Boy are my fingernails grubby. I've been gardening like a fiend. I'm afraid to total up what this is costing me. I ordered two yards of topsoil today for the front. Then I'll replant some hostas and impatiens in there and call it a day. And move the spotted dead nettle. And, and, and... I'm sure I'll think of something else to do up there. The rest of the gardening is done except for hanging the window boxes. LBK finished putting on the trim today. And they need a coat of water sealant. I also got a new compost bin, which is huge, and luckily fits next to the back gate. I've got a good start on it already. Cleaned out the fridge and the fruit bowl today and whirled it all in the food processor to go in the bin. I also weeded the brick walk and threw those in, too. I want to get a rain barrel, but haven't made the trek out to the burbs to the garden center that I think has them. I'd love to find one on Freecycle. That's how I got the compost bin.

This is my last week of school until August. I will work one day next week, then take a trip for a conference in July for 4 days. I am doing really well on finishing up all my end of the year work. Hopefully, I will get everything done without feeling like I rushed to clean up.

I've been getting lots of new recipes on a few blogs I have been checking recently. The ones I've made from SmittenKitchen have been delicious. I'm trying to make more creative side dishes and she has some really simple ones that don't taste simple, like the zucchini with almonds, and a green bean one I'm going to try this week. In order to keep track of recipes so I can make them more than once, I'm abandoning my previous method of writing it on a post-it with out any title or citation (or directions, really). I have a small notebook that I am going to keep between the kitchen and the computer in which I will write down where it comes from, what it is, and how to make it. I'm sure in a manner that will only be decipherable to me, and hopefully to in-the-future-me, since that's it purpose.

Currently in the oven: Dried Cherry Buttermilk Scones, except I used dried cranberries. And dried buttermilk.

Whew. School had a big picnic today. It's a decent amount of work organizing it, but we've done it several years now, so it's pretty routine. It is still very nervewracking, though. Thankfully, everything went smoothly and there were no major problems and very few minor ones. I have 3 days of lunch to plan for the last week of school. Two days are easy, the third one is undecided, so we're working on that.

Those elementary kids have an assembly for everything at the end of school. Spirit week, a bike safety presentation, a science demonstration, a talent show. I can't even remember the rest. Just to let you know, still totally digging the kindergarteners. All together now, to the tune of the Addams Family theme, "Days of the week (snap snap) Days of the week (snap snap) Days of the week, days of the week, days of the week (snap snap). There's Sunday and there's Monday, ... You get the point.

The To Do List - virtually untouched.

• Swap - finished 3 tea towels, one flip chart cookbook, one jar of spice rub and two local specialty condiments. Received an awesome scrappy cookbook, a coffee mug, some coasters and a candle. Very cool. Cookbook also includes a recipe for bear meatloaf. Believe it or not, I may have a hook up for some bear meat thanks to my guy from the UP.
• Gardening - in progress. Found self watering pots at the grocery store of all places for like $12. Amazing. Some plants bought. Front yard reconstruction underway, but can't finish it until after the landscaping guys finish the neighbors work since we both are checking out the other's progress creating a weird vibe. Hopefully they are done soon.
• The rest - eh. Not happening. Yet anyways. Schools out soon.
  

Upcoming additions:

• I feel a dinner party coming on to celebrate the end of the school year.
  
• Attending a local alterna-crafter craft show on Sunday. Like I need more project ideas.
  
• More gardening, adding a rain barrel, finding windowboxes.
  

Whew! Tons of new things happening. I got the opportunity to spend 6 weeks or so in an elementary school. I am currently fascinated by kindergarteners. Those munchkins have a song for everything. You picked the blue marker? B L U E, we have a song for that. It's Tuesday? Yep. We have a song for that. It's like living in a mini Broadway musical. With snacks. Today was brought to us by the letter T.

Second graders are too cool for school, and the 5th graders are too cool for me. They keep giving me the evil eye, like I'm out to get them or something. Sheesh.

As far as the perennial To Do list, here's last post's list:

• Evaluations - one to go. MAJOR procrastination going on here
• Pav's quilt - jelly roll purchased - Yay Quilt Show. I found the one I really wanted.
  
• Tea towels - currently embroidering, but for a swap, not for me
• Cupcakes and March birthdays and L's birthday, all done. April birthdays still to come, as well as Administrative Assistant's Day muffins - tomorrow - eep!
• Tommy's quilt - sandwiched and partially quilted, but no end in sight

New projects? Of course.

• Cookbook swap - book purchased, pages made for scrap, book not put together, dish towels being embroidered. Should be done on time no problem
• Gardening now that the weather is finally warming up. Salad mix for new planters by the grill. Have to find windowboxes. Installed mini fence for minipuppy to keep out of beds.
  

To Do List update

So here was my list of things in progress as of February:

Current projects include:

• finishing these $#$@*% evaluations
• finishing Mom's quilt from Christmas
• starting a chair quilt for Pav
• finding some tea towels to embroider
• baking February birthday cupcakes for school - chocolate cherry with ganache frosting and vanilla cherry filled with cream cheese frosting
• cooking a fabulous dinner with R for the boys - menu TBD and be fabulously complicated
• finishing the quilt for S's new baby, Tommy

How am I doing?

• One evaluation to go
• Um. No progress on quilt unless getting the batting out of the bag to fold it up and leave it on the table counts. I think I am dreading maneuvering a large quilt under the machine to do the quilting. The back is pieced, however.
• Pav's quilt - ordered the pattern, looking for fabric very casually
• Bought one tea towel. Found pattern, started to trace it. Must finish this for a Craftster cookbook swap, making this next up. Still need to find nice towels, though.
  
• Cupcakes made and eaten. The Chocolate Cherry ones from Nigella Lawson - wow! Also made carrot cake for March birthdays.
  
• Not one, but TWO fabulous dinners cooked and eaten. See below.
  
• Quilt top finished, ready for layering and quilting.

New projects:

• Bought a few pieces of material at Vogue from the remnant room for summer dresses. Need to find pattern(s) and actually make something.
  
• Finish Cookbook swap by putting together created cookbook and embroidering tea towel.
• Figure out my freaking golf swing and actually hit the ball. %$&#*@!
  

Dinner Party #2 Post Party

Well, I think we were mostly successful. The caprese sandwiches got nixed. The chicken dish was pretty good. Everything was ready on time and no one got hurt. A fine time was had by all.

In a somewhat related note, I painted the kitchen cabinets over Spring Break, finishing on Saturday in time for said party. I am really happy with the way they turned out. Now I just have to find a kitchen designer to help me tweak the layout and order new cabinetry. I do like a painted cabinet and I think I can find a semi custom or stock cabinet with a finish I will like.

Before:


After:


I still hate the wallpaper on the soffit, and it keeps the kitchen from looking totally different. There's no point in ripping it off now when the whole thing is coming down in the remodel so I can have taller cabinets that are set higher off the counter.

Dinner yesterday - party leftovers
Dinner today - Parmesan chicken and broccoli

Dinner Party # 2

To be fair, I should start with Dinner Party #1. My friend, R, of the biweekly girly crafternoon, and I were discussing that there are always things we want to make that just seem too fancy or too much trouble to make for just two people without a special occasion or reason to do so. They are perennially on our lengthy To Do lists, but they never get done. In order to cross things off our To Do lists, we had ourselves a Dinner Party.

Dinner Party #1

Smoked Paprika Almonds
Vodka Spiked Tomatoes

Shrimp wrapped in prosciutto
Mini crab cakes
Shrimp Toast

Salad with Goat cheese and roasted golden beets

Steak Diane
Mashed red potatoes
Roasted asparagus

Tarte Noir - a bittersweet chocolate ganache tart

We met at the grocery at 3, were at my house by 4 and had dinner about 7:15 after cooking and stopping to graze on hors d'oeuvres and gin and tonics. Delicious, even though I overcooked the steak, and several things were crossed off the To Do lists including Steak Diane and ganache.

Tonight is Dinner Party #2, for LBK's birthday. Some work friends from the old place are coming over, and R is coming, too. JG will be cooking with us this time and we are making his entree, a chicken dish with green and black olives and a sauce reduced with apple juice. Here's the rest of the menu:

Feta puffs
Hummus with pita and red, orange and yellow peppers
Cucumber sandwiches, openface
Mini caprese sandwiches

Greek salad

Chicken with olives
cous cous
spanakopita for the vegetarian among us


Chocolate cake with chocolate covered strawberries and vanilla ice cream, requested by the birthday boy

Not too good at keeping up with this thing

I knew I wouldn't post regularly, but even I didn't think it would be this bad. Ouch. So since I've started this, over 1 year ago, the bathroom is working fabulously. Still needs a shelf, but otherwise is great. The stack of quilts to donate has been donated to Shriners Hospital. At least two of my students and one colleague's daughter have been treated there, so it's extra nice to take them some quilts. I have more to sew up. The growing season has come and gone. It's freezing today, 16F but sunny. I started and subsequently quit sewing clothing. I have great plans, though. And I have cooked and baked and baked and baked.

Current projects include:

• finishing these $#$@*% evaluations
• finishing Mom's quilt from Christmas
• starting a chair quilt for Pav
• finding some tea towels to embroider
• baking February birthday cupcakes for school - chocolate cherry with ganache frosting and vanilla cherry filled with cream cheese frosting
• cooking a fabulous dinner with R for the boys - menu TBD and be fabulously complicated
• finishing the quilt for S's new baby, Tommy

R and I have had our first biweekly girly night. She made an apron and I worked on Tommy's quilt. E has also invited me over again, but I think I have a scheduling conflict.

LBK started his new job today. I hope it's going well. Pot roast and cupcakes for dinner tonight. Maybe the rest of a bottle of wine.