Robot Unicorn Attack

Snow Day Goodies

The overnight snow managed to miss us, which is just as well. I have to head into the School of Ed in a few moments to put together a PPT, meet with students, and practice for this weekend's conference. It's Tuesday already - how do these things happen?

The downside to the snow day? I had baked for my students, homemade chocolate cupcakes and mocha buttercream from Martha Stewart's Baking Handbook. No class means no students which means I have twenty-six cupcakes sitting around. I've been wandering though the house, trying to avoid grabbing random cupcakes as I pass through the kitchen. Whether you love her or hate her (I love her, not going to lie), Martha knows good things and these cupcakes are no different.

Ridiculously moist, the frosting gives a great bite them. Truly a grown up's cupcake. If you have the Handbook, the frosting recipe is way too much for approximately 30 cupcakes. I probably could have halved it and been fine. If you don't have the Handbook, I found similar recipes on MarthaStewart.com: cupcakes here, frosting here. Definitely worth trying. 

Off to trudge in the snow. The cupcakes will be coming with me. Someone has class today and I'm sure their students will enjoy the sweet treats. Be warm, peeps. 

Snow Day

Indiana had several bucket loads of snow dumped on it overnight, part the Snowpocalypse, covering everything in several inches of white stuff. If you know me, you know that I'm anything but averse to massive amounts of the white stuff. I totally dig it, particularly when it means I'm snowed in. (This last sentence assumes that I have a decent supply of milk and maintain power, fyi.) 

Today, however, was a teaching day and my class is right after lunch. Surely, the roads would be cleared by then, no? By noon, I had received eight emails and texts from students letting me know they were snowed in themselves. With one-third of my students unable to make it I made the call and spent the rest of class time throwing together a YouTube clip going over what I would have done in class that day. 

Oh, yes. There is nothing like going over MSV analysis on a YouTube clip. I'm looking away because our landlord was shoveling right then and gave me a bit of a start. 

I spent a good portion of the day working, although I did manage to work through two more of Lynda Barry's books. I love her and must make a note to self to write about why sometime soon. Also worked through a few rows on my Habitat, which I hoped to have ready for this weekend's trip to Pittsburgh but fear may be my airplane knitting. There just are not enough hours in the day. 

The snow's still coming down. I'm unsure it's stopped all day. I am perfectly okay with this, although I fear I shall have no choice but to venture out into the wider world tomorrow. And in preparation, I'll take my blueberry muffins out of the oven and venture off to bed. 

Happy Hearts Day

Happy Felted Wool Heart's Day! May it be delightful and find you surrounded by people you care for and care for you back.

Around and Wandering

My friends remind me the last semester of classes are difficult, mostly because you begin aching for your own work, your own readings, your own writing. I find myself aching to begin that work, imagining the difficulty that lies ahead but exhilarated by it at the same time. But first, yes first: classes. Two months left to go. Hold on, don't lose your cool.

The above is a bag I sewed for my friend J's birthday. She didn't have any tote bags and I had a stack of Amy Butler Midwest Modern sitting around and a hankering to attempt actual quilting on the sewing machine. It turned out really well - see more, including the back (my favorite detail) on my Photostream.

So much work to be done. Must return to it, but must get better about getting back here.

Strange Happenings

When I met with the possibly new roomies last week, Anne, the current roomie, created the above in an attempt to more fully inform of the pros and cons of living with me. Apparently, I dance like a fabulooous dancing loon yet there is nothing about my ability to break out into thematic song at random...

Those, however, are not the strange happenings to which I refer. And now, the rest of the story:

While in my CMDA class last week, I received an email from a nonprofit in Chicago asking how my research report was coming along. It was too pragmatic an email, too eloquently worded to be spam and, using my Google skillz that killz, discovered that both the nonprofit and the person who wrote the email were authentic. I've been known to forget an occasional reading, granted, but never an entire research report, especially when it is a research report in an area outside of elementary literacy. I sent a borderline hilarious email back about mistaken identity and got a borderline hilarious email in return about coincidence. Lovely people, really, although I'm still unsure about how my email address found its way into their address books.

I was also asked to be a keynote speaker at a conference, which is both flattering and confounding. I'm so excited to be asked, especially since last year's speaker was the Dean of the School of Education, but, really, I'm just an associate instructor. Regardless, I need to come up with some inspiring words and soon.