It's Saturday- that means it must be blog time

Where to start-

No food experiments this weekend.  The repertoire has expanded enough to allow for non-repetitive repeats.

I was knitting some lace in malabrigo lace weight and was wearing blue cotton pants.  Come to find they were heavily dyed blue cotton pants.  Dye on hands.  Dye on rows of lace.  Drawing board.

The high school kids.  They are great with class projects.  Not so much on taking, rereading, or using notes to learn stuff or take tests.  We have just started a quarter of western European music and even with using notes, only three passed with an A.

This weeks quarterly project, rather than becoming a report that would mean so little, will be a notebook with their notes turned in for  20% of their grade.  This is what I anticipated to some degree.  But, like I said, they've got the in-class projects figured out.

Last night was cousin's monthly night to eat out and we took her friend.  I refrained from the apple dumpling with ice cream but I did have fries on the salad.  The same salad I used to eat and call eating healthy was a guilty pleasure last night- fries AND ranch dressing on it.

For this morning's shopping trip, cousin informed me she would need extra money and to know my size so that she could shop for my birthday.  I unload her groceries into the car and into her house.  If I am not mistaken,  I believe that she has gotten me a plush hoodie in the design of the poop emoji.

  plus                

Equals my birthday present. She has no internet savvy.  I'm certain she thinks its chocolate frosting.

Happy Birthday- here's your pile of poop.

This week's experiment

So the recipe of the day was  Lebanese Spicy Potatoes (Batata Harra- which is kind of hilarious since today was also the day I went and had my tata's examined.)

Red potatoes, lemon, garlic (6 cloves!) red pepper flakes, tahini and fresh cilantro.  No cilantro to be found.  I bought some cilantro in a tube.  And then forgot to add it.  No wonder they tasted bland (I only just realized I forgot to add it as I posted this.  I may be able to squeeze a little taste into it yet.)  Those facts combined with the fact that I bought walmart red potatoes and its no surprise it wasn't may favorite experiment ever.   The cilantro would have cut the overwhelming tahini feel.  There are three potatoes left- I may try it again.

There are red lentils in the crockpot.  The tata squeezing place is right next to the middle eastern grocery store and I sort of  bought some stuff.  Cracked wheat, red lentils, more green lentils, ghee, medjool dates (5 lbs!) another container of tahini.  The dates are for the brownies.  As they last forever it was easier to buy in bulk.

The ghee is to spice the red lentils- I'll eat them in tortilla shells for dinner.

There will be hummus and carrots for the game tonight, red lentils for dinner and I'll likely get to the brownies tomorrow.  It's just so sticky and messy.  They are a must have though.  There were no healthy late night snacks to nibble on last week and I accidentally sleep walked and ate an ice cream bar.

There are also bananas and honey crisp apples to have as a back up.  I finally made a master list of all ingredients that I always forget at the store so this weeks shopping trip was pretty thorough.  I figure I'll experiment with bulgar later on.

Again, adventures aren't so bad when you don't lose so much money when you have to toss it.

Win Some, Lose Some

Losers-

Coat of arms activity-  I failed to give an example of how exactly I wanted it done so several of them took it as a writing assignment and just wrote words.

Shishkabob Catapult- The premise was nice.  The construction was not strong enough to actually apply any physics to hitting premade targets.  So when in doubt- just throw the ammo (marshmallows)  One kid invented the cross bow with his and it was plenty effective.  Then he held it up and said "Look, it looks like a cross."  And I said "hence the name...."  A light bulb went on.

Winners-

Using runes to code the notes for class and having them decode them.  One student said "it made my brain tired but I liked it."

Transcribing compositions using a feather quill pen and a bottle of ink.  One said "this is a disaster waiting to happen."  To which I repliied, "Yes, Mrs. Terry, Danger is my middle name."  No disaster yet.  A little ink on the back of a chair- barely there.  They were completely engaged AND asking questions about medieval times.  "What exactly is a monk?"  "What did they do?"  "That's all?"  "didn't they have to copy books?" (yes- remember that part in our notes about the church holding all cultural and academic knowledge!"  "I can see why it took all day."

Next week a little more on daily life with costumed paper dolls, a game of Nim, a game of chess culminating in the making of the knight's helmet.  Meanwhile their ears are being acclimated to the sound of medieval sacred and secular music.  My guess is they will easily be able to tell the difference by the time the two weeks are finished.

Double Trouble

These two little monkeys finally fit their hats!

Later in the week

Yes,I am going to try to get high school kids to create knight in shining armor hats.  Time will tell

On the menu

Last night was mushroom stroganoff with brown rice. I tried baking pears and apples again. Did 25 minutes at 350 and realized it was supposed to be 450. Did fifteen more minutes there and had some burnt maple syrup but it was close enough to an apple dumpling that I felt rewarded.

I took a short vacation from cooking last weekend and struggled through the week with chili frozen from the week before and tortillas and refried beans.

This week I will be more prepared. Lunches will be individually frozen black beans and cauliflower rice. I will enjoy hummus and carrots through the weekend and have baked a spaghetti squash as the new thing to try. I'm thinking of adding a curry butter seasoning to it for dinner tonight.

 

I'm always surprised when food does what the recipe says it's going to do.

I also knit. I've finished one of ten pairs of mittens for the high school students. Brought them donuts last week. I think I'm just grateful to have almost adults to start my day. Next week begins the history of Western European music- starting with the Middle Ages. I believe it should be taught in the context of history rather than out of thin air so there will be several blog worthy projects in the next week. And while their doing them I will ply their brains with facts and sounds.

I am continuing the lace wrap in white malabrigo laceweight. I love the pattern and the accountant recipient so It's been an enjoyable non tedious project.

I missed both Zumbas this past week and rather than losing any lbs., simply maintained. There might have been some Mexican food in there as well. I bought my first pair of pants that really feel like tights and wore them with a long gray tunic top. I was just one of the kids.

Maybe I should change the name of this blog to on the menu and on the needles.

 

An observation at Panera's

 

The women in this picture, they MADE the little people with them with their bodies. Life is amazingly complicated and amazingly simple.

 

Just so you can be part of the fun...

Here are the girls from brunch who get a regular scolding from the dining hall manager for not knowing how many we will have for lunch.  Juanita on the left is teased for talking to much. (in fact the face she made is after I told her to stop talking so I could take the picture- I knew Lorna was in a hurry)  Lorna on the right is called "cookie" and asked if she wants oatmeal regularly because she hates both.  Showing her buckeye balls in the center is greatauntofmine.

It's so hard to explain the conversation.  It is peppered with misunderstanding, mishearing and miscommunication.  And laughing at all of it.  Also picking on each other.  They like to pick on each other.

They talked about the Ohio State and WVU football games, never realizing they were actually talking about two separate games.  Aunt assumed they understood she was talking about Ohio State.  They assumed the same thing about West Virginia.  They never realized what games the others were talking about.  It would have been free of misunderstanding if both teams had played a similar game.

At one point the conversation went from the boys in the football games to the gnats in the dining hall.  Not realizing we had moved on, Lorna said "I saw them taking one away on a stretcher"  And we thought she meant the gnat and I made my fingers into a gnat sized ambulance- sound effects included.

In other news, this weekend was one of accomplishment.  I found the secret file electronically tax pin that I've been looking for and harassing the previous accountant for after many months of searching.  It was in the "important document" folder where I had looked for it at least 1000 times.

I also took the final steps to transfer one of the previously untransferred investment accounts from deceased brother in laws account to her name.

Both were absolutely horrible tasks that make me crazy with the fear of details I won't be able to find what I need to complete the tasks.  I was not expecting success on either front. And yet karma ruled in my favor.

The food making of the weekend included more hummus and some black beans and quinoa in burrito shells.  Both had three cloves of garlic.  I heart garlic.  I've noticed that the variety of possible meals has increased with each week. Other than the pears, I took a week off.  I'll make them again tonight with the walnuts this time.  The bonus of cooking with beans is that if you screw up you're not throwing out $10 worth of food.

On the knitting front I have four projects I'm rotating between.  The connected triangle scarf (I've hit an uneven decreasing snafu that has put it into time out), the frank lloyd wright inspired scarf (the perfect knit night all garter knit), a lace wrap I'm making for the patient accountant (out of white malabrigo lace weight.  she is such  beautiful brown color, it will look spectacular on her) and the mittens I'm going to make for the high school kids.  They might not ever wear them but they will remember that someone cared enough about them to knit them mittens.

And so it goes.

So very openmi... oh.. Nevermind.

I NEVER bring up religion in conversation.  I live and teach in the middle of some Jesusville and prefer not to make a fuss.

Today I found myself talking to the grandparent of Sally (at Zumba.)  We were talking about how shy Sally is.  Grandma was a rambler so hang on.

GM: We took Sally to bible school.  We go to the Presbyterian one sometimes and the Baptist one other times.  I like to expose her to all different religions.  I mean, we're all going to the same heaven anyway.  There aren't different compartments. Well, I don't know what you believe, but I believe we all go to the same heaven any way (and then she went into serious non-affective cult voice and said) Imeanaslongasweallbelieveinourlordandsaviorjesuschrist.

Me:

I got nothing.  I don't share her belief.  I don't care to share mine.  The conversation was about how Sally had stage fright at both bible schools and as the music teacher I didn't want to say "yea, I don't know if she has a good voice- she's always too afraid to sing."

The longer I live the more adamant I feel about my Judgy McJudgerson opinion on religion.  Because if I were being really honest (which I can do here because it is in fact my blog and so very few read it) I mostly just wanted to say "I think you're full of shit."

The openminded/Jesus only dichotomy was what sent me to write a post about it.

Item Number Two

Another Zumba friend (who's religious preferences I don't know and can therefore engage in regular conversation with her without judging in either direction) brought me pears from her pear tree tonight.  I was going to just eat them plain but then I got this idea:

Baked pears- I've added maple syrup and cinnamon.  The recipe I read  also called for walnuts which I did not have so I did without.  The date brownies also call for walnuts.  I may need to keep those around.  The recipe also suggests topping it with vanilla soy yogurt.  Whatev.  I have been served whipped topping  made from coconut milk which seemed like a possibility but not on a school night.

Greathusbandbob went to visit Greatauntofmine today.  He told her he wanted to visit since he doesn't come with me to Sunday brunch with the girls.  She said, " yea, Becky hasn't been here in a long time."  If by long time she means every Sunday then she is correct.  I think we just observed the first sign of mental decline.

And finally.  I was standing next to a first grade line this afternoon when a little tiny one looked up and said "Hey, you got skinny."  WHAT THE WHAT!!!! My new favorite friend forever.