Sale! :)

Blue Rose Pottery was having a sale.  I can't seem to stop myself from buying pottery on sale.  Hoarders will do a show on me someday and go, "This lady NEEEEDS a bigger house!  Because her pottery is awesome!"  and the primetime TV viewers will be enthralled as I describe each piece of pottery, where I bought it, a little about the history of the particular pattern, and why it's important to keep it in a *certain order* with the other pieces.  Yep.

This time I let Woodjie and Rose take a look at some of the discontinued/discounted patterns and pick some things they like on the computer screen.  Doggone it there were no cups left for Rose, so I got her a plate.  I figure a white or blue mug, or a glass, would work well with this style.  The children were thrilled.  Rose has selected the Old Fashion style and Woodjie picked Vesta.  What's really odd is that D was able to figure out which patterns the children would pick later without any help.  It was uncanny.

Here I had thought the children would pick one of the geometric/modern styles and they get all stereotypical "boy" and "girl" pattern on me.  Have to admit they are sharp, though.  I am figuring these are um, Easter presents.  Yeah, that's it.  Patrick and G are wondering where are THEIR Easter presents.  The pattern they like is a little extra-artistic.  You know, the hand-signed by the artist type Jungle Flower stuff.  Umm... one bowl in this pattern is $46.  Before shipping.  Sorry.  Can't do it.  Pick another present.

I spent some of my 31st birthday money on these little dessert plates.  Most of them I just snapped up on super-sale for a little variety around the house.  Yes, that is where the Snap Circuits usually go.  We've got to play with those some more tomorrow, come to think of it.  They are so fun!

This is the Desert Coral pattern.  Sort of a Southwestern look.  Painted in Poland. I'm sure lots of Swedish stuff is made in Nevada  to sort of balance this out.  I dunno.  It's cute though. 

GO AWAY.

Dear Scott and Friends:

I'm tired of you showing up at my house several times a year.  Sending me pictures in the mail.  Notes on my door.  Just actin' crazy!

I told you I DO NOT WANT YOU HERE when we first met almost 15 years ago and you still come around.  You must either think I'm some kind of Sugar Mama with tons of cash lying around, or that I am interested in the chemical concoctions you keep sellin' to everyone in the neighbourhood.  You have the little old ladies up and down the street all fooled.  But I am not interested in you.

Twice yesterday I had to deal with you and your stupid little clipboard.  Both times I told you "I. Am. NOT. Interested." and to go away.  I know... I just know... this is not the last time I will hear from you.  I know the economy is bad and you really want a sale.  But what's it gonna take... I'm starting to think whatever I have to do to get you to go away might be worth the jail time.  You are worse than the Mormons and every neighbourhood kid doing a "fundraiser" shakedown at my door combined.

It really bothers me that I can't legally block you from contacting me.   I don't think anyone is going to do anything about it - ever - if you show up uninvited yet again.  It's sales.  Somehow that isn't harassment.

You're pretty creative about it, though.  The drug baggie you left at my door was the oddest attempt to get me to contact you.  You basically left me bits of my own yard in the bag - evidence of your trespassing.  With a note about my weeds and a "call me so I can help" sales pitch. 

I'm sorry.  If I were fat (pretend this is hypothetical), would I want you taking my picture and sending it to me in a bag with a note along the lines of, "Look what a big butt you have, I can help with that?"  My goodness.

I don't care if you "noticed" my moles.  Or my dandelions.  Or my weeds.  My neighbours already "notice" these things and guess what?  I don't live in a homeowners' association area so if they don't like it, they can call you to spray crap on THEIR lawn. 

I've been reading up on your sales techniques and those of your competitors.  You use Google Earth to make sales and study demographics?  Scotts Lawn Care, duuude... the more you keep contacting me the more you are creeping me out and getting me angry.  Surely there is an app for that.

Some Assorted Photographs

This is Woodjie.  We've turned in the simple picture word cards he was using for "work" time to the preschool.  Quite a jump to the kindergarten skill books he now has on loan.  He isn't really doing these on his own, but I have him count the number of fishes, dots or apples and then hand him the card with the number word on it.  Ok, so I cheat on his preschool homework, so sue me.

Guess which bed belongs to an Elf, and which one belongs to an Emperor.  They both sewed their pillowcases themselves.  Note also that neither child will sleep with his head near the HEADboard.  They absolutely will not do it.  They put their pillows by the footboard and sleep that way, too.  Like bats.  Sort of.

This is a recent picture of me and Rose.  I am the larger round person.  Pretty accurate depiction actually.  See how I take up the WHOLE picture and am sort of looming over Rose.  She is smiling because she likes being loomed over.  Ok, what she actually said about the picture is, "I are talking to you.  You so proud a me."  :)

The chess tournament bag and violin collection near the door.  The violin used to take up a LOT less space when we rented a  half-size violin.  Elf was so little and cute.  Now, it's big old clompy violin time.  Ok, not really.  But the new violin sure seemed big at first.

The Riccar Pristine in all its glory.  I bought this just before my hernia popped and can no longer lift it.  It's sad.  Every time I want to vacuum something, I have to call the homeschooler over to bring it to the room I want to work in.  Guess he will never go to public school unless I get money to hire the housework out... yay.  It's reviewed here and wow.  The review is exactly right except no, it doesn't really cost $999.95.  Really?  Someone buys it for that much before taxes?  I bought mine new for about $700.  My last Riccar vacuum lasted over 10 years and was used extremely frequently. Scary thought... in another 10 years my homeschooler will be almost 21.  I'm thinking I may have to trade DOWN for a lightweight model by then.  :(  But these vacuums are the best.  Only thing is, you have to buy special bags for them and when you need to fix the vacuum, you must bring it to a special Riccar dealer.  Wal-Mart type vacuums are simply not the same.  Plus I find their belts fray and smell plastic-y and need changing all the time and the vacuums just don't clean as well.  Also the vacuums I've bought from W-M bust completely and utterly within a year.  Not even worth repairing.  Though I had an older (OLDER) Eureka I liked very well for a good while.  I will admit to being a dish and vacuum snob.  Yes, I will.  I am starting to notice that all the really awesome vacuums weigh about 50 pounds though and I'm not sure why that is.

If you go into the dealership with this card, you could win a Ford Fucus!  Just what you always wanted!

Blechh.  "Easter" Mellowcreme Candy and the Mellowcreme Pumpkins at Halloween time are NOT the same.  These bunnies and ducklings are disgusting.  Sometimes I think I will just throw them out.  Other times I find myself just handing one or two to small people who walk by the computer where I keep them (why?  Because everything is near my computer).  I always feel guilty after I hand these out as snacks after "I have it bunny" is requested.  "Mmm!" Woodjie says.  "Ee good."  Ee bad and I really should throw them away.  But that would be wasteful.  Ever have stuff just kick around like that and you can't quite decide what to do with it?  Thankfully when this conundrum happens inside my refrigerator, the item starts to rot and then I feel better about pitching it.  Maybe you did not want to hear that.

Senior Skip Day is DANGEROUS.

Excerpt from a letter from our school principal:

"Also, please note that there is no senior skip day.  This has many obvious dangers to it with a number of people on their own all day."

SERIOUSLY????

Most seniors are 18 or close to it.  They will graduate in May.  Taking one day off JUST before graduation is DANGEROUS?  And they can't all be "on their own" for one day?  Is that how poorly we parents of Cityname North High School have parented?  Our kids can't be "on their own" for one day?  And the dangers are obvious?

I am suuuuch a negligent parent.  Because guess what.  My son is "on his own" when I have important doctors' appointments and not only that, he watches four younger siblings, THREE of whom are autistic.  My bad for doing that.  So negligent of me.  There are "obvious dangers" to my child being on his own.  All day.  And watching his siblings, too!

What was I thinking?  Crazy me was figuring that my adult son could be trusted.

I dunno; this attitude from the principal really cheeses me off. But look... the letter continues:

"In addition, the district loses state aid for these absences.  We simply cannot afford that.  As it is, the seniors will have one less day than normal due to starting their year one day after the sophomores and juniors this year." 

It's "one fewer" day grammatically because it is a measureable number, but no matter... here we see the real reason the powers that be don't want you to skip, people.  It's all about your butt in that chair.  Sure, teachers get treated like human beings in schools, but you young adults don't have a union so you do not have any choice about anything once your parents enroll you.  Teachers get things called "personal days."  You?  Unless you are coughing up a lung, you'd better flippin' well forget having a weekday away every now and then.

Sigh.  As the TV show I used to watch as a young girl proclaimed, "Kids are people too!"  Awww... I miss seeing shows like Wonderama.  They are much less glitzy than today's I suppose.  Anyone else also remember Romper Room?  Dating myself here.  In answer to the trivia question presented in the video, Nixon is president.  :)

Happy $pring!

I guess it is a good thing I do a general maintenance check before running the a/c and the furnace each year.  The furnace/air conditioner guy had apparently removed about a ton of nesting material before getting to this.  Allegedly it is a mouse that chewed through several of my electrical wires in the unit.  All I know is, it SMELLS VERY BAD.  Hopefully the smell will be all gone before we run the a/c this summer.   Yewh. 

Our Weekend

Rose's new 'do.   I think I did a cute job.  Of course when we washed and dried her hair again, it's become apparent that there is one really LONG bit that will need to be styled again.  Meanwhile I try to be creative with it or say that she is going to grow a 1980's style "tail" on top of her head.  Remember those?  Hideous.  Glad that style is over.  :)

Elf placed FIFTH in the Lead Bank 2012 Midwest Junior Championship, K-6 division.  He's so proud.  Patrick also did well in the tournament and placed SECOND in the K-12 division. 

D says if we get too many more trophies, he will have to buy a new piano.

The trophy table at the championship.  It was a big tournament with five rounds and kids from other states as well.  So my children got to play several people they had never seen before.