Please Email the Government to Help Oregon Schools!

The economic crisis has ripped an $800 million hole in the current year's budget. Oregon's schools could have to cut $322 million before June 30th.

To protect kids and schools from devastating cuts, we must take action today by writing to government representatives.

The legislature's budget-writing committee will meet this Wednesday* to discuss the impact of the shortfall on education. Let them know we support them as they make tough budget decisions.

Thank you for taking action!
Holly Pruett
Oregon Executive Director

Please consider attending the President's Day rally, and please spread the word by inviting 10 friends to it. http://capwiz.com/stand/taf/

Dear State Representatives,

I am a third grade teacher in Springfield, Oregon. I began this job this September after teaching for three years in Salem. Because I am new to my school district, seniority dictates that if job cuts are to be made, I am to be one of the first on the chopping block despite 4 years of service.

I went to school for five years to do this job. I am in debt tens of thousands of dollars in order to do this job. I work between 45 and 60 hours each week to design and implement effective instruction for my students. I LOVE what I do, and plan to make a life-long career of teaching. If funds are not provided to support Oregon schools, my school will lose a dedicated teacher, I will lose the career I love, and next year's students will not be helped by my efforts.

The huge, and varied implications of funding problems make it abundantly clear that it is a "Rainy Day" in Oregon schools. Please make prudent use of Oregon's reserve funds to prevent devastating cuts to the current school year. Please prevent good teachers like myself from losing the jobs they love, and making the difference they make.

I stand with and behind you as you target funding to programs that produce the best results, make prudent use of reserves, and raise revenue responsibly. However, increasing class sizes and the laying off of dedicated staff is not a consequence a thoughtful government would impose on children. Please make decisions regarding Oregon schools with the future in mind.

Sincerely,
Sara Hos-

Found Strangeness Series, Continued

Found on the north side of Fern Ridge Reservoir, a floating restroom. While this unit is currently docked for the season and parked in the parking lot of a marina, I assume its job is to float in the middle of the lake for bathroom emergencies while motoring around Fern Ridge on a boat. Not only is this a floating restroom, something I had never heard of and is quite amusing, but check out the name of the barge thing this restroom gets to float on.

This makes me wonder: Good idea? Bad idea? Good joke? Bad joke? And, if the name holds any truth, does that mean people might as well just pee in the lake? And if so, what is the point of a floating restroom?

I Always Hated Bambi

...but this real-life Bambi and Thumper might be cute enough to make me vomit.

click for the article and more pictures

Found Strangeness Series

Found on the beach in Yachats on January 17:

Famousness

Here is a link to the article in today's Register Guard about my class's inauguration activities. It's a great one.

http://bit.ly/y1Wv

Appreciate it by giving us paper - Schools are in such dire straits right now and people have no idea. Grrr.

Also, please think about attending Stand for Children's President's Day Rally on February 16 at the state capitol building to defend our school from losing FIFTY MILLION DOLLARS next year, leading to cuts in staffing, programs, and materials and increased class sizes.

http://www.stand.org/or

Yes, it really is this bad. Double grrr.

Twitter

For all of you out there who don't get Twitter...



www.twitter.com/sarascara

Introducing...

Check out the Many Adventures of Phaedra, the most recent addition to my blog list.

In other news, the River House Blog has been remodeled and is lookin' good. Check it out!

In other, other news, Val got Apples to Apples for Christmas and it is GREAT.

Preemptive Strike - Don't Kill Me, Mama!

...and because of this, I have decided to make her a STAR!

Check out Mama Cat's Flow:

www.mamacatsflow.blogspot.com.

From time to time, feel free to let her know how much you like me and that you would really be bummed out if she killed me. Thanks, guys.

Nice Taters.

A little bit of fun from my kitchen to yours.

Shepherd's Pie

In keeping with my previous blog posting, I figured inventing my own recipe was reason enough for a sweet new blog post, even if the purpose is only to help me remember the recipe later. the story of this one is that I had been looking around for a shepherd's pie recipe that I could get into. I looked through about 5 recipes and chose what I liked. Here it is!

Sara's Shepherd's Pie:

6 Potatoes

1 c. sour cream

1/2 c. chicken broth

salt

1 lb ground beef, turkey, or sausage could be good too

seasonings: I like salt, pepper, and granulated garlic. I also used some creole seasoning in the peas and carrots layer

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 large carrot

2 c. frozen peas

1/2 c. cheddar cheese cheese

bread crumbs

parsley

First, prepare the ingredients in each layer.

Potato Layer - 

It's basically mashed potatoes. Boil the potatoes 12-15 minutes until soft. Whip with a hand mixer along with 1 c. sour cream. Add chicken broth a little at a time. Add salt to taste, but don't be overly stingy - This is the only salt in the whole thing. Make sure the consistency is more pasty than runny. Set aside.

Peas & Carrots Layer - 

Dice the carrots into small pieces and saute for 3-4 minutes. In the meantime, rinse the frozen peas to thaw them, and throw them in with the sautéed carrots for another minute or two. Add seasonings. Set aside.

Onion & Garlic Layer - 

Dice the onions and garlic. Cook on medium heat until brown. Set aside.

Beef Layer -

Cook the ground meat fully, adding seasonings of choice. Drain the fat. Set aside.

Top Layer - 

Dice the fresh parsley and grate the cheese. Have your bread crumbs handy.

Now get ready for loads of layering fun...

In a deep casserole dish, or a 9x13 pan if you want to grate more cheese for sprinkling on the top, layer the ingredients in this order:

1. One third of the potatoes, spread evenly and flattened with a rubber spatula
   
2. One half of the peas & carrots
   
3. One half of the onions & garlic
4. One half of the ground meat
5. One third of the potatoes (add the same way as before)
6. The rest of the peas & carrots
7. The rest of the onions & garlic
8. The rest of the ground meat
9. The rest of the potatoes
10. All of the shredded cheese
11. Sprinkle about 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the top
12. Sprinkle parsley on the top

Bake at 375 degrees for 35 minutes on the bottom rack until the top has browned. In a 9x13, you may have to take it out earlier or cover it. Let it sit for 5-10 minutes, then serve. It is gloppy and delicious. 

Roast in a Pot

Announcing: Sara and Valerie got a sweet new slow-cooker for Christmas! Woo hoo!

Awesomeness Pot Roast:

2 lb cut of bottom round

4 carrots, peeled, cut in thirds

4 celery stalks, cut in thirds

1/2 onion, cut in chunks

4 potatoes, cut in fourths

garlic, cut in slivers

parsley, diced

beef bullion

worchseterschire sauce

Pickapeppa sauce

Sear the meat on all sides on medium high - This is great with our new slow cooker, which can also be used on the stove top! While searing, stab the meat in 8-10 places and stuff the slits with garlic slivers. Flip and do the same on the other side.

Put on a roasting rack in awesome new slow cooker. Surround with vegetables. Mix bullion, worchseterschire, and Pickapeppa in three cups of water. Pour over meat and vegetables and sprinkle the top with parsley.

Cook, covered, on high for one hour, then turn down to medium for another hour and a half, or longer. The longer the better, but don't let your potatoes turn to mush. 

Mmmm, pot roast.

On the Catwalk

First, Liz taught everyone how to model-walk.

"You've gotta have to have happy feet. You've gotta work what you've got."

Next, Val gives it a try.

"You have to be, like, Hottie-bo-...that's enough of that."

My mom gives it a whirl.

"Oh! I'm falling over!"

Steve happens upon the activity and is talked into doing a little turn.

"Steve-O! Steve-O! Steve-O!"

Twelve Days of Christmas

I feel like I have been celebrating, visiting, chatting, drinking, recovering, eating, cleaning, giving, and receiving for days and days straight. Oh wait...I have! 

Day 1:

Holiday party at Missy & Clint's. Stefani & Ajai came up to go with us. When we arrived, it was a relaxed and very mature party of people in warm sweaters sipping wine. By the end of the night, the remaining folks were naked in a hot tub.

Day 2:

Company holiday party at King Estate Winery. Met all of Val's colleagues, ate great food, and the wine kept flowing. Snow blanketed the vinyards, and was falling in huge flakes during the party. Got introduced as "Valerie and her partner Sara" by the boss in front of everyone. Listened to very talented twin performers sing, only to realize they were singing really, really jesusy songs. But they were talented.

Days 3-5:

Winter Solstice for Jesus. Two days and nights of partying, parental style, with Dad, Leslie, Val, and also Matthew from down the street and Susie, another neighbor who happened to knock on the right door.

Day 6:

Monday. The dreaded food shopping. Spent extra Christmas money on stocking up the freezer, overloading on the expensive necessities (cat food, litter, TP) and preparing for Christmas dinner (we were in charge of ham, turkey, green bean casserole, salmon dip, and mashed potatoes...damn). Spent more than $200 and 2 hours in Winco. Not the best day ever, but productive.

Day 7:

Tuesday. Finished shopping. Shopped for hours and bought last remaining presents. Found the dart board I had researched for Val, and it was the LAST ONE there. Thank goodness I didn't procrastinate at home any longer than I did or it would have been gone by the time I got there. Got home, wrap, wrap, wrap, more wrapping. Later with Val went to Kinko's to assemble the project we made anyone. One hour and many staples and copies later, all was finished. Even more later, Jeff & Liz show up at the house, having escaped from Portland's weather. It only took them 6 hours to get here! Baked quiche for dinner.

Day 8:

Wednesday. Just when I thought I was done Shopping, Liz has a a few last minute things to do, so I ventured out once again. Got done on the early side, so drank wine before Christmas Eve at Aunt Alice's. Lasagna dinner followed by Christmas lights drive with Alice, Liz G., Val, and myself, plus SIX cats in her household. Needless to say, allergic Jeff sat this one out. Dinner at Alice's was followed by opening one present at home with Jeff and Liz.

Day 9:

Thursday. Christmas. Woke up early to pick my mom up from the airport. Got there and immediately returned because her flight was delayed. Picked her up at 1:15 four hours late. Diner at 4:00- Liz's stuffing was AMAZING, and so was the rest of the food. Sat TWELVE people around two tables squeezed into our tiny house. Presents at 5:00. Friends left and arrived all night. Played darts on the new dart board, wore our red socks from Julie, and ate, ate, ate. Practiced modeling skills on the catwalk.

Day 10:

Friday. Christmas hangover. Didn't get dressed all day. Slowly processed through gifts and messes from the day before. Spent all day with Aunt and Mom. Watched movies. Ate nachos. Val came home from work early and slept until 9pm, ate some food, and went back to bed for the night.

Day 11:

Saturday. Dinner party for Stefani's birthday in Tangent, where Phaedra is currently housesitting. Served dinner for 10, consisting of Val's famous meatballs, salad, bread, and a huge spread of appetizers. Drank wine, talked, and worked our way to the Dixie Saloon down the street. Sang karaoke, played pool, and danced the night away.

Day 12:

Sunday. Dinner party hangover extraordinaire. I was so, so nauseous all day. Took mom to airport. Made strange hodge-podge dinner consisting of stuffing, mac & cheese, and a party pizza. Slept and slept and slept, and also watched The Great Outdoors, one of the DVDs we got for Christmas.

Today: 

Slept in. Made coffee. Watching Star Trek. Next - Finish putting away gifts, take another batch of recycling to the bins, throw away Divinity that no one ate, TAKE DOWN CHRISTMAS TREE. It was a great season, but I'm ready to be done with Christmas. 

Now, what to wear for New Year's Eve...?

Christmas Eve

Liz and Jeff have been here since Tuesday because of the snowstorm forcing them out of Portland while the roads were still drivable. We're so happy they made it! My mom is in the air as we speak and will soon land in Seattle to change flights. It's looking like everyone is making it to Christmas as planned!

Last night was Christmas Eve, and Liz was bouncing off the walls excited about opening her presents. We decided to open one each. But Mama chose the biggest one, and her name wasn't even on the gift tag! That's a cat for you - "What have you done for ME this Christmas?"

We chose the order to open gifts by drawing straws, Valerie's idea. She broke four toothpicks into four lengths, and the length determined the order of opening. Maybe that's why she got the gift she did...a Star Trek T-shirt that reads, "Vulcan girls do it with logic."

Jeff got a Northface hat, and he gave Liz a set of sapphire jewelry...very pretty. Look for it on New Year's eve. Val got the afore mentioned T-shirt, and gave me warm comfy slippers to replace the ones I currently own, which are in an atrocious state of disrepair. Bless her.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Winter Solstice for Jesus (Observed)

Every year, I spend a pre-Christmas weekend with my Dad and Leslie. Somewhere along the lines the party became less of a Christmas celebration and more of a birthday party for Jesus. 

I think it started the first time Zoe spent the holiday with us, and Jesus as a funny "Where's Waldo?" kind of joke started poppi

ng up. Just before arriving, we had come across the best ad in the Eugene Weekly, entitled "Jesus was a Vegetarian," and brought the clipping to Leslie, who had just purchased a "Beer Drinking Jesus" night light. All around us Jesus was funny. We bought party hats for Jesus's birthday and even made a cake that year.

Christmas 2002 - Sorry, my Dad has all the pictures with the party hats.

In following years, including last year, the tradition continued. Zoe was not present, but Adrienne joined in the fun, and Phaedra too. As you can see, we have no reservations in celebrating the birth of baby Jesus.

Christmas 2007 - Here are some hats.

This year was an especially magical year to celebrate Jesus. The weekend we set aside to pre-Christmas with the fam was the weekend of Winter Solstice. The event became dubbed "Winter Solstice for Jesus," until we realized that Solstice fell on Sunday, not on the day of our Saturday celebration. Therefore, the event was renamed "Winter Solstice for Jesus (observed)."

Christmas 2008 - Winter Solstice for Jesus (Observed)

'

At the end of the night, in a bit of a drunken ruckus, we blew out the candles for Jesus and enjoyed his birthday cake. 

Until next year, happy birthday JC!

A Year in Art

I love creative media in art. This guy is amazing. Enjoy.

Things that Make me Twitch, Vol. I

1. Christmas lights thrown upon a house without rhyme or reason, as if projectile vomited.
   
2. The interchanging of the words your and you're as if they mean the same.
   
3. Bryan Adams and/or Rod Stewart.
   
4. People referring to Valerie as 'him,' 'he,' or the worst one, said by the cashier while we were at Safeway with Val's brother: "Are these your sons?"
   
5. Drivers who dominate the left lane, only periodically venturing into the right lane when forced to, or forcing others to pass them on the right.
   
6. The Keifer Kia Princess.
   
7. The overheard conversations among OSU (oops, OS!) sorority girls in the bathroom at the Peacock.
   
8. Standing water on the bathroom counter and/or water droplets on the mirror.
   
9. The use of the word 'literally' for situations that are not, in fact, literal.
   
10. Double use of the word 'is.'  The thing is is...
    
11. Gross parents that yell at their children in the grocery store, usually for yelling.
    
12. Photos of women pregnant with multiple babies.
    

Snow at the River House!

Snowy River House pictures on the River House blog! Check it out and add it to the list of blogs you're following!
http://wilsonriverhouse.blogspot.com/

Musings on Procrastination

Most of you who know me know that I'm a do-er, an accomplisher, a 'work before you play' kind of gal. It's not always true, although I would have you think otherwise. 

Private Procrastinator: (n.) one who favors unproductive pursuits in place of  necessary tasks until the last possible minute; done when not in the public eye

Case and point - The time is now 12:04 pm. Five minutes ago, I recieved a call from Val saying that she'll be off work at 2:00. Since I will be picking her up, I'll need to schedule in enough time to get there, and since it's snowing, a little more than usual. 

That gives me 1.5 hours (or less) to accomplish the following tasks:

1. Shower

2. Finish packing

3. Feed the cats

4. Take out the garbage

5. Run the dishwasher (nevermind, already did that)

6. Pack the car

7. Leave

Instead of doing these important, necessary things, with only 1.5 hours remaining, I am:

1. Pressing refresh on several websites to see if anything has changed.

2. Blogging about something that has no relevance to anyone but myself

3. Running the dryer to de-wrinkle clothes

4. Making a deal with myself that when the dryer buzzes, I will become productive

Here is how this will go down.

12:15 - Publish blog posting of no relevance. Shut down computer, but not before checking at least one more site. What a dork.

12:20 - Jump in the shower. Try to beat the dryer buzzer.

12:40 - Run around in a towel with wet hair folding laundry, packing a bag, marking things off my list. At least I have a list. See, I'm an organized at least.

1:00 - Kick into high gear and continue bustling about, but at twice the speed.

1:25  - Load the car, take out the garbage, remember last minute details, warm up the car

1:30 - Be on the way, right on time.

To wrap things up (and on schedule, I might note), you may think that I am a responsible person who takes care of things in a way you wish you did, but really, I'm just as much of a mess as anyone else. It's just an organized mess.

When Frosty Gets Caught