ahh, time to kick the shoes off (if we were wearing any) and just relax.

Just two of us, with our picnic, snuggled up for warmth, watching the waves crash on the shore.

Soon more people are gathering on the beach. Even people flying kites. I have always wanted to fly kites on the beach, but never got around to it. I will have to keep it in mind for the next time.

The sun has come out! We pass a frisbee back and forth (I'll have you know, I am not very good at it). Each time, I almost hit the party right behind us, so we put it away and decide to walk around.

Of course no trip is complete with out the "lets try to take a pic of us together" Shot.

With our wind blown hair, no beach shot in the background and reflections of our arms, This is a keeper.

As the beach gets more crowded, as the sun burns away the fog, its time to leave. So we are on our way to the car when.. *SPLAT* right on my arm. Of course, I got tagged by a passing sea gull. To make it even better, I discovered I had a hole in my 'new' favorite pair of jeans, in an inappropriate place to wear in public, spot. I just got over the trauma of my 5 year old jeans being worn into ruins. With so much trouble finding jeans just a week ago, I have to do it all over again!

I can not let that damper my day, over all it was really nice. Great before the start of another work week.

Simple Saturday

It seems that I enjoy sleeping in, more than I enjoy sitting on the beach. Once again, we did not go! Not that I don't crave the cool breeze, crashing waves and soft sand between my toes. I do not want to sit in a car for 2 hours to get there. Tomorrow, I am making a promise to myself, we are going! I will wake up at a decent hour, pack my beach belongings and head out on the road.

Instead, today I quickly jumped on the opportunity to start my "Whoopie Adventure." Yes, I have named it now, and baking for me IS an adventure. I made a list of ALL the things I would need to get started. With the only baking going on in the house, is of pre packaged cookie dough, there was lots to get. Even just the essentials were missing, sugar, baking soda, vanilla extract.

With my list in hand I found 'thee' isle to retrieve all my items from . ' confectioners sugar'... hmm where have I heard that before. My mother would be ashamed, she is an avid baker with little one as well. I should know this! I am pretty sure it is powdered sugar, but that little seed of doubt grabs the regular sugar as well. Of course my instinct was right, but at least I have more basics to start other recipes with.

I lay out all of my ingredients, Whoopie book close by, I am ready to go. I remember one time as a child, I really wanted to bake something for my family. I was going to make brownies. Everything went smoothly, mixed them myself, baked them. They looked delicious! That was until they went to eat them, everyone took one bite and spit it out! I had mixed my sugar for salt, and only a horse with a salt lick would enjoy my brownies. Since then, with grief from the family, I have never really been a baker. So we will see how this unfolds...

I decided to start out with a Mocha Whoopie, with Chocolate Buttercream Filling.

Carefully following every direction, reading over the simple instructions twice.

My batter is finished. It looks delicious. Using a spoon, I tried to scoop out equal sizes of batter into the whoopie pan. First test pan, into the oven.. 8 minutes later Lets see what they look like.

All my Whoopies came out bumpy on the top and at least twice as tall and fluffy than the pictures in the book. Hmmm.. So I decided to use a TB scoop and a spoon to round out the scoops. In the future I think I will use a melon baller, as the book suggests. Second and third batch come out just as fluffy! They were really tasty, but just really tall!


I assembled them with the buttercream filling.. And here is my finished Whoopie Pies!




They turned out well, but next time there will be some changes to make. Hopefully with more practice runs, I can perfect the 'look of them' but the taste is wonderful! The taste is slightly bitter chocolate and coffee, matched with the sweet and slightly salty buttercream filling. I have been munching on them all day long! Perfect with a hot cup of coffee or tea!

Overall successful. They were not burnt, I did not burn the house down, although I did have one casualty through the whole thing. My hand mixer would not mix the batter, and began to start smoking! Just add that to another thing to do differently next time!

TGIF

Today was the last day of summer camp, with all three sites pulled together. I will really miss a lot of the kids from the other schools, that I never get to see. I left when the kids were distracted so that it would not be a 20 minute process to leave. On any other normal day, it usually takes about 10. Prying little hands off me, bodies wrapped around my legs and dragging two behind around the waist. It's better this way, I will see them again.

After work, I went to Mr.'s Classroom to help him set up for the year. Hung posters, sat around, and rearranged his bookshelves. Being an 8th grade algebra teacher, there is not much else in his room. He is proud of it anyway, and as of the 16th he will be a tenured teacher at only 25.

It is Friday, and it hardly feels like one. I can not tell if this is a good thing or not. Tomorrow we are planning to go to the beach. I will take pictures of course.. well only if I remember ( I am so bad at that). I will have time to catch up on some R&R that has been missing for a few weeks. Only to return to chaotically trying to fit too much into my day. Projects to be finished, things I want to start. Before I know it, it will be Monday and back to work again.

I did work on a bit of knitting last night. I do not know how some can knit so quickly. I worked my little fingers numb, and still I did not get much done.


Off to make dinner, duty calls, and then delving nose first into my Woopie pie book to search out my first recipe for this weekend!

OH almost forgot a little funny bit. I colored my hair last night, just looking for a small change. Just a few shades darker. Mr. did not notice and I had to mention something, and even then he still could not see the difference. Today at school, several kids noticed right away something about my hair was changed. Oh men... even kids are more perceptive.

Makin' Whoopie...Pies.

Today was a good day, it seems my bad luck is gone. At work today we went Roller Skating, WOOHOO! Who else gets to go to work, hang out with a bunch of cool kids and go skating for free.. (well except everyone else who does just that..) Besides the point. It was so much fun, and I did not fall. Unlike when I went ice skating, there will be no walking weird or achy bum.





Afterwards I went to Mom's where I picked up this awesome over night bag, in blue. She got a great deal on it through ULTA, and a special they were running. I had been looking for a new over night bag for a long time (ever since little one "stole" my old one and never returned it). I was super excited to have it, its the simple things in life that matter.


We then went out just the two of us, lunch at CPK, a personal favorite. Sipped ice teas and just talked. Walked around the local outdoor shopping center 'The Fountains'. It was such a beautiful mild day. Seeing all to be seen there, we decided to hop across the street to the mall. Crate & Barrel was calling my name. I love that store, and everything in it. I just walk around with my jaw dropped, cooing over plates and napkins (weird I know, remember.. simple things). As I was walking by I spotted this baking pan that was like a muffin pan, but really shallow. WOOPIE PAN!? I must know more. Just the name was calling out to me, not to mention the delicious looking treat that was on the wrapping.

Placed next to the pan and mix was this adorable book.

By Sarah Billingsley and Amy Treadwell

This was an O.M.G. moment. Just browsing through the book I knew I had to take it home and make it my'n. Red Velvet, Gingerbread, Pistachio.. I think the needed to mop below me after I was done salivating! That was just the cake, even the fillings sound SO good. Maple bacon, malted butter cream, Tiramisu creme and of course classic marshmallow. Are you hungry yet?

Somehow I had managed to save some money on a C&B gift card all the way from Christmas (that's a whole 'nother story) Pan and book I payed 8.00 (with the help of the gift card of course). There are no words to express how excited I am about busting out the cooking gear and getting started. There are so many endless combinations! So.. knowing that I think I am going to start 'Makin Woopie(s)' at least once every two weeks, maybe more if time allows. I am SO sorry to those around me, who will be forced to consume all the products from the experiments.

Of course I will update and track my adventure . Unfortunately they have not invented a way for me to share the delicious smells over the Internet, so you will just have to take my word for it.

OH.. almost forgot. We spotted these adorable knitted headbands in Anthropologie.

It is my new goal ( how many more can I add to my list?) to master this skill as well. I seriously need to level up my knitting skills by winter. Lets hope I can do it!..

Superstitions

I have never been one for superstitions. Black cats, walking under ladders, even breaking mirrors, I have never taken credit in silly notions of superstitions. Today though, may have changed my mind.

I needed to stop by the store before work. On my way in I spotted a penny, I have a habit of collecting them where ever I am and see them, every penny adds up and most people go about their business just ignoring them. Usually without a second thought, I will pick them up and stick them in my pocket. This time, I took notice of the fact that it was not face side up. Maybe I thought to much about this fact and the 'superstitions' surrounding face down pennies. BAD LUCK... although its never seemed to be bad before. I enter the store, grab a water bottle, and check out.

Right on my way out through the sliding doors, I see a man on a bike approaching fast. To be honest, his appearance was quite unruly, his shirt was off and he was biking FAST. I thought he was going to stop on the sidewalk (since clearly bikes would not be allowed into a store) so I continue in my same path through the door. As I approach the door and it is slightly opening, the man on the bike is hauling straight towards me. Right as he breached the doorway at a crazy speed, through the center of the doorway, my brain reacts and I just barely step out of the way. The man on the bike blows past me into the store, without any regard for me and the fact that I was on my way out.

BAD PENNY! I blame you. Of course the story continues. I am just so furious as to what just happened. I storm out to my car, put the key into the door. As I see the man on the bike, speed across the parking lot. I look down at my car.. wait this is Not my car. Flustered and embarrassed I walk to the next car, yes this is my own. On my way out of the shopping center, I nearly get hit by two different cars, pulling out of parking spaces. What is happening?

okay, all of this could of happened, if I picked up that penny or not. And true, nothing really bad did happen, I managed to move in time to prevent anything bad. It did get me thinking about superstitions, bad luck and how people might perceive the things that happen to them. Do you think that things happen for a reason, a higher power in play?Or that random occurrences happen and you are just there when it does?

At least with the misfortune a bad penny might bring, it will bring good fortunes to me when I spend it, and all is well and balanced in the world.

Easy Magic

Missed a monday post, but it was for sure a monday!
So yesterday at school, we sat all the kids down and put in a DVD of "Magic for Kids:Easy Magic Tricks" The 'teachers' of the video were exactly what you'd expect from a cheap magician and his partner. Classic shiny blue dress shirt, really not captivating at all, even the way they showed the tricks were so lack luster! Even so, the kids seemed interested, which only lasted about 10 minutes at the most. Knowing the kids were not going to fully comprehend the tricks, I paid close attention to most of the video, trying to absorb the steps as best I could. Secretly I just wanted some tricks for my own arsenal, to use for my own benefit, teaching the kids would just be extra on the side. And now I will pass them onto you, so that you may impress your friends and children.


"First Rule: Never tell anyone your secrets" (well too bad.. Im sharing right now oops)

"Second Rule: Never repeat your trick.." (well I guess if you scroll back up and read again that goes out the window!)

So the first one we learned how to do was How to "Magically" Attach two paper clips together without either of them touching.

What you will need:

1 Dollar Bill

2 Paper Clips.


First step: Take a dollar bill, and fold it into 'thirds' accordian style. *see video below for example*
Second Step: Attach one paper clip onto the top including one side of the bill and the center.
Third: Attach the second paper clip onto the top on the other end/side of the bill and the center.
Fourth and final: Slowly tug on either open end of the bill until its pulled all the way open. In completion the two paper clips will fall off and be attached.




The Second 'Magic' Trick is A String Trick. It was hard to take pictures of find a video of this one, so just read through and maybe with some help later I can get a video of it... or not.
What you will need:

1 piece of yarn or string.

Step One: Make sure your string or yarn of choice is made up of mulitple strings twisted/wound together.

Step Two: Prep to be done before you show or perform the trick for someone. Grab the string at the center. Split the string in half about 2-3 inches .

Step Three:Re twist your split sections to look like full pieces of string.

Step Four: The trick. You are now holding what looks like two pieces of string in your hand.
Ask them to hold out their hand for you. Place the string on their open palm and ask them to hold/grip it tightly in a fist.

Step five: with their fist upwards, show the two strings are at the top, and two strings at the bottom.

Step six: Grab the two ends at the bottom and lightly pull on them, dragging them back down through the fist. When you reach the end, tug harder till the string pops out as one string.

The kids really enjoyed the string trick, and even many times over, knowing how it worked they still seemed enthralled by it. Pass it on, show it off, I don't care what the "rules" are. I think it is more fun to show people how you did a trick, and have them learn to pass it on.

Daddy Long Legs, Bugs and stuff.

What are your thoughts on spiders? Scary, creepy, usually I just leave them alone unless they are in the house. I always feel bad when I take the life of a spider. Usually just minding their own business. Trying to survive in this harsh world, just like we are. Even with these feelings, there comes a time where I am just too creeped out to let them live.

A while back we had an ant infestation, a yucky problem that kept coming back. We battled it out, as they attacked food sources, our closets and even our bathroom. When there are ants, undoubtedly there will be spiders to eat them. Soon there were daddy long legs hanging out in the corners of the bathroom. Daddies have never really bothered me, with no harm to me and really they don't skitter around or jump around. They were eating the ants, and the ants bothered me way more, so I let it live. I greeted it whenever I went into the bathroom, thanked it for its services as Ant Killer. Although soon enough it grew and grew and was HUGE! Okay too creepy. I had to ask Mr. to 'remove it'. I felt as if I was murdering a pet or a friend.

From then on, I've had a no spider tolerance. Of course the creepy furry ones must go, and the small ones that scurry around Must go, and my poor daddy long legs must go. I will respect their right to live and thrive as long as they don't come within the house. Just the other day there was one hiding in a mixing bowl in the cabinet. I about lost it when It tried to scramble up the slippery slides as I grabbed the bowl. Mr. had to 'remove' that one too.

There are things I don't feel bad about, ants being a big one, pincher bugs are my least favorite of all and moths! I really don't like movies that are made to make us feel bad about removing them from our homes. Or give them personalities and lives, so that we are killing little people. It really does not help, especially if they are invading your home. Are you suppose to let them live?


Thankfully after taking good care to spray the house several times over my battle with such creatures is low to none.

How do you react to bugs and little creatures. Do you kill them cold blooded, feel remorse or freak out and force someone else to do 'the duty'?

Trekker?

Today was a lazy day. So far I have not accomplished anything of substance, nor have I worked on the projects I promised myself to finish. Hurrah for me. I spent a lot of the day browsing the blogisphere, wanting to eat but not knowing what, and watching old Star Trek Episodes. Nothing wrong with any of those things, but not productive in any way.

A while back Mr. and I watched all the old Star Trek movies, with Kirk and Spock. Although I never thought I would enjoy them, and never took the time to see if I would, I strangely found myself drawn to wanting to watch more of them. I still don't understand the draw of the show or why I continue to watch them but I am intrigued. So we moved on to the "Next Generation" Episodes. Now we usually watch an episode or two everyday. It seems to be our 'together time'. What lovely bonding time we have together watching Star Trek *sarcasm??*. Even though we keep watching them, I hardly like any of the characters , for they all have their flaws and some maybe redeeming qualities. I guess that is what I like about the show, watching the dynamics of the characters and disliking them at the same time.

Riker, the first officer, total man whore, he just jumps on anything that moves. Troi, the counselor just 'feels' things all the time and never tells anyone. She just runs off to her room and later in the show reveals that something (Which ends up helping solve the problem) has been bothering her the whole time. We however do enjoy Data, a relief from the 'Human' characters and their silly personality types. Or Worf, he always warns of danger or that they should react, but no one ever listens to him and he ends up being right. I do not think he gets enough credit.

I guess I have gotten more into the show than I realized. Funny how when you really like a show, how deeply you are concerned about the characters and what comes of them. I guess that is a sign of good writing. Usually the shows I love to watch get canceled after a few seasons or never last past their first. Its nice to know how many more seasons there are to watch before they all run out, and the ease of watching them all on DVD cant be beat.

Hopefully tomorrow there will be more going on so I have things to talk about, and not my secret (not so secret now) Nerdy habits. "Live long and prosper."

Super Pro at Super Spills

*BEEP BEEP BEEP* That's the awful sound of an alarm going off at 6 in the morning. I climb out of bed and go through the movements of getting ready like a robot. It's a rough morning, so usually the only thing to wake me from my walking slumber is a nice hot cup of coffee. No time to brew at home, I stop off at the closest supermarket on the way to work. I grab a cup and fill it with delicious smelling, piping hot coffee. MMmm I am almost awake...

or not. Right as I go to grab the full cup, my hands seem to have stopped working, missing a grab altogether and knocked the whole thing over. Reacting as soon as I can from a sleepy daze, I grab the cup. Too late, already all spilled down the front of the counter and onto the floor. "Great!" what a wonderful way to start your morning. Of course I am not alone at the coffee counter, there is a man waiting next to me. He looks over with embarrassment and walks away.

Wait? Did you not want coffee too? It is strange to me that someone is so embarrassed for me. I in fact was not. Spills are such a common occurrence around children that I matter of fact just grabbed a couple napkins and cleaned it up. With perfect trained precision wiped up the spilled cup in one careful swoop, and then used the same napkins to wipe it off the floor. In a matter of seconds it was like it never happened. With all the juice boxes busted, paint water tipped over and water bottles exploding , you quickly learn the skill of spill cleaning.

I filled my cup back up, grabbed my croissant and checked out to leave. As I left I wondered if the man had simply gone to get help, and upon his return found it to not have happened. Or if he simply went without his coffee. The rest of my day went great once the caffeine kicked in, I surely feel for him if his did not.

Oh A funny bit I forgot to add. Don't tell Mr. But the kids today at school were trying to tell the universe to make me have triplets. Oh boy lets hope Universe didn't get the memo on that one.

Down Right Tuckered Out

Today has been one long tiring day. It's not that I've done too many things, maybe its the things I've done. One day away from the weekend and I am feeling the drag. Even thinking of the weekend is exhausting me. Although in its own way the day was reasonably a good one.


Opened at work this morning, which meant crawling out of bed super early. It was easy to wake up today though, today was a field trip and I was a lucky winner to go on it! We went to an Ice Skating rink..(yes in the middle of summer!), with just the big kids (4&5th graders). The big kids are always so enjoyable to hang out with, and they monitor themselves so much better. I was looking forward to it all week. I had not skated in 4 years so I was a little sketchy when I first got on the ice. Thankfully they provided these stacked buckets to hold onto, for support. So here I am, the only adult, and teacher, Grabbing onto buckets, skating around with a bunch of the little kids who are just learning for their first time. In the area right next to me, there go my kids flying by, like nothing. After about 10 minutes I am a baby bird flying the coop, I can spread my wings, fly, skate away.. right onto my bottom. Thankfully I only fell once, the one fall will be hurting me for days!




Then when I return home from work, we (Mr. And I) set out on a bike ride. No rest for the weary. We did not go far, and most of the streets are flat, but when it is warm and I am already tired... It feels like I rode for miles! I come home and just plop on the bed. Mr. always thinks that I am dead, no movement and barely breathing.


Mr. heads off to basketball practice and I am stuck picking up his pant alterations. I might as well make the best of it. Like a shining building of hope, Target is right across the parking lot. I give myself a budget and tell myself to find something nice. Of course I find okay things, or things I hum over. Nothing is really making me go "OMG!". How can one of my most favorite places on earth not make me spend money? I feel like something is wrong in the universe. 30 minutes and speed shopping through, I am unsatisfied. Leaving empty handed I have failed to spend money... which in reality a good thing. If you ever need someone to stop you from buying things I am your girl, I will talk myself out of things that I LOVE.

I remember that I am on the hunt for the perfect pair of jeans. After 5 long wonderful years together I must break up with my favorite pair of pants. I finally wore holes through them, and they were okay till they popped up in places making them unwearable. Although I still can not bring myself to throw them away yet, it is time to move on. So I head out to the mall, I have 2 hours before Mr. gets home.

I do not know how I got this way, but I am super picky with my clothes, and especially my pants or jeans]

• No Pre Fade, it does not look natural.(in my opinion)
• No Pre Done holes, rips or tears.
• Not too light, not too dark
• Fits like a glove, but is relaxed and comfy in all the right places
• Not too tight, Don't enjoy taking 20 minutes squeezing into them. (yes they do make them that tiny. I barely weigh anything and I have to SQUEEZE into some!!! )
• good weight and material. It has to go through So much every day at school and around kids.

With my impossible list in mind, I set out. 5 stores and nothing yet. Money is too important to compromise in my mind. I have come home with jeans that were inexpensive and 'okay' and they have not been worn in over a year. Finally I break down, I don't think I've ever stepped foot into a GAP store before. Usually their price range is a little high. I justified it to myself, that good quality will last, and I deserve it (besides pay day is tomorrow.. right??)

So I go in. Like a deer in the headlights, I'm sure the sales rep could see me a mile away. So she guides me in the right direction, helps me narrow down what I like. She was so nice and helpful (I'm sure a sale at the end of it would make me be that way too) So I wanted to put her through the ringer if I am going to spend this much! Super patient with my always indecisiveness, she got me. I love the jeans I got and I cant wait to wear them in. Because I am so petite they fit me differently than in the picture. I usually can't stand skinny jeans, but these were so comfy I knew I could live in them for a day.



Although I need to start the mental prep for what lies in the future of them. I remember the last time I got new jeans and wore them to work, I made sure the kids washed their hands in front of me before they could get near my pants. Maybe I will try to relax, the sales rep says she sticks by OxyClean, I guess I will just have to take her word for it.

I feel so accomplished...

Today was a good productive day. I worked a full shift at work, came home and cleaned the whole house, and even worked on projects! Amazing, most days I can hardly accomplish one thing. I will post something tomorrow on my finished project, I mostly want to bask in the glory of my shiny floors and folded laundry.

The thing about this success, is it is so short lived. You clean, then it gets messy again, and it is a vicious circle. It seems like the laundry is never all clean and put away. One load in, another out, I really start to wonder how we go through so much clothes. We only ever cycle through the same 5 outfits, how does this giant pile accumulate?? I guess I will just group that mystery together with the mysterious missing sock.

Lately I've found, I blog better at night. It could be that's the only time I get to sit down. I've always been a night person. Staying up till 3 in the morning, I believe I think better at night. During the day I am so all over the place, there is no way I could sit down and concentrate. Any blog I've written during the day, has taken 4 hours of just trying to get it all together. Not to mention the minute I start to write, I am being called upon for something.

I can no longer stay up till 3, not even really till 11:30. Everyone, even myself, our referring to us (being me and my man) as "Old people". We eat early, we go to bed early, we even drive slow. This can't be helped, when your expected to be at work before the sun is up, it happens. That's the only thing, even after a year, I still have a hard time with. I've never been a morning person. I really enjoy sleeping, and even more if its during the day. If the sun is not up, neither am I. I do have to say, ending my work day at 12:30 is a sweet gig.

Luigi and Funnel Cake

A big craft with the kids at school are always these itty bitty tiny plastic beads called "Perler Fuse beads". They range in all different sorts of colors. You place them on a grid or pre cut shapes. Then all you do is iron the beads together.

They have been around for some time, and I remember loving them when I was a kid. It is always amazing to still see kids interested in the same things as you were as a child. I always impress the kids with my knowledge of Poke'mon, they don't believe that adults can know anything about their interests. Another, which is from when I was even younger is Mario Bros.

Staying current with what is hip and cool with the youngsters today, is getting harder all the time. But Nintendo has kept themselves so current that all the age groups know, recognize and love the characters. Just messing around with the fuse beads one day I decided to make a Mario out of fuse beads and later make a Luigi. The kids fell in love with them so much, I had to make a color plan for them to follow.

Later in the day, we had our clubs for the kids. Flour children is cooking. Drama, Hard Hats is a recreation center with recyclables and art. The cooking club was making homemade funnel cakes. It smelled just like the fair, and funnel cake has always been my favorite carnival food. Of course every member of the club got a funnel cake to eat, and they made just enough for all the teachers to get some. It was so good, I never realized how easy it was to make.

I think it would be too dangerous if I decided to attempt it at home. I would have funnel cake every day if I had it my way. All they did was whip up some pancake batter. Put it in a bottle, to be able to pour it out, they also used a deep pan with hot oil to fry them in. And Voila, Fresh hot carnival food right in your very own kitchen. I think I've even seen kits before..

Yup decidedly too dangerous. I think I will stick to getting a treat now and then at work, if I bring it home that will be too much. More so than funnel cake, I love impressing the kids with my fuse bead skills, that is a treat enough.

Happy Anniversary!

Today is my parents 24th wedding anniversary!

A toast to them and many more happy years together.

I am so blessed to still have both my parents together. Both of my parents are just wonderful people. They have always been such providers and great supporters throughout the years. Without them being such a strong team together, I'm sure we would all be much crazier now. So in honor of their years together raising me and my sisters, I will drop off a nice bottle of champagne. Of course I will leave them to their bubbly and desert for a quiet night in.

I think as children we always take advantage of our parents and their patience with us. When do you stop to really thank them for the years of taking care of you, driving you to practice and supporting you in all your passing hobbies (which I had a few). I am sure me and my sisters put quite the strain on a happy marriage, and they are still holding strong, now that is something.

...In other news, today I received my sketch book for the "Sketch Book Project". Now I just have to think of images to put into it. You must pick a theme to go with your book. None of the themes seemed to fit me very well, so somehow I landed on "Sorry I forgot you". The themes are just a jumping point, it can go anywhere from there. I will prolly spend a good two weeks just brainstorming ideas. When the time is right, I know I will just take a good three days filling it up. It really is exciting to think that my drawings will be viewed by people all over the country. Also puts a little pressure on myself to make it perfect.

Well with it being such a beautiful day out, I think I will go for a bike ride. This time, I will not try to eat ice cream at the same time, as last time It dripped all over my pants. oh well, after you work with kids long enough, you've had much stranger things be on your pants. Although I think my jeans are magic, because it all washes out.

New Blog, Where to start?

It's always very weird to be writing to no one. First post, nothing else on the page to go by. I could just jump right into it, but I think I will start out with a little intro. So I did have a blog "Almost DIY Decor".. I say did ,I mean DO. It is a blog about my home projects, such as painting and fixing up furniture finds. That's all good, but life can get really busy sometimes for large projects and I do not always have new finds to show off.

My mom has a blog 'Ruby's Musings' , its basically her life blog. Things she does, shopping and wine tasting, and so on. I envied her freedom to post whatever it was that she was feeling or decided to talk about. With my DIY page I felt like I had pin-holed my blog. So keeping that one for when I get around to my projects I decided to start this one. Basically a home for my daily adventures, misadventures and goings-ons.

I am 21, and live with my darling man and his two friends. We all have found a way to co-exist as a family unit of our own. I work for my city and their summer/school year day care. As well as assisting in a preschool class. The inspiration for my 'title' and name. I am known to all the kids as "Miss Rebecca", or as they so kindly refer to me as "miss shorty" at times. Only being a short 5 ft nothing, a lot of the kids are close to my height or they would like to think they are.

Working with kids is really rewarding, and also very tiring. Everyday is like an episode of "Kids say the darnedest things". I usually just go over to my mom's and talk her ear off about everything going on at school. Now I can just write it all down.

Tomorrow is the beginning of another week. Until then.. goodnight blog world.