June 2012
4 posts
A Picture a Day - June 4, 2012
Recipes
My big project this summer (well, besides writing a novel) is to move all my recipes from the big cumbersome recipe book I put together when the girls were babies into this more streamlined 3x5 card box. It means doing a lot of writing on those small cards.
I suppose I could be even more up-to-date and enter them into my computer, but I’m old school enough to appreciate the...
A Picture a Day - June 3, 2012
Iowa City Arts Festival
Iowa City has many festivals/concerts throughout the summertime. It’s a nice plus to living in a small college town. Iowa City can be very charming that way.
A Picture a Day - June 1, 2012
Settlers
I’ve played this game several times and have never won. Oh, how it bewitches me! I keep thinking it’s due to bad luck, but maybe I’m lucky I never had to be a nation-builder.
Othello? That’s my game. I never lose at Othello.
A Picture a Day - June 1, 2012
What’s this? Why, it’s my favorite day of the year!
It’s the day I get to toss out the old and grimy lunch boxes!
On that note, school had a slide show for the graduating sixth graders with pictures and answers to the question, “What is your favorite school memory?” Her favorite memory of the year was, “Not eating school lunches, because they taste...
The Twenty-First Finished Object of 2012
Blanket, starring Pippa
She really had nothing to do with it.
Pattern: Easy Ripple Afghan
Yarn: Various Cheap Acrylic Worsted Weights
Hook : J
For: House
Ravelry Page
Nothing much to say here. I had a bunch of leftover acrylics, as one tends to have, so I made this afghan. Cat needs to be in every picture, doesn’t she?
May 2012
34 posts
A Picture a Day - May 31, 2012
Graduation
My oldest daughter graduated from grade school today. There she is walking up to the front of the gym. She’s so ready to be done with grade school. So, so ready.
A Picture a Day - May 30, 2012
Lily
Last summer I picked up a bunch of up a bunch of lilies at the nearby drugstore for $1 a pop. Now they’re starting to bloom. This very much makes me feel like a winner.
A Picture a Day - May 29, 2012
The dump is burning in our city.
I took this picture last night, on our way to get ice cream.
Luckily, the dump is way on the other side of town, although this morning you could smell it in our neighborhood. They layer the refuse with a lining of shredded tires, and that’s what we can really smell. It’s pretty horrible.
I always joke around that “they” take our...
A Picture a Day - May 27, 2012
Pippa on my knitting bag.
How is this comfortable?
A Picture a Day - May 27, 2012
Great-Nephews
Please note, the outfit on the left was provided by yours truly.
A Picture a Day - May 26, 2012
Iowa City Farmer’s Market
A Picture a Day - May 25, 2012
Crayons
This is about 12 1/2 years of crayon collecting.
A Picture a Day - May 24, 2012
Petunias on my deck
A Picture a Day - May 23, 2012
Billy the Horse
Last night I took my youngest daughter horseback riding and we met a horse named Billy. He’s pretty beautiful. He’s also a little egotistical.
I guess if I looked like Billy, I would be, too.
A Picture a Day - May 22, 2012
Candles
Candles are an issue in my house. I never really burn them because:
a) I forget I have them
b) The lighter is in the kitchen and I usually hang out in my den/tv room
c) They make my husband nervous. I believe he has issues with open flames.
A Picture a Day - May 21, 2012
Bird House
We’ve had this bird house forever—I honestly don’t know where we got it or if someone gave it to us, or what. Likely it was part of a school project.
When we moved into the house I decided to put it in the burning bush next to the garage.
Over the years it’s been home to a variety of little bird families. This year it houses a wren.
She was quite...
A Picture a Day - May 20, 2012
Strawberry Pie
I made a strawberry pie this weekend. Here’s my husband’s take on it. I think this is kind of disgusting yet kind of fantastic.
A Picture a Day - May 19, 2012
Spotted at Menard’s last night:
Reminds me of the saying—-just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.
A Picture a Day - May 18, 2012
Pippa
She kind of photographs like a blob with eyes.
A Picture a Day - May 17, 2012
Breakfast
Cheerios, almond milk, and blackberries.
I don’t love fruit on cereal, but this passed as acceptable.
A Picture a Day - May 16, 2012
Iced Tea
Bound Off Short Story Podcast: Issue 76 Released...
A Picture a Day - May 15, 2012
Spring is here
Someone wishes she could go outside.
A Picture a Day - May 14, 2012
Today our garage door was replaced.
About a month ago I went to open the garage and heard a loud crash. Turned out, a bunch of stuff went wrong all at once. Something about pulleys and wires. (I know, I really have a strong knowledge of how a garage door works.)
So the garage door guy comes out, takes one look and says, “Yep. You’re going to need a new one.”
One always...
A Picture a Day - May 13, 2012
Happy Mother’s Day
This was taken about 11 years ago.
But I still think of them in this way. Probably always will.
A Picture a Day - May 12, 2012
Band Concert
I like the sight of all that brass.
A Picture a Day - May 11, 2012
The view from my kitchen window this morning.
I spy developers.
When we moved into this house in the summer of 2007, our backyard was a canvas, and being gardeners, we were really excited to see what we could grow. A small creek flowed right at the border, and beyond that were woods. It was beautiful.
But by the following year, the local weather changed patterns. What once was a dry area...
A Picture a Day - May 10, 2012
Harvest
Kind of great, although kind of lame. You’d think with the spring we’ve had I would already have a bountiful harvest. You’d think.
Still. Nice to have something to add to the salad tonight. Considering I put them in around a month ago.
A Picture a Day - May 9, 2012
Junior High
Today I went with my daughter’s class to visit the junior high. Two things:
1-Deer in headlights look was not limited to students
2-When did they start allowing pop vending machines in junior highs?
A Picture a Day - May 8, 2012
Today I had lunch with my sister, my nephew, and my niece.
I mean, yum. Who doesn’t love a big bowl of spaghetti and a tall glass of milk?
A Picture a Day - May 7, 2012
Yesterday we went to a play in Cedar Rapids. We sat in the balcony, and although I had a mini-panic attack because of my fear of heights, I powered through.
During the intermission, we found a phone booth. No phone, natch, but one assumes it can be used for those who want to speak privately on their cell phones.
My otherwise beautiful child hates getting her picture taken. Can you tell?
...
A Picture a Day - May 6, 2012
Last night I hung out with my sister and a friend of ours. We ate this and this.
Then we fell into diabetic comas and turned on the television. There was not one show the three of us could agree on. It was quite perplexing. We started lamenting Lost, and decided to pull it up on Nexflix. However, the one episode we all wanted to watch was curiously unavailable to stream on her television. ...
A Picture a Day - May 5, 2012
Plants from the Project Green plant sale
The Twentieth Finished Object of 2012
Okay, so. I’ve written about this sweater endlessly on my tumblr, but now that it’s over, it’s like giving birth. You just forget about all that labor. (Actually, giving birth was much easier for me. I had epidurals. This was all pain, all the time.)
Pattern: Whisper Cardigan
Yarn: EY Handpaints Merino Lace
Needle: 2, 4, and 7
For: Me
Ravelry Page
A Picture a Day - May 4, 2012
Lots of storms here last night, so my daughter came out of her room wearing these.
Great use for “spy glasses” in case the lights go out.
A Picture a Day - May 3, 2012
Lilies
A Picture a Day - May 2, 2012
My daughter manhandling a snake
Fearless
A Picture a Day - May 1, 2012
Chocolate
A friend of mine went to England last week and brought back some chocolate for me. After the plumbing fiasco, this is a major win!
April 2012
31 posts
A Picture a Day - April 30, 2012
Actually, three pictures!
Basement plumbing work, which we originally thought would cost an arm and a leg, but turns out, only an arm.
I cannot express enough how upset the cat was by the jackhammering.
A Picture a Day - April 29, 2012
Date Night
Last night we had a date night. Our daughters were invited to a birthday party, and one was to stay overnight. We had a couple hours to kill before picking up the other kid.
We started the night in a sushi bar, where we had to move tables because these people next to us brought their mangy and very loud children. Our new table was much better—we were seated by a pair of...
A Picture a Day - April 28, 2012
Well, it’s from last night, but there are no rules here, are there?
Caprese Pizza. We usually make them in the summer, with basil and tomatoes out of the garden. I just had a hankering last night and was it good.
A Picture a Day - April 27, 2012
What’s this?
Finally, after a month of reading essays, I’ve had a break and was able to write some more on my new novel.
Of course, I start reading more essays on Monday, and I have to work this weekend. Still. I was happy to do some writing. A good day.
A Picture a Day - April 26, 2012
Cats
Glass truly is the great equalizer.
A Picture a Day - April 25, 2012
Map of India
Our daughter is making a map of India for school, and our other daughter chipped in to help. Isn’t it just delightful?
She has to come up with a “name” for the map. She wants to name it “Big Map of India” but I thought “Home of Raj Koothrappail” would be cooler. That got dissed pretty fast.
A Picture a Day - April 24, 2012
Remember the second post about the laceweight sweater?
Still working on this thing. It’s killing me. I have no idea where I am, percentage-wise. Could be 50%, could be 75%. It’s hard to know. I’ve never knitted such a beguiling pattern.
Right now, I am knitting the collar, and I’m supposed to have 3” of ribbing. Right now I’m at 2”. I started it...
A Picture a Day - April 23, 2012
Today I did some spring cleaning in the kitchen.
Apparently, it’s the first time I’ve done so in three years.
I don’t eat expired food. I don’t care how “okay” or whatever it is to eat expired food. Eating expired food is a bad idea. You heard it here first.
A Picture a Day - April 22, 2012
Backyard Project
Our backyard is a disaster. It really is.
Since the past several years have been really wet ones, the last half of our backyard has become a swamp. There has been some development in the forest behind our house, and we had hoped that would solve some serious drainage problems, but it has not. (You can kind of see what I’m talking about here. It’s all mud....
A Picture a Day - April 21, 2012
Today was the Royal Wedding Day on My Little Pony.
My girls love this show, so we planned a party.
We made our own ponies.
Got comfortable in front of the TV.
And had cake!
It was a perilous journey, but as one can guess, all was well in the end! Congrats to the bride and groom!
A Picture a Day - April 20, 2012
They sure make some interesting things in art class, don’t they?
A Picture a Day - April 19, 2012
In my adult life I’ve had a white cat and a gray cat. Now I have a black cat.
Black cats are hard to photograph.