DIY

Thanks to the girls and especially my mom, we now have birdseed packets for our exit from the wedding, table runners and cocktail table squares :-)  Thanks for the help, girls! 

The One Good Thing About Summer School - Besides the Paycheck

I have time to read! Every day, I give my students 50 minutes to read and I teach two classes (one morning and one afternoon). So I get to read for 100 glorious minutes a day! This has really gotten me thinking about how I need to choose my books carefully - being so excited over mandatory reading time tells me there is no time to mess around with fluff I'm going to forget. I need books that make an impact! So I thought about what I've loved and what I've hated....bringing me to the (much more complicated than I thought) task of naming my top five books. Well it can't be done. No way. Never. What I can do is create a working list of books I love and I can tell three or four books that would definitely make the cut (at the moment anyway)! But to commit to that fifth book and leave out ALL OF THE OTHER BOOKS is a little too much for me to handle without some serious time devoted to this selection process...

So these are not set in stone and they appear in no particular order. Remember that this is the current list, not the be all, end all list. I repeat, it is not the "I would bring these books to the deserted island above all others list" but it's a darn good start. And I will say, I've decided to leave Harry Potter legacy off of my list altogether even though I love that world and wish I could visit Hogwarts for real :-)

My "Top" Four:

The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon. Scandal, suspense, mystery, history, intricate story lines twisted together and fantastical ideas and love. The history of it fascinates me and I'm in awe of the complexity of the story.

The God of Small Things - Arhundhati Roy. It is so poetic and so full of voice. Absolutely immerses the reader in the culture of India's caste system and the reality of all consuming temptation - haunting after it's over. Sometimes I go to it for something old and familiar to read. For years, I have quoted this as my "favorite" book.

Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout. Is this because I just finished? I'm not sure. Only time will tell...But this is so real. The characters are so well written that you believe they are people you've met before. And there is no sugar coating the tough stuff - I love Olive even though she's a bit of a witch. And I understand the very human-ness of each character more than anything.

The Red Tent - Anita Diamant. This make me SO proud to be a woman. I have a Catholic upbringing to guide me through this very loosely biblical history so I know the characters and really enjoy reading it from a woman's perspective instead of the male centered view Bible stories normally include.

Others to consider as contenders:

Traveling Mercies by Anne Lamott

The Great Gatsby

The Poisonwood Bible

The Time Traveler's Wife

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

Heart of Darkness

Mrs. Dalloway

The Hours

Me Talk Pretty One Day

Slammerkin

And there are so many more.....how does one decide?????

The Power of Words

We finalized our wedding ceremony today!   We are so lucky to be able to have a huge hand in the creation  of a ceremony that is uniquely us.  Our wonderful minister, Coletta, gave us some samples of ceremonies she has done and we added and combined and deleted and changed to our hearts' content. We were able to choose our own readings (from both scripture and secular readings) and the structure of the ceremony down to the wording in the closing salutation.   

Some of this may seem silly to those who just want to get it done and move on to the party.  Who really wants to grapple over "you may kiss your bride" and "now you may seal your vows with a kiss" (we went with the latter for sure), but from the beginning it has been essential to me to get the words just right.  Words are everything.  I'm so proud of it and so excited that we're able to have such a meaningful ceremony that so reflects who we are and how we feel about one another and the equal partnership of love and marriage.  

Only 25 days! 

30 Days

So we are officially 30 days away from being a Mr. Foster and Mrs. Chipley-Foster!  I'm excited to marry my best friend and just cannot wait to be his wife.  

Now, if only I wasn't so stressed out....  There are not many people who read this blog and that is a-okay with me.  But because I know who reads it, I know those readers are people who care about me.  Let it be known:  There is really not anything anyone can do to put my mind at ease.  It's a financial game of chicken we're playing and other guy is winning.  All Matt and I can do is wait... and wait and wait and wait.  Those are the details for now.  

I think there may be some creative solutions in my future, but this is not the way I wanted to feel just 30 days before THE day.  

Keep your fingers crossed that we get our good news PRONTO. 

Other than this, we're moving along just fine.  Flowers confirmed. Menu confirmed.  Photography is good.  Dress fits like a glove.  Veil.  Tuxedos.  Hair.  Bridesmaids gifts. Ceremony planning.  Good, good, good, good and good.  

Matt is an "old man"

Happy 30th Birthday, Foster!  

Mom's Birthday Card

All scrapbook paper sewn onto a natural cardstock card and envelope :-)  

I really like this new hobby! 

Happy Birthday, Momma.

For my fantastic flower girl.

... And the flower girl dress transformation is complete! 

Remember the before.  Green ribbon, and way overdone pink Easter flowers on the front:

And here's the after.  Wider white ribbon and oh-so-vintage-meets rocker chic accent!

   

Been Making Some Things....

Dad turned 50 on May 20th.  He never seems truly happy with any gift I give him (always tells me not to spend money on him), so this year, my goal was to top all cards I'd ever given him.  I took a blank card, sewed some coordinating fabric on the front, sewed another swatch of cream colored paper over that and gave it a stamped greeting.  I wasn't there to see him open it since I had to send it through the mail, but mom tells me he was pleased.  Goal accomplished :-)  And new hobby found!

Last weekend, Matt was out of town and I took the day to be productive in the garden.  My first task was to dress up our mailbox with a small flower bed made of recycled brick.  I made it using the lasagna method - so much easier than I anticipated it would be!  Petunias aren't my favorite, but they grow like WEEDS so for something so front and center, I'll take 'em!  It still needs a bit of mulch, but so far I'm pleased.  

And finally, my dreams of becoming a published author take on their newest form - cook books!  How cool would it be to develop, design, create, write, and publish a book of your very own recipes?!  I've got ideas swirling!   Here's my newest creation.  I took it to a Memorial Day bbq and it was  HIT.  I had the opportunity to make it again for another event just a few days later and this time I actually measured the ingredients as I made it.  Normally, I have a hard time recreating my concoctions, but this one wasn't too hard to get right a second time.  This morning, it earned itself a name when my 1st and 2nd hour block students gave it this dandy.  From now on I will refer to it as my "Mosaic Garden Bake."  

Mosaic Garden Bake

4 cups diced sweet potatoes

2 cups peeled and chopped parsnips

2 cups asparagus chopped into 1-inch pieces

1 chopped yellow bell pepper

5 chopped green onions

1/2 cup chopped parsley

3/4 cup shredded Parmesan 

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Roast the potatoes, parsnips and olive oil at 400 degrees until vegetables are tender.  Wait until potatoes are almost finished before roasting asparagus and peppers on a baking sheet.  When asparagus is just barely tender, take out and combine.  Add parsley, green onion, salt, pepper and Parmesan cheese.  

I don't mean to brag but I could eat this every day!  If you're not cooking with fresh parsley, you are so missing out.   I think it can improve the flavor of just about anything.  Just about ;-)