I'm Goin' Ta Boston!

The kid is feeling uncomfortable about traveling to Boston. And I'm feeling uncomfortable about leaving him for a whole week end...so...I'm going for a day trip tomorrow.

Yes. Leaving at 5 am, driving for 6 hours, hanging out, eating Indian food, shopping at the Indian grocery (and whole foods, and Trader Joe's - I'm such a hick), attending the daughter's concert, flash visiting a friend, and breathing the good, Boston air. I love Boston. Then driving 6 hours home.

I should be home by midnight.

Sunrise/Sunset

Sunrise

Sunset

Still tying to find a new normal, one day at a time.

It's been a beautiful, sparkly November. But. Mourning the loss of the old normal today. And. Fighting fear.

Next Week

Sunday: day (!) trip to Boston, return sometime around midnight

Monday: car to the shop

Monday: administer 5th grade NYS Social Studies Test (I am responsible for ~80 kids' performance, since I am the 5th grade social studies teacher)

Tuesday: administer 5th grade NYS Social Studies Test

Wednesday: report card collaboration

Thursday: Thai food

Friday: 1/2 day training in a city far, far away, which will make me qualified to grade the 5th Grade NYS Social Studies Test

And we have marathon P/T conferences Thanksgiving week...

Gay Marriage In New York

Hey. If you are a New York citizen and believe in equal rights, call you state senator and tell him/her to vote on the gay marriage bill.* If it passes the senate, Governor Patterson said he would sign it!

This link makes it really easy!

It's so much easier here than California and Maine. No referenda! Once it's a law, it stays a law unless the law is changed legislatively!

I'm calling my Senator, Darrel Aubertine, today. I'm also sending him a letter and a chocolate bar to remind him that sweethearts should be able to marry. I suspect he already supports this bill, but he needs some motivation to act!

*Here's a thought. If you don't like gay marriage, don't marry someone who is gay!

I finished a project using 2 old, moth eaten, jersey, boat neck tops. And there was this pile of left over strips. I did not want to throw them away; these shirts had such good mojo.



So I made miniature batts for pot holders. (I looove making pot holders. They are fast, easy, useful and they make great gifts.) I sandwiched them in between some muslin scraps, and criss-crossed them in place.



Years ago, tragedy struck, and I just could not bring myself to do patchwork anymore. More recently, I was struck with the urge to clean the sewing room of ufo's* and reminders of unhappy days. There was this pile of starry blocks from a 4 seasons quilt I was planning back then.



They became gifts I gave my friends on my birthday.



I still have one quilt to make, but that is a future post.

*unfinished objects

I'm The Cool Mom

Who teaches her kid's friends useful skills while we wait for breakfast in restaurants.

I enjoy making bags. Quality of life improves when you can contain your stuff. And if your stuff is contained, you are likely to have less of it.

This potato sack came into my life before we made the change to organic. It's purple and plastic. I just had to make a puple plastic purse. (Anybody else love Lilly and the Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes? I'd link, but I still don't know how to cut and paste w/out a mouse.)



Here is the inside. I made a lining with muslin, and added some colorful pockets.



A casing, a drawstring, and a strip to cover the label. There you go.



I also added a lining and pockets to...



A rice bag.



No tutorials, I just keep working until everything looks right. And I rarely do the same thing twice. Those bags became birthday presents to two deserving 20 somethings.