The Boy

Sixteen years.

Sixteen?  How is that even possible?

Just last week he was a tiny baby (and I was barely more than a child).  Just yesterday he learned to walk and play card games and tap his toe to the rhythm of the music.

There's just no way that my little baby has become this broad-shouldered, nearly six foot tall man-child.  It doesn't seem possible. 

And yet, here he is.  He's an amazing kid.  He...

• makes amazing chocolate chip cookies.
• loves video games.  A lot.  But a few days ago he decided to skip having any game time until he returned from a trip downstate because he knew he was going to have lots of extra time for his birthday - such a mature idea!
• has a 5 year old best friend.  He and Pookie are two peas in a pod.
• loves to draw and is constantly making strides to improve his skills.  His favorite subject?  Dragons.
• would rather play Phase 10 than any other card game and most any other board game.  It's been his favorite game since he was about 11.
• likes spicy food.
• is into the fantasy genre more than any other.  He loves Dungeons and Dragons, Magic: The Gathering and any book or movie involving dragons, elves, spirits, wizards or sorcerers, etc...
• is an avid reader, devouring an average of two books a week.
• has a current overall grade of 96%.
• helps out whenever I ask, with little or no attitude.
• has a great eye when it comes to photography.
• likes rock music and sings along when he thinks no one is watching/listening.
• was adopted by Bryant when he was 4. 
• refills the bird feeders for me whenever they need it because he knows I can't reach the tops very well and he can.
• is crazy smart, super creative and all around one of the coolest people I know.

Happy birthday, Baby!  I love you!

Flabbergasted



Crab apple blossoms

 Wow!  So, on a whim I decided to check out the stats for this blog and I was shocked, amazed and humbled to learn that I've been read in quite a few countries, including Russia, the UK and Iran.

I understand that those may have been one time deals, probably those people haven't come back for more, especially since I haven't been writing as often as I should.  But I'm still amazed. 

I Googled my little blog and found out that using the search "Swiss Army Wife" I'm on the sixth page.  Six!  Out of gazillions.  That's pretty crazy.

When I started this blog I expected to be read primarily by people I'd see at Gram's house on a holiday, maybe a stray reader here and there.  I certainly didn't expect to be seen by people a world away.

Now I'm feeling a little self conscious, but also encouraged and motivated to make blogging more of a priority in my life. 

So thank you, readers, for taking a moment out of your busy day to stop by.  Feel free to leave comments, especially if you're not related - I'd love to know what drew you here and where you're from. 

By the Bay

Idea fog

I wake up slowly most of the time.  My brain simply does not go from sleep to wake with any speed or efficiency like some people's might. 

So here it is, 9 AM.  I've been awake or nearly awake for just over an hour, but it's only now, as I'm eating my breakfast, that I'm beginning to feel some semblance of brain activity.  Everything before now has been auto-pilot. 

This morning I've felt a little niggle in the back of my brain, like an idea was forming but I wasn't quite able to see it yet.  I felt it when I snuggled Pookie on the loveseat.  It reared it's head again while I chatted about music with The Boy.  And again as I fixed ham and eggs with sourdough toast for Bryant. 

It was only as I sat here with my own breakfast that I began to see the details of my idea, an idea that can be summed up in only a few short words...

Family road trip.

Ampullaria (Pomacea) cuprina

This is MapleShade.  She/he/it is a Gold Mystery Snail.

We decided to do a science project in January and I'm ashamed to say that I didn't do as much research as I should have before we started.  Had I done my research, I would have known that this particular type of snail is a hermaphrodite (they don't need to have sex to breed, they have both sets of organs).

Those little packets that look like tiny wads of chewing gum are actually the egg sacs.  The eggs will stay where they are, allowing the snails to grow for 2 - 4 weeks.  They don't necessarily hatch at the same time as the water temperature plays a role in how quickly the eggs develop.  In a small, controlled environment like this, there isn't much difference in the water temperature, but in a large aquarium or in nature, it can have a huge effect. 

We currently have four egg sacs, each containing up to 15 eggs, though most of those will be devoured by the snail or snails that hatch first.  Only one or two eggs from each sac will survive long enough to hatch.  Once they do hatch, the babies will eat the softest vegetation, steering away from the healthier, more robust parts of the plant.  After about a week, they can eat anything the adults can.

We started with two Mystery Snails, a gold and a dark brown.  Another tidbit I wish I'd known before I bought them is that this type of snail typically lives for 2 - 10 years, sometimes longer if the water is kept around 80 degrees.  Albert, the dark brown snail, died within a month, but not before the egg sacs he was covered with hatched. 

These are both from the first egg group and the larger one near the top is about 1/4 inch long.  We haven't named the little ones because there are so many of them (15 at last count) and we don't really have a good way of telling them apart. 

That darker shell is what's left of Albert.  When his babies hatched, they could often be seen crawling in or on his shell.  I assume that is a protective instinct since their shells take a bit of time to harden and they would be searching for safety from predators.   

We bought a single plant in January when we set up our little snail habitat and just last week we had to replace it.  The snails eat the plant or will also eat small pieces of spinach, kale or other leafy greens, as well as cooked carrots, cucumbers and, in extreme circumstances, other snails.

Our snails live in a one gallon glass jar and they seem to do fine, although I don't think it can hold too many more before we'll have to start disposing of the egg sacs before they hatch. 

The cover of our jar is a piece of mesh bag (that I bought oranges in), cut to size and tied with a shoelace to keep it in place.  Snails are prone to leaving if they're uncomfortable and I didn't want to wake up to find snails on the living room floor one day.  As it is, I think the mesh is pretty unnecessary at this point.  MapleShade doesn't try to escape and the holes in the mesh are too big to keep the small snails in.  But it keeps us from accidentally dropping things into the jar, if nothing else. 

The kids love to watch the snails and it can be quite entertaining to watch them crawl all the way to the top of the jar and then simply let go and float down to the bottom again.  All in all, I wish I'd done the research before we bought them, but I'm glad we did. 

Time flies when you're having fun

A month ago, I turned my alarm clock around so that I couldn't see the digits anymore. 

Two days ago, I unplugged it for good. 

It wasn't the alarm that bothered me (although I hate having to wake up before I'm ready) or even the light from the digits.  It was the time.

I'd wake up in the night and glance at the clock before closing my eyes again.  As I laid there, trying in vain to get back to sleep, I'd start thinking about how many minutes until I had to get up.  If it was 2:30 AM, I'd start thinking that I had to be up in less than 5 hours and then I'd start to think about all the things I had planned for the following day and going over lessons or chore lists or ingredients for dinner, etc...

This would go on for a bit, then I'd fall back asleep, but if I woke up again (on my own or with help from a small person), the whole process would start over.  The more it happened, the worse I slept and the more it happened.  It was really just a vicious cycle. 

So I've given my alarm clock to The Boy and I'm simply using my cell phone alarm to get me up in the morning.  And yeah, I could just flick my cell on and see the time, but that would require me to get out of bed and that's something I just really don't like to do, especially when I'm all warm and cozy. 

And since I turned my clock around, I've been sleeping so much better!

Soaping Up

Holey moley - it's been a long time since I wrote anything here!  I didn't realize just how long until I happened to see that I haven't posted since mid-April.  Yikes.  : )

Quite a few years ago (like 8-10) I learned how to make cold-process soap.   That's soap from scratch using fats and lye, it has to cure for no less than 2 weeks and up to 8 so that the lye doesn't chemically burn your skin when you use it.  It's been a long time since I made any, but it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately. 

I really enjoyed trying out new fragrances and different ingredients to make unique finished products. 

So here's my question to you, lovely readers:  If you could have any kind of custom scented soap, what would you go for?

The Flaw in the To Do List

I love a good To Do List as much as they next girl, and probably more than most.  Honestly, I love lists in general and lists of things to do (whether it's chores, crafts or cookies to make) keep me focused and happy.
So I make myself a list most mornings; it's full of things like calling the doctor to set an appointment, make a house payment, clean out the fridge, work on lesson plans, exercise and whatever other tasks I need to accomplish. 

When I look back at the end of the day, my list is (usually) checked off and there is a certain sense of accomplishment in it, but it's lacking.  It shows the things I plan into my day, but not nearly all of what I do.

A To Do list doesn't show the 10 minutes I spent organizing a massive hunt for Lego General Grievous' head, the 45 minutes spent making cookies with Pibb because he needed a little extra attention, the three hours I spent practicing photography with Bryant or the hour and a half I spent putting my room back together after tearing it apart in search of some little crafty bit I simply had to have right then.

To right this rather egregious wrong, I'm thinking of making a "Done" list each day.  Not necessarily every single tiny thing should go on it; I probably don't need to write down that I put the lid back on the margarine tub and stuck it in the fridge this morning.  But definitely the 5 minutes I spent helping Pookie put together a Lego creation qualifies for a spot.  Or the 10 minutes it took me to whip up Bryant's eggs, ham and toast.

My point is this: Every day we accomplish things we don't give ourselves credit for.  Maybe it's time we start.

This child...

Today...

Today my baby turns five years old.

This child:

• Sleeps with a stuffed bunny from his first Easter and a Lego man flashlight named Big Abner.
• Requested that for his birthday we have frozen pizza for lunch and they be individually wrapped so that each person could open something on his birthday.
• Pronounces, "all right" as "all white."  We haven't tried to correct him because it's ridiculously cute.
• Tells me my hair is beautiful when he wants something.
• Isn't afraid of much, except dogs.
• Still bangs his head at night, though not too much.  From the time he was big enough to get up on his hands and knees he's rocked himself back and forth, knocking his head into the crib bars.  His doctor said it's not that uncommon and he'll likely outgrow it.
• Is extremely impatient for his breakfast.  If it takes longer than pouring cereal into a bowl, he's not interested.  Except on Sunday - every Sunday Bryant and The Boy work together to make pancakes for all of us and Pookie loves them!
• LOVES dough.  Every time I make a bread product, he asks for a piece of dough to play with.  He uses the rolling pin and cookie cutters and butter knives to create his own version of cookies or breads.  We "rise" them in a bowl and "bake" them in boxes.  Then he pretends to eat them and throws them away. 
• Is quite specific about what names he'll accept being called.  If asked, he'll tell you that you can call him Pookie, Peanut or his full name.  And by full name he means first, middle and last. 
• Likes to play outside, but fears the wind.
• Is always collecting something.  Whenever we leave the house, he'll tell us what he's collecting and whenever we see one, we tell him and he keeps track of the count.  Sometimes it's simple, like snowmobiles or deer, other times it's something so common it's barely noticed.  On the nearly three hour drive home yesterday, it was black cars.  I don't have a final count, though, because he fell asleep halfway.
• Is a snuggler and every morning he tells me he's empty of Mama-love.  We have a big hug and it fills him up.  Anytime he's feeling a little lonely or down, he tells me he's empty.  It's unbelievably sweet.

Happy birthday sweet, wonderful, intelligent, amazing Pookie!

More than we need?

Not too long ago, someone asked me what kind of kitchen appliances I owned and which ones I used most often.  It really got me thinking about what we own vs. what we actually use.

Kitchen-Aid stand mixer?  At least once a week.

Slow cooker?  At least once a week, usually two or three times.  I do own three regular slow cookers and one tiny "dippers" sized one.  I use the large oblong one very often and the smaller ones occasionally.  I've never used the little one - it was a bonus in the package when we bought the big one. 

Fondue pot?  Um...never used it.  Something about a pot of blazing hot oil scares the bejeebers out of me.

Toaster?  Our most used small appliance - nearly every weekday I make eggs and toast for Bryant's breakfast.  The kids also love toast and often make it for lunch or snacks.

Food processor?  Once in the last two years. 

Deep fryer?  Maybe three times a year, but only Bryant actually uses it - I'm more than a little afraid of it.

Coffee pot?  Only when one of my sisters visits - so half a dozen times a year.

Blender?  Twice in the last year.

Electric skillet?  I don't think we've used that at all since we moved in here - so that's 7 years.

Of those things I don't use often, I think only the coffee pot and the deep fryer are things I would miss if they were gone. 

That got me thinking about other areas of my life.  Like the shelf in the dining room that is filled with random old school workbooks, empty binders and misc. junk.  Or the boxes of fabric from when I thought I wanted to be a quilter (turns out I don't).  Or the books that are way too simple/infant-oriented for Pookie, but I can't bring myself to get rid of.  Like the stacks of specialty shaped cake pans I don't have time or inclination to play with very often. 

And the kids?  Do they really need bedrooms so full of toys that they can't see the floor anymore?  Or so many books that they'll never read them all before they outgrow the subject matter? 

I don't think so. 

Maybe it's time to simplify our lives a little...

I think I'll start with that shelf in the dining room.