Barnaclebutt

It's impossible to be married for almost nineteen years and not have the occasional, ah, altercation with your beloved spouse. Yesterday Marc and I had a doozy, and because I was entirely in the right (!) I would share the details with you, but that's not good spousing and I would very much like to be a good spouse.

Anyway, we made up. Because we always make up. Marc and I are totally co-dependant; we can't stay mad for long or we both forget how to breathe. So, today I decided to surprise him by going into the city for lunch...which brings me to what this post is actually about.

I love Chinatown in San Francisco! It is so entirely awesome. It's like a perfect little trip out of the country. Ever since I was a little girl growing up in the bay area I've been fascinated with the otherness of Chinatown. I read Fifth Chinese Daughter when I was maybe ten years old, then when we would drive through Chinatown I would stare out my car window and wonder if life inside those apartments was really so different from my own (of course I didn't realize that the book was written in the 1940's so it wasn't that different).

Later, in college, I read The Joy Luck Club and fell even more in love.

What is going on in there, I wonder as we walked from our parking garage to the restaurant and I peer into each shop and market. I love to see laundry hanging out of the windows because it means someone really does live there.

So to quick wrap up all my thoughts and put a bow around it... I am always seduced by novels with an Asian element, (any Amy Tan, The Samurai's Garden, Snowflower and the Secret Fan, Memoirs of a Geisha, Dreaming Water, The Legend of Fire horse Woman and so many more) PLUS I lurv good Chinese food like we had today at House of Nanking, and finally, as Marc and I try to plan for our 20th anniversary trip next year, should we go to China?

Oh, I have to add this, Marc ordered blooming tea for me. Isn't it beautiful?

School will be out in just two weeks; it is seriously time to make my plans. Last year I wrote about Points as a way of managing the crazies, but for some reason I'm just not feeling it this year.

I'm more focused on goals for this summer. Goal number one is getting Ellie caught up in reading. This one scares me to death, honestly I am a good mother in most ways but I am horrible at tutoring my kids. It always ends in sorrow; sometimes with me locked in the bathroom. I'm not exaggerating.

But read she must so I will sally forth to the Teacher's store near our house and try to buy some hand holding guidance type book program thingamagigger. Yep.

Goal number two is moving Jonathan along in Scouts. Okay, I'll just admit it, I stink at Scouts, too. But I'm hoping that by writing it down (here) I'll do better. I'm visualizing myself remembering to look at the darned Scout book and helping Jonathan get through it before school starts.

Speaking of school, I am SO over homework. Can't we just forget it for the last weeks of school?

And finally, a goal for the girls. I'll have to pray and ponder about that one and get back to you. Maybe I will make them my personal trainers and give them the job of making me loose 15 lbs. Can I do that?

I get all worked up because my baby boy is growing up so fast, but then I found this on my camera and I feel better.

So I'm just going to own right up to my dorkiness and tell you that I love my birthday. Even though I am way past the point where getting older gets you anything good like dates or voting or being able to sit in bars.

So I am continuing to shamelessly copy the Nester. She does window "mistreatments,"...with a glue gun...and upholstery tacks. I think I'm in love.

Here is my sad, naked, bathroom window. My mom, who is usually really nice about any decorating/cleaning deficiencies I might have, called it the "weirdest bathroom ever." Yes indeed when you use "Le toilette" at my house you have a view.

I have wondered what to do about that for the eight months we've lived here. We tell ourselves things like, "no one's out there," and "if they want to see something that bad, go ahead." I considered stenciling some profound saying above the window like, "You enjoy the view, and the view enjoys you."

We haven't hung anything because the curtains I like are always so expensive, and apparently I'd rather imagine I'm invisible than hang something I don't like. But the Nester convinced me that I could make some clothes for this poor window. After reading several of her window posts I decided to see if I could mistreat my window using fabric I already have and spending less than $20 on hardware. It had to be done with no sewing too.

And here it is...nice, huh?

A lot of my fabric stash didn't make it to California, but I rummaged around and found this muslin left over from making bloomers for trek, and the blue fabric is from valances I made for our bedroom back in Laramie, 17 years ago. I actually measured and sewed back then but my standards are WAY lower now.

The laundry has been against me all week. It is sneaky. It gets in the washer but then won't get into the dryer and I have to wash it again because it gets stinky sitting in there overnight (who knows what it does down there in the dark).

I bring it up to the couch so it can watch TV for the afternoon, then move it to my bed to make room when the kids get home...(is my blog, can talk about laundry if I want).

I think some socks get lost along the way. When I go to bed I push the whole pile back into a basket and hope the dog leaves it alone.

Today is Wednesday, if I try really hard, maybe I can finish it and be done for a week. Hope was the only thing left in Pandora's box you know.

This ended up being such a yummy, easy, pretty dinner, I know you want to make it. I got the idea from my friend, Angela, but there's no actual recipe...so you can't mess it up! My favorite.

Okay, first roast your veggies. I chopped up asparagus, red bell pepper, yellow crew neck squash and I quartered an onion because that's what I had. I think any combo would be good as long as you do the onion. Love onions.

Spread them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar and mix with salt and pepper. Broil for about 10 minutes stirring LOTS. Just don't leave the kitchen.

Then I dumped them on a pound of penne (Angela used orzo) and added some cut up baked chicken breasts and feta cheese. I used the "Mediterranean" flavor with sun dried tomato.

This was so good! Everyone, except Ellie, loved it. But it's still good for picky little pains because, as every mom knows, they can have the noodles plain with butter and parmesan.

I learned a wonderful secret last night. If no children, dogs, or (sorry honey) husband are in bed with me...I can sleep through the ENTIRE night. And here I always thought it was just me.

So here's how I know I spend too much time whizzing around blogland; yesterday I took the coupon insert out of my parent's Sunday paper to try my hand at "coupon clipping." I've never done this before, but one of my favorite bloggers, Jen at Balancing Beauty and Bedlam, is making me feel a combination of inspired/guilty/envy so I'd decided to give it a try.

Then today I was checking in on another of my faves, Seriously, so Blessed, a fantastic satirical blog where TAMN was making fun of "super couponers." And I wondered if I was being silly?

It definitely has given me cause to pause. I am so easily influenced.

Yesterday I was quizzing Katie on what's up at her middle school. "Any recent drug busts?" I asked (because that did happen once). "Nope," she said.

"Well then, what's new?"

She shrugged, "just the no touching rule."

Oh boy! I am all for no touching. Touching in middle school can only lead to sorrow I imagine.

"What does that mean?" I wondered. Because I think I know what things mean and it often turns out I am WAY off base in teenager land.

"No high fives, no hugging, and no hand holding...it's to prevent swine flu," she said.

Seriously? I can't believe middle school is still so dumb.