Teenage Math

17 years + running late + hormones+ Drama Gene = unhappiness

The solution for unhappiness must be chocolate chip cookies warm from the oven.

Rain delay

I knew the rain was coming today so I got outside and started working even before K11 got on the bus to go to school.  V came out and helped.  I got below the gravel layer into straight clay for part of it.  Let me tell you, I'll take straight clay over a clay/gravel mix any day!  The trenches were dug and we were just starting to fit in the base timbers when it started to rain. At first we ignored it. But it became more insistent and I started getting a bit chilled.  So we knocked off and went inside.  We had a few errands to run in town- we forgot to get lag bolts and a few other odds and ends, and had to stop at the bank and post office (hmm, I wonder why I was mailing packages...) We even went all out and had lunch downtown.  Ooo, That's a rarity!
The rain ended while we were out- we didn't really have much- just enough to make everything muddy. We got home and started back at it.  Everything was moving steadily but we had to stop, eat dinner and whisk K11 off to his spring band concert.  Even I won't miss that for a chicken coop.  Unfortunately, while we were there, the sky opened and it poured again.  At least only for a few minutes.
Concert over, we suited up, changed into our mud boots and got finished what we had planned for the day.  We've got the bottom layer of the foundation in place and level (we're using stacked treated 4x4s  for the foundation).   The corners are set on top of concrete blocks on their sides and we have anchored the beams with bolts through the beam into concrete in the holes of the blocks.  That probably makes absolutely no sense does it...  I'll try to get some photos tomorrow.  I wasn't taking my camera out in the rain- it's already acting funny enough.
Now it's dark, we're tired and we have to wait for the concrete to set.  Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be fine and we're hoping to make good progress.  It actually gets easier from here on.  Now it's just construction and THAT we know well.  I'm just frustrated that it took 2 days to get this far.  sigh.

But in other news.  While we were out getting stuff at the home store, they had asparagus crowns eight for $2.50.  Our poor pathetic asparagus is struggling so I picked up a package.  Maybe in a few years we'll be able to harvest more than one stalk.  And, while V was taking a break with the heating pad on his back (I warned him!) I managed to plant and mulch the asparagus, get my cranberries finally into the ground and moved another plant into the flower/herb/small fruit garden.

I know it's only Thursday night but I think I'm going to have a drink, sit on the couch and maybe watch some TV.  It's been days...

Oh, and J16 is NEARLY done with her dress.  Only facings and hem left.  It is GORGEOUS!!  But she isn't allowing photos yet. (maybe I'll sneak one tomorrow while she's at school) And she made a matching clutch purse to go along with it. And don't panic- the hem won't be that bad.  I have one of those great pressure foot contraptions for my machine that will automatically roll and stitch a 1/4 inch hem- just about perfect for that type of dress.  She will finish it up tomorrow night- nothing like waiting til the last minute- but then, she's my daughter!  We tend to thrive under pressure.

Poor Sweetie

Poor J16.  What a horrible day.  Of course, being hormonal didn't help but she really did have a crappy day.  First and foremost, she has apparently lost her wallet.  She knows she had it yesterday afternoon as they have to show their permits to the driver's education instructor before they can drive.  But, somehow, it has vanished.  She has searched her book bag and room.  We searched the living room, the car and the garage.  We even drove back to the school at 530 pm to check it out.  Fortunately since there was an event at school tonight, it was open.  She didn't find it in the room where she was waiting for us to pick her up from driver's ed and a janitor was even nice enough to let her into the main office to check the lost and found.  No luck.
Of course, the DMV is closed on Mondays and she is set to drive again on Tuesday.  Fortunately, they are open for a few hours tomorrow morning so guess where we will most likely be.  In addition to her permit, she had her school ID, several gift cards, her international black belt certification card and some cash.  sigh....  The gift cards she had at least registered online already so there is hope for those.  But really, we aren't holding out much hope.
To top off the day, we went to refill her birth control prescription (yes, I know, I cover my ears and say LALALALALA- although she uses it for regulation as much- or more- than anything else) and they told us they didn't have any.  Of course- all this got put off until the last minute and she needs it TOMORROW. Fortunately, the store in Coralville (maybe 10 miles?) had some and was able to fill her prescription.  We ended up driving all over town this evening but got her prescription and the few groceries we needed (and a really great deal on grapefruit- 18 lb for $5!).  The whole wallet thing was discovered because I was initially going to have her drive to the drug store.  At least it was discovered tonight rather than Tuesday, right as she was to produce her permit for the teacher before she drives for class.  She is a bit calmer.  We had time to talk in the car and I think I was able to convince her that it isn't the end of the world.  Not much anyway.
I hope your day went better.  Mine was great before all this happened.
Oh, and J16 was also complaining that she had an ink splot on a drawing she is working on for class and had to work on salvaging the piece.  It's one that she is hoping to enter in a juried art show and potentially sell so she was a bit upset about that to start the day.

But tomorrow is another day.

Teens and toes

I know I don't really have anything to complain about. I'm not staring down the barrel of a hurricane. I've got a job I love, a lovely home (albeit in pieces), a loving husband and wonderful children. But I'm a bit cranky.

First, I'm pretty sure I broke my toe last night. 4th toe- left foot. Ouch. It is all black and blue on the bottom and is pretty uncomfortable, if not downright sore. I kicked the corner of one of the drawers in the pedestal base of our bed last night in the dark. Stupid. I was laughing and crying at the same time.

Second, J16 is being such a teenager. She seems to think that the rewards should come before the work. Hmmm.. V just ordered a new computer (his first in probably at least 10 years), important to him for his work. He has made his old machine do things it was never designed to do but it has been causing him so many problems recently that it is time to upgrade. Of course, the current promo is "buy a new Mac, get an ipod free". So, we got the ipod touch. V and I both have one (I've had mine for at least 2 years) so we thought we would be nice and upgrade J16 from her current old nano to something bigger and better. Of course, there were stipulations. She needs to clean up her room and keep it that way for a week. No problem you would think, right? Uh, no. She is one of the most disorganized, chaotic teens I know. Now, don't get me wrong, I'm not super organized and we're not asking for things to be spotless. We just want the clothes off the floor and to be able to walk around the room without stepping on junk. Oh, and she needs to actually keep the sheets on her bed and NOT sleep directly on the mattress (that one just burns me up). She has known this was coming. However, when the ipod arrived today she seems to think that she was entitled to it. Au contraire. Her room looks like hurricane Earl just swept through full force. So, she is a little miffed that she still needs to pick it up and keep it that way for a week before she gets her new toy.

I'm sure she is venting to her friends online right now about what wretched parents we are. C'est la vie.

Good luck, thoughts and prayers to everyone on the east coast tonight and tomorrow. Stay safe.

Help... teenager emergency

Okay.  I love it that J14 is a sweet, generous thing but there are limits.  She came home tonight from school and announced that she is planning to make two of her friends dresses. One a formal for prom and one for Homecoming next year.  A noble sentiment but not very practical.  I told her that I wasn't saying 'NO' but I didn't think it was a very well thought out plan.  She proceeded to stomp upstairs and rattle off a rant on her blog about it, essentially saying that she will do it with or without my approval.  

Now, J14's previous sewing experience is making a skirt when she was 10 and piecing the top of a lap sized strip quilt (all straight line sewing).  For the curves on the pockets of the skirt she needed lots of support and help.  So I envision several problems with the prom dress idea:

1. Funding- She thinks she is going to purchase the fabric for these dresses from her savings- money she has been collecting for several years for college expenses.  She would have enough to do it but I hate to see her use so much of her money on something like this.  I don't think she has any concept of the price of good fabric- especially what you would want for a formal dress- or the quantities involved.

2. Time-  She has difficulty already fitting in everything she wants/needs to do- we can barely get her to practice her violin so I don't see her having lots of time to sew... and I will NOT do this for her. 

3. Skill level- Sewing a formal is not an entry level sewing project.  She has very little sewing experience.  I know that improving her sewing skills and making some of her own clothes is one of her goals for the year but I think this is a bit of a big leap.  I know she has until next year to do this but I don't think a year is long enough to really develop her skills to that level.  She doesn't seem to think of this as a barrier.

She already has a grand plan to make her friend Teara a purse for her birthday in February and I'm okay with that.  She has fabric from another project and we went out to get a zipper last week.  I found an old zipper in the craft/sewing cupboard and we need to pick fabric to make a sample purse before she tries on the nice stuff for the gift.  I thought this would be a good time to teach her how to put in zippers (something I can do but dislike intensely).

A purse for a birthday present is a little different than making someone's prom dress for them.

HELP!!! Any advice on how I field this one successfully would be appreciated.  I'm really hoping that this is one of those wild schemes that she will forget about in a few days but then- she's stubborn- just like her Mom.