Ten Things Tuesday: Another Random Sampling

1. Today, my baby girl is THIRTEEN!

It seems like not nearly that long ago that Miss Boo was born in our apartment in Wallingford, WA. At 8.5 pounds, she was all pudge and ever since she could understand the words, has responded to “Squishyface.” Of course, she won’t do in PUBLIC, or when ANYONE else outside the immediate family might possible overhear, but she still will.

An artistic spirit, she is adept at taking wonderful photographs, designing invitations, and coming up with audacious outfits that she somehow pulls off. Boo is quick-witted, often sassy, kind to a fault and an inveterate hugger. Her giggle is infectious, her joy radiant and when she is cranky, we get alerts of seismic disturbances from the next county: the joys of 13 and impending fully-fledged physical adultness. She is confident, loving and courageous and I cherish our evolving relationship: our conversation is increasingly nuanced with philosophical discussions, sharing of confidences and sophisticated jokes. AND she still likes to be tickled until the force of her laughter makes her nostrils flap.

2. I have a cake planned – a sort of applesauce upside down thing with mucho maple syrup but I have to excavate my fridge to get at ingredients positioned on the back shelves. Please: witness my fridge!

3. This past weekend, on my mate’s 39th birthday, he and I hit Trader Joe’s to pick up most of the food we’ll be serving at the brunch following the service. In this LG behemoth (which comes in handy!), there are 12 dozen cartons of eggs (for the 20 challahs our friend Woody/Sphyrnatude is making), 12 containers of lox, an assortment of cheeses such as cheddar, feta, cream cheese, gouda (sheep’s milk AND cow’s), with a little pepper jack to round it all out. Then, there are the hummuses, other dips and veggies to cut up for the dips. I’m cooking up a special dinner, but AFTER the huge honking party that cometh frighteningly quickly.

4. Apparently, the weather flunkies didn’t get my ixnay memo, because we’re getting some messy weather tomorrow but in a show of delightful restraint, the mostly slush that is forecast to rain down, will merely irritate, not accumulate. for the weekend, we’ve got the warmish rays of the snow-melting sun.

Friday SunnyHi 45°F

Friday Night ClearLo 18°F

Saturday SunnyHi 41°F

5. I am working feverishly today to put this semester to rest – I’ve got papers to grade and grades to input, which I will do before my class meets for the last time tomorrow, but since FINAL grades aren’t due until next Wednesday, I am putting the terminal calculations off until later. I love “later” – don’t you?

6. One of my students submitted a “paper” that is entirely, and I mean a word-for-word boost from a webpage she apparently thinks SHE can access but that is hidden from me and Google. Dumbass! I wish I could fail her for this, but her general lack of classwork took care of that for me.

7. Tomorrow my critical thinking students present the focus/vision boards they have been working all semester to create. Creativity is a component, as are their personal mission statements, their list of short- and long-term goals, and inspiring quotes and images. I wrote MY mission statement in the exercise I did with the class and although I have not yet created my own vision board, I plan to in the very near future, both to help clarify my future and its current employment-related murkiness and to help me adhere better to my commitments. As it stands, and it is very much a work in progress, here it is:

To use my communication skills, my sense of humor and my approachable and compassionate nature to be an excellent teacher, an excellent mother and an excellent friend. I cherish and value my family and the fulfilling, open and loving relationship we have created and I strive for constant growth and evolution within it. I want to create a lucrative business that will affirm my deeply held belief in the possibilities inherent in a greener and more sustainable world and which will result in a more informed and empowered peer population. Growth is an active and conscious thing and I endeavor to improve as a writer and publisher in order to help deliver powerful and meaningful books to my Jewish community and to my peer communities. Finally, I work hard to test and clarify my skills as a gardener, and hope to produce enough to supply my family with fresh organic vegetables for the summer and as much of the year as possible.

What’s yours?

8. I DID say random, did I not?

9. In the calm before the frenzy, I am taking a few moments to be quiet, inhale through the soles of my feet, and to experience the immeasurable gratitude I feel for all of those people who have aided me by their words of comfort, their exhortation to, “BREATHE, dammit!”, that certain bloggy buddy who has sent me chocolate and a familiar,  tiny but enormously powerful guardian (Love you, Snob!), those who have sent me phenomenal (surprisingly, NOT a contradiction in terms) fanfic (thanks, twin!) to stuff my consciousness into for temporary relief from the directives of my lists, and fnally those who are celebrating with us, both in person and in spirit. I am blessed.

10. If you love potatoes as much as I do, press PLAY!