Texas high school mums, Part 2!

A few days ago, I posted about the mysteries of something high school students in Texas call "mums."  Well, now, thanks to some great Austin bloggers, a lot of web searches, and some very amused but thankfully patient people at Michael's, my daughter had her own mum in time for Homecoming Day. 

Decked out in orange and white, this mass of silk flowers, plastic hanging bits, tiny cow bells, hot glue, staples and more ribbon than I could have imagined took shape last night on our kitchen table. 

 I hung it in the Hoosier overnight, in part to keep the ribbons straight, and in part to prevent the cat (and/or the dog) from turning our hard work into the latest drag-out-into-the-yard  toy.

 One thing we didn't know until last night was that friends make mums for friends!  But when my daughter found out, she took the teddy bear that was supposed to live in the center of the mum, and made it into a beautiful mum-i-fied (giggle!) gift for her Austin BFF.

 The mum made it through the night unscathed and on to my daughter.

I may not understand these craft store concoctions (and as a scrapebooker, I usually love all crafts!) but I'm glad we found out in time to create our own masterpiece. Thank you to all who helped explain the mysteries of the Texas mum! 

Fan-girling over a favorite author

Okay, so I didn't exactly go all fan-girl when one of my favorite authors spoke last night at Book People in Austin.  At least on the outside.

But inside that calm exterior, I was waving my hands in the air and shouting as William Gibson, author of some of my all-time fave books like Neuromancer  and Spook Country stepped to the podium. I resisted the impulse to shout "I've read your books for years! And I loved all of them (well, except Idoru). "

I have spent hours and hours tucked into a comfy corner of my couch or even my bed lost in this man's words!  That's worth more fan-girling than just liking a song or two from some band, right?  But no, I sat calmly and listened, snapping pictures as he spoke, along with about 200 other fans and geeks in the standing-room only second floor of the bookstore.

He talked mostly about his newest book, Distrust That Particular Flavor, but also spoke about the crossing of past and future in our conceptions (for instance, when we talk about future life, we usually use pictures and designs from 1940's -50's science fiction even though the future they were talking about is mostly now in our past!)

He had a bad cold, and warned fans that the warm handshake he usually preferred might be a health hazard this time, but that didn't stop most of the audience from lining up to get their books signed.  And risking sharing some germs in the process.

Hmmmm....now that I think about it, I wonder if there was other people  internal fan-girling (and fan-boying) last night? So tell me...have you ever done the internal silent scream over a favorite writer?  Or is this my own particular brand of geekdom?

Why the simplest things seem so hard to find -- like free time

After cancelling yet another "just for me" event I had planned to attend the other day, I took a hard look at my life.  I am tired, constantly running from one project to another, and still feeling like nothing ever really gets done well.

I write, I publish, I research, I cook, I clean, I do laundry, I shop, I blog, I help clients, I write code, I run errands, I take care of my family and sometimes I collapse on the couch to watch TV. But I never seem to get to a point where I feel like I am done for the day and can claim some guilt-free me-time. There is always another article to write, another box to unpack or another errand to run.

Now to be fair, working from home has been my choice since moving to Austin last year. There were family obligations that needed to be addressed, and my DH very wonderfully has supported all of my efforts. But it seems that the more I do these days, the behinder I get.

I worked from home years ago when the kids were babies, and it worked then.  But I've realized there are some difference now.

There are no more  nap times or baby bedtimes now to give my day structure. I once worked when they slept.

Now there are no playgroups or park days to give me time with other moms. My daughter now goes to school each day, but the errands and to-do's just multiply while she's out as I rush around so I can spend time with her when she gets home, and my husband when he gets home.

And there are no nearby friends to call me up and drag me out for lunch or a scrapbook afternoon -- or for me to call for a last minute Starbucks gathering or trip to the farmer's market.

I know that I need to get out and do things with other women to make friends in this new town, but it's a circular issue. No friends means no motivation to get out with other women, and not getting out means not making friends.

So yesterday, I decided it was time to make a schedule for my weeks. Not an every-changing daily agenda, but a standard week's plan. I need to plan out that week-to-week structure so I can identify and claim time for the gym or scrapbooking or whatever and still get my work done and supper made and homework help offered.

I could make a schedule on paper, drawing lines and filling in colors like I used to do in school.  But I wanted to print, fill and stick it up on my bulletin board quickly. I wanted to set things in motion.

You'd think it would be easy to find, right? But no. I found calendars, both printable and electronic. I found class schedules for college students and class planners for teachers. I found world holiday calendars and page-a-day agendas. But I could not find a single template for planning out a standard week, with room for all the hours in the days on one single sheet. Dang!

So it turns out that what I thought would be so simple to find is just as elusive as blocks of free time. I guess it's time to get out those markers and rulers. It's time to take control.

 -

The mysteries of high school in Texas

I've lived in a lot of places.  From Florida where I grew up, to years spent in the Rockies, Pennsylvania and even a brief stint in New England, I've experienced a lot of regional "quirks".  But with a daughter now in high school in Texas, the mysteries have deepened.

We thought that the weirdest thing so far was the fact that in Austin even people who don't have kids in the local high school buy season passes to the high school football games. And they really go!

But the "strangeness factor" jumped several degrees yesterday when we accidentally encountered something called "Mums" at the local Michael's. No, these are not the flowers, although a silk version of them is involved.

Texas mums are enormous creations made from silk flowers, too many yards of ribbon to count, stuffed bears, plastic cupcake decorations, Mardis Gras beads, bells, battery-powered Christmas lights and enough hot glue to securely put Humpty Dumpty back together again.  And that's just a "basic mum."

And best all, when these things are all assembled, girls wear them to school! And in some schools, to the Homecoming game as well. They're worn pinned to shirts or jackets (or in some cases to bra straps to keep them from tearing holes in clothes because of the weight of it all), or tied around necks.

Boys get off a bit easier. They wear a smaller version of the traditional mum, attached to a garter and worn on the arm (ideally over a letter jacket, I'm told.  This is, after all, Texas!)

And as if all this silliness wasn't enough, there's the matter of the cost of this autumn high school tradition. This enormous hot-glued bundle of fake flowers and ribbon and do-dads can easily cost hundreds of dollars.  Sometimes over a thousand.

A very basic mum base at Michael's starts at $30.  And from there, girls (or moms or in some cases, boyfriends) are expected to buy and add all the extras from stuffed pets to blinking lights. There are pages and pages online explaining how to make and customize a mum.  And even more sites selling them, all for upwards of $200.

Needless to say, we're going to make our own.  I'm handy with a glue gun.  I found a step-by-step Homecoming mum video.  We stocked up on ribbon using this week's Michael's coupons.  The Mardis Gras beads and tiny stuffed bear are coming from the dollar store.  Not sure about bells or lights.  But we're going to try and keep the cost below $20.

And once it's all done, we'll take a picture or two of our creation as my daughter heads out the door. And I promise not to giggle too much...at least while she can hear me.

Mums, indeed.  Giggle, giggle!

Found on Pinterest...

Just one question...how did whomever wrote this get into my head?  A perfect start-of-the-work-week giggle!

Revisiting 100 things that make me happy....

Just about two years ago, I published a post listing 100 things that make me happy.

I was thinking that it might be fun to revisit that list, and see what has changed over the past two years.  Is my list the same?  Are there things that I would replace, especially since I'm now living in a different state?   And are there things I wrote on the list that I'd forgotten about...little pleasures that I might want to add to my life again?

So here's my old list, revamped for 2012.  I would love to see your lists, too.  Maybe you'll remind me of some little pleasures I hadn't considered!

1. Writing
2. A hug from someone I love
3. Eating breakfast out...and outside
4. Rainy days when I don't have to go anywhere
5. Walking on the beach at night
6. Singing along with a favorite song in the car
7. Being greeted at the door by my cat and dog
8. Back to school supply shopping with my kids
9. Waking up to a view of trees and sky through a big window
10. Windy days
11. Figuring out a tough math or programming problem
12. Having time to sit at a café and read without watching the clock
13. Working on my art projects
14. Watching it snow outside my window (with a cup of cocoa in my hand!)
15. Scrapbooking with friends
16. Spending time with my kids
17. Stumbling onto great live music while walking downtown 
18. Finding a great new mystery writer 
19. A new book from a favorite writer
20. Listening to live jazz, especially outdoors
21. Stashing away the perfect little gifts for upcoming birthdays or holidays
22. Getting a REAL letter in the mail
23. Spending time with my dad, sharing memories and silly jokes
24. Getting a flower/flowers from someone
25. Wrapping presents with a creative touch
26. Cottage gardens
27. Finding a great new blog to read and follow
28. Learning something new that changes my view of other things
29. Moments of spiritual insight
30. Fresh, juicy peaches that drip juice everywhere
31. Seeing someone I love across a crowded room
32. Kissing my husband
33. Houses with tons of natural light
34. Foggy mornings 
35. The smell of fresh cut grass
36. Clean sheets that have been dried on the clothesline
37. Handmade quilts on a bed
38. Hearing a song I used to love but had forgotten about -- and remembering the words!
39. British television
40. Well-worn wood furniture (primitives) with stories to tell
41. Long silk skirts
42. The smell of old book stores
43. Long walks in the countryside
44. Seeing cows in a field
45. Gardenias - the look and the scent!
46. Really watching a butterfly flying
47. Photographing the details on old buildings
48. Country fairs with animals and old-fashioned craft and food judging
49. Quaint old cottages
50. Quaint new cottages
51. Curving, hilly roads
52. Wide roads with lots of green
53. The first few notes of the overture before a show
54. Being backstage with something to do when the overture starts
55. Old, well-worn, super soft blue jeans
56. Slices of crisp green apple and sharp cheddar cheese
57. Holding hands
58. Waking up with my husband
59. Rearranging books on a shelf
60. Cooking without a plan
61. Cello music
62. Following a fish around while snorkeling and pretending I'm a fish, too
63. Poetry that does not rhyme
64. Finding an especially beautiful spot on a hike...and having time to enjoy it
65. Wearing soft cotton clothes
66. Laying on the grass and watch the light change through the leaves
67. Seeing pictures in clouds with my kids
68. Flying a kite
69. Seeing old people holding hands
70. Keeping up on my blog
71. Adding something beautiful to my bulletin board
72. Finding the perfect card for a birthday or just-because
73. Dropping mail in the box at the post office
74. Reading on the beach, especially on a chilly day
75. Warm hoodies that are still soft inside
76. Blue time (twilight)
77. Lightening bugs...thousands of them!
78. Listening to music on a great sound system (doing that now!)
79. Fossil hunting...and finding that hidden treasure
80. Lazy Sundays at home
81. Friends who stop by unexpectly
82. Live steel drum music being played by the Bay or ocean
83. Hunting for sea shells at the beach
84. Warm socks when my feet are cold
85. Lush, green countryside
86. Goats with floppity ears
87. Getting the photo JUST RIGHT
88. Planning for my next trip
89. Discovering people who believe in magic and fairies and unicorns and mystery
90. Having the perfect airplane book in my purse when I get on my flight
91. Long, inspiring, unexpected conversations
92. Texture...in art, in fabric, in nature, in my home
93. Cozy rooms with unexpected details
94. The color yellow
95. The smell of a baby's head
96. My kids' art work, from beginner scribbles to amazing creations
97. Giving away unneeded things to people who can use them
98. Old-fashioned country auctions
99. Baking for family and friends
100. Long walks on cool evenings

  Okay, your turn!  Post your links and I will happily hop over to see your lists. And if you're anything like me, making this list may start out hard, but by the end, you'll have dozens and dozens of other happy pleasures you just won't be able to fit in the 100!  And that, as Martha says, is a good thing!

 :-)

Every desk needs a cat

Sanura has given her stamp of approval to my new office  Happily stretched out between my two computers, claiming her spot atop my brochures and calendars.

Maya the Wonder Puppy is standing next to my chair but not cooperating for a photo now. But she too has given the space her blessing.

With two such valuable endorsements, how could I doubt that I've created the perfect space to write, dream, plan and work?