assignment: emotion poem

the honeybee

"in your anger do not sin..."

i'm calm and collected
(but guarded and protected) -
a swarming hive,
teeming and alive,
peaceful and serene
(but so readily mean).
one wrong word spoke
can easily provoke
a harsh onslaught
(all peace forgot) -
a barb and a sting
(like it doesn't mean a thing).
but that's the biggest lie
(as i crawl off to die).

rcp 4.26.11

six pics

1. Understatement: It has been raining a lot recently. Here's a picture of the Virgin Zooey after one particularly soggy playtime.

2. The flowers from Katy are still going strong. Katy, I don't know if you ever read this, but I can't thank you enough! Simply love all this yellow!

3. We had a lovely Easter at home with my family. I ate a lot. Pictured: homemade waffles.

4. I also went horseback riding for the first time in ... years. I was pretty sore afterward. I am never more in awe of the complexities of the human body than after I use muscles that I didn't know existed. Pictured: not the horse I rode.

5. We (girls) decorated Easter eggs. As Mom would say, the brown eggs really intensify the colors.

6. An image of hope. Baby bud, please blossom & bloom!

Now I'm off to take Zooey for a walk while there's a break in the rain and the sun is shining.

numbered list of awesome 4

1. Working out Monday morning with Patti & seeing Old Man Spandex. Okay, so that last part was not as awesome.

2. In-laws coming for part of break. Late night euchre, Jets bbq pizza, steak, and an excessive amount of mini Cadbury eggs...

3. Target with Debbie on Tuesday, shopping for Easter outfits for Lincoln.

4. Lunch with Jeanette on Wednesday - getting to hear about all the exciting things happening in her life these days! Playing with Eli on the interactive screen, watching him spin around and wipe out.

5. Coffee with Ellie Wednesday afternoon. The massive amount of chocolate whipped cream that the barista put on my drink!

6. Working out this morning and seeing Old Man Spandex again today in the exact same, clingy-in-all-the-wrong-places outfit! Guy loves his lunges...

7. Reading, reading, reading. I finished Invisible Man, read Hunger Games and Sold.

8. My new babysitting job. Don't I sound just like a 16-year old?! I started babysitting for two adorable little neighbor boys (4 yrs old & 10 mos old) while their parents go for a run a couple nights a week. Last night I got to rock the baby to sleep, which was pretty much amazing.

9. Almost finished my bedside table project. I need to paint the handles. And touch up a couple rough spots. Maybe.

10. Blue sky & sunshine today. Walking Zooey. Chilly outside, but the promise of warm weather in the air...

11. Going to NY TOMORROW!

12. Oh, fine. And the dulce de leche cupcakes. I had a leftover can of ddl from when I made these cheesecake bars (scrumptious), so I decided to use it up, since the in-laws are over. I cheated and used French Vanilla cupcake mix from a box. But I made the frosting.

Rachel's Impromptu Dulce de Leche Buttercream Frosting

2 sticks butter

3 cups powdered sugar

1-1/2 tsp vanilla

2 ... scoops of dulce de leche (each scoop was probably about 2 Tbsp)

1/4 c heaving whipping cream

Blend it all together until it's nice and fluffy. Yum. This would also be fantastic if you mixed some coconut in it and topped with some mini chocolate chips. Or drizzled some dark chocolate ganache over it. Yeah, pretty much anything would be a winning combo.

dream home

I probably shouldn't indulge in this post, but I can't help it! I love daydreaming about big white farmhouses and all the fun ways I could decorate, so I decided to waste my time creating a virtual tour of my dream home. I'm obsessed with Design*Sponge, so most of the pictures are from their site. I love the eclectic combinations showcased in their "sneak peeks"!

Welcome to my Dream House...

via HGTV dream house

I LOVE this entryway, with the barn doors going into another room, presumably my family room... (not a huge fan of the antler chandelier or the rug).

via best of entry ways

In my family room, I have this sweet fireplace, but there's probably a lot less white in the family room... since I have several children, obviously.

via best of fireplaces

Also in our family room somewhere is this cute photo collage. And hopefully that ADORABLE elephant watering can!

via nicolette camille

Then there's my pristine kitchen. Don't be alarmed by my butcher knife that is sticking into the countertop...

via emersonmade

In our breakfast nook is a charming wooden picnic table. This picture was taken before we remodeled so there was enough room to go around the table to sit on both sides...

via sneak peek: nikole

Oh, we also have a fully stocked pantry, full of my canned produce.

via emersonmade

Also on the first floor is my cute laundry room that is never messy.

via cabbages & roses

Let's go upstairs, shall we?

via best of stairways

Here's our bedroom. We recently got rid of that chandelier... and we'll probably get rid of the lace blanket, too.

via di overton

Our bathroom:

via best of bathrooms

The guest bedroom...

via best of bedrooms 2

Here's the girls' room. I'm getting them a new rug.

via best of kids' rooms

The nursery, for our little boy.

via ava living

And you guys saw my writing room in a previous post.

As we leave the house, be sure to check out our porch swing.

via country living

Oh, don't forget our barn, which houses our two horses.

via michigan sweet spots

Isn't our little home perfect??

Sidenote - If we ever had to live in a city apartment with a balcony, these would totally be our doors.

via best of front doors

"spring break"

Blustery Monday morning,

you arrived without much warning.

Oh, rumors aplenty I heard,

but thought they were absurd;

til I awoke and opened the blind,

and saw a world of white - how unkind!

It's mid-April and should be sunny,

but Michigan thinks it's funny

to strangle my "spring break" with snow

and cold winds that continue to blow.

As pretty as those fluffy flakes may be,

they're starting to make me a lil grumpy.

-rcp 4.18.11

christopher columbus!

Little Women is over! My first experience on the other side of a performance - "the assistant director" - organizing, sewing, coaching, blocking & re-blocking, helping with lines, frantic coffee runs for myself & the director (my dear friend, Patti Snyder)...

This is Patti's first year at PCA, and she really did an incredible job with the cast & crew. I think she completely blew people out of the water and shattered their expectations! We've dubbed ourselves "Team Snarton" - and as our principal said, we "really are a great team."

It was AMAZING. The students were fantastic, the audience loved it, no one missed their cues, there were a couple errors with lines, but the kids recovered wonderfully... it was so much fun!

My friend Katy got me these flowers for opening night of the play, and I can't get enough of them! They are so cheerful and lovely. And since it's freezing outside and there were little snowflakes in the air last night... I'm staring into their bright yellow blooms, just waiting for warm weather!

recently i'm... (14)

Consumed by: our school's production of Little Women. I'm the Assistant Director and we open on Thursday night!

Looking forward to: going home for Easter break, obviously! Also, really looking forward to my first pedicure of the season on Wednesday...

Contemplating: trying to sew a dress for myself...

Baking: birthday treats for Doug's co-worker. Double Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes (thanks, Annie!)

(Yeah, they're divine.)

Planning: a garden. But I think I should probably make raised beds... that will probably be my project for Easter break. Along with finishing my bedside table project.

Eating: My goodness, I can't even think about how many bags of Cadbury mini eggs Doug & I (let's be honest, mostly I) have eaten! Doug made dinner the other night & it was fabulous - he made up a marinade for chicken, grilled some veggies & made rice. Rice is my Achilles' heel in cooking. Well, one of them. I know - that defeats the idea of an Achilles' heel. Whatever.

Reading: Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison.

Composing: this little ditty in the shower the other morning:

Night is never long enough, and the morning comes to soon.

I would do much better if my dawn began at noon.

Missing: Africa.

Enjoying: Girls' night with Zooey. Doug is in Chicago at the Gospel Coalition, listening to all our favorite pastors... so Zooey & I are slobbing on the couch, grading essays together... and maybe eating a cupcake or two.

wherein i am scolded for making unilateral decisions

Doug: "Wait, what?! You're not blogging anymore?"
Me: "Well, no. For the time being anyway."
Doug: "I really think this is a decision that we should have talked about."
Me: ... "Are you serious?"
Doug: "Yeah! Everyone loves your blog!"
Me: ... stare...
Doug: "Okay, your family and I love your blog!"
Me: "I am almost to 600 posts. But no one leaves me comments."
Doug: "Quit throwing a pity party and get back to blogging."
Me: "Okay."

So... don't hold me to this, because I'll probably change my mind before the end of the week. But... I think I'm done with blogging. Farewell for now, blog world.

juniors in the district, pt 2

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2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

1. okay, i know i'm backtracking, but i love this picture of the washington monument.

2. day 3: the whole class at mt. vernon.

3. the newseum: boards from a store in new orleans during katrina.

4. day 4: me & marisa outside the white house. we got to go inside! it was quick, but very cool. i was pretty star struck just by the rooms. i kept saying all i really wanted was to have tea with michelle. is that too much to ask?

5. treasury dept.

6 - 7. arlington

8. tomb of the unknown soldier. our students got to present the wreath!

9. back of iwo jima: "uncommon valor was a common virtue" - love that.

10. pic from gettysburg - seriously thankful to my dear friend marisa. so much fun with her! i could not ask for a better co-sponsor.

juniors in the district, pt 1

44 juniors + 4 "adults" + 1 tour guide + d.c. = one hectic, awesome week

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

1. day 1: stop at gettysburg. observational tower overlooking the battlefield. not pictured: me, knees shaking, debating whether or not to scooch down the stairs on my behind.

2. day 2: capitol.

3. me, being a nerd in the library of congress. plus an amazing quote by diogenes laertius.

4. me & marisa with our passport to knowledge.

5. supreme court + cherry blossoms

6. protestors outside of the supreme court. our students crept up behind the interviews & were on tv, which was pretty awesome.

7. a premature april fools day joke for our students: did you know if you lay at the bottom of the washington monument and look straight up, you can see it move in the wind? ha, suckers.

8. view from washington monument.

9. lincoln memorial at night.

10. view of washington monument from lincoln memorial.

stay tuned.

**EDIT:

Here is ABC video footage from the protest (see #6). The video is 2:52 minutes. If you watch, right at 2:00, our students are filing through in the background, and then at 2:19, I'm in the back in a red coat taking a picture. I'm famous.