Blog – Page 32

If Lisa Frank and Trapper Keeper had a baby…

06/09/2015 by Holly

{WARNING: girliness ahead.}

…that baby would grow up to have great style and super cute hair and be named the Erin Condren Life Planner.

David overheard my sister and I talking about this day and he asked “are you talking about the release of a calendar or U2 tickets?”

Because today…10 am…was the moment…and it was a big one for me. Commence with back story:

I remember when some of my GardenWeb friends wrote “well, I see they’ve changed the format on the forum. Goodbye forever.” And there is no judgment because THIS IS HOW I FEEL ABOUT MY CURRENT PLANNER. It’s been with me since college.

Don’t call my baby ugly.

If it were to have a name it would be a work horse name. Something like “Trusty” or “Ole Faithful,” or even “ohmygoshIalmostforgotaboutthatdentistappointment.”

Probably the latter.

Now, granted, some days I might be tempted to write “biology test” or “Spanish club meeting” BUT OLD HABITS DIE HARD PEOPLE.

My sister told me I was buying an Erin Condren planner. And I initially said no…but she is very convincing. I wasn’t planning {ha ha, get it…groan} to make the transition until the new year, but then when I mentioned that to her she said “oh you’re making the transition in June because they have a sale on 18 monthers.”

And then she sat on me and pushed on my shin bruises. {Sorry: flashbacks.} She hasn’t done that in a long time…last Christmas, at least…Easter, TOPS. But she did say “oh you’re making the transition in June” with all the authority of an ex-elementary school teacher. That’s the kind of authority that makes one say “yes, ma’am” even if one is not from zones 6-10.

It’s a shame they don’t sell new handwriting…I looked. Not an option.

So: I did it. I took the plunge. And everything was so pretty. It was very hard to decide on a cover. And then there was the wringing of hands at vertical versus horizontal layout, and whether or not to go with the stickers or just print my own… {#firstworldproblems.}

But I feel quite assured that if I almost miss another dentist appointment, I will be doing it in high style. At least my sister tells me that is what is going to happen.

{ps Has anybody seen this clip of Liz Lemon’s feelings for office supplies? I wouldn’t watch this clip with my kid in my lap or anything…mama does not feel like explaining any of that at this juncture, but HYSTERICAL.}

Also, if you’re thinking of an Erin Condren planner and want a coupon code that will save us both $10, drop me a message with your email address and I will send you the link!

“The Trapper Keeper is the genesis of OCD for my generation.” -John Mayer

A new dirty word

06/08/2015 by Holly

I can barely say the word anymore: I’m practically dreaming about it. It starts with nuh and ends with –itrogen.

We are still depleted over here. I could really use a mousekatool.

But the good news is, things are looking better.

I hit everything with blood meal yesterday. There may also have been some winks and prayers involved. That was the third round of fertilizer this season. Something has got to be done about this dirt for the long-term.

For this season, I feel like I’m chasing my tail. I’m trying to push back the thought that I may never catch it.

Regardless, there are blossoms on the squash, blooms on the peas, peppers plumping up, and some nice-lookin’ leaves on those tomatoes the birds {or the nitrogen-depletion/or both} had a heyday with…

For now, I watch and wait. Grow, baby, grow!

Twelve Recipes

06/07/2015 by Holly

Have you read this book?

{Twelve Recipes by Cal Peternell}

I know that’s not typically a question asked of a cookbook…

But I have to ask because here’s the thing: it’s pretty funny.

Not so much Laugh Out Loud funny, but sustained baseline chuckle funny, which is often exactly what I’m in the mood for.

I heard about it on NPR…no recollection of the show, but fairly recently, and it sounded so enticing. Here is my honest and unbiased review:

Positives: quick wit, sly humor, family stories without going into way too much detail, excellent instructional speak.

I felt like I was in a lecture with a great teacher who knew just how to hold my attention.

The recipes are totally attainable.

Things to improve on: I thought I would get more from it…so either I’m beyond this level of cooking or it’s very rudimentary.

I didn’t expect to pick up a cookbook and feel competent in its techniques {or my way of doing basically the same thing,} but that’s pretty much what happened. {Does this mean I’m all grows up?}

So while I will remember this read with fond memories—I’ve passed the stage for it. And here comes the very big BUT:

It’s definitely getting added to the rotation of wedding presents for former students.

Because maybe I should have taken a clue from one of the first pages:

“Once you’ve cooked something a dozen times, a written recipe becomes unnecessary. Until then, it is good to have a reference, a cookbook for not just getting by but for really feeding yourself: a meal manual for my sons leaving home, and all sons and daughters, to learn to cook and eat simply and well, with pleasure and good health.” (p. 4)

Sometimes Bitty E says something that makes me realize I will turn around and send her to college in approximately four hours.

“Mom, I love this song.”

I would send her with this book.

I would have poured over this book as a newlywed. I would have slept with it under my pillow. David would have said it’s me or the cookbook. So if you need a wedding present this summer and want to avoid the line at Pottery Barn: here ya go.

Greening up

06/05/2015 by Holly

Two fertilizer applications later…

Things are looking better.

Now what remains to be seen is if I’ve lost so much time that I will be in recovery mode for the rest of the summer…but we will see…it’s only the beginning of June.

Boy, have I learned *a lot* already. And every banana peel or eggshell I’m tossing in the regular trash is mocking me. That’s right, throw these nutrients right on away. Not like you need them or anything.

{Yes, that voice totally sounds just like Banana Man.}

A couple days ago, the 4 year old caught her daddy tossing one of her coloring pages into the trash.

She about lost herself.

The fit led to her first economics lesson: “scarcity drives up value.”

{not the actual graph used in David’s lesson.} {and even googling this gave me economics class hives.}

As well-intentioned as it was heaving all that on Bitty E, it was this mama who really heard that lesson.

And it’s correct all right: if I get one pumpkin, butternut squash, zucchini or yellow bell pepper this year, it’s going to be the most valuable one this side of suburbia has ever seen.