Tickets

to see The Half Blood Prince.  Wednesday at 1:40.  I can't wait.  I wish Rachel was here.

Something I Noticed

from google images

The guy on this coin bears a stricking resemblance to the guy in this photo.

from patti's iPhone

This guy is my brother.  He might not be the only guy in Florida qualified to wear his hair in a Mohawk.  Seein' as he's half Akwesasne Mohawk, and there might be a few more of us in Florida.  But he is probably the only blond haired/blue eyed Akwesasne Mohawk in Florida. He sure is handsome.

Cut The Crap

I bought these capris at the local 2nd hand shop for $2. I bought them because they were cheap, they fit (2 sizes smaller than last summer! Yay!), and I have this thing for green pants. I own 4 pairs, and I have the fabric to make another (as soon as I find a good pattern for side zip trousers).

These particular pants, though, had lots of extraneous stuff hanging from them...zipper pulls, cords, straps, d rings...

So I cut them off with a pair of scissors. I kept everything, just in case I find a need for it later (who knows?). I was thinking about ripping some of the pockets off, but couldn't without leaving a mark. There are 8 (!) pockets. You know what though? I got addicted to them.

I love my new pants.

Rhubarb Cake

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Grease a 9x9" glass baking dish.

Beat together:
2 tablespoons oil
1 cup sugar
1 egg
Stir in:
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup yogurt or buttermilk
1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla)
Pour the batter into your baking dish.

Evenly distribute 2 (or 3) cups of rhubarb on top of the cake batter.
Sprinkle crumb topping over the rhubarb (see below).
Bake for 40-45 minutes.

Crumb Topping
Mix together with a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingers:
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter

Best Teacher Present Ever

Three years ago, a child handed me this and said, "Thank you for being my teacher."

If I don't get another job, next year I will be teaching 5th grade.

This child will be in my class again.

Saved

This is a perfectly serviceable oven mitt, stained with spaghetti sauce, and rescued by my son from a neighbor's can on trash day. It's a little ugly, though.



So it went through the laundry, and I stitched some cheerful sunflowers over the ugliness.
Ironic how some things that are trash picked become the most precious.

Rose Buds

Don't you just love my driveway? Isn't that just the best driveway, ever?

I took a photo of this same rosebush about 6 months ago. I'm glad I let it grow big.

2 Rainbows

I found 3 shiny, new, lucky pennies. Heads up. Next to my car.

There were 2 rainbows after a brief, exciting thunderstorm.

I can choose to face the (no doubt there will be) difficult times ahead with hope or fear.

I'm choosing hope.

(Because he's doing so well, he is tapering off the meds (with dr. supervision) twice as fast as previously discussed. He starts summer school tomorrow.

A little help here? Positive thoughts...prayer...meditations...requests to the universe...bloggy mojo...)

Joe Learns To Sew

When my son was in 8th grade, everyone made pillows in Home and Careers class. I wished he had learned to make a garment from a pattern, a much more practical skill than pillow making.

I was thrilled when he decided he wanted to make his dad some jammie pants for Father's Day. So we bought a pattern and some fabric; and I taught him to make a garment from a pattern.

Nice.

A Plunge

The Pledge

I, Patti, pledge that I shall abstain from the purchase of "new" manufactured items of clothing, for the period of 2 months. I pledge that I shall refashion, renovate, recycle preloved items for myself with my own hands in fabric, yarn or other medium for the term of my contract. I pledge that I will share the love and post a photo of my refashioned, renovoted, recycled, crafted or created item of clothing on the Wardrobe Refashion blog, so that others may share the joy that thy thriftiness brings!

I will retain the right to buy new underwear, socks, shoes, and fabric when needed.

Yearly Fruit of the Valley Routine

We live in an area of drumlins located near a great lake; both were created by the receding glacier during the last ice age.  Or so we learned in Earth Science in 8th grade.  The drumlins and the moisture from the lake make ideal conditions in the valleys for growing fruit. 

Every year we will pick strawberries, cherries (sweet and tart), raspberries, blackberries, currants, blueberries, pears, apples, and plums.  Much of the fruit gets eaten right away, but we do freeze and can a bunch for the colder months.

It's fun to go picking with a bunch of friends.

I filled my box in about 25 minutes.



In all we've picked about 30 pounds of strawberries this year.



Yum.

Smoothie Routine

My son has some pretty heavy duty health concerns. I address some of these concerns by making him a berry-based smoothie. Every. Single. Day.



I start out with either 2 cups of blueberries or one cup of blueberries and one cup of another kind of berry. This day I used frozen blueberries and freshly picked strawberries. Also included are (and I put claims from the labels in parentheses): 1/2 cup pomegranate juice (Super Antioxidant!), a crushed between 2 spoons men's multi-vitamin (Survival of the fittest!), coconut oil (Soothing!), acidophilus powder (Promotes healthy digestive action!), vegetarian version of omega 3-6-9 compound (Essential fatty acids needed for optimal health!), and l-carnitine (Transports fatty acids!  Boosts cellular energy!) All this gets processed in the vitamix until everything is liquified and blended.  

Joe drinks one everyday, chug-a-lugging the whole thing in about 45 seconds.  He says he doesn't like them, though.