Everything that can be counted does not necessarily count; everything that counts cannot necessarily be counted. ~Albert Einstein

These last few weeks my mentor co-workers and I have been working what feels like around the clock helping and supporting our growing number of new teachers.  We have 1st year teachers that are walking into a classroom that was left a disaster by the former teacher, 3rd years teachers that are doing some incredibly thoughtful year long planning and everything else in between.  They are inundated by acronyms, last minute staff meetings, curriculum, standards, schedules, assessment data and furniture.  All of them are feeling grateful they have a job.  All of them are feeling overwhelmed.  It is honestly a little hard to find a teacher this time of year that isn't feeling a little overwhelmed.

The to-do lists continue to get longer and longer and it seems teaching gets more and more complex every single year (even though last year we were sure it couldn't get any harder) and I worry that sometimes as we try and wade through everything we sometimes forget that there are children at the center of it all.

I found the above quote last spring when the insanity of state testing was at it's peak.  At the time I started, finished but didn't publish what was nothing more than a rant about what testing has done to our classrooms.  Instead, I tucked the quote away on a virtual sticky note for another time.

And then yesterday, in the middle of another insane day of not having enough of me to go around, I saw this quote on a actual sticky note in one of my teacher's classrooms.  It was surrounded by stacks of leftover print, buckets of math manipulatives all mixed together, and dried out markers she had pulled out of yet another cupboard.  It just sat there as I sorted through things the best I could while helping her think about how she might want to arrange her room.  I don't think it was hers but I just left it there, for another time.

So I sit here now, after digging through my virtual sticky notes on my desktop, thinking that this would be the perfect way and the perfect time to wish you all a wonderful 2012-2013 school year.

Photo-A-Day Aug 10-23

Oh boy...two weeks since I have posted my photo-a-day pictures.  It is no coincidence that I have been back to work for two weeks.  It has been a great start to the school year for me.  Exciting and excited new teachers have made it easier to be back to work.  Unfortunately, my photo-a-day pictures are a little lacking in some cases.  I will admit to taking a pictures just hours before midnight and right before going to bed.

aug 10, 2012

aug 11, 2012

aug 12, 2012 

aug 13, 2012

aug 14, 2012

aug 15, 2012

aug 16, 2012

aug 17, 2012

aug 18, 2012

aug 19, 2012

aug 20, 2012

aug 21, 2012

aug 22, 2012

aug 23, 2012

Garden Update 8/22/12

Today I remembered that I have a garden in my backyard.  Kind of sad for those plants that haven't been watered since Sunday.  As I was trimming the green beans that had yellowed because of no water and too much heat, I told Joe that I wasn't sure a garden was the best idea for me.  Right now, when things need lots of daily care, I am working more than I usually do during the school year.  Even if I was keeping up with the watering, all that would do is give me a TON of produce that I would have to take care of in some way.  Right now the simplicity of our CSA box is making me smile a lot more than my garden is.

At this point, there are no radishes, peas, spinach or lettuce.  The radishes were my choice to pull, the peas just ran their course and the spinach and lettuce were thoroughly enjoyed by the slugs (which, by the way, are gone because of the hot temperatures we have been having).

What is left?  Well, 3 cherry tomato plants that have a huge number of green tomatoes, 4 Roma tomato plants (2 of which are dying), 3 Better Boy tomato plants (which is producing many tomatoes along with the Roma...but are mostly falling victim to blossom end rot), 2 pepper plants, two rows of carrots and 4 green bean bushes.

While I expect that the cherry tomatoes will do quite well, my plans for preserving veggies for the winter are fading.  We will have enough green beans to eat this fall, but not enough to blanch and freeze.  All the wondering tomato sauce I was dreaming about isn't probably going to happen either.  At least not from my garden!

Here is what things are looking like...

Even though things aren't doing quite what I had hoped, I am still glad that I did it all and will for sure do something next spring.  I have learned a lot and have a greater appreciation for where my fruits and veggies are coming from.  We still have a few weeks to go and I am really hoping that the spray that I got for the blossom end rot helps out all the green tomatoes not yet having problems.

And now, before I turn in for the night, I am going to set an alarm on my phone...to remind me tomorrow that there is a garden in my backyard.

A daughter is the happy memories of the past, the joyful moments of the present, and the hope and promise of the future. ~Author Unknown

Tomorrow Taelin will be 3 1/2.  How in the world did that happen?  Even though I can look through all the pictures we have taken since she was just minutes old and remember all the stories behind them, I look at this picture and my eyes fill with tears.  How in the world did that happen?

I seems like it was just a few weeks ago that she needed me for every little thing and even though I was exhausted, I gladly gave her everything I had.  I swear it was just a few days ago that we had to baby-proof the house.  Wasn't it just yesterday that she decided that her favorite color was pink?  That she even understood that there was such a thing as a favorite color?

No.  It was just a few days ago that she decided that she was wearing those jeans with her favorite dress because, "I like these jeans with this dress.  It is my new favorite.  And I need my green necklace for an accessory.  And my pink sparkle shoes will look the best."

The other day she told Joe and I that when she grows up "bigger, bigger" she will be so big that she won't need us anymore.  The thought of that takes my breath away.  Then just tonight she told Joe that she will stay with us "forever and forever and forever".  Neither is true.  Both break my heart.

Tonight I am so completely overwhelmed with the person she is becoming and the absolute love I have for her.  Grateful doesn't even begin to cover it.

Silver Falls State Park...a 3 mile hike!

We have been to Silver Falls State Park before but I have only been on the one short loop around the closest waterfall.  I love waterfalls, but going to see them usually includes hiking up and down and that just isn't my thing.  I have wanted to see some of the other falls though, so I put it on my list and to be honest haven't giving it much thought since.

This last weekend, after taking a much needed afternoon nap, I wandered out of the bedroom to see Taelin and Joe with backpacks ready and my tennis shoes on stand-by.  At first I was going to let the 2 of them go without me.  I really hadn't been feeling well and even though I had just napped I felt like I could go and take another one.  But, luckily, my list called to me and I sucked it up and went.

And I am so glad that I did.  Here are a few pictures from our afternoon adventure...

A rare photo of the three of us!

Love these two

There was A LOT of climbing...some of it I just had to look away.

So...that was more than a few pictures.

Photo-a-Day Aug 3-Aug 9, 2012

I have to admit this week that while I took a lot of photos, when it came time to sort them out into the ones I wanted to use for my photo for the day I had a tough time.  I have been relying more heavily on my phone for pictures when I am not at home (and even sometimes when I am) and I am getting less than great photos.  The light isn't that great, they are blurry and many of them are lacking a little in composition.  I am ok with the ones that I ended up using, I just realized that I need to be paying a little more attention to some of these things so that I not only capture moments, but that I also get better at taking pictures.

So this coming week, I am forcing myself to use my Nikon for all of my pictures.  We will see how many pictures I end up getting outside the house with that self-imposed rule but I am hoping I will have some better pictures to choose from in the end.

Here are this week's photos!

aug 3, 2012
pretending to be a pirate

aug 4, 2012
homemade sorbet

aug 5, 2012

aug 6, 2012
homemade pickles

aug 7, 2012

aug 8, 2012

aug 9, 2012

Clausen Clones

All three people in this house are huge dill pickle fans.  There are always both spears and chips in the refrigerator and even though I never serve them at dinner (except for with hamburger), we seem to run out fairly regularly.  This past week I got 4 cucumbers in our CSA box and I knew there was no way I was going to be able to eat them all before they went back.  That got me thinking about a thread I had seen on a message board about making dill pickles that didn't requiring canning.  I dug around a little bit, found the recipe and the pickle production commenced!

Ingredients

4-5 medium to large cucumbers (cut into slices or spears) 

4-6 heads of dill 

1 large white onion, diced 

1/2 t. mustard seed 

4 to 6 cloves garlic 

Brine:

1/2 c. pickling salt 

2 c. white vinegar 

6 c. water 

Directions

1.  Mix the brine in a large pot and bring to a boil.  Set aside and let cool.

2.  Cut the pickles into quarters or into slices and fill your container.  The recipe suggested a 5 qt. pail but I just used a large glass mixing bowl.

3.  Add the dill, onion, mustard seed and garlic to the cucumbers.

4.  Mix the pickling salt, white vinegar and water in a large pot, bring to a boil and then pour over the cucumbers.

5.  Let stand on the cupboard for 3 days, uncovered. Cover and put in the refrigerator for up to 1 year. (I transferred the pickles to glass jars and covered them with some of the liquid and then transferred them to the frig.)

I can't believe how good these were.  I tried a slice after a couple of hours and they already were wonderful!  We got three more huge cucumbers this week and I will have to at some point get those going.  I couldn't believe how easy they were and how fresh they tasted. They definitely had more of a bite than most store pickles do but I would guess that is because they were so dang fresh!  They will take up some room in the frig but I am thinking we will have no problem making that happen!

****disclaimer**** 

 Because my last recipe was ice cream related and this one is about pickles I want to make sure that every one is very clear about this.  I am not pregnant.  It is actually very surprising to me how many people that know our story of wanting a baby and our journey finally having Taelin so casually throw around the idea of us have another.  I am glad that I am at peace with not trying to get pregnant again or the whole thing would be quite hurtful.  That said, I don't want to give anyone any fuel for that fire.  

***end disclaimer***

Raspberry Sorbet

Taelin's dairy allergy rarely slows us down.  There are so many options out there with dairy alternatives and her allergy isn't so bad that we have to avoid every little bit.  We steer clear of cheese, cow's milk, yogurt and ice cream.  She knows that she has to have soy milk, not eat cheese and has a special yogurt and ice cream.  She also knows that it will make her sick if she does eat it and she hates throwing up and so we don't ever have a problem.  Every once and awhile she will be disappointed but gets over it pretty quickly.  Have I mentioned lately what a great kid I have?

I had the idea the other of making sorbet for Taelin with some of the raspberries we picked last year and had frozen.  I am trying to use up what we already have before the great harvest of this year needs to fill my freezers.  I searched for a recipe that we could use our ice cream maker with that also didn't have a ton of extra stuff in it, like corn syrup.

It was a very easy, Taelin helping friendly recipe and the result was to die for!  I don't know if I will ever buy sorbet for her again.  Ok..that probably is a lie, the kind of lies told in the heat of the summer when I am not working.  I do think that we will be buying less of it though an using the great Oregon berries we have access to!  I used the recipe from www.food.com pretty much the way it was written...except for the waiting 3 hours to eat it!

Ingredients:
1 pound raspberries
3/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup fresh lime juice

Directions: 
1. Combine berries with sugar and lime juice, crushing them lightly with the back of a spoon.
2. Let rest at least 30 minutes, or until the berries release their juice (If using frozen berries, allow to rest until thawed).
3. Transfer berries and juice to a food processor and blend until smooth; strain puree, if desired, then chill until cold.
4. Freeze puree in an ice cream maker according to manufacturer's directions.
5. When frozen, transfer to a freezer container, press a piece of wax paper to top, and freeze until firm, at least 3 hours.

I am guessing that any kind of fruit could be used in place of raspberries and Taelin has already decided the next batch we make will be strawberry!  YUM!

A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin

I have not slept for more than five hours a night in the last three nights.  There are currently two loads of laundry that are clean but piled in the baskets waiting to be put away.  We ate leftovers three times this week.  There is a tea party that has been set up in the living room for the past four days.  I can't remember the last time I made the bed. And before you all think I am turning this into some kind of ridiculous math problem, let me saw that all of this is unusual...all of it was so I could finish this book.

A Dance With Dragons is the 5th in a unknown numbered series by George R.R. Martin.  I had read one and two in the series long ago, and have finished 3-5 this summer.  Martin has a horrible knack for delaying publishing days, so who really knows when number 6 will be released, but when it is, I am ready.

This one had a slow start for me. I really like number 4 and was missing some of my favorite characters from that book.  (Number 4 and 5 are set to happen at the same time, but in different lands.) I took me awhile to get re-invested in the characters that I had been missing since book 3 and stop wondering what was happening to all the characters from book 4.  But around the 1/4 mark, the book really picked up for me...and that was when pretty much everything else around me stopped. (Except my 3 year old...because there isn't really anything that stops her...well, maybe a few episodes of Dora which I might be guilty of letting her watch when I was at a really good part and nap time was a few hours away.)

I was reminded in this book of some of my other favorite characters and found myself racing through the chapters hoping that the next chapter would bring me back to their stories.  Martin jumps around in his books from character to character, sometimes with long waits in between, so the need to keep reading can be strong.  Again, one of my favorite styles of book and Martin is a genius at it.  He has a great way of resolving something you were wondering about a previous character within another character's story.  I can't even imagine how he keep everything straight.

I gave the book 4 out of 5 starts on Goodreads.  I love the story lines (almost all of them) and it is amazing how he can make that many characters come to life for the reader.  What made it a 4 instead of a 5 though, was how wordy Martin can sometimes get about things that don't seem to be relevant to the story.  For example, the family trees he has in his books are incredible.  But, when you are introducing someone that isn't going to end up having a lot of impact on the story (read: die within the next few chapters) the whole page description of the person's lineage just isn't necessary for me.  When I am reading it I am actually hearing in my head "blah-blah-blah" and not really paying attention. If only happened once and awhile it probably wouldn't have knocked it down a star, but 4 stars was my first reaction so I am sticking with it.

And now, like all the rest of the fans of this series, I wait for book 6.   I am not sure what I am going to read next but I am probably going to wait a couple of days to start.  I need to maybe pick up around the house a little and there is laundry to be folded. But first...to the bed...not to make it, but to take a little nap.

Photo-A-Day July 20-August 2

Wow!  When I look at these two weeks worth of photos (I didn't get a chance to post last week) I feel so incredibly lucky for all that we have done!  We went to a Wiggles concert, finished a great visit with Lorie and Charlie (including a trip to the beach...always a favorite of mine), went to Disneyland and enjoyed time outside in our beautiful state and the great local food it has to offer!  No one will ever be able to say that we haven't lived this summer up! 

My summer is coming to close pretty soon and I am feeling a little sad about my wonderful summer days with Taelin coming to an end.  I am so lucky though that I get to go back to a job this fall that I love and really thinks makes a difference.  I am so glad that my sister talked me into this Something-A-Day thing, it has been a great way to document what has happened and I know I will be grateful for the pictures of our everyday life in the future.  

july 20, 2012
The Wiggles concert 

july 21, 2012
pasta class

july 22, 2012
My new freakin' car!!!!!

july 23, 2012
a trip to the beach

july 24, 2012
homemade pizza with Lorie and Charlie

july 25, 2012
my view from my poolside chair in California

july 26, 2012
Disney!! and the most frightening ferris wheel EVER

july 27, 2012
A rare family photo after the parade in Disneyland in our souvenir hats!

july 28, 2012
homeward bound with Minnie

july 29, 2012

july 30, 2012
sunshine in Oregon!!!!!

july 31, 2012
blueberries...thanks Pam  :)

august 1, 2012
CSA box goodies

august 2, 2012
1st pinata at Anisa's birthday party