Not a typo

I just went for a jog.  Amazingly, that sentence is not a typo.  Anyone that knows me well, knows that the words "Julie" and "jog" are never used in the same sentence unless there is a negative in there as well.  (i.e., "Julie never jogs unless she is chasing Alan.")

I have been trying to get back in shape since my stupid foot surgeries.  Unfortunately, as I age that is harder and harder (as opposed to my belly which is softer and softer ...)

This morning was one of those rare beautiful mornings in the midwest.  It was cool and slightly cloudy (so I didn't need sunglasses) and just perfect running weather.  (Once again, anyone that knows me knows that "perfect" and "running" are not ever used in the same sentence.)

Hm, is it possible I will keep up with my exercising this time?

Oooooo, I have mini kits to complete ... and here's the first one!

Probably not.  But still better one day than none, right?

NAME National Convention

I just spent the most amazing week at my first ever NAME (National Association of Miniature Enthusiasts) Convention in St. Louis, MO.  I am exhausted, but so glad I participated.  The theme was "Rollin' on the River" and the gifts were amazing!!  I got this little beauty at a lunch seminar all about 3D printing.

Although I had been sort of thinking of getting a 3D printer some time (or a laser cutter, they look fun, too!) I pretty much ruled out a 3D printer any time in the next 10 years.  Wow.  You need to be way too "techie" to own one!  Still, the things they can do are pretty amazing.  This little gem was made entirely on a 3D printer (except the pictures) and then painted.  The whole thing is about 2.25" square.  WOW!!

Although the entrance fee seemed high to me, I discovered why after attending.  You get so many amazing gifts at every event!   This picture is all the goodies that I got just in my tote bag for attending.  Yowza!

I took several classes and they were pretty interesting as well.  I learned how to make "wrought iron" out of quilling paper.  I can't wait to use some of these techniques in my townhouse!

I also took a class from Ginger Landon-Siegal and made this adorable little Paris street scene.  The whole thing is about 7" long. 

On Friday I made this little table of "apple pie in the making".  I still haven't figured out what will be going in that one corner, but I loved how it turned out anyway!

Saturday night was the banquet with a lot of the folks dressing up in costumes.  It was great for people watching.

I completely fell in love with the tinier scales this last week and picked up several more kits. 

I want to finish my existing 1" scale projects and move on to exclusively 1/4" scale and the 1/144th scale.  Of course I have three rather large 1" scale projects that I have to finish before I can move on.  On the other hand, I am so freaking ADD when it comes to miniatures that who knows how that will turn out. 

Oh look, squirrel ...

My brown thumb

I used to kill houseplants at a ridiculous pace.  I would always forget to water them.  My mom couldn't believe that was possible.  Her advice?  "Just water them each week when you clean."  Um, Mom, that might be the problem.  I don't clean every week!

Fast forward several years and I got a PDA.  Dang, that was the best thing ever invented.  Now I had something that flashed at me every 5 days reminding me to check my poor plants.  Wonderful.  I started doing better.  Not good, mind you, but better.  Of course that morphed into an app on my phone, but it still comes up on my to-do list every 5 days and I ended up with a handful of plants that actually looked OK.

Outside is another story.  I've always hated the heat so even if I put something on my to-do list every other day, I'm sure I would find some excuse not to water.  Luckily DH is phenomenal (anal retentive?) about that and keeps our outside plants looking attractive.

Last year I got smart and decided to make a miniature garden/greenhouse.  Those flowers always look fantastic and I NEVER have to water them!  Win-win!

But I was so excited by my garden window when we redid the kitchen.  It was gorgeous and plenty large enough to keep a wide assortment of plants close at hand so I could remember to water them.  I decided to give houseplants another go.  I even foolishly got a seed starter kit for herbs.  After a few weeks this is what I had growing.

Wow.  Talk about dismal.  (Oh and check out the poor daisy behind the herbs ... deader than the proverbial door nail!)

So I did what any self respecting home owner would do.  I went out and bought replacement herbs.  Hey, at least they look healthy now.

 

OK, I might have cheated a bit and bought a few other plants as well. 

 

The garden window looks great and there will be a few spares when they start getting neglected.

Maybe I should stick to miniature flowers.  I can't kill those!

Guerrilla warfare or why I appreciate teachers

As a mom to special needs kiddos, I guarantee you that I appreciate teachers more than your average parent -- even more than a parent who happens to teach.  I love my boyz but some days (especially Sundays), I tend to count the hours until Alan returns to school.  It is just emotionally draining at times.  I am unbelievably cut off from family and friends.

Even though I have teenagers, I can't leave them alone in the house for even the half hour it would take to run to the grocery store.  I have been known to put a video on for Luke and run up to the grocery store to pick up milk or prescriptions and I am wracked with guilt the entire time.  What if he climbs somewhere he is not supposed to climb?  What if he falls and hurts himself?  What if he opens a window and climbs out on the roof?  The first two have happened repeatedly and although the last one hasn't happened (yet) it is certainly within the realm of possibility.

Now that Joe is driving, I can at least send him to the store, but there are certain things he is not capable of doing.  He won't use our medical flexible spending card.  He certainly will not look for the best deal when it comes to picking out soup, crackers, eggs, apples, etc.  He won't buy any sort of produce unless it is something he will eat.  Even though I have tried to show him how to pick out assorted veggies and meats, he is not comfortable buying them.  Luckily I have some pretty fantastic neighbors who have been known to share an egg or an onion occasionally.

As always, DH helps immeasurably.   But one of us always has to be on "Alan duty".  24/7/365  So when DH has to work on the weekends (it happens when you work for a utility!), or wants an afternoon off to work out, play a game with friends or even go see a movie by himself, that means I am on duty.  Don't get me wrong, I do NOT begrudge him that time, just like he does not begrudge me the time I spend on miniatures during the school days.  We both need that time "away".  But for the person responsible for Alan, it is "duty".

In many ways dealing with Alan is like guerrilla warfare.  According to Wikipedia, "Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare in which a small group of combatants such as armed civilians or irregulars use military tactics including ambushes, sabotage, raids, petty warfare, hit-and-run tactics, and mobility to fight a larger and less-mobile traditional military."

That pretty much sums it up.  Alan ambushes, sabotages, fights petty battles and is infinitely more mobile.  DH and I are still larger (albeit not for much longer), less-mobile and traditional.

Most of our "battles" are small.  But they are frustrating.  Sunday morning Alan was whiny.  I didn't know if the lack of structure was starting to get to him or what.  Finally in desperation I gave him an ibuprofen early in the afternoon.  Guess what?  He calmed down and was a doll the rest of the day.  Poor kid.  Something was hurting on him, but he couldn't tell me what.  All I had to go on was a whiny kid.  Very frustrating!

But all these little things only highlight why I appreciate teachers.  Teaching is truly a vocation.  At the start of summer vacation, I am sitting here appreciating his teachers every moment.