Carnival and MOMS Challenge and Other Stuff

The COH is up at the Homeschool Cafe.  Just click on the link on my COH widget to your left to get there. Natalie says, "Hello home educators! Welcome to the NBTS edition of carnival of homeschooling. Today, we are celebrating our non-adherance to the traditional school year by lightly poking fun at those who do. Right this way to the bus stop..."  Lizzie, of A Dusty Frame, has a great post.  She submitted a list of links for homeschoolers, from classical music to schedules.  Check out the rest of her blog while you're at it.  I'm sure you'll be blessed.

In other news, the demised Silly Putty came out!  Hooray!  For your information, that was not my behind in the photo.  Do you really think I would allow someone to photograph my backside and then actually post it on my own blog?!?  Come now.  ...I am rather flattered, though, to have my wide back side mistaken for Emily's much smaller one.  Anyway, as I was saying, I sprayed the back of the fabric with Awesome Cleaner ($1 at Dollar Tree -- great stuff. Takes out everything except chocolate), then let it sit a minute.  Took a credit card and scraped off what was left of the Silly Putty, carefully lifted all the teeny little pieces with a paper towel, then took my chances on getting the rest of it stuck to the laundry that was already agitating in the machine.  There really wasn't enough left to stick to anything else, and the dress is not a gonner after all.  Thank the Lord for things like this. It was a cheapo WalMart dress, but $8 is $8.

We were blessed with several packages of fresh fish this week.  Some of it is tuna, and the rest, well, I'm not sure what it is.  It is either yellowtail (jack fish) or yellowfin (tuna).  Is there a big difference?  How do I cook it (any of it)?  How do I cook the tuna to make it suitable for cold salads and stuff?  Hey, speaking of tuna, I found a really delish recipe for tuna salad at allrecipes.com, right here.  It's different and very good.  I held off on the sweet relish a bit, and next time I would add a bit less dill.  I really like the curry.  It's a nice mix with the tuna flavor.  Great on Triscuits.

AND. The other day we went to a big city to look for clothes for my tweenagers.  Dresses, skirts, and/or blouses, since they need everything.  After wandering around the mall for a long time and finding nothing that I would wear unless I wanted people to think I was for sale (but really -- what did I expect in a city where prostitution is considered an honorable way to make a living?!?), we finally found one skirt, in colors that we had nothing to coordinate with.  So an hour later we finally had a little jacket and tank to wear under it.  Finally we left the mall with a lot less than we hoped for, but thankfully with SOMETHING.  (This is a good thing.  My DH was along and witnessed the dearth of clothing for young ladies.  I think he doubted my doubts about finding anything.)  So next trip, JoAnn Fabrics.  It didn't take us too long to pick out two pieces of printed cotton (no poly/cotton dress fabrics?!) but we discovered that patterns for skirts and dresses for this age (12-14) don't exist anymore.  They go from a girls 16 (the few patterns in girls that come that size) to ladies 6.  Whatever!  (Sigh.  Sorry.  The longer I talk about this, the more I want to just take off in a big rant.)  We get home and wash the material, and I am struggling to get this bias skirt pattern laid out on the first piece of material. It's not working.  And you know why?  Because the fabric is only 41" wide, not 45"!!!  Arghhh!  Ice cream is being packed in smaller cartons, my Coast bar soap has been shrunk, and now fabric too.  Well, why not.  Hopefully we can figure something out.  If the store wasn't 90 miles away I'd be there right now taking it back.  And poor Booklover.  She is not even 11 1/2 yet, but she is 5'7" 5'8". She is still a little girl!  And she loves the younger styles.  Do you think there is anything in the girls department for her?  Zilch.  And don't even bring up the Juniors section.  That is the worst. See, I told you this would turn into a rant.

And finally, the MOMS Challenge.  I keep forgetting to link back to Becca with this.  If you want to join us Moms of Many (whether or not you have many) in finding time to exercise daily, and maybe even experience a little bit of bonus weight loss for your trouble, head over to her blog and sign her Mr Linky.  There aren't many of us, but it's encouraging to have a compassionate cheerleading squad.  I am on track on my walking schedule, although this week what I have been doing is more like a brisk hobble.  I nearly broke my pinky toe Sunday morning, and it does not like being squeezed into my tennies.  It was black for about two days, and now suddenly it is back to pretty pink again.  That means I have good circulation in spite of the fact that 1) I have had diabetes for close to thirty years, and 2) I am going to be 45 in two weeks. Can I joing AARP yet?

Good night, all.