Wednesday, July 15, 2009

10 Things I've Learned this Week and You Capture - Shapes

1. This week I learned that I am no Giada De Laurentiis. Well, unless the item on the menu contains flour or chocolate, preferably both, which would make it a dessert, which is my favorite thing on the menu. Alex requested barbecue chicken pizza, which contains flour, and it turned out beautifully. Michael requested brownies, which contain flour AND chocolate, and they turned out beautifully. The coleslaw which Giada featured on Everyday Italian, and which contains neither flour NOR chocolate? It turned out not so beautifully.




2. I learned that coleslaw is expensive to make, especially when the fancy schmancy recipe calls for three different kinds of cabbage.

3. But I also learned that honesty can pay off. The poor, young girl at the register rang up my Napa cabbage as regular cabbage. When I saw the measly $.99 charge for "cabbage", I pointed it out. She looked over her rolly price thingy for a couple of minutes, glancing at the head of Napa cabbage every so often. "What kind of cabbage did you say it was?" she asked a couple of times. Finally, with the line of customers waiting behind me growing, she passed the culprit cabbage on down and said, "I'll just give it to you." Of course I got it for $.99 either way, but at least I preserved my integrity.

4. At the grocery store, I also learned that being kind to strangers can make you laugh. An elderly gentleman in an electric chair (as in the grocery store version of a wheelchair, NOT the kind that you find in prison after you've had your last meal) was already waiting at the deli when I walked up to order turkey. "How are you?" I asked. He said he was fine and then, gesturing toward my Iced Grande Green Shaken Tea, asked me where I had purchased it. I pointed toward the in-store Starbucks.

"What is it, like Coke or something?" he asked.

"No, it's tea," I responded.

"WHAT?"

"Iced tea. Like sweet tea!" I said more loudly.

"WHISKY?"

I was just getting ready to yell, "NO. SWEET TEA!!!!" loud enough for all patrons to hear when the deli lady handed him his sandwich. Saved by the sandwich.

5. Upon returning home, I learned that every food processor is not alike, and mine is definitely not like Giada's. Hers delicately shredded the cabbage into light, springy, beautiful strips. Mine shredded the cabbage into mush. I ended up packing up 4 uncooperative children and making a special trip to Publix just to purchase some already-shredded-cabbage-in-a-bag after trashing my mush. (See #2 for additional lessons learned here.)


6. Also on the home front, I learned that my attemps to train the children to get dressed in the morning without being asked are futile when I do not put away the laundry. With two laundry days' worth of laundry piled on my bed or hanging out of laundry baskets, they are forced to come consult me in the morning anyway.


7. If laundry is a dreaded chore, ironing is even lower on the list. I learned just how much I hate ironing when I was reading an alphabet book to Audrey. We got to the letter "I", and I pointed to an iron. "What is that, Audrey?" I questioned.

"Uuuummmm...it's a....it's that thing you rub on shirts!"

I can't fault the girl for her ignorance; she has probably only seen me use the iron a couple times in her little life. How is she supposed to know what it is?


8. School will start again in a little less than 3 weeks. Until then, we try to fill up our days with fun activities like the pool. Today I learned that I can serve as Lifeguard just as efficiently from the patio table as from inside the chaos pool. This way, they can have some splashing fun while I scheme plan things to do in the 2009-10 Homeschool Year and in my Writing Workshop in the 'hood.


9. Of course, I learned already know that keeping my distance from the pool activity is yet another way in which I am not a fun mom. Maybe I'll learn my lesson and jump in the pool tomorrow.

10. And finally, I learned that it is probably more interesting to my few readers for me to include words with my You Capture photos. Because when the theme is Shapes, well, pictures of brownies, laundry, an iron, and a food processor just can't stand alone. Even considering my fabulous, professional-like photographs. (By the way, I got this "Lessons Learned" idea from From Inmates to Playdates. Visit her. She's funny.)

20 comments:

Unknown said...

Iron? Is that what that thing is? Wow! That's an antique!

Teacher Mommy said...

I really love your photography. And the captions are beautiful--how the heck do you do that, anyway?

I just sigh and continue using my fuzzy little pics taken on my cell phone.

Courtney said...

I would totally enjoy just pictures of brownies, but I did love the 10 list. And the shapes.

And-your pictures ARE great!

dclouser said...

This is such a great post - very original and fun. I loved it! The one thing I'm puzzled about is why you just HAD to have coleslaw? You sure went to some lengths to get it LOL.

CrossView said...

This was definitely an original and interesting post! LOL!

You are a fun mom if you let them play in the pool while you get the nasty school stuff taken care of!!

Tisha S said...

lol...I don't think my boys knew what an iron was until they were about 8. Oh, and I had a food processor like the one you mentioned...it did not last in our house.
As for being outside of the pool rather than in; I try to tell myself they need to learn to play by themselves. Of course, they do not agree with me. :-)

Bacardi Mama said...

Love this post. Great captures.

The Animator's Wife said...

And I just learned that I should be grocery shopping with a cup of whiskey. Thanks for the tip, I think that will make it a lot more fun.

Great post!

Unknown said...

great post, great photos...you had me and square brownie. ;)

I have that same table, please dish on how you've kept yours looking so new....

Marie said...

Freeform and chaos, that's my FAVORITE shape!

Prairie Lady said...

Great job. YUM Pizza!

Saj said...

I'm a big fan of the first few captures-pizza, brownie. MMMMMMMMM!!! Great shots!

Rebecca said...

Thanks for the welcome!

I like your captures! : )

Frogmum said...

That's a fun post - and the pictures are good too :D I love the one of the ironing board!! :D

Heather said...

Great photos and insight into your life. I really like the first capture the best.

april said...

Terrific post! Great job!

@nnie said...

Kathleen,
you inspire me girl! I looked at your post yesterday and was blown away by the cool pics you took. And I like what one of your commentrs said, that it gave us some insight into your life!

Jen said...

This was fun! Thanks! Your pictures are great and worker perfectly with each lesson. Did I say fun?

I also love the fonts you used as labels! What are they?

Anonymous said...

LOL! Gotta love freeform and chaos!

LeLe said...

Hello! Visiting from "I Should Be Folding Laundry". Checkin' out the shapes... Very funny!