I know I’ve been gone for a while but life and work have taken up most of my attention. Our garden, despite late breaking efforts, has not fared so well this summer. Big Guy and I both think that our difficulties this summer had something to do with it. I am able to harvest some very delicious tomatoes which are FINALLY turning red. The coolness of the weather this year affected their color and I still have more green tomatoes than red ones.
We’re coming to the end of the August class. Starting next week, I have another class of students and the cycle starts all over again. I’ve decided to go in a different direction in some cases, especially since I have access to a nice computer and a projector.
However, in the meantime, I need to finish up my OMGSUPERSECRET project because I lost a week I thought I had to work on it. And that is what I am doing today. I am over 2/3rds done, I just need to get that final push done and finish it this week. Once that’s done, I can breathe a little easier and actually have some free time. Go me!
Right now, Little Guy and I are watching MSNBC’s coverage of the death of Senator Kennedy. It truly is a sad day. I can only hope the health care bill doesn’t fail because of this. That would truly be horrible. Something that man worked so hard for, he got so close to seeing the frution of his life’s work… And then he dies. It’s truly a tragic story, and perhaps another chapter of the Kennedy Curse. I’ll post more thoughts on this later, particularly my reactions to the disgusting comments the Rabid Right have posted across the internet.
On the humerous side of this story. Senator Kennedy was known as the “Lion of the Senate.” Every time that moniker is placed on the screen, Little Guy exclaims: “Oh! A Lion!” He recognizes the word. My sweet boy, so smart and turning in to such a good reader!
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Turn the Page
It’s been a busy week. I have to admit, I am glad it’s almost over. For me, it really is. I don’t have class tomorrow because they are moving to the new building and that means no teaching at all until Monday. What a break!
Now, aside from grading, I really have time to focus on some other things… Like writing in my blog and working on my OMGSOSUPERSOSECRETPROJECT and working on my novel. It’s been a rough summer, and it is probably only just beginning to hit us exactly how rough a summer it was. I am going through, getting rid of clothes and gathering up toys, now that the house is mostly empty. We’re still trying to adjust to life without the kids and it’s beginning to hit me exactly how much I put into the kids.
When Big Guy and I got together, I was determined to be the best step-mom ever. I read books, made sure I didn’t overstep my bounds, and tried to follow the best, most rational advice available. I offered support and guidance to my husband when he tired of the games his ex was playing and really devoted a lot of time and effort into both the battle and making sure the kids had the best chance at sanity that I could provide. So, for six years, I threw myself whole-heartedly into being a step-parent, to the exclusion of many things that I really should have been doing for myself. And this May, when that effort was revealed to be useless, I really felt betrayed and destroyed by it. But, through June and July, other things occupied my thoughts and time. And now, I’m left with myself, Big Guy and Little Guy. And it’s leaving me feeling a bit jittery.
So, where do I go from here? Well, I work on something else. I focus on the things that are important, like Big Guy and Little Guy. I work on my projects. And I sit back and breathe, take stock of where I am and figure out what I am feeling (aside from the surface emotions). This is a new chapter in my life, let’s see what it says…
Now, aside from grading, I really have time to focus on some other things… Like writing in my blog and working on my OMGSOSUPERSOSECRETPROJECT and working on my novel. It’s been a rough summer, and it is probably only just beginning to hit us exactly how rough a summer it was. I am going through, getting rid of clothes and gathering up toys, now that the house is mostly empty. We’re still trying to adjust to life without the kids and it’s beginning to hit me exactly how much I put into the kids.
When Big Guy and I got together, I was determined to be the best step-mom ever. I read books, made sure I didn’t overstep my bounds, and tried to follow the best, most rational advice available. I offered support and guidance to my husband when he tired of the games his ex was playing and really devoted a lot of time and effort into both the battle and making sure the kids had the best chance at sanity that I could provide. So, for six years, I threw myself whole-heartedly into being a step-parent, to the exclusion of many things that I really should have been doing for myself. And this May, when that effort was revealed to be useless, I really felt betrayed and destroyed by it. But, through June and July, other things occupied my thoughts and time. And now, I’m left with myself, Big Guy and Little Guy. And it’s leaving me feeling a bit jittery.
So, where do I go from here? Well, I work on something else. I focus on the things that are important, like Big Guy and Little Guy. I work on my projects. And I sit back and breathe, take stock of where I am and figure out what I am feeling (aside from the surface emotions). This is a new chapter in my life, let’s see what it says…
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Cooking and Cleaning
We had taken our friend shopping since her car quit working. While we were at Kroger’s, we looked at some of the stuff that was “priced for quick sale”. They had to get rid of it or else it was going to go bad. This included 2 salmon filets and 2 portabello caps. We also had 3 bell peppers in the fridge, which we sliced with some onion and then grilled the entire set. We used olive oil and went very light on the seasonings.
It was amazingly fresh and delicious.
I also spent most of today cleaning. I managed to get our family room in reletively OK shape. I vacuumed, picked up, and threw out all the excess papers that we seem to hang on to, “just in case”. We’ve got company tomorrow, arriving for a D&D game. And there was no way I was going to have company in our house when it looked like a tornado had decimated the place.
We’re going to start buckling down now that things are slowing down, and hopefully, we’ll be able to come to some sort of peace in the house as well. We’ll pack up some of the kids’ clothes and toys and take them to Goodwill. It’s important that we start reclaiming our lives and moving forward.
Thursday, August 6, 2009
Getting out of the rut
“You’ve got to get yourself together
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it” - U2
Last month, I decided, was a wash. Between Big Guy’s toes and my aunt passing away and the class I was teaching, the month got away from me and nothing got done. It was all I could do to keep up with Little Guy and the class I was teaching. Hence, my absence from my blog.
However, I am trying to get back in to the swing of things. I have a class this month, teaching Comp II. I am working on a super secret project for September. And still planning on the Harvest Market with my mom. Sadly, though, my Garden is not thriving. It’s growing, slowly… But I am really going to need to either add to or replace some of the dirt I have.
When we got back from Ohio in Mid July, we notice that we had a serious fly problem. They had gotten in the house and were extremely annoying. So, we made sure all screens were closed and began to come up with ways to get rid of the flies.
Unlike my mom, we have no chickens to get rid of flies, so we needed to come up with something less alive. I finally settled on a homemade fly trap. I took an empty beer bottle, water, sugar, a part of a banana peel, and dish soap and combine them. The idea is that the water, sugar, and banana peel interest the flies and they will fly into the beer bottle to get some food to eat where it becomes a “Fly Motel” of sorts. The narrow neck of the beer bottle ensures that it’s a one way trip and the dish soap prevents the flies from being able to land on the water and they drown instead.
Getting back into the swing of things, being creative, it’s still difficult… But, as with most things, life rolls on whether or not you want it to, whether or not you feel ready. Do you take part or do you sit at the side?
“And if the night runs over
And if the day won’t last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass
It’s just a moment
This time will pass” - U2, Stuck in a Moment
You’ve got stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it
Don’t say that later will be better
Now you’re stuck in a moment
And you can’t get out of it” - U2
Last month, I decided, was a wash. Between Big Guy’s toes and my aunt passing away and the class I was teaching, the month got away from me and nothing got done. It was all I could do to keep up with Little Guy and the class I was teaching. Hence, my absence from my blog.
However, I am trying to get back in to the swing of things. I have a class this month, teaching Comp II. I am working on a super secret project for September. And still planning on the Harvest Market with my mom. Sadly, though, my Garden is not thriving. It’s growing, slowly… But I am really going to need to either add to or replace some of the dirt I have.
When we got back from Ohio in Mid July, we notice that we had a serious fly problem. They had gotten in the house and were extremely annoying. So, we made sure all screens were closed and began to come up with ways to get rid of the flies.
Unlike my mom, we have no chickens to get rid of flies, so we needed to come up with something less alive. I finally settled on a homemade fly trap. I took an empty beer bottle, water, sugar, a part of a banana peel, and dish soap and combine them. The idea is that the water, sugar, and banana peel interest the flies and they will fly into the beer bottle to get some food to eat where it becomes a “Fly Motel” of sorts. The narrow neck of the beer bottle ensures that it’s a one way trip and the dish soap prevents the flies from being able to land on the water and they drown instead.
Getting back into the swing of things, being creative, it’s still difficult… But, as with most things, life rolls on whether or not you want it to, whether or not you feel ready. Do you take part or do you sit at the side?
“And if the night runs over
And if the day won’t last
And if your way should falter
Along this stony pass
It’s just a moment
This time will pass” - U2, Stuck in a Moment
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)