Rutabaga Mama

Creative shenanigans

...or, more accurately, the lack thereof. I am deep in the throes of cleaning out an accumulation of stuff in our spare room. If I get especially bold, I'll post a before and after. We fell into the trap of just shoving stuff in there, rather than donating it/filing it correctly/shelving it where it goes. Ick. Now it looks like something from reality TV, which is disturbing.

The only creative shenanigans I'm into lately are knitting in the car line - working on a scarf for my mother-in-law for Christmas. Did get up the nerve to go into our local yarn shops - we're lucky enough to have two - but was completely intimidated by the very competent knitters there. Must develop enough self-confidence to call myself a knitter.

Will work on that after the cleaning is over.

Silly movies

As a child of the 70s and 80s, I have an affinity for comedies from the 80s. Particularly any containing with Chevy Chase or Dan Ackroyd. Tonight's evening viewing - a double bonus, because Spies Like Us stars both. And fortunately, hasn't been remade in disastrous fashion.

After all, only Chevy Chase can deliver a line like: "Well, of course, their requests for subsidies was not Paraguayan in and of it is as it were the United States government would never have if the president, our president, had not and as far as I know that's the way it will always be. Is that clear? "

What movie tickles your funny bone? 

First completed shawl - huzzah!

Hooray for me - I finished something. Now to bless it and pass it on to my friend - hope she likes it! (And off to work on one of the other projects I had started, but put aside to work on this one.) 

And some more "art"

 

 One two-year-old nephew + one tube of red lipstick = bathroom redecorating.

"What do you do with a B.A. in English...?"

So, what should I do with the rest of my life?

My husband told my daughter that "Mommy was trying to figure out what she wants to do when she grows up." After you send all your children off to school, then what happens?

I've been looking for an actual job, but it turns out there's this thing called a "recession" on, and the market for former editors and English majors is tee-nincy. Who knew? Sigh. So, if a job isn't in the plan (although I keep submitting resumes like they are going out of style), then what?

What are other folks doing with their unemployment time? There's is really only so much time I can spend cleaning house - which I loathe, anyway. And, I don't know if you've noticed, but daytime TV is awful. Even with cable. (Whine, whine, whine. I know - you're playing the world's tiniest violin for me.)

I've been volunteering for all kinds of folks for the last 5 years - social service agencies, church functions, civic groups...you name it, I've done it for free. Made arrangements for orchestral accompaniment? Check. Written some grants? Check. Herded live sheep out of a public women's restroom? Check. (Don't think that's not a killer resume entry. How many people can say they've had experience with that?)

Anyone have a job for sheepherding English majors?

Craft Hope

On the right of all these edifying words, you'll see the cheerful little button which will take you to the Craft Hope Web site. If you haven't found these folks already, you should give them a visit. They exist to give people an outlet for their creativity, and to make the world a better place - two of my very favorite things. So far, they have sent handmade dresses to children in Mexico, dolls to Nicaragua, and blankets and booties to India.

The next Craft Hope project  - think Sock Monkey!  It will benefit the smallest of burn victims through the Firefighters Burn Institute in Sacramento, California.  Their deadline for this project is September 18th, so if you feel like getting your Sock Monkey on after the kids go back to school, it would go to a really good cause. Check their Web site for more details, or to see some of the beautiful things people made for previous rounds.

Each time the project and the recipients are different, so if their current project isn't your cup of tea, maybe one after that will be.

A LONG time ago....

So, the Parsnip starts kindergarten on Monday next week, and has spent most of this week bouncing off the wall, because she's so excited and keyed up. We talked about it this morning, an this is how it went:

"Are you excited about kindergarten? Or are you feeling nervous?"

"Both - I'm excited and nervous?"

"Well, I'm not feeling that nervous about it."

Big sigh. "YOU'RE not the one going, Mama."

I had to laugh at that (she got me there), and then said, "That's true - Mama already went to kindergarten."

"Yeah - a LONG time ago."

Thanks for reminding me, kid.