Weak Stomachs Beware!

I got home from teaching my evening class tonight, and Ross was already in the kitchen working on dinner (bless his very big and masculine heart). We said our hellos (no sloppy wet kisses for this couple...he's sick), and he announced, "I think somebody pooped in our yard."
"No, " I told him. "That was just your dog."
"No," he countered. "Didn't you see that pile? There was toilet paper and everything."
"Yes, I saw it, but it was your dog. Did that bag of garbage next to the bed have your dirty Kleenex in it this morning?"
"It had some."
"It doesn't have any now, and that pile in the yard isn't poop. It's your dog's throw-up."
"Oh, sick."

The End.


*Due to the lack of lighting at this hour, I was not able to take and include pictures in this post. Better luck next time.

Happy Birthday to ME! :)

So, my extra fabulous and incredibly talented sister, who I'm not sharing with anyone except my brother and maybe my buddy, Stacy, who can only have her on loan for short periods of time on extra special occasions that don't conflict with my needs, came over Sunday night. She (and Ryan and Quentin and Stacy and Eric and Ross) spoiled me with a most wonderful and delicious and fancy pants birthday dinner and dessert. I'm still suffering the consequences of a severe sugar high. Maybe you noticed.

These two handsome dudes were the entertainment.

This was the start of something incredible.

The meringue insulation covers the layers of cake and ice cream (yes, of course, ice cream).


Then the whole thing goes in the oven under the broiler and becomes this ridiculously wonderful and complicated mass of textures, temperatures, and flavors.

...and then I put it in my gaping hole.


See, it even looks like the Martha picture. Holy moly wonderful deliciousness!!! I want a re-do.

This is post feasting, and I think Shae is praying that we all be forgiven for our gluttony. Amen.

You know what this means?

Despite the incessant rain, despite the cold, despite the fact that we're still in January, these little guys give me some hope. The Daffodils and Crocuses are poking up everywhere in my flower beds, suggesting that spring might be here before we know it. I can't wait to start planting stuff again.
Right now our back yard is one big sheet of black plastic, as we're trying to kill our grass so we can start over and do it right.

Ross is going to make raised beds for our garden, and I'm so excited. I want to start planting stuff right this second. I'm anxious to get my garlic in the ground. It should have been done two months ago. Last year we harvested close to 30 bulbs of both hardneck and softneck varieties. This is what we have left:

Mmmmm garlic.

Leave Your Nipples Alone!

...and that pretty much sums up my school week.

Yes, somehow that phrase managed to come out of my mouth. And when it did, I looked at my co-star with disbelief, "Did I really just say that out loud?"
She started laughing and said that it was her proudest moment.
Not only did I say it, I yelled it across the gym to a group of boys who would not stop giving each other "titty-twisters" during PE warm-ups.

I could be wrong, but I don't think that falls within the state of Oregon's best teaching practices.

Looking to quit my job

I'd just like to note that my family is trying to sabotage my work ethic.

As a kid I had a bad habit of reading...a lot, like constantly. It's taken years of therapy and diligent self-control, and I've all but given up the habit. Then for Christmas, my dear parents, whom I continue to love through both the good and the bad times, took it into their heads that my sister and I should each have a Nook. Fantastic. Now every time I so much as look at it, I break into hives for wanting to open it up and put off every other responsibility.

Then there was the wholly unexpected gift from Rossome. I've been wanting a fancy pants digital camera for a few years, but have been putting it off in order to save money for various house projects...a wedding...and other small purchase items like say, plane tickets. So to actually be gifted such a coveted item, I'm dying to learn how to use it and practice taking pictures. Shae and Ryan got me the perfect lens to make matters worse, and any day I'll be getting some editing software in the mail that will make sitting in front of my computer "fixing" pictures even more of a time burner.

Now, to just dig the knife in a little further, my parents bought me a Cricut for my birthday. A Cricut, people! Do you understand how much time I could spend not doing laundry, not cooking dinner, not teaching kids to be active and healthy with this thing in my possession? I'm an absolute disaster! I. Can't. Help. Myself.


With all of these new hobbies to pursue, and not enough time to fully devote myself to any one of them, I'm looking to quit my job. If you would like to sponsor me in my new pursuits, you can send checks made out to Bobbi St. Clair. Thank you in advance for your generous donations.

A Crime of Passion

If you remember a few posts ago, I mentioned Youk's bad habits. Here he is in action:

The innocent face.

The spot and grab.

The proud conquest.

Planning his next move.

The innocent face.

Busted.

Top Ten

Because my parents gave me a Nook for Christmas, because I haven't gotten anything productive done since my parents gave me a Nook for Christmas, and because I thought I might inspire a few others to be equally unproductive with me (misery loves company), I'd like to share my current Top Ten Favorite Books.

1) Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin
2) The Mark of the Lion trilogy by Francine Rivers
3) The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
4) The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
5) Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
6) Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
7) Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery
8) Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
9) Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
10) David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

I know this is a really girly list, but I am a girl so don't judge me.
Read at your own risk. Just be prepared to be out of commission for a period of time. Laundry is really overrated after all.

A Story in Pictures...Mostly

Ryan's holding his niece.


Q spots Dad holding his cousin...and doesn't like it.


Ryan folds and holds them both. Baby Strum is a little unsure about this.


But then Q reassures her, "Don't worry, my dad is really strong."


And the conversation continues...

For Lauren

New Years came and the old year went.
Looking back, it was a year well spent.

My boyfriend became my fiance and then my spouse.

We had the perfect wedding at my parent's house.
We had so many friends and family there,
It was a weekend you really cannot compare.

My nephew grew a whole year older.

He's standing now and getting bolder.

He'll be walking just about any day,
And I feel a bit sorry for my sister, Shae.

We went some places
And ran some races.
Flew on a plane,
And spent a week in Maine.

We hiked.
We biked.
He hunted. We fished.
I don't think there's anything that we missed.

Oh what a year, 2010,
The Lord was good, can I get an, "Amen?"
As for 2011, we'll have to wait and see,
But I hope for everyone, it's good as can be.


**I was hoping to add more pictures, but I'm having trouble getting them up. Better luck next time. And I promise to lay off the poetry...ahem...rhymes, for awhile. :-P