Cool Factor

Sooooo Idaho gets pretty cold(for me). Last week our highs were in the 20's, and my job involves quite a bit of time outside supervising recess. I'm learning there are a handful of things one doesn't even fathom until really truly working/living in the cold. (No my time on exchange doesn't count. I lived in this happy on campus bubble.)

1.) Shoe SizeS 

As in more than one. I've got the shoe size for ballet flats and Tom's and dress shoes with thin socks or a little liner sock, I've got a shoe size for when I'm wearing my wool socks, and I've got a shoe size for when I'm wearing wool socks and have toe warmers. This has made the debacle of choosing winter boots all the more interesting. 

2.) Cool-Factor

Cool-ness is no longer a factor. Socks with Toms? Yes please. I don't care if I'm dorky. I'm warm and comfortable - ish.  (My Tom's do stretch over time. They're now wool sock size.)

3.)Wiggle Wit It

 Wiggle room. Be sure to have some in your clothes. When you're getting ready for a full frigid day outside one must be wearing long underwear (top and bottom) a long sleeve shirt and a sweater, pants for inside and snow pants for wearing over the top outside. Some people think I'm ridiculous on this one, but snow pants cut the wind and insulate. Cool factor is out the window peeps. So that sweater you got to wear with a cami...its now rather snug with so many layers underneath. And those pants that make your butt look great? If they show off your butt they're too tight for this layer business. 

4.) Frozen Wood Chips

This my dear friends is a bizarre sensation. Woodchips normally get everywhere. On the clothes, in the shoes... when they're frozen they just clump together! They can be broken apart, and even come away in chunks. They're like a dense, mildly spongy, mat. The beauty is that when they're frozen the cling factor of wood chips is reduced dramatically, and they don't get in your shoes!

5.) The Hair
Ah, the symptoms of cold weather hair are generally a result of consistent hatting.
-static (dry air, lots of wool, static!)
-consistently mussed looking
-even if I've washed my hair THAT morning, when I get home after a day of hat application and removal my hair looks like I haven't showered for a week!

Coping mechanism: Braids. Lots of braids. Especially french braids. I braid my hair damp, to keep all wispies in. I wrap my head in a scarf at night to make said braids last longer.

6.) Frosty the Windshields
We're back to parking our cars outside and now time is to be allowed for warming up the car and scraping off the windshield. This always evades my mind until I walk out to my car and it needs to happen. Our clocks are all set to be 6 minutes fast now.

Livin' the Life

Ahhhhh. It's fall in Moscow! That was a good ahhhhh as fall in Moscow is a beautiful thing.

For those of you not familiar with these parts it might help you to know that the Moscow in Idaho is pronounced with the long "o" vowel sound at the end so that it rhymes with Idaho. Anyway, we have hard fake wood floors on a cement foundation. My feet needed squishy slippers and it's just about cool enough too!

I was thinking of my slipper felting crew the "Twisted Sisters" back in Kansas the whole time I worked on them! Pardon the lint. They were felted with a load of towels haha. My next fall projec was a fall print skirt! This was what I texted my sister to check on the length. Pardon the boxes and such. We're in between stages, and let's face it, creative projects take priority. 

For my skirts, I have formulated a hybrid of all my favorite features from various patterns. I use the waistband (-interfacing) and pockets from this pattern. 

I use the skirt body from this online tutorial. (Front panel=waist/2+10 rounded to 25. Back panels=waist/2+5.5 rounded to 20) It made the most effective use of my fabric. (1.5 yds main fabric, .5 yds pocket and waist lining plus extra) Two yards is about the right amount for this project. Next time wee small ones ask when they're to use math I encourage you to reference this. 

This skirt was great for Mondays golf outing. Luke plays and I walk with him. As we go by tee boxes I collect the colorful broken bits. Like some people collect sea shells at the ocean! 

I'm also getting pretty good at removing the pin (flag) at the appropriate time. Since everyone in Fresno has been enjoying the Big Big Big Fresno Fair, I made up some of those blue ribbon winning snickerdoodles I used to make when I was 9 and we have been enjoying devouring them at an alarming rate. 

You know you're helping with primary math when all you see here is "array" and "multiplication." Today I got locked IN our apartment. We knew it was sketchy and I knew as soon as I flipped it I was stuck. 

The handy man came, went through the window and they figured out a teeeeemporary solution. They said "we'll order the part and next time this happens we'll switch it out." 

....Wait. Next time?!?!?

One of the greatest things about this region?! Bomb.com onions. They're firm and flavorful and yum. 

Meet my mushroom, onion, provolone burger. I made the patties with minced onion, garlic and spinach. A grab of salt and pepper. A pour of Worcestershire sauce. Some paprika. 

Om nom nom nom. Sooooo good. Seriously. 

Also seriously, this local honey from the Entomology family! Spoonful a day-ing. Can't wait to reap the rewards in lesser allergies! (For reals. This works. We did it in Colorado.)

After the amazing burgers tonight? Bike ride. Sunset. Sigh. My muscles burned the way the should when you haven't ridden in a gazillion years, but no but bruises no achey spots. That bike fitting really seriously did the trick. 

Are we living the life or what?

When God Winks

WWow! What a day! My friend Mary always says "When God winks."

I feel like he must be winking an awful lot today!

The students didn't have school today or tomorrow. I asked my principal if I might attend the teacher inservice  on my time and he said yes! They were great sessions and I enjoyed being there during that time to also kind of get to know the teachers at my school a bit more. They are pretty awesome! I'm really going to learn a lot from working with them. I went to one workshop on math differentiation and another on working with students who have ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder, as they said the term is now.) I know my friend Chris has an adorable son who also has autism. I just read a fantastic book

In which the main character has Asperger's Syndrome (encompassed by ASD) who I found myself identifying strongly with.  I also know that when you have met one person with ASD you have met one person with ASD. IE: All are unique individuals with unique experiences. Beyond that my "rule name for everything loving" self is having some trouble getting around it. We were connected with Autism Internet Module as a resource. It was a good start. 

This afternoon I went to my bike fitting! Wow! What a difference! In about an hour and a half T-Jay made more tweaks on my bike than I knew existed. It's especially neat because he helps you understand why things are and explains what he's doing. He put my bike on a stationary attatchment. (We have one at home, but it's currently packed.) First thing he swapped out the seat based on information I gave him about bruises and the two other seats I've used. 

This original seat from a way back when Christmas is what was on it because I had no idea what to do. He tweaked the handles and immediately I was holding them with all of my fingers. I didn't even notice I hadn't been! He raised the seat and my legs extended correctly. He angled the brakes and raised the handle bar. Each time T-Jay pointed out how this would impact healthy bike riding. The best part!?! My leg muscles got sore from being able to ride so long and I'm not one bit "saddle sore!"  On that note, I learned there is such thing as a leather saddle for your bike! The leather molds to your behind! T-Jay says I probably want to graduate into that one. It's spendy. I rode my bike this evening but left it there for a tune up. Somehow the wheel got bent. Not in the three moves, I'm sure. (Sarcasm.)

Another cool thing is that because T-Jay teaches Math and Science through biking and Physics on Ice he knows a lot of people I need to meet. When I called Wednesday to make an appointment with a graduate studies advisor, I said I couldn't meet today because I had a bike fitting. He said, "With T-Jay? Tell him I say hi! We play softball together." Go figure. I even met him in the shop today and was introduced!

So right from the awesome bike fitting I went to the local yarn shop where I met a knitting group!  They are a hoot and a half! I'm so excited to add them to my collection of knitting companions! Knitting groups are a wonderful creature! They are also great at solving problems! I, for some reason, though to ask where I could find super local honey for my allergies. Wouldn't you know it, one of the ladies husbands is an entomology professor and they have bees. And honey. Seriously people! Only at knitting groups! It's a beautiful thing. 

Tomorrow I meet with the Graduate Studies Advisor to help me decide what the heck I'm going to decide to learn! Say a prayer!

Garden City to Moscow

On truck loading day it was so fun that so many friends could come pizza, load, and show me how to "Magic Eraser!" We couldn't have pulled it together without you!

That night, John and Neola flew in and helped us with a final wrap up. 

Early Tuesday morning we woke up, did a final wipe down, and backed our way out of the house cleaning capers as we went.

While our 26 ft truck wasn't stuffed to the gills, we probably couldn't have fit it all in the smaller size. Which is a bummer because the day before we were supposed to pick it up, we got a call from Uhaul letting us know that our two options for truck pick up were 2.5 hours away. Lame. We bartered a discount, an extra day and then drove to pick it up on Monday.

Driving crew!

Our first stop was at a mega fuel center where Neola and I fueled up on Starbucks. John drove the truck, Luke drive his car and Neola and I were road trip buddies in my car. 

Early Wednesday morning rest stop. 

IKEA! Kitchen ogling. I can assure you our apartment kitchen would love this makeover.

Hello Idaho scenery!
The day we arrived in Moscow was busy! Luke and John went to get paperwork done for our apartment and get some basic groceries. Neola and I went to get my fingerprinting,school paperwork done and take a tour of my new school workplace!

Sooooo much stuff.