Saturday, June 30, 2012

The Halfway Mark

Halfway through the year; halfway through my year. It's my half-birthday today, and I'm going to celebrate.

Everybody thinks December 31 is a great day for a birthday. Everybody celebrates, right? Yeah, at new year's eve parties. And my birthday gets lost in all the year-end hoopla. Also, my husband hates new year's eve; he was never able to separate that holiday from my day, so he never wanted to plan anything, he didn't want to do anything. He's a bit of party-pooper anyway, or I should say he's introverted, doesn't socialize much. I, on the other hand, love a good party, whether I'm the host or a guest. This was one of the ongoing differences we had over the years - I was invited to a lot of parties, I wanted to go to the parties, he wasn't comfortable with people he didn't know, so I went alone to some of them - and skipped a lot of them over the years, just to avoid an argument.

I'm also going to reboot here on my yearlong project; I've been creating and working on projects with my kids and around the yard, and cooking quite a bit lately, but I haven't documented most of these things. I'm just going to make a list of what I can remember, and start anew on Sunday, July 1.

1) I did build a new compost bin; but I still have to move most of the old pile to the new location.
"found" pallets 


the set-up













ready to make gardener's black gold




2) My older daughter R. made a hobo bag for herself; I helped with the sewing part. She did a good job on her own little creation. She's also trimming a dress for CONvergence next week. I'm helping her and my son C. get costumes together for the four-day event.

3) I made raspberry-almond crisp earlier this week; my raspberry crop is thriving this year! Lots of rain last month, and lots of heat this month - that's the key, I guess. I even took pictures as I mixed the ingredients; I'll post them later.

ready for the oven


4) I gathered supplies for a couple of projects that I haven't gotten to yet - an arbor made of branches; and wine bottles. Lots of wine bottles. I'm hoping to turn the bottles into hanging planters or candle holders, for the Etsy shop. Don't copy!

5) I'm sewing trim on a coat for C., for one of his CONvergence costumes.

6) I froze leftover coffee in ice cube trays (one of those "what to do with leftover coffee" suggestions that I do periodically), mixed the cubes and some coconut milk in the blender, and made my own icy coffee drink.

7) Some recent food creations: potato pancakes (using Simply Potato hash brown shreds! So simple!); garlicky shrimp and bacon pasta salad; homemade pizzas (yeah, a repeat, but different crusts/ingredients); banana oatmeal muffins with coconut milk; white gravy and mashed potatoes. There are more, I'll have to ask the kids what meals they remember.

8) I have to redo my resume. There's a job opening at Children's Theatre Company that I'm quite qualified for, which would make my life a whole lot easier, at least for the next few years - if I get it.

UPDATE: I just got a confirmation email, they have my resume and will start scheduling interviews by the end of the month. Fingers crossed!

So, there's my little recap. Like I said earlier, I'm taking a mulligan for June. But I need to get back on track, with my blog and with my life. Time to move forward, and keep the little grey cells involved and active. Time to celebrate a half-year, and prepare for the next stage in my life.

Happy Saturday!

Tuesday, June 26, 2012

I am strong, I am invincible....

Exercise! Fitness! Looking and feeling good!!!

I'm finally over the malaise that hit me earlier this month - the vertigo, the uncertainty about my home situation. I'm ready to move on, and move my body.

In May, I had a part-time, seasonal job at a garden center, that was physically active in the extreme - lifting and moving plant packs, setting up tables, moving large carts loaded with plants from one area to another. it was 4 to 5 hours of constant motion. And it felt good. I felt good. But the job ended last week, and I've been a little lazy, dealing with my emotional health rather than my physical health.

I've started a regular biking routine, three days a week, around Bald Eagle Lake. The views are spectacular, and a lot of other people run and bike around the lake. But there are also a lot of cars driving on the road; with all the people that live out here, there's only the one road for most of us to access our homes. And this road has only a small shoulder (and at some points, no shoulder!), and no biking or walking paths. So there are points of congestion, no matter what time of day I bike. Most people are good about sharing the road, acknowledging each other, but once in a while, some drivers get a little to aggressive and think they are the only ones who should be allowed to use the road. Just adds a little excitement, gets my heart racing.

I've also found some exercise routines through Pinterest, like this one. I'm trying it out, I like that it's all controlled, slow movements, which is a good way to tone muscles. So, we'll see.

And I've been using free weights for toning my arms. So I'm creating a lean, mean boredom-fighting machine.  

Now I'm off to get sushi for lunch with my youngest; tonight I'm taking my two older children to see The Vampire! - what could be better than a vampire in a kilt?

Monday, June 25, 2012

Waiting, waiting, waiting....

Waiting to move on; waiting to do a tour; waiting for other people to get their shit together. My life has been on hold for a bit. I've decided to take a mulligan for most of June.

My original plan was to do two creations every day this month, and post regularly. But, I was sick the first week - or, more precisely, having vertigo problems for several days. I also wanted to get a regular exercise program started.

But life, as we say, got in the way. I've been creating, but there's also been a fair amount of destruction going on as well. The biggest, scariest change: my husband and I are separating. For reals this time. I'm moving out on Wednesday, to stay with my dad and stepmom temporarily. Eventually, he'll find an apartment (and I need to find another job, for the additional expenses we'll have), and I'll move back to the house. I'm hoping we can keep the kids at the house, and we take turns staying with them. I want things to stay as stable as possible for the kids. I don't have much else to say at this point.

One positive aspect of this situation: I'm finally going to start an Etsy shop, selling off my vintage collection, and getting some of my design ideas created and on the market. I don't expect much moolah from this at first, but hopefully there will be some additional income coming in.

The rest of the destruction has been happening in the yard. I've been uprooting weird saplings that have been allowed to grow for a while. I was cutting them back every year, but they just sprouted anew, so I finally removed the "root of the problem".
six, count 'em, six different roots/stumps


they're outta here!

Next up - some gathering of supplies for more yard happenings.

Monday, June 18, 2012

I'm kind of a big deal

There's been more destruction than creation going on lately - in the garden and in my personal life. More on that later.

Here are my two latest shows; my costumes are mentioned in both reviews. This doesn't happen often, and to happen twice in two weeks - yeah, I'm gonna toot my own horn.

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/158160835.html

http://www.startribune.com/entertainment/stageandarts/154491505.html