There's nothing like Gloria Estefan to get the weekend started right!

Flamingo Friday Fantastikness!!!

Today....the weather was beautiful...warm sunshine all OVER the place. I had no classes this afternoon, so came home and just chilled for a bit before walking to the school to accompany my littlest man home from a busy day in 1st grade.

But before I could get into all that "chilling" I had thought about all morning.....the mail came and nestled amongst a couple of bills and a flier for a pizza delivery service....I got a card from one of my BFFs, Dena.

I was standing outside when I opened it and I'm sure the neighbor-lady (who was hanging out some laundry) was wondering what on earth I had gotten in that envelope because there I was...all by my little lonesome....just LOLing, right there on the sidewalk in front of the house.

On the front of the card, is a very hip Flamingirl....with a bag and a whole lotta bling going on. I opened up the card and listen.............

**Sorry, the quality is not too good....it's hard to capture that on film, but I think you can get the idea. I also think I was doing a tiny bit of Dr. Seuss channeling!! :-D And the heavy breather holding the camera? Yes, that would be the 11-year-old with allergies....but he's a damn good camera man!!

Here's wishing you all a surprise (or two) today that makes you laugh out loud!!

**************************

Oh!! and come back tomorrow...if you want, you don't have to, but....there's a contest brewing to help celebrate some stuff happening here at Kamp Kuroiwa....Dude! We got some prizes (that were found when we were going strong in that whole "decluttering" phase a few weeks ago!!)

Can I be random with you? It's been so long...I hope I haven't forgotten how it's done

Since I completely subconsciously ignored all the signs on the Internet telling me that Easter was coming....I spaced it out. No Easter Egg tree. No chocolate bunnies. No chocolate eggs. No eggs at all, for that matter. But....no one really noticed and I thought that all was safe.
Then.....

Someone posted a picture of the basket of goodies she had given her daughter and asked us to count the ducks in the picture for a prize. I felt really bad because Issei was standing here, looking over my shoulder, when I was reading that post.....I asked him to help me count the freakin' ducks and it dawned on him that Easter had passed us by. When he asked me what happened, I could not even tap dance my way out of that one...I just apologized and "oh, look...I think I found another one!"

So.....Thank goodness for wonderful friends (**mwah** to you, Fumiko!!) who travel abroad during the Easter holiday and pick up goodies for me and my boys!!

Cadbury goodies, no less!!

And all was right with the world.

I got some new glasses last week....any thoughts?

(And by my asking for "thoughts", I'm only really asking for just nice comments, okay? okay!)
**BTW...I got a haircut yesterday and that mess on my head, has been taken care of!!**


Elvis has left the building....and he took some homemade bags with him.
Here are the last of the bags needed for school....small ones for the boys to carry their masks for when they have lunch duty (more on the whole "duty" thing another time). These were made from a pair of my "fat jeans"~~I got sooo much stuff out those babies...they were HUGE, I'm tellin' ya!!


This is what happens to our favorite 6-year-old almost every night about 6:00 since he started this whole "school thang"....dude, first grade is hard, yo!

A friend (Hi, Trenda!!) has offered up a temptation that just makes me cry thinking that I'm going to have to say "no".....there is a Jimmy Buffett concert in Las Vegas in May...."Why don't you come?", she types to me.

Like that would be a fun one to explain to the K-Man....."Yeah, so honey....I'm going to spend 100,000 yen ($1000....that one shouldn't spend if one is planning a trip to the States in July!!) to fly to Las Vegas for the weekend to see Trenda and go to a concert...I'll be back Sunday night....casseroles are in the freezer....**mwah**...see ya later."

~~sigh~~

Since I have never been to one of his concerts (even though I am the one person that truly NEEDS to go since I have been a fan since waaaaaaaay before it was cool....can you say since I was about 12 years old?!?!), you don't know how tempting this was!!

In my sadness, I visited some of the Buffett sites I like to cruise and live vicariously through and Lo, and behold....a sight that made me wanna sing (among other things!!).

One of the reasons I do so love being a member of the phlock......

may I introduce to you "Urban Cowboy", from the Tropic Nation site......

Lordy, Lordy....there is a Goddess up there who wants us to be happy!!

****************


Something that just made me giggle.....

The parents at the boys' school all take turns doing "morning road safety patrol"....it's kind of a mandatory volunteering situation. I don't really mind doing it. The place for our area is near the house and doing it takes about 30 minutes out of my morning about once every 2 months.

Usually, a few days before, a bag with the necessary items that are to be used are delivered to the house by the person before me on the list. In the past, there has been a yellow flag to hold (I do love stopping traffic with that!!) and a banner that is worn much like the Miss America banners.

But this year.....there was a new item added.....

Yeah. Sure. Okay. And just in case you are wondering....the tulip hat?

No. It stayed in the bag....and only worn for the purpose of this post.

But....it is quite a fetching getup, don't you think?

Having lived in Japan for so long, I no longer know what "6 inches" looks like

6 inches or

15.2 centimeters

I wonder if other foreigners have been faced with this problem:

Someone tells you that an object is "6 inches long" and for a few moments....you really have to think....to remember....holy hell! 6 inches?!?!

**Okay....so at this point of the post...go ahead...get the jokes over with...you KNOW you just can't stand it...go ahead.....I'll wait............And really!! Do you think I'm going to post about that ?!?!?! Sure....I've been tempted....and I've tapped danced around it, but....no....get your minds out of the gutter and join me....up here....where the porn and trash just float by with only slight glimpses by us...like a parade!!**

The other day, Michelle, one of my incredibly talented and inspiring friends posted something on her blog that I just fell in love with. (stop it!!)

The kind of artwork she does, I do so admire. Many days I go to her place to read and I expect to see a new project or changes in an ongoing one...and believe me, she has many wonderful things she is working on...all at the same time, it seems....it's a magical place.

Anyway....in the post about this particular wonderfulness that she has made, she gave directions and in those directions she said that she had made hers "about 6 inches tall". Okay. No problem. So...I get the pattern and adjust the size a bit, I get it all put together and even though they are a bit not-perfect (but still really cute), they are incredibly small. Issei got out his handy-dandy ruler and sure enough....7.6 centimeters....which is 3 inches.

And at this point.....I started to laugh...possibly even snorted a time or two.

By the way....the things I made? I need to make a few more before I feel comfortable enough to share them....yeah, I know...color my butt insecure, but, hey, that's me. Give me a day or two...they really are cute.

And speaking of butts being colored.....

Have a wonderful Easter everyone!! I wish you eggs you can find easily...jelly beans for breakfast...and...Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs~~'cause you know they are so good!!

May the feeling of faith, hope and love be in all our hearts today and everyday...but especially today.

and then...there might have actually been some thumb twiddling going on

Thursday was Koji's first "real" day at school. He was up before me....sitting on the sofa...just waiting for me to crawl out of my futon. While my coffee was brewing, we had a nice talk about school and what all we thought was going to happen. He was a little nervous but he was nervous in a good way. When it finally got to be 7:00, we woke Issei up (that took a bit of time and a lot of effort...he is NOT a morning person..especially on a school day!!), had a good breakfast, brushed some teeth, got dressed (Koji changed twice!!) and then finally, they were ready.

I followed them to the top of the stairs, and after a quick "See you later...have a great day!", I sat down and watched them walk off together. Issei was telling him about what all they have to do when they got to school....I watched them until they disappeared and then realized I was looking a bit 'stalker-like' sitting there in my old sweats and flip-flops with my cell-phone camera in hand, ready for a great shot, so I finally just gave it up and went in the house.

From this moment I realized that things had changed. My "babies" weren't so little anymore and, though I wasn't sad or anything, there was still a little fwip in my heart...things had changed.

And boy howdy have they changed!! For one thing.....I have free time in the morning. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've always had a little free time, but now? Now, I have more than I have ever had~~~and I'm not sure that I am actually comfortable with it. Yes, I know...it's only the second day...it will get easier...it'll start to feel not so weird soon....but for now...yeah, I'm twiddlin' my thumbs!

For 10 years (5 at a public school, 5 at a private girls' school) I was a full-time teacher and incredibly busy....the last 3 years were a bad busy and I was miserable. After that last job was finished, I found myself working, basically, as a freelance English teacher. The last 5 years of working like that haven't been easy and I have worked my butt off to get the classes to fill my days....but, this, my friends, this is a good busy...a fun busy! I love it!!

Plus....I have an extra 45 minutes in the morning and almost an hour and a half in the afternoon...time that used to be spent taking Koji to and from the daycare.

Sure I have things to do...things I should be doing but would rather be doing something~~anything~~ else...things that have to be done. For example, yesterday, I did 3 loads of laundry, folded 2 that were on the line from Wednesday and spent about 20 minutes chatting with my neighbor next door over the wall between our houses. She asked me if I felt like I was "too free". I tried to convey in Japanese how I was feeling...."Yeah! And it's kind of making me crazy!!" (smiling the whole while were were talking about this.) She convinced me that everyone goes through this and I should enjoy it while I can because before I know it, I will have become accustomed to it and it will be just like any other day. I'm hoping that I can get my room clean before that happens.....the "path" from the door to the computer is getting smaller by the day and I really need to make it walk-able!!

So....if you had some extra time in the morning or afternoon...what would you do?

********************

What do you get when you search for "Easter...flamingos" on Google Images, Yahoo Images and Flickr???

You get these beauties...that's what you get!

(Except that one of me and one of my flamingos....that one was from my own cell phone!)

Have a good Friday everyone!! (get it, Good Friday! I crack myself up sometimes!)

FYI.....Many, many moons ago, I was born on a Good Friday so, as my mom says, this is my "real" birthday. I say, "That's why I'm so good." Oh yes, I do, too, say that! :-D

A "Pika Pika Ichi Nen Sei" kind of day

**Thursday night....I started this last night and about half way through, I was so tired, I was nodding off...sure sign that it's time to just go to bed!!!

It's official.

Koji is a "shiny, new 1st Grader".

Yep. He's stylin'!

In the garden (azaleas blooming! yeah!!). His randoseru ("backpack") is empty, so it's not too hard for him to carry. (Tomorrow will probably be another story!! Students here don't keep their books at school....all textbooks and notebooks are kept at home and taken to school, when needed!!)

Such a nice family...the only thing missing is Issei...he was already at school, getting ready for the ceremony.

When we first got to school, a 6th grader met us at the entrance (they were waiting for the kids and it was just by chance who was paired with whom)...and we walked to Koji's homeroom. He is in class 1-A. There are 19 kids in his class....20 in the other. The classes here seem to be getting smaller each year....though I like the small class sizes, I'm worried about what will happen to our school in the future if this continues!

On each desk, there were many things waiting for the kids. Each 1st grader must wear a special yellow hat and put a yellow cover on their randoseru. No matter where you go in Japan, you'll know it when you see a 1st grader!


There was also a box with a "congratulations" sweet inside (sweet bean paste inside a steamed rice flour roll...tastes much better than what it sounds!!)....textbooks and notebooks and tiles to use in math.

"Nyugaku omedetou"

Congratulations on Entering School!!!


Koji's homeroom teacher, Mrs. Sakai (she was also Issei's 3rd grade teacher....he said she was really nice, but......"don't make her mad!!!")

While we were in the classroom, the rest of the school was in the gym...waiting for us.

All the other students were sitting on the floor of the gym, parents in chairs behind them and the VIPs were in chairs on either side of the students. There were special chairs for the 1st graders, up near the stage for them.

As the 1st Graders entered the gym, some very lively music began to play and everyone was clapping. The 6th graders had made arches of paper flowers for the 1st Graders to walk through. (Issei was one of the "holders", but you can't see him because some 6th grade Amazon Woman was in the way!! :-D (If you click on the picture, you can see his arm and his

green striped t-shirt.)

After the ceremony, it was back to the classroom for some directions and what-not from the sensei (teacher). They put their hats on...attached the buzzers and whistles (not a good move on the sensei's part, but....that's just me! Yeah...we did have some moments of "Turn it off!" and "Only whistle if you are in trouble.") and we put the special cover on their bags.

Watch out world....here we come! "Pika Pika Ichi Nen Sei, Kuroiwa Koji kun"
and his mommy and daddy.
(Damn. We look good! And no, my skirt was not a long skirt originally~~since I've lost weight, a lot of my things sort of sliiiiiiiiide down. It's a pain, but one I will gladly deal with!!!)

At the front gate of Menoto Elementary School

On the grounds of the school...the sakura (cherry blossoms) held out just for us so we could take a really pretty picture!
(Since Koji's bag is now full of books and stuff, it's much heavier and making his jacket look almost too little! :-D Funny...now that I really look at that picture, it looks like someone else has a backpack on~~that video camera bag must have been really heavy!!!))
After we got home, we changed into some comfy clothes and then headed to our favorite Belgian cafe....Koji and Daddy had a Pepsi and Mommy? You betcha! She had a reeeeallly good Belgian beer!!!
Luc (our favorite Belgian man evah!) made a special dessert for Koji....a piece of 'to-die-for' chocolate cake, fresh strawberries and a small cookie....oh, yeah...and lots and lots of chocolate syrup all around the plate!
Oh, yes. he did! And I let him! Can you believe that?!?!

Oh well....it's not everyday you enter 1st Grade....you gotta live large!!

I'll take "Random Crap" for 50, Alex.

Some women are just the same....no matter where they're from.

On Friday, I had to go to the store to get some material and extra stuff for some sewing I needed to get done for the boys before the start of school (which is tomorrow for Issei, by the way!!). As I was checking out with my purchases, the clerk (who is about my age) mentioned that if I had my cell phone, I could scan a special bar code and get an extra 10% off my total purchase.

Never one to pass up a good deal, I quickly got out my handy-dandy phone and proceeded to do what was necessary. When it was all finished....the clerk noticed the picture on my screen.

And that is when I realized that if you put---

2 Japanese clerks,

3 mid-40's shoppers and

1 foreign woman with

this on her cell phone....

You might possibly get 6 women in a very intense discussion over what is "sexy" and what is "too much".

We were divided, by the way....3 of us thought My Man Dwayne was just what we needed, the other 3 thought he was a bit too much. ("Ew," was an actual comment by one. Can you imagine that? I was nice and forgave her, though.)

I can honestly say that the 10 minutes this all took place, were the funniest 10 minutes of the day. Well, it was probably more than 10 minutes, because I sent the picture to the other 2 ladies' cell phones...and that took a bit longer!!!

The best question by one of the clerks?

"Is that your husband?"

I think I might have snorted at that!

**************

I had a "bag lady" kind of weekend.

As I mentioned before, school starts tomorrow. Actually, the "opening ceremony" for Issei and the rest of the students is tomorrow, the "entrance ceremony" for Koji and the new 1st graders is on Wednesday. Issei is not happy about the whole going back idea~~at all. As usual, the vacation went much too fast for him and no, he is NOT ready to go back. "Suck it up, mister", says I, "you're not old enough to get a job yet and you need an education if you want that really great job at CNN/MTV/some place other than the 'golden arches'." Which, when I start lecturing talking to him about, I'm so sure he mentally reaches up and totally turns me "off". Oh well....I might have possibly done that to my mom (No, Mother, I didn't...of course I didn't...I just said that for the sake of the blog...of course I listened to absolutely every single thing you jabbered on about discussed with me!)

So anyway....the list of various things that Koji needs for school is quite long and there are about 5 bags of various sizes he needs, to carry different items. Thinking I could take the "easy way out", we went to the store to look at and possibly purchase some bags, but....sadly...none of them appealed to my persnickety 6-year old. (Damn.)

I am a woman who faces challenges. I have a sewing machine. I can sew, dammit. Making these bags? No problem.

Actually, it really wasn't too terribly difficult...just a bit time-consuming...but I did it.

When Issei was a 1st grader, I also had a 1-year old AND a job that allowed me very little time for anything else, so...we bought his bags.

The guilt I put upon myself about that was intense...yes, I can take myself on wonderful "guilt trips", I really don't need anyone else, thank you, very much.

So....a few of the bags....I made two...one for each of them. Yes, I know that Issei will only use his for one year. That's okay. I don't even think he realizes that he didn't have "momma made" bags...doing this was more for me...he just thinks it's cool that he has a new bag...we are both happy.

*Big tote bags to carry everything

**small bags for their toothbrushes/cups and

***a bigger one for Koji's PE shorts and t-shirt

****bags for their school shoes

I have only 3 more bags to make for Koji and then I am done. He won't need the extra ones until next week, so I have some time....to procrastinate, you know!>

**************

"I'm not happy and I'm running away."

Koji got mad today. Issei and I are not really sure exactly why he was mad...I'm sure it was something that one of us said/did/didn't do/whatever.

It made him even madder when I mistakenly chuckled at him and his preparation for leaving.

He had wrapped all his "very important stuff" in a small flannel blanket and tied that blanket onto a baseball bat. With the bat over his shoulder, he left the house, looking sadder than you have ever seen!

That kid breaks my heart, sometimes!!

Oh, he didn't go too far...I ran after him and after talking to him for a bit, I convinced him that it was late and getting dark and if he really wanted to leave, tomorrow morning would be better...plus, didn't he remember the yummy pie we had made earlier to eat after dinner?

(That might have been the clincher.)

Later....I was curious as to what he had packed into his bag, so while he was taking a bath with Daddy...I went out to the genkan and found this by the step:

I carefully opened it up....and here is what I found:

Koji's very important stuff:
*a cow hat
*a small radio (looks like a milk carton...thanks, our very special aunts!!)
*a page of Pokemon stickers...most missing
*a small bean bag
*2 Happy Meal robots
*a gold dragon and
*his Snoopy wallet with 1,800 yen (about $18).

I folded it all back up and tied it on the bat....just in case, you know, that he still wants to leave tomorrow morning.

I'm thinking he has changed his mind...at least, I hope he has!

You all have a great Sunday....and if you feel like running away, don't forget to pack a bag of your "most important stuff", but, I hope someone convinces you to wait for another day..... you'd miss your mom something terrible....and you might miss a really delicious dessert for dinner.

It may take a village to raise a child, but.....

....it takes just 2 Japanese women to put a

foreign woman in a kimono.

If someone were to ask you what "traditional American clothing" was, how would you answer that? For me, when people ask (and it happens more often than you can imagine), I always think of the clothing style from Gone With The Wind....the petticoats and hoop skirts, parasols, lacy gloves, Scarlett O'Hara run amok. Or, I imagine the American Indian style of clothing....leather, beads, feathers...a Dances With Wolves R Us sort of thing.

One of my great-grandmother's family was from Czechoslovakia, but I don't have anything that represents that culture in anything I own, clothing-wise. My other grandparents were from such a mish-mash of cultures (we're not really sure where they came from) and I definitely don't have anything in my wardrobe that would be representative of any distinct culture...unless you count the Mexican dress I bought and wear as a cover-up in the summer.

A quick search on the net for "traditional American clothing" brought up, as I imagined, mainly the Native American costumes. There were a couple of "Uncle Sam" costumes and quite a few sites for flannel and American flag patterned shirts. I expected to see a couple of jeans-and-tee shirts thrown in, but, no...at least not on the first 4 or 5 pages.

In my search, I also typed in "traditional Japanese clothing" and it's amazing how many sites and pictures came up....kimonos, yukattas, getta, tabi, hakama...all traditional and all you can find being worn pretty much anytime, anywhere, here in Japan. Young (babies and small children) and old alike wear the traditional style of clothing. Most women (and some men!) have at least one kimono to wear, especially to official functions such as weddings and funerals. There are simple, everyday kimonos and then there are some very elaborately designed and expensive ones. You can buy a ready-made one or you can go the more expensive route and have one made, with your family crest printed onto the material (on the back, up by the collar).

In the 18 years I have lived here, I have, on occasion, worn a yukatta (a light-weight, summer kimono), but I had never put on a regular kimono...until today. I'm not sure why I got it in my head that this is something that I wanted to do, but I did, and since I had an afternoon free, I spent about 3 hours learning about the kimono and all that is involved in putting one of these babies on.

Whether you are wearing a yukatta, simple kimono or more elaborate kimono, you will probably need help getting it on. I know of some women who, after taking classes in how to wear a kimono, are able to do this on their own, but for the majority, they need help.

My friends Kyoko and Hiroko volunteered to help me. Kyoko has many kimonos that belonged to her mother (who wore one everyday, as did most women 50 years ago). She knows a lot about these very interesting articles of clothing and I appreciate her taking the time to help. Hiroko was there today as support, adviser, and photographer! It was a really nice afternoon with two people I do so enjoy spending time with!

Kyoko was very nice, explained many of the ins and outs of the kimono and answered the questions I had. It really was a great learning experience and one that I'm sorry I waited so long to do!

It's amazing how much time goes into putting on a kimono. I also had to laugh at the irony because after working so hard to get a more "girlish" figure, the kimono pretty much makes all that hard work disappear!! With all the belts and ties and padding, there really is no definition....a boyish figure is what you are trying to achieve!

I had expected the whole experience to be more "torture by kimono" than anything else. After hearing stories about how tight the belts are and how you can't sit down and how the whole thing is really more uncomfortable than anything else, I was expecting the worst. But....maybe that was good, because really...it wasn't that bad!! Kyoko and Hiroko kept asking me if I was okay and really....I was! (I'm thinking that after spending most of my high school and university years in jeans so tight I sometimes had to lie down to zip them, the kimono was easy-peasy!! No problem at all!!)

So...here are some of the pictures...from start to finish...that Hiroko took for me. (Click on the collage, if you'd like, and it should come up bigger in another screen!)

And by the way....if anyone comes to visit and wants to experience this....Kyoko is the woman we need to talk to...maybe Hiroko will take pictures and offer tips and advice, too!!

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Flamingos in our garden...

no...they aren't your basic garden variety flamingos...they...are a bit more elegant...yes, a little faded, but still lovely!!

Spring fever...and, oh yeah...my new apron? It's possessed.

Spring Fever

No...the picture isn't me, (there is some perkiness there on that young thing that, honestly, hasn't been visible for quite some time now on this body!) but it sure is how I feel right now and have felt for the past few weeks.

Blah. Yep, that's the way I've been feeling. Or maybe not so much "blah" as "Eh? Whatever."

Spring fever. Part of the reason I am having such a hard time getting things done that I really should have done weeks...nay, months ago!!

It's the sakura (cherry blossoms) that are absolutely beautiful this year.

It's the driving here and there with the windows down, breeze blowing through the car and fighting the urge to just drive to the beach, the pier, somewhere other than class.

It's the mixed feelings I have about the youngest of the Kuroiwas about to venture into the world of education and his total excitement about this whole process.

I do love spring with the beautiful flowers all over the place and the cool wind/warm sunshine combination that we have been blessed with this week.

I'm even thinking that the rain that is expected this weekend will be good...I do love a spring rain...and it will be a good excuse to stay home and get some bags made for our soon-to-be-1st grader to take to school.

~~sigh~~

*******************

And about that apron.....

Here in Japan, women do love their aprons. Now...I don't know about you, but, as for me....the only time I can honestly say that I actually wore an apron was during Home Ec class in high school. Mrs. Christie told us that if we wanted to cook, we had to have an apron. And since she was really kind of scary, I wore an apron. Other than then...no...never did.

But here....EVERYONE wears an apron. Even if you go to the supermarket, I can almost guarantee that you will see one person wearing an apron and shopping....almost like she just ran to the store to pick up something while she was in the middle of making dinner.

Not only do the ladies have the aprons, when they come to your house for a party---they bring those aprons...because they will help you clean up and God forbid should you do dishes without an apron on! (Personally...I like this part...a lot...sometimes my kitchen is cleaner when my mother-in-law and her sister leave than it was before they came...taking the good with the sometimes annoying...a trade-off I can live with!).

I have a very lovely collection (she typed, tongue-in-cheek) of aprons given to me by various students, all folded up nice and neat-like in a drawer in my kitchen. When my mother-in-law, her sister or any other "older generation" person comes to my house, I will wear one when doing dishes, because, well...that's just what you do. Most of them are just too....hmmm...how do I say this?....so very NOT me...I sometimes wonder what it was about a particular apron that made someone buy it just for me. What part of all that lace and bunny rabbit appliques was saying "This is for Debbie!" to them at the store? I've also wondered if, maybe, they were re-gifting an apron someone had given them. Hmmm...that's possible.

Anyway....on Friday, one of my good friends gave me an apron. It's lovely. There is no lace. There are no bunny rabbit (or any other animals, for that matter) appliques. It's yellow and it has flowers. And. It. Fits. Me. Perfectly. (size-wise, that is.)

But...do you remember in the movie, The Mask, how Jim Carey's character
after putting on this


became this?

Well, my friends....when I put on this....

I become.....

this.


It's actually a bit frightening. Something comes over me and well....I'm a little different.

For example.....

Sunday dinner...I made an incredible Bar-B-Que Beef with caramelized onions Pizza AND I made some peanut butter chocolate chip cookies

Monday...I made an awesome dessert (layered spongecake, fruit, homemade pudding and whipped cream in a cup) for a hanami (picnic under the cherry trees) I had with students on Tuesday

Tuesday...I baked a huge pan of brownies to take to class on Wednesday to help explain the difference between cake and brownies. (I've baked more in the past 3 days than what I have in the last 3 months!!)

Wednesday...in 10 minutes I threw together a pan of spaghetti sauce that all the men in my family raved about.

My living room is now cleaner than it has ever been...EVER!

I also did some creating in our genkan (entrance way) using a couple of baskets, some flowers, an obi, and some candles.

"Somebody stop me!!"

But, wait....not yet...maybe I should put on the apron and come into my room for a little while. Maybe the Martha Stewart channeling can take place and I could actually, possibly be able to get this room into shape. Oh....dare I hope?

Is it the apron? The spring fever? A preview of how the mid-life crazies will affect me? I don't really care, just as long as it lasts until my room gets clean!!

Rock on, "Martha"!!

Okay....I'll say it....for the first time ever....I like my apron!