It's such a busy time of year. There are three school concerts, three award ceremonies, and the eighth grade farewell dance at our school; activities that are held in the evenings during the two longest weeks of the school year (at least they feel that way). SOL tests are over, and even though we give final exams, students and teachers alike know the school year is really over. We have to pack up our rooms while making sure our students have something to do that is meaningful and keeps them out of trouble. Dress code issues have gotten a few of my female students in trouble, bringing bad attitudes to the surface, but other than that, this has been the best year I've had for over ten years. Maybe my best year ever!
I've been researching the route my dad and I are taking on our train ride; I'm pretty excited about seeing some areas of the country I've never visited before, and am planning to take a lot of pictures. Of course, I've also been thinking about the knitting projects I should take with me. My oldest daughter suggested lace weight yarn, which makes sense, but I'm not a big fan of it for some reason. I can knit socks, but I want to take one or two other types of projects as well, so I don't get bored. But I also need something that doesn't require too much concentration, so I don't miss all the scenery right outside our windows. So far, I'm thinking about the Stripe Study Shawl and the Storm Cloud Shawlette . Meanwhile, I'm trying to make myself finish or frog my collection of hibernating projects. (Except for this scarf, that I started while sitting in the waiting room of Patient First with Melissa tonight, but that's another story.)
The weather this week has been horribly hot, with at least two days of heat and/or air quality warnings. About the best our air conditioner can manage during these temperatures is to cool our house down to around 80 degrees. Needless to say, I'm not motivated to turn on the oven when it's this hot, so we've been scrambling a little for our dinners. Monday night around 10 p.m., I decided to make a couple of grain-based salads from Vegetarian Times. One was a combination of lentils, cucumber, and dill, and the other had chickpeas, tomatoes, and feta. Both were good, but nothing special, which led to Steve and I going to Subway for dinner Wednesday night. The best meal of the week was last night, thanks to the Asian Bar at Harris Teeter. I bought Kung Pao Tofu and it tasted fabulous! I can't wait to go back for more. I did make an impromptu pasta dish tonight using a bag of frozen vegetables and penne pasta that was good. I'm going to try a few more hot weather recipes this weekend. What are you eating in this heat?
the fun begins
2 days ago
Rose, so glad you had such a great year. My youngest just ended his 8th grade year, I am looking forward to high school for him and actually looking forward to leveling out of testosterone.....that should help him concentrate more. The train ride sounds amazing, that several projects so you don't get bored.
ReplyDeleteHave a wonderful weekend,
Meredith
You remind me of our 16 years in DC, and the awful heat that never seemed to quit. We have the odd really hot day here in Kingston, ON, but nothing on par with our southern years. And a good thing too, since our air conditioning is poor and we rely mostly on ceiling fans.
ReplyDeleteWhat do we eat when it's hot? Greek or Lebanese salads are my fave--chick peas, feta cheese, black olives, tomatoes, cucumbers (the little lebanese crunchy kind), red onions, a bit of cumin, good olive oil, and lemon juice. Yum.
How I miss those busy end of school days. James was at St. Albans at the National Cathedral, and Isabel was at Stone Ridge School of the Sacred Heart in Bethesda. Wonderful memories.